Huffily Puffily || Golden Trio

Wingman || lvii

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Theories about Sirius Black quickly spiraled into insanity.

In the Hufflepuff House alone, she'd heard it all. Hannah suggested the man could turn himself into a flowering shrub, but Susan argued he might have turned himself invisible. Ernie swore up and down that Sirius must have flown into the castle on a broomstick, while Justin was adamant that Sirius had the ability to travel through portraits. Daisy was trying her hardest to tame the rumors and lessen everyone's focus on the convict, but it was no use.

Lucy was trying her best to ignore the rumors, but that was next to impossible. The Hogwarts grapevine of gossip was an intangible force and the moment they found out Lucy was the one who ran into Sirius Black, any hope of peace was over for her. She completely understood how Harry felt when everyone goggled at him in first year— she was hardly able to make it through a corridor without somebody stopping to ask her about Black.

All her usual hiding places were compromised— Hufflepuffs were naturally curious creatures, and so she couldn't find any solace in her common room. Anthony himself thought it was hilarious to badger her with as many questions as he could fit in a minute, and unlike the other Hufflepuffs, he didn't have any qualms about following her into her dormitory. Lucy tried to wrestle him out once, but Anthony had taken extreme offense and dragged her all the way to the Black Lake, where he then proceeded to drop her into the freezing, shallow water.

He thought it was hilarious, but he wasn't laughing when Lucy pulled him in after her.

She was not speaking to Anthony— not because she was mad, because it was rather funny, but more out of the principle of the thing. The other boy pretended he didn't care, but it was only a matter of time before he broke. Either he'd pester her until she replied to him, or he'd tattle to Daisy who would then force Lucy to knock it off.

Either way, Lucy won.

Her newest safe haven, behind Hagrid's hut, was also compromised after a week of hiding there. She swore those people had a Lucy-compass or something. As she sat there with Grimm, working on her Ancient Runes worksheet, a group of Ravenclaws and Slytherins approached her. Lucy's hand tightened around her quill.

"You'd dare approach the Heir?" Lucy said in a dry tone. Surely, her reputation from last year had not disappeared over the summer.

Terry Boot only laughed. "Guilty as charged," he joked. "Alright, Rochester?"

She never minded Boot, in fact she liked him because Malfoy hated him, but she wasn't feeling particularly patient today.

"No, I am very distraught at the moment," she sighed. "My mother died, did you know?"

Boot looked genuinely concerned for her until Mandy Brocklehurst leaned over and whispered something in his ear. He had a dawning look of realization on his face, and he laughed again. "You had me for a moment— but we were all just wondering, since you saw Black... Well, I think it's a load of nonsense, but Ava Meadowes has been telling anyone who will listen that Black has sharp teeth."

"And... I suppose you want me to confirm or deny?" She mused.

"If you wouldn't mind," Boot said. "Since it is a monster like Black, I wouldn't be surprised."

Her eye twitched. Did they not realize he was still human? She resisted the urge to snap at him and instead arranged her features to seem nervous.

"Yes..." she said, leaning forward. The group of students huddled around her. "So sharp. And— well, it was the strangest thing... One moment, he was the size of a normal man— and then he started... " She made a show of sighing. "I shouldn't tell you. Dumbledore told me to keep it a secret."