In the Melancholy Moonlight, Part 5: Dark Matter

Chapter 211: Knightly Gryffindor Qualities

GINNY:

It was going so well until Lucy slipped in the mud.

It wasn't even raining as hard as it had been in September, but she tried to take a muddy corner too fast and lost control, flipping head over paws before crashing into a tree.

Panic surged through me as I raced toward her. Had she broken a bone? Cut herself? Hit her head? Worse? She was lying on the forest floor, blinking, clearly dazed. I looked up at the sky, trying to determine what time it was, but with the cloud cover, I couldn't be sure. It was dark. And cold. And raining. And Lucy was hurt. And I didn't know what to do. Did I need to get Hagrid? Would we be able to find our way back to Lucy, if I did get Hagrid? Would Lucy be okay if I left her alone, if I did get Hagrid? And assuming I went to get Hagrid and we did find Lucy again and she didn't die in the meantime and she transformed back without dying and we were able to get her to the Hospital Wing without dying, what then? Would we be able to come up with yet another story to explain her injuries? Would we be able to keep protecting her secret? What if —

A grunt from below me got my attention, and I looked down just as Lucy got to her feet. She shook herself out like a dog, sending mud flying everywhere, then stumbled. I shot a hoof out to try to help steady her, but she righted herself without my help and gingerly walked forward. I trotted in a circle around her, trying to see the extent of her injuries, but the mud and the darkness made it impossible to determine just how hurt she was. She was limping a bit, but she was walking, so nothing appeared to be broken, but she was undoubtedly bruised and scratched beneath the mud and the fur, and if she had managed to scrape herself somehow, she would need powdered silver and dittany as soon as possible, and I didn't know what time it was, I didn't know how long we had to wait for sunrise, and I didn't know how to communicate with Lucy when she was like that, because I obviously couldn't transform back into a human until she was human again and I wasn't sure if she understood English anyway on full moons, not like I'd get the chance to speak even if she did.

So I couldn't communicate, so she just kept limping around, so I just kept following her until the moon was over.

The end of the moon was never quite the relief I expected it to be. For one, it was always so sudden. The howls of pain always caught me by surprise. And the way they morphed into screams was something I would never be able to just... accept. I hated it, I hated everything about it. Lucy deserved better. So much better.

The end of the moon did come. Howls, then screams.

I transformed back instantly and sprinted to her, sliding on my knees in the mud until I reached her.

"Where are you hurt?" I asked. "Did you cut yourself when you fell? How bad is it? Do I need to go get Hagrid? Do — "

"Ginny, it's okay," Lucy panted, eyes still closed as she reached a hand out and fumbled to find me.

I grabbed her hand in both of mine and held on tight. "I'm here, I'm here, what do you need?"

"It's okay," she said again. "Just scratched my leg a bit. Doesn't feel that bad." Lucy opened her eyes. "Help me up?"

"Of course." I set Lucy's hand down gently and looked down at her legs. I could see a red patch blossoming just above her right knee. "We'd get there faster if I transformed. C'mon."

In a tangled mess of muddy limbs, I managed to get Lucy on horseback, despite her protests that she was okay and she could walk. I hurried to the edge of the forest as fast as I dared and transformed back.

"Alright, I'll be your human crutch," I said.

Lucy shook her head. "It's alright, Ginny, I promise." And she trudged off through the rain, limping, before I could even protest.