Another chapter (or maybe just a loosely connected one-shot). There might be more, but I'm still not promissing anything.

This scene happens during CoS, on the night Colin was Petrified. I don't think it's as good as Don't cry, but maybe it's still worth sharing.

II(:

The Horse Creatures

Luna snuck quietly out of the Ravenclaw tower, completely disregarding all the rumours about ancient monsters from secret chambers. At a certain age(1) Ravenclaws and Gryffindors have quite a lot in common, although, of course, while Gryffindors just want to have some fun, Ravenclaws are curious. If there was a little button hidden somewhere, labelled 'End-Of-The-World switch. Do not touch!', you can be sure a Ravenclaw would find it.

And this is why Luna was now lurking alone in the dark corridors of the Hogwarts castle. Well, not the part about the button, of course,(2) but she most certainly was curious. More curious, that is, then she usually was, and that's saying something. She had been very curious ever since her first day at the school. Ever since she first saw what she thought of as the Horse Creatures.

XXX

They were roughly the size and shape of a horse, with huge leathery wings. They were slightly creepy, but also familiar somehow, as though they reminded her of something. None of the children from Luna's compartment on the train seemed to see them. One or two had been amazed at the apparently horseless carriages. Before Luna could ask anyone what they were, she was led to the boats that would take her and the other new students across the lake, to Hogwarts.

XXX

She stopped at the kitchens on her way out. The House-Elves were nice, agreed not to tell anyone and didn't ask too many questions when she asked for a bit of raw meat. She had been a little surprised to find out a few days ago that was what the Horse Creatures ate. Didn't horses normally eat grass? Well, of course they were not normal horses. That was what made them special.

Luna walked out into the Hogwarts Grounds and then made her way to the edge of the Forbidden Forest, trying her best not to be seen by whoever might be looking out of a window. She looked around nervously as she entered the woods. The moment before the Horse Creatures arrived always made her a little scared. She put the meat down on the ground and waited. After a while several Horse Creatures emerged from the darkness. Most other people, if they could see the Creatures at all, would be frightened of them. To Luna their presence was oddly comforting. They reminded her of something, although she was not quite sure what it was. They were the one familiar thing in a place that was completely new to her. By now you could probably call them her friends.

'Eat,' she said as the Creatures sniffed at the meat 'You're so thin. You need to eat.' She knew the food she brought them was probably not enough, but it was the thought that counted.

Then she saw something else on the edge of the clearing. Something so white it almost seemed to glow in the darkness. For a moment she wondered if it was a unicorn, but when it wandered closer to her she saw it was only a horse, quite ordinary, except for something she couldn't quite put her finger on. Somehow it was familiar. Somehow it reminded her of something. And somehow the shining white horse seemed to fit perfectly with the black, grim Horse Creatures.

And then a tall dark figure emerged form the woods, walked up to the white horse and… looked around, probably, although Luna wasn't quite sure.

WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE AT THIS TIME, CHILD? it asked. There was no point in trying to hide. And suddenly Luna knew who he was.

'Feeding the Horse Creatures,' she said quietly. She knew he could see them. She was sure he would understand her.

THE THESTRALS? he asked.

'So that's what they're called?' Luna said 'Yes.'

And then another thought crossed her mind. While the person she was talking to seemed nice enough, he still was the Grim Reaper. While she knew better than most eleven-year-olds that his job is important, he probably hadn't come here to chat with her.

'Why are you here?' she asked 'Has someone died?'

NO, Death replied, BUT HE COULD HAVE.

'Who?'

ER… COLIN CREEVY. A BOY ABOUT YOUR AGE, Death explained, HE WILL LIVE, BUT MY PRESENCE WAS STILL REQUIRED. IT'S CALLED A NEAR-DEATH EXPERIENCE.

'Oh,' said Luna, relieved. She vaguely remembered Colin from the few classes they shared with Gryffindor. 'What happened?' she asked 'Was it the monster everyone's talking about?'

POSSIBLY, Death said, THERE AREN'T MANY OTHER MONSTERS HERE, ARE THERE?

'Um… I don't think so,' Luna said 'There's the Giant Squid, but it doesn't kill people. And those… er… Thestrals…' she hesitated 'They're not really monsters, are they?'

Death shrugged.

'Why don't other people see them anyway?' she asked, but just then she heard another voice behind her.

'What're yeh doin' here?' it said loudly.

She turned around to see Hagrid, the gamekeeper.

'Oh… Er…' Luna wasn't sure what to say.

'It's dangerous, kid!' Hagrid said 'All alone in the Forest at night! What's yer name?' he asked.

'Luna Lovegood,' she said 'And… er… I'm not alone.'

'Well, yeah, there's the Thestrals,' the gamekeeper agreed 'But it still ain't safe. Come on, Lovegood, back to the castle with yeh.'

Well, at least now she knew Hagrid could see the Horse…er… Thestrals too. But she hadn't been talking about them.

'But can't you see… ?' she hesitated. Insisting that she was safe because Death was with her didn't seem very reasonable, even if it was true.

'What?' Hagrid asked.

'Oh… nothing,' Luna said, and then, because she was still curious and really wanted to get some questions answered tonight, she asked 'Why don't people see the Thestrals anyway?'

'I bin wonderin' why you see 'em,' the man said as he led the girl out of the Forest 'Have you seen Death?'

'Yes,' she said quietly.

'Poor kid…'

'Oh, he's ok, really,' Luna said 'He was here tonight, but he said Colin will be fine.'

'What?'

(1) 'A certain age' can mean many different things depending on the context. In this case it's probably around eleven.

(2) If such a button existed, it definitely wouldn't be located anywhere near Hogwarts. Placing it in such close proximity of so many Ravenclaws(3) would be very unwise.

(3) Or, for that matter, wizards.