Disclaimer: I absolutely do NOT own Harry Potter! Hey lawyers-- you have no reason to sue me! (does happy dance) I do, however, own this plot.
Took me ages, it seems to upload this chapter. It's a good one, I promise! Just promise ME to review it! ...please? Review and be my BEST friend ever! I already have best friends from the Alicia/George fanfics, I daresay I need some Luna fanfic best friends!
Argh, I won't be udating this one as frequently as Frequent Falling; it's much more popular. 250 hits already, and it's only onto ch. 3! Now THIS story, however, has only 50 hits! despicable! review please, people! I really mean it!
Bear with my mistakes (if there are any) people, I don't have a beta.
Chapter 3--A Visit with the Knight's Messenger
What to do now? Three days had now gone by since I had first read the back of Sir Quagrid's letter, and I haven't a clue what to do. Should I just not bother making any plans and go bustling over to the Servitial blood holders' houses? Should I be more careful and make plans before I go anywhere? Should I just flop down on my bed and question this whole quest while not doing anything for the good of it like I already am?
Mediocre thoughts ran through my head. I felt like I was drowning in them. I wished I had a Pensieve to help clear my head. Too bad they cost a fortune… If I had the money, I would've gotten one ages ago.
I decided not to tell my father. Knowing him, the whole Quibbler staff would know about it the next day if I told. And if the staff of the Quibbler knew about it, then all the readers of the Quibbler would know soon enough.
And I certainly did not need that.
I was very tired. I had been staying up twenty-four-seven to try and come up with an impromptu plan, but nothing had come to mind. So I just lay here, day and night, doing nothing. No plans, no nothing.
What would Sir Quagrid think of me now? Me, just lying lazily on my bed whilst awaiting my curse (I still had no idea what it was, maybe I could be cursed to never have children!) and thinking thoughts, but taking no action.
I should at least for starters get off my lazy bum and do something useful. But do, what, though? I don't think that telling the Servitial Blood Holders mine and Sir Quagrid's problem just yet, it just found out about it three days ago.
I could go to Ginny. I wouldn't tell her anything yet; she could get engaged any day now. She'd go absolute nuts, and that's exactly what Harry and I don't need.
I sat up from my bed and picked up my wand. Then, I stood up and Apparated to the Weasley household in which Ginny currently resided.
Ginny was just sitting down at the kitchen table with Harry to have a cup of tea when she heard a faint pop outside the front door. Just as she stood up to answer the door, it opened.
"Luna! Don't you ever knock?" she said, looking annoyed.
"So sorry, Gin. I'm just rather tired today and didn't think to knock." I replied, trying to stifle a yawn.
"Blimey, Luna," said Harry, leaning over past Ginny to get a better look at me. "You do look tired. What have you been doing lately?"
"Not sleeping. Lying on my bed all day and night, but never sleeping."
Harry eyed me suspiciously, and whispered to Ginny: "Finally the name justifies once more the loony-ness within."
"Shut up, Harry." Ginny whispered back. For a minute, Harry looked almost hurt, but Ginny quickly fixed that by giving him a nice little kiss.
However, Harry wasn't in for a 'nice little' kiss, so upon him changing it, I quickly left the room.
"And I'm not coming back until you two either get a room or break it up!" I shouted so they could hear.
"They must have broken apart, for Ginny had then said: "Oh, all right, Luna. Come back in, you must have come her for a reason."
I slowly walked back into the room and sat down at the kitchen table. "Ginny, I was going to talk to you about something. Something secret. Something that Harry does not know about."
Getting the hint, Ginny turned to Harry and said: "Harry, go away. Luna and I need to talk."
Harry made a pouty face, but Ginny gave him a stern look that trumped his. Harry quickly left to go upstairs to Ron's room.
"Harry knows to never mess with a redhead when she's angry. Let's hope that he will always remember that… now, Luna you wanted to talk to me?" she said, changing the matter.
"Yes… Ginny, you remember the letter I received, right?" I asked cautiously.
"The one from that Sir Whatshisname, right?"
"From Sir Quagrid, that's the one. Well, it gave me a sort of quest to do, and I've done nothing about it yet. I have no idea where the poor deceased knight's home is, or anyone that knows about him. I have a very limited amount of time to get on with the quest, and I still have not taken a single step forwards. Any ideas?" I asked, looking quite desperate. I did not want Ginny to lose her life.
"Hmm… do you have the letter with you? I want to take a look at it, see if it helps."
I furiously dug into my pockets for the letter, and handed it over to Ginny once I found it.
"Yeah, says he's got a 'set of instructions' for you on the back of the letter… hold on, there was no back to the letter when we saw it on the train home!" said Ginny, looking confusedly up at me. As she flipped it over, I hesitated and tried to grab it from her. I did not want her reading about her doom. She was quicker, though, with her Quidditch reflexes. She had held it out of my reach, and started reading the back. "My dearest Luna Lovegood…your mission to help me is written below…I cannot say all that I'd – Hey, Luna give that back!" she said, responding to my Summoning Charm that I had place upon the letter.
I tightly wrapped the letter in my arms. "I won't let you read the back, Ginny. Sir Quagrid doesn't wish me to disclose any more information about this than I already have."
"Luna, Sir Quagrid's dead. He won't know if you give a bit more information away, he's just rotting in his grave!"
"It would be an insult to his memory!" I roared, standing up with my arms still holding fast to the precious letter. "If I had known that you would try and do this to me, I wouldn't have come to you for advice! So, why am I still standing here now? I have honestly no idea! Really, Ginny, I thought that you of all people would respect the dead and their dying wishes!" I added, now stowing the letter away in my pocket and grabbing my wand as to Disapparate from this dreaded Weasley home. However, Ginny grabbed my arm just as I was lifting my wand.
"Luna—don't go, I didn't mean it… or at least I don't mean it now. Please, Luna, don't leave. I'll be here to give you any kind of advice, even if I know nothing about what's you're talking about. Please, I want to help you."
I fidgeted hesitantly, and finally lowered my wand. I wasn't about to leave the presence of someone who was willing to help me. Not to mention that I needed help desperately. "Fine, Ginny, just promise not to try reading my letter. Yes, Ginny I won't let you read the back." I added, seeing the look on Ginny's face.
"So… you need help for what to do now, right?"
"Yeah. I don't have a single gist of what to do; I'm lost in my own mind."
"Well, is there anyone besides me that you can turn for help? Well, I'm not saying that I don't want to help you; I'm just saying there could be some people who might give you an addition of help with mine."
"Hmm… Let me see if I can find anything in the letter, and Ginny Weasley do not read over my shoulder."
"Darn it."
I scanned through the front side of the letter, finding nothing in the first few paragraphs.
"Nothing so far… just talks about his real-life dreamland and a favor he wants me to do when I wake up. Signed, his ridiculously long name knight-ness. Let me check the back…hm... nothing, nothing, nothing… (Ginny looked about to die from eagerness to read the back) signed, Sir blah blah blah Quagrid." I looked up from the letter to Ginny.
"Well?" she asked impatiently.
"Nothing helpful that I know of."
"Didn't he at least recommend someone in times of need? Anyone at all? Check the letter again; I was so sure that he mentioned someone."
I handed over the letter, taking care that Ginny did not read the backside. "Here, check the front side for yourself."
Ginny carefully scanned every little word for the next couple of minutes, and the finally exclaimed: "AHA! I so knew that I could catch something that you would miss. Look here" she said, pointing to the very bottom, "at the P.S. He mentions his delivery boy, Cael Frennen. Why don't you go visit him?"
I looked carefully at the letter, and then took it from Ginny's hands to examine the back. "But it doesn't say where he—oh." I said quietly, folding the letter so that only the bottom showed. "Ginny, look here at the P.S. of this page. 'P.S. Cael Frennen, if you would like to get to know him, lives on 498206 Grevyn Lane, Bristol. I believe that is somewhere nearby where you take residence for the time being.' I can't believe I overlooked that! There's a great jumble of numbers down at the bottom, why on earth would I miss it? Geez…"
"Go and see him, Luna, he's your best hope. Sir Quagrid recommends you get to know him, and I don't see why not. He could have a great deal of advice for you! Mine is on the borderline of nothing!" exclaimed Ginny.
I looked her in the eye, and knew what I needed to know. Yes, I would have to go visit Mr. Frennen. Yes, I would have to visit Cael to save Ginny's very life.
Cael's house came into view as I Disapparated from Ginny's house minutes later after saying goodbye to Harry. His front lawn seemed tended for, and his one-floor house fit right in with the rest of his orderly little neighborhood.
I approached his front door sluggishly, as if being weighted down by a thousand bricks. I tell you, I was not exactly jumping for joy to knock on his door.
And so I knocked. Silence came at first, and then suddenly the muffled sound of footsteps came into earshot. The door opened. The appearance of a young man wearing a very surprised expression stood in the doorway, and then spoke.
"You're Luna Lovegood, aren't you?"
My breath ran short. How did he know? Did he have full recollection of everything that he had witnessed in the real-life dreamland?
"Th-that I am." I replied.
"Come on in."
(A/N: This is in 3rd person, telling what Cael is doing)
Cael was in his room, typing endlessly on his Muggle computer. Word came so easily for him… and he used them well. Poem after poem, it seemed, day after day… He was currently in the middle of writing his own story. He had learned enough about books from his personal library to write his own.
Then he heard a knock on his door. No one had visited him in ages; he had started to think that everyone that he used to know had forgotten him. He had an uncanny hunch about who was at his door, though.
He walked swiftly to the door, and opened it. Luna Lovegood, whom he had seen and delivered a message to in Sir Quagrid's real-life dreamland, was standing on his porch. This proved his hunch true.
"You're Luna Lovegood, aren't you?" he asked, although he already knew the answer.
She fidgeted around nervously and looked pale for a moment as though all the blood had drained from her face. She managed to reply:
"Th-that I am."
I knew that the old knight had told her about me in her letter, so I dared not refuse her.
"Come on in."
(A/N: Back to Luna's POV)
His house was so orderly. There was some occasional books strewn about, but apart from that, the house looked spotless. This was not new to me; my father kept our house squeaky clean for years until recently.
Cael walked into his living room, and I followed silently.
"Sit down, make yourself comfortable." he said, taking a seat in an armchair himself.
"So… the old knight told you about me in our letter." he said, looking as casual as ever. "So I suppose you're just in a tight spot."
"Y-yes…" I stuttered, sitting down nervously. Did he have to know everything? "I have no idea what to do right now, and I'm afraid I'm running out of time."
"Wait—Sir Quagrid didn't tell me what it is he told you to do. He sealed that letter pretty tight; it was obvious he didn't want me reading it."
"Oh…" I said airily, debating in my mind whether to tell him or not. Finally, I shut off my mind and went by instinct. I could trust this guy. "Well, it starts like this…"
(A/N: This is in Cael's POV)
I was in shock. Luna was telling me her story right from the point where I had handed her the letter in Quagrid's real-life dreamland. It was unbelievable. So that was how he died… I thought whilst taking in every single word she said.
Her quest, now that was what stunned me the most. Seven people, seven innocent people, about to die if not helped. And Luna… she would have to show immense courage and integrity to take that burden on. No wonder she came to me for help.
I stared into her eyes, those twin pools of endless blue… and she stared back. As our gaze locked, I felt time stop. How weird.
Wait… oh no. Not again…
Sir Quagrid had forced me into his real-life dreamland once more.
I sat down on an old wooden bench in what looked like an old Muggle park.
The stale scenery of Sir Quagrid's real-life dreamland.
A voice called out to me, and there was a figure on the horizon… it was so faint, though… I wanted to listen to it; cherish it, but something would not let me get up and visit it.
A much louder voice was calling.
"Cael…" it called. It was so familiar, rich with that ancient tone. "So Ms. Lovegood is telling you, right?"
"Yes, Sir Quagrid. She is indeed."
"I knew she would… it was necessary for her to do so in order for you to help her. You will help her, I presume?"
"Of course, my good knight. Her wish is my command; I will be but her humble servant… and friend."
"I see…Cael; do you not see what Destiny has prewritten for you? By doing this for Luna, Destiny is at gain. It is a good Destiny, too. I daresay you will cherish it greatly."
"Master… what is this of which you speak of? I cannot See, I do not know what Destiny has in store for me. Would it be possible for me to find out soon enough?"
"Soon enough, yes, Cael, soon enough…You might even find it staring straight back at you…"
I would have replied from lack of understanding, but as soon as I had opened my mouth, I was going back.
Back…
"Cael…Cael… CAEL!" said Luna, practically shouting. I was lying down on the couch with Luna practically on top of me trying to rouse me from my forced sleep.
I jerked forward, sending her toppling to the floor. "Oh, Luna, I'm so sorry!" I exclaimed, helping her back up.
"Cael, I'm so sorry I scared you, it just that we made eye contact and then you sort of – er – fell asleep. Weird, huh?" she said, looking rather pensive.
I hate it when Sir Quagrid put me into a forced sleep so he could talk to me; it always took me away from the best moments.
"So, did you want to finish your story?" I said, resolving the silence.
"Oh, I was nearly done. Just at the part where Ginny and I discovered the part in my letter where Sir Quagrid put down your address. And now, here I am." she said, giving me a small smile.
I returned it with an even bigger one. "I'm here to help you, Luna. From now on, your wish is my command."
(A/N: Luna's POV)
I had just looked into his eyes. They were rich with life, so full and leafy green, so complementary to his mahogany brown hair. Reminded me of all the good things in life—
And then he fell asleep.
Honestly, who falls asleep while making eye contact with someone? I definitely hadn't cast any spell, and he looked like he wasn't acting or anything like that. I leaned over him, inspecting him more closely. He was so tall and lean—so understanding. He looked so knowing… and trustworthy, too. He was so nice…I wanted to get to know him better.
"Cael…" I whispered, as if to rouse him. Nothing happened. This time, I poked him while whispering. I bent over closer to see him more properly, and continued with my process, but getting louder. "Cael… Cael… CAEL!"
He immediately woke as if electrified, looked at me practically on top of him, and freaked out. I was sent toppling onto the floor.
"Oh, Luna, I'm so sorry!" he exclaimed, helping me up.
"Cael, I'm so sorry I scared you, it just that we made eye contact and then you sort of – er – fell asleep. Weird, huh?" I said, stopping to examine my own thoughts. How could someone do that (fall asleep on the spot)? It just wasn't a normal thing to do. I looked at him once more. He was staring awkwardly at me, his eyebrows furled in confusion. He looked so—knowing—when he did that. Like his eyes could pierce my soul, see right through me. What did he see?
Before could come upon another thought, Cael resolved the silence by asking: "So, did you want to finish your story?"
I snapped into reality and looked up at his eyes once more. "Oh, I was nearly done. Just at the part where Ginny and I discovered the part in my letter where Sir Quagrid put down your address. And now, here I am." I said, giving him a small smile.
He smiled back, only just a bit bigger. "I'm here to help you, Luna. From now on, your wish is my command."
Wow. I never knew he would accept me like that. I was, after all, just a stranger; I had met him only about ten minutes ago.
"All right then… but what now? I have no idea what to do." I said, frowning a bit.
"Oh, don't worry. We'll think of something." he said reassuringly. He wrapped an arm around me and gave me a small squeeze. "Even if it takes us all day."
I wrapped my arms around him as tears welled up in my eyes. Cael was quite taken with surprise. "Oh thank you, Cael. You have no idea how much this means to me."
Cael relaxed, and wrapped him arms around me, returning the hug. This time he did not respond; he just held me close as tears of relief poured down my face.
(A/N: Cael's POV once again! It's like an on-off POV thing with him and Luna)
Luna and I had migrated from the couch in the living room to my kitchen table. I had conjured up a large scroll of parchment and a quill.
"For starters," said Luna, glancing up at me, "Where is Sir Quagrid's old home?"
"The knight's place is out in Scotland. No one knows about it except me; it's been made Unplottable."
"When should we arrive at the house? I have no idea when our time will run short." she said.
"Their time, you mean. It'll probably take a few days to round up all of the Servitials; they'll want to say goodbye to their family if all fails." I pointed out.
"Oh Cael, don't talk about that!" she exclaimed, shivering for a moment.
"Also, we're going to have to explain the whole story to each and every Servitial. I suspect that they'll mind if we go to their house to cart them off. They'll want to know why they'll be coming with us."
"True… I hadn't thought about that. I got the letter about half a week ago; I think that we might have a bit more than two weeks."
"There you go, you just answered your own question!" I said, giving her a smile. When she returned it with a bemused expression, I explained to her. "You just asked about a minute ago how much time they'd have left. Amazing, when we do stuff like that. We humans these days know so many things, but they don't know that they know them."
She still gave me that bewildered expression, so I laughed. I often made no sense.
"We should take off tomorrow to get them, then. If we want a good start, we'll head off tomorrow. Remember in your letter that it said that along with the Servitials, we would need some certain objects to complete the Servitial Blood Rejuvenation ritual?"
"Gosh, Cael, why do you have to be so smart? I had completely forgotten about those." She replied, looking rather dumbfounded. "It could take us day to find those inside his house. I agree, we'd better take off tomorrow."
I gave her a huge smile in return. "Now that didn't take all day, did it? I'd say we're all set. Leave tomorrow, pick up Servitials, go to the knight's house, find his precious necessary items, get them all in the right spot and whoopedy-da we're done, they're cured, and Sir Quagrid—bless his soul—can rest in peace."
With that, Luna gave me the biggest smile I'd ever seen. "Oh, thank you, thank you Cael!" she exclaimed.
Apparently, words were not good enough for her to express her joy. She swiftly kissed me on the cheek and stood up to leave.
"See you later, Cael." she said happily, and was gone seconds later.
I hope she didn't notice me blushing.
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That's it for now! Don't expect an update for a few weeks (at maximum, I love to write)! I swear, If someone doesn't review, I might have to stop writing this! (Oh, alright, I confess. I would never abandon this story; i like it too much).
Ow Ow does Cael like Luna? WhO kNoWs? I do, of course, what the answer is, but I won't tell. I also have both chapter four and five planned out, but it takes such a long time to write them.
CHAPTER FIVE TO BE TITLED: 'Rounding up the Servitials'. Look forward to it!
you see that little periwinkle colored box below this typing? Click on it and type :). I know, I am desperate. Bear with me.
