The House Competition (THC) Round: Practice
House: Slytherin
Class: Astronomy
Category: Standard
Prompts:(First Line) It was times like this that I hated people. (Image) Field of flowers and house
Rating: K
Word Count: 1849
Beta(s): EndofthePage, Story Please
Warnings: N/A
Fields of Red, Orange and Gold
Summary: Luna skips class after other students become too much. She encounters Professor Trelawney and they share a meaningful afternoon.
It was times like this that I hated people. Not that I ever wanted to hate people, it was just that sometimes those feelings crept in without me noticing. I woke up this morning feeling hopeful. The day was new and the sky showed promises of warmth. But then my shoes were stolen, my book bag went missing, I was late for Charms because my notes had disappeared too, and my hair got tugged on more times than I could count during breakfast.
The whispers of "Looney Lovegood" danced in my head, and despite the beautiful day, the bad feelings won. I felt as if a shadow had sunk into my soul and I was desperate for an escape.
Deciding I wasn't much use in class, I decided to skip History of Magic and go for a walk.
As soon as I stepped outside, I felt a bit lighter. I kept my eyes to the sky for unusual creatures as I wandered around the grounds. It was blissfully quiet outside, but after a few moments of peace, I was drawn out of my thoughts by distant mumbling. Without anything better to do, I tried to find the source of the muttering and soon stumbled upon Professor Trelawney. She was pacing back and forth in front of the lake, talking frantically to herself. Every few steps she would reach into her skirt pockets and pull out a teacup, then, with great force, she would toss it into the depths of the lake. A few feet away lay a crumpled pile of scarves and robes. In the hot sun, she had stripped down to a simple linen skirt and a wonderful beaded blouse. It was not unlike what one could find in an eccentric muggle thrift shop.
Normally, I wouldn't feel right intruding upon a personal moment like this, but it seemed like she was having a day similar to the one I was having. I hoped to be a comfort to her, whatever may be going on.
"Professor!" I called out to her, raising a friendly hand in her direction.
Trelawney let out a startled shriek and immediately ceased her pacing.
"Luna, my pet, what are you doing? Should you not be in class?"
I shrugged, touching my hair behind my ear.
"I could ask you the same thing."
The professor let out a small laugh and sat in the grass, patting a spot beside her for me to sit.
For a while, nobody spoke. Trelawney would still occasionally toss teacups into the lake, but with a little less force now.
"This is my last teacup." She said, breaking our silence.
I glanced at the porcelain cup in her hands. It was dainty and had gold and pink paint swirled in abstract patterns on its body. Hardly something worth tossing away in my opinion, but what did I know. I was a firm believer in "to each their own."
"I was teaching a class of third-year students how to read tea leaves." She began.
"Each and every one of them discovered an omen of death in their cup. I figured it was impossible for all of them to be in such dire danger and concluded that the cups must have some sort of curse on them. A useless teaching tool, this set was."
I nodded to show my interest.
"That's the last time I buy bargain cups down Knockturn Alley," she said shrilly, tossing the final cup into the lake.
She was passionate about her class. No matter how her lessons went over, she always cared about them, in her own way. Students were mean to her too. I'd hear them laughing about her in the halls and it always brought me down. I was happy to be here today with her to share a moment.
"Luna, dear," she said suddenly, "would you like to go for a walk?"
I nodded eagerly as we stood up together. She cast a glance at her pile of discarded layers, then shrugged, deciding to leave them there. The sun was warm and there were no signs of approaching clouds.
Professor Trelawney started off walking in a direction and I followed a few steps behind. I listened to the soft noises our shoes made in the grass and how it changed once we hopped onto the cobblestone path. Every so often she would point out a flower or small creature and tell me what they were. I would smile and nod even though my father had taught me differently. After a moment's thought, I spoke up.
"Professor?" She glanced at me with magnified, kind eyes. "How do you feel when you hear what others say about you?"
She gave me a sad smile.
"Is that why you were skipping class? Because others were speaking cruelly about you?"
I nodded, feeling disappointed I wasn't able to just let their harsh words roll off me.
She contemplated her answer for a moment then said in a soft voice. "You simply must be content with yourself. Their opinion cannot matter."
I sighed and she continued on.
"It makes it difficult to find friends, but once you find peace within you, there is nothing anyone can do to hurt you. Nothing is more challenging than that, but it's what people like you and I must do."
She took my hand in hers and traced the veins on the back of it.
"You see the world very differently Luna, and that is such a beautiful thing. Never let that fade. The right friends will come along. Those nasty words do not define you."
Abruptly, she dropped my hand and continued walking.
"My office is always open to you."
I smiled and followed as she led me through the village of Hogsmead. I had only been once before, usually opting to stay back and roam the hallways in peace. She expertly navigated the winding streets until we arrived at the very edge of town. Before us was a beautiful field of flowers with a quaint shack in the middle of it. At the edge of the field, she removed her shoes and I followed suit.
As I stepped into the field I noticed the ground beneath my feet to be unnaturally soft. Soft voices seemed to float up from the masses of yellow and red flowers. The remainder of the hatred I had felt that morning was melting away.
The house was painted a bright blue and on such a beautiful day it nearly blended into the sky. Questions about this place kept crossing my mind, but would only be there for a fleeting moment. The voices in the flowers seemed to wipe any thoughts from my mind, ensuring I stayed in a state of peace.
I followed the Professor through the field in a daze. The flowers swayed softly in the wind and I could feel myself swaying with them. My entire life I had lived in a world of magic, but I had never come across something quite so beautiful. Even with all of the vast and wonderful knowledge my Father liked to share with me, I knew nothing of what surrounded me. I felt a great urge to write about this peace and comfort. I had always lived in a world of my own but never had I ever reached a place of such relaxation.
From across the field, the professor's voice brought a bit of reality back to my mind.
"Luna, dear, don't dawdle too long. The flowers are very welcoming, but not very keen to see you off."
Heeding her words, I started to jog lightly towards her. She stood near the door of the house on a small wooden porch. She made no motion to go inside, instead, she just gazed fondly at the landscape around her.
"Do you know anything about this place?" Trelawney asked me kindly.
I shook my head no, crouching down to feel the petals of a stray flower growing through the cracks of the deck. She smiled down at me and placed an almost motherly hand on top of my head. Tears started to well in the back of my eyes. It was such an unusual and unexpected moment, but it held significance I could not quite understand.
"The house is abandoned. The fellow who lived in it passed away peacefully many years ago. In his lifetime he discovered and planted these amazing flowers. What do they say to you, Luna?"
"They tell me words of calm and peace. They make my soul feel lighter and as if I am as I am meant to be."
She smiled down upon me once more.
"I knew I judged you correctly. These flowers provide you with what you most deserve. If you are someone in need of kindness, they will provide you with nothing but sweet words. If you are seeking confidence, they will strengthen your esteem. But if you are nasty and mean, they will drown you in awful words and feelings. The man who found them had a kind soul and thought that the flowers only spoke kind words, but one day a man from town came to tell him that the flowers were ugly and that he needed to pull them out. From this porch the man who found the flowers watched the other man fall to his knees in the field, tears streaming down his face. Eventually, he was helped out of the field by a neighbour and never returned. Not many folks visited the man after that, but he was content studying these unique blooms."
For a moment, I let the story sink into my brain. Then I became overwhelmed with pride and gratitude.
"Thank you, professor," I whispered, standing up to give her a hug.
While my arms were around her, I heard her quietly count to three. An unearthly compression wrapped around my chest and the next thing I knew we were back standing in front of Hogwart's gates.
"Don't tell anyone I Apparated us back here."
I nodded, wide-eyed, and watched as she skittered off back towards the lake.
Taking my time, I strolled back towards the castle, with the weight of the day now off my shoulders. My gratitude for Professor Trelawney was great and I decided I would write to my father about my day and see if he could help me find a nice gift for her.
When I entered the Great Hall for dinner, most of the students were already enjoying their meals. There were only a couple of cruel names hissed in my direction, but my ears echoed with the voices of the flowers. Finally, I found myself a spot on the edge of one of the benches and helped myself to some pudding. Just to myself, I smiled and allowed the echoes of the flowers to envelop my mind.
This morning, I found myself ready to hate people. This evening, I found that I no longer had the need to care what they think and say. I was me, and that was all I needed to be.
