LUCY:

As soon as George and Henry left, I downed the sleeping potion on my nightstand and drifted off without giving Harry and Ron the chance to talk to me. The worst of the pain had passed, it didn't hurt to breathe anymore and my arm felt like an arm again instead of just glass shards trapped in a prison of flesh, but I was still in more pain than I wanted to admit.

When I opened my eyes next, it was because I was being shaken awake.

"Merlin, Cub, what was in that sleeping potion?" George asked when I finally forced my eyes open.

I blinked a couple of times and tried to remember where I was and why. When I realized I was in the Hospital Wing, I wondered why George was there waking me up, because George had left, but George was there, and I was quite happy about that, but why was he there at all and why did he have such a strange expression on his face?

"Hi," I said, trying to push myself up to a sitting position. Something about this was alarming, because George put a hand on my shoulder to stop me. Harry appeared at my left side and offered a helping hand the rest of the way up. "Hi." I blinked again. "Why?"

"Apparently Madam Pomfrey figured out an extra-strength sleeping potion for Lucy," Harry explained to George. "She wasn't exactly supposed to drink it all at once, hence why she's so disoriented."

George shook his head, grinning. "And here I was worrying she had a concussion that got missed somehow. Sorry for waking you up, Cub, I didn't realize it would be difficult and then I got concerned when it was difficult." He glanced over his shoulder before casting a quick silencing spell and holding up a bag. "I brought you schnitzel from — "

"I love you," I interrupted, suddenly feeling much more awake. I tried to reach my hands out for it, willfully ignoring the way the right half of my body was aching, but the thick bandages on my right arm stopped me. "Bloody hell. You know what, I can eat it one-handed, just be a human shield so Madam Pomfrey doesn't see."

"How much time do you need?" Harry asked. "I can keep her busy."

I narrowed my eyes suspiciously. "Busy how?"

"I want to know how exactly to brew that potion, it would come in handy around the full moon. Maybe I could use that as an excuse to be friendly with Slughorn," he added meaningfully.

"Right, yes, good idea. I don't think I'll need much time at all because it smells amazing and I'm starving."

Harry smiled. "Excellent. I'll be back!"

With that, he started walking toward her office. George glanced over in Ron's direction, looking nervous.

"What's the matter, Georgie?" I asked.

He shook his head, shuffling through the bag. "I put an Undetectable Extension Charm on it to smuggle this in, so it's deep. One second. Aha, there it is. Here, and, er, well, there's a plastic fork and knife in here but you only have one hand, so..."

"Thank you, I love you," I said as I started attacking the schnitzel. "I can just use the fork to cut it, don't worry. I've never been so happy to be left-handed." George smiled, but there was something more to it. Something I didn't recognize, something I'd never seen on his face before. "Okay, what's on your mind?"

"Henry," he replied breathlessly.

"Well, you were just with him," I pointed out, teasing.

George nodded. And he kept nodding. And nodding. And nodding. And nodding. His eyes widened. And widened. And widened. And widened. And widened. When he smiled, I dropped the fork.

"George Weasley!" I shoved my beloved schnitzel off to the side and leaned so far forward our noses were nearly touching. "Okay, only tell me what you're comfortable telling me, but did you perhaps have a realization about yourself at dinner tonight?"

"How did you know I fancied Henry before I did?" George asked, his smile faltering and being replaced by an embarrassed expression.

"You're not known for your subtlety, my friend. I'm afraid I know you well."

"Better than I know myself, I think," he said with a shy smile. "Anyway, I didn't even realize it consciously. I just, er, blurted it out."

I clapped my one good hand over my mouth to stifle a very loud Lavender-esque squeal. "George Weasley, you didn't."

"Lucy Diggory, I'm afraid I did." He grabbed my schnitzel and put it back in front of me. "Go on, eat up, I'll tell you everything."

While I shoveled food into my mouth, he told the story of his evening, beginning with their wardrobe edit in the alleyway and ending when they parted ways, Henry heading back to the flat to get a bit of sleep before his early morning practice and George heading back to Hogwarts to deliver my schnitzel and relay the news.

"The last thing he said was that I didn't have to tell anyone until I was absolutely sure I was ready, he said he wouldn't tell anyone without making sure I was comfortable with it first, but, well, I couldn't not tell you right away. You had quite a bit to do with it, after all."

"So it would seem," I said. "Well, I'm glad that worked out so well, Georgie. I'm so proud of you, and happy for you, and Henry. You're both lucky blokes. I honestly wasn't expecting anything to come out of tonight, but — well, er, I suppose you did. Come out, I mean."

George blushed bright red. "Yeah."

"Henry was right, there's no need to label anything, and you don't have to tell anyone else about anything before you're ready. I won't tell anyone unless you want me to do that, okay?"

"Thank you," he said. "For, well, everything. For being supportive and listening to me ramble and tolerate all of my clueless pining — "

I laughed. "Oh, shush, Georgie, no need to thank me, what else are friends for? Come on, hug me, I'll hug you back as best I can."

We tangled our arms together in a mess of bandages and blankets, and I held as tight as I could.

"I love you, George," I said. "Take a deep breath, take your time, sit with your feelings, talk to Henry, talk to Fred, talk to me, talk to whoever you want about whatever you want to talk about. We're all here for you and we all love you. I love you the most, though."

George pulled away and opened his mouth to say something else, but before he could, the doors to the Hospital Wing banged open to reveal Fred, Hermione, the rest of the Gryffindor Quidditch team, sans McLaggen, still in their Quidditch robes, and, to my surprise, Neville, who was holding Trevor.

"Oh, this should be good," I commented.

Harry emerged from Madam Pomfrey's office and Ron started to wake up as the newcomers marched straight to my bedside, looking somehow both grim and gleeful.

"How are you doing?" Ginny asked, eyes blazing with intensity.

I shrugged, forgetting for a moment that I couldn't, then winced, then sighed. "I'm okay. How are you all doing?"

"The question you should be asking, darling Cub, is 'How is Cormac McLaggen?'" Fred replied.

"Well, I had a feeling you'd just tell me that much without me having to ask," I said with a snort. "You're all okay, though? Happy about the win and proud of yourselves and all that?"

Dean laughed and put his arm around Ginny's shoulders. "The win was nice, but watching Ginny smash Cormac's hand with a bat was nicer."

"Did I miss him coming up to the Hospital Wing?" I asked.

"Oh no, no no no." Hermione chuckled, the laughter sounding cold yet very pleased. "That was just what she had done before I arrived with Fred. That was only the beginning. We got to the changing tents while everyone was taking turns yelling at him, which gave us a good opportunity to both eavesdrop and plot something of our own."

"Oh sweet Merlin, Fred Weasley and Hermione Granger working together to plot someone else's downfall," Harry said, coming around to sit on his own bed. He gestured for Ron to join him and turned back to the team with anxious anticipation. "I'm all ears, go on."

"Well, you should be all eyes," Fred commented as he tossed something onto my bed.

I snatched it up immediately. It was a photograph of McLaggen on his knees, mouth wide open. I watched as Trevor appeared, held up by hands, gloved to mask the identity of whoever was standing just out of frame. I watched as a steady yellow stream appeared and crossed the air in a perfect arc from Trevor to Cormac's open mouth.

I shrieked with laughter as I held the photograph out for Harry, Ron, and George to see. They soon joined me in loud laughter, and we all laughed for a very long time. I was terribly sore by the time I finally stopped laughing, and a fair number of the tears in my eyes were from pain rather than amusement, but it was worth it, Merlin it was worth it.

"Please explain how that beautiful photograph is possible," I said.

"Photographs, plural," Dennis piped up. "My brother is making copies right now, in your dormitory, since he shares a dormitory with Cormac and he obviously didn't want him to see those. He doesn't know a picture was taken."

"He'll find out soon, though, once the school is plastered with them," Demelza said with a wicked smile. "Anyway, it was Fred and Hermione's idea, we just helped, so they should explain."

I turned to Fred and Hermione expectantly, laughing again when I saw the satisfied looks on their faces.

"Well, I noticed that McLaggen was looking at Ginny in a... certain type of way," Hermione started, shuddering.

"And when she pointed it out to me, I wanted to rip his eyes out," Fred continued, "but I refrained and channeled my rage into something much more productive: turning that observation into a weapon. Anyway, Hermione helpfully shared a couple of details about her disastrous date, if you could even call it that, with him at Slughorn's Christmas party and we pieced together that he really has a weakness for powerful women. Most noticeably, and conveniently for us, Hermione and Ginny. We knew we could get him in a compromising position, and we knew that Colin had a camera, but we were missing something. When we dove into the crowd to try to find Colin and his camera, we found him walking with Neville and Trevor. As soon as we were done explaining what we wanted to do, Neville asked how he could help. He had Trevor, and he had a pair of Herbology gloves, so he was the perfect final piece of the puzzle."

"Colin gave Fred the camera and ran up to his dorm to get organized so the pictures would be ready to be mass-produced as soon as possible," Hermione explained, "then it was my time to shine. Understandably, Cormac left the changing tent first and the rest of the team stayed behind in the tent, so Fred and Neville went in to explain the plan to them while I got Cormac alone — or so he thought. Part of the plan was that Fred and Neville and the team would follow very closely behind, for obvious reasons. I went on and on about how he played such a good match and how he was so fit and so forth and so on..." She rolled her eyes. "I'll spare you the awful details. Obviously I didn't mean a word of it and my blood was boiling the entire time, but, well, you do what you have to do. Anyway, after doing my very best to be as seductive as possible, it worked. I got him alone in a deserted corridor, and then I got him on his knees with his mouth open and his eyes closed. I'm not entirely sure what he was expecting from me, because I wasn't very specific — he's so easy — but it wasn't what actually happened. Take it away, Neville!"

Neville shrugged, looking rather happy with himself. "I just stood there and held him with my gloves to disguise my hands and pointed and squeezed. Trevor pees on me every day. I figured I might as well contribute his bladder to a noble cause."

Everyone laughed at that, and the large group began to disperse. My teammates clapped me on my good shoulder and wished me a speedy recovery before leaving, and soon I was left with the four Weasleys, Hermione, and Harry. With nothing and no one left to fight, Ginny, Fred, and Hermione finally succumbed to the anxiety they'd been trying to avoid, so I was asked question after question along the lines of "What were you thinking?" and "How are you feeling?" and so forth and so on. The girls left at curfew, promising to be back in the morning, and Ron and Harry crawled into their beds to try to sleep, leaving me on my own with the twins behind a silencing spell.

"I know George got caught up with you when we were here a week ago, but has anything happened in the past week we should know about?" Fred asked.

I shrugged. "Ron and Hermione are speaking again. Hagrid told me Snape and Dumbledore had a row. I told Cormac McLaggen everything you two found out about Ludo Bagman, because he cited that cheating scumbag as proof that men always make better Beaters. Harry got knocked off his broom and I used my new and improved magic to slow him down enough to catch him, but I don't know how many people saw or heard that. Not many, if any, I hope. Anyway, I think that's about it. I spent most of the week with porlocks."

"Porlocks?" George repeated.

"I love you both, I do, but the fact that you never took Care of Magical Creatures hurts me deeply," I replied. "They're horse guardians and one of the cutest creatures in existence. If I weren't trapped here, I'd take you down to the Magical Creatures Reserve to show you. Wait, actually, kidnap me, my legs work fine — "

The twins laughed.

Fred ruffled my hair. "We'd love to do that, but we need to remain in everyone's good graces so we can come back here, just in case someone else decides to have a near-death experience a third week in a row."

"Yeah, two weekends in a row is a new low, even for us," I replied with a heavy sigh. "What do you think comes next? Hippogriff stampede? Ghost riots? The castle itself comes alive to swallow us whole?"

"The castle is alive," George said, more seriously than I was expecting, "so my money's on hippogriff stampede, as someone who did take Divination. That class was grand, truly. Wait, Ron and Harry took Divination too — " He dropped the silencing spell. "Pssssst, you two buffoons still awake? You took Divination. We're making predictions about the next catastrophe. Whoever's closest wins, I don't know, a Galleon or two. I guessed hippogriff stampede. Lucy guessed the castle swallows everyone whole, or a ghost riot."

"I'll guess a portrait riot," Fred added. "Any other guesses?"

"We took Divination, doesn't mean we were any good at it," Ron replied, pushing himself up onto an elbow. "I hope something happens to Malfoy, something awful. Then Harry can stop obsessing over him."

"I'm not obsessing," Harry said with a roll of his eyes. "He's acting suspiciously, more so than usual. Anyway, as nice as Malfoy's downfall would be, I think it's more likely that something will happen to me. I got off easy today, comparatively."

"Alright, alright, if we're predicting victims specifically, I'm guessing that the hippogriffs will target Draco Malfoy, isn't he the moron that got all cut up by one?" George asked.

I nodded. "Yeah. Okay, so that's two votes for Malfoy and one vote for Harry. I'll guess that the castle will specifically eat Snape, for the atrocities he's committed against students over the years. That would be swell. Alright, Fred, who do you think the portraits will team up to defeat?"

"Oh, that's easy," Fred replied. "The nice ones have been thinking about ousting the portraits of blood supremacists for years now, starting with the most prolific ones of course."

"There are portraits of blood supremacists in this school?" I squawked. "Who? Where? Why are we waiting for the other portraits to do something about it? I'll go around and destroy every last one myself! Come on, my legs work, kidnap me, we won't get caught — "

"We tried, as soon as we found out about it, but they're protected by old magic we couldn't crack. The portraits reckon they'd be able to chase the blood supremacists into one picture frame that isn't as intensely protected and trap them there long enough to get someone to remove it. I'm not terribly sure if that would work, because I have rudimentary knowledge of how portraits work, but..."

"Are you alright, Cub?" George cut in. "You look sad all of a sudden."

"Yeah, I'm okay. I just usually visit Cedric's portrait really early on Sunday mornings, but I don't think that'll happen tomorrow. I hope he overhears people talking about the match so he knows I'm, well, here, and therefore can't exactly visit the same time tomorrow that I always do." I sighed. "I'm sure he'd love to help with the portrait riot, though. I'll ask him about it whenever I get down there next."

"I'm sure someone will tell him," Fred assured me. "According to Henry, his sister at the very least loves you, so I'm sure she'd tell Cedric. Anyway, yeah, we're not happy about the fact that there are portraits of blood supremacists here, but we haven't found a way to getting rid of them ourselves or else we would have by now, trust us."

"With my life," I said with a smile.

They smiled back, and we talked for a few more minutes before the twins had to go. Once they left and the candles were dimmed, I closed my eyes and tried to sleep, but my body was hurting too much. On top of that, I would have been too excited to sleep anyway.

George and Henry had figured it out. That was brilliant. I was so happy for both boys. They deserved the world. I could tell that George was overwhelmed, but I thought that was more than fair. I could tell he was excited too, and knowing George, I knew his excitement would win out over his fear in time. I let myself get lost in thought as I tried and failed to drop off to sleep, mentally constructing the letter I would send to Henry the second I got my hands on parchment and a quill.

I was startled back to alertness an unknown amount of time later by a loud crack.

"What's going on?" Ron asked, sounding equally startled.

I glanced over in the direction of the boys to see that they'd been joined by two scuffling house elves. Harry whipped out his wand and whispered "Muffliato!" in the direction of Madam Pomfrey's office, then crawled to the foot of his bed to get a closer look at the brawl.

Peeves appeared suddenly, summoned by the chaos.

"I was watching that, Potty! Look at the ickle creatures squabbling!" he cheered. "Bitey bitey, punchy punchy, kicky, scratchy! Tweaky, pokey!"

Dobby and Kreacher paid him no mind as they continued to bite, punch, kick, scratch, tweak, and poke each other.

"Kreacher will not insult Harry Potter in front of Dobby, no he won't, or Dobby will shut Kreacher's mouth for him!" Dobby said loudly.

"Kreacher will say what he likes about his master," Kreacher replied, "oh yes, and what a master he is, filthy friend of Mudbloods, oh, what would poor Kreacher's mistress say?"

Dobby punched Kreacher in the mouth and shut him up, much to the delight of Peeves, who continued to egg them on. Harry hit Peeves with a quick "Langlock!" Peeves immediately left, looking rather offended.

I tried to jump out of bed to help wrench the house elves — Dobby and Kreacher, I realized — apart, but I remembered once I got over there that I only had one good arm. Ron and Harry, thankfully, had recognized what I was trying to do, and separated them.

Harry yanked Kreacher backwards as Ron did the same for Dobby. "Right — I'm forbidding you to fight each other! Well, Kreacher, you're forbidden to fight Dobby. Dobby, I know I'm not allowed to give you orders — "

"Dobby is a free house-elf and he can obey anyone he likes," Dobby said, "and Dobby will do whatever Harry Potter wants him to do."

"Okay then, no fighting."

Harry and Ron released Kreacher and Dobby, who listened and did not start brawling again.

I walked forward then, wand at the ready. "Does our healing magic work for house elves? You're both hurt."

"Don't touch me, you filthy half-breed, you filthy M — " Kreacher snarled.

"Don't you dare call her that," Harry snapped. "Kreacher, I forbid you to call anyone I love any foul names or slurs."

Ron blinked, looking at me in bafflement. "Was he about to call you a... you-know-what?"

"He must have me confused with Hermione," I lied with a shrug. It was entirely possible that Kreacher had overheard a conversation between Order members about my blood status — my actual blood status. "Or maybe he's just so prejudiced he's not picky about who he calls what. At any rate, Dobby, let me heal you up."

Dobby shook his head. "There is no magic that can heal Dobby. Dobby would try when his masters would hurt him, but healing magic is for wizards only."

"I'm sorry," I said, something profoundly sad stirring deep inside me. That felt so wrong. Healing magic was for everyone. "I — that's horrible. Have any wizards ever tried to heal you?"

"Not Dobby, but another house elf. A well-meaning Hufflepuff years ago tried to heal a house elf who was burned, but it only made it worse! He was very sad and very sorry."

Harry glanced at me. "Sounds like that might have been Cedric."

"Oh! Lucy's brother! Cedric Diggory, yes, yes, Dobby forgets Lucy's last name since Dobby only calls her Lucy! It was him, yes!"

"I'm sorry I can't help you, Dobby," I sighed as I tucked my wand away. I glanced at Kreacher. "I'm less sorry that I can't help you, Kreacher, but I would still like to do that if you'd ever let me. I don't hate you. I believe there is good in you, once you un-learn everything the Blacks have taught you over the decades."

"Centuries," Kreacher corrected. "Kreacher was in servitude to the Blacks for centuries, before — before — " He grunted then fell silent, turning to Harry with a resentful look. "Master called me?"

"Yeah, I did," Harry said with a nod.

"Kreacher will do whatever Master wants, because Kreacher has no choice, but Kreacher is ashamed to have such a master, yes — "

Dobby interrupted Kreacher. "Dobby will do it, Harry Potter! Dobby would be honored to help Harry Potter!"

"Come to think of it, it would be good to have both of you. Thanks, Dobby. I want you to tail Draco Malfoy. I want to know where he's going, who he's meeting, and what he's doing. I want you to follow him around the clock."

Ron shot me an exasperated look, but I shrugged. It was a better idea than Harry trying to tail Draco on his own.

"Yes, Harry Potter! And if Dobby does it wrong, Dobby will throw himself off the topmost tower, Harry Potter!" Dobby exclaimed with enthusiastic nods.

"There won't be any need for that, Dobby, it's okay," Harry said quickly, looking alarmed. "Please don't do that."

Kreacher's eyes were alight. "Master wants me to follow the youngest of the Malfoys? Master wants me to spy upon the pure-blood great-nephew of my old mistress?"

"That's the one. And you're forbidden to tip him off, Kreacher, or to show him what you're up to, or to talk to him at all, or to write him messages or to contact him in any way. Got it?"

"Master thinks of everything," Kreacher said begrudgingly after a moment, "and Kreacher must obey him even though Kreacher would much rather be the servant of the Malfoy boy, oh yes."

"That's settled, then. I'll want regular reports, but make sure I'm not surrounded by people when you turn up. Lucy, Ron, and Hermione are okay. And don't tell anyone what you're doing. Just stick to Malfoy like a couple of wart plasters."

"Dobby and Kreacher will stick to Draco Malfoy like wart plasters!" Dobby announced cheerfully. "Goodbye, Harry Potter and Ron Weasley and Lucy!"

With another loud crack, the house elves disappeared.

I wrinkled my nose. "What the hell is a wart plaster?"

"It's something you put on a wart to get rid of it. It's a Muggle thing, I guess."

"Like a special wart Band-Aid?" I asked, equal parts disgusted, fascinated, and horrified.

Harry nodded. "Something like that, yes."

"That was a long-winded way of calling Malfoy a wart, mate," Ron said with a chuckle. "Can we go back to bed now, or do either of you have any more visitors coming?"

"Sorry," Harry said sheepishly. "I just had the idea. You can go back to sleep." Harry glanced at me. "How are you feeling, Lu?"

"I would shrug if I could move both shoulders," I replied. "I guess I'll find out in the morning if I'm allowed to leave or not."

I didn't even last until morning. I still couldn't sleep because the pain kept growing more and more intense, so when Madam Pomfrey emerged from her office a couple hours to check on us, I asked if she could take another look at whatever damage the Bludger had done to me. The answer, it turned out, was that I was not allowed to leave yet, because the residual ache I was feeling meant that there were random bone chunks still floating around — which was horrific to imagine — and Madam Pomfrey would have to try to start from scratch and vanish my injured bones so I could regrow them properly.

Harry looked like he wanted to cry when I repeated to him what Madam Pomfrey had told me.

He jumped up and hurried to sit on my bed, whispering so we didn't wake Ron. "I'll stay here with you all day, the same way you were with me all night when I was growing my arm back. I know you've got a wicked pain tolerance, Lu, but mine isn't bad either and the reason I had the idea to summon Kreacher last night was because I was lying awake thinking about how awful Skele-Gro was."

"No, Harry, it's okay, go do something fun with Ron since he's finally being released. Do something fun with Ron and Hermione, since they're friends again. I'll be okay."

"But — "

"I have letters to write, and homework to finish, so if you really want to be helpful, you can fetch that for me. I'll be okay, Harry, I promise."

"You just don't want me to see you hurting, is that it?" he asked in a quiet voice, his green eyes piercing straight through my defenses to my soul. "You're scared it will hurt more than you can hide, aren't you?"

I sighed, attempting a brave smile. "But Harry, it's so much more fun hiding with you than from you. Humor me, please? I know you've missed Ron and Hermione being on friendly terms. Go hang out by the lake, or teach Hermione how to use my broom so you three can fly together, or go prank McLaggen again — "

"Can we go get even with the Hufflepuff Beater who did this to you? Which one was it? We can — "

"I'm not telling you which one it was, because it wasn't a dirty hit — "

"He or she could have killed Dennis!"

"They didn't — "

"Yeah, because you got in the way and now you have to grow back your whole arm and a few ribs — "

"It's not my whole arm, my hand is okay — "

"Don't argue details with me, just let me avenge you anyway — "

"Harry." I laughed. "I appreciate it, but honestly, it was a fair hit. It's Quidditch. I'm going to be okay. If you're going to prank anyone, please let it be McLaggen again. In a way, this is more his fault than Hufflepuff's. Or you can prank Snape, if you're looking for a challenge."

"Yeah, McLaggen is apparently too easy," Harry said reflectively. "If you were going to insist on kicking me out, I was going to send Ginny in here, but if we're pranking Snape, we might need her help..."

I nodded. "Definitely. She knows where all of the pranking supplies are stashed throughout the school."

"Throughout the school? I knew the twins gave you a lot of Wheezes products at the end of summer, but how did you fit enough supplies in your trunk to distribute them throughout the school? And why did no one tell me about this?"

"I honestly forgot until just now. I've had too much else on my mind, and so has she, between dating Dean and this year being O.W.L. year for her. Ginny and I have really done a poor job of being as chaotic as Fred and George, haven't we?"

"Well, you've been too busy actually trying to graduate, unlike Fred and George, so I think it's forgivable."

"You have a point, Potter. Damn." I frowned. "I was just trying to get you to leave, but now I want nothing more than to go with you."

"I can still stay here with you," Harry said. "Honest, I wouldn't mind one bit. We can prank Snape all together once you're able to help."

I shook my head and exaggerated my frown, trying to look as pitiful as possible. "No, it's okay, you pranking Snape would really cheer me up. Especially if you managed to take a picture to show me. Oh, and especially if you can take a picture of the pictures of McLaggen around the school. That might heal me altogether, actually."

"You promise you're not just hiding from me? You really do want me to go out and do something fun with Ron and Hermione?"

"I promise," I said with a nod. "Like I said, it's much more fun hiding with you than from you."

"I agree," Harry replied, looking very much like he was thinking about all of the moments in the Room of Requirement, on the Quidditch Pitch, and everywhere in between that we'd stolen in the past six-almost-seven months.

"You know, as much as Ginny and I have failed on the pranking front, the twins' birthday is coming up. I think a massive prank on the first of April would be a good way to celebrate, and I think an undertaking like that would require a lot of planning, but Ginny's in her O.W.L. year and it's not a great idea for me to wander around the castle by myself nowadays. It would be safer if I had another person with me, someone with an invisibility cloak, don't you think?"

Harry smiled. "I think so, yes. You're full of good ideas today." He reached forward and tucked a lock of hair behind my ear. "D'you want your hair braided back out of your face? I know you don't love having your hair down, and you're going to want to be as comfortable as possible when the Skele-Gro starts."

"I don't know a braiding charm that would do the kind of braid I'd want," I said with a sigh. "Ginny always does it for me, and I do hers."

"Tell you what, as soon as I'm free to go, I'll run up to your dorm and get the homework and letter-writing materials you need, then I'll bring Ginny back down with me to braid your hair."

I smiled. "Okay. Thanks."

Madam Pomfrey returned just a couple minutes later, Skele-Gro in hand for me. Ron stirred when I had a coughing fit after swallowing the foul potion, and soon enough, he was free to go, as was Harry. When Harry proposed that they prank Snape — once Madam Pomfrey left, of course — Ron's whole face lit up. They left the Hospital Wing promising to return soon, which they did, Ginny and Hermione in tow. Ginny braided my hair for me while Hermione fussed about how she'd read that Skele-Gro is one of the most unpleasant sensations a wizard could experience. When I assured her that nothing could possibly cheer me up more than Snape being pranked in a way that would make him almost as miserable as I would soon be, she switched gears, falling silent with a calculating expression on her face. They left once my hair was braided, speaking in low tones about where Snape was most likely to be at that moment and where he might go over the course of the day. I smiled and shook my head as I watched my friends leave, then reached for a piece of parchment to write to Henry. Lots of parchment later, I tied the letter up and got to work on homework. By the time my friends returned with a picture of Snape's hair a brilliant shade of ruby red and sticking out in every direction, the pain was so intense I'd nearly given up in homework, but the stabbing sensation I felt when I laughed was worth it. Snape looked ridiculous.

I remained in the Hospital Wing longer than anticipated, meaning I missed Harry's fourth lesson with Dumbledore, which happened on Monday night. Harry returned from the lesson in a strange mood. He refused to make eye contact with me and talked more anxiously than normal, only briefly summarizing each memory and talking at length instead about how he needed to acquire Slughorn's memory and how much he hated letting Dumbledore down.

"Harry," I said as gently yet firmly as I could, "you've been busy trying to figure out what Malfoy has been doing. That's a more pressing threat. You're doing just fine. Slughorn's being difficult. You might have gotten somewhere last week if Ron hadn't been, you know, poisoned."

"Dumbledore said I should have pressed it with Slughorn once I knew Ron would be okay," Harry replied, still avoiding eye contact, fiddling with the edges of my blanket with his fingers.

"Well, that's bullshit." Harry blinked and looked up at me in surprise. I nodded. "It is. Ron was poisoned in front of you, in front of us. Why would we care about a memory after something like that? Besides, if he's disappointed in you, he should be disappointed in me too, I haven't managed to figure out how to un-modify the modified memory yet."

"He's said since the beginning that your task is more difficult one, though," Harry argued.

"Didn't everyone else disagree? Anyway, Harry, don't be so hard on yourself. Don't let him get to you. You'll get the memory. Maybe now that you've got Dobby and Kreacher helping you keep an eye on Malfoy, you'll have time to come up with a new plan for talking to Slughorn."

Harry sighed and nodded. "Right. Thanks. He said he'd still like for you to see the memories yourself once you're on your feet again, if you'd be willing to meet with him."

"I can do that," I said with a shrug.

As it turned out, though, that was easier said than done. Every time I tried to visit Dumbledore after being released from the Hospital Wing on Wednesday, all of my bones finally restored, he was either in a meeting with someone else or he was just gone from the school altogether.

It was just as well, really. I was angry with Dumbledore for being so hard on Harry, and it didn't sound like the memories were terribly important anyway. Voldemort used a Huffleouff cup and a Slytherin locket as Horcruxes. Voldemort tried to get a job at Hogwarts, Dumbledore refused him, Voldemoet cursed the DADA job. I got the idea. I wasn't sure what exactly Dumbledore thought I would see that he and Harry couldn't.

Since Dumbledore was apparently too busy for me, I decided to make myself busy too. As soon as I was released from the Hospital Wing, I approached Ginny with my plan to set up a legendary prank to celebrate the twins' birthday. She loved the idea, but she was anxious about losing time to study for O.W.L.s, so we made a compromise. Harry would help me set everything up, and Ginny would help me set everything off.

Ginny thought she got the better end of the deal, but Harry disagreed.

There were hiding places I had known, corners here and trick steps there and nooks here and crannies there, spots that were good for hiding objects and matching spots that were good for watching the chaos unfold from a safe distance. We visited those first and then explored further. In finding places to hide WWW products, Harry and I found new places we could hide ourselves. I thought I knew good hiding places, from the Room of Requirement to the Quidditch stands, where I'd spent so much time hiding by myself the past several years or with Harry the past several months, and from the corners and trick steps to the nooks and crannies, where I'd spent so much time setting up and reveling in pranks with the twins, but Harry and I discovered so many more over the course of the next couple weeks.

The broom closet that was littered with cobwebs and carvings into the stone of the initials of the couples that had hidden there over the centuries.

The trick step in the dungeons that sent you falling into a secret room that was otherwise inaccessible and hidden from view.

The tree on the grounds that was so leafy that if we climbed high enough, we couldn't be seen from the ground or from the sky.

The empty picture frame that could be moved aside to reveal a hole in the stone that led to another secret room just big enough for two people.

The top of the Astronomy Tower, even, in the observatory reserved for the most advanced students, as long as there wasn't a class happening.

Of course, as always, the best kind of hiding was replaced by the worst kind of hiding as the excitement of the twins' birthday prank was replaced by the dread of the full moon. The moon didn't stop for anything or anyone. The moon didn't care that I'd already broken enough bones for the month, the moon didn't care that the Forbidden Forest was dangerous, the moon didn't care that the world was falling apart, the moon didn't care that I was dangerous, the moon didn't care that I'd much rather be snogging Harry or practicing my magic or talking to Cedric's portrait or watching memories of the Everlins or doing literally anything other than transforming into a werewolf. The moon didn't care, and it didn't stop for anything or anyone.

So I found myself heading down to Hagrid's the afternoon of the twenty-fourth of March, Ginny on my left and Harry on my right. We walked in silence, none of us knowing what to expect, all of us afraid of what could happen over the course of the coming hours. Harry didn't hug me as tightly as usual as I left, a lingering consequence of my broken ribs two weeks prior, and Ginny refrained from doing more than squeezing my left hand as we went our separate ways in the forest. Thankfully, the transformation didn't hurt noticeably more than usual, and when I transformed back at sunrise, Ginny didn't have any new injuries and neither did I.

I only needed one night of recovery sleep before I was ready to go back to sneaking around the castle, stashing fireworks and snogging Harry. I found myself bouncing back from full moons faster and faster, which came at the cost of feeling worse and worse on the front end of the moon. The fever had started sooner that month and burned hotter. My senses were heightened nearly all the time. Surely it was just the price I had to pay for all of the magic I was using, but I knew, I finally understood that it was worth it.

My magic had saved Harry, when he'd been falling unconscious from his broom. The fear of what might have happened if I hadn't been there, hadn't been able to do that, motivated me to keep training, keep pushing the limits of what was possible even on the nights that I thought surely I'd done enough.

My magic was good if I used it for good.

I was good if other people used me for good.

When I finally met with Dumbledore the night before the twins' birthday, he confirmed as much. He didn't mention Harry's continued failure to acquire Professor Slughorn's unaltered memory, nor did he dwell on my failure to untangle the mystery of Professor Slughorn's altered memory. He didn't even end up showing me the memories he'd shown Harry, instead asking me questions about what I'd been doing the past couple months in addition to my homework, both from him and from my classes, and Quidditch practice. He was incredibly interested in my training, asking question after question after question after question. He didn't make any suggestions about what I could do better when I asked, instead telling me to keep doing what I was doing and reminding me of the words he'd said long ago, about sticking by Harry whatever came next.

"I didn't know, then, just how instrumental you'd be in the success of this war in which we find ourselves," he said with an undeniable twinkle in his eyes, "but I do believe I deserve credit for my intuition in that moment all those years ago."

I nodded and smiled because I wasn't sure what else to do.

Dumbledore leaned back in his chair then, his smile fading to a contemplative expression. "You are free to go, Lucy Everlin Diggory. I look forward to learning about whatever you accomplish next."

"Well, sir, it might be... unexpected," I said as images of fireworks flashed through my mind. "Your definition of 'accomplishment' may not align with my next feat of magic."

"If you were to figure out how to make red flowers grow from Professor Snape's ears, I'd swear I was looking the other direction when you cast the spell," he replied with smile and a wink.

My face burned. "Ah. The twins told you about that?"

"They might have, yes. Good night."

"Good night," I said before practically fleeing the room. I raced all the way to the Gryffindor common room, where I fetched Harry. We hurried around the castle under the invisibility cloak, checking to make sure everything was in its proper place for the morning when Ginny and I got the party started. We were so busy, giggling and running and trying not to trip over each other or ourselves and occasionally stealing a minute or two to snog, that the strange comments from Dumbledore were forgotten in the joyous rush of mischief.

When I went to sleep that night, I found myself reflecting on the chaos of the month and finding that the best moments were those spent with Harry.

I hated hiding from Harry. Always had, always would. Hiding with him, on the other hand? I reckoned I would do that even when we didn't have to hide anymore. There was something sweet about having secret moments that were just ours. I'd chase that high forever, even when we didn't have to run anymore. Until that day, though, I knew places we could hide, and I was more than content to run as long as Harry was the person running with me.