Pyrrhic Victory

fourty.

Year Three
fourty. Skill of Occlumency.

The October days in Scotland grew cold quickly. The green leaves that were once lively with chlorophyll was now brown, and dead.

Lucille and Magnolia were walking back into the warm castle. They could hear the crunch of the dead leaves that were under their boots. They were in layers of different trousers and jumpers. Both of their cheeks were pink from the fierce wind blow. Lucille's blonde hair was blowing all in her face, and she wished she just had brought some type of elastic to tie it up.

Once they had both gotten into the castle they sighed, and dropped their books on the table in the Great Hall. Their wasn't a lot of people in the Great Hall yet due to Hagrid letting them out early because of the wind.

The rest of the group followed in after Lucille and Magnolia looking the same as they were. Pink cheeks, and atrocious hair.

"Lucille, you look like that Granger Mudblood." Draco muttered as he walked by Lucille. Lucille just rolled her eyes at Draco comment as she brought her wand up to her hair, and fixed it.

"You know what Draco, just please shut up for once. I don't always need your opinion on everything!" Lucille shouts back at him once she had fixed her hair. Blaise had gone somewhere with Theodore, so he wasn't here to tell Draco off.

"Vagabonde, come with me, now." He gritted through his teeth. Lucille rolled her eyes, grabbed her wand for safety as she had left the Great Hall with Draco.

They had seemed to be walking for awhile before he pushed her into a empty corridor. She drew her wand, and stared at him with hatred.

"You know I can't talk to you, your father's a death eater." Lucille retorts at Draco as they both had their wands out ready to hex each other.

"Your mum's ignorant. If my father was a death eater he'd be Azkaban. Even if he is, your mother must've done a foul job." At those words Lucille pointed her wand at the boy, and a spark of blue came out the end of it, but Draco dodged it.

"Think you can hurt me Vagabonde." He replied back before he shoot a hex back at Lucille which she dodged with little problem.

"I've always tried to be nice to you Draco! You've always rejected my kindness!" Lucille shouted as she drew back her wand. Draco looked at her confusingly. "Why now?!"

"Why now?! When I have a boyfriend who I love you decide to be all mad at me, want to be friends with me?!" Lucille shouted at Draco. Draco just stood their, and she watched as his wand fell by his side.

"This is why." He replied as he walked towards Lucille. She thought about bringing her wand back up, but she didn't she just stared at the blonde boy who was speed walking towards her.

He slowed down as he approached her, and she looked at his pale pink lips. She watched as he leaned in, and for some morbid reason she closed her eyes. She felt his cold lips brush up against hers.

Her warm pink lips compliment his pale cold ones greatly. She had felt a rise of fireworks, and beyond as she had kissed him back.

It wasn't till after he had broke the kiss that she had realized what she had done. She he kissed Draco, well Draco kissed her. She had kissed him back though.

The boy had already left by the time she brought her fingers up to her lips which were now cold. It was almost like he had transferred the feeling. She wondered if his lips were warm now.

She raised her hand up to head, and then she started to cry. Tears fell down her pink cheeks. She hated how the kiss felt so right, as she knew it was so wrong. She could never be with Draco, meaning she would never have that feeling again.

She couldn't even bear to go back to the Great Hall. To see Draco and Blaise. She was planning on telling the group that she had gotten sick, and just planned on staying in her dorm the rest of the evening.

She also decided she doesn't need to think about what just happened, especially in front of Magnolia. Luckily for Lucille though, Magnolia had another lesson with Professor Snape, so she wouldn't go looking for her after class.

———

"Draco? Where's Lucille?" Magnolia asked as the pale blonde boy returned to the table alone. Blaise raised an eyebrow at Draco. "You were with Lucy alone?"

"She's fine, we got into a fight, and she got sick." Draco replied very tedium. Her started eating his food, and Magnolia and Blaise thought it was very weird that Lucille just had gotten sick out of nowhere.

"Maybe I should go check on her-." Blaise started as he began to gather his things before Draco interrupted him. "She's fine, she doesn't want to see anyone."

Blaise just nodded, as he sat back down and continued to eat his food. Magnolia wanted to check on her, but after she had Potions, Charms, and the Lessons with Snape.

———

Magnolia at four thirty walked into Professor Snape's classroom. He'd seemed to be already waiting for her since he had everything set up.

"You're on time." He told her as she had walked in, and plopped herself down on her usually seat.
"Aren't I always?"

"Today we are learning about the practice of Occlumency." Professor Snape told the Slytherin, and she raised her eyebrow. She had never learned of Occlumency before. Also her lessons were supposed to be about Legilimency, not Occlumency.

"What is that?" She questioned, and Professor Snape raised an eyebrow at her.

"Try to read my thoughts." He replied to her, and she nodded. She stared at him, but she couldn't read anything. All his thoughts, emotions, memories were gone. It was like nothing is there.

"I dont see anything." She told him, and a small smirk appeared on his face. "Good."

"How is that good?" She asked him. She had only just learned the term 'Legilimency' this summer, and now she was given the term 'Occlumency'

"Occlumency is the art of practicing to keep ones thoughts from external penetration known as Legilimency." Professor Snape replied as he flipped through pages of an old text book. Magnolia nodded, as she realized that her power had a protection against it.

"Though, more advanced Occlumens can produce a faux layer of memories or thoughts." He told her, she noticed he was finishing a potion as he talked with her.

"Are you an advanced Occlumen?" She asked him, and he looked at her before replying. "Somewhat."

"Occlumency is a very very powerful magic. It can be used to resist the Imperius curse and Veritaserum." He told her as he mixed his potions. She mouthed the word 'wow' as she realized how powerful Occlumency is.

"Now more writing less chat, I expect five parchment done on Occlumency by our next lesson." Professor Snape told her, Magnolia groaned before she turned to get started on her essay which was due next week.