A/N-Hey guys. I do apologise for being lax with updates but uni is trying to kill me….very slowly. Once again. Thanks to Katie for checking this chapter….
Also I have tweaked with Luna's character a bit… I can't say what as you're about to find out…but FYI it's for the purpose of this story…
Also a HUGE thanks to ears91…who pointed out the obvious….and quickly changed…thanks
Cheers
Rachel
Chapter 7
Harry slouched against a small chair overseeing a white arch window; long ebony curtains draped at its side. Aside from him sat Luna, her long dirty blonde hair lay limp on her shoulders. In-between biting her fingernails, her silvery-blue eyes seemed alert for the very first time.
"I know they're out there," her eyes flickered to the door one foot away, bared shut with a metal panel and magic. She squirmed in her pale white shirt and pants.
Her voice normally sounded faraway, aloof and breathy. He usually never takes notice of what she said. Usually he would think of a way to avoid her. Something about her always made him feel uncomfortable and now he knew why; Harry just didn't know whether he should be feeling relieved or worried.
"So," Harry whistled, his eyes roaming around her bare white walls and floor. Suddenly, the black curtains felt like dementors robes, cold and unflinching.
"The curtains soothe me," Luna answered for him, her eyes switching between him and the curtains. Hands touching her bottom lip her eyes remained focused. Unflinching in its penetrating gaze Harry started to feel on edge and only felt his tension subside when she looked away and gazed at the shut door. Eyes still trained on the door she whispered.
"They're all liars…. Fakers…" she huffed her hair out of the way before turning back to face him. He looked at her weak and thin frame. Days of starvation caused her hands to look like thin white bones, if he looked closer he would see her white skin stretched and strained over bone. He could see the network of veins painted on her face and body. It was his fault that she was this way. He was too busy in his self pity to see that other people, like Luna were suffering as well.
She stood up, Harry followed suit and kept a close eye as she moved to stand by the curtains, Harry wondered why she chose that colour and that velvet texture in a place like this. After a brief second of gazing she turned and leaned against the window, speaking to it as if it had a soul. "When people think of clairvoyants or physics," Luna smiled, now looking at him as she continued. "…they say….'oooh' (she moved her hands around in a squiggly motion) so you can see the future…." She shrugged her shoulders and shouted "Bah," She turned her body and faced the white wall, as if they were other people in this room besides him, " Its sooo more complex than that," She spat, turned her body back to him, shaking her head at him she chuckled a low breathily cackle that froze him on the spot, "…..no one can see the future" Still chuckling to herself, tears started to drip from her eyes, her right hand touched her cheek, catching a small tear she tasted it, paused, and remained in mid movement, looking at her outstretched hand, "….its like water (her hand twisted out and inward in a come hither motion) constantly rippling from the boulders and choices we make in life," her head snapped up and focused on him standing by the wall," ….in truth….we only see echoes of what may or may not have been…"tilting her head to one side, her hair billowing forth like golden rays , "Kind of like a preview of what may happen if we follow that yellow brick road…"
Harry didn't know what to say. He only discovered a few days ago that Luna had the ability to see the future. Her mother, Sangroyale Eve lovegood, was a well known physic in Southern France and if people knew that Luna was her only daughter she would be more famous than him. Part of him felt angry that Luna had this power and didn't tell anyone, after all she could've saved a lot of lives but now he was realizing that having such a volatile gift can make no difference if you can't control it. She was looking straight at him, almost through him as if she could sense his thoughts. A ghostly smile erupted on her face, nodding.
"People change when they know you can see things," Her head snapped to the left, looking behind the sofas and the corner of the walls, "hear things……spirits….ghosts….auras….," Shaking her head at him, as if by chance her ordeal and his were similar. "It never changes," She stated. She turned back to face the door, leaving him in his thoughts.
It never changes…what did she mean by that? Half of him dismissed her claim, after all, she was Luna lovegood and despite her secret abilities she was still loony….but another part of him understood in his own way. It never changes, being different, being the boy-who-lived…no matter what he would always be treated as some kind of hero.
As he was thinking he heard Luna whispering to him as she gazed at the barred door, "….its always the same…" she turned around, her arms outstretched in a begging manner, ".Tell me…about my mother…will I die in twenty years? ….will she marry that guy? ….will I ever fall in love? ……will my son commit suicide…?" Her arms dropped, her head turning left and right as if someone was speaking to her or something touched her that caused her to become withdrawn and faraway as she usually was.
"….The whispers," She said, her eyes looking skyward as she edged backward into a corner. "…did I see Ron take his life?" She dug her hands into her skull, shutting her eyes she added, "Did I see death's hands on her brown eyes?" She abruptly opened up her eyes and looked past his shoulder, screaming at his side, "I Told you no…I won't I won't I won't". Shaking her head at his left side, Harry turned and wondered who she was seeing beside him? Was it a spirit or her fragile mind collapsing before her?
Whack!
She lunged forth and attacked him like some animal, knocking his glasses away and threw him to the floor, straddling his body Luna crossed her arms and whined, her lips wavering like a child.
"….. I told you," Shaking her head at him, her legs trapping him to the floor, "I can't see the future," She slid off him, allowing Harry to feel the floor around him until he clutched his glasses. Putting them on Harry sat up, using his elbows and found Luna lying on the floor beside him. ".. Like I see the sun rise or my reflection in the mirror…its changes…it's shifts….nothing stays the same…"Luna got into a crouching position and growled, "He made it all go away…"Standing up she shouted at the walls. "Ron treated me the same as anybody else!" She pointed to herself and laughed, her eyes shining with warmth. Harry stood up, scratching his head, feeling it swim in pain from Luna's sudden outburst.
"…..this vibrant glowing light….so full of life," She sighed, her head hung low, "…so full of remorse…"She snapped up again and screamed at Harry, "...No….I won't ….I won't …I won't…I won't …..I won't…" Stamping her foot she venomously shook her body before she stopped, suddenly calm she looked up and spoke to the walls again.
"Did I see?" She repeated to herself. "….I glimpsed….I dreamt….but" Her hands wove in front of her, shielding her eyes and turned to him, "…..I…was blind…..he shut my eyes and I followed…."
She brought her hands away from her face and smiled at him, her eyes alert and focused on him.
She wasn't smiling, or laughing. She was silent but he could feel that she was sad. She had that look in her eye, the one Hermione had when she knew something he didn't.
"Everything has life, a pulse…a beat….nothing is silent…" She stalked to his side; her body an inch from his and her hand grazed his cheek before sliding upwards to touch his scar. He winced, turning his head away. She ignored his obvious discomfort and opted to rest her head on his right shoulder. "Nothing is kept still…except you…"
He woke up in a cold sweat, breathing rapidly he wiped off the streaming sweat from his brow before reaching for his glasses. Till this day Harry didn't know what to take from that moment. After Ron's suicide, Luna's heritage was leaked to the Daily Prophet and suddenly everyone knew that Luna was Empathic. There are many people who could see the future, some active like Luna's mother and some not, like Professor Trelawney was and then there are Empaths. An Empath is someone who could not only see things but had such a strong sixth sense that reality and the undead blurred. Without proper training one could lose his or her mind and that's what happened to Luna. Her grief over Ron's death pushed her over the edge and ended up in St Mungo's.
Also, her father placed her on medication to block out her ability to sense, which inadvertently caused her collapse...
The doctors placed her on high doses of elixir l'âme (elixir of the soul) in hopes of closing her mind to ease her pain but it only made it harder for Luna to focus on what was happening around her. The doctors had told him to not take anything she'd said to heart but the way she spoke about life and death and how he had nothing inside him haunted him. So much so, he drank to forget and it was this pre-dawn hour that he remembered.
He flung on his red bathrobe and slipped on his shoes.
Maybe a stroll would ease my mind.
Careful not to wake anyone else he tip-toed downstairs, picking up his invisibility cloak in the process he stood close to the walls and made his way to the courtyard.
Luna was there. Perched on the water fountain edge she was looking down at a filthy black dog and Hermione's cat.
Sirius, he whispered. He can not describe in words what he felt next but it felt like a hot cavern opening up, his face was hot and lips grinning. Yet, at the same time he felt tears well up. Edging closer, clutching the cloak close he was just a foot away to see the tiny black hairs on Sirius's fur coat when Luna looked up and right at him.
"I can see you know," She stated.
Harry shook off the cloak, placing it beside him, dropped to his knees and hugged Sirius. His mangy fur coat smelled of dead rats and dirt but he kissed it anyway. Holding Padfoot close he looked up at Luna, bathed in moonlight, her hair gold as gems and she smiled.
"You've found him," She didn't need to say his name but Harry knew Luna meant his godfather. Picking up crookshanks, she added. "She has the key," leaving Harry alone with his godfather. If he didn't know or was used to Luna's antics he wouldn't think of it.
What did she mean? Harry wondered. Who has the key? Somehow he knew that it involved Hermione.
Sirius yelped underneath him, wagging his tail and pouting in a dog-like way.
Clutching him together Harry dragged them to a hidden grove behind some bushes. Hidden from view Harry laid against the bushes with Sirius and listened to the sounds of the night, hugging Sirius closer he closed his eyes.
**
"Oh no, oh no oh no oh no oh no," Hermione gushed, looking at her frumpy reflection the mirror groaned in approval. Hurriedly, she ripped off her sweat-soaked shirt and slipped on a pale lavender blouse. The mirror laughed.
"Oh no, dear," The mirror laughed. "That's worse,"
Hermione smiled, hands on hips and teeth clenched. "You're no help either!" and, in a huff stormed out of the bathroom, clothes clutched in anger she threw them in a mangle heap on her newly-made bed.
Today was official. It was her birthday and she was in a total mess over a boy for the first time in her life.
Her roommates were no help either.
"Playing dress up Hermione??" Lavender Brown would croon.
"Don't even bother," said another.
Ignore them, Hermione said to herself and focused on pulling on a loose blue shirt, dark comfortable jeans (no hipsters) and what her mother dubbed as her "sky walker boots" which were knee length and made from Italian leather with thick silver buckles. She pulled these on and was concealed underneath her jeans. Before slipping on a black knee-length woolen jacket with hood she double checked her bag with money (enough to buy a few supplies and of course, to buy something for Harry) and a small wad of paper with a list of possible books that might help cure his powers.
Once everything was in order she made sure her signed consent form was in her front pocket before tailing the others down the stairs, noticing that none of them said 'Happy Birthday'. Hermione knew this and yet it still stung.
She saw Ron and Dean huddled together by the fountain in the middle of the courtyard. Probably talking about Quiditch, wait, scratch that, they are! Shaking her head she crossed her arms and waited and pretended to be occupied by the people around her instead of looking at the main entrance into the hall, in which, any second now, Harry would trudge down ( toast in hand) and stand next to Ron, setting her plan in motion.
She waited. She waited. She waited. She remained the last person by the fountain as the crowd followed Professor McGonagall towards the carriages down the hill.
It was when Ron came back for her did she turn and leave.
*
When someone was angry, they don't see reason; they don't hear it or speak it. Some say they feel an all consuming fire bubbling forth. Hermione just saw red and two emerald eyes and the pang her heart felt when Harry didn't turn up.
"I'm going to kill Harry Potter. No, wait, scratch that! I'm going to boil him alive." Hermione rushed, "How dare he not tell me that he didn't get his consent form signed???" Hermione hissed to Ron as they left Zonko's joke shop with two bags full of items for their friends and family. Onlookers were gazing at Hermione with interest as she openly and loudly confessed her desire to skin Harry Alive. Ron was trying his best to subdue his friend, and failed miserably.
"Well," shrugging his shoulders as he walked alongside Hermione. "You guys haven't been talking lately-----"
"Really," Hermione laughed. More like, having breathed in each other's presence. Avoiding one another in halls…well….Harry avoided her. She didn't and it hurt when she saw him speaking with others. "….I didn't notice Ron…" yeah, Hermione Jane Granger, human dictionary and inhuman. That's what everybody thought. Except Harry, or so she thought.
"Hey….don't throw your stuff on me!" Ron scoffed.
Typical Ron, Hermione rolled her eyes
"Me and Harry are just fine." He stopped outside a well-known pub "The three broomsticks" and allowed people close by to enter the pub before adding, " I say 'Good Morning' and he says 'hey'…."he turned to face her head on, looking down at her, "don't get our nose in a stitch because Harry has been.."
"Been what?" Hermione snapped back, "Avoiding me?" shrugging her shoulders that screamed the word. 'Duh'….
"Well…you do tend to…" Ron mumbled and his eyes fell to the floor. His cheeks blushed.
"What….?"Hermione tilted her head to one side. She knew that look. It was that I'm-about-to-say-something-nasty-to-Hermione look, "WHAT RON?"
"…a bit annoying, bossy and…you tend to smother…" He gushed out, his shoulders slouching as he continued to list the flaws and habits in her personality.
"Smother him Ron?" Hermione arched her eyebrows, "As compared to someone who openly childes him (she walked up to him, so close their noses touched) when people recognize him or…."
"Hey Hermione," Lavender smiled, grabbing her arm tightly.
"Ouch," Hermione flinched and felt her body being roughly dragged away from the pub. It was then she noticed a small crowd of twenty stood outside the pub, eyes on her and her outburst.
Harry's going to kill me, Hermione groaned. Before I kill myself…
"Are you trying a new phase?" Lavender jibbed, and went on to pound her questions. Meanwhile, Hermione was trying to translate what Lavender had meant in the first place.
"Speak English," Hermione said.
"Stop trying to make a scene." Lavender pouted.
She could hear the snapping sound of her mouth opening and closing as Lavender crossed her arms and rose her eyebrows in that know-what-I-mean way. "Make a…"
"You heard me..." Lavender finished, turned and joined Ron and Dean outside the Three Broomsticks, leaving Hermione alone and crestfallen.
**
To say the rest of the day was better would be lying. Hermione spent the next hour by herself in the library, overhearing people gossip about her recent outburst outside the three broomsticks.
"Did you hear…?"
"Such a bitch if I say so..."
"Its no wonder Harry is avoiding her..."
But she wouldn't allow their petty insults get to her. No matter how much hurt it caused she kept her head held high and pretended not to notice. Instead, she headed over to the muggle section inside "Zelda's library," hoping such authors of crime, mystery and romance would distract her for a while.
"Ah, Miss Granger," Professor Dumbledore smiled; a book by the name of "Stephen King" was in his right hand.
"Hello Professor," She answered back, not knowing if she should be feeling happy or unnerved by his appearance.
"And might I add, "Happy Birthday", he smiled
Hermione couldn't help but smile. "Thanks," she busied herself by looking at the small collections of books around her.
"This is on behalf of the staff," Dumbledore said, handing her a small wrapped pouch. "It's unconventional and therefore, you are not allowed to breathe a word of this to anyone," he paused. "Including Harry," he smiled briefly and walked down the narrow hallway, leaving her alone with the package in hand.
Finding a small desk and chair nearby she sat down and careful unwrapped the paper to reveal an old-looking oval-shaped pendant. It was silver with some of the chains copper-looking from rust with a flat oval locket. A small design of a dragon in mid-flight (its wings outstretched) caught her eyes and she had a sense of déjà vu before unclasping the butterfly clip and fastening it around her neck. The locket rested underneath her bosom so she slipped it underneath her shirt.
Why would the staff give me this? She wondered, then again, it was a nice change from the stack of books and gift vouches she usually received.