(These aren't necessary to read again to understand this chapter, but I reference a lot of previous chapters in this one so I wanted to include a list for anyone interested in reading certain moments again.)

Chapters consulted in the writing of this chapter, in order:

Chapter 22 (Lucy's "sleepwalking" at the beginning of the chapter)
Chapter 78 (the first time Henry visited the Diggory house)
Chapter 91 (Lucy packing her school trunk — this chapter contains a reference to the stuffed osprey Lucy got Cedric in Chapter 69 after the events of Chapter 68)
Chapter 67 (Lucy's birthday)
Chapter 33 (Lucy's birthday, again)
Chapter 46 (the conversation with Harry at the end)
Chapter 64 (everything about Valentine's Day)
Chapter 87 (the dream Lucy had that motivated her to escape the caves)
Chapter 133 (the duel conversation)
Chapter 149 (Lucy's half-birthday celebration)
Chapter 161 (the duel Lucy had with Harry)
Chapter 168 (the first Quidditch party Lucy had after playing Beater)
Chapter 171 (Harry being there with her on the lake)
Chapter 172 (Ron's birthday)

I'm sorry this chapter is later than usual! I hope you all enjoy! Thank you for reading! :)

~

LUCY:

I knew Harry.

I knew four truths about Harry.

One. He thought far too little of himself and his abilities.

Two. He was avoidant at heart and if he could get away with ignoring a problem for a certain amount of time, he would.

Three. He loved sparingly, but deeply.

Four. He loved so deeply that he would sooner go into a burning room alone and lock himself inside than let anyone he loves even know there was a fire.

Surely that was what he was doing. Surely that was why he'd remained on the sofa, surely that was his guard was up even with me, surely that was why he'd expressed so much interest in what was happening with me and offered me so little detail when I wanted to know what was happening with him.

He was afraid.

Not only had he gone into a burning room alone and locked the door behind him, he was building a wall between us and the flames.

Between me and the flames, I realized with a jolt.

For better or for worse, we'd endured the fires of the past together. I'd followed him into danger as willingly our first year as I had our fifth.

Surely he knew that would never change. Surely he knew I'd always follow him, anywhere, no matter what.

I'd proven it. Over and over and over and over and over again, I'd proven it.

And just like that, I knew a fifth truth.

Harry James Potter loved me more than anyone.

And in turn, I knew five truths about myself.

One. I loved Harry James Potter more than anyone.

Two. It was for that reason I would demolish the wall he was building and run through the flames with him again, and again, and again, and again, and again, as many times as he needed me.

Three. I cast a wide net with my love, but only special people were allowed to love me back. Harry was one of those people, the most consistent of the people I still had with me.

Four. I was anxious at heart, always ready to jump headfirst into a problem and not come up for air until it was resolved.

Five. I thought little of my self and my abilities, but I was determined to show Harry James Potter the same love he'd always shown me.

To convince him he was worth it. To convince him he didn't have to avoid me. To show him our love was reciprocal. To show him we were in the burning room together, whether he liked it or not, and I preferred it that way to him braving the flames alone.

To give him something he could hold in his hands and in his heart, something he could wield as a weapon against his doubts and insecurities whenever they started to creep into his mind.

I was going to bring Harry James back to me. And I was going to do it on his birthday.

~

"Hello?" Fred was waving his hand in front of my face. "Earth to Lucy! You said something about Harry's birthday?"

I nodded, only distantly aware of the outside world. My inside world was much more vivid at that moment, exploding with color and emotion and light and life and love.

I blinked hard and forced myself to focus. "Yeah. I think I figured out what was bothering him. I think I know how to fix it."

Fred swatted George. "I told you it was about Harry!"

"I was upset about it, so George was right too," I said with a shrug.

"Aha!" George crowed. "Wait, how did you—?"

"You weren't being particularly quiet."

"We weren't being particularly loud, either," he replied. "I know you can hear really well, but that's impressive, even for you."

"You can?" Henry asked.

I nodded. "Yeah. Wolf thing. That's why, er, in the Department of Mysteries, when I said I wasn't sure if Sirius was there, the people who already knew my secret hesitated a bit. They knew I'd be able to hear something even if they couldn't." I sighed. "Still can't believe a couple of Death Eaters managed to get the jump on me, though. They must have known about me somehow, and planned accordingly. Anyway," I said, shaking my head, "that's kind of the point of my idea. Harry's been pulling away from everyone except me ever since that night, and he pulled away even from me that night we were at the Burrow."

George cocked his head. "So you think he feels bad about what happened there?"

"Well, yes, of course he does."

"None of that was his fault, though," Henry said.

"I know. I think he knows that too, or at least he's getting there. I think the bigger problem is that he takes too much credit for the bad that happens to people around him and not enough credit for the good that outweighs the bad." I paused, drumming my fingers against the carpet. I needed to think of a way to make this idea about more than just me. I'd give Harry something special, something personal, something just from me, something just for him, something secret. Before that, though, I'd make sure everyone else was on the same page for this birthday. It seemed important that we not let Harry continue to get stuck in that loop in his mind. "I kind of got the idea from this." I rolled up my sleeve to reveal the charm bracelet dangling from my wrist. "Each charm represents something about me that he's noticed or that we've shared. I think we can modify this a bit. If we all work together, and get people to each give him an object or something similar that symbolizes a good, happy memory shared with Harry, he'd have reminders of all of the good ways he's impacted us."

George snapped his fingers. "That's an easy one for me. Last year, the two of us played chess during the full moon to try to keep our minds off of worrying about you. The first night we did that was the same night Hermione started to figure out a bit of the healing magic Cedric used to help you in ways you didn't even realize was there. So, if we do this, you're saying I should get him a chess set?"

"Er — yeah." I said after a moment, reeling a bit. "Yes. Exactly. That's exactly it."

"Come off it, Lucy." George offered me a small, knowing smile. "Yes, of course we worry about you when you're gone, and Hermione figuring that out had to start somewhere, didn't it?"

I felt my face grow even hotter. "Yes, I — I suppose. I guess I just forget that the world keeps turning for everyone else, I always just assumed everyone went to bed or something."

"Not usually," Fred replied with a crooked grin. "We care too much about you. Anyway, I think I'll give Harry a pumpkin. That Melofors Jinx D.A. meeting was one of my favorites. I thought he'd never blast that pumpkin off of his head."

I laughed loudly. "Brilliant. I was thinking, too, that everyone should explain the memory behind whatever the object is. I — wait." I froze. "We never did get that book from — I just — wait. Wait."

"You sound like Fred when he has half of an idea," George remarked.

"Shh!" Fred and I hissed in unison.

"She's thinking, Georgie, come on," Fred whispered loudly.

I squeezed my eyes shut. "Sorry. Sorry. Just — I don't even know if this is — I have an idea but — I don't know if it's..."

"Possible?" the twins finished in unison.

I nodded.

"Don't worry about that part of it, Cub," George said.

"Yeah, leave it to us," Fred added.

I opened my eyes and immediately began talking with my hands. "I wonder if there's a way to attach a memory to an object. What if that worked for the Daydream Charm, too? What if we could find or invent an incantation that triggers a memory attached to an object that we can sell? What if we could do that for Harry's birthday too, so he could relive the memories every time he touched the objects? What if..." I smiled impishly. "What if we just didn't mention that until we got to Hogwarts? What if we enchanted all of the objects like that and just told the stories, but didn't mention the memory part of it until we got to school so he could do it himself? What if? What if?"

Henry chuckled. "I'll have you know this is a delight to witness."

"Do you think it's possible?" I asked, turning to him with so much earnestness I felt as if I'd explode.

"I think you'll find a way," he replied with a serious nod.

"I don't think it's possible yet," Fred piped up. "Yet."

"Do you believe in the impossible, Henry Furls?" George asked.

Henry grinned. "Only when it's you three who are challenging the very notion of impossibility."

I returned his grin. "You're sweet."

"Alright, so how are we going to make this happen?" Fred asked.

"We need the book," I said. "We need to figure out if something already exists before we try inventing something. No point in re-inventing the Locomotion Charm."

"You know, the Muggle phrase is 're-inventing the wheel,'" Henry pointed out.

I nodded. "That makes sense. Thanks. I'll remember that."

"Any time. So, er, are you heading back to your house tonight?"

"We can go tomorrow," I said with a shrug. "You're here tonight. Besides, I don't know if it's even possible."

Besides, I added silently, I can't ask you to go to that haunted house with me, knowing it's as haunted for you as it is for me.

But Henry, sweet Henry, seemed to hear my thoughts even though I hadn't spoken a word aloud.

"I'll go with you." He rested a hand on my knee. "We can all go together tonight."

"Are you both sure?" George asked, eyes flicking back and forth between the two of us.

Fred nodded. "We can get it, Cub. We found your brother's healing books easily enough when we needed to."

"I'm sure." I nodded as I glanced at Henry. "Are you?"

Henry nodded too. "I'm sure."

And so, five minutes later, we apparated to the edge of the forest nearest to the Diggory estate. It felt wrong to call it my house. It was the house I had shared with the Diggorys after being taken from my own house somewhere on the other side of the planet. It was the house where I had been hidden away from the world, both worlds. It was the house where I had made so many of my memories with Cedric, with Tuck, with me myself and I. It was the house where I had started my new life, where I had become Cedric's sister, where I had found my love of the sky, where I had ultimately lost everything.

My new life, the one without Cedric, had started once I was free of those walls. But I found myself there once again, looking for something from my old life that would help me create something in my new life.

That didn't stop my old life from wrapping itself around me, trying to drag me back to it, the second I saw that house.

I felt something deep within me begin to tremble, fears that I thought were dead clawing their way out from a dark corner of my mind. One, two, three fears in a sequence.

Cedric deserved better than me, I'm a monster.

I don't belong here, I'm a monster.

I was kidnapped from here, I'm a monster.

I steadied myself. I have three boys who love me standing right behind me, and a whole house of people who love me just down the road. I managed a deep breath.

I smiled, impossibly. I'm here to find something that will hopefully make a lot of people very happy. Harry especially. I can do this, I can do this, I can do this, I can do this, I can do this.

"Well," I said with a sigh, "let's go."

I stepped forward, and three boys stepped around me.

"It's a tad spooky at night," Fred commented. "I don't think we ever visited you this time of night."

I shook my head. "To be fair, I never really got this view either. We always had to be inside by nightfall. Couldn't risk another werewolf kid."

"Oh," Henry said from behind me. "That makes... a lot more sense now that I know. Cedric never did explain why your parents were so strict about that. I get it now."

"The more you know," I replied wryly. I closed my eyes as the twins murmured the spells needed to get through the protective enchantments I opened the gate. Several summers ago, I had been "sleepwalking" and Cedric had opened that gate for me. But Cedric was gone, and I had to open the gate myself. I sighed and swore under my breath as I opened my eyes again. "I hate this, I hate this, I hate this."

"We'll make it quick, Cub," George assured me as Fred clapped my shoulder. "D'you know where the book is, by any chance?"

Yes, I thought. Buried in the back of my wardrobe.

"No," I lied. "I'll look upstairs, if anyone wants to look downstairs?"

"You're not going anywhere in that house alone," Henry said. "I'll go upstairs with you, the twins can look downstairs."

"We'll do that as soon as soon as we've set up the enchantments again," George replied.

I sighed shakily — again — and nodded. "Okay."

And with that, I pushed the front door open and stepped inside.

The floor beneath me creaked in a way that was once familiar, but in that moment was foreign. Had it always creaked that loudly? Was it louder because nobody had set foot there in a long time? Was it louder because time had gone by and I was bigger than I'd ever been? Or had I just never noticed how loud it was because the house had never been so empty before?

There were no lights on, no candles lit. For the first time in a long time, I summoned sparks into my hands — all a brilliant shade of blue — and watched as they danced across my palms before rising up in front of me. I let the eerie blue glow lead the way as I made my way to the staircase. Henry's gentle footsteps followed just behind me.

I intentionally kept my eyes forward, not daring to look at the family pictures on either side of me. I was the only Diggory left, and a false one at that. There was no point looking at those memories on the wall, there was no point looking at those smiling faces knowing those faces now belonged to three corpses and one ghost.

I felt like a ghost in the place I had once called home, by virtue of being alive. The home truly belonged to the ghosts. I couldn't shake the feeling that I was being watched — by what, who, I didn't know — as the stairs beneath me creaked in a way that was once familiar but in that moment was loud, too loud.

After climbing more stairs than I remembered there being, I reached the landing, and Henry did too, three seconds later.

"D'you think it'd be in his room?" he asked, his voice trembling ever so slightly.

"No," I whispered back, my voice shaking violently. I wasn't sure why I was whispering — I thought maybe I was afraid of alerting the ghosts to my presence. My parents — those were the stares I felt. Cedric watching me wouldn't feel so oppressive. If Cedric was in the house, I wouldn't feel like such an intruder. If Cedric was home, the lights would be on. He always made sure the lights were all on when I returned from the forest after a full moon. "It's not. It's in mine. I just — I wasn't sure how much time I'd..." I couldn't decide if I should say need or want. Neither seemed quite true. "Time feels different here."

"It's alright," Henry said. "Which room is yours?"

"Oh right," I whispered, "you've only been here the one time." I twisted the doorknob of my room and let it open on its own. "It's a bit of a mess. I haven't been here since the full moon last August, and I rather hastily packed my school trunk with only the essentials."

"Lucy, my flat is still just a mess of boxes because I unpack on an as-needed basis and I'm often too tired to be bothered to need anything at all. One pile of..." Henry's voice faded to nothingness as his eyes landed on the belongings in the corner that had constituted last summer's "leave" pile. "His patronus. An osprey. That was for him, wasn't it?"

I nodded. I didn't trust myself to speak.

Henry made a soft strangled sound, then exhaled slowly through his mouth. "One pile in the corner doesn't make your room a mess."

"I'm the mess," I whispered. I wasn't sure why I was still whispering. I shook my head and tried to force myself to talk normally, but my voice cracked and only a whisper escaped. "It's... somewhere in the back of my wardrobe. When I was here, I had three piles. The one in the corner is what I left, everything I wanted to take I obviously brought in my trunk, and everything I wasn't sure about taking I ended up just tossing in my wardrobe."

I walked over and slowly opened the door, preparing myself to catch anything that tumbled out. One vial did, but I snatched it up before it could crash on the floor.

I studied the glass in my hand for a moment. I crumpled to my knees as I read the label and realized what it was.

"Lu– are you okay?" Henry asked, crossing the distance in a single stride and placing a gentle hand in between my shoulder blades.

Tears rose to my eyes for the first time as I clamped my fingers around the cool glass and pulled it to my chest and folded around it.

"I forget sometimes," I croaked, finally finding my voice, "that he's never coming back." A sob tore from my throat. "I forget sometimes that what we have of him now is all we're ever going to get."

"I know," Henry murmured, his voice tight with unshed tears. "I know, Lucy, it's so hard, it's okay, we're going to be okay."

My voice broke again as I dropped back down into a whisper. "I've always struggled with remembering, so Cedric got me the book for my birthday and included with it three of his own memories for me to watch whenever I wanted." I straightened up, sniffing hard to try to chase my tears away, and held the vial out with a shaking hand for Henry to see. "This one is of the two of us just flying around. He said he couldn't think of a particular date for it, but there were so many it... it didn't matter." I reached back into the wardrobe and tugged out Cedric's Hufflepuff scarf and wrapped it around all three of his vials. "The book is in there somewhere, I know it is, that was what he got me for... for the last birthday he'd ever..." I laid the scarf-swaddled bundle on the floor next to me, whispering a couple of protective charms, then reached into the wardrobe. "Accio—"

I didn't even need to specify what I was trying to summon. The book was suddenly in my hand.

Henry was silent for a long moment, his hand on my back shaking just a bit. I heard him take a deep breath, and his hand pressed harder against me. "He'd be so proud of you. We both know all he wanted was the best for others. You're doing that, by bringing this book back out for the sole purpose of helping people."

"Harry first," I said, my voice returning once again. I managed a small laugh. "Harry always comes first for me, I think everyone knows that by now."

"Definitely," Henry replied with an echoed laugh and a nod. "You're going to make a lot of other people very happy too, though, with that Daydream Charm idea of yours. Cedric would be proud of you, Lucy."

"Well, I learned from the best." I gathered the scarf with the memories into my arms and delicately tucked it into the back of the wardrobe.

I would come back for the past another time. It would be waiting there for me when I was ready, under the watchful eye of the magic that kept the house standing, haunted though it was, through every storm that had challenged it.

My past could wait. In the meantime, I had Harry's birthday on the horizon. I was going to use our past to make our present and our future better.

One memory at a time.

~

The days leading up to the full moon were magical. In every sense of the word. I used so much magic.

Once we got back from the haunted Diggory house, Fred and George and Henry sent me straight to bed, knowing full well I'd spend the next week working tirelessly on the new projects suddenly available to us. I dreamt that night that a ghostly apparition of Cedric was sitting beside me as I worked on Harry's birthday gift, silently supportive, smiling from ear to ear with undeniable pride in his eyes.

The next morning, I was curled around his jumper when I woke. I tied it around my shoulders as I got out of bed and started on Harry's birthday gift. The Daydream Charm was something that could wait until later with the twins. Harry's birthday gift was something that was just for us.

The shop continued to open at 9:00 and close at 6:00, but our morning and evening routines shifted to accommodate our new undertakings. I started waking up earlier so I could work on Harry's birthday gifts before the twins were awake. Once I heard movement in other rooms, I'd get ready for the day so the three of us could head over to the Burrow to snag someone for a memory without Harry noticing. All of the objects had been gathered the day after I'd had the idea, thanks to Harry choosing the perfect day to sleep in, giving us the perfect window of time to visit the Burrow and explain the idea and get a list together of what we needed to find.

As expected, almost everyone chose "big" memories. Hermione chose Harry going through the fire to face Voldemort our first year, Ginny chose him saving her from the Chamber of Secrets our second year, Ron chose Harry saving him from the Black Lake our fourth year. The twins had gotten closer to my original vision, with Fred's Melefors Jinx memory and George's chess game memory, but neither of those felt quite right to me. Harry was more than his big hero moments, with Voldemort or the Basilisk or the Triwizard Tournament or leading the D.A. with me or keeping others company on the full moon. Harry was worth something in the little moments too, when he was doing nothing more remarkable than just existing — which I happened to think was really quite remarkable in and of itself.

Once the shop was closed, we focused on the Daydream Charm. We were close, so close, and on the night of the full moon, we finally got it.

It was a team effort. George had been the one to figure out the incantation, Fred had been the one to cast it successfully, and I had used my magic to try to keep it all from exploding and to heal us all up and fix whatever had broken in the flat after each failed attempt that resulted in an explosion. And, well, I had been the one to remember the book and find the specific chapter that was most applicable. I supposed that counted for something.

Fred beamed. "Brilliant!" He checked his watch. "Alright, let's celebrate with a dogfight."

"Is it really time already?" George asked.

I nodded. "Yeah. I can feel it."

"I still wish you'd just taken the hypothermia candies, Cub," Fred commented.

"Yeah, we would have managed alright if you hadn't been able to do your usual magic for a couple of days," George added. He reached forward to feel my forehead and sighed. "Bloody hell. You're taking a decade's worth with you to school. You somehow feel even hotter than usual."

"Yes, Mum," I retorted with a smile, hoping to dispel his worry. I could feel it too — my fever was definitely somehow higher than usual — but I had chalked it up to how much magic I had been using as I worked on Harry's birthday gift in addition to trying to invent a whole bloody spell for the Daydream Charm. "Alright, let's do this. Maybe if you both take a nap the wolf will follow suit."

Fred grinned. "We can try."

The three of us made our way down the hall and into the room. Both boys transformed right away, since they didn't have to keep it a secret anymore. I lowered myself to the ground and sprawled out on my back, a giggle escaping me as they both started licking my cheeks.

"I love you," I said, still giggling. "I really do."

The transformation wracked my body a few minutes later, and I forgot who I was for the night. When I jolted back to my body the next morning, the twins were once again hovering above me.

"So much for the nap idea," Fred remarked. "Where did all of that energy come from?"

I groaned as my eyes shut of their own accord. I was physically incapable of keeping them open. "Dunno. All gone now."

"You're okay, though, right?" George asked.

I managed a nod. "Tired."

"We can start the coffee. Alright, up you get."

The twins hauled me to my feet, and I forced myself to open my eyes. Bloody hell, I was exhausted. That was about all I could do, though — I tripped over my own feet with every step down the hallway, and it wasn't until the hot water from the shower hit me that I was convinced I was actually awake and alive and not just sleepwalking through a dream.

So much for the nap idea, indeed. The wolf had been perhaps more restless than it had ever been, racing around the room all night. I had no idea where that energy had come from, given how little I'd slept the past week, but the moon was over and coffee was waiting for me downstairs. I stumbled through putting my uniform on, too tired to remember how to tie the tie, and stumbled downstairs.

Fred pressed a mug into my hands the second I stepped through the door and pressed a kiss to my temple. "Good morning, darling Cub. Feeling better?"

"Coffee," I replied, lifting it to my lips and immediately downing half of it. "Thanks."

"Just the way you like it," George said with a smile as he pulled out a chair and gestured for me to join him. "C'mon, you look like you're going to fall asleep standing up. At least if you're sitting down, you won't fall as far."

"Oh, piss off," I mumbled, even as I complied.

George inched closer to me and kissed my other temple. "So, feeling better?"

"Coffee," I said again. "You make good coffee. Coffee helps."

"We've got more brewing, and a dozen flasks with Warming Charms ready to go in the back room. However much you need, it's ready. Are you sure you're okay? You can take today off if you really need it, I'm sure Harry wouldn't mind the company."

I jolted upward. "Birthday!"

Fred laughed. "Yeah, Cub, it's his birthday today. We're heading over there tonight for a party."

"Be right back!"

George joined in his twin's laughter as I downed the rest of my coffee, jumped to my feet, and raced upstairs to write Harry a birthday message in the diary.

With that done, I descended the stairs once again and eagerly accepted the second cup of coffee George was holding out to me. Both twins seemed happy and sad simultaneously for a reason I didn't quite understand, but I was too tired to really ask. Excitement for Harry's birthday was the only thing keeping me awake, even more so than the coffee. And I had lots of coffee throughout the day.

Finally, finally, finally, finally, finally, 6:00 arrived. We closed up the shop in record time. Using the spell we had invented less than 24 hours prior, we enchanted everyone's objects with the various memories and tossed everything into a large box wrapped in the most obnoxiously red wrapping paper we could find.

I changed out of my uniform and selected an outfit with more care than usual, opting to go for a short-sleeved white blouse (I wanted to have the charm bracelet visible, and that somehow outweighed my insecurity about having my scars out in the open for the night) and a baggy pair of denim trousers that Lavender had given to me when she'd grown out of them. I once again let my hair free of the braids and dusted my fingers with glitter before running them through my now-wavy hair. It was a somewhat basic look, sure, but I thought it was nice enough. My gift for Harry was secure in two rather-unassuming green boxes just slim enough to fit in the pockets of the baggy jeans undetectably. With one last look in the mirror, I was ready to go.

The three of us made quite an entrance at the Burrow, opting to apparate instead of trying to squeeze the box and the turntable through the Floo. Nobody was surprised when I made a beeline straight for Harry and pounced on him in a hug while shouting "HAPPY BIRTHDAY!" at the top of my lungs. In fact, they had been expecting it — I couldn't help but notice the flash of a camera, Harry's camera, the one I had gotten for him.

Everyone was hungry, so dinner was next on the agenda. Ginny positioned me firmly between herself and Fleur; I knew Ginny wasn't terribly fond of her, but I'd always found Fleur lovely so I didn't mind the chance to talk to her more. She told me that she was heading home for a couple of weeks to discuss wedding preparations with her side of the family, and she asked if I would be one of her bridesmaids. I happily accepted of course, which led to a spirited (though very one-sided) discussion about what color of dress would best match Gabrielle's blonde hair, Ginny's red hair, and my brown hair. Around us, the twins were entertaining Ron and Ginny and Hermione with dramatized versions of our best stories from the shop while Bill, his parents, and Remus swapped stories about their favorite summer memories. Harry was observing this all with a gentle smile, seemingly content just to know that all of his favorite people were safe under one roof for the night.

While we ate birthday cake, though, the mood dropped.

Remus sighed. "There have been another couple of dementor attacks, and they've found Igor Karkaroff's body in a shack up north. The Dark Mark had been set over it... well, frankly, I'm surprised he stayed alive for even a year after deserting the Death Eaters; Sirius's brother, Regulus, only managed a few days as far as I can remember."

I felt the blood drain from my face. I hadn't heard anything about any dementor attacks, let alone "another couple." I hadn't even touched the Prophet since setting foot in the twins' shop. Obviously I knew that the world knew Voldemort was back and everyone was more afraid than ever, but I had no idea that everything was really that bad.

Mrs. Weasley tried valiantly to suggest we talk about something else, but Bill was already responding.

"Did you hear about Florean Fortescue, Remus? The man who ran—"

"The ice-cream place in Diagon Alley? He used to give me free ice creams," Harry said. "What's happened to him?"

"Dragged off, by the look of his place."

Ron blinked. "Why?"

"Who knows? He must've upset them somehow. He was a good man, Florean."

"Talking of Diagon Alley, looks like Ollivander's gone too," Mr. Weasley piped up.

"The wandmaker?" Ginny asked.

"That's the one. Shop's empty. No sign of a struggle. No one knows whether he left voluntarily or was kidnapped."

"But what'll people do for wands?"

Remus shrugged. "They'll make do with other makers, but Ollivander was the best, and if the other side have got him it's not so good for us."

I shot a despairing glance at the twins, who avoided my eyes. The realization hit me like a thunderclap.

They've been trying to protect me from more than just Death Eaters this summer. They've been protecting me from the anxiety of the looming war too.

I tore my eyes away from the twins and found a smile to offer everyone, but Harry especially. "I think what matters right now is that we're all safe and happy right here right now, and Harry's another year older, and Fred managed to apparate with a turntable. Anyone up for a bit of music?"

The consensus around the table was a very relieved "Yes," so within a matter of minutes, the crowd had dispersed and the Burrow had been filled with music. Harry opened the massive red box in the den, and everyone explained their object and the memory it was supposed to represent. Nobody mentioned the second part of the gift that would be unlocked, so to speak, once we got back to school, but Harry seemed pleased regardless. He flushed such a bright shade of red after each person explained their part of the gift that many comparisons were made to me, which made me blush in turn, which led to quite the cycle.

For the big group gift, I had opted for a stuffed deer, to match Harry's patronus and to match one of the first charms he had ever given me for the charm bracelet that was proudly on display due to the short-sleeved shirt. He flushed a deep shade of red when I explained that the charm bracelet was what had given me the idea, and he somehow flushed an even deeper shade of red when he realized that meant that it had been my idea in the first place.

"Why Harry, you look uncomfortably warm," I commented teasingly. "Perhaps an evening stroll in the orchard is in order? Surely it's cooler out there than it is in here. I'd go with you, because the birthday boy should have company."

"I, er, yeah, that sounds nice," he managed, jumping to his feet and snagging me by the wrist — the one with the bracelet, of course — to drag me away. I let him do it, giggling all the way outside.

"Better?" I asked once we reached the first apple tree and he let me go.

Harry laughed breathlessly. "You're — yeah."

"I'm what?"

"You're something else," he replied, shaking his head, still laughing. When he looked at me, his green eyes were absolutely twinkling. "I thought I was going to explode. You're a mind-reader, suggesting we come out here alone. I love the others, I do, but you're the only person I want to see right now."

I wasn't sure what to say to that, so I echoed his breathless laugh and shoved my hands into my pockets. "Well, I had my own selfish reasons for wanting to be alone," I said in a voice that I hoped didn't sound too strange. I was fighting hard to suppress the butterflies that had suddenly erupted in my stomach. I extracted one box from my pocket, holding it out to him. "Nobody else knows I've done this. It's just for you — just for us."

Harry studied me, suddenly serious, waiting for me to go on.

"I think I know what was bothering you last time we were here," I burst out, incapable of holding back anymore. "You think you're different, you're dangerous. You think you're bad for us. I thought maybe if I got everyone to think even just one instance of something good you've shared with each of us, you'd realize just how much you mean to all of us, just by being in our lives. But I — everyone chose great memories, there's nothing wrong with those, but they were all sort of 'big deal' memories. And I, er, thought you should know that you're worth something when the world isn't on the line, too. So I, er..." I opened the box to reveal ten small rolls of parchment, each wrapped around a small glass vial. "I gathered memories of my own. Each roll of parchment explains what it is and why it's there. And, well, seeing as you don't have a Pensieve and I have no idea where to find one or how to make one..." I handed him that box and pulled the other box out of my pocket, revealing ten identical vials with small labels instead of the rolls of parchment, each filled with colorful sparks in addition to the swirling silver wisps of memory. "These are designed to be smashed, so they play in the air somewhat like a Muggle film. The twins and I snuck in to see one, it gave me the idea for these. If you smash them against the ground, they play the memory. Sort of like the floating Trelawney prophecy head, but better. Less creepy. Those are only able to be used once, obviously, hence the other vials with the actual memories for when you have a Pensieve, but—"

Harry cut me off then, wrapping his arms around me.

"I love it," he said fiercely. "You're absolutely brilliant, I don't know what I'd do without you. Thank you."

"I got it right, then?" I asked with a shy smile once he let me go.

He nodded, rubbing the back of his neck with his free hand. "Yeah. I'm sorry for pulling away like that, I just—"

"Harry, it's okay," I interrupted. "I understand. Trust me." I offered him a crooked grin. "You know what I am. I've done it, too. I just thought this would help show you that you're more than just the Chosen One. You're that, too, but you're also my best friend, independently of that."

Harry smiled. "Happy to be." He studied the box in his hand, and I passed him the other one. "Since we're out here and I doubt anyone will come to bother us for a while... shall we?"

"I'd love to know that these actually work, so yes, of course," I said.

So there, in the shelter of the trees and the stillness of the night, we carved out our once again walked the paths that time had all but obscured from view. We watched the memories, one after the other, in order, and I explained each as we went, telling Harry that he could save the parchment descriptions for when I wasn't around.

The first memory was when Harry wished me a happy birthday for the first time. It was our second year, the same day we visited the Forbidden Forest to talk to Aragog. Harry had seen my birthday on the Chocolate Frog card from Cedric earlier in the day, but he didn't wish me a happy birthday until just before we went to bed that night. He promised me then that he'd keep my birthday a secret, and he had. I told him that I'd included it because he was the first person to know my birthday, and I thought it was appropriate to mention since it was part of a birthday gift for him.

The second memory was from third year, when Harry had followed me to the Quidditch Pitch and I'd confessed to him that Draco had been bullying me in Ancient Runes all year. I didn't tell Harry that it was in that moment that I realized I was in love with him. Instead, I told him that I'd always thought it was sweet that he'd known where I'd run even without the map and how willing he was to defend me against Malfoy. I told him that I'd realized then that he'd always have my back.

The third memory was from Valentine's Day our fourth year, when Harry had once again followed me to the Quidditch Pitch to check up on me after the whole Maxence fiasco. I told him it was because he'd been the first person to check up on me and the only person I had even wanted to see in the moment. It was funny, really, watching our younger selves debate about what it meant to be in love. A year and a half later, sitting under the summer stars with Harry, I realized just how right we'd both been. Harry was my true love, and he was worth the wait.

The fourth memory was more difficult to watch, and to explain. It was a fuzzy memory, because it was the memory of the dream I'd had in the caves, where Harry was ultimately the one who convinced me to try to escape. Neither of us had much to say. I explained as best I could, but words weren't really needed. We inched closer to each other after that one, and not because it was a cold night.

The fifth memory was from the first time we'd tried to duel, before the D.A. officially started. It wasn't a happy memory, strictly speaking, but I told Harry that the conversation we'd had helped me start to see myself as something, someone more than just a werewolf. I explained that I thought it helped prove the point I was now trying to make about him. He agreed, and he told me that he was proud of how much I'd grown in that regard even since the conversation we'd had.

The sixth memory was from November 23, 1995, when the two of us had returned to our hill for an impromptu stargazing half-birthday celebration. I told Harry that it was a special memory to me because we'd both been just happy. We had each other in that moment, each other and a sky full of stars, and that was all we needed. I didn't tell him that I had fallen even more in love with him that night, whether I had known it at the time or not. He'd researched werewolves for me. He'd wanted to celebrate my half-birthday. He'd even thought to bring blankets. He was sweet, so sweet, and so thoughtful, and I was so smitten.

The seventh memory was of the first proper duel I had with him after my conversation with Neville. Harry and I bickered over who had actually won, but, like in the memory, we ultimately decided it was a draw. I blushed all over again when I saw the pride radiating off Memory-Harry, and I grew even more flustered when a quick glance informed me that the Harry next to me was proud too.

The eighth memory was the first Quidditch party after I'd played Beater, when Harry had made me feel better using a ridiculous but brilliant Bertie Bott's analogy. Harry laughed aloud at the memory and pulled a box of Bertie Bott's from his pocket — we split the good ones 50/50 and left the bad ones in the box, to give to the twins later.

The ninth memory was from the anniversary of the second task, when he'd followed me down to the lake and kept me company all morning. We exchanged a significant look when Memory-Harry told Memory-Lucy who he'd tried to save first, and we both glanced away from each other rather quickly with stifled giggles. That memory was self-explanatory. We really were best friends.

The tenth memory was from Ron's birthday that year, when the four of us had just spent the evening in the boys' dormitory. It was the most recent time I could remember that the four of us had just gotten to be alone and relatively carefree. That memory was self-explanatory too.

When the final memory faded to nothingness, a brief silence fell between us, and the music coming through an open window reached our ears to fill the space. It was a familiar song to me, and I closed my eyes, the exhaustion of the full moon combining with the euphoria of the success of Harry's birthday, just to let the music wash over me.

I was okay. Harry was okay.

We were okay.

And that was all that mattered in that moment.

I let myself drift away.

~

Beginning to think that I'm wastin' time
I don't understand the things I do
The world outside looks so unkind
And I'm countin' on you
To carry me through
Oh, give me the beat, boys, and free my soul
I wanna get lost in your rock and roll and drift away
Yeah, give me the beat, boys, and free my soul
I wanna get lost in your rock and roll and drift away

"Drift Away"
Dobie Gray