KATIE WAS sent to St. Mungo's. The dates that the boys had did not go well. Hogsmeade trips were cancelled for the rest of the year.

The feeling of dread grew bigger in her stomach as the news kept rolling in. Katie had been cursed, according to the word going around the castle.

One thing had lifted off her mind, the fight between Mandy and the boys. They had made up, and her and Anthony were on great terms again.

She sat with Luna in the Common Room, her girlfriend's legs laid across her lap as she scribbled on a piece of parchment. Jade was looking at her Charms assignment, the words jumbling together and dancing across the page. She had to practice her nonverbal spells, but she couldn't focus on any of the spells she needed to use.

The scribbling next to her paused, and she saw Luna set her quill down out of the corner of her eye.

"Are you alright? You look like you're having a really bad stomachache."

Jade laughed, leaning back against the couch.

"I'm trying to focus on nonverbal spells. I can't get my brain to stop buzzing."

Luna pulled her legs down, sliding next to Jade and resting her head on her shoulder.

"What's wrong?"

"I'm thinking about a lot of different things, Luna. Katie and Hogsmeade, the boys, everything."

Luna wrapped her arms around Jade, pulling her even closer. Jade accepted the hug, letting her girlfriend's thin pale arms squeeze her tighter and tighter.

"I've been thinking about Katie a lot too. I hope she starts recovering soon, I can't imagine what she's going through at St. Mungo's."

She closed her eyes, finally putting one of her arms around Luna's shoulders. The words written on her Charms assignment floated by in the dark, and then the dark cleared to show Katie again, except it was her figure crumpled on the ground.

She gasped, her eyes opening quickly. Luna jumped away, staring at her with concern.

"Are you okay?" She came back to Jade's side, raising a blonde eyebrow.

"I'm okay."

Jade gave her a weak smile, then shook her head. Her black curls bounced around her as her head moved back and forth. Slowly, both of them moved back to their homework, a silence spreading over them for a long period until Luna spoke up again.

"Did you want to go to the Great Hall? We could get something to eat."

She nodded, slowly standing up from the couch. Her legs cramped, as they had been sitting there for a while. Jade gathered her stuff, walking up the steps to the dormitory. She put everything on the bed, then waited on the staircase for Luna. She would organize her assignments later.

It was good to give her brain a break.

The food was delicious. She ate an obscene amount of soup, filling her empty stomach up on four different kinds. Luna didn't eat as much, but Jade made sure she was full before they moved on to dessert.

The spice of pumpkin and the creaminess of the orange pie made Jade's mouth water. She took two slices on her plate, and reached over to give Luna one. Luna picked up another slice of pie, apple, and added that to her plate.

They ate, with Jade enjoying every bite of pumpkin pie that entered her mouth.

"These pies are amazing." Luna said as she picked up her fork, which held another piece of her apple pie.

"They really are."

Her words didn't come out as well as she wanted them too, as she had a mouth full of crust and didn't want to have crumbs go everywhere.

She patted her stomach, letting the food she had inhaled settle. Luna laughed, the airy, joyful laugh she hadn't heard in a while. Their laughs had been quieter over the last few months, as if they would disturb the darkness surrounding them and make it grow.

Jade laughed too, darkness be damned. She didn't care then if the darkness grew or morphed or chewed them and spit them out, she cared about hearing her girlfriend laugh like she meant it for the first time in a while. She cared about the way she covered her mouth with her hand, the way Luna's blue eyes shined, the way her hair bounced when she laughed, everything that was important for her to take note of.

The Great Hall had nearly cleared out, leaving them, a few Slytherins, and two male Hufflepuffs who were having a heated discussion about the rules of Exploding Snap. The girls stood, letting their golden plates disappear and the food surrounding them follow suit.

The Common Room was nowhere near as peaceful. The fire crackled in front of them, the seventh-years were yelling across the room to each other, and the younger students were rifling through books, assignments, and other various pieces of parchment.

Another fifth-year had her hands running through her hair, her eyes nearly bulging out of her head.

They sat down across from Terry and Michael, who were scanning an article in The Daily Prophet with their fingers following every word.

There was little conversation as the four of them sat around the burning fire. Luna held Jade's hand, their fingers interlocked loosely. Jade rested her head on Luna's shoulder, smelling vanilla and something fruity.

They sat until the fire burned down, and Jade almost felt normal for a little bit.