Hey, I know we've both been afraid
But we can't run from the wind and the thunder
When we're dancing under the rain

"Rain"
Ben Platt

LUCY:

I don't know what time I finally dropped off to sleep that night, but despite my exhaustion, anxiety woke me at the crack of dawn.

I had always loved dragons. I recalled with fondness my memories of Norberta from my first year.

Yet I had never feared any magical creature more than I feared dragons in that moment.

After about ten minutes of staring at the ceiling, I couldn't handle being still a moment longer. Casting a number of silencing charms, I crawled out of bed and got myself dressed for the day. Then I tucked my wand into my pocket, threw my broom over my shoulder, and hurried to the Quidditch Pitch.

It appeared that a storm had rolled in overnight. Dark clouds obscured what would have been the sunrise, and it was beginning to drizzle. But quite frankly, I couldn't have possibly cared less. I just needed to escape all of the pressures of the ground, as soon as possible.

As soon as my feet hit the lush grass of the field, I jumped onto my broom and kicked into the sky in a single fluid motion. I drew my wand and pointed in the direction of the ground.

"Accio Quaffle!"

A few seconds later, a Quaffle flew into my hands. I tore off in the direction of one set of goal hoops, weaving through invisible opponents, and launched the Quaffle clear through. In the same motion, I dove toward the ground and caught the ball before heading off in the direction of the goal hoops across the field.

The rain fell harder with every lap around the field, but with every Quaffle through a goal hoop, it seemed I was throwing a piece of my anger away, too.

Dad's comments in front of my friends the morning of the Quidditch World Cup. Dead center.

The attack on our tent and the return of the Death Eaters. Dead center.

Ludo Bagman cheating the twins. Dead center.

Professor Moody's first lesson, with all three Unforgiveable Curses. Dead center.

Professor Moody's continued unsettling comments, too. Dead center.

Everything about the Tournament. I'll admit, I was so mad about the Tournament that my first shot was slightly off center. Still clean through the hoop, though. I shook my head and forced myself to channel my anger.

Harry being chosen. Dead center.

Next to nobody believing he hadn't entered. Dead center.

Ron especially. Dead center.

Rita Skeeter not mentioning Cedric. Dead center.

Rita Skeeter lying about Harry. Dead center.

Harry has to fight a dragon. Dead center.

Cedric has to fight a dragon, and fire is his greatest fear. I threw the Quaffle with every remaining ounce of anger and strength I possessed. Dead center and clear out of the Pitch.

I streaked through the rain after it, and I managed to catch it before it reached the ground. When I returned to the Pitch, I saw that I was no longer alone.

"Lucy, what the hell are you doing out here?" Harry called.

"What are you doing out here?" I fired back.

"Why are we shouting?"

"Good point!"

We met in the middle of the Pitch.

"What are you doing out here?" I repeated at a much more normal volume.

"Following you, Lu. What else would I be doing out on the Quidditch Pitch in the pouring rain at 7 o'clock on a Sunday morning?"

"I guess you have a point."

"The twins went down to the Hospital Wing to see you, apparently, and when you weren't there, they had me check the map. I thought you'd still be asleep, but when you were here, I figured I'd come drag you out of the rain before you got yourself sick again."

"I appreciate the concern, but I won't get sick, Harry. And if I do, Pepperup will clear it up in a second. Remember how we lived on the stuff our second year?"

"Yeah, I do, and I would like to not repeat the experience again," he chuckled. "What are you doing out here, anyway?"

I tossed the Quaffle back and forth between my hands. "I needed to clear my head. Being in the sky helps."

"I'll admit I feel better up here than I did down there," Harry said.

I glanced up. "Really?"

He nodded. "I still feel plenty worried-"

"Me too."

"-but it's better up here."

"It is." I held the Quaffle with both hands and studied it for a moment. If being in the sky helped Harry as much as it helped me... maybe we needed to stay up there just a bit longer. We would think better if we felt better. I looked up at Harry, smiling mischievously. "You know, Harry, when we played over summer... you were a good Chaser, but I think I could give you a few pointers."

He raised his eyebrows. "Oh yeah?"

I nodded. I certainly had his attention; I could see a competitive fire sparking to life in his eyes, chasing away the worry that had clouded them just moments prior. I tossed the Quaffle back and forth a couple of times, then suddenly shot it his way. He managed to catch it, with his quick Seeker reflexes.

"Not bad," I said, "but it was clumsy. Look at your hands."

He glanced down, curious. "What's wrong with my hands?"

"Without adjusting your fingers at all, try holding it one-handed."

As I expected, the ball started to slide from his fingers. He grabbed it with his second hand in the nick of time, laughing at himself. "Okay, I see what you mean. Fix me."

"See how your palms are flat against the flat parts of the ball?"

"Mhm?"

I flew closer to him and arranged his hands in the proper grip. "You want your palms to naturally curve around the rounder parts of the ball, so when you hold it one-handed, you have a more secure grip. It comes in handy when throwing, too, because you usually throw with one hand."

He nodded, studying his fingers. "Okay. What's the best way to throw it?"

"Well, it depends on the situation," I replied. "It would be easier to show you than to try to explain."

"Alright." He grinned. "I'm up for learning if you're up for teaching."

I grinned right back. "I'm always up for Quidditch. So if you're throwing it a short distance, say, to a teammate, what you want to do is..."

The rain came down harder and harder as I taught Harry how to be a proper Chaser, but it wasn't until we saw lightning crack across the sky (neither of us fancied the idea of being electrocuted) that we returned to the ground.

"Want to head up to the castle?" I called over the boom of thunder that shook the stadium.

"Not particularly!"

"A staircase then?"

"Sure!"

As soon as we were under the cover of the staircase, Harry shook his head back and forth like a dog.

"Harry! You got me wet!" I complained in the whiniest teasing voice I could muster.

"Oh no, you were so dry before," he replied sarcastically, wringing out one of his robe sleeves over my head. "Oops!"

I laughed, squeezing all the water I could out of my braids. "I hate you."

"Love you too," he chuckled.

Thankfully, he chose that time to pull his soaking-wet outermost sweater over his head, so he couldn't see how flustered that casual comment made me. I composed myself after a second, shrugging off my heavy water-laden robe.

"Good thinking," I said. "Want to just wait out the storm?"

"Sounds good to me," he replied, lowering himself onto a stair. He sighed, drew his wand from his pocket, and glared at it. "Lucy, how in Merlin's name am I supposed to stand against a dragon with just this? What could this possibly do to give me a chance against it?"

"I don't know yet," I admitted. "But I promised we'd figure it out before Tuesday, and I'll keep that promise. We just need to think."

He nodded silently, holding the Quaffle in his hands as if it were a crystal ball that would show him a solution.

After a couple minutes, he spoke again. "Where did you find the Quaffle? I thought only captains had access to the equipment storage."

"I summoned it. I wasn't totally sure if it would come, but the spell we've been practicing in Charms is actually a fairly powerful one, if used properly."

"You mean the spell I still can't do after two weeks of practice?"

"Hey, don't be so hard on yourself," I chided. "In case you haven't noticed, you've had a lot on your plate lately. Besides, summoning is a skill we'll be able to practice a lot in the future, so I know you'll figure it out once things settle down."

Harry suddenly gripped the Quaffle a bit tighter. "Lucy... do you think if I summoned something... during the task... I'd be allowed to use it?"

I blinked. "I don't see why not. You're allowed a wand, after all. What were you thinking about summoning?"

"If I hit a dragon right between the eyes with a Quaffle, it would knock her out?"

"I don't know," I replied uneasily. "I doubt even one of the Irish Chasers would be able to throw it that well. You'd have to get extremely lucky and throw it extremely hard."

"Well, you know as well as anyone how wonderful my luck is," he muttered. "I'd rather not have to count on my luck in a life-or-death situation. A Quidditch match, sure, but I also have my broom in Quidditch matches-"

Harry and I immediately sat up straight and looked at each other, having had the exact same thought.

"Lucy, can you teach me how to summon objects by Tuesday?"

"Only one way to find out." I drew my wand from my pocket and jumped to my feet. "Let's get started."

Harry and I remained in that same stairwell for so long on Sunday we nearly missed dinner. We were planning on just grabbing a couple of bites and finding an abandoned classroom to keep going, but the twins needed answers first, and rightly so.

"Where have you two been?" Fred asked, glancing back and forth between Harry and me.

"We were at the Quidditch Pitch," I explained around a mouthful of mashed potatoes. (Yes, with a bit of pumpkin juice drizzled over the top.)

"That whole time?" George inquired incredulously. "What were you doing, practicing drills for next year?

Harry nodded. "We weren't in the air that whole time, but Lucy did teach me how to play Chaser."

"So in other words, whoever is playing against Harry and me in the next Weasley family Quidditch match is going to lose," I laughed. "Sorry, boys, lots of work to do. See you in the morning!"

Harry and I rose from the table in unison and hurried out of the Great Hall.

"We're staying up until you learn it tonight," I said. "You're going to need as much sleep as you can get tomorrow night, and honestly, it'll be easier to sleep if you're already exhausted."

"Fine by me. Let's get the Invisibility Cloak and find a classroom."

"History of Magic? For old times' sake?"

"Yeah, sounds good. I wish a patronus would work against a dragon."

"My bear, maybe, but your deer? Not a chance," I teased.

He laughed. "Shut up, don't bash the deer."

"Do you reckon it's possible to have a dragon patronus? I reckon that's the only one that would actually stand a chance against a real dragon."

"That or a whale. It could flatten the dragon."

We both laughed at that until he disappeared up to his dormitory to get the Invisibility Cloak. Once he returned, we made our way down to the History of Magic classrooms and got back to work. It went well until about half past midnight, when Peeves appeared and starting throwing chairs at us, thinking that's what Harry wanted.

"We should get out of here before Mrs. Norris rats us out," I hissed to Harry. "The common room should be empty by now, we can work on it more in there."

He nodded and threw the Invisibility Cloak over the two of us. We hurried up to the common room, which was in fact empty.

"Let's give it another hour or so," I suggested, curling up in an armchair to watch. I had helped all I could; now it was just up to him to practice until he got it. "We still have tomorrow, too, if you need it."

"Alright." He tossed me a rune dictionary from the nearest bookshelf. "Accio dictionary!"

The book flew three-quarters of the way there, which was a significant improvement from the one-quarter with which we had started.

"Yes!" I exclaimed softly, feeling a surge of relief. "Yes! Try again."

Six tries later, the dictionary flew into his hands. I pumped my fists in the air.

"Yes! Try with something else!"

He leveled his wand at a table.

"Accio quill!" The white feather flew into his hand. He set it on the ground and pointed his wand at an armchair.

"Accio book!" Someone's Divination textbook flew into his hand.

"Accio Gobstones! Accio sweater! Accio book! Accio parchment! Accio book!"

One by one, each object soared through the air and into his hand. Once the ground around Harry's feet was littered with all kinds of trinkets, he pointed his wand at me.

"Would it work on you?"

I shook my head. "I don't think so. But let's not push your luck tonight. Try summoning one last thing, though, something closer to the size of your Firebolt."

He considered this for a second, then pointed his wand at the chair I was curled up on. "Accio chair!"

Surely enough, the chair --- and me along with it --- soared across the room straight to him. I managed to not fall off the chair, but barely.

He grinned. "Close enough to summoning you."

I grinned back. "If you say so." I shifted on the chair so there was room for him next to me. (It was a massive armchair, okay?) "Come on, you've been on your feet all day."

Harry collapsed into the chair and twirled his wand between his fingers. "Well, now we know what to do next time I can't manage a spell."

"Practice it for an entire day?"

"Well, that could work. But I think threatening me with a dragon would be more effective," he chuckled.

I giggled. "Well, let's hope this is a one-time occasion. I'm not particularly fond of the idea of this becoming a regular occurrence."

"I thought you liked dragons."

"Not when my brother and my best friend are going up against them!"

I froze. I'd just called Harry my best friend.

It wasn't a lie. I loved Hermione, of course, but she just... didn't understand me the way Harry did. As much as I missed her and Ron, the past three weeks with Harry had been nice. Really nice. Even though we'd been through a lot --- a lot of teasing, a lot of criticism, a lot of stares, a lot of anxiety --- we'd been through it together. I realized in that moment that I couldn't have asked for a better person to have by my side the past three weeks.

I'd always love Hermione, but Harry was the best friend I'd ever had.

If Harry thought anything of what I had just confessed, he didn't acknowledge it. He just sighed. "Yeah, I can imagine that'd take away a bit of the appeal."

I released the breath I hadn't realized I was holding and laughed. "Yeah, it really does." I impulsively rested my head against his shoulder. "I think you've got it down now, Harry."

"Just as long as it works on Tuesday. The Firebolt's going to be much farther away than the stuff in here, it's going to be in the castle, and I'm going to be out there on the grounds-"

"Don't worry, Harry, that won't matter. You just have to concentrate properly, and it'll come. To paraphrase what you said earlier, the threat of a dragon should certainly give you the proper incentive to focus."

He nodded. "You're right, as always." He sighed again. "You really think I stand a chance of making it out alive, Lu?"

"You better," I said firmly. "If there's one thing I can't stand, it's when Draco Malfoy is proven correct. He predicted you wouldn't last ten minutes, so I expect you to get past the dragon in nine."

Harry rested his head against mine, and I could hear the smile in his voice as he replied. "I'll do my best."

Monday night, Harry and I retired to our dormitories early with the intent of getting a full night's sleep after being up so late both Saturday and Sunday. But the second we parted ways, the fear that I had forced away while helping Harry practice came rushing back with a vengeance.

Lavender and Parvati came to my rescue as soon as I set foot in the dormitory.

"Lucy! There you are!" Lavender exclaimed, waving me over to where she was sitting with Parvati in front of the fire. "So, Parvati and I were talking, and we thought you'd be really, really, really nervous tonight. Are you?"

"Y-Yeah," I admitted sheepishly, nodding.

"No need to look embarrassed!" Parvati called.

"We definitely understand," Lavender said. "That's why we were thinking tonight was a good night to choose our dresses! Are you in?"

For a second, I wanted to say no. I wanted to take a shower then curl up in bed and try to force all of my anxiety away again. But I knew deep down that no such thing would happen. I would shower, then go to bed, then toss and turn all night and give up on sleep around three in the morning and wait for sunrise in the common room and be even more anxious.

So instead, I smiled and said, "I'm in."

Lavender squealed. "Great! Now get over here. We already decided on Hermione's, on Saturday night when you were sick, and Parvati chose hers last night, but I haven't decided yet, so we can both choose tonight!"

I nodded bravely and sat between the two girls. "Alright. I haven't the slightest clue what I want for mine. Which one is yours, Parvati?"

Parvati reached for a magazine and flipped to one of the last pages. She pointed to a bright pink dress and smiled. "That one. And Padma's going to wear the same dress but in orange."

"That's so pretty!" I gushed.

"Do you like that style?"

I took a closer look. It was a pretty dress, but it was sleeveless, and with my scars... "I think it will be beautiful on you, but I don't know about me. I should probably have a dress with sleeves, and a higher neckline."

Lavender gave me a knowing side-eye. "Lucy, if you're worried about your scars, don't be. First of all, they're not as bad as they used to be. Second of all, whoever your date is shouldn't care about them if he really cares about you. And third of all, we can cover them with make-up anyway. I know you don't like to do it on a day-to-day basis --- because, quite frankly, it would be a lot of work --- but for one night? I think it would be worth it."

"So do you like that style?" Parvati repeated. "Completely ignoring the scars?"

My face felt like it was on fire. "I-I do. But I don't want to copy you, so let's keep looking."

Lavender reached for another magazine and flipped open to the center. "Ooh! I like this one! Do you think mint green would be a good color on me?"

Parvati glanced from her friend to the dress, then back to her friend. "Mint green, no, but pistachio green, yes."

"Is there a difference?" I asked shyly.

"Mint green is a light green, with a bit more blue than yellow. Pistachio green is a light green, with a bit more yellow than blue," Lavender explained. "I think you're right, Parvati. Since I'm blonde, the green with more yellow might match better."

"In this style?"

"This one, or..." Lavender reached for a third magazine and flipped to the third page. "This one. I like them both, but I can't decide! Which one do you two like more?"

"This one," Parvati said, pointing to the first dress. "You know, you'd probably look good in purple too. Like this one."

"But my name is Lavender! I can't wear a lavender dress! We talked about this!"

"It says it's lilac!" Parvati protested.

"Maybe a dark purple?" I suggested.

She considered this for a moment. "You know... you might be right. Urgh!" She launched the magazine she was holding into the air. "Too many choices! So many pretty dresses! Can we look for yours first, Lucy? It might be easier."

"Er, sure," I replied. I held my arms out to the sides. "Well... here I am. What should I do?"

Parvati drummed her fingers against her chin. "Are you thinking what I'm thinking, Lav?"

"Blue?" Lavender asked.

"To match her eyes?"

"Exactly."

"I think I saw one in this magazine..." Lavender reached to the other side of the rug to grab the one in question. She flipped through a couple of pages, then folded the magazine in half and held it up to the side of my face. "Hm, it's not as close of a match as I thought."

Parvati passed me a little hand mirror. "I'd have to agree, but what do you think, Lucy?"

I studied the color of the dress versus the color of my eyes. "I think it's a little too light, if we want to match my eyes exactly."

"It doesn't have to be quite exact, but you're right." Lavender flipped through a couple more pages, then gasped. "Ooh, this one is really pretty! It's not blue, but I think it would suit you. What do you think?"

I glanced over curiously. It was a pretty dress  even if it wasn't blue.

"I like the flowers," I said. "They're pretty. I want a pattern, probably, instead of just a solid color."

Parvati snatched up a magazine and flipped to another page. "What about one? Gryffindor red!"

"Would I look good in red?" I asked shyly. "Er, I guess I should ask do I?"

Lavender nodded enthusiastically. "You do! Ooh, wait, but what about this one?"

"Oh, you know I love the stars," I said. "Let's look a little longer, but if nothing jumps out at us, I like that one."

"How about you look?" Parvati passed a magazine into my hand. "Now that you've had our opinions. It's your dress, after all."

I took a deep breath and turned to the back. "Okay." I flipped through a couple of pages, then froze. "I think I've found it."

I lifted the page up to my face and looked between Lavender and Parvati.

"It matches your eyes so well!" Lavender squealed.

"It's a yes from me!" Parvati said, nodding enthusiastically.

"I'm going to go ask Hermione's opinion, really quick," I said. "I'll be right back."

I hugged the magazine close to my chest and hurried back down to the common room. Hermione and Ginny were doing homework together in front of the fire. Perfect. I hurried over and dropped to my knees beside them.

"I've been looking for dresses with Lavender and Parvati, and I think I've found one!" I whispered excitedly. "But I need your opinions."

Ginny tossed her parchment aside. "Show us!"

I opened the magazine and pointed. "That one. What do you think?"

"It's perfect!" Hermione exclaimed. "Do it!"

"Do it, do it, do it!" Ginny echoed. "It's gorgeous!"

I smiled. "Lavender and Parvati were excited about it, too. You really think so?"

"It matches your eyes perfectly," Hermione commented.

"Decision made, then," I said, my smile growing. "I'm glad you two like it. Now we just need to find Lavender a dress, but she's indecisive, so it might be a while."

"I'll head up soon enough," Hermione replied. "I might be able to help once I finish this essay. But you three have fun."

"Will do!" I singsonged, darting back up the stairs. I burst into the common room and spun in an excited circle. "Hermione and Ginny both approved! I've found the dress!"

The next hour was one of the giggliest of my life. Once Lavender decided on a dress (which took a very, very long time), we flipped through another set of magazines looking for --- and trying out --- hair ideas.

Since I was the least experienced when it came to actually styling hair, I was the test subject for each hairstyle. Braids, buns, twists, curls, you name it. We didn't definitively commit to any one style that night, but it wasn't for lack of trying.

Miraculously, when I went to bed that night, I didn't think about the first task. My mind buzzed with wishful thoughts of Harry, looking at me like I was the only girl in the world. I found myself wondering if he'd notice that my dress matched my eyes the same way his dress robes would match his. As I slipped off to sleep that night, I didn't worry about the dragons. Rather, I let the Harry James Potter of my imagination twirl me into the land of dreams, a smile on my face and a lightness in my heart that I hadn't felt for several weeks.

A/N: Eek! I hoped you enjoyed reading that chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it! You all know by now how much I love writing about Harry and Lucy's relationship, but I love writing moments like these with Lavender and Parvati too. I really wanted to include this scene to a) give Lucy a break from the stress and b) showcase their emotional sensitivity, something you wouldn't get to see from Harry's perspective, or Hermione's either, honestly. I didn't want to fully reveal the dress yet, because I'm saving the frontal view for Chapter 61, but I really hope you all like the little preview I shared. :)

Thank you all for reading! See you all on Saturday with the first task!