The Sun and Moon Chapter 12

“Woohoo!”

Tim cried out in excitement. Gliding in the air with a twirl of his broomstick, which caused him to spin in a spiral. A dopey grin was spread across his lips as he took higher into the sky, only for Victoria to angrily swat the back of his head.

“You idiot! Are you trying to get caught!?”

For a brief moment he gave her a glare before taking a more subdued look. Finally giving a defeated nod in her direction. Cho gave the pair a nervous smile while Marie seemed nonplussed at the situation.

After watching them for a moment, I decided to continue practicing my flying skills. A quest had popped up several months ago. Encouraging me to join the quidditch team. That was something that took skill and experience in order to get a position.

And if it was mom’s will, then a position was exactly what I would attain.

It was funny, I’ve never shown much interest in quidditch, nor did either of my parents. So, it was a bit peculiar that she would want me to join a team.

Though of course this was all caused by a failing on my part. Had I been more intelligent I would be able to see the grand design that she was attempting to write for me. For all I know it could be something rather simple as just getting more physically fit and healthy as a result.

Or perhaps joining a quidditch team would set certain events in motion. Events that I would need to take part in for some unseen reason.

…But was something like that really possible? Could she or this ability that she blessed me with have the ability to see the future? To plan out every single one of my steps in order to have the best path in life?

No.

It was rather unlikely.

The only sort of evidence to the contrary would be the Arcana I could see now with Observe. However, that didn’t really mean much upon closer review. While the Arcana is normally tied to the ability to peer into the future, nothing that was stated by Arcana really meant much that couldn’t be applied to the current time.

Tonks was Justice. While this could mean something about her future, it seemed more likely tied to her current desire to be a Auror.

The headmaster was the Emperor. Which seemed rather self-evident as well. He had the most authority in Hogwarts. Possibly even out of it, now that I think about it.

Then there were the ones that didn’t seem to make much sense. Such as Cho, who was labeled under the Lovers. The only thing I could think of would be that she was a loving individual.

Victoria was the High Priestess. Which…had something to do with religion? An odd choice, seeing as I’ve never even heard her talk about her own beliefs.

And Penelope was Temperance…which meant to abstain from alcohol. Yet not only wasn’t she of age to drink, she’s never been even slightly interested in the stuff. Despite Tonks attempting to persuade her otherwise.

Marie was the Chariot. I didn’t even know where to begin there.

Professor McGonagall was Strength. While the correlation in what that meant was rather obvious, it was also incredibly baffling. One of the last things someone would think to call her would be ‘strong’.

She was old. Ancient, really. It was highly doubtful she could even carry several chairs. Honestly, it was more probably that I could out lift her if need be. There is also the possibility that ‘strength’ correlated with dueling strength, but then why on earth would it be under her?

Professor Flitwick was a master duelist, even obtaining the title of Dueling Champion in his prime. A fact that he was fond of reminding everyone in Ravenclaw.

I didn’t doubt that she could probably hold her own in a normal fight, but if it was dueling strength, there were others more equipped for the title.

The night air felt chilly against my skin. Giving me goosebumps as I sailed into the inky blankness of the sky, before flying down to the dark fields near Hogwarts. I couldn’t help but feel that this was somewhat calming.

Tim seemed to feel the exact opposite way, as he sailed upwards into the sky. Doing several tricks in the air with a manic like look in his eye, and a wide smile. Victoria seemed to be the most neutral when it came to flying. Mostly sticking low to the ground where she could do flips and tricks in safety.

Marie was a lot more nervous and indecisive. Rising up into the air, but not doing any sort of tricks or training. Simply flying and cruising through the air. Though it was quite obvious from the looks she was giving the others that she was at least interested in copying them.

Cho was the only one who seemed to be at least somewhat similar. Despite her doing much more dramatic turns and spirals than Tim, she seemed to be a lot more at peace. Serene, even.

It was rather understandable. Especially under the wide eye of the moon. I wasn’t sure if it was full or not, but the beauty of it could not be understated. It illuminated our surroundings only faintly, but it was more than enough.

Luna…I wonder what she was doing at this moment…

My attention was torn from the sky as something small collided into my back. Causing me to blink a bit before turning around. To which I was greeted with the sight of Tim flying low in order to catch whatever he had thrown. Before finally holding some sort of small red ball.

…Eh, why not?

“Y-you can’t be serious! We’re still learning to fly with both hands on the broom, and you want to play catch!?”

Marie’s shrill voice hissed, causing most of the others to give her a look. Cho on the other hand seemed to be just as excited as Tim. A small shy grin on her face as she flew closer.

“I think it’d be fun…”

Well, that definitely seemed to settle matters. Especially after Tim tossed the strange looking red ball towards Cho before flying off. Gaining more distance in order to move.

What followed was a pretty normal game of catch between the five of us. Even Marie had joined in on the game, though she seemed to not exactly be the greatest flyer. Second guessing herself and hesitating constantly, which in turn caused her to fail to catch the ball more often than not.

Despite the failures, she did seem to be having fun. Though Tim seemed to mess with it slightly by calling out her repeated failures.

The person with the best track record of catching the ball was Cho. Showcasing that despite her weight she had excellent coordination with her broom. Second would probably have been me, and third would have been Victoria.

Due to not venturing further into the skies with the rest of us, she had an easier time of catching and tracking the ball. And of course, after her would have been Tim. Who seemed to be rather uncaring of anyone being placed better than him. Simply taking enjoyment in the act itself.

The night gradually grew colder and colder. The weather being a prelude to the coming winter. A winter that I would be spending with my family.

It had been a long time since I’ve seen them. Just thinking about seeing dad and Luna again once more was enough to start a dull ache in my chest. Causing a moment of doubt to settle within my mind.

My thoughts were elsewhere as I idly caught the red ball hurtling in my direction. Tossing it towards the nearest person and continuing to fly on.

…Dad was happy going on his trips. Luna was happy accompanying him. There is no doubt that I’d be happy to see them, but would they be happy to see me?

The answer was obvious. Of course they would. But what I would really like to know is…would they be happier with me, or exploring the world?

My family was all that really mattered. How entertained, safe, and happy they were was of great importance. Anything in the way of that should be eliminated.

I was of course no exception.

No matter how I felt-

My head snapped back lightly as a weight slammed against my face. Causing me to blink several times. A collective ‘ooh’ sound was heard from the people around me as I started to find myself planted firmly back into reality.

Everyone was looking at me with worry clearly shone in their eyes. Tim wore a grimace before rubbing the back of his head. Marie’s hand drifted to her chest as she offered a look of horror. Victoria was simply shocked.

Cho was the only one who took immediate action and quickly flew upwards until she was next to me. Obviously panicking as she examined my face.

“A-are you alright!?”

“I’m fine.”

Better than fine, actually. The sudden influx of pain had caused my face to feel flush, and thus warm as a result. Which helped against the current weather.

Cho didn’t seem to believe my words though. Gesturing up towards my nose with a look.

“You’re…bleeding.”

Huh? My hand drifted down to my nose and after retracting it I noticed that she was indeed correct. The warmth that I was feeling was likely from my own blood, instead of simply being flushed with excitement.

“So I am.”

I responded with a nod, before placing my hands back on the broom. Frowning the moment I realized that would leave blood stains on it. I should make sure to clean it before going back to the dorm.

“Alright, let’s call it here for today.”

I gave a look of surprise to Tim who gave a nod to the others. A frown was starting to edge on my lips as I notice everyone seemingly agree with him. Leading me to speak up.

“I’m fine. Really, it doesn’t bother me.”

I spoke to all of them leading to Tim shaking his head in the negative.

“It’s not just that. It’s also gotten pretty late. Aren’t you also getting a bit tired?”

I was always tired. Which is probably why it slipped my mind that they needed to rest up. After collecting my thoughts, I decided to nod with the rest of them. Accepting the situation as we all flew down to the courtyard silently.

Even Victoria, who despite keeping close to the ground the entire time, seems to have flown up at some point.

“Who zones out in the middle of the air? How dumb can you possibly be? Honestly…”

She berated me instantly the moment we left the air. Fussing over and criticizing my actions before pulling out her wand and clearing the blood stains on my clothes. Before I could thank her, Marie pulled out a hanky she kept in her pocket.

“Here. This one had been getting rather old anyway.”

Marie stated offhandedly, before looking away and making her way back to the dungeons. But not before wishing me to get better.

“And don’t forget to be more proactive in taking care of your owl!”

She stated before quickly making her exit. Leaving us four Ravenclaws to return back to our dorm. Tim spent most of the time walking back to talk about a bunch of random things. Before sporadically apologizing for hitting me in the face.

Something that I quickly waved off. Yet despite doing so, he didn’t seem satisfied with my answer. As he brought it up several more times, only for me to give him the same answer.

Cho and Victoria were much quieter on the trip back. It was quite obvious to see why for Cho, as she seemed half asleep standing up. Victoria was a bit different however, as she simply seemed to look at me with a glare.

No, it wasn’t quite a glare, but it was a rather intense and serious gaze. What she was trying to convey however was lost on me. Worry? Anger? Confusion? Disgust?

Or perhaps she was simply tired.

When it came time for Victoria to split off from the group, she stayed for several seconds searching for something, before finally breaking off her gaze. Waving quietly before heading back to her room.

Eventually we did much the same.

The moment Cho hit her bed she immediately fell asleep. Something that was easy to tell due to her snores. Tim on the other hand found some difficultly doing so for the first twenty-five minutes. Tossing and turning in his bed before finally settling down.

And I simply watched them until the sun rose once more.