Chapter Five – Midnight Promenade

Harry lay in bed, staring at the soft waves of cloth that draped around him, and listened to Neville's muted snores across the room. His heart pounded as he thought about what he was going to do. Anxiously, he checked his watch. The fluorescent numbers glowed in the dark: 10:47. He knew that if Luna was going anywhere, she would wait until after eleven – at least, that was the time he always ran about the castle at night. Early enough to have time to do what he needed, and late enough that the students would be in bed and very few teachers were prowling the darkness.

Cautiously, Harry sat up and gently pushed the canopy aside. All in the dorm was still and the sounds of even breathing told him that his four roommates were asleep. He bent down and reached under his bed for the Invisibility Cloak that he had so carefully stowed away earlier. Before he put it on, he hesitated and glanced at Ron in the next bed. He felt slightly guilty about not telling him of his plans, but if he did, Ron would insist on coming and Harry wanted to be alone. So it was for the best, he told himself as he slipped the cloak over his head and watched his body disappear. Ron would understand.

Harry quietly walked out of the dorm and down to the common room. It was deserted except for a little second year who had fallen asleep in the armchair before the fireplace with his open Charms book in his lap. Firelight danced on his face, but the boy himself didn't move. Feeling more relaxed now that he knew he was unobserved, Harry crept over to the portrait hole and carefully pushed.

He took several wrong turns on the way to the Ravenclaw common room, but once he was there, he settled himself against the hard stone wall opposite the entrance and waited. The painting that barred the way to the common room was of a golden-haired horned satyr, beautiful and completely inhuman, snoozing against an olive tree with his lute lying next to his open hand on the ground. Several times he snorted and rolled over to make himself more comfortable.

As the minutes ticked by, Harry grew uneasy. Had he been wrong? What if Luna had left earlier? What if something happened and he was unable to help her? What if… what if…

What if they're over in Hogsmeade having a nice conversation over a butterbeer, his mind suggested nastily and he shook his head. You'd deserve that, wouldn't you?

But no, he knew something was wrong and that the person who was sending Luna the letters was little better than a maniac. Didn't the last poem prove that? And if there was the slightest chance that by being here he could make her see reason and save her from danger, then he was staying.

So he waited. The stone wall was cool against his back and several times he felt himself nodding off and had to pinch himself to stay awake. His watch ticked on. 11:07. 11:26. 11:39. 11:42. Just when he was considering calling it a night, he heard the soft creak of the portrait as it slid open and jumped so suddenly that he banged his head against the wall behind him.

A muffled oath formed on his lips, but the girl who slipped out into the hallway didn't notice. Shadows flickered across Luna's face in the light of the candelabra on the wall. She peered nervously from side to side before turning around and gently closing the portrait. The sleeping satyr didn't stir.

Harry stood and removed his cloak as she was turning around. Her eyes widened when she saw him and a little shriek escaped her throat before she clasped a hand over her mouth and backed against the portrait. Her gray eyes peered over her hands in surprise. The satyr grumbled in his portrait and put his hands over his ears.

"Good evening," Harry said casually, trying to make it sound as if they had just happened to bump into each other, even though that was obviously not the case. Considering the way their conversation had ended that afternoon, he braced himself for her angry words, but Luna was too stunned to do anything.

"Harry… what are you doing?" she asked once she had recovered. She was beyond hostility – just shocked.

"Oh, thought I'd take a stroll. Bit stifling in Gryffindor Tower. Couldn't sleep. And Neville was snoring again so I thought I'd…" He was babbling. Luna waved an impatient hand to cut him off.

"Oh, stop it. You were following me again." She paused and stared at him. "I don't know whether to be furious or flattered."

"Then be neither. Look, I'm just checking on you, alright? Don't you find it a bit odd that this guy wants to meet you at midnight instead of in proper daylight? What does he have to hide?"

"It's just easier that way," she protested, face set. He was going to have a hard time convincing her. "Now, if you don't mind, I'm going to…"

"Are you wearing perfume?" Harry asked in astonishment, sniffing the air. He'd gotten a distinct whiff of flowers when she tried to move past him.

"No." Luna took a hurried step back. "I mean, yes. I borrowed some from Padma. So what?" Harry frowned and looked her over. He'd never paid much attention to what she wore – what any girl wore – but he never would have taken Luna for someone who was overly meticulous about her appearance. She was wearing a knee-length black skirt and ankle boots with a fluffy pink sweater of a clingy fabric that completely emphasized her figure. He had never noticed before that she had a figure, but now Harry was having a hard time not blushing.

Luna saw him looking and lowered her eyes to the ground. "These too. Can I go, now?"

Harry blinked to clear his mind and frowned. What could he possibly say that would make her stay? Nothing… and that was the problem.

"You can go…" he said quietly, and when Luna met his eyes with surprise, he added, "but I'm coming, too."

For a minute he thought she was going to yell. Her face darkened with color and her eyes narrowed almost to slits. But just when he thought she was going to explode, her face abruptly cleared and she nodded. "Fine."

"Fine?" Harry wasn't sure he'd heard her correctly. Surely she would make a bigger fuss than this. Surely she would hate him for his interference.

"Fine," she repeated, eyes steadily locked on his. "We need to put an end to this nonsense. You're coming with me and when I meet him you'll see once and for all that there's nothing to worry about. But when you see him, I want you to promise me that you'll leave me alone from now on and never, never concern yourself with him again."

Harry wanted to ask what 'leaving her alone' entailed, but bit his tongue and nodded. She was being more reasonable than he could have hoped, and he figured anyway that when she saw whatever toad was waiting for her, she'd forgive him. Luna looked him over suspiciously but then shrugged and started forward. She paused at his side and gestured at the Invisibility Cloak.

"You'll be wearing that, of course."

"Of course."

"Good." Harry slipped the cloak around his shoulders and they walked together in silence. His mind whirred with all the things he wanted to say to her, but he couldn't get his brain to put together a coherent sentence, so he stayed silent. Luna, striding ahead of him, clearly had no intention of speaking, so he resigned himself to following her, pretending he wasn't there. He had gotten so much practice at the Dursleys that he was an expert by now. And she certainly didn't discourage him.

They were about to turn a corner when Luna heard the noise. She spun around and faced Harry, her eyes wide. "Quick!" she whispered urgently and darted behind the statue of Wilbert the Wistful. Harry stepped beside her and lifted the Cloak so she could duck underneath. He remembered the days when he, Ron and Hermione could sneak around the castle comfortably underneath it, but he had grown so much in the last two years that he had to crouch slightly so they could both fit.

Filch rounded the corner, his black eyes wild and darting around the corridor as he mumbled to himself. "Little brats… track mud on my carpet, well I'll get them, I'll get them, and when I do, they'll crawl on all fours and address me as 'sir' until I earn a little respect around here…" He walked passed them, not noticing anything out of the ordinary, even though one of Harry's sneakers was peeking out from underneath the cloak.

Luna was very still as she pressed against him, her eyes intent on watching Filch trudge down the hall. She was calm despite the near disaster, and her face only revealed impatience at the delay. But Harry could hardly think at all, let alone breathe with the very nearness of her. Her long curtain of hair gently brushed his chest and she placed one hand softly on his upper arm as she peered around him to watch Filch's retreating figure. All Harry could think about was how much he wanted to put his arms around her and pull her close, away from Filch, away from her lover… away from everyone.

He was horrified when his face started to burn as he thought about this. Was that it, then? Was he jealous? Maybe Luna had been right, and the only reason he was worrying so much about the letters was because he felt threatened personally by them. But what a time to realize how he felt about her! Especially when she was watching Filch, her face passive, with no idea… no clue.

"He's gone," she whispered and smiled, no doubt eager to get to her meeting. Harry bit back a protest and nodded, moving the cloak aside so she could step out. She didn't look back to see if he was following as she hurried ahead, her steps light and rapid. His body felt empty suddenly with the absence of her warmth and he sighed before following. He had to keep his mind on task, and, personal feelings aside, he had good reason to think that the person behind the letters posed real danger.

Luna walked around another corner and down the stairs without modifying her pace. She paused only slightly in the Entrance Hall to glance around and make sure no one was around before moving towards the giant double doors and placing her hands on the handle.

"Now remember," she hissed so softly that Harry barely heard. "You stay under your cloak, okay? As soon as you see that nothing is wrong, I want you to leave us alone." Without waiting for an answer, Luna pushed open the doors and went through.

Harry walked across the grounds after her, not daring to make a sound. Even as he walked, he felt a little silly. What was he doing in the middle of the night, following a girl who wanted nothing to do with him? It was only a simple meeting, after all. Maybe everything would be alright.

Luna headed straight across the grounds without slowing, and soon the flickering lights from Hogwarts Castle were faint in the background. She was nearing the Forbidden Forest and Harry opened his mouth to call to her that nothing was worth going in there at midnight when she stopped at the edge. And waited.

Harry had planned on staying quite a ways back but found himself moving closer as the seconds went by. Luna was looking around anxiously and played with her hands, her eyes wide and somewhat doubtful. The chill of night was beginning to creep under his skin and he watched Luna wrap her arms around herself and shiver. All was silent, and not even an owl could be heard hooting mournfully from the forest. For all it seemed, they were the only two in the world.

The stars shone down in their brilliance from the blackness of space, casting a silver glow on Luna's hair that fell about her face in a halo. Her wide eyes turned to the skies and the eagerness, the anticipation on her face made her look like a young priestess worshipping the night. Harry could barely stand the fervor he saw in her eyes as she waited for the one she had been dreaming about. Her only.

A piece of paper fluttered in the darkness, dropping out of the sky. Harry watched as Luna caught it neatly in the air and unfolded it. Her face grew warm and pink as she read, and when she finished she looked around with greater intensity, seeming to have forgotten about her unwanted guardian altogether.

"Come to me. I'm here," she whispered to the night, eyes pleading with the darkness as she clasped the note to her chest. "I need you, too." But no one appeared.

Harry inched closer, his eyes darting between Luna's rapturous face and the Forbidden Forest. The ancient trees towered above them, their twisted trunks and branches looking like gnarled demons in the dim light. He felt his breath coming faster in the unusual stillness of the air. Something was wrong.

Luna turned in slow circles, her face alight. It was when she had her back to the Forest that Harry saw it. A dark figure, cloaked in black, hovering above the trees on a broomstick. Harry watched in disbelief as the figure raised a thin shape – a wand – and shot a green beam of light towards the tree below. And with a horror he couldn't comprehend, Harry saw the tree move. Its branches stretched, waved, tested the air, and then with a horrible lurch, the tree bent forward and two of its branches reached like giant arms for Luna.

Harry's throat was tight but he managed to cry, "Luna!" She turned with a scowl and froze in horror when she saw what was reaching for her. She screamed.

Harry didn't have time to think as he ran to her, the Invisibility Cloak falling to the ground behind him. He leapt, diving through the blackness, and knocked her out of the way just as the branches snapped above them, grasping desperately in the air. They retreated just as quickly as they had come, and with a horrible screech that was more bird-like than human, the black figure shot straight up in the air and disappeared.

Harry's heart pounded so heavily he felt it would burst. He felt himself shaking as he rolled off her so that she could breathe. Luna lay beneath him, her mouth open as she gasped in gulps of air. Her eyes were wide and stared at the sky in disbelief. Her skin was pale and moist with the perspiration of pure terror, and she wouldn't look at him.

"Are you okay?" Harry asked, trying to keep his voice steady. She didn't answer, but it was obvious that she was not. The note had fallen at her side and Harry reached for it. She didn't stop him, and he read:

My love for you grows, an ever-reaching tidal. No
Name nor sound will slake my thirst for you. There
Is only one cure. I need your soul, your eyes calling for me, and
Every story ever written will pale in the passion that we share.

Eternally Yours

Harry lifted his eyes from the note and looked at Luna who was still lying on the ground in shock. "Will you at least now believe that he's dangerous?" he asked softly, but Luna didn't answer. She couldn't.

And he understood.

0 0 0

"You shouldn't have done that, Harry, that was really, really dangerous," Hermione said disapprovingly the next morning. He was gathered in the Gryffindor common room with her, Ron, Ginny and Neville while the rest of the school was at breakfast, and he had just told them about the events of the previous night.

"If I hadn't gone, he would have taken her," Harry said bitterly. He had barely gotten any sleep that night, and along with being exhausted he was still shaken over what had happened. This was not a good combination, and as a result he was feeling very crabby.

"I know that, but you should have at least told one of us what you were going to do," she protested, her eyes serious. "When I think what could have happened, what he could have done…"

"But he didn't," Harry argued. "I stopped him."

"He'll try again, you know he will," Neville mumbled.

"And now he has a whole new reason to hate you," Ginny added.

Hermione frowned, her face grim. "At least we know one thing. It isn't a student. No one at this school could Transfigure a tree like that. We're dealing with someone older. More experienced." She blinked at what she had said and shivered. Ron draped his jacket over her shoulders and she turned to him with a brief smile before looking back at Harry.

"I don't like it. None of us do," she said quietly. "From now on, one of us should be with her at all times. We'll have to shadow her, at least until we know more and the danger is over."

The group around her silently echoed their agreement.

0 0 0

Luna, however, wasn't thrilled with the plan when Harry and Ron cornered her in the halls between lessons that morning.

"No," she said bluntly. "I don't want to be followed like some naughty child who can't take care of herself."

Harry's temper broke. He had been thinking about her non-stop since the night before, about the look on her face and the tears that streaked her cheeks after the horror of the attack. Harry had helped her back to the castle, half-supporting her weight with his arms as she clung to him, and when he left her before the painting of the snoozing satyr, she had looked at him gratefully. But now she was glaring at him as if the events of the previous night had somehow been his fault.

"How can you say that after what happened?" he demanded, aware of Ron tugging his arm in warning, but not caring.

"It was a mistake," she said calmly. "I know he would never hurt me. If you hadn't interfered…"

"Oh, hell!" Harry burst. "Do you honestly believe that? What was he going to do, take you up in the nice cuddly tree and have a tea party? He was going to take you, Luna, violently if need be. You don't know what would have happened if I hadn't moved you out of the way."

"Maybe he was just trying to frighten you away, did you think about that?" Luna demanded, little spots of color burning in her cheeks. The hall around them started to empty as students ducked into various classrooms. She shook her head fiercely and sighed. "Look, I have to go. I don't want to talk about this."

"I'll walk you," Ron offered.

"Don't bother," she snapped, but then looked at him with wide eyes. "I'm sorry," she added quickly. "I just… I have to go." She turned, not before glaring at Harry one last time, and scurried away.

Harry stared after her, feeling conflicting emotions of anger and helplessness. What could he do to make her listen to reason?

Ron whistled low under his breath and Harry scowled at him. "What?"

Ron shrugged and turned. "Oh nothing," he said, glancing over at Harry as he started walking. "It's just that she's finally turned into a girl, hasn't she?"

And that, Harry thought as he hurried to catch up to his best friend, was the entire problem.

0 0 0

Another letter came for Harry that night. He had been expecting it and waited in the common room long after everyone else went to bed. The owl that tapped on the window was the same as before, and it flew off into the night the instant it dropped the letter in Harry's lap.

Harry unrolled it, feeling anger boil inside him at the thought that the monster had touched this parchment. Hands shaking, he read:

You may think you have won. But I will come stronger and faster than before. You can't guard her all the time. And she will come to me in the end.

The scar on his forehead screamed with pain. Harry dropped the letter with a gasp and clasped his hands to it, rubbing fiercely at the feel of knives tearing open his skin. His anger was replaced with fear. This couldn't have anything to do with Voldemort – it couldn't. His scar had hurt before at odd times and it had led him astray… this was no different.

But either way, this newest letter wasn't anything to celebrate. And as much as she was going to hate it, he and the others were going to have to watch Luna more closely than ever.