She's dancing in the moonlight again, twirling through fields of lilacs and roses, carefree, oblivious to my eyes. She holds her arms wide, a soft smile curling her lips, breathing deep the scent of rain and flowers. This is not an unusual sight to behold, as breathtaking as it is, for in her eyes, escape awaits her in these fields. A breath of life is restored by their petals, the scent of forget-me-nots filling her lungs, and as her eyes slip closed, her soul is embraced by the night.
The first glimpse I had ever caught of her escape was long ago, perhaps months now. The boys had laughed at her from the Gryffindor tower, blind to her beauty, and that moment, as the sounds of their amusement reached my ears, set forth a change in my own heart; I began to hate them for their indifferent cruelty and ignorance. That night I vowed never to react in the same manner, and from that moment forward, I began listening to the secrets Luna's eyes shared with me. I began to understand her; I began to love her.
Now, as I watch her, I smile.
Spinning in brilliant pirouettes, she pursues the brightly colored butterflies fluttering about and the glowing lightning bugs twinkling like earth-bound stars, humming to herself. I smile so because she is breathtaking, enchanting, beautiful, mysterious, wonderful, and I feel my heart beating that much harder at the sight, as it always does. I sit in plain view on the castle steps, enjoying the air as much as she, content to be still, to watch her for the rest of the night with my knees drawn to my chest and my arms locked together around them.
Sometimes I wonder if those bright eyes would see me watching her even if I didn't cast a disillusionment charm on myself, if she would somehow know I was here.
Her chase at an end, she turns once more and falls still, her face turned up to the moon in a silent moment. Her eyes are closed, and I watch her chest rise and fall rhythmically, as if an unspoken goodbye is transpiring before me, like every other night I watch her. She takes one final breath and begins to meander back towards the castle, eyes still closed, feet carrying her blindly in my direction, and she trusts them to guide her.
For a moment, I think of standing to move, afraid that she might walk right into me, but her path curves slightly to my right. She walks with a light breeze in her step, and she doesn't bump into me as I thought she might; instead she settles lightly beside me, finally opening her captivating cerulean eyes to take in the sky above. I continue breathing as quietly as I can in her presence, though it's pointless because something inside, a light heat, if I'm not mistaken in identifying it, can tell that she knows I'm here.
Her head falls gently to my shoulder, mystical sapphire eyes still fixed on the stars, and it seems somehow unfair that shock so easily befalls me even though I suspected she knew. My disillusionment charm dwindles, and glancing down, I can see her smile as I am revealed.