Live & Learn (ONC 2020)

A long way from home

"The steering wheels are on the wrong side. And the street name is Billiet favirons. We are in France. I am in France!"

France. That was a long way from where she was supposed to be. A hell of a long way. Suddenly Luna reviewed her earlier thought that Leo would know where he had teleported them to.

"You teleported us to France," Luna said slowly.

"Yes, I know. I would be absolute jumping with joy had it not been for the fact that this is France. France!"

Leo leaned against the street lantern and slowly sank down on the ground. He dramatically placed his head in his hands.

Finally Luna got his slightly absurd behaviour. France, the place he had fled because he had angered people. Leo was allowed to be panicking. He was laying it on a bit thick though, Luna thought. After all, what were the chances of them walking into the people that were a threat to Leo? France was a big country. And who said those people even still lived in France?

She had a problem too. She had a mission to fulfill. Leo seemed to have completely forgotten that. Though under the current circumstances she could forgive him for that. It still meant they had to get back to England, for both their sakes.

Luna sat herself down on the curb.

"Leo."

At the sound of his name, Leo looked up. Luna felt like she was speaking to a child, and sighed before continuing.

"Do you happen to know where in France we are?"

He considered that for a moment, but eventually shook his head. Then he stared off in the distance, perhaps thinking of all the dreadful things that could happen now that he was in France.

Slightly unsure how to deal with this, Luna slowly waved her hand in front of his eyes to get his attention.

"We should try to find a train station so we can get out of here."

She got no reaction at first, but then some sense returned to the look in Leo's eyes and he nodded.

Luna stood up, relieved he agreed with her, and offered him her hand.

"You're the one who speaks french. Lead the way."

A bit of the normal twinkle in his eyes returned when he got up, on his own. Leo started to walk down the street.

"Erm, Leo. Lead the other way, please."

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When Leo had entered the train station after finding it with the help of signposts and a few people still up, he had felt relieved to be able to leave this dangerous territory behind. When he and Luna walked back out, not only had he learned they had ended up somewhere in the Alpes, but there was also no way they were getting out of this hellhole any time soon, as the ticket seller so nicely put it. The rails had been blocked by an avalanche. On top of all that, the snow was falling down at a fast rate when they got outside. His shoes were already soaked, and his feet frozen.

He was done for. Someone would see him and recognize him. And then the Dirboue's, or one of the other families that had been present at his little show a hundred and fifty years ago, would recognize him, capture him, and horrible things would happen.

God hated him. The devil hated him. The angels, or whatever other celestial beings there were, hated his guts. And most important of all, the french warlocks hated him. One former English one too, if Ellingford hadn't died on a certain dreadful night. At this point Leo didn't know whether he hoped the guy was dead or not.