Endless Teasing, Quiet Pride, and Unspoken Thoughts
Tonks was suffering.
There was no other word for it.
"So," Susan said sweetly, leaning across the Hufflepuff table, "still pink?"
Tonks groaned and dropped her head onto her arms. "I hate all of you."
Akeno smiled innocently. "You're the one who tried to tease Lucien."
Cedric nodded. "And failed spectacularly."
Tonks peeked up, hair flickering between pink and purple. "He cheated."
Lucien, meanwhile, was calmly chatting with the others, laughing softly at something Cedric said. Alolan Vulpix snoozed on his shoulder, completely unbothered by the chaos she had indirectly caused.
Every time Lucien smiled, Tonks's hair betrayed her again.
Susan noticed.
Akeno definitely noticed.
They exchanged a look.
"Oh, this is going to be fun," Susan whispered.
Tonks heard that.
"…Merlin help me."
🦁 Gryffindor Table – An Older Brother Watching
From the Gryffindor table, Harry watched everything.
Lucien looked relaxed. Happy. Laughing with people like he belonged there.
Harry smiled.
Good, he thought. He deserves that.
His mind drifted back to Transfiguration.
The way Lucien had made it look so easy.
The calm confidence.
The way the class had listened to him.
Harry clenched his hand slightly.
I can't fall behind.
Not out of jealousy.
But pride.
I'm the older brother, Harry told himself. I should work harder.
Beside him, Ron Weasley was completely oblivious to all of this.
Ron was on his fourth drumstick.
Grease on his fingers.
Mouth full.
Zero thoughts behind his eyes.
Harry glanced at him.
"…Ron?"
"Mmph?"
"…Never mind."
🐍 A Slytherin Watching from the Shadows
At the Slytherin table, Draco Malfoy watched too.
Her hands trembled slightly beneath the table.
No one noticed.
They never did.
To the world, she was Draco Malfoy—arrogant, sharp-tongued, pureblood heir.
But inside—
She was Evelyne Malfoy.
And her heart was racing.
Harry Potter had rejected her. That memory still burned—her awkward attempt at friendship, the cold refusal, the laughter afterward.
She swallowed.
Don't think about it.
Lucien Aurelius Peverell Lionhardt.
That name alone made her chest tighten.
He was different. Calm. Kind. Handsome in a way that didn't feel cruel.
Every time Evelyne thought about talking to him, her feet betrayed her—turning away before she could even try.
Her life hadn't been kind.
After Narcissa Black divorced Lucius Malfoy, Evelyne had been left in her father's custody. She tried—Merlin, she tried—to be good.
To be polite to Lisana Selwyn.
To endure her stepbrother.
To survive Lucius's expectations.
Sometimes, it hurt.
Sometimes, it hurt a lot.
Her mother had tried to take custody.
She failed.
So Evelyne learned to hide.
Smile when expected.
Sneer when necessary.
Be Draco to survive.
But she was tired.
She wanted a friend.
Someone who wouldn't look at her like a weapon or a disappointment.
Her eyes drifted back to Lucien.
He laughed again.
Her heart skipped.
I'll try, Evelyne promised herself quietly. Just once.
But when she stood—
Her courage vanished.
She sat back down.
Tomorrow, she told herself. I'll try tomorrow.
🌿 Back at Hufflepuff
Lucien felt it.
That strange sensation—like someone watching him.
He glanced around casually.
For a brief moment, his eyes met Draco Malfoy's across the hall.
Lucien tilted his head slightly, curious.
Draco froze.
Then looked away.
Lucien frowned faintly.
"…Interesting," he murmured.
Tonks, still very pink, heard him.
"What's interesting?"
Lucien smiled. "Nothing. Just… first years."
Tonks squinted at him. "You're dangerous."
Lucien laughed.
And somewhere deep in the Great Hall, Evelyne Malfoy felt hope—for the first time in a long while.