Chapter four…
In which there are scatter-brained housemates, tired cousins, and new friends…
Lucy awoke to the sound of a furious shuffling of shuffling. She lazily opened her eyes, sitting up slightly to see Orla Higgs, one of the other Slytherin first years, already dressed for the day, bouncing about madly as she looked all around her four-poster bed, her green blankets tossed to the floor in a pile. She couldn't make out much, seeing as the grand windows on either side of the room looked into the lake, so they didn't offer light, but rather a view of the fish. Lucy watched her confusion for a moment before deciding to chime in.
"What's going on?" Orla jumped at Lucy's voice, sending her tight curls bouncing back away from her. She was a mousy little thing, with dark skin and big eyes that seemed to float behind her glasses.
"Wha-? Oh, sorry. Did I wake you?" She asked quickly.
"No, don't worry." Lucy lied, rubbing the small grains out of her eyes before letting her arms flop back to her sides. She looked over at Orla quizzically, "What're you doing?" Orla's eyes widened.
"Oh, well I lost my shoes last night. I mean, I didn't lose them, but I had them last night and now I can't seem to find them anywhere." She babbled nervously, still searching wildly as she spoke. Lucy watched her, her nose crinkled in confusion.
"What do they look like?" She asked from her bed, leaning back against the cold wall.
"They're, uh, they're these black shoes with straps and silver buckles." She tittered off, her curls seeming to cinch even tighter as she bounced around like a wind-up toy. Lucy glanced around the room, her eyes suddenly landing on a pair of patent leather Mary Janes at the foot of her bed.
"Are these the ones?" She asked, pointing at the shoes. Orla spun around, following Lucy's gaze.
"Oh! Yeah! There they are!" She squealed jumping into the shoes giddily.
"Cram it you two!" Called Charlotte Bagman from her bed, shooting them a deadly glare before slamming her pillow down over her head.
"Sorry." Orla whispered sheepishly. She quickly shuffled over to Lucy plopping down beside her, sticking out her hand, "I'm Orla by the way. Orla Higgs."
"Lucy Weasley." Lucy replied, shaking her hand.
"Oh, you were the Weasley." Orla said, realization spreading across her face.
"Yeah." Lucy said, forcing a chuckle. She could still feel a tightness in her chest from the night before. She couldn't help but feel like she had betrayed Molly, leaving her all alone. She wondered briefly if Molly had opened the gift too.
"Are you the first? You guys have a tendency to be Gryffindors, don't you?" Orla asked, watching as the giant squid unfurled a long tentacle outside the nearby window. Lucy thought for a moment.
"I guess so, but there are probably a few more." She finally replied, "My family is pretty big, so there's bound to be another."
"That was your sister, right? The Ravenclaw?"
"Yeah."
"Laurie told me last night." She explained, "She was pretty." Orla said, thinking back.
"Yeah," Lucy responded, "She is." There was a pause.
"Thanks for your help with the shoes." She said quietly, eyeing Charlotte's bed cautiously.
"No problem." She said, standing up to get dressed.
"Hey." Orla continued quietly, "Did you hear something last night?" Lucy quirked an eyebrow at her.
"Hear something? Like what?"
"I don't know." She whispered, getting a little softer, "I think I heard someone crying." Lucy froze.
"What?"
"I'm not being judgemental or anything." Orla added quickly, "I was just a little worried is all."
"Huh." Lucy said, buttoning her skirt clumsily, "I didn't hear anything." She said shortly. Orla didn't need to know that it was her.
"Oh, ok." She replied, "Hey, do you want to head out to the great hall now? You know, so we don't wake anyone."
"Yeah," Lucy confirmed, fastening her tie, "I should probably owl my dad anyways."
"Cool," She grinned, "Let's go."
"Ok." Lucy said, grabbing a sheet of parchment and her writing materials from her trunk, and quickly slipping the locket around her neck.
It took the pair a good chunk of time to reach the Great Hall, because of Orla's short legs. Once they arrived, a handful of students were already milling about, grabbing goblets of pumpkin juice and assorted breakfast foods. Lucy glanced around to see Louis had tucked himself away at one of the far tables.
"Louis!" She called over to the boy. He looked up at the sound of his name and gave her a weak smile, gesturing for her to come over. She quickly jogged over to him, with Orla waddling behind her. Louis grinned at her as she approached, his yellow and black tie shining.
"Hey, Luce." He said. He sounded tired. Lucy furrowed her brow at him.
"You ok?"
"Yeah, I'm great." He said, rubbing his eyes.
"Really? 'Cause you sound dead." She said, sitting down across from him. Suddenly it hit her, "The badgers snore, don't they."
"Like you wouldn't believe." Louis groaned tossing his head back dramatically, "And it gets worse!"
"How?"
"Turns out that Penn sleep talks! Not quietly either. He shouts out nonsense all night long." He cried, flailing his arms as he did his best impression of the boy, "'Who took the frog! Where's the frog!'." Lucy laughed at his antics, as Orla finally made it to the table.
"Merlin, Lucy," She gasped, breathing hard, her wide chest heaving, "Don't go so fast. I've got short legs." Lucy laughed.
"Sorry. Louis," She said, turning back to her cousin, "This is my housemate, Orla. Orla, this is my cousin, Louis." Louis shook her hand.
"Nice to meet you." He grinned.
"You too." She chirped, sitting next to Lucy. Louis looked up.
"Oh, it's Molly." He said suddenly, throwing an arm in the air. Lucy spun around to see her sister across the hall. She had her hair tied back in a blue ribbon and her Ravenclaw tie was perfectly straight. She glanced over at them, but seeing Lucy, quickly turned away, marching off to an empty table. Lucy felt her heart sink.
"I should probably talk to her." She muttered . Louis shrugged.
"I don't know. I think she'll come around. She always has before." He offered kindly.
"Yeah, I guess you're right." She grumbled, futzing with her tie. Molly had given her the silent treatment before, and the whole matter usually blew over in a matter of days, but Lucy wasn't so sure this time. This felt different.
"What's going on?" Orla asked, confused. Louis gave a dismissive wave of his hand.
"Nothing really. Molly's upset that she and Lucy are in different houses. That's all."
"I feel bad about it." Lucy remarked, "She really wanted us to be together."
"Was there even a chance you might have been in the same house?" Louis asked, propping his chin up on his hands. Lucy shrugged.
"Maybe. The hat asked me a question and told me, to be honest. It seemed like it was a deciding factor or something." He squinted at her, his round nose wrinkling.
"What was it?"
"Basically, if Molly had been sorted first, would I follow her to whatever house she got." Lucy recalled.
"What did you say?" Louis asked as he and Orla leaned forward.
"I was honest." She replied simply. He grimaced in reply.
"She'd be angry if she knew that's what happened." He stated slowly, leaning back in his seat. Lucy nodded.
"I think she figured it ended up that way." She said, "Molly's really smart." There was a long pause before Orla cleared her throat anxiously.
"Hey, uh, Let's talk about something else maybe." She suggested, the nervous speed from earlier that morning returning to her voice.
"Yeah." Louis agreed, with a reassuring grin, though it did little to make Lucy feel any better, "Let's talk about something else."
"Like what?" She asked, a little too subdued to keep up with the energy the two of them had.
"Oh, I know!" Louis chirped, bouncing in his seat, "How about the fact that Gabriel Davies has this really loud nocturnal toad that likes to sleep in my bed?" Lucy laughed.
"You're really tired, huh?"
"So tired!" He cried, dramatically falling to the floor, sending the two girls into a fit of giggles.
Lucy and Orla spent the rest of the morning with Louis as more and more students filed into the Great Hall before going back down to the dungeons for class, where small colonies of anxious first years had camped out at tables while Slughorn waddled about aimlessly. After a while, Orla left to find her misplaced cauldron, leaving Lucy alone at the table, finally able to write her owl home:
Dear Dad,
Thank you so much for the letter and the locket. They were both wonderful. Yesterday's train ride went well, but the boat ride didn't go as smoothly. Let's just say, I'm glad I didn't get the chance to make the giant squid's acquaintance just yet.
Anyways, there was something I wanted to talk to you about that happened last night. I'm sure you already heard how it went from Uncle Harry or Uncle Bill, but I got sorted into Slytherin last night. I'm ok with it, and I met a girl in my house who seems nice, but I'm really worried about Molly. She was really upset about us being in different houses, and now she's giving me a bit of the silent treatment. I feel really bad about leaving her alone, but at the same time, I would have felt bad about ending up in a house where I don't belong. Any thoughts? I'll write you again soon.
Love,
Lucy
"What's that?" Asked a cool voice. Lucy jumped, suddenly snapped out of her focus. Lorcan Scamander was standing above her, studying her work with a pair of distant green eyes. Lucy quickly hid the parchment.
"Merlin, you scared me." She gasped, a little annoyed. Lorcan seemed unbothered by this.
"What were you writing?" He repeated simply.
"I was owling my dad." She said, composing herself and folding the parchment a little more carefully, quickly stuffing it in her pocket. He raised an eyebrow at her.
"Then why'd you rip it away like you were making plans to resurrect Voldy or something?" He drawled. She didn't reply, simply clearing her throat instead.
"You shouldn't sneak up on people like that." She muttered, "You'll get yourself shot." Lorcan laughed.
"Oh relax, Weasley." She had to admit, he seemed to have warmed up to her a bit since their first meeting, which was fortunate, since they would probably be spending a lot of time together over the next seven years. She smirked at him.
"Not in my nature, Scamander." She mimicked as Theodore Urquhart and Duncan Rosier, two of the Slytherin first year boys, strode into the room. Lorcan stiffened at their presence and the two immediately locked onto him, turning sharply to meet him.
"Oh, good morning 'Salamander'." Theodore crooned mockingly, throwing an overdramatic arm over Lorcan's shoulder. Duncan snickered at him, "Good to see you looking well-rested after all the trouble you caused last night." He added, poking him sharply in the ribs. Lorcan's face had gone hard and his mouth was stretched into a stiff grimace as he stared at the floor mutely.
"'Oh Lysander! I'm so sorry! I've betrayed you! Oh, boo hoo!'" Duncan whined ridiculously in an obscene impression. Lucy could feel her insides going cold at this. The impersonation was a little bit too boys took note of his expression.
"Oh, what's this?" Theodore asked, "Are you going to cry again Salamander? Are you gonna cry for your mummy and daddy this time? Should someone go grab your fairy of a brother from Ravenclaw tower for you?" Lorcan's face went pale. Duncan sneered at him.
"Oh did that hit a chord there? Oh quick! Someone grab that nancy before Salamander here cries again."
"Will you stop it, Rosier!" Lucy finally snapped, standing up to face them. She was just a hair shorter than Theodore, but she was about a head taller than Duncan. Both boys looked up at her, startled for a moment before relaxing back into a condescending sneer.
"Oh go shove it, Weasley." Theodore said dismissively.
"Yeah!" Duncan added, "We're just having some fun with our new pal here. Isn't that right Salamander?" He grabbed Lorcan by the hair and jerked it so that he nodded, "See? What did I tell you?"
"Yeah, so bugger off, Weasley. We're having fun."
"Really?" Lucy said, giving them a sweet smile, "Because that's just what I'll have when I start slipping Puking Pastilles into your food. At least, that's what'll happen if you don't leave him alone." The two boy scoffed at her.
"Nice bluffing, Weasley." They laughed. Lucy raised her eyebrows.
"Not a bluff." She said, "My uncle's the owner of Weasley Wizard Wheezes, and he sends regular packages to get us interested in pranking. I think this time I might find a use for those skiving snack boxes I've got." Their laughter faded, and they shot each other a glance, before shoving Lorcan towards her.
"Whatever." Theodore snapped, "Have him."
"Yeah." Duncan parroted, "Take him. He's boring anyways."
"Alright, first years!" Slughorn piped up from his desk, "Time to begin! Please take your seats so we can get started." Theodore and Duncan glared at her and with that, the two stalked over to a table at the other end of the room. Lorcan turned back to her. His face was red and he looked a little sheepish standing there, all small and defeated.
"You alright?" Lucy asked with a gentle smile.
"Yeah, uh," He stammered, "Thanks." She reached out to touch his shoulder, but he pulled away, so she let her hand fall.
"No problem." She said, "Need a seat?" She gestured to the remaining empty spot at the table as Orla scampered in, cauldron in hand, and claimed her seat. Lorcan looked down at the seat for a moment.
"Sure." He said finally as Slughorn clapped his hands to get the classes' attention and they quickly took their seats. Lorcan leaned over to Lucy as Slughorn began the introductory speech, "Hey,"
"Yeah?"
"I'm sorry for pushing you. You know, back at the Burrow." He whispered.
"It's ok." She replied in a hushed tone, holding out her hand below the table, "Friends?" Lorcan glanced at her hand suspiciously, but took it just the same, offering her a smile.
"Yeah. Friends."