Once I was eleven years old
I always had that dream like my daddy before me
So I started writing songs, I started writing stories
Something about that glory just always seemed to bore me
'Cause only those I really love will ever really know me

"7 Years"
Lukas Graham

LUCY:

The next time the Weasleys asked if I could spend the night, Mum had to say I was sick and hadn't left my room in a couple of days. It was true; it was the day before the full moon, and now that I was home and had no classes to attend, I had no reason to leave my room. Mum placed charms on the curtains to block out all light and on every wall to block out all sound. I spent my time either pacing around the room or curled in a ball on top of my bed. I was relieved to not need to go to classes or attempt to hide how truly awful I was feeling, but I missed the words of comfort Hermione would offer in a whisper every month to get me through the days. And I was bored, horribly bored, but being unable to use my wand as a light, I had nothing to do but pace back and forth and attempt to sleep.

When night fell, I couldn't help it anymore. I needed to leave my room. I needed to see the stars. I needed to feel the cool night air on my skin, my bare skin, scarred though it was. I waited until I suspected my whole family would be asleep, then crept down the hallway and made my way down the stairs silently. My time with Fred and George had paid off; I didn't make a sound. I slipped out the front door, and took a deep breath. I was free. I had nearly reached the front gate when I heard the front door open behind me.

I wanted to turn around and see who it was, but I didn't want to risk blowing my sleepwalking cover. So I approached the gate, and intentionally bumped into it. I reached down and pretended to fumble with the latch as the footsteps approached. I smelled books and soil and evergreen-scented soap, and surely enough, it was Cedric's hand that reached forward and undid the latch for me. I wasn't sure what to do for a moment. Cedric was letting me out instead of trying to bring me back? But, like I hoped any sleepwalker would do, I walked through the gate without looking back. I heard the gate close behind me, and Cedric's footsteps following me. I kept staggering forward, not sure where to go or what to do. So I kept walking forward, across the dirt road and across the meadow that separated our house from the woods. I stopped at the edge of the forest, and when I heard Cedric stop too, I turned and reached my hand out, keeping my face a perfect blank as he took it. He seemed both amused and touched by the gesture.

"Come on, Harry," I said, turning back to the forest and leading Cedric in, "Hagrid is waiting for us."

I had been debating whether or not to tell Cedric about Norbert for a while. I had told the twins, as promised. They thought it was wickedly cool that I had actually helped raise a dragon, and they were amazed that I had managed to save the Invisibility Cloak and sneak into their dorm and borrow the map and return everything without getting caught. But they didn't worry about me the way Cedric did. Cedric was my brother after all, the twins were my friends. Cedric was my brother after all, I decided, and he deserved to know. I didn't want my mother overhearing anything I said, but she'd never overhear us here and Dad was away on a work trip. Now was the perfect time to come clean, while asleep of course.

"I hope he has another dragon for me!" I exclaimed.

Cedric sounded amused. "Another dragon for you?"

"Well, Norbert wasn't really for me, but I did help a lot. That was one of the best things to ever really happen to me, you know?"

"Really?" Now Cedric was genuinely curious. "I'm sorry, Lucy, my memory is failing me. Who's Norbert?"

I fought the urge to laugh. Cedric was really adopting the role of Harry in this stage play I was performing. "Norbert is the dragon Hagrid won from somebody just this last April. I happened to be walking by his hut when he was heading up to the library to look for books about how to raise him, but based on the times my father's brought them home from work, I knew what to do. I put the egg in the fire, and I think I was still helping when you and Hermione and Ron came. But he got too big, so we had to get him out of Hagrid's hut without getting anyone in trouble. You and Hermione successfully got Norbert away, but you got caught on the way down." I turned around and cocked my head. "You believe me, right?"

I could tell Cedric was still processing what I had said, but he seemed convinced. I had tried to include enough details to make it believable while excluding details like the Invisibility Cloak. "I remember now." I turned back around and kept walking. He cleared his throat. "Do you actually think Hagrid would get another dragon?"

I shook my head sadly. "Probably not." I stopped. "I don't see him. Do you?"

"I don't see him either. Do you want to head back to the house? The castle, I mean?"

"I'm going to wait for Hagrid, just a while longer. You can go back up to the castle if you want."

Cedric sat beside me. "It's okay. I don't want to leave you out here alone."

"Okay." I sat down a little too heavily, directly on a very sharp rock. "Ow!"

"You alright, Lu?"

"Lu?" I asked, reaching up to rub my eyes. I figured having one's arse impaled by a rock would be enough reason to wake up, so that's what I pretended to do. "Only Cedric calls me Lu." I opened my eyes again and glanced up as Cedric sat beside me.

He grinned. "Good morning, sleepwalker."

I rubbed the back of my neck. "Good morning. What time is it?"

"Probably about midnight. I couldn't sleep, so I was reading on the couch when you, ah, left. I wanted to see where you'd go."

I glanced around. "Looks like the forest to me."

"What was your first hint?" he teased.

I smiled. "Very funny."

"Do you want to head to the house, since you're not actually waiting for Hagrid?"

"It's nice out here, honestly." I rested my head against Cedric's shoulder. "I always get so hot before the full moon. My room is dark and quiet, but there's nothing quite like the night air, you know?"

"I understand," he replied. "Besides, you can't see the stars from your room when the curtains are charmed shut, can you?"

"No, I can't. I do love the stars. Hey, that's another thing that never changes, like you said before we left. The stars are always there, even if we can't see them."

"You're right, Lu. I hadn't even thought of that." He wrapped a gentle arm around my shoulders and rubbed his hand up and down my arm. "So, Norbert?"

I grinned sheepishly. "I guess when I was talking to Harry, I was actually talking to you, huh?"

"I guess so."

"It's best that you know," I said. "I was planning on telling you this summer anyway. I would have told you sooner, but I didn't want anyone finding out the truth about Harry and Hermione because it would get Hagrid in trouble. It was illegal."

"You did always have a soft spot for dragons," he chuckled.

"Someone has to, since you're scared of them," I retorted.

Cedric shuddered, and not from the cold. "You know I've never been fond of fire. Dragons are just sentient matchboxes."

I laughed then, and I honestly couldn't remember the last time I laughed the day before a full moon.

The girl was breathing heavily by the time she reached the forest. She had sprinted all the way from her house, consumed by a restless and manic energy. She ran and ran and ran until the first moonbeams filtered through the trees. She screamed in pain as the transformation began, and when it was over, the wolf let loose a chilling howl before taking off in the direction of a snapping branch.

The werewolf knew these woods. It had been many months since it was last there, but it knew the woods. It knew where little animals liked to sleep, and where they liked to hide if they happened to be awake when the prowl began. The wolf went hungry in the Shrieking Shack and the Forbidden Forest; in these woods, it was closer to a true werewolf than anywhere else. It was wild. It was free. But at what cost, she would wonder in the morning, once the night was behind her? At what cost?

The last week of July passed in a whirlwind of activity. I had started growing a red-and-gold flower for Neville, one of Mum's unique creations, but when the time came to try to send the plant, I hadn't the slightest clue to get it to him in on time, let alone in one piece. Furthermore, I needed Malachi, our owl, to return quickly enough to be able to send Harry's birthday gift the very next day... not that anyone had heard from him. His gift was a glass jar with a model Nimbus 2000 inside that swirled around cotton ball clouds. I was worried about the safe transport of his gift as well, but I was worried about him primarily. We all grew more and more worried as the summer progressed, but I turned my worry into productivity as best I could.

Just the same, I managed. Neville's flower fit nicely in a small mug that Cedric and I filled with soil. Mum strengthened it with a couple of charms so it wouldn't break as easily as a typical mug, and we tied both the flower and the accompanying letter around Malachi's legs late on the night of July 29. Thankfully, he had returned by the time I woke up the next morning, and after a day of rest, he was ready to deliver Harry's gift as well. When he returned without the jar or the letter, I had hope Harry had received them both, but the lack of response still disturbed me.

I voiced my concern at the Weasleys' house later that day, as I helped them assemble their own gift for Harry around a table in Fred and George's room. They all spoke at once, which made us all laugh in spite of the gravity of the situation.

Ginny said, "He'll be okay, he's Harry Potter!"

Ron said, "I know, I'm worried too."

Fred said, "Don't worry, Cub, we'll figure something out."

And whatever George said was lost in the commotion of the other three, but whatever it was made Ginny giggle.

"We'll wait and see what happens after we send this," Fred said once we all stopped laughing. "Then we'll figure out what to do."

"Will we need to save Harry Potter?" Ginny asked, making her brothers all laugh again.

"I'm sure he's alright," I assured her, fighting hard not to laugh as well, "but I think we're all at least a little worried. He seemed excited to send us letters and the like."

"Yeah, and you didn't see the way his family acted at the station," Ron said, looking increasingly troubled. "And you didn't hear what he said about them. He said that they didn't know he wasn't allowed to use magic over summer, as if he might need to use it to threaten them, or something."

I rubbed the back of my neck gradually, not knowing what to say.

George taped the last corner of the gift and tossed the box in the air. "I think this is ready to go. Want to go fetch Errol with me, Gin?"

She nodded, and the two of them disappeared down the stairs. As their footsteps faded, Fred turned to me.

"If we don't hear back from Harry over the weekend," he said in a low voice, "we're going to go get him."

I furrowed my eyebrows. "How? Don't get me wrong, I want to rescue him too, I'm just as worried as you are, but how?"

"I said we should take our brooms," Ron said.

"We'll need to bring his school things too, though," I pointed out.

Fred grinned. "We?"

"Oh, come on, you can't honestly expect me to not go with you, I-"

"I know, I know," he interrupted. "We were hoping you'd come with us. George will be glad you are. We just need a plan."

"And you think I have one?"

Ron and Fred looked at me expectantly.

I sighed. "How do we get from here to Little Whinging without being seen in something large enough to fit five people and his school stuff?"

A grin spread across Ron's face. "Dad's car."

Fred's eyes widened, and he pumped his fists in the air. "Yes!"

"Oh no," I muttered. "You mean the flying one you showed me last week?"

They nodded excitedly.

I pursed my lips. "I think it's our best option. Not a good one, but our best one."

"It's settled, then," Fred whispered, a glitter of mischief in his eyes as he rifled through the trunk at the end of his bed. He spread a map out across the table, shoving the leftover wrapping paper onto the ground. He grabbed a quill off of his desk and drew a straight line from Ottery St. Catchpole to Little Whinging. "Sunday night, if we haven't heard anything, we fly to the rescue."

About an hour before midnight on Sunday, I was puzzling out a page of the ancient runes book --- so far, I was about halfway through a biography of Godric Gryffindor, and I was guessing that the other founders of Hogwarts would follow --- when I heard a persistent tapping on my window. I jumped up, slipped behind the checkered red curtains, and inched the window open, hoping it would be the Weasleys in their flying car. Instead, it was Errol, who dropped a note into my hands before flying away.

I closed the window and scanned the scrap of paper.

Our parents are still awake. Can't get out. We'll go tomorrow night - Dad's working anyway.

I sighed. The fun would have to wait. I blew out the candles in my room and crawled into bed, but I couldn't sleep. My head hurt with how worried I was. About Harry's safety, about the last-minute details of Ginny's party, about the year ahead, about the approaching full moon.

I rose and pushed the curtains all the way open. The moon was little more than a sliver in the sky, but I knew it was growing. I knew that in less than two weeks, I would return to the woods and try to survive. So close to Ginny's birthday --- I hoped I would be okay enough to enjoy the party. I knew what the twins had in store; I knew I would most likely be overwhelmed by the various, ah, spectacles they had arranged.

Just the same, I was terribly excited. Bill and Charlie were both hoping to take the weekend off to surprise their sister, and I was looking forward to meeting them. And I knew Harry would be there, since we would go fetch him the next night. There was much to look forward to, even with the knowledge that the full moon would follow.

I don't know how long I stood there, tracing constellations in an attempt to calm my thoughts, but I was jerked from my reverie by running footsteps in the hallway. For a second, I stood frozen in place in terror, but when I saw the Gryffindor scarf hanging on the back of my door, I took a deep breath and opened my bedroom door.

I cringed as a retching sound met my ears. Cedric emerged from his room the same time I did, and we ran down the hallway to see what was going on.

"I'll get you a glass of water, Mum," Cedric said quickly as I pulled her hair back from her face. She started to say something, but she clutched the toilet bowl again. I held my breath and closed my eyes, trying my hardest not to flinch or show any sign of any of the disgust I was (obviously) feeling. Cedric returned soon with the water, and we helped Mum to her feet before handing her the glass. Dad stumbled down the hallway, looking as if he were still half-asleep, but his eyes widened as he too lunged for the toilet bowl.

"I'll get the water this time," I squeaked, running down the stairs and into the kitchen. I hurriedly filled a glass at the tap and had barely made it back up the stairs when Cedric started throwing up. I handed Dad the glass and sprinted down the stairs again.

We reasoned pretty quickly that it was food poisoning. I was the only one not affected, so I spent the night running up and down the stairs fetching glasses of water and cool towels for the rest of my family. It was truthfully one of the longest nights of my life.

Mum and Dad felt better first, so I led them to their bedroom and closed the door before returning to Cedric, whose face was still drawn and pale. I sat beside him and rested my head on the bathroom counter.

"Is there anything I can do to help, Ced?" I asked softly.

He shook his head. "It's okay. I'm okay. Thank you."

"It's not and you're not," I argued, "but I'm right here until you are."

He managed a small smile. "What do you think it was?"

"Must have been the strawberries. I didn't eat any." I shuddered. "I hate strawberries."

"Must have been," he replied before closing his eyes and taking a deep breath.

"That's it," I whispered. "Just breathe. It's okay. Just you and me."

"You and me," Cedric repeated, taking another deep breath.

I rose shakily on my tired legs. "I'll go get you a glass of water, alright?"

He managed a nod, rubbing the back of his neck. When I returned, he opened his eyes and accepted the glass. "Thanks."

"Of course." I pushed his sweaty hair off of his face. "Are you feeling well enough to try to sleep, Ced?"

"I don't know," he admitted.

"That's okay," I said. "I'll stay up with you."

"But you've been up all night-"

"So have you. I'm used to it. I don't mind, honest. I'm not leaving."

He didn't try to protest. I eyed the amount of water in his glass. "Try to drink less," I suggested. "If you drink too much too quickly, you'll get sick again. I know it helps your throat feel better, but do the best you can, okay?"

He nodded sullenly. My heart twisted. He looked so miserable. He shivered on the cold tile, so I dashed off to his room and grabbed a bright yellow blanket out of his drawer. I returned to the bathroom and wrapped it around his shoulders.

"Thank you," he managed. "I'm sorry."

"What? Why? What for?"

"This," he said, gesturing in a circle.

"Ced, I do this to you every single month. I'm happy to return the favor. Don't apologize again or I might just... oh, I don't know, I can't threaten you without magic, I'm just sorry you're sick and I wish I could make it better."

"You feel like this every month?"

I shrugged. "Not specifically like this every month. When I took the wolfsbane Professor Snape made, I felt like this for a few days. But I don't feel very great in general for about a week before the full moon."

"How does it feel, Lu?"

"Is now really the best time...?"

"I want to know. I want to think about something other than how I feel."

"Let's talk about something happier, then, Ced," I insisted. "What about Henry?"

"What about him?"

"Oh, I don't know, he always makes you feel better."

He smiled. "He is my best friend. I would hope so."

"See? Just thinking of him made you smile."

"I guess you have a point."

"Tell me about the last letter you got from him."

"Hm... he complained about summer work. He said his little sister is trying to convince their parents to get a pygmy puff."

"How old is she?"

"I think she's eight, so she'll enter Hogwarts in my seventh year and your fifth year."

"What's her name?"

"Gretchen. Any more questions?"

"Would you want a pygmy puff?"

"Oh, definitely. They're adorable. I'm guessing you do?"

"Definitely. What color would you want yours to be?"

"Yellow."

"Typical Hufflepuff," I teased. "Boy or girl?"

"Doesn't matter to me."

"What would you name it?"

"A boy, Apollo. A girl, Daffy, short for daffodil."

"Apollo?"

"God of the sun. It makes sense."

"That does make sense, yeah, I wouldn't have thought of that."

"Would you want a pygmy puff?"

"I would take one of every creature in existence if I could, you know that."

"Even a dragon?"

"Especially a dragon."

"What would you name a dragon?"

"Not Norbert, that's for sure. Something cool."

"Like what?"

"Oh, I don't know. Something related to fire."

"'Something related to fire' is very specific."

I laughed. "Cedric? Being sarcastic? You must either be feeling a lot better, or you're definitively losing it."

"I get punchy when I'm tired," he explained with a chuckle. "But I am feeling better."

"Good." I rose to my feet and extended a hand. "As fun as you are when you're punchy, you would probably rather sleep in your own bed than on the bathroom floor."

"I'd have to agree," he said, taking my hand and standing up. He blinked rapidly a couple of times, and I was worried he'd faint, but he straightened up and pulled the blanket around his shoulders. "No need to look so worried, Lu. It takes more than a little food poisoning to keep me down."

I nodded, reaching forward for a hug. He hugged back, and we walked quietly down the hall to his room. Once the door was shut behind him, I slipped into my own room and sighed. That night had gone far differently than I had expected. Instead of flying across the country to rescue Harry Potter, I spent the night running up and down the stairs to help my puking family. I was exhausted, but I didn't want to sleep, just in case my family needed me again. Instead, I grabbed my ancient runes book and tiptoed downstairs, settling on the couch near our front window and pulling a blanket around my shoulders.

I don't remember falling asleep, but I awoke to a loud knock on the door. I jumped up to answer it before any of my other family members were awakened.

"Cub? What happened?"

"You look awful."

I rubbed my eyes and ran a hand over my hair; there was more hair out of my braids than in them, it seemed. "You should be used to that by now. The rest of my family had food poisoning all night," I explained through a yawn. "I was the only one not throwing up every five minutes, so I was just trying to take care of everyone else."

"In that case, we'll take care of Harry," George said. "You focus on your family. We'll tell Mum you'll come over tomorrow. You coming over will probably help save us from getting in trouble for borrowing the car, honestly, she doesn't get as mad at us when you're around."

I cocked my head. "She gets mad at you?"

Fred laughed. "See? Case in point." He reached forward and ruffled my already-wild hair. "Get some sleep, Cub. We'll send you a coded message tomorrow when we get back with Harry."

"Coded message?"

"You'll see what we mean. See you tomorrow!"

When they had hopped over the gate and headed in the direction of the Burrow, I grabbed my book and trudged up to my room, dropping off to sleep again the second I hit my bed. I woke up an hour before sunset and made my way downstairs in a sleepy daze. Cedric was half-asleep and reading a book on the couch, Mum and Dad playing a game of chess at the kitchen table. No one acknowledged me, so I made my way outside and started pulling weeds in the garden. It was calming, which was good; as the sun sank lower and lower, I grew increasingly worried for the rescue mission that would be taking place that night. I wanted to go, but the twins weren't coming to pick me up, and I knew there was no way my mum would let me leave after the night we'd all had. Sneaking out wasn't an option, either.

The night passed in a hazy blur. Having slept the entire day, I couldn't sleep at all that night, so I decided to write letters instead.

I wrote to Hermione first, telling her that, as I was writing, the Weasleys were going to get Harry and explaining why I wasn't with them. I wrote to Neville next, saying I hoped he had a good birthday and telling him about Mum's latest plant hybrid. He loved hearing about those. My last letter for the night went to Hagrid. I told him how excited I was to see him again in a month and promised I'd ask about Norbert when I saw Charlie.

The next morning, we were all starving and ready for breakfast. Halfway through my stack of pancakes, Hedwig burst through the open window and dropped a scrap of paper onto my lap.

"Thanks, Hedwig," I said, stroking her feathered head gently. She affectionately leaned into my hand and cooed. "I missed you too." She flew off as I opened the note.

"What does the note say, Lucy?" Dad inquired.

"'Hopefully you recognized the owl, because there's someone here who really wants to see you. Round of Quidditch after lunch?'" I grinned. "Hedwig is Harry's owl. He must be safely at the Weasleys' now. Is it okay if I go?"

"Of course," Mum answered immediately. "I know how worried you've all been for him. You can go as soon as the gardens are weeded."

Needless to say, I had never weeded so quickly in my entire life. I devoured a quick lunch before I headed off to the Burrow with my broom over my shoulder and a spring in my step. My timing couldn't have been better; four very tired-looking boys were heading out of the front door with their brooms as well.

"What happened, boys?" I teased. "You all look terribly tired. Bad strawberries for you, too?" I glanced toward the garage, where the blue Ford Anglia was safely on the ground. "I'm impressed, the car is all in one piece. Miracles do happen."

"Would have been more fun with you, Cub," George said with a sigh, "but yes, aren't you proud of us? All here by sunrise without a single scratch!"

While it was true that no one had gotten hurt, I couldn't help but notice how horribly thin and worn Harry looked. But still, he smiled when he saw me, and I smiled back. "Good to see you, Harry. I'm glad you're safe."

"I'm glad I'm here!" he exclaimed as we walked side-by-side to the Quidditch spot. "You wouldn't believe what it's been like since my birthday. It's okay now," he added quickly, "now that I'm here, but I didn't know if I would ever get here." Harry then went on to tell me all about Dobby and the failed business deal and even the bars on his bedroom window. I was horrified, but I tried to stay calm for his sake. Like he said, it was okay. He was here and not there. And I knew from experience that there are few things worse than overreacting to an already-horrible situation, especially one that has already been resolved.

Since Harry's broom was so much faster than ours, we ended up spending more time taking turns on his broom than actually playing Quidditch. It was fun, for sure, but the relief of knowing Harry was safe at the Burrow was the best feeling of all.

I spent a lot of time at the Weasleys' the next week, sleeping over several nights as the final party preparations fell into place.

I slept over the night of August 10. Mr. Weasley wasn't getting off of work until noon, so my job was to keep Ginny upstairs and distracted until he arrived and activated the Portkeys for Bill and Charlie. The twins brought her breakfast as soon as I yelled down the stairs she was awake, singing a birthday song they had written themselves that rhymed her name with "winny" and "ninny." I think she liked it, or at least what little she could hear with her hands clamped over her ears.

Ron took his turn next and let her beat him at wizard's chess. Knowing he had let her win, she demanded a rematch, which he won handily. She was about to demand a third game when Harry entered and she went silent, blushing as red as her hair. He asked if she wanted to play chess with him, which she accepted. In all honesty, she would have won the game, but two moves before she could have checkmated his king, Harry commented that she was nearly as good a chess player as Ron was and she was so frazzled she gave the whole game away.

Once they left, I gave her my gift, which was a collage of all of the Holyhead Harpies features in the past five years of Seeker Weekly. She was extremely excited, and we talked about Quidditch until Percy came up to get her.

He smiled a rare smile, and for once, he didn't have a prefect badge on. Instead, he sported a red Gryffindor t-shirt; I didn't even know he owned t-shirts, honestly. "Happy birthday, Ginny," he said. "Your birthday celebration awaits downstairs."

She beamed and raced down the stairs. Percy and I lingered behind her for a moment, watching her red hair fly behind her as she went.

"In case the rest of my family forgets to say this in the excitement of the day," he said softly, "thank you for all of your help. We try to be the best brothers we can, but there are some things only sisters can really do. I'm glad you've been here so often. Ginny needed a friend, and you're a good example."

I blushed. Percy gave compliments sparingly, so I knew he really meant it. "I was happy to help," I stammered. "I just hope she enjoys it."

A delighted squeal could be heard from the bottom of the stairs, followed by running footsteps. "Bill! Charlie! You're here!"

Percy smiled. "I think she already does. Let's go."

I soon learned that I enjoyed Weasley birthday parties a lot more than Gryffindor Quidditch parties. Cedric was there too, as were a few extended family members who were available. I followed Cedric around at first and talked to Bill, who was very much interested in the Stone. He had played a pivotal role in helping Adalyn Benson with the Cursed Vaults, and he was a curse breaker for Gringotts, so he certainly knew his way around the topic. But when he and Cedric began discussing a complex new discovery in the field of transfiguration Bill had learned about in Egypt, I made my way over to Charlie, who was entertaining Ginny and Ron with tales of dragons from the sanctuary in Romania. When he saw me, his eyes lit up and he beamed.

"You're the other dragon enthusiast here, aren't you?" he asked.

"I think so," I chuckled. "I was definitely Norbert's favorite, but don't tell Hagrid. How is he doing, by the way?"

"He's fantastic! The whole team loves him, and we all like to think he loves us too. He's one of the most friendly dragons I've ever seen. How did you do it?"

"I talked to him a lot while he was in the egg," I said, blushing slightly. "I know it sounds silly-"

"Not at all!" he exclaimed. "It makes perfect sense! Dragons are meant to be wild, but I think we'd see far fewer villages attacked by wild dragons if we tried doing what you did with more eggs before releasing them from the sanctuary."

I nodded enthusiastically. "As long as it doesn't interfere with their ability to hunt, I don't see a downside to making dragons less hostile toward humans."

"Exactly! Well, Ginny, while we're on the topic, I suppose now's a good time to give you your gift. Close your eyes and hold out your hand." She obeyed, a wide smile on her face as she waited. Charlie reached into his pocket and drew out the smallest Hungarian Horntail I'd ever seen. He placed it in her hand, and she gasped when she opened her eyes. "Don't panic! It's not a real dragon. We've been experimenting with smaller models to see if they can be charmed to accurately mimic dragon behavior. This is one of our more refined prototypes of the Hungarian Horntail. I hope you like it."

"I love it!" she squealed, shoving it into my hands so she could hug her brother. "Thank you, Charlie!"

Harry came over then, half-smirking and half-laughing. "The twins sent me over here to grab Ginny for her first surprise. And they'll need your help, Charlie."

Charlie drew his wand and adopted the same look of mischief Harry had. "I'm ready. This should be fun."

The first surprise was a small fireworks display that vaguely resembled a dragon. Charlie was needed to actually set them all off properly, since the twins couldn't use magic, but the entire party was impressed nonetheless with the twins' genius. Several more surprises followed that afternoon, and I swear I never saw Ginny stop smiling. She seemed on top of the world.

When her Hogwarts letter came, the party was kicked up a notch. The firewhisky came out for those of us of age, and the butterbeer flowed for those of us that were not. Ginny's cake wished her a very loud happy birthday, and it was truly one of the tastiest treats I had ever put in my mouth.

I slipped outside with Harry and Ron a while later. The sun was setting; Mum and Dad had said Cedric and I could walk home after dark as long as we had at least two other people with us. The twins, Ron, and Harry had all willingly volunteered, so Cedric and I planned to make the most of it and go home as late as possible. But in the meantime, I wanted to be alone with my friends my own age for a bit.

"Your family is the best, Ron," Harry said. I laid back in the grass and locked my fingers behind my head, and the boys on either side of me did too. "Dudley was the only person who remembered my birthday this year, and all he did was mock me for not getting any presents. Say, that reminds me, when's your birthday, Lucy?"

"I don't have one," I replied. "Can you imagine me being the center of attention at a party like this?"

"No," they admitted in unison.

Harry laughed. "It's funny to imagine how red you'd be, though. Gryffindor red, I reckon."

"I'd like to see it," Ron said, and I was reminded of what Ginny had so cryptically mentioned a month ago about how Ron thought my blushing was cute. "I should find it out just to throw you a party like this just to see how red you turn."

"Oh, Merlin," I sighed. "That sounds like my worst nightmare."

We all laughed, then lapsed into comfortable silence. We watched as the sky turned purple then gave way to a deep navy blue. When the stars began to emerge, Harry pointed up at the first visible constellation.

"You like the stars, don't you, Lucy?" he asked. When I nodded, he traced the constellation with his finger. "Which one is that again?"

I was halfway through my explanation when three owls dropped letters onto our chests. Holding them up so the glow of the house behind us illuminated the words, we scanned our second-year booklist. Another owl arrived while we looked at those, dropping a letter from Hermione on Ron's lap. He scanned it quickly.

"She said she'll be at Diagon Alley on Wednesday," he said, "and that she's excited to see all of us."

"I can't wait for the four of us to be together again," I remarked, leaning back against the grass and hugging my letter to my chest.

The boys "Mhm"ed their agreement, and we watched more and more stars peek through the dark curtain of the night sky.

"Ready, Lu?" came a voice at the door. "Lu? Where are you?"

"In a second!" I squeaked from inside the wardrobe.

"What are you doing?" Cedric asked as he entered the room to see where I was.

"Just getting something in order," I replied, filling the pouch on my hip with all of the money I had saved for so many years. I shook the last pieces out and straightened up. "Ready!"

He raised an eyebrow in silent question.

I blushed. "I... there's just something I plan to do in Diagon Alley today. Something special. I-I just forgot about it until Harry asked about it at the party and I forgot until just now and-"

"You don't have to look so nervous, Lucy," he chuckled. "You didn't do anything wrong. What are you getting?"

"You'll see," I said with a smile as we headed down the stairs.

Dad was waiting on the porch, a small pouch of his own in hand. "So, just to review the plan, since your mother and I both have work today, I'll apparate you two to Diagon Alley, then get Lucy's medicine before heading to work." He handed Cedric the pouch and placed his other hand on his shoulder. "You two can use this to Floo back here once you're done shopping. You have the money you'll need already?"

Cedric nodded, and Dad beamed. "Alright! Grab my arms, then, very tightly, and don't let go until we're there."

Cedric and I complied immediately. I shut my eyes tightly and waited for the jolt.

It felt as if my body was being squeezed through a pipe. I hated the sensation, but I found myself smiling when we landed in the sunny cobblestone street.

"Alright, I'm going to go get Lucy's- oh, Ced, look!" Dad said. "There's Henry and his father!"

Cedric immediately took off in their direction, arms flung wide for an excited hug. Dad hurried away in the other direction, and I was soon swallowed by the crowd. I knew I should follow Cedric, or look for the Weasleys or Hermione, but I realized this may be my one chance to find out what made Dad's wolfsbane better than the school one. I decided to follow him instead.

Most of the people around me paid me no mind as I weaved through the crowd. I followed Dad at a distance down the busy street, but I hesitated when he slipped into Knockturn Alley. Just looking at it sent a shiver down my spine. Whereas Diagon Alley gleamed in the sunshine, Knockturn Alley seemed like little more than shadows and dingy buildings. I glanced down at the bulging pouch on my belt loop, and quickly stuffed it into a pocket. If I was going in, I wasn't going to be displaying my life savings for the world to see.

In the five seconds I looked down, my dad had disappeared. I gulped and plunged into the alley, trying to keep my head down and my wits about me. Everyone around me was speaking in low and gravelly voices, as if no one was supposed to hear a word said. One voice, however, seemed different from the others. I pressed my back to a brick wall and listened. It was definitely my father.

"You do have it, don't you?"

"Half a supply," a gruff voice replied.

"I need a full supply! It doesn't work without the week's worth!"

"What do you need it so much for anyway, Diggory? You got a werewolf on the job site or somethin'?"

"Don't use my name," Dad growled in the most sinister voice I had ever heard him use. "I work for the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures, and you have no reason to know why we need wolfsbane potion, Fletcher."

"Oh, so you can use my name but I can't use yours? Whoa, whoa, no need to pull your wand. Do you want the wolfsbane or not? Because you can get it at St. Mungo's, but we both know how expensive they are compared to me."

Before I could hear my father's response, I felt a rough hand on my shoulder. "Lost, little girl, or bait?" I whirled around to see a wizard sneering under a frizzy black beard. "So? Which are you?"

"Neither," I stammered, backing away slowly. "Just looking for the way out."

"This is no place for little girls," he said, approaching me again. "But since you're here, why don't you stay a while?"

When he lunged forward, I took off running, not caring which direction I was headed as long as it was away. I ducked around a corner and stood panting in the shadows for a moment. And not a moment too soon --- Draco and his father walked out of a store and directly through where I had been running mere seconds prior. I read the sign above the door: Borgin and Burke's. I was about to turn to a kind-enough-looking witch nearby and ask how to get out when none other than Harry Potter emerged from the same store, dirty and with broken glasses.

"Harry?" I called.

"Lucy? Lucy!" He rushed toward me, looking relieved, and smoothed his hair down over his scar.

"What are you doing here?" we asked each other in unison. We both cracked small grins.

"Never mind, we need to get out of here," I said. "I'm glad you're here with me."

"I'm glad you're here with me too," he replied. "Do you know the way out?"

"I think so. We'll figure it out together."

"Let's go," he said with a nod. We ducked out of the shadows and began making our way down the dark street, keeping our heads low.

We were nearly out when a witch grabbed Harry's shoulder. "Lost, my dears?"

"No, we're alright," Harry replied, trying very hard not to sound as nervous as he certainly felt. "But thank you."

"Oh, but surely you two need the help," a deeper voice behind us said, and a heavy hand gripped my shoulder. I whirled around, with the fiercest look I could muster, and the middle-aged wizard recoiled for a moment before an oily grin spread across his face. "A lost pup, perhaps?"

"We need to go," I said, reaching for Harry's hand, which he grabbed firmly. We took off sprinting, and didn't stop until we reached Diagon Alley. We dropped hands as soon as we stepped into the sun, and exchanged a long glance full of emotions I couldn't really identify. We both knew that it could have gone much, much worse for both of us without the other.

"What were you doing there?" he asked finally.

"Following my dad," I answered, choosing my words carefully. "I got separated from my brother, so I decided to follow my dad, but I got lost, and someone grabbed me so I took off running. Then I saw Mr. Malfoy and Draco leaving Borgin and Burke's-"

"I Floo-ed there by accident," he explained in a low voice. "Malfoy's dad was trying to sell something."

"Mr. Weasley mentioned that his work has been cracking down lately," I mused. "I wonder if he's worried about being targeted."

"Must be," Harry agreed. "Say, is that Hermione flying towards us?"

I didn't have time to reply before she launched herself on top of me, squealing. I hugged back, sending Harry a "Help me" look over her shoulder that made him laugh. She released me and did the same to Harry, who shot me the same look.

"It's wonderful to see you two!" she gushed. "Are you going into Gringotts?"

"As soon as I've found the Weasleys," Harry said.

"Cedric has the money we need, but I need to find him," I replied.

"Here he comes!" Hermione remarked brightly. "Along with a fair number of Weasleys, and another boy who I think is in Hufflepuff."

Surely enough, Cedric was sprinting up the street with the twins, Ron, Percy, and Mr. Weasley. Cedric and Henry reached us first, and Cedric wrapped me in a tight hug.

"Where on earth were you?" he asked. "I turned around, and you and Dad were both gone."

"I got swept away in the crowd," I lied, "so I tried to follow Dad and-"

Mr. Weasley reached us next, panting and wiping his forehead. "We hoped you'd only gone one grate too far, Harry. Molly's frantic, she's coming now."

"Lucky you two were together, at least," George commented.

"Where did you end up, Harry?" Ron asked.

"Knockturn Alley," he answered.

Cedric turned to me with wide eyes. "That's where Dad-?"

I cut him off with a nod as Mrs. Weasley and Ginny hurried over. As Mrs. Weasley began fussing over him, Cedric, Henry, and I excused ourselves with a promise to meet at Flourish and Blotts in an hour.

"How'd you land yourself in Knockturn Alley with Harry Potter, Lucy?" Henry asked as we headed toward Wisacre's Wizarding Equipment.

"I was following my dad," I explained, "or at least trying to. By the time the crowd cleared, I was in Knockturn Alley, and when I tried to leave, someone grabbed me and I panicked and ran further in by accident. I bumped into Harry, since he made a mistake with the Floo system, and we got out together."

I could tell Cedric knew this wasn't the whole story, but with Henry around, he didn't want to ask what Dad was doing looking for wolfsbane in Knockturn Alley. I wasn't sure yet what to make of it, myself, so I was more than glad for the extra time to process what I had witnessed. After getting the new cauldrons we all needed, we naturally headed toward Quality Quidditch Supplies.

Ron was outside with Harry and Hermione, practically drooling as he admired the Chudley Cannons robes in the front window. I rolled up my sleeve a bit to show him the Magpies watch my parents had gotten me for my birthday and teased him ever so slightly about his choice of team.

Cedric and Henry went to go get new robes, since both of them had grown even more in the past year, and Ron and Harry and Hermione wanted to get ice cream, so I reached into my pocket and drew out the pouch of coins.

"I'll catch up with you later," I said vaguely, smiling at the Quidditch store. "There's something I need to do first."

Ron and Hermione looked confused, but Harry remembered. He grinned and led Ron and Hermione away as I slipped into the store. I approached the counter nervously; the store was crowded, but nobody seemed to actually be buying anything.

"Hello there," the clerk said. "How can I help you?"

"Hi," I squeaked, suddenly incredibly shy as I fiddled with the jingling pouch in my hands. "I'm going to be on the Quidditch team next year, at Hogwarts I mean, and I've been using my brother's broom, but now I need my own." I set my pouch on the counter with a trembling hand. "This is all of the money I have. I've been saving since I was seven. What's the best broom I can get?"

The clerk counted all of the coins carefully, then flipped through the catalog. "Saving since you were seven, you said?" she asked with a smile.

I nodded. "Yes ma'am. I hope it's enough for a good broom."

"It definitely is," she replied. "Follow me. I'll show you what you can get."

I complied as she guided me into the back of the store.

"This wouldn't be enough for a brand-new Nimbus 2000," she explained as she led me down aisles and aisles of brooms, "but the Nimbus 2001 prototype has just been released, and you have the perfect amount for it. It may not be a perfect broom, since it is still just a prototype, but between you and me," she said with a wink, "it's very, very close. So what do you say?"

"I'll do it!" I exclaimed.

"Great! The only catch is that you wouldn't actually receive it until September, when the official Nimbus 2001 is released, since you're a student. They don't want anyone getting overly excited and flying over a Muggle city and the like."

"I understand," I replied immediately, "and that's perfect anyway. My parents don't know I'm doing this. Having it sent to Hogwarts would be great."

"Excellent." She smiled as she summoned a piece of parchment and a quill. "Just sign your name here and write Hogwarts as the destination, and it should arrive your first week of school. What team will you be playing for?"

"I'll be the new Gryffindor Chaser," I said as I scribbled my name. "I was the reserve player last year, but with Skye Parkin graduating, I'm taking her place."

I handed her the parchment, and she smiled. "Those are big shoes to fill, Lucy Diggory, but I'm sure this broom will serve you well."

"Thank you!" I said, shaking from head to toe with excitement and feeling as if I might burst. I emerged from the shop still grinning from ear to ear and found my friends quickly.

"What's so exciting?" Ron asked.

"You'll see in September," I said mysteriously. Then I laughed. "Oh, who am I kidding? I'm too excited!" I lowered my voice to a whisper. "I got the prototype for the Nimbus 2001. The real thing would be too expensive, but I had the perfect amount for the cheap prototype. And the shopkeeper said it was a good broom, too!"

They all shared my excitement as we made our way to Flourish and Bott's. As agreed, Cedric and Henry were already waiting nearby.

"Why on earth is it so crowded?" Henry asked as we approached the bookstore, which was busting at the seams.

"Read the sign, genius," Cedric teased, bumping his shoulder against Henry's and pointing up. He cleared his throat and said in his best pompous voice, "GILDEROY LOCKHART will be signing copies of his autobiography MAGICAL ME today 12:30 P.M. to 4:30 P.M."

Hermione was the most excited out of all of us by far. "We can actually meet him! I mean, he's written almost the whole booklist!"

"Indeed he has, Hermione, indeed he has," Cedric said, scanning the piece of parchment in his hand.

"Let's just get in and out as quickly as possible," Harry muttered, and we all nodded our agreement.

"There's my mum and Ginny," Ron pointed out, "with your parents, Hermione."

"Mine are there, too," Henry added. "Let's go."

We all grabbed the books we needed and joined them closer to the front of the very, very, very long line. I could tell Cedric, sweet and honest and conscientious Cedric, wasn't too keen on the idea of cutting the line, but when he seemed to get over it when he saw exactly how long it really was. He didn't love crowded spaces any more than I did, either, so I knew he, too, wanted to get out as fast as possible.

Soon enough, Gilderoy Lockhart himself emerged from behind a curtain. It seemed like every witch in the room swooned at the sight of him except for me. Ron and I exchanged a bit of an eye roll; even Harry and Cedric and Henry seemed somewhat enraptured by his presence. A photographer came around mid-eye-roll and stepped on Ron's foot.

"Ow!" he protested.

Rather than apologizing, the photographer scowled at Ron. "Out of the way, there. This is for the Daily Prophet!"

"Big deal," Ron muttered, heading off with Hermione to get out of the smoke from the camera.

Lockhart seemed to have heard him, though. He looked at Ron's retreating form, then at me, then his gaze landed on Harry. "It can't be Harry Potter?" he exclaimed, lunging forward and dragging Harry to the front of the room before I could even register what was happening. The bookstore shook with applause, but I just felt horrible for Harry. He looked rather like he wanted to just sink into the floor. He tried to come back over to us after having his picture taken, but Lockhart stopped him, and cleared his throat for an announcement. "Ladies and gentlemen, what an extraordinary moment this is! The perfect moment for me to make a little announcement I've been sitting on for some time! When young Harry here stepped into Flourish and Blotts today, he only wanted to buy my autobiography, which I shall be happy to present him now, free of charge, he had no idea that he would shortly be getting much, much more than my book, Magical Me. He and his schoolmates will, in fact, be getting the real magical me. Yes, ladies and gentlemen, I have great pleasure and pride in announcing that this September, I will be taking up the post of Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry!"

As the crowd gasped and cheered and applauded again, Harry managed to slip away over to us, tipping the books into Ginny's cauldron, murmuring, "You have these, I'll buy my own-"

Draco Malfoy sauntered over, a smug look on his face. "Bet you loved that, didn't you, Potter? Famous Harry Potter! Can't even go into a bookshop without making the front page."

I opened my mouth to defend him, but Ginny beat me to it. "Leave him alone, he didn't want all that!" she snapped, fixing him with a glare I thought she only reserved for Ron when he beat her at chess.

"Potter, you've got yourself a girlfriend!" Draco exclaimed gleefully, making Ginny blush red.

"Jealous, Draco?" I retorted.

"Not at all," he replied, flashing a false smile at me. "I'd much rather have a pure-blood girlfriend who isn't a blood traitor. Even you would do, Diggory, if need be. Father might even approve of it, if you weren't so ugly."

Ron and Hermione made their way over before I could fire something back of my own. Ron scowled. "Oh, it's you. Bet you're surprised to see Harry here, eh?"

"Not as surprised as I am to see you in a shop, Weasley. I suppose your parents will go hungry for a month to pay for all those."

Ron dropped the books into Ginny's cauldron and lunged, but I stood between them as Harry and Hermione yanked on his jacket. I turned to Draco.

"Give me another black eye, I dare you," I said, narrowing my eyes. He might have, but at that moment, Mr. Weasley and the twins headed over. Cedric pulled me out from in between the boys as the twins muttered something about "Not again," grinning nonetheless.

"Ron, what are you doing?" Mr. Weasley asked. "It's too crowded in here, let's go outside."

Mr. Malfoy came to stand behind Draco, wearing the same smug sneer as his son. "Well, well, well, Arthur Weasley."

"Let's leave, Lu," Cedric whispered in my ear. "This might get bad."

I nodded and reached forward to grab Hermione's shoulder. "Cedric and I are heading home. See you soon, though, yeah?"

She nodded and hugged me quickly before Cedric, Henry, and I slipped out of the shop.

"What a day," Henry sighed. "You two Floo-ing home?"

"Yeah, are you?" Cedric asked.

"Yes, sir!" he replied. "Let's go."

We headed down to the Leaky Cauldron and made our way to the fireplace.

"You can go first, Hen," Cedric offered.

"So eager to get rid of me," Henry said, placing his hand over his chest in a gesture of mock hurt. "I see how it is."

Cedric laughed and clapped a hand on his shoulder. "See you soon, mate."

"I'll talk to my parents about you coming over. You can come too, if you want, Lucy," he said, turning to me, "but it sounds like you have your hands full chasing after Harry."

I blushed. "I'll admit I do a fair amount of that, even accidentally. But thank you for the offer, I'd love to visit sometime."

Once he vanished in a flash of green flame, Cedric glanced at me. "You want to go first, or should I?"

I shuddered, remembering the heaviness of the man's hand on my shoulder. "Can I go first?"

"Of course," he said, holding out the pouch. I took a handful of powder and stepped into the fire.

"The Diggory estate!" I shouted. I shut my eyes tightly, hugging my arms tightly to myself and waiting to crash down in our own fireplace. Once I did, I hurriedly clambered out of the fireplace and waited for my brother. Thankfully, it seemed we would be home alone for a little while. I knew he still had plenty of questions about Knockturn Alley.

Surely enough, once my brother landed in the living room, he asked if we could talk about what exactly happened in Knockturn Alley. I nodded, and he helped me put my new books on my bookshelf as we talked. When I was done, he sighed and settled on my bed.

"That's strange," he said, "but it makes more sense than anything else I've thought of in the past... eleven months, has it been?"

"I think so," I replied. I walked over to the small mirror on my nightstand and lifted my scarred hand to my scarred face. "But what do you mean, it makes sense?"

"Well, if Dad was getting a cheap wolfsbane in Knockturn Alley, it's possible it's made without dittany, the most expensive ingredient in the potion."

I bit my lower lip and turned to face him. "That does make sense," I said slowly. I sank down on my bed next to him.

"I guess we just need to figure out a way to ask the Fletcher man what exactly is in the potion, then replicate it as best we can. But actually, he sounded more like the middle man between the person actually making the potion and Dad, so we need to figure out who's making it and ask him or her what's different about it."

"Easy," I replied in the flattest, dullest voice I could muster.

He laughed humorlessly. "Not necessarily easy, but it is possible." He put an arm around my shoulders and pulled me close. "I'm glad we're closer to answers about you, Lu. Now we're one step closer to making it better for you."

I flinched away slightly, ducking under his arm. "Sorry," I said softly. I felt sudden tears rise to my eyes, and I couldn't will them away before he saw them.

"Hey, don't be sorry," he replied. "What's bothering you?"

"Someone grabbed me by the shoulder," I explained. I huffed, smiling even as a tear raced down my cheek. "He didn't do anything else once he saw my face."

Cedric didn't know what to say for a moment. "I'm glad nothing happened," he said slowly. "But I did hear what Draco said to you in the bookstore, and I know you've heard it before. And whatever happens, just know it's what's on the inside that counts."

I nodded. "Thanks, Cedric. I guess I'd prefer my problem to yours."

"Mine?" he asked jokingly, though he knew full well what his problem was.

"I won't ever have girls throwing themselves at my feet and slipping me love potions," I replied. "Honestly, you should have seen Wood and his girlfriend, too, on Valentine's Day." I shuddered. "Yeah, I like my problem. I wouldn't want Draco Malfoy marrying me anyway." I shuddered again. "That would be a nightmare."