A/N: Welcome to story number two in this series! The first story is called This is Home and covers Lucy's first year at Hogwarts, and you should probably read it before you read this one.
Just some info about this story before it begins: first, I'm going to continue posting chapters on Mondays and Thursdays; second, this story has sixteen chapters in total. Hope you enjoy!
Disclaimer: Harry Potter is not mine.
And the shadow of the day
Will embrace the world in gray
And the sun will set for you
Shadow of the Day by Linkin Park
Chapter 1 – Return to the Burrow
It was a rather beautiful July morning in Massachusetts. Lucy Jones was lying wide awake in her bed, even though it was only seven o'clock. She sighed as she stared up at her ceiling. It had been one week since she'd returned to the United States from her first year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, and she was missing it terribly. Hogwarts had really become a home away from home for her.
Lucy hadn't realized how hard it was going to be to spend two months so far away from school and her friends. Even though she had lived in Massachusetts for most of her life, she felt like an outsider now. All she wanted to do was go back to Britain.
Not for the first time since she'd found out what happened to her parents, Lucy felt anger. When she was a year old, she had been removed from her parents' home and sent to the States to keep her safe. There had been a war going on, and You-Know-Who—the most evil wizard of his time—was hunting down anyone who opposed him. That included Lucy's parents.
Unfortunately, her parents had been killed not long after Lucy had been sent to the States. Dan and Sue Jones, who had temporarily taken Lucy in, permanently adopted her. They had told her very early on in her life that she was adopted, but she had never known much of anything about her birth parents.
For the first ten years of her life, Lucy had assumed that she would be attending Ilvermorny School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, which was the main magic school that served North America. Then, one year prior, Lucy received an acceptance letter to Hogwarts. She had never felt very attached to Ilvermorny, and, after learning some more about her parents, she'd decided to give Hogwarts a try.
Lucy turned over onto her side and was immediately met with her black cat Evie's nose. "Good morning, Evie," Lucy said with a chuckle.
Evie meowed and pawed at the blanket impatiently. Lucy knew that this meant she was hungry and ready to eat.
"All right, all right," Lucy said. "I'll get you some breakfast."
She sat up and pushed the blankets off herself. Then, after changing out of her pajamas and into some regular clothes, she let Evie crawl onto her shoulders and left the room.
"Good morning, Lucy." Lucy's adoptive mom Sue was in the kitchen, and she looked surprised to see her daughter. "You're up very early."
"Evie wanted her breakfast," Lucy replied. She took her cat over to the corner of the room where her food bowl was. Once Lucy crouched down, Evie jumped gracefully onto the floor. Lucy scooped some food into Evie's bowl, and Evie started eating immediately.
"Would you like something for breakfast, as well?" Sue asked after Lucy had straightened up.
"I suppose so," Lucy answered. She took a seat at the kitchen table as Sue busied herself at the stove.
"Good morning, dear," Dan said, entering the room. He pressed a kiss into Sue's temple. Then he turned and saw Lucy. "Morning, pumpkin," he added warmly.
"Hi, Dad," Lucy said.
"What are you doing up so early?" Dan asked.
"I dunno," Lucy replied. "I was just awake, and then Evie insisted on having some breakfast."
Then there was a squawk from somewhere nearby. Lucy looked up to the kitchen window and saw their family owl Thomas flying towards the house. Dan hurried over to the window and opened it. Thomas swooped into the kitchen and landed on the table. He held his foot out obediently; tied to it were a few letters and a copy of the morning paper.
"Anything for me?" Lucy asked as Dan sorted through the mail.
"Yes, actually," Dan replied, pulling an envelope out from the pile and handing it over.
Lucy took it eagerly and opened it.
Dear Lucy,
I hope your summer has been all right so far. Mine's been pretty good. We've been playing a lot of Quidditch. Percy is hopeless on a broom, so it's just been me, Fred, and George.
Anyway, everyone's been asking when you're going to come and visit. Mum said that she'll talk to your parents and sort everything out, but I figured that someone should ask you if you even want to visit. I've written to Harry and invited him to stay, as well, but I haven't heard back from him yet.
Well, let me know if you're interested in staying with us again. Talk soon!
Ron
Lucy smiled at the letter. It was from Ron Weasley, one of her best friends back at Hogwarts. The Weasley family had acted as Lucy's host family while she'd been in Britain last summer.
"Mom, Dad," Lucy said, getting her parents' attention. "It's from Ron. He's asking if I could go and stay at their house sometime soon."
"I'm sure we could arrange something," Sue said. "Actually, there was something your father and I needed to talk to you about."
"What's that?" Lucy asked.
"Kathy Summers invited us down for a few days a couple of weeks from now," Sue said. "You'll be able to see your old friends! Isn't that exciting?"
Lucy hesitated. The friends that Sue was referring to were the daughters of Sue's and Dan's old school friends. There were three of them: Paige Summers, Samantha Green, and Noelle Watson. Although Lucy had grown up with them, she had never considered them her friends. Dan and Sue were unaware of this, however, so Lucy always tried to feign excitement when she had to see the girls.
"That's great, Mom," Lucy said eventually, hoping that she sounded convincing enough.
Sue beamed and returned to cooking breakfast, and Lucy looked down at the table, feeling guilty and dreading the future visit to Texas.
~LJ:SD~
The day of the Joneses' short vacation had arrived. Lucy was very quiet throughout breakfast and as Dan and Sue ran around the house to make sure everything was ready for them to leave. Then, when midmorning came around, they stood in front of their fireplace and used the Floo Network to travel to the Summerses' house.
When Lucy spun out of the fire, she looked around the familiar family room. It had been a few years since she'd been to Paige Summers's home, but it looked the same as ever. The only noticeable differences were the updated family photos on the walls.
"Lucy, dear!" a voice trilled excitedly in a southern accent.
Lucy turned to see Kathy Summers, Paige's mother, grinning at her. Sue was standing by, as well, along with their other old school friends.
Mrs. Summers walked over to Lucy and said, "It's been so long since we last saw you! Look at how much you've grown." Mrs. Summers held out her arms, and Lucy forced herself into the hug.
"Hello, Mrs. Summers," she said politely.
"I suppose you don't want to be hanging around with us," Mrs. Summers giggled after she let go of Lucy. "Paige is upstairs with Samantha and Noelle. You remember where Paigie's room is, right?"
"Yes, ma'am," Lucy said. "Excuse me." She gave Mrs. Summers and the other adults a tight-lipped smile before leaving the room.
"She seems so much more polite, Susie," she heard Mrs. Summers simper.
Lucy rolled her eyes but didn't turn back.
The Summerses' home was large, much larger than the Joneses'. Lucy never understood how Paige and her mother could live in such a big house when it was just the two of them. Paige's father had been a Muggle, and he had passed away when Paige was quite young. Mrs. Summers was the Editor-in-Chief of a popular witch magazine, which meant that they had plenty of money. Lucy thought that living in such a big house would get too lonely for her, but apparently Mrs. Summers and Paige didn't think so.
Lucy reached the foyer and took the staircase up to the second floor. She stopped outside Paige's bedroom door and took a moment to collect herself. She hadn't seen any of these girls in over a year; she had no idea of what to expect. After taking a few calming breaths, Lucy reached out and knocked on the door.
The door opened, and Lucy was immediately greeted by a blonde-haired, blue-eyed girl who was the spitting image of her mother.
"Lucy!" Paige squealed in her southern accent, throwing her arms around Lucy's neck enthusiastically.
Lucy, feeling slightly overwhelmed, lightly hugged the girl back.
"It's so good to see you!" Paige went on, grabbing Lucy's wrist and pulling her into the room. "Samantha! Noelle! Look who's here! It's Lucy!"
"Hi, Lucy!" Samantha Green said from her position on Paige's bed, and Lucy waved at her.
"Hey, Lucy," Noelle Watson spoke up, sitting on the couch next to the bed, and Lucy gave her a small smile. Noelle was the one Lucy had always gotten along the best with.
"So, where were you this year?" Paige asked as she sat down on the bed next to Samantha.
Lucy remained standing awkwardly in the middle of the room. "What do you mean?" she questioned, confused.
"Well, you never showed up at Ilvermorny," Paige explained. "We were all really confused as to where you had gone. I mean, we always talked about going to Ilvermorny together."
"I'm surprised that my mom didn't tell your moms," Lucy said.
"Well, maybe she did, and they forgot to tell us," Paige said. "So, were you being home-schooled? I'm surprised. You always spoke so highly of Ilvermorny."
"I wasn't home-schooled," Lucy replied flatly, suspicious that Paige was trying to trap her somehow.
"But if you weren't home-schooled, and you didn't go to Ilvermorny—oh!" Paige gasped dramatically. "Are you a No-Maj?"
Lucy couldn't help rolling her eyes. A No-Maj was what Americans called a non-magical person; Lucy had gotten used to saying Muggle when she'd been in Britain. "I'm not a No-Maj," Lucy answered. "I actually went to Hogwarts last year."
There was a moment of silence as Paige's and Samantha's eyes widened.
"Isn't that the school in Britain?" Samantha asked, sounding confused.
"Yes," Lucy replied. "I found out that I was born in Britain, so my name had been registered for Hogwarts when I was a baby."
"That's cool," Noelle said genuinely.
Paige and Samantha shared a glance.
"Well, that definitely sounds interesting," Paige said finally. Then, after a moment, she added, "Come on, Sam. I promised you that I would show you my new nail polishes."
The two girls got up from the bed and went into Paige's bathroom. They shut the door, leaving Lucy alone with Noelle.
"Sorry about her," Noelle said immediately. "I think she wanted to believe that you had chickened out of going to Ilvermorny to make her feel better about herself or something."
"That sounds like Paige," Lucy replied. "So, tell me about Ilvermorny. What house did you get into?"
Noelle patted the couch cushion next to her, and Lucy gratefully sat down. "Thunderbird, actually," Noelle answered. "Paige and Samantha are both Wampuses, so I didn't see them a whole lot in the past year. But enough about me. You went to Hogwarts! What's it like?"
"Well, there are four houses there, too," Lucy began. "Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin. They're named after the founders. I was put into Gryffindor."
"Did you get to meet Harry Potter?" Noelle asked. "I know that he's our age."
"He's actually one of my best friends," Lucy said proudly with a smile.
"What? No way!" Noelle exclaimed. "That is so awesome. Now I wish I could go to Hogwarts. So, what's he like?"
"He's just an ordinary boy," Lucy replied with a shrug, "except that people tend to stare at him wherever he goes."
"Girls!" Mrs. Summers's voice called from below. "Girls, it's time for lunch! Come on downstairs!"
Paige and Samantha exited the bathroom, chatting loudly with one another, and led the way out of the bedroom. Lucy and Noelle followed behind them.
After Noelle had brought up Harry, Lucy couldn't help thinking about her closest friends. Sue had been in contact with Mrs. Weasley, and it had been decided that Lucy would be returning to the Weasleys' home—the Burrow—on her twelfth birthday. She was going to stay with them for the rest of the summer, and she could not wait.
"Come along, girls," Mrs. Summers said when the four girls had joined the adults in the family room. "We're going to head out and get lunch."
"Oh, Mom!" Paige spoke up. "Please tell me we can go to Little Julia's!"
Mrs. Summers nodded her approval, and they all lined up in front of the fireplace.
"Did you girls get all caught up?" Sue asked, stepping forward so she could stand next to Lucy.
"Yes," Lucy replied. "Did you tell them that I went to Hogwarts?"
"I'm sure it came up at some point," Sue said with a frown. "Why?"
"Paige asked if I had been home-schooled last year," Lucy answered.
"Well, maybe Kathy forgot to tell her about it," Sue said. "Ready to go to lunch?"
"Yeah," Lucy said, which was a lie. She just wanted to go home.
~LJ:SD~
The rest of their vacation passed slowly for Lucy. The only thing that kept her in decent spirits was the fact that she would be going back to Britain soon.
Paige and Samantha, after learning that Lucy hadn't been home-schooled, didn't pay her much attention. Instead, Lucy and Noelle took turns telling each other about their first years at their schools.
Finally, the four days had passed, and Lucy, Sue, and Dan were leaving the Summerses' home. They were passed around the other families, and Lucy felt almost sad to be saying good-bye to Noelle. Noelle promised Lucy that she would write.
Then Lucy was taking the Floo Network back to her home in Massachusetts. When she stepped out of the fire into their familiar living room, she took a big breath, feeling relieved. Now she only had about a week to wait until she could go back to the Burrow.
~LJ:SD~
Lucy's twelfth birthday had finally arrived. She was awake very early, and she wasted no time in getting out of bed. She changed out of her pajamas and packed them away into her trunk before making her bed.
Next, she joined her parents in the kitchen for her birthday breakfast. Sue had made French toast, which was what Lucy always had on her birthday. Once they were done eating, Sue and Dan handed Lucy a couple of presents, which she opened happily.
After breakfast, Dan left for work, and Sue began to clean up the kitchen. Lucy, meanwhile, excused herself to go back up to her room. She finished packing her trunk, and then she tidied up her bedroom so that her parents wouldn't have to worry about cleaning up after her.
A few hours later, when she was satisfied with her work, she flopped down onto her bed. Evie immediately jumped up next to her, purring. Lucy stroked the cat's head and grinned at the ceiling. It wouldn't be long until she was back with the Weasleys.
"Lucy!" Sue called from somewhere downstairs.
"Yeah, Mom?" Lucy yelled.
"Come here for a moment, sweetheart," Sue requested.
Lucy sighed and sat up. Evie lifted her head to find out why Lucy had stopped petting her. Lucy gave the cat a few reassuring pats before getting to her feet and trudging from her room. She went down the stairs and found Sue reading at the kitchen table.
"What's up, Mom?" Lucy said, coming to a halt in front of Sue.
"Did you finish cleaning your room?" Sue asked, looking up from her book.
"Yes," Lucy answered.
"All packed? Sure you have everything?" Sue pressed.
"Yes, Mom," Lucy replied, trying to hide the annoyance in her tone.
Sue placed her bookmark in her book and let the cover close. "Lucy, I just want to make sure you're absolutely certain that you're ready for school," she said. "I know you love it over there. I really do."
Guilt immediately filled Lucy's gut. "Mom, I love you—and Dad," she assured her mom. "Yes, I love it there, but I love it here, too."
Sue smiled sadly. "Oh, I know, honey," she said. "It's hard to see my daughter start to grow up."
Lucy rolled her eyes but smiled. "Mom, I'm only twelve," she mumbled.
"I know," Sue replied. "Maybe someday, if you have children of your own, you'll understand."
Lucy shrugged.
"Anyway, I just wanted to be sure that you'd finished cleaning and packing," Sue said. "Dad will be home soon to say good-bye."
Lucy nodded her understanding before hurrying back to her room. Evie was still curled up on the bed where Lucy had left her. Lucy scratched the cat's head before moving to her dresser. There was a small mirror against the wall above the dresser, and Lucy looked carefully at her reflection.
Lucy smiled to herself, her hazel eyes looking particularly bright with excitement. She felt a great deal older than she did on her last birthday, which was probably because she had since completed her first year at school. Before last year, she had never been to a school before. Physically, she was starting to look different, as well. She had grown a few inches over the past year, and she had cut six inches off her once long, black hair.
After contemplating her appearance for a while, Lucy picked up the only thing laying on the dresser top. It was a silver locket necklace with the initials L.E. on it. She had received it for Christmas the previous year, and—according to the giver—it had belonged to her birth mother. Lucy fastened the necklace behind her neck, and then gathered her hair in her hands and lifted it up so the chain went underneath.
"Lucy!" Dan called from below.
He must have just arrived home, Lucy determined, and she rushed out of her room and back down the stairs. "Hi, Dad!" she exclaimed, hurrying up to her father. She wrapped her arms around his middle, and he hugged her back tightly.
"All set, pumpkin?" he asked as he pulled away. "Got everything packed up and ready to go?"
"Yes, Daddy," Lucy replied, giggling.
Dan smiled sadly down at her. "Your mother and I are going to miss you very much," he said. "I hope you don't forget about us when you're off having all kinds of wonderful adventures."
"I won't forget you," Lucy said immediately. "Of course I won't. I love you both so much."
Dan chuckled quietly. "Do you need some help carrying your trunk down from your room?" he asked.
Lucy nodded. "Yes, please," she answered. "Even with a Feather-Light Charm on it, it's an awkward size to carry by myself."
"Well, the great part about being of age," Dan started, "is that I have the help of magic on my side." He winked at Lucy, who smiled back. "Come on; you better show me where everything is."
Lucy led her father upstairs and pointed out her trunk. As Dan levitated it out of the room and down the stairs, Lucy took a last look around the room. Everything was put away in its place. The only remaining thing was to put Evie in her carrier.
"C'mon, Evie," Lucy cooed, scooping up her cat. Evie squirmed a bit, but Lucy held fast. She picked up the carrier and put Evie inside it, who immediately mewed in protest. "Oh, shush, Evie," Lucy scolded. "When we get to the Burrow, you'll get to roam free."
Evie quieted a little, as though she had understood what Lucy had said.
"Lucy!" Sue called from below. "Lucy, there are some people here to see you!"
"What?" Lucy asked aloud, although not loud enough for her parents to hear downstairs. She picked up Evie's carrier and hurried down the stairs.
Standing in her living room was Ron Weasley, grinning widely, along with his father.
Lucy felt her jaw drop open in surprise. "What are you doing here?" she asked, setting Evie's carrier on the couch.
Then she bolted forward and threw her arms around Ron's neck, hugging him wildly. Ron didn't quite know how to respond, so he merely put his arms around her and squeezed back. When Lucy pulled back, she grinned at her friend.
"Happy birthday," Ron said. "All right?"
"I'm good," Lucy replied, "and you?"
"Doing well," Ron answered.
Then Arthur Weasley stepped forward, and Lucy gave him a hug, as well; Mr. Weasley was like a second father to her.
"As lovely as this surprise is, I still don't understand what you're doing here," Lucy said.
"Well, we've decided that coming to collect you might be better than all that rigmarole you had to go through last summer," Mr. Weasley explained. He held up an old Wellington boot and continued, "We'll be traveling by Portkey. Now, normally you're not meant to use Portkeys without a governing body's permission, but I think we'll be okay to risk it."
"What's a Portkey?" Lucy asked. She'd never heard of it before.
"A Portkey is a simple object with a spell put on it that allows travel between one place to another at a specific time," Mr. Weasley replied. "I've cast the spell on this one, and we have about—" He paused to check his watch. "—a minute before it's set to leave from here."
"So how do we use it?" Lucy questioned.
"You just need to be touching it," Mr. Weasley answered. "Before we leave, however, I'll send your trunk ahead of us. Your cat will have to come with us, but I think that I'd better hang onto her," he added, glancing at the carrier.
"Sounds like a plan, Mr. Weasley," Lucy said. Then she turned back to her parents as Mr. Weasley waved his wand over her trunk; it disappeared.
"You be a good girl," Sue said to Lucy, her voice wobbling slightly. "Do what the Weasleys tell you to do. Write to us. Have a good time back at school."
Lucy hugged her mother tightly. "Don't worry, Mom," she murmured. "I'll be good."
Sue pulled away and gave her daughter a watery smile. Lucy moved over and hugged Dan, who echoed what his wife had said. Lucy reassured him that she would be on her best behavior.
Lucy picked up Evie's cat carrier and handed it over to Mr. Weasley. He held the boot out, and Lucy and Ron both took hold of it.
"Ten seconds," Mr. Weasley reported, looking at his watch again.
Lucy turned her head to look back at her parents. "Bye Mom—Dad," she said. "I love you!"
Dan moved to stand next to his wife, putting an arm around her shoulders. "Good-bye, munchkin," he said. "Be safe!"
"I will," Lucy promised.
"Three… two… one," Mr. Weasley said.
Lucy felt a jerk, as though an invisible force had pulled her upward. Her living room disappeared, and she felt as though she was flying very quickly through the air. Her hand was glued to the boot, and she could hear Evie meowing from her carrier.
After a few moments, Lucy's feet suddenly slammed against the ground, and she fell over. She looked up and saw that Mr. Weasley was still on his feet. Ron, however, was lying on the grass next to Lucy. Mr. Weasley offered his hand first to Lucy and then to Ron.
Once Lucy was back on her feet, she looked up at the building in front of her and smiled. The Burrow had truly become a home away from home for her, and she was excited to be back. "That was much easier than having to use the International Floo Network," she commented as Mr. Weasley handed Evie's cat carrier to her.
"My thoughts exactly," Mr. Weasley said. "Molly and the others are looking forward to seeing you. Let's go inside and see where they've all gotten to."
Lucy and Ron followed Mr. Weasley into the house.
"Lucy!" Ginny, Ron's younger sister, cried happily, bouncing on the balls of her feet. She was a year younger than Lucy and Ron, and she was going to be a first-year at Hogwarts that year.
Before Lucy could answer Ginny, she was being swooped up into a hug.
"We missed you, Lu!" George Weasley practically shouted into her ear, calling her by the nickname he and his twin brother Fred had given her the previous year. "Happy birthday!"
George had barely set her down when Fred picked her up and swung her around, as well.
"Hi, Fred—George," Lucy laughed breathlessly. "I missed you, too."
Fred and George were two years older than Lucy and Ron, and they were starting their fourth year at school.
Now Lucy was able to pull Ginny into a hug. Even though they had only met a year ago, Lucy still felt like Ginny was her younger sister.
The last Weasley to come forward was Molly, beaming at Lucy warmly. "Lucy, dear," she said, wrapping Lucy in a hug, as well. "You look very well. I hope you're ready for a special birthday dinner!"
"I am so ready for dinner," Lucy replied, smiling at the woman. "It sounds wonderful. Thank you, Mrs. Weasley."
"Oh, it's no trouble at all," Mrs. Weasley said, although the look of pride on her face was unmistakable. "It'll be a little while yet. Your trunk is in the sitting room; why don't you take your things up to Ginny's room and get yourself settled?"
Lucy nodded and turned to the other Weasleys. Fred and George immediately volunteered to heft the trunk up to Ginny's room. They went up the stairs first, followed by Lucy, Ron, and Ginny.
"So, how has your summer been?" Lucy asked after the twins had set her trunk down. She let Evie out of her carrier, and the cat immediately started to sniff around the room.
"It's been all right," George answered, lounging on the cot that Lucy would be sleeping on. "Pretty much the same as every other summer—hot and slightly boring."
"I wrote to Harry asking if he wanted to come stay, too," Ron told Lucy. "I haven't heard from him all summer, though. I hope those Muggles are treating him all right."
"I haven't heard from him, either," Lucy said, frowning.
Then she noticed the look on Ginny's face as they were talking about Harry. It was a sort of dreamy face, like she was lost in thoughts far away from them. Lucy snapped her fingers in front of Ginny's eyes, and the younger girl jumped slightly.
"Sorry," she said immediately. "Dazed off a bit there."
Ron snorted. "Ginny fancies Harry," he explained to Lucy.
Ginny, whose cheeks were burning bright red, swiped at Ron, and he barely ducked out of the way in time. "I do not fancy Harry!" Ginny squealed in a slightly higher voice than normal.
Lucy saw Fred and George exchange wicked smirks.
"Don't feel bad, Ginny," Fred said. "We all fancy Harry, at least a little bit. Right, George?"
"Right, Fred," George picked up. "He's so absolutely dreamy. And he's a hero! And famous!"
"Oh, so famous!" Fred continued in a falsetto. "And he is so good looking!"
"Okay, you two, lay off," Lucy said, cutting them off.
Ron was laughing uncontrollably, and Fred and George were grinning in success. Lucy flicked George's ear.
"Ow, Lucy," he cried out in mock pain. "Please, don't hurt me! I won't ever say it again, I swear!"
Lucy couldn't help but giggle at this one, and even Ginny cracked a smile.
"Oy, you lot!" Mrs. Weasley called from the kitchen. "Dinner's ready! Wash up and then come down here, please!"
Lucy grinned and followed the other Weasley children to wash up, and then they all went down to the kitchen. Mrs. Weasley had laid out quite the feast for them, including a marvelous birthday cake. It ended up being one of Lucy's best birthdays ever.
~LJ:SD~
A/N: And we're off and running!
So, the bit at the beginning with the other American girls was mostly meant to open a window to Lucy's past; that she did, in fact, know other people in America, although she didn't feel particularly close to them. Paige and Samantha won't be mentioned again, but Noelle will be popping up a couple of times.