A/N: This was written for Hermione's Haven during #HHBingo20 and Roll A Drabble for January. This story filled square N4 - Luna Lovegood. My roll was Luna Lovegood and Fairy Tale. I also had to start the story with the line: "The boy hadn't spoken since his twin had died.
Beta work was done by Grammarly and the only thing I own in this little tale is the plot.
Be sure to let me know what you think!
Love always,
~starr
"The boy hadn't spoken since his twin had died. Everywhere he went, he was followed by a black cloud hanging over his head. No matter what he did, the cloud seemed to stay, hovering just out of reach and never wanting to disappear," Luna began, gently stroking the top of her sons' heads.
She smiled softly as she felt Lorcan and Lysander snuggled in close to her sides. Both boys were struggling to stay awake as she continued with her tale. They had begged her for a story, but she knew that ultimately they would fall asleep before she got to the good part.
"The people of the town had started to call the boy 'Cloud Boy' in hushed tones when he would walk by. Even though everyone knew about the loss of his brother, it didn't stop them from mocking him. They thought of him as odd, but not his mother. His mother understood his sadness.
"It seemed as though his mother was the only one who understood him. She would try her hardest to protect him from the mocking of the town, but nothing seemed to stop them. It wasn't until someone new came into town to distract them all that they finally stopped picking on the young boy."
Hermione had heard a voice coming from the boys' bedroom. She laughed to herself when she realized that it was storytime. Slowly, she made her way down the hall to the entryway of the room. Leaning up against the doorframe, she crossed her arms over her chest as she listened to Luna's story.
She watched as the boys snuggled in closer and closer to their mother, refusing to allow her to leave the bed. It would appear that her story was working its magic. The boys would soon be fast asleep, but unfortunately, Luna would not be able to rejoin the party with the rest of the adults.
Storytelling was becoming a gift among their small group of friends and the best medicine to put their children to sleep. In fact, Hermione had just finished putting Hugo and Rose to sleep in the other room. It was in her return to the living room that she overheard Luna's tale. Funnily enough, Luna's story had reminded her much of the story she had just finished telling.
"The town's newcomer was a young woman, traveling alone from a faraway land. No one in the town thought it best to speak to her because she was a stranger. Instead, they chose to whisper behind her back and scoff when she would try to talk to them.
"The young boy's mother hated the ignorance of the people living in their small town. What good did it to isolate people? The only thing she could think of was to encourage the separation of this small town from the rest of the world."
Luna looked up and smiled when she saw Hermione standing at the door. With a laugh, she mouthed, "Help me."
Hermione smiled and nodded before walking into the bedroom. She gently placed a hand on Lorcan's shoulder and rolled him over onto his side, away from Luna's lap. The boy quickly wrapped his arms around the pillow that was lying beside him.
Once free, Luna was able to crawl past Lorcan and off the bed. She wrapped an arm around Hermione's shoulder. "Thank you."
"You're welcome," Hermione replied, chuckling. "Anything to help a fellow storyteller."