Hearts are Blind (Severus Snape X OC)

Hogsmeade Day Two

"Mornin' sunshine..."

Lucinda looked up from the porridge under her nose, which had been sinking lower and lower to the table as her eyelids drooped with lingering sleep. "Good morning, Aurora," she mumbled, straightening back up and rubbing her face.

The Borealis girl grabbed a sausage off the platter in the center of the table and took a bite. She chewed slowly while she stared at the girl next to her. "So, you had another late night, I see..."

Lucinda paused and then nodded, staring down at the bowl beneath her. She really didn't feel like eating yet. "I was hanging out with X." She said honestly.

Aurora sniffed, but didn't make a retort. "Oh." She said, taking a sip from her freshly poured glass of juice.

"Then Professor Snape made me follow him to his office to interrogate me."

Clover let out a cry of disgust as orange juice was sprayed into his face. He stared down at his striped sweater sadly. "Rorieee..." he whined, ogling at his sister across the table. Next to him, Gabe was almost smirking as he took a napkin to the boy's face, wiping off the sticky mess.

"What for?" Aurora turned to Lucinda with her voice lowered; completely ignoring the fact that she'd just spewed juice on her brother.

Lucinda tried not to laugh, but she couldn't help a smile from the look on Clover's glistening face. Then she looked at the girl next to her. "Okay, he didn't exactly interrogate me..." She admitted.

Aurora waited for her to continue, but Lucinda turned and glanced up at the staff table. He was there and he had most definitely been staring at her. Upon her eyes meeting his, she raised a hand and sent a minor wave his way. He bowed his head slightly back to her. Lucinda's lips parted in a small smile as he continued conversing with Hagrid on his right. Everything was normal again. True, she didn't get much sleep. It took hours for her mind to quiet and her heart to slow its pace long enough to drift off... But upon waking, she felt much better. Tired and sleep-deprived, but better. The night before had been strange. She remembered the twisting in her stomach and the fluttering of the butterflies in her heart, but those had all quieted now. The feelings were still there somewhere, and were probably going to surface again, but for now they were buried and she felt normal.

"He noticed that I was mad at him," Lucinda continued, her eyes staying on the black-haired man a moment longer before she turned to her porridge and swallowed a spoonful. "I think it bothered him, so he made me stay there until I said I wasn't mad anymore. It was sort of ridiculous, actually..."

Aurora snorted. "It's not unusual for you to get mad at him," she replied and then mouthed a quick "I'm sorry" to Clover, who was still pouting about the juice on his sweater. "What made you mad?"

Lucinda's eyes flashed over to Gabe, but he was preoccupied with the toast on his plate. "He was mean to one of my friends," she said simply. "He made him stay behind yesterday and miss out on Hogsmeade."

Aurora looked wildly at the staff table. "Man that sucks..." she said quietly, watching their Potions teacher talking almost happily with Professor McGonagall. "He seems to be in a good mood, though."

"Of course he is," said a voice behind them.

The two girls turned around and met Tristin's smiling face. Lucinda's stomach did a tiny flip at seeing his dark eyes glinting at her. "It's a beautiful day, there are no classes to worry about," he continued, raising his hands palm up and glancing up and down the hall. "And he has a clear view of his favorite student." He placed a hand on her shoulder. "Why wouldn't he be in a good mood?"