Notes and Summary
This is the first Chapter of the current project I am working on. It's a fantasy- medieval AU, focusing on Ginny Weasley's, and Lily Evans's relationship as best friends, and the adventures they go on. They are the same age here, and it's not time travel! It will eventually be Hinny and Jily too, one sooner than the other.
Some of the story elements as well as the world's tone, are inspired by Lord of the Rings
And also a little nod to "Knight of Mine" by GinnyWPotter, she did the medieval fantasy AU first, and it probably gave me a little nudge in the same direction :)
Check out her story, if you haven't!
Please review and tell me your thoughts! :)
I will try to post chapters weekly.
Chapter One
The Girl in the Pond
Eternities ago there was a land covered in incredible devastation, rough and untameable. Grey peaks of massive rock littered the land, cold and tall. Hot sand turned into a seemingly endless sea of silence. Water as grey and empty as the sky above it. The devastation stretched far into the borderless eternity of creation.
Yet amidst all of this nothingness, a lonely mountain sat, reaching far above the clouds, so tall his shadow kissed the distant horizon. High up on its peak a single flower grew between karst and sharp rock and it bloomed in the heat that rose from the mountain. Nurtured by the heat, that gave the flower life.
Undisturbed it grew, sprouted before the creation of all things, a lonely light in an endless void. From then on it sat on this high peak, symbolising that between all the darkness there was hope at last.
One faithful day a rumbling travelled through the lands born from a force ancient and unknown. It carried far, from the darkness of the night to the light of the day, and as it reached the once quiet mountain, the mountain shook under this mysterious force, and for the first time, the petals of the flower fell.
Drifting into the deepest depth of the mountain's crater, passing hot rock and molten stone, awakening what was meant to sleep for all eternity.
Movement! Reaching up from deep down below! And as in a scream of endless rage, the mountain woke, with a force that had rock and peak shatter throughout the land, powers of unimaginable might pushing clouds astray, reforming nature, down unto its deepest most hidden depths. Spewing fire and heat, some of it so high it remained suspended in the sky, now forever bringing light into a once pitch-black night.
And as the dust settled, the land was now unrecognisable, the lonely mountain was no more, it had spread its nurturing essence throughout and over the land, many horizons over.
And in not a moon's time in the newborn silence of this world, out of a little pile of rubble and ash two poppies sprouted, and greeted by the first light of a young sunrise they opened and introduced a new era.
"And it is said that the core of the lonely mountain still rests deep down in the darkest places of this earth, and one day"- Deacon slowly leaned forward, the light of the oil lamps casting deep shadows over his face-"One faithful day it will devour all of the world, taking back what used to be its!"
he finished with a menacing look. The flickering light of the oil flame reflected in his wide-open deep blue eyes, accompanied by an almost deafening silence that stretched throughout the hall full of people.
Lily cautiously eyed her father, tightly clutching her stuffed kitten to her chest. She was startled as her mother, whose lap she was currently curled up in, suddenly spoke up too.
"Deacon, stop it, you're scaring them!" Marinnia gave her husband a pointed look, and Lily took in her mother's face. Her long dark hair seemed to almost glitter in the faint light of the lamps, the hard shadows only accentuating her beautiful features of mid-age.
Lily's eyes swiftly moved away from her still glowering mother, towards her right where out of nowhere something- no, someone- appeared.
To everyone's surprise, a little girl about Lily's age crawled out from under one of the ornate tables, her hair a brighter flame than all the oil lamps in the room combined.
The girl quickly rose to her feet in front of Lily's startled parents, her clothes were dusty and covered in loads of cobwebs, yet it did nothing to dim the burning look on her face.
"Am not scared!" the little girl boldly exclaimed as she crossed her arms in front of her chest, a defiant look in her bright brown irises. She was eyeing the older man and woman, who were both staring at her in slight surprise.
Lily's mother seemed lost for words as just as suddenly as the little girl appeared an older equally red-haired man shoved his way through the large crowd of people that were sitting around the centre of the big old town hall..
He came to an abrupt halt as he reached the little red-headed girl, still defiantly standing between the sea of people and in front of Deacon, Marinnia, and Lily herself.
"Ginevra, come here…" the man called out and his eyes found Lily's mother's, he was breathing heavily, as well as sporting an apologetic look on his face. "I am sorry Mrs Evans, that one takes after her Mother."
The little girl, Ginevra, only turned towards her father raising both eyebrows "Am not, Mum is boring."She tried to wiggle away as her father's hands swiftly came around her.
"Come on now, we were looking for you, no sneaking away again or Ron will get Mr Knightly for the next few days!"
She was struggling in his grasp, but seemingly very used to her methods he gently put her over his shoulder and walked back towards the main entrance, squeezing out of the filled room as swiftly as they appeared.
Lily's eyes stayed fixed on the door through which the pair had just left and asked herself who they were, equally impressed and frightened by the little redheaded girl.
Three years later.
"Mum! Please, can I go, all the other kids from my class are there too." Lily pulled gently on her mother's dress.
The first days of June had brought warm weather and the sun shone through the old kitchen window, highlighting many tiny speckles of dust that silently danced through the air.
"Please! Luna will be there as well. She said Mr Lovegood allowed her to go on her own too!" Lily's voice was getting more desperate as her mother stopped to let out a deep sigh, putting down the knife that she had just used to dice up some of the first tomatoes from this season.
"Fine!" Mariannia looked at her ten-year-old daughter, whose face quickly lit up into a big toothy grin. "But only until the sun passes the pale Hill."
Lily was ecstatic as she bounced up and down on her feet. "Yes, mother! Of course! Thank you, thank you so much, I love you." She stood on her tiptoes as her mother bent down so Lilly could nosily kiss her on the cheek.
Mariannia watched her glowing daughter and couldn't stop her lips from forming into a big smile. "Now go on, your friends must be waiting! And as I said, you are back before dusk breaks, promise me!"
Lily eagerly shook her head in agreement. Her green eyes twinkled in sheer excitement. "Yes, Yes, thank you, I promise. I will!"
Before her mother could say anything else she spun around and took off through the open front door with a loud yell of youthful joy.
And in this sudden quietness, Mariannia simply stood there, watching as her only child's silhouette disappeared behind the doorway and she stared at the early summer sun that shone brightly into their home thinking of her young daughter.
Between the chirping of small birds, sitting in the young leaves of the old chestnut trees, and the crickets in their little earthen holes, Lily bolted over the fresh green grass, marveling in the velvety feel under her feet.
Lily swiftly passed the Brown's Cottage, making her way down towards the little cobbled bridge that crossed the Milnen River, as she nearly tripped on one of the crooked stones.
Now pacing by Farmer Haddock's enclosure feeling the wind on her skin as she took in her home.
Summer had arrived, and the little town had awoken under its caressing warmth. Ducks floated on the water, loudly quacking at a barking dog that chased them along the river bank, people everywhere in their gardens, busy harvesting the first fruits of their heavy labour.
Old friends were chatting over cool pints of fresh beer while stories were being told and jokes exchanged, happiness lighting up the crisp air.
She left behind the outskirts of the town, houses became less dense, and she passed over the peak of the pale hill, looking upon the endless sight of green that quietly lay before her, which reminded her of oceans. Forests interchanged with vivid yellow fields and deep green meadows, old paths snaking between them, looking like veins on a body.
Her eyes fell to the foot of the Hill where under a dozen big oak trees, a large pond full of splashing children and laughter rested parents relaxed on its shores, and her feet couldn't carry her any faster as she ran towards it.
"Luna! Where are you?" she excitedly called out, scanning the playing children for her best friend's white-blond hair between them. Now slowly moving around the reeds that blocked most of the pond from her searching eyes.
Yet Luna was nowhere to be seen, she counted everyone again and again, but no, she wasn't here that now was certain to her.
In her annoyance, she kicked a little pebble into the reeds in front of her, and to her surprise, the reeds made a noise.
"Ouch… who did that!?" a girl's voice rang out, from somewhere hidden in the greenery, making Lily perk up in interest.
"A-I'm sorry, that was me," Lily called out, "but I didn't expect someone to sit in there, isn't it muddy and dirty?" She directed her question to the mysterious reed's girl, still carefully observing the spot the voice came from, yet spotting nothing...
"Well if you want to know what I am doing, come here," the girl from the Reeds exclaimed.
Lily was uncertain; she didn't want to crawl between those itchy big reeds and into that waist-deep mud that filled the space between them.
The girl seemingly noticed her hesitation as she spoke up again"It's not that bad, I promise you, the mud feels funny under your feet."
Lily could make out a joyous tone in her voice and it was enough for her to take a big leap and jump into the thicket of the reeds. Splashing into the mud with a loud plopping noise, she loudly giggled, enjoying the cold and smooth feeling on her skin, her mother would be livid when she saw the state of her clothing, but Lilly didn't care, she wanted to meet this mysterious girl.
"I am here!"
She heard her voice again as she pushed apart reeds and slowly made her way towards the nearing sound, almost squishing a little newt in the process.
As she pushed apart the last few reeds that were keeping them from each other's company she spotted the flaming red hair, so similar to her own.
She knew this girl, she had seen her once before, three years ago, on Jul, the day of the big get-together in the town hall.
The young girl turned around, looking at her in interest. "Hullo, I am Ginny!" She seemed to eye Lily carefully. "I think I've seen you before."
Lily eagerly nodded in agreement. "Yes, three years ago at Jul, I remember, you walked up and declared that you weren't scared by the Jul story at all!" Lily confirmed.
For a second Ginny squinted her eyes at Lily but then broke out into a wide smile. "Yeah, exactly, and I am still not scared, not even a tiny bit." She still wore that look of sheer confidence that Lily saw that one night over three years ago.
And Lily admired her for it.
"Are you even scared of anything?" She asked, taking a step closer towards Ginny, still watching the red-haired girl carefully.
Ginny only snorted in response. "Me? Scared? Never! I only…" She suddenly went quiet as her whole demeanor seemed to change and her focus shifted toward the bubbling mud in front of her. "Wait, be quiet, don't move!"
Lily was unsure what was happening as Ginny carefully held out her hands as if waiting to fetch something from the murky soup of filth they were currently wailing in.
Seconds that felt like minutes passed, no sounds made between the two girls, only the faint laughter and chatter of children from the other side of the pond noticeable.
When suddenly as quick as lightning Ginny's hands shot into the thick mud, and before Lily could comprehend what had happened Ginny was raising a thick slimy bullfrog into the air, a look of complete victoriousness shaping her face "Hah! Got you! little bastard!" She inspected her price, a big smirk still plastered on her lips "No one escapes the Queen!"
Lily was baffled, she didn't know why, she didn't know how, yet only three words managed to escape her mouth "Show me how!"
Ginny turned her head towards her, still tightly clutching the Bullfrog in her hands which looked confused over the situation it now found itself in.
"Oh, so you want me to teach you the secrets of the legendary sport called Bullfrog catching?"
Lily only nodded as Ginny took two steps towards her, a wicked grin still on her face.
"Then let's start! Take this!" Ginny exclaimed and Lily's eyes fell on the muddy and dripping frog Ginny had shoved in front of her face.
She swallowed slowly as she carefully eyed the green and brown creature that was still kicking its legs in confusion "So... should I just… Take it?" She unsurely met Ginny's blazing eyes.
"Well, if you want to catch them yourself you first need to learn how to hold them, or they'll be gone before you say can say Toadfrog." Ginny exclaimed cheekily.
Lilly's eyes focused on the Frog again, as she took a deep breath and stretched out her arms, earning her a smile from Ginny.
"Now see, you have to hold him between his front and hind legs, squish on the back his skin is tough there, but not too tight on the belly, or you could hurt him." She handled the amphibian with swift precision and care as she instructed Lily how to hold her hands.
"See it's not hard at all. I will hand him to you now, just remember to use all your fingers, so he can't easily slip out." Ginny slightly loosened her grip on the Frog and Lilly moved as instructed, shuddering at the feeling of the animal's muddy and cold skin.
She quickly secured her grip around it, feeling more confident when her hands grasped the creature firmly.
She felt it move in her hands but she kept her grip tight, she wouldn't let it escape Lily thought, she would show Ginny that she too wasn't scared of anything or anyone.
She noticed Ginny observing her, the girl's eyes were wide with excitement, she was clearly rooting for Lily and it made her feel warm and more confident.
"Yes that's great, keep holding him like that!" Ginny spurred her on. "You're a natural!" She looked proud. "I tried teaching that to my useless older brother, he's a lost cause though, can't even hold 'em and I am not even talking about catching them, just too slow I guess."
She shook her head and Lily snorted. "That sounds like a slowpoke!"
The Bullfrog had now finally settled in Lily's hand and she slightly loosened her grip, so as not to hurt the greenish-brown animal.
What an out-of-the-blue experience she thought, that was not how she expected her afternoon to go when she left to meet up with Luna here at the pond.
Luna! Where was she? Lily had totally forgotten about her since she hadn't been able to spot her at her arrival, maybe she had come by now, as soon as she was out of this mud she would take another look around, Lily thought.
She was thrown out of her thoughts for a quick second as the frog in her hands started to move, and she had to slightly reposition her hands, just when a second loud splash sounded from in front of her, and she saw Ginny pull yet another Bullfrog from the muddy pond "Ha! Got you!"
In her absentmindedness, Lily hadn't realised that the other girl had gone on the hunt again.
Catching Bullfrogs she thought, what an odd, but even more exciting activity, how did one come up with something like that? Well, this Girl, Ginny, she seemed like the person who would.
Lily watched the fiery-haired girl proudly inspect her freshly caught price, maybe she knew Luna too, since the blond girl didn't live that far from here, it was worth asking Ginny she thought.
"Be careful!" Ginny suddenly called out, and Lily was once again thrown from her inner monologue as she spotted an enormous Bullfrog, possibly 40 centimeters in length.
The creature had surfaced from the mud and was taking leap after leap, in quick succession, towards the two red-haired girls.
"It's the big Mother" Ginny hastily explained. "Drop the frog and let's get out of here if you want to keep your fingertips whole!" She gently chucked the Frog she had still been clutching in her hands towards the nearing Mother Bullfrog, before spinning around and pacing past Lily towards the shore.
Lily quickly followed her example, dropping the slimy creature, as she took after Ginny as fast as she possibly could given her surroundings and the simple fact she was standing in waist-high grime.
The mud was deep, and it made their movements laboured and tedious, every step a chore, as they slowly closed in towards the pond's shore.
Lily pushed aside reeds, using hands and feet to drag herself forward, praying the Big Mother frog had let off of them.
She was breathing heavily as she watched Ginny heave herself out of the thick grime onto the dry grass in front of her. But instead of continuing to run off, Ginny simply turned around and reached out her right hand towards Lily.
With a last boost of energy, Lily reached for it, clutching it tightly as she pushed herself from the waist-deep mud as forcefully as her tired body allowed, Ginny simultaneously pulling on her hand with all the strength she could muster.
And just as Lily felt the last bit of energy leave her aching muscles, she heard a loud *plop* sound and suddenly shot from the mud, landing right next to Ginny, who had stumbled backward falling onto her bum.
Neither of them said anything, as they just lay there, fully winded, out of breath, and unable to move another inch. Lily felt warm dry ground on her skin, she had never been more thankful to feel the fresh grass tickling her hands like this. What a little adventure that had been, and that Bullfrog, if that thing had caught them… she shuddered from the thought.
She opened her green eyes and looked at Ginny, who was lying on her back next to Lily, her flaming red hair was speckled with mud almost giving her a Ladybug-like appearance.
Her entire face had long smears of dirt on it, and she couldn't even tell what colour her clothing had been, as it was covered in thick dark brown mud up until her stomach.
They simply laid there, basking in the warm summer sun for what felt like a short eternity, Lily felt the worst of the dirt slowly drying up on her skin, before Ginny suddenly spoke up from next to her.
"That was absolutely… awesome!" The girl shot to her feet as if nothing had happened, and Lily wondered where she was taking all that energy from.
"Did you see how the big mum came hopping towards us-." Ginny was vividly explaining the events that had just occurred, wildly flailing her hands and her entire body moved, as she was playing the scene out again. "- She thought she had us, but we were faster! Ha, not today you ugly Creature! You will never catch us!" Ginny bellowed out over the part of the pond they had just fled from.
She leaped forward, coolly strutting towards the direction of the other playing kids before she called out to Lily. "Come on… let's tell them how we defeated the evil Monster of the lake."
Lily's mouth simply fell open, before she shook her head, heaving herself to her feet, and swiftly trailing after Ginny towards the rest of the kids and parents that were spending their afternoon at the lake.
She quickly caught up with the energetic girl, falling into step next to her.
They were walking in comfortable silence and Lily let her eyes trail over the many people that were spread out around the lake searching for a familiar head of light blond hair before she spoke up.
"I know it might be out of the blue, but do you know a girl called Luna, she's about our age, a bit smaller than me, blue eyes white blonde hair, slightly dreamy…"
She was quickly cut off by Ginny's energetic voice.
"Luna? Of course, I know Luna, she doesn't live far from us, just over the hill and down by the river, next to farmer Skollet's corn field." Ginny stopped in her tracks turning towards Lily as their eyes met.
They were standing in the shadow of one of the big old oak trees, a few children playing catch around them.
"Do you know her too?" Ginny asked.
Lily eagerly nodded. "I do, she's in my class, and probably my best friend. She can be absent sometimes, but she's really nice." Lily explained, taking a step away from the lake's shore where a dark-haired boy had just jumped in, splashing water everywhere.
"She was supposed to be here today, but I didn't see her when I got here earlier, and from what I can see now, she still isn't." Her eyes went over the crowds of people once more, searching for the familiar dreamy expression between them, but again, without success.
Ginny shook her head before she spoke. "Oh, no, I haven't seen her since last week, I know she comes here often, but I would've seen her if she was here today." She looked pensive for a second.
"Maybe something happened. I know where she lives, we could go and check to see if everything is alright." Ginny suggested, an eyebrow raised while she stared at Lily in question.
Lily thought about it, Ginny was right, what if something had happened to Luna, as much as she was dreamy and in her own little world for a lot of the time, this was out of character even for her.
To not show up at all, even though she had promised she would be there. Of course, it could just be something small and that she was held up at home, since she lived alone with her father, her mother mysteriously having gone missing over five years ago.
Lily nodded, brushing some of the loose strands of red hair from her face. "I think you're right. Maybe we should really drop by her home." She met Ginny's slightly concerned gaze, who also nodded, her look quickly changing into one of confidence as she raised her voice.
"Then let's not lose any more time." Ginny gestured towards a tall grassy hill in the not-too-far distance.
"This way, just follow me, I know the way." She took off with an urgency in her step and Lily swiftly fell into line next to her, they were walking towards the southwest now, the exact opposite direction Lily had come from originally.
As they stepped out of the old Oaks shadow now leaving the screaming and playing children behind them, uncertainty filled Lily's mind.
They marched up the smooth grassy hill that overlooked the lake with its surrounding trees, she had promised her mum that she would be back before the sun reached the pale hill, she turned her head to look at the big hill in question that gently kissed the sky behind them, spotting the path she had come from earlier.
But the Sun still stood high, and she knew that time was still on her side.
A yellow butterfly fluttered past, and Lily seized the moment to take in her surroundings, it was an almost ethereal day, the buzzing of eager bees filled up the air, while other butterflies were taking off from the knee-high grass around them, immersing her in the sheer beauty of nature.
Yet something did feel off about this, she had never been to the Lovegood's home, she only knew the general direction in which they lived in. And now going there with this Girl she barely knew at all.
Uncertainty gripped her, and she slowed down a bit, what if Luna really was in trouble, what would they be able to do about that, and if she was In trouble, what kind!
Ginny seemed to notice Lily's hesitation as she stopped, turning towards Lily, who absentmindedly had her eyes fixed on a bright red poppy that stuck out the dense grass in front of her.
Ginny sighed as she quietly spoke up, her voice full of understanding.
"Lily, we don't have to do this, I am almost certain Luna is safe and at home with her dad, I just thought…"
"No!" Lily suddenly called out, almost startling Ginny, she now had her chin raised high.
"You were right, we should check on her, even though it is most likely she was just held up at home, but who knows, maybe she hurt herself on the way here, or needs help."
She puffed out her chest as she paced past Ginny, her eyes fixed on the hill before them. "We need to be certain!"
Ginny was left with her mouth open, shaking her head in surprise, as she stared after the Girl with the red hair that was a good tinge darker than hers, she hadn't really thought about the fact Lily was red-haired too, even though the tone and brightness were totally different from her own.
But that wasn't of importance right now, they had a friend to look after.
She straightened her back and quickly trekked after Lily. A confident grin crossed her features.
"I agree, let's find Luna! And make sure she's alright!"
But what Ginny couldn't see at that moment was Lily's face in front of her, which at Ginny's confident words also turned into an optimistic smile.
She might have just become friends with the most amazing girl in all of St. Ottery.