Chapter Text
“Nothing could go wrong”. Lucy quietly encouraged herself as she had always been doing on the weekends. “ Nothing could go wrong, and I will tell him how I feel!”
That day was the weekly grand dance of the dance club, when everyone would don their best outfit and showcase their best moves to their classmates; in this case, to her dance mate Daniel. And today's dance would be the last dance before their fourth year of schooling ended and everyone returned to their home waiting.
They are already halfway done with their studies already, and her little crush with Daniel started when they were only in their second year. Being only 12 years old, she didn't completely understand what's going on with her feelings, thinking it was just simply her appreciating their friendship. But the more glances thrown at the red head during Charm class, the more thoughts of his laughter during Divination class, and the more time she got her ass handled by mere gnomes during Care of Magical Creatures could no longer make her deny the fact that she likes the boy.
She hid her little crush pretty well, at least that's what she had hoped. Lottie was the first person to find out, nothing could pass her perceptive eyes; surprisingly, Abigail was the second one, said she smelled too happy; Ivy and Robyn found out much later and they all kept the secret for her anyway. And because of that, the girls all took part in helping Lucy looking the best of the best for this special night. Blond braided hair with flowers, a long flowy dress, and a little bit of makeup, Lucy is ready.
For fast traveling, she decided to just fly there on a broom, no matter how good she was dancing on high heels, she still couldn't run fast in one, especially with the long frilly dress she was wearing then. Lucy couldn't contain her excitement, smiling like an idiot the whole flight from her dorm, she could see the bright open door in the distance. Daniel had been her dance partner for however long she couldn't remember, every weekday and every weekend. ever since he had to hide from the preying eyes as soon as they discovered his dancing talent. The poor Hufflepuff boy was willing to do anything so she could help him out, and they had been dancing together ever since, it was only normal for her to assume this time would be the same.
The closer she got to the dance hall outside the balcony, the clearer she could see the students walking in and out in their gorgeous outfits. When she squinted hard enough, she could also see the familiar flock of red hair standing at the front door. Lucy felt warm inside, Daniel must be waiting for her like usual, though today he seemed to be more well dressed than usual. She laughed, ready to fly up behind him and make a joke before she saw another person approaching Daniel.
“Is that Cassandra?”
Not wanting Daniel to deal with her snarky attitude alone, Lucy flew her broom faster, and just when she came a bit closer to a clearer view, she came to an abrupt stop.
“Is Cassandra… hooking her arm to Daniel's?”
The initial shock of seeing the scene was too confusing for the young fourteen years old girl, the twirling aching emotion slowly emerging that she didn't realize yet. Lucy quickly flew down to hide behind the brick balcony, just out of view right behind the couple . She hated how that word made her heart burn. She was so close that their conversation could be heard more clearly.
“Well, about time you realized how to properly treat a lady.”
Lucy could hear Cassandra's voice, a snide remark like usual, but for some reason it no longer has the edge, it sounds more… soft.
“I know I know. I don't have lots of free time to ask you out.”
This time it was Daniel's voice, she could never mistake that voice for anything else, but the small laughs mixed in between make it all the worse. The pain in her heart was more prominent than ever, it felt suffocating. Her heart was beating fast like usual whenever she saw Daniel, but it was also beating harder than others, so fast and so hard that she felt like it would burst at any moment.
“What about Lucy? I saw you dancing with her all the time.”
The mention of her name yanked her out of her dazed state. She focused her ear on hearing the answer, stupidly hopeful that it would be good, and not the cold reality she knew will happened.
“You knows she's my best friend. She's helping me out with my skill so you will stop complaining about my dancing.”
Cassandra laughed, not the mean high-pitched laugh, but just a regular laughter with no ill intention behind it.
“Well, she does dance better than you. And I have to admit maybe a little bit better than me.”
“That is a huge compliment from you if I ever heard one, whatever you say. Come on, let's go inside before your legs get stiff and trip.”
The feeling was too overwhelming, she could feel something coming back up to her throat, and when she brought her hands up over her mouth to muffle her voice, she could feel the wetness of tears falling down her face, she hadn't realized she had been crying. Before she made louder sound than the music itself, she flew away, leaving behind the sound of their laughter (that sadly sounded really well together).
Lucy didn't know where she is heading, or how fast she's flying, the tears in her eyes were too much to see, and the coldness from the pain was too dominant to even feel the breeze. It was obvious that she couldn't control her balance in this state, in the attempt to fly through one of the arch under the bridge, she miscalculated and hit the side of the wall.
Everything happened later was a blur. She thought she was falling and rolling down the hill, judging from the spinning scenerio and the continuous pain hitting her body. Lucy didn't know how long she had been rolling, could be a whole minute for all she know, she did remember how deep and steep the hills are, and it was anything but short. She must have stopped rolling for a while too, she couldn't feel the new pain slamping on her body anymore, only the left over tingle and sizzling burn on her skin and ringing in her ears. One sounds she could make out was the sound of water, slight movement of the wave. Have she really fall the far? Did she roll all the way to the lake?
Lucy opened her eyes, not only tears covering her vision, her hair also joined in scattered all over her face. She could make out the shinning glister of light reflection on the lake surface.
“So I really did roll down to the lake.” She thought bitterly. Trying to crawl her aching body closer to the lake, something definitely broken , but thankfully the shock was too sudden her body hasn't register the pain, yet .
Lucy looks at herself in the water reflection, and oh boy was she a mess. From the bright moonlight, she could see the beautifully braided hair was a bird nest mess, rocks and twigs still sticking out and flowers long ripped away. Next she could see were the scratch and blood all over her face and dress, considering how high up the castle was, she would say it's lucky she didn't broke her neck on the way down. Her makeup was definitely smeared, she didn't need a reflection to know that, and she need at least a few hours calming down for her eyes to no longer be swollen.
And then the memory of what happened earlier came back up, and her vision was blurry once again. She hugged her legs close to her chest and buried her face in her arms, feeling the cold wind brushed through her skin. Small sobbing and choking sounds slowly getting louder, but still very restrained.
Of course Daniel and Cassandra were dating, why was that not a surprise. She was so immersed in her own world and saw everything through rose-colored glasses that she didn't notice the glances they gave each other. Sure they fight and bicker, but there was nothing malicious behind their words. Then there were the few times she saw them dancing together on the dancefloor during partners switching part of a group dance. And then the few times she saw them having a picnic together… And… And…
And she really was stupid.
All the signs were there, it was so obvious that it was stupid of her not to realize it. The only reason why she would naively believe they were not together was because they haven't announced it officially. How could she so dumb, and so entitled. What is there to cry about, she was never initiated with her feelings, she was just a friend to him, there was nothing between them, so why would she be damned sad for something that wasn't there. She was so close to cursing both of them for something they didn't even do.
“I'm so utterly pathetic.” She chuckled. Then she suddenly laughed, the more she laughed, the more the pain made itself known in her heart, and the choking tear sound came back, mixed together and echoed loudly in her ear, reminding her how pathetic she was right now.
Let tonight be the last dance of her heart for the boy, the first and last time she wore her heart on her sleeve. The shaking figure of the teenage girl looks so small and lonely in the open empty field of the lake.
Well, almost empty anyway.
“Oi, what are you doing here?”
The new incoming voice pulled Lucy back from the little crying session. She tried to look for where the sound came from but the swollen eyes did not want to cooperate with her.
“Who- hic- who's there?”
She could barely make out her own voice, must have been crying for a while now if it's that hoarse. She could hear footsteps hurried closer to her, and the person spoke up again, voice clearer this time. It's awfully familiar .
“Lucy? What are you doing here- What happened to you? You look awful!”
She could hear the rustling sound of the person sitting down next her and the small murmuring of some healing spells on her scratches. He would definitely need more than that.
“I didn't know you like having a walk by the lake. I guess your poetic side is showing, Colby.”
It was strange to see Colby here; afterall, the boy was always seen walking behind Cassandra with his twin brother Fischer. On a night like this, Lucy would think that he would tag along with Cassandra again. But seeing the circumstance right now, it’s understandable that he wouldn’t be next to her.
Lucy knows Colby has a crush on Cassandra; when you follow someone for so long, it does something to you eventually, just like how she did to Daniel. Colby had always been the more emotional one too, and looking at how worried he was when Cassandra got infected by the Bloom-For-You, it didn’t need to take a genius to figure it out.
“Shut up. At least I’m not the one crying by the lake.”
“Look who’s talking for himself.”
Colby and her had a weird relationship. He was mean, like his brother, but he was also a kind soul. They had had some friendly interaction before, most notably that one time taking care of the little dragon hatchling together. So she could say that they were close enough for her to realize the little cracked voice he tried to hide.
“Shut up. You are the one looking like a wet rat. Let's get you to Madam Pomfrey, I think your leg is broken…”
Colby bent down, intended on picking her up, but she pulled on his sleeve to stop. The fabric under her finger felt smooth, at least she wasn't the only one dressing up.
“No, I don't want to leave yet.” She patted the space next to her. “Come on, sit down and join me.”
Colby frowned, this injury was nothing simple like the duels she had before, before she only got scratches and bruises, but now her leg is broken and definitely worse in places he didn't have enough knowledge to check. And now she wanted to prolong the injuries? This girl really is mental.
Of course Lucy knew what he was thinking, so she put on the sweetest voice she could do in her current state, eyes (try too) widened at him.
“Please, Colby? I would feel- hic - better faster if you join me for a bit.”
She definitely looked funny, messy hair and dirty face but still tried to look convincingly friendly. But she knew it worked when Colby sighed and sat down next to her.
They sit there for a long while, no one saying a single word. Their minds too occupied with their own burdens, only the calm scenery of the moon reflecting on the lake in their view. Lucy herself had calmed down greatly from her initial panic session, just quietly looking out to the horizon with (still) tears falling down.
“So, Cassandra?”
“Daniel?”
They both sighed, knowing the exact reason why both would be in this place. Colby scratched his hair, which still have some hair gel residue on it, and sighed. The Slytherine boy now looked so innocent, he was always been nicer than Fischer, it was a shame that his brother and Cassandra ruined his reputation in a way, and Colby just go along with it.
“I guess I always knew this would happen.” Colby said, voice laced with sadness. “Most of Cassandra’s main talking topic has always been Daniel. She always try to cover up right after by mocking him one or two sentence, but she doesn’t do a good job at it.”
Lucy looked up to the bright moon on top, she could hear a faint music in the distance.
“Daniel’s the same, in a way. He always save one or two extra potions whenever we go on explorations. I found out a bit later that it was for Cassandra the few time she joined us.”
She chuckled, remembering the memory that she tried so hard to ignore. Colby was probably doing the same, frowning and all.
“My mom always said it’s good that unrequited love die young anyway.”
“Really now? Does it also said to equip it with some bruises?”
Colby lightly tapped on one of the bruises on her leg; unfortunately it was one of the broken area, which resulted in a bloody scream out of her.
“Shit. Sorry. I forgot.”
“Bloody hell- Colby!”
Laughter soon erupted from the two young teenagers, temporary erasing trace of sadness lingering around in the air. And hitting sounds too, one-sided attack from Lucy to Colby with her (probably) injury-free hand. They then talked just about anything, from mocking each other, to what happened during classes earlier that day, the Quidditch game last month, the baby dragon and Shouren, anything to get their minds of their crushed… crush, simply forgetting all the burden of the more complicating thing for the time being.
After the two younglings had calmed down, they settled back down and continued to look at the lake, thoughts once again occupying their minds. Colby took a rock from within his hand reach and threw it at the lake, it sadly just immediately sinked down to the bottom.
“They must be worrying about you.” When Colby got a questioning eyes from Lucy, he continued. “Your friends. You are always the first to hop on the dancefloor, of course they would freak out by now.”
Lucy sighed. She knew she has to go back eventually, the girls would definitely alarmed the professors by the end of the dance, but she just wasn’t ready , to go back, to face him . She might not react as violently as earlier, but two years (plus) crush isn’t something that will go away after a cry.
Colby seemed to understand her emotional conflict right now, giving her time to think. And when he saw her about to start getting up, he stopped her. She looked at him confused, even more so when she saw him open his arm.
“What?”
“You know what I'm doing. Come here.”
She couldn't see clearly under the moonlight, but she could bet her whole money that Colby was blushing profusely, because what she could definitely see right now was him pouting at her. She did a loud faux gasp.
“Is Colby Frey, a cold and cool Slytherine, offering a hug ?”
She intentionally draws out the word “hug” longer, and laughed louder when she heard an audible annoyance grunt from him. She quickly scooted over next to him before he could change his mind and hugged him back.
“!”
Both of them were surprised by the hug itself. It was… warm… too warm . Colby closed his arm around her, resting on the dirt-filled back. He was a bit annoyed that his perfect white shirt was dirty, but just a bit, because he was now more focused and submerged more into the embrace.
It was comforting, both teenagers could feel the body heat radiating from the other person, especially on this chilly night, making them subconsciously hug each other tighter, bodies touched. It was warm and comforting . Both of them thought. A warmth that they didn't know they needed.
Tears were definitely falling, and sobbing was heard, could be Lucy, could be Colby, or it were both of them, they didn't care. Right now they could finally release their stress and feel safe for the night.
They didn't know how long they had been hugging each other, but when the embrace ended both had secretly hoped that it could last a little bit longer.
“This… this is actually pretty nice…”
Lucy said, face still blushing from the comforting heat. Colby was no different than her.
“Yeah… thanks…”
They helped each other standing up, with Lucy having one arm over Colby's shoulder, and he had his hand on her back to support her walking. They could feel the body warmth come back, and they both subconsciously leaned closer onto each other again. The walking (waddling) back to the castle was long, but none of them mind it.
Madam Pomfrey was baffled that a student would still get injured this badly even when no major event was going on. She knew about the little Hufflepuff girl’s friend group's frequent rendezvous in the Forbidden Forest, but none has even come to this bad of an injury.
“Multiple bone fractures, a broken leg, scratches and bruises all over your body, and don't let me start on your ribcage!!”
Lucy winced as Madam Pomfrey tightened the bandages around her arm. She had healed most of the fractured bones, the leg needed some time to heal, but Madam Pomfrey insisted that she bandaged the original painful way to teach you a lesson she said.
Colby was no helpful, after dropping her off at the infirmary, the boy just laughed and watched her squirm in pain. And when she yelled at him, he just shrugged and said she brought it on herself.
The audacity!
After she was properly bandaged up nice and clean, Lucy was put to rest in the infirmary for a few more hours. She was told she would be good to go by the next morning. Colby was paying close attention to what needed to be done to heal faster for her, which Lucy thought was really nice of him. After Madam Pomfrey ordered her to sleep and left, Colby also mumbled his goodbyes.
“I will let your friends know, whoever I came across first on my way back.”
“Thanks, Colby.” She smiled at him. “I'm really grateful… for everything.”
He chuckled and waved his hand.
“Yeah, yeah. Next time I better see a dragon instead of another broken bone news from you.”
“You know it was an accident!!”
“Sure, Lucy, sure, whatever you say.” He raised both his hands, signaling giving up to the embarrassed girl. “Just heal quickly.”
The boy was getting ready to leave, and just before he reached the door, Lucy called his name. He turned around, looking at the blushing girl.
“What?”
“You know… if you don't mind…” Lucy stuttered. “We should do it more often…”
He instantly knew what she meant, and heat also started creeping up on his face. The idea actually sounded pleasant to him.
“Yeah… let's do it more often…” He mumbled, but he knew Lucy could hear him. He waved goodbye and the beaming girl and left.
He didn't realize that he didn't mind the suggestion one bit.
Lucy was later then tasked to buy all the sweets in Hogsmeade as a compensation for making all the girls worried. Well the punishment was mainly from Ivy, but Lucy was happy to do it anyway.