Written For:
- Flying Lessons #2: Your landings are most likely going to be shaky and why wouldn't this occur in a relationship as well? For this task, I want you to write about a misunderstanding that is causing problems in your relationship. With a bad landing, you should quickly jump to your feet, mount your broom and try again! Your pairing should do the exact same with this rocky part and you have to show that in the story.
Required prompt used: (plot) someone bullying a member of your pairing
Extra prompt used: (dialogue) "Don't give me that look."/"Why?"/"You and I both know what happens when you give me that look and now is not the time."
- The 2016 Monthly Prompt List Challenge: [Scenario] You helped me get my knapsack out of the ceiling after bullies stuffed it there, and then you tracked down said bullies and taught them a lesson, and I'm not into violence but I'm totally into you…
Word Count: 1,731
Chapter Two
Bullies & Buddies
Luna watched disdainfully as a group of seventh Slytherin year boys tore down the corridor away from her, clutching the backpack that they had just snatched out of her hands. She had come a long way to get away from bullies, but it seemed that meeting some was unavoidable.
She sighed, and trudged after them slowly, listening as their laughter echoed along the hallway. She only got a few yards, before a hand clapped her on the shoulder, making her jump. "Hey!"
Luna spun around wildly, staring up at the person who had made her jump. It was a Slytherin boy, probably also in the seventh year, with neat, glossy black hair and dark, glittering eyes. He was smiling widely—and although Luna thought that he was harmless enough, she suspected something sinister in the way he bore his teeth slightly in his grin, like a shark.
"I'm sorry," Luna replied quietly, turning back to face the corridor and folding her arms. "I've not got anything else for you to take. Everything I had on me was in that bag."
The boy looked confused; his dark brow knitted together and his smile faltered. "Huh?" he blinked, clearly ignorant to what it was that Luna was talking about. "Can we start again?" He stuck out a hand and puffed out his chest slightly. "I'm—"
"—Regulus?" another voice called from down the hallway, and both Luna and Regulus turned to see who it was. The boy whom Luna had met a few days ago in the library, with the dark blond hair and chestnut coloured eyes was heading down the corridor, swinging his rucksack between his legs. "I've been looking for you everywhere—what are you doing?"
Regulus pursed his lips, and Luna noticed his expression tighten a little. "I was just introducing myself to...what did you say your name was?"
"I didn't," Luna responded, her lips twitching into the shadow of a smile. "Look, I have to—"
"I know where you've come from," the other boy interrupted suddenly, sounding unnecessarily menacing. Luna raised her eyebrows slightly, and Regulus gave him a pointed glare.
"Barty," he murmured warningly, but Barty was staring at Luna with an odd look in his eyes.
"You've been given a transfer. I've heard about witches and wizards who don't get their magical powers until a lot later on in their teens. That's what's happened to you, right? I mean, why else would you just suddenly appear in your—what are you, in your fifth or sixth year? It's okay, you can tell us. I mean, other kids might make fun of you if they found out, but I'm not a little snitch like—" Barty shot Regulus a dirty look, but he was smirking. "—some of us."
"Don't give me that look," Regulus laughed, rolling his eyes.
"Why?"
"You and I both know what happens when you give me that look, and now is not the time." Now it was Barty's turn to roll his eyes and turn his attention back to Luna.
"So? I'm right, aren't I?"
"I—no, no you're not," Luna sighed, resisting the urge to roll her own eyes at how wrong he was. "Look, I'll see you around—I really have to go." She started to hurry down the corridor, but she didn't have any corners to turn around any time soon, so Barty was able to follow her.
"Wait!" he called, but Regulus grabbed the back of his collar, pulling him back. "Get off me, idiot," he snapped. "I need to talk to her."
"Back off, Barty," he replied quietly, so that Luna wouldn't overhear as she briskly walked away. "You always get weird around girls," he added in a hushed tone.
"I do not," Barty sniffed, his cheeks tingeing pink. "Anyway, it was you who was getting all smarmy with he—" he was cut off as Regulus pressed his lips to his quickly, swallowing any other words that threatened to spill out of his mouth. Barty pulled away almost as suddenly as the kiss happened, lurching his head around wildly. "What are you doing?" he muttered, though he placed his hand gently on Regulus's chest. "Someone will see."
"Do you not think that I checked out for any nosy kids whilst I was listening to you whinge?" Regulus chuckled. "Now come on—lets catch up with her. You've obviously freaked her out." He interlocked his fingers through Barty's, briefly squeezing his hand before dropping it, and the pair headed off after Luna.
They found her on the third floor corridor, staring up into the rafters, where a pale blue rucksack was swinging by its straps. She was just raising her wand, about to levitate it back down to her, when she was surprised by Barty and Regulus for only the second time that day.
"What did you put your bag up there for?" Regulus asked stupidly, before the obvious seemed to cross his mind. Barty elbowed him in the ribs.
"Sometimes I think you're being deliberately stupid," he hissed, before looking at Luna. He pressed his lips together, feeling automatically nervous around the fair-skinned, unusual girl. Her silver eyes observed him carefully. "Back there. I'm sorry, for being so...erm..."
"Judgemental?" Luna offered, and Barty nodded.
"Yeah, that. I...you just...I feel like I—we—should get to know you."
Luna turned her attention back to her bag, and flourished her wand in a quick motion. Her bag began to float down towards her, and it landed in her hands. She opened it up quickly and checked the contents, and released a brief sigh of relief. Before she fastened it back up, Barty thought he caught the glimpse of a thin, golden chain, but he didn't see what it was attached to.
"As you can see, I don't really have much luck with friends," she stated, nodded towards the rafters.
"Who did it?" Regulus asked, folding his arms across his chest. There was a kind smile on his face, and Luna's slightly blank expression warmed a little.
"I don't know. Some seventh year boys—it doesn't matter, though," Luna sighed, but her smile brightened. "It's not unusual for me."
"I know who did it," Barty snarled suddenly, and he pushed his way between Regulus and Luna, and started streaming down the corridor. Luna blinked after him, looking slightly bewildered, but Regulus didn't wait—he tore after Barty, who seemed to be kicking up dust in his tracks.
"Barty, wait!" Regulus called, but the other Slytherin was seeing red. He seemed unable to hear anything else around him, especially not his best friend shouting after him. Luna caught up with Regulus, running alongside him briskly.
"What's the matter with him?" she asked uncertainly, staring after him. "I thought—I mean, he seemed a little...shy."
"That's Barty," Regulus chuckled as Barty vanished around a corner. "A man of few words—but the ones that come out aren't always the right ones. He has a temper like a motherf—"
"Expelliarmus!" Barty's voice cut through Regulus's cursing, and they rushed around the corner. When they reached him, Barty was pointing his wand at three Slytherins, and was clutching a handful of their wands in his free hand.
The boys—who Regulus recognised as Rabastan Lestrange and two of his cronies—were staring at Barty, looking startled. He had clearly caught them off guard—that, or they were confused that quiet little Barty Crouch, who usually stuck to his books and hid in the library, was confronting them.
"What the hell are you doing, Crouch?" snapped Rabastan, popping an eyebrow. "Give us our wands back. I don't need it to beat the crap out of you."
"Say sorry to her," Barty replied quietly, but their was a dangerous undertone to his voice that made the hairs on the back of Luna's neck stand on edge. Rabastan looked over at Luna, who was half-hidden behind Regulus, and his eyebrow disappeared further into his long fringe, a smirk growing on his face.
"This is about the girl? Really, you're going soft because of some pretty little thing," his eyes flickered to the blue-and-bronze crest on Luna's robes. "A Ravenclaw, too. Like your daddy, Crouch?"
"Calvorio," hissed Barty, slashing his wand through the air. A jet of red light streamed out of the tip of his wand and hit Rabastan squarely in the forehead, though he tried to duck the curse. Just as Luna and Regulus were contemplating whether the spell had actually worked, strands of hair began to fall from Rabastan's head, like a cat that was malting.
He reached up and grabbed at his shoulder-length, reddish-brown hair, but it was too late. Barty's smirk widened as Rabastan started pulling chunks of hair out of his head, leaving pale bald patches across his head.
"Barty..." whispered Luna, shocked that he'd done such a thing—even though, since his full name had been disclosed, she knew perfectly well of the man that he would become. She looked up at Regulus to see if he was mirroring her horror, but he was laughing loudly and clapping his hands.
"Alright, fine!" Rabastan yelled, angry tears beginning to spring into his eyes. "I'm sorry for hiding your bag, okay?" Luna nodded quickly, and Barty threw the wands at Rabastan.
Before the three Slytherins could scoop up their wands and try to get Barty back, he had already begun charging down the corridor again, with Luna and Regulus racing swiftly after him. Once they were safely out of view, they ducked into an archway in the corridor, catching their breath.
Once she had air back in her lungs, Luna clutched her chest and turned her attention to Barty. "You didn't have to do that," she murmured, feeling slightly nervous under his gaze. She didn't care much for violence—especially not when she felt slightly to blame.
But as Barty raked his hand through his scruffy hair and gave her a small smile, her heart fluttered slightly. "I'm Luna," she told them both. "Luna Lovegood." She stuck out her hand, and they both took turns to shake it.
"I'm sorry that things have gotten off on the wrong foot," Regulus stated, grinning. He shoved his hands into the pockets of his trousers. "But how about we all go to Hogsmeade next week? You can tell us all about where you've come from, then."
Luna hesitated, but as Barty eyed hopefully her with his deep brown gaze, she nodded. "Okay."