The Song of the Stars by Pondering
The night seemed much darker than it should have been, with the full moon hanging heavily in the sky. But for Luna, it did not matter at all, as she did not need the guidance of light to enjoy herself this night. The feel of soft dewy grass between her toes was all she needed.
She sighed contentedly, and lay down on the ground to observe the stars. Her mother had always told her that the stars held great wisdom, and if Luna listened carefully, she would hear them whisper their secrets to her.
She remembered asking her mother if it wasn’t dangerous, if the stars knew everything, and her mother’s eyes took on the distant look that Luna knew all too well, and told her that no-one ever bothered to listen.
Then, the wind howled ominously and there was the distinct sound of a twig breaking under the soles of someone’s shoes. Wary, Luna turned around, her fingertips on the edge of her wand. The new arrival then stepped into the only splinter of moonlight where Luna could see his face clearly.
“You could not sleep?” Luna asked, feeling thankful that it wasn’t a stranger. She knew Harry. He was her friend.
“No,” Harry said, shaking his head. “I was looking out of my window and wondering…if Remus is happy, wherever he is. That he won’t have to be affected by the moonlight ever again.” Harry’s voice sounded choked and he had bags under his eyes that indicated he had not been sleeping very well of late. “So, I decided to go for a walk.”
Luna nodded. “Night-time is always a good time for a stroll. It helps to clear the head; it chases away all the bad dreams.” She cocked her head to one side. “Can you hear them too?” she asked.
Harry was nonplussed. “Hear what?” He looked around the grounds of Hogwarts Castle, but could not see anything he was meant to be hearing. The next thing he knew, Luna had gently plucked his glasses away from his face and shut both his eyelids gently with her fingers.
“You don’t need your eyes to listen,” she chuckled softly.
Harry scrunched his forehead up, thought lines becoming entrenched on his forehead.
Luna smiled. “No, now you’re thinking too hard.”
Harry grumbled and opened his eyes again. “How can I not think too much?” he asked of her. “I came out here to think. To think…” His eyes glistened and then his shoulders started shaking slightly, but Luna was quick to calm him down with a well placed hand at his elbow. “…that….that they’re all gone now, that I couldn’t save them all.”
She looked at him up and down and wondered what had happened to him. “But you saved me,” she said softly, handing him his glasses back. “Isn’t that good enough?”
Harry opened his mouth, but then he looked at the ground, unable to say anything. They sat together in silence, not knowing what they should say next, or if any other words were necessary at all.
Luna laid her head back on the soft grass and looked up to the sky. “I think they’re singing,” she said to no-one in particular.
Harry had been gazing intently at the ground, but looked up at her words. “You think what are singing?” he asked.
“The stars,” Luna said vaguely. “They’re singing a song for you, Harry.” She grasped his wrist, but it seemed as if he didn’t even notice. With her other hand, she pointed upwards. “Out there are people who love you,” she whispered. “They want to wish you good luck.”
“But I can’t hear them,” Harry said helplessly. “Even when I close my eyes, or whatever it is you tell me to do.”
Luna smiled mysteriously at him. “Then, we just have to go a little bit closer.”
They were near the edge of the Forbidden Forest and Luna disappeared for a second and then returned with a piece of dead meat which she seemed to have liberated from Hagrid’s hut. “He won’t mind me taking it,” Luna said at the look on Harry’s face. “He said that I could come and take one whenever I needed it.”
Harry though Luna was a bit odd for saying that she needed a piece of dead meat, but that described Luna perfectly: just a little bit odd.
Luna quickly drew her wand and cast some sort of charm over the meat. “The thestrals are coming,” she announced happily.
“Er, why are the thestrals coming?” Harry asked, not entirely sure if he wanted to know. Quite frankly, he had enough of thestrals.
“How did you think we were going to fly to the moon?”
Harry had not considered this, and when he looked up at the sky, the moon seemed huge and looming. For a moment he thought that he could touch it if he just reached his arms out and tried.
A black, leathery thestral appeared from within the depth of the forests and Luna gave it the meat to eat while stroking its skeletal neck. She lowered her mouth to its ear and whispered something that Harry could not hear. But then the thestral looked at Luna and Harry swore he could see a look of understanding in its eyes, as if it identified with Luna perfectly.
Luna mounted her thestral daintily. “Come on, then,” she said, reaching a hand out to help him up. Harry had not ridden a thestral since that night in his fifth year, and he had been too preoccupied with the adrenaline pumping through his body to pay much attention to what riding a thestral felt like.
On the other hand, Luna looked completely at ease, as if she did this every other day. Harry knew he would be safe with her.
The thestral took off, flapping its gigantic wings. Harry was not completely prepared and nearly slipped off, clutching at Luna to keep his balance. As they rose in altitude, Luna pointed down to the grounds of Hogwarts as they grew smaller and smaller. “Isn’t it beautiful?” she asked, pointing happily. “I love flying.”
Harry thought that flying a thestral was rather like flying a Hippogriff: not as easy and carefree as riding a broom.
“I never cared much for riding by broomstick,” Luna said, nodding as if she had just read his mind. “It’s just so much more special this way, isn’t it?”
They stopped in the middle of the sky and hung there for minutes while a silence passed. Harry stumbled through his mind for something to say to Luna, but then realised he didn’t have to.
She was giving him a chance to listen. He closed his eyes; he felt completely safe. And this time, he didn’t bother straining for the song. Luna was right. It was much easier to hear from here.
And although he could not identify the tune, he could sense everyone he loved who had passed on gathered around him. Their voices were in every sparkle, and when the song cleared his head enough, he could see their faces in every star.
Harry did not know what to say. Luna had given him a gift, a tremendous gift, and he did not have the words to thank her. Instead, he grasped her hand and looked her straight in the eyes. “Thank you,” he said because mere words could not describe what he was feeling.
“I’ve always wanted to try,” Luna admitted, “as my Mum used to tell me that they would whisper secrets. I could hear them trying to sing to me, but I could never hear the words. I think Mum was wrong, as they’re not really secrets, are they?” She contemplated her own question for a few moments before answering it, “It’s not really such a secret that even after they’re gone, our loved ones will still think of us.” She mouthed the words to a song that Harry was not hearing, then she turned to him and asked again, “Isn’t it beautiful?”
This time, however, Harry realised she was not talking about the view, or the experience of riding on the back of a thestral. He looked up at the sky and the moon seemed to smile down at him. It always amazed him that Luna always knew how to make him feel better. “Yes, it is.”
“I knew you’d like it.” Before Harry had a chance to say anything more, Luna hugged him quickly, nearly knocking him off the thestral. She smiled up at him happily. “I know you were the one who would understand.”
Above them, the stars sang joyously.
The Song of the Stars by Pondering
Chapter Notes: This story was written for dancingcarrot21 for the Ravenclaw Secret Santa exchange. It was beta'd by thechocolatefrog/Hannah