Chapter ten: the expected one

'You don't have the power to upset me. You don't matter enough to upset me.' -The Reader

Several boxes of fire whisky later and everyone, all houses included, were all dancing, singing and celebrating in the Gryffindor common room. Music blared out of an object that Lucie couldn't spot, students were dancing on the make-shift dance floor whilst some merely sat in the corner mulling over a mug of butterbeer, clearly depressed about their loss.

Everyone seems to be celebrating, Gwen has gone to console her boyfriend and Rose is nowhere to be seen, Albus is dancing on the table still clad in his quidditch gear whilst Rose's infamous cousins are all being their usual selves- James Potter is juggling empty fire whisky bottles, Lily Potter is dancing on the dance floor with one of Rose's blonde cousins who's name Lucie had forgotten. Whilst the chaos occurs around her, Lucie is concealed behind one of the many couches pressed near the stone walls, clutching a bottle of butterbeer.

Lucie hated these occasions, she enjoyed quidditch matches but the after parties often were too much for her. But what she did enjoy about such things as these celebrations was that she got to see her best friends enjoy themselves, she got to see her know-it-all best friend finally put down her books and enjoy herself and watch her other best friends dance and laugh and just be as carefree as she had ever seen them. It was comforting for her.

"Lucie!" Gwen suddenly hissed, grabbing Lucie's arm and dragging her from behind the couch.

"What?" Lucie whispered as Gwen dragged her towards a spot where she could see into the centre of the make-shift dance floor.

"Rosie is dancing with Malfoy!" Albus slurred, Lucie hadn't even noticed him swaying on his feet beside her.

Her eyes were focused on the pale haired, undeniable beautiful boy who had his arms wrapped the curly haired redhead chuckling at her. She felt a pang in her stomach as the redhead leaned up on her tip toes and pressed her lips to Scorpius'. Lucie didn't hang around, she excused herself and walked from the common room and into the cold air of the corridor.

She steadied her breathing, and walked down the first staircase she came to, not even caring where she was going. It wasn't as if seeing Rose and Scorpius had upset her, or that she was jealous, it was just the fact that she'd had a drink. Or so she had hoped. She blamed the butterbeer and not the fact that her best friend was kissing the person she hated.

Before she even knew what she was doing, she was sat on the astronomy tower twiddling her wand with her fingers and staring into the starry sky. The only thing that interrupted her was the return of the familiar black feathered owl with large, cobalt eyes holding yet another blood red envelope. Lucie dropped her wand on the stone floor with a clatter, struggling to her feet and ripping the envelope away from the owl's beak forcefully.

Dearest Lucie,

Being alone is dangerous, didn't your mother ever tell you that.

-A.B

Her hands trembled as she bit down on her lip, her eyes darting around the tower as she instantly regretted coming here alone. Amelie could see her, she knew it and Amelie knew that she could see her. Panic pulsated through Lucie's body as she snatched her wand from the floor and began to run as fast as she could away from the tower.

She tore down the corridors, muttering the password to the Fat Lady and ran into the common room.

"Malfoy!" she panted loudly, grabbing Scorpius away from Rose with an apologetic look and out once again into the corridor.

"What the-" Lucie cut him off by thrusting the letter into his hand and rambling an explanation with a shaky voice.

"Lucie, calm down," Scorpius pulled her towards him, wrapping his arm around her tightly.

"She could see me, Malfoy, she could see me," Lucie tried to stop the tears from falling from her eyes, but she couldn't. They were involuntarily falling from her eyes, the more she willed them to go away the more they streamed down her pale face.

"I know, I know," Scorpius stroked her hair soothingly as she cried into his chest, suddenly noticing the same owl he had seen in the hospital wing sat beside them on a landing. "Lucie, promise me you won't freak out?"

Lucie narrowed her watering eyes as she pulled away from him, "What? Why?" she asked, her eyes darting around the corridor until they landed on the owl that once again held a blood red envelope in its beak.

Scorpius took a step towards the bird, snatching the envelope from it's once again snapping beak, ripping open the seal before gripping Lucie's hand once more.

Dearest Lucie,

You think running will prevent me from seeing you?

I had a feeling you would go running back to Malfoy, even though he kissed that redheaded Weasley child? How brave of you.

-A.B

Lucie exhaled heavily, snatching the letter from Scorpius and ripping her hand from his. "How can she see us, Malfoy?"

"I-I don't know," Scorpius faltered, rubbing his temples with his index fingers.

"That's a first, Malfoy," Lucie said scathingly, "go back to Rose, she'll be wondering why I dragged you off in the first place."

Scorpius looked at her confusedly before sighing and mumbling the password to the portrait which allowed him to enter almost immediately.

"How on earth can she see me?" Lucie whispered to herself.

As if in reply, another owl flew and joined the black feathered one with another blood red envelope in its beak less than five minutes later. Lucie cursed herself for speaking and ripped the envelope open.

I just can.

-A.B

"Are you jealous of Rose?" Gwen asked the following morning, straight after Rose had left for breakfast.

"No, why would I be?" Lucie asked, exhausted from her sleepless night.

"It's just you left after you saw the two of them together," Gwen shrugged, "you seemed really upset."

"I was fine, honestly," Lucie partially lied, rubbing her eyes with the palms of her hands.

"Are you sure? When you came back you looked like you had been crying," Gwen said sadly, "if you like him you just have to say, Lucie, I won't have you being upset over someone like Malfoy."

"I don't like him, Gwen," Lucie shook her head, feeling a nagging emotion in the back of her mind, "he never has had the power to upset me, you now that."

"Things change, Lucie," Gwen smiled sympathetically.

"I'll rephrase that," Lucie stated, "he doesn't matter enough to upset me."

Boom, the return of Amelie.. i got carried away with the letters- i apologize.

Review? Tell me what you think?

- Cait E. Storm