GINNY:

I was still awake the night of the full moon when something hit the window nearest my bed.

I jumped out of bed and rushed to the window, wand drawn, to see what it was, since my roommates were all asleep and seemed like they'd stay that way. The night was cloudy, meaning it was almost pitch black outside though I knew it was a full moon, but I could see the faintest blue glow in the blurry shape of a hyena darting away from the window. I watched it run, then come to a stop at the edge of the grounds.

I stared at it for a long second, and once it had dissipated, a small stream of orange sparks shot into the sky.

Fred. He was there, somehow.

I donned my somewhat-effective attempt at an invisibility cloak, and wasted no time in making my way outside.

I was careful. I'd gotten comfortable with sneaking out with Lucy in the lead, and I'd gotten comfortable with sneaking out with the help of Harry's invisibility cloak, but without Lucy's werewolf senses to guide me or Harry's cloak to shield me, I'd gotten good at a number of spells that got me as close as possible to having both of those comforts. I cast spells left and right to alert me to any potential human presences in the corridors ahead of me as I slunk along under silencing spells, relying on both the cover of night and the enchanted cloak. It was nowhere near as good as Harry's invisibility cloak, but I had been working diligently to try to find spells that would come close enough. In the dark, I was practically invisible, but the cloak didn't hold up in daylight or firelight, a faint outline of whatever the cloak was trying to hide was still visible if I squinted. Luna was working in the demiguise habitat trying to gather enough of their hair to make an invisibility cloak of her own, but we shared mine in the meantime.

It was slow going, getting outside, but as soon as I neared the spot where I'd seen the orange sparks, I shed the cloak and lifted my wand, pointing it at the hyena crouching in front of me.

"Fred?"

He transformed into his human self and rushed forward to hug me. "Gin. Thank Merlin you're alright. I'm sorry for just showing up like this, I'm sorry for potentially getting you into trouble, but this couldn't wait, I had to tell you in person, this is an earth-shatteringly big deal, it's about Lucy."

"What?" My blood ran cold. "Is she — "

"She's okay," he interrupted.

Something about the tone of his voice made me fall silent for a long second.

"But..." I looked up at the sky and found the faint outline of the full moon. "It's..."

"I know."

I stared at Fred. "So did they cure it, or...?"

"I don't know. She said Luna was right and that we had to tell Remus and Sloane. That's all she told us."

"And I'm guessing you're still not going to tell me how exactly you talked to her?" I asked.

Fred winced. "Merlin, Gin, I'm sorry, but Harry's shown just how easy it is for You-Know-Who to get into someone's mind, and — "

"Forget it," I cut in. "I understand." I didn't, or, well, I did, but I didn't care, but he didn't need to know that. "She's... okay? Really?"

"Yeah. This is the first we've heard from her since the beginning of the month. She's okay."

"And you're sure it was her?" I pressed. "It wasn't just someone pretending to be her?"

Fred nodded. "Yes, we're certain. It's not possible that it was anyone else. Anyway, I'm here to either talk to Luna myself or to ask you to talk to her and tell us whatever she told Lucy. She said we needed to tell the others as soon as possible."

"As in tonight, or as in before the next full moon?"

"I don't know. Neither of us love the idea of you sneaking around the castle tonight more than strictly necessary — "

"But you're here instead of George because he'd freak out if I did and you wouldn't," I finished for him. "Right?"

Fred shrugged. "In his defense, he's been a little... he's had more reason to worry than usual lately."

I frowned. "No word about Henry or Archie, then?"

"No." He sighed. "But Lucy has good news, and that good news will be shared appropriately whenever it has been determined what exactly the good news is."

"I can't believe she's — " I looked back up at the sky. "You mean to tell me she could be looking at the same moon right now with human eyes?"

"She could be," Fred confirmed. "I should let you go, but I had to tell you. Don't relay the news back to us about whatever Luna said until tomorrow, even if you somehow acquire it tonight." He offered me a crooked grin. "I'll make sure you get back into the castle safely. From there, you can decide where you go next."

I pounced on him in another hug. I didn't want to ever let go. School had been so lonely.

"It's going to be okay," he said, as if he could read my mind. "I think this is hypocritical of me, but, please, just keep your head down, focus on school, and Christmas will be here before you know it."

"I..." I let go, a storm of emotions swirling in my chest. I cursed every last person who'd abandoned me when I laid awake and alone at night, but I found it hard to be angry with Fred when he looked so sorry to have to leave me. I wasn't sure who else was sorry about leaving me. I couldn't afford to wonder about that. I had a mission. "I still hate Herbology, you know."

Fred snorted. "I was never very fond of it either. Take the lack of Quidditch this year as an excuse to shoot for an E, or even an O. Mum would be thrilled."

"Right," I replied flatly.

Fred studied me for a moment, reading my mind once again. "So am I allowed to ask where you got the cloak?"

I straightened up and crossed my arms, cloak pressed up against my chest. "Well, when everyone decided to leave me alone at school, I figured it was time to take matters into my own hands and do what I could to keep myself safe."

"And you're just using it for that reason? To keep yourself safe, just in case?" Fred asked as he cocked an eyebrow at me.

"Of course," I lied. "I'm supposed to just keep my head down and focus on school, right? Why wouldn't I?"

"Because you're a Weasley and we don't honestly expect you to do what we all begged you to do. I mean... please, do keep your head down, do focus on school, but..."

"But you all know you can't stop me," I said.

Fred sighed. "Yeah. Well, if you ever find yourself in a situation you can't handle alone — "

"I know who to call," I interrupted, though I did not, in fact, plan to call my brothers for help. Just the same, I couldn't deny that I missed them. I deflated just a bit. "Well... come visit again soon, yeah?"

"I'll see what I can do," he replied. "Good night. I love you. We all do."

"I love you too," I said. I pulled my cloak back on over my head before he could see the tears glittering in my eyes, and I hurried back to the castle without looking back.

As much as I wanted to run to Luna's dormitory right away and talk to her, I knew that wasn't the best way to get the answer I needed. I couldn't risk waking her roommates, or running into anyone in the castle. I had Transfiguration with her the next morning, and I knew Professor McGonagall's class was the safest possible place to ask a question like that, so I simply made my way back to my dormitory and crawled into bed, mind spinning.

Somewhere in the world, at that very moment, Lucy was human. And not only that, she was okay enough that she had the wits about her to send a message to the twins, somehow, to say she was okay.

I reached for the watch on my nightstand. It was a little after 10:00, meaning the sun had set less than three hours prior. She was okay enough to send a message to the twins less than three hours after she'd transformed, assuming she'd transformed in the first place. It was incredible.

I was still plenty cross with her for leaving me, especially in the manner that she did, but I was still so happy to hear she was okay. I'd been a wreck the previous month too, aching to be with her, wherever she was, hoping she was okay and that she'd be around to greet the sun with me come morning. No matter where she was, we were under the same sun and governed by the same moon — a moon that had, apparently, somehow, miraculously, lost a bit of its power.

I was plenty cross with everyone else, too, for keeping so many secrets from me. Everyone else had known Harry was leaving and taking Lucy, Ron, and Hermione with him and they hadn't said a word. Merlin only knew what other secrets were being hidden from me.

That was okay, though, I'd decided. I'd decided I would make myself useful despite everyone's best attempts to keep me further away from the action than I felt I deserved to be.

On the train, I'd immediately hunted down Neville and Luna and asked if they wanted to be vigilantes with me, as the only three people on the train that year who had gone to the Department of Mysteries. They'd agreed readily, and I wasted no time in saying that I wanted to steal the sword of Gryffindor. As soon as I'd explained why, they were on board, and we set to work devising a plan.

Dumbledore had tried to give the sword to Harry, so it must have been important. I doubted the famous Quintessential Quirky Quartet would show up at school of all places, so I had taken it upon myself to steal the sword from Snape. It was an ambitious plan, I knew, but I was determined to do something of help.

I'd been cast to the side. I'd been left out of all of the important conversations, the important missions. I was going to prove to everyone just how useful I was.

🩵💛❤️💜🩷

I dropped off to sleep in time, and the next morning, I got to Transfiguration so early Professor McGonagall was the only one in the room.

"Good morning, Miss Weasley," she said.

"She's okay," I replied, hoping Professor McGonagall would understand who "she" was.

"I won't ask how you know, but I'm happy to hear that." She returned her attention to the papers on her desk. "You look as if you have something on your mind."

"I need to talk to Luna," I said. "Is there any way you could arrange for the two of us to speak privately? You can be there as well, I think it'd be for the best if you were."

Professor McGonagall nodded. "Of course."

"Thank you."

I found my seat, and busied myself with digging through the contents of my bag, which was much fuller than usual that year, despite the fact that I was taking fewer classes since it was my first N.E.W.T. year. My invisibility cloak lived at the bottom of my bag, shielded by one of Cedric's jumpers. Lucy had smuggled a few into my trunk over summer with a note attached that I couldn't bring myself to read. I carried one of the jumpers with me at all times, just in case I stumbled across someone who needed it. Fortunately, no one had needed it yet, but it was ready in case someone did.

I kept a great deal of WWW products in my bag too, wrapped inside the invisibility cloak and the jumper. Just in case I found myself in a situation that needed a little mischief. I hadn't used any yet, in the interest of waiting for the right moment to cause a little mayhem and wreak a little havoc, but I was ready just the same, armed with everything I'd managed to find around the house in the weeks after the departure of the Quintessential Quirky Quartet.

My Transfiguration textbook was buried, but I did find it in time, and I pretended to read it while the rest of the class filed in. My attempts to make eye contact with Luna failed the same way they always did, and Demelza soon assumed her typical seat next to me, and the two of us bemoaned the loss of Quidditch once again in low voices until class started. Class itself seemed to last an eternity, but finally it was over, and Professor McGonagall asked if Luna and I would stick around for a minute after class.

As soon as the last person left the room, I cast a silencing spell on the door and turned to Luna.

"I need to know what you said to Lucy about lycanthropy," I said, "because whatever it was worked and she wants people to tell the other werewolves we know about it."

Luna smiled. "I'm so glad Lucy was finally brave enough to try it. I knew it would be scary for her, but I knew it would work once she was ready to accept the possibility. I told her over a year ago, you know."

"Told her what?" I burst out desperately.

"If you say a werewolf's name from a place of love, pure love, it transforms back."

I blinked. "What?"

Luna nodded. "I mentioned it to Harry at the wedding. He must have been the one to do it. I'm so pleased to hear it worked!"

I glanced at Professor McGonagall, who looked as lost as I was.

"Run that by me again, Luna?" I asked.

Luna reached into her bag and pulled out a copy of The Quibbler. She set it on Professor McGonagall's desk and flipped through the pages until she found the article she needed.

"Daddy interviewed a werewolf who confirmed the truth of the rumor," she said. "See for yourselves."

I joined Professor McGonagall on the other side of her desk and read the article in its entirety. It was unbelievable, and unfathomable, and surely impossible, and yet...

"I wouldn't believe it, if Fred hadn't shown up at ten o'clock last night to tell me to talk to Luna about whatever she said about werewolves," I whispered. "Could it really be as simple as that? Just saying a werewolf's name from a place of love, and then the werewolf just... becomes human again, before sunrise?"

Professor McGonagall released a long exhale. "I... don't know. It somehow must be that simple. I know this is a topic that would never be the subject of jokes in your circle of friends. I just find it so hard to believe that after all these years, the solution was so..."

"Simplicity is the key to peace," Luna said, her voice dreamy and serene as ever. "There is a time and a place for complexity, because no peace is perfect nor permanent, but I've found that times of distress are made easier by letting go of what worries we can and allowing simplicity to prevail. There's no denying that love is complex, but it can be simple too, if we are willing to give it the space it needs and deserves."

"If I'm being honest, Luna, nothing you just said made a bit of sense to me, but, well, if you're certain you're right about this, I'll have to take your word for it," I replied.

She nodded. "I am certain. If your brother wanted to know what I said to Lucy and Harry, that is what I said."

"In that case, I will tell Remus," Professor McGonagall said slowly. "Perhaps he will benefit as well. He's just been married, after all."

With that, we went our separate ways, Luna to Arithmancy and me to my dormitory since I had a free period. I immediately wrote a letter to Fred and George, a very normal letter, talking about my studies, saying I hoped Ron was feeling better, asking if they had any news about Quidditch World Cup standings. Once that part of the letter was complete, I enlarged the parchment to the size of a rug and wrote in Morse code about everything Luna had said to me, just below my signature, so small it would be practically invisible to the naked eye once the parchment was returned to its proper size. Even if someone did see it, they would think of it as a stray quill mark, nothing more, but the twins would know what it really was, since we'd agreed upon that particular method of sending secret messages back and forth as needed.

I hurried to the Owlery with my news and watched the owl carry it away, far from that accursed school. I envied the owl its freedom. I missed flying. I missed Quidditch. I missed Lucy.

I wondered if I'd ever miss Lucy less.

I saw her everywhere, it was torture. I'd never known Hogwarts without her. I'd never known Hogwarts without Ron or Harry or Hermione either, but Lucy was different. We'd done so much together. She'd been my first and truest friend, and I missed her so much I wondered how I'd ever learn to bear it.

To make matters even worse for myself, I'd wanted to be just like Lucy growing up. It started small. Even before I'd truly gotten to know Lucy, I thought fondly of the sweet but shy neighbor girl that I got to see once or twice a year, and I begged Mum to braid my hair like hers. When she started being properly assimilated into my family just before I started school, I was intrigued by just how close she was with Harry, and I started trying to mimic her in the hopes that Harry would be interested in me the same way he was interested in her. As time passed, I realized how silly that was, and I turned my sights elsewhere, but I never truly lost the desire to be more like Lucy, because she was Lucy, and she was good, and she was loved, and she was smart, and she was brave, and I admired her. I'd taken Care of Magical Creatures and Ancient Runes because those were the subjects Lucy was taking. I'd jumped at the chance to play Beater with her because for all of my time spent chasing the idea of being like Lucy, I thought maybe we'd both benefit from meeting in the middle and becoming a little more like each other, forging a new path together. Not that it mattered in the end, because she was effectively a world away, and there was no Quidditch anymore, and I was alone. I'd spent so much time floating in Lucy's wake like a ghost that I didn't even realize that I was the one who would be haunted until it was too late.

The absence of Lucy plagued me. I missed her even in places she'd never been. I'd never shared a class with her, since we were a year apart, but that didn't stop me from thinking of her in every class. Whenever I struggled in Ancient Runes or Herbology, I was cruelly reminded of the fact that I couldn't just go ask her for help. She disappeared just months after I'd finally been brave enough to ask her for help preparing for my Herbology O.W.L. None of the professors dared mention any of the missing students, not Harry, not Lucy, not Colin, but I could tell that they all felt their absence. Professor Slughorn hadn't called a Slug Club meeting yet, and I wasn't sure if he would do so until Harry was back. Part of me wondered if the lack of Quidditch was Professor McGonagall's idea, since she was missing both of her beloved co-captains and she couldn't imagine the Gryffindor Quidditch team without them. I wouldn't have blamed her, if that was the truth. I couldn't bring myself to care much about Quidditch without Harry and Lucy and Ron around, either. And then there was Care of Magical Creatures. I was taking it with Luna and Demelza, and Hagrid said at least once each class how much he had hoped Lucy would enjoy that particular lesson when he'd originally planned the curriculum.

There was nothing left of Tuck or Fang, but in the place where his hut had once been, Hagrid had put up two little headstones, one for each dog who had died in the fire. His new hut was nearby, and it was nice enough, but it felt rather empty without the dogs.

As I continued watching the owl fly away, I envied its freedom.

Part of me envied Lucy's freedom, too. She was off Merlin-knew-where doing Merlin-knew-what with no one to worry —

I stopped myself before I could even fully form the thought. Lucy's freedom was due largely, if not entirely, to tragedy.

I was nearly overcome with guilt then, thinking about how silly it was for me to be so upset about being haunted by Lucy when I knew what haunted Lucy was so much worse. Cedric was gone, never to come back. He'd left without warning too, but he was never coming back. Same with her parents. Lucy was free, sure, she didn't have any real family left to worry or worry about, but only because the worst had already come to pass.

Lucy would come back to me. I had to believe that. We'd walk the halls of the school together again one day. She'd be sorry. I knew she'd be sorry. I knew, deep down, that she had left me without warning because of just how sorry she was to be leaving me in the first place.

She wasn't sorry enough, apparently, but... in that moment, I struggled to identify how exactly I felt about anything at all.

Lucy was safe. Ron and Hermione and Harry were safe too, presumably, I was sure she would have told the twins if they weren't. The twins were both safe, along with the rest of my family, as far as I knew. I was worried about Dean, of course, and Henry and Archie, and everyone else that I didn't see every day. Hell, I was plenty worried about the people I did see every day. Something was different about Neville, something I couldn't quite figure out, and for all of Luna's talk about simplicity and peace and whatnot, even she looked increasingly worried with each passing day.

I envied the freedom of the owl and of Lucy and and of my family and of everyone else who wasn't chained to the school that had become more like a prison, but, well, just because I was trapped didn't have to mean I was useless too.

I made my way back to the castle with my head held high. I was going to get the sword of Gryffindor, all by myself if need be, and I was going to prove to myself and everyone else just how wrong they all were for underestimating me.

🩵💛❤️💜🩷

"We should do it tomorrow," I said in a low voice to Neville and Luna in a low voice on Sunday afternoon as we all shared a little picnic together out on the grounds, taking advantage of what might have been the last pleasant sunny day of the calendar year.

Neville blinked, looking a bit like his old anxious self. "Tomorrow? When? How?"

"Early, when it's still dark out, before class."

"Do you really think we're ready?" Neville asked.

I nodded. "I think we've been overthinking it. Luna said something about simplicity the other day that really got to me. I mean, we know how to get in, and we have my invisibility cloak, all three of us can fit under there with the sword. All we have to do is get into the office without getting caught, find the sword, which shouldn't be too hard since it supposedly presents itself to any worthy Gryffindor, of which we have two, and stash it in the Room of Requirement until we figure out what to do next. If everything goes according to plan, it should take less than an hour altogether."

"I think simplicity is a good idea," Luna said. "It sounds like Harry had a very complicated plan for breaking into the Ministry, and they only barely escaped with their lives. Perhaps we could benefit from doing the opposite."

That comment was the last piece of motivation I needed. If I could pull off an operation better than the famous Quintessential Quirky Quartet... and if that operation was stealing the sword of Gryffindor, which surely they must need if Dumbledore tried to give it to Harry in his will... maybe we could meet up and I'd be allowed to join whatever quest they were on...

"I can't argue with that," Neville said with a shrug, his anxiety replaced by the unsettling mask of brave indifference that he'd been wearing for much of the school year so far. "I don't have much desire to complicate this more than strictly necessary."

"We know how to get in, we know how to get out, and we have an invisibility cloak. What more could we need?" I responded.

Luna nodded. "It was certainly kind of Snape to bring you into his office on the first day of school, Ginny."

"Kind?" I repeated blankly.

Luna nodded again. "Yes. In doing so, he showed you how to get into his office and past the protective enchantments. Surely he could have interrogated you somewhere else, and we would struggle far more with breaking into his office to steal the sword."

"You have a fascinating idea of kindness, Luna," Neville said, popping a grape into his mouth.

"Yeah, I'd be more inclined to say he's unkind for all of that, because he clearly thinks I'm too stupid to do anything with the information he so confusingly offered me by bringing me to his office. He was certainly plenty unkind during the interrogation too."

I fell silent then, remembering all too well his cutting remarks about why he shouldn't have wasted his time with me since I clearly wasn't as close with the quartet as we both thought, and how pleased he looked by my lack of information. I expected him to look disappointed, honestly, by how fruitless the questioning was, but I supposed he was still Snape, which meant that he relished the opportunity to tear down a Gryffindor's pride.

"Reckon we should learn a couple of extra unlocking spells, just in case there are additional protections around the sword?" Neville asked.

"That seems wise," Luna said with a nod. "I wonder if they had to enchant it somehow to stop it from just presenting itself to Harry like it did in the Chamber of Secrets. He didn't summon it consciously then, did he?"

I shrugged. "Not as far as I know. Don't worry, I'm related to Fred and George, I know all kinds of spells to get into places I shouldn't. I'll teach you."

We spent the rest of the afternoon and much of the evening practicing a number of spells that would grant us access to the sword even if it was trapped behind all kinds of enchantments. I agreed to meet Neville in the common room at three in the morning, and Luna said she would be ready to meet us outside the Ravenclaw common room shortly after three so we could all walk down to Snape's office together under the invisibility cloak.

I tried to sleep, really I did, but I was simply too anxious. I knew I ought not to be worried, for the sake of not overcomplicating the matter if nothing else, but I couldn't help it. It was tempting, for a while, to call it all off, to admit that I wasn't ready, to just be sixteen and pretend I was carefree.

Harry had never gotten that choice, though. Neither had Lucy. They'd always been destined to grow up too fast, to take on burdens that were too heavy. It was why they were so good for each other. They carried the weight of the world together, which, while still terrible, was preferable to either one carrying the weight of the world alone. I thought of Ron and Hermione too, and of the way that even when they did have a choice, they still chose to follow Harry and Lucy.

I'd spent so much time wishing so fervently that I'd gotten the chance to make that choice too. I would have followed Lucy and Harry too, if I could have. But the decision had been made for me, without my knowledge, so I had to do what I could to help in my own small ways, anxieties and insecurities be damned.

When three o'clock approached, I slipped from my bed and got dressed, then made my way down to the common room, where Neville was waiting, a pensive look on his face and a familiar slump to his shoulders. He straightened up as he looked at me, though, and offered me a brave smile.

"Let's go make Gryffindor proud," he said.

I smiled back at him, brave as I could. "Sounds good to me."

With that, I tossed the invisibility cloak over the two of us, and we hurried in the direction of Ravenclaw Tower. Luna was lurking in the shadows as we approached, playing with the charm on her necklace.

"It's for good luck," she explained in a whisper.

"Let's hope we don't need it," I muttered, tossing the invisibility cloak over her as well.

We got down to the headmaster's office easily enough, only to discover that Snape did a whole bunch of protective enchantments to keep the office secure overnight that he did not employ during the day.

I fought valiantly not to panic, and worked with Neville and Luna to bypass the enchantments one by one.

"Should we put the enchantments back up on the way out?" Neville whispered once we finally crossed the threshold and set foot inside the main chamber.

"We can try," I replied. "Chances are Snape will know someone broke in one way or another, whenever he notices the sword's missing, but we might as well try to buy ourselves as much time to get rid of the sword as possible."

"Let's find it, then," Luna said, slipping out from under the cloak and heading off to the left.

Neville broke off and headed to the right, and I marched straight forward.

"I don't suppose 'accio sword' will do anything?" I asked, lifting my wand anyway.

Surely enough, nothing happened, but it was worth a shot.

What would Lucy do? I thought to myself.

I thought about it for a second, then when I decided Lucy would likely try to tap into her emotional magic, I turned to glance at Luna, who I thought was the most likely of the three of us to possess emotional magic akin to Lucy's. She was studying a skull on one of the bookshelves, looking contemplative. I was tempted to just dismiss that as Luna being Luna and get frustrated and ignore her, but in the interest of being open-minded, I called out to her.

"Do you think the skull is related to the sword, Luna?" I asked, hoping I sounded curious and not accusatory.

"No, but that's just it, isn't it?" she replied. "Nothing in here suggests that the sword of Gryffindor is here, so I suppose we must begin in the least likely spots."

I looked around the room and realized with a sinking feeling just how right she was. I didn't expect Snape, being a Slytherin, to be displaying the sword of Gryffindor, necessarily, but I had forgotten just how uniformly dreary his office was, lined with rows upon rows of dark leather books and not much else.

"You know..." Neville said. "I doubt Snape expected us to be here looking for the sword. If anything, he'd expect Lucy and Harry and Hermione and Ron to be looking for it, so maybe he hid it in a way that doesn't involve their magical strengths."

"Lucy's and Hermione's magical strengths, you mean," I corrected with a snort. "If he thought only Harry and Ron were coming after the sword, he would have left it in plain sight. You're right, though. He must have hidden it with spells Hermione wouldn't know and Lucy couldn't force her way past. So... we must be fucked," I finished, sighing.

"We will be with that attitude," Neville retorted.

"He must have hidden it with delicate magic," Luna said. "Lucy and Hermione are not known for being delicate. It must be a sensitive spell that requires a gentle touch. My mum worked with those." She walked along the bookshelf, waving her hand through the air with her eyes closed. "I think I..."

Luna stopped walking and, out of thin air, a red glowing cord appeared, stretching from Luna's fingers to a place behind the headmaster's desk.

"Wicked," Neville breathed. "How'd you do that?"

Luna merely hummed in response, and I tentatively followed the cord across the room. It led to the floor, and cut off wedged between two floorboards. I crouched down and traced my fingers along the edges of both, whispering any spells I thought would be able to help get me inside.

"It's under here, I can tell," I mumbled as Neville and Luna joined me on either side.

"Do you feel it?" Neville asked.

I shook my head. "No, I just... I can just tell. I don't feel it like an emotion, I can just tell the sword of Gryffindor is under there the same way I can just tell I have two arms and two legs."

"Not for much longer!" a menacing voice called from across the room.

Without thinking twice, I yanked the invisibility cloak over the three of us.

Two sets of heavy footsteps made their way across the room as we frantically shuffled under the desk, silencing spells making our journey far quieter than it would have been otherwise.

"Aw, how cute, they're trying to hide!" Alecto Carrow said gleefully as she found the place where the glowing red cord disappeared into the floorboards.

Amycus, her twin brother, chuckled. "But how?"

"They must have an invisibility cloak, unless they somehow managed to disapparate! Ha, as if!" Alecto laughed at her own joke, brandishing her wand at the room at large. "Accio invisibility cloak!"

All three of us tried to hold onto it, but it shot directly into her hands.

I jumped to my feet in an instant. "Stupefy!"

She deflected my spell with ease and attempted to Stun me right back, but I blocked her and fired three more spells at her in rapid succession, while I listened to Luna and Neville behind me trying to take on Amycus. Alecto got off a Disarming Charm too fast for me to block, and my wand sailed away from me. I lunged for it, but she hit me in the back with a spell that sent me smashing head-first against a bookshelf.

"ENOUGH!" a new voice roared, and I disentangled myself from the bookshelf just as Snape strode into the room, looking livid. "What is the meaning of this?"

Alecto grabbed me by the hair and jabbed her wand into my neck. "This one was going after the sword of Gryffindor with her little friends!"

I craned my neck to see that Neville and Luna were both trapped in headlocks by Amycus, their wands rolling uselessly away. There was a reason he taught DADA and his sister taught Muggle Studies, I supposed. Alecto jerked my head back and made me face Snape, who seemed bemused.

"Lovegood is no Gryffindor, and neither is Longbottom, despite what his school robes want you to believe," Snape said coolly. "Weasley, on the other hand, clearly possesses a full gifting of the worst traits Gryffindor has to offer. Pride, recklessness, a foolhardy willingness to gamble the well-being of her family and friends in order to fulfill a self-righteous mission — "

"Shut up!" Neville interrupted, earning him a tightening of the arm around his neck so swift that he choked.

I glared at Snape as he approached me, wishing I could somehow shoot fire from my eyes and burn him alive while we all watched. He seemed infuriatingly cool as he stopped in front of me, appraising me with his soulless eyes.

"It's like we've been telling you, Headmaster," Alecto sneered. "You've been too soft with these kids. They need true discipline. Like this. Crucio!"

Pain like I had never known coursed through my body, igniting my very bones on fire. When it stopped, I was flat on my back on the floor, my throat raw. I hadn't even noticed I was screaming.

"I reckon she would have told you everything you needed to know about Potter if you'd just done a little bit of that," Amycus said with a laugh from somewhere in the distance.

"No," I said defiantly, though my defiance was a bit muted by the rasp of my voice. "I wouldn't have."

I tried to push myself to at least a sitting position, but my struggle earned me a sharp kick in the side that knocked me back to the ground.

"She's just another ridiculously prideful Gryffindor who doesn't know when to stop," Snape said, nonchalance radiating off of him. "Besides, I learned everything I need to know from her whether she told me explicitly or not, and the fact that she showed up here tonight looking for the sword of Gryffindor only confirms my suspicions that she knows nothing about Potter's mission to defeat the Dark Lord. She knows nothing about anything, because no one thought she was important enough to be worth telling." Snape crouched in front of me, and his wave of Legilimency was too fast and aggressive for me to even think about trying to resist. He was in my mind for only a second, and when he left, he left me feeling hollow and confused. "She was only here trying to get the sword because Dumbledore left it to Potter in his will, which is something we already know due to our Ministry connections. They have no other information and have done no damage. Let us just give them a detention each for their foolishness and be done with it."

"An example must be made, Snape," Amycus said.

"The sword is more important than you realize," Snape replied sharply, getting to his feet. "We should keep this quiet to discourage anyone else from attempting the same feat."

Alecto frowned. "You're actually worried that one of these little brats will actually get past your defenses?"

"It would serve you well not to underestimate the little brats. Or have you forgotten that four of said little brats got through the Philosopher's Stone defenses as first-years? No, Carrows, you're new to this school. You have no idea how crafty these insolent pubescent terrors can be. These three tonight would have escaped with the sword if you had been but two minutes slower."

"What took you so long to get here, Snape?" Alecto challenged. "Your quarters are far closer than ours."

"Peeves," Snape replied simply.

Both Carrows sucked in sympathetic breaths while I stifled a laugh. Peeves had been a proper menace since the start of the school year, even more so than usual.

"If it's true what you say, all the more reason to make a proper example of these three," Amycus said. "If I didn't know better, I'd suggest you had a soft spot for these blood traitors."

Snape huffed. "Hardly. But when your corporal punishment only results in more unruly students, don't come whining to me. Now if you'll excuse me, Peeves was heading in the direction of the kitchen, so if you want the house elves to make breakfast tomorrow, it's in everyone's best interest that I go handle that situation now. Do what you wish, but kindly refrain from using fatal amounts of force. I'd rather not have to worry about how to manage the news of their deaths."

With that, Snape swept from the room as suddenly as he had appeared, and despair began to sink in.

"Let them go," I choked out, pushing myself to a standing position on shaking legs. "It was my idea."

"No, it wasn't, it was mine," Neville said quickly.

"I was the one who led us to the sword," Luna piped up. "Let Ginny and Neville go — "

"NO!" I interrupted. I lunged for my wand and managed to hit Amycus between the eyes with a jet of hot water.

Luna and Neville wrenched free.

"RUN!" I shouted, but they merely grabbed their wands again and tried to continue fighting.

We were overpowered even more easily the second time, and before I knew it, I was flying through the air, clinging tightly to my wand, but the world went black before I could fire off a spell to cushion my fall.

When I opened my eyes again, I didn't know where I was for several long seconds. I became aware of one sensation at time.

It was dark, but there was candlelight. Floating candlelight. I was in the Great Hall.

No. I wasn't at a table. Not the Great Hall.

Something around my wrists. I was sitting.

Yes. The Great Hall. I was at the front of the Great Hall, tied to a chair.

Blood in my mouth. I couldn't breathe through my nose.

A sea of students was staring back at me. My eyes were too unfocused to make out any faces.

I swiveled my head. Neville and Luna were on either side of me, tied to chairs as well, their faces bruised and scratched and pale.

"THIS IS WHAT BECOMES OF THOSE OF YOU WHO DEFY US!" Alecto shrieked.

"These students were caught attempting to break into the Headmaster's office," Amycus boomed. "As you can see, they failed. Learn from their failure. Do not defy us. Ginny Weasley claims this was all her idea. Do not try to play hero either. Learn from her failure."

As I was struck by the Cruciatus Curse for a second time, the painful fire burned right alongside the humiliation of shame. Who did I think I was, trying to steal the sword of Gryffindor? Who did I think I was, trying to help fight in a war that had started long before I was born? Who did I think I was, compared to everyone else in my family, a big long line of Gryffindors who were actual heroes, not just silly little girls trying to play the part?

When the curse was lifted an eternity later, I sagged uselessly forward, fighting to breathe, dragging dry air into my prickly throat. My chair was knocked roughly over, and I closed my eyes and waited for the residual pain to pass.

I was shaken back to reality just a couple seconds later when I felt fingers scrabbling at the ropes around my wrists.

"It's okay, Ginny, it's going to be okay," Luna said softly.

"We're going to get you out of here," Neville murmured.

"Bloody hell, mate, she looks awful," Seamus muttered from somewhere behind me. "You all do. What did they do to you?"

"Bring her up to our dormitory. Let's go get Lucy's bed ready, Parvati," Lavender said.

"I'll go with you," an unfamiliar voice said.

"I'll meet you there," another voice I didn't recognize added, "I have healing books."

I felt a gentle hand on my face. "Ginny? Ginny, open your eyes, please, please, open your eyes."

I forced my eyes open to meet Demelza's.

"Hey, there you are," she said, voice shaking. "They've almost got you free, I'll help you get back up to Gryffindor Tower. The Carrows are gone now, it's alright."

"What the fuck just happened?" a new voice said as Cam appeared behind Demelza. "Why on earth would you try to break into Snape's office?"

"It's a long story," Neville replied. "Whoever helps us get Ginny up to Gryffindor Tower gets to hear about it."

Neville's hand gripped mine, and I let him pull me to my feet. Demelza swooped forward and propped herself up under my right shoulder, and Neville supported my other side. I managed to stagger all the way to Gryffindor Tower with their help, and Luna and Cam followed us there without any hesitation.

"I'll wait out here for Hannah," Neville said once we reached the Fat Lady. "Someone else can get her the rest of the way."

"I've got you, Ginny," Luna whispered, replacing Neville on my left.

"Thanks," I croaked in a voice that was barely audible.

I got up to Lavender and Parvati's dorm easily enough, and I collapsed onto Lucy's bed without thinking twice about it.

"Wait, Luna," I rasped. "In my trunk — Lucy's jumpers — Cedric's — one for each of us — "

"I understand," she said, jogging away.

"What was that about?" Demelza asked, crouching in front of me, pushing my hair out of my face.

Lavender crouched on my other side. "They have healing magic, right, Ginny?"

I nodded.

"Lucy mentioned it after Ron was poisoned," Parvati explained. "How can we help, Ginny? What do you need?"

"Just hurts," I managed.

For the first time, tears pricked the backs of my eyes, more from embarrassment than anything else. I closed my eyes before anyone could see, and I leaned into Demelza's touch with a soft, defeated groan.

I had failed. Spectacularly. I wasn't as good as I thought I was. Everyone was right for not trusting me. I'd failed, and I'd gotten Neville and Luna hurt in the process. I'd gotten the most hurt, and I was glad for that, but I was still so upset with myself for how everything had gone down I couldn't bear it. My face burned with shame. Everything burned.

Luna returned soon, and I soon had a familiar jumper in my arms. I curled around it, feeling the sweet relief of Cedric's healing magic begin to trickle into my body. Luna explained in a whisper to Demelza, Lavender, Parvati, Seamus, and Cam what had happened in Snape's office, and she was just wrapping up the story when Neville returned with Hannah, who was holding a rather large book about healing.

"I was just so worried about this year," she said, "I had to bring it, but I didn't think I'd have to use it so soon..."

"I'm sorry," I choked out, a rogue tear leaking out of the corner of my eye.

"Don't you dare apologize." Neville reached forward and squeezed my shoulder. "We did something right tonight, I just know it. They're scared of us, scared of our defiance, which means we just have to keep being defiant."

"It hurts," I said. "Defiance hurts, just so you all know, but... I... I think it's worth it. I hope it's worth it. We can't..."

"We can't let the Carrows get away with this," Seamus finished for me. "They beat up on all three of you, Ginny worst of all, just for something that would have just earned you a silly detention last year. If Dean knew about this... or Lucy, or Harry, or any of Ginny's brothers..."

"We have to look out for each other," Parvati piped up. "I don't know if anyone else is looking out for us."

"None of the professors did anything to help," Lavender remarked, her voice tight.

"I doubt they can do anything to help," Cam said with a sigh. "Snape's always been a lost cause, but think about it. If one of the professors defies Snape or the Carrows, they could get fired, or worse, sent to Azkaban or something like that, and another fucking Death Eater would take their place. Parvati's right, it's up to us."

"Well, I've got this." Hannah held up her healing book. "And Ginny's got Cedric's jumpers."

"We've got two empty beds," Lavender said, "if anyone needs a safe place to sleep."

Seamus sighed. "We've got three empty beds, if you run out of room in here."

"I've got good luck charms." Luna studied the one on her necklace sadly. "At least... I thought they were good luck."

"I'm sure they're lucky when they're not paired with my abysmally horrible ideas," I said, the sight of Luna's crestfallen and injured face too much for me to bear.

Neville shook his head. "Don't beat yourself up, Ginny, you've taken too much of a beating as it is."

"Let me see what I can do about healing you all up. Is anyone else here good at healing spells?" Hannah inquired.

"I am when I haven't just been tortured," I said weakly. "I'll help next time."

Bit by bit, Hannah patched us up. Bit by bit, Cedric's healing magic helped. Bit by bit, I felt a little less alone. Bit by bit, the wound of Lucy's absence started to heal. Bit by bit, the wounds of everyone else's absences started to heal, too.

I didn't have Lucy, or any of my brothers, or Harry or Hermione or anyone else in my family, but I did have Neville and Luna, who were willing to follow me into something crazy and didn't resent me for the fact that it went horribly wrong. As conversation swirled around me, I learned that I had Seamus in my corner too, and Lavender and Parvati, and Hannah, and Cam, and Padma, all of whom made us promise to include them in whatever our next planned act of defiance was. In the wee hours of the morning, we delicately stoked the fires that forged the bonds of our new friend group. It was missing certain pieces, yes, but it had gained others, and in the heat of fire, even the most unwieldy metal could learn to give way and contribute to something beautiful and strong.

And yet, no one was really missing. We all carried with us the love of people we'd lost, whether they'd been lost temporarily or forever or in the uncertain space in between.

It was going to be okay. I hoped, and I hoped, and I hoped, and I hoped, and I hoped.