With miles and miles to go
I guess it's nice to know
That I can trust you
Though the question still remains
What do you know about love?

"What Do You Know About Love?"
Jelani Alladin and Patti Murin

LUCY:

On Friday night, I was in the common room reading the copy of The Quibbler Luna had given me that day after dinner when it was suddenly yanked from my hands and promptly disappeared.

"Bloody hell, Harry!"

I jumped up from the chair and lunged in the direction I thought he was. Surely enough, I grabbed invisible fabric, and when I pulled, Harry became visible again bit by bit, clutching the egg and the Marauder's Map in one hand and the magazine in his other.

He pouted. "How'd you know it was me? And wait, how did you know where I was?"

"Lucky guess," I replied with a smirk. I held out my hand. "Give that back, it's my entertainment while you're off taking a your special Cedric-endorsed bubble bath."

He tossed the magazine back at me with no small degree of sass. "Now you've made it weird."

"My brother told me, and I quote, 'Tell him to take a bath, take the egg with him, and mull things over in the hot water. Oh, and tell him the password to the prefect's bathroom is pine fresh.' So really, it's Cedric who made it weird by not telling you exactly what to do in the first place, but he's a Hufflepuff and thought that would be unfair to Viktor and Fleur, so he gave you a hint instead. Besides," I bit back a laugh, "something tells me Fleur would probably have gotten the wrong idea if Cedric told her to take a bath."

Harry snorted and rolled his eyes. "Yeah, probably. Well, I understand that, but where did you get the idea I would take a bubble bath?"

"Henry told me a few days later that Cedric had mentioned something to him about Myrtle. Trust me, you'll be glad for the bubbles."

"Please tell me you're kidding."

I held my hands up in surrender. "I wish I was! I have to deal with enough living girls wishing they were taking a bath with my brother. Trust me, I was no happier to find out about that detail than you are right now."

"I mean, fair enough. But still, you're not the one about to take a bath with Myrtle! I mean, no, not with- wait, that came out wrong-" His face burned bright red. "What I meant was-"

Whatever he tried to say was drowned out by my laughter. "Look, you're the one blushing for once."

He grinned and tossed his Invisibility Cloak over his head. "Prove it."

I rolled my eyes, grinning back. "I hate you."

"No you don't."

"You're right, I don't. Now go, before I change my mind. Your ghostly gawking girlfriend awaits." I tucked my hair behind my ear and said in my best Myrtle impression, "'If you had died, you'd have been welcome to share my toilet.'"

An invisible force poked my forehead, pushing me back down onto the couch. I complied and laughed. "Have fun."

"Yeah," he replied sarcastically. I could tell it was taking him every ounce of willpower not to laugh. "You too."

I watched the portrait hole swing open then shut again, and curled up with my magazine.

The Daily Prophet still hadn't said anything about the new legislation. Hermione and I both found it incredibly strange, and we still searched each newspaper for anything we could find, but there was nothing. The silence was almost worse... almost.

But The Quibbler was not shy. After reading their article breaking down what the legislation said and how potentially damaging it was, I couldn't help but keep reading. Each new feature was unusual and refreshing and often amusing. It seemed that no time at all had passed when the portrait hole opened again.

I glanced up just as he shed the cloak. "Where's your egg? And the map? And wait, are you limping?"

"That's a lot of questions," he said with a grin, coming to look over the edge of the chair to see what I was reading. "Reading this whole time?"

I snapped the magazine shut and turned to look at him. "Yes, I was. And what have you been up to? I can imagine it's much more exciting than this."

"Well, okay, so as I was leaving the prefect's bathroom, I checked the map to make sure no one was going to catch me. I saw Barty Crouch on the map!"

I blinked. "But he's- why is he-"

"I don't know. But when I went to try to check it out, I forgot about the sink step and-"

I slapped my hand to my forehead. "Harry James Potter, you did not-"

He grinned. "I did. I was there quite a while too."

"Hence the limp, I guess. Okay, so then what happened?"

"It gets worse."

"Of course it does."

He furrowed his brow. "What do you mean by that?"

"When does something get better for you, Potter?"

He held his hands up in surrender. "Fair. Well, I was going downstairs, so I dropped the map and the egg."

I covered my face with my hands. The secondhand embarrassment was too intense.

"And of course the egg started screaming."

"Of course."

"And of course Filch heard it and came to investigate."

"Of course."

"And then of course Snape showed up."

I dropped my hands and looked at Harry. "That was a plot twist. Why?"

"Well, he heard the racket Filch was making over the egg, then noticed his office had been opened."

"By Crouch?"

"Apparently. Then Moody showed up and more or less fixed everything, but Snape saw the map, and the egg, so he put two and two together and now blames me for the whole ordeal."

"He didn't take the map, did he?"

Harry shook his head. "Moody did. He asked to borrow it, and I was honestly so relieved to not be in trouble that I said he could take it without second thought. Then he said I should consider a career as an Auror and left, and I hightailed it up here to tell you everything."

I nodded. "Well, that was quite the story. So what's the deal with the egg?"

"You probably would have liked it. When you opened the egg underwater, it produced a really pretty song that said-"

I shuddered in reply.

"What? Was it something I said?"

"No, no, not you, I just hate water."

"You- wait, what?"

I blushed. "It scares me. The thought of drowning is just..." I shuddered again. "I don't care how pretty the song is, I'm not going underwater willingly. Anyway, what did the song say? I'm guessing the song was the clue?"

He nodded. "It was. I should probably write it down before I forget."

I got up from the couch, and we sat on either side of a small table. He scribbled down the song and slid the parchment over to me.

"Come seek us where our voices sound,
We cannot sing above the ground,
And while you're searching ponder this:
We've taken what you'll sorely miss,
An hour long you'll have to look,
And to recover what we took,
But past an hour, the prospect's black,
Too late, it's gone, it won't come back."

"Cheerful," I commented.

"Very." He sighed. "I haven't the slightest idea what this means, but I know merpeople must be involved somehow. And I don't like the idea of the merpeople taking something valuable of mine. I like the idea of having to survive underwater for an hour even less."

I shuddered again. "Sounds like my worst nightmare." I yawned and rested my chin in my hand. "I don't think either of us will have a stroke of brilliance tonight, Harry. We can tell Ron and Hermione in the morning and see if any ideas come to us then."

He nodded. "You have a point."

"We'll figure it out," I said firmly, noticing how nervous he suddenly looked. "We have over a month. I'm sure we'll find something soon."

"I hope you're right," he replied in a soft voice.

We didn't. We spent hours upon hours upon hours in the library, searching for any solution that would allow Harry to breathe underwater for an hour, but we found nothing.

I blinked and it was Valentine's Day. One of the worst days of the year, as far as I was concerned, if not the absolute worst.

It was a terrible day from the start. It was the day before the full moon, meaning I couldn't fall asleep until after 4 in the morning. Then, somehow, I overslept, meaning I had no more than fifteen minutes to get dressed, eat something for breakfast, and rush to History of Magic. And it was while I was rushing to History of Magic in a nearly-deserted hallway that my day really started.

To this day, I have no idea what tripped me. But regardless of what tripped me, I was suddenly falling, and would have landed flat on my face if someone hadn't grabbed me by the shoulder and pulled me up.

"Are you alright?" a deep, heavily-accented voice asked.

Of all of the people to see me right now...

I straightened up, already blushing, and looked into Maxence's eyes. To my surprise, he wasn't smiling, or laughing --- rather, he looked genuinely concerned.

"Yeah, I am," I stammered. I tucked a piece of hair behind my ear. "Thanks for catching me. I... well, I've always hated Valentine's Day, so I guess Valentine's Day wanted its revenge."

He smiled. "Well, maybe I could help redeem Valentine's Day for you."

I blinked. "What do you mean?"

Maxence reached forward and adjusted my bag on my shoulder. I hadn't even realized it was slipping until he fixed it. "What I mean is that I haven't been able to stop thinking about you, Lucy Diggory. You have been on my mind since the day I saw you at the Yule Ball, and the way you played in the match..." He shifted his weight and glanced away from me. "I have been wanting to try to ask you on a date ever since, but... well I suppose I was too shy. I was worried you would turn me down if I tried. You are close with Harry Potter, yes?"

"Oh, Harry? I- we- we aren't together. If that's what you're asking."

"That is what I was asking," he confirmed, looking at me briefly before diverting his attention again. "What do you say? If you meet me near the Beauxbatons carriage before dinner, I can try to show you that Valentine's Day might be alright after all."

I blinked again, thoroughly stunned. I wanted to pinch myself to see if I was dreaming, but before I could, Maxence was looking at me again, smiling, dimples as prominent as ever.

I smiled back, face flaming anew. "I'll be there."

Maxence's smile widened, and he nodded. He looked very pleased with himself. "Then it is a date. See you then."

"See you then," I said, feeling quite breathless as he walked away, leaving me alone in the hallway. I realized with a jolt I was about to be late for class, and sprinted the rest of the way to History of Magic.

"There you are," Hermione hissed as I slid into the seat next to Harry. "Where were you? I thought you had decided to skip today! And why are you all red?"

I shook my head to deflect her questions. "Just overslept. Had to run here."

Hermione leaned forward, asking in a voice only I could hear, "Then why were you so embarrassed by something three minutes ago?"

"Later," I whispered in response. I turned around and faced the front. I took a deep breath and released it in a shaky sigh. "Have I ever mentioned how much I hate Valentine's Day?"

Harry snorted. "At least we don't have to see Oliver and his girlfriend snogging this year, since they graduated."

I felt as if I'd been struck by lightning. Snogging? What if that was Maxence had in mind?

Is today the day I have my first kiss?

Professor Binns emerged then, and class began, but all day, I couldn't focus on a single thing any of my professors said. My mind was spinning with questions and worries and all kinds of worst-case scenarios. It was so bad that as soon as our last class for the day ended, I grabbed Lavender and Parvati and asked them if they'd meet me in the dormitory in ten minutes. They looked confused, but agreed, so I rushed over to Hermione.

"I have a date with Maxence tonight," I whispered in her ear.

She whipped around, her jaw dropping. "I knew you two had chem-"

"Shh!" I looked around, horrified someone had heard her, but nobody seemed to think twice of it. I turned back to her, face on fire, and lowered my voice. "I don't really want anyone else knowing. They'd make fun of me. Would you mind just, I don't know, coming up with a story?"

"Gladly!" Hermione smirked, looking very smug. "Is that what happened this morning?"

I nodded pathetically. "I was going too fast, tripped over air, and would have fallen if he hadn't caught me. Then I said something about hating Valentine's Day, and he asked if he could try to make the day worthwhile for me."

She squealed, and I desperately tried to silence her. "Sorry, sorry!" she said, composing herself. "I'm just so excited for you! You'll have to tell me everything when you're back!"

"I will, I promise." I glanced at her watch. "I should head up to the dormitory. Lavender and Parvati are waiting for me there. I'm hoping they'll help me get ready. I just wanted to tell you about it first."

"Have fun!" she called, waving after me as I darted away.

Lavender squealed even louder than Hermione when I told her and Parvati about what had happened that morning.

"You have literally fallen for him," Parvati added with a shrill giggle.

I covered my face with my hands. To no surprise, it was burning. "No! I just- he- we-"

"Don't worry, Lucy, we'll get you ready," Lavender said, already rifling through my trunk for the Yule Ball makeup. "Same thing as December?"

"Sure, that's fine," I stammered.

"Let's put your hair up this time!" Parvati suggested. "I'm thinking a bun."

I threw my hands up in surrender. "Have your way with me. Do whatever you want."

Before I knew it, I was sneaking out of the common room and hurrying down the castle steps. My hair was up in a tight bun, the scars on my face, neck, and hands were hidden by makeup, and my entire body was buzzing with anxious energy.

I found the Beauxbatons carriage easily and found a quiet place to wait. As I waited, watching people going in and out and waiting for Maxence to appear, my mind raced. Thoughts of the possibility of kissing him and of maybe Valentine's Day not being so bad after all and of trying to stop myself from panicking swirled on a vicious loop. But I watched the sun sink lower and lower without a sign of him.

And if Fleur Delacour hadn't come down from the castle, blue eyes flashing with anger and wand in her hand, I might have stayed there, waiting, until midnight.

Her fiery eyes scanned the grounds, and when they landed on me, she froze.

"Lucy?" she called. "Is that you?"

I nodded, and we started walking toward each other. I was about to ask what was wrong when she suddenly threw her arms around me and pulled me close to her in a hug.

"I am so sorry," she murmured.

I blinked and pulled away. "What happened?" A horrible thought occurred to me. "Is Cedric okay?"

"Cedric is fine, Cedric is fine." She sighed. "I should explain. I heard Maxence bragging to a friend that somebody paid him 50 Galleons to ask a specific girl out on a date tonight then never show up. I had to come down here to make sure it was true before hexing him, because Maxence is known for having a big mouth, but I never expected you to be the girl in question. I am so sorry."

In hindsight, I should have been more upset than I was. Really, I just felt stupid for thinking there was even the possibility he was serious.

"Oh..." was all I was able to say.

"I had no idea it was you. I will go hex him for you."

"What? What, no, it's alright, I don't want you getting into trouble-"

"No, it is not alright. And I will not get in trouble. I am a Triwizard champion, after all. Would you like to come sit with me during the feast? You are more important than he is, and you would also get to watch me reverse his knees. I am well-known at my school for being the best at that hex."

I managed a weak smile. "As much as I'd love to see that... I-I'm alright, thanks. I'm just going to go... go somewhere by myself. I'm not very hungry."

"Are you sure?"

I nodded. "May I ask one favor?"

"Of course. What is it?"

"Will you please not tell Cedric? Or the Weasley twins? If they find out, they might send him straight to St. Mungo's."

Fleur quirked an eyebrow. "I fail to see this as a problem, but if that is what you want, I will make sure they do not find out."

"Thank you... and thank you for finding me."

She stepped forward and hugged me again. "Of course. Are you sure you would rather be alone?"

"I am."

"I understand. I will check on you tomorrow. Au revoir, Lucy!"

"Bye, Fleur."

As soon as she started heading up to the castle, I spun on my heel and sprinted to the Quidditch Pitch. My safe place. My hiding place.

I didn't let myself think about anything that had just happened until I was in the commentary box.

I wasn't angry with Maxence. 50 Galleons was a fair sum of money.

I was angry with myself. For letting myself get my hopes up in the first place.

The humiliation and anger combined with the pre-full-moon fever to make me feel as if I was literally on fire. Nothing about the cold of the night could take away the sting of having my hopes crushed so mercilessly.

I used the sleeve of my robe to scrub the makeup off my face. I didn't have to hide my scars anymore, now that nobody would be coming around. I freed my hair, too, fixing it with two quick braiding charms. I was myself again, unlovable though I was in such a state.

I walked forward and rested my elbows against the edge of the box. I had never been afraid of heights, with or without a broom. That night especially, I feared nothing.

I thought about summoning my broom and a Quaffle and pouring all of my emotions into Quidditch, but even Quidditch had lost some of its appeal. It was Quidditch that had brought Maxence and I together in the beginning, and I found myself wondering why I had run to the Quidditch Pitch in the first place.

I don't know how much time passed before I heard footsteps thundering up the stairs. I thought they were too loud to be Harry's, but it was Harry's voice I heard at my back when the footsteps reached the top.

"Lucy!"

Before I could even turn around all the way, Harry was crushing me with a hug.

"I'm so sorry," he said, still breathing hard from how fast he had come. "I overheard Fleur confronting Max whatever-his-name-is. It was Malfoy who put him up to it." He released me and laid a hand on my shoulder, green eyes alight. "You didn't deserve that. I'm so sorry."

"It's okay," I replied. I looked down at my toes and rubbed the back of my neck. "I was stupid."

"You're not stupid."

"I fell for it!" I protested, glancing back up at him.

"You're not stupid," he repeated firmly.

I sighed. "I must be. I usually have a pretty good first impression of people. I don't know why I trusted him."

Harry grinned suddenly. "Well, you are outside after dark in the middle of February without even a coat or a scarf or gloves, so maybe you're right. Why did you agree to a date with a complete stranger, anyway?"

"He's not a stranger!"

"What's his last name?"

I opened my mouth to answer, then found I couldn't remember. I was distracted by the way Harry's eyes were twinkling in the moonlight. "I don't know. Something French. It doesn't really matter."

"You might want to find out next time. What if Fleur had hexed the wrong Maxence?"

He said the name with such a revolting French accent I couldn't help but laugh. "Okay, I see where this is headed. You think you know more about love than I do."

"I do know that knowing a person's first and last name is a good idea."

"Yeah, and what else? What do you know about love, Potter?"

"Some people get distracted by princely looks and forget that personality matters, too."

"I'll admit he did have rather princely looks, so we agree on that one," I replied with a sassy raise of my eyebrows.

He rolled his eyes in response. "Right. Look, all I'm saying is that when you think you love someone, you can't just jump headfirst into it and hope for the best."

"If it's true love, I think you can."

"You'd have to get incredibly lucky for that to happen."

"Look, just because Cho was already taken-"

He started laughing. "Low blow."

"Oh, don't start acting all innocent and pitiful now," I fired back, laughing as well. "Go on."

"I think you have to take your time when it comes to love, so you don't fall flat on your face and get hurt."

If there's one thing you can do, Harry James Potter, it's take your time...

He paused. "Well, you've heard what I think. Your turn now. What do you know about love?"

"I do agree with you. You have to take your time, you shouldn't jump head-first into it... unless it's true love."

"And what do you think that is?"

"It's... loving them for who they are rather than who you want them to be."

It was Harry's turn to look at the ground. "Sounds like you really loved him, then."

"What? No! Of course not! Harry, we've talked three times. Ever. I couldn't possibly love him, I barely even know him. I just agreed to a date, to see if it was worth getting to know him better. That's all. And good Godric, look where that got me. I think I have my answer."

"I think so, too," he said with a chuckle. He looked up at me. "If you didn't love him, why are you asking me about love?"

"Still Valentine's Day, isn't it? Love is in the air, so to speak. Besides, I was curious to hear what you thought."

"Well, I can say with confidence it's not what he did to you tonight."

I huffed a laugh. "I gathered that myself, funny enough." I lowered myself to a bench and stared out at the Pitch. "He said he'd try to prove to me that Valentine's Day wasn't that bad, but I can't help but feel validated in my belief that it's the dumbest day of the year."

Harry sat next to me and nodded. "Yeah, I'd have to agree."

Silence descended then, and neither of us seemed to want to be the first to break it.

Harry ultimately did. "If you weren't thinking of him when you were talking about true love... who were you thinking about?"

"Oh. Er... no one in particular. Just thinking about what Cedric tells me about Cho."

Harry nodded, and another silence followed.

I broke the second silence. "Out of curiosity, do you think you're really in love with Cho?"

He started bouncing his left leg up and down. "I don't think so. I like her, sure, but it's not like what you described. So if you're right about that being true love... then no, I'm not really in love with her."

I don't know what emotion I was feeling exactly, because I had my hands under my thighs, but it was something like a bird taking flight in my stomach and fluttering around in my chest.

"Are you cold?" he asked suddenly.

I shook my head, biting my lip. I knew where this was going.

Harry's hand raised slowly to my forehead. "Merlin, Lucy, are you alright?"

"I'm fine," I lied, glancing away.

"You say that every time, Lu," he said softly.

I didn't say anything in response. There was nothing I could say, nothing to make it better. I just kept my eyes straight forward, praying he wouldn't see the almost-full moon overhead.

"Cedric and the twins don't know, do they?" I asked, hoping the change of topic would stop him from sounding so sad.

It worked.

"No, I was the only one who heard. Fleur cornered him as everyone was leaving the feat. I just happened to be walking by. Why do you ask?"

I chuckled. "Just making sure he hasn't been sent to the Hospital Wing."

"He hasn't been. One of his friends fixed his knees." Harry glanced at me. "Malfoy, on the other hand-"

"You didn't do anything, did you?"

"No, I didn't," he said. "I came straight here. I'll deal with him tomorrow, I just had to make sure you were alright."

"I'm alright," I replied. "Please don't do anything. I don't want you getting in trouble. Merlin knows what Rita Skeeter would do if she found out about any of this."

"Fine, fine, I won't do anything. But if you see me talking to Moody after class and a ferret runs past you an hour later..."

We both started laughing at that thought, and we took turns throwing out other animals for Professor Moody to try. After a couple minutes, we decided to head back up to the classroom. He flashed a middle finger at the Beauxbatons carriage as we walked past, knowing no one would see it but wanting to make the statement anyway, making me laugh even more.

Feeling oddly brave all of a sudden, I lunged forward and caught his hand in mine, intertwining our fingers.

"You can't go around doing that, Mr. Triwizard Champion," I scolded jokingly.

"Anyone who stands you up deserves it," he replied, though he didn't try to free his hand. Quite the contrary, he started swinging our hands back and forth in dramatic arcs.

When we had almost reached the castle, I grew more serious and tightened my hold on his hand ever so slightly. "Never leave me, will you?"

Harry stopped and turned to face me. "Why would I?"

"I know you wouldn't," I said softly. "I just needed to hear it. It's been a day, you know?"

"I can imagine," he replied, starting to walk again, slower this time. His hand tightened around mine. "Don't worry, Lu. You'll still have to put up with me at least until we graduate."

My bravery hadn't reached its end yet. "I'd like to put up with you forever, actually," I said.

Harry smiled. "Forever's a long time."

"So I might as well spend it with someone who understands me as well as you do."

"I guess you're right," he said after a moment.

"Of course I am," I replied in the best sassy voice I could muster. "You're stuck with me, Potter."

"Tragic," he said in a voice so sarcastic I knew he was kidding.

I smiled, and we didn't say much else until we parted ways in the common room and headed up to our respective dormitories.

Hermione rushed over as soon as the door opened. "Soooo, how'd it go?" she asked, smiling like she expected me to start gushing about Maxence. Lavender and Parvati looked over, looking equally excited.

I laughed, the whole situation now seeming incredibly ridiculous. "He stood me up."

"He... what? He did?"

I nodded, still laughing. "Yeah, he did. Apparently Malfoy paid him 50 Galleons to ask me then never show up."

"What?" all three girls shouted indignantly.

"Yeah!"

"But... I don't understand," Hermione said in a softer voice, biting her lip.

I shrugged. "Yeah. Pretty awful thing to do, but I suppose 50 Galleons is 50 Galleons. I can't really blame him."

"No, that's not- well, I don't understand that either, but-"

"What is it...?"

A slow smile spread across her face. "Lucy, who told you about Malfoy?"

"Well, Fleur Delacour was the one who overheard him talking about the 50 Galleons. Harry was the one who told me Malfoy was the one who put him up to it."

"So you've been with Harry for the past hour or so?"

I nodded. "Something like that. Why?"

Hermione held up her hand, grinning triumphantly.

My half of the ring was bright red.

Long after Harry and Ron had retired to their dormitories, Hermione was still awake, skimming book after book, searching desperately for anything that would help Harry. The only other people in the room were the Weasley twins, heads bent low over whatever new project they had started. When Hermione simply couldn't focus anymore, she closed her book and went to see what they were doing. The twins had always fascinated her, though she was loath to admit it. They were rule-breakers after all, and Hermione very much was not. But still... she had to admit they were brilliant.

"What made you two realize?" she asked. "About Lucy, I mean?"

"We were writing a letter," George replied, "and I looked at the window seat where she always sits. I noticed how bright it was outside, checked my astronomy homework, and put two and two together."

"When did you find out?" Fred inquired.

"First year."

"Did she tell you?"

"Merlin, no. She was really shaken up about it for a while, too, because I was the first person to actually connect the dots and figure it out."

"Must be exhausting trying to keep something so big a secret from almost everyone," George commented sympathetically. "I mean, she trusts us, right? Why didn't she tell us?"

"Well, look at what happened to Professor Lupin. You know, it seemed to me like she might have started telling people if it had worked out alright for Professor Lupin, but now she's going to guard her secret more closely than ever. Especially with Rita Skeeter on her tail."

Fred snorted. "Was that a pun?"

Hermione blinked. "An unintentional one, I suppose. Point being, every time she starts to think maybe it's not so bad, something new comes along and forces her back into hiding." She sighed. "I'm glad she has you two now. I just wish she'd tell Harry."

"What do you think she'd do if he figured it out on his own and asked about it?"

Hermione laughed suddenly. The twins exchanged a confused look.

"What's so funny?" George asked.

Hermione eventually stopped laughing long enough to say, "If he hasn't figured it out by now, he never will."

"Doesn't he suspect she might be hiding something? I mean, you'd think after three and a half year's worth of excuses every single month, he'd be at least a little suspicious. We certainly were."

She shrugged. "I love Harry, but not because I understand him." She sighed. "Speaking of, I should probably go to bed. Another day of searching tomorrow. Good night, boys."

"Good night, Hermione!" they called after her.

Henry was still awake, too. Cedric wasn't on patrol that night, meaning if Henry wanted to, he could roll over onto his other side and study his friend's sleeping face without fear of Cedric noticing. But he didn't. He kept his back firmly to his friend while his fingers absently bent the corner of the piece of parchment hidden under his pillow.

Lucy wasn't the only person who had always hated Valentine's Day. Henry had never understood why he hated it so much... until that year. First, he had to listen to Cedric talk so excitedly about his plans with Cho for the day. Then he had to watch as girls who either didn't know he and Cho were together or elected to ignore that inconvenient fact slipped Cedric notes in class asking to be his chosen date for Valentine's Day. And then Valentine's Day itself... well, that had always been a fiasco for Cedric. At least that year hadn't brought any love potions, entertaining though that was.

The night before Valentine's Day, Henry had written his first love letter. For the first time, he confessed to himself just how madly in love he was. He wrote about grey eyes and yellow jerseys, sitting side-by-side in class and rushing toward each other every September 1, early morning practices and late night conversations. Henry knew he would never --- could never --- actually give this letter to his best friend. His intention was to write it then burn it, as if doing so would burn away these feelings he knew he would never --- could never --- actually express.

But he wouldn't --- couldn't --- burn it. So instead he kept it tucked under his pillow, and as he stared up at the full moon, he bent the corner, straightened it out, then bent it again.

Henry had always hated Valentine's Day. And now he knew why.

The day before the task was upon us altogether too soon. Harry had been extra jumpy the whole week --- with less than 24 hours to go, he seemed on the brink of explosion.

I didn't know what Cedric was planning, but I did know that he knew what he was doing. But we could find no solution for Harry, so, the night before the task, all four members of the quintessential quirky quartet were poring over book after book. Harry sat in between Ron and me; Hermione was too anxious to sit, so she paced back and forth with her face mere inches from the book in her hands.

Ron snapped his book shut. "I don't reckon it can be done. There's nothing. Nothing. Closest was that thing to dry up puddles and ponds, that Drought Charm, but that was nowhere near powerful enough to drain the lake."

"Don't be ridiculous, Ron, there must be something. They'd never have set a task that was undoable," Hermione snapped.

Ron shook his head. "Well, they have. Harry, just go down to the lake tomorrow, right, stick your head in, yell at the merpeople to give back whatever they've nicked, and see if they chuck it out. Best you can do, mate."

"There's a way of doing it," I said, massaging the knot in my neck with my fingers.

Harry laid his head down on the desk. "I know what I should have done. I should've learned to be an Animagus like Sirius."

"Yeah, you could've turned into a goldfish any time you wanted!" Ron added.

"Or a frog," Harry mumbled sleepily.

"Frogs are neat," I commented, half-asleep myself. "But I don't think you get to choose."

"Besides," Hermione said in a very disapproving voice, "it takes years to become an Animagus, and then you have to register yourself and everything. Professor McGonagall told us, remember? You've got to register yourself with the Improper Use of Magic Office, what animal you become, and your markings, so you can't abuse it."

Harry lifted his head. "Hermione, I was joking. I know I haven't got a chance of turning into a frog by tomorrow morning."

"We'll find something," I assured him, turning back to my book with renewed vigor. But it was short-lived; Hermione snapping her book shut distracted me.

"Oh, this book is no use. Who on earth wants to make their nose hair grow into ringlets?"

A new voice, belonging to Fred Weasley himself, responded. "I wouldn't mind. Be a talking point, wouldn't it?"

I crumpled up a piece of parchment and threw it over my shoulder.

The "How did you manage that?" that followed informed me I had hit my target.

"I have superpowers, remember?" I replied dryly, not even bothering to turn around. "What brings you two to the library? Did Percy's spirit possess you?"

"Looking for you," George replied.

My head snapped up, and I finally turned to face them.

"McGonagall wants you, Ron, and Hermione," he continued.

"Why?" Hermione asked immediately.

Fred shrugged. "Dunno... she was looking a bit grim, though."

"We're supposed to take you down to her office."

The three of us turned to look at Harry, who looked back at us halfway between panic for himself and concern for us.

"We'll meet you back in the common room," Hermione said.

Ron reluctantly stood up. "Bring as many of these books as you can, okay?"

"Right," Harry replied, still looking on the verge of a breakdown.

"We'll be right back," I said. I stood up even more reluctantly than Ron. "I promise. Okay?"

He nodded, sighing quietly as he turned back to his work.

"D'you think McGonagall's upset that we're helping him?" Ron asked in an undertone as we walked.

"What choice do we have?" I replied, fighting to keep my voice level. "He's the youngest competitor, and he didn't even enter."

Hermione started to say "The rules of the Tournament still-" but Ron and I silenced her with a shared look.

"Lucy has a point," Fred piped up. "We don't think you are in trouble. She looked more sad and worried than anything."

"Yeah, maybe she wants to tell you three something that will help Harry," George said.

"But that would be chea-"

"Hermione, I'd rather Harry be alive because he cheated than dead because he didn't," Ron snapped.

"Whatever it is, we're about to find out," I said, gesturing to the door ahead of us.

"Best of luck, you three!" Fred called as the door closed. I smiled back at him, but my smile faded at the sight of the other people's faces in the room. Grim was a good descriptor, I decided.

"Come in, come in," Professor McGonagall said, conjuring up three chairs for us next to a little girl, who looked like a carbon copy of Fleur. "We're just waiting for the Headmaster."

I took the seat next to the girl and smiled; she looked as scared as I felt. "Hi, I'm Lucy. Lucy Diggory." I extended a hand that she accepted.

"Gabrielle Delacour," she said. "Nice to meet you."

"Nice to meet you too."

Before we could talk further, Professor Dumbledore entered the room with Ludo Bagman. My jaw clenched instinctively at the sight of him; as soon as we were allowed to leave, I had to tell the twins he was on school grounds. They'd get another chance to talk to him in the morning.

He assumed command of the room with a loud clap of his hands. "Excellent, excellent! All four treasures are here!"

"Treasures?" Hermione repeated, sounding offended.

"That's right!" he replied with a toothy grin. "Now, you all know the second task of the Triwizard Tournament is tomorrow morning! The stands are set up, the reporters are on standby, the judges are ready to award points. But... there's one thing missing: you."

"Us?" Ron repeated.

"What he means," Professor Dumbledore said, "is that tomorrow morning, the four champions will dive into the Black Lake in search of a particular thing they would sorely miss."

Professor McGonagall swallowed and nodded. "For Mr. Potter, for instance, that would be you, Mr. Weasley. Miss Diggory and Miss Delacour will be retrieved by their siblings, meaning you, Miss Granger, will be retrieved by Mr. Krum."

I bit my lip to keep from smiling. Hermione blushed, looking quite flattered, whereas Ron looked downright murderous. When would they ever figure out they were perfect for each other?

"But how?" Gabrielle piped up.

Ludo Bagman was the first to respond. "I am so glad you asked, little Miss Delacour! Tonight, we will be putting the four of you under an enchanted sleep that will allow you to breathe underwater for the evening."

I felt my heart drop to my toes. I was going to be underwater for the next... 12 hours? 13? 14? 15?

"Rest assured, it will be perfectly safe," Professor Dumbledore said, blue eyes resting briefly on me before looking away. "You will be asleep until your champion breaks the surface with you tomorrow. At that point, the trance will be broken, and you will never know you were underwater in the first place."

"Any questions?" Ludo asked. He waited for about half a second before clapping his hands together again. "Excellent! Let's head down to the Black Lake!"

I felt as if I were trying to walk through molasses. All this time I had spent worrying for Harry being underwater for an hour while I was going to be the one underwater for 12, 13, 14, 15, however many. Life was cruel and ironic and unforgiving.

We walked in silence except for Ludo Bagman's cheerful yet out of tune whistling. As soon as we stepped outside into the night, I found myself looking down at my feet, head lost in time.

I knew now where my fear of water first started. With each step I took, I relived that memory. Being swallowed by a wave. My dad's strong hands holding me above the water.

I had always known that above the water was the safest place to be. I hadn't been too scared of Jet Skiing with Cedric because I trusted him at the helm. We were above the water. He would make sure of it. Well... except for that one time he sent me off by accident. But it had been just the one time, and he had been right there to help me out.

It won't be terribly different this time, I told myself. You're safest above the water, sure, but you'll be safe under the water too, as long as Cedric is the one to save you.

That thought comforted me somewhat, until we reached the lakeshore.

"Professor, your time has come!" Bagman declared jovially. "Who would like to go first?"

"I will, I guess," Ron said, stepping forward. "Er... what do I need to do?"

"Perhaps it would be best to do them all at once," Professor McGonagall suggested.

"No need to frighten them more than necessary," Professor Dumbledore agreed. "Perhaps it would be easiest if you held hands. A single sweep of the charm may do the trick."

I slipped my hands into Ron's on my left and Gabrielle's on my right. Gabrielle's hand trembled violently, so I gave it a squeeze.

"We'll be alright," I said softly to her. "Your big sister will come to get you, and my big brother will come to get me. Okay?"

She nodded, lower lip trembling with fear and cold. I squeezed her hand a bit tighter and closed my eyes.

Suddenly, I felt my body getting heavier, heavier, heavier...

See you soon, Cedric...

A/N: Hello hello hello! I hope you all enjoyed that chapter, because I had way too much fun writing it. The Valentine's Day Quidditch Pitch scene was heavily inspired by "What Do You Know About Love?" from the Frozen Broadway musical, so if you haven't listened to it, feel free to check it out! It's one of my favorite feel-good songs --- it never fails to make me smile. :) It was also what inspired the whole Maxence debacle in the first place... sorry, Lucy. But hey, all's well that ends well, eh?

Anyway, thank you all for reading! See you on Saturday with the second task!