acidpop25: "Forest," PG
Title: Forest
Author: acidpop25
Rating: PG
Prompt Set: 100.1
Prompt: #7, "Companions"
Word Count: 750 (I know, crazy long for me!)
Summary: "Harry to whirled around, wand at the ready, only to find both the first and last person he would expect somewhere like this."
Warnings: none
Notes: For any who don't know, a forest is an archetypal image generally indicative of the subconscious or savage piece of a human mind; it usually deals with confronting onself.
Harry stared, mystified and just a bit afraid of the vast forest looming before him, dark and overgrown and seemingly endless.
“How did I get here?”
A sudden ripple of laughter behind him caused Harry to whirl around, wand at the ready, only to find both the first and last person he would expect somewhere like this.
“Luna?”
“Hello, Harry,” Luna said, smiling absently. “You’ve always been here, you know.”
“…What?”
Luna shrugged. “It’s your mind, you know.”
Harry blinked at her. “Then why are you here?”
“I’m just a companion,” Luna said, fluttering a hand. “It’s not good to be all alone inside your head. Now come on.”
“In… there?”
“Sure,” Luna said. “It’s the only way through. Just don’t eat anything you find, it’s not a very good idea. Thoughts don’t like their food stolen.”
“Luna,” Harry said, a bit desperately, “how am I supposed to find my way through that?”
“You have before. And I can help, I know the way.” Luna caught him by the wrist and led him past the line of the trees.
“But if it’s my mind, then how-“
“Harry, Harry,” Luna said, chuckling, “I know these things. Just follow me, it wouldn’t do for you to run into a nightmare or a fear all alone.”
Harry didn’t know how long they walked (not that time seemed to have all that much meaning, really), but eventually Luna led him into a small clearing that hardly seemed to belong to the same forest. It was cool and green, with a lazily bubbling stream, and afternoon sun slanted on to the grass, dappled by the leaves.
“It’s always nice to spend a few minutes in Wishes,” Luna said, hopping to perch precariously on the edge of a small well. Harry looked at it, frowning.
“A wishing well? Is my subconscious really that clichéd?”
“Afraid so,” Luna said, a bit apologetically. “It’s a nice one, though.”
“What have you got?” Harry asked her, and Luna smiled. “Not telling.”
“Huh,” he said, wondering if maybe she had a well, too, and just didn’t want to admit it. Though it didn’t seem like something she’d do.
“What do I do?”
“You could throw a Knut in, if you like,” Luna said. “Wishing doesn’t do much good, of course. But if you don’t know what to wish for, the well can be very useful. It can show you what you really want.”
Harry looked at her and swallowed. “I think I’ll pass.”
“Then we’d best be going,” Luna said, jumping down and taking Harry’s wrist again.
After the comfortable light and calm greens of Wishes, the forest seemed even darker, but it wasn’t really that bad with Luna there. Her pale hair gleamed even in the darkness, swishing behind her just above her waist, and it was almost better than a Lumos. Luna was always on his side.
“Get down!” Luna hissed, and pulled Harry to the ground to lie flat in the underbrush as something large whooshed overhead with a screech.
“What was that?!” Harry whispered.
“Memory,” Luna answered, hesitantly poking her head up, then standing. “Not a good one. Lucky I heard it coming.” She pulled Harry to his feet, then paused to dust the leaves off of her trousers, and Harry did the same.
Luna smiled at him and patted his head. “You have to go the rest of the way alone. Just keep going straight, and you’ll be fine.”
“But, Luna-“ But she was gone. A thrill of fear shot through him, and Harry set off in the direction she had told him to go at a run, only to break through the trees a few minutes later to find Luna sitting on a large boulder in the middle of a perfectly inoffensive stretch of otherwise empty grassland beneath a calm night sky aglow with starlight.
“Good boy,” she told him, and he stared at her, mystified. “That’s it?”
Luna giggled. “Oh, Harry. You’re not that deep. Now wake up.”
It was dim in the hospital bedroom, and only one other person was awake. Ron, Hermione, and Ginny were all asleep in uncomfortable-looking chairs, but Luna was looking back at him with wide, unusually alert grey eyes.
“I would have expected you to be a little more exciting,” she confessed, and kissed the top of his head.
“Luna, what-“
“Hush,” she said firmly, and tucked the covers around him. “I’ll tell them you woke, now get some proper sleep.”
Harry didn’t bother to argue.
Author: acidpop25
Rating: PG
Prompt Set: 100.1
Prompt: #7, "Companions"
Word Count: 750 (I know, crazy long for me!)
Summary: "Harry to whirled around, wand at the ready, only to find both the first and last person he would expect somewhere like this."
Warnings: none
Notes: For any who don't know, a forest is an archetypal image generally indicative of the subconscious or savage piece of a human mind; it usually deals with confronting onself.
Harry stared, mystified and just a bit afraid of the vast forest looming before him, dark and overgrown and seemingly endless.
“How did I get here?”
A sudden ripple of laughter behind him caused Harry to whirl around, wand at the ready, only to find both the first and last person he would expect somewhere like this.
“Luna?”
“Hello, Harry,” Luna said, smiling absently. “You’ve always been here, you know.”
“…What?”
Luna shrugged. “It’s your mind, you know.”
Harry blinked at her. “Then why are you here?”
“I’m just a companion,” Luna said, fluttering a hand. “It’s not good to be all alone inside your head. Now come on.”
“In… there?”
“Sure,” Luna said. “It’s the only way through. Just don’t eat anything you find, it’s not a very good idea. Thoughts don’t like their food stolen.”
“Luna,” Harry said, a bit desperately, “how am I supposed to find my way through that?”
“You have before. And I can help, I know the way.” Luna caught him by the wrist and led him past the line of the trees.
“But if it’s my mind, then how-“
“Harry, Harry,” Luna said, chuckling, “I know these things. Just follow me, it wouldn’t do for you to run into a nightmare or a fear all alone.”
Harry didn’t know how long they walked (not that time seemed to have all that much meaning, really), but eventually Luna led him into a small clearing that hardly seemed to belong to the same forest. It was cool and green, with a lazily bubbling stream, and afternoon sun slanted on to the grass, dappled by the leaves.
“It’s always nice to spend a few minutes in Wishes,” Luna said, hopping to perch precariously on the edge of a small well. Harry looked at it, frowning.
“A wishing well? Is my subconscious really that clichéd?”
“Afraid so,” Luna said, a bit apologetically. “It’s a nice one, though.”
“What have you got?” Harry asked her, and Luna smiled. “Not telling.”
“Huh,” he said, wondering if maybe she had a well, too, and just didn’t want to admit it. Though it didn’t seem like something she’d do.
“What do I do?”
“You could throw a Knut in, if you like,” Luna said. “Wishing doesn’t do much good, of course. But if you don’t know what to wish for, the well can be very useful. It can show you what you really want.”
Harry looked at her and swallowed. “I think I’ll pass.”
“Then we’d best be going,” Luna said, jumping down and taking Harry’s wrist again.
After the comfortable light and calm greens of Wishes, the forest seemed even darker, but it wasn’t really that bad with Luna there. Her pale hair gleamed even in the darkness, swishing behind her just above her waist, and it was almost better than a Lumos. Luna was always on his side.
“Get down!” Luna hissed, and pulled Harry to the ground to lie flat in the underbrush as something large whooshed overhead with a screech.
“What was that?!” Harry whispered.
“Memory,” Luna answered, hesitantly poking her head up, then standing. “Not a good one. Lucky I heard it coming.” She pulled Harry to his feet, then paused to dust the leaves off of her trousers, and Harry did the same.
Luna smiled at him and patted his head. “You have to go the rest of the way alone. Just keep going straight, and you’ll be fine.”
“But, Luna-“ But she was gone. A thrill of fear shot through him, and Harry set off in the direction she had told him to go at a run, only to break through the trees a few minutes later to find Luna sitting on a large boulder in the middle of a perfectly inoffensive stretch of otherwise empty grassland beneath a calm night sky aglow with starlight.
“Good boy,” she told him, and he stared at her, mystified. “That’s it?”
Luna giggled. “Oh, Harry. You’re not that deep. Now wake up.”
It was dim in the hospital bedroom, and only one other person was awake. Ron, Hermione, and Ginny were all asleep in uncomfortable-looking chairs, but Luna was looking back at him with wide, unusually alert grey eyes.
“I would have expected you to be a little more exciting,” she confessed, and kissed the top of his head.
“Luna, what-“
“Hush,” she said firmly, and tucked the covers around him. “I’ll tell them you woke, now get some proper sleep.”
Harry didn’t bother to argue.