THC/The Houses Competition.
House: Gryffindor
Class: Charms
Prompt: [Insect] Ladybug
Category: Round 6
Word count: 699
When in the Forest of Dean Hermione and Harry make a wish upon a ladybug.
When Life Gives You a Wish
Upon the rise of the sun, Hermione made her way out of the tent. It looked like the only colour in the Forest of Dean was blue, which was strange for a forest, but everywhere Hermione looked, she could see only the beautiful tones of blue that covered the forest. The trees were tall and went on for miles, providing a safe place to hide, but the river, it was what impressed her most; it could be a way to throw down their trail and maybe, gain some time to think and plan better.
The trip to Godric's Hollow was a bust. She hoped that something good would have come out of the trip, the Sword of Gryffindor or perhaps the whereabouts of another Horcrux, but all they managed to do was make things harder on themselves.
Now, she and Harry only had one wand to use between them. They needed to find another wand fast. It was only a matter of time until they were attacked, and one wand wouldn't be enough to defend themselves from the Death Eaters.
The margins of the river were a nice place to observe and take some time to themselves as they tried to regain some control of their thoughts.
Letting out a small sigh, Hermione did up her jumper when she felt the cold air bite at her skin. She brought her hands up to her mouth and breathed into them before rubbing them together, trying to gain some warmth back as she made her way over to Harry. He sat tossing pebbles into the lake and watching the water ripple.
"I'm surprised the wards held up last night, due to your vociferous snoring," Harry commented with a smirk once he heard Hermione behind him.
Hermione gave a small smack on the back of Harry's head before sitting down next to him. "I don't snore."
"How would you know?" Harry replied before tossing another pebble into the lake.
Hermione smiled as she shook her head. "I wouldn't be talking if I were you. You talk in your sleep."
"At least I don't snore." Harry chuckled, earning himself a small push from Hermione as she threw her body against him in order to knock him to the ground.
"Hold up, don't move," Hermione quickly spoke as she reached out her hand and gently pulled something off of Harry's sweater. She held out her hand to show Harry the small ladybug that walked in between her fingers.
For something so small, Hermione couldn't believe how beautiful the tiny creature was. For the past months, she had been surrounded by so much darkness and sorrow that the ladybug seemed to be a sign of hope, that things would get better. After all, ladybugs come out in spring, and spring is a sign of new life.
Spring is the season of new beginnings; fresh buds bloom, animals awaken from their hibernation, and the earth seems to come to life again as the temperature slowly rises.
"Make a wish," Hermione whispered, looking at the ladybug.
"What?" Harry asked, puzzled, his eyebrows pulling together.
"Ladybugs are known to be good luck. Make a wish and blow it off my hand," Hermione explained, remembering the story her dad told her when she was young. When you see a ladybug, you make a wish and blow on it, and your wish would surely come true. Even today, Hermione still believed it.
Harry closed his eyes, thinking of his wish before he blew the ladybug off of Hermione's hand.
"What did you wish for?"
Harry let out a small hum before he said, "Not telling."
"What? Why not?" Hermione said, acting like she had just been assaulted.
"Isn't that the rule? If you tell what you wished for, then it won't come true?" Harry answered, remembering what his aunt told his cousin on his fifth birthday.
"I believe that's only for blowing out candles," Hermione replied.
Harry gave a small shrug. "Better to be safe than sorry."
"I guess," Hermione agreed as she and Harry watched the ladybug fly over the lake. They hoped that the ladybug brought luck to them, even if it was just a simple wish granted.