[Chapter Nine]
The month passed by fast, and soon it was December.
“TERRY, WAKE UP, IT’S SNOWING!” I shouted one Sunday morning.
Terry, by now being used to this, merely pushed me off as he sat up, stretching and yawning.
“Are you going home for Christmas?” he asked.
I shook my head.
“Nah, I’m staying here,” I said. “It’ll be nice and quiet.”
“I’m going back home,” Terry said.
I waited as he dressed, and then we walked down to the Great Hall where the twins greeted us. When we finished eating, we went outside where we tried to walk on the frozen lake.
“Ouch!” I cried after falling the fifth time.
Fred laughed, holding his hand out to me.
“Come on,” he said, pulling me to my feet. He gripped my hand as he helped me walk without falling on the lake.
We had moved a small distance away from Terry and George, who were searching for the giant squid under the ice.
I shivered. I had dug through my trunk this morning, searching for a jumper that wasn’t thin like the ones in our school uniform, but I hadn’t been successful.
I gave a loud yelp when something fuzzy and blue was shoved over my head.
“There, now you won’t be shaking like a little dog,” Fred said, grinning.
I looked down to see a blue, hand-knitted jumper, sporting the letter “F” in yellow. Hoping my blush wasn’t obvious, I pushed my arms though the sleeves. It was big on me (I couldn’t even find my hands in the bloody thing), but it was warm and had a nice, musky scent to it.
“Come on, let’s go goof off,” he said.
“Then what have we been doing this entire time?” I asked.
“No idea,” he said, helping me back onto the ground. He bent down and packed a handful of snow into a ball and threw it at George. “Come on!” He grabbed my arm and we went racing towards the castle.
“Oh, look, it’s Professor Quirrell,” I said as George and Terry caught up to us.
“Quick, help me make some more,” said Fred, bending down and scooping up more snow.
We all made one of our own, holding them numbly in out bare hands. Fred flicked his wand and they went shooting off toward Quirrell, bouncing off his turban. They followed him into the entrance hall as well, and we peered around the corner, watching (and giggling) as he walked up the marble staircase, still not noticing.
The next day, the snow had piled into a thick, fluffy blanket over the school grounds and it was colder than the day before, so I pulled Fred’s jumper (he refused to take it back) over uniform and then tugged my robes over it.
It was six forty-five when I got down to the common room. Terry wasn’t there. We hadn’t eaten outside in a while, so I thought we might try that.
I snuck up to the boy’s dormitory and cracked the door open. When I entered, I let out a soft chuckle.
Stephen was laying eagle spread with his head hanging off the side, Kevin was sprawled across the floor, and Anthony was drooling merrily into his pillow.
I prodded Terry on the shoulder and he lazily opened one eye.
“What, no yelling?” he asked groggily.
“Kitchens,” I whispered.
He nodded and I left the room so he could get dressed.
He met me in the common room a few minutes later and we headed for the kitchens.
We sat by the lake, having cleared off some snow so we could get up and not have our bums all damp.
I took a bite of bacon and shot a glance over at Terry.
Last night, Morag had brought up the subject of Terry liking me…in that way, along with the amends of Lisa and Padma too. Those girls were going to get to me.
“What’s up, Lu?” Terry said, frowning.
I hadn’t even realized that I’d been staring at him.
“Erm… well, it’s something that the other girls said,” I started slowly. “And I, erm, was just wondering… I mean, I thought the idea was completely preposterous, but they all thought it was… and… urgh… I don’t know how to say it!” Frustrated, I buried my face in my hands.
“Just go slow,” Terry said.
“Okay, well… You don’t… er… like me… do you?” I watched him for a moment. “I mean, like… like-like… do you?”
“No,” he said. “I don’t like-like you. I love you. But I love you like a sister.”
“Oh, thank god!” I said, sighing in absolute relief. “Do you have any idea how worried I’ve been? Wondering whether my best friend has a…crush on me? Ergh.”
Terry snorted with laughter.
“Like I’d actually ever have a crush on you,” he teased, throwing a piece of bacon at me.
“Oh, you’re one to talk,” I teased right back.
“We got detention with Filch for the snowball thing yesterday,” said George as he and Fred sat in front of us.
“Well, you two have fun with that,” I said, snickering.
“Eh, not much of a big deal anymore,” Fred said, glanced down at his jumper that I was wearing and then beaming.
“So are staying for the holidays?” George asked.
“I’m going home,” Terry said, tearing a piece of a pancake off and popping it in his mouth.
“I’m staying,” I said, swallowing some more bacon. “Lucky for me, none of the girls are staying.”
“All of the guys are going, too,” Terry said. “So it looks like you’ll be alone for Christmas.”
“Not alone, she’ll have us,” said Fred. “Mum and dad are going to Romania to visit our brother Charlie.”
“The one that works with dragons?” Terry asked.
George nodded.
“The very one,” he said. “So instead of being alone, Luce —”
“— you could spend the day with us —”
“— and Ron —”
“— and Percy —”
“— unfortunately,” George finished, reaching forward and helping himself to our food.
In Transfiguration, we were back to writing notes.
“Class, I will be back in a few moments, I have an errand to attend to,” Professor McGonagall announced before she swept from the classroom.
I could hear Malfoy and his goons all laughing and snickering.
“Hey, Black!” he called.
I dipped my quill into my ink and continued copying my notes, acting as if I hadn’t heard him.
“Black!” he called again. “Are you and that Weaselbee a thing yet? I heard you were snogging behind the greenhouses last week.”
I rolled my eyes, not paying attention.
“Or is it you and Boot that’re together?”
The Slytherins let out a few catcalls.
“Shove off, Malfoy,” I said calmly, earning a few jeers.
“Did someone wake up on the wrong side of the bed?” he cooed.
“No, just bloody shove off,” I growled.
“It would be like you to go off with all of the blood-traitors,” he drawled.
“I’d rather be a blood-traitor than a blood-purity-obsessed pig like you,” I said coolly.
“At least my parents aren’t l —”
“Shove off, Malfoy!” Terry snapped, turning around to give Malfoy the coldest look I have ever seen on someone’s face.
My hand was shaking as I reached up to wipe a stray tear from my cheek.
“Crying, Black?” Malfoy sneered. “Crying because your mummy and daddy are —”
Terry whipped around, shouting “Scorgify!” at Malfoy.
I got to my feet and tore from the room. I took shelter in a broom cupboard and cried my eyes out.
I hated Malfoy – him the whole lot of his family. Er, well, actually just him and his dad. Narcissa isn’t too bad.
I stayed in my little hiding, hoping to be there until the bell rang, but then the door opened and streamed light on my tear-tracked face.
“Come on, you,” said Fred. He grabbed me around the waist, lifted me up, and tossed me over his shoulder.
I groaned into the small of his back.
“What, Fred?”
“Just wait,” he said, climbing some stairs.
After what seemed like forever, he put me back on the ground.
We were at the Astronomy tower. I really hadn’t been there except for our lessons, which were held at nighttime, and I had never really had a nice look at the grounds.
Oh, but it was beautiful. The lake was still frozen solid, and some of the older students were trying to walk around on it. Hagrid’s hut had a sweet coat of snow and some smoke rose from the chimney. The trees of the Forbidden Forest were still under the snow.
“Wow,” I breathed.
“That’s what I thought too when I saw it,” said Fred, leaning against the railing. “I like to come up here when I get… thoughtful.”
“It’s nice,” I said. “It’s perfect.”
~x~
So, it's not much, but I wanted Christmas to be in a different chapter. :)
It's going to be epic. Ithink. Full of Fred/Lucy moment.