Chapter 12: Lucy Forgives Him Anyway

February 13, 14, and 15, 2020

Two days. Two whole days. Lucy refused to speak to him for two. Entire. Freaking. Days.

Thursday was hell. She was already in the Great Hall when he went in for breakfast, and she sat on the side of the Gryffindor table that faced away from the Slytherin table. In first period History of Magic, she traded places with Trudy Stamm, claiming to have forgotten her glasses that day and couldn't see the board from all the way in the back where she normally sat behind him. As she was leaving, however, he could see her giant glasses poking out of her robe pocket. He spent all of his free period looking for her, but he couldn't find her anywhere. When he got to lunch, she was sitting with the Hufflepuffs on the side facing the Slytherins, so he sat on the side that faced her but she blatantly ignored him the entire time. In Transfiguration, she sat quietly in the back. He had to completely turn around in his seat in the front of the class to see her. Her eyes met him only once before looking away when the teacher told him to face forward. Finally, in detention, Miss Trundle left to turn something in, and when he got up to head to the Astronomy Tower, she continued sorting the bookshelf. He went up alone and angrily hurled paper planes into the sky, all of which had angry words written into them, almost all about her. He came back to her sitting in her seat quietly, legs crossed at the knee and hands folded on her lap. She was just staring ahead and didn't acknowledge his return at all. Shortly after Miss Trundle came in and dismissed them. She flew out of the classroom like a bat out of hell. She was already long gone by the time he stepped out into the hallway. All in all, Thursday was awful.

Friday, however, sucked. Big time. First of all, she spent breakfast surrounded by the Gryffindors, still facing away from him. Secondly, she stayed in Trudy's spot for History of Magic, despite the fact that she was wearing her glasses. Thirdly, all of her free period was spent with the male Longbottom, and at lunch, she snuck away with Rose, Roxanne, and Lily, laughing. Fourthly, she ignored him completely during Transfiguration, even when he went over to her desk before class. She just acted like she couldn't even hear him and the teacher came in before he could really even say anything. Lastly, and worstly, Colin Wrunn was in detention.

He fully intended to say and do anything and everything that would end this horrid cold shoulder she was giving him. He had spent the past two days planning exactly how it would go, down to smallest detail. Colin Wrunn was not in the plan.

When he walked into detention, Miss Trundle wasn't there yet. Lucy was sitting in her usual seat, and Wrunn was sitting on her desk, legs spread so she was practically in between them. She was leaning back in her chair, arm slung over the back of it casually. He was leaning forward, forearms braced on his thighs and face annoyingly close to hers. They were laughing, and he kept reaching forward to push her glasses up the bridge of her nose.

Carson cleared his throat when they failed to notice him after a minute. Both Hufflepuffs looked towards him standing in the doorway. It was the first time she had purposefully looked in his direction since their argument on Wednesday. He just stared at her for a while before he realized that she probably expected him to say something.

"So..." he started awkwardly, "what's going on here?"

Lucy glared and turned back to Wrunn. Wrunn rolled his eyes and said, "Sod off, mate."

He went to turn back to Lucy but stopped mid-turn when Carson replied, "I'm not your mate."

Wrunn arched an eyebrow at Lucy as if to say Is this guy serious? before leveling Carson with a cold look. Colin Wrunn had frigidly cold, pale blue eyes that froze the air around him.

Underneath his icy gaze, Carson managed to stutter out, "It's just that, you can't just- just come in here and be all- all... why are you here?"

Wrunn smiled sharply with his fluorescent white smile before side-eyeing Lucy and saying, "I just came to spend time with my favorite Weasley, that's all."

Carson could see Lucy fighting a smile when she disagreed, "Shut up. You talked back in class and got detention."

They were fully immersed in each other again. He leaned forward even more and grinned slyly.

"Maybe I did it on purpose."

She laughed it off, but Carson could see her blush from where he stood.

"You're so full of it."

Wrunn shrugged.

"Maybe I am full of it. Or maybe I just wanted to get you alone."

Their noses were practically touching now, so Carson felt the need to say something.

"Yeah, not alone. I'm still here."

Wrunn sighed when Carson broke the moment, turning to the Slytherin with a very frustrated look on his face. He stood up from the desk at his full height. And wow, was he tall.

Carson wasn't really a short guy per say, but he definitely wasn't the tallest either. Most guys he knew were taller than him and most girls were around his height or shorter than him, but not by much. Wrunn, on the other hand, was easily a head or two taller than him. He had to crane his neck up and up to look him in his frosty eyes. He was skinny- skinnier than Carson and skinnier than Lucy- and wiry with this weird muscle to him that was just enough to look threatening. What Carson didn't have in height, he made up for in shape. He considered himself pretty well-built for a non-athletic guy, but somehow, that didn't seem to matter to Wrunn, who glared down at him like he was a nuisance.

"Is there a problem, Avery?"

Carson didn't know Wrunn very well at all, but before today, he would not have thought there was a single Hufflepuff willing to take on a Slytherin. After being subject to the look in Wrunn's eyes, he might have to change that belief.

"No. No. No problem," Carson said hastily, making his way to his usual seat. Lucy avoided looking at him again, looking instead at the ground.

Wrunn followed him with his eyes all the way to his chair and continued to glare even after Carson had taken a seat. After a few seconds of awkward silence, Lucy spoke up.

"Colin, leave him be."

The wiry blond turned back to Lucy with that same sharp smile.

"Of course, love."

Lucy scoffed at his charm, but Carson could see her ears turn red in his peripheral vision. She didn't turn red like that with him. With him, it was always an angry red. He tried not to snap his quill in his fist.

As Colin retook his seat on the edge of Lucy's desk, legs parted around her, she retorted, "Don't call me that. Trudy wouldn't like it."

Colin rolled his eyes.

"So? I don't care."

Lucy smirked, yet another expression that looked wrong on her face.

"We both know that's not true."

"Damn you, Weasley," Colin grumbled. "I'm trying to get you into my bed and you bring feelings into it."

How much detention would I get for murder?

"So you admit that you have feelings for Trudy?"

She gets so adorably excited.

"No, no, that's not what I said. You're trying to bring Trudy into this when I'm trying to sleep with you."

Would he really be missed?

"No, you said I'm trying to bring feelings into it. Don't reword."

She can be clever, too.

"Same thing. The point is, I want you. Tonight, preferably."

Wow, I really hate this guy.

"Are you saying feelings and Trudy are the same? Sounds like you like her to me."

Well, I can kind of relate to him...

"If I liked Trudy, why would I be here seducing you?"

Then again, I also really hate him.

"Trying to seduce me," Lucy corrected. "And it's because you're a relentless flirt."

Wrunn shrugged and smiled.

"Guilty as charged."

Carson listened to their banter for the first thirty minutes of detention before Miss Trundle got there. Back and forth, back and forth. He would try to convince her into his bed, and she would try to convince him of his love for Trudy Stamm. Carson had no idea he could hate someone so much, and he also had no idea he could lo- like someone so much. Now, however, he was fully aware of how much he hated Colin Wrunn and how much he lo- liked Lucy Weasley. When Miss Trundle finally came, she ordered Wrunn to get in his seat- which was directly behind Lucy's by the way- and told them all to organize some study cards alphabetically. Carson breathed a sigh of relief that the torture was over, but he was too quick to count his cards. The rest of detention was spent sorting potion cards and listening to Wrunn whisper things he would rather not have heard him whisper into Lucy's ear.

When it was finally, finally over, Carson almost cried from relief. He gathered his things as quickly as he could and deposited the organized cards on the teacher's desk. He tried to get out as soon as possible, but as he hightailed it to the Astronomy Tower, he could hear them chatting amicably about this or that on their way back to their respective beds, he hoped.

Every paper plane he made was blank.

"So you just sat here?" Roxanne asked, looking particularly underwhelmed. Lily nodded.

"Yep. We just sat here. It's actually pretty nice to just talk instead of going off in the woods or whatever."

"Not that we don't enjoy going off into the woods during our Saturday meetings," Lucy quickly added. "It's just that sometimes we like to take a break."

The three girls met that afternoon for another one of their Saturday meetings. This time Roxanne could attend, so Lily suggested they show Roxanne that they could enjoy time together while not risking their lives in the Forbidden Forest. Roxanne wasn't getting it.

"So... Lucy," Lily said, turning to her blonde cousin, "how has detention been?"

Lucy immediately launched into an angry rant about Colin Wrunn, leaving no detail out. They spent the whole afternoon chatting like that, complaining and lamenting and entertaining. They didn't take any heed to the people around them, and no one bothered the three cousins lying recumbent by the lake. That is until Carson Avery worked up the nerve to approach Lucy out in the open while surrounded by her cousins.

"Er... Lucy?"

Lucy squinted up at the shadow that fell over her. Though it was still very chilly, it was an oddly sunny day. She noticed his fidgeting hands first before meeting his dark eyes. She wasn't very good at reading people, but his darting eyes and twitching fingers gave away his nervous energy.

"What do you want, Avery?" Roxanne asked forcefully.

Carson visibly shrunk in on himself, but he mustered the courage to ignore the tallest Quidditch player on the Gryffindor team and instead looked Lucy directly in the eyes and asked, "Can we talk?"

She glared at him. He pulled his eyebrows into a pleading expression, and she lifted her chin indifferently. Lily caught the exchange.

"Yeah, sure," the ginger answered for her quiet cousin. "We'll be here if you need us."

Roxanne's eyes darted between Lily and Lucy and Carson nervously. She stared at Lily like the witch had gone insane. Lucy's eyes widened in alarm before whipping around to gape at her cousin in disbelief.

"Lily, no, I-"

Lily shushed her friend and nudged her to her feet. Smiling up at her innocently, Lily urged Lucy, "Go on. Roxanne and I will be here when you get back."

"If I get back," Lucy muttered under her breath. Carson heard and winced.

She led the two of them all the way up to the Astronomy Tower in silence before crossing her arms and turning to the object of her anger. Her fury faltered at the apologetic look on his face, but she steeled herself again and fixed him with a hard glare.

Carson didn't like these glares that she kept sending his way. It was different than her usual, explosive outbursts of anger. Her eyes should be lighting up like fireworks and her face should be turning a bright Weasley red. Her lips should be set in a snarl, an expression he'd only ever seen on her, and her hands should be fluttering around her as she shouted at him in a loud volume she rarely reached. This... this was different. Now she only looked at him with a hurt, indignant glare that hit him hard like a battering ram. It was like a wall, and it was so frustrating.

"So?" Lucy asked impatiently from where she stood by the railing. He stood anxiously by the door with one hand sheepishly rubbing the back of his neck.

"Lucy, listen-"

Well, you can't say she didn't try. She really did.

"No, you listen!" she shouted whipping around to face him. "What the hell is wrong with you?!"

Call him crazy, but her shouting and turning red calmed him down because at least it was something familiar. He could feel the corner of his mouth start to involuntarily quirk up in a smile, which only served to incense her more.

"Don't just smile like you have everything under control because you don't! You don't, you don't, you don't!"

She knew how ridiculous she looked. She was practically throwing a tantrum, but, goddammit, she was mad.

Carson fought to subdue his fond smile. He definitely had a death wish.

"Stop smiling at me! Take this seriously," Lucy said, striding towards him. He may have had a death wish, but he had enough common sense to step back a few steps. His smile, on the other hand, was barely restrained. She was normal Lucy again, fire in her eyes and all, and she was talking to him again. How could he not smile? She stopped a few feet away from him, arms flying expressively as he spoke.

"Stop it! You're so infuriating! I'm trying to have a serious discussion, and you're smiling like my being angry is a good thing, but it's not! It hurts like hell, and I hate you for it! You are so awful, to me and to others, and I can't handle it!"

He let her shout and yell whatever she wanted, because, yeah, it hurt and he didn't like how guilty it was making him feel, but she was inching closer and he could reach out and touch her- that is if he had a death wish. And he couldn't stop smiling. What the hell is wrong with him?

"Why would you let Cerise do that to me?" Lucy shouted, and, Helga help her, she was tearing up just a little. "And you're still smiling! I can't believe I thought this would work. You can't even take me seriously when I'm mad at you. You know what, Avery? I-"

The smile was gone. She saw his face darken and it tempered her anger just a little. She remembered an argument they had had before where he only kept saying "Don't call me that" whenever she called him by his last name. She didn't understand at the time, or now, but from then on she was wary of calling him by his last name. Her instinct was to be afraid of people being upset with her, but she reminded herself that she was the angry one and she was the one who was wronged.

"An-and I wish you had said something and I wish you had done something and now I just wish you would leave me alone!"

He scowled darkly. She became very aware of the foot of space between them, regarding him now with caution. When he just kept looking at her with that dark expression, she got frustrated and took a bunch of his shirt fabric in her fist, shaking him slightly.

"Say something, dammit."

She had meant to shout it, but it came out sounding very small, almost like a plea. He did not look happy, but he shouldn't have been. He shouldn't be angry either. She didn't do anything wrong. She realized she was still clinging to him by his shirt, so she tentatively let go, fingers slowly untangling from the fabric. He let out a sigh at the same time and dropped his head down. Now he looked sad. Finally, he knew how to react to being chewed out.

"I'm sorry, okay?" he said, looking down at their feet. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to get you this angry or hurt you so badly. You have to understand, they've been my friends for years, Cerise since birth. We had been friends for a few hours, during most of which we were asleep. It's hard to just turn your back on your closest, only friends."

She shook her head.

"You're acting like I gave you an ultimatum, like we can't be friends as long as y'all are still friends. I'm not asking you to turn your back on everyone you ever loved. You just have to try. And you didn't. You didn't try, Carson, and you didn't say anything. You let her bully me. That's not what friends do."

"She's my best friend, Lucy," Carson explained. "Technically, she's my girlfriend. I can't just turn on her."

Lucy groaned in frustration.

"I'm not asking you to! How are you so thick-headed? You could have distracted her or you could have told her maybe, I don't know, 'Hey, Cerise, that's not cool, maybe you should not.' I don't know, something."

He lifted his gaze from the floor to her face. She was thankful that her teary eyes had been just that and none had fallen during her angry tirade.

"I know, Lucy. I'm sorry."

She tilted her head and quirked an eyebrow, reminding him of Marcus when he was confused. A skinnier, prettier, female Marcus.

"Carson, do you wanna be my friend?"

"I already told you I do."

She set him with a resolute look, pinning him in place with her eyes.

"Then act like it. I forget sometimes, but in my heart of hearts, I know that I'm worth a little more effort."

She held her breath as she waited for his response. That was the most self-esteeming thing she had ever said. She hoped she didn't come across as self-centered or vain. It was so deeply ingrained in her nature to put others first that her heart ached when she said those words she'd heard long ago from a self-love seminar playing on the TVs in TV store she passed on the sidewalk. It used to play over in her head when she was younger as she wondered if it applied to everyone. Now she knew, yes, it does.

Carson didn't question it, or at least, he didn't look like it. He sighed wearily again and assured her, "I know that, Lucy. Don't you think I know that? But I don't know if I can ever be a good enough friend."

"What?"

He looked away from her and muttered out in an embarrassed voice, "Yeah, I'm just not sure I can really be good enough. We've been friends for a few hours, not including all the time you spent hating me, and I've already hurt you a lot. I know more than I know anything else that you are the key or whatever to me being better, being not who my father was. I know I need you for it, but I don't think it's worth hurting you. I'm an awful friend."

When he looked back to her face, it was screwed up in that way it did when she was confused, blonde eyebrows knitted together on her forehead and nose all scrunched up. She shook her head slowly, eyes clouded over like they do when she's struggling to comprehend.

"I don't... I don't hate you."

He rolled his eyes.

"You just said it. You said it hurts like hell and you hate me for it. I don't blame you."

She shook her head, more sure of herself this time.

"I don't hate you. I don't hate my friends."

He scoffed and rolled his eyes again, and it was such a self-deprecating sound that her eyes almost watered again.

"Carson."

She used her fingers to pull his chin down to look her in the eye.

"I don't hate you. You're my friend."

She leaned forward with the weight of what she was going to say next.

"And you're worth a little more effort."

She couldn't read his expression, but she was close enough that she could hear his breath hitch. His chest stopped its steady up and down rising, and his pupils practically doubled in size. If she hadn't known any better, she would have thought he was frozen. When he didn't answer for nearly a minute- though it felt like an eternity- she asked softly, "Carson?"

He let out a long, shuddering breath that racked through his body and fluttered the bangs on her forehead. He shook his head slightly to clear whatever thoughts were clouding his brain. She let go of his chin and took a step back to give him some room to breathe, purposefully ignoring the blush creeping up her neck. He ran a shaky hand through his hair and took in deep, full breaths like he had just run a race. He looked completely and totally wrecked, for lack of a better word. They stayed like that for a while, him collecting himself and her watching. After he looked like he had breathed enough, Lucy broke the silence.

"So we're friends, okay?"

He nodded sort of distractedly.

"We're friends because you wanna be a better person?"

He nodded again, obviously occupied by some other thought.

"We're friends and you're gonna act like it?"

He nodded again, more firmly, and even dared to flick his eyes up to hers for a second before being consumed by his thoughts again.

"We're friends and I knew what I was getting into when I agreed to this."

This time it was a statement. He started to nod before he realized she wasn't asking him but telling him. He gave her a small, grateful smile.

"Lucy?"

"Yeah?"

"I'm sorry."

"I know."

He smiled at her, and she blushed, ducking her head so he wouldn't see. She liked his smile and concluded that she would help him do it more often. His head fell to one side to meet her eyes, and his hair flopped in that way it sometimes does, and she couldn't help it. So she didn't.

Before either of them knew what was happening, she threw her arms around him and buried her face in his chest. He tensed for maybe a second before wrapping his arms around her shoulders and pulling her closer to him. He turned his face into her hair, and she could feel him breathe in deeply. They stayed like that for what was possibly a little longer than necessary before she loosened her hold on him and he suddenly sprang back like he'd been caught sleeping in class or something. He ran his hand through his hair again.

"Friends hug," she told him, more to persuade herself than him.

He nodded like he really needed to believe it.

"Friends hug," he reiterated.

"I should probably get back to the lake."

"Yeah, you probably should."

"My friends are waiting."

"They are."

She knew she was stalling, and she was pretty sure he knew it too. Still, she didn't want to go. Sure, they could always be friends up here, but out there? Past trial runs showed evidence otherwise. What if he was only friends with her here and stayed the same out there? What if this ended up happening again? What if it was an endless cycle that she just got stuck in? What if-

"Hey, Lucy."

She looked up at him. He smiled knowingly.

"You're worth the effort."

She blushed and stumbled back, making her way towards the door without turning away from him, as if looking away for a second would make this nice Carson disappear. When she finally made it to the door, she turned around and then looked back just as quickly. He was still there smiling at her, looking a little bit wrecked and a little bit amazed and a little bit broken and a little bit hers. Her eyes widened at the thought.

Mine? Where did that come from?

Try as she might, she couldn't fight the tiny smile that threatened to spread onto her face. Yeah, he kind of was hers. In a way. She was sure she was smiling like a fool when she got back to the lake.

"I'm telling you, Hugo, something is up with her."

Hugo sighed in exasperation. This was the third time they had had to have this argument, and Matt still wasn't letting up.

"Hugo, listen to me," Matt insisted. "She's acting strangely. You know it. I know it. Louis knows it."

Across the room, Louis nodded in agreement.

"She won't tell me, but something's going on with her. I think Avery has something to do with it."

Hugo looked up from his homework to the boy pacing in front of the beds in the Gryffindor sixth year boys' dorm.

"Matt, you're being paranoid again. Remember when you thought Roxanne was acting weird in second-year and you made us spy on her for a week before we found out that it was just a cold? It was just a cold, Matt. Lucy's fine."

Matt didn't look convinced.

"Louis sees it. Don't you see it? It's in Avery's eyes like he knows something. You saw it at Hogsmeade. I see it every time Avery sees her. She's got it too."

Louis sat quietly for a moment before saying, "I don't know what I saw at Hogsmeade. I just felt something weird in him when he looked at her."

"See?" Matt said, turning back to Hugo again. "Louis' Veela senses are tingling. That means something. I don't trust Avery."

"Matt, you don't trust anyone."

"Not true," Matt argued. "I trust Lucy, and Roxanne, and you, and even Lily sometimes, and I trust Louis. When he thinks something's up, I trust him and his Veela-ness."

Hugo put his homework aside and faced Matt completely.

"Matt. It doesn't matter if she's acting weird or not- and she's not. It doesn't matter because you are not her keeper. You're her friend."

"Best friend," Matt corrected.

"It doesn't matter, Matt. She's her own person. You can't control her."

Matt groaned in frustration.

"I'm not trying to control her; I'm trying to protect her."

"No, you're trying to control her, Matt, and it's not right."

"Actually," Louis interjected, "I have to side with Matt here. He's not controlling her. He just wants her safe, and I do too. If he really thinks something is wrong, the least we can do is go check on her in detention tomorrow. Put his mind at ease."

Hugo huffed.

"Fine. We'll go tomorrow."

From behind his bed curtains, Connor Fayhan grumbled, "Great. Can you three let me sleep now?"

Sorry for the long wait! Please review and tell me what you think should happen next! And don't be embarrassed. I'm open to anything.

Headcanon time: When Lucy started Hogwarts, Percy got her and Molly a German shepherd puppy. He was so furry and he had such big paws, so they named him Bear. He grew to be past Lucy's waist.

Again, please review. Even if it's just an emoji.

Basically, Lissy