LUCY:

I awoke at sunrise the morning of my first Quidditch match. Hermione, for once, was still asleep. All of the late nights seemed to have been taking their toll on her, too, but unlike me, she didn't have Quidditch to worry about on top of everything else. I felt quite sick to my stomach with nerves, and, knowing I wouldn't be able to fall back asleep, I pulled robes on over my head with shaking hands and made my way down to the common room, grabbing my ancient runes book so hopefully I would be able to distract myself while I waited for the team to head down for breakfast.

I had completed the section on Godric Gryffindor. Being in alphabetical order, Helga Hufflepuff was next. I admittedly wasn't paying too much attention at first, my mind consumed with worried thoughts about Quidditch, but something on the third page caught my attention.

"Helga Hufflepuff's primary concern was student well-being. As such, she created a room in the castle that would open only when someone desperately in need walked by. This room will provide whatever the user needs most, aside from anything excluded by the five Principal Exceptions to Gamp's Law of Elemental Transfiguration. This room is generally found completely by accident, and only the very fortunate — or very desperate — are able to find it twice. As such, it is rarely documented in other books, and remains to this day one of the best-kept secrets of Hogwarts castle."

I snapped the book shut, head spinning. Could it be the Chamber of Secrets?

I immediately banished the thought from my mind. Helga Hufflepuff would never. Even then, this room sounded far less sinister.

Did all of the founders have their own secret rooms? Salazar Slytherin his chamber with the monster, Helga Hufflepuff her special need-meeting room? The book said nothing about Godric Gryffindor having such a room.

My heart raced as I stared at the book in my hands. Perhaps it contained more information on the Chamber of Secrets. I was about to open it again and skip to the section on Salazar Slytherin when a very-sleepy Ginny Weasley stumbled down the stairs still in her pajamas. I shoved the book under my leg and smiled. "Morning, Ginny. What're you doing up so early?"

She came over to the couch and sat beside me, resting her head against my shoulder. "I couldn't sleep."

"Do you want to talk about it?"

She shook her head. "Why are you awake?"

"I couldn't sleep either."

"Are you nervous for the match?"

"A little," I admitted.

"Don't be, Cub, you'll be great!" came a chipper voice from the boys' dormitory stairs. Ginny and I both jumped as the twins swooped to sit on either side of us.

"Did you wake up early just to wish us luck, Ginny?" Fred asked.

She seemed to come a little more awake and rolled her eyes as she shifted her head from my shoulder to Fred's. "Of course not," she said through a yawn. "Why would I do that?"

George gasped in mock offense. "Because we are your brothers, and your support would mean the world to us!"

"I would wish you luck if I really thought you needed it," she said, pushing herself off the couch and rubbing her eyes. She smiled. "Lucy and I are going to play together for the Holyhead Harpies one day. She doesn't need luck, either. See you all after the match at the post-win party. Percy told me that they're obnoxiously loud and unnecessarily rambunctious, so I know I'm in for a good time. Bye!"

"Bye, Ginny!" we called after her.

"So Cub, Holyhead Harpies?" Fred asked.

I laughed. "Well, after I let her ride my broom to cheer her up on Sunday, she asked what I wanted to do after Hogwarts. When I said I didn't know, she said she was going to play Quidditch professionally, and I figured that sounded like fun so I nonchalantly agreed to play with her."

"Do you want to play Quidditch professionally?"

I shifted slightly and rested my head against the back of the couch. "I wouldn't be opposed to it. I haven't thought much about it, honestly." I sighed. "I just need to get through today's match first. I'm nervous."

"Aw, don't be nervous, Cub," George said. "Nothing to be nervous about."

"If only it were that easy," I retorted, watching as my ring glowed brighter and brighter shades of purple.

It continued to glow during breakfast. We were sitting as a team. I sat on the end beside Harry, and I couldn't force myself to eat a thing even though it was only three days before the full moon. My stomach churned anxiously, and my hands shook every time I reached for my fork.

"You really must eat, Lucy," Hermione fretted from across the table.

"Not hungry," I replied softly.

Harry grinned and bumped my elbow with his. "I can't eat when I'm nervous, either," he said with a grin before biting into a piece of toast.

I smiled. That was exactly what I had told him a year ago, before his first official Quidditch match. "At least someone understands," I said with a shaky sigh.

He looked at me strangely. It was as if he were seeing me for the first time. I wanted to ask why he was looking at me that way, but Oliver Wood rose from the table.

"Let's go, men," he said in a deeper voice than usual.

"And women!" Angelina added, tugging on one of my braids as she swept past me.

"Good luck!" Hermione and Ron called after Harry and I as we left side-by-side. I smiled and waved back, hoping I looked braver than I felt.

"Not that they need it!" Ginny added fiercely, turning bright red when Harry shot her an appreciative thumbs-up.

"You ready for this, Lu?" Harry asked.

"I hope so," I replied, feeling my cheeks grow red even in the chill of the day. Cedric was the only one who ever called me Lu, but I found I didn't mind it coming from Harry either. "Are you?"

"I hope so too," he said.

My heart pounded as we sat in the locker room for Oliver's pep talk. Harry sat to my left, Angelina Johnson and Alicia Spinnet to my right, the twins behind me.

Oliver drew a deep breath. "Slytherin has better brooms than us. No point denying it. But we've got better people on our brooms. We've trained harder than they have, we've been flying in all weathers, and we're going to make them rue the day they let that little bit of slime, Malfoy, buy his way onto their team." He turned to face Harry, who tensed slightly next to me. "It'll be down to you, Harry, to show them that a Seeker has to have something more than a rich father. Get to that Snitch before Malfoy or die trying, Harry, because we've got to win today, we've got to."

"So no pressure, Harry," Fred said, punching his shoulder.

Oliver turned to me. "You ready for this, Diggory? You're the only one with a broom as good as theirs. You're going to have to score all of the goals, because quite frankly, the Slytherin brooms will outstrip the others five to one. Don't let anything stop you."

I swallowed the ball of fear in my throat and nodded. "Let's go show the Slytherins what we can do."

The team whooped, and we headed out onto the Pitch. This time, I walked in between Angelina and Alicia, as a Chaser, a starter, not a last resort. I had waited. I had trained. I had proven myself. And I was as ready as I would ever be.

As soon as I kicked into the air, my worries seemed to melt away. I couldn't help but smile. This was going to be fun.

"On my whistle," Madam Hooch said, holding the Quaffle above her head. "Three — two — one!"

I shot forward and snatched the ball before the Slytherins had even seemed to process that the Quaffle was in play. I wove through them and tore off in the direction of their hoops. Angelina shot up to my side, so I tossed it to her, and she bent down low to gain speed. But the Slytherins caught up quickly, and one of them bumped the Quaffle loose. I shot down to try to catch it, but another Slytherin rammed into me and nearly sent me into a downward spiral. But I quickly recovered my balance and turned around to chase the green-robed player in possession in the Quaffle.

I had nearly reached him when Alicia screamed, "Lucy, behind you!"

I glanced over my shoulder and swerved out of the way just in time. The Bludger that was intended for me instead slammed into the back of the Slytherin Chaser, knocking the Quaffle out of his hands. I ducked to catch it, and secured it in my arms before reorienting myself in the direction of their goal hoops. I had managed to outpace Angelina and Alicia, but I was surrounded by Slytherins, one to my right, one to my left, and one above me. I knew I should have been panicking, or at least that's what they wanted me to do, but I pressed on toward the goal even as they closed in around me. When I saw the Beater further down the field wind up to swing at a Bludger, I realized that they were trying to trap me and force me to take a hit. But they had left one angle open.

At the last second, I ducked beneath them and launched the Quaffle at the goal. And by some miracle, I scored.

"GRYFFINDOR SCORES!" Lee shouted. "TEN TO ZERO!"

Once they got the Quaffle back, Angelina and Alicia tried surrounding the Chaser so he'd drop the Quaffle into my waiting hands down below, but he shot forward the last ten feet and sent the Quaffle soaring through the hoop after a Bludger nearly knocked Oliver off his broom, tying us 10 to 10. I got the Quaffle back and zoomed across the Pitch to the other goal, but I had to shoot upward instantly when a Bludger came flying at me from down below. I tossed the Quaffle to the waiting Alicia, but she was overtaken by the Slytherins and forced to drop the Quaffle when she got rammed. Angelina and I tore off down the Pitch after them, but they scored on Oliver again. Then again. Then again.

Oliver was not pleased. He glared up at the sky, and I noticed for the first time that Fred and George didn't have our backs the way they always did during practice. But the Quaffle was back in play, so there was no time to dwell on this.

Alicia tried again to head down to the other side of the Pitch, but she was again overtaken.

"Over here!" I screamed, and she threw it directly to me. I caught it handily, but the Slytherins caught up with me and again formed a triangle around me.

I squinted through the rain. I could only see one Slytherin Beater. I glanced around, and soon realized that the other one was below me. I was completely surrounded, and they were closing in. They had learned from their mistake the last time they had tried to trap me. But the goal was close, so close. As long as I could score first —

I was so focused on the goal in front of me I didn't see the Bludger until it was too late. The black ball smashed into my face, but I managed to keep my hold on the Quaffle, to the shock of the Slytherins, who had started to laugh and slow down. I put on a burst of speed and tried to throw the ball through the goal hoop, but my eyes were so full of tears that my vision was blurred and it landed squarely in their Keeper's hands. He tossed it to one of the Chasers, and I tried to keep up with him, but he scored another goal on Oliver.

"The score is now 50-10, Slytherin in the lead," Lee announced, "but Lucy Diggory just took a massive hit to the face. Hope she's alright!"

I was very much not. My entire face was wet, from a combination of rain and blood and involuntary tears. I tried to wipe my nose with my sleeve, but fiery pain shot through my body. My nose was most certainly broken.

But this was okay. I was a werewolf. I went through worse pain every single month. It hurt, of course, but I knew it would be okay.

Madam Hooch's whistle blew, so I made my way down to the team. Oliver had called a time-out.

Wood was furious. "What's going on? We're being flattened! Fred, George, where were you when that Bludger stopped Lucy from scoring?"

"We were twenty feet above her, stopping the other Bludger from murdering Harry, Oliver," Fred snapped, not looking at my face. "Someone's fixed it, it won't leave Harry alone. It hasn't gone for anyone else all game. The Slytherins must have done something to it."

"But the Bludgers have been locked in Madam Hooch's office since our last practice, and there was nothing wrong with them then!" Oliver insisted, looking immensely troubled.

George was the first person glance at my face, and he reeled back in horror. "Bloody hell, Lucy, are you alright? Can you still play?"

The entire team turned to look at me. I mopped my face as best I could with my sleeve, careful not to actually touch my nose. "Yeah, I'm fine," I managed, blood spurting from my nose and making everyone recoil slightly. "You two keep protecting Harry."

"If it hits you again, it'll kill you, Lucy. Listen," Harry said, looking at the twins, "with you two flying around me all the time the only way I'm going to catch the Snitch is if it flies up my sleeve. Go back to the rest of the team and let me deal with the rogue one."

"Harry, no, the Bludger didn't target me, I just didn't get out of the way in time!" I protested. "But yours is very much targeting you."

Oliver looked from me to Harry to the twins.

Alicia burst out, "Oliver, this is insane! You can't let Harry deal with that thing on his own. Let's ask for an inquiry..."

Harry shook his head violently. "If we stop now, we'll have to forfeit the match! And we can't lose to Slytherin just because of a crazy Bludger! Come on, Oliver, tell them to leave me alone!"

"We can't let Harry die because of a crazy Bludger!" I shouted. "Angelina and Alicia and I can protect each other, Harry would be alone up there without the twins."

George looked from me to Harry back to Oliver. "This is all your fault. 'Don't let anything stop you,' have you seen her face? 'Get the Snitch or die trying,' what a stupid thing to tell him — "

Madam Hooch's arrival interrupted him. "Ready to resume play?"

Oliver looked from Harry to me, then back to Harry. "Alright. Fred, George, you heard Harry. Leave him alone and let him deal with the Bludger on his own."

Before taking to the skies again, I grabbed Harry by the arm. "Do what I did last year when the Bludger chased me. Shoot up into the sky, then once you can't go higher, shake it loose however you can. Okay?"

"Okay." He looked at me, taking in the sight of my face. "Don't get hit again, otherwise me telling the twins to leave me alone would be pointless."

"Stupid self-sacrificing Gryffindor," I muttered.

"Hey, you tried to do that too," he replied with a wry grin. "Oliver just happened to listen to me."

I returned his grin as we kicked off the ground and again took to the skies.

The rain was pouring so hard that it was hard to see, but with the return of Fred and George, I didn't need to worry about any more Bludgers. I was beginning to get dizzy, from blood loss or pain or head trauma I didn't know, but I kept fighting. I managed to score one more goal, but as soon as I did, a Slytherin rammed me from behind and nearly made me fall off my broom. The crowd gasped, but I soon realized it wasn't for me.

Harry was plummeting toward the ground, legs wrapped around his broom, one arm in front of him, the other dangling — clearly broken — at his side. He hit the mud hard, holding the Snitch above his head with his other arm bent at a horrible angle.

I had never flown so fast in my life. I reached Harry before anybody else and dropped to my knees at his side, placing a hand on his shoulder and shaking him as violently as I dared.

"Harry! Harry! Wake up! Harry!"

He stirred slightly. "Lucy?" he murmured.

I nodded, wiping my face with my sleeve, still avoiding my nose. "You're okay."

"Did we win?"

I managed a laugh. "Yes, we did. Come on, let's get you to the Hospital Wing."

But before he could sit up, Gilderoy Lockhart shoved me out of the way and sent me sprawling in the mud. "Harry! What a catch! I'll fix your arm!"

"Oh, no, not you," he groaned.

Quite a concerned crowd had gathered. Lockhart addressed them then with an uncomfortable laugh, saying, "Doesn't know what he's saying. Not to worry, Harry. I'm about to fix your arm."

I tried to push myself to my feet to shove Lockhart out of the way, but someone laid a heavy hand on my shoulder.

"No, you stay down," Angelina said. "You look like you're going to pass out."

"But Harry — "

"No, Lucy," Alicia said, laying her hand on my other shoulder. "He'll be fine. What do you have against Professor Lockhart anyway?"

"Nothing," I lied, overcome with a wave of dizziness and slumping against Alicia's leg, watching the scene in front of me with silent horror.

"Lie back, Harry," Lockhart was saying, "it's a simple charm I've used countless times — "

"Why can't I just go to the Hospital Wing?"

Oliver knocked Alicia's shoulder by accident in his rush to get to Harry. "He really should, Professor. Great capture, Harry, really spectacular, your best yet, I'd say!"

Lockhart ignored him and began rolling up his sleeves.

"I'll go with him to the Hospital Wing, Professor, please!" I protested, trying to break free of the girls' grip, but they weren't on the Quidditch team for nothing. I was pinned beneath the weight of their hands as Lockhart pointed his wand directly at Harry's arm. We all watched as Harry's arm slowly became formless. The crowd gasped and groaned in disgust and sympathy, the sound punctuated by Colin Creevey's clicking camera.

"Ah. Yes. Well, that can sometimes happen. But the point is, the bones are no longer broken. That's the thing to bear in mind. So, Harry, just toddle up to the hospital wing. Ah, Mr. Weasley, Miss Granger, would you escort him? And Madam Pomfrey will be able to, er, tidy you up a bit." As Hermione and Ron rushed forward to help Harry to his feet, Lockhart turned to me, straightening his robes and assuming his typical cocky grin. "I'll help you too!"

"It's okay," I squeaked, trying to wriggle away. "My brother wants to be a healer, he can help me — "

"Nonsense, I'm right here and I don't see your strapping young lad of a brother anywhere." He grinned and pointed his wand at my face. "You might want to close your eyes. Fixing a broken nose is a bit trickier than a broken arm. Requires a completely different charm, see."

Alicia and Angelina hoisted me to my feet and backed away as Lockhart muttered something under his breath. I shut my eyes tightly, waiting for the worst, but nothing happened.

I opened my eyes, or at least I thought I did. The world remained completely black. Everything was silent.

"Where did everyone go?" I stammered.

The crowd suddenly erupted in murmurs and whispers. I staggered backward, reaching for Angelina or Alicia, but they were nowhere to be found.

"Let me through, please," a panicked voice to my right said, and in a matter of seconds, I felt strong hands gripping my shoulders from the front. "Lucy, what happened?"

"Cedric?" I asked. "Is that you?"

"It's me," he said, cupping my cheek in his hand. "I'm right here."

"Cedric, I can't see," I whispered. I reached up to my face and pressed his hand harder against my cheek.

He slid his hand free and wrapped an arm around my shoulders. "Let's get you to the Hospital Wing. I can't fix it, but Madam Pomfrey can."

"What about my broom?" I asked, my voice sounding small even to my own ears.

"I'll get it, Cub," a voice on my right said. I felt a hand on my shoulder. "Meet you in the Hospital Wing in a moment."

"Fred?" I asked. "Or George?"

"Don't worry about it, Cub," the same voice said. "Just get her up there fast, Ced, she looks awful."

Cedric led me out of the Pitch, but as soon as we reached the more uneven grass, it grew harder and harder to walk. Cedric ended up looping one arm under my shoulders and one under my knees to carry me the way he had after that first horrible night in the Forbidden Forest.

"Sorry," I murmured as I curled against his chest. "I'm probably getting blood all over you."

"Don't be sorry," he panted. "Just stay with me, alright? That was a nasty blow you took."

"What did Lockhart do to me?"

"I don't know," he admitted, sounding more concerned than he probably intended to sound. "I tried to get down as fast as I could after seeing what happened to Harry, but I barely missed it. I'm sorry, Lu, I tried."

"It's not your fault," I said. "Honest. I tried to stop him from hurting Harry, and I tried to run from him when he turned to me, but Angie and Alicia held me down." Cedric's footsteps suddenly became much louder, like they were on stone and not grass. "Are we in the castle now?"

"We are. Lucy, what can you see?"

I bit back a terrified sob. "Nothing. Just blackness."

He didn't say anything, but I could tell from the way his grip tightened on me that he was terrified, too.

As I arrived in the Hospital Wing, Ron was shouting at Hermione. "How can you stick up for Lockhart now, Hermione, eh? If Harry had wanted deboning he would have asked."

To my surprise, she did stick up for Lockhart. "Anyone can make a mistake! And it doesn't hurt anymore, does it, Harry?"

Harry laughed harshly. "No, but it doesn't do anything else either."

"Where's Madam Pomfrey?" Cedric asked as he gently set me down on my own two feet, his voice shaking as much as I was.

"Getting Harry's potion," Hermione said slowly. "Why?"

"I can't fix this," he replied. I swayed slightly, and he clutched my arm to stop me from falling. "I need Madam Pomfrey's help."

Hermione's voice was much more panicked. "What happened?"

"Professor Lockhart blinded her."

"He what?" came Ron and Harry's angry voices. Soft footsteps rushed over to me, and someone slid their hand into mine.

"Oh, Lucy," Hermione said softly. "You can't see anything at all?"

I shook my head, reaching up to wipe away some of the blood dripping down my chin.

"Here, Lu, have Hermione help you change into these," Cedric said, placing a pair of pajamas into my free hand. "I'm going to go talk to Madam Pomfrey, but I'll be right back."

Hermione led me over to a bed and pulled the curtain around us.

"I can do if myself," I mumbled. "It's just pajamas. You can go talk to Harry and Ron."

"Are you sure?"

I nodded fervently. Just because I couldn't see my scars at the moment didn't mean she couldn't. I didn't want anyone to ever see them. I heard the screech of metal on metal as she ducked out and pulled the curtain back around.

I carefully placed the pajamas on the corner of the bed and peeled my bloody, muddy, soaking robes over my head.

"Ow, ow, ow," I whimpered as I pulled them over my broken nose.

"Everything okay, Lu?" Harry called from the other side.

"Yeah," I lied as I slipped into the pajama bottoms. "Just hurts a little coming over my nose. I do still have one, right?"

The other three giggled slightly. "Yes," they assured me in unison.

"That's a relief. Oh, speaking of relief, this pajama top is a button-up! I don't have to touch my nose again." I eagerly began fiddling with the buttons, only to realize I had buttoned it slightly askance. "Good Godric Gryffindor, buttons are hard when you're blind."

That drew another giggle from the other side of the curtain.

Madam Pomfrey returned as soon as I had fixed it, and Hermione opened the curtain so Cedric could help me find the bed and slide under the covers. He adjusted the pillows behind my head and laid a gentle hand over mine.

"Madam Pomfrey will fix your nose after Harry drinks his potion," he explained in a soft voice as Harry and Ron talked to her on my other side, "but about your eyes... there's something you need to know. The only potion that can heal you has dittany in it."

"Okay," I said, feeling his hand squeeze mine tighter. "How long will it take for my vision to come back?"

"For a typical person, a week. But since you're allergic to one of the ingredients — "

"We don't know," I finished for him.

Hermione grabbed my other hand. "Lucy, what about... you know?" she whispered. "That's this week, isn't it?"

I groaned. "Yes."

Cedric's hand pushed a wet lock of hair off of my face. "We'll figure it out. In the meantime, I'll go get your potion, alright?"

I nodded, then tilted my head in what I hoped was Hermione's direction. "Am I looking at you right now?"

"Not quite," she said, her voice thick with unshed tears. "But that's okay."

Madam Pomfrey shooed her out of the way then and mended my nose with a quick nonverbal spell. She explained the potion to me as best she could, though she admitted that what Cedric had told me already was true.

"You're in for a very unpleasant couple of days, I'm afraid," she said gravely.

"She'll be alright though, won't she?" Hermione squeaked.

"I'm sure she will be," Madam Pomfrey replied. "But only time will tell."

By the time the team came to visit Harry and me, I was already burning with fever. Cedric had cleaned the blood and sweat and tears and mud and rain from my face with a cool washcloth, but sweat still beaded on my forehead and dripped down my back.

"The team's here," he said softly. "With lots of candy and butterbeer. Do you want to see them, or would you rather I left the curtain around you?"

I shook my head. "Not that I could see them even if I wanted to."

He sucked in a breath. "I could have chosen my words better, eh?"

I found myself smiling in spite of myself. "A bit. But it's okay."

"I'll be right back, alright? I'm going to go toss this washcloth in the laundry."

I nodded, and he returned a couple minutes later. "Lu, the twins threatened to turn my hair pink if I don't let them see you."

I pushed myself onto an elbow and laughed. "Pink would look good on you, let them do it."

One of the twins replied. "Oh, come on, Cub, what do you have against us?"

"Against your brother, more like. We all know he would look better with purple hair."

Cedric laughed. "I beg to differ."

"You can go change your shirt, Cedric, we'll take care of your sister."

"Do you mind, Lu?" Ced asked. "I can stay."

"It's okay, go. It's my blood all over you anyway."

"I'll come back after dinner. Don't blow her up, Weasleys, or I swear I'll — "

"Don't worry, Diggory, she's been through enough today."

The curtain closed again, and I was alone with the twins. Two weights settled on either side of my bed.

"How do you feel, Cub?"

I bit my lip. "George?"

"How the bloody hell did you know?" they squawked in unison.

I grinned. "Lucky guess."

"Merlin's arse it was a lucky guess! How did you know?"

"And that was Fred," I said with a laugh. I immediately got dizzy, so I laid back down and pressed my fists to my eyes. Before any of us could say anything, Madam Pomfrey's voice rang out through the Wing, "These children need rest, he's got thirty-three bones to regrow and she's got vision to restore! Out! Out!"

"Have fun at the party," I said, holding a fist out to the twins. One of them bumped it, and the other ruffled my wet hair.

"Merlin's beard, you're burning up!" he yelped.

"Yeah, I know," I muttered. "Don't worry about it. Can you bring Ron in here quickly before you leave? I have a question for him."

"Sure thing, Cub. We'll come back tomorrow, okay? First thing in the morning."

I nodded in response.

The curtain parted, and a few seconds later, footsteps approached my bedside. "Ron?"

"It's me," he said, laying his hand on top of mine. "What's up?"

"Please promise me you'll look out for Hermione," I whispered. "I promised her yesterday I'd never leave her side, because I think having a pure-blood around will keep her safe, but since I'm here — "

"I'll protect her," he said in the most determined voice I'd ever heard him use. "Don't worry, Lucy. She'll be safe with me until you come back. Do you want me to open the curtain so you can talk to Harry?"

"Yes please," I said softly.

"See you tomorrow, Lucy."

"See you."

After he rushed out of the room after Hermione, Harry and I were left in silence for the first time since arriving.

"Are we the only ones here?" I asked absently.

"We are," he said. "I reckon it's time for dinner now, based on where the sun is in the sky."

"Is it a pretty sunset?"

"I think it is. Do you want me to describe it to you?"

"It's okay," I whispered. "I'll wait until I can see it for myself."

"Thanks for trying to save me from Lockhart. Ron said you were trying, but Angelina and Alicia held you down."

"Of course, Harry, I knew better than to trust him."

"How did he try to help you after I left?"

"He told me to close my eyes because noses are harder to fix than arms. Angie and Ali were still holding me down, so I couldn't move. I shut my eyes and waited, but when I opened my eyes..." I shuddered. "It was like they were still closed. All I could see was darkness."

"That sounds horrible," he said in a low voice.

"At least we won," I replied with what I hoped was a crooked grin.

He laughed dryly. "Yeah. At least we won. Hopefully we can see some very disappointed Slytherins in the background of Colin's pictures."

🩵

When I finally dropped off to sleep some time later, I found myself in a feverish dream.

For the first time in several weeks, maybe even months, I saw the girl from the Mirror of Erised. She was sitting on an old wooden dock in a pink sundress, dangling her bare feet over water that glowed pink as it reflected the setting sun. I tried to call out to her and ask who she was, but all I heard in my ears was a chorus of birds chirping in the trees, singing good-night songs to their lovers and lullabies to their babies.

Just the same, she looked up slowly, her blue eyes piercing mine as if she could see me. I lifted a hand in greeting, but the gesture was not returned. Instead, her lower lip trembled, and she looked back down at the water, her blond hair falling in her face again.

I tried to take a step forward toward her, but as I did so, an invisible force pushed me backward. I tried again, and again, and again, but every time I tried to get closer to her, something pushed me away. Now a mere speck on the horizon, I watched as the girl turned over her shoulder, calling something indistinct to someone behind her. I was too far away to hear a word said, but I could see she was talking. I tried one last time to run toward her, but something still stood between us.

I jerked awake when someone yelped in pain. I looked around frantically, seeing nothing but blackness, but then I remembered. Lockhart had blinded me. I was in the Hospital Wing. Harry, to my right, must have been the one to cry out. I was about to ask what was wrong when he started talking.

"Get off! Wait, Dobby?"

A wheezing voice replied in a hoarse whisper, "Harry Potter came back to school. Dobby warned and warned Harry Potter! Ah sir, why didn't you heed Dobby? Why didn't Harry Potter go back home when he missed the train?"

"What're you doing here? And how did you know I missed the train?" When Dobby made no answer, Harry gasped. "It was you! You stopped the barrier from letting us through!"

"Indeed yes, sir, Dobby hid and watched for Harry Potter and sealed the gateway and Dobby had to iron his hands afterward, but Dobby didn't care, sir, for he thought Harry Potter was safe, and never did Dobby dream that Harry Potter would get to school another way! Dobby was so shocked when he heard Harry Potter was back at Hogwarts, he let his master's dinner burn! Such a flogging Dobby never had, sir!"

I felt a pang of pity in my chest. My family had never owned a house-elf, but Dad had told us stories of how horribly some house-elves were treated by their masters. He wanted to own one, just so we could spare one a terrible fate, but Mum would never stand for it. Hearing Dobby's story made my heart ache for him, but it seemed Harry had something else on his mind.

"You nearly got Ron and me expelled. You'd better get lost before my bones come back, Dobby, or I might strangle you."

"Dobby is used to death threats, sir. Dobby gets them five times a day at home." Dobby blew his nose, on what I didn't know.

Harry's voice was gentler when he spoke again. "Why d'you wear that thing, Dobby?"

"This, sir? 'Tis a mark of the house-elf's enslavement, sir. Dobby can only be freed if his masters present him with clothes, sir. The family is careful not to pass Dobby even a sock, sir, for then he would be free to leave their house forever." He sniffled. "Harry Potter must go home! Dobby thought his Bludger would be enough to make — "

"Your Bludger? What d'you mean, your Bludger? You made that Bludger try and kill me?"

Dobby squeaked. "Not kill you, sir, never kill you! Dobby wants to save Harry Potter's life! Better sent home, grievously injured, than remain here sir! Dobby only wanted Harry Potter hurt enough to be sent home!"

Harry huffed. "Oh, is that all? I don't suppose you're going to tell me why you wanted me sent home in pieces?"

"Ah, if Harry Potter only knew! If he knew what he means to us, to the lowly, the enslaved, we dregs of the magical world! Dobby remembers how it was when He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named was at the height of his powers, sir! We house-elves were treated like vermin, sir! Of course, Dobby is still treated like that, sir, but mostly, sir, life has improved for my kind since you triumphed over He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. Harry Potter survived, and the Dark Lord's power was broken, and it was a new dawn, sir, and Harry Potter shone like a beacon of hope for those of us who thought the dark days would never end, sir. And now, at Hogwarts, terrible things are to happen, are perhaps happening already, and Dobby cannot let Harry Potter stay here now that history is to repeat itself, now that the Chamber of Secrets is open once more." I heard a loud cracking sound followed by a thud on the ground. "Bad Dobby, very bad Dobby!"

"So there is a Chamber of Secrets?" Harry asked. "And did you say it's been opened before? Tell me, Dobby! But I'm not Muggle-born, how can I be in danger from the Chamber?"

"Ah, sir, ask no more, ask no more of poor Dobby! Dark deeds are planned in this place, but Harry Potter must not be here when they happen! Go home, Harry Potter, go home. Harry Potter must not meddle in this, sir, 'tis too dangerous-"

"Who is it, Dobby? Who's opened it? Who opened it last time?"

"Dobby can't, sir, Dobby can't, Dobby mustn't tell! Go home, Harry Potter, go home!"

"I'm not going anywhere! One of my best friends is Muggle-born; she'll be first in line if the Chamber really has been opened!"

"Harry Potter risks his own life for his friends! So noble! So valiant! But he must save himself, he must, Harry Potter must not — "

Dobby lapsed into silence, and footsteps could be heard outside.

"Dobby must go!" the house-elf said, disapparating with a crack.

I held my breath and listened as the door opened and the footsteps entered the room.

"Get Madam Pomfrey," the whispered voice of Professor Dumbledore said, and footsteps hurried out of the room. They returned, accompanied by urgent whispers, and someone gasped.

"What happened?"

"Another attack." I felt my heart stop. Who? It couldn't be Hermione, could it? Ron was protecting her. "Minerva found him on the stairs."

"There was a bunch of grapes next to him. We think he was trying to sneak up here to visit Potter."

Harry's bed creaked slightly beside me. The whispers continued.

"Petrified?"

"Yes, but I shudder to think, if Albus hadn't been on the way downstairs for hot chocolate — who knows what might have — "

I heard a scrape of metal on stone.

"You don't think he managed to get a picture of his attacker?"

All of the air suddenly seemed to vanish from the room. It was Colin Creevey who had been attacked.

I heard a click and a hiss.

"Good gracious!" someone whispered. "Melted, all melted."

"What does this mean, Albus?"

"It means that the Chamber of Secrets is indeed open again."

I heard someone clap a hand over their mouths. I found it hard not to do the same.

"But, Albus... surely... who?"

"The question is not who. The question is, how?"

Nobody seemed to find words to say after that. A curtain was pulled around the bed, and three sets of footsteps left the Hospital Wing. I reached my right hand out toward Harry's bed, and his left met it.

"Are we alone again?" I asked in a whisper.

"We are," he said, and I heard rustling of sheets. His grip on my hand shifted, but he didn't let go. I felt slight weight as he settled on my bed. "How much did you hear?"

"Dobby woke me up," I answered, "so everything. Is it Colin Creevey who was attacked?"

"It was. I hate to think that he was coming to visit me..."

"It's not your fault, Harry," I said, squeezing his hand. He made no reply and didn't squeeze my hand back. I wished I could see his face so I could see how he was feeling or what he was thinking. "How's the arm?"

"Feels like it's full of splinters. How about you?"

"My head is killing me," I admitted.

"Do your eyes hurt at all?"

"Nope. I didn't even realize anything had happened at first, because it didn't hurt in the slightest when he blinded me," I said with half a smile. I squeezed his hand again. "Well, since you'll be out of here in the morning, you should probably get some sleep. I reckon Ron and Hermione will want your help with... you know."

"Probably, but you'd be more helpful than me. How long will you be here?"

"I don't know," I said softly. "The potion has dittany in it, which I'm allergic to, so no one knows how long it'll take to work. If it'll even work. So far all it's done is given me a fever and a headache."

Harry laid a gentle hand on my forehead as he rose from my bed. "Yeah, you definitely have a fever. Do you want some water? There's some right here, and it's cold."

"It's okay, but thanks," I said, rolling onto my side to face his bed, because even though I couldn't see Harry, it comforted me to know he was there, at least for tonight. I heard his sheets rustling again as he climbed back into bed. I almost told him about my dream, about the girl from the Mirror of Erised. I almost told him, knowing he'd be the only person who would understand. I almost told him, but I didn't. "Good night, Harry," I said instead.

"Good night, Lucy," he replied through a yawn.

🩵

A/N: I hope you enjoyed this chapter! I admittedly had fun writing it; this was the first time in forever that I had a chapter completely finished the day after the last update. I love Quidditch. I also love making Lockhart look like even more of an idiot than he is canonically.

Thank you all for reading! Feedback is always appreciated!