Lucinda Dursley: Alternate Version

Last DA Meeting Before Christmas

Lucinda's POV

Gryffindor won our match against Slytherin. Dispite Slytherins attempt to make Ron lose his confidence. But after the match Harry and George hit Draco for insulting Mrs Weasley. While the girls held Fred back. But all three boys were banned from playing quidditch by Umbridge.

On a happier note, Hagrid has returned. He told us his tale of trying to reason with the giants. But the alliance was unsuccessful. Hagrid's first class back was with Harry's class, was watched by Umbridge. Who was not pleased about him teaching the class about threstrals.

Anyway it's time for the last D.A meeting before the Christmas holidays starts. Harry and I would be going to HQ with the Weasleys & Hermione. When I enter the room of requirement, I say it's been decorated for Christmas. I also hear Angelina tell Harry how she'd finally replaced him and the twins.

Soon everyone is present and Harry locks the door. "I thought this evening we should just go over the things we've done so far. Because it's the last meeting before the holidays and there's no point starting anything new right before a three-week break" Harry states.

"We're not doing anything new?" Zacharias demands. "If I'd known that, I wouldn't have come" he grumbles.

"We're all really sorry Harry didn't tell you, then" Fred tells him. I snigger with several others.

"We will practice in pairs" Harry tells us. "We'll start with the Impediment Jinx, for ten minutes. Then we can get out the cushions and try Stunning again" he states. Jenny and I pair up as usual. I do the jinx as she blocks it for the first five minutes. We then switch and I'm the one having to block the jinx.

We then got cushions and practiced stunning. I notice how much Neville has improved. True, Neville did Stun Padma Patil rather than Dean, at whom he had been aiming. But it was a much closer miss than usual, and everybody else had made enormous progress. Jenny and I have learnt more jinxes. We have improved our dueling skills.

Soon the hour is up and we all stop practicing. "You're getting really good" Harry praises us. "When we get back from the holidays we can start doing some of the big stuff--maybe even Patronuses" he tells us. There was a murmur of excitement. Jenny and I clap happily.

The room began to clear in the usual twos and threes; most people wished Harry a 'Happy Christmas' as they went. I help Ron and Hermione put the cushions away. We then left Harry alone with Cho.

As we walk back to the common room. Draco appears. "It's past curfew" he tells us.

"We're prefects" Hermione reminds him.

"But she isn't" he says pointing to me. "Ten points from Gryffindor, now return to your common room Lucinda. Or it'll be fifty" he tells me and I roll my eyes. But leave with the other two and we arrive back at the common room with no further interruptions.

Hermione starts to write a long letter to someone. Ron lays on the hearthrug, trying to finish his Transfiguration homework. While I do my Charms essay on cheering charms. Harry soon joins us and sits beside Hermione. "What kept you?" Ron asks him.

Harry didn't answer. He looked like he was in a state of shock. "Are you alright, Harry?" Hermione and I ask him concerned. Harry gave a half-hearted shrug.

"What's up?" Ron asks him.

"Is it Cho?" I ask him curious. "She did corner you after the meeting" I state. Numbly surprised, Harry nodded. Ron sniggered, breaking off when Hermione caught his eye. Ron asks Harry what Cho wanted.

"She--er-" Harry stammers and I giggle. I've never seen my cousin at a lose for words. It's quiet amusing.

"Did you kiss?" Hermione asks Harry. Ron sat up so fast he sent his ink bottle flying all over the rug. Disregarding this completely, he stared avidly at Harry. Who looked from Ron's expression of mingled curiosity and hilarity to Hermione's slight frown. Lastly my expression of confusion and nodded.

Ron made a triumphant gesture with his fist and went into a raucous peal of laughter. That made several timid-looking second-years over beside the window jump. A reluctant grin spread over Harry's face as he watched Ron rolling around on the hearthrug. Hermione gave Ron a look or deep disgust and returned to her letter. While I look at Harry curious.

"What was it like?" I ask him.

"Wet" he says. Ron made a noise that might have indicated jubilation or disgust, it was hard to tell. "She was crying" Harry adds.

"Are you that bad at kissing?" Ron asks him and I giggle.

"Don't know, maybe I am" Harry says unsure.

"Of course you're not" Hermione says absentmindedly not looking up from her letter.

"How would you know?" Ron demands.

"When did you two kiss?" I ask.

"We have not kissed Lulu" Hermione tells me. "Cho spends half her time crying these days. She does it at mealtimes, in the loos, all over the place" she explains.

"You'd think a bit of kissing would cheer her up" Ron mutters. I roll my eyes, such a guy thing to say.

"Ron, you are the most insensitive wart I have ever had the misfortune to meet" Hermione tells him.

"What's that supposed to mean? What sort of person cries while someone's kissing them?" Ron asks her.

"Yeah, who does?" Harry asks desperately. Hermione looked at the pair of them with an almost pitying expression on her face.

"Don't you understand how Cho is feeling at the moment?" I ask them. Both boys say 'no' and I groan. What idiots. Hermione sighed and laid down her quill. "Well, obviously, she's feeling very sad, because of Cedric dying" I tell them.

"Then I expect she's feeling confused because she liked Cedric and now she likes Harry, and she can't work out who she likes best. Then she'll be feeling guilty, thinking it's an insult to Cedric's memory to be kissing Harry at all, and she'll be worrying about what everyone else might say about her if she starts going out with Harry. And she probably can't work out what her feelings towards Harry are, anyway, because he was the one who was with Cedric when Cedric died, so that's all very mixed up and painful. Oh, and she's afraid she's going to be thrown off the Ravenclaw Quidditch team because she's been flying so badly" Hermione finishes.

"One person can't feel all that at once, they'd explode" Ron tells us.

"Just because you've got the emotional range of a teaspoon doesn't mean we all have" Hermione snaps. She picks up her quill and goes back to her letter. I notice Jenny waving me over.

"See you guys later, good luck Hermione" I say and leave them. Taking my essay with me. I sit by Jenny and she joins me in doing our charms essay. "Boys can be so stupid" I tell her.

"Agreed" she says and we work in silence. Once we finish. We call it an early night.

A/N

Picture above of the newspaper clippings and on the external link of the Room of Requirement at Christmas.