Chapter 12 –
Harry never managed to gain enough courage to ask Madame Pomfrey about those evolutionary blocks… Madame Pomfrey had already had hours with him and Harry had lost any courage the moment she went in search for plastic gloves.
He took the opportunity that presented itself and grabbed his wand and ran for it. Unfortunately he was in a hospital gown, luckily he still had his underwear on, but unluckily, he could not figure out where the rest of his clothes were.
Running down the halls trying to elude students and teachers while displaying the back side of his dark grey boxers, Harry found himself smack dab in between a rock and a hard place.
"But Bradley is so cute, did you see those dimples, I almost died when he smiled at me." A feminine voice giggled. A few other giggles seemed to follow the proclamation. Seeing as the voices were unfamiliar and Bradley didn't sound like anyone in his year, he assumed that these were probably one of the younger years. Turning around trying to avoid the horde of girls in his state of undress he doubled back the way he came.
Turning a corner he dashed back until he spotted a group of shoulder high shadows approaching the corner.
"What do you mean he likes her, he so obviously still has a thing for Cho. I mean Cho's a seeker, he's a seeker, she dated Cedric, and he was a champion like Cedric… That loony girl, they have nothing in common, unlike Harry and Cho." A nasally voice expunged.
"I'm just saying what I heard, and have you seen the way they are always so touchy feely together now…" another voice echoed. Harry recognized that voice as Lavenders. Taking the only other direction he could in this three way intersection of corridors, Harry ran the other corridor hopping to avoid the horde of women.
Harry believed he was home free… until he turned the corner and quickly ran back.
In the last corridor he had spotted the diminutive figure of the school nurse on a war path as she was clearly in search of Harry himself.
Harry was trapped. If he went down the first corridor, he would be spotted by possibly younger years and rumour would spread that he liked to flash the younger girls his backside, and then Madame Pomfrey would get a hold of him after running into the same group, if he took the second route, he would run into lavender and a unknown girl who he suspected was one of Cho's friends and flash his backside at them, thus showing the biggest gossip and a mate of his ex, his humble posterior and Madame Pomfrey would no which way he ran by Lavenders squeals of joy from the gossip to be had, or Cho's friends remarks about Cho's taste in scrawny arsed pale skinned celebrities, and the third option was just to horrifying to contemplate.
Harry was trapped.
Spinning around in circles, Harry considered taking his chance with the first corridor before he spotted the most wondrous thing Hogwarts had ever held.
Making a mad dash Harry, ran directly to the centre of the intersection and his forth and hopefully best option. The Broom closet.
Tripping slightly on his robes Harry skid to the door and quickly opened and shut it with him inside. He felt handles and other objects, soft, hard, cold, warm, and any other form of sensation crash into his body, but he ignored them in favour of keeping his ears to the door and monitoring the traffic on the other side.
"I don't see it, Bradley's ok, but he's so immature." A female voice criticized
"He's eleven, what do you expect?" a voice reminded the other.
"Just because were first years doesn't mean we have to settle you know, you don't see me settling for just any wizard." A familiar voice complained cutely. Harry whispered his denial, not willing to believe that he had been lucky enough to avoid this first year.
"Whatever Creavey, like Potter would give you the time of day." A sardonic voice criticized.
"No!" Harry whispered to himself with wide eyes.
"No what?" a soft voice asked from somewhere bellow Harry's head.
Harry startled, slammed his head against the side of the small broom closet as he took in the fact that he was trapped in a broom closet with an unknown female voice with three other groups of females converging on his position outside.
While he was in boxers!
"Ow, you hit my necklace; do you know how many butter beers it cost to make this thing." A female voice groused.
"Luna?" Harry whispered. Surprised that of all the people to be stuck in a closet with, he had found...
"What are you doing in a broom closet?" 'Alone I hope…' Harry mentally added hoping there were no other people trapped in the surprisingly spacious closet.
"What are you doing in a broom closet?" Luna shot back.
Harry considered shooting back that he had asked her first when he heard from the outside…
"Did you hear that? I though I heard someone." Lavender browns voice queried from outside the door.
"That's ussmmf" Luna tried to identify but Harry had placed a hand over her mouth and whispered a quick "shhh!"
"There it is again… I know I heard it that time…. "Lavender complained suspiciously.
"I heard something too..." Pauline's voice echoed confusedly as she piped up anonymously from the outside.
"Quiet midget… the grown ups are talking here." the Cho supporter barked.
A muttering of "how rude", and "lousy 6th years" resounded around the outside.
Then all went quite.
…
"Have any of you seen Harry Potter go this way." An angry medi-witch demanded.
"No Madame Pomfrey" resounded outside, some slightly terrified by the angry tone. Harry was terrified and sweating if how wet his hand felt was any indication.
"No good gryffindors… always thinking they know better." Madame Pomfrey mumbled to herself irately.
"Hey!" Lavender and Pauline Creavey groused in indignation.
"What are you still doing here…. You should be back in your common rooms by now, curfew started hours ago. Especially for you two." Madame Pomfrey demanded.
"We got lost…" The other voice who had discussed Bradley's dimples epeed out in terror.
"Mrs. Brown, show them to their common rooms… where you should be as well."
"Yes Madame Pomfrey…" Lavender squeaked.
Many soft pitter patters later and a few more minutes after a more angry stomping walked away mumbling about making her plastic gloves extra cold… Harry finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Feeling a tingling on the palm of his hand Harry looked down to find Luna's head.
Releasing her and feeling a slick wet substance on the palm of his hand he looked at Luna questioningly.
"Did you lick my hand?" Harry asked in surprise.
"Did you cover my mouth with your hand?" Luna asked with a raised eyebrow in the almost pitch black broom closet. Grabbing a handful of Harry's hospital gown Luna wiped at her face to get the rest of her saliva off and proceeded to peek outside the broom closet.
Harry chose not to respond to Luna's rebuttal and peeked outside the broom closet himself.
The torches that gave off light in the corridor were starting to put themselves out indicating that it was well passed curfew, and lavender was lucky to not have had house points taken from her.
Stepping out into the empty corridor Harry took in what little of Luna he could from the moonlight.
Her hair was slightly more straggly than normal, presumably from the tussle Harry had caused inside the closet, her robes equally rumpled but overall, she looked her normal hyper alert, dreamy self.
"What were you doing in a closet?" Harry asked puzzled as he grabbed what little of his gown he could and secured his backside together.
Luna looked at Harry, and shrugged her shoulders indicating that she didn't have a reason.
"Well what are you doing out so late, you could get in trouble?" Harry asked after puzzling the mystery of Luna hiding out in broom closets.
"What are you doing out so late?" Luna asked back.
"Hiding from Pomfrey" Harry automatically answered with no shame whatsoever.
"Strange…" Luna commented, clearly puzzled by Harry's behaviour. She spun on her heals and stopped twirling as she faced the centre corridor adjacent to the broom closet and proceeded to skip down it.
After taking in the fact that Luna had called his actions strange, Harry decided to accompany the girl down the lonely, quickly dimming, hall.
"Luna…. Where are you going? The Ravenclaw common room is that way." Harry questioned as Luna took another turn that lead Harry to the lower levels of the castle.
"I don't know? Where are you going?" Luna questioned innocently.
"I was following you… aren't you heading to the common rooms?" Harry questioned.
"Nope."
"Then where?" Harry puzzled after the girl.
"Why do I have to be heading anywhere...?" Luna questioned back. She had stopped looking where she was going, instead she let her eyes close, slowed her bouncing to a trot as she walked on slowly.
Suddenly stopping, the girl tilted her head up and to the right slightly as if listening to something… then she twirled on the spot and came face to face with a curious Harry.
"Walk me outside?" she half asked, half stated.
Re-pivoting on her heals she started walking in the direction of the entrance doors.
Regaining his bearings Harry chased after the puzzling girl.
"Now… but its past curfew… 11, 11:30 at night" Harry reminded the girl.
"11:58 to be exact." Luna helpfully corrected.
"Exactly, aren't you worried about getting in trouble?" Harry asked curious with the aloofness of the girl.
"Why would I be… the worst they can do is assign me to a detention and take away house points." Luna commented back as she turned around to face Harry. Looking him in the eye like she found a particularly interesting species of goldfish to study.
"And your not worried about that… won't your house mates be angry with you for loosing them house points." Harry asked curious with her answer.
"And if they are…?" Luna shot back.
"Well doesn't that bother you? Having them upset with you." Harry asked. Memories of being ostracized by his own house every time he lost points; vividly engrained in his memories.
"Why does it bother you?" Luna asked. Tilting her head in interest, she watched Harry as he comprehended her question.
"I…" Harry wasn't entirely sure how to answer Luna's simple question. It did bother him, it bothered him a lot, but the reason just seemed so obvious that he never questioned 'why'.
Images of angry judgemental faces of his fellow students sped across his vision. Memories of fear and panic from his second year as he was rejected for his unique ability to converse with snakes, memories of jealousy from his forth as he was called a champion, memories of the loneliness.
"There's your answer." Luna announced to Harry's right.
Harry's eyes widened slightly as he found himself outside by the lake, the rock where he had fallen asleep days earlier, feet away.
"What are we doing out here?" Harry asked the girl as she proceeded to brush leaves and dirt away from the ground.
"You said we could watch the sunrise together… We have time so we might as well make ourselves comfortable." Luna answered back as she inspected her handiwork.
"Luna… the sunsets not for another… 5, 6 hours!" Harry reminded the girl.
"Well I'm not much of a morning person, so let's just stay awake instead of getting up early." Luna replied ignoring Harry's incredulous tone.
"But… I'm… Look at what I'm wearing… I have to go back to Gryffindor tower… get some other clothes on… get my invisibility cloak, the map. We can't just wait here all night
"Don't you have your wand?" Luna asked.
"Ya… but" Harry admitted, a little puzzled.
"Oh… I see, you have trouble in transfiguration." Luna said in comprehension as she looked at him sympathetically.
Feeling a little bothered that she thought he had trouble in the subject Harry quickly defended himself.
"I don't have trouble in Transfiguration… I got one of the top marks for my year in fact." Harry corrected the girl.
Luna then just looked at him with a quirked eye brow, as if to say "well…what are you waiting for?"
A memory of Hermione being reminded that she was a witch, caused Harry to blush and wave his wand about himself, transforming his gown, into a more respectable shirt and jogging pants.
They weren't anything spectacular, and Glad rags certainly wouldn't be selling a Potter line, but it suited his purposes as he lowered himself and sat next to the smiling witch.
Luna smiled once more before fully lying back and staring up at the sky.
Moments passed and Harry awkwardly tried to stay comfortable, but he felt slightly out of place. He couldn't figure how Luna could be so at ease.
Finally finding a positing lying at a 90 degree angle to Luna's head as he lay in a patch of grass, Harry finally looked at the sky.
"Huh…" Harry said in surprise.
"What?" Luna questioned serenely.
"Mars is bright… go figure." Harry said as he stared at the familiar light in the sky.
Moments passed before Luna giggled slightly. "You're strange Harry."
Harry couldn't help but grin at that, as coming from her, it sounded like a compliment.
Wondering whether he was supposed to strike up conversation or let the silence continue… Harry watched as some fairly thick clouds rolled across the sky.
"It looks like the clouds may make block the sun…" Harry said a little sadly as the idea of staying up to spot the sunrise had grown on him a little.
"Maybe… or it could make it better." Luna said vaguely.
Wondering what she meant Harry turned his head and opened his mouth to ask…
Pitter
Stopping and turning at the soft sound coming form the lake Harry saw small ripples spread across the surface.
Patter
This time he felt it as a particularly large rain drop splashed across his glasses.
"Perfect…" Luna said happily as she felt a sprinkle of water hit her face. Her eye's closed in pleasure as she felt the liquid crawl across her cheek and drip off her ear.
"Luna its going to rain… we should go in side." Harry said.
"Why?" she asked.
"It's raining…" Harry said, as if it were obvious. As if to emphasize this … the cloud suddenly started to release large torrents of water. The light drizzle they had felt earlier had suddenly become a heavy shower.
Through all this, Luna's content smile grew wider.
"Relax Harry." Luna calmly commanded. Taking her wand up lazily she mumbled something while waving it in Harry's direction and he felt him self grow warm. Looking down at his hands, the rain barely seemed to make contact with his skin as it glided off him.
"Haven't you ever just stood out in the rain before, or listened to the noise it makes as it hits the ground?" Luna asked in a tone that was dreamy and wistful.
Assuming that Luna had prevented him from getting sick by placing a warming charm and impervious on him. Harry thought on what Luna had said.
He had never really given it much thought as it were. He had always looked at rain as a negative. Something to bring a persons mood down. Clear skies and bright sunlight, that's what he always pictured to be a good day.
"Just stop, close your eyes, and listen." She suggested.
Not sure why, Harry heeded her command, and lay back, and closed his eyes.
'This is stupid…' his inner voice reprimanded him, making him feel like a fool to be following such an absurd girl. But another voice, the voice that sounded just like him, the strong voice that helped him overcome the imperious. It urged him to just try.
Wondering briefly why his mind was arguing with itself, he let himself relax and listened.
Pitter…
Patter…
Such a simple noise.
Pitter …
Patter….
Although the impervious was keeping him dry, he could feel the rain drops hitting his body.
It felt… like music.
Each little hit followed by another and another… they soothed him. They formed their own chaotic rhythm and allowed Harry to relax even further.
"It's actually quite nice…" Harry admitted. As the first traces of a smile formed on his lips.
"Mmm hmm… My mum used to sit me on the terrace and we would fall asleep listening to the rain fall." Luna said fondly.
Harry's smile started to disappear as he contemplated what she had said. "Luna…?"
"Yes Harry…"
He felt like he should ask something… something profound. He felt like just maybe if he asked her this one question, she might be able to give him the answer.
"How… how did you get over your mother?"
Luna remained quiet for a few moments and Harry wasn't sure whether she had heard him, whether he had crossed a line in asking her such a question.
"I'm not sure." She finally answered, dashing away his earlier feeling like a broom sweeping away dirt.
"You're not sure?" Harry asked unsure how to interpret that.
"I can't just say that one morning I woke up and suddenly the world was wonderful again, but I wasn't as sad anymore." Luna answered in what sounded like a slightly puzzled voice.
"How did you get over your parents?" she asked back.
Harry wasn't prepared for her to turn his question back on him. He tried to open his mouth, maybe say something along the lines of I didn't, or I'm still grieving but instead answered…
"I never knew them. I don't think I had anything to get over."
Stopping to comprehend how callous that sounded, he wanted to further explain, to defend himself. He did feel sad for them, and he was always grateful that they had sacrificed their lives for him. But the truth was, they were strangers to him. He had always believed the sadness he felt for them was true grief but he realized once Cedric and Sirius had died. He had never truly felt grief. He had never had anyone but himself to grieve for.
"That's understandable." Luna finally answered back.
She didn't sound appalled or shocked at his answer. She didn't even sound like she pitied him, like his friends would if he were to ever reveal the same thing to them. She sounded … accepting.
"Your right Harry, I shouldn't have dragged you out here." Luna finally said after a comfortable silence. She sounded resigned and a little embarrassed. Harry stopped to wonder why.
Flashing back quickly he recalled every word that escaped his mouth. They all sounded like he didn't want to be here… he didn't want to be here with her. His morbid question couldn't have really have helped any either. Harry felt ashamed now as he finally opened his eyes and looked towards the girl who was already sitting up with her back turned to him as she stared resignedly at the rippling lake.
She started to sit up but stopped as Harry's hand snaked out and held her wrists.
Looking at him questioningly, Harry quirked an eye at her.
"Luna…"
"Harry…?"
"… I'm trying to listen to the rain here." He sent her a warm, if not crooked smile, and pulled her back down to the ground.
He was pleased to see her frown turn back into grin.
.. … … … .. … … … ..
For the next few hours, Luna and Harry lay back, and enjoyed each others silent company.
For brief moments their silence was interspersed with conversation, questioning each other of inane topics, like each others favourite class or most loathed candy.
It was pleasant, and the constant showers that had barely wet them, soothed them.
Unfortunately tranquility was never meant to last.
"Who's there…? Show your self!" a gruff angry voice called.
Both of them bolted upright and turned to see a lantern making its way towards them. A hobbling Filch with an umbrella, as bent and crooked as they came, shielding him from the elements. Amber eyes watched them from the ajar entrance doors to the castle.
"Crap…"
Harry wasn't sure whether it was him or Luna who had said it.
Jumping to her feet with speed he found admirable, she quickly waved Harry to get up.
"Come on Harry." Luna coaxed as she held out a hand for him to get up with.
"Who are you? Don't move!" filch commanded as he started to speed up towards them.
Harry didn't need any further coaxing as he jumped to his feet and pulled Luna the other direction. Her heading away from filch, where as he decided to test how much of the marauders map he had remembered.
"Stop!" filch yelled as he outright ran trying to catch up to them. Unluckily for him he ran through a particularly slippery patch of grass. Harry and Luna smiled at each other as they heard him yelling and splattering himself in mud.
"That was close…" Luna sighed.
"What happened to 'all they can do is give us detention and take away house points'?" Harry prodded with a grin.
Luna smiled back winningly "doesn't mean we have to make it easy for them."
Harry laughed as he led her inside.
"Stop… Show yourselves." A familiar voice commanded from within the building.
"Oh Crap" this time Harry knew it was him who said it. As he pulled Luna the other direction, away from the potions master.
Remembering a passage way embedded within the courtyard he had always been curious about but never having the opportunity to explore, Harry weaved between columns and exterior corridors, as he led Luna from the north face of the castle to the west face near the green houses.
He could hear Filch finally catching up with them. Years of chasing down Fred and George having made him quite the runner. There was no sign of Snape but Harry was fairly sure he was trying to cut them off by running from within the castle.
Spotting the fountain that lay in the centre of the court yard, Harry slowed down to a slow jog and put a finger in front of his mouth. Luna just smiled back as if she were having the time of her life.
Hiding behind a wall near the entrance to the court yard, Harry peaked around the corner and to a quick glance.
As he had guessed; Harry could see the light of Snapes Lumos illuminating one side of the corridor inside. The man was obviously lying in wait, hoping to scare them to death when they tried to escape inside.
Looking at Luna and waving her to follow, Harry crouched low and ran as fast as he could to the fountain. Running his fingers along it, he walked the perimeter of the fountain until he found what he was looking for. The fountain was designed with a extra brick along one side of it. The square, clashing spectacularly with the round curves of the entire fountain. Grinning like a fool. He pulled out his wand and touched the side facing into the fountain and said "Dissendium."
Immediately the water with in the fountain drained away, and the floor started to lower by segments. Finally what was left was a wet spiral staircase that led down into the earth.
Harry grinned smugly at Luna, as she quirked her eyes indicating that she was impressed.
"Stop you…" filch yelled as he finally made his way to the entrance of the courtyard. Thankful that it was still pitch black out. Harry and Luna dashed inside and stepped on to the surprisingly clean tile floor at the base. Immediately, the stairs rose up, to become the floor of the fountain once more. Stopping to listen, Luna and Harry waited with baited breath.
"Where are they, Filch!" an angry voice yelled in a whisper to filch.
"They were just here, they must have snuck inside."
"Impossible, I was waiting, I would have seen them." Snape scowled back.
"Then they must still be out here… probably some young couple trying to get frisky…." Filch said in disgust.
Harry avoided looking at Luna as he felt his cheeks flame, due to the tiny space they were in, they were fairly close as well, so that did not help his situation as he recalled Lavenders words from earlier.
"Well come on then… they can't have gotten far." Snape said archly as he commanded filch to catch the foul miscreants.
Harry and Luna waited with bated breath for a few more moments before sighing in relief.
Taking a step back Harry finally pulled out his wand and called forth a Lumos. The bright light shun with in the space. The ceiling dripping slightly and the walls covered in rolling etched curves that encircled the circumference.
"Where are we?" Luna asked as she walked around the foundations of the fountain. A large circular column supporting the weight of the fountain above.
"I'm not totally sure really. Remember the map I have?" Harry asked.
"Yea…" she replied distractedly as she continued to circle the walls running her hands across the intricately carved walls.
"Well I remember seeing there being a secret passage here, but I never actually took the time to have a look." Harry admitted. Finally Luna stopped running her fingers along the walls and turned back to Harry.
"Well shall we?" she asked.
Harry grinned, stepped aside and struck his wand hand inside the dark corridor.
A long corridor with stone floors and the same intricate carvings on the walls lead to a set of stairs at the end, maybe 12 or 15 meters away.
Walking down the corridor, they admired the artwork along the walls. It seemed funny that such intricate and clearly time consuming art would be hidden in such a secret place, instead of being showcased for all to see.
The lines and curves slowly started to form flowers and bushes, as they started to lead them to the stairs. A definite earthy smell permeated the air as they rose high and higher. Stopping at a landing that turned into a u turn, it took them in a path parallel to the corridor they just travelled, taking them further and further away from the fountain and subsequently the castle.
Grudgingly Harry voiced the responsible thing to do.
"Maybe we should head back…" he said. Thinking that he probably shouldn't lead Luna to an unknown location.
Luna stared at him incredulously. "What are you, Daft?" And continued to walk down the corridor with her own wand held high.
Harry couldn't help but grin as he caught up with her and they sped their pace up a little to the very end of the corridor. Another familiar circular column in a circular room with a segmented ceiling lay at the end.
"Dissendium" he called as he touched his wand to the ceiling where a square block hung extruded from the top. Immediately water funnelled down from the ceiling around the column and drained away through cracks in the floor.
The spiral staircase reappeared and they found themselves walking up into a herbologists dream.
From what they could tell they were in a green house, but none like the ones back at Hogwarts. This was enormous, the size of a regular house. Beautiful flowers lay along the walls over grown and wild, but still dazzling in the moonlight.
Stepping out of the fountain allowing it to finally close, and water shoot up, and quickly refill it they walked around it with their Lumos wands held high. None of the plant's seemed dangerous, in fact, the only plant that were within the glass structure, were flowers, bushes, one exceedingly large tree that the green house seemed to be built around with a man made exit surrounding the trunk of the tree, and what looked like a raspberry bush.
Waving his wand over it, with a quick diagnostic spell he had learned. It glowed a healthy yellow, and he pulled one off and offered it to Luna, as he grabbed another for himself.
"Harry… over here." Luna called excitedly.
Harry quickly grabbed another raspberry, and jogged over to Luna.
She had found herself on a balcony of sorts. They appeared to be somewhere east of Hogwarts, the tunnel having curved slightly. High up at the edge of a cliff where the mountains began. They certainly had not walked that far, but here they were.
But the balcony overlooked Hogwarts. But to say such a thing was like saying the Pacific Ocean was large. No words could truly express the sight they were privy. The rain clouds had followed them to the mountains, it being slightly colder, they received a mix of rain and snow. The soft tapping of rain hitting glass, resonated pleasantly in the green house behind them. There were still a few clouds scattered around Hogwarts but they were light and wispy. It was a quick rainfall, that was for sure. At the edge of their vision, the large lake that often Harry had mistaken for a sea stretched out to the horizon. The forbidden forest encircling the two.
Quickly checking his watch, Harry smiled and offered his wrist to Luna to see.
A smile graced her face as she excitedly went back in search of more raspberries.
Harry couldn't keep the wide grin off his face as Luna scurried about the garden. He busied himself with conjuring a, if he were to say so, very comfortable swinging bench. He decided to go all out, and conjured some cushioning to overlap the hard wooden structure.
Luna fluttered back, an excited mystique about her, nothing about her indicated dreaminess now. It was like watching a child getting ready to go to a park. Gathering all their toys to play with while wondering what new friend she might make today.
She had found a wooden basket, that Harry assumed had been for carrying over potted plants, and other garden things. Harry also assumed Luna had cleaned it before placing what appeared to be every berry on that little bush inside. Which turned out to be quite a few.
Luna quickly grabbed Harry's watch and pulled it to herself, clicking in impatience at the time indicated; she hauled the basket over and sat herself down on the swing Harry had created.
"Very nice" Luna complimented as she sank into the swing.
Harry bowed his head slightly in thanks and sat beside her.
Leaning back like Luna, Harry used his legs to kick off slightly and started the rocking motion. Luna, who was significantly shorter than Harry, having grown considerably during the summer and through out the school year, couldn't even reach the floor with her feat as she sat. Harry just liked that for some reason he could not and would not rationalize.
Feeling a tremor, Harry looked over at Luna and noticed she was shivering slightly, either that or twitching spasmodically from excitement. Not understanding why, or not willing to consciously acknowledge why he chose his next course of action; Harry took his wand and conjured large thick blanket over each of them, instead of renewing the warming charms, Luna had placed on them earlier.
Luna stayed silent for a few moments after Harry's gesture, and Harry wondered whether he had been too forward, but a slow shy smile crept its way across her face as she refused to look Harry in the eye.
Harry for the first time in forever, felt content. He sat staring out at the majestic scene of a fairytale castle by a lake, with soft taps of a dieing shower tapping soothingly over the glass panes of a wild secret garden, side by side with a girl who he admitted, he might have liked more than a friend. Certainly more than Ron at least.
The world started to become slightly brighter over the next few minutes, a soft breeze blew across the tree tops of the forbidden forest, causing a fluttering of leaves and birds.
Almost able to countdown how long till the event with raspberries, they each ate one at almost scheduled order.
6 raspberries
The water took on a slight shimmer
4 raspberries
The world shifted to a almost daylight brightness
2 raspberries
A cloud finally cleared away from the heavenly seat of honour.
0 raspberries
An awkward silence
Still 0 raspberries
It finally happened.
The sky took on hues of orange and pink, the water glistened brightly, and Hogwarts castle shined an unearthly glow as the bright morning light hit the damp surface of the ancient castle.
A blinding light from the centre of their view above the surface of the lake brought the world alive with gentle brilliance. 'Luna was right; the clouds do make it better'
For the thin wisps and fluffy clouds surrounding the bright ball of flame, lit up spectacularly with yellows and reds, even the pink looked awe inspiring to Harry.
Not caring why he felt the need to do what he was about to do; Harry raised his left arm and placed it around Luna's shoulder. She leaned into his touch and rests her head on his shoulder, wrapping her arms around his torso in the process.
"Good morning Luna" He whispered to her. She squeezed him slightly and turned her head to look at his, with shiny grey eyes. The light giving them the same unearthly glow that Hogwarts enjoyed. A smile like no other graced her face.
"Morning Harry" She whispered back. And they both turned back to look on at the long nights wait.
The sun shining a new day for the pair.
… … .. … …
After spending an unknown but significant amount of time in the Green house, the pair wordlessly got up, Luna still grasping the blanket Harry had created, and followed the tunnel back to the courtyard.
Splitting up briefly they made there ways to their common rooms, where they proceeded with their morning routines.
Students watched as Harry Potter sprinted across hallways and corridors to make it to the great hall.
Finally making it to the large wooden doors of the room, Harry peaked inside and saw to his delight, that Luna was still not there.
Waiting a few moments, Harry was rewarded with the sight of the familiar blonde witch.
"You ready?" He called as he approached her.
"Ready?" she asked in confusion.
With a grin he guided her to a spot near the doors near the corner of the hallway.
Walking backwards, Harry made his way to the corner and after a few moments jogged back and theatrically bumped into Luna.
"What a surprise to bump into you here." He cried with horribly acted shock.
Luna looked like she wanted to play along but all she could do was giggle and guide him back into the great hall. "You're a horrible actor, you know that right." Luna commented.
Harry huffed indignantly." I don't know what you mean." He was betrayed by the corner of his mouth quirking slightly at Luna's continued laugh.
They both heard the gossip of their fellow students as Luna easily dragged him towards the Ravenclaw table today.
"Don't they look chummy…"
"It's been like this since the opening feast…"
"You don't think… Potter, and Loony?!"
"Aww, look at that she's holding his hand."
They heard and they didn't care, as they ate and chatted. It was left unsaid that the secret green house would lie theirs alone.
It was a fairly good morning for all of them, Snapes and Filches, suspicious glares only sent them into silent laughing fits, further incriminating them towards the two surly sleep deprived faculty members.
Nothing could interrupt their morning…
Well until Madame Pomfrey made an appearance.
"Potter!"
"Oh Crap…"
As Luna watched Harry being dragged away by an angry medi-witch, the only thing she could think to say was…
"Strange…"
AN: Alright this was a lot fluffy. No doubt about that. I hope I didn't over do it with the descriptions and all.
I first thought, maybe they should end the long night lying on their backs but then I figured this whole experience was highly unusual, and Harry needs something to calm his normally hectic nerves down. I mean he's just been told dozens of people died in a murder attempt on his life, he's having a rough time forgiving Hermione, and as a result isn't as chummy with Ron as usual. He deserves something to calm down.
Also I figure, Harry can't lie to himself anymore. He likes Luna, She clearly likes him, everyone knows, I don't want to drag it out. There not officially boyfriend and girlfriend yet… but this is a significant leap for them.
I'm borrowing slightly from a later scene in the story with the Luna-Harry'ness, but what the hey, why not.
I thought it was fairly important to have Harry have a conflicting opinion in his head. So many times in cannon and god knows how much in fanfiction, Harry's voice of reason, his conscience is Hermione. In my story, Hermione represents Harry's doubts so instead of being the voice of reason, she is that criticising voice in his head that tells him he's making a fool of himself, and to save face. It some times comes up with some good advice, but in general it's only there to vocalize Harry's doubts to him.
The other voice, The one that helps him defeat the imperious and sounds like him, well I figure, Harry is a pretty incredible guy in general, even if he doesn't think so, so he deserves a strong decisive voice that represents what he could be, that voice is the leader Harry, the strong wise person who one day Harry could become.
This chapter was hard to write at first, but after I got Harry to calm down, it was smooth sailing. I have an idea of what I want to write for next chapter but since I'm trying to get back to my outline, I won't give you a hint in case the chapter takes a different turn.