QLFC Round 1
Beater 2: Write about someone who looks innocent but is evil on the inside.
Optional Prompts: 3. (object) telescope, 6. (quote) "I know it is wet and the sun is not sunny, but we can have lots of good fun that is funny."
Word Count: 1,562
The clouds were a dark gray. The sky rumbled in the distance, giving the indication that a storm was not far off. The Great Lake churned, its waves crashing against the shore ever so often. It matched the color of the sky.
Raindrops slid down the windows of the castle, blurring the view of the outside to whoever might be standing at the said window. In this case, it was Harry Potter.
He stood silently, hands behind his back, staring outside. The common room around him was silent, save for the faint crackling of embers in the fireplace. It was well past bedtime. Out of the corner of his eye he caught sight of a flash of white – no, as he narrowed his eyes and looked closer, he saw that it was not quite white, but blonde.
What in the name of Merlin was Luna Lovegood doing on the grounds in the middle of the night, especially in this weather? Harry watched more closely. Her hair was streaming out behind her in the wind, and she was running. Where to? It took him a split second to realize that she was headed towards the lake. Without a second thought, Harry turned from the window. He sprinted up to the boys' dorm in search of his Invisibility Cloak.
"Where is it?" he hissed, rummaging through his trunk. That fruitless search, and the fact that it wasn't under his bed where it normally was, led him to recall that he had lent the Cloak to Ron the other day. "Ha, gotcha!" He pulled it from under Ron's bed in success. Within another minute, he was hurrying down the corridor outside of the Fat Lady's portrait, safe under the security of the Cloak. His wand was out in front of him, light shining from it, and his ears were perked in case he heard someone before he saw them, but he reached the castle doors safely.
He knew he was in trouble before he even stepped outside. He could hear the wind through the giant oak doors. Still, Harry pushed them open and raced into the storm without hesitating.
The wind threatened to cause the Cloak to fly out of his very hands. Harry stuck his wand in his belt for safekeeping and gripped it extra tightly. Thus secured, he ventured further away from the safety of the castle and deeper into the oncoming storm.
The wind was thankfully not blowing against him, but the torrent of rain drenched him within a minute and made it hard to see. Harry used his instincts to walk a path he had many times before, the one that led down to the shore of the lake.
Normally, he would spend time lounging on the sand with Ron and Hermione before exams, revising and enjoying the feel of the sun on his face. Now, standing on the shore with the wind whipping his hair and the waves threatening to soak his sneakers, he longed for the different temperature and setting. He almost wished he was back in the common room, comfortably warm with the fire crackling behind him.
Stay on topic. Luna. He squinted his eyes, trying to make out a head bobbing up and down among the waves. Realizing he could see better if it were lighter - and that nobody in their right mind would be outside in this weather - Harry decided to shed the Cloak, fold it up, and store it in a robe pocket. His hands thus freed, he took his wand from his belt to shine the light it was emitting over the waves. Aha. Luna was much closer than he expected, floating on her back about ten meters from the shore. She would look almost peaceful - if the waves weren't tossing her back and forth like an empty chip bag. She must be crazy to go swimming in this weather, and at night.
"Luna!" Harry shouted. "Luna, what are you doing?" Her head popped up and her face lit up in a smile. She began paddling towards him, clearly undeterred by the ferocity of the currents around her.
"I could ask you the same question, Harry," she said joyfully as she reached him and exited the water. "Would you like to go for a swim?"
"In this weather? That's crazy - " Harry started, but she went on as if he had not spoken.
"I know it is wet and the sun is not sunny, but we can have lots of good fun that is funny."
"Swimming is not fun," Harry insisted. "Especially in this weather. You will most definitely get sick."
Luna merely smiled and shook back her wet hair. From inside her robes, she produced a towel which was, miraculously, dry. Harry didn't even question how she had managed to fit it in her robes in the first place. Magic was wonderful.
"Let's go for a walk," Luna suggested, while she twisted her hair into a ponytail and wrapped the towel around her.
"Or we could go back into the castle." Harry countered her suggestion with one of his own, which to him sounded much better than venturing deeper into the bad weather.
"Do you have a telescope?" Luna asked brightly, and she began skipping away from him.
"A telescope?" Harry followed her reluctantly. There was nothing he would rather do than return to the safety of the common room, but he also wasn't about to leave Luna out here alone.
"Yes," Luna confirmed. "We could look at the stars."
Harry looked critically at the sky and was about to let her down by pointing out the fact that even if he had a telescope, they wouldn't see much when she spoke again:
"Would you like to visit the thestrals?"
"Excuse me?"
"The thestrals," Luna chirped. "I've become quite good friends with them, actually. Follow me."
Harry had no choice but to follow, as she moved with alarming speed and he didn't want to lose track of her.
The pair entered the Forbidden Forest. In contrast to the open grounds, it was quieter here, with the massive trees acting as shields from the wind. However, the ground was soggy and muddy, and rain dripped off the trees ever so slightly.
Harry wished once again that he was back in the common room as Luna came to a halt in a clearing that he recognized as the one where he had first met thestrals with Luna.
Said Ravenclaw was busy laying out parcels of raw, bloody meat, that she also produced from her robes. Harry didn't want to know how she had acquired that meat, although he was curious to know how she fit everything into the seemingly endless pockets of hers. She was also humming in a rather ominous way.
Harry took a startled step back as, all at once, red eyes began appearing in the gloomy distance.
"Come closer my loves," Luna cooed, holding out her hand and beckoning the thestrals closer. There were three in total: two immense ones and a third that seemed to be a child. Harry watched in discomfort as the thestrals greeted Luna almost as a pet would; the two parents allowed her to stroke them and the baby (although it was almost her size) nuzzled her violently, nearly knocking her over. Greetings finished, the thestrals began tearing into the meat.
Harry stepped back further.
Luna had stopped her humming and now began speaking, without taking her eyes from the creatures.
"You see, Harry, thestrals are so misunderstood by witches and wizards," she said. "People like yourself think they are dangerous, and violent, that they need to be wiped out. It took a long time for me to even be able to get close to them, let alone become friendly with them."
"That's great, Luna," Harry said, deeply unsettled by the way she was speaking and the way the thestrals were ripping the meat apart.
"Voldemort is exactly the same," Luna went on, and Harry's heart stopped in his chest as she suddenly switched the topic to that of his mortal enemy. "All he wants to do is save the Wizarding World from people who want to wipe it out, like Muggles."
"We should go back to the castle," Harry said uneasily. His hand went for his wand.
"People call you the Chosen One when really, you're standing at the head of the destruction of our kind. I can't let that happen. Voldemort has promised me immunity."
"Immunity for what?" Harry asked.
Luna whistled softly, and the thestrals paused in their meal. Their red eyes bore into Harry.
"Kill him," Luna commanded.
Harry had no time to pull his wand as the creatures pounced. He felt immense pain as their claws ripped into him.
And then he bolted up in bed, sweating and shaking. He placed a hand over his pounding heart and probed around with his fingers, making sure his chest was still intact. It was. Thank Merlin.
He sank back down into his pillows, heart still racing. It had just been a dream. But maybe Luna Lovegood wasn't as innocent as she seemed. He prayed he would remember that, but he could already feel the dream slipping away from him to be replaced by his waking thoughts. Outside, he could already hear the rumbling. Tonight, there would be a storm.