Disclaimer: I take credit for this plot and my own characters, but everything else belongs to J.K. Rowling.
Note: Thanks for clearing that up for me, Eyes91. Um...I guess you could call this slightly A/U. There's not as much magic in it as of yet, so if by A/U you mean out of context with the original story line...a bit. I guess we will all have to wait with bated breath to find out what exactly is going on, hmm? ;-)
Thanks again to everyone who takes the time to R/R! You guys rock! All of these chapters were prewritten a couple of months ago, and now I'm starting to run out because you guys keep begging me for more! I guess I'll have to actually work if you want to know how the story ends.
Chapter Seven
Partners
The Hogwarts Express was still a widely used means of transportation, and that's where Ron and Luna found themselves forty-five minutes later. It would be a two-night trip to the base ARMED had in Bulgaria to meet Viktor Krum, Commander of that branch of the Few, and then a four day trek that would take them from Bulgaria to Alaska. The final two days would be spent crossing the deep Alaskan mountains to their final destination. Ron was not looking forward to the trip.
He and Luna were situated in their own private compartment near the back of the train. Though the scarlet Express was used to transport members of the Few only, Ron hadn't recognized any of the comers or goers when he and Luna had come aboard. Now they sat in awkward silence, both staring out of their respective windows, waiting for the witch with the trolley to come by and break the silence for a whole two minutes while she sold them pastries.
After ten minutes, Ron thought he was going to explode. He had to say something, but he couldn't think of anything to say that wouldn't have to do with their current mission, and he wasn't sure whether she wanted to discuss such things or not.
"So, Luna," he started, trying to sound casual and failing brilliantly. She glanced at him. "Er...what's your favorite color, then?" 'Oh, you've got to be kidding me,' he thought with a mental slap to his head.
Luna smiled. "That's an odd question, Ronald, because I don't have a favorite color. I like whatever color the sky is at the moment. Like right now, it's a velvety sort of blackish blue. Isn't it beautiful? No matter what mood the sky is in, the color is always breathtaking."
She glanced back out the window, a smile of contentment on her face, and Ron wasn't sure what to think of her answer. Slightly intrigued, but mostly confused, he leaned past her and stared at the sky she was so highly complimenting. He saw just black, no other shades.
"Whatever it is, I can't seem to see it," he said softly, inwardly wishing he could experience the beauty she was describing. Luna smiled.
"That's because you're not looking at it the right way," she whispered, and with a flick of her wand, all of the lights in the compartment went out. Plunged into darkness as they so suddenly were, it took Ron a moment or so to adjust his eyes, but when he had, the scenery was as breathtaking as she had promised. The entire expanse of the sky was coated in a very intense kind of indigo, and the softly sloping hills they were passing were blacker than black.
"Don't look at it," Luna said, and Ron realized for the first time that she had been staring at him. "Don't look at it with your eyes, because you won't see anything. Look at it as if you're actually there, actually in the sky."
Somewhat confused, Ron did as he was told and looked back to the heavens. He concentrated as hard as he could, but nothing seemed to change. He squinted his eyes at the sky, knowing there was depth to her words and not being able to surface their true meaning. He was about to give up and tell Luna he was hopeless, when suddenly, Luna shifted herself to get a better look at the sky. In her shift, she had moved somewhat closer to him, and her warm presence was very much aware to him. Her arm brushed his, and everything exploded. His mind cleared, the skies took on a more intense hue, every single star was showing off it's twinkling beauty to him, every cloud was vying for the chance to float lazily by him. He was flying, there was no other explanation for it. He had to be flying. He hadn't been in the sky since he'd played Quidditch, and that had been a very long time ago. This was his happiness, his peace of mind.
Too absorbed in the transformation of the skies was Ron that he didn't even notice Luna's smile. She had seen the change in his eyes. He was seeing it, he was feeling it, and if he could feel it...if he had actually uncovered the secret of the Skies, one way or another, then maybe, just maybe, he could be the one to help her....
Ron couldn't believe how amazing this was. He never wanted to come down, never wanted to even set foot on Earth again. It was so peaceful up here, as opposed to all the wars going on below him. He could've been wrapped in the beauty of that night sky for ages and never would've noticed. He did, in fact, feel a warm and gentle breeze play past his body, and it reminded him vaguely of Luna. Lovingly, the breeze wrapped itself around Ron and floated him back to reality. And then, as quickly as it had happened, it was over and Ron was back in the compartment next to Luna, who was staring at him with a mixed facial expression of wonder, pride, and intrigue. Coming to his senses, Ron coughed and looked away from Luna, hoping she didn't notice the brilliant shade of red his ears were turning.
Luna decided to dismiss what had just happened, knowing a conversation would make him uncomfortable and thus push him away from her. She couldn't let that happen now, could she? Besides, she knew what he had seen. It was nothing compared to what she could (would, for that matter) show him in the days that were to come, and what she had to show him didn't even hold a candle to what he would figure out for himself, given time. With a sigh of contentment, she nestled back into her seat and closed her eyes, slowing her breathing and wishing sleep upon her weary self.
Ron watched Luna from the corner of his eye as his heart slowed down beneath his chest. What had just happened a moment ago? What was going to happen next? Randomly, he realized Luna had forgotten to turn the lights back on. He suddenly felt vaguely uncomfortable, there in the darkness with no one but Luna, nothing but the stars to cast light upon them. Eventually, her slow, rythmic breathing as she surrendered to sleep soothed Ron. He cast his gaze over her body and out the window again, both excited and apprehensive about what he would see in the sky this time. The normal view of moon and stars winked down at him, nothing spectacular or breathtaking. With a sigh of relief and disappointment, Ron turned back to the compartment and thought about the mission at hand. How did such a talented spy like Draco get caught almost immediately? And how would Ron and Luna be able to save him, keep their own selves safe, and find information all at once?
There was pressure on Ron's left shoulder. In an instant, he had whipped his wand out and had a Curse on his lips, looking at whoever was adding to the weight on his arm. Still sleeping, Luna's head had fallen lightly on Ron's shoulder. Relaxing, Ron pocketed his wand again and dared to stare at Luna's soft, peaceful form, propped up against his tense, muscled one. She looked so delicate, sleeping there in the moonlight. Ron could hardly believe that this beautiful creature next to him had had not only the capacity, but the chance, to kill him. Even more difficult to comprehend were those kisses on the Quidditch stands...but wait, those had never happened. Shaking his head and chuckling softly, Ron crossed his arms over his chest, making sure his right hand was wrapped around the handle of his wand. Following Luna's lead, he closed his eyes and realized just how tired he was. Within moments, he was giving in to fatigue. The last thing he was aware of was his own head falling softly on top of Luna's....
~*~*~*~*~
Soft moonlight filtered through Ron's eyelids. He scrunched them closed, then realized he was awake. Groggily, he opened his eyes. Why did it feel as if he had only gotten an hour of sleep? He sat up to clear his head, and then realized he had been leaning against Luna. Confused, he looked down at the blonde. His arm was draped around her shoulders, and she was sleeping contentedly in the crook of his arm.
"When did that happen?" He whispered to himself as his ears turned bright red. He didn't want Luna to wake up like that and think...well, he didn't know what he even thought, let alone what she would think, he just didn't want things to get twisted and confused and awkward, but at the same time...she looked so peaceful sleeping, and it actually felt quite nice having her there...it was almost as if she fit. Ron stole a look out the window. It was still pitch black outside. According to his watch, it was one in the morning...meaning he had only gotten an hour or so of sleep. So why was he awake?
There were little red lights flashing in Ron's head. He settled his arm around Luna again, taking comfort in her and also as a means of protection. His other hand groped around in the darkness until he found his wand. He then took a mental inventory of their surroundings. They were on the Express. It was one o'clock in the morning. It was dark...wait...it was totally dark. It shouldn't be, but it was. There weren't even lights on out in the corridor. Once he realized that, Ron was suddenly aware that the train was not moving. Involuntarily, he yawned. To his horror, he was able to see his breath when he let it go.
"Luna," he whispered frantically, shaking her with one hand as his other one held his wand with a death grip. "Luna, wake up."
"What is it?" Was her sleepy reply as she came round, eyes blinking back the sleep.
"I think we have company," Ron said, glancing at the frosted glass of the compartment door.
The words had hardly fallen from his lips when they heard a scream a few compartments down. Instantly awake, Luna whipped out her wand and they both lurched to their feet. Ron glanced at her. She had noticed the chill in the air. Her eyes darted towards him.
"Dementors?" She whispered.
"Maybe. Maybe dementors and something worse mixed in with the bunch. Whatever it is, we aren't sticking around for them to pay us a visit," Ron whispered back, turning to the pack he had been allowed to bring on the train with him. It was his emergency pack, fully equipped with an extra change of clothes, a first aide kit, some important herbs, five days' rations of food perfectly preserved thanks to some skillful magic, and other necessities he would need. In one fluid movement, Luna had hers strapped to her back and was wrapping a robe around her slender frame, wand clenched in her hand. She moved silently over to the compartment window and peered out. On the other side of the compartment, Ron had enchanted two long cases to silently remove themselves from the luggage overhead and into his hand. Quickly, he undid the cases and took out their sheathed swords. Luna took hers from Ron and strapped it around her waist, making sure the extra-long robe covered it. Ron found his robe, followed suit, and then went to the window.
"Anything out there?" He whispered to her.
"Not that I can see," Luna replied under her breath.
Ron cast his own gaze over the land. Nothing but hills. With a nod, he uttered a spell and the window slid open without a noise. He climbed out of the window and then turned back for Luna. She placed her hands in his, and with movements as agile as a cat, jumped down from the window and landed gracefully on her feet. Instantly, Ron enveloped them in an Invisibility Cloak. If they were dealing with Dementors, Ron knew the Cloak was just extra bulk, but it gave him a sense of security anyway. Keeping close to Luna's side, he navigated them away from the train, making sure to stick to the darkest shadows.
Every few steps, Luna would glance back at the Express, then turn her eyes forward and get a better grip on her wand and hilt. Ron knew that looking back would break his concentration, so he didn't even attempt it. They were forty-seven hours away from their destination. With Hogwarts only an hour behind them, Ron knew they could just turn around and go back to Harry and ask for other means of transportation. He also knew that going back to the castle could lead whatever was on the train back there too. A sudden image of his nieces in the cluctches of Dementors made up his mind. They would go forward and find a town. He was pretty sure there was a magical one close by.
Luna looked back, and Ron heard her breath catch in her throat. "What is it?" He asked, refusing to look back himself.
"You were right. Dementors," She said in a hushed voice as she came to a standstill.
Ron stopped walking too, knowing that they would be easier to spot if they were moving. Slowly, he turned and look back. The Dementors were peering their faceless hoods out of their window, sniffing the air and inspecting the scene. Suddenly, one of the Dementor's heads shot up and fixed it's eyeless stare in their direction. With eerie haste, it floated out of the window and came towards them. It's Dementor colleagues were following it's lead. Ron's brain raced for a way out of this, but more and more of the monstors were pouring out of the window. He felt Luna press herself to him in fear. Instantly, his body was flooded with heat, and he knew what he had to do.
Thinking of kissing Luna, Ron raised his arm and bellowed, "Expecto Patronum!"
A brilliant silver lion erupted from the tip of Ron's wand and raced towards the five lead Dementors. It shook it's mane, and opened its mouth to emit a powerful roar as it overwhelmed the Dementors. Within an instant they were gone, and the lion came around for another go at six more Dememntors. It took them out and then slowly evaporated into the air. To Ron's dismay, though, at least ten more of the hooded monstrosities had come from the window, and there were more still behind those.
"Bloody hell," he whispered, knowing he wasn't strong enough to produce the amount of Patronuses needed to relinquish these foes.
"Ron," Luna breathed next to him, staring at the Dementors with obvious fear. "Ron, there's something I have to tell you."
"What is it?" he asked, wrapping his arm around her in an effort to spare her from the Dementors and taking a few steps backward.
"You weren't supposed to know yet...no one was...but after tonight on the train, with the sky, remember...after that, I think I can break the rules this once and tell you..."
"We don't have time for riddles, Luna," Ron said breathlessly as he strained his thoughts to find a way to escape the Dementors. "Unless you can think of a thought happy enough to produce a Patronus strong enough destroy what looks to be over fifty Dementors at once--"
"Just hold on tight," Luna said, her voice suddenly solid with the decision she had made. Ron glanced down at her, confused, but tightened his hold around her body. He watched, transfixed, as Luna's eyes got wide. He felt a breeze blow past their bodies. The Dementors felt it too and stopped as one to turn their heads towards it. The next breeze was a bit stronger, and so was the next one...and the next one. Ron felt another breeze answer the first one from the other side of his body. Then he felt one boring down from on top of him. Suddenly, there was a shriek of terror. Ron's head snapped up and he looked to the Dementors. They were falling to their knees, clutching at their throats. He could hear the gale that was forming a swirling cage around them, suffocating them, weakening them.
"Use your Patronus now," Luna said in a voice Ron was sure could command a battlefield. Ron took out his wand, and thought about what would happen if these creatures weren't defeated. Then, thinking of the view Luna had showed him earlier, Ron put his heart and soul into the spell.
"EXPECTO PATRONUM!"
The silver lion exploded from the wand, now bigger than the Express, and in one swift pounce, it engulfed the train. Ron and Luna shielded their eyes from the blinding light that ensued from the destruction of all the Dementors at once.
The light slowly began to fade away, as did the winds. He stared at the train for a moment, amazed at what had just happened.
He was roused to his senses when he felt Luna's body go slack under his hold. He instantly turned to find her unconscious in his arms. He knew those winds had come from her. How, he wasn't sure, but it had been some demonstration of power. Grimly, Ron pulled out a cellular phone and sent a message back to Hogwarts telling Harry what had happened and that they would need an alternate means of transportation as soon as possible. Five minutes later, Harry messaged back saying that a crew would be there to inspect and clean up the Express, and Ron and Luna would proceed to Bulgaria by the less-conspicuous Muggle way of jet.