In the Melancholy Moonlight

Chapter CIV: Only Lines

LUCY:

I slipped off to take a quick shower to wash the salt from my face and the blood from my hand. Thankfully, no one had noticed it or remembered it. I tried to heal it with a handful of whispered spells, but nothing did anything to help.

Hermione was sitting in bed reading by the light of her wand when I returned.

"She really only gave you lines?" she whispered.

I nodded and repeated the lie Harry and I had agreed to tell. "Only lines. But it took me a while because, well-"

"Your shaking hands," she finished for me. "Is that getting better?"

"A little." I ran the fingers of my uninjured hand through my wet hair and climbed into bed, careful to hide my injured hand under the sheets. "I told Harry. I told him everything."

"Oh. Oh, that's good, I'm glad you did. What changed your mind?"

"When he followed me..." I closed my eyes and recalled the events of the night. Him calling my name as I sprinted away. Him following me in spite of me ignoring him and continuing to run away from him. Him saying he wouldn't leave. I opened my eyes again and rolled onto my back to stare at the ceiling. "I don't know. I've always known I could trust him. I just didn't want to add yet another worry to his shoulders, we all know he has enough. But he... he followed me, and he said he wasn't going anywhere, and I figured... well, I knew he meant it. And I realized I didn't want to spend another moment worrying about what he would do if he ever found out. I decided that I wanted to rip the Band-Aid off, so to speak, and prove to myself for once and for all he really meant it."

"Risking it, all or nothing," she summarized. "Very Gryffindor of you."

"So was shouting at a professor in my first class of the year," I replied lightly.

"That was a bit of a step up from standing up to Snape first year."

I snorted. "A bit."

Hermione closed her book, extinguished her wand, and slid under her covers. "While I'm still sorry the two of you got yourselves landed in detention on your first day back... I'm glad you told him."

"I am too. And I don't regret it one bit, so don't be sorry at all."

"Harry seemed to take it well?"

"Better than I would have ever dared to hope." I yawned. "I never doubted he wouldn't take it well, but it's just... so hard to trust people when the world as a whole is so biased against you. I trust Harry, wholeheartedly, but you just can't shake all of the 'What if?' questions."

"Well... I understand that, to an extent. And so does Harry."

"You're right." I yawned again. "Well, good night, Hermione."

"Good night, Lucy."

I rolled onto my side so my back was to her and relived the day in my mind.

I'd had nightmares all night, without Harry there. But waking up in the morning didn't bring any relief, because I had a lot to do. I hurried down with Tuck to Hagrid's hut and fed both dogs. When Angelina wasn't in the Great Hall yet, it was off to Madam Pomfrey, who realized I was worse off than anyone had realized. I found Angelina in the Great Hall the second time I checked and dragged her out into a deserted hallway to talk to her. She wasn't angry that I wasn't in a place where I could play — physically or emotionally — but she understood.

But that wasn't even the worst of it. No, no, then it was Umbridge. Then it was History of Magic. Then it was double Potions.

At least in Ancient Runes I was finally sitting next to Hermione and not Draco. But the sight of him still sent the storm within me into turmoil again. Facing a reminder of the caves every day of my life in the form of Draco Malfoy's smug face was going to be a problem, but I didn't have time to dwell on it because after that class ended, Harry and I managed a couple of bites of dinner before leaving for our detention. And then... everything else.

Merlin. What a day.

My eyes sank shut. I was exhausted.

But my mind conjured up one last thought.

Cedric would want to know.

So I pushed myself out of bed, grabbed a piece of parchment and a quill, and began writing by the light of the fire.