Summary: Luna is tucked away in the Great White North doing what she loves most. What makes the trip even better are the two that insisted on tagging along.

Rated: T

Genre: Adventure, Romance

Frost on Moonlit Waters

The winter evening blanketed the wilderness around a large lake by the woods in a cold chill. The northern Canadian wildlife of the night stirred to life all around, as did the puffs of smoke breathing from the chimney of a small cabin perched between the mouth of trees and water.

Luna Lovegood placed another large log in the already roaring fire, determined to get the small space comfortable and toasty to keep the cold at bay for the night. Her reason for being in such a desolate part of the world was to search for the elusive beast known as a Qiqirn, confirm its existence, and if able, study it. This creature was supposed to resemble a bald dog, but with tufts of hair on the tail, paws, ears, and chin. Its nature is recorded as being cowardly, but will attack sleeping prey if given the opportunity. Its only defense mechanism is it can put people into fits when they're close to one, but there was little information overall on it.

Theo and Draco were huddled in the small kitchen tucked away in the far corner attempting to cook something that resembled a supper. She smiled to herself at the hushed voices squabbling between each other as they tried to figure out what they were doing. Those two were almost hopeless when it came to the simplest things, but she didn't mind. Purebloods were never taught the basics in much of anything, really. It wasn't their fault, not entirely, and it was never too late to try something new. Cooking was one of them, but they insisted on trying tonight.

They were her boys, as the two always told her, but she never thought them as just hers. The three were all equals in the unified bond that they shared. Had she never found Draco pulling an injured Theo from the rubble of a collapsed wall during the Battle of Hogwarts and begging for her help, he most likely would not be around today. Luna saved his life, and even proceeded to aid him during his rehabilitation. Draco never left Theo's side during the six-month recovery period, Luna was his regular caretaker and tended to him in a much kinder and gentle manner than the healers ever did. They barely maintained their professional atmosphere. Though the healers she worked with were astonished by her natural gift for healing and caring bedside manner, it was only ever to be a temporary position.

She soon moved on when the demand for help was no longer needed at St. Mungo's. Somehow, the two decided to follow her, beyond grateful for her rescuing and nurturing the tall, dark, and handsome wizard to a full recovery when she had every right to just turn and walk away during that chaotic time simply because of who they were. But she didn't. It was not in her nature to ignore the hurt and suffering, whether it be beast or being. Something developed between them during those long, tiresome six months surrounded by the white, sterile walls of the hospital. But she was glad it did. She didn't know how much she needed them like they needed her until she left.

Settling herself down in the old, patched sofa in front of the fire, Luna pulled out the few notes she had on the Qiqirn. She re-read the report that a wizard was seized selling an illegal potion ingredient that was never heard of before. He called it the hair of a Qiqirn. The unknown substance had sparked her interest when Theo told her about it, and now they were in the place that the man, as well as where her research pointed to, claimed was where the beast resided.

She hummed to herself while Draco and Theo continued with whatever they were up to in the kitchen. Pulling an assortment of drawings from a file, Luna thumbed through the hand sketches she drew and compared them with images and descriptions in the three books she found. Taking a couple quick notes as she went, time was soon lost to her as she focused on her work. Draco approaching with a fresh mug of hot chocolate was the only thing that pulled her back to the present. The hint of cinnamon tickled her nose when he offered it to her and her eyes sparked at the scent.

"Is that a touch of cinnamon I detect?" Luna eagerly accepted the mug with a small smile, allowing its warmth to be absorbed through her fingers.

Draco smirked at the question, sending a silent, but taunting, look back at Theo. "Just the way you like it."

"Dammit!" Theo was heard shouting from the kitchen.

Luna couldn't help but laugh at the reaction. The two were somewhat competitive at the strangest of times, especially when it came to Luna's likes and interests. It was amusing to watch as they quizzed each other about creatures and beings, then when they couldn't come to a reasonable consensus, Luna was their tie breaker.

She looked over the couch at the frustrated wizard. "How did you prepare it, Theo?"

"Nutmeg," He grumbled back.

She sipped at the creamy chocolatey goodness before shifting herself to one side of the couch when Draco sat down. "If it is any consolation, I prefer both of them together. So I suppose you both win this one."

Luna watched as the smug appearance on Draco deflated and Theo's annoyance melted away. Draco observed her as she fell into a thinking spell, staring at the cluster of parchment laid out on the table in front of her. He brushed a strand of her dirty blonde hair from her face, the gesture had her release a calming sigh. Luna liked the way their touch could settle her down in a heartbeat. She must have had worry lines on her brow again that signaled she needed the release.

Her work often stressed her out, and the Qiqirn was one of her more challenging cases to date. The many sketches she had in front of her were all slightly different. Some were based on a combination of other images, while others were drawn from source material only. To her dismay, she was not pleased with any of them to confidently use as an accurate representation of the animal, and so she needed to see what was consistent and what wasn't on each drawing so she could start a new sketch in hopes to better capture the image.

Theo came over with his own mug of hot chocolate, plopping down beside Draco before taking a long drink. "No need to look bent out of shape, mate."

Draco half rolled his eyes, brushing off the jab.

"Where's mine?" Draco inquired. Theo jerked his head back toward the kitchen.

"Right where you left it."

"Prat," Draco quipped, getting back up with a huff to retrieve his drink.

"Love you, too," Theo said with a smirk, looking Luna's way as she quietly watched the two in their little quarrel. A smile playing her lips before it was obstructed by another sip of cocoa.

"Oh, before I forget. Draco and I made something for you," Theo said, pulling a neatly folded handmade envelope from his coat pocket.

Draco quickly returned to his seat on the sofa, purposely making Theo clamber over him to hand it to Luna. She accepted it with a curious look on her face, placing her mug on the table to avoid spilling it. Looking over the parchment envelope, she turned it over in her hands a couple times to appreciate the intricate folded craftsmanship.

"Well? Don't keep us waiting."

"Is this supper?" She teased, nudging her arm against Draco's.

Theo snorted out a laugh at the joke, Draco was caught off guard by it and couldn't help but chuckle himself. "You definitely got us, love. We were afraid of blowing up our humble abode, so we put that together instead."

"Thank you."

Luna took great care to unfold the complex art, not wanting to tear it by accident. Once smoothed out, there was a poem written inside. She read it slowly to herself, a soft smile forming on her lips all the while. Draco had shifted closer to Luna while she unfolded it, abandoning his own mug of cocoa so he could gently lean against her side and rest his head on her shoulder. Theo kicked his legs up over the arm of the sofa, placing his mug on the floor before laying his head in Draco's lap. He loosely wrapped his arms over himself and closed his eyes. A soft, purring hum escaped him as pale fingers idly combed through his dark hair. When Luna had finished reading, the beaming smile on her face sparkled through her eyes.

"You two really wrote this for me?" Luna glanced at the parchment again, feeling happy tears prick her eyes. "Why?"

Theo chuckled at the question, having her gaze fall to him. "It's our anniversary, love."

Realization dawned on her as she counted back the days. "Ah. It really is, isn't it?"

"Theo was just released from the hospital a week prior," Draco recalled, trailing light patterns on the back of her hand with his thumb. "I remember how pissed he was when you were dismissed before he was properly discharged."

"Royally ticked me off. Especially when no one said a bloody thing about it to me, either." Theo added in. Luna saw that his lip twitched from irritation at the memory and placed a light hand on his cheek, gently caressing the annoyance away.

"I didn't get the chance to say goodbye," she muttered. "I should have stopped by at least, but they restricted my access immediately."

"Don't be down about it now," Draco assured. "It was sheer luck we even managed to find you in the aftermath of it all. Almost lost you forever while you were on your way out to attend to one of these…" He struggled for the right words. "Creature campout... things."

Luna felt a bubbling giggle escape her. Draco and Theo couldn't help but smile at its lighthearted sound. When she calmed down, she skimmed the poem again. It was so sweet of them, even leaving their original handwriting there so she knew who wrote what rather than sprucing it up with a charm to have it more presentable. It had her realize that she had no gift to give back.

"I love it. Happy Anniversary," She half-whispered, giving Draco a gentle hug before leaning down to kiss Theo's cheek. A frown formed her lips then, clutching the parchment to her chest. "I'm afraid I don't have a gift for you two. I'm sorry."

"No need, love," Theo comforted, his pale green eyes looking up at her. "You give us more than enough back."

Draco pressed his lips against her temple, and the touch pulled Luna back to a welcoming calm. The cabin settled into a warm silence, the fire crackling it's song for them. Luna stared at its flames, reminiscing to herself about how she first met "her boys" and how they went to great lengths to track her down on before her expedition just to tell her thank you. Ever since that day, both their worlds completely changed, and it changed for the better.

"I don't think luck had anything to do with it," Luna said suddenly, a smile twitching at her lips. "It was our fate."

.oOo.

The lake is frozen,

face a silver glass.

Above the cold sky shone

her glowing visage.

Our lips grew pale

In the moonlight's grace,

Of frosted waters

And a silky haze.

A serene light in darkness,

These glacier hearts melt

From wisps of gold thread

Woven from her shining rays.

This is winter's way

To show beauty

In its deathly wake.

.oOo.

Originally Written For:

Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry (Challenges & Assignments)

Monthly Challenges for All

Word Count: 1,973

Originally Written: February 2018