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Chapter Ten
Thursday, May 19th 2022
Great Hall, Hogwarts, Scotland
Their seating arrangement has changed. Grace still sits next to Eva, but Lysander sits on her other side these days and Lorcan sits across from them, flanked by different people depending on which table they're sitting at. Today that leaves Grace facing Meredith Longbottom, while Molly talks quietly to Lysander. Meredith is a quiet person, much quieter than Molly, but she is fiercely loyal and even if she's more Lorcan's friend than Eva's, she sits by them and glares at Brandon with as much ferocity as any of the others. Grace is thankful for her quiet, solid presence.
"Are you sure you don't want me to wait for you?" she asks Eva softly.
"Yes," Eva says firmly. "Practice will probably run late and after I'll have Rosa and Sarah and the others around." She squeezes Grace's hand. "Don't worry too much about me. I can take care of myself."
And she can, Grace knows she can, everyone knows who is responsible for Brandon's black eye and his bloody nose even if no one says it out loud. And she's pretty sure there is more than one rumor about Brandon's potions mishap just this week and his missing essays that he insists he did, but no one dares mention it to her.
It's just as well, she supposes, she doesn't need anyone else to tell her what she already knows. She has better things to do than worry about rumors. Because despite the fact that she knows Eva can take care of herself, she worries. She worries about her eating habits. She worries about how much time and energy Eva invests into Quidditch. She worries about the way Eva's lip trembles when she thinks no one is looking.
Her musings are interrupted when Eva leans against her. "You've got your worry face on, Gracie." The shorter girl just smiles sheepishly. "I've got to go in a minute," Eva tells her, "do take care of all the other worrywarts." Grace looks up at her questioningly and Eva bends her head to whisper into her ear. "Lorcan looks like he thinks I'll burst out crying the minute I'm out of sight. Can you just… sit with him? Just dinner, that's all I ask, I know how you two get."
Grace nods. She feels bad. She didn't just not tell her roommates she stayed up late with Lorcan, she also never told Eva that they're fine these days, that it's not awkward. And she feels even worse because she'd still like for this one to be her secret.
"Thank you," Eva smiles half-heartedly and gets up, grabbing her broom. "I'll see you guys around."
They watch her leave, so much more subdued than she usually is and when she is gone they turn back to the table in unison. Molly doesn't comment, she just keeps eating silently and Grace is so thankful that these people know tact.
They sit in silence for a while, until Meredith finishes and looks at the others. "Is… anyone else leaving?"
"I'll come with you," Molly says as Lysander gets up. Grace and Lorcan look at each other for a brief moment and shake their heads.
"See you tomorrow," Lysander says and Grace thinks that maybe she should be wondering what Lysander goes off to do on those evenings that she and Lorcan spend in the common room. The two have not been in the room at the same time as of yet. Then, she wonders if Lysander knows, and purposely stays away.
And so she asks "Did you tell him?" as soon as the others are out of earshot instead of the million other things she wanted to say about Eva and worrying and OWLs.
His eyebrows pull together in a frown and he looks so hurt, that she instantly knows he didn't. She ducks underneath the table and sits next to him. "I'm sorry," she whispers. "I didn't mean for it to come out like that. That sounded harsh, didn't it?" She bites her lip and tries to get a good look at his face. He turns away from her to continue eating and she silently curses herself.
"Lorcan?" she tries again. "I really am sorry. I'm just… kind of on edge because I worry about Eva and I can see you worrying yourself sick and then I worry even more and… don't be mad at me?"
He doesn't say anything, but he leans in her direction slightly, which she takes as both an 'I'm not' and an invitation to lean her head on his shoulder, so she does.
She watches him eat silently and when he's finished and he turns to her and says "Let's get out of here," she nods and gets up. They walk out of the Great Hall, unaware of the eyes that are following them. Unaware of the rumors they leave behind. And really… they don't care.
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