The first Quidditch match of the season came on the dreariest day of the year. The rain and wind promised absolute havoc on the pitch, making Hugo very grateful that he wasn't on the house team.

The week leading up to the match hadn't been as contentious as previous years. The members of both teams were doing the usual throwing of shade and competitive taunting in the halls, but the rest of the school could hardly be bothered. It had been a week of Hugo hearing his family name everywhere he went, whispered in the hallways as he passed, murmured in conversations at meal times, and even out right asked about in the common room.

After his sister had done an actual interview with the Daily Prophet confirming the new status of her relationship with Scorpius, the student body was even more intrigued than before. It had been almost more of a shock to Hugo to see that article than the first one. He couldn't remember a family member ever granting the Prophet anything more than a single comment, let alone an entire interview. Hugo had to assume that Rose had a very good reason to break the status quo. If she did, she hadn't mentioned it in the letter she'd sent him.

He wasn't angry. In some ways, he supposed he never had been. Hurt was the primary feeling. He wasn't too proud to admit that it stung to be kept in the dark about something that was so important to his sister. That made it important to him too. He cared a lot about her happiness, and Rose getting married meant he gained a brother. He'd be hesitant to admit it to anyone, but it was something Hugo had always wished to have growing up, no matter how much he loved his older sister.

Despite the lack of enthusiasm leading up to the Quidditch match, the majority of the school still traipsed out to the stadium after breakfast, those in Gryffindor and Slytherin decked out in house colors. Even a few Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws had borrowed scarves and sweatshirts from their friends in the other houses. But when it came to house pride, no one stood out more than Jill Boot.

Hugo's dad always loved to tell the story of Luna Scamander - formerly Lovegood - commentating on a Quidditch match during his sixth year. This story would sometimes lead to him mentioning the giant lion head Luna had donned for various Gryffindor matches.

When he was a first year, Hugo had almost felt like he was in the presence of a piece of history when he saw a member of Ravenclaw show up to breakfast wearing the exact same lion head for the first Gryffindor match of the year.

It was a tradition that had been started by Luna's sons when they were in her former house. Whoever was deemed to have shown the most Gryffindor characteristics or qualities in recent days would be presented with the hat and forced to wear it. Sometimes they would be proud to or enjoyed the fun of it, but it wasn't a secret that Gryffindor behavior was sometimes equated to acting rash or impulsive by the other houses. The lion was used to both celebrate and condone or mock certain behaviors, and it was always good fun to figure out why the current wearer had been deemed worthy.

It wasn't that hard to figure out this time around.

For the last week, Jill Boot had made a point of eating all of her meals at the Gryffindor table, usually within proximity of Louis Weasley. She wouldn't always talk to or even acknowledge him, though. It was as if all she wanted to do was remind him of her existence. Hugo had a feeling she was also trying to convey that she wasn't going anywhere any time soon.

He'd tried to talk his cousin into giving Jill a chance to explain, or even talk him into doing the explaining himself. But Hugo had a feeling that Jill knew exactly what had bothered Louis to the point where he'd walked out on their date. If she did, Hugo couldn't help admiring her current tactics. If she didn't, whatever natural inclination and intuition she had was serving her well.

In short, Louis thought Jill might only be interested in dating him because he was popular, good looking, highly sought after, and would make her all those things in return. Jill was going out of her way to make sure Louis knew she didn't care how ridiculous she looked, so long as he knew she was there.

She was walking down to the pitch with Hugo, Bobby, and Molly, the lion head worn with pride as they were pelted with rain. When she'd sat at the Gryffindor table that morning, Louis had simply stared at her in shock, ignoring his cereal and the chatter of his teammates as he watched her sit there like it was any other day and she wasn't wearing a giant lion's head. When asked by people what she'd done to earn it, she'd been consistently and unashamedly responding that she fancied a Gryffindor.

Hugo assumed that her lack of acknowledging which Gryffindor she fancied would be a point in her favor on Louis' end. Not that the whole school didn't already know who Jill had recently been on a date with.

By the time the team left breakfast to head to the pitch - Jill's lion hat letting out a mighty roar - Hugo could swear Louis was fighting back a grin.

"How was Lily this morning?" Bobby hollered over the sound of rain pounding the stands as they made their way to the Gryffindor section.

"Nervous, but acting like she wasn't," Hugo responded. He gripped the top of his hood, pulling it forward to better protect against the elements. "I would be too if I had to play in a fucking hurricane."

It was hard to have much of a conversation, so they mostly sat in silence as they waited for the match to begin. There weren't many conditions that they wouldn't play Quidditch in, but as the sky rumbled with thunder, Hugo had to wonder if they were pushing the envelope a little far this time.

"What if someone gets struck by lightning?" Molly hollered into Hugo's ear. He shrugged, thinking it was a very fair question and doing his best not to be worried. He'd played enough Quidditch in the rain to know that was the least of their concerns, though. Visibility would be nearly impossible, meaning lots of collisions and a more drawn out match.

Hopefully it would die down eventually.

The captains shook hands and the teams took to the sky, a great cheer going up in the stands that competed with the sound of the pouring rain. The Quaffle was released and immediately snatched up by Louis, who flew off in the direction of the Slytherin hoops.

They didn't score on that possession or on the following two, but Slytherin didn't either. The Quaffle was slippery and visibility was difficult and the Bludgers were hard to both hear and see coming. When Louis finally managed to get the Quaffle past the Slytherin Keeper, a great cheer went up from the stands, accompanied by the mighty roar of a lion.

Even through the rain, it was easy to spot the wide smile on Louis' face.

Gradually, the rain began to dwindle, though it continued to fall. Gryffindor was trailing by thirty points, though Caleb was doing a fantastic job defending the hoops. It was a lack of chemistry and experience when it came to the Chasers that was causing problems. Louis was doing the best he could, but what Hugo had heard from Louis, Lily, and even Caleb was proving to be true. They still needed a lot of work before they were able to perform as a cohesive unit.

It was an hour and a half into the match and Slytherin was up by fifty when Lily suddenly shot straight up into the air. Gasps and shouts echoed through the stands as they struggled to look up against the lightly falling rain to watch her. The Slytherin Seeker was right on her heels, but excitement and pride and delight welled up inside Hugo to realize that Lily wasn't just about to win her first match as Quidditch Captain. She was about to defeat Slytherin for the very first time.

A great cheer went up as her fist closed around the Snitch, a bright smile on her face as she dove back down and waved it in the air. Her whole team surrounded her, cheering and practically a pile in the middle of the air.

Well, almost the whole team.

Hugo didn't notice until Molly tugged on his sleeve and pointed, but Caleb had hung back by the goal posts. His fingers were laced and his hands resting on the top of his head as he beamed at the display put on by his teammates. He looked completely full of joy and contentment and pride, a light in his eyes that Hugo hadn't seen in a long while. And he didn't doubt that those eyes were mostly fixed on Lily.

"He really loves her, doesn't he?" said Molly, only loud enough that Hugo could hear. Jill was screaming at the top of her lungs and Bobby had been pulled into conversation with Kane and Dara. But Hugo watched as Caleb joined his team just as they landed on the pitch. It was likely they weren't even aware he'd taken a moment to bask in the victory on his own, many of them now pulling him into embraces of excitement.

"Come on," said Hugo, turning to Molly and Jill. "You should come back to the Gryffindor Common Room and celebrate with everyone."

"Yes, please!" Jill said enthusiastically. Molly smiled affectionately and shook her head at her best friend but agreed to join them.

They separated from Bobby, Kane, and Dara when they reached the school, the three of them going off to the kitchens to grab some food. It wasn't not allowed, and Molly only momentarily looked like she was about to protest.

"Did Lucy go with Charlotte?" Hugo asked Molly once Bobby had wandered off. It was more about not making Bobby feel guilty than any type of need to not talk about Lucy in front of him that had Hugo waiting until his friend was gone. Although, part of Hugo had waited out of respect for Lucy. She put on a brave face, but he knew she was hurt by the way Bobby had been pulling away from her. Talking about her around him just didn't seem right somehow.

"I think so," said Molly, taking out her wand and performing drying charms on each of them. "She said something about maybe not going because of the rain, but I hope she went. I know it would've meant a lot to Lily."

They continued on up towards Gryffindor tower, Hugo thinking they should've sought out his cousin and invited her to join them before leaving the pitch. She likely wouldn't have since avoidance had been her recent go to when it came to handling relationship issues. She'd always been so inquisitive and even a bit brash, so it unnerved Hugo to see this more docile Lucy that had sprung up during the spring.

Jill's entrance to the common room was met with many cheers, and she responded with an exuberant bow that nearly had her tipping over. It was likely she would've fallen on her face if Molly hadn't been there to steady her. The lion remained on Jill's head as they mingled, a game of sneaking up on her and getting it to roar quickly developing.

Hugo really hoped that today would be the day that his cousin finally stopped behaving like a prat around Jill. After all the effort she'd been putting in to show she wasn't going anywhere and genuinely cared for him, it was the least Louis could do.

His wish was granted fifteen minutes later, when the victorious Quidditch team made their grand entrance to the common room. A great cheer went up and the members of the team were pulled in various directions by their friends. But Hugo watched as Louis gracefully received various congratulatory remarks and pats on the back, all while thoroughly scanning the room.

It wasn't hard to spot Jill, and he did rather quickly, breaking away to join her by the table that Kane and Dara were laying out food on. In contrast to the rather bold way she'd been behaving, Louis' determined focus on here made Jill shrink in shyness, her hands clasped anxiously in front of her as she looked up at him with a soft smile. Hugo couldn't quite hear them, but made out that Jill was congratulating him. Louis quickly thanked her, before reaching out to begin unclasping the strap under her chin that held the lion head in place. They now had the attention of more than just Hugo, a murmuring of anticipation going through the crowd as he pulled it off her head and set it on the table.

It was probably only because he knew his cousin so well that Hugo noticed his nerves, but to anyone else watching, Louis Weasley didn't even hesitate before boldly pulling in Jill Boot for a much anticipated kiss.

The cheer that accompanied this was almost louder than the one that had gone up at the entrance of the team.

Hugo couldn't help laughing, thinking of the girls who were going to be sorely disappointed when they woke up the next day to find that Louis Weasley - finally - was off the market.

In all likelihood, there was a rambunctious party taking place in Gryffindor tower. Lucy could also reason that, were she to show up, she'd be let in to join the celebration without question. But she couldn't bring herself to do it. She couldn't quite muster the strength.

After tapping the barrels outside the entrance to her own common room, she made her way to her dorm, wringing out her wet hair and looking forward to a dry change of clothes. It was only one o'clock. She could head to the kitchens and grab a bite to eat before making her way to the library for the afternoon. She could focus on studying, which was one of the few things that was consistently bringing her joy at the moment.

Even in her own head, it sounded dramatic to say it like that, but it was true. The rainy weather, the gossip about her family, the fractured friendships. There was only so much one could take before succumbing to a feeling of misery.

To Lucy, secluding herself in the library sounded like a rather ideal way to spend a rainy Saturday.

Once changed and her bag packed with the necessary supplies for a day spent studying, Lucy headed off towards the kitchen, feeling in slightly better spirits than she had been upon departing the match. Her mind was filled with thoughts of her favorite pastry, which was likely to be the full contents of her lunch. But, as she approached the painting that led to the kitchen, the sight of it opening and three familiar faces emerging caused her spirits to plummet right back down again.

A laughing Dara Finley came tripping into the corridor, closely followed by her cousin Kane, who was followed by Bobby Finnigan.

The reason Lucy had felt so forlorn both during and after the match was because of the very trio in front of her. She'd caught a glimpse of them seated by Hugo and Molly and Jill, and pain had shot through her heart at the realization that she didn't feel free to join them with the ease that she would have before. It would be awkward and uncomfortable, no matter how much Molly and Hugo would strive to make it feel like it wasn't.

And this current moment was definitely both uncomfortable and awkward.

It took a moment, but they eventually all noticed Lucy, who'd stopped in her tracks just beside the entrance to the kitchen. Dara noticed her first, and Lucy couldn't help but note the way her eyes had flown nervously to Bobby, and then casually had herself placed next to him by the time Kane and Bobby noticed her too.

"Hey," said Bobby, sounding uncertain as he struggled to hold an armload of food. The other two were in a similar position, but Dara only gave her a quick nod of acknowledgment. Kane, on the other hand, was looking at her curiously.

"Lucy, right?" he said, and Lucy couldn't help staring at him in wide-eyed surprise as she nodded. "Are you actually planning on using your Saturday to study?" he asked with a nod towards her bag full of books.

"Yes," she said, finding it easier to focus on Kane than either Bobby or Dara. "I figured I'd grab some food first," she explained. "One of the perks of being in Hufflepuff is that the kitchen is always on the way to wherever you're going. It can be a bit habit forming, but I only have so many years to live in a castle with ready made food and helpful elves who make the best chocolate eclairs in the world. Just don't tell my Nan that, though. Her mum was French so she's a bit proud of her pastries."

Lucy had to nearly bite her tongue to keep herself from rambling on. Her face was surely bright red, both with nerves and now embarrassment. The sound of Dara letting out a soft snort of amusement had Lucy's eyes momentarily flickering towards her and Bobby, who didn't seem to share in Dara's amusement.

"In that case," said Kane, bringing Lucy's attention back to him as he fumbled with the various parcels of food in his arms, eventually extracting one from all the rest. With a smile, he held it out towards Lucy, who hesitated before gently taking it. A soft gasp escaped her as she opened the box to see four pristine chocolate eclairs.

"We took the last ones," Kane explained, smiling softly at her. "Figured we could do without so you won't have to wait for them to whip up another batch. Wouldn't want you to get behind on your studying."

"Oh," said Lucy, now a bit red for a much more pleasant reason. His words could have sounded teasing if delivered a certain way, but they weren't. He was giving her a genuine smile and actually seemed to be making a thoughtful gesture. Lucy couldn't help smiling back. "Thank you."

"No worries," he said, seemingly pleased with himself, though not in an arrogant way. "See you around, Lucy."

He turned to head up the corridor, his words holding what sounded more like a promise than a general dismissal or farewell. Dara seemed flustered by it as she and a reluctant Bobby followed in Kane's wake. Lucy noted that Dara had to grab Bobby by the arm and drag him after her to get him to follow. It wasn't easy to decipher the look on his face, especially since it was one Lucy wasn't familiar with seeing on Bobby Finnigan, but she had a fairly strong suspicion that at least part of it involved disapproval.

Well, that was rich, coming from him. She could talk to whomever she liked. He certainly did. And if Kane was flirting with her, like Lucy had an inkling he was, there was no reason why he couldn't. Just because Bobby had washed his hands of any type of future relationship didn't mean no one else would ever be interested in her that way.

With a huff, Lucy set off down the corridor, thankful that she'd lingered long enough that Bobby and his friends were well ahead of her. By the time she was sitting at a back table in the library and surreptitiously munching on an eclair, Bobby Finnigan was far from her mind. Rather, she was indulging herself in remembering the kind smile and blue eyes of Kane Finley.

It wasn't that Lucy had never noticed a boy other than Bobby. She was observant enough to note when she spotted a fit boy. However, she'd never really let herself dwell on anyone else. For one thing, she'd never really wanted to. She'd never really had the inclination. But now? There was no reason for her not to, right? It might even help her get over a certain someone.

"Hey."

Lucy jumped in surprised, thankfully managing to not spill cream filling on herself. Her eyes landed on the sheepish expression of who she now considered to be her former best friend.

"Hi," she responded uncertainly, shoving the last bite of eclair into her mouth out of sheer nerves.

"Umm…," Bobby said, nervously scratching at his chin. "Can I sit?"

Lucy hesitated for a moment, but eventually nodded, her mouth too full of pastry to form a response. Not that she would've had much to say anyway. By the time he was sitting, she still found herself incapable of coming up with a single thought.

"So…," he began uncertainly, his eyes on the books she'd pulled out of her bag. "What are you studying?"

Lucy managed to swallow the rest of her food as she gestured at the books. "Charms," she said. "I thought I'd get started on that essay we have due Friday."

Bobby nodded, not seeming too interested in the conversation. There was obviously something else he'd much rather be asking her.

"Bobby, what do you want?" Lucy asked, hating how despondent she sounded. It made her wish for times when it was natural for him to join her in the library. In the past, she wouldn't have even thought of questioning his presence.

Bobby shrugged, shaking a bit as he nervously bounced his leg and kept his gaze fixed on the table.

"Kane seems to like you."

Of all the things he could've said, this had to be the last Lucy expected. Anger and frustration rose in her, and she accepted the fact that she was about to enter into a conversation that would likely see her removed from the library if she failed to keep her temper in check.

"Excuse me?" she said, incredulity and maybe even disgust obvious in her voice. Bobby shrugged, still avoiding her gaze.

"We all saw it," he said. "I figured it was a bit obvious."

Lucy shook her head, letting out a derisive chuckle at the sheer irony and audacity of his statement. "Well, forgive me, but I'm having a hard time discerning whether a bloke actually fancies me or not."

Finally, his eyes snapped to hers, searching for the meaning that her words did a poor job of hiding. "Well, he does," said Bobby, ignoring her double meaning. "And he's not exactly choosy about who he flirts with."

"Oh, I see," said Lucy, her voice growing a bit shrill as each word he said made her more indignant. "So someone couldn't simply fancy me, is that it? They have to fancy half the other girls in the school as well? I'm just one of many that don't really matter all that much?"

"What? No, I-"

"Save it," said Lucy, fighting back tears as she shook her head. "If this was supposed to be some kind of warning to stay away from him, why bother? It's not like things would ever get far enough for me to mistake his intentions as anything serious. I've made that blunder already and I don't plan to do it again."

There it was, stated plainly enough that he'd have to be an idiot to miss, or a downright cowardly prat to ignore. And of everything Bobby Finnigan was, Lucy knew he wasn't that.

What she hadn't expected, however, was for him to grow frustrated in return.

"Then maybe I should be warning him off you instead," he said, his brow pinched and his words far less kind than usual. "Tell him not to bother because at the end of the day, he'll always wonder if you actually care."

Lucy felt like she'd been punched in the gut. "You… you think I don't care?"

"Luce, I walked away," he said, his tone almost pleading. "And you never once tried to come after me."

She could hardly believe what she was hearing. Part of her had wondered if he'd walked away because he'd convinced himself she didn't have feelings for him, but it was never a thought she'd taken seriously. She'd been too caught up in the fact that he was no longer showing any interest in her, which meant he either no longer fancied her, or he never had in the first place.

Could a single word from her really have changed things?

"Did you want me too?" she asked softly, and the harsh exterior fell away from Bobby.

"Yes."

A shaky breath escaped Lucy, the weight of her choices heavy on her shoulders. She knew she wasn't all to blame, but so much time had been wasted feeling sorry for herself and thinking there was nothing she could do. Was there a way to change that now?

And did she want to? No matter what she had or hadn't done, Bobby had made a choice too.

"Fine," she said, sniffling and wiping at the lone tear that escaped her eye. "But couldn't you have just told me that?"

A hint of amusement sparkled in Bobby's eyes as he shook his head. "Lucy, I might have an inkling, but I still have no bloody clue how you actually feel."

She let out a huff of frustration and crossed her arms. "Well, how do you feel about me?"

"You first."

"Why?"

He simply shrugged, a smile dancing around his lips as he watched her, waiting patiently for her to cave. With a sigh of frustration, she leaned forward onto the table, her arms still folded as she directed her eyes to the worn, wooden surface that had likely seen many complicated conversations between Hogwarts students.

"You could have asked me," she said, trying not to feel like a coward for continuing to evade the question. "If you'd just asked how I felt or what I wanted…"

"You'd have told me?"

Lucy nodded, her eyes briefly flickering up to his before going back to the table. "You didn't even give anything a chance," she said. "You just decided that I didn't care and then walked away."

An uncomfortable silence fell, Bobby now sitting completely still across from her. Lucy struggled to wrap her mind around the fact that a place that had often served as a haven for them suddenly wasn't anymore.

"I'm sorry."

Lucy sniffed and wiped at her eyes. "Yeah, well, so am I. Too bad it's too little too late, right?"

She flashed him a melancholy grin, noting the confusion on his face. Feeling a need to suddenly be anywhere but there, Lucy began shoving her books back into her back.

"Is it?" he asked. Lucy shrugged, throwing her quill into her bag and fastening it closed.

"I mean, you've obviously moved on, no matter what you might've felt before," said Lucy, trying to sound understanding. "And it's okay. Really. Dara seems lovely."

She stood and threw her bag over her shoulder, doing her best to give a frowning Bobby a bracing smile. "So, no hard feelings. I'll see you around, yeah?"

With that, she hurried from the library, not even pausing a second to look back. She didn't want to see the guilty look on his face. She didn't want to see the pity.

And she definitely didn't want him seeing her agony and pain as she succumbed to tears.

A/N: Love it? Hate it? Little of both? However you feel, share it in the reviews! Always love hearing from you.

Also, I definitely know where this story is going, but sometimes it's a toss up between what scenes we actually see and from who's POV. That being said, any requests for more of a certain character or type of scene will be taken into consideration, so let me know that in the reviews too!

Until next time, happy reading!