Author's note: I posted a rewrite of this story! It's on Archive of Our Own (AO3) under the same name. My account name is basically the same. I still plan to finish this one on here, and I won't change this one. But this story needed some love. Remember I started this when I was 12, plus, so many of the tropes have really fallen out of the story. In the rewrite, one of my main goals was also to make the original Harry less of an OC, so she will not even be Lucy Ogden. She will be posessing Lisa Turpin, a real character in the Harry Potter universe. If you are interested in seeing how that plays out, please considering checking out the rewrite.
Also, this is a shorter chapter. Sorry about that. Hoping getting this out will cancel some writer's block and I can get this story finished after so long.
"Someone has to distract Ron," Hermione complained, "He's driving me mad."
"What does he want?" Lucy asked.
"Always demanding to know why I'm getting Patronus lessons with Harry while he doesn't. He doesn't stop pestering. To be fair though, I was perhaps a trifle short with him," Hermione blushed.
The twins and Lucy shared a wicked grin.
"A trifle-"
"Short, you say?" The twins asked with an innocent grin.
"Oh sod off you two. Yes, it was rude," Hermione said.
Lucy sidled up closer to her friend, while the twins each put an arm around her shoulder. Hermione's blush was getting quite dark.
"But what exactly did you say that was rude?" Lucy asked.
"I tried to channel my inner Fred and George, didn't I? Said I was getting extra lessons because I was simply more intelligent as a preschooler than he was at 13," Hermione finally said all in a rush, and the group roared with laughter. Remus laughing along with a halfhearted scolding to not be rude to other students.
Patronus lessons with Remus were like that in general. Lighthearted. Lots of laughter thanks to the twins constantine joking.
Lucy was helping clean up floor cushions while Cedric helped Remus to wrangle the boggart back into the cupboard. Everyone else had already left.
"Lucky thing your boggart is a dementor," Cedric called to her as it switched to a mummy in front of him and he shivered slightly.
"I think we can influence it slightly. Dementors have always scared me, but I also want it to become a dementor for training purposes so I tend to focus on my fear of them a bit much. Play it up in my mind," Lucy said.
Remus looked thoughtful as he leaned against the locked cabinet, "Very well spoken, Lucy. Ten points to Hufflepuff. We each tend to have several fears. But the boggart simply locks onto the one at the forefront of our minds when it is in front of us."
"What would be another fear for you guys then?" Cedric asked and then looked a bit embarrassed, "Sorry I didn't mean to ask that out loud. Just slipped out."
"It is quite alright Diggory. Though be careful who you ask such a question to. Less for fear of insulting them, but, more importantly, you could drudge up thoughts they aren't ready to think about. Trigger warnings I believe the young ones are calling it," Remus said, already walking over to his desk and opening the bottom drawer, pulling out several pieces of Honeydukes chocolate. "Piece of chocolate either of you? Go on Lucy, better eat a piece after being around them. Still, I don't mind sharing that the moon is probably the easiest fear for the boggart to grab onto with me. Very strong. Also the easiest for the boggart to represent. Things like loneliness can be harder to represent."
Lucy ducked her head a bit, "Yeah, I'd rather the boggart show dementors than everyone I love dying."
Cedric had moved closer to Lucy without her noticing, and his fingers reached out and brushed against hers. Her fingers reached back, almost entangling, seeking comfort.
Remus cleared his throat and Lucy looked up at him while Cedric moved away.
Remus had a strange look on his face while he looked slightly over the two of them. Lucy's eyebrows furrowed.
"I'm gonna head off to bed, gotta keep Sirius from destroying the apartment. Lucy, Diggory, I have a few papers here that need grading. Would you two mind grading them? Shouldn't take more than a half hour. I'll write a note for the professors but we still have an hour before curfew."
"Go to bed? Do you feel alright, Remus?" Lucy asked.
"Yes, yes, of course. Here, I'll set out some more chocolates you too can enjoy, and look, I'll even have the elves send up some hot chocolate. Well, good night you two," he said quickly, grabbing a book off his desk and bowing his way out. He paused by the door, "Diggory a word quickly?"
Cedric nodded and walked over, the two exchanging a quick conversation, before Cedric came back and Remus left. Cedric had a funny look on his way while he sat across from Lucy who had already started checking off the papers on Remus' desk.
"What did he say to make you look like that? Bad joke?" Lucy asked him, trying to figure out if a student had chosen choice B or D on Remus' multiple choice section.
"Nothing," he said very quickly and Lucy looked up at him with raised eyebrows, "I mean it. Though we really need to tell him we prefer vanilla drinks to hot chocolate."
She smiled at him, "Guess we'll have to make an exception this time. Wouldn't matter even if we did tell him. Remus is crazy about chocolate."
Cedric shuddered, "He needs a bit of variety in his life, can't imagine eating only chocolate flavored desserts."
"Says the man who prefers vanilla."
"I'll have you know that I enjoy a well rounded dessert palate. Berries, vanilla, the occasional chocolate even, custards. All kinds of things."
"Mhmmm," Lucy murmured, "What is this student trying to write?"
"Let me see," Cedric muttered, leaning over her to look at the writing. Suddenly, he was too close to her, and Lucy, for some reason, found herself blushing. She coughed slightly and backed away.
They spent the rest of the time talking companionably.
Blaise grabbed Lucy in the hallway after dinner about a week later, "They bumped up Buckbeak's execution according to Malfoy. It's going to be tonight, so Dumbledore has less time to try to save him."
Lucy turned big eyes at Blaise, "Tonight?"
He nodded grimly, "My mum's lawyer couldn't do anything about it. We all know the Malfoys really can put their money where their mouths are. My mum has money, but not like that."
"And she couldn't do anything too overt or the Malfoys would think she was siding with Dumbledore," Lucy mused. "Guess it's on us then."
"Woah, woah, on us? We're not foolish bloody Gryffindors, Lucy Ogden," Blaise complained.
"Good as one. To be fair, we tried the sneaky Slytherin way of trying to use our parents' solicitors. Now we go to plan B," Lucy stated firmly.
"This is more like plan Z," Blaise groaned as the smaller third year dragged him along.
She led him towards the kitchens, "We'll just grab some meat to lead-"
Lucy was interrupted by a sudden jerk on her arm as Blaise was ripped away from her hand. Turning around, her wide blue eyes took in Blaise's own startled face as he was summoned down the hallway. At the end of the hallway she spotted Pettigrew's gleeful face while ropes scuttled out of his wand and bound up Blaise.
Turning back into a rat, Pettigrew took off down the hallway, Blaise flying behind him. Blaise must have been silenced, but his mouth was obviously yelling at her.
Lucy took off at a run after them, cursing the leadway she had given Pettigrew.
Without considering getting help, falling back onto old habits, she chased after her best friend, through the nearly empty hallways as students were mainly in their common rooms so close to curfew.
Her shoes smacked loudly against the stone floors, and she wished a teacher would come to yell at her for running in the hallways.
Yet, no one came.
Down through the school, and out onto the lawn, she followed her best friend and enemy, unable to gain any ground against them.
Across the lawn, she finally spotted someone, Hagrid weeping behind his hut. His crying had clearly caused him to miss the rat and Blaise.
"Hagrid! Hagrid!" she yelled.
His bearded face popped up at the panic in her voice, "Lucy?"
"Get Snape! Or Remus! Send them to the forest!" she yelled, unwilling to stop or slow down so she didn't lose Blaise. Pettigrew was a rat in every manner of the word. Remembering Cedric's dead face staring up at her, she didn't dare leave Blaise with him for even a minute.
Without pausing to see if he understood her, she ran right into the Forbidden Forest.
Among the trees, it was already dark, thick leaves hastening the dusk. As always, the twisty branches felt ominous, as though they were encouraging mayhem and harm within their bounds.
In the dark, it was harder to follow; she caught only glimpses of Blaise robes between the trees.
Eventually, she ran into a clearing where Blaise and another body were floating in the middle. She tried to run toward them, but jerked back as she seemed to hit an invisible force field that shocked her.
Finally coming to a stop, she looked around the clearing and spotted another person standing near her.
The short haired individual turned around, and she startled when she saw who it was.
"Harry?!"
"Lucy!'
"What are you doing here!" she scolded him.
He scoffed at her, "I'd assume doing the same thing you were, chasing Pettigrew."
"Why?" she asked him.
"He kidnapped Hermione right in front of me," Harry waved his hand toward the middle of the clearing where Blaise was. Looking closer, Lucy's heart jumped when she noticed the wild mane of curls, and realized the second floating body was Hermione.
"But he kidnapped Blaise in front of me...how could he have been in both places? And where is he now?" she muttered, spinning in a circle to check out the clearing.
Pettigrew stepped into the clearing, grinning, "Excellent questions, Ogden."
This version of Pettigrew was different from the previous timeline. Still a short man with startlingly rat-like features, he stood a little straighter, and his smile was a little more evil. The dementors had clearly done a number on him, because his eyes were more crazed, darting around in a constant state of almost panic. It made him seem even more rodentish.
Another Pettigrew followed him. Harry and Lucy each sucked in a breath at the sight.
Then Pettigrew waved his wand, and the second Pettigrew collapsed to the ground, quickly transforming back into one of the castle's suits of armor.
"Just a bit of magic. A transfiguration to look like me, then Piertotum Locomotor to make it move like me," Pettigrew giggled a bit, "Excellent ideas from my master to lure you out here, figured your hero complexes wouldn't let it rest."
"What do you want, Pettigrew? Wasn't it enough to betray my parents?" Harry shouted at him.
"Enough? Nothing would ever have been enough. Do you know how sweet it felt, when Voldemort told me that I was the only one who could help him? After all those years. Do you know how many times your precious father and godfather forgot me, their supposed best friend?" Pettigrew's voice grew steadily higher pitched, and small sparks leaked from the bottom of his wand as he grew more agitated at his memories, "They forgot me! Not once, or twice, but like once a week. I was always second fiddle to them, never as good. Girls never liked me, girls would never go on a date with me. Girls never like the nice guy. They went after bad boy Black, or Head Boy Potter, or perfect like Lupin. Never Pettigrew."
"Maybe it was because you were a creep, not a nice guy," Lucy muttered.
Pettigrew waved his wand at her, and she neatly ducked under the unknown spell, "Shut your mouth, you reason I went to Azkaban in the first place. I wasn't sure who it was at first, but my master told me."
"I was wondering," Lucy muttered more to herself as she threw back a spell. Harry sent a spell at Pettigrew himself, though the third year didn't have the most impressive arsenal. Harry and Lucy were each close to a fifth year level, Lucy from her previous life and current studying, Harry from the extra tutoring Dumbledore had assigned him. Still not much compared to a man trained by Voldemort.
Pettigrew clearly missed it as he continued, "No, I was happy the night Voldemort attacked your family, Harry. Never misunderstand that."
The semi-deranged man continued to rant, telling stories of times he'd felt less than.
As he did, Lucy looked around for options. Harry and herself were starting to feel fatigued, though Pettigrew was too. She worried that he could hit one of them, or one of their friends who couldn't defend themselves with a dark curse.
Then, she heard a high pitched voice, in a different tone, a different language in fact.
"Mice and spiders, mice and spiders, who's a little Basilisk who likes mice and spiders?" the basilisk was...humming to himself.
"Mr. Giant Slither," she tried to hiss from the corner of her mouth, Harry shooting her a startled glance from next to her as he heard both the snake and herself.
"Friend speaker!" the basilisk said.
"No! Don't show yourself yet," she said quickly.
Harry took a step away from her, and spoke to Pettigrew, "You know what I think? You were always a spineless little boy who took the easy way out!"
"Potter, you'll pay for that," Pettigrew took a step forward, wand raised.
"Now!" Lucy yelled at the basilisk, who struck with a speed that a 60 foot snake should not be able to do.
Pettigrew fell backward with horror, slipping into his rat form as he went. The sharp scent of urine was left behind, and Lucy realized in disgust that the rat had soiled himself in fear.
"Speaker, I did not get the enemy. When he shrunk, he was too small. And your eye shield to protect those at Hogwarts is still over my eyes," the basilisk sounded apologetic, and Lucy cursed.
"We need to go after him!" Harry yelled, in frustration.
"Blaise and Hermione might need medical help; our first duty is to them. Plus, that seemed way too smart and organized for the way Pettigrew was acting. He could have backup in this forest," Lucy argued, half trying to convince herself.
Harry fought with himself for a minute, to the point that even Lucy could see that he was carrying out an inner debate, before giving a sharp nod. They went to the center of the clearing where their friends had been dropped when Pettigrew had ran away. The basilisk curled protectively around them.
"They're unconscious," Harry said.
Lucy checked for a pulse while Harry checked Hermione's breathing, holding his hand close to her mouth. She sighed in relief, "They're still alive, but I have no idea what Pettigrew gave or did to them. We need to get them back to the castle."
A cold breeze suddenly drifted through the clearing.
Harry shuddered, "I think we have bigger issues."
The moon came out from behind the clouds, illuminating dementors floating their way from every direction. An army of dementors, many more than the first time around. It seemed as though every dementor that could be guarding that castle was descending on them.
"That's a lot of dementors," Lucy gulped slightly.
"What about the full moon?" Harry said, moving so he was back to back with Lucy.
"Full moon?" Lucy looked up, "Oh this is bad. Why is it always the full moon night when it goes down?"
"I guess we can assume Lupin isn't coming to help us then?" Harry said.
"He could be coming, but not to help us," Lucy said, "Think Snape gave him his potion or did Hagrid distract him with stories of Blaise being kidnapped and me chasing after him?"
"Oh bloody hell, this is a mess," Harry complained.
That was when the dementors made their move, slowly gliding closer to the pair while their friends were laying on the ground near them. The temperatures dropped; Lucy could see her breath it was so cold. Harry shivered behind her, though whether it was from the cold or the memories the dementors were raising, Lucy couldn't be sure.
"Expecto Patronum," they yelled in unison, but there were too many dementors. Lucy felt her happy memory being pushed aside as the dementors dragged up horrible memories. Cedric's face, Sirius falling through the veil.
Even memories from her time as an auror that she had long pushed deep inside her.
Crime scenes. Ones featuring young children. Domesticate violence cases.
Everything was dark and gloomy in her mind.
Happiness seemed distance, farther than escaping from Azkaban.
It was the war all over again.
Holding Voldemort's horecrux.
The dementors woke up his voice in her head again, all the horrible things he had whispered ot her.
And, through all of those memories, the sound of her mother dying played on repeat.
Lucy distantly felt Harry crying at her back, having fallen to his knees, still trying to cast the patronus charm. It was so many more than the first time, and he hadn't been practicing the charm as long. She had so many more bad memories than good.
A thought managed to sneak through the bad.
Carver had said she would now be a creature of light.
Angels give off a soft glow.
Just a bit of light to battle the dark of the dementors.
She let her restraints fall away, magic and glamors that had hidden her true form nearly since the unicorns had first given it to her. White wings unfurled and spread out from her shoulders. The light was not blinding like Carver, but it had an affect. The dementors cringed back, away from her lightness.
"Where there is light, the darkness must flee," she quoted, though she couldn't remember where from, "Harry, you can do this. I've seen you do it before."
Harry took in a deep breath, "EXPECTO PATRONUM."
As always, if you have any requests for an make, please leave them in a comment and I will try to write them out for you. Thank you!