Rhapsody for the Moon

Disclaimer: Everyone except Amber, Sorcha, Sean, Callie, and Aria belongs to J.K. Rowling. Amber, Sorcha, and Sean belong to Rosethorn, Callie belongs to TheAuthoress, and Aria is mine.

Author's Notes: This is an extremely odd plot bunny that bit me...well, it bit me in French. French is boring. Aria is Remus's twin sister...um...yeah...

Chapter 8: Caccia

Two weeks after the masquerade, the Marauders were sitting through a Care of Magical Creatures class, waiting for Professor Kettleburn to show up. Well, half of the Marauders were there...Sean, James, Sirius, and Peter had managed to land themselves in the hospital wing from a prank gone wrong. As for Remus, it was a bit of an inconvenient time.

"Wonder what we're doing today," Aria muttered.

"Hopefully something exciting..." Amber said. "Remember the flobberworms?"

Callie shuddered. "I was trying to forget that..."

"Look, you two! Here he comes!" Aria cut in, bouncing on her toes. "What does he have?"

"Um..." Callie bobbed up on her toes. "Some kind of bird thing, it looks like..."

"Gryphons!" Professor Kettleburn said excitedly. "Gryphons are half eagle, and half lion. They're even prouder than hippogriffs, so do not insult them...Mr. Snape, are you paying attention?"

Snape looked up guiltily. The Gryffindors laughed.

Aria sighed. "Don't they ever get tired of being malicious bastards?"

"Nope," Amber replied. "Doubt they ever will."

"All right, settle down. Who wants to come and see one?"

Predictably, Lily's hand shot up.

"Maybe you should give somebody else a chance to go first, Miss Evans..."

Lily blushed.

"Erm...Miss Lupin. Why don't you give it a go?"

"Me?" Aria whispered.

"Yes, of course you. You're the only 'Miss Lupin' in the class."

"Ok, then..." Aria cautiously walked over to one of the gryphons and bowed. The gryphon eyed her, then bowed back. Relaxing slightly, she walked closer and began stroking it's neck. It leaned into the caress. Aria grinned. "This isn't so bad...its feathers are really soft, guys..." Suddenly, the gryphon pulled away, eyed her, then grabbed her collar and tugged her towards it.

"Well, Miss Lupin! I believe he wants you to ride him!"

"No kidding..." Aria said dryly, trying to find a comfortable way to sit. There was no such way.

Without warning, the gryphon took off. Aria shrieked, not expecting that. She looked down, then closed her eyes. She had never gone this fast...even that time where she stole James's broom to see what it was like and almost fell off because it was going so fast. The ground was moving so fast it was sickening, but when she closed her eyes, it wasn't so bad.

At least, until the gryphon banked to avoid an updraft...dropping Aria in the process.

All she knew was that she was falling...falling...falling...

Pain.

Severus Snape watched Aria flying with the gryphon, lounging indolently on the ground. When she fell, he wasn't quite sure how to react. He hated seeing people beaten bloody—God knew he'd seen enough of that—but she was one of the closest friends of his sworn enemy. But as long as everyone else was racing towards the Willow to see what had happened...

Well, he always had been one for jumping on the bandwagon.

Professor Kettleburn whistled sharply and the gryphon flew towards him. He pulled himself up onto the gryphon's back with the aid of the rope still tied to the creature's next. "Up, up, up!" he shrieked. The gryphon flew up over the willow. Professor Kettleburn narrowed his eyes. "Damn," he whispered. She wasn't conscious. That meant he'd have to lower himself down to grab her. "Damn, damn, damn." It was risky, but it was the only way. "Miss Lupin! I know you probably can't hear me, but if, by some miracle, you regain consciousness while I'm speaking to you, I'm going to get you out of there. Kelvar," he said to the gryphon. "Don't. Move." The gryphon nodded. Professor Kettleburn took a deep breath and lowered the rope, then himself, down among the deadly branches.

Amber, Lily, Callie, and Sorcha anxiously waited for Professor Kettleburn to get back down with Aria. He slowly made his way down to earth, carrying Aria. She looked like she was unconscious.

"I hope she's ok..." Lily whispered.

"She was dropped from fifty feet onto the Willow," Callie snapped. "Do you think she's ok?"

Lily looked hurt. "Callie..."

Callie sighed. "I'm sorry, Lils."

"It's ok."

Professor Kettleburn landed, then carefully dismounted, holding Aria as gently as he could. He looked around. "You. Mr. Snape. Take her to the hospital wing." When Snape looked like he was hesitating, the professor snapped, "Now, Mr. Snape."

Severus was decidedly uncomfortable carrying the injured young woman. First of all, dislike her though he might, he didn't want to hurt her further. Second of all...well...he was only human, and Aria was attractive...even banged up as she was... (A/N: WHEE!!! Sevvy-kinns is a necrophiliac!!!!! Just like Romeo!!!)

"Please..." he heard someone whisper. "Please..."

He glanced down into bottomless gray eyes, filled with unspeakable pain. 'Where have I seen those eyes before?' he asked himself.

"Please..." Aria whispered again. "Put...me down...I'll...pass out again..."

He gently set her down on the ground. "What happened up there?"

"Don't know...eyes closed...too fast...fell...hurt..." She whimpered and leaned back against the stone wall.

He couldn't make much sense out of her, but that didn't matter. Suddenly, it clicked.

"Tell them...tell them you held the moon in your arms...and she might someday make you her Endymion..."

"Can I ask you something?"

Unable to speak, she nodded.

"At...at the masquerade...did you...dance with a person dressed as a matador, and tell him that he had held the moon in his arms, and she might someday make him her Endymion?"

She studied him, then slowly nodded.

"God...that was me."

"Damn..." she whispered, then winced. "Can't...think now...I...think...I'm...pass out...again...I'll...contact...you'll know..."

She closed her eyes and sank back into the welcome darkness.

"This is a tangle..." he murmured. Shaking his head, he picked her up again and kept carrying her...

"And she might someday make you her Endymion..."