LUNAR (A Harry Potter Universe Fanfiction)

Thirty Four. Crow Moon.

Marlowe had never felt quite this horrible leading up to a full moon. His nerves were adding a whole host of other unpleasant feelings to his usual symptoms. Caiti wasn't going to come. He was sure of it. He was going to wait maybe fifteen minutes past when she usually arrived and then he would go outside early, just to be safe.

He had never transfigured without the potion. He had no idea what it would be like. The thought of losing his mind and of losing track of himself was terrifying. He wanted to be so much further from the house than the little shed allowed. What if he broke through the door? What if he got out? What if he put his parents in danger, or his neighbors, or anyone else in the village?

How would it feel to come back to himself in the morning not knowing what he'd done?

He sat on the couch next to his mum. She had given up trying to talk to him — he was too nervous to answer — but she sat beside him and rubbed his back.

The clock ticked seven o'clock. It was almost completely dark out the window. The last bits of blue were fading into black. Marlowe swallowed.

"I should go out," he said.

"Just wait a few minutes," his mum said in a soothing voice. "She'll be here."

He felt nauseous. The buzzy feeling that usually came on before he transfigured was starting already. Maybe it always started this early and it was only the threat of not having his potion that made him feel it. He felt so hyper aware of everything happening inside his own body, every little change.

The fireplace suddenly flared up and Marlowe sat up so fast he made himself dizzy.

Caiti stepped out of the fireplace, a covered flask in her hands.

"You came," he said, making a jerky motion to stand.

"Yes," she said. She looked down at the bottle in her hand and then held it out to him with her eyes still cast down, but Marlowe didn't take it right away.

"You didn't reply to my letter," he said. "I was worried you wouldn't come."

Caiti didn't respond. She blinked a bunch of times, made one extremely brief glance up at him, and then she put the bottle down on the table and started to step back towards the fire, but Marlowe couldn't let that happen. She couldn't just leave. "Wait," he said, reaching out and grabbing hold of her wrist. "Please."

She held very, very still. Slowly, he released her arm, praying she wouldn't try to leave again as soon as he did.

"Will you stay tonight?" he asked. He hadn't planned this, but then, he really hadn't planned on her being there at all. "My dad'll send word up to the school and your parents that you're here and we'll get you back tomorrow, but I just... I've got to talk to you. Not tonight. I shouldn't tonight. There isn't enough time and I should... I should go. But you could stay in my room. You can borrow clothes to sleep in and whatever you need. My mum's here, if you need dinner or anything... we have food. You can stay and then tomorrow we can talk." When Caiti still hadn't said anything he added, "Please, Caiti. Please."

Out the corner of his eye, he saw his mum stand up behind him.

"Look," said Marlowe. With his eyes still on Caiti, like if he looked away for even a second, she would dart back into the fireplace and disappear forever, Marlowe backed up towards the end table on the far side of the sofa. Caiti did not move at all. She stood so still, she could've been mistaken for someone who'd been put under a full body bind curse.

Marlowe picked up a piece of parchment and stuck it out to her. It was a detailed drawing of a crescent moon. He had drawn the moon six or seven times now in various stages of it's cycle. Never a full moon. He had thought about sending one to her, but hadn't known how to explain what it meant. He chanced a glance at his mum and looked back at Caiti.