The Forgotten 7th Year

The Galleon

I spent a while wondering what I was going to name this. But then I realized, you'd rather have a chapter with a terrible title then no chapter at all. So, here you go. Also... I'm sorry.

Luna's POV

I was happy at Shell Cottage. In all honesty, it might have been the happiest in a long while. It was by far the best emotional state I'd been in all year.

But that wasn't really saying much, was it?

After a few weeks, I'd stopped having most of the the nightmares. And when I did, Hermione was always there to talk to. She of course, knew what I'd gone through at Malfoy Manor from personal experience. And that, coupled with the fact that she listened better then almost anyone I knew made her the perfect person to talk to. Except maybe Rolf.

She'd been able to re-create the charm on a Galleon so that I could talk to him and the others. She'd even improved on it so I could message him directly, but somehow I hadn't gotten around to it yet.

It wasn't that I was busy, there was almost nothing that I had to do, even though I volunteered for chores and such.

The real reason I hadn't messaged him was much deeper. It was raw, aching and painful, like a piece of my heart ripped away. I got a weird clammy feeling whenever I thought about it, and I could feel my pulse fluttering wildly.

And despite what I told myself, I was scared. I didn't want to fracture my current happiness.

What if he'd found someone else. What if he didn't want the crazy girl anymore.

I knew, certainly, beyond even a hint of a doubt, that he could do better.

And I was petrified that he had.

Rolf's POV

I woke up from another nightmare.

I closed my eyes for several minutes, trying desperately to remind myself that it wasn't real.

But the problem was, it could be.

I knew what that witch was capable of, and she'd been with her for so long. The dark corners of my mind wondered if she was even still sane. But I couldn't think about that.

All I knew, was that when I'd visited her, she'd been alive. But she'd also been tortured and half starved. And that was after a single month. It'd been four.

With each day that passed, I found myself picturing another terrible thing that could be happening. Another painful new torment the witch was inflicting.

Or what Lun must be feeling.

And every time I fell asleep, I saw projected onto my eyelids in full detail.

I found myself avoiding the rest of Dumbledore's Army. Because everything the Carrows did, I knew Bellatrix could do a thousand times worse.

And when it came to it, Bellatrix was crueler than both of them.

Luna's POV

I stared at the golden coin in my open palm. The light glinted off it's surface. A bearded man with a pointed hat that drooped over his overly-long hair was stamped on the front. He seemed to be judging me, so I flipped it over to reveal the Dragon.

He judged me too.

I set it firmly down on the oak table. Then put one of Hermione's new books on top of it for good measure.

I felt sick.

Rolf's POV

What was happening to her right now? Was Bellatrix hurting her, or was she in that cellar, curled up in a ball of pain and despair.

Or is she... no. I can't think that. She has to be alive. I need her to be alive. I need her to be alive and sane and safe.

I need her.

But I'd failed her. They'd taken her in front of me. I couldn't stop them. I might as well have let them. My memory drifted back to that day, and I couldn't stop it.

"Rolf, it's beautiful. But if it's an apology, or something you don't need to. I've already forgiven you." Her beautiful blue eyes were clouded in confusion as I fastened the golden clasp at the nape of her neck. My hands stayed there for several seconds even after it was done.

"I know. But I made the worst mistake of my life, not appreciating you. Just think of this as an I love you gift." I explained.

"I love you too." Warmth filled me, and I leaned in. Rested a hand on her back. But the door banged open.

I turned, a harsh retort at Michael dying on my lips, as a large hand grabbed her shoulder.

I knew him on sight after all the times Grandpa had talked about him. He was the reason it was so hard for his Pro-Werewolf sentiments to be shared by the community. Fenrir Greyback lived to kill, and he was touching Lun.

I tensed, and she seized my hand in a grip like an Ashwinder. I did my best to squeeze back reassuringly.

People continued to fill the small train compartment, and Greyback growled,

"We can do this the easy way, or the hard way. Come with us, and nobody has to get hurt."

"Stupefy!" Luna's spell hit one of the Snatchers in the face.

"The hard way it is." Chaos broke loose. Everything was a blur of noise and light and then I was slammed into a wall as the world darkness began to creep in at the edges of my vision, I

And she was gone.

I knew for certain she was alive. Of course she is. Bellatrix would never give her a way to escape the pain.

Luna's POV

I pushed the book off. The disc sat there, looking at me. Taunting me. Whispering all of my fears and insecurities.

My hand moved toward my neck; reaching for a pendant it knew it wouldn't find.

I breathed. I pulled all the air I could in my lungs, and imagined the courage I needed came with it. I held it there until my ribcage trembled and it all left in a puff.

Then, my wand arm trembling, I tapped the coin.

Rolf's POV

The coin in my pocket burned, but I ignored it. But it stayed warm, insistent. It got hotter and hotter until it was borderline painful, but I didn't move.

It continued to grow hotter until I almost broke down and checked who wanted to contact me so desperately.

But then, it started to cool. Until it was like a pleasant hand warmer. Until I almost couldn't feel it.

Then was gone. I continued to stare at the ceiling.

Luna's POV

I guess he really didn't want to talk to me...

Runs away from the readers.