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Oubliette
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Here I stand head in
hand
Turn my face to the wall
If she's gone I can't go
on
Feeling two foot small
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Orla had her baby on the 9th of February, a perfectly healthy girl. Predictably, the young mother had a hard labor, and the Medi-witch on hand insisted on staying with her for the following days. Luna took over with the new human being, sending an owl off to her absent Death Eater father and spending many a long afternoon wandering the halls with the baby in arms.
"I feel like I've been run over by a dump truck," Orla groaned one afternoon, as she was still bedridden. Luna sat at the foot of her bed, holding a rather wrinkly pink being wrapped in white blankets in her arms. Across the room, Quentin had fallen asleep in his chair by the window.
"Well, seeing as how they're not in use anymore, it's safe to say that you weren't," Luna replied. Orla snorted, somehow finding that hysterical. However she still had various sore bits and laughing did not help,
"Ow," She sighed, laughter fading as she fell back against her pillows, "Oh I am going to KILL him when he gets back!"
"Aw, we can not leave poor little Oubby here fatherless though, no matter how much we loathe the man for putting her mother through such pain," Luna reminded her with a small smile, dipping her head down to kiss the top of the baby's head. The past few days had been obvious therapy for Luna, even just for the fact that she was smiling more. It was quite nice, not feeling alone.
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One flaw in the current dealings of the Loyalists and Death Eaters was the fact that they tended to be overly confidant in their own superiority. Why worry about protection from an enemy, when you are the one who has all but exterminated your own enemy? Marius Jugson was the only Death Eater elected to stay in Salem during Voldemort's Audience in London, and after a few eventless nights of silence, squirrels and dripping eaves, he contented himself with polishing his mace and snogging his wife, as opposed to keeping a close watch on the wards. After all, why should he?
It was the night before Valentine's Day. Bill knew this, because Wayne Hopkins had seen fit to remind them of such all day, as they apparated, floo'd, and walked all the way to Salem, Massachusetts. It had taken a week of arguing and planning before Bill was ready to set out to find Luna, with an insistent Wayne and a highly troubled Stephen Cornfoot. The two boys had reacted to the state of their world in very different ways, after coming out of their months of servitude. Wayne had, of course, looked on the bright side. Many of his friends were alive. Stephen however had been hit hard by the blow of so many peers having been murdered…some, perhaps, even by him. Bill could not stop either boy from following him.
Wearing black cloaks and hoods, the three young men finally found themselves in the Witch's Quarter. There was a full moon up overhead, pouring light through the tall, ancient and bare tree branches above her heads. Passing through the woods by tall, stately and darkened houses, Bill lead them toward the one that was supposedly owned by Theodore Nott. A curiosity glance within and a soft spell spoken by the former curse-breaker told them that it was empty, however.
"Do you think he took her with him?" Stephen suggested in a whisper. Bill shook his head under his hood, scanning the trees around them,
"Why would he? Ah!" Bill smirked, indicating lighted windows through the foggy woods, "That's the only House besides Jugson's that I've seen lit. Let's have a look…"
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Orla had fallen asleep early that night. Luna took the baby for her, wandering the Lestrange house as she rocked the tiny girl back and forth in her arms, her long white night dress trailing behind her. For a time she sat in the glassed in courtyard Rabastan had made for his wife and been so proud of, enjoying the moonlight as she hummed the baby to sleep. She could understand how easily Orla put away the realities of what Rabastan did, while sitting in that room surrounded by green things in the winter, the fountain bubbling merrily at her feet. Luna wondered, with a slow sigh as the baby fell asleep, what task The Dark Lord had Theodore doing at the moment…
She was broken from her pensive solitude by the brushing and pattering of small, leathery feet on the smooth marble of the floors. Looking up in the moonlit calm, Luna spotted Lotty running toward her, eyes wide and almost glowing blue in the light. The old House Elf had been Aeneas Nott's only gift to his daughter in law, and Luna had actually been somewhat grateful, "Missus Luna!" The elf whispered, seeming terribly frightened, "There's peoples outsides!"
"What kind of people, Lotty?" Luna stood, holding the child close as Lotty shook her head, ears flapping,
"I don'ts know, missus Luna," The old elf replied, "But they're waiting on the edge of the wards…"
Luna hurried out of the courtyard, down one of the darkened halls to look outside. Rabastan had very strong wards on his home (as he likely should, with a sister in law like Bellatrix), and Luna had added on a simple charm that would alert her own House Elf to anyone unplanned who might show up. Stopping at one of the windows that gave a clear view of the back grounds, Luna spotted three figures standing in a pale glow under the edge of the forest. The tallest of the three was pushing back his hood, exposing long, red, and highly familiar hair.
"Lotty, please let them in," Luna managed, her throat gone dry.
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Bill hadn't met many wards he couldn't hoodwink, but this was definitely one of them. Before he was about to do something drastic however, a door opened on the house and a tiny little House Elf walked towards them, snapping her fingers once before motioning them forward. With one dubious, shared look, all three moved to follow, the hoods pulled up again, low over their faces.
Stepping inside of what was presumably a summer veranda that had been glassed in for the winter, Bill, Stephen and Wayne glanced about, as the old Elf told them to "Wait for Missus!" and hurried off into the house. After only a moment of staring down the long empty porch, another figure appeared in the doorway, at first seeming to be a ghost in white under the moonlight.
"Bill?" She asked tentatively, clutching the bundle in her arms closer to her chest. Bill Weasley had to close his eyes a few times, attempting to reconcile the weird, skinny, bug-eyed kid his sister had hung around with the tall, willowy young woman in front of him. Beside him, Stephen was much the same, quickly flipping back his hood and staring at her, at her wide eyes, her pale face. It was of course Wayne, who broke the silence,
"Luna!" He cried, hurrying forward and grasping one of her hands, "Luna it is me! You do remember me, do you not?"
Luna just stared back at him for a few long minutes, before slowly reaching out, wrapping her free arm around him, mindful of the baby, "Of course I do!" She gasped, hugging him tightly, feeling tears building, "I…I thought you'd died a long time ago, Waynerkins," She was suddenly sobbing against him, and Wayne quite comfortingly hugged her back. Between them though, Orla's daughter had woken up, and decided to protest the cramping of her space.
"Oh my!" Wayne stepped backwards, looking at the fussing baby. Luna quickly composed herself, laughing a little,
"So sorry small lady," She hummed down at the baby, before looking up again, "Orla just had her…" Luna trailed off, as she caught sight of Stephen. Suddenly, she felt the urge to cry all over again, as she recalled memories of late night conversations in the common room, long walks in the snow, and weekends in Hogsmeade. Stephen caught her up in another hug, this time being extra-careful of the baby. Luna shut her eyes, as an old sense of security washed over her. Two of her best friends were still alive…for now,
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"What are you doing here?" She sobbed after a moment, pushing away from Stephen and looking at all three of them, "You could get yourselves killed!"
"We came here for you," Bill said quietly, speaking again at last. He too, gave a brotherly hug to the girl that had once haunted the Burrow almost as often as his own sister had, "And for Ginny…"
Luna stepped back, blinking a few times…Ginny. She shook her head, bouncing the baby again, "Ginny…Ginny is a long way from here, Bill," She glanced over her shoulder nervously; out through the glass that covered the veranda, "You're in a lot of danger, being here…"
"We know," Stephen said softly, reaching out and touching her elbow. Luna stared down at his hand, biting her lip, "We've been looking for you and Ginny for a while now though, and…" He paused, looking at the baby again, "Wait, did you say she was Orla's?"
Luna nodded, looking down at the baby and smiling, "Her name is Oubliette," She told them softly. Looking back up, she saw that there was a rather desperate look in Bill's eye. He might have found Luna, but he was really looking for Ginny. She sighed, and turned to Stephen, "You recall, way back then?" She asked, in her old dreamy, drifting voice, "When Orla was a little girl? Who talked to strangers in her journal?" Stephen nodded slowly, looking at her with a slightly confused look on his face. Luna just smiled, looking back down at Oubliette, "Strangers in journals like taking the girls they talk to. Orla was actually quite lucky. He loves her very much. But Ginny…" Luna trailed off, her eyes going dull again as she glanced over at Bill sadly.
"No," Bill shook his head, feeling as if someone had slapped him. He covered his mouth with his hand, looking away. But Luna just stared on, blankly,
"She's alive," She went on distantly, "But I do not think that you will be able to help her…" Bill felt as if he was going to vomit. Stephen and Wayne however, were just confused,
"Wait, Orla talked to a Death Eater?" Stephen repeated, trying to piece this together, "He was the secret admirer, wasn't he?" Luna nodded, somewhat numbly, "And he married her?" Again, Luna nodded, "And that is their daughter?" Another nod. Stephen ran a hand through his longish brown hair, shaking his head, "Dear Merlin. How old is Orla, even?"
"She is sixteen now," Luna responded, rocking Oubliette back and forth, "And Rabastan has given her many things. She has not seen what the world is like," Luna took a deep breath of the cold night air, "She's only known that he loves her. And that he has treated her well, protected her despite her being a muggle-born, and given her a child," She looked back at Stephen, "You will not be able to take her away from him."
Stephen bit his lip, crossing his arms and glancing over to Bill, who was now leaning against the wall for support. Wayne just looked at Luna, still a bit lost,
"I still do not understand," He said, pulling out the backpack he'd had on under his robes, "What has happened to Ginny Weasley, then?"
Luna looked at Bill, who looked up at her with heartbroken eyes. She shook her head, "You will find her in London, if you find her," She whispered. Looking back at Wayne, Luna smiled again, one of her old brilliant smiles, and under the night sky, it was no wonder that her mother had named her after the moon, "It was so wonderful to see you, Wayne…to see all three of you…"
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"We're taking you with us," Bill said resolutely, pushing himself off the wall and pulling up his hood again. Luna blinked very slowly, as Stephen took her hand again,
"Come on, you can some back with us, no one will see," He said easily, grinning at her, "Megan, Justin, Kevin and a whole lot of the others are still out there too, and they'll be so glad to see you again…"
"No," Luna shook her head, taking a step backwards, away from them. The word had slipped from her chapped lips before she'd even contemplated what he was saying, and she hesitated, once again looking out into the woods. She could leave. Wayne and Stephen were alive, there were other people alive, but…
Luna Lovegood had come to terms with their being dead a long time ago though. She had cried, she had raged, and she had spent a year as slave to her father's murderer. Her old life had died. In it's place she'd let a new one build itself over the ruins of the innocent, eccentric schoolgirl. She thought of Theodore, who'd given her everything anyone could want in this new world. Who looked at her as if no one else in the universe existed, as trite as that comparison used to sound…
Luna felt her eyes brimming with salt water. She smiled though, looking at Stephen ruefully, taking her hand away from his and resting it on his cheek, "I used to be so enamored of you, Stephen Cornfoot," She whispered. Stephen swallowed, nodding his head,
"I know you did," He felt himself wanting to shed a tear as well, and in that moment, he knew what her answer was going to be, "And I'm sorry I never…"
"But then," Luna pushed on, still smiling though tears were running down her face quite unhindered, "Then there was Ernie. I…I didn't think anyone could love me. But I thought if anyone would, it would be you. But it was him," She sobbed, "And he was everything, Stephen, you cannot plan these things. What seems like it should happen? It rarely does. And I was so happy…but then you were both gone," Luna took a deep breath, and a long pause, composing herself, "Now, someone is taking care of me again. And I did not plan this either…"
"It's Nott!" Stephen protested, though he was still getting the picture that this was futile. At his side, Wayne simply watched Luna with sorrowing eyes, as she shook her head,
"He has never hurt me," She whispered, "And I care for him very much. And I…I am going to have his baby. And I am going to stay here, with Orla and…and with Theodore. Our…our lives are here now."
Stephen looked at her for a long time, before he reached up, rubbing his eyes and nodding, "Okay," He whispered, leaning forward and kissing her cheek, "…He hurts you though, and I swear…"
"Okay," Luna said softly, smiling through a curtain of saltwater as Bill stepped forward and hugged her again,
"Thank you," He whispered,
"If you get her back," Luna whispered in reply, "Find a way to tell me?" The tall Weasley nodded, kissing the top of her head and moving away. Luna and Wayne then looked at each other for a while, both with sad, yet pleased eyes. They had gotten to see each other again, one more time. Luna sucked in her breath,
"I think I shall miss you most of all, Scarecrow," She whispered, and Wayne wrapped his arms around her and the baby, burying his face against her shoulder,
"I fear that we shall never see each other again, Miss Luna," He sobbed, and Luna shut her eyes, willing herself not to cry again and failing,
"Someday, perhaps," She sniffled back, "We know we're both okay, though,"
"Yes," Wayne nodded, pulling away, "We do know that," He looked at her for a long moment, and then bent down, opening his backpack, "I brought you someone," He said, pulling out a Biscuit Tin in possession of four legs. Luna gasped, as he put her old pet back in her free arm,
"Heathcliff," She sighed, petting the tin softly. Wayne smiled,
"Goodbye, my friend-Luna,"
"Goodbye…"
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Orla Quirke Lestrange rolled over in her half-awake state, opening her eyes and seeing Luna set Oubliette to sleep in her cradle, next to the bed. The girl yawned, still aching and still groggy, looking at her friend, "I heard noises," She said softly from her pillow. Standing up over the baby, Luna looked at her, brushing her curtain of long hair back over her shoulders, glad that the darkness hid her red eyes.
"It was nothing," Luna relied softly, turned to look out across the woods from the bedroom window…
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As the three young men left the house behind them, they were perfectly silent, all lost in their own thoughts. Wayne looked sad, but oddly heartened. He always did look on the bright side, after all, and Luna had said she was safe and taken care of. Stephen seemed far more morose, his footsteps heavy and his eyes downcast. Bill, however, looked rather stormy and unsettled, a fire burning behind his normally calm, determined eyes.
"So," Wayne said after a time, when a soft snowfall began through the trees, "Where in London is Ginny? Did Luna tell us?"
"Yes," Bill said coldly, "She told us," He felt ill again, and yet…he had to retrieve his sister now. There was no question in his mind. She was alive, and he was going to save her. It was all he had left, "She's with Voldemort."
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Author's Notes: bum bum BUUUUM!
I love everyone, by the way.