HOGWARTS
"I literally hate the traffic in London in the morning." Mel said through her teeth, honking her horn at the slow driver in front of her. From her warm disposition, you wouldn't expect her to have so much road rage. "You've definitely got all your stuff, right?"
"Yes, Mum," Lucia teased.
"Oh fuck off," Mel laughed, "I don't want to be the one having turn around and go all the way back in this traffic because you forgot your bloody toothbrush."
"Fair enough." Lucia agreed, brushing her hand through her hair.
"I'm running late, so I'll probably just have to drop you and run. Will you be all good carrying that massive trunk to the platform?" Mel asked as she finally overtook the slow driver.
"Yeah I'll be fine, they have luggage trolleys." Lucia assured her.
When Mel pulled in front of the station, she leaned over to wrap her hands around Lucia's small frame. "Take care of yourself, bitch. I don't want to have to come over there to sort you out."
"I will, thanks for everything Mel." Lucia said into her hair.
When she pulled back from her arms, Lucia opened the door and got out her trunk from the boot of the car.
Lucia waved as Mel drove off, before turning to walk into the station. She found the luggage trolleys and placed her heavy trunk on one, then started to make her way towards platform nine.
When she reached the space between platform nine and ten, she took a deep breath before walking quickly towards it for probably the last time in her seven years attending Hogwarts.
As she disappeared through the wall, she found herself on platform nine and three-quarters. The high whistle of the Hogwarts Express sounded around the large space, the large red steam engine that had taken her to school each year.
There were students everywhere, many hugging their parents regretfully goodbye. Lucia averted her eyes, walking alone to the luggage compartment to put her trunk with the others.
"Look who it is." A voice sounded from behind Lucia as she stepped back from the luggage carriage.
She turned to see the smiling face of Lysander.
"Oh my God, Lysander!" Lucia beamed, wrapping her arms around his neck.
When she finally released him, Lysander smiled and hooked his arm in Lucia's, "We'd better get on the train, Lorcan's already got us a free compartment."
The train ride went rather quickly, Lorcan showing the latest edition of The Quibbler that included a rock that glowed in the presence of Dabberplimps in any water source.
Lucia had laughed it off as one of the twins' mother's many imaginary creatures she believed to exist, but Lysander insisted they seen one in the black lake once.
"To be honest I was expecting that Tom guy we met at Diagon Alley to come with you this year, I sensed he was rather desperate to come to the school. Is he really that passionate about education?" Lorcan spoke as they walked off the train and onto the platform. Professor Hagrid could be seen holding a lamp in the distance, calling for all first-years to follow him to the boats.
Lucia smiled awkwardly, "Yeah... he won't be coming."
"Probably for the better," Lorcan added, "I got a bad vibe from him."
"Lorcan, we don't know what happened. You can't just say stuff like that." Lysander said urgently, his cheeks flushing slightly.
"No it's okay guys, we just had our differences." Lucia assured, keeping her face controlled due to the twins' strange sense of knowing things just from someone's expression.
They boarded a carriage, the thestrals pulling it throwing their reptilian heads in anticipation to move.
A Slytherin boy with dark skin and high cheekbones also got on the carriage with a chocolate haired boy. Lucia recognised them as Apollo Zabini and Jared Nott.
She smiled awkwardly at them, but they ignored her gaze. She turned her attention to the scenery they were passing.
As the castle approached, Lucia let her eyes linger over it. It truly was beautiful, and she felt slightly guilty for wanting to get away from it so badly.
"So, how was Sweden?" She asked the twins, averting her eyes from the approaching building.
The twins talked about their summer in Sweden until they sat at the Ravenclaw table in the Great Hall. Lucia tried her hardest to pay attention, but her thoughts kept drifting away elsewhere.
To Tom...
He could have been here with her, marvelling at how the castle had changed and making snarky comments about how it was better before.
But he wasn't.
McGonagall made a speech to welcome the students back, but Lucia really couldn't concentrate. The feast appeared, but Lucia's appetite wasn't up for the rich foods on the table.
"Hey, I'm actually not very hungry. I think I might be coming down with something, I'm going to back to the dorms to get an early night." Lucia said to Lysander quietly.
"No worries." He smiled softly, "Let us know if we can get you some Blast-Ended Skrewt paste, it's supposed to have immune-boosting properties."
Lucia smiled appreciatively but declined the offer.
As she made her way to Ravenclaw tower, her footsteps made a rather hypnotic rhythm for her to focus on to ease her thoughts.
She needed something to dull her feelings, her skin tingled with desire for a line of coke, but all she'd brought with her was alcohol, so she supposed that would do for now.
She stood outside the door, looking expectantly at the bronze knocker in the shape of an eagle for the riddle to enter.
"You can touch me, you can break me, you should win me if you want to be mine. What am I?" It spoke clearly.
Lucia thought solemnly for a moment before replying, "A heart."
She entered the wide, circular common room, the arched windows high on the walls with silky curtains surrounding them. The midnight blue carpet led to the stairs that would take her to the dormitories. The white marble statue of Rowena Ravenclaw stood tall at the opposite end of the room.
After scaling the stairs of the tower to the seventh year girls dormitory, Lucia pushed open the door, relieved to finally have some time alone.
There was a dark figure already in the dormitory.
"Oh my God." She gasped as she entered the room, "What the fuck are you doing here?"
The figure turned around from his position beside the window, having been looking out at the mountains from the spectacular view from Ravenclaw Tower.
"Tom...?" Lucia breathed, staring into the dark eyes she'd longed to meet since she left him.
"Lucia, I'm so sorry I didn't tell you." Tom said urgently and straight to the point as if he was scared she wouldn't let him explain himself, "I was scared it would ruin everything, I was scared you would never want to see me again."
"I know." Lucia acknowledged, "I know you're sorry but it doesn't change what your future holds."
"I understand that you probably want nothing to do with me anymore, but... I have to try." Tom moved toward her, "I never thought I'd be able to feel even an ounce of care for someone, I thought it was embedded in my soul to never experience it. But I feel something when I'm with you Lucia, and I'd never forgive myself if I didn't fight for you."
Lucia put her head into her hands, "I don't know what to say to you." Her voice came muffled.
"I'm not him, Lucia." Tom said softly, "I see how wrong that man is about the world, I have no desire to be him."
Lucia inhaled deeply, attempting to reign in her breathing.
"Let me show you that." He wrapped his fingers around her wrists, pulling them away from her face to meet her eyes.
"I want to, Tom. I want to so badly, but I can't help feeling guilty. Lord Voldemort ruined so many lives, imagine what people would think of me if they found out, it just feels so selfish." Lucia rested her forehead against his chest, her wrists feeling the comforting heat dissolving into her skin from his fingers.
"For once you need to stop thinking of other people and do what makes you happy." Tom spoke gently, "You can't just live your life based on the assessments of other people."
"Fucking hell." Lucia laughed dryly into his chest, bringing her hands to rest on his shoulders, "I think this is the most selfish thing I'll ever do."
Tom released her wrists and brought his hands to her waist, "It's not selfish to do something for yourself."
A few seconds of a silence filled with thought passed.
Lucia raised her head, "I am so going to hell for this." She chuckled, wrapping her hands around his neck.
"At least we'll be there together." He replied just before she crashed her lips to his.
author's note
I kinda hate the middle section of this chapter ngl, but I really can't be bothered rewriting it.
lol I've already almost finished the next chapter, so it will be up asap!
thank you all for over 5k reads and all your lovely comments, I love reading every single one of them <3