𝐢. 𝐌𝐈𝐂𝐑𝐎𝐂𝐎𝐒𝐌𝐈𝐂 ; harry j. potter ( UNEDITED )

094. "how much do I have to long for you like snow piles up on the ground?"

"...so eet ees lucky 'e is marrying me," said Fleur happily, plumping up Bill's pillows, "because ze British overcook their meat, I 'ave always said this."

"I suppose I'm just going to have to accept that he really is going to marry her," sighed Ginny later that evening, as she joined Lucia, Hermione, Harry, and Ron, beside the open window of the Gryffindor common room, looking out over the twilit grounds.

"She's not bad as you both keep making her out to be," Lucia finally said what she had been dying to say all year, as she brushed her hair up to put it in an updo. "You both are resenting her for nothing,"

"Please, you're just saying that because you're bewitched by her veela magic too," said Ginny, scoffing.

"Says you," said Lucia, rolling her eyes. "That was really not fair, and no. I do not get 'bewitched' by veela magic so easily,"

"I saw you when the Beauxbatons bunch first arrived here a few years ago!" said Ginny in an unruly manner. "You were blushing, especially when Phlegm herself asked for food from you lot!"

"Talk about the pot calling the kettle black, Miss My-Blush-is-Brighter-Than-A-Tomato," sneered Lucia.

Ginny squaked.

"You noticed?"

"Er... yeah?" Lucia lightly pat Ginny's head with her brush. "She isn't bad," She then added, "Right, Harry?"

Harry blinked, panicking. He did expect himself to be caught in such conversation. "Er — yeah! She's not bad —" noticing the gaze coming from his friends, specifically Ginny and Ron, he hastily added, "Ugly though — but not bad as a person,"

"Fleur's pretty," said Lucia, offended by Harry's words.

"Uh, yeah... I guess she's okay..." said Harry, accepting the fact that whatever he says, it would not be satisfactory to anyone.

"Well, I suppose if Mum can stand it, I can." Ginny sighed, still glaring at Harry from his words prior.

"That's my girl," Lucia beamed, patting Ginny's cheeks. "By the way, seen Luna today?"

"Yeah, she's all right," said Ginny, a soft gaze made its way to her eyes. "Still shaken up though —"

"Like everyone else in this school," muttered Harry.

Ginny nodded feebly. "Anyway, I promised Luna that I get enough sleep before the term ends," she said. "I haven't been sleeping that well since... well... And I could do well with sleep right now,"

She waved at the four and departed to the girls' dormitories. The moment the door had closed behind her, Ron turned to Hermione, who was perusing the Evening Prophet. "Anyone else we know died?"

Hermione winced at the forced toughness in his voice. "No," she said reprovingly, folding up the newspaper. "They're still looking for Snape but no sign..."

"I won't be surprised if they don't find him," mumbled Lucia, fidgeting with her locket aimlessly, leaning against Harry's chest for comfort. She could sense that he was growing angrier at the mention of Snape.

Harry hissed, "They won't find Snape till they find Voldemort, and seeing as they've never managed to do that in all this time..."

Hermione leaned forward toward Harry with a most Hermione-ish look on her face.

"Harry, I found something out this morning, in the library."

"R.A.B.?" said Harry, sitting up straight, propping up Lucia, who was being hugged by him as she sat on his lap.