Elise's POV:
My night, unlike most these past few years, wasn't spent well. Everything went on as usual and I was in bed by nine, only to spend the rest of it tossing and turning. It wasn't until three in the morning where the last of my sleep potion finally kicked in and I got my rest.
I woke up the next morning aching, and feeling as though I'd been shot in the stomach by a BB gun.
Although, when I first described the same evaluation to Luna, she stared at me curiously, all while gently nodding her head in profound confusion. So apparently, those didn't exist in the Wizarding world either.
Because while I was raised knowing of magic and Hogwarts, I also had a sort of Muggle upbringing. My Dad was Muggle born, and my Mum didn't mind staying in the same neighbourhood as where he grew up. Especially because it also got me to connect with some Muggle kids my age and experience some things I otherwise wouldn't have.
Occasionally, I thought back to all the children deprived of the typical, fun filled, Muggle childhoods and saddened.
I trudged past the entrance of the Great hall, picking up a little speed as I spotted my friends at the Gryffindor table, plopping down right next to Ron.
But just as they all were about to open their mouths to greet me, they soon snapped back shut. Harry's eyebrows furrowed in curiosity and Hermione ran her eyes all over my expression - which I hid behind my hair. Ron looked somewhere in-between to both anger and confusion.
The nightmares were back. I woke up a few hours too early with a little less screaming than years before, but was still disturbed enough to not be able to fall back asleep. Because while most of the dream was stuff I'd seen before, this one threw in something new.
The Thestrals. Something inside me stirred at my first sight of them. And now they'd begun seeping into my subconscious.
I stared downcast at my plate, avoiding their following eyes and helped myself to the spread before us.
Ron was pretty much immediately done with my silence. "What the bloody hell happened to you?"
"Ron!" Hermione lectured.
"What? I can't ask?"
My dark circles were clear, a blend of black and blue and heavy under my eyes. They were a more washed out, dusty amber, and didn't hold the same light they usually did. Having at least put in the effort to sort my hair before arriving, my curls stayed in place, though still slightly untamable and wild. It was clear from those bits alone that I was not doing too well.
Harry did his best to shoot me a sympathetic smile, handing me half of his newspaper. I gratefully accepted, excited to see he had also given me my favourite sections. With a slightly more uplifted mood, I flipped through the pages.
By then, Ron and Hermione's argument had ceased. Hermione deflated in her seat. Ron still looked pissed. I could have sworn I saw smoke pour from his ears, and blinked twice. He pressed his lips together, not daring to say another word. But when he finally looked back at me, I watched them soften and droop in concern.
I didn't need his pity. I hated the anxiety it made me feel. "Ron," I began, placing a hand over his, "I'm alright, I swear."
He didn't seem at all convinced, or was in any way reassured, but my droopy smile and tired eyes must have stopped him from wanting to ask further.
Ron took one look at me and sighed, squeezing my hand. "Fine."
I nodded back at him, unbelievably relieved at the sight of his angry mask slipping, and flipped the page.
But the relief I felt from that interaction made me ignore the others. And I was careless to not have seen Hermione biting the inner corner of her lip.
It was a telltale sign of hers we grew to recognise over the years. From past conversations where Hermione clearly disagreed, but something more important would prevent the words from being said. Or days she woke up foul, behaving a little too snippy and knew it. It was her only hope to force those words back.
Only with time, it would begin to slip.
***
The last of the summer breeze wafted through some branches, the late sun slowly falling to a sunset behind the autumn clouds. There was a slight chill in the air as I bypassed some bushes, finally arriving at my destination.
The forest. It was another one of my few favourite places to go to. With its tall, dark trees, atmospheric sky, clusters of mushrooms and endless displays of magical wildlife - what was there to hate?
But as I headed on over towards my favourite spot, I stood still. A familiar blonde sat under one of the best old oak trees. My smile grew.
"Hey, Luna."
Her eyes were already on me. "Hello, Elise."
"You know you don't have to call me by my full name." I sat down with her. "My friends just call me El."
"Friends?" She asked me. Her soft, smooth voice sounded lighter than before. "We are friends?"
"Of course we're friends, Luna." I responded, surprised she hadn't thought of us like that, even after all the time we'd been spending together. "That's what friends do - they hang out and have fun. Just like we are right now."
Luna nodded slowly, having an almost out of touch look in her eye. "Friends," she repeated, smiling.
I nodded softly, the soothing silence washing over us. An idea formed into my head as a small patch of daisies magically grew by my hip. I plucked one up, staring at it with fondness.
"Hey, Luna," her blue eyes met my brown ones," have you ever made daisy chains before?"
The next hour was spent in joyous laughter, attempting to string a daisy through another with a hole we had created in its stem. It wasn't the easiest thing to do, but Luna was a natural. She moved swiftly with her hands, delicately threading the pieces together and all with a steady hand. I pouted at how miserable mine looked compared to hers.
But then, I saw a creature out in the field. It had a strange, bone-like structure to it, with the skin just barely clinging to it. It found its way towards us and stood just a few metres away. I sat up a little, but didn't shift back as it suddenly got closer.
I remained cautious as it neared us, and was surprised to see Luna stand up. She hadn't questioned my ability of seeing them, nor my reluctance to accept that fact and tell her earlier when we first met. But I was secretly thankful for it.
She raised a hand and stroked the creature as it groaned. "It says it wants to meet you too," Luna smiled.
I nodded, not questioning her ability to somehow understand them. My footsteps where slow and calculated, after a few minutes standing just close enough to stroke it, but still weary. As beautiful and as calm as this one was, I had read somewhere that Thestrals were easily startled. And according to the book, I definitely didn't want to do that.
The one I was stroking shifted its back away from my hand, trotted closer and rubbed its nose under my outstretched hand. I let out a carefree giggle, leisurely petting its head.
Luna turned to me. She didn't need to say anything. I already knew what she was silently asking.
"I'm sorry I lied when we first met," I said, "about the Thestrals."
"Why are you apologising to me?"
A lump formed in my throat and my teeth sunk into the inside of my cheek. I wouldn't allow myself to cry.
"Because I should have been honest." I tried my best to speak despite the hoarseness in my voice. "Not just to you, but to my friends too. I know they care about me, it's just that-"
I took a shaky breath, my hand falling back to my side. The Thestral nuzzled its head into my side but I ignored it.
"I'm not ready to talk about it. I don't like hiding things, or lying to them, it was just easier to do that rather than to tell the truth. It happened before Hogwarts - long before we first met. And I hadn't even had the nightmares in years, not until..."
The Thestral looked up at me as if it referred to it by name. Luna didn't speak until a few seconds later. "I lost my mother. When I was quite young. She liked to experiment with things, but her last one backfired. I don't remember it, but I know I saw it happen."
No words needed to be spoken for me to understand that Luna didn't need to talk about it. Her experience didn't seem to eat her up as much as mine did for me, but that didn't really bother me. I was just glad to see that she'd grown with it.
Luna's blue eyes blinked, swimming with silent emotion. And I knew. I knew that she didn't want to know about my experience, nor did she feel the need to because of curiosity. She understood well. And right then, that was all I needed.
My heart warmed. I felt it grow twice in size. Warmth surrounded me again. And by then, the Thestral had already left. And so, we sat in peaceful silence for the rest of the afternoon.
***
Hermione's POV:
My mind swarmed, my stomach churned, my fists clenched, my teeth bit. And the thoughts that brought this on only made the pit of anger in my chest double in size.
Elise was being ridiculous.
She was acting as if the nights, the nights we'd occasionally spend in each other's dorms, the nights we'd be at each other's houses over the Holidays, I didn't hear her cries. She was acting as if I didn't see her avoiding the eyes of the Thestrals only Harry seemed to see. She was acting as if the aftermath of it all, the swollen eyes and sunken lips, was all just invisible to me.
I'd known her long enough to know that I wasn't going to get any information from her alone. But I wouldn't dare ask Ron or Harry for help. If she couldn't tell me, then there was no way she would be able to tell them.
I needed a different kind of help. I needed someone smart and intune, someone who knew El well enough, but not so much she'd completely freak out if they found out. Someone I despised the thought of. Someone I knew all too well.
My eyes found two sets of redheads above the crowd. I recognised them both, and knew the one I needed to talk to was one of them. His cocker attitude and slightly leaner build was hard to ignore. George had thankfully just left, stupidly late to his Charms class, leaving Fred to roam the corridors alone. I caught his attention by racing towards him, pulling him by his sleeve and shoving him into a free classroom.
It took Fred a second to catch up to what just happened, but when he saw my face and the hand still gripping onto his shirt, his grin spread. "Wow, Granger. That was one sneaky move."
I let go. "It had to be done."
He looked all around and eyes fixated on the door I'd locked behind me. "Did you miss me already?"
"Fred-"
"You know you can call me anytime you need, dearest," he leaned in, "no need to hide it."
"Merlin, I don't have time for this."
Fred raised his brows. "Ooh this sounds serious."
"It is."
Another smirk spread his lips. "Granger, are you finally asking me out?"
My mouth gaped open. "Pardon?"
But despite my many protests, the idiot just wouldn't stop talking. "I must say, this is a surprise. But definitely not a bad one." He winked. I wanted to vomit.
"Fred, I really can't do this right now."
"And why's that, dearest?"
I shot him my best glare. Enough was enough. "This is about El, and it's seriously important. So if you care at all about her like you seem to do, then listen to me."
His lips parted in realisation, pressing back shut and finally listening instead of talking.
I ran my palms over my head, pushing my curls back. And finally, sighing. "I need your help."