A white flag waves in the dark between my head and my heart
My armor falls apart
As if I could let myself be seen, even deeply known
Like I was already brave enough to let go

"Five"
Sleeping At Last

LUCY:

For as much joy Norbert brought to my life, his absence left me feeling hollow.

Harry, Hermione, and Neville were shunned by nearly everyone. Ron and I were practically the only ones who talked to them; even Fred and George clammed up during meals when they were around, eventually moving away to sit with other people altogether. Ron often studied with Harry and Hermione in the library. The library was too uncomfortable for Neville most of the time; I brought him to my Quidditch hideout instead, where at least he could escape the glares for a little while.

When Hermione stopped answering questions in class, I began to raise my hand more and more. Harry offered to quit the Quidditch team, which Skye immediately shot down, but everyone on the team referred to him as "the Seeker" rather than Harry. My pleas to treat my friends like people fell on deaf ears, but I tried anyway.

"Lucy, you don't have to burn all of your bridges," Harry said one day as we returned from practice.

I grinned. "Was that a dragon joke?"

He laughed a little. "No, I was being serious. I mean, it wasn't you who got caught. It wasn't you who left the Invisibility Cloak at the top of the astronomy tower. You were the one who saved it from being seen by Dumbledore and McGonagall, after all. People have no reason to shun you the way they have, and you shouldn't be burning bridges just because we were stupid."

"I'm not the one burning bridges, they are. And you weren't stupid, accidents happen even when we try to do the right thing. I'm going to stand by you, and Hermione, and Neville, and so is Ron. If everyone thinks that's the wrong decision, why should I care? I know the truth about what happened that night, so why would I join everyone else in shunning you?"

"I just don't understand why I'm worth it," he admitted. "You and the twins, you were so close, but now they don't even sit with you because you're sitting with us."

"They'll come around. Until they do, I'm more than happy to be your friend, Harry. You did the right thing at the end of the day and you can't convince me otherwise."

He relented after that, and seemed to come out of his shell a bit around me. Hermione, however, had retreated so far into herself it was impossible to talk to her unless it was a brief exchange about what we were studying. Every time I tried to talk to her about something else and reassure her everything would work out, it was as if my words bounced off of an invisible shielding charm. She didn't really speak to me until a week before the full moon when Hedwig dropped a note in my lap.

"Harry, Hedwig must be confused," I said with half a laugh, passing him the folded piece of parchment.

He shook his head and handed it back to me. "No, it's for you. See?" Surely enough, "FOR LUCY" was scrawled on the underside of the note.

I scanned the note quickly, and felt the blood drain from my face.

"Lucy, what is it?" Hermione asked, fixing me with her best mind-reading stare.

"Hagrid wants to talk to me." I swallowed. "Meet you in our dorm afterwards?"

Hermione nodded, and I headed down to his hut. As nice as it was to feel the sun streaming through Hagrid's windows, it was yet another reminder that Norbert was gone.

"Dumbledore wanted to be the one to tell yeh this," Hagrid began as he gestured for me to take a seat at the table, "but somethin' came up and he said I could. So well... there's bin somethin' off in the Forbidden Forest lately. Remember when you an' Ron were here the night a kid got lost?"

My eyes wandered to the couch, where the burn mark remained. I nodded. "Yeah, I remember."

"Well, when we found 'im, he was blubbering about a dead unicorn in the forest. It sounded like rubbish of course, because killin' a unicorn... that's just..."

"Unheard of," I finished for him. "I've heard that from my dad dozens of times. Drinking its blood can keep you alive, but it comes with a curse. My dad found someone once who got lost and tried to stay alive by drinking unicorn blood, but she accidentally drained the corpse and died anyway."

"It's just awful," Hagrid said sorrowfully. "Beautiful creatures, unicorns, though they never did like me all tha' much. I think I frighten 'em. Anyway, Lucy... I found the body, so I knew it wasn't rubbish. But ever since, I've bin seein' more an' more trails of blood an' the like, and I've spoken to both Dumbledore and Kettleburn about it, an', well, Dumbledore wanted to ask yeh if yeh would mind takin' wolfsbane this month an' tryin' ter get down to the bottom o' this."

"I'll do it," I replied immediately. "I'll need to start taking the potion tonight."

"Professor Snape already has it prepared. Dumbledore reckoned you'd agree." Hagrid sighed. "We all hate ter ask this of you, since it went so badly las' time."

"I know what to expect this time. Now I just need to figure out how to prepare." I bit my lip. "Does Cedric know?"

"Tha's the other thing," he said slowly. "Dumbledore'd like to keep it a secret 's long as we can. You can come here to take the potion, since Cedric won't be helpin' this time."

"I understand," I replied. "I can do that."

"Thanks fer agreein', Lucy. I dunno what I could have said to convince yeh. I would rather not ask yeh to do this, but-"

"It's okay, Hagrid," I said, even as cold fear settled in my bones. "Really. I just want to help." I smiled. "See you tonight?"

He nodded. "See yeh tonight."

I opted not to tell Hermione. If Professor Dumbledore didn't want my family to know so they weren't worrying about me, I figured I shouldn't place that burden of worrying on anyone else either. Besides, I figured I had learned my lesson about wolfsbane in September, and I figured I knew how to prepare.

But I had to be careful. I had nobody to lean on this month. I had to be careful around even --- especially --- Hermione and Cedric, who would recognize that I was more sick than usual. And I was doing a great job of it, until Wednesday came and everything nearly fell apart.

I made it through Wednesday's classes easily enough, but nothing could have prepared me for Quidditch practice.

I had been sleeping little and eating even less all week. It didn't matter much in class, since all we were doing at that point was reviewing anyway, but as soon as I took to the sky, I felt all of it at once, it seemed.

I couldn't score a goal no matter how hard I tried. The Quaffle was too heavy, and the Bludgers were too fast. It was all I could do to stay on my broom. When one particularly fast Bludger struck me on the back of the head and nearly knocked me off, Skye shouted for Angelina to take my place and sent me up to join Harry as Seeker.

"Maybe this is why we don't let first-years on Quidditch teams," came Fred's voice as I passed the Quaffle to Angelina. "One can't stay on a broom, the other can't stay out of trouble."

"Shut up," Skye snapped. "Everyone's allowed a bad day, Weasley. Last I checked, I'm the Captain and I call the shots. And it's funny you should mention trouble, because if you don't shut up and start focusing on this practice, you'll be in it with me."

My face burned equally with fever and embarrassment as I joined Harry above the practice.

"You alright, Lucy?" he asked.

I managed a nod. "Just feeling a little off today."

He nodded back in understanding and returned his attention to the field. I kept scanning for the Snitch, but the pounding in my head from the last Bludger was making me so dizzy it was hard to focus.

I don't know how much time passed before Harry went darting after the Snitch, but I followed as best I could. As always, he caught it handily, and Skye had us take a few laps before ending the practice. I climbed off my broom slowly, expecting to feel better on the ground, but as soon as my feet hit the grass, the world around me pitched and I would have fallen if someone hadn't grabbed my shoulder.

"Lucy? Are you okay?"

I shook myself free and forced myself to stand up straight as I turned to face Fred. "Guess this is why first-years shouldn't be on Quidditch teams. We get a little dizzy after taking a Bludger to the back of the head." I limped into the locker room to toss Cedric's broom into his locker before heading to Hagrid's.

"You alrigh', Lucy?" he asked as soon as he opened the door.

I nodded as I stumbled inside. "Rough Quidditch practice." I glanced out the window and grabbed the goblet. "It's actually almost time. I'll be right back."

I slipped outside and settled down with my back against a pumpkin. I only had to wait a couple of minutes before taking the potion. I tried to chug it down the way I had the last couple of days, but no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't help but gag every other swallow. Defeated tears had leaked down my face by the time it was finally gone, and I wiped them with my shirt before heading back inside. I set the empty goblet down and sank into the couch.

"Is it okay if I stay here instead of going to the Great Hall, Hagrid?" I asked softly. "I don't really want to see anyone other than you at the moment."

"O' course, Lucy. Yeh want somethin' to eat?"

"I'm not hungry, but thank you." I reached a hand to touch the throbbing bump on the back of my head. "My head hurts more than anything. I reckon I look so awful because of the Bludger. I would have healed it myself, but my wand is up in my dormitory and I didn't have time to run up there and back here."

"This helps my headaches," Hagrid said as he pressed a very small teacup into my shaking hands. "Jes don't tell anyone I told yeh that."

Intrigued, I lifted the cup to my lips and took a small sip. The liquid inside burned all the way down my throat, but I didn't mind. It burned away the awful taste of wolfsbane. I coughed, then smiled. "Firewhisky?"

Hagrid smiled back. "Reckon you can keep another secret?"

I nodded. "It's already helping. Thank you." It was true. The steady throbbing in the back of my head was already easing.

"Don't drink more 'n that, but that should be enough. D'yeh want ter talk about practice?"

I shook my head. "It's okay. Er, well, it will be. I just don't want to face anyone on the team quite yet."

So instead, we talked about creatures. The ones I might encounter in the Forbidden Forest, and the ones we had always dreamed of seeing with our own eyes. I almost asked if Hagrid had ever seen a werewolf for himself before, but given the Norbert situation and his proven affinity for dangerous creatures, I didn't want to give him any ideas.

Once the pain in my head had dulled to a faint ache when I moved too quickly, I made my way up to my dormitory and showered. When I emerged, Hermione was rifling through her trunk.

"Looking for Astronomy notes?" I asked.

She nodded, turning around quickly. "Harry told us what happened. Are you alright?"

I nodded. "I was too dizzy to try the staircases, so I went to Hagrid's instead. I feel better now, but not great."

"You don't look that great, but you never do this close to a full moon."

"Gee thanks," I teased, taking the towel off my head and letting my hair fall to my shoulders. My headache was gone, but a raging stomachache was brewing. It seemed I was incapable of deciding if I was starving or stuffed; all I felt was shooting pain. I laid on my bed and curled into a ball to try to ease some of the hurt. "It's not that late already, is it?"

"No no," she assured me. "Astronomy is just next on my study schedule. I'll be studying in the common room tonight, if you'd like to join me? Assuming you don't feel too awful, that is." She glanced up and approached my bedside, book tucked under her arm. "Maybe you should stay here. You really do look awful. Worse than usual. How hard did it hit you?"

I buried my face in the towel, not wanting her to see how much worse I really was. "Hard," I said, my voice muffled. I pulled my face away. "But it's okay. I'll go study with you."

"Alright. Want me to dry your hair?"

I pushed myself to a sitting position and reached for my wand. "It's okay. A braiding charm and the fireplace will do for tonight." I dug my notes out of my trunk and headed down the stairs.

The common room was quiet; most people were either studying in the library or trying to catch up on sleep. Harry and Ron were already by the fireplace, so Hermione and I joined them there and set to work reviewing constellations and phases of the moon. Fitting, I thought.

We were discussing Aries when a paper airplane bounced off of my forehead. I glanced around to see who had thrown it, and my eyes immediately landed on the two most likely suspects. I unfolded the note and skimmed it, letting Harry read over my shoulder.

I'm sorry for what I said, it read in one type of handwriting. I didn't mean it. You're a talented Quidditch player, Cub, honest.

Fred did always have the hotter temper, said the other handwriting, but I was the one who sent that last Bludger. Are you alright?

Hotter temper? I think he meant hotter, period.

I'm only letting him keep that so it hopefully makes you laugh.

I smiled in spite of myself and scribbled a reply on the back.

I'm okay. Thanks for the note. I know you're still mad at my friends, but maybe the three of us could figure something out after we win the Ravenclaw match and get all of those points back.

I sent it back across the room and waved at them when they smiled at me.

"Who knew it'd take a Bludger to knock some sense into them?" Harry whispered. I snickered, and for a moment, everything was almost alright.

I only felt worse and worse as Saturday approached. Quidditch practice was even worse than Wednesday's had been, but the twins were careful not to send too many Bludgers my way, so I managed. They were still sitting with Lee Jordan and his group of friends during meals, but they had been friendlier with me and I was glad for it. We had yet to try to prank each other, but with final exams around the corner, I reasoned it was for the best anyway.

Madam Pomfrey had arranged for Cedric to be helping her at sunset so she could accompany me to the Forbidden Forest. I didn't know how the morning would go, assuming I made it until morning, but when he fell asleep, at least he wouldn't know where I really was.

To my surprise, Hagrid was waiting at the edge of the woods when we arrived. Madam Pomfrey handed me the final goblet with a couple of tears in her eyes. I was touched by her concern, truly, but it made me worry all the more. Fortunately, Hagrid seemed more confident, or at least he was better at hiding his fear.

"You'll be jus' fine," he said with a smile. "Yer smart an' brave an' yeh certainly know yer creatures. I know I'll see yeh in the mornin', hopefully with some answers."

I smiled as bravely as I could. "I'll do my best. See you then, Hagrid."

I clutched the goblet tightly in my hands and descended into the forest. I found a spot where I could see the sky clearly through the trees and settled with my back against a rock. I tried to breathe deeply to calm myself, but I was terrified.

I had been scared in September as well, but my only plan then was to sleep on the edge of the forest until the morning. I didn't know exactly what the forest held, but I never dreamed I'd come so close to death. I knew that the cloaked figure I had seen then was the one responsible for the unicorn deaths, but it was up to me to prove it now.

I had been scared the night of the troll attack, too. But I didn't have much time to be afraid, I only had time to act to protect my friends and myself. The fear settled in later, as the gravity of the danger finally hit me.

I had been scared when Harry nearly fell off his broom in November, not knowing if he'd walk off of the Pitch alive. I had been scared before every transformation in the Shrieking Shack, not knowing what I would do in the night when I lost myself to a monster. I had been scared so many times since September, but this fear was different. This fear was one fueled by knowledge. I knew what horrors I was walking into, what danger I had readily agreed to. I just hoped I was ready.

When the time came, I drank the potion as quickly as I could. I shuddered in the silent stillness for a couple of moments before the pain began.

One hundred thousand different knives plunged into my body at once. They ripped and pulled at my muscles, my organs, my skin, my very soul. The knives were twisted, and sharpened, and dragged, and plunged deeper and deeper until suddenly, it stopped.

I dared to open my eyes. I glanced down at my paws. I was aware of myself. And I had a job to do.

I couldn't go out, so my only direction was in. I tried to keep track of where I was going, but I quickly became lost on the various paths and around the different colonies of various creatures. Despite the chill of the night air, I felt as if I were on fire. Wolfsbane really was horrible for my body.

I kept my nose to the ground sniffing for any indication of unicorn blood. I wasn't even honestly sure if unicorns would present themselves to me. They favored human females, but I had never heard of a unicorn encountering a female werewolf.

After probably about an hour, I came to the lake Hagrid had mentioned. I peered around the perimeter, hoping for even the slightest shimmer of a unicorn. But the lake was motionless and dark.

I stepped forward and hesitantly dipped my head into the water in an attempt to mitigate the fever still burning through my body. I took a couple of sips, hoping the water wasn't poisoned, and turned onto a new path, one that was too overgrown for someone like Hagrid to navigate safely. As I ducked under brambles and wove through skeletal bushes, a couple of silvery strands of hair caught my eye. Sniffing them confirmed that a unicorn had passed through somewhat recently. I glanced at what ground was exposed around me, and saw deep hoofprints. The unicorn had been in a hurry.

I followed the prints until I came across the next tuft of fur for what felt like hours, but I never did find the unicorn itself. Instead, I found another set of footprints, that appeared to be human. They were too large to be mine and too small to be Hagrid's. I had found a clue.

The lack of blood implied to me that the human had failed to catch the unicorn, but I reckoned that whoever it was had come close, perhaps following the same trail I had. I followed the human footprints in reverse, practically dragging my nose on the ground in an attempt to commit the faint scent to memory. To my confusion, it smelled faintly of garlic and metal. To be quite frank, it smelled more like the Great Hall after a meal than a human. But I continued sniffing anyway. I could already feel my enhanced senses beginning to fade as the sky above lightened, but I continued to do my best.

I had nearly reached the edge of the forest when the first rays of the sun peeked over the horizon. The hundred thousand knives once again dug into my skin, but I was too tired and dehydrated and miserable to even scream. I took the pain with only a couple of whimpers and sobs, feeling the weight of my exhaustion press down on me as I lay on the forest floor.

I wiped the tears from my eyes and struggled to my knees. My whole body trembled with the effort, but I braced myself against the nearest tree and got to my feet. I could see a faint puff of smoke in the distance, and, hoping it was Hagrid's chimney, staggered towards it.

I knocked on the door and was immediately let in and led to the couch. Madam Pomfrey got to me first, asking a slew of questions I answered as best I could.

"Where's Cedric?" I managed to ask somewhere between her pulling a thorn out of my hand and her taking my temperature.

"Still sleeping," she answered as she dabbed at a cut on my forehead and wordlessly used a healing spell to make it disappear fully. "I may have tampered with his dreamless sleep potion so he would sleep well past sunrise."

I bit back a chuckle. I didn't realize she could be so mischievous. When she was satisfied that I was well taken care of, she pressed a wideye potion into my hand and headed back to the castle, leaving me alone with Hagrid. I explained what little I had found, and he listened intently.

"I don't like the sound o' that," he said after I was finished, "but it's a really good start. Thank you, Lucy."

I blushed. "I'm sorry I couldn't find more. I'd be happy to take you to where I found the trails."

"I think I know where you might've seen 'em. I'll take Fang later today and see fer myself. You run up to the castle now, yeh've done yer part."

"Are you sure?"

He nodded. "Absolutely sure. I'll go with yeh an' report back to Dumbledore."

I made my way up to the dormitory and found all three of my roommates still asleep. I considered the wideye potion in my hand for a moment before tossing it into my chest and crawling in between my covers. I fell asleep as soon as my head hit the pillow, and didn't wake up again for a long time.

My birthday began normally enough. I had explained to Cedric earlier that week that I didn't want anyone to know it was my birthday. While he had teased me at first, threatening to ask Dumbledore himself to hang "HAPPY BIRTHDAY, LUCY" banners from the ceiling of the Great Hall, he eventually agreed that he would keep it low-key.

Just as I was about to enter the Great Hall for breakfast, he had dragged me outside. A small package waited under his favorite tree. The second I had lifted the lid, golden glitter exploded in my face.

"Cedric!" I squealed, laughing as I slapped at my robes and face. "What was that?"

"What, you didn't think I had it in me?" he asked with a smirk. "Come on, Lu, I've seen how happy those Weasley twins make you with their shenanigans. I had to try it myself. And look how well it worked!"

"I don't know a spell to get the glitter off, and you promised not to tell anyone it was my birthday. How will I explain this?"

"Well, look in the box. Maybe that'll help."

"If a red glitter bomb goes off, I won't hesitate to hex you so hard you-"

"Just open it," he chuckled. "I swear it won't bite. Or blow up."

I wrinkled my nose. "I guess I'll have to take your word for it."

I peered into the box. Surely enough, there were no creatures or joke products to be found, but there was a book. I reached inside and brushed the glitter off to read the title. Uggla Uzely's Guide to Utterly Useless Spells.

"I spotted it at Zonko's next to the glitter bombs," he explained. "Flip to page 23."

I did, and a rectangular piece of paper floated into my lap. I lifted it up, and saw that it was a picture of Cedric and me on my seventh birthday. Cedric was standing behind me, smiling as I attempted to blow my candles out. But no matter how hard I tried, the candles always flickered back to life.

"That was the year Dad bought those prank candles that never stop burning, wasn't it?" I asked.

He nodded. "I figured it seemed appropriate. But beyond that..." He pointed at the chapter title. "I figured you might be needing this chapter more than others."

"'How to Clean Up Various Messes Before the Nosy Questions Come,'" I read aloud. "Wow, who knew that would come in handy so soon? Tell me, Ced, did you get the book to make the glitter bomb make sense, or the glitter bomb just to make sure the book served a purpose?"

My brother laughed. "That's a secret I'll never tell. Fortunately for you, I already went to the trouble of learning the spell that absorbs all of the glitter."

With a flick and a sound similar to slurping soup off a spoon, the glitter on my robes was sucked into his wand. I grinned. "Wicked." I threw my arms around him. "Thank you, Cedric, this is amazing."

"Of course," he replied. "Just remember who got you that book, if you ever decide to try a prank with anything in there."

"Don't worry, I reserve my mischief for the red-headed nuisances. You should be safe."

"Should be?"

"Yeah," I said mysteriously. "Should be."

I ran the box up to my dormitory quickly and hid it in my chest before heading down to the Great Hall, my spirits were high. But I could tell immediately something was wrong.

"What is it?" I asked. "Why does everyone look so upset?"

Harry passed a piece of parchment into my hand, which I read quickly.

Your detention will take place at eleven o'clock tonight. Meet Mr. Filch in the entrance hall. Professor McGonagall

My heart dropped. "Well... that would explain why everyone looks so upset." They cracked grins at this. I frowned at the piece of paper. "Well, I wish we knew what it was so we could prepare."

Harry sighed. "Professor McGonagall agreed to it, so how bad can it be?"

"She wouldn't let anything get out of hand," I assured him.

"I don't know," Hermione said softly. "She was furious with us."

I had no words to offer that would make the situation better, so I said nothing.

The rest of my birthday aside from Quidditch practice was spent studying, at least as best I could while stuck between the dread of the looming detention and the general birthday spirit that was in the air for me. I hugged Harry and Hermione and Neville tightly before they left the common room at half past ten. Ron and I kept a quiet vigil in front of the fireplace, playing wizard's chess and trying not to worry too much about our friends. When midnight, then one o'clock, then two o'clock came and went, though, we couldn't focus on the game anymore.

"Something tells me they're not just doing lines," Ron said nervously. "But what else could they be doing?"

"I honestly have no idea," I admitted. "I'm trying to remember what your brothers' detentions have been like, but I don't remember them ever being this long."

Finally, the portrait hole swung open and they stepped inside. I jumped up just as Hermione flung herself at me, burying her face in my shoulder. I stroked her back, sending a questioning glance Harry's way as Neville climbed the stairs to his dorm without a word.

"What happened, mate?" Ron asked. "You look awful. And Hermione..."

"Our detention was in the Forbidden Forest," Harry explained in a quiet voice. "It... it was..."

"I'm so sorry," I said, holding Hermione a little tighter before she let go and swiped at her eyes. Understanding settled in my stomach like a rock. I already knew why they had been there, but I asked anyway. "Why on earth were you there of all places?"

"It's a longer story than you're probably expecting," he said slowly. He closed his eyes. "I don't even know where to start."

I guided Hermione to the couch. Her face was still pale, and she shook violently. I rubbed my hand up and down her arm as Harry explained, pacing back and forth.

"We were looking for clues about a unicorn that had been wounded. Hagrid said it was the second in a week, I think. I started with Hermione and Hagrid, but Malfoy thought it was funny to pull a jump scare on Neville so I got stuck with him and Fang. We came across the unicorn, and there was a cloaked figure drinking its blood. Malfoy screamed and ran away, but I... there was this horrible pain in my scar, it still hasn't fully gone away, and I honestly think I fainted. Next thing I knew, a centaur was standing over me, and two others joined him, and they started arguing about something they had seen in the stars. And... and... well, he didn't say this outright, but Voldemort had to have been the one drinking the blood."

At this point, I was sure I was as pale as Hermione. I bit my lip. "So he's in the Forbidden Forest, killing unicorns to stay alive? That's what unicorn blood does," I explained quickly to Ron, who looked rather confused. "My dad's told me about it a dozen times. It keeps you alive, but it curses you at the same time. Only the most desperate people would drink it."

Harry nodded vigorously. "But if Snape wants the Stone for Voldemort, it wouldn't matter that his life is cursed, he'd live forever... and all this time, we thought Snape just wanted to get rich... but Voldemort's waiting in the forest..."

"Stop saying the name!" Ron gasped. Harry didn't seem to hear him and kept talking, but whether it was to himself or to us it was hard to tell.

"Firenze saved me, but he shouldn't have done so, Bane was furious. He was talking about interfering with what the planets say is going to happen, they must show that Voldemort's coming back. Bane thinks Firenze should have let Voldemort kill me, I suppose that's written in the stars as well. So all I've got to wait for now is Snape to steal the Stone, then Voldemort will be able to come and finish me off. Well, I suppose Bane'll be happy."

"Will you stop saying the name?" Ron begged.

"Harry, if you think for a second we'll let You-Know-Who finish you off, so to speak, think again," I said.

Hermione straightened up and offered her own assurance. "Everyone says Dumbledore's the only one You-Know-Who was ever afraid of, so with Dumbledore around, You-Know-Who won't touch you. Anyway, who says the centaurs are right? It sounds like fortune-telling to me, and Professor McGonagall says that's a very imprecise branch of magic."

A sudden, horrible realization occurred to me. "Oh. W-Wait. Harry, what did the cloaked figure look like?"

"It was hard to tell," he replied. "It was dark. But whoever it was seemed tall. The hood covered any facial features, though."

The air in the room suddenly seemed way too thick. I wrapped my arms around my torso and stared at my socks.

"Why do you ask?" Harry inquired.

"That night in September," I replied, my voice small even to my own ears, "I think I was attacked by Voldemort." I sighed shakily. "I told everyone that I didn't remember what happened, because the fact of the matter is that my memory is fuzzy anyway and I thought everyone would think I was batty for thinking a human was what attacked me. But I did wake up when, well, I was in so much pain." I traced my scars on my hands as I talked faster and faster. "And I saw a cloaked figure. So I guess, well, I guess I was attacked by Voldemort. But why wouldn't he have killed me?"

"Maybe he wasn't strong enough," Hermione suggested.

"He didn't attack me tonight," Harry said, "or at least not with a wand." He rubbed his forehead. "I don't know what happened with my scar, but it's happened before tonight, so I... I don't know."

"Do you want me to try a healing spell?" I offered. "I can run up and get my wand."

He shook his head. "I don't think it'll help, but thanks for offering, Lucy."

We talked until nearly sunrise. About the forest, about the centaurs, about the unicorns, about the Stone. About Snape, about Voldemort, about Dumbledore. I stumbled up to my dorm with Hermione, utterly exhausted, but one last birthday surprise awaited me beneath my covers.

I grabbed the piece of parchment paper and held it up to the candlelight. On one side, there was a note written in the same handwriting as the note that accompanied my ancient runes book.

"Translate this and commit it to memory," it read. "It may yet become more important than even your end-of-year exams. Happy birthday, Lucy."

On the other side was a long passage in ancient runes. I was too tired to begin to make sense of it that night, but I tucked it securely into the book in my chest. I fell asleep glad I had spent most of the day studying; deciphering that mysterious passage would take a while.

A/N: Hi, everyone! Thank you so much to those of you who have continued to stick with me and my story through all of these crazy times! Escapism is definitely my primary coping strategy these days, so I hope I've been able to provide you all with a bit of release as well.

If anyone's wondering, Lucy's birthday is May 23. I decided to give her my birthday because quite frankly, I think I see more of myself in Lucy than in any other character I've created, for better or for worse. This story has shaped me a lot the past couple of months, and I really can't wait to watch it grow over the summer as I get more and more time to work on it.

As always, feedback is loved and appreciated in any way, shape, or form! You can be honest! I love hearing from you, and I'd love to hear whatever you have to say about the story. If you're looking for a friend, please don't hesitate to shoot me a private message, too! I know that this time is extremely difficult for everyone, and if you'd like to talk about anything from Harry Potter to the fate of the world, I'm always available to help someone in need.

Stay safe and keep your head up! Love you all!