Hedwig returned to Hogwarts when Lupin visited. He had a paper with her, an official inquiry from the Headmaster although it was null and voice now he had talked to Lupin.
Hedwig cooed and clicked her beak happily, hopping from perch to perch within the owlery. He stashed bits of bacon from his breakfast; he fed her pieces between pets along her feathers.
"What a pretty bird," A chiming voice complimented, the owner of which skipped into the owlry smoothly.
Adrian turned, encountering a girl who looked achingly familiar.
"She's well trained," The stranger smiled, eyes such a light colour they looked almost blind, "you care for your animals a lot, don't you?"
Adrian paused, "I'm sorry, have we met before?"
"We have," She hummed, and then moved to a large grey owl that looked somewhat in a dazed state.
Adrian waited, and she didn't care to actually introduce or elaborate.
"My name is Adrian Selwyn," he introduced, offering his hand graciously for her knuckles. She obliged, skipping over and placing her knuckles in his grasp.
"How polite," She beamed, the expression somewhat disconcerting with her vacant eyes, "You're different from the rumors."
"And what do the rumors say?"
"Oh all sort of nasty things." she hummed, shaking her head and rattling her broken quill earrings. It was a miracle they didn't scratch the delicate skin of her neck.
She twirled away once again, silver and blue scarf slapping him across his cheeks.
"They say that you deal all sorts of illegal things. They say you poisoned people, that you were born from a Banshee and you drink blood at midnight." She giggled over the words, as if it was something hilarious.
"You seem to be alright with me," Adrian slowly added, watching her movements as she pulled out a strange piece of meat- was that a mouse's head? She tossed it to the grey owl, smiling as it snatched it greedily.
"Of course I am, they call me crazy too." She blinked wide eyed and gave a sparklingly large smile, "Would you like to feed thestrals with me?"
Adrian opened his jaw, closed it, then opened it again.
"You know," Adrian struggled to think, "I have had a strange week. I would love to."
"Great," She tilted her head dizzily, "They don't like turnips though, at least I don't think they do."
"What's your name?" Adrian asked curiously, finding this strange girl much more amusing than the others who always looked at him afraid or disgusted.
"Luna Lovegood, although people call me Looney."
"People think I drink blood," Adrian mused out loud, offering one hand politely. Luna beamed, grabbing his hand and skipping towards the door that led outside. She moved far too fast for walking, so Adrian was forced to stumble after nearly running.
"I like you," She grinned, sunlight catching her hair and making her entire complexion seem ethereal, "Although you don't look like an Adrian to me. Maybe a Demitri, or a Harold."
Adrian smiled a bit pinched, "You look like a Maria then."
She giggled knowingly, "No I don't, but thank you. I can't wait to tell my father I've made a friend. He's the author of the Quibbler, you know."
A friend?
Luna stopped him at the bottom of the owlry, pointing out how a small wildflower meant that Doxies were in the area. Adrian thought there was absolutely no truth to this, but she only smiled and kept chatting about things that either was irrelevant or too relevant for her to know.
("Not a Harold, maybe a Harrison? No, not that either, or at least you look like you outgrew it. Maybe you should be named Cedric like the Hogwart's Champion. I'd help you change your name you know."
"I'm happy with my name, Luna."
"You are? Ah, I must have been thinking about Blibbersnouts again then.")
The thestrals were hidden far into the forest, yet Luna did not falter once in her steps. She ran and jumped, twirled over dangerous dips or hidden roots ready to trip her. She was graceful in a hazardous way, yet still managed to clumsily stumble over her own feet and drop into a bush.
She laughed, pointing up through the reaching branches to the sunlight and described the green as the colour of a newborn Morscarbury pup. Adrian had never heard of something like that.
The thestrals were found, a large herd that no doubt pulled the carriages every year.
"Hello!" Luna chimed, reaching out towards the largest one and running her fingers over the bony protrusions of its spine, "I brought a friend with me! I hope you don't mind."
The thestrals turned their milky eyes on him and wheezed a rattling breath.
"Hello," Adrian waved to them, finding the surreal silence of their movements somehow calming.
A foal (were they called foals?) stumbled up to him, legs shaking under the exertion of running over. Adrian reached down to pet it, only to stop when one thestral chuffed loudly in protest. He froze, waiting for the strange child to butt its head against his palm.
"They don't mind you," Luna chimed up, staring at him without blinking, "But they aren't unsure. You've done things, and they don't like it."
"Pardon?"
"They think it's sad. Are you sad, Adrian?"
Was he?
"No, of course I'm not." He heard himself responding, the words listless and numb in his mouth.
Luna hummed, gently running her hand along the neck of the large thestral that was staring at Adrian so attentively.
"Curious things, thestrals. People think they're dark, but truly they're misunderstood. Only those who have seen death can see them, I think it's so you understand them. Imagine how horrid if everyone could see them, why, the ministry would hunt them right out."
The young thestral finally but its head against Adrian's hand, letting him run his fingers down the knobbly spine of its back.
"Would you like to know a secret?" Luna asked curiously, reaching into her side pocket and fishing out suspicious clumps of severed rat heads.
Luna leant forward consolingly, eyes wide and milky like the thestrals'.
"I heard that thestrals never mate, and never have young," She began, smoothing over the fur of one rat head lovingly.
"Then how…"
The young thestral chirped curiously.
"I think thestrals are all children at heart," she giggled happily, "they are. Children who die the most horrid, awful ways; children who die in such a way that thestrals cry for them. So curious why that one likes you, it's only a few years old."
Adrian's blood froze, and his hand stiffened on the spine of the curious creature.
Luna noticed, and she smiled something soft and sad.
"You know, I think you'd be a wonderful thestral." She smiled, and turned back to the larger beast next to her.
They didn't stop staring at him.
....
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