𝐢. 𝐌𝐈𝐂𝐑𝐎𝐂𝐎𝐒𝐌𝐈𝐂 ; harry j. potter ( UNEDITED )

119. "it might be over but fear might suit us"

"Well, if they're telling the truth and she's still alive —" began Ron.

"Don't say that, don't say it!" squealed Hermione. "She must be alive, she must!"

"Luna's out there somewhere... captured..." she looked down to her boots, fear slowly encasing him.

"Captured in Azkaban, I expect," said Ron. "Whether she survives the place, though... Loads don't..."

"She will," said Harry, interlacing his and Lucia's fingers together, giving her an assuring squeeze of consolation when he saw her body shook violently as though she would've crumbled if it weren't for his touch. He could not contemplate the alternative. "She's tough, Luna, much tougher than you'd think. She's probably teaching all the inmates about Wrackspurts and Nargles."

"She does have a knack for that, Luna does," Lucia let out a feeble laugh, trying to convince herself that. However, she could not believe just how much a few days could change in the world...

"I hope you're right," said Hermione. She passed a hand over her eyes. "I'd feel so sorry for Xenophilius if —"

"— if he hadn't just tried to sell us to the Death Eaters, yeah," said Ron.

They put up the tent and retreated inside it, where Ron made them tea. After their narrow escape, the chilly, musty old place felt like home: safe, familiar, and friendly.

"It seems that this is the second trip you lot went that was supposed to be nice and peaceful but turns into a near-death situation turn chaos," said Lucia nonchalantly, blowing her hot tea. "You really don't have the greatest of luck,"

"Oh, why did we go there?" groaned Hermione after a few minutes' silence. "Harry, you were right, it was Godric's Hollow all over again, a complete waste of time! The Deathly Hallows... such rubbish... although actually," a sudden thought seemed to have struck her, "he might have made it all up, mightn't he? He probably doesn't believe in the Deathly Hallows at all, he just wanted to keep us talking until the Death Eaters arrived!"

"I don't think so," said Ron. "It's a damn sight harder making stuff up when you're under stress than you'd think. I found that out when the Snatchers caught me. It was much easier pretending to be Stan, because I knew a bit about him, than inventing a whole new person. Old Lovegood was under loads of pressure, trying to make sure we stayed put. I reckon he told us the truth, or what he thinks is the truth, just to keep us talking."

"Well, I don't suppose it matters," sighed Hermione. "Even if he was being honest, I never heard such a lot of nonsense in all my life."

"This is where we're the complete opposite, Hermione," said Lucia. "I believe the Hallows do exist, and I feel like you would too if you just open your mind a bit. People said the Chamber of Secret was a myth, but then the basilisk went on and attack Muggle-born — Ginny almost died there."

"Oh not this rubbish again," Hermione looked exasperatedly, but Lucia rolled her eyes, not even trying to cover up she did. "The Deathly Hallows can't exist!"

"You keep saying that, but one of them can," said Ron. "Harry's Invisibility Cloak —"

"'The Tale of the Three Brothers' is a story," said Hermione firmly. "A story about how humans are frightened of death. If surviving was as simple as hiding under the Invisibility Cloak, we'd have everything we need already!"

"I don't know. We could do with an unbeatable wand," said Harry, turning the blackthorn wand he so disliked over in his fingers.

"There's no such thing, Harry!"

"You're the one that said there were loads of wands like that, I'm not sure how the Deathly Hallows can't exist when magic does?" Lucia sipped her tea serenely.