Disclaimer: All rights belong to J.K. Rowling, author of the Harry Potter series.
Warnings: Characters might be OOC
Note: Written for the Great Maze Chall/Comp: You take a right and find Mr Lovegood's pendant of the Deathly Hallows in the grass. If you could, would you choose the 'wand', the 'stone' or the 'cloak'?; the "As Many As You Can" Comp: "the stars are the streetlights of eternity", falling, smile, cloak, star, silver, snowflakes; Disney Character Comp: Dumbo; The Hunger Games Trilogy Comp: Capitol
The Pendant
Snow fell to the ground slowly, wonderfully, dancing along their descent gracefully, piling and collecting to leave a smooth, unmarked blanket. Except a pair of footprints were currently making a trek into the nearby forest. Strange, there was nobody present yet someone had to be leaving them behind. The rhythmic crunching of the snow didn't pause or halt except in alarm at a stray hoot or two, a backdrop to the otherwise silent night. Night had fallen a mere moments before, moonlight now streaming steadily through the stray cracks of the dense foliage of the thick-rooted trees. The occupants of the castle were tucked tightly in bed, asleep and dreaming away in the warmth of their dormitories, but one boy had stolen away, now deep into the Forbidden Forest. Harry kept the Invisibility Cloak wrapped securely around him, hidden from view, though he did encounter some difficulty in the form of a wandering Cedric Diggory at one point on his journey, but he managed to sneak away without too much trouble. The cold chill of the December frost bit at his cheeks and nipped at his fingers, but the cloak managed to ward well against the frosty air. Not until he reached a clearing did he remove the clothing, and only then just pulled off the hood, revealing rosy cheeks and bright emerald eyes. His otherwise pale face was tinted a delightful pink, lips tugged back into a beaming smile, small yet stunning. Harry glided to a rock stationed in the middle of the clearing. It was wide but not too tall, and the surface of the stone was perhaps colder to the touch than the snow, but he heaved himself up on the platform and leaned back onto his palms, feet dangling just above the forest floor. He tilted his head back and stared at the stars, breathing in their everlasting beauty. The silence was loud but Harry couldn't think of anything more perfect for this moment.
In the quiet, the soft crunch of boots on snow was deafening and had Harry scrambling for his cloak. Throwing it over his head, he waited with bated breath, eyes straining to see any movement in the shadowy darkness. And just as he suspected, a figure stepped out of the trees, rustling the nearby bushes. It walked forward, and when a stray stream of moonlight hit at the right angle, illuminated the face. Harry was only partly surprised at seeing Xenophilius Lovegood in the Forbidden Forest; after all, Luna must have inherited her eccentricities somewhere. Although he did wonder how he got onto Hogwarts grounds in the first place. The man stopped at the oddest intervals, creating an irregular walking pace as he stooped down and examined stray lumps of strangely shaped piles of snow, poking it carefully before moving on. In the midst of his observations, Harry could swear the blond head swiveled in his direction and silvery gray eyes bored into his own, but Xenophilius just turned away, humming a disjointed tune under his breath. Harry released the breath he was holding, lungs burning with the lack of oxygen, sighing in relief. He continued to stare at the place between the bushes that Xenophilius crept through, as if he would somehow burst back. When thoughts of returning to the castle invaded his mind, Harry tilted his head when a bright light caught his eye, blinding him briefly.
A pendant? Harry thought, jumping off of the rock, crouching carefully, mindful of the wet snow. And it certainly was. It glinted innocently from its beautifully sprawled position, a magnificent splash of silver across white. A pale hand slowly reached out, cradling it close. Harry immediately recognized the Deathly Hallows symbol.
Mr. Lovegood must have dropped it.
Harry stood up, deciding to give it to Luna tomorrow when a rush of dizziness overcame him. Shutting his eyes, he groaned, leaning against a tree to stabilize himself, and really in his current state, if he was standing upright, he would surely be collapsed on the floor right now. Blinking his eyes open, Harry shook his head to get rid of the random splotches swimming across his vision.
He tensed, hearing the soft shaking of leaves to his right. A blonde head popped out of the darkness, swerving left, right, and twice more before staring at Harry in surprise. Although, Harry wouldn't have been able to tell if he wasn't already looking at the boy. He seemed to have naturally wide eyes, giving him a perpetually shocked look. His eyebrows were highly arched, just a shade darker than the light, almost white color of his hair, only a bit too yellow to blend in with the snow.
It took him awhile, but Harry finally managed to connect the features, why the stranger had looked ghostly familiar. This was Mr. Lovegood! Luna's face was softer but Harry could see the similarities in the teen before him.
"Good day, have you seen any nargles around lately?" Yep, it was definitely Luna's father.
"Can't say that I have," Harry tilted his head to the side, smiling slightly, "maybe you should find some patches of mistletoe?"
He knew that he should have been more worried about his situation, but Harry was positive that Dumbledore would find a solution, and if not him, then surely Hermione. He had managed to land himself in similar circumstances before, he was capable of getting out of them again.
It was then he realized that he was still under the invisibility cloak. Harry sighed, Luna and her father had a lot more in common than he originally thought. "I guess I have a lot of wrackspurts, huh?"
Xenophilius, because Harry couldn't quite think of him as Mr. Lovegood, perked up, ever-present smile widening to the point that many people would question his sanity, like they do that enough already. "Are you a believer as well? It's not a commonly accepted subject."
"My friend's just a very…eccentric person."
He seemed a bit disappointed. "Oh, well, you have to introduce me to them sometime then."
"I think you'll get along just fine," Harry just barely restrained himself from grinning at his own comment.