Several blocks away from the park adjacent Grimmauld Place and its hidden flat, Luna Lovegood waltzed the moonlit street to the beat of a song that only she could hear. Whether she was imaging the tune or being assaulted with another unseen foe which she would be mocked for believing in was debatable though.
Stopping to admire the shapes in the clouds against the silvery star strewn sky had held her up, she was very late for Harry's party. But it was just too clear a night for broom travel and with other forms of rapid travel would she would run the risk of missing more brilliant cloud formations.
She strolled on to a song, possibly of her own devising with a copy of The Quibbler magazine and Harry's gift clasped lovingly to her chest. The streets were silent and London seemed more serene that she'd ever remembered it. Her mother used to say something about it being calmest before the storm, but for Luna, even storms were occasions for celebration.
Luna kept a brisk pace and she entered an area where people were congregated around the corners and crossing the streets. She moved in with the crowd, following the flow of the pedestrians out into the crosswalk and over to the street that would connect to Grimmauld Place. The sea of people broke away and rounded the corner as she turned her attentions skyward.
The moon and stars had been replaced by swirling masses of clouds highlighted by the lights from the city below. As the wisps churned and moved, the sky seemed to bubble with fury and cold winds swept the street. Rain wasn't uncommon in England—not at all. But something else made Luna clam up.
Frigid fingers forked their way through her veins and suddenly everything she had been hoping for in this night seemed to fall away. The world was darker and her sole desire was to reach Harry's party and get in doors.
Her legs pumped as she broke into a run, wrapping her arms about herself to ward off the cold as she thundered toward her destination. Light from a streetlamp trembled and then flickered out and for a split second Luna could have sworn she saw something.
The unmistakable silhouette of something that shouldn't have been there…
She flat out ran, her hand clutching the wand hidden beneath her Muggle clothing.