fred&hermione - doing just fine on your own

chapter eleven

a fortelling

hermione's pov.

i was gazing into the burning ambers of the fire when i felt someone approach me closely. i looked away reluctantly, dreading it be fred, and realised it was luna. she smiled warmly at me, kneeling down beside me without invitation. she was so carefree and spontaneous.

"are you alright, hermione?" she enquired, "i couldn't help but notice that you seemed a little sad when you came down to dinner."
i shook my head, "i'm okay, luna, i just-" i began.
"my dad does that sometimes." she chimed in.
"does what?" i asked.
"comes down to dinner and looks sad. like, as if he's been crying. i hear him cry sometimes, it's sad - but i know it's because he misses mum, and i miss her too. it takes understanding to make these things easier." she added.
i didn't really know what to say, "i don't know, well...if there's anything i ought to understand." i replied, shaking my head and looking back towards the fire.
"some people want to avoid it and spend the rest of their lives trying to forget about it. do you mind?" she extended her small, pale hand in reach for mine.

i paused for a moment, i didn't know what exactly luna's intentions were. and i feared most of the things she told me - she was so abstract minded.

"what do you want to do?" i asked, awkwardly, pulling my sleeve over my hand.
"help you understand," she smiled, encouraging me to let her in.

i held back for a moment, wondering how she could possibly know that there was something i needed to understand when i hardly knew myself. god, she was strange. i reluctantly extended my hand as to not seem rude, and she clasped my hand in hers and massaged my palm with her fingers.

she closed her eyes, and the whole room seemed to kind of fall silent, as if i and her were in a kind of bubble, with only the crackling firewood for company. i felt a sense of calm that i hadn't felt for ages, as she traced my palm in circular motions. it was almost mesmerising. hypnotising.

luna's pov.

as i continually traced her palm, i felt things becoming clearer in my mind, with every circle - the picture became more clearer, more put together, like when you build a jigsaw and it finally starts to come together.

fog. cold. darkness.

"luna, your friends are in grave danger." a voice echoed to me, "dark times again lie ahead. the dementors, previously properties owned by the ministry of magic, are no longer at large - but not extinct. they are searching for whatever souls are left, whatever souls they can find to build up their strength after the loss of so many death eaters. you cannot stay together."

a circle of fog seemed to surround the vision in my mind, almost blinding me. dementors screeched and swooped between lights.

"you must go separately. to be in big groups would only put you all at risk of being caught. go to somewhere safe, let the light lead you to somewhere safe. be careful."

the dementors seemed to apparate one by one, and a familiar street in london appeared, the buildings spinning violently together as a screeching cry rang out in my ears. my vision went dark.

i opened my eyes, almost gasping for air. i glanced down at hermione's palm quickly, realising i'd caused a small circular scratch in the palm of her head. hermione too, looked almost as shocked as me, as if she'd felt what i saw. i stumbled away quickly, falling back on my bottom as hermione tucked her hand away in her sleeve.

"we have to go." i muttered.
"what?" hermione asked, furrowing her brows in utter confusion.
"didn't you feel it? didn't you see it? the dementors, they're searching for any soul they could possibly latch onto to help them rebuild their strength. the few that are left are desperate. hungry. didn't you see?" i almost exclaimed, getting frustrated out of fear.
"luna, what ever do you mean? the battle, it's-it's over, there's no way there could possibly be-"
"there is, hermione!" i exclaimed, "i saw it. they're coming. and we're in danger. fortelling never lies, my mother's fortelling never lied."