A Friend in Need
A/N: Written for the QLFC Round 12, as Chaser 1 for the Wimbourne Wasps.
For this challenge I had to incorporate the fairytale "Hansel and Gretal", so I've taken a few basic elements. Primarily, the idea of a boy and girl going into a forest where there is an "ominous" presence. While not abandoned by their parents like Hansel and Gretal, Colin and Luna in this story could be viewed as being mistreated or neglected by their peers. I also have a version of the "bread crumb trail" idea, and the potion Luna uses near the end was inspired by the witch's gingerbread house.
Prompts X3: sore (word), underhanded (word), and letter j (restriction).
Set during Colin & Luna's second year at Hogwarts.
Colin Creevey's friendship with the infamous Luna Lovegood often put him in difficult situations.
When Luna had explained her plan of hunting down the nest of Nargles that had cropped up on Hogwarts grounds, he gallantly insisted on accompanying her on the mission. He hadn't realised that the apparent "Nargle nest" was located in the Forbidden Forest.
"Luna… Are you sure it's in here?" They both stood at the forest's edge, Luna clutching a covered basket with Merlin-knew-what inside it.
His friend smiled, her features glowing with determination. It was rare for Luna to lose her wistful expression, but when her resolve kicked in, there was no stopping the girl's crazy intentions. Colin knew with sickening certainty that this would be one of those times where she'd refuse to see sense, no matter how rationally he phrased it.
Her voice even sounded unusually assertive when she replied, "I'm sure. I used the Nargliticus charm all over the castle and grounds to triangulate the magical charges that Nargles radiate. The emissions were strongest the closer I got to the forest. And everybody knows that Nargles are most commonly found in woodland areas. So it makes perfect sense that they're hiding in there."
Colin could find no words to argue this matter-of-fact statement. He simply nodded mutely, and followed Luna's lead into the forest. He figured she was going in either way; there was no way he'd let her go alone.
After fifty or so paces Luna paused to lift the cover from her basket, and taking out a handful of white flower petals, she sprinkled them on the ground in a small trail.
"Er… is that to protect us being harmed by the Nargles' evil magic?" Colin hazarded.
Luna looked genuinely surprised. "No, this is so we can find our way back if we get lost."
"Oh…" Feeling as though he should keep his mouth shut while Luna did whatever it was she needed to do, Colin concentrated on gripping his wand and recalling all the useful spells he could from Defence Against the Dark Arts lessons. Unfortunately, he doubted Professor Lupin had ever taught the class any Nargle-repellent charms.
Despite having to hide his exasperation with her sometimes, Colin really liked Luna. Many of their classmates took an aversion to her because she was different, but this was precisely the reason Colin was drawn to her. Being friends with Luna and her incredible imagination helped him see that he didn't have to live by everyone else's rules. He admired her ability to defy convention, no matter what people whispered behind her back.
Colin wished he was as brave as Luna. He knew it was absurd – a Gryffindor envying a Ravenclaw's courage, but sometimes Colin wondered if he'd been put in the wrong house. Luna unashamedly stuck to her beliefs and fantastical notions, and was never afraid to stand up for herself. Colin on the other hand, who'd begun in the last year or two to identify certain uncomfortable feelings he was having towards over boys, stubbornly tried to ignore and conceal them. He still half-hoped it was a phase that he might grow out of it.
As if reading his mind (not the first time she'd shown such acute intuition either) Luna broke the silence. "Have you spoken to Harry Potter lately?"
Colin flinched, and wondered if he was propelling his thoughts too loudly or something. Coming out of his reverie, he acknowledged with relief they hadn't even been walking that long.
"Not really… well, he dropped his quill last week in the common room and I picked it up for him," Colin grinned sheepishly. "But I think he said about two words to me, so I'm not sure it counts as a conversation."
Luna slowed her pace to sprinkle more of her white flowers along the ground behind them. But she fixed him with a curious gaze as she did so. "Do you still have that photo of you and him?"
Coming from anyone else, Colin would have responded defensively to this question. But Luna's gentle tone reminded him that she wasn't trying to make fun of him.
"Yeah… but I had to hide it in my trunk after that little, ah, incident." Despite the memory giving him no amusement, Colin forced an offhanded smile.
The photograph in question was taken at the end of last year, after he and the other victims of the Basilisk had been revived. At the celebration feast, Colin had taken dozens of photos, and managed to convince Ginny to take one of himself and Harry. He'd developed them over the summer, but it was this one that he kept in a frame by his bedside.
When he'd packed to return to school, he perhaps foolishly brought the photo with him. It made Colin smile every time he looked at it; Harry's green eyes were particularly striking, and his cheerful grin lit up his face. Only hours before it was taken, Harry had emerged triumphantly from the Chamber of Secrets, and Colin was still in awe at what a hero the boy was.
But Colin had been careless enough to leave the photograph out on his bedside in his dormitory. Later that day, he came into the room to find the photo left on his pillow with pink hearts drawn all over it, and the other boys sniggering uncontrollably. Struggling to hold back tears, Colin had hidden the photo away. The boys clearly thought the whole thing was hilarious, and it would be pointless to start an argument with them. He was also afraid that showing his anger would only confirm their suspicions about him.
The story had spread throughout the first-years, and when Luna approached him in the library one evening, Colin snapped at her for asking if he still had the photo. He hadn't known her very well back then, but had heard and seen enough to know she was a bit weird. She was unperturbed however, and simply explained that she knew a cleaning spell that would clear away the pen on the photo without damaging it.
That offer of kindness had sparked the beginning of their unusual friendship.
Colin had fostered hopes that wizarding world, in all its diversity and magnificence, would be far more liberal minded than the muggle world. He'd never anticipated the loathing pureblood wizards would extend to him for being muggle-born. Some wizards clung firmly to the old traditions of family and blood, and were unsettled by any deviation to their ways of living. Even when it came to Luna (whose only crime was being a little peculiar), the girl was ridiculed and shunned by many students, and not only Slytherins. Colin felt a twinge of guilt whenever he recalled how he himself had once laughed at comments made at Luna's expense. He'd almost been as bad as the boys in his dormitory – making fun of someone for no other reason than being different.
"My nose is starting to itch, it's a sign we're close to the nest," Luna declared happily.
Colin cursed his easily distracted mind. But it'd only been ten minutes or so since they'd entered the forest, and they weren't far in. He had no idea what an itchy nose had to do with close proximity to Nargles, but was too relived at the fact they'd stopped to care.
Luna pulled out a bottle filled with murky liquid from her basket. "This is a mixture of crushed gingerbread, melted chocolate frogs and a pint of butterbeer."
Colin nodded as if this were the most normal potion in the world to make.
"Nargles love sweet things. Leaving it for them is a peace-offering of sorts – a gift in return not harming anyone at the school."
He could think of several gaping holes in this logic, but Colin quickly reminded himself that the sooner they left the forest, the better.
"That's great! So… are we done?" He was sure it was almost dinnertime (his grumbling stomach seemed to think so at least). To his relief, it looked as though he wouldn't need to resort to being underhanded to get Luna to leave.
"Yes," she smiled dreamily. "We've done all we can do for now."
As Colin heard a large bird take flight nearby, he purposely hooked arms with his friend and steered her back the way they'd came, before she could change her mind. After a few dramatic moments of silence, she continued, "However, if students report sore or itchy noses, we'll know the Nargles haven't accepted our gift, and then we'll have to take desperate measures."
"Desperate measures?!"
"Oh yes… I'm sure the Thestrals will help us banish them!"
Colin had no idea what Thestrals were, and half-wondered if Luna was teasing him. All he knew was that he didn't relish the prospect of spending another afternoon trampling through the forest in search of them. But like any of Luna's other crazy ideas, he also knew with certainty that he would never abandon her to face a potential dangerous situation alone.
Despite her eccentric ways and erratic behaviour, Luna Lovegood was the best friend he'd ever had.
This turned out longer than I anticipated, even after I cut out the worst of Colin's rambling thoughts! Initially I considered going for the Luna/Colin shipping (I'm sure that's a thing somewhere), but my instincts preferred the idea of Colin having unrequited feelings for Harry.
As always thanks for reading, and reviews/feedback are greatly appreciated!