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In The Forest
HorrescoReferens
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'What person went to the Forbidden Forest so late at night?' Theodore Nott asked himself. Apart from him, obviously.
Theo had been successful at escaping the emotional mess in the Slytherin common room. Malfoy had failed at his mission, that cursed necklace only managed to hurt a seventh year Gryffindor, Katie Bell. All of those who knew about the Dark Lord's task were anxious about Malfoy's fate. Voldemort wasn't fond of failure.
As any good Slytherin, Nott knew that the wisest thing to do was to hide all sorts of feelings and emotions. He who knows what you feel can destroy you, there's no way to fight against it. Those were dark times, the battle was close, and he couldn't afford having a weakness.
He was no Death Eater, not yet; or at least that was what his family thought. Nott wasn't hoping to become one ever, as he didn't think of Tom Riddle as his superior, and therefore, he wasn't worthy enough to rule him, to tell him what to do. Theodore was too clever to follow orders blindly.
A pair of white and bare feet was barely sinking into the soft and wet soil of the forest. The girl –unaware of his presence as she wasn't facing him– was close enough for him to see her, but not for him to recognise her.
The long white blond hair covered all of her back. Her clothes weren't muggle, but they weren't part of a typical witches' outfit either. Her trousers, dark and worn, were rolled up to her knees and her dark blue shirt was dirty.
Surrounded by thestrals, she didn't seem to be afraid of them. In fact, Theodore guessed she was probably feeding them.
He stared at her puzzled. Most people wouldn't run away from the castle in the middle of the night to feed animals, let alone feared creatures. Most people wouldn't wander barefoot by the forest, full of poisonous vegetation. Most people wouldn't spend their nights in complete solitude.
Evidently, she wasn't most people. From then on, Theodore Nott thought of her as she.
Throughout the whole week, when his eyes fell on the crowds in the corridors or the Great Hall, he subconsciously avoided to find her. To see her with people around her, wearing her uniform, as any normal student, would take her charm from her. That mystery that came with her presence.
Nott returned many nights to those corners of the Forbidden Forest. At times, he managed to catch her with his sight; other night, no trace of her could be found. Her clothing and her location both changed, but not too much, so he could get her. Her feet were always bare, though.
One night, Theo came closer to her than he ever dared to. He sat at the top of an old tree, some metres away from where she was feeding the thestrals.
"There's not much life left for this one" she sighed, patting the head of a particularly thin thestral.
Theo stared in awe. Was she talking to him? Her voice had a melodic tone, even when it was somewhat coarse.
"Who have you watched die?"
As she asked, she turned to him.
It was the first time Theodore got a glimpse of her face. He didn't know her. Her eyes were wide and blue, just a bit unfocused. The paleness of her feet was also present on her arms and face. She resembled a ghost, but less greyish.
"My mother" was his answer, his own voice making him uneasy.
"Me too" she nodded. Her lips curved, sadness in her eyes.
He doubted that she would have ever witnessed a death as horrible as his mother's. Tightly closing his eyes, he tried to block out the images of his mother being tortured by her own husband. He tried to ignore the sound of her last breath, giving up her life, after so much torture.
"It was horrible, wasn't it? Not being able to do anything to help".
Her voice was coloured with soft compassion, but without that repulsive and invasive feeling that came when people who had nothing to do with him pitied. It was almost as if she understood.
Was he showing too much emotion? He wouldn't let himself become weak. She could have been an enemy. He didn't know her.
Nevertheless, he didn't care. She wasn't a foe.
"What's on your mind, Theodore Nott?" she asked as she twirled, petting the creature again.
"I don't know your name".
She turned and smiled. "Luna Lovegood".