A/N: Bet you thought this story was abandoned by now ... but to be honest, so did I. I won't promise frequent updates, but rest assured that I've not forgotten about it. New year's resolutions counts for something, right?
Disclaimer: Nothing belongs to me.
^ - * - ^
Ch7: A LADY AND HER MOUSE DAEMON
You might not make it back and you know
That you could be well oh that strong
And I'm not wrong
So where is the passion when you need it the most?
Oh you and I
You kick up the leaves and the magic is lost
(Bad Day by Daniel Powter)
LUNA'S POV:
The rain finally reached them right before midday. By then they were already moving from their sleeping place. They had to use a spell to repel the water as they did not have umbrellas or raincoats with them. Will could not use magic himself, something that Luna was vaguely surprised over. To keep the repellent charm over the three of them as well as the two daemons the whole time was not an easy task. Sometimes Luna would shiver slightly because Consilium had flown out of the charm and gotten wet. She could feel anything that happened to him so if he got wet it would feel as though she did as well.
They walked in silence without any specific destination in mind, simply hoping that they would reach civilisation before long. As they walked they tried to appreciate the nature around them. The forest itself was thin and should, by all accounts, be easy to walk through. However, it had a lot of small bushes and plants that made their path so narrow that they had to walk in a line. Looking back at Ronald, Luna gave him a sign to make sure he would keep up the repellent charm. Luna paused and broke of her own spell and then she rested her wand in her palm:
"Point me," she muttered quietly and the wand span a couple of times before halting to stop. It pointed at something behind her, telling her that they were walking south. At least they were not walking in a circle. She sighed slightly and told to her company this.
She found it weird to think about that they were all there because of her. She was the one who had dragged them off to nowhere; tearing them away from everything they knew. She did not have any choice in the matter, but it mystified her that neither of them had mentioned that they wanted to go home once.
Although being back in her home world made her feel like a part of her had been given back to her - like she had finally managed to get a decent night of sleep after weeks with insomnia - she couldn't help but thinking of her mother's grave. It had been so long since she had visited her mother's resting place last that it hurt. Luna knew that no matter what she had to try to get to the graveyard somehow. She couldn't go back to the wizarding world before then.
Luna recast the repellent charm again, tiredly brushing away some wet hair away from her face. Consilium nuzzled her chin for a moment before flapping his wings and flew ahead of them. He disappeared behind a tree.
The little group stayed on the same path for two hours before the rain finally stopped. By then all of them had given up on the repellent charm and instead they used a drying charm on their clothes. Consilium, who had been away the entire time, came back to them suddenly and told them that he had found a small farm a mile or so away.
"Do you think they have food?" questioned Ronald, hungry again.
"I hope so," said Luna. She was not all that hungry herself, but she knew how important food was for him. "Maybe they'll let us have some?"
The farm was small but busy. Luna saw a lot of animals around them, from chickens to horses. Consilium was back on her shoulder and he eyed the creatures eagerly. They did not look around as they were quite tired of walking around as it was. Exhausted and hungry, they knocked on the door.
An old woman with grey hair opened the front door. She had an equally grey mouse daemon behind her heels. The daemon had black, small eyes and stared at them for a few seconds before seeking refugee behind her sandal, hiding himself from view completely. Luna noticed that the woman seemed to shrink back a bit too. A daemon often reflected its human's emotions. A human with a mouse daemon would probably not be of the very courageous type, like a human with a wolf dæmon would probably be a warrior.
"Yes?" said the woman stiffly. Will stepped forth, obviously used to situations like the one they were in.
"Pardon us for disturbing you, but we are lost and we need a place to eat and rest for little while. We are not from this area."
The woman eyed them sceptically, as did her daemon who peeked its little head out from behind her sandal. "This is not a good time for us to-"
"Please, we are not going to be a bother."
"You are filthy."
Will rolled his eyes irritably and Kirjava wagged her tail in irritation a couple of times. The woman seemed nervous. Her eyes flicked over to Luna and Ronald. She was just about to say something when she began to search the area more thoroughly, rather nervous. Suddenly, the woman seemed to reach a conclusion and she stared at Ronald with very big, frightened eyes.
"Where is your daemon?" She cried, her voice thin and high-pitched.
Luna looked at Ronald nervously. She was so used to seeing people without a daemon herself that she had not even thought of the possibility that people would react badly in seeing a human without one. She remembered her own shock though. She knew that in this world, if someone saw a human without a daemon they would believe the person to be soulless or sent from hell. They could not imagine how it would be to live without one, because if their own died they would instantly die with it. To live alone was unthinkable.
"It's inside him," she answered vaguely when they had done nothing but staring at each other for nearly half a minute. Ronald frowned.
"I've never had a daemon."
The woman looked like she might faint. "Never? You have not-? Ever?" Then she narrowed her eyes. "Go away! Get away from this house! You are a devil's child, a child that brings evil to this country! Leave! We do not want you here!"
"He's not dangerous!" protested Luna hotly and felt her face heat up. "He's my friend!"
The woman staggered a few steps back and reached for something to the right of the door. Luna paused. Most people in this world did not know magic. Only witches did, but they were far from here and Luna was positive she would recognize one if she saw one. With other words - what the woman was reaching for could not be a wand. So what was it?
Luna soon got her answer when she saw the woman pull up a long, slender shotgun. The woman pointed the brown thing at them wildly, and Luna feared that the woman could trigger it by accident if she kept going like that.
"I swear I'll shoot! The child is the devil himself! How can one possibly live without a daemon? How can one survive more than a minute, one moment of separation? NO! That child cannot possibly be a human being!" she pulled off the security and Luna felt Ronald move backwards. Will, however, stepped forward angrily and Luna looked back and forth at the two adults. There was no doubt in her mind that this woman intended to kill Ronald and she could not - would not - let anything harm him. Obviously, Will was thinking along the same lines. Just as the woman's finger moved towards the trigger his cat daemon sprang forwards and within moments the cat had the woman's mouse daemon between its claws. The woman gasped like something was choking her and dropped the shotgun. It fell down in front of her and Consilium quickly seized it. Luna took it from Consilium's claws gratefully. The woman fell down to her knees. She was hugging her throat and her chest with her arms. The harder Kirjava pressed her paw on the mouse daemon the more pain the woman got and soon she was screaming in agony.
"STOP IT! PLEASE STOP IT! I can't take it anymore! Let Fidenpolus go! Please!"
"Sorry," said Will, sounding anything but. "Promise you won't hurt us and then promise to give us something to eat."
"Never!"
"Very well then... Kirri?"
Nodding, the cat took the mouse between her teeth and started to move away from the door and out to the flat. The daemon protested wildly and the woman stared after her daemon for only a moment until the distance between them was too big to be ignored. The woman scrambled to her feet, running blindly towards her daemon with her arms outstretched.
"FIDENPOLUS!"
Luna whimpered at the sight, remembering how piercing and unbearable her own pain had been when she and Consilium had been separated. It had felt as though someone had taken her heart, her soul, out of her body, stamped on it and then ripped it apart until there were only pieces left. No pain in her life had been greater before or after that moment. However, she had to go through with it before she was going to Hogwarts. As she had not only been a child then, but also an innocent child Consilium had still been able to change shape. Neither Luna or her father didn't dare to risk the possibility that Consilium might settle into a form so big that Luna wouldn't be able to hide him in a pocket or her in rucksack, because if that were the case other students would be sure to notice and then it would only be a matter of time before someone would try to hurt him or take him away from her. Luna shivered at the thought of someone else other than her touching her daemon. It was too disturbing to even think about! It would be like rape.
Luna shivered again when she thought of the power people would have over her if they ever found out that hurting her dæmon would hurt her. They would not bother with just taking her things then. Children could be so incredibly cruel and Luna knew that first hand. And yet, she knew all too well that the Malfoys were even worse. Luna didn't care much about Voldemort, but the thought of Draco and Lucius made her cold to her bone.
Kirjava kept walking away with the daemon called Fidenpolus. The cat daemon seemed reluctant to move too far away, but it kept enough distance to hurt the woman, who was now running around in desperate circles, crying and wailing her voice out. "Fiden, Fiden! Come to me, darling! Come!"
"Only if you promise to help us!" bellowed Will forcefully.
"I will, I will! Please! Take whatever you want! Please!"
Will nodded and told Kirjava to let go of Fidenpolus. Kirjava gave Will a warning look, but did as she was told and returned to her human's arms. She snuggled against Will's chest and Will stroked her fur lovingly.
"Let's go and get something to eat," said Will and turned to go back to the small house.
Luna nodded, and in what she hoped was a nonchalant gesture she took Ron's hand and guided him in. Her entire being seemed to be focused on the warmth that radiated from Ronald's hand, despite all that had been going on around them. It made her knees feel weak and she got a strange urge to giggle. She dared a quick glance up at him and saw that he looked a bit uncomfortable. She wasn't sure if that was a good sign or not. Ronald, despite his many facial expressions, wasn't always easy to read.
-
RON'S POV:
"That has to be the strangest thing I've ever seen in a long time," commented Ron as they walked into the house, referring to the episode he had just witnessed outside. Luna nodded in understanding.
"I can imagine," she said. Ron thought of all the things she could imagine and made a noncommittal noise in the back of his throat. He might have gotten a few questions about her behaviour answered, but for every answer he had two new questions. At that moment he felt it would be safer not to ask too much. It would only end in making him even more confused. Besides, he had no guarantee that he could take Luna's words at face value anyway. Sometimes she was spot on and sometimes she seemed completely nutters.
"This daemon thing seems like a nasty business," he said at last.
"It can be," replied Luna. "But it depends. It's very rare that people do like we did today. Mostly people only use it in self-defence. Mostly daemons are very useful in fights and spying. The best thing though is that you know you can always count on them and that they will take care of you..." Luna trailed off, her eyes going distant.
Ron didn't know what to say to that. Will seemed to notice a tension between the two teens so he tried to change the subject as they went to the kitchen and straight to the fridge.
"Is there something in particular you want to do here, Luna, now as you're back to where you were born?"
Luna turned towards the older man and her voice suddenly held such a longing that Ron almost gasped. "I'd - I'd like to visit my mother's grave."
Will adapted the same longing as Luna's voice had held in his eyes. "She has a grave?" His voice was hoarse and then he turned slightly pink, as though he was embarrassed by his question. Luna nodded. She was still holding Ron's hand and Ron noticed she squeezed his hand a little tighter. Ron frowned thoughtfully at their entwining fingers. He wasn't used to a girl seeking his support that way. Hermione had always been too proud to show that she needed anyone.
"Do you want to visit it as well?" Luna asked Will.
"Yes, I'd like that," replied Will with a sad smile. "Thank you. I know her soul won't be there, but it'll be nice to ... you know. Say goodbye. Thanks."
"You're welcome," whispered Luna. "Do you want to come as well, Ronald?"
Ron almost snorted. It wasn't as though he had much choice in the matter. "Sure."
For some reason his answer seemed to cheer Luna up considerably. Ron realised he didn't really mind joining her. It was actually rather nice to hang out with another girl than Hermione. With Luna he didn't have to feel like such a bloody idiot all the time.
Will packed several bags with fruit, bread and water before Luna helped him shrink it all so put them in his pocket. His eyes looked around guilty and stopped at Luna. "We should give the lady something," he murmured. "I'd give them money, but I don't think I have the right kind-"
"What? Why should we give her anything after she tried to kill me?!" exclaimed Ron, fed up. "And yes, I could guess what that weird looking thing was dangerous!" he added before anyone could ask, meaning the shotgun.
"She had a reason for behaving that way," spoke Will softly. "If we don't find a solution to your daemon-problem then we'll have a problem later as well if we end up in a place where there's more people. They'll notice that you don't have one you see, it's normal for people in this world to look at other people's daemon to know what kind of person they're dealing with."
"And I suppose you know everything about how people act in this world?" hissed Ron angrily. "I bet you've been here loads of times-"
"I have actually," interrupted Will. "With Luna's mother."
Ron frowned, his anger subsiding. "Oh. Right. How did you meet?"
"In a different world than this. I sought refuge in an abandoned house and Lyra attacked me, thinking I might be a threat," said Will fondly. "It was the same world in which I got this one actually," he added and opened his jacket a little, referring to the special knife inside. Ron cocked his head in interest. "Anyway," continued Will, "we should get going again. OK, Luna?"
Luna nodded, and Ron let go of her hand. He really didn't mind holding it and it marvelled him how soft her skin was, but he felt it was getting awkward. Again he felt something weird shift in his stomach.
"Right, sure," sighed Luna. "Let's go."
-
They talked the old woman into driving them down to the nearest village with a horse and carriage. She was extremely reluctant, but Will's stern words and the warning hiss from Kirjava persuaded her quickly enough and soon they were on their way. Ron sat in the back with Luna and Will and the lady sat in the front, controlling the horse. Ron was grateful they got to use the carriage, he was sick of walking hour after hour.
Nothing much or special was said between him and Luna in the half an hour or so it took them to get down to the village. They merely sat and gazed at the scenery around them. Ron noticed that Luna had the dreamy look in her eyes again as she absentmindedly stroked Consilium's feathers and she seemed completely occupied by her own thoughts. However, Ron smiled when he realised that her eyes weren't quite as freaky to him as they had once been, and he wondered what had changed. Was it she, or was it him?
Will Parry also glanced at Luna from time to time, Ron noticed. Will smiled nearly every time he saw her and the haunted look in his eyes weren't quite as prominent as before.
The carriage skidded to a halt. It wasn't raining anymore, but all the water had made the road muddy and slippery. The old lady sat quite still in her seat and didn't look back at them. Ron noticed that her mouse daemon was looking for her on her shoulder, however, and seemed particularly interested in making sure that Kirjava kept her distance.
Ron looked down on the muddy ground and tried to find a spot he could land on that wouldn't instantly make his feet soaked. He was just about to carefully climb down from the carriage when he heard a big SPLASH on the other side. Turning, he discovered that it had been Luna, jumping from the carriage and landing on what had to be the greasiest spot on the ground. He gaped at her in disbelief.
Mumbling to himself, he jumped from the carriage as well and landed with another splash. He supposed it wasn't necessarily a bad thing to be careful about his shoes and clothing, but he refused to be more preppy about that kind of stuff than a girl!
Will Parry got out of the carriage too with Kirjava clinging on to his back. The old lady who had never introduced herself wasted no time in turning the horse and carriage around and drive off, spraying them all with a nice shower of wet and sticky earth. Will made a funny looking grimace of all the dirt, but then he winked at Ron.
"Seems like we should find you a daemon as soon as possible, boy. We don't want any more reactions like hers, do we?"
^ - * - ^
-->