I won't run when bullets chase me
I won't rest where arms embrace me
I will love when people hate me
I won't hush, no you can't make me
Send the dark but it won't break me
You can try but you can't change me
Take my life, they will replace me
I won't hush, no you can't make me
I won't hush, no we will sing

Where are we going
Oh, I don't know
But still I've got to go
What will become of us
Oh, I don't care
All I know is I'll go anywhere
Pioneer

"Pioneer"
The Band Perry

LUCY:

It was nearly one o'clock in the morning on the night before the full moon when an owl arrived at the common room window. The twins and I were still up, trying to refine the Nosebleed Nougat George had used so effectively at the Yule Ball, when I heard tapping.

"Who the bloody hell is sending me a letter at this hour?" I wondered aloud, nevertheless going to the window and letting it in. I gently took the rolled-up parchment from its talons and let it clean its feathers while perched on my shoulder.

"What does it say?" George asked.

"You can read it after me," I replied, breaking the seal and scanning the letter quickly.

Dear Lucy,
I'm terribly sorry I haven't written you prior to this point. I feared that to do so would put both of us in danger, especially after Rita Skeeter's article about Harry, but I wanted you to hear this news from me before it was broken in any newspaper article, if it is even mentioned at all. Romulus is a remarkable owl, so please send your reply as soon as possible --- he will be able to make the journey.
Dolores Umbridge just passed a significant piece of anti-werewolf legislation. Following the issue of my Hogwarts employment last year, it seemed the Ministry was all the more determined to make it impossible for werewolves to get jobs. It says working at most jobs will come with a form of safety tax that would cut income in half, with heavy fees for whoever hires one, especially if the employer knows of the condition and hires a lycanthrope anyway.
I don't mean this to alarm you, as I know of other Ministry officials who are working even now to overturn it, but I wanted to warn you. It has perhaps never been more important to be careful and guarded --- your secret in the wrong hands could become a dreadful weapon.
I hope all is well for you this year. I can't imagine it's easy being so close to not just one but two of the champions. But if anybody could handle that kind of pressure, I know it would be you. Keep your head up, Lucy, but be careful. Things are stirring, and not entirely for the better.
Best regards, Remus Lupin

I wordlessly passed the letter to George, Fred reading over his shoulder.

Both of their faces grew increasingly flushed with anger.

George's jaw clenched. "I don't know who this Umbridge woman is, but this is-"

"I know," I interrupted. "I know."

Fred reached forward and laid a hand on the shoulder Romulus wasn't occupying. "Good Godric, you're shaking so much. It'll be okay, Cub, we can figure this out."

I shook my head. "You know I love you both, but this is so much bigger than us. You can't throw a Dungbomb at this problem and make it run away."

"Is that a challenge?" Fred asked with a crooked grin.

George swatted the back of his head. "Not the time, Fred!"

I managed a weak smile, which quickly faded. "My hands are shaking too much to try to write a reply right now. I think tonight is Cedric's patrol night... I need to talk to him."

"Do you want us to walk with you?" George offered.

"It's alright, but thanks." I reached up to stroke Romulus's head. "D-Do you mind waiting a little bit? I promise to come back soon."

He hooted in response.

"Is that permission?"

He hooted again, and I managed another smile.

"Thank you."

Romulus hopped onto George's shoulder, and I pulled the hood of my robe over my head. "I'll be back in a couple minutes... h-hopefully. It would be just my luck for Cedric to be in the dungeons right now."

"We'll be here!" the twins said in unison, watching as I disappeared through the portrait hole.

The castle at night had gotten spookier over the years. My first year, when I had made a habit of sleepwalking, the vacant castle offered an escape. The solitude was reassuring rather than threatening. But my second year, the terror of the basilisk kept me confined to the Gryffindor common room, where I spent many sleepless, suffocated nights. My third year, the threat of Sirius Black also held me back, though the aid of the enchanted shirt from Cedric made the nights cooler and less suffocating.

With no true threat trapping me in the common room this year, one would think I would resume my sleepwalking activities, but I didn't. I knew too well at that point what horrors may lie in the walls yet undiscovered. I mean, the basilisk had existed in the castle since the founding of the school, with only vague rumors pointing to its existence. And even though Sirius was ultimately innocent, knowing he had managed to navigate the castle in his Animagus form completely undetected was still unnerving.

Needless to say... I was not excited about roaming the halls in search of my brother. But I needed him. I needed him in that moment, and I was going to find him no matter what.

After about five minutes, I spied the glow of a wand getting brighter and brighter at the end of the hallway in front of me.

"Cedric?" I called tentatively.

I heard footsteps grow faster, and surely enough, it was Cedric's head that poked around the corner.

"Lucy? What are you doing out here?"

I shook my head, feeling tears beginning to fill my eyes for the first time. I sprinted forward and threw my arms around him.

"Lu, Lu, what's wrong?" Cedric asked softly. "Talk to me."

I reluctantly released him and wiped away a rogue tear with my sleeve. "Professor Lupin wrote me a letter. Th-There was legislation passed today. B-Bad legislation."

He cocked his head to the side, silently urging me to explain further.

"It... it says that if someone knowingly hires a werewolf..."

"Oh," he said. "Lucy-"

"I can't let you do it, Cedric," I whispered. "I know what you said last year, but now with this, I-"

"Lucy-"

"No, no, I can't, you can't, it's too dangerous-"

"Hey, hey, no. Let's walk," Cedric interrupted, gentle but not leaving room for protest.

I nodded and wrapped my arms around my waist anxiously.

Cedric held his wand out. "Homenum revelio." When nothing changed, we started walking down the hallway. "Well, since no homenums were revelioed, you don't mind helping me patrol, do you?"

I laughed a bit at that. "No, I don't mind. I feel much safer walking around with you than I did by myself."

"You have your wand on you, right?"

I nodded and drew it. "A light might have helped. Lumos!"

"Ah, that's right. You don't need the help, do you? Sloane could see exceptionally well in the dark."

"Y-Yeah." I rubbed the back of my neck with my free hand.

"Do you want to talk to me, or do you want to listen to me?"

"I don't have too much to say," I admitted in a small voice. "I'm just scared, Cedric."

"What exactly scares you, Lu?"

I had to pause briefly. What did scare me, exactly?

"I just..." I swallowed hard. "I'm scared of getting you in trouble."

"I'm going to have to stop you right there. Lucy, you know I've never once gotten a detention, right?"

I nodded. "Neither have I. I never want to get detention."

"Well... I would have to disagree."

"What?" Cedric? Cedric Amos Diggory, disagreeing with the phrase "I never want to get detention"?! What is this world coming to?

Cedric grinned. "I've baffled you, haven't I?"

"Er, yes. Yes you have."

"Let me put it this way. If I saw a seventh-year pure-blood picking on a first-year for being a Muggle-born, and I saw the seventh-year raise his or her wand, and Professor Snape was standing right there not doing anything and threatening detention to anyone who intervened, I wouldn't hesitate for a second to disarm and hex the seventh-year."

"You? A Hufflepuff? Hexing somebody?"

"Hexing a bully," he clarified. "I wouldn't hesitate. My first year, I might have hesitated. I would have justified my hesitation with the rule against magic in the corridor. I would have told myself I didn't dare break a rule with Professor Snape standing right there. But now, I would take that detention with pride knowing I had done the right thing."

"What does this have to do with... with me? With the... the legislation?"

"You know, Lu, sometimes doing the right thing means going against the rules and dealing with the consequences later. Sure, maybe I haven't had a detention in my almost-six years here. Maybe I'll never get one. But if I do, it'll be for the right reason. Right and wrong don't always play by the rules."

"But this is so much bigger than detention," I whispered, not wanting to let myself believe this was all so simple. "And it's not about right and wrong, it's about safety and responsibility and all of the debates I have to have every single month-"

"Isn't it?"

"Isn't it... what?"

"Isn't it about right and wrong? Lu, nothing and no one can convince me you're not a good person. There's no reason whatsoever to discriminate against anyone, but especially not good people."

"Even if we're not... you know..."

"Lu, you're as much a person as I am. And no, I'm not a vampire, contrary to popular belief."

"Fred's belief," I corrected with a small laugh. I took a deep breath. "I... I feel better. Thanks for talking to me, Ced."

"Of course. You're lucky I found you instead of Filch."

"Or Peeves."

"Or Peeves," he agreed with a chuckle. He pulled me to his side in a brief hug. "I'll walk you up to the common room, then you try to get some sleep, alright?"

I nodded. "As soon as I write Professor Lupin back."

"Would you mind telling him I say hello? I sure do miss him."

"I miss him too," I replied with a sad smile. "I'll tell him we all miss him, legislation be damned."

The night of the January full moon, Lucy did not walk alone to the Room of Requirement. The Weasley twins had caused quite the large disturbance in the Gryffindor common room, allowing Lucy and Hermione to escape in the chaos.

Hermione had realized that the Room of Requirement was the same as the house elves' "Come and Go Room," and it had not revealed itself to Lucy in December because it was being used by Dobby and Winky. (Lucy, of course, insisted that she needed to do no such thing, that she would be perfectly fine with going to the Forest for the night and letting the elves use it. Everyone else, of course, shot down her argument after watching her literally collapse after the night in the Forest in December.) So, in January, Hermione went along with Lucy in the hopes of coaxing any house elves out of the room so Lucy could have it.

This month, the door revealed itself to Lucy without issue. Hermione wished her friend good luck --- she never did quite know what to say, but then again, she never did quite know exactly what happened each month; what could she possibly say that could take away the pain that made her scream so loudly? --- and hugged her tightly, watching as the door closed behind her and disappeared.

Hermione backed up a couple of steps and stood in silence for a moment, drumming her fingers anxiously against her chin.

For the whole three weeks Lucy and Harry had been somewhat estranged from her and Ron, Hermione had been worried. Worried she wouldn't be enough for Ron. Worried Lucy wouldn't be enough for Harry. Worried Harry wouldn't be enough for Lucy.

Hermione was of the opinion her friends had a far narrower view of the world than she did. Where Harry saw three months of time to work out his clue, Hermione saw everything that could possibly go wrong in those 92 days that would lead to his terrible end on the date of the second task. Where Ron didn't start studying for his final exams until he was sufficiently prodded again and again and again because O.W.L.s and N.E.W.T.s were so far away, Hermione started revising and reviewing by the time her birthday rolled around and had been keeping her notes in alphabetical order since her first year because she knew her entire future in the wizarding world depended on those two sets of exams. Lucy was the closest to understanding, she reckoned, but Hermione knew Lucy well enough to know the uncertainty of her future could be paralyzing at times --- and she also knew that it was hard for Lucy to think more than one moon cycle at a time.

It was a rare moment where Hermione truly stood still. Always running to read, to research, thinking that maybe one day, her knowledge could help save those she held most dear. Her weapon of choice was her intelligence, and she wielded it proudly. Perhaps one day, her knowledge would yield something of value as far as lycanthropy was concerned. A perfect cure perhaps was too far-fetched, but any amount of comfort Hermione could offer, she would give in a heartbeat. But Hermione knew all too well that, in that moment, there was nothing she could do to help Lucy, her first true friend, and that defeat paralyzed her.

"Hermione? Everything okay?"

Hermione jumped and turned to face the voice.

"Sorry," Cedric said quickly. "I didn't mean to startle you."

"No, no, it's alright," she responded, even more quickly. "Just lost in thought, I suppose."

Cedric nodded, studying the younger girl with sympathetic eyes. "I understand." He paused, and Hermione had to look away from the intensity of his gaze. He had the same I-can-see-into-your-soul eyes as Lucy, though his were grey and Lucy's were a vivid blue. Hermione found herself wondering if it ran in the family, though she realized upon further recollection they certainly didn't get it from their tactless father, if it did. Their Auror mother --- whom Hermione very much wanted to meet --- was probably the one who taught them how to look at people like that.

"See you in the morning?" Hermione asked, forcing a smile to the surface as she met those intense grey eyes again.

"See you then," he agreed. Cedric smiled back, his similarly laced with worries unspoken, and he headed back the way he came. As he disappeared around the corner, Hermione ran her fingers through her bushy hair and took a deep breath

"What a privilege it would be to only have one worry at a time," she muttered to herself as she turned on her heel and headed in the direction of the Gryffindor common room to pester Harry about his egg, now that Lucy was safe for the night.

When I opened my eyes in the morning, I couldn't help but be painfully aware of the pitiful, pathetic, humiliating nature of my condition.

Even in a perfect room, magically designed to cater to my every need, I was still very much diseased. My throat was still raw from screaming. I was still trembling from head to toe from residual pain. My entire body was still unnaturally cold. I was still tired enough to sleep for days on end. Even there, in the best possible situation, I was still a werewolf.

I had let myself believe for a day that maybe Cedric would be enough to protect me from the complications and the prejudices and the anxieties, even if he couldn't cure me. But as I lay sprawled on the ground, still feeling defeated even when I had every comfort I could ever dream of wanting, I realized nothing, not even Cedric, would be enough to take away the burden I had shouldered for what would be ten years on October 28 that year.

Involuntary tears sprung to my eyes as I recognized my own hopelessness, but I forced them away and pushed myself to my feet. No sense worrying everyone else by taking longer than usual to leave the Room of Requirement.

I had barely even opened the door before Hermione rushed forward and nearly tackled me back into the Room of Requirement with a fierce hug.

"Good morning to you too," I choked out, hugging back nonetheless. "Is everything okay?"

"It is now," she whispered before letting go. I studied her face for any sign of change, but she looked as she always did. She glanced away quickly and took me by the hand. "Come on, Cedric's waiting for you in the Hospital Wing. He told me I could fetch you today, something about how I never go by myself but he knows I'm your best friend and wanted us to have a moment alone."

I forced a smile, praying she couldn't see how hard I had to fight to stop myself from absolutely breaking down sobbing in that moment. "A moment without the boys, he means?"

Hermione laughed. "Something like that. Now come on, we have to hurry so you won't be late for class since the sun rises so late in the morning in January."

"Y-Yeah," I managed. The last thing I wanted to do was go to class, but I had no choice. Maybe seeing Harry will make me feel better, I thought hopefully to myself.

Cedric's tight hug helped a bit, and the twins never failed --- and I mean never --- to make me laugh. And as I expected, seeing Harry helped a bit too. To him, I was still just Lucy, not Lucy the Lycanthrope. As nice as it was not stressing over keeping my secret from the twins anymore, I couldn't ignore the pitying looks I caught them giving me sometimes.

I slid in next to him in History of Magic and started getting my notes out when he suddenly leaned over and whispered in my ear, "I think I'm going to open the egg on Friday night, if you want to stay in the common room."

I nodded. "Sure."

His cheeks reddened slightly as he smiled. "You don't sound surprised by the fact I... well..."

"I'm a lot harder to fool than Hermione," I replied with a quiet chuckle. "Smart as she is, she's not the best at, er, reading people's emotional cues? I guess? Is that fair to say?"

As if to prove our point, Hermione's head suddenly whipped in Ron's direction. "Why do you want to know if Viktor was at the New Year's party?"

"Just wondering if he kissed you," Ron mumbled, not looking her directly in the eye.

"Why do you want to know that?"

Harry glanced at me. "Yeah, that's fair to say."

I bit my lip to stop myself from laughing and continued getting my notes out.

As much as I enjoyed being around Harry, I found it harder and harder with each passing hour to keep myself together. Worries about the new legislation and the need to keep my secret from Harry and the continued threat of Rita Skeeter and what the egg might reveal ricocheted angrily around my brain, and by the time lunch came, I was too troubled to even think about eating.

"I'm going to go see if Hagrid needs help with the skrewts," I said to Harry.

"Don't lose a finger," he replied with a sarcastic grin.

"I'll do my best."

Yet another thing I love about Harry, I thought to myself. He doesn't ask questions.

When I arrived at Hagrid's, he didn't seem terribly surprised to see me. He asked if I had heard the news about the legislation, and when my response was a high-pitched "Yeah, I did, did you, wait, of course, you did, you just asked me, sorry, obviously you heard," he suggested I go find a creature to calm myself down.

"Always helps when I'm feelin' worried," he said. "Reckon it'd help yeh too."

I nodded, drawing a shaky breath. "Will do."

I hurried from his hut, grabbed a bag of creature food, and dove into the forest. I wanted to find a thestral, because they were misunderstood too, perhaps more so than any other creature.

But when I finally found a small group of them, I wasn't the only human there.

The girl turned when she heard my footsteps crunching in the snow, and she smiled serenely. "Hello, Lucy Diggory. I was wondering when we would meet each other here."

It wasn't uncommon for someone to know my name before I knew theirs. With Cedric for a brother, and with my telltale scars all over my face, it was rare I had to introduce myself to anybody. But there was something different about this girl. I spotted her Ravenclaw robes and ventured a guess. "Luna? Luna Lovegood?"

She nodded, looking positively delighted I had known her name, too. "Neville and Ginny have told me for a long time now that they think we would be great friends." She knelt down and pulled half of a raw steak out of her bookbag. "Here, you can give this to one of the thestrals. I've found they like steak more than the food pellets."

I sheepishly lowered my bag and accepted the half of a steak from her hand. "I've never thought of raw steak. How did you find that out?"

"I brought a whole raw steak with me to school once, and when I tried getting into a carriage, that thestral over there-" She pointed at a particularly small animal several feet away. "-tried to steal my bag. I thought at first maybe he thought my copy of The Quibbler was food, but he seemed to enjoy the steak, so I've brought steaks here ever since. But I always save half, in case you come."

"You... knew I would come?" I asked as the thestral ate the steak straight out of my hand.

"I've always hoped so. I've always wanted to meet you, but I never quite imagined you'd look so troubled when we finally did meet. What's the matter?"

I blinked, taken aback. "What do you mean, if I may ask?"

Luna nodded at my hand. "I personally find purple and blue to represent fear and sadness, myself. But of course, I could be wrong. I very often am."

I blinked again. "No. I mean, no, you're not wrong, that's exactly what they mean."

"You don't have to tell me what's troubling you if you'd rather keep it to yourself, but you may find that talking about your troubles makes them seem quite small."

I couldn't help but blink a third time, thoroughly taken by surprise by this girl. I liked her.

"Has your father discussed the new werewolf legislation in The Quibbler yet?" I asked.

"Anti-werewolf legislation, you mean?"

I nodded. "That's the one."

Luna nodded. "Very sad. I worry for Professor Lupin."

"Yeah... yeah, me too."

"I've never understood how people can be so cruel," she continued. "Werewolves are people, just the same as you and me. Professor Lupin for one is one of the kindest people I know. But don't worry, Lucy, because I know Professor Lupin will be alright. He is very smart, in addition to being very kind. You know, he always took the time to listen to me after class, even if he didn't believe Nargles exist."'

"He always listened to me too," I replied, his absence stinging more than usual as I recalled the day I told him everything about my family. My first family. The reason I could see the thestrals in that moment. I laughed suddenly. "I don't think Professor Moody would be quite the same in that regard, I'm afraid."

Luna smiled. "I would have to agree."

Luna and I talked for the next little while, and it wasn't at all uncomfortable. We walked around the reserve, distributing the pellets I had brought to any creatures that seemed interested. I could have talked to her the rest of that day, but I eventually realized lunch was coming to an end.

"What's your next class?" I asked. "Would you like to walk to the castle together?"

"I don't think I'll be going to class today," she replied.

"You aren't?"

She shook her head, offering no further explanation. Normally, I wouldn't pry further, but Luna was no normal girl.

"Why not?"

"My mum died four years ago today. I'm going to go back to the thestrals. They make me feel less sad."

"I'm so sorry," I said immediately. "About your mum, I mean. I can stay if you'd like to talk more. I don't mind missing Potions."

"No, you can go. Best not to make Professor Snape angry, since he doesn't like Gryffindors. But if you'd like to come back, I will probably still be here at dinner. I haven't gone to any classes at all today, and the thestrals make good company." Luna smiled. "Thank you for coming today, Lucy Diggory. I'd like to think my mum sent you to make today a little less blue."

I smiled back. "I'd like to think the same. It was nice talking to you, Luna Lovegood. I think we're going to be good friends."