Round 10 of the Quidditch League Competition.

Team: Falmouth Falcons

Position: Chaser 2

Round Prompt: Bette Davis Eyes — Kim Carnes

7. (word) arrow

8. (object) camera

10. (word) luminous

Word count: 1021

Beta's: 2DaughtersOfAthena; Aima D. Duragon; i love new storys.

She was standing beside a ridiculous luminous sign when Rolf saw her, an arrow painting alongside the directions she was so avidly admiring. One finger poised in the air, as if testing the wind direction and halfway between deciding which route to take. Wearing a vibrant yellow pair of trousers that mismatched a bold orange backpack. She was beautiful. Harlow gold hair, lips in sweet surprise, Bette Davis eyes.

Caught between transfixed and perplexed, Rolf paused in the middle of the street, his camera banging around his neck. Heart pulsing furiously, he took the photo, just before she turned to face him. She was frowning, glancing upwards at the mountain that rested in the clouds above. Rolf knew that he couldn't afford to be distracted by a pretty girl. He turned away and walked down the street in the direction his grandfather told him about. He checked his wand to be certain he was headed in the correct direction.

"Point me!"

Through thickets of crowds and buildings, he moved effortlessly. Looking like a tourist which allowed him to blend into the din that was Phoenix, Arizona. He knew what he was looking for from his grandfather's sketches. A Thunderbird, golden in colour, stunningly gentle in nature despite what many other books claimed. Newt Scamander had experienced an entirely different kind of beast. Frank the Thunderbird, his yellow eyes and pure heart, who had lain the liquid memory charm over New York city many years previously.

Soon enough, he was at the base of the mountain, staring upwards at what appeared to be a ridiculously long climb. However, Rolf knew it would be worth it once he reached the summit.

And so he climbed.

Hundreds of steps, thousands of paces. He could have apparated to the top, sure, but that wasn't the point of it. The point of the expedition was to feel a little bit of freedom that so many people often craved. To feel the rough, sandy wind on his face. To hear the chattering of the trees and leaves around him in the desert-like expanse. To, just for a second, forget about the easiness of magic and the power that made life more convenient.

A flash of blonde distracted him. Surely not? Surely, that was not the girl from earlier? Rolf moved carefully, walking ahead and ignoring the instinct to check; ignoring his desire to know if it was her. He wouldn't say that he believed in fate, but he always did enjoy Divination. Surely a sign like that had to mean something, right? Alas, she was gone before he could search for her.

Rolf continued on his journey, his focus reestablished and nothing was going to distract him. As his eyes found the figure of the Thunderbird, a wondrous smile made its way to his lips as he lifted the camera again. This time he captured the beast's image in its natural surroundings. Rolf wasn't going to interrupt the creature today, simply deciding to observe it. Even as he took a few more photographs, he was already noting the differences between Frank and this Thunderbird. Everybody is unique, and so is every creature.

Finally deciding to turn away from the golden beast, he looked through the images he had captured and compared them to the drawings. However, within a few minutes, his attention was caught by a different gold glint. The girl from earlier.

It wasn't often that Rolf let humans catch his attention, he was so interested in all of the animals his grandfather had cared for that he often forgot to look up and around him. Therefore, the fact that this was the third time this individual had taken his attention away from what he was looking for was incredible. Instinctively, he lifted his camera to face her.

He let his finger press the button, snapping a photo of the beauty as she turned to face him. Oh Great Merlin, what have I have, Rolf panicked as she frowned. The girl then broke out the most wonderful smile, clearly not as embarrassed as she should have been. In fact, she was waving him over.

"Can I see?" asked the girl, pointing at the camera.

Rolf blanched, completely lost for words. But she was reaching for it, smiling. Their fingers brushed, and he was painfully aware of how sweaty he felt and just how magical she seemed, hands warm and aura purer than freshly fallen snow.

"You take really lovely photos," she commented, smiling even wider, then glancing up at him. "I'm Luna, by the way."

"Rolf," he replied shortly, returning her smile. "It's nice to meet you. What brings you out here?" he asked her, yearning to understand why he was drawn to her.

"I have a feeling we've been following a similar track, Rolf," he told her, his name coming off her lips as if she'd said it a thousand times.

The smile on his lips was natural as it turned mildly perplexed. "What makes you think that?" Surely, she wouldn't be looking - or hunting - a Thunderbird?

He couldn't imagine that somebody who had the sweet smile, glazed eyes, and soft voice could be out here to do any harm. But he'd been wrong before. "I've seen you three times. I would have approached you sooner had I known you were looking for a Thunderbird too."

"Really?" Rolf asked, his expression matching that of a gleeful child at a surprise birthday party. He just couldn't help but be excited at the mere mention of Luna knowing what a Thunderbird was, let alone her having been looking for it. "How come?"

Luna took a dreamy breath in, taking her time before replying in a soft and thoughtful voice; "They are amazing creatures who deserve more love and attention than they get. I just hope they don't sense me as a danger and create a storm. I'd love to get close enough to find out what they are really like."

"They have a heart of gold." Rolf smiled at the glint in her Bette Davis eyes. He could tell that she had a heart of gold too.