the gentle moon / george weasley

it wasn't my secret to tell

Despite the very heavy load of homework that the sixth years had been given for the holidays, August was in no mood to work when the term ended and spent the week leading up to Christmas enjoying herself as fully as possible along with everyone else. She didn't even care to try and figure out the egg yet, she wanted to wait until after the full moon and the dance.

Harry found August one morning standing in the middle of the corridor, staring at the snow falling in the courtyard at the end of it.

"Deep in thought?" Harry said, causing her to jump, "How are you feeling?"

"Tired." August sighed, "Even with wolfsbane, these full moons never get easier... They still take so much out of me,"

Harry looked around the hall, to make sure no one heard her talk about the full moon.

"If only people know how painful these nights are, they probably would think differently about werewolves." She said, causing Harry's eyes to go wide at her saying that word out in the public. "Rita has no right to write about Remus."

"He doesn't care, Moon." Harry reminded her, "You saw what he wrote in the last letter."

"I know, but I just don't like when people write stories about my family without knowing everything."

"I mean, that's what she does though... Rita twists stories."

"Do think Greyback saw it?"

"What?" Harry's head snapped toward her.

August sniffed the air, "I think they made french toast this morning." August told Harry, "My senses are always so high on full moon days..."

"Why did you mention Greyback? You never talk about him..."

"I just wonder if he saw my photo in the Daily Prophet..." She looked at him with a smile, "Saw that his victim was a champion. I wonder how it felt about it."

"Why do you care all of a sudden?" Harry asked.

"I don't." August shrugged, "I just thought about it. Anyways, let's grab some breakfast before I head to see Madam Pomfrey."

"Right..." Harry watched her walk back towards the Great Hall, "Okay."

Harry looked around the corridor, relieved that they were the only ones in it, and followed her. He watched her maybe eat half of her toast, and barely drank her coffee before McGonagall sent her away to the hospital wing. The twins were fighting about what to write in the letter they were working on, and Ron and Hermione were fighting about something Harry could care less about. His thoughts were wrapped around that open conversation with August. How she said so much, but by the way she spoke was so empty. She said things, that she has never cared about. She never speaks about Greyback, he's only ever heard her mention him once and it was with Remus and Sirius. His eyes were glued on the empty doorway of the Great Hall.

Harry...

"Earth to Potter?" George was leaning over the table, waving his hand in front of his face.

"August is acting weird." Harry turned to the group, "Like really weird."

"It's Moon, she's always acting weird," Ron said.

"No, like she talked about the full moon in the middle of the corridor out there," Harry whispered.

"Did anyone hear her?" George asked

"No, no one was in the hallway," Harry said

"Well, then she felt comfortable too. She knew no one was out there to hear her." Fred pointed out, "It's the morning of one of her nights, she is usually out of it. She might not have even noticed where she was."