Emerald Moon

Chapter 15 - Carrow's Hogwarts

Hogwarts was indeed very, very different. All the happiness, colours and even magic, seemed to have been sucked away from the grounds and castle. Classes were quiet and the halls carried a sense of foreboding. Defense Against the Dark Arts had simply become the Dark Arts with Alecto Carrow enjoying the free torture sessions she could give.

For the most part, Blaise had tried to keep his head down and watch out for Magdalena as best as he could. There was nothing else he could do. There was no more Quidditch. Even Hogsmeade visits were so heavily guarded by Death Eaters, they might as well be cancelled too.

From the first day of term, the student body had begun a private protest. Obvious gaps were left between students in the Great Hall. Every gap representing a student and friend that had fled, had gone missing, or were confirmed to be dead. Their absence was deafening. Blaise couldn't help the feeling of guilt pass over him as the differences between the other houses and Slytherin were made starkly obvious this way. He had caught both Magdalena's and Luna's eyes the first morning and every morning since.

It was the easiest way to check up on them. The spark that had been in his sister's eyes had dimmed considerably, despite Luna's reports that she had settled in well in Ravenclaw House. It was true that most older students had spread protective wings over the first and seconds years. The Carrows especially didn't like that. Blaise was sure something was going to snap soon, and he resolved that whatever would happen, he would keep Magdalena safe, everything else be damned.

It had become clear too that Luna refused to be protected. He had tried but had quickly been rebuffed by her as well as Weasley and Longbottom. They were planning something. He could see it on their faces. And their protests were anything but subtle, openly recruiting DA members. If his classmates whispers were to be believed about Weasley and Luna, they stood up over for everything. He had himself been present when Longbottom flat out refused to perform the Cruciatus Curse on his classmate Seamus Finnegan. Both were the only two 7th year Gryffindor boys left. Potter was gone, Ron Weasley apparently had Spattergoit, and Dean Thomas had gone on the run, unable to prove his blood status, like so many families. It made Blaise feel sick.

The only time he felt some sort of peace was in the Room of Requirement where he met Luna. The space always appeared as a reflection of the Forbidden Forest clearing. Unfortunately there were no Thestrals to keep hem company.

When he entered that evening, Luna was already there. She rose to meet him and in the two steps it took to take her into his aching arms, he gave her a quick check up. This time there was a light bruise on her cheek, but no bleeding this time, thankfully. They didn't speak but merely let their bodies do the work. Wrapping his arms protectively around her, he deepened their kiss. He savoured the way her hands felt roaming his body. During their first meetings she has been more tentative with her touch. But there was no hesitation now. It felt amazing that she matched his own desperate need. It became harder and harder to keep any sense of control and not plunge deeper into their desire, because Merlin, he wanted to. His body would remember the feeling of her kisses and caresses on his body for days, fuelling him. Every new touch would be burned on to him mind.

When they came up for air, they had apparently landed on the floor, in between the magical ferns. He pushed himself half up and stared at her, softly reaching out to stroke the bruise on her cheek. She gave a near invisible flinch, but a flinch nonetheless. Rage build inside him. Oh the joy he would feel when her crucio'ed the living daylights out of the Death Eaters that did this to her. For what they did to all of them.

"What happened?" He asked softly and she shrugged nonchalantly as if it was an every day occurrence, which he supposed it was.

"I corrected Carrow's lecture on muggleborns. He kept insisting on saying mudbloods."