In the Melancholy Moonlight

Chapter XXXVIII: Garden of Shadows

Come little children
I'll take thee away
Into a land of enchantment
Come little children
The time's come to play
Here in my garden of shadows

"Come Little Children"
Erutan

LUCY:

September's full moon was beautifully and blessedly simple. Sure, I still felt horrible before and after, but the peace of mind I felt knowing that I'd spend the night sound asleep and comfortable in the Room of Requirement was a tremendous weight off my shoulders. Cedric had volunteered for prefect patrol duty that night, and he timed his route so he'd be able to pick me up at dawn. I headed to the common room, having no need for a wideye potion, and Cedric noticed with a delighted laugh that I almost had a spring in my step.

Hermione was sprawled across a potions essay in the common room, snoring softly. I knew she was taking a lot of classes, too many, hence why I had gotten her a planner for her birthday. Surely enough, I could see a corner of the purple book poking out from underneath her parchment. I woke her up gently before heading up to get ready for the day.

Classes had settled into a predictable routine. Defense Against the Dark Arts would include a discussion about a new creature every week; I was still dreading the werewolf chapter, but I consoled myself with the fact that it was at the back of the book and that I still had six months or so before we'd reach it.

Hagrid seemed to have lost his enthusiasm after the Draco incident, so we spent our Care of Magical Creatures classes working with the incredibly dull flobberworms. I didn't mind that much, though, because every Saturday after early morning Quidditch practice, I would help Hagrid by going around the magical creatures reserve and feeding all of the creatures. I learned that chimeras preferred their steaks still bloody, but that fire crabs preferred to burn their food before eating it. I grew especially fond of the porlocks in the pasture, who always rushed over to greet me with an affectionate rub of their furry heads against my legs. My Care of Magical Creatures education had never been better.

The only class I hated was Ancient Runes. I felt horrible; I loved Professor Babbling, and I really wanted to love her class too. I got perfect marks on every piece of homework and on every single exam, but Draco Malfoy seemed determined to make that class a living hell for me in every way he could. Despite my promise to Professor Babbling that I wouldn't let him get under my skin, he was an expert at making cutting comments I simply couldn't ignore.

"So Cedric's a prefect now, isn't he?" he asked one day while Professor Babbling told us to talk with our partners to discuss mistakes on our homework. Mine, of course, was perfect, but to my chagrin, Draco's was nearly always perfect too. With nothing to discuss, Draco saw this time as the perfect opportunity to tear me down.

No matter what he said, I swore to myself that I'd never let him see how much he upset me. As I braced for whatever was coming, I kept my voice level and cool and as polite as I could manage. "Yes, he is."

"You think Dumbledore will make you prefect?"

I shrugged.

"You honestly don't know?"

"A lot can happen in two years," I replied noncommittally.

"You know why I think he never would?"

"Why?"

"Because the sight of your face would frighten the first-years. Prefects are supposed to show the school in a positive light, you know. Can't have you running around, scaring innocent children. I mean, can you imagine how horrified someone would be if they saw you patrolling the halls at night? Spooky! I mean, it's like you and Cedric aren't even related."