The forbidding forest seemed to close in as the engine died suddenly and the rental car rolled to a stop beside a gnarly oak. Twisted branches reached for the vehicle like taloned fingers, brushing the windscreen. Dark and foreboding trees stretched out in all directions.
"I told you we were lost," said Abby Sciuto, NCIS forensic specialist, beginning to worry they might miss the conference that brought them to the UK. She scowled at her cell phone as it searched in vain for service.
"I know, Abby," special agent Timothy McGee replied heavily, trying the key again. The engine wouldn't turn over. Without power nothing worked, not even the compass, which was weird. He checked his own cell phone, with no more luck than Abby was having.
They got out of the car. "This is one gloomy forest." McGee said, craning his neck upward hoping to see daylight at the top of the canopy.
"I think it's got character," Abby said brightly, stepping carefully to avoid tangling her platform boots in the twisty roots. She teetered but did not topple.
McGee took off his suit coat and laid it over the back of the driver seat. There didn't seem to be any help for it. Maybe he'd find better reception above the tangle wood. He grabbed one of the lower limbs on the twisted old oak and hoisted himself up. The trunk branched crookedly, close to the ground and gave him easy purchase. He quickly disappeared behind a screen of hanging branches.
"Ouch!" he shouted after a bit of rustling.
"McGee!" Abby cried, but when he didn't come bouncing down, she relaxed. "Are you all right?"
"Something hit me," he said, apparently still climbing. "Ouch! Something hit me again."
"Don't be such a big baby, McGee." Never one to hold still for very long, Abby couldn't just stand there waiting for Tim to come down – one way or another – and decided to explore on her own. She struck off for what looked like a bit of a glen peeking through the forest, perky black pigtails bobbing.
The Forbidden Forest was Luna Lovegood Scamander's favorite haunt in all the wizarding world. As a famous naturalist she had traversed the darkest and most dangerous woods on her quests for elusive creatures of mythic proportion, and she had found quite a few rare specimens. But there was nothing so comforting as a hike through the forest glens of her halcyon days at Hogwarts. When she was feeling wistful, a glimpse of a centaur or an acromantula web could cheer her right up.
The collecting bag at her belt chirped and Luna clucked soothingly to it, reaching in to pet ruffled feathers. Something wriggled under her fingers, all furry feet and ebony claw, and settled back to sleep.
Luna smiled to herself, reminded of her boys at that age, all gangly limbs and boundless energies.
A movement drew her eye to the most amazing thing she had seen in The Forest all day: a muggle heading her way. Luna was used to dealing with muggles, but even to her trained eye this one seemed odd, dressed in black lace and knee socks. Luna cocked her head, watching the strange woman crash noisily through the brush on clunky great shoes, towering over the demure wizard naturalist.
Luna smiled up at the woman, wondering what to expect.
"Oh thank goodness, we're saved," the muggle said as she marched right up. "I told McGee to stop for directions, but he's a guy and that goes against his DNA, don't ask me why. The car just stopped and now we're late for the conference and I worked for a month on this paper but it doesn't matter because I can post it on the internet anyway I guess but I was looking forward to the Q&A — I'm Abby," she said, sticking out her hand.
Luna had encountered this custom before and solemnly stuck her hand out along side the muggle's. After a moment the woman dropped hers and Luna followed suit.
They couldn't be more different from one another. Where Luna was small and fair, Abby was dark and willowy, her accent identifying her as an American muggle from across the pond. That explained the peculiarities of speech.
"I'm Luna," she said politely. "I don't know what a kewinnay is, but I've got a baby hissy-gryph—" and she began to open her collecting sack proudly to show her new friend when they heard a shout.
"That's McGee! Sorry, I've got to go." And the mysterious muggle was off again on her amazing shoes.
Luna snuggled the hissy-gryph, ruffled his green fur, smoothed his bright feathers and returned him to the collecting sack. Muggles were a peculiar breed. She quite preferred her little pets.
"Abby!" McGee called, clamoring over a fallen trunk fully as big around as a small car and snagging his pants leg on a protruding spur. "Abby!"
Abby couldn't stay put if her life depended on it, he grumbled to himself.
He thought he heard voices over the rise and picked up his pace, nearly running smack into Abby at the crest of the hill.
"McGee! I found a native guide," Abby said cheerfully.
"We don't need one," McGee wheezed, trying to catch his breath. He pointed back down the way he'd come. "I got a signal and took a GPS reading. And don't ask me why, but the car's working again."
"C'mon, McGee," she said, grabbing his elbow and hauling him back to the car. "Time's a' wasting. We can just make the conference if we hurry!"
The engine purred to life and they were back on the road again. The forest didn't look so forbidding in the rear view mirror.