When I see you.. (James Potter)

Chapter 15

Joy nods quickly: „yea sure! Go ahead". Perplex, she musters how Remus sits down on the bench next to her. He made hard moves, seemingly in pain. „How are you doing?", Joy asks interested. Her mind presses her to ask more questions: Why were you in the Hospital Wing? What did Dumbledore tell you? Did he say something about my powers? But Joy knows better than that, she herself would not want to be bombarded with questions either and also does not feel like it at the moment. She does not even know what she should feel/
Remus fishes his books out of his brown, shabby leather bag and looks at Joy with a forced wide smile: „Never have been better".
„Who are you kidding?", Joy giggles dryly.
He shrugs his shoulders. „I'm alright", he nods, now more certain of himself. Silence entered the conversation and both, Remus and Joy, sink their heads into their books. Remus was the first one to raise his voice again, weirdly sudden: „Dumbledore is a great guy".
Joy looks at him, not thinking much of it. She shrugs her shoulders and mumbles a short: „opinions differ". She looks back into her book, and for a second she reflects on her thoughts. Should she ask something? Dumbledore is a great guy. Who is he kidding? Joy shrugged her shoulders, thinking that Dumbledore must have concussed him with lemon sorbet.

Joy hears steps approaching on the stone floor towards the end of the library, not caring enough to look up, hoping it would not be one of her 'friends'.
"Ah ew mudblood, care to fuck away?", Lucius looks at Remus. Joy rolls her eyes and frowns at Lucius: "care to be less of an asshole?"
Remus chuckles and Lucius looks at him, immediately Remus gets up. Joy holds his wrist: "you don't have to go". Joy intended to keep the option open on asking him about Dumbledore but her chance ran out.
Remus shakes his head: "it's alright, I'll have to get to the others eventually". She leaves his wrist and slightly smiles at him. He nods his head towards Joy and leaves, ignoring Lucius.
Lucius giggles, Joy looks at him confused. "What are you laughing at?", she snaps tiredly. "Not sure, probably just asking myself since when you adapt more and more mudbloods into your close groups.", he smirks and sits down where Remus sat just a minute ago. Joy shifts on her chair to have a better look at Lucius. "You should stop calling them mudbloods, you know...", Joy suggests with a strong but still friendly tone. Lucius nods. That was easy, Joy thought as she had already prepared for a discussion.
"I came because I was worried! Nila told me you were in the hospital wing? What happened?", Lucius asks seemingly worried.
"She didn't tell you what happened?"
Lucius shakes his head shortly, looking at Joy with an intense gaze. Joy didn't know whether she should believe him but eventually, she shrugs her shoulders, giving her a second to reflect on what she should say. "Just a spell that went wrong".
Lucius nods understandingly: "happens to the best". Joy was waiting for a typical 'except for me', from Lucius but it didn't come.
"Are you looking forward to going home over Christmas? Mom asked me to invite you over for dinner! Your parents are welcome too, of course!", he tells happily. "Oh..", Joy just remembered again, that she wasn't allowed to go home, "I'm staying in Hogwarts", she forces a smile, "ohh, bummer, I'm taking the first train home!". Joy still forces a smile. "Maybe my dad can screw something around so that you can still visit for dinner! He'll talk to Slughorn, they're good friends y'know".

Joy nods, knowing already that it was impossible, Dumbledore and her parents would never let her go. She didn't even know if she wanted to go, but it was a tradition. Every Christmas break, the MacGee's were invited over for dinner at the Malfoys Manor.

"It's your first Christmas that you're not going home right?", Lucius reflects, looking confused. Joy nods slowly, positively surprised by Lucius' thoughtfulness. "Why actually?", he asks, "I thought our parents saw eye to eye on this topic, mudbloods stay over Christmas". And there it went again, Joy's positive thoughts of Lucius, he did strike a nerve there. She glances madly at him, snaps her book shut, grabs her bag, and hurries out of the library, leaving a confused Lucius behind.