Chapter 99: Of Fantastic Beasts

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I would like to thank my beta, Akisu, for his help in this chapter.

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18 November 1992, Hogwarts

That night, Harry waited until curfew and snuck out of the common room using his invisibility cloak. He was strangely excited for what was essentially a walk in a forest with his new friend. To be perfectly honest, he could see why Tom was so taken with the young Ravenclaw.

Harry had spent less than a handful of hours with Luna and he had to admit that she was unique. She just saw the world differently, something that made sense since she was a clairvoyant. In general, clairvoyance is a magical skill that allows someone to perceive the world differently, to see beyond what can be perceived with the naked eye. In a way, Harry's Arcane Hearing might be a form of clairvoyance since he could perceive magic in a way others just don't, but the general definition involves a more conceptual nature of the skill. Luna, for example, can just discern the true nature of something. Whether someone is good or bad, kind or mean, hateful or loving. She could see if someone was hexed or was under some kind of compulsion, and probably so much more. The girl tried to stay away from her gift as much as possible and Harry had the impression that she was strangely resentful towards it.

Anyway, Harry knew that it was this skill that made Luna confide in him so easily. He was honestly tempted to ask her how she perceived him, but she must have known in some way that he meant her no harm.

Yet, the young Ravenclaw was just so kind despite her gift. In a way, Harry could understand how it was possible, but in another, it was baffling. The truth was that people were complex, and Luna could probably see that. Everyone, especially children, had a kindness to them, an innocence, that Luna probably couldn't see in older men and women, one that made Luna forgive their obvious spiteful attempts at putting her down and bullying her.

That kind of kindness, that kind of forgiveness was just something that Harry couldn't understand. Luna had suffered, yet she just ignored her pain and moved on to her carefree life. She wasn't putting on a mask or hiding her suffering, she just forgave them and didn't care, and that was unnatural, that was inhuman. A human being is not supposed to act like that. Even good people simply repressed the urge to have some kind of vengeance, something that would have been quite easy for Luna to pull off, but she just let go.

No wonder Tom Riddle was fascinated with her. He had suffered at the hand of other children, yet he always got back at his attackers. Yet, through pure understanding, Luna Lovegood had shown him that there was another way, a better way. She had shown Harry this, but honestly, with all his maturity, he didn't think he would be able to shrug off slights like she did.

Before he could realize it, Harry found himself at the entrance to the Great Hall and saw Luna waiting for him while humming. Security was pretty lax now that Filch wasn't there to scare the crap out of the younger years. Prefect patrols had increased, apparently, but they didn't intimidate the younger students as Filch did. The Potter scion honestly thought that Dumbledore hired the squib just for the 'crazy old man' aura that he projected, that children would instinctively fear, even though the average second year student was technically more dangerous than him.

He took off his cloak and revealed himself, "Hello Luna."

The girl twirled around and smiled at him, "Hello, Harry Potter. It seems that we chose a good night for our stroll. There's magic in the air."

Harry simply shrugged, having started to be used to her weirdness, "Sure, shall we?"

The girl didn't answer him and just started skipping away. They simply walked in silence, their footsteps echoing softly in the empty corridors. The dim glow of moonlight filtered through the tall windows, casting long shadows that danced along the cold stone walls.

Minutes later and they had left the castle and made their way towards the forest. They walked past the Black Lake, its dark waters reflecting the silver glow of the stars above. Harry watched Luna's graceful movements, feeling a sense of calm wash over him. The familiar sound of her humming echoed through the night, harmonizing with the soft rustling of leaves and the distant hooting of an owl. Luna's ethereal presence seemed to blend seamlessly with the enchanted atmosphere of the forbidden forest as if she were a part of it.

They reached the edge of the forest, its boundary marked by ancient, towering trees that loomed like silent sentinels. Moonbeams filtered through the dense foliage, casting intricate patterns of light and shadow on the forest floor.

The magic of the forest was as oppressive as ever. Harry's Arcane Hearing was all over the place. There was this large magical enchantment that was around the entire forest, that was playful and protective, but with a weird sinister tint, yet there were so many creatures inside, that it had another layer that just sounded like noise more than anything. There were the cold-blooded predators, the soft magical plants, the severity and discipline that probably belonged to the centaurs. In all truth, it was magnificent in some kind of organized chaotic paradox that just fascinated him. It was an entire magical ecosystem, and it was as complex as it sounded.

They arrived at a clearing, where Luna just stopped suddenly, and stood still, "I always like to stay here. It's just on the edge of centaur territory, so the really dangerous creatures tend to stay away, and sometimes I get a few visitors, who I just like to talk to. I find Thestrals to be wonderful listeners. Here they come."

Yeah, Harry could sense them too. They felt like fleeting shadows, that were somehow skittish, their dark forms blending seamlessly with the surrounding darkness. Luna approached them with serene confidence, her pale blue eyes filled with a gentle understanding. The creatures, shrouded in an aura of mystery, seemed to recognize her, responding to her silent call.

Luna started stroking one of the smaller Thestrals and then proceeded to take a few slabs of meat from her bag and feed it to them. She giggled as the skeletal winged horses licked her hand after finishing the food.

Harry was smiling for some reason. He was feeling content. He hadn't felt that way in years and wasn't that a bizarre revelation? After a few minutes, he chose to break their comfortable silence, "You can see them."

"Yes," the girl answered with an airy voice, "It was my mother. She was a spell crafter, you see. She did something wrong and it backfired. She was like me and had this gift, but it wasn't as strong for her. I guess I considered it a curse in some way. It wasn't nice, feeling her soul leave her body, seeing the sheer terror of death that she felt when it happened. I didn't want to let go of her, and I guess I went too far. Ever since then, I could see the creatures my mother made up for me for my bedtime. She told me stories about Wrackspurts whenever I was scared, and she told me I could chase them away with positive thoughts, and other silly things. I guess I wanted a piece of her to stay with me, and my gift agreed. Now, every time I see someone, I see a part of my mother. What about you? You can see them too, right?"

Oh, that sounded like she was traumatized by her mother's death, and she tried to peer too much using her gift. Her clairvoyance must be extremely powerful if she was able to go this far. Maybe it was just the fact that she saw and felt her mother's death that made her repress her gifts in a way that only expressed itself in the form of creatures. Honestly, Harry wasn't going to judge her. A traumatized child didn't need more on her plate from the sound of it.

Instead, the Potter scion replied, "I guess you can say that Death is an old friend. I have to ask though; I know that the other students give you a hard time and you just let things slide. Why are you so angry at Tom for doing what he did? What makes him different?"

"I couldn't see Tom with my clairvoyance. I just thought it was a like a portrait in diary form. It was the first time I really trusted someone in a very long time. After my mother died, I wasn't well. My father pushed himself in his newspaper trying to drown his sorrows with more work, and I had lost most of my friends. It was why Ron called me Loony, at the time. I could see people's true nature and it made things so easy. Tom was different, he was a friend. I couldn't see him, but I chose to trust him. I hadn't done that before, and he betrayed me. This is why I am so angry at him. He used me to hurt others. He possessed me, petrified two people and killed a cat. I just can't let something like that go. People are mean because they want to feel superior, or they're scared, or they're angry. I can see it with my own two eyes, but what Tom did… It was unforgivable."

Harry nodded, "I guess I can understand that. You're right about a lot of things. I was neglecting my friend. I was so focused on dealing with Tom, about stopping the monster that I just forgot about them, I guess. I'm not proud of it, but it's the truth. You're a wise young woman, Luna Lovegood."

He wasn't lying. With the time he was able to buy with Riddle's recent release, the pressure to destroy the diary was gone. Sure, he was still going to train and make plans like normal, but he wouldn't act like a madman in a rush. He would still take breaks and just hang out with his friends again. Sure, it would have been better to find and destroy the diary, but Riddle was unpowered and considering that Lockhart looked like an idiot amateur during his duel with Snape, he stopped having control over his network.

The girl hummed, "Of course I am. I'm in Ravenclaw after all."

Harry simply watched as Luna kept feeding and stroking the Thestrals. It was a peaceful scene, and considering how hectic his life has been recently, he could use some of this peace. Of course, that was when Harry felt something with a big signature come closer. He could feel his magical crest stinging slightly.

Luna also seemed to notice that something was coming. The large intruder happened to be the familiar sight of a certain three-headed dog. The Cerberus seemed overjoyed to meet Harry for some reason. The strange familiarity between them was still there for Harry's arcane hearing to pick up. This feeling of soul was still there.

The giant dog playfully started to lick the Potter scion, covering him in drool, "Yeah, yeah. I'm happy to see you too, Fluffy. I didn't know you lived in the forest, although that did make sense. I missed you bud. It must be nice to stay here in the forest after an entire year cramped in a room."

The dog whined and Harry kept stroking him. When he turned towards Luna. He found her openly gaping at him. It was a comical sight, especially considering how composed she usually was. Harry could guess that to a clairvoyant, there wasn't much that she would consider surprising. And yet, the young Ravenclaw was openly showing surprise.

Harry simply shrugged at her, "What's wrong."

"Merlin's beard. I thought my mother made them up. I didn't think they were real," the blonde kept murmuring.

Harry quirked his eyebrow, "What are you on about? Cerberi are documented in countless books and studies."

"No, you don't understand. This isn't a magical creature at all. This is a Phantasmal Beast."

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I tend to upload drafts of early chapters on there to get people's opinions of them so you can read up to 20 chapters ahead as a bonus.

Thank you guys for your support in these hard times.