The Burning of the White Wisteria

CHAPTER 3: A BREAKFAST DATE

I could feel how sweaty my palms were when I was making my way to the Great Hall. All I could think was: why the hell am I doing this?

I arrived at the Great Hall with a pit in my stomach. Am I really going to do this?

I'd been juggling this decision the entire weekend. I hate to admit it but I was really curious to find out what Tom's intention was by inviting me to sit with him. An idiot would assume he was just being nice. The only explanation I could come up with was my family. Everyone at the school knew that he surrounded himself with purebloods despite only being a halfblood himself...

Maybe he wanted to add me to his little collection?

I began to walk into the Great Hall, hands trembling slightly.

The hall was mostly empty except for a couple of Ravenclaws talking though I had expected such a thing. It was barely light outside. Anxiety had prevented me from sleeping more than a few moments last night, so I was unbelievably early. It was almost a relief to see that Tom or anyone else from my house hadn't arrived yet.

But now what?

Staring at the Ravenclaws, I recognized Luci almost immediately. I smiled unknowingly, starting towards my friend. "Luci!" She looked over at me in surprise as I waved at her. She excused herself from the table before walking over to me.

"What are you doing up so early? I didn't know you were capable of doing that."

I rolled my eyes. "Very funny. I could ask the same of you," I gestured to the table with my chin, "do you do this every morning?"

She looked back at the table with a hint of a smile on her pale, unblemished face. "Yeah. It's nice."

"What exactly do you do?"

She shrugged, her Ravenclaw robe falling a bit off of her shoulder. She made no effort to fix it as she peered at the group of friends, smiling and laughing. I couldn't help but glimpse at her perfect button nose, a bubble of envy rising in my chest.

Luci was so pretty. Too pretty. It's unfair how pretty she is. From the very first moment I met Lucilla Jade, I knew that she was different from others. She carried herself with unbelievable grace, always dressed darkly and yet appropriately, and yet somehow had a sharp enough tongue to engage in proper conversation. I was surprised to find out she was not a pureblood, though that's a different story.

Luci's green eyes met mine once more, eyes that somehow reminded me of my mother. "We talk about new subjects. Study. Typical Ravenclaw things I guess but... They're really nice people."

Her smile made me smile.

It's comforting to see Luci with friends in her house. In our fourth year, a wicked member of my own house decided to spread a rumour about her... heritage that completely ruined her reputation in the Ravenclaw house. Those days were really tough for her, even if she won't admit it herself. She spent every night in Mara and I's dorm room, sleeping on the floor.

"I'm happy for you," I beamed.

Luci, who's uncomfortable with any sort of praise or compliment, awkwardly shifted before continuing. "So... What is Alexa Malfoy doing awake at this hour?"

"Well..." I lowered my voice considerably. "I couldn't sleep."

"Anxiety again?" Luci asked, concern lacing her elegant features. "About your grades again? I'm sure your father--"

"No, it's about..." I sighed, dishearted. "Abraxas."

"Abraxas?" Luci narrowed her eyes, motioning for us to take a seat at the table we were standing in front of. "Are you fighting? You guys never fight."