Sunshine & Shadows (D. Malfoy) ON HOLD

5 - The Black Lake

Late that night, Pippa found herself sitting by the edge of the Black Lake, her knees drawn into her chest, flipping dandelion heads off of their stems. The yellow blooms floated away from her lazily in the water and she sighed. The first day back certainly hadn't gone the way she had hoped it would.

Other than the Hufflepuff Common room, she liked being outside the best at school. When the weather cooperated, she preferred to do homework outside, near the water's edge. If she sat long enough and listened carefully enough, she heard the merpeople sing. Their song was beautifully haunting, full of dying trills and decaying melodies, like a sad hymn echoing in an empty cathedral.

"Pippa?"

She turned around at the sound of her name, but no one was there. Is this a prank?

"Hello?" She called nervously. Thinking ahead, she reached into her pocket for her wand.

"What? Oh, shoot, I've still got this thing on. Give me a second." Harry Potter appeared out of nowhere and stowed a cloak in his bag, looking rather embarrassed.

"You've got an Invisibility cloak?" Pippa asked in awe.

"Yeah, it was my dad's. I got it a few years ago."

"What are you doing sneaking around under it? Breaking the rules, losing Gryffindor's House points, or both? I guess you can afford to do that. Hufflepuff's already at negative ten points, thanks to me."

"Um, no. Actually, I fancied paying Hagrid a visit," he admitted. After a moment of hesitation, he sat down on the grass next to her.

Pippa laid on her back and looked up at the stars. The weeds tickled her. Because her father was an astro-physicist, she knew every planet and constellation like the back of her hand. It made Astronomy classes quite easy for her. She also just liked thinking about space, this big expanse of sky dotted with fleeting objects of beauty. Shooting stars and meteor showers were her favorite. Every time they were expected, her father made sure to send an excited letter, and she made sure to be outside that night. Ideally, she would watch from the Astronomy Tower, but she hated being up there when she didn't have to be for class. Pippa Wilson and heights did not mix with good results.

"What're you doing?"

"Looking at the sky," she said. "You should try it once in a while. It's relaxing. I like looking at the stars when I'm stressed out or sad."

He laughed a little. "You think I get sad or stressed out?"

"I know you get sad and stressed out." Pippa tilted her head to look at him. "People who are quiet tend to notice things more, you know."

For a moment, he looked shocked. She worried that she'd made him uncomfortable, which was the last thing she wanted to do, but then he laughed. "Fair enough. What are you doing out here?"

"Just thinking," she answered. "Today was rough."

Harry frowned and looked out at the lake, tossing a rock at the giant squid off in the distance. "Yeah, I heard about that. I'm sorry. Malfoy's a real pain."

"I know he is," she said, but her eyes widened. She didn't want to insult anyone even though Harry seemed to have no problem with it. Everyone knew that Draco Malfoy and Harry Potter had been enemies since day one. "I mean, he's pretty difficult sometimes. How did you hear about it?"

"Everyone was talking about it at dinner," Harry said. She'd skipped eating in the Great Hall and headed right down to the lake, intending to hide from anyone who witnessed the events of that morning, but apparently, the whole school knew anyway. "I think the Slytherins were acting it out over at their table. It was terrible."