All These Things That I've Done (Lucy!)

[Merle Shepherdson]

M E R L E
s h e p h e r d s o n



You and me could write a bad romance

Moments earlier, in the Hufflepuff Common Room. . .

He was genuinely worried about the girl. Really! What if she had torn a ligament? That would be an awful thing, those potions that healed those wounds in a short amount of time were absolutely agonizing! And here she was, pressing kisses to his cheek! As soon as her lips came into contact with his cheek, he seemed to freeze again.

His eyes widened, his pupils dilating to nearly completely black circles. He swallowed heavily, a deep red blush creeping up onto his cheeks. No, he wasn't suave or debonair like some of the young men at Hogwarts. No, he was clumsy, scatterbrained and a bit scared when it came to things like this. Especially since she was already such a close friend! This was a difficult thing, towing the line like they were.

But she was from Ireland, right? Ireland was kind of a part of Europe... and Europeans kissed each other on the cheeks all the time! That was perfectly normal, right? Too bad his heart had leapt into his throat and was now pounding against his esophagus. What was she doing? She was... smiling at him! She wasn't scared, why should he be? There wasn't anything wrong with that, was there? No, of course not. Silly Merle, making mountains out of molehills.

"I... Let's go!" he stumbled through his words, nodding with his head. Placing his hand at her lower back, he led her out of the Hufflepuff Common room. His touch was warm and gentle, but it didn't linger for too long, unfortunately. As soon as they were out in the hallway, his hand fell from her back and he began to lead her through Hogwarts heading toward the Hospital Wing.

He didn't say a word to her. This wasn't completely unusual most of the time, as he didn't often feel the need to interrupt perfectly good silence between close friends with mindless chatter. Being comfortable in silence with someone was something that was rare, and with her, he was completely fine just being silent. Whether it be on the couches doing homework and/or reading in the Common Room, or eating breakfast on bad mornings, or even walking the halls. This was okay with him. He glanced to her at his side as they neared the Hospital Wing.

"How are you holding up?" he asked. He knew she hated Hospitals.

[Lucy Ferrier]

Lucy then was rather nervous, seeing his reaction as he walked towards her. She did kiss him, so that was a big deal to her anyways. And it wasn't like she kissed everyone around her in a constant way, no she was more reserved, private, and serious when it came to whom she liked. She did like Merle, did she? She felt great with she was around him, she felt like herself and that was something to take into effect. They brought out the best of each other.

So, did she like him?

She felt his hand on her lower back, gently guiding her towards the Hospital Wing, but his hand left her some time later and she kept going in the same direction, they were quiet then while they were walking. It was odd that they weren't talking, maybe it was the kiss that she gave him, was it a bad idea. So she cleared her throat.

"Cat got your tongue Merle?" She asked him in a warm tone, trying to have a conversation with her good friend going. But when he asked how she was holding up, she felt a bit of anxiety coming through. She knew where they were going, and it didn't hit her until now.

"I'm....I'm fine." She replied, trying to seem calm, "I'll be okay when I get in there." As long as she had someone near her to make sure she was going to go crazy, the hospital wouldn't be as bad as before. But she hoped Merle would talk to her soon like before, thinking that the kiss was a real bad idea since he was now so tongue tied. She mentally kicked herself in the head as they kept walking, but it was something that felt right to Lucy.

[Merle Shepherdson]

M E R L E
s h e p h e r d s o n



And my affection, well it comes and goes

If one were to ask Merle if he liked Lucy, he would tilt his head and look at them quizzically and say something along the lines of 'Well, of course I do. She's pretty much my best friend.' He just didn't get it. The concepts of 'liking' people being different from 'enjoying their company' just didn't make any sense to him. Was Lucy attractive to him? Of course. There weren't many women he didn't find at least attractive. Did he enjoy her company? Well, he didn't hang out with people whose company he did not enjoy.

Did he miss her when she wasn't with him, or on holidays? Of course, but you miss your friends. It's what you do! All of these things were easily rationalized. There was something different about how she kissed him, though. Well, not really how she kissed him, but that she had kissed him. Maybe he was just being Merle, blowing things out of proportion, but he felt different now.

She did, too, apparently, as she broke the silence. Did a cat have his tongue? No, of course not, he was just deep in thought like always. How long had she known him? Tilting his head, he then shook his head to say no and continued on with her. Now she was uncomfortable, and it was all his fault, wasn't it? Plus, he was the one who was dragging her down here. She kissed him, and then he dragged her down to her own personal hell. Some friend he was!

"Don't lie to me, Lucy, you're not fine." he said, frowning ever so slightly. His eyes turned down to her hand and he made a bold move to take it in his own. "I'm not leaving you alone though. Don't worry." he said, his hand squeezing hers for a moment. He didn't move to lace his fingers with hers, but his thumb brushed over the top of her hand softly.

[Lucy Ferrier]

As they got closer and closer to the Hospital Wing, Lucy realized that not only was she going to face one of her fears, but she was going to face it with Merle. She knew he wasn't going to just drop her off and leave her be, no, he was going to go with her and make sure she was alright. He could of stayed behind, he could of stayed back at the Common Room and had the rest of his tea and wallowed in his own self pity.

But he didn't.

Lucy took in a deep breath as she felt him squeeze her hand. She hated her anxiety coming around to make her look so weak, even in front of a boy. But she had to face it some time, or else her shoulder would of gotten a lot worse than before. She smiled at him with reassurance in her stare and briefly looked down at their joined hands. It seemed rather perfect to her, the two of them holding hands. LIke puzzle pieces morphing into one piece.

"Thank you for coming with me Merle." She said to him in a honest tone. After looking at him for a moment or two she pulled the both of them along towards the Hospital Wing. The Moon outside of the castle and in the sky was seen through the windows, thee light tint of blue was showing through the windows and showing their path towards their destination. Lucy loved the nighttime, it was nice and peaceful. There was no one running around, no noise being heard from students and or teacher: just peace. She loved to read at night, sometimes near the window in her dormitory. The mood of the moon or the chill in the sky from the wind, something made her feel less afraid and more dominant.

[Merle Shepherdson]

M E R L E
s h e p h e r d s o n



I need direction to perfection, help me out

Their hands fit together too perfectly. Hers were a lot smaller than his, and even though they were likely somewhat calloused from Quidditch, they were still soft. At least, to him. His own gaze fell downwards to their conjoined hands before trailing back up to her eyes, smiling his usual bright smile. He started to swing their joined hands, but quickly remembered that she had an injured shoulder. "Oops. Close one." he said, holding her hand still.

She seemed way more calm than she normally would be, given the situation. He laughed lightly as she thanked him for going with her. He turned his devilish grin to her and said, "Don't you mean 'Merle, you're a horrible friend for dragging me down here to my own personal hell'? " he teased, nudging her slightly with his elbow. He squeezed her hand again, leading her over to one of the beds.

After picking out a bed for her to wait on, he let go of her hand to move to the window. Pulling the curtains back, moonlight spilled into the Hospital Wing, bouncing off the marble floors. He grinned brightly to her, his form silhouetted by the moonlight for a moment before he returned to sit with her on the bed. The Hospital Wing beds weren't all that comfortable, at least, his dorm bed was more comfortable, but . . . This would have to do. It wasn't like he was going to be sleeping on the bed, anyway.

"Wonder where the nurse is?" he asked, glancing around the area. Surely they just weren't all alone here. His emerald eyes scanned the wing. There wasn't a single student here besides the two of them! And where were the nurses?

[Lucy Ferrier]

She felt relief when he smiled and looked down at their hands together, then seeing him try ti stop himself from swinging the hands back and forth. She held back a giggle since it was so quiet in the Hospital Wing. Lucy then looked around, seeing not a single soul in sight. Taking in a deep breath, she walked over to the nearest bed and sat down, Merle staying close to her.

She already felt anxiety, feeling the stiff bed underneath her and breathing in the chemicals of the hospital through her nose. It was too clean for her liking and she tried to get the thought out of her head. But somehow, she was still thinking of how nice it was to hold Merle's hand, feeling how soft and how sane she was feeling in her brain. Should she tell him how she was feeling? That would be crazy, right? It was like she was about to jump off a cliff into the ocean where the sharks were there to kill her. She faced worse fears on a broomstick, but this felt more of a risk then getting hit in the head from a Bludger.

"Merle, can I ask you a question?" She asked him in a sheepish tone, thinking it was a now or never situation since she was in a place she hated, her shoulder was busted, and it might of been the fact he was holding her hand that wanted her tot drive and tell him what she was feeling.

"Are you....by any chance...interested in any girls here at school?" She asked in what seemed like a light casual tone, but she was rather curious and hoping he would saw no, or was it yes? She didn't know what she wanted, but she had to know if he was.

[Merle Shepherdson]

M E R L E
s h e p h e r d s o n



Yeah, you know you gotta help me out

He sat on the bed with her, his eyes scanning the area. Seriously, where were the nurses? They were supposed to be up still. Surely they hadn't gone to sleep already! He blinked as she asked if she can ask him a question. He smirked at her. "You just did, but I'll give you one more." he said in a teasing manner.

Her next question boggled his mind. He looked at her quizzically, tilting his head slightly at her, his eyebrows furrowed. Was he interested in girls at school? What sort of question is that. "Well, uh, I guess so? I mean, I'm not gay, if that's what you're asking. No that the men here aren't pretty or anything. Yes, I like girls." he said, snickering to her.

Maybe she meant specific girls. He thought to himself about this question, his hand coming up to stroke his chin. "I mean. . . I have a lot of female friends. I mean, I like you. Scarlett is pretty cool, when she's not beating me up. . . Miss Liberty is pretty nice, but we don't talk too much. " You'd never think Merle was a closet romantic. He was just . . . well, Merle! Completely oblivious.

"I don't think there's any girl I dislike. Except maybe that Astrid girl. She seems to have a bad attitude. " he said with a shrug.

Too bad he was torturing poor Lucy. Well, maybe.

[Lucy Ferrier]

Lucy laughed slightly from seeing Merle being so oblivious. It was something that was normal for Lucy to see in Merle, he never took the hint from anything like taking something or hearing something. It was in his nature, something she loved about him. She tried to think on how to word it in a way Merle would understand. She moved her hair out of her eyes one more time before talking to him again.

"I mean, do you like any girls as more than friends?" She asked in a casual tone, rubbing her shoulder a bit more to ease the tension that was building in the room. She could smell the cleanness of the sheets and the marble floors, which almost gave her a bit of a stomach ache to begin with. The light of the night sky was coming through a bit more into the HOspital Wing and she smiled, seeing some of the trees outside sway with the wind. It was peaceful where they were, even though she hated the place, but none the less peaceful.

"That sounded silly, I'm sorry." Lucy replied in a murmur, looking away from Merle for a second and down at her feet on the floor. her shoulder was numb then, and she wondered when the nurse was. She looked back at Merle, having a small smile on her face.

If he said he liked somebody, and it wasn't her that he liked, then she would be a bit hurt and a little sad. A little? It would hurt a lot to her. But she tried not think about that as she waited for him to answer. But what if he said yes, and that he liked her? WOuld she act differently around them? Would they be a couple, be exclusive around the school? Wait, why was she thinking about that then before she knew the answer?

[Merle Shepherdson]

M E R L E
s h e p h e r d s o n



Yeah, oh don't you put me on the back burner

Clearly she was becoming increasingly uncomfortable. The sterility of the Hospital Wing was kind of unnerving. The smell of chemicals, cleaning supplies. . . He could sense that it was a little too clean. But then again, it needed to be on the sterile side to prevent cross-contamination. Didn't make it any more comfortable, though.

Her next question caused him to blink several times. More than friends? You could practically see the cogwheels attempting to turn in his mind. That little hamster on the wheel that powered his brain was straining so hard to keep the electricity going, but the lightbulb only flickered ever so slightly. Poor, oblivious Merle. Any idiot could see that she was trying to confess something to him, maybe, or get him to confess something.

But he was a special kind of stupid when it came to things like this. Before he had a chance to answer, she canceled her inquiry, calling it silly. He thought for a moment and then smiled lightly. "Well, you're a silly person. And I suppose it's a perfectly legitimate question." he said, stroking his chin with his thumb and forefinger. "You mean like... Are there any girls I'd be interested in courting? " he asked, brushing a hand through his hair, biting his lip as he thought.

That shouldn't have been a question he had to wrack his brain for. Normally it was a yes or no answer, followed with examples. But for Merle he had to think hard about this. Honestly, the only person he could see himself dating was Lucy, or maybe Liberty. But he didn't really know Liberty that well, did he? There were a couple of other girls he found especially attractive, mostly brunettes, but. . . Lucy was something else. Having basically grown up with her at Hogwarts, it just never occurred to him that it could be a possibility.

"I uh... guess I never really put too much thought into it."

Much less the possibility that she might be stewing a crush on him. That was out of the question. He knew he wasn't the sort of man that was fawned over. Hell, he was a clumsy, lanky, know it all nerd who was terrible at magic. Who would want a piece of that? Besides, his hair was shaggy and he couldn't grow a beard. Not the most masculine of men was he.

"Why do you ask? Do you have any you're interested in?" he smirked, nudging her teasingly.

[Lucy Ferrier]

"Hello dearie! Let's take a look at your arm shall we?" The nurse said to Lucy as she finally found the two of them and walked over, instantly gravitating to her shoulder and messing around with it. As she did this in a soft manner, Lucy thought about what Merle said about her liking anyone around the school. She never showed affection like the other girls in her year or class, hell like any of the girls in the school. She was outgoing, but not when it came to that sort of thing. So for her to like someone was a bit odd, but she shrugged and squinted as the nurse hit something on her shoulder.


The nurse hit something on one side of her shoulder, and it felt rather nice and soothing. She smiled slightly at the sensation, but the nurse then hit something in a negative way and she squinted.

"Oh there we are. Let me get some juice that will help with the pain." the nurse said sweetly and walked away for a were moment or two. She came back with a blue bottle, giving it to Lucy and handing her a small spoon. Lucy was given a full spoon of liquid and she drank it down, it was bitter and tasted like candy. She drank it down in one gulp and felt some of it working already.

"I do like someone, but he's....well....different. I mean he doesn't know that I like him, and he's rather odd. Plus......we're in the same house." Lucy explained to him in a grin and she hoped that he would say something, or somehow get the hint. When she dropped hints, he never got them, well not right away. But she hope he had some sort of clue of what she was trying to say to him.

[Merle Shepherdson]

M E R L E
s h e p h e r d s o n



Yeah, you know you gotta help me out

Before Lucy had a chance to answer, the nurse scurried over and began poking and prodding. Merle scooted away a bit on the bed to give the nurse some room. He watched carefully as the nurse administered various medicines to her shoulder, frowning slightly at her squinting. The nurse must have hit something. But at least she'd feel better.

The nurse came back with some medicine, usually foul tasting but apparently not bad this time as Lucy seemed to have no trouble keeping it down. Merle could never deal with liquid medicines, he preferred pills or shots. He couldn't even drink most potions, even the ones he made. The nurse scurried off right as she continued to explain that she was interested in someone.

Same house, eh? His mind began to file through the various male faces in Hufflepuff. Different and odd. With this new filter he went through his memory like a sieve. There weren't too many Hufflepuff men he would consider different or odd, and of course he wasn't counting himself among them. He always seemed to forget himself when it came to listing things, especially things he was a part of.

"You should probably tell him you like him. I think most guys are kind of oblivious to that sort of thing. " he said with a shrug, before continuing, now quite interested in this mystery man of hers. "He's a good guy right? I mean, not that I'd think you'd go for a bad sort of guy, but. . . He'll take care of you, right? You know, if he hurts you, I'll have to beat him up. Well. I'll bring Scarlett for backup, but if he does anything to upset you, his days are numbered." he said, grinning at her.

[Lucy Ferrier]

Lucy couldn't help but sigh slightly as he was talking about whomever she was talking it, telling her that he would help her if the mystery guy hurt her. She knew he was a bit out of this world when it came to feelings and emotional ties, but she never saw that as a bad thing. As the nurse went back to her own station and work on the paperwork, Lucy knew what she had to do. So as Merle was talking about the mystery person, she leaned in a kissed him lightly on the lips.

She felt it there, instantly silencing him and feeling her stomach doing flips back and forth. It was like she was flying for the first time all over again, but this time she was on the ground and well sane, at least she thought she was sane. This must of been a bad move for her to do with a friend, but he wasn't going to get any hints from her verbally and so she had to do the one thing she wanted to do for awhile: kiss him.

Lucy pulled away and saw something going off in Merle's eyes, like he was so shocked to what she just did. She then felt like idiot and looked down at her feet once again. Too bad she was in the Hospital Wing, she would of shot up from her spot and ran off in a fleet of terror and sheer embarrassment. But she was so still and felt like she was stuck there on the hospital bed. What was he going to do them to her? Get up and walk away? Yell at her for kissing him in the hospital wing for no apparent or logical reason? No, he wouldn't do that to her, not at all.

Would he?

[Merle Shepherdson]

M E R L E
s h e p h e r d s o n



You're gonna bring yourself down

". . . his days are num--mphh!" was what came out of his mouth, actually, since she had leant forward to press her lips against his.

His eyes widened considerably as she pressed her lips to his own. He felt his breath hitch in his throat and his heart skip a beat or two before pounding against his ribcage. He felt like his heart was going to break all the bones in his torso! Heat rushed to his face and all of a sudden he felt sort of sick, like his stomach was in knots. The hair on his arms stood up and he couldn't speak as she pulled away from him.

What the hell was that?

Swallowing heavily, his face beet red, he watched her. His eyes drifted from her eyes to her lips. He had the look of a terrified little woodland creature as he sat there on the bed with her. She just kissed him, didn't she? For real kissed him, too, on the lips and stuff! Didn't that usually mean something? If she was kissing him, what about that guy she liked.

Oh wait.

Wait a minute.

Wait for it.

Wait.... wait... wait for it.

The hamster on the running wheel had suffered a heart attack and died, lying motionless on the wheel. The lightbulb was unlit.

Perhaps it was a good thing he wasn't quite thinking properly. His emerald eyes once again darted from her eyes to her lips and he too, leaned forward, his nose bumping against hers. He froze for a moment at this, but kept on, brushing his lips chastely against her own. All at once electricity seemed to shoot through his body, his chest burning up. He felt like the blood in his veins was boiling.

His lips remained pressed to hers for only a scarce few moments before he pulled away, his nose brushing gently against hers as he did so. His breathing was shallow and scarce, his face hot with blush. "We... should get coffee sometime... m-maybe." he managed to murmur out, finally taking the hint.

Something had awakened in him, and it all at once terrified and excited him.

[Lucy Ferrier]

She was petrified when he stared at her for moments that felt like hours to her. The two of them, sitting in the hospital wing alone and waiting to hear from the nurse. She wondered if she really did the right then, if at that moment was going to be the decision of their friendship. He was either going to reject her, or let her into his complicated yet simple mind that she adored since they met.

But he did something that was a mere shocked: kissed her back. At first he leaned in so close she felt his breath on her lips and then his kissed her so lightly it felt like a feather touching her lips. She sighed slightly as she kissed him a little harder in the kiss, not being able to find the words just yet to explained to him that it was him that was driving her mind, in a good way that is. That kiss, well the one he initiated, made her feel like she could die a happy person. Lucy guessed that's how kisses went.

When he pulled away only slightly and suggested to get coffee, Lucy smiled so widely and nodded her head. He was back to his normal self, except they just kissed. She reached down and held his hand in hers. What an odd place to talk about, or even do something about their feelings, in the hospital wing at night. it would seem more plausable if it was taken place by the Black Lake, or in front of the open fire. But there, on a stiff bed, with a injured shoulder, it was just unusual.

"I would like that, a lot actually." She said to him in a grin, feeling like she was on cloud nine, "I actually wanted to tell you for awhile, but I never got the nerve to say anything to you."

[Merle Shepherdson]

M E R L E
s h e p h e r d s o n



Over and out, last call for sin

Truthfully, he had let her in a long time ago. Maybe not perhaps as intimately as he would as the weeks went on, but. . . she was still closer to him than most people. He felt like he didn't have to hide anything from Lucy. He didn't have to make excuses, or apologize for anything. She knew him, and he knew her. And he didn't have to be afraid when he was around her.

But then why did he feel so scared, all of a sudden? Why did he feel uneasy around her now? It wasn't necessarily a bad uneasy, but perhaps anxious. The throbbing of his heart in his chest was quite distracting, as well as the electric shocks that seemed to go through his body in waves every time she touched him, even now as she took her hand in his. Such a simple gesture, one that they had shared before but was now so different. How could a kiss change them so much?

It was only a kiss... Right?

He couldn't help but smile as she said that she would like to go out for coffee. Was that a date? Did he just ask her out? There were too many questions running through his mind and all he wanted to do was shut his brain down and go to sleep. But then again, he also had this desire to be with her. To have her company. He didn't want to let go of her hand, or her to pull away from him.

She spoke of wanting to tell him how she felt for some time. If she hadn't kissed him tonight, he never would have known she was even attracted to him. But what did this all mean? It was only a kiss. It was only a kiss. His thumb stroked over her hand lightly and he leaned over to her, nestling his head against hers gently. It just... felt right.

No, scratch that. Every time they touched, it felt amazing and new. All these feelings were overwhelming to poor Merle, and he didn't know what to think. He wasn't even sure what it all meant, or if it even had to have meaning. They were just barely young adults, did everything have to have meaning?

"You still haven't." he said with a light smirk, nudging her gently. Nuzzling his forehead to her temple, he grinned brightly. "But, that's okay. I... think I get the idea."

"M-maybe I get the idea." he murmured, his voice barely above a whisper at this point. Another sly, devilish grin came to his lips and he nudged her again, his lips practically brushing against her ear as he teasingly murmured into her ear.

"Wait a minute... Did you just imply that I'm odd?!"