God rest ye merry gentlemen
Let nothing you dismay
Remember Christ our Savior
Was born on Christmas Day
To save us all from Satan's pow'r
When we were gone astray
Oh tidings of comfort and joy
Comfort and joy
Oh tidings of comfort and joy

"God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen"
Traditional English Christmas carol

LUCY:

"Oh, you're staying here for Christmas too, Lucy?" Harry asked as I scribbled my name beneath his.

I nodded and passed the quill to Ron. "My dad will be doing work in Germany starting the 27th, so my parents decided it would just be easier for us to stay here for Christmas."

I wasn't lying, but my dad's actions were very much intentional. The day everyone would leave school happened to be the full moon, and we all understood how disastrous a slight delay could be. If I were around other students when the sun set... yeah, it was far safer to just stay at Hogwarts. My parents had initially wanted Cedric to come home for Christmas and go to Germany with them for the rest of the break, but he adamantly refused. I tried to convince him that it was truly alright if he would rather go on holiday than stay at school with me, but he told me in no uncertain terms that he had no desire to spend Christmas with anyone but me.

"In that case, I propose an epic snowball fight!" Fred declared as he took the quill from his brother and scrawled his name. "The Diggorys and Harry against George, Ron, and myself."

"That sounds like fun!" Harry turned to me. "I've never had a snowball fight before, have you?"

I shook my head. "Cedric and I preferred building snowmen. Our mum would come out and try to enchant it so it would sing or dance, but it never went very well."

"Well, this year," George said as he wrote his name below his twin's, "Freddie and I will take a stab at it. I mean, we enchanted all of those skeletons for Halloween, so how different can a snowman be?"

"I imagine water is harder to manipulate than something more solid," Hermione posited from her spot on the couch. "I think I read that once."

"If anyone would know, it'd be you, Hermione!" Fred replied with a shrug. "Makes sense to me."

"I still want to try," George said. "I've been in need of a new challenge lately."

Fred's eyes lit up. "Oh, George, I have an idea for what we can do to practice! Come on!"

"Wait, where are you going?" Ron called after them, but it was too late. They disappeared through the portrait hole without looking back. He sighed, then grinned. "Mum and Dad knew what they were doing when they insisted we stay here for Christmas. I can't imagine how much trouble they'd get into if they found themselves in the Romanian Dragon Sanctuary."

As it turned out, their idea of "practice" was bewitching snowballs that followed Professor Quirrell around and repeatedly hit the back of his turban. After seeing that, I made them promise that our Christmas snowball fight would be magic-free. They agreed, as long as we had one round with magic on Christmas Eve.

With the full moon approaching, it was quite suffocating in the common room, where fires roared every hour of the day to combat the bitter cold outside, so I often retreated to the Quidditch stands to study. (Hermione told anyone who asked where I was that I was asking Cedric for help in the Hufflepuff common room, and no, Fred and George, she can't tell you how to get in, Professor Dumbledore made her promise not to.) It was quite nice, really, being alone. The only smells were those of wood and broom polish and whatever the biting wind carried. The weather discouraged most people from flying, so my sensitive ears were allowed a break. I tried to slip away for a few minutes between classes and dinner on Thursday, since meals were so overwhelming with so many bright lights and loud sounds and strong smells, but Hermione insisted on going with me and shooed Harry and Ron away to the common room, saying we'd catch up with them soon.

"It's warmer in the stairwells than the stands," I said as we struggled against the wind.

"Sounds good," she replied between chattering teeth. Once we were there, we looked around to ensure we were alone and settled on the staircase. She pulled her jar of blue flame and set it between us, bathing the walls in a ghostly glow.

"You can keep it closer to you," I said, inching away. "I... I always get really hot before, well, you-know-what. That's why I've been coming out here, the common room and the Great Hall are too hot. And too loud, and too bright, and... you get the idea."

"That explains why you've been so flushed the past couple of days." She took the jar and hugged it close to her body, shivering and smiling. "I, on the other hand, have been freezing everywhere except the common room and the Great Hall. Lucy, are you going to be alright tomorrow night, without me here? I have to leave after lunch."

I nodded. "Cedric will still be here. He can help me if I need it."

She bit her lower lip. "I hate having to leave you the first time I would have been able to help you."

"Don't feel bad, Hermione, it's the holidays! I'll be okay, honest I will. I'll be the only girl in our dormitory, so it'll be easier than usual to sneak in after sunrise."

"I've already thought of the story I'll tell," she said, "and I'll still be here tomorrow morning, of course, for Potions."

I groaned. "Potions. Well, at least Slytherins and Gryffindors make Christmas colors. That's festive."

Hermione and I dissolved into a fit of giggles at that. After I assured her again that I would be okay and that I would head to the Great Hall for dinner, she hurried back to the castle, still clutching her jar. Once she was gone, I climbed the stairs until I made it to the open air, taking a deep breath of it. I dropped my bookbag onto the bench behind me and leaned my elbows against the railing, letting myself relax for the first time in weeks as I stared at the emerald grass of the Pitch.

"Thought I might find you here," came a voice from behind me. "This is where I come when I need to be alone, too."

"Hi Cedric," I said as my brother joined me in looking over the railing. "Do you want to be alone together?"

"No one else I'd rather be alone together with," he teased. "What's on your mind that brings you here?"

I shrugged. "Nothing new. Worried about tomorrow. Worried by how worried Hermione is for me. Worried about Mum and Dad's reaction to you wanting to stay here with me. What about you?"

"Worried about my Transfiguration exam tomorrow, primarily."

I made a face. "Who puts an exam on the last day before holiday? Not even Professor Snape did that."

"Professor McGonagall's your Head of House," he chuckled. "Professor Sprout didn't even give us homework this week."

"You have a point," I admitted with a laugh. "Professor McGonagall does take her class seriously. I'm sure you'll do well, though, you always do."

"Thanks, Lu, I hope you're right."

"Do you think Dad would be angry with me if I didn't get an O in History of Magic?" I asked shyly. "I'm really trying my best, but I can't get anything better than an E on the exams we've had. I do well on my essays, but-"

"I'll help you," Cedric said, knowing to interrupt me before I spiraled into more anxious thoughts. "Don't worry." He nudged my shoulder with his own. "Besides, I hear from Fred and George that you're the next Charms prodigy."

I felt my face flush with more than just fever. "Oh, definitely not," I stammered. "I'm nothing special. I think they're just upset that I'm better at the tickling charm than they are."

"Are you now?"

I nodded, quickly drawing my wand. "Rictumsempra!"

Cedric fell to the ground, twitching with laughter. It was nice to see the worried look on his face replaced by a smile. I relented after a couple of seconds, and Cedric drew his own wand as he jumped to his feet.

"Protego!" I shouted as he tried to cast the charm on me, effectively shielding myself.

He raised his eyebrows. "And you said you're nothing special. Lucy, that's a fourth-year charm."

"Fred and George taught me," I mumbled through an embarrassed smile. "I'm guessing you don't want to see the fire spell they taught me?"

"I'll pass," he said with a laugh. "I am hungry, though. Want to head down to the Great Hall with me, or would you rather have more time to yourself?"

"I'll go with you. I feel better anyway."

"Good," he said, tucking his wand away. His fatal mistake. I blasted him with one more tickling charm for good measure.

I woke up the morning of the full moon in a nervous sweat. Hermione was still asleep, meaning it was still incredibly early. I buried my head in the sheets, gritting my teeth as every sense seemed to explode at once. The fire burning low in the corner was too bright. The sound of everyone's breathing was too loud. The smell of wood and books and perfume and ink was too strong. The sheets were too rough and my pajamas were too staticky.

I fought the overwhelmed tears that burned in my throat and tried to calm myself. I heard Hermione rustling around a couple minutes later. The squeaking sound of the shower faucet from behind the closed door sent a chill down my spine. I climbed out of bed and gingerly changed into my robes, which were even worse than my pajamas and my sheets. I crawled down to the common room with my bookbag and curled up on the window seat, watching as the sun slowly peeked over the horizon. I heard Hermione tiptoeing down the stairs and smelled the strong lavender before she actually entered the common room.

"Hi," she whispered when she did. I made room for her on the window seat, and she accepted the unspoken invitation. "How are you?"

I shook my head. "Everything hurts."

She contorted her face in sympathy. "My story will be quite close to the truth, then. I'll tell everyone that you're not feeling well, so you're sleeping it off in the dorm. Since you'll be the only girl there, no one will know any differently."

"Good idea. Thank you."

"Of course!" With that, we lapsed into comfortable silence, each of us lost in our own thoughts. I made it through breakfast and through Potions, each a miracle in their own way.

I smelled the tree before I saw it, at the end of the corridor.

"Hi, Hagrid, want any help?" Ron asked.

"Nah, I'm alright, thanks, Ron," Hagrid puffed in reply.

Just then, Draco and crew strolled up behind us. "Would you mind moving out of the way? Are you trying to earn some extra money, Weasley? Hoping to be gamekeeper yourself when you leave Hogwarts, I suppose – that hut of Hagrid's must seem like a palace compared to what your family's used to."

I caught Ron's arms as he lunged at Malfoy and pulled him back. Unfortunately, it was too late. Professor Snape had already seen.

"WEASLEY!" he barked.

Hagrid immediately jumped to his defense. "He was provoked, Professor Snape. Malfoy was insultin' his family."

"Besides," I added, fighting to restrain my anger, "he didn't actually do any harm, did he?"

"Be that as it may, fighting is against Hogwarts rules. Five points from Gryffindor, Weasley, and be grateful it isn't more. Move along, all of you."

I released Ron, who adjusted his robes and glared as the Slytherin trio disappeared. "You should have let me teach him a lesson."

"He doesn't learn," I replied. "Archie's tried and all it's gotten him is a new record for time spent in the Hospital Wing."

"I'll get him one day," he snarled. "One day."

"I hate them both," Harry added. "Malfoy and Snape."

Hagrid interrupted their grumbling. "Come on, cheer up, it's nearly Christmas! Tell yeh what, come with me an' see the Great Hall, looks a treat."

They brightened considerably at that, so we followed him up to the Great Hall. He was right, the decorations were beautiful. They also were, however, incredibly bright and aromatic, and I could tell Hermione sensed my discomfort.

"How many days you got left until yer holidays?" Hagrid inquired.

Hermione glanced at me before looking up at Hagrid. "Just one, but that reminds me. We've got half an hour before lunch, we should be in the library."

"Oh yeah, you're right," Ron agreed.

Hagrid's face was puzzled. "The library? Just before the holidays? Bit keen, aren't yeh?"

"Oh, we're not working. Ever since you mentioned Nicolas Flamel we've been trying to find out who he is," Harry said.

"You what? Listen here, I've told yeh, drop it. It's nothin' to you what that dog's guardin'."

Hermione's face was the picture of innocence. "We just want to know who Nicolas Flamel is, that's all."

"Unless you'd like to tell us and save us the trouble?" I bit back a laugh at Harry's enthusiasm. "We must've been through hundreds of books already and we can't find him anywhere. Just give us a hint, I know I've read his name somewhere."

"I'm sayin' nothin," Hagrid grumbled.

"We'll just keep looking, then," Ron said. "Let's go!"

We looked, but were still unsuccessful. After lunch, Hermione and I disappeared up to the dormitory to say goodbye. Parvati and Lavender had already gathered their belongings, so we were alone.

"Do be safe, Lucy," she said, fidgeting nervously. "I won't be here to cover for you if something goes wrong."

"Don't worry, I was alright after the Forbidden Forest incident," I assured her. "Sleepwalking, remember?"

She giggled. "You're right. Still, I'd hate for something to happen."

"I'll be safe. I promise."

"Okay. I'll see you in three weeks."

I screwed up my courage and reached for a hug, which she eagerly accepted.

"And don't forget to look for more information about Nicolas Flamel," she instructed as we pulled away.

"I won't. See you soon."

"See you!"

And with that, I was alone. I had a couple of hours before my transformation, and I knew Hermione had already told the others I wasn't feeling well. I stayed in my dormitory until the common room was silent, then I slipped down to the Hospital Wing and made my way to the Whomping Willow with Madam Pomfrey.

The screams echoed into the frigid December night, slowly giving way to howls. The girl was again gone, a werewolf remaining.

It was cold. Very cold.

The wolf scanned its surroundings, looking for anything that might offer warmth. Finding nothing, it curled itself into a ball, trembling. Its fur was thin and wiry, offering little comfort, and the wooden planks beneath it were damp and chill.

At some point, it occurred to the beast to try to warm up by running, so run it did. It circled the room over and over and over, careful not to run into anything that would make running more painful. When it wasn't possible to run anymore, it slowed to a stop and curled into a ball again, this time jumping on the dilapidated bed and attempting to burrow itself in the sheets.

It was cold. Very cold.

I shivered uncontrollably when I awoke. I was awkwardly tangled in the sheets of the musty bed, so I wriggled myself free and rose to my feet, pulling my robes as tightly around me as I could. I would have jogged down the tunnel if I could, but the bitter cold was crippling. When I poked my head through the hole, I could see Cedric was freezing too.

"Good morning," he said cheerfully, pulling me into a hug. "Oh Merlin, you're shaking so much. Let's get you inside."

My teeth chattering too violently to speak, I let him lead me through the icy corridors to the Hufflepuff common room.

"There are only a handful of other Hufflepuffs staying, and they know you're my sister," he explained as he tapped the barrel with his left hand, his right arm still firmly around my shoulders. "You'll be safe in here. Let's get you to the fire."

"Th-Th-That feels good," I managed as soon as the heat hit my face. I extended my blue hands to the fire as Cedric wrapped a blanket around my shoulders.

"Are you hurt at all, Lucy, or just cold?"

"J-Just c-cold." I thought back to the night, another shiver wracking my body. "I was too c-cold to actually d-do anything b-bad."

"That's good, I suppose. Now we just have to make sure you don't get sick."

I nodded, inching closer to the fire. We sat in comfortable silence for a couple of minutes before a thought occurred to me. "Hermione told the others that I wasn't feeling well and sleeping it off in my dormitory. What should I do?"

"I'll tell them you came here instead, to be with me." He jumped to his feet and pushed the large yellow couch closer to the fire. "How about you sleep here? It'll be warm."

I nodded and crawled up onto it, curling into a ball. "Thanks, Cedric," I mumbled, already half-asleep and feeling much warmer.

"Of course, Lu. Will you be alright if I head up for breakfast?"

Before I could reply, I was already asleep.

I didn't open my eyes again for hours.

"Good morning," Cedric teased from his spot in an armchair across the room.

"Something tells me it's not morning anymore."

"Quite the contrary, it's almost time for dinner."

I yawned and sat up, running my hands over my hair. My braids had all but fallen out, and I imagined my flyaways rather closely resembled a nest. "I should probably head up and take a shower before dinner," I said, folding the blanket and pushing the couch back to its original position. "Do you want to eat at the Gryffindor table with us?"

"Sounds great," he said with a smile.

I made my way up to the Gryffindor common room, still trying to smooth down my hair. Harry and Ron were the only ones there.

"Hi, Lucy! Feeling better?" Ron asked.

"I am, thanks," I replied, stepping closer to see what they were doing. "Teaching Harry wizard's chess?"

"Yup! Seamus loaned him some pieces. They don't like him very much."

"You make it look so easy," Harry groaned. "Every time I make a move, they just complain at me."

"I'll help in a bit," I promised. "I'll be back in a couple minutes."

I headed up to my dormitory and showered quickly, the warm water feeling good and waking me up further. The clean robes felt good, and I cast a braiding charm on my wet hair before joining them in the common room. Even with both my mind and Harry's, Ron secured the victory, and we headed down for dinner. We played a lot of wizard's chess the next few days; I even convinced Cedric to come up to our common room, and we had a tournament of sorts. Ron, still, secured the overall victory, though Cedric did give him a run for his money.

As promised, on Christmas Eve, we joined the twins for a magic-allowed snowball fight. They won handily, using the charm they had concocted for Professor Quirrell's snowballs, but they were impressed by my strategy of building one massive snowball, levitating it, then blasting it with a hearty "Bombarda!" so it covered whoever was below it in a fine powder. Our attempts to enchant a snowman were unsuccessful, but we were satisfied with the snowball fight so it didn't much matter.

That night, the six of us dragged mattresses from our dorms to the common room and lined them up in front of the fire. Even Cedric got in on the fun, shrinking his mattress and bringing it up to the common room, where we enlarged it to its normal size. Fred and George snuck down to the kitchens and returned with marshmallows to toast in the fire. I was the first to fall asleep, and when I woke the next morning, I learned not to make that mistake again, as my hair had been charmed to be the same violent shade of reddish-orange as the Weasleys'.

Harry, Ron, and I crept up to their dorm room to open our presents, since the twins and Cedric were still asleep and we didn't feel like waiting. My favorite gift was the roughly-whittled model of a dragon from Hagrid; I immediately pulled out my wand and cast a charm to make the eyes blink. I hoped he liked the little dragon I had crocheted for him.

Hermione had gotten Ron, Harry, and me all Chocolate Frogs, as if to apologize for that one day in History of Magic. I laughed when I saw it, because I had gotten Harry Chocolate Frogs too, to help start his collection.

Harry's last parcel was the most exciting of all. He tore it open, and a shining piece of fabric slid out of his hands and onto the floor. Ron and I exchanged an amazed glance.

"Is that-"

"I think it is."

Harry furrowed his brows. "What? What is it?"

"It's an Invisibility Cloak," I said. "I think so anyway."

"I'm sure it is," Ron agreed. "Try it on, Harry!"

Harry draped it around his shoulders, and everything below his neck vanished instantly.

Ron whooped with delight. "It is! Look down!"

Harry sprinted to the mirror to confirm what Ron and I were already seeing, sending a small scrap of paper flying out of its folds. I grabbed it and handed it to him. "This fell out."

"Thanks," he said, clearing his throat before reading the note aloud. "Your father left this in my possession before he died. It is time it was returned to you. Use it well. A very merry Christmas to you." He blinked and looked up, looking as if he'd seen a ghost. "This was my dad's."

Ron didn't seem to have heard anything Harry said. "I'd give anything for one of these, anything."

"So would your brothers," I said softly, "and I think I hear them coming. Might want to hide that, Harry."

He had barely managed to stuff it into his trunk before the twins made their entrance, a very sleepy-looking Cedric just behind them.

"Merry Christmas!"

"Hey, look, Harry's got a Weasley jumper too!"

"Harry's is better than ours, though, she obviously makes more of an effort if you're not family."

"Why aren't you wearing yours, Ron? Come on, get it on, they're lovely and warm."

"You haven't got a letter on yours. I suppose she thinks you don't forget your name. But we're not stupid – we know we're called Gred and Forge."

I laughed. "Why did you two switch them?"

"You know, Lu, you're the first person to ever ask that question."

"If you can tell us apart, we might as well make you your own Weasley jumper, you're practically family."

"What's all this noise?" Percy asked, his curly red hair standing nearly straight up.

Fred and George turned on him quickly, excited to have a new victim.

"P for prefect! Get it on, Percy, come on, we're all wearing ours, even Harry got one."

His protests were drowned out as they shoved it over his head.

"And you're not sitting with the Prefects today, either, Christmas is a time for family. And Lucy and Cedric, of course, we can adopt them for a day. Lucy's already got the hair! Cedric, you want to match?"

When the twins lifted their wands threateningly, he backed away. "No, no, I'm good, it suits you two better anyway."

"Nonsense, old chap, there's plenty of ginger to go around," Fred insisted, chasing him down the staircase with George hot at his heels.

Percy shook his head and sighed as he straightened out his jumper, even though a small smile was on his face. "Merry Christmas, indeed."

Our magic-free snowball fight very quickly deteriorated into frenzied snow-slinging. The twins tried to advocate for a team of redheads against a team of brunettes, but Harry and Cedric shut them down, seeing as I was only a temporary redhead. (They used one heck of a charm --- I couldn't fully reverse it until New Year's.)

The best part of the day, however, came when the twins were being chased around the castle by Percy because they had stolen his prefect's badge. Again. As the three of them jumped through the portrait hole, I turned to Harry and Ron.

"I need to get revenge for my hair. If they ask where I am, just... I don't know, stall them as long as possible."

"Lucy? Pulling a prank?" Ron asked as he and Harry exchanged a bemused look. "Are you feeling alright?"

I nodded, grinning from ear to ear. "Fantastic." I drew my wand and bounded up the stairs of the boys' dormitory, bursting into the room labelled with a sign reading "Third years BEST YEARS (especially Fred and George)." Yeah, this was the twins' room alright.

Fortunately, the twins had left their snow-soaked sweaters draped over their respective trunks, G for Gred and F for Forge. I dug through their trunks, looking for something, anything, that might inspire me, Fred's first. Finding nothing but half-finished essays and balled-up robes (along with plenty of suspiciously-Dungbomb-shaped packages), I dove into George's. His was significantly more organized than Fred's, to my surprise. There was a stack of textbooks along the left, and his robes were well-folded.

It occurred to me that I could enchant their underwear. I plucked through George's stacks of clothes until I came across a pair of checkered boxers at the very bottom of the chest. I grabbed them, and was about to go find Fred's, but a square piece of parchment fell to the ground. I stared at it for a second, utterly baffled as to why anyone would keep such an old piece of parchment in boxers, of all things. I considered for half a second just taking it and leaving; it was obviously important. But just as soon as the idea occurred to me, I shook it from my head and carefully returned the parchment to the bottom of the trunk. I didn't want to take something important to them, I was just out to have a little fun. I found a pair of Fred's boxers much faster and considered my options.

I smirked as an idea came to me. I swirled my wand and shoved the boxers under their pillows, to be discovered that night when they went to bed. I made it back to Harry and Ron before the twins and Percy.

"What'd you do?" Harry asked with wide eyes.

"Let's just say they won't get their boxers mixed up anymore," I answered vaguely.

Less than a second later, a flushed yet smiling Percy climbed through the portrait hole, proudly holding the stolen badge high above his head. "I got it!"

"We let you get it!" came identical protests. Harry, Ron, and I exchanged a glance and burst into laughter.

When I returned to my silent dormitory that night, it seemed I had missed a parcel. I read the note on top before opening it.

This will come in handy in the years to come. Keep it close, and don't lose it. You will want to start on page 1, but pay close attention to page 15. Merry Christmas, Lucy.

Thoroughly baffled, I opened the tissue paper to reveal a very old book of what appeared to be ancient runes. I couldn't even read the title; scanning through the pages confirmed that not a single word was in English. I sat down on the bed, the book suddenly feeling very heavy in my hands as I wondered what it could mean.

Who was it from? Why? Would it help with our search from Nicolas Flamel? The handwriting wasn't Hagrid's, but who else knew we were looking for something?

I tucked the book securely at the bottom of my trunk, not unlike George's unusual piece of parchment, and stuck the note in page 15 like a bookmark. I showered quickly and climbed into bed, trying to force the book from my mind, but I simply couldn't. I crawled out of bed and grabbed it, heading down to the common room in my nightgown and not even bothering to put socks or slippers on my bare feet. For a fleeting second, I considered running up to Percy Weasley's room and asking, because if anyone would know anything about the book, I figured it would be him. I decided against this, however, and instead set the book on the coffee table and perused the bookshelves, looking for a left-behind Ancient Runes textbook or anything, really, that would help. I was too short to reach the third and fourth shelves, so I planted my bare foot on the second shelf and pushed myself up.

"Lucy?"

I nearly fell in surprise. I managed to make it look like I jumped off intentionally and landed on my feet. There was nobody there. "Hello?"

"Oh, sorry." Harry's head suddenly appeared. "That was probably confusing."

"A little," I admitted.

"What are you doing up?"

I smiled sheepishly. "Couldn't sleep, but I'm guessing you really want to know why I was climbing the shelf. What are you doing up?"

"Just going to test this out," he said, sending his own sheepish smile my direction. "Why were you climbing the shelf?"

I grabbed the book of runes and handed it to him. "When I got back to my room," I explained in a low whisper, "this was on my bed with a note saying I'd need it in the years to come and telling me to pay special attention to page 15. Hey, wait a second." I took the note out and held it out in front of us in the firelight. "Harry, does this look like the same handwriting to you as your note?"

He squinted. "It might be. We can confirm tomorrow." As he read the note for himself, a mischievous glint entered his green eyes. "I wasn't sure where to go, but now I'm thinking we should go to the library and find a book that would help us."

"Or," I said in an even softer whisper, "we could sneak into the Restricted Section and look for a book about Nicolas Flamel. We could get an ancient runes book easily, but this would be the only way to get into the Restricted Section."

Harry smiled. "I like the way you think. The twins were highly amused by your revenge prank, by the way. They said something about how you needed to watch your back the next couple days."

"Oh brother," I giggled. "What have I started? Anyway, let's go."

Fortunately, the cloak covered us both easily. We climbed through the portrait hole, suppressing giggles at the indignant squawks of the Fat Lady, and made our way to the library.

"I didn't think to bring my wand," I whispered. "We should light a lamp."

Since Harry was the taller one of the two of us, he was in charge of holding the light while I scanned the titles.

"What about that one?" he asked after a couple of minutes, gesturing with the lamp toward a large silver and black book.

"Sure," I whispered back. He set the lamp down, and the book was so heavy it took both of us tugging on the spine to get it out. We opened it on the ground, and to our horror, the book began to scream. Harry staggered backwards, yanking the cloak off of me and knocking the lamp over. He hurriedly threw the fabric back over me and grabbed me around the shoulders as we ran, careful not to expose me again. We ducked under the arm of the caretaker, Argus Filch, and ran blindly until we nearly smacked into a very tall suit of armor.

Harry relaxed his arm around my shoulders, and we sagged against the wall, making sure to keep the cloak firmly around both of us.

"You asked me to come directly to you, Professor, if anyone was wandering around at night, and somebody's been in the library. Restricted Section."

Harry stiffened beside me, and I stopped breathing entirely.

"The Restricted Section? Well, they can't be far, we'll catch them."

It was undoubtedly Professor Snape who replied. I would have remained frozen in place in fear if Harry hadn't grabbed my arm and pulled me into a nearby room, whose door was slightly ajar. I flinched slightly at the touch, but I followed him anyway, understanding we'd be caught if we didn't leave the narrow hallway.

Neither of us dared to move until their footsteps and voices had faded entirely. Harry was the first to find his voice.

"That was close," he whispered, breathing heavily.

I nodded, slipping out from under the cloak and closing the door silently. I heard Harry's soft footsteps wander over to what looked like a massive mirror. I glanced around the room to see for myself where we were. I could tell from the moonlight streaming through the windows that we were in some sort of storage room, or maybe an old classroom. Desks and bookshelves were stacked haphazardly against the walls. The only truly unusual thing about the room was the mirror.

A soft whisper broke the silence. "Mum? Dad?"

The cloak slowly slid from Harry. He was nearly touching the mirror. He stepped even closer, lifting a hand to his shoulder. His face was halfway between joy and heartbreak; he appeared dazed, but perhaps in a good way. A sudden fear gripped me. Was he being bewitched?

"Harry?" I asked, taking a couple of steps closer. "Is everything alright?"

He blinked hard and stumbled away. "Yeah. Yeah, I'm alright." His gaze remained locked on the mirror, but he beckoned to me. "Come here, Lucy. Meet my family. Er, kind of."

I peered into the mirror. "I'm sorry, Harry, but I don't see them. I only see you."

"Oh." Harry seemed puzzled, but he stepped out of the mirror. "Can you see them now?"

"No," I said, shaking my head as an image began to form.

"Do you see your family?"

"No..." I reached up and touched my cheek, and watched as my reflection did the same. "My scars are gone." I looked above my reflection's head, and I saw a full moon shining brightly. Yet I was still human, and more than that, whole. The parts of my legs showing beneath the nightgown weren't scarred either, nor were my hands. I took a step closer, and the scene changed. "No, now Cedric is coming up behind me, with two brooms. He... he offered me one, and now he's taken off, and he's flying away..." I took another step closer, eager to see more, but the scene changed again. "No, wait, now... now I see a girl. But she... she's crying. And now she's running toward me. It looks like she wants a hug-"

I jumped and whirled around, but there was nobody behind me, only an old wardrobe. I looked toward Harry, and realized my hand was still touching my cheek. I dropped it quickly and pulled the sleeves of my nightgown over my hands self-consciously. "Reckon it's safe to go back now?"

He nodded, tossing the cloak over me. We made our way back to the common room without incident. When we shed the cloak, I grabbed my book and hugged it to my chest, looking at Harry, suddenly shy to be standing there in my nightgown, with my scarred legs and scarred feet so exposed.

"What do you think the mirror shows?" he asked, his voice tight with emotion.

"I don't know," I answered, looking down. "I... I don't know who the girl was, or why I saw three different things while you only saw one."

"I'll take Ron tomorrow night," he said, "and we can try to figure it out."

"And I'll try to figure out more about this book," I replied. I looked back up at him. "Would you mind not telling anyone what I saw in the mirror? I... I'm not even going to tell Cedric, at least not yet."

"I won't tell anyone. Good night, Lucy."

"Thank you." I sighed, then offered what smile I could manage. "Good night, Harry."

When I fell asleep, images of the girl with the blond hair and shining blue eyes crossed my vision. Maybe the adventure wasn't what Harry and I had expected it to be, but it was undeniably an adventure nonetheless.

A/N: Hi everyone! I hope you enjoyed this chapter! As always, thank you so much to those of you who have read this far, and please feel free to comment what you think!