Story Title: Moon Child
School: Hogwarts
Year: First Year
Theme: Andromeda - Strong female character - Resilience, Independence, Inner-Strength
Main Prompt: [Action] - Star-gazing
Side Prompt: [Dialogue] - "If I had a star for every time you brightened my day, I would be holding a galaxy."
Side Prompt: [Creature] - Mooncalf
Rating: T
Beta: Esme
Word Count: 3223 (+10% leeway)
Warnings: Strong Bereavement - Losing A Mother, Death.
Author's Notes: I have tried my best to stay true to canon. Luna is nine when her mother dies; otherwise, her age is unspecified before this event. The death is sudden but not graphic, no gore or blood. There is dealing with grief and some ancient Greek stories based on constellations. I have done my best to retell these stories in a manner a child would understand. I like the song - Underneath Your Clothes by Shakira as a tone-setter for this piece, as it helped me get the right feel for the ending. Please have some tissues handy - my sincerest apologies if this strikes too deep a chord with anyone, but even I bawled writing the ending.
Special Thanks: I want to shout out to Hemlockonium for the wonderful description of the mooncalves. I really appreciate the help, and I bow to your descriptive talents!
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Moon Child
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It was night time in Devon, and the tiny village of Ottery St. Catchpole bathed under the light of a full moon. The country air was clean, refreshing, and mild. Aside from the cries of hunting owls and the merry chirps of the crickets, the village was quiet and still. Stars twinkled down upon the sleeping villagers, casting their glow over the little houses. Tiny amber lights flickered in a few of the windows; there were those that enjoyed the evenings and the serenity it brought.
Outside the village, a lone house stood on a hill. It was certainly a peculiar house; it was black and shaped like a rook, a powerful chess piece. The cylindrical home was half lit under the moonlight, while the other half remained in the shadows. A babbling stream ran a small way from the building, and mooncalves emerged from their burrows to play. Together they broke the silence with the rushing sound of water, crashing over the rocks and pebbles. It blended into the serene ambience of the night and went unnoticed by two figures sitting on a little hill at the end of the overgrown garden.
A woman held her young daughter on her lap, their silvery blonde hair gleaming in the darkness. Every full moon, the two would venture outside to bond over myths and tales of their curious origins. Complete with a magical astrology book, detailing the constellations, the pair were set up nicely to enjoy the special pastime they shared: star-gazing.
Pandora Lovegood held her daughter, Luna, gently. She pointed down at the book, and Luna looked at the entire star map. Turning to her mother, she asked, "What's this one called, Mummy?" Pandora kissed her little girl and replied softly.
"That one is called The Milky Way, Luna. It's the canvas on which all the constellations lie; one of its stars has a very fascinating story of a mother, you know. It's called the Milk of Rhea." Glancing at the star in question in the book, she watched Luna's expression become excited. She smiled gently, and with Luna's attention firmly on the stars, Pandora began her tale.
"The Titaness Rhea was the mother of the gods, and her husband, Cronus, met a Seer and begged her to tell him his fate. The Seer told him that one of his children would grow up and defeat him; he decided to take action to ensure this terrible fate never happened." Luna mirrored the concerned expression of the gigantic Titan in the book, before turning her eyes to her mother.
"Then what happened, Mummy?" Pandora chuckled and carried on in her previous tone.
"The Titan was so distressed, he gobbled up all his babies, so they could never defeat him." Luna gasped and clung to her mother in fright. Pandora patted her back softly in reassurance and pointed at the Titaness in the book who was looking at her husband darkly, watching the moving illustration of her husband creeping closer to her final baby son—Zeus.
"Rhea tricked her husband and held a stone the size of a baby, and she wrapped it up in blankets. He reached out for the bundle of blankets that was held against her chest, and when he snatched it up, milk flowed forth from Rhea, creating the Milky Way. Cronus devoured the stone in the blink of an eye," said Pandora, dramatically. "Then it happened. Kronos felt sick, and suddenly, he threw up, and all his babies were safe again. Rhea took them all and kept them safe."
Closing the book with a snap, Pandora looked at her little girl before pointing at the constellation. "See, Luna? All the gods remembered what Rhea did, and even though playing tricks on people isn't nice, she did it to save her babies. She used her cleverness and made a choice; Rhea was a thinker. The gods placed her up there in the stars so people will never forget her selfless act."
Luna yawned cutely and tapped the book. "Can you tell me another story, Mummy?"
Pandora swept her up in her arms, as she stood. "Not tonight, love; it's time for bed. Come on, let's give Daddy a big hug before we tuck you in." As the tiny girl leaned into her mother's warm embrace, Pandora relished the feeling and savoured it. Luna was her everything.
It was time for another story. In their usual spot under the full moon, an older Luna sat beside her mother and flipped through the pages of the book. When she landed on a picture of two fish, she pointed to it excitedly.
"Will you tell me about the fish, Mummy? They're really pretty!" Pandora laughed and nodded.
"Before I do, can you spot Pisces in the sky? I'll give you a hint; it looks like a big 'L'." Luna took her time gazing at the groups of stars until she finally found the correct constellation. Pandora skimmed the pages, admiring her daughters choice.
"This is a fine example of another strong and special lady; you picked a great story, Luna! This one is a Zodiac constellation." Luna beamed at her mother and climbed onto her lap, eager to hear the tale.
"It all began when Typhon attacked Olympus; the home of the gods. Typhon was the most terrifying sea creature the gods had ever seen, and when they saw him coming, they fled." Luna watched the miniature version of the sea creature slither closer to Olympus in the magical book, with interest. "Aphrodite was a powerful goddess, and she had the gift of magic."
Luna flipped the page to see the figure of Aphrodite smiling up at her. "Is that Aphrodite?" Pandora grinned.
"It is! Aphrodite and her son made it all the way to the Eridanus river when the monster began to close in on them." Pandora paused as Luna tugged on her sleeve and pointed at a new page in the book. "Yes, Eridanus is another constellation; very well spotted, darling. Now, where was I? Oh, yes! Knowing the creature would never stop chasing them, Aphrodite decided to draw on her magic and transformed herself and her son, Eros, into fish to fool the creature. It worked, and Typhon couldn't find them. They swam all the way back to Olympus and told the other gods of their ordeal. The gods placed the two fish in the stars to honour Aphrodite's quick thinking."
"Mummy? Was Aphrodite a witch?" The silver-haired woman regarded her daughter.
"Yes, she was, Luna. She was a very talented witch; she used her magic for good."
Luna smiled at the swimming fish in the book. "I think she is a really good Mummy, but..." Luna peered up, "I think you're a much better Mummy!"
Pandora melted in pride and happiness at the words. Children had no idea how a few simple words could affect their parents. Looking Luna in the eye, Pandora replied, "If I had a star for every time you brightened my day, I would be holding a galaxy." Pointing up at the sky, they both stared up at the stars. "See how many stars I have? I think it's too many to hold in one hand, don't you?"
Luna nodded, matter-of-factly, as she gazed at them all. "Well, I do. You might need… um… ten hands to hold them all," Luna exclaimed as she jumped in the air with her arms outstretched. Pandora chuckled, as she melted all over again. 'Don't ever change, Luna; always be yourself.'
"I think ten should definitely be enough."
The full moon had risen once again, calling the two Lovegood ladies to their favourite spot under it shimmering light. Book in hand, Luna searched for another wonderful story. Pandora glanced at the stars, happy for Luna to take as much time as she needed. When Luna finally picked a constellation, Pandora inclined her head to her daughter in surprise.
"Scorpio is a little difficult, love. Are you sure?" Luna nodded.
"Alright then. Scorpio is a story of the goddess Gaea; she was the goddess Mother Earth." Luna gasped in awe at the importance of the goddess she had inadvertently chosen. She firmly fixed her attention on her mother, eager to hear this tale. "Gaea loved all the people on Earth, but she also loved every creature from the tiniest insect to the greatest whale. She nurtured the lands and gave us forests and plants to brighten the Earth. She loved nature, and she was worshipped for that."
The woman paused as they gazed at the constellation of Scorpio in the sky. It was very clear tonight. Pandora flipped forward in the book and landed on the page showing the constellation, Orion. "Orion wished to purge the world of all creatures; he saw no purpose of the fish in the sea, nor the birds in the sky. He loved his dogs, but he was ultimately a hunter; he wanted to kill every beast that walked the Earth."
Luna frowned at the personification of Orion and scrunched up her lip. Pandora continued. "The goddess Gaea believed this needless persecution of all the Earth's creatures was abominable and she set out to defend them. It became clear that Orion would not change his mind and so, left the goddess with very little choice. As she studied the animals around her, she knew they had a right to live, whether they held an advantageous purpose or not. She chose to kill Orion before he killed all the creatures."
Luna looked up in surprise, "She killed him? I thought she was a good goddess?"
Pandora blinked, realising the conundrum in the story. "In the age of gods and goddesses, killing was normal. Obviously, nowadays, Orion would be arrested by the Aurors, not killed, love. In those days, Gaea thought it was the only way to protect the creatures and their right to walk the planet beside us. She stood up against prejudice, and so the gods remember the scorpion she sent to kill Orion."
Luna's frown remained, and she closed the book, causing Pandora to raise an eyebrow. "I'm not sure I like that story, Mummy. It didn't have a happy ending." Pandora smiled.
"Luna, not all stories do. Sometimes, there isn't another way, and good people have to make tough choices. Prejudice is rampant in the world today, and it takes a very strong woman, like Gaea, to stand up to it."
Luna stared thoughtfully at the ground, "I suppose, Mummy." Pandora hugged her daughter until she was ready to talk again. "Mummy? Is the moon a constellation?" Pandora blinked at the question and shook her head.
"No, Luna. Only groups of stars are constellations. The moon is very important, it helps bring in the tides amongst other things. It is the jewel in the sky."
"Oh. I thought it would have a story too," came Luna's soft reply. Pandora smiled.
"Do you know what 'moon' is, in Latin?" The little girl shook her head. "In Latin, 'moon' is 'luna'." When Luna's expression became quizzical, her mother explained. "I named you, moon because you are the jewel in my life, the same way the moon is the jewel in the night sky."
Luna flung herself into her mother's outstretched arms and hugged her for all she was worth. The reply was clear—I love you.
Luna raced through the rook-shaped house. She had picked a fresh bouquet for her mother from the garden. The nine-year-old nimbly navigated the cluttered house to reach her mother's study, where her mother experimented with spell creation. Luna knew she would love these flowers.
She flung the door open as a terrible bang reverberated around the small room. Luna was caught in the blast and was hurled back against the wall, as though she weighed nothing at all. Pain burst through her head, and Luna groaned. Touching her throbbing temple, she reached up to feel it already beginning to swell.
The room was a mess; everything was destroyed. All Luna knew was pain and confusion, as she groggily rolled to her knees and looked around. Spotting her mother on the floor, Luna began shifting the debris, as she crawled closer. Her mother would know how to make it all better.
As she crept forward, the little girl noticed something glinting under some loose debris. It was a silver locket with a moonstone set in delicate metalwork and engraved upon it were the cycles of the moon. The child pocketed it so she could wear it later, as she crawled closer to her fallen mother. Her eyes were closed like she was sleeping, but Luna had never seen her sleep during the day before. She knew something was very wrong.
"What's going-" Xenophilius rushed in upon hearing the explosion and gasped. "Luna, are you alright? Pandora, love. No!" He shook his wife, to no avail and Luna watched her father slowly fall apart.
"Daddy, why won't Mummy wake up?" asked Luna.
The distraught man almost didn't hear her, and as he choked back the tears, he murmured, "She's gone, Luna."
"Gone?" came the reply.
"Yes...her soul has left this world."
The full moon had risen again, and Luna found herself drawn to her favourite spot under the stars. The clearing seemed impossibly large now that she was alone, and Luna couldn't help the tears that streamed freely down her face as she clutched her tattered old book to her chest. It pressed her locket closer to her throat, but the silver-haired girl focused on the sensation of the cold metal, rather than the meagre painful one.
Looking up at the many constellations, Luna wondered if her mother had found her own place in the stars as the many strong women before her. She hoped with every fibre of her being that that was the case, as fresh tears ran down her cheeks.
She was startled out of her thoughts when something butted her leg. It was a mooncalf, a shy magical creature that only came out of its burrow during full moons. The smooth, pale grey fur reflected the starlight as did it's large, bulging blue eyes making them look like they were encrusted with diamonds. The smaller mooncalves nearby watched with interest as a delicious looking worm dangled from the mouth of the creature. The burrowing creatures survived on a diet of roots and insects, as they spent most of their lives in their burrows.
Luna supposed this mooncalf was their mother, and a pang of fresh loss tore through her. Another sob racked her tiny body, and the mother mooncalf abandoned the worm to the grass and hopped up on Luna's lap. As Luna's body, continued to tremble, the small creature began licking her face as if trying to wipe her tears away.
Slowly, Luna quieted and smiled down at the little blue mother and immediately adored her, from her bulging eyes to her long neck. Luna gingerly opened the book and pointed out Virgo.
"I did a good thing today, and it made Daddy smile again. I picked all the carrots and potatoes from the garden and washed and peeled them for dinner. I was just like the goddess Demeter. She helped farmers grow vegetables." The mooncalf followed her extended finger, before returning her huge eyes to the little girl. "It's a really terrific story if you want to hear it?"
When the mooncalf bobbed her head, Luna launched into the tale of Virgo. "Demeter was the goddess of agriculture, and she had a daughter named Persephone. When Hades fell in love with Persephone, he spirited her away to the underworld. Demeter was distraught when she couldn't find her and stopped performing her duties."
Stroking the mooncalf, Luna continued. "A great famine spread over the land, and Zeus was afraid that we humans would all die. So, he sent Hermes to retrieve Persephone. He brought her a pomegranate to eat, and when she did, she fell under a curse. Every year, Persephone would have to return to the underworld for three months, because she ate the fruit. Each time she had to leave, Demeter's anger caused the plants to die and the sun to hide. It's why we have winter."
The mother mooncalf stretched languidly and nuzzled Luna's cheek as if thanking her for a wonderful tale, before scampering off to rejoin her fellow mooncalves under the moonlight.
Two years had passed since that night, and Luna returned to her favourite spot with each and every full moon. The mother mooncalf found her every time and would sit and listen to Luna tell stories of the good deeds she'd done since last they'd met. With each good deed, magical or otherwise, Luna continued her mother's unique habit of attributing these deeds to a constellation myth. Luna now knew the tattered pages intimately and could recite them word for word.
Tonight, Luna clutched something in place of that book. Instead, she held a thick letter, embossed with crimson wax—her Hogwarts letter.
With some trepidation, she broke the seal and began to read the letter. She stared at the perfect calligraphy for a long time, until the mother mooncalf broke her out of her reverie by dropping a bug on her lap. Luna squealed in surprise and flung the insect into the air. In a rare show of agility, the mooncalves at the banks of the stream leapt for it.
The mother found her usual spot on Luna's lap and whirled her long neck around to lick Luna's face as she always did. Luna giggled but sobered quicker than usual. The mother eyed the letter as if it was to blame for Luna's stoic behaviour.
"I have to leave soon." The words were almost whispered, but they shattered the silence nevertheless. "I don't know if I'm ready for this step.."
Pain punctuated Luna's soft tones, and the mooncalf raised herself up on Luna's lap to look the eleven-year-old in the eye. She strategically placed a webbed foot on the hard locket under Luna's clothes—it was time to open it.
Luna reached for the silver oval locket and admired the pearly moonstone. The phases of the moon were still perfect and clear, and Luna freed the clasp. Inside on the left was a tiny picture of Pandora holding her newborn infant in her arms and Luna's eyes welled up with tears. Daring to look at the right side, she read:
You are the moon in my starry sky.
As Luna bowed her head and smiled through her tears, the mooncalf touched her nose to the girl's forehead. It was a goodbye kiss, and the message was understood instantly. 'Farewell Moon Child; you don't need me anymore. You are strong now.'
Luna watched as the mooncalf responsible for helping her transition from a grief-stricken wreck to someone slowly healing, disappeared into the tall grass, and Luna returned her gaze to the sky. She soaked up the sight of the moon and all the constellations, while she clutched her locket to her chest.
'I miss you, Mum, but I know you're always with me. Every time I look at the stars I remember how you brighten my life. You taught me the values of being a strong witch and using my thoughts, choices and magic for good. I will make you proud, you'll see.'
AN's: Thank you all for reading!