•Nothing lasts forever •

PREPARING FOR OWLS

Lucien woke up next to a reading Hermione sitting on the end of her bed, anxiously awaiting her comfort

"Morning Mione."
The now awake girl said

"Oh morning Lu. I was wondering if I could tell you something?"
The smaller girl asked shyly

"Of course, what is it."
Lucien replied, whilst sitting up and resting her back on the headboard. She motioned for the bushy haired girl to move next to her and she complied happily.

"What did you want to tell me?"

"Muffliato."
Hermione cast the charm so she was sure nobody could hear what she was going to say she then turned to Lucien who was already looking at her with her stormy grey eyes
"I'm just so tired of having to pretend that I'm okay."

"What do you mean?"
Lucien asked her whilst wrapping an arm around her and bringing the brown haired girl closer to her

"It's just, everyone thinks I'm perfect so I have to try to keep that reputation up and if I don't people judge me."
She took a breath and looked to Lucien who nodded for her to carry on
"Even Harry and Ron, most of the time they ask me for my help with studying or to read my answers. The pressure that I'm under all the time is unbelievable, it's hard trying not to let people down. I'm not perfect and I'm sick of pretending like I am!"
She was sobbing now, she had her head in Luciens chest whilst soaking her T-shirt with tears.

"Hey, look at me."
Lucein told the girl, she used her hand to lift Hermiones head up to look at her. Her heart broke at the sight of her best friend looking so broken.
She herself was ready to cry
"How long have you felt like this Mione?"
She rubbed her arm up and down Hermiones back in a soothing manner, something she knew would calm her

"Since the DA started, it was great but you know what I'm like when it comes to school work, I want to do well! I enjoy it. So when the DA started it was too much on top of studying."
Hermione cried harder, letting Lucien see all her weak spots but she knew that she wouldn't judge her

"How come you didn't tell me sooner? I would've dropped out of the DA with you!"
Lucien told the her

"If I dropped out I would've looked weak, after I created the whole idea of the DA."
Hermione told her
She pulled away from Lucien and looked away while wiping her eyes with the sleeve of her top and returned to resting her head on Luciens chest

The two sat in silence whilst the sobs started to quiet down, she looked down to Hermione, who's head was still buried in her chest.

"If it helps I know how you feel in a way."
She broke the silence in another attempt to comfort her

"How?"
Hermione was now looking up at Lucien through her eyelashes, still soaked from her crying before.

"Being a Hufflepuff everyone expects you to be soft and happy, and that you can't be sad or be brave. But I am brave, I was meant to be in Gryffindor! I get told all the time that because I'm not smiling 24/7 that I'm not a proper Hufflepuff, and that I'm weak. I'm not though, the sorting hat couldn't place me because I had traits for all of the houses. The hat chose Hufflepuff just because it could, I was one of the only mistakes the sorting hat made."

"I never knew."
Hermione looked at the girl and smiled while pulling away again
"From now on we tell each other everything, how we're feeling and even if we're sick of Harry and Ron. Okay?"