Summary: Luna encounters a girl who's blood just awakened a rare sort of magic and offers her help.

Rated: K+

Genre: General

Warning Tag: N/A

Author's Note: Blakblott: A black cotton ball-like pest with long, skinny limbs that can be found living in fireplaces neglected to be cleaned or other areas where ash and soot is found. They are a favourite food of the Ashwinders, considering they share the same habitats.

Unexpected Encounter

Luna gazed out of her large office window at the murder of crows spiraling upward into the navy blue sky. The patterns they made as they shifted in the wind fascinated her due to her recent casual reading about the Greek practice of reading birds' flight patterns to predict omens. She wondered what a murder of crows could predict.

The owl swooped in through the open door—an unusual sighting inside the office—and perched on the back of the chair to face her desk. The witch turned and lightly smiled at the red-feathered bird.

"Hello there, who is this from?" she asked as she untied the note from its ankle.

The owl hooted quietly before eyeing the window and ruffling its feathers. Luna took the gesture to mean it wished to leave in a more dignified way, so she opened it and the owl took off.

Luna,

I didn't know who else to contact, but I know the Aurors were not the go-to ones for this.

I have a bit of a… unique creature problem, I guess. Is there any way you can come to the joke shop as soon as possible?

I'd greatly appreciate it.

George

It didn't take much to catch Luna's interest, but the vagueness and urgency of the note piqued her curiosity enough to pack her bag of essentials needed when it came to encountering an unknown creature. She closed up her office and headed for the exit in record time.

Being her own boss had its perks.

Luna barely tapped the door of the closed and very dark storefront before the flash of ginger hair caught the lamppost light through the window and the door promptly opened.

"You got here really quick. My owl just got back," George said, opening the door wide enough for her to enter.

"You sounded like it was a very urgent matter. I wasn't going to wait until after tea," Luna replied.

She carefully eyed the less than pristine interior of the shop and knew that whatever happened to it was not a pretty encounter.

"What happened?"

George closed and locked up the door before silently lighting his wand. It barely did anything for visibility.

"Well, you may not believe this, but I had a young customer who seemed very interested in the Peruvian Instant Darkness Powder display. She was acting strange, very alert to her surroundings, but also very timid. I'm no stranger to identifying shoplifters, so I observed her a little longer before deciding she was there alone and not looking for anyone."

She carefully pulled a pad and quill out that hovered over the parchment. Luna traced the area around her with her wand, the pattern of the smears in the powder had remnants of paw prints, so she transferred her magic image to the quill that quickly sketched it as she listened.

"I was polite and went to ask her if she needed any help, usually a great deterrent for thieves, but before I could, someone shoved her into the display and…"

George swallowed a moment, the sudden silence had Luna turn her attention to the strange markings in the powder to look at him.

"Well… She spontaneously turned into a bloody panther! Just like that," he said with a snap of his fingers. "Fastest Animagus transformation I've ever seen, and from someone so young."

"She had a wand?"

George paused, meeting the inquisitive grey eyes in the darkness powder stained room.

"Er, no actually. She looked a bit too young for one, but—"

"Were there other witnesses to this transformation?" Luna was taking notes now. George wasn't kidding about the situation being unique.

George shook his head as he made for the stairs. "I'm pretty sure I was the only one. The powder was set off almost as fast as the transformation, and I had to scramble to get the doors open and the place vacated. The sudden darkness really scared the other customers."

"It isn't the first time I have seen a happy accident work out," Luna stated. Humming under her breath as she found another smear. "A large cat certainly explains the prints and the scampering- like pattern from its feet in an attempt to flee."

She carefully stepped over pieces of a broken mirror, its shimmering shards blindly reflected the wand light back out into the dark. "Do you know where she is?"

Based on the prints on the stairs, she fled upstairs. Luna held her wand as she approached George at the base of the stairs.

"Yeah, she's still here… but human."

George ruffled a hand in his hair nervously before gesturing to the office. "She went in there. Her growling kept me from investigating, but I left a blanket and some of Angelina's clothes just inside and stayed by the door while waiting for you."

Luna's eyes lit up at the news. The poor girl was most likely scared and unsure of what was happening to her. Luckily, she was currently studying this rare sort of magic displayed a half-hour ago, and she hoped that she could help the girl with what was going on.

She waved her lit wand over the dark room again, the reflection of the broken mirror sent the light dancing to the far, untarnished corners of the room before looking at George.

"Stay here, I'll go and talk to her," Luna said, ascending the stairs.

"I'll be here cleaning up darkness powder if you need anything."

The witch cautiously approached the door to the office where the girl took refuge. She slowly opened the door and froze when she heard the threatening growl.

"It's okay, I won't hurt you. I am here to help," Luna spoke in a soothing voice.

"They always say that," the girl snarled from under the desk. "I won't go back to the orphanage with you. The memories alone..." she trailed off, flinching.

Luna sat down on the floor in front of the door and crossed her legs before resting gentle eyes on the girl wrapped in a blanket under the desk.

"We don't have to go anywhere you don't want to," she assured. "What's your name?"

The girl seemed to relax some when Luna made no intention to approach her. "Dahlia."

"That is a lovely name. My name is Luna, I'm a Magizoologist. George, the shopkeeper, wrote to me to come and help you," Luna explained, watching Dahlia tilt her head slightly as she processed the information.

"You study magical creatures. You're here because of my…"

"Yes. I have been learning about your condition, and I know people that can help you stabilize it and teach you how to control it."

Dahlia shook her head. "I won't go back to that place. I am not insane."

Luna raised her hand to settle the girl down. "I promise I am not like them. No hospitals, no Aurors, no mental institutions. I'll take you back to my house and help you with this. I promise."

When Dahlia didn't reply, Luna scooted closer to her. "We all want to escape our circumstances, don't we?" Dahlia nodded, watching her close the distance.

"Well, I cannot promise you that I can help you run away from it, but I know I can help you manage it to avoid what happened here being repeated and alter your path for the better. You can trust me. You won't have to be afraid of yourself anymore."

She reached out for the girl and waited, hoping that Dahlia was convinced that she meant no harm. The girl eventually grabbed Luna's hand and got to her feet.

"Okay."

George,

I thought you would like an update on Dahlia's wellbeing.

She's still in the late stages of acceptance of what she is and eventually will become, but has been able to control her ability better already. There is no living family for her to go to, so she will be staying with me. Newt, Rolf, and I have been combining our knowledge of this condition to provide the best possible way to help her, and it is promising. Her future is already brighter, and I cannot wait for her to start school in a couple of years.

I hope you were able to clear out the darkness powder and repair any damages done. I would hate for you to get a Blakblott infestation. They like to nest in ash and soot, and the powder seems like something that would attract them.

Anyway, she still feels really sorry about that incident, but I told her that you are not in the least bit upset. We may plan a visit soon.

Your friend,

Luna

Originally Written For:

Hogwarts School of Witchcraft & Wizardry (Challenges & Assignments)

Quidditch League Fanfiction Competition

Monthly Challenges for All

The Houses Competition

Word Count: 1,440

Originally Written: October 2018