Marvelous Night for a Moon Dance named after the song "Moondance" sung by Van Morrison.
Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter and what comes with it. Though, sometimes, ideas like to pop into my head while I'm in the shower. The game of chess played by Hermione and Ron is from Oct. 17, 1956 when Donald Bryne (white) played Robert James Fischer (black). In this case Hermione will be playing white and Ron will be playing Black.
Author's Note: I thought it would be interesting to have Luna Lovegood as a main character, though I can't even possibly write her personality or way of thinking correctly. As much as I would love to create perfect character interactions I just don't have the talent. So, sorry in advance.
When Albus Dumbledore had seen the shock of silvery blonde he thought that another relative of Draco's had started the term but upon further inspection the sight made him smile. Such an individual with as peculiar taste as hers could only be the daughter of Zisa and Xenophilius Lovegood. She looked exactly like her mother, though from her apparent search for things that could not be seen she had inherited Xeno's love for creatures that most thought to be but imaginary. Dumbledore watched as she had a rather long sorting; her hand motions suggested that she was conversing with the sorting hat rather animatedly.
My, my, what have we here? A strange and unique mind you have; refreshing one could say.
Oh, hello there Mr. Hat. You're voice is not as scratchy as I thought it would be. There was a slight chuckling.
Yes, well, fortunately for me my voice has stayed intact over the years, no worries with regards to cracking due to age.
We wouldn't want that would we? Daddy's voice sounds different than what it used to and he's much, much younger than you are.
Your father, I remember him well. You have his desire for rare magical beasts as I can see mixed with your mother's exceptional creativity. Luna nodded her head enthusiastically.
Daddy gave me a horn from a Crumple-Horned Snorkack from my last birthday. Hopefully you can see it in my mind. Amazing isn't it? Daddy says they are huge animals and they use the horns for—
Yes, yes, I can see it quite well. An amazing find I assure you. The hat made no attempt to tell the girl that it looked exactly like the horn of a common ram. Now, where to put you my dear.
Mhmm, well, Daddy says he'd be proud of me no matter what house I'd be in, but I'm not sure which one I actually belong to. She emphasized the last bit and the old sorting hat knew exactly to what she was referring. She was a quite a peculiar girl, much too much for most he would say.
Oh? Luna felt that the hat would have raised an eyebrow if it could.
I don't think I'd be much of a match in Gryffindor, I'm not very much like a lion if you ask me. Badgers are interesting animals but they aren't that interesting. Though, I don't think I'd like it very much if Hufflepuff were my house either.
You, my dear, could be placed in any house but I hardly say that your way of living would fit alongside most people's.
Daddy says that I shouldn't be ashamed of who I am. Ever.
Of course not. No. No. No. His tone was consoling, as a father would reassure his child. Now, you have quite a bit of ambition and a thirst to prove yourself, quite a creative mind but I doubt Slytherin would give you what you needed. No, definitely not. Huffelpuff wouldn't be that bad you know, but I'm afraid they are a bit on the mild side for your tastes. You would be welcomed in Gryffindor, but eventually you would put them all in a tizzy with your antics and your words. Though, I suppose the Weasley twins would welcome you with open arms.
Ginny's older brothers? She's told me a bit about them. They sound like quite a pair.
They sure are. Now, all this talk leaves us with one house left.
I'm smart enough to be in Ravenclaw. I read loads of books and can memorize almost anything.
I know you are clever, quite clever indeed. Yes, I think we've found the one. Hopefully it all works out for you. I must say Miss Lovegood, you have provided me with quite a nice chat.
You're welcome Mr. Hat. Maybe we will speak to each other again. Perhaps the Headmaster will let me visit you sometimes. I suppose it becomes awfully lonely in that case of yours. The hat laughed a nice, rich laugh.
Perhaps. Well, the sorting must continue and we've taken up quite a long amount of time. Of you go now, young RAVENCLAW!
Luna Lovegood patted the hat nicely before making her way towards the Ravenclaw table, their cheers almost unknown to her as her blue-silver eyes took on their customary gleam. My, there were so many Wrackspurts floating through the castle, it was no wonder why everyone else had suddenly seemed a bit muffled. She took a seat along with the other first years but by this time they had already suspected there may be something off about the blonde girl. Luna kicked her legs and played with the bottlecaps around her neck as she watched her newest and so far only friend being sorted into Gryffindor. She clapped accordingly of course and gave a radiant smile before twirling her hair around his longish fingers; longish because they hadn't fully grown yet but had already surpassed the length of Ginny's, she checked.
"Miss Lovegood, what are you doing on the floor dear child?" Luna looked up at him with those all knowing eyes of hers and the Headmaster smiled, if only to mask his slight unease. The girl hummed, ignoring him for a moment while she looked out the window of the Astronomy tower.
"Just looking." She had a cup of hot chocolate in her hands, compliments of the house elves he assumed. She turned to him, but he saw that she focused on his left hand curiously. He took the opportunity to look also, wondering if some jam remained from his snack only a few minutes earlier. There was nothing but skin and wrinkles and a few liver spots. One he was quite fond of as it resembled a sock when he squinted.
"Perhaps you should return to your tower Miss Lovegood, it is becoming quite chilly." The girl nodded before standing. She curled his fingers around her hot chocolate and patted him on the arm. Dumbledore stared at her, taking a leaf from Severus' book and raised an eyebrow.
"Could you take this to Ginny for me? I don't have the password but she's awfully cold nowadays. Perhaps the chocolate will keep her warm and protect her from the nightmares." Her eyes flashed with something Dumbledore could not understand.
"I'm sure Miss Weasley would appreciate the sentiment but maybe you should give it to her tomorrow during dinner?" He handed the cup back to her and watched as her faraway look dissipated and her eyes focused almost eerily at him. She sighed.
"You will understand eventually I suppose." The way she said the words felt as if she didn't want to waste the time to explain whatever she had been thinking. The Headmaster watched her walk down the stairs, her radish earrings reflecting the light. Was getting Ginerva Weasley the hot chocolate all that important? He flicked his eyes so that he could survey the wall. He should follow her just in case the basilisk decided to rear its head.
Luna Lovegood walked with the cup firmly in hand, the steam no longer rising. It had turned cold. Poor Ginny, she had hoped to get this to her while it was still hot, while the effects of the potion she added were still able to be felt. Now Ginny would have to go another night with nightmares of Tom, who was very real in her opinion. She hummed a tune that snake charmers used to influence their counterparts as she walked towards the Ravenclaw dormitories.
Dumbledore watched her step through the doors before making his way to the infirmary to check on the petrified. On his way he glanced towards the trophy room to the spot where he knew hung Tom Riddle's award for special services to the school. He shook his head sadly before walking the rest of the way. Hopefully everything would be resolved soon.
"Professor Lupin, there are quite a few Blibbering Humdingers floating around your head, if you don't do anything they might find that they don't want to leave." The now previous Defense Against the Dark Arts Professor smiled before turning to the girl who had been quite a unique and interesting individual to teach. He was sad that he couldn't see her grow into the strong woman he knew she would. He watched her watch him as was their custom before pulling out a chair for her across from his.
"Have a seat Miss Lovegood, I would love to hear about what you suggest I do." She nodded before pulling out a small bottle from her bag and placing it on the table before him. His eyes widened at its contents. A smoky haze seemed to swirl much like the contents of a Pensieve, except the tinges of red and pink told him that these were no memories. Thestral tears? Where did she get such a thing?
"Unfortunately, the Blibbering Humdingers can only be driven out when you force them out." She made a motion much like one would do when attempting to rid the ears of water. "They will come right out if you do so."
"I see, well let's give it a try shall we?" Remus indulged the girl and motioned just as she did, smiling as her smile grew bigger.
"You must feel lighter Professor now that the Humdingers are gone. You can probably think more clearly also." She nodded, agreeing with her words. Remus looked at her, she was so young yet there was something about her that made him think that she had lived much longer than any of them. He chided himself at his thoughts.
"Miss Lovegood, may I ask what you are doing with Thestral tears?" She spoke only after she had made sure that there was nothing left in his head. He had allowed her to inspect his ears before sitting down again.
"I'm here to give them to you. They were freely given so they should work quite well." She paused as if in thought. "I also have a bottle for Professor Snape, though he probably doesn't need them as much as you do." He needed Thestral tears? As if hearing his question she nodded. "Oh yes, they help with the pain of the transformation. A drop should do." He looked down at her words. Yes, even she was aware of what he was now. He took hold of the bottle gently before slipping it into his robes for later.
"Thank you Miss Lovegood." He smiled. This girl was a light he had long forgotten. She reminded him of James and Sirius and even Peter with her acceptance of his condition as if it were no big deal. She smiled warmly before standing.
"Well good bye Professor. I really enjoyed your class." He nodded. "Be safe." His head snapped back up at her words but she had already left. Be safe she had said, he couldn't remember the last time those words were said to him with such a caring voice. Be safe indeed.
"They are very beautiful don't you think?" Harry turned in surprise; he hadn't heard her come near. The Thestral that he was staring at looked at Luna with a gaze of familiarity before turning once again to the carcass at its feet.
"Er, yeah, I suppose in their own way. Still a bit creepy in my opinion." He had not fully believed Luna when she had told him that she could see the creatures earlier in the year but he was glad that he wasn't the only one. If only he could stop being so angry.
"They are rather clever creatures, brilliant really." Luna tiptoed towards the black, skeletal horse and ran a finger down one of the leathery looking wings. Harry would never have thought to get so close. Its head picked up and allowed Luna to touch it on the nose before giving a lively snort. The blond giggled before grabbing a piece of the meat and offering it as a sign of friendship. Harry watched with his hand clenched around his wand as the horse ate from Luna's hand, licking the blood from her skin gently.
"Do you always do that?" He wondered out loud.
"Mhmm, not always. But I like to more often than not. I think they like the attention also." She ran a hand down its neck as if proving her point. Its unnaturally white eyes stared unblinkingly at Harry as if challenging him to do the same. He would pass for today.
"I'm sorry about Quidditch, you were an awfully good flier. Better than Victor Krum, but that's just my opinion."
"Yeah? Thanks." Harry looked towards the direction of the pitch and could barely make out a figure hovering between the goal posts. Ron was still leaving the last hoop completely open. He absentmindedly scratched the back of his right hand and hissed when he reopened the wounds. Right, detention, he should get going.
"It was nice talking to you Luna." She glanced at him briefly, smiling.
"And to you Harry. Maybe I will see you back here another time."
"Er, yeah, sure. See you." He waved albeit awkwardly before turning towards the castle. Luna watched him go, petting the Thestral all the while.
"How about we fly a bit?" The Thestral said nothing but somehow Luna registered a yes. She climbed onto its back and allowed it to take her wherever it wanted to go. Freedom to choose was a wonderful thing.
"Luna! Oy, Luna!" Two voices sounded together. The redhead walking alongside the blonde turned to the two boys running to catch up with them, greeting them with a wide smile. The other person who was being pursued turned with a curious look in her eyes. The two figured stopped a few feet from them with identical grins on their faces.
"Finally. Thought we wouldn't catch you before lunch." One twin said as he pat the other on the shoulder.
"Yeah. Now we have you right where we want you." The second twin said while pulling what looked to be sweets from his pocket.
"Our latest invention and we needed to try it out on someone."
"Not that it's dangerous."
"But we'd love to have your input."
"Since, you know…"
"You are the only one…"
"To be able to tell us apart…"
"With a perfect record." The twins grinned deviously before grabbing a toffee each and hooking their arms as if to sip Champaign, but in this case one of their jokes in the making.
"Is this really necessary? I'm sure Luna has better things to do."
"Now, now Ginny, don't go ruining the fun."
"You'll have your turn eventually." The two popped the sweets in their mouths before throwing a small smoke bomb in front of them to mask the change. When the smoke cleared Luna and Ginny were facing two identical boys who looked the same as always. Maybe the toffee was just toffee? A psychological tactic?
"Can you tell which is which now?" Two voices, Weasley twin voices ran through the corridor which by this time had amassed quite an audience who didn't seem to mind missing the first half of lunch if it meant a show from the infamous pranksters.
Luna looked at them for a bit, searching for the swirls of tiger striped and leopard spotted magic that let her know which twin was which. Fred was always covered in spots while George seemed to flaunt his stripes. Upon closer inspection Luna was impressed to find that they had changed the composition of their magic so that they were both completely identical this time. Both were surrounded by a haphazard helping of spots and stripes and lines and curves.
"I'm impressed. You've made it much harder." The twins grinned. It had only taken them the first twenty times to figure out that Luna had been looking at their magic the entire time; how she did it they didn't know nor did they care. For the past few weeks they had obsessed over this formula, aching to fool the strange girl. Ginny looked at her brothers and saw no change.
"What do you mean Luna, they look exactly the same." The blonde shook her head.
"Despite the change the both of you are still quite different if you look enough." Luna stared at one of the twins legs and noticed that he seemed to put more weight on his left foot: that would be George. Fred always held himself straighter than his brother, even though no one took notice of it. "Fred. George." She pointed to each in turn and both twins groaned.
"How do you do it Luna?"
"Each and every time?" Luna simply smiled before pulling Ginny along with her again. She was quite hungry.
Her head felt quite light despite the pounding in her ears. That last spell was quite a headache maker; thankfully she had gotten Neville out of the way. Too bad he had fainted, not that she blamed him. The illumination in this room was unusually bright, though she did enjoy the way the bulbs seemed to dance.
"Hey, Sirius, over here. We found two of them." Sirius? Sirius Black? Oh dear, Harry wouldn't like this one bit.
"Are you alright?" His voice was rough but she could detect that attractiveness in it. Unfortunately it didn't sound very melodic. She'd have to tell Daddy that he wasn't a singer after all.
"Yes, I'm alright. Neville isn't though." She didn't seem to notice the blood that ran from a cut near her scalp. "Harry is looking for you. We all came to save you actually, but it seems there's been a small mix up." She heard the man curse under his breath. No, he wasn't happy that they were here.
"Alright, well I'll have to leave you for a bit." He healed the wound on her head before looking at her in the eyes. "You'll be alright, Neville too. I've got to find Harry." He got up.
"Be careful, the lining of the veil is thin tonight." Sirius looked at her with confusion before heading off.
"I'll be sure to keep that in mind. Take care of yourself." He was running now in the direction that Harry had disappeared to ten or fifteen minutes ago. She looked to Neville and hummed like a hive of irritated bees. The Department of Mysteries was fully of things that could go into his unprotected mind; it was a good thing she was here.
Luna watched as the pieces stared at their opposites on the board in concentration. The Ravenclaw would have usually found something else to do than to watch two people play a game of chess but today was just a bit boring. Ron had been surprised when they first started. Just because Hermione didn't play often didn't mean that she was terrible. The Sorting Hat had told her she was quite good actually, not that he had played her but he had looked into her mind when she had been eleven. It had made her promise not to tell.
"Knight to C-3." Ronald had just captured one of Hermione's pawns.
"Bishop to C-5." They really gave these two too little credit sometimes, Ron was a brilliant strategist and Hermione was just brilliant, if not a bit ignorant. Luna squinted, if she looked hard enough she could make out some shape that seemed to be infused into the chess pieces. A Krishanka pup perhaps? It would be wonderful if it was, she hadn't seen one yet. Some time passed with both teenagers focusing on the game and Luna only half watching. There were some interesting smoke fumes curling around Lavender's head.
"King to F-1." She saw Ron raise an eyebrow at the move.
"Knight to D-4." Ooh, he had taken another pawn. Hermione's king was open now. Eleven more moves passed before Hermione found herself to be in a bit of trouble. Her Queen could do nothing and Ron had defended all his pieces. Four moves later and Luna could see the realization cross her face. She was tangled in Ron's way of play. She was to be mated. Luna smiled a smile that was reminiscent of a mother looking at her child.
"Good game Ron." He looked at his friend as if wondering how it could have ended so unexpectedly.
"Yeah, you were pretty good Hermione. Maybe we should play again sometime." He hadn't looked directly at the curly headed brunette when he said the last bit. Luna stood and picked up her bag.
"You might want to try Go. It's a bit different but you might like it." Ronald could benefit from being more rounded and Hermione might like the winning of territory over the taking of pieces. She walked off leaving the red head staring at the board, mumbling to himself as Hermione looked after her curiously. Harry Potter had a pair of exceptional friends. It would make the fight a whole lot easier.
Severus Snape was not surprised when Luna Lovegood had once again walked into his office casually, probably wishing to converse with that blasted hat or to give him another bottle of Thestral tears. He had been surprised the first time she arrived, thinking she was toying with his nerves. Apparently Albus Dumbledore had humored her requests and allowed her conversation with the hat whenever she wished, which to his annoyance had turned out to be quite frequently. The first time she had brought him the tears he had been shocked. It was such a rare substance that he had only ever seen it in the tangible sense once before and not nearly as abundant. To think that the girl had convinced the Thestrals to cry for her on an almost yearly basis was astounding. To date he had a bottle full for every year she had attended Hogwarts so far.
"Miss Lovegood." He waved a door open for her but she surprised him by taking one of the seats in front of his desk. Severus looked up and sighed. "Is there something I can do for you Miss Lovegood?"
"Actually Headmaster, I'm here to talk to you today instead of the sorting hat." She leaned in closer. "I hope it won't mind my absence." As if afraid to offend said apparel.
"Perhaps it will; you should converse with it instead of myself like you normally do." He went back to his papers; the Dark Lord had wanted so many things to be changed. He had been skimming the list before she had arrived.
"Oh, but it doesn't really need conversation. You on the other hand Sir, seem to be rather lonely these days." Severus furrowed his eyebrows before looking at the strange girl.
"I assure you Miss Lovegood, I do not need your company."
"Perhaps a good word then? You've been doing well with regards to the Carrows and protecting your students, though, everyone else doesn't seem to think so." The current Headmaster of Hogwarts massaged his temples lightly; Luna had always proved to be a far more observant soul than he found to be necessary or comfortable. It reminded him of the time when he had found her in the Astronomy Tower having a pleasant conversation with that house-elf Dobby, both sipping hot chocolate. After he ordered the elf to leave she had merely looked at him with her wide, fay eyes and told him that he shouldn't let his emotions control his actions, that he should calm down and look at everything as a whole. She urged him to listen. Listen to what he hadn't known at the time but he had taken points and sent her off to bed just before running across Potter's map in Lupin's office. If only he had taken her advice, then Pettigrew would not have escaped. She had known, and he had long given up on how or why.
"They have good reason to believe so, and you should conform to the idea as well. You would definitely be better off." She shook her head, causing her bottlecaps to tinkle with a light, pleasing sound.
"That would be irresponsible of me Sir. I don't believe in ignoring the facts. Unlike them I can see perfectly well." Severus leaned back in his chair.
"I know you do Miss Lovegood." He checked the time and cursed himself mentally. The Carrows would be prowling the grounds soon, hoping to find some wayward student to turn into their newest plaything. He shivered mentally at the thought. "Off to bed Miss Lovegood, the Carrows are starting." He escorted her as far as her floor, staying in the shadows to see that she had made it through the portrait hole safely before beginning his own rounds.
Luna woke up in a dingy little cell, all chains and smells and iron bars to hold her in. There was a shivering figure to her left and she reached as far as her shackles would let her and patted him on the shoulder. She knew this man despite his now ragged appearance and awful stench. She guessed he'd been here for a few months. Despite his time in the dark and stinky dungeons of Malfoy Manor he still kept some of his natural smell about him: full of rosewood and pine, unicorns and phoenixes and dragons.
"Mr. Ollivander." She still had a slight sing song quality to her voice that made the man turn his head to look at her, surprised to find someone else occupying the cell. She smiled before motioning for him to put his head in her lap. "We were worried you know, so were the Nargles. They were finally calming down by the time we managed to get to your shop, though, I'm sorry to say quite a few of your wands are broken." The old man laughed roughly, harshly.
"You should try to escape Miss Lovegood, I can only imagine what use they would find with you." His voice was cracked and dry and sounded like bits of sandpaper had invaded his mouth and made colonies in his voice box. Luna looked through the bars in thought, her eyes finding the tiniest portions of light and reflecting them.
"Escape? No, I think I'll just wait here with you if you don't mind the company." She began to hum an old forgotten tune that breathed of beasts and fairies and ancient ways. She ran her fingers through his hair, matted and dirty as it was, and soothed him so he could sleep. Oh, yes, Mr. Ollivander looked like he needed the sleep.
The next day she chatted enthusiastically about Harry and Ron and Hermione, she told him of her adventures with Ginny and Neville. Luna spoke of friendship and magic and creatures that were so elusive that they've only been seen by a few choice people. After she had recounted her years at Hogwarts she told him stories. Fairy tales and legends, myths that were from all over the world. Sometimes she would catch a Death Eater that would stray a smidge longer than necessary and she spoke louder so he or she too could hear her also. Luna spun tapestries of folklore both Muggle and magic, changing the tone and the texture of her voice to coincide with the words. After all, Mr. Ollivander needed variety in speech; he had been cooped up without company for so very long.
"You may do with her as you like." With the Dark Lord's wave Severus Snape watched as the most feared werewolf of the time took hold of Luna's chains before disappearing into the darkness. He wondered if he would ever see her again: human, beast, inanimate or not, other was also a possibility.
"My, my, my. My Lord feels that you will do as a reward, how does that make you feel little girl?" Luna looked at him with her large eyes and the blue-silver made an unconscious shiver run down his spine. She smiled at him and he only pulled at her chains harsher.
"Well, I never thought that anyone would consider me a reward except for maybe Daddy. I don't think anyone at Hogwarts would. They'd most likely consider you unlucky to be stuck with me. But if the Dark Lord says so then there must be a reason." She had tilted her head to the side and regarded him seriously, though her eyes still displayed their dreamlike quality. Fenrir grunted, he had never been one for vagueness. He pushed her against the nearest cell, the bars making her head bounce and her breath hiss. He placed his face right in front of hers and let her smell the pain, the sorrow, the rage that seeped from his very breath. He showed her his sharp white teeth and made sure she felt his lengthy, unkempt claws.
"Don't you know who I am?" She nodded her head.
"Oh, of course I know who you are; it's not hard you know. Not many people hold themselves like you do." He pulled his face back.
"And how do I hold myself little girl?" He was smiling that fierce and predatory smile.
"Naturally." Seeing his confusion she explained. "You aren't bound by society or looks or whispers spoken from locked doors. You stand past all that. You have your own regal stance that comes to you naturally. Like the woods or the sea or the sky."
"And where does this natural quality you speak of come from?" Luna looked at him long, the air about her full of whimsy,
"From the wolf of course." Fenrir put her back down and peered at her more closely, sniffed her as if making sure she was there: flesh and body and human instead of spirit.
"What's your name girl?" She smiled happily, as if he had invited her to play for the first time.
"Luna. Luna Lovegood." She looked around as if expecting someone. "Though, some people call me Loony." The wolf looked at her steadily before rapturous laughter erupted—loud and booming and deep coming from within his chest. Luna hummed along to the rumbling. His eyes glinted madly before taking curls of her hair and twisting it around his own fingers.
"The Dark Lord saw fit to give me a moon-child." He laughed again, though it was shorter and less rumbly in Luna's opinion. He fisted the curls in his hand and brought her head closer, taking in her smell of rain and sun, of flowers and dirt. He could catch the forest overflowing with trees and the mountains of the north. He also detected something that he could only describe as light; like nothing he had ever come across before. It was nothing and yet it was everything. It held the brightness that most sought out and the darkness that caused most to shy away. It held the feeling of the hunt, the transformation, and the kill. Fenrir pulled away and looked at the girl with different eyes, hooded eyes she would say. He released her hair gently, pushing the strands behind her ear, swaying the radish earring as he went. This child was of a different birth, a different blood, her smell was proof enough. Part of her, he didn't know how much, was Fay.
He leaned against the stone wall as he thought. The blood wasn't concentrated enough but the smell was there. He glanced at her, staring at a particular spot on the ceiling with such rapture that he wondered if she could see or feel something he could not. She knew what she was; her acceptance of it oozed from the very way she spoke, the way she held herself, the way her eyes would look with an all-knowing gaze that was unnatural in his opinion. Fenrir looked down the corridor, they were far enough away so that no one would hear them but he didn't want to take any chances that the Dark Lord would know of this girl's blood, the Fay part being much purer than most Pureblood wizards could ever be. He led her further down the dungeons to where he knew a passageway would lead them outside. As soon as the cool night air had caressed her face Luna closed her eyes in delight, Fenrir understood the feeling. The moon was shining brightly despite it being only three quarters full.
"How does it feel?" Her question caught him off guard and he glanced at her eyes quickly before responding.
"How does what feel exactly?" She looked at him with her head cocked to the side as if such a question was blatantly obvious. She hummed before twirling, eventually wrapping the chains around her loosely as she went. He untangled her before motioning for the moon-child to sit on the ground with him. She complied, ending up on her back reaching out towards the heavens.
"The moonlight. The air. The feeling of nature on your skin." Fenrir took the time to close his eyes, not worried that the child would run away, and just let his senses wander.
"It feels, natural." The word had slipped from his lips before he could take them back. Her giggle caused him to open one curious eye.
"I'm glad you agree." In the distance a wolf howled and Fenrir tensed visibly. Luna looked skywards before standing again. "You should go, they need you." The werewolf looked at her in surprise before growling and tugging at her chains, taking her back towards the castle. When she had been placed back in the cell with Ollivander he allowed himself to speak.
"Be wary little one, I doubt anyone else will respect you for who and what you are while you remain in this place." His voice was like a secret shared between very close friends and Luna reached through the bars and placed a hand on his arm, the other cupping his cheek. He flinched uncharacteristically at the touch.
"Don't worry, everything will be alright." Fenrir's ears twitched at the sound of another cry of his kind. He slunk back into the shadows, his eyes lingering on hers before making a run for the outside; his pack needed him.
She ducked as a dark spell was aimed in her direction, hitting the tree behind her with enough force that the bark caved from the impact. Luna looked at the tree in sadness, she was sorry but she would have to contemplate all the damage once all the fighting was done. Luna effortlessly returned fire, pleased when she heard an "Oof" when her spell hit. It wouldn't be long now, Harry would take care of it like he always did. She dodged another hex and protected herself from a stray curse. There were so many colors it was getting hard to stay focused. A flash of silver chased by purple caught her attention.
"Auuuurrrrghhhgh. Lovegood? What the hell are you doing?" The pale Slytherin pushed her off him, not even thanking her for saving him from the curse he had not seen coming his way. Luna looked at him before pushing his head back down as a bright, fiery orange whip of light flicked a few inches above their heads. Draco looked up with wide eyes, why had she saved him? From what he could remember he had not been all that polite to her. He mumbled under his breath while getting up, taking her hand in his, bringing her up with him. Hopefully she would take that as his thanks and apology.
"Draco, you're bleeding." She had said it in such a nondescript way it made him frown before placing fingers near his hairline. She was right, his fingers came back bloody and he sighed.
"It's nothing." The spells had stopped for now; something was going to happen very very soon. Luna could feel it. The magic in the air was contorting dangerously, anxiously. Draco was sweating; his pale cheeks tinged a slight pink. Luna put a hand on his forehead, much to his surprised and displeasure.
"What are you doing Lovegood?"
"You're hot." Draco blinked. He wanted to reply with his usual smirk and confident "I know" but he knew that wasn't what she meant.
"Excuse me?"
"You're hot. A fever most likely. You should take care of that." A fever? Right now? What perfect timing he thought sarcastically. He looked around him and noticed that most of the fighters were retreating to their own sides of the field. Right, he should get going before someone thought that he was changing sides, wouldn't want the truth to get out before he could formulate a plan to get away.
"You better get going Lovegood." He made to turn away but was stopped by a hand on his arm. Luna had grabbed him and placed a kiss on his bleeding cut. Draco blinked again before removing himself from her reach.
"Muggle children often have their hurts kissed like that. I have no idea why, it doesn't seem to help the healing process." She said. Draco concluded that her misty eyes were looking through him instead of at him. "Good bye Draco, good luck." She had run towards the school before Draco could ask her about what compelled her to do such a thing. He touched his wound gingerly and sneered. What a stupid action. He ran towards the forest, his fingers making contact with coagulating blood every few minutes as if checking if it was healing faster than it normally would.
Thanks for reading. Review if you like.