LUCY:

I'll admit that I missed my dog more than my parents when I was at school.

The second Cedric opened the front door, Tuck nearly barreled him over in his barking mad rush to get to me. I dropped to my knees as Tuck immediately began to cover my face in a layer of slobber. I didn't mind, though; I had missed him too.

"I missed you too, pal," Cedric teased, coming over to stroke the top of Tuck's head, "but I think you know Lucy missed you more."

"He was lonely with only your father and me for company," Mum chuckled. "Stand up, Lucy, you'll get your skirt dirty."

I blushed as I rose to my feet, Tuck still making happy barking noises as we stumbled inside. Cedric and I climbed the stairs to our bedrooms, Tuck close behind.

The familiar scent of Mum's flowers hit my nose as I entered my room; one of her gardens was just below my window, which someone had opened for me already. I plopped my suitcase on my bed and opened it, but I wasn't quite ready to unpack yet.

I glanced around my room. It was the same as I had left it, as I expected, but it just felt different. The rays of the setting sun bathed my pastel yellow walls in a warm glow, but I found myself missing the vibrancy of the red Gryffindor walls, and the way the sunset made them look like they were on fire. My wardrobe in the corner of the room, which I once saw as a guardian protecting me from spooks in the middle of the night, now made my ribs ache with the pain of being crushed under a wardrobe not altogether unlike that one. I rubbed them out of habit and approached my window.

The view hadn't changed at all. My bedroom overlooked the nearby woods that stretched all the way to the village. I turned to the right; I knew the Weasleys' Burrow was that direction. I knew there was no way that I'd be able to see it from my window, but I squinted anyway. I missed the twins already, and Ron as well. I missed all of my friends already. The stillness of my room, once a comforting escape, now seemed to mock me with how alone I was.

I heard a soft tap at the door, and I turned to see Cedric smiling knowingly. "Feels different, doesn't it?"

I nodded, and he joined me at the window, pushing it further open so we could both lean forward out of it ever so slightly.

"Hogwarts still has better sunsets," I remarked.

He laughed. "I agree. But this view isn't bad either."

Tuck came up behind me and nudged my leg, as if to remind me he was still there and still in desperate need of attention after my almost ten months away. I laughed and turned to scratch behind his ear, and he wagged his forked tail in satisfaction.

"Cedric! Lucy! Dinner!" came a call from down the stairs.

"Whatever happens, don't mention the Stone," I whispered quickly. "I think it's best if they don't know."

He nodded in silent agreement, and we headed down the stairs.

"How were exams this year, my boy?" Dad asked as we took our seats around the table.

"Lucy and I both did well," he replied with a smile.

"Were they difficult this year? How was the Ancient Runes exam? Never took that class myself of course, my friends cautioned me against it, but I'm glad you took my suggestion and braved it anyway."

"It was difficult, but Henry and I spent a fair amount of time studying together and both did well."

Just the mention of ancient runes made a small amount of pride swell in my chest. I had never seen Hermione look so impressed with me as she had when I recited the riddle. I definitely planned to make more progress with the book this summer, as soon as I finished my required schoolwork.

"How about Quidditch? Hufflepuff won the Quidditch Cup this year, I'm sure?"

Cedric smiled and nudged me. "You talk about it, Lu. It's your news, after all."

My parents turned to me with raised eyebrows. I blushed and cleared my throat. "Gryffindor won the Cup."

I would have stopped there, but Cedric nudged me again. "There's a little more to the story than that."

I felt myself blushing even more. "I played Seeker in the last match, since Harry was injured. I caught the Snitch."

"Harry? As in Harry Potter?"

I nodded. "He was the team's Seeker, the youngest in a century, I think. But he got hurt two days before the match, so I filled in for him."

"I thought you wanted to play Beater," Mum said.

"I like Chaser best," I corrected in a softer voice, rubbing the back of my neck, "and that's what I'll play next year, since Skye Parkin graduated this year, but I played Seeker during practices as well so the team agreed I should play Seeker."

"Seeker is the most glorious position," Dad asserted. "I never was one for Quidditch, myself, but if I were to play, I would want to be Seeker."

"I was a Gryffindor Keeper in my day," Mum said, "like your friend Henry, Ced. Who's the Gryffindor Keeper, Lucy?"

"Oliver Wood," I replied. "He'll be Captain next year in Skye's absence."

"I met her father once," Dad said, always eager to make connections. "He was on campus the same day I was delivering creatures for Hagrid's birthday party several years ago."

"That's when you met Adalyn for the first time, right, Dad?" Cedric asked.

Dad nodded. "She helped plan the party. She truly had a special connection with Hagrid, it seemed, she was more or less in charge of everything. He certainly appreciates his creatures, that Hagrid."

I thought of Norbert, and for the first time, I didn't want to cry thinking about him. Instead, I smiled. "He really does. Whenever I visited his hut, we usually ended up talking about creatures."

"When did you visit his hut?" Cedric asked.

I pursed my lips, trying to remember. I obviously couldn't mention the wolfsbane, or Norbert. Or the Stone. Or, well, most of my visits. "I think I went for the first time after a Quidditch match," I said. "The party was too loud for me, so I ducked outside and Hagrid saw me and invited me to his hut for tea. We ended up talking about dragons. Speaking of, Dad, have you had to handle any dragons for work lately?"

I was surprised by my own ingenuity sometimes. In this instance, I could both get the attention off of myself and potentially receive an update on Norbert. Dad seemed to like the idea, too, as he immediately launched into a long-winded story about having to chase a dragon across the English countryside with his entire team before it destroyed a small Muggle village.

"A couple of people saw it before we were able to capture it," he said, "and we started performing memory charms on them, but one of the people was... a special case."

He paused for dramatic effect. After a moment, Cedric asked, "How so, Dad?"

"She wasn't hysterical like the others. We weren't even sure she had seen the dragon at first, so we asked. She nodded and smiled, then she told us that she knew a boy who was turned into a dragon once, but he was changed back."

"Is that even possible?" I asked.

Dad sighed and leaned back in his chair. "Not that I know of. She was likely just old and a bit batty. She seemed to be a Muggle, at any rate."

"What was her name?"

"Ruth Byrne." Dad cocked his head. "Why so curious tonight, Lucy?"

I blushed. "Just that. Curious."

"Oh, and Cedric, that reminds me," Mum said, smirking slightly. "I worked with Elizabeth Chang in the Ministry greenhouses the other day, and she mentioned that her daughter, Cho, was hoping to play Seeker for Ravenclaw once the current Seeker graduates. Do you know when that will be?"

"I think he will graduate next year," he answered.

I nodded. "He will. He's a sixth-year."

"Did you catch the Snitch before him, Ced?" Dad asked.

He nodded. "He put up a good fight. I think Lucy had an easier time with him."

"It was the broom," I said quickly, feeling my blush return yet again. "I borrowed Harry's for the match. He said I could if-" I stopped myself. "He said I could."

I was worried my parents would press, but they didn't.

"Is that the reason Harry beat you to the Snitch?" Dad asked instead.

I bit my lip before I could say something I regretted. Fire surged within me, but I hurriedly tried to stamp it down.

"No," Cedric said, "he's truly the better Seeker. I need to practice more this summer."

I wished he had blamed it on the broom, but Cedric, too-honest Cedric, didn't. Dad nodded slowly and returned his attention to his dinner. I slowly nudged Cedric's foot with mine in what I hoped was a comforting gesture. He offered me his best "It's okay" look and busied himself with his dinner as well as a heavy silence hung over the table.

"Just the same," Mum interjected gently after a moment, "Mrs. Chang was wondering if you'd mind helping Cho prepare for her tryout whenever the time comes. According to her, Cho really looks up to you."

Cedric smiled. "Of course, I'd be happy to help. I'll send her a letter sometime."

A few more attempts at conversation were made as we finished, but Mum said we both looked tired and suggested we unpack at least our pajamas and toothbrushes before we turned in for the night. Once in my room, I closed the door behind me and took a deep breath to quench the last of the fire in my belly.

As I lowered myself on my bed next to my suitcase, I glanced around my room again. Now bathed in candlelight, the pale walls still seemed to glow, but it didn't seem as inviting as it once did. I was more aware of the chill night air blowing through my open window than of whatever warmth the candles might have offered. I was more aware of the stars sprinkled across the dark sky than of the fires burning right in front of me. I was more aware of the energy within me than the attempts to calm it that surrounded me.

I missed Hermione. I missed Harry. I missed the Weasleys. I missed Neville. I missed Archie. I missed everyone.

Tuck seemed to sense my sadness, as he came and laid his head on my lap. I sighed as I stroked his head and scratched behind his ears. He leaned into my touch, and we remained there for several minutes.

When he retreated to his bed in the corner and curled up in a ball to sleep, I opened my suitcase and set to work, organizing my books on my bookshelf and hanging my robes in the wardrobe. As I did, I spied the envelope with my broom savings buried in the back corner, but I merely shut the door and glanced into my suitcase. My ancient runes book was the only thing left inside. I considered putting it on my bookshelf with the others, but I couldn't bring myself to do it. It seemed too special. Instead, I reopened my wardrobe and placed it on top of the envelope. I would grapple with those at a later date, I decided.

As much as I missed my friends, I started to rather enjoy summer too. Cedric and I quickly settled into a routine, and being home almost felt normal again, except for the schoolwork. We spent our mornings gardening with Mum and practicing Quidditch before it grew too hot and sunny outside. We spent our afternoons at the kitchen table, toiling away at our summer work and sending letters to friends. I finished my own schoolwork within a couple of weeks, since I had so much less than my poor brother, so instead, I read Cedric's books from his second year and dreamed of the day I'd be able to actually use magic again instead of just reading about it.

Nothing really remarkable happened until a week before the full moon. Cedric and I were flying in the backyard, tossing golf balls back and forth as "Snitches," when we heard two sets of female laughter coming from the house. I immediately descended and spied in a window to see who it was.

"It's Mrs. Weasley!" I whispered excitedly. "I wonder if she's brought anyone else."

"We'd know it by now if she had," Cedric laughed. "I'm sure the twins would have announced their arrival with no shortage of bells and whistles. Do you want to take to the skies again, or are you too excited?"

"No no, let's fly," I said, immediately shooting up again. I turned a loop and let the golf ball fly. Cedric caught it handily and smiled. I smiled back. "It was the broom. You're just modest. You bested Leo Wilde."

"So did you," he pointed out.

"On Harry's broom. It was the only time I've ever caught the Snitch. I'm no Seeker."

"Whatever you say." He tossed the golf ball back, which I managed to catch. He raised his eyebrows in a silent gesture of "I told you so," and I laughed.

"Perhaps we should both give ourselves more credit."

"Perhaps."

Cedric and I were outside for a while longer before Mum came outside and waved us down.

"Mrs. Weasley has just been by," Mum said, "and she invited you two for dinner, and asked if Lucy would like to sleep over with Ginny. I'm assuming that's alright with both of you?"

I barely managed to restrain my excitement as I nodded. "I'd love to! That's alright with you too, Ced, right?"

"Of course!" I knew he didn't know the twins --- or any of the other Weasleys, for that matter --- as well as I did, but he seemed excited nonetheless. "Sounds like I should start working on schoolwork now, while you pack a bag."

"She said that she'll send a couple of her boys down to pick you two up this afternoon," Mum explained, "so you both have time."

I furrowed my brow. "I don't know what to bring to a sleepover, though. I've never been to one."

Cedric took my broom from my hand and offered an encouraging smile. "You can start on that while I put these away and start on some work. I'll come up in a little while and help, okay?"

"Okay! Thanks, Cedric!"

I practically ran up the stairs to my room, trembling with excitement. A sleepover at the Weasleys! It seemed too good to be true. I considered writing to Hermione to tell her the great news, but the task of packing a bag seemed more important at the moment. Besides, I reasoned, I might as well wait until the day after the sleepover, so I could tell her about everything that we did. I pulled my suitcase out from under my bed and set to work as Tuck gnawed on a bone on my sunflower rug.

I opened my wardrobe and tried to decide on which pajamas to wear. My first instinct was to reach for the pajamas my parents had given me for my birthday that had a Welsh Green that breathed stitched flames and walked around the shirt, but since it had short sleeves, I wasn't ready to wear it yet. The scar-free image from the Mirror of Erised still haunted me. I hadn't worn short sleeves since.

That left my long-sleeved pajama shirts. I could wear the yellow and blue striped shirt with matching pants, but I was going to an all-Gryffindor house; it didn't seem right to wear Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff colors, even if the blue was magically altered to be the same shade as my eyes and made them practically glow. I considered the other matching set that was covered in daisies; I wore these most often at Hogwarts, because Lavender had a similar set that had, well, lavender flowers as opposed to daisies. But it still didn't seem quite right.

At the bottom of my drawer, I found a long shirt that had once belonged to my grandmother, who my parents told me was something of a spitfire in her day. I found myself wondering if that was where I got it from as I studied the shirt. It had a large bear on the front, and two smaller bears that walked in circles around it. I dug a bit deeper and found red and black flannel pants that matched. I decided that those would do, and tossed them into my suitcase.

I scurried down the hall to the bathroom and grabbed my toothbrush and hairbrush. Those seemed important. When I returned my room, I had an important decision to make. I regarded the teddy bear guarding my pillow carefully. Did I dare to bring it?

I had brought Ursa with me to Hogwarts, but she had always remained firmly tucked at the base of my chest. If I had been a Hufflepuff, I might have considered sleeping with her, but being a Gryffindor, it seemed silly. I wondered for half a second what the twins would say if they knew I was even considering sleeping with a stuffed animal at the age of 12. I mean, I was almost a teenager. I was too old for that.

But at the same time, I had slept with Ursa every night since returning from Hogwarts. It helped dull the pain of missing my friends. I picked Ursa up, and held her over the suitcase, wracked with indecision.

Cedric poked his head in at that moment. "How's it going, Lucy?"

I jumped and hid Ursa behind my back. "Good," I squeaked. "I mean, it's going good. It's going well, I mean."

He smiled and entered the room, taking the teddy bear carefully from my hands. "You don't have to hide Ursa from me. I'm your brother. I say you bring her, in case you miss home."

"Did you just read my mind?"

He laughed. "Of course not. I just know my sister." He gently placed Ursa next to my pajamas. "Look, now she'll have friends."

"Yeah," I agreed with a half-hearted laugh. "She will. What else should I bring, Ced? What do you bring when you sleep over at Henry's?"

"You have the basics already, which is great! And well, since Henry lives farther away than the Weasleys, I usually visit for a couple of days. I bring a deck of cards, and my broom, usually, and a book or two. But since you'll only be sleeping over the one night, it's up to you. What does Ginny like to do?"

"I have no idea," I admitted. "I've only ever talked to her when Ron was also around, so we didn't talk about much other than Quidditch- oh! She likes Quidditch, a lot!" I lifted a heavy stack of old editions of Seeker Weekly. "Should I bring these? Ron said they don't have a subscription."

Cedric chuckled as he removed the top half of the stack. "That's a great idea, but maybe you should only bring a couple. They're heavy, and we can't use magic."

I set the remaining magazines in my suitcase and sighed. "I miss using magic. It makes everything so much easier. I practically forgot how to braid my hair!"

Cedric chuckled again. "Just a couple more months, Lu. Hang in there. Besides, it's still good to know how to do certain things without magic."

I pursed my lips. "I wonder if the twins would be willing to teach me some of their magic-less tricks. Don't worry, I won't use them against you," I said quickly, "but like you said, it's still good to know, if I lose my wand in the future or something."

"There's wandless magic too. Now that would be good to know, because even if you get disarmed in a duel, you wouldn't be helpless."

"Disarmed in a duel? How?"

"There's a spell that ejects your wand from your hand. It's really useful if you ever find yourself overpowered in a duel. I learned it my first year from Diego Caplan. It's a good spell to cast nonverbally, though, because there's a way to protect against it if you can see it coming."

I bit my lower lip. "I have some work to do."

"What do you mean?"

"I want to be ready to fight Voldemort next to Harry when he comes back."

Cedric recoiled slightly.

"I'm sorry," I stammered. "Harry says that instead of You-Know-Who. I wasn't thinking."

"It's okay," he said, relaxing a bit. "It's just a name. What do you mean, when he comes back?"

"Harry didn't kill him. Professor Dumbledore said so. But I want to be ready whenever he comes back again."

Cedric took a deep breath and released it slowly. "I want to tell you it'll be okay and that you don't have to fight that battle, but... when war comes, it comes for all of us. Adalyn was the one who destroyed the Cursed Vaults. Harry was the one who defeated Voldemort the first time, and again this year. And I want to say I'll always be able to protect you from everything that could ever try to hurt you, but I can't. I'll try, I'll try my best, but I don't want to make a promise I can't keep. I mean, you might have..." He lowered his voice to a whisper before continuing. "You might have died in the dungeons, Lu, and I had no idea you were even there."

"I'm sorry," I whispered back, face burning. "I just didn't want to worry you."

"I know, I know." He managed a smile. "And you did brilliantly, and got back just fine, so there was nothing to worry about. But, well, I guess what I'm trying to say is... well, don't worry about growing up too fast. Keep sleeping with Ursa. Keep working on your tickling charms, and practicing the silly flash-bang spells in that book I got you. You'll have plenty of time to learn how advanced magic without actively chasing after it."

I nodded. "I understand."

"Good." He smiled a genuine smile this time. "Now, for tonight, all you have to do is have fun. Think you can do that?"

"Are you kidding?" I laughed. "This is the Weasleys we're talking about. Fun is a given."

I had no idea how right I'd be.

It seemed the twins had been the ones chosen to come pick us up. Tuck started barking when they knocked on the door, and I ordered him to sit before I opened the door.

"Hi!" I said, hoping I didn't appear too enthusiastic. But the truth was that I was beyond excited to see them. Fred smiled, but George seemed frozen in place, his gaze locked on Tuck. I wasn't sure if I was supposed to laugh or cry. George was afraid of dogs. "I'll take care of him," I said quickly. "Be right back."

I passed my suitcase to Cedric and grabbed Tuck gently by the collar. "Sorry, boy," I whispered, "but I can't having you scaring one of my favorite people in the world. I'll see you tomorrow, okay?"

He tilted his head as if he couldn't understand how he could possibly frighten anybody.

"I know," I said, planting a kiss between his eyes. "It's okay. You'll win him over one day. I'll see you tomorrow."

I returned to the kitchen, where the twins were making pleasant small talk. I could tell Mum was mentally running through lists of all the pranks Cedric had mentioned, but she didn't seem to mind. What can I say, the twins are charming when they want to be. They just don't usually want to be.

As soon as we had left out our front gate, I turned to George. "You should have told me you were afraid of dogs!"

He smiled uncomfortably. "Me? Afraid of dogs? Why would I be afraid of dogs?"

"Come off it," I said, reaching up to punch his shoulder. I turned to Fred and Cedric. "What was his boggart?"

"A dog," Fred answered with a cheeky grin. "You nailed it, Cub."

"I knew it! Nothing to be embarrassed about, George. Everyone's got something. Come on, tell me, what's Fred's?"

He smiled for real this time. "It was the biggest troll I've ever seen."

"Aha! You must have been so jealous of us for defeating the one in the bathroom."

He shuddered. "I'll admit that even seeing that one knocked out was pretty horrible. What would yours be?"

I glanced toward my brother, who was absorbing our conversation with an amused smile. "I don't know. What do you think my greatest fear is, Ced?"

"That's the thing. I don't think it would fit in the classroom. The boggart wouldn't be able to actually become it."

The twins were incredibly fascinated by his answer, but I was confused. I really hoped he didn't mean the full moon. Because yeah, the moon wouldn't fit in a classroom, but would he say that in front of them?

"Is she afraid of elephants?" Fred asked with a laugh.

"Dragons?" George guessed.

"Definitely not dragons!" I protested. "I love dragons. That reminds me, I never did finish telling you the full story of Harry and Hermione's, uh, other midnight escapade."

"That can wait," Fred said. "What'd her boggart be, Ced?"

"Water. I just don't know how a boggart would become that."

"Water?" they asked in incredulous unison.

"Oh, yeah, that makes sense," I said with a nod. "I hate large bodies of water. They scare me."

"Can you swim?" George asked.

"Well enough." I shrugged. "I just hate that you can't see what's beneath you. And the thought of drowning has never been a particularly pleasant one."

"Yeah, well, most people would agree that the thought of dying in general isn't terribly pleasant," Fred remarked. "But most people do like the thought of dogs, so I don't know what George is on about."

"At least I'm not Ron," he laughed. "Have you ever seen him around spiders, Lucy?"

"No! Is he afraid of spiders?"

Fred sighed. "You transfigure a boy's teddy bear into a spider once, and he never forgives you."

"You what? Without getting caught? How old were you?"

"Probably six or seven. We were too young to know any better."

"Oh, so it was an accident?"

"No, it was definitely on purpose, but the Ministry didn't care. We were just kids, and they make allowances for incidents that happen before you know how to control magic. Didn't you do something similar?"

"I don't know," I admitted. "Did I do anything that extreme, Ced?"

"Not that I can remember. You were more reserved than I was. I once fell off my broom and somehow transfigured the tree below me into a really springy net so I wasn't hurt. That's probably my wildest story."

I laughed. "I remember that! I was convinced you were going to die, then all of a sudden you bounced right back up into the sky!"

The four of us swapped accidental childhood magic stories until the Burrow came into view. I had forgotten just how large it was. Whereas my family's house was rather plain, square with white walls and dark brown wooden trim and surrounded by a white picket fence and several neatly-groomed gardens, the Burrow was nearly as chaotic as the twins. Just the same, it felt rather like home.

As we entered the kitchen, the wonderful aroma of what smelled like shepherd's pie hit our faces. Ron and Ginny were sitting at the table, deeply engrossed in a game of wizard's chess. To my surprise, Ron actually glanced up from the game when we walked in.

"Hi, Lucy!" His whole face lit up. "Just in time to watch me beat Ginny!"

"Not if I can help it," she muttered, her face the picture of concentration as she glared at the board. I turned to the twins.

"I see four of you. Where's Percy?"

"Doesn't leave his room much these days, our dear brother," George said, placing a hand over his heart. "We often do not know if he is dead or alive. Tragic, truly."

"We shall retrieve him by any means necessary, my lady." Fred lifted his hand in a mock salute and grabbed George by the arm before they marched up the stairs.

"What have I done?" I wondered aloud.

"You've done Mum a favor," Ron answered, not looking up from the board. "Normally she's the only one willing to fetch him for dinner, and she hates going up and down the stairs."

When Ron had beaten Ginny, Cedric challenged him to a game. "After all, I hear you're the pride of Gryffindor as far as chess is concerned."

Ron grinned, the tips of his ears glowing with pride. "You're on. Hey Ginny, why don't you take Lucy to her room?"

"Good idea," she said with a nod, taking me by the hand. "Let's go."

I immediately saw what Ron meant about the stairs; it was a trek. Ginny's room was on one of the lower levels of the house, probably due to the fact that she was both the youngest and the only girl. I wondered if the twins, by that same logic, were on the top level. They didn't seem to be the favorites of the family.

"Here it is!" she said, smiling as she spun in a circle with her arms out. "When Bill's home, he sleeps across the hallway, so we pushed his bed in here for you. Between you and me," she added in a whisper, "Bill smells the best out of all my brothers. It's a good thing you have his bed."

"Good," I whispered back, smiling.

Ginny straightened up. "Well, this is my room. Do you like the Holyhead Harpies?"

"My family likes the Magpies, but it would seem you're a Harpies fan." It was true. Her bedroom was a mess of green and yellow from floor to ceiling, and she seemed to have acquired these colors however she could. Yellow daffodils here, a splash of green paint there, one yellow curtain and one green curtain. She followed my gaze and smiled.

"I got Charlie to enchant those for me last time he visited. Watch!" She clapped her hands twice, and the green curtain became yellow and the yellow one became green. She clapped again, and they switched back.

"That's wicked!" I exclaimed.

"I know!" she replied. "But watch what happens when I clap constantly." She smacked her hands together as rapidly as she could, and the curtains began to switch back and forth and back and forth and back and forth to the point where I couldn't distinguish the green from the yellow. "Keep watching," she grunted, clenching her jaw as she kept clapping. Then I realized what was happening. Where the curtains met, the yellow logo was emerging from a green background. "Do you see it?"

"I do! That's incredible!"

She stopped clapping and flopped backwards onto her bed. "Charlie's good for little charms like that."

"So are the twins. Did they tell you about the haunted house we tried to have?"

She nodded. "Can I help next year? I'm going to be a Gryffindor. I'm a quick learner, though! Having all these brothers helps."

"Sure! I'd love to have you helping. But don't be so sure you'll be a Gryffindor. I thought I was going to be a Hufflepuff for certain, but, well, here I am." I lifted my left trouser leg to reveal my Gryffindor socks.

"Why would you be in Hufflepuff?" she asked, wrinkling her nose. "I mean, all everyone's been able to talk about is how brave you are."

I felt my face grow hot. "What? Really?"

She sat up and cocked her head at me, her coppery hair swishing around her face. "Of course. The twins and Ron don't often shut up about you, from the Forbidden Forest to the troll to the Stone. Even Percy agrees, and he never agrees with any of us about anything anymore." She grinned and jumped off her bed to reach up and touch my flaming cheek. "They did mention the blushing thing, though. I think Ron thinks it's cute."

"What?" I asked again, feeling my blush grow hotter. "Cute?"

"Yeah. I think it makes you look like a tomato, personally, but I guess Ron likes tomatoes. Come on, I think dinner should be ready."

Surely enough, it was, and it was delicious. I found myself once again wedged between Fred and George, and instead of Harry and Hermione sitting on either side of Ron across from me, it was Cedric and Ginny on either side of his. Percy elected to sit next to Cedric, which seemed to be a relief to all of the other redheaded children at the table. It seemed Percy wasn't winning any Weasley sibling popularity contests lately.

Talk around the table primarily concerned Quidditch. Even Percy, to my surprise, seemed incredibly knowledgeable. When I asked him if he played at all, he laughed (actually laughed!) and said that Quidditch expertise was a side effect of sharing a dormitory with Oliver Wood for five years and counting.

After dinner, Percy challenged Cedric to a game of wizard's chess. "Since we've both lost to my brother, I reckon we might be a better match." Ron once again smiled proudly, and the two of them were soon hunched over the board. I wanted to watch, but the twins had other plans.

"Quidditch?" they asked Ron, Ginny, and me in unison.

"After dark? How will we see? And I didn't bring my broom."

"We have Charlie's old broom still," Ginny explained, "so you can use that one."

"You know, Lucy, I'm a little insulted you asked about how we would see," Fred said, pressing something into my hand and ushering me out the front door.

"Try those on," George urged from my other side. "And ask again."

I lifted the glasses to my eyes and blinked hard. I could see everything in perfect clarity.

"Night vision glasses?" I asked. "How? When? I-"

"The Map isn't the only help we have when it comes to getting around after hours," George whispered in a voice only I could hear.

Fred straightened up behind me. "So? Quidditch?"

I beamed. "Yes!"

It was Fred and Ginny against George and me, with Ron as Keeper. We all had our glasses on (conveniently, there were enough pairs for all of us --- I guess the nighttime Quidditch match was a long-standing Weasley tradition) so it was just like playing in the light of day. It was a surprisingly competitive match; Ginny was a talented player.

By the time Mrs. Weasley called us inside, Cedric had been walked home by Percy, who was back up in his room --- his natural habitat, it seemed. We all began to get ready for bed, but the twins had one last thing up their sleeve. While Ginny chased Ron upstairs to try to steal back the blanket he had apparently "borrowed" off of her bed, the twins flagged me down and led me up to their room.

It was something of a war zone. It smelled faintly of smoke, and a mysterious orange haze hung near the ceiling. The floor was littered with long pieces of parchment and open books and various vials and spare parts and powders. I would have gasped at the sight of it, but I feared that breathing too deeply would turn me into a frog, or something along those lines. Their bedroom was a magical lab, no doubt about it.

"Cub, we need your help," George whispered.

"Mum put us in charge of planning Ginny's birthday this year," Fred explained.

"The big one-one."

"Percy's useless, he just sits in his room all day-"

"And Bill and Charlie aren't even in this country-"

"So it's our job."

"And we'd really appreciate your help."

"I'm absolutely willing to help," I agreed immediately. "What do you need me to do?"

"Your job will change as it gets closer-"

"Her birthday is August 11, so we have a little over a month-"

"But for now, we need the scoop on what she wants."

"Cake, brownies, ice cream?"

"What color decorations?"

"That kind of thing."

"You know, girl stuff."

I rolled my eyes. "Girl stuff?"

"We can't ask!"

"It'd be suspicious!"

"We're boys, we don't care about any of that!"

"Alright, alright," I relented with a laugh. "Merlin, I can do that tonight. What next?"

"That's all for now."

"But we'll tell you more as it gets closer."

"Thanks for helping, Cub, we owe you one."

I snorted. "Nonsense, I'm happy to help, you don't owe me anything."

"No, we're being serious."

"Let us pay you back somehow."

"What magic do you want us to teach you?"

"That's the most feasible favor we can repay you with, honestly."

"Unless you want us as your bodyguards or something, of course."

"Which we could definitely do."

"Oh, Merlin, no!" I giggled. "No, it's fine. If you're sure you want to do me a favor..." I thought for a second. A sudden thought occurred to me. "Do you two know anything about nonverbal spells?"

They exchanged a glance, smirking. "No, but we'd love to learn."

"We'd work best as a team," I reasoned. "Instead of you two teaching me new spells, we can work on mastering the ones we already know. Deal?"

"Lucy! Where'd you go?" came Ginny's voice from downstairs.

"Deal," the twins whispered quickly, and we shook hands before I raced down the stairs.

"Sorry about that," I said, entering her room and closing the door behind me. "I had a question for them." Lying on my feet was becoming easier and easier. For a second, I was concerned with how easily it slipped out, but I forced the thought from my mind. She wasn't supposed to know the truth, so what was the harm in lying?

"What about?" she asked, reaching into her dresser for pajamas.

"Oh, they just agreed to teach me some more advanced magic," I replied. "With a friend like Harry Potter, it can't hurt to know more and more."

She immediately spun around. "What's he like? Harry Potter, I mean. Is he really as incredible as everyone says he is?"

"What do you mean?" I sat down on the corner of the borrowed bed and began to untie my shoes.

"He's Harry Potter!" she squeaked. "Is he... well, is he extraordinary?"

I wasn't quite sure how to answer her question. He was, but he was also just Harry. He didn't carry himself like he was Harry Potter, the Boy Who Lived. He didn't carry himself like he was Harry Potter, the youngest Seeker in a century. He was just Harry, and I liked him just as he was. "He is," I answered slowly, "in the most ordinary way. He's talented, of course, but he's also kind, and humble, and he works hard, and he takes care of the people he loves."

Her eyes grew starry. "So he is extraordinary."

I nodded. "Yeah, I guess he is."

I didn't end up finding out what kind of desserts Ginny loved that night, but I did have something to report to the twins the next morning when I crept down the stairs.

"Nice bear," George said through a yawn.

"Wrong type of cub, though, Cub," Fred teased. "Did you learn anything, ah, useful?"

"Green and yellow and red," I answered. "Green and yellow for the Harpies. Red and yellow for Gryffindor."

"Excellent," they said in unison. "Anything else?"

"I think, no, I know she wants Harry Potter there."

Fred groaned. "She never shuts up about him."

"Well, last night was no exception," I said as I flopped down on the couch in between them. "She's fallen for him, and she's fallen hard."

"Speaking of Harry, have you heard from him, Lucy?" George asked. "None of us have, and we're getting a bit worried."

I shook my head. "I was going to ask your family if you've heard anything. I haven't gotten any letters, though I've sent a couple at this point."

"Hope he's alright," Fred said. "I'm sure he is. Will you sleep over again tonight, Lucy? We do need more information than green, yellow, red, and Harry."

I laughed. "I don't think I can, but I'll come back soon."

"Why not?" he asked, pouting.

"I have my own brother to spend summer with," I pointed out. "He's not used to being an only child the way I was for the better part of two years."

"Can we trade you for Percy? They seemed to enjoy their game last night. They could entertain each other."

"Tempting," I retorted, "but I do love my brother. I mean it when I say I'll come as often as I can."

George sighed. "Alright, alright. But we'll hold you to that."

I grinned and leaned back into the couch. "You better. This has been the most fun I've had all summer."

"And the party will be even better," George said.

"If," Fred added, "you come back for more information."

"Consider it done," I said as I yawned and rubbed my eyes. "August 11 will be a day to remember."

A/N: Thank you for sticking with me this far into the story, and I hope you like this official introduction to Lucy's home life, and especially Tuck!