Harry Potter and the Guardians of Kandrakar
As of Nov. 2017, I have gone through this fic and touched up some plot points that bothered me, as well as attempting to fix any errors I can find in general. Refurbished to the best of my ability, here is the new and improved story, which I hope to continue to completion.
Disclaimer: Harry Potter belongs to J.K. Rowling; W.I.T.C.H. was created by Elisabetta Gnone. I do not own either of these works, I'm just having some fun in their worlds for a while.
Author's Note at the end may answer some of your questions, but for now, enjoy!
Chapter Four
After each of the girls had showered and gotten their clothes back from the wash, they proceeded to eat some of the delicious Weasley food for dinner. Mrs. Weasley had indulged them in grilled chicken, roasted potatoes, shepherd's pie, green beans, and cornbread with apple pie with ice cream for dessert. The Guardians dreaded returning to the Leaky Cauldron for dinner the next night. They said their goodbyes and thanked Mrs. Weasley, promising to return hungry the night before school started. They Flooed back to Fred and George's flat to pick up their pets, said goodbyes to the twins (George rather reluctant to see Irma go), and walked back to the Leaky Cauldron for some needed rest.
The next morning was less active for the Guardians, but they perused the copy of Hogwarts, A History that Hermione had loaned them with vigor, wanting to know as much as they could about Hogwarts before the time came for them to depart. They took turns reading chapters of the book aloud in their rooms. Tonks would interject a few updates here and there when the girls read something, usually a mystery, that had been solved. They noticed that for some reason Harry Potter was usually the cause behind the solution, and the mystique of the boy with the lightning scar grew. After completing their reading about Hogwarts, by far the most interesting of the books they had at their disposal, they perused their schoolbooks in attempt to prepare themselves somewhat for the classes they would be facing. Will and Cornelia were to be in sixth year, so they would be enrolled in some of the N.E.W.T. level courses, according to Tonks. She said she didn't know many of the details, but that the Headmaster would explain things to them the day their classes began.
Finally, the night before they were to leave for Hogwarts approached. The girls prepared for the dinner at the Burrow with the Weasleys in their rooms, growing extremely excited (to see their new friends as well as to get some more of Mrs. Weasley's delicious cooking). Unconsciously, the girls dressed better than they had anticipated, Cornelia even going as far as to wear a skirt. They Flooed over through the Leaky Cauldron's fireplace, and found the Burrow as packed as ever.
"Oi! Watch where you're.. Oh, blimey, Tonks! You scared me for a second!" Ron yelped, hoisting a large pot of soup over his head as they all came in through the fireplace. They laughed and scurried out of his way as he made his way to the dining table.
"Girls! Come give me a hand! Oh goodness, I hope we all fit at the table... Bill, Charlie, can you transfigure the chairs into benches? Ginny! Watch the potatoes!" Mrs. Weasley roared over the chaos.
"Is there anything we can do to help?" Will asked fretfully. Mrs. Weasley, looking rather frazzled, indicated the overloaded kitchen counter.
"Just start bringing all those dishes to the table, and put them wherever there's room... Fred! Stop that this instant!" she admonished, for he was creeping up behind Will and was about to grab her. Will turned around, flushed, and picked up a basket of rolls and headed to the table. Fred grinned and followed her with a meat platter.
"Not even a hello? I thought you liked me better than that," he said, setting it down. Will looked at him and somehow found her voice.
"Who said I liked you?" she retorted playfully. Fred's grin widened.
"Touché," he said, and that's when the dinner bell rang. He immediately sat down on one of the benches and pulled Will next to him as the others filed in. Cornelia sat on her other side, and Hermione sat across from her next to Harry. George, obviously, made Irma sit by him, which she didn't seem to mind at all.
"Beel? You 'ave not introduced me to the new members of ze Weesley family! Who are zey?" a distinctly French-accented voice was heard from the doorway as more people came to sit down.
"I'm sorry, dear. Girls, this is Fleur. She's my fiancé, we'll be married in July next year," Bill said, introducing a shockingly beautiful woman. She had silky white blond hair and perfect features. Ginny and Hermione rolled their eyes as she gave Bill a theatrical kiss on the cheek before sitting down with a grace that seemed out of this world, and Will could have sworn she felt an animosity coming from Cornelia as everyone else settled in around the table.
"All right, tuck in everyone!" Mrs. Weasley said, and the food was pounced upon.
o.O.o.O.o
Taranee awoke the next morning before any of her friends did, at the crack of dawn. She quietly got up and went over to Sparky's cage to feed him a couple of owl pellets. She then tiptoed over to the window and stood there, silently looking out at foggy London morning. Although it was August, she felt a shiver run down her spine. Today she would be going to Hogwarts. She had read all she could about it in the book Hermione had lent them, but she still felt as if it barely scratched the surface of what the magical school was going to be like.
'What house will I be in? Will I pass my classes, or look like a fool? Will W.I.T.C.H. still be the same? What if we have to fight in this war?' So many questions circled her brain, making her head hurt. 'What if I find someone there who cares about me? Someone unlike Nigel or Luke?' she thought, and her heart clenched at those memories. She reminded herself that romance would be put after her studies, and she hoped that it would stay that way. She heard someone stir in their bed, and she turned to see a sleepy Cornelia looking at her.
"You ready to go?" the blond asked, yawning softly as she threw her legs over the bed and into her fluffy slippers. Taranee nodded slowly, and then grinned.
"I'm so excited, I feel like puking," she laughed, and Cornelia chuckled. She stood up to survey their room. Clothes and a few books were scattered here and there, and she sighed.
"Let's get Will and the others up, we have a lot of cleaning to do before we can leave," she said, and then proceeded to walk over to Will's bed and shake the redhead. Will didn't budge.
"Desperate times," Cornelia sighed, "call for desperate measures."
Will woke up with a pileup of all four Guardians sitting on her.
o.O.o.O.o
"Oh gosh, girls, we need to hurry!" Tonks exclaimed as they pushed through crowds of people on King's Cross Station. "Platform 9 and 3/4 this way!" she shouted, then looked furtively at all the Muggles who gave her weird looks. "I mean.. erm.. Over here!" she said, pointing towards the brick barrier between platforms 9 and 10. Irma eyed them skeptically.
"And where is this Platform 9 and 3/4s? What are we supposed to do, run through a brick wall?" she asked sarcastically. Tonks beamed.
"I'm glad you're catching on so quickly!" she said, leaving Irma gaping like a fish.
"I wasn't serious, but whatever. I'll take your word for it," she said, and marched straight towards the barrier between platforms 9 and 10, pushing her trolley with her trunk and pet cat in front of her. Bracing herself for an impact, she was shocked to find that in one step she was now facing a bright scarlet steam engine. It had the Hogwarts crest emblazoning it's front, and smoke was rising from the chimney stack. She grinned when she saw the sign bearing the numbers "9 3/4" hanging from above a column.
"Irma! Over here!" she heard Ginny call, and noticed the Weasleys grouped over in a section of the platform She pushed her trolley towards them, and noticed that Hay Lin had followed her through the barrier and was close behind her.
"Have the boys help you load your things onto the train. You might want to board now so you can all get a compartment together," Mrs. Weasley suggested, and George smiled and walked over to her. He was wearing a nice dark green shirt and brown slacks, and Irma felt he had dressed up specifically to see her off. He took her trunk off the trolley.
"Let's get this on board, shall we?" he said, and she grinned at him, picking up Kitty Katty's cage and walking towards the trolley. Bill was helping Hay Lin and Charlie was helping Cornelia with her extremely heavy trunk. Once on the train, Irma had to push people out of the way until she found an empty compartment near the end. She opened it and George heaved her trunk up onto one of the rafters. Irma sat her cat's cage down on the seats, and turned to see George standing right in front of her. He had a serious expression on his face.
"Write to me?" he asked, and Irma felt her cheeks go pink. She nodded, for once not finding anything to say. "I feel like I've only scratched the surface of what an amazing person you are," he said softly, moving a lock of her curly brown hair behind her ear. Her breath hitched.
Hay Lin slid open the compartment door and George's hand fell away, a look of longing in his blue eyes, he turned to help Bill with Hay Lin's trunk. Hay Lin looked at Irma with a curious look, and Irma knew she would have to spill later... but not in the presence of blondie. By this point, all her friends had made it onto the train, and had mostly settled in, except for a couple of last minute goodbyes. Irma extracted herself from her friends so she could say goodbye to George, who was leaning casually against the door.
"I was wondering when you'd remember me," he said playfully, and she simply hugged him. Startled, he returned the hug. "Such forward behavior, my lady! You shock me!" he said. Irma could feel his voice through his chest as she hugged him, and laughed at the feeling.
"I can't help it. You're so damn huggable," she whispered, and he squeezed her tighter.
"Promise you'll write to me," he whispered into her hair, and she looked up at him.
"Why wouldn't I?" she replied, and hugged him once more before releasing him. He smiled at her, turned his gaze to right behind them, waved, and then disappeared with a pop. Startled, Irma turned around to see her friends suppressing giggles. She rolled her eyes and made her way to the window. The Weasley family had congregated outside it. She pulled the window open, and leaned out of it to wave.
"Have a great time girls! Learn something! See you sooner than you'd expect!" Tonks called with a wink, and Irma made a face. Tonks grinned, and waved once more. The clock struck eleven, and the train whistle blew. The girls squealed in excitement, and waved madly at the smiling faces of Tonks, Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, Bill, Charlie, Fred, and George before the train began to pull out of the station. They waved until their friends were just a mass of red hair, and until they were just a tiny speck as they left for their new school, Hogwarts.
o.O.o.O.o
Cornelia sighed and sunk into her seat on the train. She surveyed her friends, who all seemed as if in their own little worlds, thinking about Hogwarts of course. She picked Napoleon up out of his carrying case and sat him in her lap.
"So, girls, are we ready for this?" she asked, and they all seemed to be jerked out of their daze. Before they could answer, however, the compartment door was slid open and Harry darted inside followed by two other people, a boy holding a plant and an odd looking girl with long dirty blond hair.
"Hey, mind if we sit here? Everywhere else is full," Harry said, taking a seat by Cornelia. She shrugged, and scooted over to allow more room.
"This is Neville Longbottom and Luna Lovegood," he said, indicating the boy and girl in turn. The girls nodded at each of them in greeting.
"And you are?" Neville asked, sitting next to Hay Lin who eyed his odd looking plant warily.
"Hay Lin," she answered, and the rest of the girls introduced themselves as well.
"Well it is lovely to meet you all," the girl called Luna said dreamily, then took out a magazine and began to read it upside down. Cornelia noticed Taranee eyeing her oddly, but then looking over her shoulder at the magazine with interest.
"So why do you look so antsy, Harry?" Will asked, leaning against the window. Harry's eyes darted towards the compartment door.
"People have been er... staring at me ever since I got on the train," he said, and Will's gaze flicked to Cornelia and the two shared a look.
"It's because of what the papers have been saying. They've got it wrong, though... I was there, I know how it happened. Prophet's been glorifying it all a bit too much... not that my Gran was complaining, she even bought me a new wand, look," Neville said, as he showed them his new wand. "I think it was one of the last ones Ollivander ever sold, he was taken the very next day..."
"Wait, what? I'm totally lost," Hay Lin said, and Neville goggled at her.
"You mean you haven't... you don't know about..." he spluttered, but Harry came to her rescue.
"They've all been in the Muggle world until just now, they have no idea of what's been happening" he said quietly. Irma made a face.
"Actually... Tonks told us some things. Just enough though, so we don't know everything," she said slowly, looking at Harry warily.
"Well if Tonks told you, I'm sure it's the right story," he muttered, his gaze shifting to his shoes. Cornelia bit her lip. Was there really this much pressure on Harry? Time to lighten the mood.
"Where are Ron and Hermione? And Ginny?" she asked. Harry looked up, his eyes dark.
"Ginny's with Dean, her boyfriend. Ron and Hermione are prefects, so they're patrolling the corridors. They'll be along sometime," he mumbled, then turned to look at the compartment door. A group of girls had stopped outside it and were giggling furiously. One looked as if she was about to open the door, but stopped when she looked at Cornelia. Glaring at her, she stormed off with her friends also giving her reproachful looks. Cornelia bristled.
"What did I do?" she hissed. "There was absolutely no cause for that! I'm new here! I don't even know them!" she ranted, and Harry looked at her guiltily.
"Er... Well, Cornelia I think they're mad because... well, you're sitting with me... and they might be, er... jealous..." he trailed off uncomfortably. Cornelia raised her eyebrow.
"Your ex girlfriend?" Irma laughed from the corner, and Harry blushed like mad.
"No, I don't even know them either. They only know me because.. well..." he trailed off again.
"It's all right to admit that you are famous, Harry. It's for a good thing after all," Luna spoke up, and placed some odd looking glasses on before diving back into her upside down magazine. Neville was poking his plant awkwardly, and Will had leaned her head against the window of the train and was dozing off. Cornelia rather liked the amicable silence, when suddenly the door of the compartment slid open again. Expecting Ron, Hermione, or Ginny, Cornelia nearly leapt to her feet in shock when she heard the voice.
"I've come for my book."
She whirled around in her seat, and her eyes met those of the boy she had run into in Flourish and Blotts, the one with the enticing green eyes and sandy hair.
"Pardon?" she said, a little bewildered. "What book?" she asked him. He arched an eyebrow.
"After our little incident in the bookshop you must have taken my potions manual, the one I was reading before we ah... collided?" he prompted. Cornelia, feeling heat rise to her cheeks, dumped Napoleon on Harry's lap and stood up.
"It might be in my trunk," she said quietly. "Help me, will you?" she asked, and he entered the compartment. He hefted her trunk down from the luggage rack above her head, and she unlatched it. Feeling extremely self conscious, she rooted around amongst her possessions haphazardly before finding a book that was not on her Hogwarts list, Most Potente Potions - Advanced. She pulled it out and put it on the seat.
"Thank you," he said, and together they lifted her trunk back to the luggage rack. Cornelia noticed his closeness as he did this; his body right behind her and his arms obstructing her peripheral vision as they lifted the trunk. She turned around to face him; he was extremely close. His lips quirked into a small smile as he reached behind her and grabbed the book. He turned towards Harry, who was holding onto Napoleon for dear life. "Potter," he said coldly, nodding his head.
"Nott," Harry replied, clutching the squirming cat. "Cornelia, take your cat. He's going to claw me to death," he said, and Cornelia snatched Napoleon from Harry, still gazing at the boy. He turned to look at her again.
"Goodbye, then... Cornelia," he said, and walked swiftly out of the compartment. Cornelia sank into her seat, lost in thought. Had he deliberately left his book with her just so he could come see her again? Or was it an honest mistake?
"Hem." A cough made by Irma disrupted her thoughts, and she looked up to find the entire compartment staring at her with wide eyes.
"Was it just me or was it getting a bit hot in here?" Irma joked.
"More like tense," Taranee muttered, and Cornelia ignored them but turned to Harry.
"Who was he?" she demanded. Harry rolled his eyes.
"Theodore Nott, a sixth year Slytherin. I don't know much about him, because he usually keeps to himself. I just know that his father was one of the Death Eaters I exposed when Voldemort," (Neville flinched at this) "returned back in fourth year. Obviously he doesn't like me much," he finished, glowering at the door.
"Corny, you sure know how to pick 'em! Too bad he's actually kinda hot..." Irma joked, and Cornelia glared at her, but inwardly she felt shattered. A Slytherin? Whose father was in prison? Could her life get much more complicated?
o.O.o.O.o
Will woke up from her short nap when she heard the word lunch.
"Anything from the lunch trolley dears?" a kindly old woman poked her head into their compartment, and Will instantly woke up.
"What have you got?" Hay Lin asked her, and she began rattling off a list of everything on the trolley. From the looks of things, it all seemed to be candy of some sort (how this was considered lunch, she didn't know).
"We'll take the lot," Harry said suddenly, and the trolley lady beamed.
"Always the same, every year," she said, and handed them a bunch of everything. Harry paid for it all and then turned to survey the massive amount of candy sitting on their laps. At that moment Ron and Hermione made their way into the compartment.
"Perfect, I'm starved!" Ron said, grabbing a licorice wand from the pile and tearing it open.
"Your'e always starving, Ronald," Hermione rolled her eyes, and sat next to Irma. Their compartment was now so full it was fit to burst.
"I'm glad you're back, I've got loads to tell you..." Harry began, when yet another visitor opened the compartment door.
"I'm supposed to give these to Neville Longbottom and Harry P-potter," the girl stammered, handing the boys two rolled up pieces of parchment tied with velvet purple ribbon.
"Slughorn wants us to have lunch with him in his compartment!" Harry exclaimed, and Hermione gave him a quizzical look.
"Whatever for? Oh Harry, Neville, you must go. You shouldn't refuse a teacher," she said primly, and the two boys got up and made their way out of the compartment, leaving a bit more room but only just. Will looked down at the candy sitting on her lap. Chocolate frogs? She wondered.
"These aren't... you know, real?" she asked tentatively.
"Nah, it's just a spell. Just pop it in your mouth whole and then tell me what card you get. Those are the cool part," Ron said through a mouthful of pumpkin pasty (Hermione and Cornelia wrinkling their noses). Will opened the box and a cute, entirely chocolate frog stared up at her before trying to leap out of the box. She caught it and ate it, then looked down at the card.
"I got Godric Gryffindor!" she told Ron, whose eyes bugged.
"No way! Let me see!" he exclaimed, and she handed him the card. He stared at it reverently.
"That is a rare card there. Only ten left in existence now, thanks to you. You could get some serious galleons for that," he said, and Will stuffed the card into her pocket quickly, earning giggles from Hay Lin and Irma. Suddenly the cramped compartment was almost too much for her, and she held her head in her hands.
"Will, are you ok?" Hermione asked, concern lacing her voice.
"Dizzy spell, is all. I think I need to get up and walk for a bit," she said, and then stood to exit the compartment. Walking down the train was relatively like trying to walk amidst the throngs of people in a sold out concert. She had to push through numerous amounts of people before she finally found a gap in the crowd, and extracted herself from it. Looking back at the gaggles of silly girls clogging the hallway and shaking her head, she turned around to continue walking only to run smack into someone.
"Hey! Watch... Oh. You again." That voice was familiar, and Will looked up into a pair of cold grey eyes. The blond boy that she had run into in Diagon Alley was looking down at her reproachfully, his features drawn into an expression of handsome haughtiness.
"Why can't you look where you're going? Is it a habit of yours to run into people constantly? Or is it just me you fancy knocking over?" he asked her, and Will felt her indignation towards this boy flare up.
"I do not run into people all the time! You just always seem to be in my way!" she retorted. He smirked.
"So it is only me you like to run into. Am I to be black and blue by the time I graduate Hogwarts because of constant run ins with you? Well, sorry to disappoint, but I don't go for girls who are friends of the Weasleys and that mudblood Granger," he sneered, venom in his voice as he mentioned their names. Will felt her blood boil and her magic flare up, but she restrained herself from blasting him with a fistful of Energy magic.
"Do not insult my friends. They're probably more than you have, by the looks of the way you treat people. What is your problem?" she spat. He scowled at her.
"My problem is that you are in my way. I'm trying to get to my compartment," he spat, indicating the one she happened to be standing in front of. She glanced at its occupants; they didn't look too friendly, so if he called for reinforcements, her chances weren't good.
"Well that doesn't give you the right to badmouth my friends. Take it back. Right now," she threatened, and he looked taken aback, as if no one had dared stand up to him in this way before.
"What did you say?" he asked, a look of genuine incredulity on his face.
"Take. It. Back," she growled, drawing her wand from her pocket and pinning it under his chin. They backed up until he was stuck against a compartment off to the side. Will smirked internally; his friends were probably getting a great show.
"Will!" She turned to see Hermione hurrying towards her. "Will, put your wand up at once! He's a prefect" she hissed, trying to pull Will's wand arm away from the blond boy.
"He insulted the Weasleys... and he called you a... a..." she tried to speak the word, but found that she couldn't. Hermione glared at him, but continued to tug at Will's arm.
"It's only Malfoy. He's not worth it. Just come back to our compartment," she said, and Will finally pulled her wand away from his neck. His haughty expression returned, yet it didn't reach his eyes and he rubbed his neck absently, staring at her curiously.
"Keep your gingers under control, Granger, or I'll have to report you lot!" Malfoy called out, a strangely out of place twinkle of dark amusement in his eyes that hadn't been there before.
"Oh, shove off, Malfoy," Hermione snapped. Malfoy snickered, shaking his head.
"Granger, watch that mouth of yours... you're smart enough to know where the line is, unless you enjoy crossing it?" he taunted. Hermione sniffed, while Will watched the exchange a bit bewildered. Her anger still bubbling under the surface, however, she tapped her wand menacingly against her hand. Hermione finally dragged Will away from the cold grey eyes of Malfoy, but not before she got the last word in.
"Don't cross me again, jerk," she warned him, and then turned on her heel and marched back to the compartment. Once they were almost there, Hermione stopped and turned to face Will.
"I... I wanted to thank you. For sticking up for me and the Weasleys. Even though we've hardly known each other a week, I'm glad you stood up to him... he needs to be knocked down a peg or two. Just... try not to get involved with him anymore, he could put you in detention," she said firmly, then turned to continue down the train.
"What did that word mean? The one he called you... Mud... erm. Well, I recognize an insulting word when I hear one," Will said nervously. Hermione's expression became pained.
"Mudblood is a really foul name for someone who is Muggle born, someone with non magic parents... like me. Malfoy has been using it to insult me since second year, so I'm used to it.. but it's not something one hears in civilized conversation," she said as they continued walking.
"Sticks and stones, Hermione," Will grinned, and Hermione smiled back at her as they entered the compartment.
"Harry still not back? Where could he have gone?" Hermione gasped as she sat down. Neville had returned, but told them that Harry had told him to 'go on ahead' while he 'checked something.' Will frowned at the orange sky, the sun beginning its descent for the evening's approach.
"We'll be at Hogwarts soon, I suggest we change into our robes," Luna spoke up, and thus a bustle ensued as they reached for their trunks. Will, pulling her black Hogwarts robes out of her trunk, was beginning to feel apprehensive. After all, this was to be one of the biggest changes she was to face in her life, besides being a Guardian of course.
o.O.o.O.o
Hay Lin nervously adjusted her robes as the train began to slow to a stop. Harry still hadn't returned, and everyone was worried.
"Should we go look for him?" Hermione asked, looking down the train for any sign of him.
"Nah, he's probably fine. We'll just meet him at dinner," Ron said dismissively, but it did nothing to quell the anxiety in the air.
"I'll go look for him," Luna spoke up serenely. "Would someone like to accompany me?" she asked. Feeling like she needed to stretch her legs, Hay Lin stood up and followed Luna out of the compartment. On her way out the door, Hermione called out.
"Wait! Take these and give them to Harry if you find him," she said, handing Hay Lin his robes. It wouldn't be difficult to spot Harry's untidy mess of black hair in the crowd, but he was nowhere in sight. They pushed through crowds of students milling about the slowing train, all dressed in their robes. The train came to a complete stop, and there was a sudden rush of people exiting compartments, such that Hay Lin and Luna were nearly swamped. Yet maybe because she was with Luna people gave them a wide berth once the students took notice of her.
"You look in these compartments and I'll look in these," Hay Lin told the blond girl, who nodded dreamily before opening the doors one by one as the students exited them. Hay Lin noticed a couple of compartments with the blinds drawn shut, and curiously pointed them out to Luna, who drew her wand. Hay Lin followed suit, although she was sure that in a fight she'd rather use her own, trusty Air Guardian powers while she got used to her new wand. Something about the closed blinds unsettled Hay Lin, and she cautiously slid the compartment open. There was no one in there. Yet Luna seemed to see something Hay Lin didn't for she smiled and kneeled to pull off what seemed to be an invisible cloak off of Harry Potter, lying in an awkward position with a bloody nose on the floor.
"Finite!" Luna said, and Harry relaxed from his odd pose.
"Thanks Luna," he said, his voice a little muffled by the state of his nose.
"What happened?" Hay Lin gasped, handing Harry his robes and he quickly changed into of them.
"Malfoy bloody broke my nose, that's what," he said grumpily, and they followed the remaining students to the train's exit.
"Firs' years this way! Get in the boats, four to a boat!" a gruff, deep voice called out, and when Hay Lin saw the owner she squeaked in fear and darted behind Harry. Instead of turning and running, however, Harry smiled grimly.
"Hello, Hagrid," he said, and the great beast of a man beamed.
"Blimey, 'Arry! What happened to yer nose?" he exclaimed, herding the first years into boats.
"Malfoy. It's a long story, I'll drop by for tea some time and tell you," he mumbled. "See you," he said, and walked with Hay Lin still hiding behind him over to where were stationed carts in which students were being shipped up to the school. And Hay Lin's breath whooshed right out of her lungs when she saw the school. It was a castle, situated on the edge of a rocky cliff, and it was one of the most beautiful places she had ever seen. The windows were giving off a warm light, and Hay Lin knew that she was going to be painting this sometime soon. She, Harry, and Luna climbed into the last cart, and Hay Lin shrieked when she saw what was pulling it.
"What's that!" she exclaimed. Harry stared at her.
"You mean you can see it?" he whispered. Hay Lin nodded, not taking her eyes off of what looked like a dark, desperately starved winged horse, something that one would see standing next to the Grim Reaper or something. "It's a Thestral. People only see them when they've seen death," Harry spoke quietly.
"I see them too," Luna said simply, adjusting her odd glasses as the cart began to pull them up to the school. "Who do you know that has died?" she asked with an inquisitive innocence.
"My grandma. Well... It's actually quite complicated. I'd rather not..."
"You don't have to," Harry smiled bitterly, the blood on his face making his smile even more chilling.
"You want me to fix it for you?" Luna asked, gesturing towards Harry with her wand as they neared the castle. "I know plenty of healing spells," she stated.
"Go on, then. Give it a go," he said, and turned to face her.
"Episkey!"
"Ow!" Harry's nose, upon being reset, began to bleed freshly, and Luna handed him a handkerchief.
"You can keep it," she said, and Hay Lin giggled despite her nerves as they entered through the gates of the school, the winged boars unnerving her even more than she already was.
Chapter Four: Complete!
Reviews are motivation, I'd appreciate it :)