Lucy/Albus
Prompt: Work It Out
Work It Out
March 13, 2023
Lucy bit the side of her cheek to keep from screaming in frustration. She was convinced that Albus was being completely dense on purpose, which was very unlike him. James, sure, he would pester her into helping him with his homework and get her to do it for him, but Albus was different. He was a relatively bright boy, from what Lucy could gather. So why couldn't he understand.
"Like this?" The boy asked again, his green eyes narrowed in determination behind his glasses. The concentration on his face was almost endearing, as he frowned and swished his wand, trying desperately to master the skill of silent spell casting. A vein was clearly visible pulsing at his temple, and his face turned red as he forgot to breathe. And as with all the previous attempts, nothing happened. The quill he was trying to levitate remained perfectly still on the table, mocking his incompetence.
Lucy let out a great sigh and rubbed her temples. "Not quite," she said, trying to sound optimistic, but she wasn't the most patient person in the world. Albus grumbled and slumped forward on the desk, utterly defeated. He didn't know what else he was meant to do. Rose and Scorpius had mastered the art straight away. And yet, three weeks afterwards, Allbus still couldn't cast a silent spell. He had even resorted to asking Lucy of all people to help him.
"I'm hopeless," he muttered sadly. "I must be half Squib."
Lucy eyed him with pity. Al was a sweet kid, really. Although his brother was a nasty influence on him sometimes, he had a steady friend in Rose, who kept him grounded. He really was trying his hardest, and Lucy didn't have the heart to reprimand him.
"No you're not," she assured him with a soft smile.
Al looked up at her in shock. He couldn't believe that Lucy Weasley was comforting him. Normally, she was scolding everyone and telling them how redundant they were. No one ever dared to ask Lucy for help. He'd only turned to her because he couldn't bear for Rose to find out that he couldn't perform silent spells. Anytime she and Scorpius arranged to practice in the library, Al was always coincidentally absent, claiming to be busy. Of course, if he'd told Rose, she'd immediately offer to help him – she was just that kind of person. But Albus was stubborn and filled with Weasley pride. He couldn't stand being the dunce compared to his two, brilliant, best friends.
"Rose and Scorpius have been able to do this for weeks!" he complained, burying his head into his arms.
Lucy reached out and touched his shoulder. "You'll get there, I promise," she told him. "We'll work this out, together."
Albus looked up at her in surprise. "Haven't you got work to do, or something?" he mumbled.
She shook her head firmly. "My little cousin needs help. So I'm going to help him."
He groaned. "I'm fifteen! Hardly what you'd call, 'little'.
She laughed, a rare sound to come out of her mouth. "You'll always be little to me, Albie. Now, let's try this again, shall we?"
A/N: Another little quickie for you :) Almost done with Lucy's prompts! I'm glad too, as much as I love Lucy, I can't wait to move onto the next character :)
Ages: Lucy (19), Albus (15)