Disclaimer: Not mine, obviously, belonsg all to J.K. Rowling- thanks for creating a world to dream and roam in.
The small girl shivered out in the cold of November. Her feet were bare, her shoes had disappeared again. The icy wind tousled her strawberry blond hair. A sob escaped her and her shoulders trembled as she leant against the grey rock. Silent tears found their way over her jaws. The grass in front of her hiding place had a dead brown color. Her eyes followed one lonely, muddy leave that was dancing to the cruel melody of the up-coming storm.
She hated this place; she hated everything about it, every tinny detail. She had fled the castle hours ago, after her head of house had punished her for a crime she did not commit. She hadn't meant to curse anyone, but when she had seen her rags that had been her cloak just a few minutes ago, something had snapped. Even now, as she was staring at the Black Lake and those restless waves, she did not understand how she had done it, or what did actually happen.
She closed her grey eyes and huddled closer to the stone. One hour left until curfew. Then she would have to go back to the tower and face them, or maybe she would sleep in one of the unused classrooms. She had done it before. Absently she noted that she did not feel her fingers or toes anymore. She was prepared to stay like this, when she heart light steps approaching. She hoped that those did not belong to her housemates or the red-heads from Gryffindor that had chased her two hours ago. Maybe the person would not see her. Most people did tend to ignore her. It was a gift of hers. She had perfected it during the last two months. But sometimes it did not work and awful things happened.
The steps came to a halt. The girl looked up in panic. There was a small figure in front of her, a girl that was wearing a scarf in Gryffindor colors. She went for her wand. The Gryffindor who had found her held up her open hands, as she wanted to show her that she meant no evil. The girl saw that many questions went through the mind of the other. How she opened her mouth and closed again. Then she loosened her cloak and gave it to the freezing girl.
"The smell is because of the potion I am brewing at the moment", she explained calmly.
"Do you often brew polyjuice potion?", the girl asked the Gryffindor.
"No, it is the first attempt." They both fell silent for a while. "You are a dark witch", stated the bushy-haired after some hesitation.
The girl flinched.
"My friends are dark too, they just do not know it yet…I am Hermione", she added. Her eyes were free from malice as she looked expectantly to the girl.
"My name is Luna", she answered.
"I know", mumbled Hermione, "I have sensed you, I have seen you, but we have not met before. Sounds crazy, doesn't it?"
Luna cracked a smile. "You are like me; you can't control your gift. And you are hiding it, because you are afraid."
The Gryffindor did not answer. The small Ravenclaw was close to the thruth. She was afraid and she was hurting, right now. It was against the rules, her being outside, helping someone dark. The Light-Lord wouldn't approve. But it was the right thing to do. She smiled.
"Well it is close to curfew, we are outside in the cold, in the forecast they were talking about a blizzard, so yes, I am a bit frightened."
Luna could have answered many things. For example, that she did not trust the Gryffindor, because she did not feel right or that she did like blizzards- what would have been a lie. At the end she settled for the truth. "I don't want to go back. I can't go back." The girl had shivered and a lonely tear had found its way down her jaw.
"You are coming with me. There is enough space at our dormitory, we are only three. My dorm mates won't care."
Luna furrowed her eye brows and heard the bushy heard Gryffindor mumbling "they'll better not, if they want to pass transfiguration."
Her bright laughter sounded through the storm, as she followed Hermione back to the old castle. They reached the entrance hall and started to climb the stairs, as Luna suddendly stopped walking. Dread, that was waht she felt. She had to leave, she had to hide, but was frozen to the spot where they were standing. It became difficult to breath. She started hyperventilating.
He was here, close to them. She felt him approaching, the Light-Lord was taking a stroll through the empty corridors of Hogwarts.
"Miss Granger, it is nearly curfew, what are you doing here?", headmaster Dumbledore asked, ignoring the small witch that hid behind the Gryffindors robes.
Hermione did not answer.
"Look at me child, you should not associate with", the Light-Lord paused, "well, that." And with "that" he meant the Ravenclaw, that flinched and cowered behind Hermione.
Luna felt Hermione hesitation. The stiffness of her back, the soft trembling. she knew it, the Gryffindor was a light witch, she would desert her, would leave her at the mercy of a man that had no mercy- even if everybody believed his benevolent farce. She felt that the Gryffindor drew a deep breath.
"That's Luna Headmaster." Hermione eyes found the icy blue one of Dumbledore who stopped twinkling. "Luna and I forgot time in the library, so I offered to show her a short-cut back to the Ravenclaw Tower."
The Gryffindor felt the eyes of the headmaster drilling into her mind. She concentrated onto the library the smell of old books and tried not to move or to show her discomfort. She was researching for the latest transfiguration and got a bit carried away. The books on household charms came into her mind. Knitting spells! She should really try this one out; she still had no Christmas present for Harry and Ron.
Whatever Dumbledore was looking for,at the end he did not find it. "Then you should hurry, Miss Granger", he said after a moment and left the girls.
Luna could not believe it. The girl in front of her had lied to the Light-Lord. She had defied him! She could not be light, every light wizard or witch would have felt compulsed to answer truthfully. In her delight that she finally had found a kindred spirit in this stronghold of light, Luna did not see how Hermione grabbed her wand hand to stop that one from trembling and the look of pain as the girl closed shortly her eyes.
"Let's go", she whispered in a strained voice.
They walked silently to the portrait of the Fat Lady. Hermione lent against the wall for support, as she tried to remember the password. Her head felt like it was exploding. "Courage", she said after a while. The Fat Lady nodded.
"They always keep changing; sometimes it is difficult to remember, even if that one was obvious."
Luna giggled under her breath. Nobody looked at them, as they made their way through the common room and climbed the stairs. The small Ravenclaw felt like she could burst of happiness some minutse later as she lay in a real bed for the first time in weeks without fearing for retribution. Her protector already slept and looked exhausted in the pale light of the dying candle in the left corner.
"Thank your Morrigan", she whispered into the dark.