Boot strikes echoed off the cold stone as Lucy walked down the corridor. The lantern she carried illuminated the hallway and she kept a sharp eye out for any wandering students that thought they could sneak out past curfew. The cold was sinking into her skin and her Head Girl badge felt heavy on her chest but she ignored the weight of both and kept walking.

Portraits snoozed in their frames and she could feel her eyelids drooping in response. Stifling a yawn, she checked her watch. "Almost eleven," she muttered. All she had left to do was a quick sweep of the Fat Lady's corridor and she was done. Her partner, Freed Justine, was probably finishing up with the Hufflepuffs by now and heading back to his Slytherin dungeon.

By the time she reached the Fat Lady, the clock had already struck eleven. Bells chimed throughout the castle as Lucy gave the hall a cursory glance. Nodding in satisfaction when nothing seemed out of place, she turned to head back to her tower. It was cold and all she could think about now was the warmth of her bed.

Suddenly, she heard a soft whisper behind her.

Lucy stiffened and quickly turned back around. Keeping her footsteps quiet, she peeked around the corner of the wall. As her eyes landed on a familiar head of wild pink hair, she stifled a gasp.

Natsu Dragneel.

He was pressed up against the portrait, whispering furiously to a scowling Fat Lady who was blearily rubbing her eyes. Lucy's eyebrows furrowed. What was he doing out past curfew? He was one of the more mischievous Gryffindors and the thought alone made her suspicious. He and his friends were always causing trouble for her and the Prefects, pranking younger student and passing out joke items from Weasley's Wizard Wheezes. Just as she was about to jump out and berate him, his voice fell on her ears.

"Please, Fat Lady! I'm sorry for waking you up again but you know I'm not out to do anything bad!"

Lucy quickly ducked behind the wall and frowned. Not out to do anything bad? Then why was he out so late? And why was he acting so dodgy?

She peeked around the corner again, just in time to see the Fat Lady sigh exasperatedly and wave him off. With an enthusiastic thank you, he turned on his heel to run off, straight towards her. Lucy quietly flailed, eyes darting wildly until she spotted a suit of armor across the hall. Quickly diving behind it, she watched as Natsu ran right past her, his shoes noisily slapping the ground.

Lucy rolled her eyes. It was a surprise no one had caught him sneaking out before with all the noise he was making.

Sliding out from behind the suit of the armor, Lucy glanced at the Fat Lady who had already fallen back asleep. What did he say to her to make her let him go? Why was he out so late to begin with?

More importantly, why didn't she do anything about it?

She mentally scolded herself. She was supposed to be the Head Girl for goodness sake! He was out past curfew by a good hour, that was grounds for at least detention for a week.

But she couldn't help but think back to what he said. He seemed so genuine, so earnest. It didn't seem like he was out to do anything bad at all.

Still, that didn't excuse her negligence.

Next time, she told herself, next time she'd confront him.

The next time she caught him was literally two nights later.

It wasn't so much that she caught him, it was more like he ran into her.

The night had been busy, much to her chagrin. She had caught three Hufflepuffs out by the staircases trying to turn Mrs. Norris' fur purple, a pair of Slytherins snogging in a broom closet, and someone from her own house trying to sneak into the Forbidden Library of all places. Needless to say, Lucy was tired and by the time she arrived at the Gryffindor tower, it was past eleven, past the time she should've been done. That was probably why Natsu was so surprised to see her.

"What are you doing here?"

Lucy stared at him flabbergasted.

"W-what am I doing here?" she sputtered, "What are you? I'm supposed to be patrolling and you're out past curfew!" She narrowed her eyes at him and it pleased her to see that he had the decency to blush.

"W-well yeah but you're not supposed to be here!" He shouted at her. "Aren't you supposed to be done with patrolling by now?"

"You wait until we're done to sneak out?"

"Well yeah, obviously," he scoffed. "Only an idiot would chance their luck with you two still patrolling."

"You'd be surprised at how many are actually that daft," she muttered.

"Probably out for a late night shag, eh?" he snickered, waggling his eyebrows when her face turned a noticeable shade of pink.

"Th-that's besides the point!" She stammered, trying and failing to fight down her blush. "What matters is that you're out past curfew and I oughta give you detention for that!"

"Wh-what!" He sputtered. He anxiously tugged on his scarf and Lucy caught a glimpse of a scar on his neck. "It's not like I'm out doing anything bad!"

"Oh really, then what exactly are you doing out so late, Mr. Dragneel?" She squinted at him suspiciously and he squirmed under her gaze.

"I'm just, er, out for a walk! You know, to clear my head?" She scoffed in disbelief but he plowed on. "Oi, at least I'm not out snogging someone in the closets!" He gave her a look. "Although, I could…" he trailed off suggestively.

Lucy choked back a scandalized gasp. Stupid, handsome, Gryffindor flirts!

She shot him a frigid glare and he hurriedly raised his hands in defense. "I'm kidding, I'm kidding! Bleedin' Hell, I'm just messin' with you. I didn't mean no harm," he said, looking genuinely apologetic.

At the sight of his unfortunately endearing puppy eyes, she sighed heavily and raised a hand to rub at the ache forming between her eyebrows. It was getting awfully late and she wanted nothing more than to crawl into bed and get some sleep. She had Advanced Ancient Runes the next morning and heavens knew she needed all the rest she could get.

"Look, I don't care anymore, just…go back to your tower please," she finished tiredly. He looked ready to argue with her but thankfully, he closed his mouth with a click and nodded.

"A'ight then," he said, eyes fixed on her face. He frowned and for a second there, she thought he almost looked…concerned. But it was gone in a flash, replaced by an easy grin. "Hey thanks for not giving me detention. I owe ya one," he winked at her.

Lucy snorted and rolled her eyes. "Just don't let me catch you again," she warned him.

"Yeah, yeah, I'll try," he laughed as he turned to walk back to the Fat Lady. Turning to leave as well, Lucy could hear him mutter the password.

She had a feeling this wouldn't be the last time she'd run into him.

She was right.

Lucy ran into him again the next night. And again a few days after. And again. And again.

What started off as a coincidence became a sort of routine for the two students. It didn't surprise her anymore to run into the Gryffindor late at night. Sometimes it even looked like he was expecting her, leaning against the stone with a wry grin on his face. If Lucy was perfectly honestly with herself, she might've said she was almost looking forward to seeing him.

Almost.

But even she had to admit that there was a certain charm to their late night encounters. One could even say they were friends. Friends that only saw each other for a few minutes in the middle of the night, but friends nonetheless. There was something about the charismatic Gryffindor that drew her in and despite the briefness of their interactions, they were genuinely enjoyable.

It made her wonder, though. Was that it? Was that all they were limited to? On several occasions, she had considered asking him to study or to hang out, but every single time, she chickened out. It felt weird to want more, especially since she didn't really know why she wanted more. Shouldn't she be satisfied with what she had? After all, they were just friends. There was no reason for her to be this concerned.

Still, she couldn't help but wonder.

Lucy was worried.

"Hey, Levy," she muttered nudging her friend. "Is it just me or does Natsu look tired to you?"

Levy lifted her nose out of her book and peered over to the Gryffindor table. "Yeah he does, I guess," she said, pushing her glasses up her nose, "Maybe he stayed up all night studying?"

Lucy frowned. "I suppose," she said, not fully convinced. He was practically falling asleep in his porridge. "It's just…well, he looks awful."

"Jeez."

"That's not what I meant," she huffed. "Just look at how tired he is!"

The two ravens turned to look at the dozing Gryffindor. His head was balanced precariously on his hand and his mouth was open. They could even see a trail of drool on the corner of his lips. He drooped forward, almost slipping off his hand but with a jerk, he caught himself. He blinked around the room blearily, looking to see if anyone saw.

"I guess you're right, he looks knackered," Levy hummed, spearing a bit of sausage. "I wonder what's been keeping him up," she said, over a mouthful of food.

Immediately, Lucy thought of the nights she caught him sneaking out. Was he always out all night? Was he not sleeping at all? That would explain why he looked so horrible, Lucy had always assumed he'd go back to his room at some point in the night.

"But anyways, why the sudden interest in Dragneel?" Levy shot her friend a coy expression. "Don't tell me someone is taking a fancyyy…" She sang playfully.

Lucy blinked in shock as she was dragged away from her thoughts. "What? Who? Dragneel?!" She exclaimed. "No! No. Definitely not."

"Are you suuure?" Levy cooed. "I mean, you've never said anything about him 'til now. Except that one time he set a boggart on fire and nearly burnt the whole classroom down."

"W-well, I'm just worried!" Lucy stammered, suddenly looking very interested in her breakfast. Toast had never looked so appealing. "I am the Head Girl after all, it's my duty to be concerned."

"Mhm, sure." Levy said innocently before taking a sip of her pumpkin juice. "I think you fancy him, you just don't know it yet."

"Me? Fancy Dragneel? That's rubbish," Lucy snorted. "I'm just trying to do my job, Levy, nothing more."

A sudden loud thump made the two girls jump in their seat. They, along with various other students in the hall, turned to look curiously at the Gryffindor table. Natsu had finally slipped off his hand, landing face first onto the table. To their amazement, he remained unconscious, snoozing peacefully as his fellow Gryffindors snickered and tried to poke him awake with an assortment of bread.

Lucy and Levy sighed.

"Poor guy. At this rate he won't make it through Defense today." Levy shook her head. "At least it's not Charms. Granger would give him a right bollocking."

Levy dug back into her breakfast but Lucy's eyes remained on her Gryffindor classmate. Of course she didn't like the guy, she barely knew him. They were…friends, if she could even call it that. Didn't she have a right to be concerned about his well-being?

Lucy signed and turned back to her food.

Maybe she'd ask him about it later.

"Hey! Dragneel!"

Lucy ran up to catch her classmate, grabbing his sleeve to get his attention.

"Eh? Luce?" The pink haired boy turned and blinked tiredly at her.

"Luce?" She muttered to herself. When did they get close enough for nicknames? "Oh, nevermind that, I need to talk to you about something."

"Err, right now?" He asked, looked around the hallway. "I kinda have to get to potions or else Zabini will kill me. Last time I accidently set the cauldron on fire, don't wanna piss him off anymore," he said sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck.

"First of all, you're going the wrong way," she said, raising an eyebrow. "Second of all, that's what I wanted to talk about!"

"What, my horrible sense of direction?"

"No!" she shouted, drawing the attention of the other students exiting their classrooms. Lucy stiffened when she noticed the curious glances and shuffled closer. "Look, I don't know what you do at night but you should stop if you can't stay awake in class and get lost in the hallways," she said, lowering her voice.

Natsu flushed and tried to argue. "I'm fine, it's not like that. I'm just having an off day," he said, avoiding her disapproving gaze.

"Oh really?" She narrowed her eyes. "So I didn't see Fullbuster poking you awake every five minutes in Defense? Or you asleep on your textbook yesterday in Astronomy? Or the day before where you got lo–"

"Okay I get it!" He interrupted, looking embarrassed. "I'm fine though, really."

Lucy sighed. "I just think you should get a little more sleep. I don't know what you're doing but it can't be more important than your health."

"But it is," Natsu said quickly. "Look, I can't tell you, at least not yet, but this really is important. I'm getting so close, I can't stop now." His eyes met hers and Lucy was struck by how serious and determined he looked. Despite the tired slump of his shoulders, there was a sharp glint in his eyes that made her want to believe him. Believe in him.

Before she knew it, she was already nodding. "Alright, fine," she sighed. "Just please try and take care of yourself? Don't make me start dragging you to bed myself."

Natsu stared at her with wide eyes and red cheeks.

Lucy suddenly realized what her threat sounded like. "I-I, I mean, that's not what I meant!" she stuttered, feeling the tips of her ears get warm.

Natsu continued to stare at her until he suddenly burst into loud, raucous laughter. Lucy covered her face in embarrassment as he doubled over, holding his stomach. "Oh man," he snorted, straightening himself while wiping a tear from his eye, "Luce, you're hilarious."

"Har har, very funny," Lucy pouted, crossing her arms for good measure. "I was being serious, you know."

"I know, I know," he soothed her. "I promise I'll take better care of myself so please don't worry. I can't wait to show you when I'm done," he enthused, giving her such a warm and happy smile that his eyes practically sparkled. To her surprise, Lucy could feel an odd fluttering in her stomach.

"Oh, a-alright," she said faintly, distracted by the feeling.

Natsu glanced at the watch on his wrist and blanched. "Aw bollocks, I need to run now or else Zabini will give me another round of detentions. See you around!" He waved two fingers at her and rushed off, leaving her to stand in the hallway with an odd expression on her face.

Was Levy, maybe, right? Did she fancy Natsu? After all, no other boy gave her…butterflies.

"No no no, I'm probably getting sick or something, that's all," she muttered to herself. "Probably a stomach bug. Or indigestion."

"Miss Heartfilia? Did you need something?"

Jumping in surprise, Lucy spun around to face her Defense professor. "Professor! O-oh, erm, no I was just…er, standing here. I'm sorry, I'll leave!"

Her professor gave her an amused look and his green eyes twinkled behind his glasses. Lucy couldn't help but think they looked like Natsu's although much more mature and wise.

"You seem to be very concerned for Mr. Dragneel's well-being," her professor remarked.

Lucy pouted. Was it really that obvious? It was bad enough that Levy mentioned it, now her Defense professor?

"I wouldn't worry too much about him if I were you," he continued, "He's a strong and determined boy."

"Sir?" she asked, blinking up at him.

"He's certainly ambitious but give him some time. I have no doubt you'll understand when it comes to it."

"So you know what he's doing?" Lucy asked sharply. "You know why he's so tired he can barely make it through the day?"

The professor faltered underneath her piercing stare and chuckled nervously. "I do but I'm sorry, I can't say anything," he said sheepishly, "It's just not my place. Some things have to be done in secret, Miss Heartfilia."

Lucy frowned at her professor and he squirmed under her disapproving look. He never did well with angry witches.

"Fine," she huffed. "I hope you're right, sir."

"Don't worry, he'll be okay," he smiled gently at her. "He has some of best people helping him after all. Now if I'm not mistaken," he said, pulling out his pocket watch and flicking it open, "I believe it's time you headed to class?"

Lucy tensed up in alarm. Had it been that long already? She was gonna be late for Charms!

"Don't worry," he laughed upon seeing her panicked look, "I'll send Professor Granger a letter."

"Oh goodness, thank you sir!"

He watched in amusement as she sprinted down the hallway. Chuckling to himself, he turned back into his classroom.

Kids these days.

"Honestly, you could at least try and not get caught," Lucy sighed, crossing her arms and arching an eyebrow. Natsu stood in front of her, sheepishly rubbing the back of his neck.

"Well what's the point in trying if I know you'll never punish me?" He grinned cheekily at her before extinguishing his wand.

She rolled her eyes and smacked him lightly on the arm. "Oh don't be a prat Dragneel, I can still give you detention if I want to…"

"But you won't!" He sang, leaning his shoulder against the stone wall. "You like me too much to get me in trouble," he said, flashing her a playful smirk. Lucy valiantly tried to act unaffected but she could still feel her cheeks heating up against her will.

"Oh shut up," she grumbled, avoiding eye contact. "You're lucky I'm just that nice."

It had been a little over a week since she stopped him outside of class and she was glad to see that he was looking better. It seemed like he took her advice to heart. The rings underneath his eyes weren't as dark as before and he even had energy to spare during the day. He also seemed happier, too. She wondered if he was making progress.

"Hey, erm, so are you going home for break?" he suddenly asked.

"Yeah, I am," she nodded. "My father has been sending me so many owls about the holidays I'm pretty sure he'd have an aneurysm if I didn't," she said, grinning wryly. "Are you?"

"Nah," he said with a shrug of his shoulders, "I never go home for holidays."

"Never?" Lucy blinked in surprise, "But what about your family?"

"What about them?" Natsu awkwardly looked away. "It's just me and my brother back home and he's gone most of the time anyways. I'd rather be here getting stuff done here than back there in an empty house."

Lucy winced and looked down at her shoes. She should've remembered what a difficult subject this was for Natsu.

Ten years ago, a group of wizards who still believed in Voldemort's ideology attacked Diagon Alley. They raised terror by attacking indiscriminately. Neither children nor women were spared from the multiple curses that they threw around. Although they were quickly subdued by Aurors, many witches and wizards lost their lives protecting others, including Natsu's parents.

Lucy frowned silently at the stone floor. She couldn't even begin to imagine what it'd be like growing up alone like that. Her mother had passed away when she was little but at least she had her dad to raise her. Natsu had no one. It was no wonder he'd want to stay at Hogwarts during the holidays.

"Awh don't be like that Luce." His voice shook her out of her reverie and she looked at him questioningly. "What happens in the past stays in the past. A face as pretty as yours has no business looking sad, least of all for me." He reached out to gently bop her chin and she could feel her heart stutter in her chest at the tender look on his face.

Did he even know what he was doing to her?

"Anyways, I wanted to ask you something," Natsu continued on nonplussed.

Evidently not.

"Eh?"

"Would it be alright if I, er…" He tugged on his scarf nervously and pulled it up to hide part of his face. "If I…yanno, write to you? O-over break, I mean? If that's okay?" He glanced at her out the corner of his eye anxiously as she let his question sink in.

He wanted to write to her? He wanted them to talk over break?

"Of course!" Lucy practically shouted at him. "I mean, yes! I'd love to owl you over break," she said, trying to hide her ridiculously giddy smile. She wasn't sure why but the idea of them talking over break sent her emotions into a frenzy.

"Really?" Natsu's entire face brightened and she just grinned in response.

"Yes, really!" she enthused. She'd written to friends before, of course, but this was different. This was exciting.

"Great," he breathed. His green eyes glimmered with excitement and Lucy felt herself getting drawn into them. "So um, could I get your address?" he asked, fidgeting with his scarf.

"Oh! Yes, yes, here!" Lucy dug through the pockets of her coat until she found her notebook and pen. As she tried to write down her address as neatly as possible, her thoughts were buzzing in her head like a bunch of excited fairies. Did this mean anything? Did he like her? Did she like him?

"Here you go," she chirped, tearing out the page and handing it to him. He took it and folded it with care before tucking it into the pocket of his robes.

"Thanks Luce," he said, patting his pocket fondly. "I can't wait to write you," he grinned at her.

Lucy exhaled a shaky breath at his dazzling smile. Her heartbeat was pounding so loudly in her ears, she had almost missed what he said.

"S-sure, can't wait," she stuttered, feeling the familiar flutters kick up in her stomach again.

Oh boy, was she in trouble now.

Tap tap tap.

Lucy sat up on her bed and quickly looked over to her window to see a small blue owl tapping at the glass. Tossing her copy of Fantastic Beast and Where to Find Them on the bed, she jumped off and nearly ran to the window, unable to suppress the excited grin on her face.

"Hi Happy," she cooed as she let the bird in. The little blue owl perched on her shoulder and shook the snow off itself. Lucy couldn't help but smile at the sight of it's slightly singed tail feathers.

Happy stuck his leg out and Lucy obliged, untying the letter from his leg. It had been a few days since break started and this was already the second letter he had written her.

Hey Luce!

I guess it is pretty lonely here, only me and a few others stayed for break but it's not too bad. I've been getting a lot of stuff done not to mention Longbottom left me a bottle of firewhiskey ;)

Are you excited for Christmas? What are you planning to do anyways? I'm probably gonna go to that Christmas dinner they hold for the people staying at Hogwarts but after, I'm tryna put together a lil sesh (for the students not the professors pffft). If the Head Girl were here I know she'd probably yell at me about alcohol and partying so it's a good thing she's not!

Lucy snorted to herself as she read. She could practically hear his cackle in her head.

To be perfectly honest, I can't wait til break's over. It's just not the same, yanno? The common room's too empty and it's no fun sneaking out anymore if you're not there to catch me :P

But anyways, have a great Christmas! Can't wait for your response.

Sincerely,

Natsu

Grinning fondly at the little scribble of a dragon in the corner, Lucy sat down at her desk and rummaged through her drawers for a roll of parchment and a quill. Tapping the feather against her chin, Lucy contemplated on how to start her letter.

Dear Natsu,

You're DRINKING? Even though it's FORBIDDEN?

Perfect.

Don't even get me started on the partying! I have half a mind to owl Professor Granger right now and tell her everything….but I guess I won't. You're lucky it's almost Christmas, it'd be cruel of me to do that.

But really? Longbottom? He's the last person I would've expected…remind me to check his luggage when I get back.

Anyways, we're having a small party at the Heartfilia manor. And by small, I mean at least 300 people. Father never does anything in halves. Last I heard, even the Malfoys were coming and you know how picky they are about the events they attend. Maybe next year you can come?

Lucy paused. Was that too presumptuous of her? She didn't know if he even wanted to come.

With a wave of her wand, the sentence disappeared and she got back to writing.

…about the events they attend. But it's bound to be fun I suppose, I'm sure I'll see some familiar faces.

I do wish I was at Hogwarts though. It's nice being home and I missed my Father dearly but it's just so quiet here. I've had nothing to do for days and I'm starting to go a little crazy. I nearly gave the house elves heart attacks when I showed up in the kitchen asking to help.

By the way, have you been getting a lot done? I hope you're getting a decent amount of rest, it wouldn't be much of a break if you're overworking yourself (like always). I know you can do it though, I believe in you!

Have a great Christmas Natsu, write back soon!

Happy Holidays,

Lucy

She signed her name with a flourish. Biting her lip, she looked over her letter with a level of criticalness usually reserved for her essays. Was it too long? Too short? Too sappy? He had written those smiley face thingies, was she supposed to?

Lucy muttered to herself as she moved sentences around and added missing punctuation. Why was she even putting in so much effort? It wasn't like Natsu cared about a missing period or a misspelt word. But she cared. A lot, evidently.

Nodding in satisfaction, Lucy flicked her wand and watched as her letter folded itself neatly in thirds. Stuffing it in an envelope and sealing it with her own stamp, she paced over to her own owl and opened the cage.

"Hi there Plue, I need you to send something really quickly for me," she murmured as she tied the letter to the snowy owl. It hopped onto her arm and she took it over to the already open window. She gave Plue a gentle nudge and with a flap of his wings, he was off into the night sky. Lucy sat carefully on the ledge and let her body rest on the frame, watching the figure of her owl grow smaller and smaller until he was a tiny speck in distance.

She couldn't wait for Natsu's reply.

For the next few days, they wrote to each other. Sometimes their letters were short, sometimes long. Sometimes they arrived in the morning, sometimes in the middle of the night. They wrote practically every day and once, Lucy got two letters in a day. The joy and excitement that she felt every time she heard the tell-tale taps on her window was undeniable. With how she was feeling and how much they were writing each other, she couldn't deny it any longer.

She liked Natsu Dragneel.

Somewhere in the middle of all the late night conversations and letter writing, her feelings for him had blossomed and although she tried to ignore them, she knew by now that it was useless. She liked him. She really really liked him. And she had a feeling that maybe he liked her too.

All she could do now was wait til she got back to Hogwarts to do anything. It was only a few more days but it sure felt like forever. At least she could write to him for now.

And then one day, he stopped writing back.

New Year's day found Lucy sitting on her window ledge, peering hopefully out into the wintry sky. Fresh snow covered the grounds of her manor and it was early enough that there were no footprints, just pristine white snow. She had spent New Year's eve with her father and together, they counted down the seconds in front of a roaring fire, warm mugs of butterbeer in their hands. After her father retired for the night, she had eagerly run back to her room in hopes of seeing a familiar blue owl outside her window but alas, there was nothing. There had been nothing all day.

Lucy sighed quietly, her warm breath casting a fog on the window pane. She was being ridiculous. It had only been one day and she was acting like a lovesick fool. So what if his reply was a little late? She needed to stop overthinking things. He was probably just busy, he did say he had a lot of things to do.

But what if he wasn't busy? What if something happened while he was out? Would anyone know if he was missing? What if he was hurt? Or what if he was lost and no one could find him?

Or worse, what if he didn't care about her anymore?

Shaking her head furiously, Lucy mentally scolded herself. This was stupid, she was being stupid. All she had to do was just wait. He'd write back in no time, she was just being paranoid. Natsu was tough, he was probably alright.

And if he didn't like her anymore? Well that was alright too. She was strong, she could handle a little rejection.

She just hoped he'd write back one last time, even if it was to tell her he wasn't interested anymore.

Lucy blinked away the tears that were gathering in the corners of her eyes.

Either way, it didn't matter because all she could do was wait.

Just wait.

The Great Hall buzzed with noise as students and teachers chattered excitedly to one another. A feast was spread out on all the tables, complete with steaming potatoes, savoury roasts, and pristine desserts, all courtesy of the house-elves. Lucy sat in the middle of it all, anxiously looking around for a glimpse of pink hair.

Natsu hadn't written her since that last letter before New Year's and although Lucy had been initially heartbroken, that feeling quickly melted into worry. A large part of her knew that Natsu wasn't that type of person. He was a troublemaker and had a bit of sass, yes, but he wasn't cruel and he was definitely not a coward. If he wanted to stop talking to her, he would've told her so.

But if he didn't ghost her, then what happened?

She gnawed lightly on her lip as her eyes flitted from student to student. It was nearly unheard of for Natsu to miss a meal and after nearly a week without hearing from him, Lucy couldn't help but think the worst. Was he hurt? Was he okay?

"Are you alright?" Levy asked, sliding into the seat next to Lucy. "You look worried."

Lucy glanced quickly around the hall again before she sighed heavily. "I am worried. Have you seen Natsu?"

Levy shook her head as she munched on a pumpkin pastie. "I don't think so? I haven't seen him all day at least."

Lucy's shoulders slumped and she disappointedly flicked a crumb off her robes.

"Oh wait!" Levy chirped. "I think I heard some Gryffindor boys talking about him on the way here. They said something about him being in the infirmary?"

"What?!" Lucy yelped, standing up in her surprise. Her classmates jumped at her outburst and she blushed, lowering herself slowly back onto her seat. "Are you sure?" She whispered fervently and Levy nodded.

"I think they said that something happened to him over break and he's been in the infirmary since before New Year's?"

"I see," Lucy murmured, her mind already racing. That certainly explained why he didn't write her back but now her fears were confirmed and she could feel the worry churning her stomach. "Do you know if he's still there?"

"He should be? He's not here at dinner and he never misses a d– wait, where are you going?"

"To visit him of course!" Lucy was already up out of chair, gathering her things. "Sorry Levy, I gotta go!"

"Alright but when you get back, you're totally telling me what's going on between you two!" Levy shouted after her as she ran off.

Lucy barely heard her friend as she sped down the aisle between the tables. She made a beeline for the grand door with one goal in mind: Get to the infirmary.

Her head felt dizzy with worry but she determinedly ignored the feeling and focused on the pounding of her feet. She knew something bad had happened and she felt sick at the thought of Natsu hurt and alone. She could've been there for him. She should've been there for him. She felt tears prickling in the back of her eyes as she ran.

Lucy burst through the double doors at the end of the hall only to run smack dab into another student. Squeaking, Lucy rebounded off their chest and stumbled back. "I'm so sorry!" She practically yelled, already rearing up to run off again until a familiar voice and glimpse of pink hair stopped her.

"Luce! There you are!" She looked up at the person and gasped. Natsu stood before her with a lopsided grin, absently rubbing his chest. "In an awful hurry aren't'cha? You nearly ran me over there!"

Lucy gaped at him, tears finally cresting down her cheeks.

"W-whoa are you crying?" Natsu sputtered. "It was just a joke! Are you okay?" He reached out to fuss over her, anxiously brushing her hair out of her face and tucking it behind her ear.

Lucy couldn't handle it anymore. The stress and panic she had felt earlier and now the utter concern and care he showed her, it was all too much and Lucy finally burst out in tears. She threw herself at his chest and he hurriedly caught her, wrapping his arms around her shaking frame.

"Y-y-you're okay!" She wailed, the sound muffled by his shirt, "I thought you were hurt but now you're okay!"

"Aw Luce, is that why you're so worked up?" Natsu soothed, hugging her carefully to his chest and running his hand down her hair. "I'm fine, I'm fine, you don't need to worry about me."

"O-o-of course I do, you jerk!" She sobbed against him, getting his wool sweater thoroughly damp. "You stopped writing back all of a sudden, I wa-was so worried! A-and then Levy said you were in the infirmary and Iwasjustsoscared!" Her words jumbled together as she continued to cry, letting all of her stress and emotions to spill out.

"I'm sorry Luce, I didn't mean to worry you like that, honest," Natsu murmured as he rested his cheek on the crown of her head. "I'm okay now, I promise, I really am, see?" Lucy pulled away from his chest to peer up at him and although he looked a little tired, he did look fine. "Good as new," he said, flashing her a bright grin.

Lucy hiccoughed and detangled herself from him, oblivious to his little frown. "You do look fine I suppose," she mumbled, wiping her cheeks with her sleeve. "But what happened to you? You were gone for days," she frowned.

"Ah yeah, about that," he scratched the back of his head. "It was nothing bad, I didn't get injured or attacked or anything. I just…kinda..sorta might've passed out? From, er, exhaustion?"

"What?!"

"Yeah, I was out for a whole day before someone got me. Apparently they knew something was wrong when I missed dinner," Natsu shrugged. "And then I just spent a few days in the infirmary. Honestly, I was fine after a day but Madame Pomfrey wouldn't let me leave! I had to beg just to come down here for dinner. It was too bad, I really wanted to greet you off the train," he said, cheeks turning pink.

Lucy couldn't help but let out a watery giggle. Even after days in the infirmary, Natsu was his same adorable self.

"So you're fine? You're really okay?" Lucy sniffled, eyes giving him a quick scan. Aside from looking slightly rumpled, Natsu looked rested and happy which eased her concern.

"Yep! I really do feel great, especially after being out for so long. Although, I could really use some food right about now…" Natsu trailed off, glancing at the doors leading to the Great Hall. "I never thought I'd get sick of chocolate but after the amount that Madame Pomfrey shoved down my throat…" Natsu whistled.

Lucy giggled and waved a hand towards the hall. "Well go on then, dinner's just started."

"Are you not going back in?" Natsu blinked at her curiously.

She shook her head. "No, I don't think so," she said, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. The emotional broom ride that was her day was finally taking its toll on her and she could feel her whole body getting heavy with exhaustion. "I'm not that hungry, I think I'll just rest before I have to go on patrol."

"Oh." Natsu fidgeted, suddenly looking shy, "Well if you're going on patrol tonight…could you meet up with me after?"

Lucy raised an eyebrow. "Well this is new, usually you never ask. What's up?" A thought occurred to her and she frowned at him. "You're not making me watch over you in case you pass out again, are you? You literally just left the infirmary!"

"No no no!" Natsu shook his hands. "That's not it! I wanted to meet up later because…well, I did it, Luce." His sparkling green eyes met hers as he breathlessly repeated himself. "I did it!"

It didn't even take a second for her to understand. "You did it?" She asked, shedding her previous exhaustion in the face of his sheer joy. His giddiness was practically contagious and even though she didn't know what it was exactly that he did, she didn't care, she was just so happy for him.

Natsu nodded vigorously and to her surprise, reached out to take her hands in his. "It took me a long time but I finally did it and now…I want to show you."

"Sh-show me?" Lucy asked faintly.

He nodded once and took a deep breath. Lucy was surprised to see a serious look in his eye. "I…I want you to be the first person to see. I've been working really hard and, well, I don't think I could've done it without your support."

"N-no, I just—" Lucy tried to interrupt him but he quickly brushed off her denial.

"No, I'm serious Luce," he said with a kind smile, "It's all thanks to you. So what do you say?" He asked, hands tightening minutely around hers. "Can you meet up later tonight?"

She let her eyes roam his sincere expression before she nodded, smiling shakily at him. His words had left her heart pounding and she felt like she never wanted him to let go of her hands. "Of course I can," she answered, her fingers curling around his.

"Great," Natsu grinned toothily at her. He gave her hands another quick squeeze before he let them drop, much to her dismay. He turned towards the grand doors with a hungry expression and Lucy smothered a giggle.

"You should probably go eat now, you know, before the food disappears off the table," she said with a wry smile.

"Oh bugger, you're right!" The horrified expression on his face alone could've made her day but quick as lightning, Natsu leaned in to press a gentle kiss against her forehead.

Lucy blinked dumbfoundedly as he hopped away with a grin and waved at her with two fingers, as if nothing out of the ordinary happened.

"See ya tonight!" He called out as he pushed the double doors open.

Lucy stared after him as he disappeared into the hall and she raised a hand to rub her forehead.

Did that really happen or did someone throw a jinx at her?

The skin that his lips touched tingled pleasantly and she couldn't the smile that curled her lips.

Definitely not a jinx.

"Natsu, just where are we going?" Lucy asked, looking around as he dragged her along, hand in hand. They were on the seventh floor in the left corridor and although Lucy had passed by this place multiple times, she didn't think there was anything special here.

"Oh don't worry, it's not far," he murmured, tugging her along. They walked briskly until they reached the large tapestry of Barnabas the Barmy. "Ah, here we are."

Lucy peered up at the wall hanging with a thoughtful frown. "Where exactly is here?" she asked, looking at the picture of Barnabas attempting to teach trolls ballet. When Natsu didn't answer, she turned only to find him pacing behind her. "Natsu?" But he ignored her and continued pacing, passing her once, twice, three times.

Suddenly, to her astonishment, a door materialized on the wall opposite of the tapestry, as if out of thin air, seeping from the stones. Seeing the door, Natsu perked up. "Ah, smashing, there it is! Come on now!" he gestured to her before reaching for the doorknob.

Lucy gaped as he opened the door and swung it open to reveal a large and relatively empty room. "Wh-where did this come from? How did you do that?!" she exclaimed as she stepped through the doorway, wide eyes taking in the interior of the space. The word 'room' was probably an understatement since the place resembled more of a large hall than anything. The ceiling arched high above their heads and sturdy stone pillars lined the vast and open space. Torches were affixed to the pillars and they came to life when the two students stepped inside. Besides that, the place was completely empty.

"What is this place?" she breathed.

"It's called the Room of Requirement," he answered her, walking towards the middle of the hall. "If you walk across the hidden doorway three times and think about what you need, what you require, the door appears and then you have a room that has exactly you need."

"Amazing," she sighed, looking around the place. Then she turned towards him and gave him a suspicious look. "And how exactly did you know about this place?"

Natsu stiffened and hurriedly looked away, "Erm, someone might've, er no, I-I found it on my own! Right, on my own," he stammered.

"Sure," Lucy said slowly, giving him a look. "Why do you need a room this big anyways?"

"Oh, you'll see," he said, eyes glinting mischievously.

"Anyways, are you ready to see?" he asked her excitedly, bouncing lightly on the balls of his feet.. At her nod, he grinned widely before stilling himself in preparation. "You might want to step back a little," he warned her as an afterthought.

Lucy stepped back a few paces and stood quietly to observe her friend. She watched as he closed his eyes and took a few deep breaths to compose himself. And then, to her utter astonishment, he transformed.

His nose lengthened into a large snout and horns burst out of his hairline, spiraling into wicked points. Smaller, straight horns sprouted out the back of his neck and as his entire frame grew, she could see them follow the path of his spine. Massive claws appeared where his hands and feet used to be and they dug into the ground, leaving deep, jagged gouges. Behind him, a spiked tail appeared, landing heavily enough that it shook the ground she was on. Deep, dark red scales covered the mass of his body and as he sat back on his haunches, they traveled down his chest and up his face, until every inch of him was glinting in the light of the fire. His whole frame grew larger and larger and just when it seemed like his back would skim the ceiling, magnificent wings erupted from his back, skin glowing as if made from the embers of a fire. As his transformation finally settled, he opened his eyes and she gasped at the slitted pupil set against his familiar bright green.

Pure magic crackled in the air and the weight of what she had just seen sunk into her skin. Natsu had done something practically unheard of. Of all the animagi out there, no one, not a single one, had been able transform into…

"A dragon…" she breathed in awe. "Natsu…you're a dragon!"

The dragon before her let out a gusty breath that nearly knocked her over before he folded his limbs and settled down. His tail curled behind her and he enclosed her into his circle. Blinking down lazily at her, he settled his large head on top of his claws.

"I-I can't believe this!" Lucy exclaimed, "This is amazing! You're not just an animagus, you're a dragon! Do you know how amazing they are? How amazing you are? I don't think there's ever been a record of an animagus capable of turning into a dragon!" Her eyes ran along his large form in wonderment, taking in the sheen of his scales, the elegant curl of his horns, even the distinguishing scar that was present on his strong neck.

"Oh Natsu, you're beautiful," she said in a hushed voice. At his annoyed huff that rustled her clothing, she quickly amended herself. "I'm sorry, not beautiful, you're, erm, majestic. That's right, you're majestic!"

Natsu gave an amused snort and unfolded an arm out towards her, inviting her to come up to him. Lucy bit back an excited squeal and rushed towards him. His claws were enormous, bigger than her entire body, capable of a lot of damage and yet they were perfectly still and harmless as she slid her fingers against the bone. Laying a hand on the smooth red scales, she marveled at the heat simmering underneath. He felt warm against her palm, borderline hot. Speaking of hot…

"Say, Natsu," she began and he lifted his head in acknowledgement, "Can you breathe fire?"

What could only be described as a dragon's version of a smirk appeared on his face before he turned his head away from her and with a large inhale that shook even the floor that she stood on, he let out a large plume of fire that enveloped the entire end of the hall. She watched with an open mouth as flames climbed up the stone pillars before dissipating into thin air at the absence of any flammable material. As the sparks of his flames died out and the warmth of his fire, even from a distance, brushed against her skin, he turned back towards her with a smug look.

"Oh, yes, yes you can," Lucy said faintly, eyes wide.

Natsu snorted again and this time, a puff of smoke escaped his mouth, much to her delight.

As the night went on, girlish giggles filled the chamber as the large dragon did everything in his ability to entertain the one person who supported him in all his endeavours.

"You know, I wanna thank you for everything, Luce."

"Eh?" Lucy looked at the Gryffindor curiously. "This again?" She asked, about to stop him but the look on his face made her stop. He was staring ahead of them but his eyes were glazed, lost in thought.

"My dad loved dragons. He loved all magical creatures actually, studied all the books, took all the classes. But there was no creature he admired more than the dragon, that's why he became a dragon keeper," he added, glancing at her. Lucy nodded, thoroughly captivated by the wistful tone he took.

"The old man used to tell me how much he wished he could be a dragon. Majestic and fierce creatures that flew high in the sky, soaring with freedom. He told me that he thought he could become an animagus and turn into one but when he found out his patronus was, get this, a salamander, he decided not to. He was pretty disappointed," Natsu chuckled softly and she cracked a smile. It was common knowledge that animagi didn't choose their animals but most understood that their form would be the same as their patronus.

"I never forgot that story, you know," he continued, eyes growing soft. "Especially not when I found out that my patronus was a dragon. After that, well, I just knew what I had to do. It was hard though, and it took a long time. There were times when I wanted to give up, especially over the holidays when it didn't seem like I was making any progress at all. But writing to you, and knowing that I wanted to show you when I finished," he said, turning to look at her meaningfully, "That gave me all the encouragement I needed."

He reached out to take her hand in his and at the gentle touch, she looked down in surprise to see him carefully intertwining their fingers. She met his eyes with a curious look and he gave her a heartwarming smile, fingers tightening around hers.

"Thank you," he said, "Thank you for supporting me. For encouraging me. For just being there."

Lucy could feel her heart beating in her throat and even as she blinked back tears, she smiled back at him.

"I'm sure your father would've been so proud," she murmured, squeezing his hand.

He breathed a happy little sigh and to her surprise, brought her hand up so he could press his lips against her skin. "Thank you," he whispered, his breath ghosting over her fingers.

"Come on now," he said, dropping their hands but keeping them together. "It's getting awfully late and we need our sleep!"

"You're one to talk," she snorted, but followed him anyways as he tugged at her hand.

She had wondered before if all they had were a handful of late night interactions, a couple of brief meetings. If they were to be nothing more that casual friends. Now, she no longer had to wonder. Whatever it was that she and Natsu had, it was something special, something very real.

As they walked down the corridor, hand in hand, Lucy could help but feel a bubble of excitement.

She couldn't wait to see what the future held in store.

A polite knock sounded on the door before it slid open and a figure dressed in warm robes stepped through. The person behind the desk looked up briefly to acknowledge the other's presence. Taking the cue, the first person moved to settle himself into one of the soft plush seats before the desk.

"You know, it was awfully nice of you to teach Mr. Dragneel," he began, fixing one of his sleeves.

"I'm not sure what you mean Professor?"

"The books? The potion? The training? You can't expect me to believe he figured it out alone."

"Ah, but if I'm not mistaken, I believe it is possible to do alone. If I recall correctly, I can remember four youths here at Hogwarts doing just the same," the person behind the desk answered with a raised eyebrow.

"That's true I suppose, but it took them much longer than it did Mr. Dragneel. It's been only, what, since the beginning of the school year?"

"Perhaps Mr. Dragneel is just that brilliant."

"Or just that tenacious," the professor added. "But don't think I didn't see cat fur constantly on his robes, Headmistress."

"You've always been too observant," she answered with a small smile.

The professor chuckled at the slight jab, green eyes sparkling merrily. "Make sure you remind him to register, I believe we've had enough unregistered Animagi to last us a lifetime."

"Indeed," she responded. "However, I do have to wonder how he found out about the Room of Requirement. It's very hard to stumble upon unless someone tells you about it."

The professor made a small noise of amusement at being caught. "I suppose he reminded me of some great men I once knew."

"You of all people, Mr. Potter, should know how I feel about stubborn and determined Gryffindors."

"Of course, McGonagall."

this fic took forever to get out, like, years, but it's done, it's over, it's here. finally. i started this in like 2016 and now it is 2018, the longest i've ever held onto a fic that i then published but i went to harry potter world recently and i was inspired. i finished this fic a while ago, i just never edited it, so two years later, ta da ~

btw the title is the incantation used in the process of becoming an animagus. besides that, sorry for any inconsistencies with the hp world. D:

hope you guys enjoyed it! read & review pls 3