Chapter: 8 MORICHTE!
"Morichte (moor-rixh-tee) or the 'Supreme War Goddess' is the Ancient Evil," replied Arthur Weasley as he hung his dripping cloak on the hook near the door.
By now rain was really pouring outside.
Hearing that everyone became silent and Mr. Weasley continued, "She is the 'Queen of Phantoms or Demons'; 'Specter Queen'; shape shifter. Reigned over the battlefield, helping with her magic, but did not join in battles. Associated with crows and ravens. The Crone aspect of the Goddess; in her Dark Aspect (the symbol is then the raven or crow) she is the goddess of war and death. The carrion crow is her favourite disguise. With her Fea (Hateful), Nemon (Venomous), Badb (Fury), Macha (Battle) and Beaut (Beauty) encouraged fighters to battle madness creating Hell on Earth.
Her powerful weapons are Revenge, night, magic, seduction and she cannot be killed by the 'Avada Kedavra' curse," finished Mr. Weasley.
He looked around and saw everyone stunned and dazed.
While they were too busy digesting that information, Mr. Weasley went straight towards Luna, who was sitting like a lifeless thing on the sofa, her face was very pale as if she might faint.
"Luna...I heard and I'm very sorry for your loss...a loss which can't be replaced and..." he began but was cut off by Luna, who embraced him and again started crying.
Mrs. Weasley, who was listening quietly from the kitchen, hurried over and took Luna in her arms and whispered softly to Luna, "There..there," she then turned to the others and told them, "Umm...girls please take Luna upstairs and...fix her up and boys come and help me set the table."
While the girls went upstairs with Luna, the boys were setting the table and Ron asked, "Harry, what do you make out of this? To me it's like another Voldemort (now he can say Voldemort's name without flinching since his gone)."
Harry just shrugged with a solemn face but Draco, who was leaning against the wall letting them do all the work, voiced out, "I still can't believe that I have an aunt and I didn't have a stinking clue about it."
At that Ron looked up with a grim expression but it changed into anger and for a moment he seemed to have forgotten about Luna and the present problem and asked Draco scathingly, "Oi, you haven't answered what you're doing at my place, Malfoy?"
"I'm Ginny's boyfriend," Draco answered simply.
After hearing that, Ron's face looked like as if it was struck by a mallet.
He then roared, "You're her what!?!" and was heading towards a smug faced Draco with his fists clenched, when Harry intervened and said in a low firm voice with a tinge of anger, "Will you two stop it?! We have bigger problems now, quit it." So Ron went back to take out the cutlery but on his way back he told Draco, "I'll deal with you later," in a dangerous tone.
"Can't wait," Draco fired back.
And Harry just shook his head.
Upstairs
In the girls room.
Hermione was taking out spare attire from her trunk for Luna to wear, since she couldn't bring her clothes along under the circumstances, and Ginny was preparing a hot bath for her.
Luna on the other hand was lost in the abyss of her own thoughts:
"This isn't true?! It can't be! Father's gone...that means I have to take over his business...become the owner of the "Quibbler'! And...and why do I have to be the 'Fifth Element'...why?...am I in a dream...no I'm not dreaming, this is reality! Oh ...buck up Luna...it isn't like I'll never see my parents again...won't I? sighs deeply within! why am I thinking that...I'm not the only one here with an abnormal life...look at Harry...he also had a dangerous past. So I should be brave...and if not I'll give way to the birth of the Evil...yeh right over my dead body first! Alright..now I'll be ok...because brooding over my father's death won't bring him back...so I'll be strong and I can't believe that me 'Luna Lovegood' is crying...hah...now all of them must think I'm really Loony!"
"Umm...Luna?..Luna your bath is ready," Ginny told to Luna, which brought her out from her thoughts and she replied back in her usual dreamy voice, "Uh..thanks..I'll be out in a jiff."
Then Luna went into the bathroom, leaving Hermione and Ginny dumbstruck.
On their way down Hermione said out loud," We'll be downstairs then...come down when you get ready."
"Oh..ok," answered back Luna in that dreamy voice from inside the bathroom.
A confused Hermione and Ginny came downstairs and told everyone about the sudden change that came over Luna. Harry, Ron, Draco were perplexed but Mr. and Mrs. Weasley just smiled and Mrs. Weasley explained, "Ah..that means she is trying to be strong and face the fact. Well she is a Lovegood after all...the brave and the mysterious."
"If you ask me, she is a weird Lovegood or Loony!" Draco drawled.
"Draco..that wasn't a nice thing to say," Ginny scoffed.
"Hey I was just speaking out what was in my mind...no harm done," Draco replied back.
"Watch it or there will be some harm done to you, Malfoy, as a matter of fact," snapped Hermione.
At that Draco tightened his mouth and looked at her sternly but she didn't see it as she went to sit at the table.
When all was seated, they heard Luna comedown.
She was wearing a peach midi-pleated skirt with a cream maggie sleeved and v-necked top.
It gave her a peaceful appearance and her blonde hair was left open, which fell in soft curls till her shoulder blades.
Then she looked at everyone with her glassy eyes and said in a cheery voice, "Thanks everyone for the moral supports and everything and also making me feel like I'm at home (after saying the word home she paused a bit but continued) but I've decided to leave aside the past, because I know that's what my father would have wanted, and lead a strong future."
At that everyone clapped and Ron got up and said to Luna,"Glad to hear that, come I've saved you a sit beside me."
While everyone was busy with their roasted turkey, sweet potatoes and shrimp cutlets, Hermione and Harry's mind were somewhere else...more than in their food.
Both of them sat beside one another and while Hermione was eating she felt the simple touch of a finger on her other palm that was on her lap that made her pulse continue to escalate.
When the movement finally stopped and her pulse slowed to normal, she felt very foolish to be so susceptible to what was probably an idle touch on his part. Partly out of curiosity and partly for mischief, Hermione experimented.
While both of them ate, she let her other hand's thumb stroke over Harry's knuckles, concentrating far more on that than the food in front of her.
It had no noticeable effect on him. In fact, he opened his and, and for a second Hermione thought he was going to pull it away from her reach.
Since he left it there instead, palm up, she let her gaze dip lower from her plate to the palm on her lap and thoughtfully traced each long finger from its tip to the vee where it met his wide palm, while he continued his eating. Since he seemed not to notice or object, Hermione touched his palm, her finger tip following each intersecting line. I love you, she thought helplessly, telling him so with her finger tip.
Harry could not believe what she was doing to him, and he was deriving almost as much pleasure from knowing she' wanted to touch him' as from her sweet stroking.
Harry drew a ragged breath and lifted his gaze to her profile while in his mind he dragged her into a darkened corner and cover that soft mouth with his…
He was mentally kissing her breasts…….!
After they were finished eating all of them went up, except for Hermione because she volunteered to do the dishes (since Ginny had something's to do) and Harry stayed behind to help her.
When the others were gone, Harry blew out the candles in the sitting room, and the dinning room, and when Hermione protested, he blew out the candles in the kitchen.
The rain stopped long before and the kitchen was flooded with the light from the moon.
With the storage cupboard behind her back and his body in front, Hermione looked at his moonlit face, trying to imagine what he intended to do in the dark.
"What-? she began.
"Continue what where we left of meaning this-" he answered. Bracing his flattened palms on either side of her head, he leaned his body into hers and lowered his head.
Before Hermione could react, his mouth seized hers, stealing her breath while his hard body pressed into hers, his hips moving slightly, and the effect on her senses was stunning. With a silent moan, she slid her hands around his neck and kissed him back, welcoming the invasion of his seeking mouth, glorying in the rasp of his breath as he kissed her harder, helplessly yielding her body to the insistent movements of his hips.
Her lips parted beneath the pressure of his, and his tongue made a brief, sensuous foray into her mouth, probing lightly at hers.
Harry felt her hand slide down his chest, felt her press closer to him, when he claimed victory, plundering her mouth with his, teasing and tormenting her, and she responded instinctively.
The fires within her that had fueled her tempestuous rebellion earlier in the fight, now burned hot and bright with passion, and Harry found himself in the midst of a kiss that was wildly erotic-and rapidly getting out of control.
His hand was sliding over her breast, cupping it, and she was straining toward him in sweet abandon, offering her mouth to him. He told himself to stop and kissed her deeper instead, making her moan softly, and when she kissed him back, tentatively touching her tongue to his lips, it was a gasp of his own breath that he heard.
He shoved his fingers into her thick hair, and the rope of pearls that had bound it broke loose, sending a shower of pearls and a gleaming waterfall of black tresses spilling over his hands and arms. He kissed her until they were both senseless and his hand was caressing her breast. He forced his hand to still, reminded himself that they were in the Wesley's kitchen….and had work to finish up….but her breast was filling his palm, and he tugged the bodice top of her down enough o expose it.
She panicked when she realized what he had done, her fingers grasping his wrist, and with a laughing groan, he ignored her and bent his head to her breast……