Lucifer watched Hermione leave until her bushy brown hair disappeared from sight around the massive oak doors of the Great Hall. He turned his attention back to Ron, who was currently taking out his frustration on a bowl of treacle tart, carving into the dessert with a deep, dramatic frown.
"So, what position are you trying out for?" he asked casually.
Ron instantly choked on his mouthful, his chest heaving as he frantically reached for his goblet of pumpkin juice. He swallowed hard, his face turning a vibrant shade of red. "What?" he gasped in a strained, wheezing voice.
"The Quidditch team," Lucifer clarified, leaning forward against the wooden bench with an effortless grace. "What position? Keeper? Wood graduated last term, so it should be the only spot actively open on the roster."
"Yeah..." Ron muttered, his ears burning a fierce crimson as he stared down at his plate, thoroughly caught off guard. "H-How on earth did you know that?"
"Why else would you be so thoroughly upset about the prospect of it raining this evening?" Lucifer asked with a knowing smirk. "You've been glaring at the enchanted ceiling every five minutes."
Ron let out a low sigh, shifting his weight nervously. He looked at the boy for a long, quiet moment before a sudden curiosity took over. "Lucifer... what do you actually want to be after we graduate from Hogwarts?"
"You don't need to know that," he replied smoothly, his tone entirely level. "But why are you asking?"
"I just figured you'd want to work as a high-ranking Auror or something... or you know... be a legendary detective," Ron said, his voice carrying a rare, genuine note of praise. "You may not realize it, but I've noticed how absolutely brilliant you are at deduction. You always see right through everyone."
"Well... thanks, Ron," Lucifer said, a rare, genuine smile gracing his handsome features. He reached out, tapping the edge of the table. "And good luck with the tryouts this Friday. Just remember to remain completely confident in your abilities, and you'll make the team with no problem."
Ron blinked, looking slightly skeptical. "Is that exactly how you became the Reserve Seeker back in our second year?"
"Yeah. I knew precisely what I could achieve, and I went out and did it," Lucifer said bluntly, his dark eyes locking onto the ginger boy. "You aren't entirely confident in yourself whenever you are here at Hogwarts, Ron... Don't bother denying it, because we both know it's the truth. You need to start being completely confident in the things you do, otherwise a massive opportunity will pass you right by."
Ron didn't say anything for a long moment, the harsh truth sinking in as he idly traced a pattern in the spilled crumbs on the table. "Yeah," he admitted softly, his shoulders dropping. "You're right."
"I know I am," Lucifer said, casting a brief glance up at the grey, swirling clouds on the ceiling. "Now, you might want to head down to the stadium before it actually decides to pour."
"What?" Ron looked around urgently, suddenly noticing the darkening atmosphere of the hall. He gathered his heavy schoolbooks and his broom components in a frantic rush, scrambling out of the Great Hall. As he ran toward the exit, he called back over his shoulder, "Ah... you actually started using my name!"
Lucifer just shook his head, a faint, amused smile playing on his lips as he stood up from the bench. He made his way toward the massive oak doors to leave the Great Hall, but just as he stepped into the Entrance Hall, a faint, muffled sound caught his attention from his left.
He turned his head sharply, his sharp senses immediately picking up on a rhythmic, quiet sniffing. He didn't see anything immediately in the open cavern of the hall, but as he walked closer toward the grand marble staircase, he peered into the dark, shadowed alcove directly underneath the stone steps.
"Luna?"
The young Ravenclaw girl looked up sharply, her silvery, prominent eyes widening in surprise as she quickly tried to wipe her damp face with the sleeve of her oversized robes. She had been crying, her cheeks flushed a delicate pink, and Lucifer immediately intended to find out exactly who had caused her pain. He walked over into the quiet shadow of the stairs, keeping his posture gentle.
"Lucifer, how lovely to see you again," She said softly, her voice carrying a distinct, hoarse crack from her tears.
"May I sit?" he asked gently.
"Of course," She whispered, shifting her bag to give him room as she tried to force a serene smile through her obvious heartache.
He sat down closely on her left, the cold stone of the alcove blocking out the distant chatter of the castle. "What happened, Luna?"
"Nothing... not really..." She murmured, looking down at her shoes.
"You can talk to me," Lucifer said softly, his voice dropping into a comforting, "Was it because of what Hermione said back then?"
Luna looked up at him, her large eyes swimming with a fresh wave of tears, but she didn't say anything immediately. She swallowed hard, clutching her copy of the 'Quibbler' tightly against her chest. "It normally doesn't bother me at all... whenever others say mean things like that to my face. I'm quite used to it, really. But... I truly thought Hermione was my friend, Lucifer. Why would she say those awful things about my father's work? Why would she look at me like that?"
"I don't know," Lucifer answered honestly, his eyes locking onto hers. "I haven't had a proper chance to talk to her about it since it happened earlier today. I probably need to, but I just haven't yet."
The gentle validation was all it took for her fragile composure to break completely. Her tears came back in a sudden, silent rush as she leaned her head sideways, resting it heavily against his arm. His shoulder was just a bit too high for her to comfortably lean on, so she anchored herself to his bicep, her small frame trembling as she wept.
They sat there in the quiet shadow of the marble staircase for what felt like an eternity. Luna cried all of her hidden hurts and frustrations out, her tears soaking into the dark fabric of his robes. Lucifer didn't say a single word, nor did he try to offer empty mortal platitudes; he simply remained perfectly still, acting as a solid, pillar of support for her while she let the agony go.

An hour had slowly passed before her breathing finally leveled out, the heavy weight lifting from her chest as she felt a little better. She pulled back slowly, wiping her eyes with a faint, peaceful smile. "Thank you, Lucifer. Thank you so much for just sitting here with me. I feel so much better than I have all day."
He stood up fluidly, offering his hand to help her up from the cold floor. "You're my niece, Luna," he said softly, a protective warmth in his eyes. "Of course I will always sit with you."
Luna's face lit up instantly. She threw her arms tightly around his neck, standing on her tiptoes to press a quick, affectionate kiss against his cheek for a fleeting second. "Thank you."
He embraced her gently, patting her back. "Anytime, Luna."
She let go of his robes, her usual serene, dreamy demeanor completely restored as she tucked her magazine under her arm. Turning on her heel, she skipped lightly out of the alcove and headed back toward Ravenclaw Tower, looking significantly happier than she had all morning.
Lucifer watched her depart before turning to make his way back up to the Gryffindor Tower. When he climbed through the portrait hole into the warm, firelit common room, he actually didn't see Hermione anywhere near their usual study tables.
Ron was noticeably missing as well.
Outside, a heavy, torrential rain had begun to violently pound against the castle windowpanes. Lucifer deduced that either Ron was stubbornly practicing his Keeper drills out in the freezing downpour, or he was hiding up in his four-poster bed doing his homework, because he certainly wasn't down in the common room.
Harry was also undoubtedly still trapped in his grueling detention with Umbridge. It had only been an hour, after all, since they had left the Great Hall, and official Ministry detentions usually lasted at least two long hours.
Lucifer let out a heavy sigh, the quiet energy of the room making him restless. He decided he might as well use his authority to patrol the corridors. He climbed back out through the portrait hole, much to the Fat Lady's loud, irritated displeasure as she huffed within her canvas, and began roaming the dark stone hallways.
As his boots clicked rhythmically against the floor, he found himself wishing Hermione was walking beside him. At least if she were here, the quiet corridor would have given them perfect opportunity to properly talk through tension between them.
Lucifer wandered the drafty corridors for about three solid hours, his sharp eyes scanning the shadows. He didn't find a single troublemaker or rule-breaking student, but it was still far too early in the school year for anyone to risk a late-night excursion.
Eventually, as the grandfather clock chimed a late hour, he returned to the Gryffindor Tower, climbed the stairs to his shared dormitory, and went straight to bed, letting the sound of the storm soothe him to sleep.
xxxx
The following day was not the brightest day that week, but that wasn't saying much. The weak September sun had broken through the storm clouds, signaling the arrival of a chaotic Friday.
Lucifer was down in the Common Room, tracing a faint geometric line on a sheet of parchment, when Hermione descended the girl's staircase. The room was mostly quiet, the early morning shadows stretching across the tapestries.
"Morning," She said softly to him, smoothing her uniform skirt.
"Morning, Hermione. Did you sleep?" he asked, turning his head to look at her.
Her breath caught for a microsecond. 'Even after making him angry at me, he still asks me how I'm doing... He is too good for a pathetic cunt like me,' she thought badly about herself, the heavy weight of her own self-doubt squeezing her chest.
"I slept well," She forced out a steady breath. "How about you?"
"After I got back from patrol, I slept alright," Lucifer muttered, almost letting out a yawn but preventing himself from doing so.
"You went on patrol last night?" Hermione asked, her brow furrowing into a deep scowl as she sat down directly across from him. "When on earth did you decide to do that?"
"Only after I got back to Gryffindor Tower at about six o'clock," Lucifer said, his eyes dropping back down to the ink lines on his parchment.
"Why did you get back at six?" She trailed off, her mind immediately doing the math. "Dinner ended at five yesterday..."
"I sat with Luna for an hour underneath the marble staircase," Lucifer said honestly.
Instantly, Hermione's mind raced with unthought-out, chaotic images. A sharp, stinging fire exploded in her veins. 'He sat with Luna? In the dark alcove? Was he snogging her?' She tightly clenched her fists in absolute anger, taking deep, ragged breaths as the butterflies in her stomach turned into venom. She didn't know what to say in response, her jaw locking completely.
"She was crying when I found her, in case you were wondering," Lucifer said in a callous tone. He didn't mean for his voice to sound so cold, but the sharp words escaped his lips before he could stop himself.
"Oh..."
The anger vanished from Hermione's face in an instant, replaced by a horrible, sickening wave of guilt. She looked down at her hands, the memory of her harsh dismissals in the grounds rushing back to haunt her.
"Hermione, what exactly happened?" He looked up, his dark eyes locking onto hers with an intense clarity.
"I don't know... she just constantly says things exist that clearly don't... and she blindly believes them," Hermione said, her voice dropping into a defensive whisper.
"You didn't believe that the Devil existed until you physically felt his skin with your own hand," Lucifer reasoned, his tone utterly clinical. "What makes you so incredibly sure the things Luna says exist, don't?"
"Because—" She paused. The word died in her throat. 'Why don't I believe them just because I can't see them? Maybe that's exactly why... I always need definitive proof to believe something. And seeing his real face was all the proof I ever needed to tell me who he really is...'
"If you don't have a logical answer, that's fine. But you have to apologize to Luna," Lucifer stated flatly.
A sudden wave of stubbornness and pure jealousy flared up inside her. Hermione looked up, her expression turning deeply defiant. "Why on earth should I?"
"Why shouldn't you? You have absolutely no valid reason to not apologize to her," he explained, his voice dropping into a deeper, colder resonance. "She's a good friend, and I won't have her mistreated by one of my other friends, especially not from my girlfriend. Not even you have a free pass to insult another friend of mine, Hermione. Luna's 'family."
"Your logic is completely flawed, Lucifer," Hermione snapped back, her eyes narrowing as her frustration broke through. "I don't even know if Harry is truly your friend or not, yet I still insult his intelligence whenever he does something really stupid, and I do so without a single shred of backlash from you."
"I insult him as well, but Harry actively asks for it through his actions. Luna doesn't," Lucifer said, his posture turning rigid as he leaned forward over the low table. He looked into her eyes, a heavy sadness suddenly bleeding into his expression. "Hermione... are we really going to fight on this one?"
"On what?" she asked uneasily, her voice carrying a sharp, defensive edge that revealed her growing frustration.
"Our relationship?"
He said it, the one terrifying word she had been desperately afraid of hearing leave his lips. The sudden threat of losing him sent a cold shockwave straight through her heart.
"I—I am sorry, sir." Her voice shook violently, the old, formal title slipping out of her mouth from a primitive instinct of submission. Just then, a few older Gryffindor students began descending the stairs into the Common Room. The moment they stepped into the room, they instantly sensed the thick, suffocating tension vibrating between the couple.
Wisely wanting to avoid getting caught in a lethal crossfire, the students quickly turned and hurried straight out of the portrait hole without a single word.
"Apologize to Luna, Hermione. Not to me."
"I won't," She whispered fiercely, a tear of pure frustration spilling over her eyelashes. "I won't do it. Not unless you explicitly ask her to mind her own business and stay away from you. I didn't like it... I absolutely hated how she just straight up kissed your cheek like that in front of...."
"I am going to use the device, if you are going to continue feeling this stubborn," Lucifer said coldly. He didn't waste another second, smoothly rolled up his parchment, stuffed it into his enchanted pouch, and stood up to his full height.
Without casting a single glance back at her, he walked straight out of the portrait hole, leaving a completely disheartened Hermione sitting alone by the cold hearth, angry tears forming rapidly in her eyes as the rift between them widened.
xxxxx
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