𝐢. 𝐌𝐈𝐂𝐑𝐎𝐂𝐎𝐒𝐌𝐈𝐂 ; harry j. potter ( UNEDITED )

082. "out of the hum of the street lights and into a forest"

"Right — sorry,"

Lucia swivvled her head around to the group before she turned to Harry and wanting to joke about the situation when she was immediately graced by a lost puppy. She could not resist, which she knew all too well.

She drew a defeated breath, "Let's go,"

"What — are you sure? Aren't you going to be late for your Ancient Studies lesson?"

"Yeah, but it's fine. It's quite an easy subject, so me being late wouldn't change anything," she seized his hand, beaming up at him. "And you're not only my boyfriend, Harry, you're my best friend. You're a priority of mine,"

Harry felt his heartstrings tugged, heat traveling his body at her words. He couldn't hold back the urge to bashfully smile as her words echoed his mind. "I am?"

"Yes, and it's always been like that," Lucia smiled, "Now, come along,"

Pulling him along with her, they pass them. Lucia glared at the group as she guided Harry out of their grasp, warning them all by purposely stepping on their feets to say that she if they were to step a foot out of line... well, they can assume what would happen.

While that did leave an impression to the bunch of them, it also rose a great sense of determination from within them.

Even with Lucia's intimidating figure towering over them, they still wouldn't back down and was now causing even more blockage in the corridors; Lucia tried to assert her dominance many times by kissing Harry underneath the mistletoe, but they refused to back down. They just didn't know how to take no as an answer, and it was honestly bothering Lucia very much.

Fortunately, thanks to Harry's frequent nighttime wanderings had given him an unusually good knowledge of the castle's secret passageways, so that he was able, without too much difficulty, to navigate mistletoe-free routes between classes now, though it also meant that he wouldn't be graced by Lucia's kisses as much anymore.

Ron, who might once have found the necessity of these detours a cause for jealousy rather than hilarity, simply roared with laughter about it all. Although Harry much preferred this new laughing, joking Ron to the moody, aggressive model he had been enduring for the last few weeks, the improved Ron came at a heavy price.

Firstly, Harry had to put up with the frequent presence of Lavender Brown, who seemed to regard any moment that she was not kissing Ron as a moment wasted; and secondly, Harry and Lucia found themselves once more the bestfriends of two people who seemed unlikely ever to speak to each other again.

Ron, whose hands and forearms still bore scratches and cuts from Hermione's bird attack, was taking a defensive and resentful tone.

"She can't complain," he told Harry. "She snogged Krum. So, she's found out someone wants to snog me too. Well, it's a free country. I haven't done anything wrong."

Lucia halted in her sewing and rolled her eyes, "You''re a hypocrite, that's what you are," she said under her breath.

She and Harry had made a deal that, if they were to remain a peaceful friendship with both Ron and Hermione, they would have to keep their mouth shut. However, of course, every time either of them were to be gone, they would go on an onslaught of rants.

"I never promised Hermione anything," Ron mumbled. "I mean, all right, I was going to go to Slughorn's Christmas party with her, but she never said... just as friends...I'm a free agent..."

Hermione's schedule was so full that only Lucia was able to tell her more than Harry did, as they not only share a most of their classes, but as well as being dormmates. Harry, however, would have to wait until the evening, when Ron was, in any case, so tightly wrapped around Lavender that he did not notice what Harry was doing, until he was able to talk to Hermione.