Challenge Prompt: Word Prompt - Spring

Setting: Hogwarts grounds, Vernal Equinox (Wednesday March 20th) of 1996 (fifth year)

Harry had woken up particularly early that morning. He'd found a note in his room the night before, waiting for him on his bed. As he got out of bed, he picked it up and reread it just to make sure he hadn't been dreaming.

Harry,

I have something I'd like to show you, something I think you'll appreciate that not many others will. If you're interested, meet me by the forest this morning at 7:30? Don't worry about missing breakfast, you won't miss it!

~L.L.

L.L. had to be Luna, there was nobody else he knew with those initials, let alone anyone he knew that might have a reason to leave him a note. He finished dressing at 7, plenty of time to make his way to the forest's edge. As he got up to leave, he quickly grabbed his invisibility cloak from his trunk. 'I trust Luna, but the forest is dangerous, and there's always a chance that this is a trap. Better safe than sorry.' Thoughts of potential traps and speculation about what Luna might want running through his mind, he threw the cloak over himself and made his way out of the dormitory.

The grounds were all but deserted as Harry invisibly made his way to the forest. Hagrid was busy fighting with what looked like a new litter of blast-ended skrewts, but he was the only person Harry saw once he made it past the front doors. Harry steered clear of Hagrid's hut, and moved closer to the forest itself; as he began to walk the edge, he wondered how he was going to go about finding Luna. 'The forest is a big place… she said to meet her by the forest, but didn't actually say where specifically she would be.'

Harry moved closer to the woods, until he was under the canopy of the trees. As he did, he felt the parchment in his pocket start to warm up. Pulling it out, he looked at it; when it didn't look any different, he put it away, only to feel it grow warmer still as he moved around the edge of the forest. After a few minutes, he felt the parchment begin to cool down. Stopping in his movement, he felt the parchment again; it was definitely warmer than it had been the first time he checked it, but as he started to walk again, he felt it cooling as we went.

'Warmer and colder… did she intend this to be how I find her?'

Harry turned around and felt the parchment heat up again. Moving slowly back around the forest, he walked until he felt the parchment stop getting warmer, at which point he took the cloak off of his head. "Hello? Luna?"

"Hello Harry, I'm glad you made it! Though I thought you might have been here a little faster." Harry looked around, and saw Luna sitting on a large rock just past the first few trees.

"Luna? Were you there the first time I came by?"

"Of course I was." Luna smiled. "You just weren't looking properly. You didn't know I was here, so you didn't see me."

"That…. I knew you were here somewhere... "

"Yes, but not right here. It's a spell that my father taught me; if you ask, I'm sure he'll teach you as well. It's not quite as powerful as your cloak, I don't think, but a lot less obvious. You can use it in the middle of a crowded room and people will just stop noticing you! Well, maybe not you, people do spend a lot of time looking at you already…."

Harry shook his head. "I'm not sure quite how that would work, but I'm willing to learn."

Luna nodded. "I know you are. That's why I thought you might appreciate this, today. Hermione's willing to be educated, but she's not willing to learn. You were so eager to learn when you first arrived, but this year… there's been so many things happening, you've been pulled in so many directions, I think you're forgetting how to learn, before you've learned what you need to learn."

Harry put away his cloak and walked toward Luna. "I'm not sure I follow. Hermione wants to learn everything, she spends all her free time learning anything she can."

Luna shook her head. "She's willing to learn, but only things that people already know about. She gets mad when people try to do things differently, things she thinks 'shouldn't' work. I heard about a certain potions book you've been using." At Harry's look, she smiled. "It's amazing how much you hear when nobody thinks you're listening. But it's shown you better ways to make a lot of potions, all sorts of improvements over the old recipes. Did she ask why they're better? Did she try experimenting herself to see if they were as good as they could be? Or did she just yell at you for not doing things the right way?"

Harry stopped, remembering the arguments he'd had with Hermione about the Half-Blood Prince's old textbook. "I see what you mean… she's eager, but not very open minded? Something like that."

Luna jumped off her rock. "Exactly!" She reached forward and grabbed Harry's hand. "Now come on, we don't want to be late!"

Harry let himself be dragged along. "Where are we going? And…. I'm not sure how to ask this, but…"

"...but why am I being so much more direct today? There are other ways I can learn today, and you… you're willing to learn, but not quite ready for this. I wanted to wait, but I was afraid that if I did, by the time we got another chance, you'd be like everyone else."

Harry smirked. "You mean if I waited, I might be too normal?"

Luna laughed. "You'll never be normal, Harry Potter, and isn't that wonderful? But you're still willing to see what I have to show you, and this might be my last chance. Now quiet, no more talking until we're there."

Harry opened his mouth, then shrugged and continued to follow Luna.

It was almost 8 by the time Luna held up her hand for them to stop. The Forest, normally dark and foreboding, was almost pleasant where she had brought them, and Harry hadn't seen any of the creatures he normally expected to see. If he didn't know better, he might almost have thought they were in a normal forest. Just ahead, Harry saw what looked like a large clearing.

Luna turned to face Harry. Her face almost looked serious, but her eyes shimmered with excitement. "This is very important Harry. Tell me: do you believe that crumple-horned snorkacks exist?"

Harry stopped. He'd never seen one, certainly, and would never say that they did exist, but he'd have said dragons didn't exist when he was 10. "Erm….. maybe? I don't know. You seem to think so, and you've been right about a lot of other things, but I've never actually seen one."

"But if I told you that you were about to see one in the clearing ahead, would you believe me?"

Harry stopped. He was actually going to see a snorkack? He opened his mouth to answer, but stopped when he saw Luna grinning at him.

"Perfect." She said. "You were uncertain, but as soon as I said you were going to see one, you weren't skeptical, you were excited. That's what you need."

"So….. No snorkacks then?"

Luna shook her head, smiling. "Nope. They don't exist, just a useful tool that shows who's willing to believe something new, and who is just looking to confirm what they already believe. But today…. Today, are you willing to meet someone that does exist, but refuses to speak with the close-minded?"

Harry was shocked. Luna had been testing them all along? Still, he'd come all this way, if there was something Luna thought he could see, something that not many others could…

"Good, I was hoping you would be willing. Now come, I'll introduce you to Brianna."

She stepped forward, into the clearing, and Harry followed.

The clearing was full of animals, with a large pool of water in the middle. Squirrels, birds, a few cats, deer, and others were arranged around the edge of the pool, while fish swam on the surface. Harry was surprised to see a number of unicorns in the clearing as well. They looked up as he entered, and for a moment one of the unicorn's held his gaze. Only a moment, before the unicorn turned to its brethren. It looked like they were talking to each other… about him?

Luna giggled beside him. "Of course they're talking about you Harry. You're a bit of a celebrity all over, didn't you know?"

Harry rolled his eyes. "You can't possibly mean the unicorns are fans of the boy-who-lived."

"Of course not." Luna replied, "But everyone was surprised by what happened to you."

"What do you mean?" Harry was confused, and starting to wonder what was going on here.

"Shhh, it's starting!" Luna pointed to the pool.

There was a large splash from the center of the pool, and as the water fell back into the pool, it revealed a woman who appeared to be standing on the water itself.

The first thing that Harry noticed was that she was naked. Following quickly were the realizations that she looked like a very attractive woman, that she was young but definitely not a teenager, and that this was not what he had imagined for his first time seeing a woman naked.

After a minute, when Harry managed to stop staring, he realized how many things about her were decidedly unusual. Her skin was tinted a very light blue, and her blonde hair had an almost greenish tint to it. Her skin was oddly patterned, appearing almost scaled in places. Her neck had a series of slits that looked like they might be gills.

She stood for a moment, her eyes closed, before gesturing to herself. She was quickly covered in a long, flowing dress that perfectly matched her hair. "Luna, you should have told me who you were bringing, I would have made certain to cover myself from the start to avoid embarrassing him."

Harry looked at Luna, who simply shrugged. "I thought this would be better for both of you."

The woman laughed. "Perhaps. Welcome, to both of you. I am pleased to have you both present as we rejoice in the coming of spring."

She began to walk across the water, toward Harry and Luna. "Every season, a number of animals gather here. Not all of them, of course, even in a forest such as this, there are far too many animals to gather in one place. I call only a select few to me, that they can carry a blessing to the rest of the forest." She sighed. "Though it does little good in this forest. Still, I do what I can."

Harry tipped his head. "Why doesn't it do much good?" When all the animals turned his way, he took half a step back, but pressed on. "I'm not trying to offend you, but is there something wrong with the forest? It's rather more dangerous than many I've heard of, but you…. Are you…"

Brianna smiled. "I'll save you the trouble of guessing and perhaps offending me. There are many names that have been used to describe what I am, but my favored is 'Undine'." Noticing Harry's blank stare, she sighed again. "A water fairy."

"A water…. That's amazing! Why don't more people talk about you? I've never even heard of you before today." Harry looked at Luna. "Why didn't you tell me about her sooner?"

"Because they don't know about me." Harry looked back at Brianna, who continued. "Most wizards and witches in Britain, they remember the legends and the stories, but that's all they see: stories and legends. They don't believe the old spirits exist. For all that I've heard your purebloods speaking about the inferiority of muggles, they are practically muggles themselves. They've forgotten that magic is a force, and use it simply as a tool."

Brianna walked over to a pair of rabbits, and gestured. They glowed blue for a brief moment, before turning and running out of the clearing. "What I just did was no spell. It was energy, pure, and it carries with it my hopes for health and fertility. If asked to teach you what I did, I could not, for it's not as direct as what you do. But every season, there are those who flock to my clearing, and they always thrive under my blessing, so why should I stop? Is what I do less powerful because it's less defined?

"As for why my blessing doesn't do more… my blessing carries with it the hopes of a rich and verdant forest. There will always be predators, of course, for that is the way of nature. But there are those who dwell in my forest who I cannot afford to share my blessing with. The acromantulas are beings of darkness, who care not for the balance of the forest. They will eat until there is nothing left, and every year they expand a little more. I must take care that my blessing does not reach them, lest they spread beyond all hope of control."

Brianna shook her head. "But enough of my troubles, this is a time of celebration! Relax, enjoy the peace, and let your troubles leave you for a time."

Harry stepped toward the pool, and for just a moment he was tempted to do nothing but sit by the pool and relax. He shook his head, and the feeling passed. Turning to Brianna, he spoke again, "I'm sorry, but I can't just relax if you're in trouble. The Acromantulas are a threat to us as well… they almost ate me a few years ago. Have you spoken to Headmaster Dumbledore about any of this?"

Brianna smiled. "Sweet child, if he knew of me, I would implore him to aid me. Since he does not, I cannot. I cannot leave the forest, and he will not come to me. The only one of your kind who knows of me, save those with us today, is your large friend. He believes the dark spiders are no threat, and insists that I just don't understand them."

Harry nodded. "That sounds like Hagrid. He means well, but he doesn't seem to get that some creatures are actually dangerous."

Brianna gestured to the pool "But please, relax, this is a time of joy and renewal, not for dwelling on dark thoughts."

Harry smiled, and shook his head. "I appreciate your offer, but if it's one of my friends that brought this threat into your home, I should be the one to get him to remove it. If he won't… I can't be the only one who wants those things gone, I'll figure something out."

Brianna stared at Harry, long enough that he began to feel uncomfortable. "Why does this matter so much to you? You did not know of my existence even an hour ago, yet now you tell me you're determined to remove a great force of evil from my home. What compels you so?"

Harry smirked. "Must be my 'saving people thing', just ask my friend Hermione, she'll be happy to tell you all about it." His face grew serious again. "This is something I want to help with. There are so many people that expect me to be so many different things…. You don't expect or want anything, except for me to relax. This place… it's peaceful. It should be protected, and if nobody else knows about this place, then that just leaves me, doesn't it?" Harry looked over at Luna "and I won't be alone, Luna will help, right?"

Luna nodded, a small smile playing about her face. "Of course, Harry. I'll be happy to help you with anything."

Harry stopped, thinking about that for a moment…. But no, best not dwell on what she might have meant by that. "I'm going to go find Hagrid, I've still got time before my classes start, maybe we can get started on this today." With a nod, he turned and ran out of the clearing.

Brianna stared after Harry for a long moment. "What a strange child. He truly doesn't grasp what was expected to happen today, does he?"

Luna smiled. "Harry is very good at not grasping what others expect of him. He was taught almost nothing for 10 years, and even now, as quick as he is to help others, he rarely realizes everything that is happening around him." Luna laughed. "It's probably just as well. He was so embarrassed to even see you naked, I doubt he would have handled the idea of a fertility celebration very well."

Brianna shrugged. "Perhaps next time then; I'm surprised you allowed your partner to leave so easily though."

Luna laughed. "Oh, I would never let my partner leave, when I finally find someone suitable."

"But…." Brianna trailed off, then looked Luna in the eye. "You intended him for me?"

Luna shrugged. "I intended him to attend the festival, and said I would never let my partner leave. If you decide that means he must be your partner, that's entirely your idea."

"Surely your society would never tolerate such a joining." Brianna said, her mind running wild with speculation.

"Which is very different from saying that you're not interested." Luna pointed out. "Still, what you and Harry do is up to you. I simply wanted to show Harry something he had never seen before."

"Which is why you made sure not to warn me ahead of time?" Brianna might have sounded annoyed to others, but Luna simply laughed.

"I don't know what you're talking about." Luna said, as she stepped toward the pool. She quickly disrobed and walked in, turning to float on her back once she was in far enough. "This is such a joyous time, though, you really shouldn't keep everyone else waiting."

Brianna smiled. "You are correct, we can worry about the future when it arrives."

Luna smiled to herself, as Brianna began to move amongst the animals still present in the clearing. That had all been far easier than she hoped.

'Oh, that cloud… it looks like it has a little horn on it. Maybe I'll tell Hermione that I saw a snorkack when I get back."