Author's Note: Written for the Non Canon Competition by Cheeky Slytherin Lass on the HPFC forum. The prompt I used was "pale skin in the moonlight."
This is a much more radical concept than most of my previous series. I don't know when I'll get back to it, since I've still got lots to do in my other series.
When Bellatrix climbs out of the tunnel and onto the cool grass above the New Moon underground complex, the first thing she notices is the clarity of the sky. She kneels on the ground with her mouth open and one hand partly covering the expression, shocked to see how many stars there really are. And the moon…
The moon is beautiful. It's not quite full, so the werewolves won't be let out tonight, but the entire clearing is still bathed in moonlight. Bellatrix raises her other hand to swipe at her eyes, unwilling to show tears in front of the enemy.
She sinks to the ground, unable to stand after so much time crawling along the floor of the tunnel. "Why are you showing me this?" she rasps.
The girl kneels next to her, pale skin and pale hair glowing in the moonlight. Bellatrix has to avert her eyes. It occurs to her that the girl's very name is a reference to the moon. Luna.
"I want you to know what you're missing," says Luna. Her voice is smooth, unbothered by Bellatrix's show of weakness. Any of the others might have exploited it, but not her. "I want you to realize there's another way." She reaches out and takes Bella's chin, turning her head so that Bella is forced to look directly into her bright blue eyes. "You don't have to follow him anymore, Bellatrix. If all of his followers should leave him, then he will fall."
Bellatrix closes her eyes, but the moonlight seems to shine through her eyelids. "And then?"
"Then the whole world could be like this. Clear skies, no more Dark Marks or blood clouds. No more werewolf breeding. You could go out at night on the full moon and never have to be afraid, and you could see the sky just like this, whenever you wanted."
"Whenever I wanted…" Bella swallows hard and opens her eyes again to meet Luna's. "What do you want me to do?" she whispers. "I'll do anything."