𝐢. 𝐌𝐈𝐂𝐑𝐎𝐂𝐎𝐒𝐌𝐈𝐂 ; harry j. potter ( UNEDITED )

008. "within me, here's a precious place of myself alone"

However, as she travelled down the still and empty corridors in the early morning with her schoolbag dragged behind her, and her hair was the most disheveled it had ever been, along with her Gryffindor tie loosened around her collar, she regretted it.

Her regret was too prominent that there was no way for anyone to not notice it.

Perhaps walking around all night without anything to do wasn't such a good idea as she thought it would be...

She was used to having to stay up all night, but never did she go walking around the whole school grounds at that. Her appearance was disheveled, and her tired eyes may even make it look as though she was close to a panda than human with how much her eyes had darkened.

She walked along the corridors when she caught a blurry sight; the figure making his way towards her little-by-little.

"Lucie?"

Hearing the oh-so familiar voice, Lucia straightened her posture and squinted her eyes to regain her vision. "Harry?" she spoke, surprised that he would be up this early.

Distracted by his presence, Lucia forgotten she had to balance herself, causing her to fall forward.

At once, Harry caught her. "Woah," he pulled away to get a good look of her, "what happened to you?"

"L-Long story," she yawned.

"Care to tell?" he said amusingly.

She gave him a look, in which he feigns innocence to. "Not interested," she patted his cheek.

Harry shook his head with a chuckle. Lucia got back to her feet, still swaying in exhaustion. Seeing this, Harry pocketed his letter into his sweatshirt and crouched down, his back facing her. "C'mon,"

"What are you doing, H-Harry?" Lucia yawned.

"I was going to the Owlery to send my letter and I was wondering if you care to join me?"

She quirked a brow. "And why would I do that?"

"Well, Miss DiFiore," Harry began cheekily, causing Lucia's stomach to do a backflip at the way he called her. She pursed her lips. "It is simply because that would mean that you wouldn't have to walk back to the common room. I'm giving you a piggyback ride here," he offered with a smirk plastered upon his lips. "So, how about it?"

Lucia furrowed her eyes, but she did not further question it, for she was already slumped on Harry's back. She heard his chuckle sounding near her ear as her head nuzzled on his shoulder. "Do your magic, Harry," And before she knew it, she dozed into slumber.

Harry smiled, hearing the soft snores of Lucia. Something about her being in such tranquil sleep whenever she's with him simply made his stomach churn and his heart flutter. But it really did concern him a bit; she was so light despite how she looks.

He shook off the thought when he stepped foot in the Owlery that was situated at the top of West Tower.

The Owlery was a circular stone room, cold and drafty, because none of the windows had glass in them. The floor was entirely covered in straw, owl droppings, and the regurgitated skeletons of mice and voles. Hundreds upon hundreds of owls of every breed imaginable were nestled here on perches that rose right up to the top of the tower, nearly all of them asleep, though here and there a round amber eye glared at Harry as he propped Lucia cautiously on his back. Her only response to the action was a brief nuzzle of her face into his shoulder.

It felt slightly ticklish, but he tried not to awake her from it.

He spotted Hedwig nestled between a barn owl and a tawny, and hurried over to her, sliding a little on the dropping-strewn floor. It took him a while to persuade her to wake up and then to look at him, as she kept shuffling around on her perch, showing him her tail. She was still furious about his lack of gratitude the previous night. In the end, it was Harry suggesting she might be too tired, and that perhaps he would ask Ron to borrow Pigwidgeon, that made her stick out her leg and allow him to tie the letter to it.