Two Worlds

~ Two Worlds ~

It was a dark and stormy night.

No, really.

Well, perhaps not so stormy, actually. Windy, certainly, but there hadn't been so much as a single clap of lightning all night. Of course, that could easily be explained away by the fact that there was hardly a cloud in the sky, the Moon and the stars shing down upon the quiet Devonshire countryside with glorious impunity.

Come to think of it, it was not all that dark, either, what with the Moon bathing the Earth in its silvery glow. Shadowy, though, most definitely - entirely befitting October's farewell. The landscape was bestrewn with a myriad shadows both great and small, the spirits of the night dancing their annual Old Hollow's Eve waltz.

Two of the shadows were slowly moving across the land; their progenitors, two young witches of entirely differing intuitions had undertaken this night a journey of discovery.

Or at least, one of them had. To the other, this was old hat.

The dried leaves startled Hermione Granger every time they blew across her path, which was to say, incessantly; indeed the wind greatly aided the deliberations, producing its unearthly howl as it meandered through the tree branches. The thin, spindly limbs in turn would knock and rustle together, a dark dance of wooden skeletons and forest fiddles. Under these Hermione and her companion Luna Lovegood hurriedly scurried, the midnight hour looming ever nearer.

One glance at her companion and Hermione couldn't quite suppress a smile. The Ravenclaw seemed entirely in her element here, or as much as one so wistful could ever hope to be; yes, mused Hermione, Luna was thoroughly enjoying herself.

They came to a tiny brook. Luna stopped along the bank, even though it seemed to Hermione they could easily jump it.

"What is it?" asked Hermione. "Is this the place?"

"No it isn't," said Luna, her airy voice difficult to pick up through the wind. "But as this is the wood nixies' highway, it would be terribly rude to cross without paying the toll."

"A toll?" laughed Hermione. "Luna, there's no need, we can just jump over - "

"It's just being polite," said Luna, fishing out a small handful of painted acorns from her coat pocket. She proceeded to throw them one at a time into the trickling water.

"...three...four...five. There, that should do it..."

Apparently satisfied, she led the way, hopping along a couple of well-placed stones as Hermione followed close behind, smiling ruefully to herself and shaking her head. She knew there was no real point in arguing the matter; and besides, this night belonged to Luna.

Once acrosss the Ravenclaw got down on her hands and knees at the edge of the brook.

Hermione emulated her companion without really knowing why; bracing her hands against the cold ground, she and Luna gazed down into the water at their moonlit reflections.

"What is it?" whispered Hermione after a few moments. "Did you see something?"

Luna shook her head, a few straying strands of sandy blonde hair lightly teasing the trickling water's surface.

"They say nixies will sometimes invite those of good heart to the midnight dance the faery folk hold on Old Hallow's Eve. At least, if you can find them," she whispered back excitedly. "I've never been to one myself, though Mum told me a lot about them."

Hermione's ears perked up. "She did?"

"Yes," said Luna, slipping into her familiar reverie. "I would so love to see Queen Brighid in her ivy gown; she traditonally comes forth from Tir Tairngiri on this night to revel with her fey subjects, did you know? But the nixies are probably already there by now...oh well..."

Hermione gazed at her friend's watery double and smiled. Luna's enthusiasm was contagious, based though it was on a most unlikely premise. But Hermione had come to appreciate her friend's unique, if slightly naive, outlook on life.

"Is that what you wanted to show me?" she asked, scanning the water for the painted acorns.

Luna drew herself up into a sitting position and turned to her.

"Oh no," she said simply, before grasping Hermione's hand and bolting off into the depths of the forest.

"Ack! Wait - Luna!"

Hermione stumbled several times in quick succession; how she managed to avoid falling flat on her face she had no idea. Thankfully, Luna quickly slowed to a more manageable walk.

"I'm sorry," said the Ravenclaw in her dreamy voice. "You haven't been this way before; I should've realized you wouldn't be familiar with the local roots and such."

"Thank you," said Hermione gratefully. "I wasn't looking forward to spraining my ankle again."

"That would be bad," agreed Luna, releasing Hermione's hand as they wound their way down a gentle slope. The path here was almost indistinguishable from the rest of the brush, thickly overgrown and so narrow as to force them into walking one behind the other. Indeed, had they come on a moonless night Hermione very much doubted they could manage to find their way; but the faint silvery light streaming through the leafless canopy provided enough illumination as Luna forged ahead, calling back warnings as she went.

"Root...fallen tree...Bollywoggle hole, stay left...ouch...overhanging branch...that wasn't there last time..."

They were going along nicely when, to Hermione's horror, Luna inexplicably deviated from the path, plunging headlong into the dense brush with sudden urgency.

"Luna!"

"I just remembered - "

Hermione hesitated for only a moment before following, pushing branches haphazardly out of the way. "You know, this wanderlust of yours will be the death of me," she called out as she stumbled along. She was not at all keen about leaving the comparative security of the path, but the prospect of getting separated from Luna in such a place was even less appealing; she forged ahead.

Thankfully she hadn't strayed very far from the trail when she caught up to Luna a little way further on. She caught sight of her friend in a small moonlit knoll peering down what looked to be an ancient well, its weathered and crumbling bluestones covered in vines.

"You have to warn me about these sudden deviations," said Hermione as she came to stand next to Luna, brushing away some twig-tangled hair from her eyes. She gazed curiously at the ancient stonework upon which Luna was leaning over. "What is all this, anyway?"

"It's an old Saxon well," said Luna, her huge silver eyes transfixed on its inky depths. "Local legend holds that a banshee lurks somewhere down there...she was slain by a group of marauding vikings ages ago, on this very night..."

"A banshee?" repeated Hermione nervously, edging back. "Luna, I don't think this is a good idea. You do remember about banshees, don't you? There's no reason to tempt fate - "

"You know I don't believe in that."

"This isn't the time for a philosophical debate," countered Hermione. "If that thing so much as - "

"HELLLLOOOOOOO!" Luna called out, leaning over the well with her hands cupped around her mouth. "IS ANYONE THERE?"

"Luna!!" shrieked Hermione, mortified. She grasped the Ravenclaw's arm and jerked her away forcefully from the well's edge. "Have you completely lost your mind??"

Luna looked at her as though Hermione was the one who was becoming unhinged. "No, it's still right here," she said casually, pointing to her head. "Aren't you curious to see what a banshee looks like?"

"Not the slightest! They're dangerous!" shot Hermione hotly, fists balled tightly at her sides. "The banshee's wail can kill anyone who hears it, don't you know that?"

Luna deftly drew her wand from behind her ear. "Yes, but that's why we have Silencio, isn't it?" she voiced airily, twirling the shaft lightly between her fingers. "It's entirely harmless without its ability to wail, Professor Lupin told us so."

"I - don't change the subject," argued Hermione, her ire subsiding slighty. "This isn't about what spells can defend against what, it's about taking unecessary risks! Can't you see that?"

"But there are risks in everything," said Luna, cocking her head slightly. "Like crossing Picadilly Circus with all those Muggle cars milling about, for example. Or even taking the Knight Bus sometimes, especially on a full stomach."

She gazed up at the night sky. "Even now a meteorite could come crashing down on our heads at any moment..."

Hermione guffawed. "Oh come on, don't make a mockery of it. We're talking about some pretty long odds, there."

"That's right," voiced Luna, still gazing at the stars. "But stranger things have happened. Yet here we are, outside and braving the meteorites."

Hermione sighed. "I suppose you think I'm overreacting."

"Not at all," said Luna. She turned finally to her companion and smiled. "Meteorites and banshees are entirely different things. But you really do need to live a little, you know."

Hermione stood in stunned silence, quite unable to find a counter to her friend's fundamental truth. And besides, arguing was rapidly becoming an afterthought, what with Luna moving closer, until her beautiful silvery eyes filled Hermione's field of vision; the blonde entwined her fingers with Hermione's as she leaned close, their foreheads touching lightly.

"Live a little...with me..." sighed Luna as her lips brushed lightly against Hermione's.

Hermione closed her eyes and shuddered. Oh, damn you, she thought, feeling her friend's delicate lips teasing her skin ever so delicately. Her heart jumped at the slightest touch; she opened her mouth, her breathing slightly ragged.

"Am I...being a nag?" she gasped, sensing impossibly soft lips slowly feathering their way along the underside of her jawline, making for her ear. If Luna reached it -

"Yes," cooed Luna ethereally, squeezing Hermione's fingers between her own. "But a good nag, altogether." She paused there an interminable moment, her lips lightly tracing the delicate, shell-like contours of Hermione's ear. The latter waited with baited breath until she thought her heart would fly out of her throat.

In the back of her mind, a wispy voice of reason struggled to make itself heard. It was rapidly becoming muffled, however; she knew she had to act now, before...

Hermione swallowed hard. "Luna, no...not the place...oh, Merlin..."

"Hmm," sighed the blonde, snuggling still closer, not to be so easily dispelled. Hermione caught the faint scent of juniper as the wind flicked long strands of sandy blonde hair across her nose. Luna's gentle breathing tickled her eardrum as she nuzzled in further.

Hermione's knees buckled slightly as her thoughts began to take on a hazy mien -

"Luna...please...we're...getting sidetracked," she gasped, her mind swimming.

She felt Luna pause; for several moments they stayed very still, neither one moving at all. Finally, though, the blonde slowly drew back. Hermione's eyes popped open, the fog slowly lifting from her overcooked brain.

"I suppose you're right," said Luna as though she were having a quaint conversation over tea. "Besides, I can always contact Colin Creevy; he might know of someone who captured a banshee on film, if he hasn't himself."

Hermione ogled her questioningly, stunned at Luna's abrupt change of pace - it was something which she doubted she would ever get used to.

"Wha - you weren't thinking of that, were you?"

Luna tilted her head. "How do you mean?"

"I - just now!" exclaimed Hermione in exasperation. "Please tell me you weren't - oh, never mind..."

Luna nodded. "All right," she said simply. "Well, we'd best get moving then, we still have a way to go."

"Go?" asked Hermione in surprise. She waved towards the well. "Isn't this what you wanted to show me?"

"This? Oh, no," laughed Luna, her airy voice floating through the night air as she drifed off, heading back towards the path. "No, what I want to show you is entirely more interesting..."

"It is?" asked Hermione, becoming genuinely intrigued. "Why can't you tell me what - hey, wait for meeeeeeeee - "

Making to follow Luna, Hermione made the unnerving discovery that her feet seemed firmly bound together. With the momentum of her upper body carrying her forward, she flailed wildly with her arms as she toppled face-first into the brush, eating a mouthful of dried leaves in the process. In an instant Luna was on her knees, helping Hermione up into a sitting position.

"Are you all right? That was quite the spill..."

"Pfah!" spat Hermione, swatting off the worst of the underbrush from her hair and clothing. "W-what happened??" She looked back to the spot she'd occupied just a moment before. "Did I get snagged on something?"

"No," said Luna, her manner unusually serious. "There was nothing to trip over...are you sure you're all right? You fell rather badly."

"Yes, I think so," replied Hermione, testing her limbs for injuries. "I just - hey!"

She swung her legs around; in the moonlight, they could both clearly see her bootlaces had been tied together in a large and ornate knot.

"Criminy," said Hermione in a hushed voice. "This was no accident."

"No it wasn't," agreed Luna, a smile slowly forming on her face as Hermione worked to undo the bootlaces. "They're having a bit of fun with you, I think. That would explain the pile of leaves you fell on."

Hermione glanced at her. "What? Who are you talking about?"

"The little folk," replied Luna, instantly regaining her airy demeanour. "Spriggans, I would think. They enjoy playing little tricks on the 'giant people', as they like to call us. They're all through these woods - I've been catching glimpses of them for a while, but I wasn't sure if it was a trick of the moonlight."

Hermione finished re-tying her boots and got to her feet, drawing her wand and scanning the woods warily. Every moving branch drew her attention.

Luna stood up and pushed her wand arm down.

"There's no need," she said. "They don't mean any harm, they were just ribbing you a little - I think they like you, actually."

"Oh, well that's a comfort," said Hermione, entirely unreassured and keeping her wand at the ready. "How much more of this 'ribbing' do you think I'm likely to suffer?"

Luna stuck her finger inside her mouth and held it up, measuring the wind. "Well, it's hard to say. But you could turn your coat inside out, if you like," she suggested after a moment's reflection. "That'll ward them off."

Hermione gaped at her in disbelief.

"You can't be serious," she said, incredulous. "Luna, that's on old wive's tale, superstition!"

"So say most Muggles about us," stated Luna, undeterred. "But we know better, don't we?"

For the second time that night Hermione failed to retort with an effective counter. She sighed softly, not so much in defeat as in acknowledgement that Luna, for all her wistfulness, was quite capable of making make perfectly reasoned arguments when it suited her. But Hermione's stubbornness was not so easily dispelled.

"But...look, there's no magic in turning our coats inside out," she continued. "How could that deter anything?"

"No magic that we can see," said Luna. "But that doesn't make it any less real to them."

Hermione considered her options; she really didn't want to argue this night. Besides, there was really nothing to be lost from accepting Luna's advice, ludicrous as it was.

She removed her coat and pulled the sleeves back through themselves, turning it inside out. "I can't believe I'm doing this," she grumbled, more to herself than to Luna. "Pretty soon you'll have me nailing horseshoes to my door and other such nonsense."

Luna looked at her questioningly.

"You haven't already?"

"Never you mind," warned Hermione as she re-donned her coat. She looked at Luna, who was still wearing her tattered old coat in the correct manner. "Aren't you going to do yours?"

Luna smiled. "Oh...I'll be fine," she said cryptically.

"Now why does that not surprise me?" said Hermione.

Sure enough, they proceeded on without further incident, neither being subjected to anything more serious than a few tangles with wind-driven branches. They travelled on for a short while through the woods, Luna regaling Hermione with old tales of Silbury Hill and King Sil and ancient celtic riddles.

Hermione giggled. "Oh, that was a good one," she said, ducking under an outreaching limb of a gnarled old hickory. "It's a shame I can't try these on the boys; I don't think they'd get the nuances..."

"They are clever, aren't they?" called back Luna from in front. "I've always thought...oh, here we are..."

They neared the edge of the woods. "There'll be a fence up ahead," said Luna as the stifling branches finally began to pull away from the meandering path.

Just ahead, an old wooden fence made from interwoven silver-worn logs marked the boundary between the forest and an expansive field of dried corn beyond, their moonlit tips swaying like thousands of tiny spears in the wind. Luna placed one hand upon the top rung of the fence and gazed into the sky.

"This is becoming quite the trek," remarked Hermione as she joined Luna at the fence, glad, at least, to be free of the woods' dark embraces. While she hadn't been exactly frightened, especially given Luna's presence, wandering through the woods at night wasn't an activity which came naturally to her, memories of the Forbidden Forest at Hogwarts still vivid in her mind.

Still, it was interesting, she had to admit. She turned to her friend and smiled teasingly. "Are we there yet?"

"Almost," breathed Luna, seemingly unaware of the light ribbing. "Are you up for a bit of a climb?"

"Well, I've come this far," answered Hermione in false reluctance. In truth, she was gradually discovering that she was enjoying herself: as a child, she'd experienced precious little in the way of whimsy; with Luna, in contrast, she was getting a lifetime's dose.

Luna turned to her. "Yes," she said almost in surprise, a smile gracing her pale features. "That you have. And I must say I'm so happy you did. All right then..."

They clambered over the fence without further deliberation, Luna somehow managing it gracefully - probably from years of practice, mused Hermione. After dropping to the opposite side, they became faced with a long wall of yellowed corn stalks towering a good foot above their heads. Luna hesitated.

"You have been here before, yes?" asked Hermione.

The Ravenclaw remained absolutely still, staring straight ahead in an almost trancelike state.

"Luna? Helloooo..."

Hermione waved a hand in front of her.

"Did you hear that?" whispered Luna.

Hermione froze. Something about the former Ravenclaw's tone sent chills running down her back. She strained her ears and listened attentively but could pick up nothing beyond the nocturnal chants of the crickets and the light clattering of the branches and cornstalks in the wind.

"What is it? I don't hear anything..."

Just then a faint sound caught her ear: an unnerving, skeletal clickety-click-click stemming from the air around them. It lasted but a second or two, but the unnatural noise had been unmistakable - it had not been a trick of the wind.

Hermione felt her heart skip a beat. "What in Godric's gallstones was that?" she asked in a bare whisper, so low that she doubted even Luna could hear.

Just then a series of strange, metallic reverberations rang out to their right. Spaced roughly a second or two apart, each impact was getting progressively louder than the one before - Hermione could even feel the slight vibration through the ground when it struck: it was getting closer.

Luna whirled on her, her silver eyes wide as saucers. She drew in a sharp breath -

"Spring-Heeled Jack!!"

"Who??"

But Luna had already grasped her hand and was running pell-mell into the cornfield. Hermione didn't argue; whatever had compelled Luna to such flight was not something she wished to encounter.

They ran on until at a sprint until emerging into a combine trail little more than an arm's breath in width. The cornfield carrying on into the distance beyond. There they stopped to catch their breath.

"Okay...what was that...all about?" asked Hermione in between halting breaths.

Luna shook her head; Hermione saw with more than a little trepidation that she, like herself, had drawn her wand and was holding it at the ready. The silver-eyed blonde proceeded to tuck her hair behind her ear and listen attentively to the night.

There waited there a while, trying to pick up anything out of the ordinary, though the whistling winds and rustling cornstalks combined to muffle anything that might be heard in the distance. After a few minutes Hermione was starting to wonder if they'd imagined the whole thing. Perhaps it had been a trick of the wind, after all - and considering Luna's prodigious imagination...

Any hope of reassurance was quickly shattered by the sudden sight of a frightening apparition headed down the open trail straight towards them. It was an entity unlike any Hermione had ever seen: a humanoid figure clad in a dark oilskin cloak, crowned with what appeared to be blackstained horns and hands that ended in long, metallic claws. It laughed shrilly as it approached with its bounding gait, its eyes shining through the darkness like blazing embers of hellfire. It was moving unnvervingly fast - each leaping bound took the creature well over the height of even the tallest cornstalks.

Hermione shrieked as Luna grabbed her hand and led her further into the cornfield at a run born of desperation.

"He's seen us!"

"What...is that thing?"

"Hurry!"

"We'll never outrun it!"

Luna skidded to a stop. "You're right," she said breathlesly. "We should dissap - "

But the creature was upon them before she could finish, crashing through the cornstalks and spreading its winglike arms outward, its claws gleaming in the moonlight.

"STUPEFY!!"

"IMPEDIMENTA!"

To their horror, the young witches' spells both fizzled simultaneously, their levelled wands emetting nothing more than a few harmless, sputtering sparks. Hermione gasped as the creature grinned malevolently, sensing their plight -

The hair on the back of Hermione's neck stood up. Without warning, the entire crop around them flattened to the ground in one fell swoop, as though felled by a huge, invisible scythe. She and Luna now stood in the middle of a gigantic clearing in the field.

To Hermione's surprise the creature appeared equally startled by this sudden change in its environment, hissing and quickly moving back several steps, its glowing red eyes warily darting about their surroundings.

Hermione took advantage of the creature's momentary distraction and shot off another immobilizing charm, only to have her wand sputter uselessly. To her immense relief, however, the creature seemed to view even this feeble act as a threat, abruptly recoiling before bounding back towards the forest.

"Godric's gallstones," swore Hermione softly, her heart pounding. She pulled her inverted coat tightly around her with trembling hands as the wind kicked up. "Just...what was that thing? It scared me half to death!"

"Spring-Heeled Jack," replied Luna in a hushed voice, brushing away long flyaway hair from her eyes.

"You said that already," remarked Hermione, scanning the distant trees warily. "What is it exactly? Is it a man, or...?"

Luna shrugged. "No one knows, though there have been many theories put forward over the years," she said, gazing around at the flattened corn. "How'd you manage all this, by the way? That was quite the trick."

"Me?" exclaimed Hermione, turning to Luna. "I thought you...didn't you?"

"I thought you had," said the blonde. This was not what Hermione wanted to hear.

"Okay, this is getting a little creepy," declared Hermione, fidgeting her wand nervously. "Do you think it could be those little people of yours? Please tell me yes..."

"I'd be fibbing if I did," said Luna. She turned to Hermione, her silver eyes wide with inexplicable excitement. "There are some very odd things afoot this night, aren't there? The spirits are out and about, I think."

"Something's out and about, that's for sure, but I don't think they're...er..."

Luna was smiling at her dazedly.

"They're here..."

Hermione drew in a sharp breath. Luna wasn't looking at her -

Hermione spun around, half expecting to see Fred and George standing behind her with satisfied grins plastered onto their faces. But there was no one.

She turned back to Luna. "What are you looking at?"

"Look..."

"But what about that...that thing?" asked Hermione. "What if it comes back?"

"It's all right," whispered the Ravenclaw. She pointed out over the still erect crop field in the distance. "I don't think it'll be coming back. See?"

Hermione turned and followed Luna's gaze. There, hovering over the cornfield in the distance were a trio of softly glowing lights. Engaged in what appeared to be a silent dance, their playful movements painted a beautiful scene through the cold night air.

Hermione's eyes widened as she took a half step forward. "Are those...oh, they couldn't be...out here?"

"They are," affirmed the Ravenclaw. "Will-'o-the-Wisps."

Hermione drew her coat snugly about. The lights' movements were almost hypnotic; she immediately understood the old stories of lone travellers being led astray by the beguiling lights - it was only through force of will that Hermione kept herself from approaching them.

"But...what are they doing here?" she whispered. "There's no bog around these parts; Luna, are you sure they're not a trick of the lights? Maybe a muggle car distorted in the distance, or - "

"I'm quite sure," whispered Luna in turn. "Besides, there's no road or dwellings between us and the hills. No, they're quite real. I think some of the old folk call them Pwca."

The orbs were slowly moving away from them, or at least it seemed that way to Hermione. She took an unconscious step closer and instantly felt Luna's hand on her arm.

"Best not to follow," warned Luna softly. "They'll lead you astray, if they can. It happened to me once a few years ago, I got lost for hours. Daddy was quite upset."

They continued to observe the dancing orbs in mesmerized silence. It was only when the lights abruptly shot off and vanished over a hill in the distance that Hermione blinked and realized several minutes had elapsed.

"That was...goodness..." said Hermione, her throat strangely dry. "You know, we still don't know exactly what they are...no one's ever been able to study them up close...that was extraordinary."

"It was," agreed Luna. "They didn't stay very long though."

Hermione looked to her feet. "But...did they do this?" she asked, indicating the flattened corn stalks that formed a huge and perfect circle around them. "And our wands - what are the odds of both failing at the same time?"

Luna turned to her, a curious glean in her eyes. "That is odd, isn't it?" she said, holding her wand up to the moonlight. "It's almost as if - did you feel a strangle tingling sensation a few minutes ago?"

"Actually, yes, I - "

In an instant, the two witches were abruptly bathed in an intense column of unearthly bright light. Indeed, it seemed as though time itself had stopped; no longer was there the slightest breeze nor the slightest chirp of the crickets - in a fraction of a second, all had become deathly quiet.

"MERLIN!" cried Hermione, holding up her hand to shield her eyes from the blinding illumination.

"Oh, crumbs and fiddlesticks," whispered Luna in stupefaction. "I've gotten us into a pickle, haven't I?"

The blinding radiance ceased as suddenly as it had appeared, plunging the two witches once more into dim moonlight. But Hermione's relief was short-lived as, in its stead, she spied a huge triangular-shaped object hovering at roughly treetop height, directly above them. It was lined underneath on all sides with intermittently pulsing gold and violet lights, a soft azure glow emanating from the centre. Along its trailing edges were small circles of light, interspaced every few meters by darkened circles - Hermione was reminded of Christmas light strings with burned out bulbs. She was astonished at the object's utter silence as it slowly rotated in place above them.

Luna edged closer.

"I don't think they're from here," she remarked in a bare whisper.

"I think that goes without saying, Luna," echoed Hermione. Whatever the object was, she was well aware it was not a product of Muggle technology. Strangely though, she found herself more curious than frightened; she had an innate feeling there was no danger to be had from the mysterious object. "I can't believe this is happening..."

"I do," said Luna, her voice almost lost to the wind, which slowly started to pick up again as the object began to slowly drift towards the northwest. "I wonder where they're from? Oh, I do wish Daddy could see this..."

They continued to watch as the object began to slowly move off over the cornfield. This time it was Hermione who had to restrain Luna from following.

"Unnecessary risk," voiced the former, clutching the Ravenclaw's sleeve as her eyes continued to follow the slow moving craft. Prudence was the best course, she told herself, her innate cautiousness proving difficult to overcome. Luna, thankfully, made no protest nor effort to wrest free, simply staring after the object, her mouth open slightly in stunned silence.

The craft continued to move away, slowly gaining in altitude as it went. As it drew over the distant hills, the three lights they'd previously observed came swooping in from the low ridge in the distance. Spinning briefly around two very startled witches, they shot up into the sky, quickly catching up to the slow moving craft. They then deftly merged into its outer rim, completing an unbroken pattern of pulsing white lights. Luna gasped audibly.

"They...they weren't..."

The object picked up speed as it ascended into the sky, dwindling in size umtil it finally dissapeared into the distant starlit canvas. Within moments the crickets had begun to renew their nocturnal chirping.

"This has been a night like no other," breathed Luna as she gazed up at the stars, her pale features bathed in the glow of her celestial namesake. As the wind picked up her long, windswept locks blew about loosely, giving her a decidedly sylvan, almost gossamer appearance. To Hermione, there was no lovelier sight.

She smiled and drew up behind her companion. Slowly wrapping her arms around Luna's slender waist, she rested her chin atop her shoulder and sighed, the two young witches gazing at the stars together in contentment.

"Let's never let go of this moment, shall we?" whispered Hermione lovingly, snuggling her cheek to Luna's. "Happy birthday, Inamorata..."