"HEADS UP!"
The whizzing of a bludger soaring past her head never failed to get the adrenaline pumping, and Lucy let out a mad laugh as she rolled her broom to the right. She'd only just righted herself in the air when Heidi, from behind her, called out,
"INCOMING!"
Once again, Lucy rolled out of the way. Heidi was by no means a beater, but she had a strong grip and she easily chucked the bludger directly at her.
The sun had just begun to rise, but the Hufflepuffs had been practicing for two hours already. At the beginning of practice they ran through structured drills and trained so hard that Oliver Wood would have been impressed. But as the practice wore on and they became more tired, everyone started to half-train, half mess around.
Maxine was training Lucy in 'dodging bludgers' which really equated to the older girl hitting a bludger at Lucy over and over again to see if she was fast enough to move out of the way. Heidi was supposed to be helping Daisy train Herbert to defend the goal posts, but she joined in on the fun. Anthony had many protests about this way of training, but he couldn't do anything about it, as he was helping Cedric train in Seeking.
"Hold on!" Lucy called before Maxine threw the bludger again. Max obliged and grabbed the bludger, holding it tight under one arm. "Dodging bludgers is easy work and all, but the real trouble is taking a hit."
"Are you telling me to hit it at you?"
"Yeah!"
Maxine shrugged, "Sounds good to me!" And she threw the bludger up and hit it with all her force. Lucy heard Anthony let out a shriek, but she laughed wildly as the bludger soared toward her. Maxine tended to aim for headshots and so Lucy went higher up, turning so that the bludger smashed into the flesh of her arm.
She watched with satisfaction as she bounced the bludger away from her and over to Heidi, who had to dive downward to avoid its path.
"HUMAN BEATER'S BAT!" Maxine cackled.
"HUMAN BEATER'S BAT!" Lucy yelled back.
"Right! Put the bludgers and quaffles away, practice is over!" Cedric ordered. He had the snitch in his hand, and he fixed Lucy and Maxine with disappointed looks. "If you're trying to kill each other I suppose we're done for the day."
Well aside from her sore arm, Lucy didn't see anything wrong with becoming a human beater's bat. She landed soundly on the ground, and Anthony landed beside her.
He tried his best to look disapproving but he couldn't help but snicker. "That was awesome," he admitted. He held up his hand, and Lucy high-fived him.
They retreated into the locker rooms once they had all the equipment put away. The locker room had two separate parts for the boys and the girls, but there was also a room between them where they'd meet before a game. They were supposed to talk strategy in the middle room, but every Quidditch match Lucy had ever played in, which wasn't that many, thanks Tom, they gossiped the entire time.
Everyone was scattered on benches. Lucy sat on the floor leaning against Daisy's legs as she drank her water. Cedric pulled a chalkboard in front of the team, but he stopped once he saw a rather nice portrait of Anthony drawn on it.
"Don't erase it!" Anthony snapped. "That took me ages!"
"Why'd you draw yourself?"
"Because I am the only thing worth drawing, Ceddy."
Sighing, Cedric kicked the chalkboard away. He gave up and sat on the bench across from them. "Well, I've only got a few observations from today's practice. Max, your throwing distance is great but focus more on your aiming— I know you were going easy on Lucy," Maxine made a noise of protest, but Cedric gave her a knowing look, "But it should be harder for the other players to get out of the way."
"I was not going easy," Maxine argued.
"Max, every sane person's subconscious cannot allow them to harm that face," Heidi explained. She reached over and poked Lucy's face. She sighed and let it happen at this point. "Try as you may, it simply does not work."
"Speaking of that face, we'll go to you next," Cedric said. He also pointed at Lucy's face.
She pointed back at him. "Lay it on me, coach!"
"Aside from aiming, which is better than last time, we've got to talk about your broom." Cedric expected the look of offense on Lucy's face, and he kindly ignored it. "You're a brilliant flyer, but that only goes so far when you're up against the Nimbuses the other chasers have."
"Don't diss the Comet!" she protested. Madam Hooch was kind enough to give her the Comet 260 and she loved it to pieces. Yes, it was battered because of the amount of times she dive bombed into the ground, but Harry always polished it for her afterward.
She had to admit that Cedric had a point. If she raced against Daisy's hand-me-down Nimbus 2000, then she'd be left in the dust. But still, she would not accept any slander against her beloved broom.
"I can write to Ross and see if he'll lend his old Nimbus for the season," Anthony suggested. He winked at Cedric's skeptical expression. "You know how he loves to spoil me."
Lucy chucked the cap of her water bottle at Anthony's head. "Talking about replacing the Comet is the definition of dissing the Comet, Anthony."
"What are you going to do, fight me?" Anthony picked up the cap and threw it back at her.
If she wasn't so sore from practice, she might take him up on that challenge. As it was, she glared at him and took another sip of her water.
Cedric went through the rest of the critiques quickly, since everyone was very hungry after that long practice. After everyone was out of the locker room, he asked, "Is anyone besides Anthony and I going to Hogsmeade? Maybe we could meet up in the Hog's Head."
Lucy forgot that today was also the first Hogsmeade weekend; she'd been more excited for the Halloween Feast since she hadn't gotten to attend last year, and in her first year Quirrell interrupted at the beginning. She wasn't as sad as she thought she'd be that she was missing out on Hogsmeade. It wasn't that big a deal when she thought of other unfortunate events, but she was worried about Harry; the boy had faced Voldemort twice in a row and yet he still considered everyday grievances as tragedies.
"I'm going," Heidi said. "Max needs to restock on her chocolate covered raisins." She slipped her hand into Max's and said in a hushed whisper, "She gets frightening without her chocolate covered raisins."
Max nodded grimly. "Last time I was out of chocolate covered raisins, Anthony and Daisy were petrified. I'm not so sure that was a coincidence."
"It was definitely a coincidence," Lucy assured her. She put a hand on her chest and held a hand up. "That one was on me. Sorry, Daisy." Daisy chuckled, but Anthony turned to her, affronted.
"Sorry Daisy? What about me!?" he demanded, crossing his arms over his chest.
"I might've been sorry before you dissed my Comet, but now I think you deserved it," she sniffed. "Maybe I'll do it again, Don't test me, Rickett."
Unfortunately for her, the basilisk was dead, so she could not petrify anyone. If only Tom had been honest with her from the beginning— then she could petrify people who deserved it. He had a shoddy aim if he aimed for Filch and ended up getting a cat.
"You wound me, Lucille," Anthony huffed. He glanced at Daisy, "Are you going, Locke?"
"Yeah, I want to get as much time before I graduate. Herbert's going, too. Word is he has a hot date." She nudged the bespectacled boy, who blushed and scowled at her. "What's his name again? Jared or something from Ravenclaw?"
"His name's Eddie and he's from Slytherin, Locke."
"Well if he breaks your heart, we'll break his legs," Max said offhandedly. Herbert seemed terrified at the thought. "What about you, Rochester? Are you going to Hogsmeade with anyone? This is around the age you kids like to play at dating, isn't it?"
"Don't be a git," Daisy scolded.
"What? I'm not wrong. For fuck's sake, I went out with Penelope Clearwater once, can you imagine?" Maxine shuddered before poking Lucy in the back with her broom. "So come on, spill."
"No, I am not going out with anyone," Lucy said, disturbed at the notion. The thought of sharing a drink with someone she was expected to snog later did not settle well with her. "And I'm not going, anyway. Permission slip, no parents, remember?"
"What?!"
Anthony ignored Maxine's outrage and slung an arm around Lucy's shoulders. She was surprised; she thought he'd be the one up in arms about it, like Ron and Hermione had been. "It's not that exciting anyway," he said, "But one of these weekends when it's not so crowded I'll sneak you there. 'S not that hard, you've just got to leave without being seen and you're fine."
She supposed he was right; it wasn't that hard to sneak out of Hogwarts, even with the Dementors. For one, the exit leading to Hagrid's hut was unguarded because they needed that for the Greenhouses and Care of Magical Creatures. It wouldn't be hard to sneak to Hogsmeade going the long way.
Daisy whirled around to glare at Anthony. She'd loosened up plenty since their first year, but she certainly had her limits. "You shouldn't be leaving the castle without anyone knowing when there's a criminal on the loose," She said firmly.
"Someone would know," he said, unbothered. "You would know, and Cedric would know, and Maxine would know, and, boy oh boy, Heidi would know, not to mention Herbert— d'you see my point, love?"
"You know what I mean," she glared.
"And I know that I'm not an idiot," Anthony rolled his eyes. "I'm not a child, Locke. I can handle myself. Just because you're graduating doesn't make you above us all of a sudden."
"I never said I was above you," she snapped, "I know you don't want anything to happen, but please have some perspective. There are Dementors wandering around that even grown wizards are susceptible to, not to mention two teenagers. I'm fine with a little rule breaking, but sneaking out of the castle in these times is reckless!"
"Whatever, Locke."
Lucy could see that Anthony was already planning his route to Hogsmeade, completely ignoring the growing anger from the older girl. Ignoring her was one of the surefire ways to piss her off, and sure enough, Daisy's ears turned red. "Don't brush me off. You always do that! Whenever I say something you don't like, you pretend you can't hear me." Anthony didn't reply, proving her point. "You're doing it now!"
"Dear me, it seems as if there is a fly buzzing in my ear..." Anthony made a show of looking around. Daisy's hand inched toward her wand.
"I'm talking about a mass murderer on the loose and you're playing games. Word of advice, if you don't want me to call you a child, maybe you shouldn't act like one."
"So having a bit of fun once in a while is childish, is it? I suppose I'm meant to sit around and study quietly all day?" Anthony laughed at Daisy's growing look of anger. "Some of us like to have a laugh once in a while, Locke!"
"Come on, guys, think of the children!" Cedric groaned. He stopped walking and gestured to Lucy, who was completely unaffected. She'd seen so many of Anthony and Daisy's arguments at this point that she was immune. In fact, she wasn't even listening to them; her mind wandered to how she was going to fill her time while everyone was at Hogsmeade.
"Reckon you two should duel about it," was Lucy's piece of advice.
Daisy looked incredibly tempted. Cedric scowled and ruffled Lucy's hair, to which she jabbed him in the ribs. He yelped and doubled over, rubbing his side. "Not cool," he gasped.
"Reckon we should duel about it," she said.
"Hah! No."
Once they reached the castle, Lucy stopped at her dormitory to change into her muggle clothes. She wanted to sleep the day away, but Grayble was sprawled out in the middle of her bed, and she couldn't bear to disrupt him, even though he slept all the time already. However, she did pick up Ford and rest him around her shoulders since he'd been restless lately.
"It's going to be cold out," she warned him.
"I've got thick scales, boss," Ford said, offended she thought he wasn't capable. "You have nothin' but squishy flesh."
Lucy scowled at him. He liked to frequently remind her of her lack of scales, and she never thought she'd be offended over being a human before. "Fine, but don't complain about how cold it is when we step outside!"
He didn't bother responding. She shook her head, grinning as she went to the Great Hall. She spotted Harry's slumped shoulders immediately, and though he was trying to act normally, she could see him brooding.
She sat next to him and laid her head on her arms, closing her eyes. "Sup, guys."
"You shouldn't worry about not going to Hogsmeade, Lucy," Hermione said, taking Lucy's expression as a sign of sadness. Nice thought, but no. She was just exhausted from both Quidditch practice and then Anthony and Daisy arguing over nothing.
She peeked one eye open at Hermione. "I'm not," she informed her.
"It's not all it's cracked up to be," Ron continued in a serious tone.
"Yeah, I'm sure, I really don't mind—" Lucy began.
"Yes, the sweetshop's rather good—"
"Good to hear."
"And Zonko's Joke Shop's frankly dangerous—"
"Even better."
"And yes, the Shrieking Shack's always worth a visit—"
Okay, now he was making Lucy want to go to Hogsmeade. She straightened up and groaned, "Ron, this is the opposite of a pep talk!"
Ron stopped listing off all the reasons Hogsmeade was great, much to her relief. Harry was ready to face plant into the table as well. Ron and Hermione shared a concerned glance. "All I'm saying is you're not missing anything!" he said quickly.
Lucy and Harry shared a long, suffering look. Maybe sleeping the day off was a good idea after all.
"We'll bring you back lots of sweets," Hermione added.
Now that was a better sale's pitch.
Lucy grinned. "If you really loved me, you'd bring me one of them dangerous items from Zonko's." She took a Galleon out of her pocket and slid it toward Ron. "I'm entrusting you with this," she said, her expression deadly serious. He held the coin, shocked, and she added, "Use the rest of it for whatever, I don't care."
"Luce, you're mad," he protested.
"I'm tired and I want my friends to have a wonderful time!" She said loudly. "Don't worry about me and Harry. We'll be fine." She wished Harry's expression lined up with her words because Ron and Hermione didn't believe that for a second.
Sighing, she scanned over the rest of the Great Hall for any entertainment. Daisy and Anthony were at the Hufflepuff table, but they were refusing to speak to one another. Nope, she wasn't touching that. She looked at the Slytherin table, when a bright idea struck her.
Without a word to the Gryffindors she headed to the Slytherin table, sitting between Malfoy and Daphne.
"Hey Malfoy," she began in a serious tone.
He had just been packing his things up, and he turned. "What?" he said, already suspicious. "Why do you have a snake on your shoulders?"
"Don't question me ever again." Lucy said quietly. She slid a galleon toward him. "Get me something dangerous from Zonko's and I'll partner with you in Ancient Runes."
Malfoy had been at a bit of a loss in Ancient Runes. Not because he didn't understand the subject, he was actually quite smart, but because whenever they had partner work, all his friends were already partnered together. He was forced to work with Terry Boot and for some reason he absolutely despised the boy. Lucy didn't care either way since Mandy Brocklehurst didn't participate at all.
"Deal," Malfoy said immediately. He pocketed the galleon and then asked nosily, "Why can't you get it yourself?"
Lucy rolled her eyes. As smart as he was, he still amazed her with his lack of logical thinking. "Because I don't have a signed note, smart one."
"What, one of the servants couldn't have signed it?"
For once, he wasn't trying to be a git. Lucy stared at him. Did he think that muggles had servants...? That her orphanage had servants..? "The employees don't have legal authority over me," she said slowly. She was trying not to be a sarcastic git about it because she really wanted dangerous items, but Malfoy was testing her. "If you don't want to I can always ask Terry Boot—"
"Boot couldn't tell his left from his right if it was branded on each of his hands!" Malfoy snapped. "Yeah, yeah, I'll get it."
Lucy shot the thumbs up and went to leave, but Pansy's drawling voice drew her attention. "It is a shame," she began, dragging her eyes over Lucy's muggle clothes, "That even one of those filthy muggles you live with can't help you. I suppose that means you're even more powerless than a house elf."
House Elf magic was very powerful, so Lucy would take that as a compliment. "Pansy, you're gorgeous," she informed her.
Pansy still didn't know how to respond to that and she ended up rolling her eyes and turning away.
By the time Lucy left the Great Hall, Harry and the other had already gone too. She shrugged; Harry could find her later if he wanted to. She stopped at the Hufflepuff common room and grabbed one of the many blankets. Ford, as expected, thought it was too cold and retreated to the heat lamp under Lucy's bed. Lucy waved at some of the chattering first and second years in the common room before she left.
She couldn't deny that she was a little disappointed. She didn't care about Hogsmeade at all, but it was yet another thing that set her apart from her peers. She was more upset that she didn't have anyone to sign her note in the first place than the fact that she couldn't go at all.
With her blanket in her arms, she walked down to Hagrid's Hut and sat on the grass. Hagrid was in Hogsmeade too today, but she decided to hang out near his hut. She preferred the Black Lake but the Dementors have been edging around there, and one of the places they weren't allowed in was the spot by the Forbidden Forest.
She wrapped the blanket around her shoulders and fell back into the grass. Tom might've told her to take the opportunity to study. She had her books nearby, but she didn't feel like working. So in the cold autumn air, she closed her eyes and tried to make her mind go blank.
Lucy wasn't sure how long she laid there, listening to the sounds of the nearby forest. It was almost peaceful if not for the occasional blast of wind. Just when she thought she might fall asleep, she heard something that sounded a bit like a low gasp.
Suddenly, she felt something huge and furry jump on her. Her first thought was that a creature from the forest attacked her and she yelped, her eyes snapping open.
Standing over her was Grimm, yipping excitedly in her face.
"WHAT!" Lucy sat up, beaming. There was no way! She reached forward and brought Grimm into a big hug. "Grimm! Mallory said you stopped showing up, I was so worried!" She leaned back and examined his appearance. He was skinny again, more than before, and very dirty. "Did you run all the way here?"
Grimm barked and wagged his tail.
"Brilliant!" Any hint of sadness was washed away at the sight of her dear companion. She loved her other pets plenty; Snape dutifully carried her mail, Grayble slept at the foot of her bed every night, and Ford and Tom Marvotoad Riddle cuddled up to her at night. But she especially missed Grimm. He'd always been a great listener, and she swore he was smarter than Ford sometimes, and Ford could talk.
Her first order of business was to give Grimm some food. He looked as though he hadn't had a meal in ages. She should probably clean him, too. She pulled out her wand, intent on casting a cleaning spell, but it was sparking furiously at her. "Will you give it a rest?!" she demanded. The wand did not. She didn't dare point a malfunctioning wand at Grimm.
"Let's hope Filch doesn't follow the mud," Lucy muttered. Grimm looked at her questioningly. "We're going into the castle, of course! You must be starving."
Grimm followed her as she headed toward the castle, but he seemed skeptical. "No one will notice," she continued. "They're all at Hogsmeade anyway." He yipped, and she explained. "Today's Halloween, but it's also the first Hogsmeade weekend."
She had to stop halfway up to the castle because she saw a Dementor in the distance. She was too far away to feel any of its effects, but close enough that she was still cautious. Like any sane person would do, she flipped it off with both hands. The Dementor's head snapped toward her, and she stuck out her tongue. Grimm barked and urged her to keep moving as the Dementor started to float in her direction.
"Fucking hate those things," she said, throwing a mutinous glare over her shoulder. "What? What are you going to do, huh, Dementor? You're going to eat my soul, are you? Joke's on you, bud, this baby's rotten!" She pointed at her chest. Her voice was doing nothing to stop the approach of the Dementor, but she wasn't too worried since she was walking as she spoke. "You know what? Maybe I'll eat your soul. Huh? Have you ever thought of that one? Bet you haven't!" She stuck her tongue out at it and then entered the castle.
Grimm followed her the entire way, doing that funny little snorting of his. Lucy reckoned it was his way of laughing.
She found the kitchens, or rather Grimm sniffed it out for her because she was absolutely hopeless with directions. Anthony took her there loads of times over the past three years but she could never be bothered to pay attention. She tickled the pear, opened the door and let Grimm inside. There were a few house elves, but because it was the middle of the day, most of the others were off doing other chores around the castle. Lucy waved at him, and uncertainly a few of them waved back.
"May have I have a steak for the gentleman here, please?" Lucy asked kindly. "And some ice cream, please?" she added.
"Of course, miss!" A smaller house elf hurried to cook one, while another one gave her a bowl of ice cream and a spoon. The house elf then approached Grimm with a curious expression.
"Winnie has never seen a dog before, miss!"
"You can pet him, if you'd like. He's very friendly," Lucy offered. Winnie's eyes widened, and almost shyly she reached out to pat Grimm on the head. She let out an excited little squeak, and Lucy decided then that she'd die for her.
After Winnie rushed off to help with more cooking, Lucy sat at one of the round tables and let out a huge sigh. "Grimm, you won't believe what you've missed! I mean, there haven't been any Voldemort-like encounters so I can't complain about that, but really? Dementors, in a school?" She shook her head. She was getting too far ahead of herself. "Nah, let's go back to Wool's, shall we? You'll be so proud of me, mate, I fought three guys and won." Grimm tilted his head curiously, so she explained. "Well you know how I life in an orphanage with mostly insufferable muggles, right?" He let out an affirmative bark. "A few of them thought it might be nice to poke around my room. Jennifer, who's about as friendly as a cactus, found a photo of mine and ripped it and half. Not just any photo. The photo."
Grimm let out a whine. He had seen Lucy's prized photograph on many occasions, and while he growled at it, he never tried to destroy it. It was probably unhealthy to keep a picture of Tom Riddle after everything that happened, but Lucy didn't particularly care whether it was healthy or not. She already had to watch him die, couldn't she be a little obsessive afterward? She was just proud she hadn't seeked out a Boggart to get another glimpse of him.
"My tale of woe does not end there, my friend." Lucy slumped back dramatically, "There we were, sitting on the train. The Dream Team, as Severus Snape so kindly called us. A face like my own does not come easy, you know? It takes effort to be this beautiful each day. So there I was, trying to get some beauty sleep, when Dementors attacked the train. Well, maybe attacked is a strong word— I think they were only searching for something. How do Dementors search in the first place? They don't have eyes. Do they have eyes?" She shook her head, she was getting off track. "Well, they opened the compartment door, and therein started my blood feud with Dementors."
She let her dramatics fade for now. Even remembering the effects of the Dementors was enough to send a chill up her spine. "It was terrible," she shuddered. "It was like I was in the classroom all over again."
Grimm stared at her, tilting his head. Lucy realized that she hadn't recounted that to him before. It wasn't something she liked to talk about, or even think about. The only time she went into any detail was when she was telling Mallory, and even then she hadn't been able to get many of the words out.
Winnie set the platter of steaks in front of Grimm. The dog laid down as he chewed on them, but he was still paying rapt attention to Lucy. She chewed on the inside of her lip. On one hand, it was silly of her to tell all of this to a dog— but then again, was he not the best audience? He wouldn't cry, he wouldn't offer her advice. As smart as he was, he was only a dog.
"Last year there was a group of boys," she said at last. "Adrian Pucey, Marcus Flint, and... Graham Montague. They thought I was a mudblood, and an annoying one at that— they spent all year messing with me. Fixed Bludgers to chase me in Quidditch, collapsed the staircases, left threats..." She felt a sudden rush of anger as she remembered how frightened she'd been last year. How small they made her feel. Tom had done many things wrong last year, but he never for a second made her feel as worthless and loathed as those boys had.
"Near the end of the year, Pucey pretended to be one of my friends. He took me to an abandoned classroom. He said Harry was in trouble." She let out a bitter laugh. She really was predictable, if they knew using her friends was the quickest way to get her attention without any questions asked. "As soon as I stepped inside, they disarmed me. Flint kicked me. Someone cut my cheek," she pointed to the white scar that had been there ever since. Grimm was paying rapt attention; he was starving, but he wasn't touching his steaks. Lucy tried to get the next few words out. He cursed me. He tortured me. I screamed and it hurt so, so bad— but she found it stuck in her throat. Frustrated, she went on anyway. "I suppose I know why they call them Unforgivables now," she spat. "Haven't felt anything like that before or since."
At that moment, Grimm let out such a deadly snarl that she was convinced that a wolf had taken his place. Lucy stared at him, stunned as he jumped to his feet, the hair on his back raised. He paced around, sniffing as if he'd be able to find Montague in the castle. She was amazed, and more than a little touched. Owls were oddly perceptive. All throughout history, there were records of animals and magicfolk having a stronger connection than muggles, but she hadn't realized how far it went until now. Grimm didn't understand a thing she told him, or if he did, he would not be able to comprehend it, but he was still defensive.
She felt a smile curl on her lips. "Yeah, Tom wasn't too pleased either." Grimm's head snapped over to her. She scooped some ice cream out of her bowl and shoveled it into her mouth, "Yeah, e'en tho' h's the Dar' Lor' an' aw," She swallowed her mouthful and continued, "He really liked me. I am, in fact, a delight to be around, so I am not surprised... He killed Flint and Pucey, sent a Cruciatus at Montague." Her eyes darkened. "I know it's terrible of me, but he deserved it."
Grimm snarled again, but his tail was wagging. Lucy was under the impression he agreed. He returned to his steak and started eating some of it again.
"Anyway, if that's what the Dementors can do with one bad memory, I'd hate to go to Azkaban," she frowned. "Can't really blame Sirius Black for escaping." Grimm's ears perked up, and he yipped happily. She grinned at him. "Let's see if we can find Harry after you're finished eating. He's probably still upset about Hogsmeade— his relatives wouldn't sign his form. It's best to leave him alone when he's in a mood, but I'm sure you'll cheer him up."
She watched in astonishment as Grimm inhaled the rest of his food in record time. He raced over to the kitchen exit, pawing and scratching at the door. She laughed, standing up from the table. "Guess someone missed the great Harry Potter."
She thanked the house elves one more time, and then she and Grimm left the kitchens. She decided to check the Gryffindor common room first. She and Grimm made it up a few floors, tracking mud the entire way, and to her delight, she met Harry halfway.
"My friend!" she cried dramatically, jumping forward to capture him in a hug. She fake sobbed into his shoulder. "Never leave me again!"
"It's only been two hours," Harry said in a strained voice from how tightly she was hugging him. He patted her on the back and then stepped away. He noticed Grimm immediately, and he wasn't sure if he was seeing things correctly. "...Why is Grimm here?"
"Well, you see Harry, when two dogs like each other—"
"Not that!" Harry snapped, shoving her. "You know what I mean."
"Careful about shoving me near the staircases, Potter," she warned. "You know what happened last time!"
His face dropped. "Don't remind me," he muttered. He shook his head. "But really, why is Grimm here?"
"Don't question it."
"...Okay." Harry bent down and scratched Grimm behind the ear. The dog was beside himself to see Harry again. Harry withdrew his hand and inspected dirt on his hand. He pulled a face, "Can't you use that cleaning spell?"
She pulled out her wand and pointed it at Grimm, uttering the spell. Nothing happened. "Nope," she sighed.
"Now you know how Ron felt," Harry snickered.
She glared at him. "In that case, I'm using my witchly powers to say that you're going to break your wand next! Whether it be now, or in fifty years, it will happen!"
"Sure, Luce," he said, rolling his eyes.
They stepped off the staircase onto the next floor. Harry told her about how he ran into Filch, which Lucy winced at. Running into the caretaker under any circumstances was worse than a death omen. "Reckon we should play Quidditch or something?" she asked him.
"Eh," Harry said.
"That's not remotely an answer, Harry."
"We could," he said, shrugging. Lucy stared at him. "It's just— the field is so far away..."
Lucy understood that sentiment. For heaven's sake, she still had a blanket draped around her shoulders. "We're near Myrtle's floor, we could visit her. Maybe open the Chamber of Secrets again."
Now that idea caught Harry's attention. Grimm looked between the two of them almost incredulously as Harry stopped in his tracks to ponder that. "It would be an adventure..." Harry muttered. "And I don't suppose anyone would catch us..."
"There's a dead basilisk in there so it might smell bad..."
"But do you want to go back there?" Harry glanced at her, unsure. "Really think about it."
Lucy's impulsive excitement started to fade, as did the smile on her face. She thought back to everything that happened in there, the hours she spent in pain on the Chamber floor. "Nevermind," she said quickly. "Not today, at least. Maybe later, with Ron and Hermione..."
Seeing her mood shift, Harry grabbed some of the blanket and wrapped it around his shoulders as well. They looked sort of stupid, walking around with a huge blanket, but she laughed anyway. "Later," he agreed. "Honestly, who needs the Invisibility Cloak anymore when we've got this thing?"
"It's certainly warmer," Lucy agreed.
While they stood there, thinking of things to do with the rest of their day, a voice called out: "Harry, Lucy?" Lucy turned her head to see who called to them, and she saw Professor Lupin poking his head out of his office door.
"Hey, Remus!" she said, waving with the hand that wasn't holding her half of the blanket.
He glanced between Lucy and Harry with an amused expression on his face. "What are you doing?" he asked. "Where are Ron and Hermione?"
"Hogsmeade," they chorused.
Remus blinked at their synchrony, but he didn't comment on it. Instead his gaze landed on her dog. A strange expression overtook his face. "Where... Where did you get a dog?" he wondered, slipping his hand into his pocket.
Lucy only shrugged. The less she said, the less she could get in trouble for. Harry spoke up, "He's Lucy's dog. Mallory must have sent him," he reasoned.
"How long have you had him?" Remus continued.
"A while. He took down a dark wizard for me," Lucy said, shrugging again. Grimm was being very well behaved. Normally he bounced around and was engaged with everything, but his blank stare at Remus made him look like a normal dog.
Remus's shoulders relaxed, and he offered them a smile. "Well, I won't tell anyone. Why don't you come in? I've just taken delivery of a Grindylow for our next lesson."
"A what?" Harry asked.
He and Lucy stepped inside Remus's office. Lucy had never been inside before, but sure enough she spotted a large tank of water in the corner. It contained a medium sized creature with sharp horns, and it was pulling faces at them. Lucy immediately abandoned Harry to walk up to the glass, mimicking the faces the Grindylow was making.
"Water demon— Lucy, don't antagonize him," Remus sighed, putting a hand on her shoulder. He guided her away from the tank as the Grindylow's eyes followed Lucy. "We shouldn't have too much difficulty with him, not after the Kappas. The trick is to break his grip. You notice the abnormally long fingers? Strong, but very brittle."
"I wonder if that would work on Filch," Lucy wondered. He'd dragged her by her wrist on many occasions, and the man had an iron grip.
"It does not," Remus said in a grave tone. He clearly knew from experience. He cleared his throat at Harry's bemused expression and said, "Cup of tea? I was just thinking of making one."
"YES!" Lucy said loudly at the same time as Harry said, "All right."
Harry sat in a chair across from Remus's desk. Lucy opted to sit on the floor next to Grimm. The dog walked cautiously into the room and then settled beside Lucy, resting his head on her leg. He watched everything carefully.
"I've only got teabags, I'm afraid," Remus shot a grin at Harry. "But I daresay you've had enough of tea leaves?"
Lucy had been around the professor enough to notice his quick jokes, but Harry had a surprised expression on his face. "How'd you know that?"
"Professor McGonagall told me." Remus passed them both mugs of tea. Lucy's hovered over to her, and after she drank it, it stayed floating in the air beside her. "You're not worried, are you?"
"No, Lucy's dog is the death omen already, and neither of us have died yet."
"The key word being yet," she whispered ominously.
Harry snorted. "She even named him Grimm."
"How fitting," Remus chuckled.
There was a nice silence after that as they all sipped at their warm tea; it was a pleasant change to the now howling winds outside. Lucy was glad Grimm found her when she did, otherwise he'd be in for a rough time outside.
Harry set his tea down. "Why didn't you let me fight the Boggart?" he said out of nowhere.
"Because you're weak," Lucy said.
Harry scowled and kicked her in the knee while Remus shot her a disapproving look. "No, Lucy, that is not why." Lucy widened her eyes innocently. He knew better. He looked back to her friend. "I would have thought that my reasons were obvious, Harry. I assumed that if the Boggart faced you, it would assume the shape of Lord Voldemort." Harry was dumbfounded at the notion, and Remus frowned. "Clearly, I was wrong. But I didn't think it a good idea for Lord Voldemort to materialize in the staffroom. I imagined that people would panic."
"I didn't think of Lord Voldemort. I— I remembered those Dementors," Harry confessed.
"I see..." Remus scratched his thin with a thoughtful look on his face. "Well... I'm impressed." He smiled. "That suggests that what you fear most of all is— fear. Very wise, Harry."
Harry looked down at Lucy and widened his eyes. "D'you hear that?" He leaned in. "I'm wise." She pulled a face at him, and he laughed, leaning back. "What was your Boggart, then?"
She sipped at her tea. "Knock knock."
"...Who's there?"
"You know."
"You know who— oh, that's rotten!" Harry groaned as Lucy burst out laughing. Remus sighed, while Grimm did that snort laugh of his.
She set her tea in the air again and leaned back on her palms. "Yeah, it was Tom, but I made him a Hufflepuff. Shame I don't know what Neville's grandmum looks like— I could have put him in a dress like Snape."
"Detention." Lucy jumped at the icy voice that snapped through the air, and she turned to see Snape stalk into the room, carrying a spoking goblet in his hands. He glowered at Lucy, who smiled innocently at him.
"You're that eager to spend time with me, Professor?" she wondered.
"...With the caretaker."
"Passing on the curse? That's cold, sir."
Snape ignored her, and he set the goblet on the table in front of Remus. "Ah, Severus," the better professor said with a smile. "Thanks very much. I was just showing Harry and Lucy my Grindylow." He pointed at the tank.
Snape didn't bother following his gaze. "Fascinating," he said dryly. "You should drink that directly, Lupin."
"Yes, yes, I will."
"I made an entire cauldronful, if you need more."
"That's sweet of you, Professor," Lucy said, giving Snape a fake look of adoration. When the man still ignored her, she looked to Remus. "Can I have some?"
"No?" Remus was concerned she even asked.
"Are you sure?" She leaned forward and asked in a hushed whisper, "Is it drugs?"
"I did not want to have to do this, but... detention?" Remus was still uncertain even as he uttered the words. Lucy laughed. Yes, that was what she was aiming for!
Professor Snape went to leave before Lucy could become even more of a menace, but he stopped once he registered her dog. Grimm snarled as Snape tilted his head. Lucy stared back at him.
"If you ignore it just this once, I'll be quiet in your class for the next week," she promised. Snape scoffed at her and stormed out of the room, but the fact that he did not take points away indicated that he took her offer. She grinned smugly at Harry's stunned expression. "That is called the art of the deal, my friend."
"I could have never gotten away with that," he uttered.
"Yes, well, I'm beautiful."
"You're annoying, is what you are."
As they launched into an argument, Remus took a sip of his goblet. He shuddered and set the goblet down immediately after. Lucy had seen boys at the orphanage have to take medicine loads of times, and they always had the exact same reaction as he did. Harry's head snapped toward Remus with a concerned expression.
"I've been feeling a bit off-color," he explained at their stares. "The potion is the only thing that helps. I am very lucky to be working alongside Professor Snape; there aren't many wizards who are up to making it." He took another long sip, shuddering again.
"Professor Snape's very interested in the Dark Arts," Harry said slowly.
"Really?" Lupin said mildly, taking another gulp.
"Some people reckon— some people reckon he'd do anything to get the Defense Against the Dark Arts job..." Harry stressed.
"OH! So you think Snape's trying to murder Lupin," Lucy realized, and Harry shot her a murderous glare. She was so kind to her friend sometimes. "I think it's just drugs, Harry."
Remus rolled his eyes. "It's not drugs, Lucy."
"Then why can't I have any?" she demanded. "It's all glowey!"
"Just because it's not poison to me does not mean it won't poison you."
"That sounds like quitter talk."
"Go away, Lucy."
She huffed, standing to her feet. "I see how it is! I know when I'm unwanted!" She started walking toward the door, looking back to see if anyone would stop her. Remus stared with a slightly amused grin. "I'm going now..." she said, walking slowly. He raised his eyebrows. "Leaving... Perhaps, to my demise..."
"Oddly enough, I have faith that you will survive," he said lightly.
"You will regret those words when another staircase collapses on me, Lupin!"
"I agree," Harry said. She shot him a surprised look, and he narrowed his eyes. "With Professor Lupin. Go away, Luce."
"Betrayed! Forsaken! Alone!" Lucy continued to rant as she left the office. Grimm trailed behind her, if anything just as dramatically. She turned to stare at them one last time. "This is the last you'll ever see of me..."
"We can only hope," Harry smiled.
She glared and with a flick of her wand, she closed the office door. She glanced down at Grimm and dropped the dramatics entirely. "Well that was a brilliant performance, but I am feeling rather tired after all of that." Her shoulders slumped, and she tugged the blanket tighter around herself. "It's hard being funny all the time, you know that, Grimm?"
He nodded his head in agreement.
She was amazed that she made it all the way to the common room without running into Filch. Grimm's trail of mud had tapered off by now, but his fur was still full of sticks, leaves and dirt. She was astonished he made it all the way to Hogwarts from London, and more astonished that he survived. She had been too doubtful of a dog's basic survival instincts, apparently.
Grimm watched as she knocked the pattern into the Hufflepuff entrance. Out of all the entrances to the common rooms, she hated Hufflepuff's the most. Slytherin's entrance was well hidden and clever. Gryffindor's was hard to get into without a password, and even then the Fat Lady wasn't guaranteed to let you in. With Hufflepuff, you either had to get the password right, or face the consequences. And the consequences were terrible.
"I can't count how many times these damned barrels have sprayed me with vinegar," she sighed, stepping into the common room. "Fuck barrels, man."
The barrels were a small price to pay, however, to get into the warmest common room out of them all. Lucy dropped the blanket in its proper place. She retrieved Riddle's Book from her dormitory, and when she returned to the common room, Grimm was sprawled out on one of the couches. He was thoroughly enjoying the warm air.
Chuckling, she dropped into an armchair nearby. "I'll practice some spells, then," she said as he looked over to her. "Don't mind me." Grimm sniffed and lay his head on his paws, lazily watching as she pulled out her wand.
Her wand seemingly decided that it had been enough of a menace for one day, because now as she tested out more spells, they worked perfectly. Tom had created many dark spells in his time, but he also had many that were simply a means to make life easier. She started off with useful, practical spells. One of them would allow her to put a piece of parchment in the air and write on it as if there was a table underneath.
She cast another one, and it started reading the book out loud. She was surprised, and disturbed to note that the spell read it in what must have been adult Tom Riddle's voice.
"Tenalaecus will conjure a fog of darkness that will bend to the will of its master—"
Hearing him as an adult and not an old man was disturbing, and she did not need to hear it. "Agh! That's so weird, stop it!" Lucy groaned, but the voice continued. "Merismea!" she cast, and the voice stopped. Grimm stared at her and she smiled at him. "Don't mind me. I am only experimenting."
The more spells she practiced, the more effect they had. Voldemort must have spent too much time in the forests of Albania if he managed to become this creative in his spellmaking. He hadn't only created spells, but he jotted down spells he learned too. Plenty of them were not based in Latin but instead early Albanian. These spells were more powerful and elemental in nature. She tested one of them
"Pemëijoj," she said, pointing at the floor in the middle of the room. The spell's description listed that sapling would appear, but Lucy had underestimated the size of a sapling and the conditions in which it would appear. Before her eyes, a five foot sapling burst from the floor and shot upward, it leaves bright and green. She stared, wide-eyed at the sight of it. "Oh no."
Grimm looked from Lucy, to the tree, then back to Lucy. Laughing nervously, she closed Riddle's book and stood up. "I think that's enough for today..." She hurried to her dormitory and shoved the book in its correct place under her bed. She walked slowly back to the common room. Sure enough, she heard the entrance open.
"That was a lot of fun— oh my Merlin, why is there a tree in the common room!" Daisy's voice rang out. Lucy closed her eyes and sighed. Wait for it... "Why is there a dog in the common room?!" Wait for it... "LUCY!"
Lucy stepped into the common room with a too-innocent expression on her face. "Yes, Daisy?"
Daisy pointed to the tree with one of her hands and then to Grimm with her other hand. Lucy stared at her. "I have no idea what you're talking about."
Anthony and Cedric stepped in after her, and while Cedric stared at the tree with wide eyes, Anthony ignored it completely and sank into the couch beside Grimm. He reached into a bag and pulled out a licorice wand. He offered it to Lucy. "Hey, cub. How was your day?"
"It was alright, rather uneventful," she answered. She sat on the couch beside him. "How was Hogsmeade?"
"Alright, but it was a little windy for my tastes. I found the most delightful little package of gumdrops—"
Daisy cleared her throat. Anthony looked over to her with a questioning look. "Yes, love?"
"Are you not a little concerned by this?" she gestured to the sapling that had burst through the floor.
Anthony blinked. "By what?"
She narrowed her eyes at him. "I don't know..." she began sarcastically. "Perhaps the tree that has burst through the wood floor of our common room. Of our underground common room. Or maybe the huge bear of a dog that is sitting right beside you."
He wasn't seeing the problem here, and he exchanged a weirded out look with Lucy. "Daisy, love, there's plenty of trees..." he said slowly. "We live near a forest..."
"I kind of like it," Cedric decided after he'd gotten over his shock. He reached over and poked one of the sapling's leaves. "It adds to the decor, doesn't it?"
"We can't keep it!"
"You'd kill a tree?" Anthony's eyes widened in horror, and he leaned away from Daisy like she had some sort of disease. "We need those to breathe!"
Lucy was equally as horrified, "You can't kill Cedric Jr!"
"Now I didn't agree to that—" Cedric began, but Anthony cut him off as he too leaned forward with an outraged expression.
"Cedric Jr is the heart of Hufflepuff!"
"The soul of Hufflepuff!" Lucy continued.
"The essence of Hufflepuff!"
"The MEANING of Hufflepuff!"
"Okay, okay, you can keep your insane tree, just stop shouting!" Daisy snapped. She rubbed at her temples, sighing heavily. She'd come into the common room with so much energy, but this conversation burned all of her brain cells. "And... And the dog?"
"What dog?" Lucy blinked. Daisy stepped toward her, and Lucy laughed nervously, hiding behind Anthony. "Only joking, Daisy, only joking! This is my dog Grimm. He ran all the way here from London so I would hate to send him away after all that effort."
Daisy's expression softened and after a long pause, she sighed. There wasn't any point in pretending to follow all of the Hogwarts rules at this point. "I suppose..." Daisy pointed her wand at him and said, "Scourgify." All the dirt was gone, and now that he was clean she could see just how scrawny he really was. She pursed her lips. "As long as he stays clean, he can stay. But if he is to stay then he is not allowed on the couches." Grimm shot her a betrayed look, but he jumped onto the floor anyway.
"Ignore the fun leech," Anthony said in a hushed whisper.
Lucy stared at him. "Don't be a prat, Anthony." He gave her an offended look, and she grinned, leaning closer. "There's one room for one menace around these parts."
"Oh yeah?"
"Yeah!"
"Then I guess you won't mind if I do this!" He flopped across her and as he'd done many times before, he crushed her into the couch. She let out a shout of protest and pushed at him, to no avail. "Is this menacing enough for you?!"
"Dammit, Rickett, I just got comfortable!" she whined, "This is bullying! I am delicate and fragile!"
"And I am beautiful and strong, hence why my needs matter more than yours!"
"Don't push me, Rickett," Lucy warned, wrenching one of her hands free from his crushing force. "You do not know what I am capable of."
"Kill a basilisk and get back to me, will you?" he said cheerfully.
Lucy squeezed her eyes shut and focused, and suddenly Anthony flew to the side, crashing into the soft couch cushions. She leapt to her feet and put her hands on her hips triumphantly. "Hah! Do you see now, Anthony? You are no match for Lucy Rochester!"
Anthony, however, was staring at her in absolute shock. Daisy and Cedric were equally as surprised. Lucy's smile faded, had she done something wrong? "Did I hurt you?" she fretted, stepping toward him.
"No, not at all!" Anthony assured her. He sat up quickly with an impressed look on his face. "Lucy, that was wandless magic."
"...Yeah?" she said slowly. She didn't see why that mattered. She knew it was more difficult than normal magic, but all you had to do was concentrate hard.
"Wandless magic is really hard. Most people can hardly levitate an object, let alone send a beautiful mass of muscle like me flying to the side." Anthony tilted his head at her. "How long have you been able to do that?"
"Since forever," she said, more proudly than before. This was one skill that was hers, one that she hadn't learned or received from Riddle. "I've done loads of it over the summer. Is it really that hard?"
"For most, yes," Daisy agreed. She gave up on inspecting the tree and sat in one of the armchairs. Cedric followed, sinking into another. "Wandless magic must be your natural ability. Most wizards have got at least one. Mine is Charms, and I think Cedric's is Transfiguration. What's yours, Rickett?"
"I'm amazing at mostly everything," he began. Daisy rolled her eyes, "But I've always been rather good at Potions."
"Lucky you," she sighed.
Now that Lucy thought about it, all of her friends were incredibly good at one subject at the very least. Hermione excelled in Charms, too. Harry was a natural at Defense Against the Dark Arts, even in first year with Quirrell teaching. Ron didn't apply himself much, but when he did the reading and paid attention in Transfiguration, he could change his object on the first try. Even Neville, who everyone teased for being hopeless with a wand, was the top of their year in Herbology.
Lucy couldn't deny that she was feeling very proud over her wandless magic. It was certainly useful; she managed to make the lanterns shatter on the basilisk even when Tom had her wand. It also came in handy when one of the older boys at Wool's charged her at the end of summer.
She thought about what might've been Tom's natural ability, and she realized, unfortunately, that he must have been a natural all around. From an outsider's standpoint, he was powerful, and from Lucy, an insider's standpoint, he was both powerful and smart. His mind was sharp and worked in ways that many peoples' could not.
"Legilimency is a natural ability too, isn't it?" she said, thinking of the brief time he touched on it. She'd been studying Legilimency in particular after Tom used it on her. It had been absolutely unnerving to have him pierce into her mind without any effort, and once he'd confessed that he'd always had the ability, even as a child.
"Yes, but it's incredibly rare," Anthony said. "Everyone says Dumbledore's a Legilimens and I don't doubt it. Why? Are you a Legilimens, too?"
"Not yet," she said ominously, and she was only half joking. She had not tried to read anyone's mind, but she'd been reading about it since summer began. She felt like she had a lot of knowledge about it by now, but she hadn't worked up the courage to try it— now, she was very tempted. All she had to do was find a willing participant...
Things quieted down after that. More and more Hogsmeade students shuffled back into the dormitory, and they of course spotted Grimm. They were more interested in the dog than the tree. All of the Hufflepuffs were delighted and gave Grimm a lot of attention. The dog ate it up, doing a few tricks for them as well. Eventually he grew tired of it, and he curled up at Lucy's feet after a few hours.
He only stirred when she and the rest of the Hufflepuffs began to leave for the feast. He shot her a quizzical expression.
"I've got to go to the Halloween feast, but you should sleep, Grimm," she told him. Anthony looked amused that she bothered informing her dog, but he didn't question it as Grimm lay his head on his paws and fell asleep.
The feast was, of course, a spectacular event. She was surprised at how quickly they managed to change the decorations. Each of the candles was replaced by a jack-o-lantern with a candle floating inside of it, and what appeared to be live bats flew over their heads in a dark cloud.
Lucy had been excited for the feast all day, but now that she was sitting there with all of her cheerful friends surrounding her, she felt... displaced. Like she should not be there at all. Anthony was telling a story from the space across from her, laughing and using wild hand gestures. She blinked, and before she could stop herself, she imagined that Tom was sitting across from her instead. He'd not have been so jovial; he'd sit, stone faced, perhaps checking the time until he could leave. She felt a guilty twist in her stomach as she realized that was exactly what she wanted.
"Cub?" Anthony snapped his fingers in front of her face. She blinked, snapping back to reality. The mirage of Tom disappeared, and she forced a smile at Anthony. "Returned from the clouds yet?"
"Yes," she said, and she swung her feet over the bench.
He straightened up and shot her a concerned look. "Is everything all right?"
"Yeah— I've just got to..." she pressed her lips into a line. Her first thought had been to lie, but she was trying not to do that anymore. Not to Anthony. "I'm going to wander around for a bit, is all."
Anthony eyed her and decided that she'd like to be alone. "All right, Luce. Take a biscuit before you go."
She saluted, grabbed a biscuit, and then she left the Great Hall. Everyone was too busy celebrating to notice. Except Dumbledore, but she waved at him before she left so it wouldn't seem suspicious. The man was a bit surprised but he waved back at her with a pleasant smile.
She went straight for the staircases. She had an idea of where she wanted to go.
Last Halloween, Tom Riddle prowled the corridors using her face. This time, she wanted to do it herself.
"Myrtle?" Lucy poked her head into the ghost's bathroom. She didn't see anyone but she walked in anyway. After a few moments, Myrtle edged out of one of the stalls. She was staring at Lucy hesitantly. "Hey, Myrtle. Why aren't you at the feast?"
"It's too loud in there," Myrtle replied. She narrowed her eyes. "Why aren't you?"
Lucy sat on the floor of the bathroom. Ordinarily she wouldn't dare, but Hogwarts was very clean and Myrtle hadn't flooded the toilets yet. "Didn't feel like it," she shrugged. "Last Halloween I sort of opened the Chamber of Secrets and that really put a damper on my mood."
"I thought opening the Chamber was a good thing..." the ghost said, confused. "That's what you told me."
Lucy's shoulders tensed. Had Tom...? "What else did I tell you?"
Myrtle floated over and sat criss-crossed in the air. "You said you were going to punish bullies," she said in an almost reverent tone. "That you'd take care of the people that made fun of you. The type of people that used to make fun of me... That's what friends do, right? I kept your secret and you talked to me. But you haven't been talking to me lately..." she sent Lucy a scathing look.
Lucy didn't feel sorry in the slightest, but she was beginning to feel disturbed. "How often did I come and see you last year? What'd we talk about?"
Myrtle was becoming annoyed at Lucy's questions, but she answered anyway. "Three times a week, sometimes more," she said. "You'd lock the bathroom so nobody could interrupt us. You did all sorts of magic in here... Powerful magic..." the adoring look in her eyes returned as she looked at Lucy. "Once, you let me follow you into the tunnel— but I wasn't allowed to follow all the way. Is that why you're here? Can we go into the tunnel again?"
Lucy's eyes flickered over to the sinks. Her mind, ever so violent, saw Tom bringing herself and Ginny into the Chamber. She felt something cold rise in her throat.
"Keep walking," Tom ushered, keeping one hand tight on her shoulder. She blinked slowly at the tiled floor. Her legs shook, and she fell forward. He made an annoyed sound and pulled her backward. "The Cruciatus is rather annoying," he muttered to himself. "Not at all useful for extracting information. What were those boys thinking? That's right, they weren't thinking, were they?"
He rounded the corner, and they stepped into the bathroom. He continued in his rant, "As if Lord Voldemort needed three teenage followers!" He snapped. Lucy saw him glance at her, but her mind was fuzzy, oddly pleasant. "Then again, my only friend is a twelve-year-old..." he snorted at his own joke and shook his head.
"Lucy? Who's that boy you've got with you?" Myrtle hovered in front of Lucy's eyes. She glared over at Tom, "Did you hurt my friend?!" She demanded. The faucets in the sink began to overflow.
Tom's smile faded, but he plastered it on again, more charming than ever. "Of course I didn't. I saved her life, you know."
"You act like her," the ghost concluded. She relaxed ever so slightly. "Are you her brother?"
Tom glanced at Lucy, considering her. "That's a good word," he decided. "Closest friend, mentor, brother, they're all the same, aren't they? The word itself doesn't particularly matter." He laughed again, but it faded once she gave another violent shudder, making a pained noise. His brow furrowed. "Right. Enough messing around." He stepped toward the sinks, and after a sideways glance at Myrtle, he said, "Open."
He gestured Lucy into the mouth of the tunnel.
"...Lucy? Lucy!"
Her gaze snapped away from the sink, but she was still stunned from the sudden memory. It was completely unnerving to suddenly be aware of something that had happened to her; it was the first time she remembered anything that happened while Tom was possessing her.
Myrtle was very annoyed now, and the faucets were beginning to overflow.
"If you're going to ignore me, then just leave!" Myrtle snapped at her.
"Sorry, Myrtle..." she managed, tearing her gaze away from the sink. She'd had dreams that were similar to her memory, but they were just that: dreams. She wasn't sure if she was happy to recover her lost time or not.
If anything, she was annoyed that Tom was making jokes while she was shaking in agony. And they weren't even good jokes! They were lame and boring, and she would have made fun of him for it!
She decided not to tell Myrtle that their entire friendship had been a lie. Myrtle's existence was long and if she believed she made a genuine friend, who was Lucy to deprive her of that?
"I'll come by next week, Myrtle," she promised the ghost before she left. Then she winked, "And I won't be so rude."
"You're weird," Myrtle told her. Lucy winked again. "You're really weird! Yes, I'll see you next week!"
Laughing, she left Myrtle to have a peaceful Halloween evening. Her shock had faded, and she was now deep in thought about her most recent memory. She must have been possessed at the time— for the last time. Did that mean she would remember the other times? She hoped so. The basilisk attacked four times, but she needed to know what she did in between the attacks.
Thanks to Myrtle, she had a place to start.
Her plate of biscuits in her hand was untouched. She climbed the staircases, intent on finding a place to settle down and eat them. She hummed to herself. It was very quiet with everyone at the feast— all the ghosts were gone, and most of the people in portraits had left to observe the feast as well.
"They did the mash," she sang, hopping onto the next staircase. Fuck Montague, she still had it! "They did the monster mash! The monster mash— it was a graveyard smash!"
She stepped onto the next floor, bouncing along to the tune. "They did the mash, it caught on in a flash. They did the mash! They did the—" She rounded the corner and ran straight into a tall, hard chest.
Her eyes snapped upward and met with the gray eyes of Sirius Black.
Lucy stopped bouncing. "Monster mash..." she finished.
Sirius seemed just as surprised as she was as he stared down at her. Compared to the last time she saw him, he was much cleaner, though still thin. He had on a muggle shirt that was torn, and though his shoulders were tense, he didn't make any move to react.
Lucy laughed nervously and held the plate of biscuits toward him. "Heyyyy, Sirius. Happy Halloween?"
His eyebrows shot upward, and he took a biscuit off the plate. "Thank you, Lucy," he said slowly. He stepped to the side, and Lucy kept staring at him. "Happy Halloween, but I really must be going—" as if on cue, she heard heavy weeping from the Gryffindor entrance. Sirius let out a loud, nervous laugh. "See ya!"
He sprinted around the corner. Lucy stood, stunned at the spot where the escaped convict once stood. After a few seconds, Sirius popped his head back around the corner and took another biscuit. "Wonderful song, by the way. What a voice! Happy Halloween!"
He left again. Ever so slowly, Lucy put the plate of biscuits on the floor and then put her face in her hands.
"EVERY TIME!" She cried. She stomped her foot and stared at the ceiling. "EVERY TIME, WIZARD GOD! Can I please have ONE normal Halloween?! ONE?!"
Obviously, Wizard God did not reply, and Lucy was still standing alone in the corridor with a weeping portrait in the distance. She rounded the corner calmly as if she didn't scream at the Heavens, and kept a quick pace all the way back to the Great Hall.
Anthony was surprised to see her return before the feast ended, and he waved at her. She offered him a tight smile but otherwise made her way directly to the professor's table. The teachers shot her surprised, and slightly suspicious looks as she went right up to the Headmaster.
"Uh... Sir?" Lucy began, fiddling nervously with her hands. "Y'know how I left, say, thirty minutes ago, right?"
"Yes, I do recall," Dumbledore said with a pleasant smile. "How was your walk, by the way? I might have done the same if it was not for the delicious treacle tarts. Have you tried them?"
"No, chocolate allergies and all that," she sighed. Dumbledore looked heartbroken for her. "Well my walk was pleasant for the most part— I met with Myrtle, we had a lovely chat— but then I sort of... Maybe kind of..." She squeezed her eyes shut and said very quickly, "IRANINTOSIRUSBLACK!"
Dumbledore blinked. "Pardon?"
"I... ran... into... Sirius... Black..."
From beside Dumbledore, Professor McGonagall dropped her fork. She stood up and demanded, "Rochester, why didn't you lead with that!?"
"It would have been impolite!"
"This is an ESCAPED MURDERER, Rochester!"
"Aren't we all?"
"NO!"
Dumbledore stood up, looking very grave indeed. "Where did you find him, Lucy?"
"Near the Gryffindor entrance," she said. Then she realized who Sirius Black was meant to be after, and she put a palm to her forehead. "I heard the Fat Lady crying— I reckon Sirius tried to break in."
She was feeling surprisingly calm for having run into a mass murderer, but Sirius had been just as calm as when she first met him in that alleyway. If anything, he was slightly more energetic. She internally cursed herself— she should've tried to get answers out of him! Demand why the hell was trying to kill her best friend! But she had been so shocked to see him in the flesh, in Hogwarts that she froze up. More out of the ridiculousness of the situation than any actual fear.
"Minerva, Remus, Severus, please come with me," Dumbledore said tersely. He glanced at Lucy and said, "You as well, Lucy."
"Albus, do you really think a student should—" McGonagall began.
"Lucy will be able to point us in the right direction," Dumbledore reasoned. Lucy tried not to look too guilty as she left the Great Hall with Dumbledore, Snape, Remus, and McGonagall. Harry and the others were sending her fearful looks. She mouthed later at them, but it probably wasn't very reassuring.
She took them to the exact spot she saw Sirius, which still had the platter of biscuits on the floor. She didn't point them out to Snape in time, and the man stepped in it. He stopped in his tracks as Dumbledore and McGonagall went to speak to the Fat Lady. She tried her hardest not to grin as Snape's eyes snapped over to her, full of loathing.
"Oops?" she said with a stifled laugh.
The ten minutes McGonagall and Dumbledore spent talking to the Fat Lady were very awkward with Snape glaring at her the entire time.
At last, Dumbledore returned, looking more grave than ever. "Lucy, how exactly did you stumble across Sirius Black?"
"Well, sir..." It was so bizarre that she was finding it hard to gather the right words. Eventually, she went over to Professor Lupin and said, "Remus, you be Sirius." Remus looked like he'd rather die, but he stepped in the place she indicated anyway. Then she rounded the corner and stopped right in front of him. "I was standing here... And he was standing there..."
"And?" Snape said impatiently.
"And then we stared at each other. Then I... offered him a biscuit."
"What?" McGonagall demanded.
"Listen, Professor, what else was I supposed to do! It's not like I expected to run into Sirius Black in the first place!" Lucy defended. McGonagall was looking more and more dead inside with each passing second. "And then he took a biscuit... I said Happy Halloween, he said he had places to be... He left, came back to grab another biscuit, complimented my singing, and then left for good." She pointed down the direction he went and said, "He went that way."
"You are incredibly lucky, Rochester," McGonagall said. Her voice was furious, but Lucy suspected she wasn't angry at her and more at Sirius Black. "Black had just finished slashing the Fat Lady's portrait with a knife. Mere seconds before you ran into him."
Lucy simply nodded. "Cool, cool." McGonagall stared at her. "What? It could have been worse." This time all the teachers stared at her. She huffed, crossing her arms over her chest. "If you've forgotten, last Halloween I was literally Lord Voldemort, so I'm taking what I can get!"
"Perhaps we might consider searching the castle over questioning Lucy, who clearly was in the wrong place at the wrong time," Remus suggested as the other professors were still staring at her.
Professor Snape glared over at him. "It is only your first year teaching, Lupin, but I shall inform you that Rochester has a penchant for being in the wrong place at the wrong time..." He fixed Lucy with a cold sneer. "There can only be so many coincidences before one has to question her true allegiances. First year with Quirrell, second year with the Dark Lord himself, third year with his loyal follower?" He looked to Dumbledore. "I might suggest a suspension at the very least, Headmaster."
"If that will make you feel better, Professor Snape, then by all means..." Lucy said in a low, mocking voice. Remus gave her a warning look. She bit the inside of her cheek to stop herself from angering Snape further, but Merlin. That man could not go one year without threatening to expel her.
"Nobody will be suspended," Dumbledore said firmly. He checked his watch and said, "The students will be in their dormitories by now. Each of the houses will sleep in the Great Hall tonight while a thorough search is conducted. Remus, if you'd please escort Lucy back to her common room and instruct the other Hufflepuffs to return to the Great Hall..."
"Of course, sir."
Remus was silent for most of the walk, but he couldn't help but ask, "Did he truly return for a second biscuit?" His voice had a note of incredulity in it.
"Yes," Lucy said. She was sort of amused, thinking back on it. "The comedic timing was brilliant— if the whole mass murdering thing doesn't work out for him, he should give comedy a try."
He snorted, shaking his head as they arrived at the entrance. Lucy knocked the pattern onto the correct barrel and stepped inside to see a full-on Halloween Rave happening. Music was blasting, and orange and yellow lights flashed on and off as the older students danced around. Remus's face slowly contorted into an expression of horror at the chaos unfolding in front of him.
Lucy cupped her hands over her mouth and yelled, "TEACHER!"
The music stopped instantly, and the lights faded. The room was pitch black for half a minute as everyone scattered to put things back to its rightful position. When the lights turned back on, only a few older students were in the common room, reading out of textbooks like they hadn't been caught partying a minute earlier. Anthony was one of these students.
"Evening, professor," he said solemnly, turning a page in his book.
"I didn't know you could read upside down, Anthony," Remus said knowingly.
Anthony froze for a split second before his face relaxed into a cocky grin. "There's a lot of things you don't know about me, Remmy," he said, flipping his hair. His face lit up when he saw Lucy, "You've returned my cub! SHE'S BACK!"
"I am! I ran into Sirius Black!" She said, matching his excited tone.
Anthony's smile didn't fade but it did turn somewhat strained. "Huh?"
Cedric also popped up from behind the couch. "Huh?"
"Excellent, two prefects," Remus said instead of answering. "If you two young men would be so kind as to round up the rest of your house. We will be sleeping in the Great Hall tonight."
"Like a slumber party?" Cedric blinked.
"Because of a dangerous convict."
"But it is still a slumber party?" Anthony said urgently. Sighing, Remus nodded. The younger boy beamed and stood up. "YES! Cub, get your pajamas— and the other Hufflegirls! I'll get the snacks!"
"We just had a feast!" Lucy called at his retreating back, but it was no use. She sighed and went to round up the girls in her house.
She did not bother changing into her pajamas since she was already in comfortable muggle clothes, but she managed to get all of the female Hufflepuffs out of their dormitories. Surprisingly, nobody questioned her authority, not even the fourth years, who she knew to be a testy bunch. She sort of liked it.
As everyone gathered in the Great Hall for the second time that evening, Lucy grabbed a sleeping bag and immediately went over to Ron, Harry, and Hermione. Harry immediately tugged her down to sit beside him.
Scowling, she batted at his hand. "I was going to sit down anyway!"
"Is that why you left?" he urged, "Because you saw Sirius Black?"
She nodded, and Ron's face went several shades whiter. Lucy, however, couldn't find it in her to be afraid. Mass murderer or not, Sirius had not displayed any signs of violence. She hadn't even seen the knife he used to slash the Fat Lady's portrait.
She explained in hushed whispers her encounter with the man, and by the end of it Hermione was scratching her chin thoughtfully. "Do you think he's still in the castle?" she whispered.
"I reckon he left through a secret passage," Lucy nodded. He'd had enough of a head start from the time she snapped out of her shock to the time she told Dumbledore. She hadn't been moving as urgently as she ought to have.
Suddenly, Lucy felt someone crash into her, and she turned to see that Anthony slid toward her in his own sleeping bag. She sighed and budged over to give him more room. "Don't you have a group of sixth years you can bother?" she grumbled.
"Do not age-shame me, child," Anthony said sternly. "It's not my fault all my interesting friends are thirteen and fourteen. D'you see Cedric going around running into mass murderers? Certainly not."
"Quiet down, Rickett," Percy told him. He was taking his role as Head Boy very seriously as he made rounds around the Great Hall, shushing everyone who was talking above a whisper.
Anthony blinked at him. "Detention, Percy."
Percy gaped, and Lucy quickly shoved Anthony. "He's joking," she said, throwing Anthony a dangerous look. "We'll quiet down, Perce, don't worry." Percy nodded, and as soon as he left, she whispered, "How's my dog?"
"See if I'll tell you after you shoved me!" he huffed, rubbing his shoulder pitifully.
"I'll get you in your sleep, Anthony."
"I mean... of course I'll tell you after you shoved me!" he said cheerfully. "I brought Grimm into my room 'cause of the party. Tricky bugger got out of the common room— when we all came back he was laying in front of the barrels, drenched in vinegar." Lucy shuddered; she could practically smell it from here. "Nothing a cleaning charm couldn't fix, but I felt sorry for the lad. He's sleeping now, I expect."
And in less of an hour, Lucy was sleeping as well. One would think that sleeping in a room filled with students would have been difficult, but Lucy was very tired. She fell asleep shortly after the lights were cut. She managed to sleep even with Anthony using her legs as an extra pillow.
She was about ready to commit murder when Harry nudged her awake an hour later. Her eyes snapped open, but before she could curse him out, he put his finger to his lips. She paused and listened: Dumbledore and Snape were speaking.
"..The whole of the third floor has been searched," Snape informed, "He's not there. And Filch has done the dungeons; nothing there either."
"What about the Astronomy tower? Professor Trelawney's room? The Owlery?"
"All searched."
"Very well, Severus. I didn't really expect Black to linger."
No, Lucy would not have lingered either.
"Have you any theory as to how he got in, Professor?" Snape asked. She didn't like his tone one bit. He was about to accuse someone, she was certain of it.
"Many, Severus, each of them as unlikely as the next."
Snape and Dumbledore had made their ways over to where Lucy, Anthony, and most of the other Gryffindors and Hufflepuffs slept. Their backs were to Harry and Lucy, but she closed her eyes anyway.
"You remember the conversation we had, Headmaster, just before— ah— the start of term?"
"I do, Severus," Dumbledore said, a warning note in his voice.
"It seems almost impossible that Black could have entered the school without inside help. I did express my concerns when you appointed—"
"I do not believe a single person inside this castle would have helped Black enter it," the Headmaster said sternly.
Snape almost didn't reply, but he hedged on anyway. She swore she could feel his eyes flicker over to her. "But surely, Headmaster, you must realize that this is one coincidence too many. Rochester has often presented herself at the scene of the crime, and given what you and I—"
"Severus." Dumbledore's voice did not raise, but he might as well have shouted. It took everything Lucy had to keep her shoulders from tensing. "If there is one thing I am certain of Ms. Rochester, it is that she would never allow her friend to fall into harm's way. Regardless of any past coincidences. Coincidences, Severus."
She mentally high-fived Professor Dumbledore. It took him a year, but at least now he had her back.
Professor Snape didn't reply. Dumbledore had won the argument. "I must go down to the Dementors," he said. "I said I would inform them when our search was complete."
"Didn't they want to help, sir?" Percy spoke up.
"Oh, yes. But I'm afraid no Dementor will cross the threshold of this castle while I am Headmaster."
Lucy wholeheartedly agreed with that sentiment. She heard footsteps as Dumbledore left the hall, and she waited until he was fully gone before she said, in Parseltongue, "Suck it, Snape."
She heard the Potion Master jump, but her eyes were still closed. For all he knew she was talking in her sleep. Snape quickly left the Great Hall, and she finally opened her eyes.
Harry was fighting tears of laughter across from her. "Why?" he mouthed at her, and he had to clamp a hand over his mouth. After a half minute, he mouthed again, "Shut up."
She grinned and at last, allowed herself to fall asleep.
Compared to last Halloween, she considered meeting the strange Sirius Black a victory.