A/N: This is horrible and I know it. I had no time to write it because of my finals and even when I did, it was scorching hot, my brain was melting and I couldn't concentrate. I'm sorry. Damn. Also, if you squint, Luna/Harry.

Beta love: Huge thanks and virtual cookies for my amazing teammates. Namely, LittleMissXanda for somewhat helping me out with the plot and betaing, Kefalion for betaing the shit out of it (otherwise, it would've been even more horrible) and agentmoppet for betaing.

QLFC: Round 4 - Collective Prompt: Write in a creature's POV (chosen creature: thestral)

Optional prompts:

1. (word) soul

5. (quote) "Not all who wander are lost." - J.R.R. Tolkien

6. (word) Stygian

(Notey note: Dilys is a Welsh name, means "genuine", and Mabyn is also a welsh name, meaning "youth")

The Eurovision Song Contest Competition: (word) alone /United Kingdom/

Word count: 1762 (provided by MS Word)

The first time Dilys saw her wandering through the Forest, she sensed something blue. The girl's aura was a deep hue of midnight blue—the colour of gloom. Dilys couldn't quite understand how a little girl—somewhere between her childhood and adulthood, it seemed—could have been so melancholic, and she found that she wanted to help this girl, for her smile to become genuine, for her colour to lighten.

The girl wore a small, dreamy smile on her face; Dilys, however, could see through it. On the inside, the girl's soul was broken into a million pieces. Dilys wondered why, and she also wondered what or who could have done that to the girl. Regrettably, it was unlikely that Dilys would ever know. No animals or humans ever talked to Stygian creatures like her. Her kind was deemed hellish and thought of as bringers of doom; it was because they were visible only if one had witnessed death. They were destined to remain alone, hidden in the shadows, away from prying eyes.

And as such, what surprised her was when the little, blond-haired girl drew closer to her, holding a piece of bloody meat in her right hand. The human's eyes sparkled with interest—interest that Dilys had never seen before. Not even the sorrow inside the girl could make the cheerful smile on her face cease.

"I'm Luna," said the girl, stretching her right hand forward.

Dilys eyed the girl—apparently named Luna—and lowered her head, taking the meat. It tasted better than she had thought it would, so she neighed in delight, which made the smile on the girl's face stretch. It seemed that even her blue mood faded a little as well. Accepting the meat seemed to brighten the girl's aura already, which Dilys took as a positive sign.

"Many people say I should stay away from creatures like you; others say you don't even exist," said Luna. "I never believed either of them."

The girl made Dilys confused with her words. She was kind, surprisingly kind for someone with such sadness within them.

"I think you're pretty," the human continued. "You and your kind are outcasts, just like me, but isn't that what makes us unique?"

Stunned by her words, Dilys froze right where she stood. She never thought of it that way.

"You can also understand what I say, it seems," Luna mused. "I wonder if you heard what we were talking about while we rode in the carriages as well. Harry was frightened—probably because he didn't yet understand. Look, I have to go back to the Castle before curfew, but I promise I'll be back sometime. It was nice to meet you."

Luna then rushed away, back out of the Forbidden Forest and through the Hogwarts Grounds, leaving Dilys to follow her and her still blue aura with her gaze until the shadows consumed her in the distance.

~oOo~

Over the next couple of months, she and Luna met often; Luna would tell stories about her life while Dilys would scrutinise her for any changes of colour in her aura. Most of the time, it was still deep blue, although Dilys noticed that it would always be a bit brighter after each visit.

One time, months after their first meeting, Luna came to meet her, Dilys wasn't alone, but with her infant child Mabyn. The girl's aura wasn't as deep of a blue as it had been the first time they had met; it was somewhat closer to a turquoise shade now—blue and green. Calmness mixed with sorrow was emitting out of her.

Soon, another human joined her, one who Dilys recognised as Harry, the boy Luna had been talking about. He was a dull shade of grey, the colour of depression and despair. Dilys, while watching her daughter eating a piece of meat, stole a glance at the boy. The boy seemed quite distant, although she knew he could see both her and her child. Dilys supposed it must have been because of his colour.

However, Luna's aura changed somewhat as soon as she looked at him. Her turquoise colour became more green-tinted. Dilys couldn't help but wonder how the boy was able to calm the girl.

Thestrals couldn't read relationships between other species, after all, despite them being able to see auras. Not that there would be a need for it, although, Dilys wished she could see them now. She wanted to understand Luna's relationship with the boy and maybe even help her, if needed.

"You're just as sane as I am." The older thestral could hear Luna say to the boy, who—it seemed—was not comforted by her words. Although, he did inch a little bit closer to Dilys and Mabyn.

If nothing else, it made Dilys even more curious about humans.

~oOo~

Between then and the Battle of Hogwarts, Dilys and Luna met quite often; sometimes, only days would pass between visits. Other times, it would be weeks.

In the autumn of Luna's sixth year, though—or so she claimed—a worryingly long time passed before the girl came to Dilys, and even then, Luna had told her that it was impossible for them to meet, not while the reign of the current Headmaster lasted. So, they didn't meet. Not for months.

After then, Dilys remained alone and secluded in the Forest, raising her child in the shadows, her trust in Luna fading with each and every passing day. At the time of the Battle of Hogwarts, her trust in the human species had already been broken. Because of that, even as she heard the herd of Death Eaters marching through the Forest, she never edged closer to them, not letting her curiosity to get the better of her. She wanted to find out what had happened to Luna badly; she cared for her, and she still wanted to see if the girl's colour remained untainted, even though the girl had not been a good friend in the past months. Rather than following the humans, however, she did everything she could to hide Mabyn from them. More than anything, she wanted her child safe from all those witches and wizards.

And still, as the Battle went on and on, she could always hear distant screams and shouts piercing through the air, reaching all the way into the depths of the forest. She could feel the death of many people, and then many more. Even from such a distance, she could see the auras: red, black and grey—anger, grief and desperation. It was possibly the worst mixture of feelings she had ever encountered.

The truth was that she wanted to go and help her friend despite her wariness towards humans. Luna meant a lot to Dilys—she meant her hope. She was the only friend she had ever had outside of her herd, whom she barely had any connection with anyway. Still, she couldn't leave Mabyn alone. Her child hadn't even lived for three Midsummer's Days, which meant she wasn't yet strong enough to hide on her own, and Dilys, like any other thestral, valued her blood over everything else.

Thestrals were rare creatures; they had to protect themselves, no matter how much it cost.

And so, as much as it pained her to do so, Dilys remained hidden in the woods, watching the Battle from afar, praying for the stars for her to survive.

~oOo~

Another year or so passed before she saw the blond-haired witch again. Dilys had been watching over Mabyn again, who was trying out her wings for the first time, when she heard the twigs and leaves rustle from behind her, revealing a now eighteen-year-old girl, standing beside the boy named Harry, whom Dilys had met only once before.

Luna's aura was duller than usual, as was her smile, which had always been cheery. Her eyes spoke of unspoken grief and suppressed despair, even as she neared Dilys and Mabyn. Luna held meat in her right hand, as per usual, and was dragging the boy along towards them with the other.

"It's been long since we've last met," she said, throwing the food in front of Mabyn, patting Dilys with her left hand. "Nothing's stopping me from visiting now and I'm feeling better. Don't worry. I hope you do as well. It must have been strange for you to have so many prying eyes on you in September—I can understand. A lot of people died. Though, I guess you know that already. We've all been coping, though. Right, Harry?"

"I… I guess," the boy replied, scratching the back of his head.

"I recently realised that I never gave you a name," Luna continued absentmindedly. "I suppose you already have a name, but you never told me what it was. I want to name you Aderyn. It means bird in Welsh, and I think it fits you. You're just like a bird, flying majestically across the sky. I'd name your child Nerys. I found these names in my sixth year, while I couldn't come and see you, and it made me think about you two. Are you happy with it?"

Dilys neighed. She had no other way of telling her how delighted she was. After all, it seemed that the girl cared about Dilys as much as the thestral cared about her, and her visits weren't out of necessity, but out of companionship. Dilys could only imagine how her aura must have looked at that moment.

Luna nodded. "I'm glad you like it. See, I and Harry have to go soon; I'm having my graduation ceremony later today. But I wanted to see you once more before I leave Hogwarts behind. I thought about it a lot, and I think it's time for me to move on."

At that moment, Dilys knew that she would probably never see the girl again. She had moved on, it seemed, even if it meant that only the memory of the girl would remain for the thestral. Dilys sensed a feeling of melancholy emitting from the girl as well—it was a light shade of brown.

"Goodbye, Aderyn," Luna said finally, after what seemed like hours. "I hope you can find your place soon."

Dilys watched as the girl dragged the boy with her, out of the woods.

Maybe she hasn't found her place yet, Dilys thought of the young witch as she glanced at Mabyn to be sure of her safety, but not all who wander are lost, and not all who're lonely are alone.