In the Melancholy Moonlight

Chapter CXXI: Worth the Fight

LUCY:

"Well, how are you, Lucy?"

The question was innocent enough. It was polite, it was sensible, it was expected. But it was a question with an answer nobody wanted to hear.

I shrugged. "I've been worried about Harry lately."

Professor Lupin was clearly caught off-guard by my answer, but I pretended not to notice and continued.

"He doesn't want me worrying about him. That much is obvious. But, well, I am. He had to see Cedric die. He had to see Voldemort return. And now, he's been slandered left and right, and I just know it's weighing on him. I can see it. I don't know why he feels like he has to try to keep it a secret. I'd help if he would let me." I sighed and glanced out the window. "I told him, by the way. I told him everything."

At this, Professor Lupin chuckled. "I was about to point out the irony there. I'm glad you told him, that's great."

I glanced at him sheepishly, pulling my legs to my chest and wrapping my arms around my knees. "I wasn't exactly planning on it, but, well, Umbridge kept harping on the Everlin bit, and he followed me when I ran away after getting upset, and, well, it just... all crashed down."

"And it went well, I'm guessing?"

"Better than I would have thought possible," I admitted in a soft voice. "It... was the first time I told someone who didn't already know. You being the exception, but..."

He grinned a bit. "Yes, well, dare I say I was already quite familiar with your predicament."

I nodded. "Exactly. Except for the Everlin part, of course."

"That I was not familiar with in the slightest." Professor Lupin looked at me curiously. I knew what he was thinking. I spared him the trouble of debating whether or not to ask.

"I haven't, er, contacted anyone yet," I said, glancing out the window again. The sky was overcast. I was a bit disappointed to see it; the blue sky often helped me remember that somewhere out in the world, there was a man who called me Sky Eyes. Assuming he... well, assuming he survived the attack.

"Would you like to?"

"Not yet." I blinked and tried to organize my thoughts. "I do think about my family, though. Quite a bit. Especially considering... everything, I suppose. It's just that, well, because of everything, I'm... not ready."

"That's alright." I glanced away from the window and at Professor Lupin. His expression was still searching. I wasn't quite sure what he hoped to find. "I may not be an expert in secret families, but I can imagine it all takes time to understand. And it is a rather delicate matter. It's alright to not be ready. I know you would want to do it right."

I nodded. "Exactly."

I glanced back out the window again, and lost myself in the rolling hills.

My arrival at Grimmauld Place was ushered in by the lovely screams of Walburga Black. On one hand, it was nice, because she was only alerted because of the way Tonks knocked something over in her rush to greet me. But on the other... that portrait could scream.

"Lucy! Hi!" I braced myself just in time for her enthusiastic hug. "Merlin, you've gotten even taller!"

"Really?" I asked as we pulled away. "I... hadn't realized."

Tonks patted the top of my head. "Bit by bit, child, bit by bit." She turned to Professor Lupin. "Mundungus just arrived two minutes before you, he said he could wait a bit before starting the meeting." She turned back to me. "You know your way around by now, yeah? You'll be in the same room as you were this summer. I'm your roommate this time, though."