A/N: The latest instalment thank you to all my beautiful reviewers you make me smile so much. Thank you.
Discoveries
"Explain what's going on!" Pansy puffed as they ran up flights of stairs.
"Can't explain, it's only just a hunch." Hermione panted as they climbed flight after flight of stairs, bombing trap doors out of the way with magic. "Harry turn into a bird or something and get up there faster!" Hermione ducked from the debris of the last trap door.
"What do you think I am? A circus animal?" Harry gasped for air as the group reached the astronomy tower.
There, sure enough was Daphne standing on one of the rails of the balcony, the same dreamy look on her face.
"DAPHNE!" Pansy screamed but it only made Daphne hesitate before climbing up another rung on the balcony. The group rushed forwards and Blaise and Draco grabbed the young woman's arms and yanked her back as she started to climb over the rails.
"Daphne stop!" Blaise ordered shaking her shoulders but the expression didn't leave her face.
"Weasley said take a long walk off the Astronomy Tower and so far I've only had a short walk." She pouted, staring but not quite seeing the strange mix of students around her.
"Daphne." Draco soothed and tried to make her see him but it didn't work, her gaze flickered from his face to the balcony and a look of determination came into her eyes. Draco lunged for Daphne as she ran back to the rails and it was as if something possessed her as the brunette ran for the balcony rail once again. She dodged Pansy, pushed Harry away and hissed at Blaise when grabbed her arm and yanked her back. Daphne held steadfastly onto the railing and kept babbling about "Weasley." "Walking" and "Astronomy Tower."
"What has Weasley done to her!?" Blaise yelled as he tugged at her arm, he was the only thing keeping her in place from launching herself over the railing to her certain death.
"We have a theory." Harry grunted as he joined Blaise in keeping a sharp hold on Daphne who was yowling like an alley cat. Pansy had a hold of one ankle, Draco the other while Blaise and Harry wrestled with the feisty Slytherin's waving arms and scratching nails. She lashed out at Harry who dodged her nails with an instinctive dip of the head while Blaise received four scratch marks across his cheek before a well-aimed spell of Hermione's froze Daphne in place.
"We need Ron." Hermione said as Blaise and Draco awkwardly carried her frozen form down the stairs. Pansy was in tears as she and Harry brought up the rear and awkwardly Harry laid his hand on her shoulder, somewhat surprised as she curled into him and sobbed. He stopped walking down the countless set of stairs and held the strange Slytherin girl for a few moments while Pansy gathered herself together.
"Come on we need to catch the others up, are you going to be okay?" Harry held Pansy by the shoulders and looked deep in her eyes. She nodded and the pair carried on, hurrying to catch up with the odd rabble.
None of the others noticed Pansy and Harry silently rejoining their group as they carried on their strange journey. It was only when they were one flight before the main hallways that Hermione stopped them, careful not to touch Draco or Blaise and turned to look at them with a bemused expression on her face.
"Does anyone actually know where Ron is? If we presume he's with Astoria…" She looked down towards the floor, indicating the Slytherin Common Room.
"He's not there, I share my dorm with Astoria and she's not been there all night." Pansy shook her head firmly.
"Well then where would he go?" Draco snapped tired of holding up a solid Daphne.
"How are we supposed to know? Ron's been avoiding us for days." Harry burst back and saw Hermione staring rather pointedly at his arm around Pansy's shoulders. He didn't retract instead he just raised an eyebrow back.
"I have an idea, give me a moment. I'll be right back." Blaise said suddenly, propping Daphne against Draco who grumbled at the weight before disappearing.
o.o.o.o.o
"Astoria." Ron nuzzled the shell of her ear, ecstatic to hear her giggle. His lips pressed to her throat and her giggle slipped into a breathy moan.
Ron said nothing as he nibbled at her soft porcelain skin, his fingers trailing down the other side of her throat, hovering above the first button of her blouse when there was a polite cough. Irritated instantly with this new intruder, especially as Astoria gave a small squeak and scooted away from him, Ron hissed and turned to face the irritating person.
"Luna." He snapped and watched the dreamy look in her eyes as she took in Astoria's blushing face.
"Ronald, Hermione and Harry require your presence as quickly as possible."
"Tell them I'll be twenty minutes." He snapped and Luna felt this strange urge in her brain but she shook it off, her mental walls were a lot stronger now.
"I'd rather Ronald you came with me now. Do not make me explain it in front of Astoria." Luna was silently willing Ron not to make a show of himself and she heard the cogs turn in his brain.
Damn Mione and Harry, the closest I get to Astoria without being interrupted and they send Lovegood to come and get me. She heard the ire in his thoughts and snickered to herself.
Oh my God, I was actually making out with Ron Weasley. Sweet Salazaar Daphne will kill me. Mother will kill me, Father will really kill me. Astoria's brain was in a flurry all of a sudden, away from Ron's caramel whispers and hypnotic eyes.
"Ronald, let's go." Luna snipped, hearing Astoria's mental surprise at her commanding tone, echoed in Ron's head as the red head stood up and followed the skipping blonde. The pair reconvened with Blaise at the foot of the stairs who silently beckoned them up.
"Where's Astoria?" Pansy said worriedly before Ron could question the strange nature of the rabble.
"We left her to go back to her common room." Luna said dreamily before drifting to Blaise's side.
"Ron, you're not as powerless as you think." Hermione started, frowning when he scoffed, a disbelieving expression pasted on his face.
"You do Weasley." Draco said and tactfully ignored the mutter of disgust from Ron. "You can manipulate people's thoughts and feelings."
"You're lying to me. What for?! Is this over Astoria? Can you not handle that I've nabbed her Malfoy?" Ron spat and started to leave but Harry forcibly stopped him as Hermione's hand snatched out but hovered before she touched him.
"Ronald Weasley you listen to me." She snapped and finished the spell on Daphne who wordlessly turned and started to climb the steps again. "Greengrass where are you going?" She called as Ron watched on confused.
"Weasley told me to walk off of the Astronomy Tower." She said dreamily and carried on walking up the stairs.
"Greengrass stop right there!" Ron said in a panic and the brunette froze into place. "Holy shit." He whispered, his gaze frantically flickering to each face in the group, each as stunned as him. "Daphne turn around." She did so. "Wake up Daphne." Suddenly the girl in front of him blinked and stared around at the group.
"What the fuck are we all doing on the stairs?!" She hissed in confusion then stared at Ron and her gaze narrowed. "YOU! Stay away from my sister." She growled and was shocked when Draco stood between them.
"Go back to the Dungeons Daph, we'll sort Ron out." He gestured at Blaise and Pansy who nodded and with an irritated snarl she disappeared.
"We need to talk about your powers Weasley." Pansy snapped. "You nearly killed your crush's big sister." She said sarcastically as the colour drained from Ron's face.
"Look I'm out of here. Granger and Potter can sort Weasley out. I need to hit the kitchen." Blaise yawned and wandered off, Luna faded away of her own accord while Pansy and Draco disappeared to find Astoria and see if she was okay. Harry and Hermione dragged a babbling and shocked Ron back to the Gryffindor common room to deal with this new addition.
.o.o.o.
Luna skipped down towards the kitchens, following Blaise's faint brain patterns as he longed for food and she snuck behind him, feeling him stop as he remembered the correct method to access the kitchens. She couldn't see him, he was perfecting his talent like she was but thanks to hers she could work out roughly where he was and grabbed him with surprising strength.
Luna yanked him into the nearest alcove, giggling at his colourful words which simmered at the realisation it was Luna. He flickered back into vision with a look of passion on his face as his wand illuminated the darkness.
"Miss Lovegood. That was not a smart move. You do not tempt a Slytherin into a dark corner, they are highly unscrupulous." He grinned and without a sound he extinguished the light and leapt towards her, growling her name as she squealed and laughed in delight.
