Written for the Hogwarts Oneshot Wars. My prompts were Astoria, Happiness, There Is Another Sky (by Emily Dickinson), Revolution, "Be yourself. The world worships original", and baby blue.
xxx
There is another sky,
Ever serene and fair,
And there is another sunshine,
Though it be darkness there.
xxx
It started at the lake.
The sky was beautiful that day, baby blue scattered with soft white clouds, and as Astoria lay on her back, staring up at it, a feeling of happiness flooded through her. The sun was shining, the air was warm, and she was alone. For as long as she could remember, she'd enjoyed solitude. Her mother, a talented Legilimens, was always threatening to peer inside of her mind. Whenever she could, Astoria would sneak away from her family and hide in the sprawling gardens or the twisting shelves of the library. She knew even then that there were things in her mind she couldn't let her mother see. When she was alone, she was safe.
But suddenly she was no longer alone.
Astoria sat up. A girl was sitting on the grass just a few feet away, dangling her feet in the water. Dirty blonde hair fell down her back in waves.
"The sky is very nice today, isn't it?" said the girl, casually, as though they'd already been having a conversation before she spoke.
"Yes," Astoria said cautiously.
"I thought you must like it," said the girl. She shifted and turned towards Astoria, revealing a pointed chin, button nose, and wide blue eyes, allowing Astoria to recognize her as Luna Lovegood. "You didn't notice when I came up and sat down, you see, so I thought it must be the sky or the nargles. They're a lot the same, after all."
"Oh," said Astoria. She nodded and wondered if she ought to move. They didn't call her Loony Lovegood for nothing, after all.
"The water is nice, too," said Luna.
"Is it?"
Luna swished her feet back and forth, sending small ripples through the lake. "Yes."
It did look rather inviting. Astoria's eyes flickered back and forth between the water and the girl. Despite Luna's calm, peaceful expression, she looked a bit lonely. Astoria hesitated for another moment, then stood up, moved closer to Luna, and sat down.
"I'm Astoria," she said. "Greengrass."
"I know," said Luna.
It was strange, but Astoria liked the simplicity of that statement. And she liked other things, too, like the pale pink color of Luna's lips and the curve of her cheekbones and the way her bright blue eyes were fixed on Astoria's-
Enough. Those thoughts are not allowed. She shoved them aside, as she'd learned to do many years before, on the numerous occasions her mother had looked into her mind, searching it for secrets.
"You're a Ravenclaw, aren't you?" she said quickly.
Luna nodded. "And you're a Slytherin."
Astoria parted her lips, ready to say yes, but something else came tumbling out instead.
"No."
Luna said nothing, but she kept her eyes fixed on Astoria's face, unwavering, and Astoria continued. She didn't know why, but for some reason, she wanted Luna to know the story.
"I mean, yes," she said, "technically, I'm in Slytherin. But I'm a Ravenclaw. The Sorting Hat wanted to put me in Ravenclaw, but I said no."
"That was a bit silly of you," said Luna.
Surprised, Astoria laughed. "I guess it was, a little. But I had a reason."
Luna nodded. She didn't ask for the reason, and Astoria didn't offer it. Instead, she dipped her toes in the water and shrieked.
"It's freezing!"
"Poor Inky must be very cold," said Luna.
"Inky?" said Astoria.
"The giant squid. I named him."
Astoria laughed. "It's a good name," she said.
And that was how it started, at the edge of the lake, with cold water and a giant squid and a half-spoken secret.
xxx
They met nearly every day, in the early hours of the afternoon. Their spot, as Astoria thought of it, was on the edge of the lake, sheltered by a number of tall trees. It wasn't the most hidden place in the world. It would be easy enough for someone to find them there, and Astoria knew she ought to worry about that. She should have been afraid that someone would find out about their friendship, about their jokes and secrets.
She'd spent her whole life trying to hide things such things, so that when her mother looked into her mind, she would find only her perfect Slytherin daughter, the daughter she wanted, instead of the daughter who existed.
But she couldn't make herself do it.
She couldn't push Luna out of her mind, couldn't make herself forget their afternoons together. Even on her worst days, when the sky seemed thick with storm clouds, there was another sky, bright and blue, that she could see when she was with Luna. In the afternoons that they spent together, nothing bad could touch him.
Those afternoons could easily be her undoing. Instead, they were her happiness.
"I brought toast for Inky," she said, as she slipped under the trees and sat down next to Luna.
The other girl smiled. "He'll be very happy." Working together, they tore the toast into small pieces and tossed it into the lake. A tentacle shot out of the water and snagged a piece. Luna laughed.
She had the most beautiful laugh in the world.
Her arm brushed against Astoria's as she leaned forward to toss another piece of toast, and Astoria shivered. Just that one touch, and she could barely breathe.
And suddenly, she knew she had to say something. In the weeks that they'd spent together, she'd revealed many secrets to Luna, but there was one she never spoke of, one she kept buried.
It was tim to dig it up.
"Luna."
The blonde-haired girl turned towards her, and Astoria knew that she was listening.
"My mother is a Legilimens,"said Astoria.
Luna said nothing.
"When we were little- Daphne and I- she would threaten us with it. She looked into our heads. She still does, sometimes, when we're home for the holidays. It was her way of… of making sure that we were exactly who she wanted us to be." Astoria had never spoken those words out loud before, never dared to let anyone hear them. She was always closed off, always hiding those those thoughts, always pushing them down.
But now there was a revolution starting in her heart, a rebellion, an uprising. The words she'd always kept inside were tumbling out.
"That's why I made the hat put me in Slytherin," she said. "If I hadn't, mother would have looked in my mind to try to figure it out. And if she looked hard enough, she might have found… something else. Another secret." She hesitated now, uncertain. "I… I'm…"
Luna reached out wove her fingers through Astoria's, giving her hand a soft squeeze. "It's alright," she said. "You can tell me. Be yourself. The world worships original."
On impulse, Astoria reached out and pressed her free hand against Luna's cheek. "Then the world must adore you," she whispered as she moved closer. Luna's eyes were the same baby blue as the lake and the sky, the most beautiful color Astoria had ever seen, and then their lips met and she forgot what she was saying, forgot what she was thinking, forgot her own name. She kissed Luna for only a moment before pulling back, suddenly terrified that she had it all wrong and that she had ruined everything.
Luna looked at her for just a moment before leaning in again, and as their lips met, happiness spun through Astoria, stronger and brighter than she'd known happiness could be. Storms and frost and darkness might invade at some point, but she had Luna, and when she had Luna she had blue skies and flowers and sunshine. So long as she could hold Luna in her arms, she had everything she wanted.