Waking up, I still felt her gentle weight where the vial of her blood rested against my chest. "Morning, Lucas!" Val yelled, excited for breakfast, oblivious to the night I'd just endured. With finals approaching, today marked the end of classes. I watched as Val slithered from his tank onto my desk. Rising slowly, I patted his head. He responded with a happy hiss, his tail wagging like a dog's. "Good morning, Val."
My smile felt weak, the lingering sadness tempered by that strange dream. Some part of me knew I couldn't see her again, but she was happy now. The realization brought bittersweet comfort - still grieving her loss, yet not as devastated as when I'd fallen asleep.
At breakfast, Draco and Pansy questioned me about detention. "So what did they make you do?" Draco asked between bites while Pansy reviewed potion notes. My hand instinctively clutched my chest. "Forbidden Forest patrol..." I mumbled, unwilling to elaborate. The wounds remained too fresh. "Merlin's beard! See anything interesting?" Draco pressed. My grip tightened. "Nothing worth mentioning. Need some air."
As I hurried out, Draco remarked, "He definitely saw something." Pansy frowned at my retreating form before standing abruptly. "I'll talk to him." Draco nodded, turning to converse with Crabbe and Goyle.
Pansy found me by the lake, my usual spot with Abarrane. The morning breeze played with her dark hair as she approached - then froze. Hermione Granger stood beside me at the water's edge. Their conversation carried fragments to Pansy's ears.
"What are you doing here?" I asked, skipping a stone across the shallows. Hermione studied her reflection silently until another pebble's ripple prompted her. "Thank you..." Her voice barely carried. My confusion must have shown. "For the bathroom. With Chiara."
Memories surfaced of that nearly-forgotten incident. "Why now?" I asked, rolling another smooth stone between my fingers. The wind tangled in Hermione's hair as she spoke. "I don't know. I just... misjudged you." Her eyes darkened. "Thought you were selfish. But no selfish person would have..." Her voice trailed off.
"So what?" I muttered, preferring her disdain. Better she think me cruel than risk my parents noticing any attachment to "unworthy" company. As I turned to leave, Hermione suddenly rushed forward - her arms locking around me in an unexpected embrace. Frozen in shock, I barely registered her retreating footsteps.
"Friends now?" Val whispered from my collar. I shook my head. "No. Now I'll have to push her away harder." "Why?" he hissed. How could I explain? Merlin's warnings echoed in my mind - closeness meant vulnerability. "It's safer this way," I murmured, watching Hermione disappear toward the castle. Some connections could never be.
Pansy's nails bit into her palms. That mudblood forcing herself on Lucas! Something ugly twisted in her chest at the sight. First constantly "accidentally" meeting him, now this? No pureblood would be so brazen. The audacity made her sick.
After finals, I lay in my room, one hand over my heart, the other shading my eyes. The dream's vividness still haunted me. A familiar knock interrupted my thoughts - Pansy's signature rhythm. Opening the door revealed her clutching textbooks. "Study for tomorrow's finals?" she asked, glancing at my half-packed room.
I stepped aside. "Hi, Pansy!" Val greeted from his tank, tail wagging. We settled into History review, the driest subject for both of us. An hour in, Pansy's sudden question shattered the rhythm: "What really happened in the forest?"
My hand flew to my chest. "What do you mean?" The weak deflection failed as her eyes tracked my movement. She seized the leather cord before I could stop her, gasping as the vial emerged. "Is this—?" Her voice died at my expression.
"Unicorn blood," I whispered, lip trembling. Under her insistent gaze, I confessed in hushed tones, careful of Val's limited comprehension. "We found one... injured. A dark wizard was hunting it. After I drove him off... I held her as she died." The vial grew warm in my clenched fist.
Wordlessly, Pansy pulled me into her chest, muffling my quiet sniffles against her robes. When she finally released me, her eyes shone with unspoken sympathy. "I'm sorry," she breathed. My grateful smile seemed to spark something in her.
Pansy's jaw set. That mudblood thought she could swoop in when Lucas was vulnerable? Her fingers curled. Lucas needed proper companionship - pure, worthy companionship. Not some opportunistic bookworm exploiting his grief. She'd make certain of that.