Friday crept towards Lucy slowly.
On Tuesday, she fidgeted all throughout dinner until Mrs. Cole swatted at her hand with a spatula. "The chefs did not cook you food just so you could pick at it," she snapped.
"Seems like there's nothing else to do with it," Lucy muttered, poking at the soggy vegetables in her soup.
"Fine! Go to bed and don't bother coming to supper until you intend to eat it."
Lucy beamed and jumped out of her chair, and Mrs. Cole had the feeling she had made the worst decision she could possibly make when dealing with Lucille.
Lucy blatantly ignored a chance to annoy Jennifer on Wednesday, which was a shock to everyone. Especially since Jennifer was asking for it with a capital 'I'.
"How's it feel having no parents, Loony Lucy?" Jennifer sneered at her after Lucy hadn't attended supper. In fact, she hadn't shown up for breakfast or lunch either, and Jennifer had to stalk through the halls to find her. "My mum's just in a hospital, and then I'm out of this place. What about you?"
"Yeah that's really interesting, Jacqueline," Lucy said absentmindedly as she turned a page in her book.
Maybe she wasn't entirely ignoring her.
Jennifer frowned. "It's Jennifer."
"Okay, Jessica."
"Are you an idiot?! It's Jen-ni-fer!"
Lucy sighed and slammed her book shut. "Just bugger off, Courtney! Honestly I'd rather listen to Cole's movie star fantasies than you." A few traitorous friends of Jennifer snickered.
Jennifer's face turned a cherry red. She wasn't used to Lucy retaliating, and her friends certainly had never laughed at her expense. "W-well, you're just jealous because you have no parents!"
This was the wrong thing to say around a bunch of kids in an orphanage. Honestly, where was her common sense? A few of her friends narrowed their eyes at Jennifer, but she didn't notice.
"I like being an orphan," Lucy lied. A few children looked at her with wide eyes. It was rather depressing, really. "Who wants an annoying mum to send you to your room all the time and make you eat your vegetables? I get enough of that from Mrs. Cole!"
Actually, she would love to have an annoying mum. At this point she wouldn't care if they were the most wanted people in all of Britain, so long as she could leave Wool's Orphanage behind forever. But Jennifer bought her lie, and she stalked off to think of new ways to get under Lucy's skin. "I bet she killed her own parents just to become an orphan," she muttered to a girl as she walked away.
"Shut up about the parent stuff," the girl snapped back at her.
One of Jennifer's friends lingered, debating whether or not he was going to speak. He did in the end. "You don't really like being an orphan, do you?" he asked softly. He was a year older than her, and he often lingered by while Jennifer picked on her. Lucy stared blankly at him, and he blushed. "I-I won't tell Jennifer. Honestly, I won't."
"No," Lucy admitted. "But I am one, so what's the point of moping about it?"
"I thought you didn't have any idea who your parents were. That's what you told us one time."
"What's your name?" she asked.
He hesitated, glancing around to see if anyone was watching. "I'm Nathan. Everyone else here calls me Nate." Nathan lowered his voice to a whisper. "I hate it."
"Nathan, if my parents were alive, I think they'd come to get me by now. And they haven't, so, well, they'd have to be dead. Wouldn't they?"
Nathan shook his head. "They could be in a hospital like Jennifer's mum. Mrs. Cole keeps her files in her office."
Lucy's heart beat quickly in her chest as a wide smile formed on her face, but it soon diminished.
"I haven't got a last name. There's no way I'll have a file."
Nathan looked disappointed too, and Lucy headed back into her room. She didn't come out for the rest of the day.
On Thursday, she stole a total of eight cacti from the greenhouse in the courtyard to raise her spirits. Lucy wasn't sure why she decided to do it. She had zero need for one cactus, let alone eight, so she resorted to hiding it in her wardrobe. Spending the entire day going inside and out of the Orphanage, Lucy had failed to notice that she missed both breakfast, lunch, and right before dinner, Nathan set out to look for her. He found her at the side of the building, hidden behind a large tree. They planted a patch of grass a few years ago, probably trying to distract the children from the fact that the orphanage looked, and felt, like a prison.
"Sorry about yesterday," said Nathan awkwardly. "I didn't mean to get your hopes up."
Lucy grunted from where she lay in a pile of freshly raked leaves. She turned over so that she was now laying on her stomach. "Why do you even hang out with Jennifer? You don't seem like a prat."
Nathan shrugged. "She's grumpy all the time because she's the only one whose mum is alive and she's still stuck here, and she hates you because Mrs. Cole gives you more attention."
"Negative attention!" Lucy sighed. "If she wants Cole screaming at her all the time, believe me, Jennifer can have her!"
He only shrugged again. "She also thinks it's unfair how both her parents were orphans, and really the only reason she's here is because her parents didn't have any living relatives."
"She's still a wench."
Nathan didn't agree with her, but his smirk told her everything. Lucy decided that he wasn't that bad, but it was a bad time to make friends right before she was off to a boarding school. A magic boarding school which Nathan could never attend.
In an act of surprising kindness, Lucy patted the spot of leaves next to her. "Care to join me?"
Nathan looked at her, surprised. Since everyone had known Lucy, she never made friends with anyone. She was the creepy little girl, the freak. She had fun on her own and she did not need anyone around her. This offer, though nonchalant, was a first. "Doing what?" he questioned.
"Just sitting."
Nathan wordlessly lay down next to her, and the two missed all of dinner sitting there and watching the cars pass by.
Friday was here.
Her kitten, which she had yet to find a name for, was discovered by Mrs. Cole later that morning. Instead of scolding Lucy, the woman seemed elated that she wasn't a psychotic animal murderer after all.
"You really should've told me. Wool's Orphanage doesn't have a ban on all pets. Cats, rabbits, and hamsters are all allowed," Mrs. Cole told her. "They're allowed at your new school?"
"Yeah, cats and rabbits and ow— and certain birds," she added the last part because she wasn't sure how much Mrs. Cole would believe they allowed owls. Then again, she was very old.
Mrs. Cole frowned. "What an odd variety. Have you got any supplies to care for a cat?"
"No," Lucy admitted. "I've been giving him parts of Nathan's dinner and he catches mice too." At this, Mrs. Cole beamed. The two females seemed to look at each other in a new light — if they couldn't agree on anything except cats, that would be enough for them.
"You'll need a kennel, a litter box, cat food, a bowl, a brush — oh, I have most of these things in the attic... While you're off shopping, I'll get the litter box, brush, and kennel, but you'll have to get the other supplies."
For once, Lucy had no desire to argue and instead withdrew a notebook from her desk. She sat down in her chair and proceeded to scribble down what she'd need. The thought of her kitten's supplies had never occurred to her; the feline had accustomed to leaving through the window and jumping onto a nearby branch whenever he needed to hunt.
She spent the next few hours preparing. Her long hair was still damp from her shower as she looked through her wardrobe with only a towel around her. Mrs. Cole had yet to notice that the eight missing cacti from the greenhouse were stored in her drawers. Lucy took extra care to pick out her outfit from the limited clothes she had. She had her uniform, but she couldn't exactly wear that to the wizarding world.
She settled for the nicest clothes she had: a pair of slightly baggy, faded jeans with holes in the knees— she had scraped them on the pavement ages ago from being tripped by the older kids. This was paired with another baggy white T-shirt that had the words 'Lucy [insert last name here] written on the front with messy handwriting and a permanent marker. With her hand-me-down faded yellow converse, Lucy thought she either looked like a rebel or an orphan, and she was okay with either one.
"Lucille," Mrs. Cole rapped on the door, "A woman is here to take you school shopping. Are you ready yet? It's impolite to keep people waiting!"
Surprising Mrs. Cole, Lucy opened the door completely ready. Mrs. Cole held a worn down backpack in her hands. It was surprisingly big and would be useful in the future. "This is for your shopping," she said, handing it over to her. Lucy shrugged it on her shoulders.
"Thanks, Mrs. Cole!" Lucy beamed. She ducked under Mrs. Cole's arm and heard the old woman hobble after her on her cane. She was grateful Mrs. Cole didn't notice her kitten, which she decided just now to name Grayble, sneak into her large pants pocket.
In the entry room waiting for Lucy was a tall woman with sleek, black hair pulled up into a bun. She at once reminded Lucy of Mrs. Cole in the way that her features looked stern, but she was noticeably younger and only had a few wrinkles. Mostly on her forehead and around her mouth, presumably from raising her eyebrows and frowning. That was the kind of vibe this woman gave off.
The woman examined Lucy's appearance; her hair was damp and slightly disheveled from bouncing on her mattress in anticipation, and as her eyes fell on Lucy's shirt, she could've sworn her lips twitched up slightly.
"I am Professor McGonagall," the woman began. "I'm one of your teachers at Hogwarts and may very well end up as your head of house. Are you ready to go?"
"Yes, ma'am."
"Behave," Mrs. Cole warned from the doorway.
Lucy blinked at her innocently. "I always do, Mrs. Cole."
As soon as the door to the orphanage closed, Lucy turned to face Professor McGonagall. "Everyone gets their own house at Hogwarts?" she asked. In her mind she imagined students staying in color coded houses and walking to a nearby school.
"No, at Hogwarts you do not receive a literal home." Professor McGonagall paused and then quickly rephrased her words. "Well, Hogwarts is a home in a sense, but there is no built houses you live in. You'll live in dormitories. That reminds me," the professor slipped her hand into her robe pocket and pulled out a book. "I like to give this to muggleborn students before they arrive. Any questions about Hogwarts you should find the answers to in this book."
Lucy took the book from her and read the cover. Hogwarts: A History.
"Muggleborn?" Lucy frowned. "Will I find that in here too?"
"A muggle is a person with no magic, such as the other children at the orphanage. A muggleborn is a child born from two muggles. It's likely that you're one too, but there's no way to know for sure."
They rounded a corner and Professor McGonagall turned to her. "Now, we're going to apparate to the Leaky Cauldron. Keep a tight grip on my arm and do not let go."
An unpleasant feeling overcame Lucy, and it was somewhat adjacent to being squeezed through a tight tube. It only lasted for a moment or so, but as soon as it ended, a large wave of nausea hit her. "Oh dear god," she muttered, taking a few seconds to steady herself. Then she grinned. "Wizards can teleport?"
"Apparate," Professor McGonagall corrected.
The two entered a shady-looking bar. The inside looked as worn down and murky as Wool's Orphanage did. A few witches sat in a corner were glancing at them in a scrutinizing way. Professor McGonagall approached an old, bald man with several missing teeth.
"We'll go through the back, Tom," she told him, and Lucy followed her out another door and into a courtyard. It was surrounded by four, moss-ridden walls, and the place looked terribly kept for a garden. Weeds spurted out from the ground and vines covered the walls in thick layers. Professor McGonagall withdrew her wand and tapped on a brick three times.
At once, a small hole appeared in the wall, and it grew bigger until it was tall enough to fit the both of them. Professor McGonagall said nothing as Lucy stepped through, but kept a close eye on her reaction.
"I haven't been in a coma for the past week, have I?" Lucy asked, her eyes wide as she took everything in. Hearing she was a witch was one thing, but she couldn't believe there was a whole world she didn't know about. How could she be so lucky? Old cauldrons from fairy tales sat piled up outside the first shop she saw, and next to that Lucy saw what looked to be a potions shop.
"No, I'm afraid this is all quite real," Professor McGonagall replied with a hint of amusement. "We'll save the cauldrons for last."
"Oh! Does Diagon Alley have a cat shop?" Lucy asked, turning around to face her. ""Cause Dumbledore turned my bed into a kitten — " as if on cue, Grayble poked his head out of her pants pocket and mewed " — and Mrs Cole says I need cat food, a bowl, and... Oh, she gave me money to pay for that stuff by myself." Lucy pulled a sack of muggle money out from her other pocket.
She was worried that Professor McGonagall would say no, but then Lucy recalled that the Leaky Cauldron was over by the Barber Shop used by the orphanage. She'd just get it herself if she said no. If she remembered, which wasn't likely.
Fortunately, Professor McGonagall was a cat person.
"First and foremost you'll need your robes. To stick to schedule, I'll retrieve your pet's supplies while you get fitted." Lucy held out the bag of money, but Professor McGonagall declined. "Consider it a gift. Madame Malkin's is just down the road — go straight until you see her shop."
Lucy knew that now wasn't the time to start causing mischief, and so for once she heeded Mrs Cole's orders of staying out of trouble. She found Madame Malkin's Robes for All Occasions in no time, and at the door a short old witch greeted her happily.
"Dear me, at this rate I'll have the entire lot of first years at one time! Come, come, to the back..."
From the way the woman described it, Lucy had expected there to be an entire ocean of students like her. There were really only two other children. One had platinum blonde hair with a pointed face, and the other was scrawny, wearing baggy clothes like she was. She opted to choose the spot next to the kinder looking boy while she waited.
"You're going to Hogwarts, too?" the blonde boy addressed her as soon as she dared to sit down. Without waiting for an answer, he continued. "I was just saying how I'll be in Slytherin like my entire family. Imagine being in Hufflepuff! I think I'd leave, wouldn't you?"
She momentarily reeled. This was the first fellow wizard she'd spoken to, and so far he was bloody annoying. "A Huffle-what?" She said blankly.
Blondie narrowed his eyes at her. "Say, what's your surname?"
"Haven't got one." Lucy pointed at her shirt.
"Don't be ridiculous! Everyone has a surname."
"Not me," she said honestly. "I guess I might've had one at one point, but they took it away."
"Then how come you don't know about Hufflepuff? You're not a muggleborn, are you?"
"No," Lucy said, even though she wasn't sure if she was or not. "I grew up in an orphanage. Now quit being a git about it," she huffed.
Blondie relented. "Where are your parents, then?" he asked the other boy.
"They're dead," he snapped.
"Mine too!" Lucy held up her hand for a high-five. The boy gave her an amused look before returning it.
"Oh, sorry," Blondie said insincerely. "But they were our kind, weren't they?"
Lucy couldn't take it anymore. This boy was Jennifer reincarnated. "Shut up, Courtney!" she yelled out of habit. Blondie cast her a bizarre look, and he moved a stool away from the both of them, muttering about how mental she was.
Great, she scared him off already. She supposed it wasn't a real loss. She turned back to face the other boy. "People with living parents are prats, from what I can tell," she said, shaking her head. Was this how one made friends? She had no idea...
"You're telling me," he echoed. He was still grinning at her. That was a good sign.
"I'm Lucy. Lucy with no last name," Lucy introduced herself. She extended a hand, and the boy shook it.
"I'm Harry. Harry with a last name Potter."
He stared at her warily as though he was expecting a reaction, but Lucy only continued on talking. "I don't know a thing about Hogwarts," she admitted. "But if that git hates Huffle-what, that's my new favorite thing."
"I don't know anything either," Harry sighed, relieved that he wasn't the only one going in with no experience.
"I have a book though, and if you'd like I can lend it to you on the train," Lucy suggested, securing herself both a friend and a seat with someone on the train. She mentally patted herself on the back for her quick thinking.
Harry smiled. "That'd be great, thanks. Who brought you here? I came here with Hagrid - " he pointed at a giant man in the distance, and Lucy stared at him for a few seconds with wide eyes. "He's Gamekeeper at Hogwarts," he added hurriedly.
"He looks bloody awesome," she breathed. "I'm here with a plain old professor. I guess she's cool. Hey, why's everyone giving you weird looks?"
It was true; people walking past them ogled at Harry's forehead. Lucy followed their gaze and saw a lightning bolt shaped scar on his forehead. It looked pretty rad, but it wasn't worthy of people looking at him like he was a sideshow at the circus.
"I'm the Boy-Who-Lived, apparently," Harry said, pulling a face. "Found out a day ago."
"No offense, but living's not really something to be congratulated for. I thought it was pretty easy to exist. All you've got to do is breath." Then, as if proving a point, Lucy took a large gulp of air and held her breath.
Harry took her silence as a chance to explain further. "When I was a baby, a dark wizard came to kill me. His name was Voldemort, I think, and he killed my parents. When he tried to kill me, it backfired and he ended up dying instead. Except he's not really dead, he's just gone." He said all of this in a confused sort of way which indicated to Lucy that he might not know a lot about this himself.
"Voldemort," Lucy repeated. The witch working on her robes flinched. "Bloody hell, if I was named Voldemort I'd try and kill babies for a living too."
The employee let out a gasp, shooting her a horrified look.
"I'm only joking!" Lucy added hastily. But she still gave the employee a creepy smile, mouthing, 'or am I?'
Harry laughed. "You're the only one who hasn't acted weird about it yet."
"Well, what did you do to the poor bloke, roundhouse kick him to death with your baby feet?" Lucy asked.
He shrugged. "I guess I sat there and got lucky."
"Story of my life, mate," Lucy sighed.
Madame Malkin finished Harry's robes. He was somewhat reluctant to stand up, and Lucy realized that she was sad to see him go. "I'll see you on the train," Harry said hopefully.
"I'll bring the book," she assured him.
He waved to her as he left the shop, leaving her alone with the blonde boy. He'd been quiet ever since Lucy had snapped at him. She supposed it wasn't often one was called by the wrong name.
It remained silent for a few minutes. Then, he ventured to ask: "Why'd you call me Courtney?"
"You reminded me of someone," Lucy shrugged. The image of a tall girl with a long nose and brown curls popped into her mind. Jennifer was older than her, but she sure didn't act like it.
"I reminded you of Courtney?"
"No, you reminded me of Jennifer."
"But you called me Courtney."
"Yeah, 'cause that's what I call Jennifer."
It was quiet again.
This time it was Lucy that spoke up. "Hey, what is a Huffle-what? If you tell me I won't call you Courtney ever again," she promised. "I'll call you by your real name if you tell me what it is."
"And you're sure you're not a muggleborn?" Blondie asked warily.
"One hundred percent," Lucy lied. She was actually quite sure that she was a muggleborn. He didn't have to know that. "I've been using magic to tie sheets on my roof my entire life!"
Blondie laughed a little at that. "I'm Malfoy, Draco Malfoy."
Everyone here had an odd habit of repeating their name, Lucy thought.
"Nice to meet you, Draco Malfoy. Now what's a Huffle-thing?"
"It's a Hogwarts house." Ugh, not that again. She really had to start reading that book."They say that the kind and loyal go in there, but it's really a bunch of tossers put into one house because nobody else wanted them."
Lucy beamed. "I want to get into that house!"
Draco pulled a face. "Why?"
"'Cause it's the first house I've heard about. And because if nobody wants them, then nobody pays attention to them. Right?" Draco nodded slowly, not knowing what she was getting at. "Then there's no way I'll get into any trouble, because no one's gonna be looking at me."
"I guess," Draco shrugged. "But I'd rather get into Slytherin."
"You can have Slytherin," Lucy offered. "I'll take Hufflepuff. Deal?"
"Deal."
Giving an air of finality, the two eleven-year-olds shook on it. The two began a new conversation. Draco was clearly an arrogant one, but he loved to talk. By the time her robes were ready, Lucy knew far more about Hogwarts than she did before coming to Diagon Alley.
Lucy finally left Madame Malkin's, and Professor McGonagall was waiting for her just outside the shop.
"I apparently met a famous person," Lucy told her cheerily. "He's famous for roundhouse kicking Voldemort in the face."
Professor McGonagall gave her a long look, like she wasn't quite believing what she was hearing. "What on earth are you talking about, Lucy?" she spluttered.
"You know," Lucy said as though it was obvious. Professor McGonagall stared at her blankly. "Harry Potter. He's really sweet. There was also this blonde git named Draco Malfoy, but I suppose he's alright. Just don't call him Courtney; he hates that."
Professor McGonagall nodded slowly. "Well... your robes took much longer than expected, so I collected most of what was needed on your list. All that's left is your books and a cauldron, and at last a wand. I've transferred your muggle money into wizarding currency, so you may use that to buy yourself some books of your own choice while I buy the necessary first year subjects."
At the book store, Lucy was mesmerized by the moving pictures. She didn't really like reading stories if they couldn't offer her actual information, so she went for the books with facts that she would use in life. One was called The Muggle's Guide to the Wizarding World, and it had all sorts of information about wizardry. She also picked up a few books on hexes, jinxes, and curses — she took extra care to make sure Professor McGonagall didn't see those — and a copy of Transfiguration Spells for Advanced Students, Charms Around the House, Transfigure Your Wardrobe, and last but not least, The First Wizarding War. She paid for these books, and Professor McGonagall only caught sight of Transfiguration Spells for Advanced Students and The First Wizarding War.
"War?" Professor McGonagall arched an eyebrow.
She kept an innocent expression, but secretly, she couldn't stop thinking about Harry Potter and his curious position. Who was Voldemort, and why did he want to kill a baby? Going by the employee's horrified reaction, he had to be someone important.
She shrugged, giving the professor a sheepish smile. "History's my favorite subject back in muggle school."
Her sharp look softened once she saw Transfiguration Spells for Advanced Students. "You're interested in transfiguration, I take it?"
"It's about turning objects into other objects, right?"
"A vague definition, but yes."
"Well, it sounds brilliant! Is that how Dumbledore turned my bed into a cat?" Lucy asked excitedly. "Because that already sounds like my favorite subject!"
Professor McGonagall did something that Lucy hadn't seen her do all day: she smiled. It was a full, real smile, not one of those lip quirks she'd been doing. "Headmaster Dumbledore was once a transfiguration professor like myself."
Lucy's eyes widened. "You teach transfiguration?!"
Contrary to what Professor McGonagall had first told her, Lucy had received her wand last — not a cauldron. Ollivanders was the best wand shop in the world, according to Draco Malfoy's ramblings in Madame Malkin's.
Mr. Ollivander was an old man with large, pale eyes. They reminded Lucy of a full moon, and his voice was so soft that she strained to hear him the first time.
"Good day," he greeted.
"Hello," Lucy said, letting her gaze travel over the countless boxes behind him.
Mr. Ollivander frowned as he examined her. "You don't look like anyone I've ever had before. What's your name, young lady?"
Lucy pulled pack her hair and pointed to her shirt. Professor McGonagall's lips thinned in disapproval over her abrupt way of introducing herself, but Ollivander didn't seem to mind.
"No last name, eh? No matter. It'll be a bit of a guessing game, but I already have an idea... Which arm is your wand arm?"
She held up her left hand.
"A leftie too," Mr. Ollivander murmured. "I can already tell this will be a difficult wand to find..."
Lucy didn't know whether to feel insulted or not.
Mr. Ollivander pulled a box out from the shelf and picked up a wand. "Seven and a half inches long. Willow wood, but firm. This would be a good one for Charms..."
He handed it over to her, and as soon as Lucy grabbed it, a nearby broken vase repaired itself. Mr. Ollivander shook his head and snatched the wand out of her hand. "No, too short, far too short..."
"Nine inches, evergreen wood, phoenix feather core. Swishy, so you'll need to be gentle with it."
Lucy held it, and delicately, a pink flower blossomed out of the end. She thought that was a good sign, but Mr. Ollivander took it from her again and shook his head.
"Still too short," he mused. Professor McGonagall was watching this with her eyebrows furrowed; she must've thought that the flower one would've for sure been her wand too.
He disappeared into the back room and it wasn't until four minutes passed that he returned holding a dark plum colored box. He pulled out a jagged wand, swirled with mixtures of black and dark gray wood. It appeared to have been whittled with a blunt knife at the way it twisted around. The edge was pointed like a blade, and Lucy figured it could probably cut something with enough force... She liked it. Her eyes shone just from looking at it.
"12¾ inches long, made of Laurel wood with a dragon heartstring core."
Lucy held it in her hand, and once she swished it through the air, the windows shattered, a door was blown off its hinges, a vase exploded, and Lucy was filled with a rush of exhilaration. Mr. Ollivander beamed while she and Professor McGonagall both looked quite horrified.
"I believe, Ms. Lucy, that this is your wand."
Professor McGonagall was the first to question this. "Are you sure it wasn't the second one, Garrick?"
"Quite sure, Mrs. McGonagall. This is a peculiar wand; while very flexible, as soon as the owner holds it, it will harden depending on the intent. For example; jabbing may cause it to lose its flexibility, whereas swishing it through the air will work in your favor. You must, however, remain resilient or your wand may decide to find another master. A few people who have left with Laurel wood in a wand have grown to the Dark Arts. While a useful wand, it has the ability to do powerful magic, and that sometimes works against you."
Lucy remained slightly horrified. "So I could become a villain? Is that what you're saying?"
"Yes," said Mr. Ollivander bluntly. "The fate of your legacy relies on that wand there, Ms. Lucy. I have the utmost faith that you will persevere. Only one other has had Laurel wood in the last four decades... The young Bla — "
"Mr. Ollivander," Professor McGonagall cleared her throat. She gave him a severe look. "There's hardly any need to scare the girl."
Abashed, he apologized. "Yes, yes... Sometimes I forget how young minds really are these days. It's refreshing, isn't it? After the War?"
"Yes, I would have to agree," Professor McGonagall sighed. "Well, come along Lucy. It's time to return you back to Mrs Cole."
Lucy grimaced. "There's no rush."
After the day had ended, Lucy's backpack was almost too heavy for her to carry. Professor McGonagall had to place an enlightening charm and an extension charm on it, and after that Lucy hardly noticed it was on her back.
It was past curfew when they arrived back at the orphanage. Lucy gave Professor McGonagall a polite and genuine goodbye, pleased at how much she'd informed her about transfiguration.
Mrs. Cole guided Lucy up into her bedroom, but Lucy did not fall asleep that night.
She lay awake dreaming of Hogwarts, of new beginnings, and of a made-up couple of wizards with blonde hair, brown eyes, and a baby girl in their hands.
If she could only know how wrong she was.