Arlo had spent so long after coming out of hiding attempting to familiarise himself to a world without his parents and their impossible standards. For weeks after the article he had rounded each corner certain he was about to walk directly into a Cruciatus Curse. He had angered so many and, though Lily wouldn’t always admit it, had made himself vulnerable. His girlfriend was under the vehement impression that they could take care of themselves. That may be true for her, he felt sorry for anybody who tried to challenge her fire, but he was calm and passive and soft. He wasn’t sure he would ever survive should anybody decide to punish him for his decisions. Now that he wasn’t talking to Lily, he felt the familiar anxiety creeping in, the nervousness he had worked so hard to subdue. Only this time it was over the potential future of his relationship. This time, being in public had nothing to do with what was making him uneasy. He was about to return home, to walk and take the longer route in a bid to avoid dwelling on his situation, when a girl managed to catch his eye. Not just any girl. She was one of Lily’s relatives, a Weasley cousin. But he hadn’t spoken to her since school. It wasn’t exactly an idea time to make conversation, but he couldn’t see the harm. And there was something he had been meaning to talk to her about for years. “Lucy?” He asked quietly, approaching her table in the Leaky Cauldron. “I don’t suppose you would mind if I joined you here? Just for a moment or two?” @luciesweasley