Miss Lestrange ➝ Oliver Wood x OC (Harry Potter)

eyes.

thirty four.

December seemed to come just as quickly as it wanted to leave and Christmas was lingering all around, but I wasn't feeling in particularly good spirits. Ravenclaw had beaten Hufflepuff in Quidditch and since I was feeling under the weather Flint wouldn't let me train, which meant that Slytherin's odd weren't looking all too happy. I had kept my promise with Oliver though and taken some time off from studying. I hadn't realised when I'd promised him, but studying had seemed to be the only thing to help take my mind off the physical advances of Flora and the lingering threat from Sirius. Without it, I was feeling lower than I had ever felt. Lupin had theorised that the presence of dementors were making me feel empty, but I thought it may have been other things.

It might sound silly, and maybe it was just paranoia, but I still felt as though I was being watched. Like something was building up all around me without my knowledge and there was nothing I could do to stop it. Feeling such things I would normally never question, but with my consistent bad luck these last few Hogwarts years I was paying extra attention to those around me.

As the Hogsmeade trip came around quickly, I had found myself wanting desperately to skip again. Alex had refused to let me, in his words, "Wither away." I thought maybe he was just trying to bride be out to get him a Christmas Present.

And so, as my best friend dragged me around and paraded me through shops to pick me out a new scarf I forced a smile and pretended not to notice the two sets of piercing mean girl eyes goggling me from across the aisles of Honeydukes. As he pushed me through the snow covered streets and forced a butterbeer down my neck, I pretended not to notice the pair of library boy eyes spying me from across the bar in the Hog's Head. As he pulled me along the cobbled bridge back towards Hogwarts, I pretended not to notice Oliver turn to look at me every now and then. 

I didn't, however, pretend not to notice those familiar yellow eyes peering me from the edge of the Forbidden Forrest.

I stopped dead in my tracks, facing the trees. The eyes had seemingly vanished.

"Lucia?" Alex asked as he stopped just in front of me. He looked towards where my eyes met the trees, "What it is?"

"I thought I saw...nevermind." I shook my head. Was I going crazy today? Was everyone watching me or was I just being paranoid? Even Alex had been giving me some rather odd looks.

"You sure?" Alex asked in concern, "You seem a little on edge today."

"I think so," I nodded, "I don't want to sound crazy...I just get the feeling that I'm being watched."

"I mean Wood's been starin' at ye all day, hidin' behind Percy like we wouldn't spot him," Alex gave out a light laugh, "But I mean there's nothin' knew there."

"Oh come on, Oliver doesn't stare that much..." I sighed feeling my face heat up a little, "Surely not."

"Are you blind?" Alex had a real sense of shock on his face as he teased, "The boy practically pines over you on the daily. He hated Theo cause you liked him. He clearly likes you."

I gave a laugh and a shake of my head, unbelieving in Alex's words. Oliver and me were complicated, sure, and I know he has a some what soft spot for me and our relationship was a lot friendlier now but...Wood pining? After me? I just don't believe that for a second.

We fast approached the Hogwarts Castle, and as we neared the stone walls I looked back. I don't know what made me look. It was like a niggling feeling nipping at the back of my neck, shouting me without making a sound. I turned and I saw the eyes once more. No, I was not hallucinating. They were there. And they were watching me.

I don't know what made me run towards them. Maybe it was the consistent feeling I was being followed, watched. My every move taken in so secretively. I was fed up. I wanted answers. I needed answers. And so, as the students returned from their trip to Hogsmeade and Alex made his way through the front entrance, I darted from the warmth and comfort of the Hogwarts castle walls and from beside my best friend. I ran for the Forest.

"Lucia?" I could hear Alex shouting me in confusion, "Lucia, what are you doing?" 

I ran for the eyes that seemingly ran from me deeper into the forest. I was aware of the dementors lurking, I was aware of the risk. But at this point, I don't think I cared. I ran through the thick black underbrush of the forest, over twigs and hills and towards any direction I heard a noise. I could hear something following behind me closely, and if it wasn't for knowing Alex's breathy pants and clumsy heavy footsteps off by heart I'd of felt a little more exposed.

I ran until I came to a tree, stopping harshly with a deep sigh from running so hard. It's roots were thick and hilly under the ground I stood on. It was so wide it covered most of my path but from behind it I heard a noise that was in-between a whimper and a growl.

"I know you're there." I said as bravely as I could. My voice came out in barely a whisper. My legs were a little shaky as I made my way slowly around the tree, in an attempt to confirm what I saw, "I've seen you watching me."

I quietly tiptoed around the tree in slow calculated movements, trying my best not to startle whatever, whoever, this was. I stopped dead in my tracks when I saw it. The sight of a black paw and then another to match appearing from behind the tree made my breath get caught in my throat. The animal's yellow eyes shone as the moons light filtered softly through the branches and twines of the trees surrounding them.

It was a dog. The same dog from before.

"Who are you? What do you want?" I asked as its furry form came into view. It was much bigger than I had originally thought and as my stomach formed a knot I realised I was not armed. It growled lowly, not threateningly, more like the way in which a cat would purr.

I heard the snapping of a branch from my left.

I looked quickly and there stood Hagrid's gigantic form. When I looked back, the dog and it's pair of spying yellow eyes were gone.

"Lucia is that you?" Hagrid asked as if he did not recognise me, "Are yeh okay? What are yeh doin' all the way out here alone?"

I opened my mouth to answer but no words seemed to come out. No excuse, neither the truth, seemed to be the right thing to say in that moment. I looked back at the spot the dog had stood barely seconds ago but the ground was still bare of the animal I was so certain I had encountered.

Hagrid sighed in worry, "Come on, let's get yeh back. It ain't safe out here...and your friend is a right mess, found him blubberin' about yeh in my pumpkin patch."

"Oh Alex." I sighed sadly. 

When me and Hagrid both found out way out of the forest and towards Hagrid's now dimly lit gamekeepers hut Alex was sat with his arms wrapped around fang's drool covered torso. He looked so fragile and sick with worry. It had only in that moment hit me how much I must have been worrying him.

He came over to me quickly, questions pouring out of his mouth at a million miles an hour as he hugged me hurriedly.

"I'm sorry Alex..." I said with a sigh, "I didn't mean to worry you...I know I've been acting strangely, but there's something going on again this year," I said in a hurried whisper, unsure if Hagrid who was patting Fang affectionately behind them was listening.

I wanted to tell Alex about the dog, about what I had saw, but I didn't want to have another reason for him to worry. I didn't want to drag him into something he didn't need to be involved in. He was important to me, important enough to be honest with yes, but important enough for me to not disclose the whole truth in the event it was to protect him. Plus, as magic usually seems to prove time and time again, not everything is always as it seems. I couldn't act hastily.

Even so, I needed to confide in someone, and that someone just so happened to be hurrying down over the hill, their familiar tweed jacket standing out for miles. Lupin.