Vampiric Return // Tomarry Fanfiction

Chapter 21

Warning: This chapter contains violence. It's not too bad but I'm not sure what your standards are, so this is a heads up. I think I'm finally going to label this story mature... Just to be safe.
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Harry's desire not to have to use the time turner ran deep enough that he didn't stay the night. After a few hours of fun, and a lot of fun it was, he shadow-stepped back outside the Hogwart's wards.

Everything was quiet and dark, not even the moon was out to give him any light. He didn't cast a lumos or try and find light any other way. Instead, he trusted in his vampire senses to lead him in the Dark.

It worked out most of the way until he stumbled across a girl with moon-light hair. The moon, as if coming out just for her, spread illumination on Harry's surroundings for just an instant before disappearing behind another cloud.

Harry knew that this place wasn't on the way to Gryffindor tower. He had no idea how he'd ended up there.

"Dangerous people, dangerous love. But dangerous for who, I wonder? Hello, Harry Potter." Luna Lovegood said to Harry in her strange lucidity.

"Luna." Harry greeted, still unnerved by her strange words. He didn't understand how she could possibly know so much.

"The stars told me you'd be here tonight." Luna said, looking out of the window she was perched on. Even though, said stars were mostly covered by clouds.

"Was there a reason you wanted to see me?" With the knowledge she knew, Harry wouldn't be surprised if she tried to blackmail him. Not that he knew what she'd want from him.

"I came to tell you something." Luna said, turning to face Harry for the first time during their interaction.

Harry waited for her to say said something but she just went back to gazing at the sky again. Some part of Harry told him not to ask, so he went to stand by the window next to her.

She smiled at him, "I heard a story once, about a bat who loved a flower."

"That sounds like an interesting story." Harry said, not sure of the relevance to her words but willing to disregard none of it.

Luna shook her head, "It's a sad story. Because the bat was blind, he could not see the flower's radiance and so he scorned her.  His quick, not well thought-out words pushed the flower away and she never managed to forgive the bat but the bat could not stop loving her. He loved the flower until she withered away and a new flower came from her. Even after that flower was gone, the bat still loved her."

Harry said nothing as she told her tale, committing every word of it to memory. He knew it wasn't about him but if she was telling it to him, it must have some significance.

"In memory of the flower, the bat swore his allegiance to a goat. But as a goat, he could not understand the bat nor the flower. The goat used the bat most ruthlessly and in retaliation, the bat distanced himself from everyone. Every creature and life, even the flower that came from the one he'd loved." Luna's voice was sombre as she went on, "The bat was stuck as a plaything of the goat's, and from that broken allegiance, had no real loyalty. He did as the goat said and what was never said."

"But that changed when a shadow saved the bat. The goat had endangered the bat with his careless actions and so the bat faced death. But the Shadow put himself in harms way and earned the bat's loyalties." Luna looked at Harry as if him being there, listening to her story, was merely a coincidence, "The shadow said the right things and together, they circumvented the goat's allegiance and used it against him."

There was a silence after the end of the story as Harry thought about the words and Luna played with her hair. Harry knew he was the shadow from the story.