Pyrrhic Victory

sixty three.

Year Four
sixty three. Operation Dracille

Magnolia woke up on Boxing day the next morning and stared at her ceiling for an hour thinking about last night. Fred had kissed her, actually kissed her. It wasn't to piss off Theo or show off to anyone. He had kissed her because he wanted to.

Magnolia knew their relationship was complicated. She was in her fourth year, he was in his sixth. He was a Weasley, she was a Malvorseve. He was a Gryffindor, she was a Slytherin. Their differences went on. Her father would also flip if he were to find out Magnolia even considered dating a Weasley. Sure, they were pure blood, but Arthur Weasley and Xayne Malvorseve didn't exactly see eye to eye.

She decided to brush it off though, it was not something she had to confront at the moment. Her and Fred weren't even official, yet. Magnolia did tell her mother though, and she told her to promise not to tell her father. Persephone Malvorseve would cherish the happiness of her daughter any day before disowning her because of stupid blood purity standards.

Lucille on the other hand, had been up since the early morning, way earlier than everyone else in Hufflepuff. She was writing an essay for Ancient Runes when she heard a boy coming down the stairs of the corridor of the boys dormitory. She looked up and her face immediately dropped as she watched Cedric come down the stairs. His hair was a mess, he seemed like he had fun last night, definitely hung over.

He looked up to see the blonde girl in the corner. Lucille looked back down, hoping he would not come over there. He came over anyway, Lucille rolling her eyes before he approached her in the corner.

"You looked like you had fun with Malfoy last night," He told her, the conversation was already awkward. She gave him a half smile as she nodded, she closed her Ancient Runes homework to look up at him.

"I did, he uh, was a good date," She promptly responded to the teen. "Great, yeah Cho and I, it was fun, yeah."

"Seemed like it Cedric," Lucille started to stand up. She was not sure where she was going to go, but she wanted it be anywhere Cedric wouldn't be.

"Lucy! Wait," she looked up at the boy who had a sincere look on his face. He looked visibly upset.
"I'm sorry for dissing on you going with Malfoy. It was wrong of me and I was letting my own personal feelings get in the way."

"It's fine Cedric, really." Lucille smiled at him. She knew he was stressed and the fact he took time out to apologize to her was important to Lucille.

"Why are you actually up so early?" Lucille questioned the boy who was having too much fun last night to be up 8 am. "I've been putting off my schoolwork, plus I need to figure out a method to breath underwater by February 24th,"

"Oh, well good luck," Lucille tells him as he nods and leaves the common room leaving her alone with her Ancient Runes homework again.

Lucille waited a bit before she ventured off to find her best friend. She was walking to the Slytherin commons, hoping another Slytherin would let her in and she would patiently wait for Magnolia. Instead, she bumped into the girl who was heading up to get some breakfast.

"Maggie! I was looking for you," Lucille smiled as she linked arms with the girl who was wearing a purple sweater and jeans. She could immediately tell Magnolia was feeling off, but unlike her Lucille couldn't read minds. 

"I hope you don't mind me asking but,-" Lucille did not even have to finish her sentence before Magnolia stopped and scanned the room. "Fred kissed me last night, like actually kissed me,"

Lucille gasped loudly before her hand flew to her mouth. Magnolia pulled the girl down an empty corridor to talk. While it wasn't a secret Magnolia and Fred were something she necessarily did not want it getting around Hogwarts that Fred and her were snogging. 

"Blimey Mags! How was it? Is he actually a good kisser? Besides the Hogsmeade time?" Lucille questioned the girl who immediately blushed from thinking about the interaction last night. 

"I mean it was a kiss? I have never kissed anyone else," Magnolia confesses as the both of them walked out of the empty corridor and back towards the Great hall. "How was your night? With Draco, was he a git? If he was Luc, I'll beat his arse."

"Oh no! It was actually good, he didn't kiss me though," Lucille joked as Magnolia eyes widened as she didn't quite understand the joke. "Not like I wanted to kiss him,"

"Right," Magnolia questionably comments as the two head towards the usual Slytherin table. The two grabbed food as they sat down across from each other. Cedric walked in the Great Hall, Cho by his side as he waved over at the girls. Lucille cracked a smile and waved back.

"Is he over being upset your date?" Magnolia said as her mouth was full of toast. Lucille shrugged before she explained. "He apologized this morning, no need to hold grudges," 

"Lucy!" A shriek came from the front of the Great Hall. The two girls turned their heads to be met with the other, now blonde, Vagabonde child, Melody. Lucille eyes widened as she saw her sister coming their way and looked at Magnolia who seemed just as nervous as she came over. 

"Hi Melody, what do you want?" Lucille asked as she set down the apple she was eating. "Oh, I just wanted to tell you that Draco and you looked nice last night."

"Please don't tell mum!" Lucille begged to her sister who laughed as her eyes glanced over to Magnolia and then back to Lucille. "Of course not, mum would flip if she found out you were going out with a Malfoy! I am just glad that Magnolia over here has finally convinced you to the right side, despite being a Hufflepuff." 

"We aren't going out," Lucille tells her sister who rolled her eyes and flipped her hair. 'Yeah, sure. See you Lucy, Magnolia."

Melody walks out of the Great Hall as Lucille exhales loudly the second she was out. While Melody did get rid of black hair and he who shall not be named obsession. She still looked down at her little sister for being a Hufflepuff. 

"That was so weird," Magnolia commented as Lucille was still white as a ghost. "I'm toast. One wrong move, and she'll tell mum and BAM I am grounded till I leave Hogwarts,"

"It didn't sound like she was going to tell," Magnolia tries to reassure her friend. Magnolia knew Draco and Lucille both liked each other, but it was going to take some acceptance from both of them this year to finally admit to it. Magnolia needed a new challenge, and operation Dracille was a go.