Jack was sitting near a puddle in the courtyard, watching the ripples flow perfectly as lone raindrops would hit the surface. With it starting to sprinkle and leftover water from the previous days, the weather was just how Jack felt; glum.

He sighed and began to stir the puddle with a stick. He glanced up and say a figure walking into the entrance of the courtyard. There were usually people visiting during the day so Jack thought nothing of it. He began singing to himself to possibly brighten his mood." Santo Santo Santo, Mi corr a zone te-adorah, Mi corr a zone te sah-badadeir , Santo res senor.[1]

Some girl approached Jack,"Yes I'm a little kid singing after my family was broken can we move on... I don't want pity."  He was tired of all the "sympathy" people were giving him, it was really getting annoying and he didn't want to remember. Since counseling, it was recommended that Jack shouldn't leave the school. Going into the woods just brought back the memories and made them worse.

He glanced up, the person not moving. He saw that face before. It took a good minute for Jack to register who it was, Lucy Mathews. Before break he would have greeted her back and asked a million questions about he time at St.Mungo's. Now he only replied with a short monotone sentence after staring back at his puddle."Welcome back, did you have fun with your "rare" disease?"

1.	I'm writing how it would sound, not the actual spelling. If I had the music with me I could translate but I don't.

She had only gotten back the night before. Her life was in a rough patch. And Lucy was not having a good day. Devlin was going to Azkaban right after saving her. What kind of deal was that? She was in a bad mood, thinking over all of this and letting her mind float from topic to topic, trying to think of how to catch up in school. It was a new term, and she had already missed the beginning of it. Knox was the last person she had left, and she didn't even know him all that well. Lucy didn't want to live with him. She wanted to live with Devlin. She wanted to know he would still be there, in their home. Hell, she had called it THEIR HOME. But that was all gone now, ripped away when she needed it the most. And she was forced to go back to Hogwarts, the place where she had no friends, no support. The place where she'd only get through the day with the promise of a letter from Devlin coming soon.

Lucy now strolled across the courtyard, not exactly looking for anything to do. She was just trying to readjust to life here. Trying to readjust to her new life. Her braids were a mess, since one patch of the hair was marginally shorter than the rest of it.

"Welcome back, did you have fun with your "rare" disease?"

Lucy nearly jumped out of her skin, not seeing Jack huddled over the puddle. Every voice that would speak up behind her made her jump, fearing that it was the man once again. But it wasn't him. He was gone. Devlin told her he was gone, and that she was safe. She looked down at Jack as he played in the puddle melodramatically. "Who twisted your panties into a bunch?" She asked with a sharp tongue. After all the stuff she had been through, Lucy's attitude and choices of words still prevailed.

Lucy looked a little different, and she was still as grouchy as normal. Fortunately[1] so was Jack. After seeing her jump and with the "nice" remark Jack chuckled,"What are ya scared of? You had the sweet life. No exams, no family issues...hey what did they diagnose you with?"

Since no one knew what actually happened to Lucy they just assumed she was living it up at ST. Mungo's. Since she was Lucy, she probably wouldn't make up any of the work. After a quick moment Jack spoke up again,"Actually, scratch the last question...what happened to your hair?"

1.	or unfortunately

"What are ya scared of? You had the sweet life. No exams, no family issues...hey what did they diagnose you with?"

Lucy was walking away when she was called back. She turned on her heel and took a step back to him. "Sweet life my arse. Yeah, sure I got out of my finals, but family issues?" She scoffed. "You don't know the beginning of it." Though Jack probably had no idea of what kind of house she grew up in, or why she had such a tough skin, she never minded talking about it. It wasn't something she was embarrassed by, since she was out of that home. Her life was better without worrying about Douglas or anything like that. Though now she had to worry about Devlin, and Azkaban.

"Actually, scratch the last question...what happened to your hair?"

"It was cut, clearly." She explained. She muttered a quiet nasty cuss about Jack under her breath as she turned to continue walking. She didn't want to confide in anyone. She still hadn't. Lucy was still trying to come to terms with it herself, and as much as she wanted to come out and tell the world about what had happened, she was nervous about seeming weak or vulnerable. Sure, she felt that way inside, but she'd avoid letting it show at all costs.

Jack used to be not concerning about Lucy and would usually let her be, right now he didn't care. He didn't want to fight but he knew she was hiding something. Lucy was always hiding something. Whether it be that she had a horrible disease or she fought another student she was hiding it.

Jack still wanted Lucy to open up, but since vacation he has been more forceful to people and occasionally mean. After her cussing was finished Jack was tired of her games and brashness. Ignoring his conscience and abandoning the nice Jack for a few moments he stood up, threw the stick at Lucy and began shouting,"DON'T CUSS ME OUT LIKE I'M SH*T" His mood swing was unleashed, he went a sour mood to all out pissed in a matter of seconds,"now tell me what the hell your problem is...or I'll force it out of you, you spineless pr*ck"

Jack almost never cursed, although it is occurring more often since break.

Lucy felt the stick hit the back of her head, and she turned around quickly, fire burning in her eyes, as he let his threat out. She took three quick strides towards him, grabbing his collar. "Call me spineless again, and I will literally make you spineless." She then pushed him away, taking a step back. "Fine. My mother died when I was six. My dad would go into these drunken fits, and yell at my brother. He would yell, and yell, and yell. And Devlin would yell right back. Dad, he, he was a monster." Lucy was calming down, her voice softening.

"He kicked Devlin out when he was like, 16. And Devlin was my best friend. Anytime I'd mention him, Dad would get angry. I didn't have any support from my other brothers. And this summer, I found out I was accepted to Hogwarts." She smiled a little. "And I ran away to Devlin. It was really nice to see him again." She swallowed hard. "Then, he came into my life. Supposedly, Dev pissed someone off. Someone who was really evil, and terrible, and they ordered someone to abduct me, under the cover that I was sick. I wasn't in some prissy nice bed, nor being waited on in anyway."

"He'd yell, just like Dad. He'd berate me. He cut my hair. He- he's my worst nightmare. I tried to escape, and he wouldn't let me eat." She felt for her sullen cheeks. She had been living on a diet of bread and water only. "I thought about suicide once or twice, but then I thought of Devlin, and how much I loved him. And how he'd come and get me some day." She shook her head. "He did. He came, and, and saved me. The worst part is now he's suffering in some dingy hellhole cell in Azkaban. Once again, he was ripped away from me!" She shouted, getting heated once more. "I'm so tired of losing the things I hold close! I'm so, so tired of it, Jack! And I swear to God that if anyone takes him away again, I'll, I'll," She turned to walk away, feeling her shield go back up.

"I've got to go." She said, starting to walk away, trying to ignore the tears that were beginning to form.

Jack was ready to fight when she grabbed him, but with a quick threat and then whit Lucy calming down Jack calmed down too.

He quietly listened, emotionless at first but then with tears forming in his eyes near the end.  Tears of joy and empathy/sympathy formed, this was why Lucy was who she was.  He could tell it took a lot for her to open up, Lucy never cried. He guessed that her brother was the only person that cared for her still, at least she had someone.

"I've got to go." Jack snapped out of his train of thought and chased after her, tears rolling down his cheeks. "Wait!"He stepped in front of her, still crying,"Please don't go...my father, he...let's just say that my father and your brother are both in Azkaban." He had tears rolling down his eyes." HE KILLED MY MOTHER!!!" Jack dropped down to the ground," Everyone looks at me as if I'm crazy. Some of my best friends don't even talk to me anymore and I think  one of then is out to get me. Please don't go Lucy, I...I have no one who understands me." Jack tucked his head into his arms, muttering"Please don't go"

Lucy held back when she saw Jack sobbing. She pitied him, and though he didn't want her to, and she knew it, she felt like they were slowly growing closer. She listened to his own story, and couldn't believe it. She hadn't been gone for that long, had she? "Look Jack," She said, hesitating. "I know that it's hard. I wish I could give you something, you know, try to help you in any way I could. That sucks. Really. I mean, I don't know, but that really sucks." Lucy rubbed the back of her head. She never knew what to do in these situations.

"People suck sometimes. I mean, I screwed myself over already, with the offish attitude with others. People hate my guts!" She explained, yelling a little, with a smile. She was just trying to stop him from crying. "It's okay," She patted him a little, feeling awkward. "Just uh, let it all out."

Jack began to silently chuck at her trying to help. "Just uh, let it all out." By now he was cracking up, still crying but laughing.

"You're really bad at this friend right?" He continued to chuckle. He batted her hand away from his head,"C'mon I'm not a dog." It was quiet for a moment, then Jack stood up."So now what do we do?"

When Jack leapt up, Lucy took a step back. He was having crazy mood swings. On the other hand, he did just lose both his parents. She was happy to see his tears clearing. When he told her that she was bad at being a friend she smiled. She knew that. She didn't have many friends. Ever. Or at all. "It's new to me." She explained. She let an awkward silence hang for a minute, as she looked around at their surroundings.

"So now what do we do?"

"Well, for starters, you've gotta stop moping, and buck up a bit. Be proud of it. This automatically makes you a tough kid." Lucy told him, then wanting to retract her words. "I didn't mean it so harshly."

Jack was glad he could get this off his chest to someone other than Frank. Although Frank was an amazing friend, Lucy he could relate to. Heck, maybe her brother and his father are cell mates.

"Well, for starters, you've gotta stop moping, and buck up a bit. Be proud of it. This automatically makes you a tough kid." So now Jack was a tough kid in Lucy's opinion. It felt nice that she at least respected him somewhat. "I didn't mean it so harshly."

This is when Jack chuckled," Miss Lucy Mathews[1]...Are you being nice and respecting someone other than your brother?" He didn't give her time to respond as he punched her on the arm,"Come on I'll show you what you've missed."

1.	not Edwards