-Foreword-
Luna Lovegood: Ravenclaw - Energetic. Strange. Fascinated with the unexplained and the improbable. Able to see the world no other does.
Alex Leeds: Slytherin - Talented. Reserved. A fourth-year master of non-verbal spells and an innovator in the creation of new ones. Able to see Luna as no other can.
The concept of intra-house relationships is nothing new to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardy – unless, of course, you are a Slytherin. The pure-blood mania, the intense rivalry in quidditch – these are but a few of the reasons the proud Slytherins choose to disassociate with the other houses, regarding themselves as superior and devoid of the gallant buffoonery of Gryffindor, the naivete and humility of Hufflepuff, and the bookwormish lust for merely knowledge that is Ravenclaw.
However, Alex is not interested in the opinions of his fellow housemates. He cares only for his own opinion. And until recently, he didn't care to waste time with love or romance either...
-Disclaimer BS-
Though Alex is an original character, I sure as shit don't own the rights to any names or titles of any of the other characters, places, or otherwise titled subject matter.
As No Other Can
Chapter 1: A Chance Encounter
Infernius Maxima!
The word, in all it's majesty and complexity, crossed Alex's mind in an instant. A jet of white-hot flame spouted from the tip of his wand, filling the vacant classroom with a raging heat. Only directing the jet into a dark mass of energy – the result of the Voidio charm he had cast at the far end of the room – kept it from burning through the walls of Hogwarts and out into the grounds. Even so, the jet was present in the room for long enough to raise the temperature to that of a sweltering desert at high noon.
Arcticus!
Again the word scarcely crossed his mind before a large chunk of ice rocketed from the tip of his wand, following the path of it's fiery predecessor into the void and leaving an icy wind swirling about the room. The temperature dropped within seconds to just above freezing, catching the breath in his throat. He had underestimated the power of his non-verbal spells a few times before, and knew from experience that, had he added a Maxima to the end of that Artcicus, the temperature would drop in the room so fast that the stone walls would crack; sometimes even a few of the stones would shatter. He would then have about ten seconds to exit the room before hypothermic shock set in.
Radiata Multiplios.
Seven balls of warm light formed at the tip of his wand one by one and scattered to the edges of the room. The temperature began to slowly rise. Alex twirled his wand skillfully between his fingers and deftly slid it back into the bracer he always wore on his left arm.
"Hello," spoke a soft voice from the doorway. "It's a bit chilly in here."
Alex spun, drawing his wand as he did so and leveling it at the speaker's face.
Protego Impervious!
Shroudious Maximus!
"That was rather neat," she observed cheerfully, as a powerful shield formed around Alex and clouds of black smoke filled the room. "I can't see you anymore. Are you invisible?"
Alex paused for a few seconds, circling slowly. He already knew there was no threat from this girl. She was rather thin, and wore a necklace of butterbeer caps beneath her tangled golden locks. She had a peaceful, relaxed expression on her face, her eyes betraying a moderate dose of curiosity.
"That's quite a lot of black smoke," she said, shuffling into the room gazing raptly up at it. "Did you use out-of-date instant darkness powder?"
Alex began to feel the extended shield charm wearing on him. High level magic such as this wore down a wizard's Will much faster than the simpler Protego charm. Fortunately, any wizard skilled enough to actually cast the spell, let alone know that it existed, would also most likely be finishing up any duels he may have need to use it in very quickly.
Disseminate, he thought, and the shield faded away. The smoke began to clear.
"There you are," the girl said pleasantly. Alex frowned, tucking his wand away again. She was clearly a Ravenclaw, and Ravenclaws DID NOT make friendly conversation with Slytherins. This was an unspoken rule. Ravenclaws and Slytherins had heated debates over ancient magical texts, often involving the 'personal gain vs. good-of-all-wizardkind' argument. With Gryfindor it was usually a trading of insults or jinxes, and with Hufflepuff... well, Hufflepuffs were generally ignored by Slytherins, and seemed to be happy with it that way.
"What do you want?" Alex asked coldly.
This did nothing to diminish the girls pleasant smile. "I was following a cloud of poppyjetters down the hall, and they came right in here."
Alex was speechless for a split second. An excuse would have been welcome, or a mumbled apology, even a sane legitimate answer, but... poppyjetters?
It was his personal preference to maintain decorum at all times, choosing not to join in any petty fights or trade insults unless the sophistication of the contest was elevated to the level of a test of magical prowess or faculty of wit. This rarely happened. In fact, it had only happened once, with a redheaded bespectacled sixth-year Gryffindor who had seemed to have been inspired to reach beyond his ordinary wellspring of dry wit simply in order to preserve his pride. Alex had grown tired of the contest and had been ready to concede 'Surrender as caused by necessity of survival in the matter of the traumatic effects to the mind as a result of chronic boredom' when the Gryffindor had stormed off, mumbling to himself about arrogance of youth and seeing the headmaster about it.
As for this situation, Alex would later recall the moment to himself as a willful act, telling himself rather unsuccessfully that his decision to forgo decorum was intentional. He also 'decided' to forgo using his usual scathing wit, the likes of which had been the cause of many outbursts and a healthy amount of tears amongst many students, regardless of house, year, gender, or magical affinities.
But this explanation he had to admit was simply not true. The truth was he was still slightly dumbfounded that the term 'poppyjetters' actually existed, let alone that someone had just uttered it with a straight face and an honest heart. In short, Alex had a simple, instinctual reaction, and spoke the first words that came to has mind, making them the most the most unsophisticated he had ever uttered whilst a member of the Hogwarts student body.
"What in the HELL are poppyjetters?"
Her answer was immediate and flowed naturally, and for a second Alex found himself envying the girl for her simplicity and innocence. "Oh, they're tiny flower nymphs usually found near poppies, but they also inhabit a few species of rosebush. They're attracted to strong magical energies, you know, and will leave their home for up to a day and a half to seek them out."
"Oh?" Alex replied, feeling a slight bristle of pride. Strong magical energies? He quickly shook it off. There were no such things as poppyjetters, but at the same time... unless this girl was far more cunning and devious than a student was allowed to be in order to actually get into Ravenclaw, she was being completely honest with him, despite her delusions of poppyjetters.
"These came inside from one of the greenhouses, the one where Professor Sprout is having us study a few non-magical plants. I quite expected them to head for Professor Dumbledore's office. That's where they usually go."
"I see. I've never heard of poppyjetters."
"They're fairly rare. My papa and I researched them over the summer, and this month's Quibbler has quite an article on them. I helped him write it."
Recognition hit Alex like a load of bricks, and he immediately wondered why he had not recognized her before. Hogwarts was certainly no stranger to eccentrics (it's own current headmaster and a few members of staff being among them), but there were few eccentrics who could top the level of notoriety held by this girl here. He even knew of her nickname. "Looney" Lovegood.
"Pardon me for asking," Alex said, his decorum back in hand and the acid wit on standby, "but isn't the Quibbler generally considered a collection of wild stories and fantastic tales of myths, legends, and outright rubbish?"
"Yes," the girl replied. "Many people say that, but many people also consider The Daily Prophet to be a source of accurate information."
Alex paused for a fraction of a second. "It is."
"Yes, sometimes," the girl agreed cheerfully. "But there are many stories published that stretch or even fabricate the truth. One of the things we try to do with the Quibbler is to provide the real story in those circumstances."
"I see." Alex said, his interest in the topic having run out.
"I hope so," the girl smiled, and she closed her eyes and pressed her wand to her temple. "I believe they're still in here."
For a second Alex was tempted to begin his reply with: "Well, it's been a thrilling chat..." But instead he asked: "Are you enhancing your perception of magical energy by channeling a constant flow of it through your own mind?" He was ready to be impressed if this was indeed what she was doing.
"I don't think so," the girl replied. "I usually press my wand to my head in order to concentrate. A bit of a habit, really. They're a bit tricky to sense, Poppyjetters, but it's a common belief that they appear to the mind as a group of rainbow colored speckles of light when you close your eyes. Truth be told though, I'm starting to get a headache from all of it."
And there goes your credibility, Alex thought to himself, shaking his head and dismissing her back down to the level of 'kook'.
"Oh, that's fascinating," he replied sarcastically. "Now if you don't mind, I was practicing."
"Oh, I don't mind at all," the girl replied. "Go ahead. You must be attempting some rather advanced magic to attract all of those poppyjetters."
"I'm not attempting anything," Alex answered, scowling slightly. "I am practicing a few non-verbal spells I have researched and discovered. I would actually prefer to pr-"
"That sounds like fun," the girl cut in, sounding pleasant as ever. She returned her wand to the inside of her robes and took a seat, folding her hands in her lap and waiting patiently.
Alex was about to protest her presence, up to the scathing wit level of intensity should the need arise, but something stopped him. The thought of anyone watching him practice seemed irritating as hell, even were it one of the few people in his own house who he tolerated nearly to the point of acquaintance. But somehow, this girl, this simple, pleasant, slightly air-headed girl caused him no such displeasure. On the contrary, he felt intrigued by her, as if every word she was bound to say would be so utterly ridiculous that no human had ever even dreamed of thinking about saying it before.
"Well," Alex answered, and found himself at a loss for words again. He was far from admitting that he actually enjoyed her company, having exchanged no more than five minutes worth of discourse with her, but at the same time he felt slightly apprehensive about letting her stay. "I suppose if you wish to stay and watch... but be mindful; it can get a bit... rough."
"I don't mind," the girl smiled.
Of course you don't, Alex thought to himself, and resumed his practice routine.
Infernius Maxima!
A small spurt of fire burst from his wand, filling the air with a sour smelling smoke. Alex coughed.
"Ooh, that was neat!" The girl said, smiling at Alex.
Alex was shocked. He hadn't had trouble casting that particular spell since he had first attempted it, and even then it had been much better than whatever the hell had just happened.
He attempted it again, this time producing a slightly bigger burst of flame and an equally large cloud of smoke.
The Girl coughed a bit, and Alex mentally berated himself. What thew hell was going on? His focus was not where it should be, and a cold wave of dread washed over him as he realized that he should be able to put any and all distractions aside, or one day he cast this spell in a duel and find himself either dead or ridiculed for it,
It was the same with his Arcticus spell, the result being a spray of small, half melted chunks of ice that fell on the floor with a clatter.
"That was interesting," the girl said. "I could use that for when the ice melts in my pumpkin juice."
I'll melt your damn pumpkin juice, Alex thought savagely, and was surprised at how base and juvenile a thought that was. Something was definitely wrong with him.
"Do you mind keeping quiet!" he snapped, knowing this wouldn't solve anything. Even if she was quiet, even if she was 600 miles away, the fact that she had been here and said things like Poppyjetters and that was fun insured that we would perform equally as bad.
"No, I don't mind," Luna replied cheerfully. "But I think I'll be going now, the Poppyjetters aren't in this room anymore."
Had that statement come from anyone else (the absurdity of poppyjetters notwithstanding) Alex would have made sure they spent the rest of their lives in St. Mungo's forgetting daily which part of the body underpants went on. He was a master of detecting veiled insults, by virtue of being a masterful purveyor of them himself, and from anyone else, this statement would have been recognized as one of the finest he had ever heard.
But from this girl, he believed that no such insult was possible. It just didn't seem to fit with her character. She was too easy-going and friendly (most would say scatterbrained) to wish to offend someone as an act of malice. And yet, how to explain the poppyjetters? Alex was convinced that no such thing existed, yet how had she located him? If they were real, and did indeed follow his powerful magical energy, then it made sense that they should have left when his focus began to wane.
This train of thought began to give Alex a headache. He was already fairly worn out from practicing, even more considering he had cast and held a Protego Maximus charm, and he thought it best to be done for the day.
"I'll be going as well," he said, and he turned and pointed his wand at the void and thought Disseminate.
The void vanished without a hitch, and Alex was glad, again chiding himself for having doubts about whether it would or not. A proper wizard didn't hope for the best and 'roll-the-dice' with his spell work, he cast spells and they did exactly what he wanted them to. Perhaps he was not as proficient as he thought.
A thought struck him that he should like to know more about this "Looney" Lovegood. She was not as entirely nutty as the rumors held, although the concept of Poppyjetters was definitely pushing the line. But before he could do or say anything she had drifted out of the room.
Alex made to follow her, but his mood snapped all of a sudden, and he turned and thought Infernius Maximus! directing his wand at the floor. This time, his frustration powered the charm, and he was blasted off of his feet to crash into the wall, rewarded with a smoking set of robes, a few singed hairs, a sore backside, and a boiling crater of molten stone in the center of the classroom.
