Disclaimer: All characters and scenarios established are the property of JK Rowling. No profit is being made on this work.
A/N: Gasp! We updated! Can you freakin' believe it? Sorry for the delay, but since Alex and I are being crushed with work this year we can hardly even get near the computer (except to work). Anyways, this chapter is dedicated to Jennyroseangel, simply because she seems to be forcing her friends to read our crap now. We're not sure whether we're wildly flattered, amused, or mildly disturbed. Or perhaps all three. ;) Hope you enjoy, and individual responses are at the end of the fic. One more thing: ignore the mild bit of clichéd sappy angstiness at the beginning of the fic. I had to include it. Semi-Important Note: If you really want to know, Sarah wrote the first half and Alex wrote the second.
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Chapter Three: Crash and BurnLuna gazed dreamily at the lake, her gray eyes staring mistily into its murky depths. She took several deep breaths, trying to empty her mind of her conflicting thoughts, just as the jadigars in India had taught her. Her father had taken her there to study yogic magic in the summer before her third year.
'Control of thought and deed is everything'.
She closed her eyes, waiting for the familiar feeling of peace to wash over her. Instead, memories of startlingly green eyes and a rare but infectious laugh assailed her. She frowned, absentmindedly tugging at one of her lime green Fwooper-feather earrings, and concentrated again. The image of Harry James Potter remained stubbornly in her mind.
Luna bolted upright. She couldn't feel...that way about she? After all he was just her friend, and he was with...Chloe.
A sigh misted from her lips and hung heavily in the frosty air. Harry would never believe that his precious Chloe was anything but perfect.
"Luna, you must have been dreaming again," Harry had told her laughingly, "The Chloe I know would never do something like that!" It was a painful, but nonetheless familiar scenario. Who would believe the word of Loony Lovegood over someone as physically flawless as Chloe Louise Cunningham?
'Treat everything with calm acceptance. The trials and tribulations of life are inevitable.'
'I wonder what my mother would have thought if she were here,' she wondered vaguely, hugging herself as the chill in the air seemed to penetrate into her very bones. She stared unseeingly at the lake's calm waters once more.
"Luna! Luna!"
Her trance-like state abruptly ended as footsteps pounded on the frozen ground, heading in her direction. Scrambling hurriedly to her feet, she whirled around to find Harry, wearing a grin so large that it threatened to split his face.
Luna smiled back, unable to suppress a little shiver of delight as Harry grasped her arms and whirled her around.
"Luna, I have the most wonderful news!" he exclaimed as he set her back on her feet, blushing slightly as he realized what he had done. He paused, taking a deep breath. "I asked Chloe to the Ball on Valentine's Day...and she agreed to come with me." He smiled that wonderful smile at her again, full of hope and love. All for Chloe.
The final remnants of Luna's hope crumbled to dust. She nodded numbly, forcing a strained smile as Harry expounded upon the virtues of his new beloved. Her smile faltered as she fought her sudden strong desire to run away and curl into a corner. Impetuously, she hummed a lullaby that her mother used to sing to her when she was frightened, swaying along with the music.
Harry shook his head at her. 'Typical Luna', he thought exasperatedly, 'Always so unaware of the world,'
Seeing his pitying expression, Luna shook herself alert. "I'm v-very happy for you, Harry," she whispered, and stumbled away.
'Show not your unhappiness in your words, thoughts, or actions. The world must never know of your true emotions.'
--0—
"I wanna ride your broomstick, baby..." Chloe sang delightedly as she made her way towards the Owlery. She pirouetted on the landing of the stone steps. After weeks of careful planning, flirtatious glances, and 'casual' touches, Harry had finally succumbed to her charms.
The corner of her lips briefly lifted in a smirk as she thought of that Luna girl whom Harry had been with. That stringy-haired bitch hadn't stood a chance against her. It was almost pathetic, really.
She sobered as she entered the large, drafty Owlery at the top of the West Tower. Carefully, she picked her way towards the smallest window at the corner of the room, studiously avoiding the numerous droppings with a little moue of distaste.
She glanced at the night sky. Just a few more moments...
A shadow detached itself from the inky outlines of the trees and winged its way towards her. The shadow grew steadily larger as it neared the alcove, and an unusually large raven landed gracefully beside her, a small locket attached to its leg.
Chloe nodded tersely at the bird and quickly touched the locket with one manicured finger. She felt familiar pull behind her navel as she and the raven were transported to a secluded area at the edge of the Forbidden Forest. After looking around carefully, she nodded at the bird. The raven cawed once, then smoothly morphed into a hooded figure wearing black.
"Are you sure this is safe?" she hissed at the man, completely unruffled by the change, "Why couldn't we have simply met directly in the woods?"
The man shuffled nervously, "The Dark Lord has his own designs..." he muttered, eyes scanning the nearby area for intruders.
She snorted, but refrained from comment.
"How goes the operation?" the man asked abruptly, "The Dark Lord is getting impatient. Your position will suffer if this continues much longer."
"This is a very dangerous and difficult assignment!" she snapped back. She stepped closer, and her tone grew poisonously sweet. "The target is a foolish boy. Tell the Master that he shall have his revenge very soon..." Her voice trailed off into a provocative whisper as she softly traced the curve of the man's unshaven cheek. The hooded figure gulped in response, unable to reply.
She stood back abruptly. "Where is the Portkey? I cannot stay any longer. That old fool of a Headmaster might become suspicious," she demanded.
The man tossed her the locket, and Chloe disappeared in a flash of light. Moments later, a large raven winged its way out of the Forest.
The Forest grew unnaturally silent. The only sound to be heard was a frightened half-laugh, half-sigh, as Luna Lovegood slumped against a tree, Harry's Invisibility Cloak still clutched around her shoulders. All thoughts of hunting for the rare Purple-Footed Melustrus were forgotten.
--0—
"Luna, you are completely insane."
"Harry, please believe me!"
"Do you realize what you're saying?"
"Harry, I'm telling the truth! I saw it happen, I swear by my mother!"
Harry gripped Luna's thin shoulders painfully hard, backing her into an empty classroom. "Luna," he said quietly, "I know Chloe. She would never harm a fly! You have either been deceived, or you have some sort of agenda against her. I am inclined to believe the latter."
"Harry, please!" Luna pleaded, "Chloe is a Death Eater, there's no denying it!'
At that point, Harry seemed to snap. "Get. Out. Of. My. Sight," he enunciated clearly, his soft tone only enhancing the fury in his tone.
Luna fled to her rooms. Her face twisted with grief as she mouthed her mother's lullaby once more. But Luna did not cry. No, not one single tear was shed.
Luna Lovegood had not cried for the last ten years.
--0--
Luna was anticipating this ball like she had done for no other. Today she would prove herself and hopefully prevent Harry from any misfortunes that Chloe planned to cause him.
Harry hadn't believed her, but she wasn't surprised. It was just another disappointment that, however, didn't prevent her feelings from being hurt by it. She didn't have many friends, mostly due to the fact that, for a reason unknown to her, some thought her to be odd. But she didn't think anything she did was particularly strange or paranormal as her dorm mates assumed she was.
She took out her silvery-blue dress robes and her fanciest Butterbeer cap necklace and laid it out on her bed; her usual knee-length dragon hide boots had been shined and laid out as well.
She was retrieving her earring from her treasure chest when her father's owl, Heracles, swooped through the window, narrowly missing her head, clumsily landing on her bedpost. His puffy brown feathers were ruffled, and a paper-wrapped parcel was attached to his leg.
"Come now Heracles, what have you got there?" she asked him, tentatively approaching the flustered bird and petting him head. "Poor thing, traveling so late..."
She carefully untied the package from his leg, and Heracles immediately flew away; somewhat affronted that she hadn't thought he was up to the job. Sighing, she opened the parcel and to her surprise, soft, velvety-gray material shone gently from the wrappings. .
'Luna, your mother would have wanted you to have these...
Fondly,
Your father'
They were her mother's old dress robes! Luna hadn't seen them since she was seven years old. She'd always thought that her father had given them away. But there they were, shimmering at her. The soft gray satin slid smoothly between her fingers as she clutched the robes in shock. Her lip trembled as locked-away memories of her mother spilled into her mind. But she hadn't the heart to send them back to her father. She would have to wear them.
Luna shook her head. This was no time to stand around and dream when she had such an imperative task at hand! It was time to right some wrongs and she, Luna Magdalena Lovegood, would see to it!
--0--
Flowing forest-green robes swept across the floor, clinched at the waist to emphasize a slim waist and low-cut to reveal ivory-pale skin. Chloe's hair was up in a complicated knot at the top of her head while the soft, flowing, sleeves were adored with complicated runic patterns in silver filigree. Her glasses had mysteriously disappeared for the evening, and Chloe's large eyes glowed silver.
Blinded by her radiance, Harry Potter remained oblivious to all others, holding her close to his own body as they slowly waltzed around the Hall. The velvet black robes that he now wore were bit stuff and uncomfortable, and the collar chafed his neck quite horribly, but Chloe had insisted that he wear them.
'Luna would have probably dismissed the subject of robes completely,' Harry thought wistfully, 'Perhaps I was a little too harsh on her..."
But she had crossed the line. He'd always known that Luna was a bit odd and sometimes quite barmy, but to accuse Chloe, his sweet, adorable, Chloe, of such atrocious things...
It was blasphemous!
--0--
It was quiet as Luna entered the Great Hall; her arm entwined with Neville Longbottom's. They had decided to come as friends, since the object of Neville's affection, Ginny Weasley, was still dating Dean Thomas. Neville hadn't really against the darkly handsome 6th Year. Just as Luna hadn't stood a chance against Chloe Louise.
She had never felt bitter or jealous before, and it wasn't pleasant. Nor was knowing that the object of her unrequited passions was in love with a Death Eater. Chloe would never harm Harry as long as Luna Lovegood was around. No, Chloe's evil would soon be revealed to the world!
She smiled comfortingly at Neville as he looked longingly at Ginny, her hand seeking its way into her pocket, feeling for the little vial of liquid that was located there.
Ah, the wonders of the Aduro Exuviae potion. Her father had taught her how to brew it last year. Specifically designed to disintegrate clothes in a manner of seconds, it was normally used by healers to quickly access a victim's wounds. When applied to the sleeve of a robe, the arm would be instantly bared, revealing...whatever was hidden there.
It had taken her a full night to brew the potion, painstakingly assembling the ingredients and making sure that everything was just right. She did not intend to waste it.
Slowly Luna made her way towards the dancing couple, their bodies pulled so closely together that even a ray of light couldn't pass between them. Involuntarily, her heartstrings twinged painfully.
With an impatient grunt, Luna forced her mind back to the task at hand. Harry's life was in danger!
With practiced ease, Luna slipped the potion into her own drink and wandered by the happy couple. She carefully maneuvered herself into position, right in front of them. "Oh, dear!" Luna cried as she slammed into Chloe and 'accidentally' sloshed her juice all over Chloe's left arm. After all who would put it past Loony Lovegood to be clumsy?
Chloe screamed shrilly as the potion rapidly ate through her lovely robes. In no time at all, her reddened arm exposed to all.
A shocked silence descended upon the Hall.
"Look, Harry!" Luna cried grabbing Chloe and thrusting her before him. Then, Luna gasped in shock. The Dark Mark wasn't there. The only thing visible was Chloe's bare arm, rapidly turning lime green.
"You!" Harry roared, snapping out of his shock.
Bowing her head, Luna refused to meet his eye. Tears gathered in her eyes, but stubbornly refused to fall. "The Mark isn't on her forearm," she replied dreamily.
Harry's face glowed red with fury, "Of course it isn't!" he shouted, "Luna, you have gone too far! Don't you understand the gravity of your accusations?" Harry calmed momentarily, his breathing labored. 'She looks very beautiful in those robes,' he noted irrelevantly, then angrily dismissed the thought from his mind. His scar was throbbing madly with pain, for reasons that he could not fathom, "Do not come near Chloe again," he said, struggling to maintain control over himself, "Do not come near me again. Grow up, Luna Lovegood."
McGonagall pushed herself in front of Luna. "You are in a great deal of trouble, young lady," she said, her voice shaking with barely-controlled rage, "The Headmaster will be expecting you in his rooms, shortly."
Chloe smirked victoriously at Luna. As Harry turned to look at her, she sighed dramatically and fainted dead away. In the ensuing commotion, no one saw the corner of a inky-black skull tattoo appear on her arm, then disappear again with a slight frown from the "unconscious" girl as she was hustled away to the Hospital Wing.
No one, that is, except a thin girl clad in gray, kneeling dejectedly among crumpled hearts and colorful streamers littered on the floor.
End of Chapter Three
A/N: Please review, and tell us what you think!
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Notes to Our Readers! (14 reviews! Wow!)
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Flower Powerer- Yes, she is a demon, isn't she? That's why we love to hate her!
Charles Weatherby- Heh. She's extremely forceful. We actually wanted to make Chloe into a completely blatant Mary-Sue (you know, big boobs, long golden hair, the works), but this story is first and foremost a romance/action/adventure, not a parody. Update your stories!
James Ray Edwards- Well, you see, Chloe is a wee bit unbalanced. Plus, she's got an ego the size of North America, and is unused to competition. Therefore, when she saw Luna as a threat to her, her first instincts were "kill, kill, kill!" then think about safety precautions later. Plus, she assumed (rightly) that Harry would be so much in lust with her that he wouldn't believe Luna, anyways. Sorry for our garbled explanation.
Bookie1- Oui, c'est très intéressant, n'est-ce pas? Thanks for reading!
oOoLintuoOo- Thanks!
Carly- Okay, we updated! We updated! (Hides)
Brittney- Don't worry, we like this story too much to abandon it!
Celestial Night- Of course it wouldn't be too much to ask! It's what guilts us into updating! We're delighted that you liked it!
Lara Potter- You'll see...; )
Dragon Tears Wing- Believe me, we've known people like Chloe. They are that bad. Thanks for reading!
JennyRoseAngel- This chapter is dedicated to you! Please keep reading! And we really don't think that straight out Luna/Harry is boring...but yes, it is hard to write. But we're glad that you like the story!
Lindsey-31- Thank you! Please keep reading!
Winky-wink- Wow, we didn't think that anyone would like this story that much! But thanks; we're extremely flattered!
FluffieGirlie- So JRA is forcing you to read this, huh? Tsk tsk. But we're glad that you liked it! Keep reading!
