Huffily Puffily || Golden Trio

The Troll Tapestry || xv

* * * * *

Holiday Break had come to an end, and Lucy was forced to move back into the Hufflepuff dormitory— not that she minded; Hufflepuff was the most comfortable of the common rooms. Plus, Gryffindors were loud company compared to what she was used to.

At the risk of sounding like Hermione, Lucy was actually looking forward to attending classes again. She appreciated the distraction. This Christmas had been the best of her life, but the Mirror of Erised left a bitter taste in her mouth that hadn't quite faded.

Growing up at Wool's Orphanage was not easy, and as much as it pained her to admit, she was lonely. The other kids picked on her and alienated her merely for the fact that she was different. She tended to push those feelings down and instead chose to construct a world in her mind, one where she had the perfect parents and lived the perfect life. It was easy to lose herself in that world, easy to pretend like she knew her parents, but as the Mirror of Erised had shown her, all she had was her own mental image of them. She had no idea if they were dead or alive, or if they were together at all. Maybe her mum had dropped her on the doorstep and run away. Maybe they both decided she wasn't good enough and gave her back. Maybe they were both dead after all. The fact of the matter was, she truly had no idea what landed her at the orphanage. Dwelling on it wouldn't bring them back.

With all this in mind, Lucy decided it was time to let it go. She would always, somewhere in her chest, have an empty place, but there was absolutely nothing to do about it. Her parents were never going to show up and claim her, and she would likely remain at Wool's until she was of age to leave. She was trying to be okay with that. She wanted to put all that aside and focus on the life she had right now, not the one the Mirror taunted her with. What did that stupid mirror know, anyway?

Nothing. Death to the mirror!

Though it was sad, Lucy felt a little more at peace knowing the inevitability of being an orphan. She could focus on the things happening right in front of her. The more important things.

Namely, Professor Quirrell or Snape attempting to steal something of importance from a three-headed dog.

Her fellow Hufflepuffs returned to Hogwarts the day before term started, and Hannah came up with the idea that they could celebrate their own little holiday before the holidays ended. It'd been a joking suggestion, but Anthony, ever the drama queen, took it very seriously and stormed the kitchens to set up an evening get-together. It was to be an exclusive Hufflepuff-only event, not quite a party but not quite a normal occasion either. Students were encouraged to dress nicely.

Lucy was glad that Mrs. Cole thought to give her a black skirt. Otherwise, she'd be stuck with her worn and torn jeans and she doubted that fell under Anthony's dress code. She paired it with her Weasley sweater, which she'd come to adore as her favorite jumper. The fact that Mrs. Weasley thought to knit her a sweater meant a lot to her, and the strawberry shortcake had been delicious— Ron was a brilliant friend.

"Thanks a lot for this, Hannah," Ernie MacMillan said sarcastically, pulling a face as he tugged at the collar of his burgundy dress-shirt. "I was hoping I wouldn't have to pull this out at all, this year. I hate burgundy."

"It wouldn't kill you to look decent once in a while, Ernie," Susan rolled her eyes at the blonde boy. "I thought this was a great idea."

"Once in a while? What's that supposed to mean?" Ernie demanded.

"It means you put about as much effort into your appearance as a troll would," Hannah grinned.

Ernie gaped at the insult as everyone else burst out laughing. Lucy spoke to Ernie sometimes at meals, and he was quite arrogant— Susan and Hannah routinely had to bring him back down to earth.