To The Moon and Back | Remus Lupin's Daughter

25. First Day - Astra

"Okay little moon, ready to get started?" Anne smiled clapping her hands together after Hagrid had lead us into the forest.

We were currently in the middle of a clearing in the forbidden forest... though it didn't seem so forbidden.  Papa and Ragnar were chatting over by the tree line, though I could sense their eyes on us.

Hagrid was busy setting up some sort of fencing in the far end if the clearing. He was meant to be showing off a some magical creature called Buckbeak. He said i could meet him after my meditation lesson with Ragnar before he got to work.

Looking back at Anne, I just smiled and gave her a small nod.

"Okay so, we're gonna sit here for a second, just steady your breathing and feel the world around you." Anne started taking a seat in front of me on the ground. Her firey hair blowing in the wind.

Nodding I follow.her lead, looking to the side a little to see papa give me two tumbs up. I looked back at Anne who was watching me with a playful look in her eyes.

Smiling back i placed my hand in the soft grass. I can't really explain it. I felt like i was connected to everything around me. I could sense the wind dancing around every tree in the forest. I could sense where every little creature was in the area from.the small colony of ants on the otherside of the forest to a herd of unicorns roaming through the far corners of the forest. I felt the flowers blooming in a far off meadow. I felt the water that trickled through a small stream that cut through the forest near by. I even sense the giant squid that swam in the lake by the castle. I could almost taste the fresh water in the air around me. Then I noticed it something that didn't belong in the forest. Something that wasn't natural.

Fire.

Not normal fire, this didn't seem like the fire from.the touches in castle. Those felt different. This fire felt dark and destructive.

"Somethings wrong" I whispered, looking to Anne, my smile falling. My voice was trembling "Somethings really wrong"

"What?" The smile melted off Annes face, her eyes flashing from me over to Ragnar and papa.

"There's fire... somewhere..."

"Where? Focus of the fire Astra, find where it is" I nodded nervously unsure of it I could even do that.

Closing my eyes I focus on the feeling.  Placing my hands back into the grass I tried to find tbe source if the fire. When I felt it again, the uneasy and dark element. It was unnatural. I felt my magic flow inside me, calling for me to get rid of this dark magic. Magic? It wasn't natural, someone was controlling this fire. It made sense. Focusing on how it felt slowly a picture started to form in my head. On the far outskirt of the forest, near a run down wooden house that was swaying slightly. A man in black robes, seemed to have a small dire wolf pup trapped in magic robes. Around them lay dozens of burnt wolves. It look like the whole.pack had been wiped out. All that remained was this small pup who was cowering in the corner.

There was still smell... that made my stomach turn. Like something being burnt. That's when I heard the small pup cry out in a pain howl. The fire came from the wizards wand.

"NO!" I gasped, tears falling down my cheeks.

"Pup, what do you see?" Papa asked, I sounded panicked. I hadn't noticed he'd  come over to us.

I couldn't think, all.i could think of was this pup, crying  out for help, cowering away from a cruel wizard.

"They're hurting her. She's just a pup and they're hurting her" I whispered, seeing her cower away from the man parts of her fur burned off, the smell of burnt fur was something I'd never forget.