Inside Emma's brightly decorated room at Wool's Orphanage, three orphans sat playing a game of chess. Perhaps 'playing' was a generous term for the complete and utter destruction Lucy Rochester was sending their way, because even with Emma and Nathan's combined efforts, they only lasted a few rounds at most.
Lucy sighed as Emma began setting up the board again. She had an hour before she had to leave for King's Cross and she had been playing chess for at least three hours now. Emma hated losing any sort of board game and Nathan was glad to spend time with anyone that wasn't insufferable; the chances of them quitting were slim.
"Why are you so good at chess?" Nathan groaned. Aside from helping Emma, he was also keeping score. In a total of thirty and a half games, half being the time Grayble trampled over the board before anyone could win, Lucy won all of them. Quirrell would have been so proud.
"The evil wizard who tried to kidnap me was also rather fond of the sport," Lucy explained, remembering the countless hours she spent with Voldy-Quirrell. And she knew for certain Voldemort liked chess because it was one of the few activities besides reading that Tom was willing to partake in. The only other activity was pranks, but only if she could learn something through it.
She had loads of fun explaining to Nathan and Emma every detail of her years at Hogwarts. She told them everything from her first potions lesson with Snape to the battle inside the Chamber of Secrets. It was exciting telling a story that no one believed, and one that they wouldn't judge her for, on top of that. Emma and Nathan obviously thought she was making it up, but they were impressed by her storytelling anyway.
Since they didn't believe her, she wasn't technically breaking any laws. So take that, minister.
"What's his name again?" Emma asked.
"Moldevort," Lucy answered in a serious tone.
Well, she changed a few details. One of them being Voldemort's name, and another being that she never mentioned Tom's name. As far as they knew, her diary companion's name was John Fiddle.
No, she was not accepting criticism on that.
Aside from knowing it would annoy Voldemort and Tom, Lucy was wary of spreading information about Lord Voldemort to anyone who might get in trouble for it. It was far-fetched, but if a ministry official ever did hear a bunch of muggle children talking about Hogwarts and the darkest lord of all time, she'd likely find herself arrested, or whatever they did to children who broke the law.
"Odd name, isn't it?" Emma hummed.
Lucy grinned. "He was an odd man. Also, you may want to reconsider that move."
Emma looked down at the chess board, where she had been about to move her pawn a space forward. She stared for a solid minute before groaning and dropping the piece altogether. "Alright, I give up! This is melting my brain!"
"What brain?" Nathan said innocently.
Emma scowled. She picked up the chess piece and chucked it at his head. "Shut up, Nathaniel. You failed your vocabulary test last year. Fourteen years old and you can't spell the word yacht! Can you believe it, Lucy?"
"I cannot, dear Emma," Lucy shook her head disappointed at Nathan, knowing full well that she couldn't spell the word yacht either. She hoped her professors wouldn't mind too much that her spelling was about to get a lot worse. It wasn't her fault that her personal dictionary turned out to be a murderous wizard.
"Whatever," Nathan scowled. He leaned forward and began to put the chess set away, while Emma joined Lucy on the bed.
Lucy flopped backward, sprawling out on her back. Emma's room was bright and sunny with drawings of flowers taped onto the wall. It was a nice change to Lucy's own room, which was barren and kind of dirty. She supposed there was a great difference between her and Emma's uses for Wool's Orphanage. For everyone else, this was their home; they'd live here until they turned eighteen. For Lucy it was just a stop along the way to... well, home.
Emma leaned her face over Lucy's and smiled excitedly. "Tell us more about John Fiddle!" The tips of her hair grazed Lucy's forehead, and she batted at them, scowling. Emma laughed and rolled sideways, laying beside her. "I never may believe these antique fables, nor these fairy toys," she said in a low tone.
Nathan groaned. "Do not start quoting Shakespeare! That unit was rotten!"
"Emma I must ask you not to Shakespeare all over the place," Lucy agreed.
"Then tell us more of your story!"
"I've already told you everything!" Lucy protested. From start to finish, she said all the main parts.
"Not everything. What was John like? What'd you do between him possessing you?" Emma asked. "You said you were such great friends, but what'd you do?"
Nathan snorted. "You know it's all fake, right, Em?"
"I never said that," Lucy grinned.
"Even if it is fake, I don't care. I think it's a wonderful story. John's my favorite— he sounds so mysterious..."
Lucy couldn't help but laugh. "Mysterious? He was a huge nerd! The biggest nerd!"
"He killed two people for you! I'd hardly call that nerdy," Emma pointed out.
"Well, that was him at his worst, and that was also me at my worst," Lucy explained. She brought her hand up to her chin, scratching it in thought. "He was out of control there. All the other times, he was a perfect student. He never had detention in his life, isn't that a damn shame?" Emma nodded in agreement, while Nathan shook his head. Lucy knew who the nerd of the two was.
"He couldn't stand the colors blue and red. I had a scarlet jumper from the donation center years ago, and it was the comfiest one I'd ever had. Whenever I wore it, it was like he couldn't stand the sight of me. He called me a Gryffindor," she laughed, and Emma laughed with her. "One day, I woke up and found it green all of a sudden. I thought the castle magic must have messed it up, but it was still really comfortable. Looking back on it, I reckon he was sick of seeing the color red all the time and changed it himself. It was a stupid little detail, but he was always caught up on those. Like a nerd. He couldn't stand if anything was messy. So no, he wasn't always trying to take over the world in his spare time. Most of the time, he was just... I don't know, he was just Tom."
Emma and Nathan shared a confused look, but Lucy hadn't even realized her slip-up as she continued speaking. "But, whether or not he was a good friend, he was wrong for what he did to Flint and Pucey. Even if they were monsters, nobody deserves to die. I just... I don't know, I wish that he didn't have to die, too."
"That's how you got your haircut, right?" Emma said in an oddly gentle voice. "T- John cut it?"
Lucy turned to stare at her, slightly amused. "Yeah, he's definitely the same evil wizard that did it."
"But the other guy cut your cheek? Montague?"
"Yeah, he was a total bitch."
"Language," Nathan said automatically.
Lucy pulled a face at him. She had been cursing up a storm lately, and it was all Mallory's fault.
Emma was quiet, thinking through Lucy's most recent little story. She and Lucy both lay there, just staring at the ceiling. Nathan also flopped on the floor, laying down. They were quiet for a few minutes before Emma spoke up again.
"You know, Lucy, I'm almost starting to think this isn't just a story after all," Emma chuckled. "You're a brilliant storyteller."
Lucy tried not to laugh. Oh, the minister would be furious at her right now. "Well, I've never said it wasn't true."
"You've also never said it was true."
"Exactly."
Emma opened her mouth to reply, but suddenly Nathan was sitting up, shushing the pair of them. Lucy rolled onto her stomach and squinted at him. What did he want now? He pointed toward the ceiling, then motioned for her to listen. Nathan had been on a ghost-story kick lately, so if this was another one of his ghost hunting attempts, Lucy was going to throw a pillow at him.
But faintly, Lucy could hear it too. Soft laughter from above them.
Her smile immediately faded, because the floor above them was her floor. It was mostly unoccupied, the only other person being on the complete opposite side.
"What are the odds someone isn't messing with my room?" Lucy said, her voice lowering in suspicion.
Nathan frowned. "Not good at all, I'd say."
Without hesitating, Lucy swung her feet off the bed and stood up, straightening to her full height. Which wasn't much, but to Nathan, he could tell she was deadly serious. Her mood had shifted in the blink of an eye.
Natahn and Emma hesitantly followed as Lucy stalked out of the room.
"What's going on?" Emma whispered to Nathan. They approached the stairwell, struggling to keep up. Lucy was moving quietly, but quietly.
"That's her floor," Nathan whispered back. He eyed the back of Lucy's head. "It's like no-man's-land. The last time someone tried to properly mess with no-man's-land was years ago, and he fell," he put the word in quotation marks, "down the stairs an hour later."
"Oh dear..." Emma muttered.
Lucy heard them fretting, and they were right to. It was no-man's-land. Once upon a time, Lucy's room had been a toy box where the other children would take what they pleased. She'd been too meek back then, but a girl only had so much patience. She finally worked up the courage to straighten them out.
She should have seen this new invasion coming, really; Jennifer and the others had been poking around too much for her liking. They were all older now, and they were braver. Flickering lights and shaking objects were nothing but a distant memory to these people. A memory that Lucy figured she was going to have to help them remember.
She reached the top of the stairs. There was no mistaking it; clear as day, she heard voices from inside her room. Her throat tightened and she felt an ugly, childish feeling in her stomach. That was her room and those were her things. She'd always had so little that any invasion of her territory felt more violating than anything else. And it wasn't just her territory anymore. Since last summer, it had been theirs.
Lucy drew closer, taking care to remain quiet. She didn't want to set them off. In fact, she didn't want to have much of a conflict at all. There wasn't any point in causing a scene; she was going to leave for Hogwarts soon, and besides, her feud with Jennifer had to end at some point. She was going to politely ask them to leave.
"Listen to this—" a male voice laughed. "Please come back, please come back, please come back— how pathetic can you get?"
Her heart stuttered.
"Right? And look at this— it's a picture? But it's moving!" Jennifer's nasally voice was confused and delighted at the same time. "What a looker. What do you reckon we do with it? Looks awfully precious."
No!
Lucy's heart hammered in her chest, but she forced herself to enter the room calmly. She had her hands clasped tightly behind her back— too tightly. Emma and Nathan entered without a word, their arms crossed over their chests.
"What," Lucy began softly. "Do you think you're doing?"
Jennifer looked at her, completely unbothered. That might have been due to her friends. She had three older boys with her, all of them much taller than Lucy. They were gathered at the foot of her bed, two of the boys sitting on it. She made a mental note to burn those sheets later.
"We're just having a look around," Jennifer said sweetly. She turned the photo to face Lucy. Tom's polite, arrogant face smiled back at her. "Who's this, then?"
"He's dead," Lucy said in the same even tone as before. Emma looked at her with surprise. "And it's quite important to me. If you don't mind, I'd like it back, please."
"Why would I do that?"
"You're going to keep a picture of her dead friend?" Emma's voice was practically dripping with disgust. "Give it back to her, Jen. Don't be a bitch."
Jennifer's cheeks warmed at the insult. If Lucy's throat wasn't so tight, she might have laughed. "You can't possibly believe her," Jennifer scoffed. She flipped the photo over and examined it. "She's always lying. It's what she does. So who is it, really? Your boyfriend? The diary said his name was Tom. Did he dump you or something?"
"I can see why," the oldest boy coughed.
Nathan took a step forward. Lucy held out an arm to stop him. She wasn't bothered by their insults; they didn't know anything about her. What she was concerned about were her belongings, which at the moment were in a delicate position. The photo and the ruined diary were two of the most precious items Lucy owned, and now their filthy fingers were touching them. She was standing perfectly still, but she was about to snap with rage.
The lamp on her bedside table began to flicker, but everyone was too focused on Lucy and Jennifer to notice.
"Give me back my things, and I'll forget this ever happened," Lucy said calmly.
Jennifer seemed disappointed that she wasn't putting up more of a fight. She crossed her arms over her chest, holding the picture too roughly for Lucy's liking. "Apologize to me first," she ordered.
Okay, what. Lucy rolled her eyes. "Why the hell would I do that?"
"Because if you don't, I'll rip it." Jennifer held up the photo, holding it like she was ready to tear it down the middle.
Lucy's calm exterior cracked for a moment. She felt dizzy, like the room was spinning at the thought. This was the last physical shred of Tom Riddle she had. Short of seeing her boggart, which was nauseating enough already, this was all she had. On the days she worried she was forgetting what he looked like, the photo was there to remind her that yes, he existed, and no, she wasn't crazy, it wasn't all in her head. The words that left her mouth were like acid on her tongue, but too much was at stake here. She had much more to lose than her stupid pride.
"I'm sorry, Jennifer," she said in as sincere a tone as she could muster. She wasn't sorry. "For all the trouble I've caused you." For all the trouble she was going to cause the moment she got this photo back.
Lucy had always been a good liar. Jennifer shrugged and went to hand it back, but the oldest boy stopped her. Lucy was ready to tear her hair out. She knew him growing up— Dan was always more of a quiet nuisance, but a nuisance nonetheless. He was decidedly the leader of the boys in the orphanage. Nathan used to follow him around all the time before he wised up.
"Are you joking?" Dan scoffed. "If it's that easy to make the maniac roll over, she's got to do more than that to prove it. You said it yourself; she's a liar."
Emma grit her teeth and stepped forward. "I'm going to tell someone if you don't give it back, you great ugly toad," she snapped.
"If you do, I'll rip it right now," Jennifer spit at her.
Nathan tried to be the voice of reason, but his hands were also clenched at his sides. "Come on, Daniel. Leave Lucy alone and give her back her stuff," he ordered. "She's going to be leaving soon anyway— you're just being cruel."
"So?" Dan snorted. "Hell, Nate, you're becoming more of a poofer every day. You saw what she did to Seth all those years ago— she sent him flying across the courtyard! She's a freak. She's the cruel one."
Her friend's face turned a burning red at the insult. It was a damn good thing she didn't have her wand on her, Lucy thought, otherwise she might have been facing a visit from Minister Fudge.
"That's it!" Jennifer said, inspired by Dan's hostility. "Say you're a freak, Lucy. Or I'll rip it."
Lucy stayed silent, glaring daggers at Jennifer. While she found the insult empty, she wasn't going to lower herself for these people. She didn't want to.
Jennifer arched an eyebrow. Ever so slightly, she ripped the edge of the photo.
"I'm a freak," Lucy said in a quiet voice, her words laced with hatred. Her brain felt like it was pulsing; she could swear that she was beginning to see red ebbing at her vision.
"And you're worthless."
She took a deep breath in. For my picture, she reminded herself. She wasn't worthless. She could lie for a short while. "And I'm worthless."
"And you're never going to mess with us again."
"And I'm never going to mess with you again."
She felt like Jennifer knew that wasn't going to happen. Jennifer stayed looking at her, and for a long pause, it felt like time had frozen. A terrible gleam came into Jennifer's eye. "I think I hate you, Lucy," she sait at last. "I always have. You think you're so clever, getting to go to your own special school, breaking all the rules... Well, let's see how clever you are after this."
And then, in one fluid motion, she ripped the photo of Tom right down the middle of his face. She dropped the pieces to the floor and stomped on them, crushing them further with her foot.
Lucy was perfectly still, her hands shaking at her sides.
Dan and the other two boys burst into hysterics, like a pack of laughing hyenas. Emma, bless her heart, stormed out of the room with Nathan to grab a staff member. All the while, Lucy stayed standing there, staring. Jennifer laughed at the frozen expression on her face.
"I think we're done here," she said smugly. She began to pass Lucy to leave through the door.
Lucy's hand shot out, grabbing Jennifer by the neck.
For a long moment, Jennifer stared at Lucy with pure terror. The boys stopped laughing. Lucy wasn't smiling. In one fluid motion, she slammed the older girl to the ground, jumping on top of her. She drew back her arm and punched her with everything she had, and then she hit her again, and again, and again, spitting and hitting and hurting her. How dare she?! She killed him. She killed him! Jennifer screamed and tried to hit her back, but Lucy was too strong, too angry. It'd been a few years since Lucy had gotten into a proper fight, but this scum was going to pay.
Jennifer's face was bloodied by the time she stopped hitting her. Lucy found her hands around the girl's neck, leaning forward with enough pressure to make the girl let out a strangled scream.
"Why would you do that? WHY!?" Lucy yelled in her face. "THAT WAS ALL I HAD OF HIM!" She shouted, feeling furious tears make their way out of her eyes. "He's gone and he's never coming back, and that was ALL I HAD!" Jennifer's eyes squeezed shut as she sobbed desperately.
Dan came to his senses. He grabbed Lucy by the shoulders and started to pull her off, but the moment his hands touched her, she no longer saw Dan. The room was dark, and all she could see was Montague grinning down at her, reaching for his wand, red lightning crackling around him.
Her lips curled into a snarl, and she lunged at him, throwing a huge hit to his jaw.
"FUCK!" Dan hissed. He jumped away, and Lucy advanced toward him. He got over his shock and threw a punch back at her, and obviously, he was stronger. Once she stumbled away, he threw her to the ground. She got back up and kicked him so hard in the leg that he fell to the floor, shouting in pain.
"You're not losing to a girl," one of the other boys groaned. He and the other boy stepped forward. Jennifer was still sobbing on the floor at the top of her lungs, unmoving. He stepped forward and shoved her, but she saw Flint in his place, and she shoved him back with all she had and more. He went flying into the opposite wall, hitting his head on the way down.
The last boy stared at her, wide-eyed. "You're possessed!" He shouted, stumbling out of the room.
"You don't know the half of it," Lucy growled.
Dan stood to his feet, pissed this time. He punched her. Lucy wasn't sure how this much chaos erupted in such a short time frame, but she didn't care. She was pissed, too. His punch landed, and they threw punches at each other, hitting and kicking and properly brawling.
"Break it up!" One of the orderlies rushed in, followed by four more. Dan started to back away from her, but Lucy wasn't going to let him get off that easily. She jumped at him, hitting him once in the throat before two orderlies pulled her off of him. She shouted curses at him, tears pouring down her cheeks as they ushered everyone else out of the room.
Once they were all out, the two orderlies released her and sprinted out after them. They closed the door, and Lucy heard the clicking of a lock.
She took in a few deep breaths, wiping the tears from her eyes. She collapsed to the floor in front of her bed, in front of the picture on the ground. She picked it up, and even as she tried to piece it together, she knew it was no use. The magic photo wasn't even moving any more. Her vision blurred once more, and wiped her face with the sleeve of her hands, letting out a quiet sob. Why? Why couldn't she have this one thing?
She dropped the pieces into her pocket for now and stood up, her lips still wobbling. That was it. She had enough of Wool's Orphanage. She went over to the diary, flipping it open— only to see the word LOVERBOY scrawled across the first page in red ink. She snapped it shut and shoved that into her bag, her heart beating faster by the second.
Most of her things were already packed. She put her backpack on, slung her satchel over her shoulder, and then turned to pick up Grayble.
"Fly ahead to Hogwarts," Lucy told her owl. Her voice was gravelly. She cleared it. "Wait there for me."
He looked worriedly over her before taking off out the window.
She had to move quickly. She knew the process for fights. First and foremost, she had about ten minutes to calm down, four of which she spent staring at the photo. And then the staff would come and interrogate her and end up sending her to a counselor. She'd miss the Hogwarts Express, and then she'd have to send a letter to Dumbledore, and then she'd have to explain to him that she got into a fight with the other children because they tore up her picture of Voldemort.
"Ford? We have to leave now," Lucy called, venturing into the bathroom.
She heard a sleepy hiss, and then Ford crawled out of the spot behind the sink. He tilted his head, taking in Lucy's appearance. "What's wrong?" he demanded. He shot toward her and slithered up her leg, moving to examine her face further. "You're bleeding! Who do I have to bite bloody?"
She caught sight of herself in the mirror, and yes, she was bleeding. She already noticed a nice shiner forming, and a drop of blood was coming out of her nose. With swollen and puffy eyes, she looked like a right mess.
Lucy turned back to Ford. "It's just ketchup," she lied.
"Yeah, an' I'm a bloody acrobat," Ford said sarcastically.
Lucy didn't bother replying. She left quickly through the window. Perhaps it was a good thing she was leaving early; her scraped legs were sure to slow her down on the walk to King's Cross. Her heart was thrumming the entire way, and Ford was curled protective around her shoulders, hissing at anyone who strayed too near to her. She received more than a few concerned glances. Her legs were scraped from the splintered wooden floor, and her new yellow sweater which she had spent so much time picking out, was now stretched and wrinkled.
"I'll kill 'em next time," Ford grunted in her ear.
Lucy felt the pieces of the photo resting heavily in her pocket. She let out a sniffly laugh. "I'll hold you to that."
Platform 9 ¾ was deserted except for a few train workers. She kept her head down as she boarded the train. She went all the way to the back of it and found one of the many empty compartments. She deposited Grayble on the seat, and then she sat by the window, resting her throbbing eye against it. All things considered, she was sort of proud that she managed to hold her own against a seventeen year old boy and his friends. Montague would have been dead meat if he didn't have his wand, the scrawny fucker.
"Are you going to be in trouble when you get back, boss?" Ford wondered. He moved so that he was coiled in Lucy's lap, resting his head in the crook of her arm. "If so, we could go on the run. Us and loads of other snakes— you could start a bloody army!"
The thought of wandering the lands with snake friends was very enticing compared to going back to Wool's Orphanage. "I'll think about that one, Ford," Lucy answered. She rubbed at her throat, grimacing. Dan must have landed a punch there, too. She didn't blame him for fighting her back— fair's fair. But she still won. "I don't think anyone's going to care about the fight by the time I get back."
Ford went to reply, but at that moment, the compartment door slid open. Lucy looked up to see a man with sandy-brown hair standing there, looking exhausted and very confused. "I thought I heard—" he began, pausing when he saw Lucy's snake. "Ah. That's what that was."
He looked toward Lucy and raised his eyebrows at her appearance. In turn, she examined him. He was dressed in shabby, ill-fitting clothes, but to be fair, so was she. He had loads of scars scattered across his face and neck, some of them old and some of them new. Lucy didn't mention his scars, and in turn, he didn't mention her bruises.
"Do you mind?" he said at last, motioning to the empty place across from her.
Lucy forced a convincing grin. "Not at all!"
The man smiled tiredly and sank into the spot.
Lucy, the nosy girl she was, looked at his briefcase. She was still in a sour mood, but some things were too tempting to pass up. "So you're a professor, then?" she asked, reading the words Professor R.J. Lupin.
"This year, at least," he said, nodding.
"If this is your first year, why do you have professor written on your briefcase already?"
Professor Lupin stared at her for a moment. Then he said, "I've always been hopeful. Are you always so full of questions, Ms...?"
"Lucy Rochester. And if you think I'm bad, wait 'til you meet my friends." Lucy lifted Ford up and sat criss-crossed on the seat, leaning forward. She placed Ford back down on her lap. "So are you secretly Voldemort?"
"...I'm not sure if I've fallen asleep. Did you just ask if I'm secretly...?"
"Voldemort? Yes, Unfortunately it is a serious question around here, so I am going to need an honest answer."
"No," Professor Lupin said, looking disturbed. "No, I am not."
Lucy shrugged, leaning back. "That's good enough for me."
"Well— Lucy, was it?" Lucy nodded. "Are you alright? I can't help but notice..." he gestured to her general appearance. "If it's none of my business, that's fine."
Well now she felt sort of bad for hazing him. Looking at him now, she could see genuine kindness in his eyes. Lucy grinned, running her fingers through her hair. "Don't worry. It's only a scratch, R.J. Can I call you R.J.?"
"I'd rather you didn't," Professor Lupin answered.
"I think I'll call you R.J."
He was trying, and failing, not to look amused. "If you must, I think Remus is acceptable."
"Alright, Remus. I am perfectly fine. If you think this is bad, you should have seen the other fifty dragons I fought!" Lucy held out her arm and flexed it dramatically, but the effect was somewhat dimmed by the wince she gave at the sudden movement. Her knuckles, too, were swollen and bleeding in one spot.
"I pity the dragons," Remus said kindly.
If it was anyone else, Lucy might have continued pestering them. But Professor Lupin had been kind so far, and he looked so tired that she felt too guilty to keep bothering him. She reached into her backpack and pulled out Riddle's Book. Holding it in her hands, she was once again reminded of what happened at Wool's. She felt the smile slowly fall off her face as she took in Tom's neat handwriting. Even while writing quickly, the only indication of any messiness was the slight slant in his lettering.
I've found the Albanian forests to have more traces of magical energy than even the Forbidden Forest at Hogwarts... she began to read.
After a few minutes of reading, she heard light snoring from across from her. She sighed in relief, letting her shoulders slump again. She ran her hand over the aged page in front of her. At the beginning of the book, Tom had attempted sketching out some of the strange plants he found. Over the course of the book, he became better at copying what he saw onto the paper. She imagined a twenty-four year old Tom— which was how old he was at this point in the book— scribbling away at a fairy house, and she held back a smile.
After a while, she heard students slowly begin to trickle into Platform 9 ¾. She was a bit worried for her friends at the Leaky Cauldron, since it was a minute to departure and they still hadn't found the compartment. At last, the compartment doors slid open.
"Found her!" Ron announced, stepping inside. He grinned at Lucy, but he stopped once he registered how she looked.
She tried to tidy herself up while she was alone, but it was obvious she'd been in a bit of a skirmish. Her eyes were slightly puffy and she did, in fact, have a shiner on the left side of her face. She smiled brightly at them.
"What the hell happened to you?" Ron demanded.
"What?" Harry said at once, entering the compartment. He stared at Lucy too and scowled, outraged. "Who did that?!"
"It's nothing," Lucy dismissed. She was looking forward to a distraction; if she thought about her ruined treasure, she was going to get upset all over again. Even now, she could feel her gaze darken as Jennifer's face flashed into her mind.
"It's not nothing—"
"Kids fight all the time, really. It's nothing. Now keep your voices down— Remus is asleep."
"Remus?" Hermione repeated. She looked over at the sleeping Professor Lupin and raised her eyebrows. "Oh. He must be the new Defense Against the Dark Arts professor."
"Cheers to that," Ron said, sinking into the seat beside him. "Well, I hope he's up to it. He looks like one good hex would finish him off, doesn't he?"
"I won't hear any slander toward Remus," Lucy said sternly. She looked at Harry's skeptical look and added, "And I did ask him if he was secretly Voldemort, so we're all clear on that front."
"You didn't," Hermione groaned. Lucy shrugged. Sighing, Hermione turned to Harry. "What did you want to tell us, again?"
Lucy was not surprised in the slightest by what Harry told them all, but she sure was confused. According to him, the minister was worried because Sirius Black escaped to find Harry. But... why? She met Sirius Black, and surely if he didn't have any qualms about killing one thirteen year old, he wouldn't have any trouble killing another? But then again, he said he was only going to hurt the 'one person who deserves it'. Could that be Harry? Everything she was hearing pointed to yes, but... Meeting him, she didn't understand how that could be the case.
"Sirius Black escaped to come after you?" Ron said in a hushed whisper.
"Oh, Harry..." Hermione looked terrified. "You'll have to be really, really careful... Don't go looking for trouble, Harry."
Offended, Harry stared back at her. "I don't go looking for trouble. And besides, Lucy's the one who met him."
Lucy dropped her book in her lap, gaping at Harry as the other two turned to stare at her in horror. "What the hell, Harry!" she hissed. Ford stirred from around her neck and turned to hiss at Harry as well, before promptly falling back asleep.
"You met Sirius Black?" Ron said shakily.
Lucy wasn't sure if her eyes were playing tricks on her, but she was certain that Professor Lupin's snoring stilled for a split second. She cast her eyes over him questioning. He seemed deep in sleep... and did she really care if she heard him? What was he going to do, tell Dumbledore? If she wasn't expelled for catalysting Voldemort murdering two students, she wasn't sure what was going to do her in.
"I didn't mean to," she defended. "I was in Knockturn Alley—"
"Why?" Hermione sighed.
"—not for breaking into an auror's apartment, I'll tell you that much—"
"Why?" Ron said, louder this time.
"And when I wasn't ducking into an alleyway to hide from him... He was just sort of sitting there." Lucy shifted uncomfortably from all three of their gazes. "I dunno. He didn't seem mad at all. He was kind of... nice, actually? He said he was innocent and he didn't say anything about Harry at all."
Hermione and Ron shared a concerned glance. Hermione turned to Lucy, speaking in a gentle tone. "I know you always see the best in people, even if they're bad—" Lucy immediately bristled, and Harry cut across her.
"She's not saying he's innocent," Harry defended. "She's only saying that there's something missing from the story."
"Whatever is missing, we're not going to find out," Ron said firmly.
Lucy and Harry nodded in agreement. She wasn't sure about Harry, but she knew that she wasn't going to be as willfully oblivious.
"Anyway," Hermione said, after an awkward pause. "Are you all excited for Hogsmeade? I've read it's the only entirely non-Muggle settlement in Britain—"
"Yeah, I think it is," Ron said lazily, "but that's not why I want to go. I just want to get inside Honeydukes!"
"What's that?" Hermione asked.
"It's this sweetshop where they've got everything... Pepper Imps— they make you smoke at the mouth— and great fat Chocoballs full of strawberry mousse and clotted cream, and really excellent sugar quills, which you can suck in class and just look like you're going to write next—"
"That's poetic, Ron," Lucy informed him.
Hermione's interest was decidedly less poetic. "It's a very interesting place, isn't it?" she said eagerly. "In Sites of Historical Sorcery it says the inn was the headquarters for the 1612 goblin rebellion, and the Shrieking Shack's supposed to be the most severely haunted building in Britain—"
"And massive sherbet balls that make you levitate a few inches off the ground while you're sucking them," Ron finished his statement, making it clear he had not listened to a word Hermione said.
Hermione looked toward Lucy and Harry. "Won't it be nice to get out of school for a bit and explore Hogsmeade?"
Lucy picked up Riddle's Book and began to read again instead of answering. Harry shared her sentiment, sighing as he leaned back. "I expect it will," he said gloomily. "You'll have to tell us when you've found out."
"What do you mean?" Ron said.
"I can't go. The Dursleys didn't sign my permission form, and Fudge wouldn't either."
Ron looked as if Harry had just pulled off his face to reveal Lord Voldemort. "You're not allowed to come?!" he demanded. "But... No way! McGonagall or someone will give you permission! Or we can ask Fred and George, they know every secret passage out of the castle—"
Huh, Tom was particularly fond of wild cherries, Lucy thought, eyeing a drawing with interest.
"Ron!" Hermione said sharply. "I don't think Harry should be sneaking out of the school with Black on the loose—"
"What about Lucy?" Ron pressed on.
"I was never sent a permission form," Lucy said without pausing in her reading. "I think that's a clear enough answer on whether or not I'd be allowed to go."
If Ron was miffed before, now he was outraged. "Not sent a— why not?" he demanded.
Lucy shrugged. She'd be lying if she said she wasn't a little annoyed as well, but she could always sneak out of the castle, if she wanted to go that badly.
"Maybe it's for the best," Hermione said, although she had scowl on her face that matched Ron's. "If Black's seen you, he might have decided you'll help him in the future. Do you... do you think You-Know-Who might have sent him?"
Lucy blinked. Now that was something she hadn't considered. And it was plausible, sort of... "But if Voldy's sent out his best man, why wouldn't he have been disgusted by the muggle stuff we talked about?" she wondered. "I even asked him if he was secretly Voldemort—" she kindly ignored the horrified looks Ron and Hermone shot her way "— and he seemed kind of disturbed by that."
"And anyway, we don't know nearly enough to start making guesses," Lucy continued. "Really— when have any of our theories been true in the end? Last year, you thought it was Snape after the stone, and last year you thought Malfoy was the Heir of Slytherin. If we're going off a pattern here I'd say that Sirius Black's more likely to start throwing daisies around than kill Harry."
Harry snorted at the mental image. "Yeah, I'll have to agree with Luce on this one. We don't know anything. So let's just leave it alone, yeah?"
And so, they did.
Lucy went back to her book, but after a while even that became dull. It started to rain, and the sound made her extremely tired. She ended up putting her book away, and then she leaned on Hermione, who was decidedly less of a bony git than Harry. Hermione gave her an amused glance as the blonde curled up, trying to fall asleep.
"Wake me up if we're about to die," Lucy informed her, and then she passed out.
She hardly felt like any time had passed at all when she heard the compartment door slide open, waking her up. She didn't bother opening her eyes and instead collapsed further onto Hermione's shoulder, basically laying in her lap at this point. "Kill them," she muttered without opening her eyes.
And then she heard the last voice she wanted to hear right now. "Well, look who it is," Draco Malfoy, the worst human at this moment, drawled. "Potty and the Weasel. I heard your father finally got his hands on some gold this summer, Weasley. Did your mother die of shock?"
"Leeeaaaaaaveeeee!" Lucy groaned, as Ron jumped to his feet.
"And you, Rochester," Malfoy sneered and crossed his arms over his chest. "My father's ready to file a report if you don't stop sending horrible things—" She sat up and pushed the hair out of her face. She frowned at Malfoy. He paused, seeing her battered appearance, and started laughing. "What happened to your face? Let me guess, someone didn't take kindly to your insults?" he taunted. "Who's the lucky guy?"
Lucy smiled sarcastically at him. "If you think this is bad, Draco, then you should see the other guy. The multiple other guys." She cracked her knuckles, knowing he'd be able to see how swollen they were. She wagered that he'd never seen, much less been in a fight in his entire life.
Crabbe took a step forward. Lucy stood to her feet, heading toward them, when Harry grabbed her arm, pulling her backward.
"Not with a professor here," Harry warned her. He lowered his voice. "But if you want to schedule that later this week, it'd be a right laugh."
Malfoy took an automatic step backward as he noticed Professor Lupin.
"New teacher," Harry said innocently. "What were you saying, Malfoy?"
Malfoy narrowed his eyes at them. Even he wasn't enough of an idiot to cause a scene in front of a teacher. "C'mon," he muttered to Crabbe and Goyle. He glared at Lucy one last time, and they left.
Lucy stared after them, somewhat amused. Even with this interaction, she knew they were going to be partnering in History of Magic later this week like nothing happened.
Slytherins were weird.
"You didn't really fight three people?" Hermione said, once she was sure Professor Lupin was still asleep.
"There were four in the room, but Jenny didn't really get much of a chance to fight back," Lucy reasoned. She sat back down, this time between Harry and Hermione. She kicked her legs onto Harry's lap and then used Hermione as a pillow. She sighed happily, closing her eyes. "This is much better, don't you think?"
"For you, I bet," Harry huffed. He poked one of her scrapes and she yelped, turning to glare at him. "Sorry! I didn't think it would hurt!"
"What did you think was going to happen when you touched raw skin!"
"I don't know!"
"What was the fight about, anyway?" Ron wondered. He couldn't care less about another one of Harry and Lucy's arguments because he knew they were always over nothing.
Lucy lay back, frowning. She wasn't sure if they'd understand why she was so upset over losing a picture of Tom Riddle. By all means, she should hate him— and yet, she didn't. She hated what he did, but he'd been her closest friend. Just because he was dead, it didn't mean she wanted to forget him altogether. Jennifer knew the photo meant a lot to her and she still tore it up in front of her. She stomped on it. She stomped on him.
"They broke something of mine," she answered at last. "Something important."
"Maybe you could ask a professor to fix it," Hermione suggested. She looked down at Lucy and tapped on her nose. "Magic is a thing, you know."
"Alright, Hermione But-There's-No-Wood Granger," Ron snorted.
"It was my first year!"
As Hermione and Ron launched into yet another debate, Lucy closed her eyes, feeling her breathing slow. The compartment was warm, and they had a long trip ahead of them yet. Even Hermione's hand gestures as she argued with Ron couldn't stop her from falling asleep for the second time.
THUMP!
The first thing Lucy registered was her face planting into the floor. Then, the entire compartment plunged into darkness. She groaned into the floor, not even bothering to get up yet. "We've arrived already?" she complained. She didn't feel like she'd been sleeping long at all. "Can I skip everything?"
"We can't be there yet," Hermione said in a worried voice.
Lucy frowned, pushing herself up. "Then what's the hold up?"
She heard a squeaking noise, and as her eyes adjusted, she could see Ron cleaning a patch of mist off the window. "There's something out there..." he said. "I think people are coming aboard."
"That doesn't sound good," Lucy muttered. She pulled her wand out of her pocket. "Ford? Are you alright?"
"Shut up, I'm trying to sleep," he grumbled from the backboard of the seat.
"Lucy, it's creepy enough, please stop speaking Parseltongue," Ron pleaded.
"How do you know it was me? That was clearly Harry!"
"Yours is creepier than his!"
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"That you're creepier, I'd wager— AGH! Who is that?!" Ron let out a squeal of pain, and another one soon followed.
"Neville— sorry, what's happening?"
"Why are you here?" Lucy asked.
Hermione kicked her gently with her foot. "Don't be rude! Neville's welcome anytime."
"I'm not saying he's not, it's just that this is a small compartment and it's fucking dark!"
"Language," another female voice said.
Lucy brightened up. "Ginny?"
"Lucy!" Ginny's voice chirped.
"What are you doing here?" Lucy said in a happier tone than before. Neville made an offended noise, which she ignored.
"I was looking for Ron—"
"Come in and sit down," Hermione ushered.
"Not here!" Harry groaned. "I'm here!"
"Shove him out of the way," Lucy suggested.
Harry kicked her this time. It hit her sore arm, and she yelped. "Fuck you, Potter!"
"Language!" Hermione hissed yet again.
"Quiet!" a hoarse voice said suddenly.
Lucy was sort of impressed that it took Professor Lupin this long to wake up. There was a crackling noise, and then a light brighter than any Lumos filled the compartment. She felt considerably more excited when she saw him holding a handful of blue flames. She beamed at him. "That's neat, Remus! Can you show me how to do that?"
"Later. Stay where you are," he told her when she reached out to touch them. He heaved himself to his feet, reaching toward the door.
But it slid open before he could touch it.
Lucy hadn't even registered what came through the door, when an intense cold assaulted her. Assault was the only word for it; she felt as it spread through the air, reaching toward her, and felt it spread through her entire body, carving her from the inside out. She sucked in a breath, but she couldn't hear it reach her ears. She couldn't see the compartment. Was there anyone inside? Had they all left? No, she left— she could feel it now, the coldness was dragging her downward, a howling wind in her ears, and then—
"Then I'll show you... Crucio!"
No... no, it was all a bad dream! She did all of this already! She gasped, looking up at Montague. The red light seemed to fly toward her in slow motion, and then it reached her. She heard dark laughter from all around her, invading each corner of her mind. She squeezed her eyes shut, clamping her hands over her ears.
It's only a nightmare, she told herself, it's not real. Except this time, it was real. She was on the floor of the classroom, shaking and writhing. She heard a scream— her scream. She was on the floor of the classroom, seeing the ceiling shake above her with her tremors.
"Stop, please stop!" a strangled sob tore through her throat. Montague laughed, stepping forward, the curse never ending. "PLEASE! IT BURNS! PLEASE STOP, I'M SORRY!
"Lucy," he was saying to her, tilting his head. "Lucy, nothing's here— nothing's—
"Nothing's here," an urgent voice said. She felt it then, two warm hands on each side of her face. "Lucy, sweetheart, it's alright," Daisy's low, sweet voice whispered to her. Lucy's eyes shot open, tears flooding out of them. She took in a shuddering breath; she still heard faint laughter from down the compartment. She grabbed her wand.
"He's here!" She insisted, jumping to her feet. She nearly fell over, but Daisy grabbed her shoulders, pulling her down to the seat.
"He's not here, he's been expelled," Daisy explained calmly She glanced to the right of them. "Are you alright, Anthony?"
Anthony was sitting beside Harry, handing the boy a bottle of water. He didn't look very good either; his face had a grayish tint to it, and she saw a bead of sweat on his temple. "Why the fuck were dementors anywhere near this train? Is the ministry insane?" he said shakily.
"Dementors were here?" Lucy muttered, struggling to keep track of her surroundings. This wasn't possible, she had just been inside the classroom. Why were they on the express? "Where's Tom?" she asked in a dazed voice, looking around her. She went to grab her bag, but Daisy stopped her. "I need my— I need him to..." she trailed off, seeing the sad looks everyone was giving her. Hermione's eyes were full of tears.
Lucy's face turned a burning red color, and she put her face in her hands. She was such an idiot. "Bloody fuck..." she said quietly. "I'm stupid."
"You are not stupid, Lucy," Professor Lupin said, an almost stern note in his voice. "Dementors feed on our worst memories; they bring us back to the moment they happened." He reached into his coat and handed her a chocolate bar. "Here— chocolate helps. It's nearly a cure."
Lucy stared blankly at the sweet in his hand.
Ron let out a load groan. "She's allergic," he explained glumly, when Lupin shot him a confused glance.
Professor Lupin blinked. "That is troublesome."
"Chocolate would be the cure for evil incarnate," Lucy sighed. She could try some, but she felt so bad already that she didn't want to make herself sick on top of that. She leaned against Daisy, still shaking. The older girl wrapped an arm around her tightly.
"You're not the only one who passed out," Ron said, trying to be helpful. "Harry had a sort of fit, too."
Harry glared at his friend, while Lucy gave him a concerned look. "What?" she asked, peering around to look at him. "Are you okay? Did you get hurt?"
"Did I get hurt— did you get hurt?" Harry said, just as worried.
"I asked first."
"I woke up first!"
"I'm going to wager that if you're both arguing already, it's a good sign," Anthony said, giving a weak chuckle. His hands were clenched into fists at his side.
"Are you okay, Anthony?" Lucy asked, furrowing her brow.
"I'm just a bit angry at the moment, cub, that the dementors were here in the first place," he answered. He walked over to her and gave her a huge hug. "It's your turn for the hug train, my friend. I've hugged everyone in the compartment, and I mean everyone."
"It's true," Professor Lupin said, looking disturbed.
Anthony pulled away from Lucy and pointed a finger at him. "I'll give you another one if you're not careful, Lupin."
"Please don't."
"I'd be down for another one," Lucy volunteered.
Anthony made an agonized noise. "You make me so happy, my ducking! SO HAPPY!" He lunged at her, giving her another tight hug which she happily returned. So what, she couldn't have any chocolate? Anthony's hugs were surely just as helpful.
She couldn't have been more relieved when the train finally pulled to a stop at Hogsmeade station. Anthony and Daisy had to leave to check on everyone else, and so Lucy and her friends huddled together, shivering in the freezing rain. Lucy was especially cold; ever since she came to her senses, she felt weak, as if she might stumble over at any moment.
"Today sucks," she complained, walking with one arm slung around Ron.
"Yeah, a fight and a faint," Ron agreed. "I reckon it can't get any worse, so at least there's that, right?"
Lucy wouldn't be so sure. With her luck, a meteor would crash into the Great Hall and kill everyone inside.
"I guess," she said reluctantly. "If only we didn't have to— what is that?"
She pointed at a strange horse hitched to the carriage. Stretched tightly over its visible skeleton was a transparent, almost leathery black coat. Its head turned to stare at Lucy and she met its white, pupil-less gaze. She smiled widely. Those were cool! Is that what she missed last year?
"What are you looking at?" Ron asked, as she pulled away to run over to it.
"The horses! It's like a pegasus, but more horrifying!"
Harry exchanged a worried glance with Hermione. "Luce, there aren't any horses," he said slowly.
She was fairly certain she wasn't hallucinating. She patted the side of one, feeling its scaly coat under her fingertips. "Yes there are," she insisted. "Look, come and feel."
Harry was skeptical, but he walked over and put his hand out where Lucy was touching it. He jumped at the sensation. "What!"
"What, indeed," she said, nodding.
Hermione came forward as well and touched the horse. Her eyebrows shot upward. "Interesting! I'll have to look that up later."
Lucy was so entranced by these beautiful horses that Harry had to physically pull her away from them. Even still, she stared at them from inside the carriage. Her mood was beginning to pick up. Maybe, just maybe since she survived the trip to Hogwarts, the rest of the night was going to be cheerful. She had her fingers crossed behind her back.
The only problem on their way to the castle was when they passed two huge Dementors standing at either side of the iron gates to Hogwarts. Harry grabbed her hand and squeezed it as he closed his eyes, but Lucy stared at them, unable to look away. Faintly, she heard ringing in her ears, and then faint laughter. She kept staring until Ron snapped his fingers in front of her eyes.
"Alright?" Harry muttered once the carriage pulled to a stop.
"Yeah. Alright?" she whispered back.
"Yeah."
Lucy was the last one to get out of the carriage. Malfoy must have hurried over to him, because before she could step out, she saw him standing in front of Harry.
"You fainted, Potter?" he said delightedly. "Is Longbottom telling the truth? You actually fainted?"
Lucy rolled her eyes. She jumped out of the carriage, splashing a mud puddle out in each direction. It narrowly missed Malfoy, but it drew his attention.
"You must have been really lonely this summer if you're this much of a bitch already," she informed him.
That sure wiped the smile from Malfoy's face. "I heard you fainted as well, Rochester," he said coldly, stepping closer to her. If she was meant to be intimidated by how he looked down at her, he was sorely mistaken. Lucy had seen cockroaches scarier than him. "I think the entire train heard you crying. It burns, it burns!" he mocked.
It would have been kinder if he slapped her after all. Lucy stared at him, wide-eyed. He laughed at her expression.
"Is there a problem?" A sharp voice called.
Professor Lupin had just gotten out of the next carriage. He stood in front of the two, his hands clasped behind his back.
Malfoy gave him a once-over and sneered at his shabby appearance. "Oh, no— er— Professor." He gave Crabbe and Goyle a smirk and then left up the stairs to the castle.
Harry pulled out his wand and before anyone could stop him, he said, "Reducto!" A puddle just behind Malfoy exploded out, coating him in mud. Malfoy yelped, but the crowd covered Harry from his sight before he could do anything about it. Harry quickly stowed the wand away in his robes. Ron roared with laughter. Lucy recovered from her shock enough to smile warmly at her friend.
"Harry, in front of a professor?" Hermione hissed.
Professor Lupin strolled up ahead of them. "Did what in front of a professor?" he said mildly.
Ron stared at his retreating back, still chuckling. "I think I've found my new favorite teacher. Really, Harry, that took some nerve."
"Well, I am in Gryffindor," Harry said, shrugging. "Sometimes Malfoy goes too far."
"I think my year's been made because of that," Lucy decided.
She thought that finally, finally they were going to get to relax and eat some food, when McGonagall's voice sounded over all the students the moment they entered the Great Hall. "Potter, Rochester, Granger! I want to see you three!"
"I want to dieeee," Lucy hissed.
Harry seemed like he agreed with that sentiment.
She wondered what she could have possibly done to get in trouble this time as Professor McGonagall led them up the staircase, toward her office. She motioned for the three of them to sit down in front of the fireplace. Reluctantly, Lucy obeyed. She sank back into the comfortable chair, sulking.
McGonagall sat behind her desk and looked toward Lucy and Harry. "Professor Lupin sent an owl ahead to say that you two were taken ill on the train." Right after she finished the words, a soft knock rang at the door. Madam Pomfrey entered, a medical kit in her hands.
"Remus snitched? Come on!" Lucy groaned.
"Professor Lupin," Professor McGonagall corrected. It took all of Lucy's willpower not to pull a face; she was certain she wouldn't survive the evening if she had.
"It's you two, is it?" Madam Pomfrey wasn't surprised in the least. She stood in front of the two with her hands on her hips. "I suppose you've been doing something dangerous again?"
"It was a Dementor, Poppy," Professor McGonagall informed.
Madam Pomfrey's gaze turned dark. "Setting Dementors around the school..." she muttered, moving to Harry first. "These won't be the last ones who collapse... Yes, he's all clammy—" she turned to feel Lucy's forehead. If it was possible, she was even more disapproving. "And you're frozen cold! Terrible things, dementors are, and the effect they have on people who are already delicate—"
"We're not delicate," Harry protested.
Lucy sniffed. "Speak for yourself, Potter. I am a flower."
Harry must have forgotten they were in a room with two staff members, which was usually what happened when they were in a room together. "A flower who beat up four guys, sure," he said sarcastically.
Madam Pomfrey's hand stilled on Lucy's forehead. "Is that what this bruise is from, then?" she said sharply, turning her face over and examining it further. She put her fingers on the bridge of Lucy's nose. The girl let out a hiss of pain.
"Miss Rochester?" McGonagall prodded.
Lucy scowled as Madam Pomfrey pulled out her wand. She muttered a spell. A sharp burst of pain exploded in Lucy's nose, and in an instant, her nose wasn't throbbing anymore. "It was at Wool's, so I can't get in trouble for it," she said at once. "And they started it!"
Professor McGonagall's lips thinned, but Lucy had a feeling it was due more to her residence than the fact that she'd participated in a fight. She looked at Madam Pomfrey. "What do they need? Bed rest? Perhaps they should spend tonight in the hospital wing?"
"We're fine," Harry said hastily, jumping up in his seat.
"Well, they should have some chocolate, at the very least," Madam Pomfrey concluded.
"I've already had some," Harry said. "Professor Lupin gave me some. He gave it to all of us."
"Did he, now? So we've finally got a Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher that knows his remedies?" Madam Pomfrey said approvingly. Lucy would argue that Quirrell knew his remedies too, he was only acting like a nervous sack the entire time, but right now it was besides the point. "You had some too, Ms. Rochester?"
"Yes," Lucy lied. Hermione narrowed her eyes at her, and Lucy glared back, daring her to correct her. "Can we please go to the feast, Professor? I haven't had anything all day."
"Are you sure you feel alright?" McGonagall pressed.
"Yes," she and Harry said in unison.
"Very well. Kindly wait outside while I have a quick word with Miss Granger about her course schedule, and then we can go down to the feast together."
They went into the corridor. They only had to wait for a few minutes, during which they entertained themselves by playing Rock, Paper, Scissors. Lucy won each and every time and no matter how much Harry told her to reveal her secret, she refused to. Hermione left the room, practically glowing with happiness as Professor McGonagall followed behind.
In the time they spent in McGonagall's office, they missed the sorting. Lucy didn't consider that ahuge loss; she missed the one last year, too. Professor McGonagall departed for the staff table and Lucy nearly followed Harry and Hermione before she realized that she was still a Hufflepuff.
She stared grimly at Harry. "I guess this is where we say goodbye," she sighed.
Harry was very aware of the stares people were shooting their way. The news of the dementor must have travelled quickly. "Luce, please do not cause a scene right now—"
She threw herself at him, fake sobbing. "I'll miss you, Harry! Don't forget me!"
Harry shoved her away. His face was burning red and he scowled at her. "I hate you!"
She laughed, heading over to the Hufflepuff table. Her year mates were staring curiously at her. She tried not to look at them considering she petrified half of them last year, and the reminder wasn't very pleasant. She instead walked toward Anthony's group and sat in between Cedric and Maxine.
Maxine's toned hand ruffled Lucy's hair. "Nice haircut, Roaches," she said, grinning.
"I sincerely hope that's not my new nickname," she replied.
"I hope it is," Cedric said. "Then I won't be the only one with stupid nicknames around here."
Heidi gave him a smile "Oh, Cedar Apple Tree, that's never going to happen."
If Cedric wanted to refute that nickname, he didn't have the chance. Professor Dumbledore stepped up to the podium. He needn't say a word to draw the attention of everyone in the Great Hall. Lucy was taken aback at the sight of him; three months now seemed such a long time ago, and then again, no time at all. Three months ago she sat in Lockhart's office, explaining to him that Lord Voldemort possessed her. Three months ago, she and Tom Riddle laughed with each other, roaming these corridors.
She lay her arms on the table, resting her chin atop them. The corners of her lips turned downward.
"Welcome!" Professor Dumbledore beamed. "Welcome to another year at Hogwarts! I have a few things to say to you all, and as one of them is very serious, I think it best to get out of the way before you become befuddled by our excellent feast." He cleared his throat and continued. "As you will all be aware after their search of the Hogwarts Express, our school is presently playing host to some of the Dementors of Azkaban, who are here on Ministry of Magic business. They are stationed at every entrance to the school, and while they are with us, I must make it plain that nobody is to leave school without permission."
"Maybe," Lucy muttered.
Cedric gave her a stern look, adjusting his prefect's badge. She pulled a face and flicked his arm.
"Dementors are not to be fooled by tricks or disguises— or even Invisibility Cloaks," Dumbledore continued. "It is not in the nature of a Dementor to understand pleading or excuses. I therefore warn each and every one of you to give them no reason to harm you. I look to the prefects, and our new Head Boy and Girl, to make sure that no student runs afoul of the Dementors."
Daisy straightened up and gave Anthony a warning look. "I'm specifically looking at you, Rickett," she told him.
"What makes you think I'd do anything?" he demanded.
"You said three minutes ago that you were going to throw rocks at them for upsetting Lucy."
"...Point taken."
"On a happier note," Dumbledore said, "I am pleased to welcome two new teachers to our ranks this year. First, Professor Lupin, who has kindly consented to fill the post of Defense Against the Dark arts teacher."
This was the moment Anthony had been waiting for. He stood on top of the bench, cupping his hands around his mouth. "I AM SO EXCITED! I LOVE PROFESSOR LUPIN!"
She wasn't going to leave her mum in the dust. Lucy stod up, yelling over the scattered, rather unenthusiastic applause. "YEAH! REMUS IS THE BEST!"
Anthony beamed over at her. "LUCY, YOU'RE YELLING TOO?!"
"I SUPPOSE I AM!"
"ISN'T LUPIN AWESOME?!"
"YES! YES HE IS!"
"PLEASE SIT DOWN!" Cedric yelled at them both.
At the staff table, Professor Lupin looked slightly embarrassed, but, Lucy noted, also a little pleased. She decided right then and there that she would die for him. Especially given how pissed off Snape looked. She remembered a story Lockhart told her— that Snape cast a spell on Remus Lupin in his school years. This, in her opinion, only made her like Lupin more than before, if he managed to drive Professor Snape that mad.
"Yes, thank you, Ms. Rochester, for your enthusiasm," Dumbledore said amusedly. Lucy sat down, still grinning. Anthony stayed standing. "And Mr. Rickett, of course." Anthony beamed and sat down. "As to our second appointment, I am sorry to tell you that Professor Kettleburn, our Care of Magical Creatures teacher, retired at the end of last year in order to enjoy more time with his remaining limbs. However, I am delighted to say that his place will be filled by none other than Rubeus Hagrid, who has agreed to take on this teaching job in addition to his gamekeeping duties."
"Merlin, I used up all my cheering!" Lucy complained, but a moment later she was standing up along with most of the Gryffindor table, cheering wildly for Hagrid. Hagrid's face was scarlet, and he grinned widely down at the table.
"Well, I think that's everything," Dumbledore said at last. "Let the feast begin!"
For as terrible as the day had started off, Lucy found that the feast was the happiest she'd been in months. Maxine launched into a wild tale about how she and Heidi's family went to Africa for the summer and they had many encounters with the magical wildlife. Once her tale finished, Cedric jokingly accused her of 'being lovestruck'— which Heidi admitted to, but she also started a miniature food fight. Daisy had to threaten them all with detention to get them to stop.
"Can someone tell me why I have to keep a group of prefects in check?" Daisy complained,
Lucy raised her hand. "I'm not a prefect. So I can be as awful as I want, right?"
"Right!" Anthony said.
"Wrong," Daisy glared at him. He opened his mouth wide, revealing a mouthful of chewed up biscuit. She made a disgusted noise. Suddenly, a wicked smile overtook her face. "Hey, Rickett? Guess what?"
"What?" he said with food in his mouth.
"Detention."
"WHAT!"
"Oh, how the tables have turned!" Heidi said evilly, as this time Anthony launched into an argument with Daisy.
Lucy smiled, watching the chaos unfold. Today had, by all means, started off rotten. Her photo was still ripped in her pocket, she still had nightmares, and Tom was still dead. But— it was an odd sort of magic in itself, wasn't it, that she could sit here despite it all, and still feel happy?
She reached into her pocket. Her fingertips traced the pieces of the photo, and she smiled.
"Welcome home," she said quietly.
There wasn't any answer, but despite it all, Lucy gave a happy laugh.