Chapter Three for Lucy! This one's a bit angsty, but oh, well.
Then it was January twelfth. The anniversary of Audrey's death. Lucy woke up crying and got dressed hurriedly, going out to the greenhouses for solace, deciding to skip breakfast. She thanked Merlin that it was a Sunday. She didn't think she could handle classes today.
Lucy picked up a watering can, tears streaming silently down her face. The greenhouses were her saviors, with their ability to grow plants in winter. The space was limited, however, and so was wholly dedicated to magical plants. None of her familiar flower friends here. Still, she was calmed slightly as she watered and pruned the plants by hand.
As she passed by the greenhouse walls, Lucy caught sight of her reflection in the windowed surface. Her usually bright blue eyes were red-rimmed and puffy and her short blond hair was tousled. It was so obvious that she had been crying! She tried to think of a way to erase the evidence when Marcy Wickett, a second year Ravenclaw, ran into the greenhouse and towards Lucy. Lucy saw Marcy take in her appearance and cringed inwardly, but Marcy said nothing about it. "I need help," she cried instead.
Lucy nodded wearily. She really wasn't in the mood for this today, but Marcy looked as if she had been crying, too, and who was she to denounce another's pain? Lucy wouldn't mind being comforted herself. It was the golden rule. "What is it?" She tried to make her voice sound sympathetic.
"You know the big Herbology test coming up?"
Lucy nodded.
"Well, I'm terrible at Herbology and everyone's making fun of me. They say I'm supposed to be smarter because I'm a Ravenclaw. I'm so embarrassed about my grades in this class. I just want to get a really good grade on this test so they'll stop teasing me. Can you help me study?" Marcy looked at Lucy pleadingly.
Oh, why did it have to be today? Any other time she would have jumped at the chance to help another student with her favorite subject. But today… she just wanted to drown out her sorrows, alone with the plants.
Marcy was so desperate, though. Lucy couldn't in good conscience leave her to get picked on, even if it seemed insignificant to her. It obviously mattered to Marcy. No, Lucy would help her. Maybe they could eventually become friends, and Lucy could go home and tell her daffodils about it.
So she forced a smile and said as amiably as she could, "All right. So let's start with the basic properties of the Liverwort phylum of plants…"
Marcy leaned forward eagerly as Lucy went over the material, showing the anatomy and magical properties of the plants in the greenhouse. After about an hour, Lucy had finished with the plants covered on the test. "…and if you remember all that, you'll ace the test for sure."
Marcy grinned. "Thank you sooo much! You're really good at explaining things, Lucy. I'll get a good grade thanks to you! Thank you, thank you, thank you!"
Lucy smiled at her tiredly, waving off the thanks, and Marcy scampered off, no doubt to brag about her new Herbology knowledge to all her tormentors.
Lucy leaned back on the wall of the greenhouse, sinking down to the ground. She was exhausted! Her eyes drooped. Maybe she'd just rest them for a minute… just a minute….
She came back to consciousness slowly, blearily opening her eyes. She was lying on the floor of the greenhouse. Her robes were covered in dirt and she suspected that her face and hair were just as bad. Lucy sat up.
"So, you're finally awake. I've been sitting here for ages."
Lucy started and turned to find Molly leaning against the wall next to her. She looked uncomfortable—Molly hated dirty things and the greenhouses were covered in loose soil—but she was there. "Molly!"
Molly sighed, red curls drooping as she leaned forward to Lucy. "You disappeared this morning. I looked for you all over school before coming here. Are you all right?"
Lucy looked down, her eyes filling as she remembered. Then Molly's arms were around her and she heard whispered reassurances. Lucy cried in her sister's arms.
After a while, her tears dried, and Molly said, "Are you better now?"
Lucy sighed. She was better, but still not good.
"All right, then," Molly said, standing up. "Let's do something to get this off our minds."
Lucy stood up, too, and noticed that Molly's eyes were as red as hers. She reached over and pulled her sister into one more tight hug, then let go and gave Molly a watery smile. "Yeah."
So Lucy showed Molly around the greenhouse and taught her how best to take care of her favorite plants. Soon enough it was getting late and Lucy's stomach began to growl. She realized that she hadn't eaten all day.
"Dinner time?" Molly asked.
Lucy nodded.
They finished up the night in peace, together, and no more tears came.
After that day, things went back to normal. Perhaps she and Molly were a bit closer, shared more of a bond, but everything else was much the same. Lucy went back to taking care of her plants every day and an even greater influx of people came to her for advice. She was up to one, sometimes two, every day. Most who sought her help were second and first years, but there was the occasional third or even fourth year in the mix as well. She sometimes wondered why they came, when they didn't even know her. Her advice wasn't that good. Maybe it was just that she listened. Lots of people had trouble with that, for some reason.
In February, her birthday passed uneventfully. Her family sent her the usual things and Molly even got the House Elves to make her a cake. Lucy refused any kind of a party. That would just be uncomfortable for her.
Review? Maybe? Please?