Disclaimer: Not JK…

A/n: Written for the Professor Flitwick's Prompt of the Day thread. Prompt for 20th January "Stay with me"

Chapter 3: The Discovery

Lily Potter paced the length of the corridor furiously, biting her lips and her fingernails alternatively. Lysander sat on one of the chairs by the wall, his face in his hands. A low murmur of something that sounded like swear words could be heard, and Lily stopped her pacing to snap at him.

"My ears are bleeding, Ly. Stop swearing. He'll be alright" but her shifty eyes proved just how much she believed that statement. She continued to pace nervously and only stopped when Molly came rushing through the corridor. Molly had gone to inform Lorcan's parents through owl, since Lysander had refused to leave his twin until he knew for certain that there was nothing to worry about.

"You're going to feel dizzy. Sit down. He'll be fine; no bludger is strong enough to get through his hard head" Lily smiled slightly, and did as she was asked. Only to stand up immediately as the doors opened and the nurse came out. She wasn't sporting a somber expression, so he should be fine. Or that was what Lily guessed before her anxiety completely took over and she rushed as fast as Lysander to the doors.

"He'll be fine. He'll need to stay here for a while but he's out of danger" a collective sigh was heard as the three rushed into the Infirmary. Lily was the last of all to enter, a sudden inexplicable hesitation smothering her overwhelming worry. She wasn't exactly close to Lorcan, but she had been the cause for him getting admitted here. She had felt guilty was all. She stood by the door unnoticed until Lorcan, recognizing her, waved her over.

"Hello Lily! Thanks for saving me" it was a miracle that he spoke so much at all, what with his I-count-the-words-I-speak-and-haven't-crossed-a-thousand-yet principle. He sounded genuinely grateful, but it only served to increase her guilt. She had been the one who had hurt him, not saved him!

"I'm really sorry, Lorcan. I wasn't looking where I was flying. I was too stuck on the snitch. I'm so damn sorry, I…" he held a hand up, which stopped her rant which wasn't much of an apology at all either way.

"Everything's fine, Lily. You caught me when I fell, didn't you? At the cost of losing the match too, huh?" he turned to Lysander who nodded enthusiastically.

"It's just the first match. We'll catch up" she replied decisively, and Lorcan chuckled. It seemed that whatever potion he had been given had made him more open, talkative and just a tad bit less frightening.

The three of them spent the rest of the day there, chatting away. Actually, it was just Lysander and Molly that talked a bunch, while Lorcan just sat there listening, like usual. Lily, for her part, remained just as silent. Not because it was in her nature to be so, but because she was too bust watching Lorcan. It was rather ironic that she'd notice him right after bludgeoning into him during a Quidditch match and not before, during the fifteen odd years of their acquaintance. Ironic indeed.

She had always imagined him to be the arrogant arsehole types, but now she realized that she had stereotyped him just as quickly as people judged her. He wasn't the type to spell out every thought he had, he never spoke much more than a few sentences, never showed many expressions on his face. But his eyes, those unfathomable blue depths of them made up for all that quick enough. She had never seen a pair of better expressive eyes. It was a small wonder noone realized that, a miracle she hadn't.

Just as she was thinking that, Lorcan's eyes turned discretely to hers. Not that the other two noticed, lost in their argument about NEWTs as they were. Lysander was steadily voting for abolishing them. He smiled at her, his lips remaining straight. She just knew he was smiling, because that light in his eyes always seemed to flare up whenever he thought something was amusing. She didn't know how she knew that, or even if it would be considered creepy that she could read his emotions so well from his eyes after only a half day in his presence. Probably.

"Shoot! We have a party to go to in ten minutes! I'm sure you're glad you're hurt now, Lorcan, aren't you?"

"Sure, I am. Those things you drag me to…" he shook his head, clearly expressing his discontent.

"Okay! I gotta go! You know you're invited Lily. Just knock on the door and one of us will get you, yeah?" Lorcan took off like an arrow from the bow, but Molly stayed behind for a few more minutes before she too left to join the festivities.

Lorcan sighed and leaned a bit on the bedpost, and jumped when he heard footsteps nearing his bed. He'd thought everyone had gone. Opening his eyes, he saw that Lily was approaching him slowly, hesitantly.

"I thought you left with them" he spoke slowly, afraid that she'd run away any second now. But she only walked towards him, her steps becoming surer and faster. She sat on the chair beside the bed before she replied.

"No, I'm really not in the mood for all the commotion today"

"Because you lost?"

"No. It's just…I can't explain it"

"I understand. We all have our off days" the two of them remained silent after that, Lorcan staring at the window, Lily staring at the bedspread, not knowing what to say. Finally, gathering up her courage, she said,

"I'm really sorry for that Lorcan. I wasn't watching where I was going and it was an accident, honestly. I…"

"I know, Lily. I don't hold this against you, you know that. Is that what has been troubling you today? You seemed very thoughtful today and I thought something was wrong" he had noticed? Had he also noted that her eyes hadn't strayed away from his for the better part of the day? The very thought brought an embarrassed blush to her cheeks.

"No, I just wanted to apologise one more time before I left. Off to the commonroom to sulk now" she stood up to leave and Lorcan would normally have let her go, watching her retreating form, wishing that she had stayed a bit longer. But something, may be the potion the nurse had given him, was making him bold, making him call out to her.

"Lily?" she turned around, wondering what he could have to tell her.

"You said you would be bored, right?"

"Yeah! I have little to no work to do and I'm not in the mood for much studying today so, yeah. Why?"

"Stay with me"

"What?" her incredulous tone clearly suggested that she thought she was hallucinating. The sight of her astounded face amused him, and he chuckled.

"Stay in the Infirmary with me. I have nothing to do here and since I'm not supposed to go to sleep, I need company" he smiled at her in that oh so alluring way, and Lily found herself nodding before she even comprehended his words fully.

She came back to sit on the chair, and it was a bit awkward between them before Lily's conversational side took over and she started speaking with him.

They spoke all through the night until the nurse kicked her out. Lorcan was much the same as she had assumed sans the conceited behavior. He never spoke much, but when he did, whatever he said made a lot of sense. He wasn't humorous, but his sarcastic wit more than made up for it.

Lily found herself smiling as she went back to the commonroom, all her sulky mood evaporating.

A/n: Please do review!