Butterflies in the Field
Author's note: I don't own anything or anyone you recognise, all belong to the talented J. K. Rowling.
I really hope you like this one-shot. Like my most recent two stories, this came to me randomly today. I know the ending is sort of lame, as is the entire concept, but I do need writing practice for upcoming forum competitions and because it won't do to be a teacher without proper writing skills. That being said I will edit this properly at the end of the month, so please forgive any grammatical or spelling errors. Please also feel free to review JThank you to everyone who reads and reviews my stories, you make authors (amateur or not) feel so much better. One final note, I've only ever been behind the camera hence the lack of specific-photographic terms on this; cheap digital cameras and iPhones/iPods/iPads etc. don't exactly have the same settings- that's what instagram is for hehe.
Anyway, please enjoy this story!
Butterflies are funny creatures really. They make no noise as their wings flutter ever-so-gently, gracefully pulling them along through the wind to each fresh bloom. It's as though they don't have a care in the world; they simply mind their own business. Why would they anyway? They know beauty in their intricately-designed wings. No other creature could quite come close to their delicate selves; moths have tried but never could compete. Should a butterfly feel threatened they could merely move on or show a different view of themselves; the mask composed by their patterned wings.
Collin crawled closer to the daisy that was gently swaying in the breeze. The grass was moist at this time of the year but he didn't mind getting his robes dirty. He saw it as his duty as a photographer to go through any means necessary to capture the perfect shot. Besides, most of his trousers by now had a few patches of green here and there, so what did a few more matter? Adjusting the lens of his camera, he zoomed in on his current target. A few clicks and it would be his forever.
"Gotcha!"
He sat up pleased with himself. Finally he had managed to get the shot that he was after, and just in time too. The beautiful blue and black-winged butterfly drifted up from the daisy it was perched on, apparently satisfied that it had consumed the amount of nectar it wanted. Just to be sure, he flicked through the tiny square images on the screen. There, that shot was a beauty. He would be sure to get it printed as soon as he returned home in the summer. Perhaps he would send it to that nature magazine for some credit? He was certainly glad that his father had sent him this camera for his birthday. It wasn't anything too expensive but it did the job. He had always been fascinated by taking photographs and after a few years practices at Hogwarts had finally managed to progress in his skills. Taking candid shots and ordinary muggle photographs was much more preferable to the animated wizarding shots, even if they were very interesting.
Sighing contentedly, he rolled over on his back. The day really was pleasant. Most of the student population were relaxing by the lake after their final examinations or trying to avoid Filch in his current rampage over rouge fanged-frisbees. He had no doubt which ginger-haired twins were responsible. A smile spread across his face as he sniffed the air. He could smell the distant scent of lavender perfuming the air. It was a nice, homely scent that reminded him of his dear mother. He was only five when she departed the world but that did not mean he didn't miss her any less. His father would often sit with her by the piano playing familiar tunes to him and his younger brother, Dennis. Above the black instrument his mother had hung a few sprigs of lavender to freshen up their country-style home. Whilst now the piano remained silent, the lavender still hung there, giving off wafts of the comforting aroma.
He glanced over at a familiar figure dancing nearby. She often did this, twirling around by herself in time to music only she could hear. Sometimes she would hum; other times she'd hold her hands high above her head in an entrancing rolling motion. Her long golden hair would flow freely behind her back, swishing back and forth as though it too had a beat it needed to move to. Today she was wearing a silky light blue dress with a cropped black cardigan to keep her warm. Her feet were bare, toes pointed inwards as she tip-toed through the flower beds. She reminded him of the butterfly that was now making its way slowly to more tempting buds.
Luna Lovegood had always amused him. The very first day he met her, back in the first year, she had tried to convince him that she would be the first to find a crumple-horned snorkack in the Forbidden Forest. It wasn't this non-existent creature she insisted was real that alarmed him; after all, coming from a muggle family, he automatically assumed that all kinds of fascinating magical creatures existed. No, it was the fact that she was so willing to search the dangerous forest for one that made him question her sanity. His headmaster had just said that they weren't supposed to go there. Still, she would've made a terrific Gryffindor for her daring. Throughout the years he grew used to her many quirks and even went so far as to adore her radish-earrings. Sometimes he would shout at other students who would laugh and snicker at her expense.
Right now her smile remained dreamy as did her brilliant-blue eyes. She hadn't noticed him from his position in the grass and he hoped she wouldn't just yet. He had come up with an idea. Alike his movement towards the butterfly, he began crawling a little closer to where she was continuously spinning around. It was curious how she did not appear to mind his presence or anyone else's; she simply continued her dancing as the butterfly had continued pollinizing. Holding his camera close to his face, he fiddled with the zoom controls before selecting the perfect setting. He wanted to be able to show the world what he could see and thus anything blurry would not do. Steadying his arms like his father had once shown him, he began to click away.
Perfect! Luna twirled: click. She hopped onto the ball of her feet: snap. She bent down and brushed her fingers lightly over the flowers: click, click, click. These moments were all he had hoped for; she really was a beautiful creature. Another smile marked his face as he heard the tinkling laughter escape her full, pink lips. A few more photographs and not only would he be likely to win various photography competitions, he could present the true, graceful Luna to his peers. Would they laugh at his concept? Possibly. Did he care? No, not when he was able to witness something so wondrous.
The glorious moment was interrupted however as his friend was approached by an older Slytherin couple. The female was tall and willowy, sneering at the younger blonde whilst grasping the hand of the even taller and bulkier brown-haired male. His face shone with delight as he pulled his hand away and motioned for the girl to watch. Making a great show, he too stood on his toes and started hopping around behind Luna's back. His mouth was contorted in a rather stupid grin and his eyes crossed inwards. His girlfriend took his cue and roared mirthlessly at his antics. Hilarious. Luna for her part had either not taken notice of their mockery or had decided that they wanted to join in with her. She continued moving about, jumping and turning, bending up and down.
Colin was torn. He didn't know whether or not he should stop the bullying. For one he knew it wasn't right what the pair were doing. He was often picked on when he attended primary school and knew how awful another's actions and words could make a person feel. On the other hand, if Luna really did not know what they were doing, he did not want to draw any attention to the Slytherins' true intentions and risk her feeling humiliated. As he contemplated his next move a thought continued to buzz at the back of his mind, nagging at his consciousness. It was ridiculous to think that way really, but then again it was Luna. Perhaps, perhaps she would…?
Disappointment and embarrassment soon filled him. He had been hoping that Luna would walk away from the two bullies and leave them to their thumping around. He had also hoped that perhaps Luna would stop what she was doing and behave in a more…normal… manner befitting a young witch. As soon as these treacherous thoughts had crossed his mind he kicked himself. He loved her for all of her little oddities- why should she change because someone didn't like it? It was awful to think that way of his friend. More importantly, he shouldn't have expected her to act like the butterfly he had previously been stalking. Sure, she might have shared the creature's grace, but she was a human being. He really needed to stop thinking like that and stop comparing everyone he knew to animals and insects (although he was oddly correct in once thinking that Draco Malfoy resembled a ferret). Even though they were being obnoxious, he had really thought the girl and boy could've been the grey moths to Luna's figure.
Eventually the girl stopped her giggling and sat down on the grass, plucking out a few green blades whilst she waited for her boyfriend to settle. He had begun to wave his hands in Luna's face; the same goofy look plastered on his own. Expecting her to continue her routine, the onlookers gave a slight jump as Luna finally reacted. Without warning she had twisted around to face the boy and grabbed the front of his robe. For someone so small she certainly had a forceful grip. As one Colin and the girl stood up at either side of the field, ready to prevent the oncoming conflict. Her face however indicated no sign of anger, sadness or fear; it was perfectly angelic as usual. In fact, the only sign that she was not off in a world of her own was the very slight narrowing of her eyes. She thrust the boy towards her, pulled him down to her height and peered into his face. His expression was marked by the shock Colin knew he must have felt at this unexpected encounter. After a few seconds, he was released and Luna continued her whimsical movements. With a glare thrown once more at her, the boy stormed off to his awaiting girlfriend and they trudged back up to the castle together.
Colin was perplexed. What had just happened? He couldn't imagine what Luna could have possibly said to make someone back off like that. He didn't think that a threat of nargles would make a boy disappear so fast; certainly not a large Slytherin boy. He knew she hadn't raised a hand to him; that just wasn't in her tender nature. Maybe she had told the boy that her father would right a nasty article about him in his magazine? Then again, not many people really read it. He really wanted to ask Luna what had happened but she didn't seem to have realised that he was there. Still confused, he plopped down on the grass.
Minutes passed by as Colin's thoughts drifted once more to the peaceful school grounds. He laid down again to watch the scattered white clouds progress slowly across the blue sky. He could now hear a wider variety of insects make their presence known. Crickets chirped as they hopped around; bees buzzed noisily as they collected pollen. He rolled his shoulders back and settled into a more comfortable position. By now the grass had dried enough to welcome more students to enjoy the fresh air. Closing his eyes, he began to hum one of the tunes his mother played so well, 'Für Elise'. One of the Gryffindor girls in the year above him was named after it, Jennifer Elise. It didn't quite have the same meaning or pronouncement but gossip queen Lavender Brown was quite insistent on these matters. He began to think of the other gossip in the school; who was rumoured to be dating who, which staff members were having breakdowns, how many sherries Professor Trelawney had shared with Hagrid last night. Once again he found his thoughts tracked back to Luna and rumours surrounding her possible moonlight rituals. Some girls were sure she was the kind of pagan witch that danced naked by the swamp on nights of a full-moon. Like most rumours surrounding his friend he easily brushed them aside, although, if he had to be strictly honest, he must admit this one could have the teeniest truth to it.
His nose began to twitch involuntarily as he felt something crawl on it. Just as soon as the ticking sensation came, it went. He kept his eyes closed not wanting to think about the possibility of annoying flies or bees landing on him; they were great subjects to photograph but made highly annoying companions. Hopefully whatever it was would move on soon. A few seconds passed before he felt the sensation again. Fantastic. Bracing himself, he steadied his right hand ready to wack the intruder and slowly peeked at his nose.
"Argh!"
The majority of students in the grounds turned just in time to see a young Gryffindor streak across the lawn, camera swinging widely from a leather strap around his neck. Since no death eaters or enraged hippogriffs came barrelling behind him they soon went back to their lazy conversations.
Colin didn't stop running until he reached the safety of the castle hallways. Leaning against the cold stone wall, he allowed himself to take long, deep breaths. Satisfied that he wasn't about to have a coronary episode, he slid down to the floor. That was not the most pleasant view he had seen and he never again wanted to experience it. Ever. Shuddering, his mind relentlessly brought up the images now permanently burned into it. Two black, beady eyes. One long, dark and hairy body. Six equally hairy legs. Two antennas rivalling an alien's in abnormality. And one magnified, grotesque spiralled mouth preparing itself to suck the skin off his nose. He felt sick; he would probably be best off going to the hospital wing. How could something so beautiful be so scary close up? He'd be having nightmares all week now.
Yes, butterflies really are strange creatures. Their fragile little forms are so graceful; their lives so uncomplicated. Yet dare to interfere with them you will see that not all run away or change. They will choose to show you who they really are, which make them even more beautiful.