I'm a nut case who's now friends with a nut case
PERCY: I never thought I'd say anything bad about Jason Grace, but today he had pushed my buttons! I know I'd seen those stupid horses. All I wanted was some sign that I wasn't insane. Couldn't he at least give me that? I just needed some sign, any sign that I wasn't insane!
The sign I was given wasn't very problem. In fact, the sign I was given, many people would argue, was the exact definition of insanity. I guess I didn't have the right to judge what I'd heard about her too harshly, I'd never spoken to her. But there she was, beckoning me towards her at the end of the corridor.
I had an odd feeling as I approached her. Not just because of who she was, but because I couldn't shake the feeling that was forgetting something...was I supposed to be somewhere?
Nonsense, I was making up excuses. She couldn't be that bad, right?
"Um, hey! Luna, right?"
The girl nodded lightly, delicately. Her hand that had been beckoning me slowly fell to her side. Her eyes were gleaming with enthusiasm, but other than that her expression remained tranquil.
"Yes, I'm Luna. I heard the boy you were shouting at, he said your name is Percy. Is this correct?"
I nodded, though I felt my face redden at the fact that she had heard me shouting at Jason. I know a handful of people who would disagree, but I'm not a (complete) jerk! Now, this girl had all the more reason to think I was.
"I heard what you said, about the horses."
Great. Now I could have two people thinking I was nuts, three including myself.
"Oh, really? That was a bit of a joke between my friend and I. We were really just..." I tried to come up with an excuse. I was never good at coming up with things on spot.
"Oh, that's a shame. Because I can see the thestrals too." She smiled at me in a unique manner.
"Thestrals? That's what they're called?" I meant to mumble it to myself. Really, I hadn't meant to say it aloud at all. Luna nodded again, her wide-eyes expanding even further.
"Yes! They're magnificent creatures. I can show you them if that's what you'd want."
I didn't have a reason to hesitate, but I still did. Curfew was in a few minutes, I thought. But, I'm a prefect! I can't get punished too harshly. Besides, that's never stopped me from staying out late before. I didn't have an excuse. I guess the only thing that was stopping me was the fact that if one of my friends saw me hanging around Luna Lovegood after hours, I'd never hear the end of it.
Come on, Percy. She's helping you out. Let her!
So, I did. And I followed her outside of the castle, in the direction of the forest.
***
We could've been walking for a few minutes or a few days and I wouldn't have been able to tell the difference. My buzzing mind made me lose all track of time. I didn't even care about the fact that if we got caught sneaking into the forbidden forest we could both very easily be expelled because the forest was, well, forbidden!
I'd always loved horses, I think that's what kept me going. The last vacation-if you'd even call it a vacation-I'd went on was when I was thirteen, my mother took me out to a ranch awhile from our house. It was at this place I had ridden my first horse, and it'd felt amazing! You don't know what being truly alive feels like until you've ridden a horse on a beach. The clomping of the hooves, the crashing of the waves, they were such different things, yet they went together so well.
It was such a good memory, maybe even my favorite with my mother.
I think that memory is why I was so set on finding these creatures. They were just as Luna had described them: magnificent. Their dark eyes, the mysterious atmosphere they gave off, it was something that I was intrigued by.
I needed to see them again.
I didn't start getting apprehensive until we were about five minutes into the forest. I thought to myself, if the rumors about Luna were true, what if these creatures didn't exist? What if she was luring me away from the school, away from people, so she could harm me? My hand was tightly gripped around my wand, if this were the case. The second I even thought of suggesting we should just turn back, Luna stopped walking.
"They're here." She said, every move she was soft. She did everything delicately as if it was all rehearsed. At first, it made me uncomfortable. Now, it was oddly comforting. She was so calm, it began to rub off on me.
Luna stuck out her hand gently in front of her. The bushes beside a large tree rustled gently. At first, I was worried I wouldn't be able to see it. But as usual, I was proven wrong. A horse-like creature stuck its head out from behind the trunk. It hesitated at first, then it looked at Luna like it recognized her. The thestral puffed sharply as if to say: "hello!" I don't know why, but I was sure that it was some sort of greeting.
"Hello!" I said gently. The Thestral hesitated in my direction. Luna gently stroked its head and he walked towards me.
"They're beautiful," I stated. The thestral seemed to like that compliment. It moved its head towards my hand. It was like it was asking me to pet it, and I did. It was almost like I could understand the horse-like creatures. Why was that?
"Why can't the others see them, Luna? And why have I only just noticed them this year?"
Another thestral came from behind the same tree, walking up to Luna like an old friend. She gently moved her fingers through its mane.
"You can't see a thestral until you've witnessed and accepted death."
"Woah," I mumbled. "That can't be true. I haven't witnessed a death. There was Cedric last year, but I hadn't witnessed that with my own eyes. I remember I was home that week because of a--erm---family matter." That wasn't a complete lie.
My mum had written to me last year, letting me know things between her and my step-father weren't going well. I'd left school that week, telling McGonagall it was for a family issue. That week my father had left the house. Unfortunately, when I returned him from the school year last year, he was home again and as awful as ever.
My stepfather, Gabe, is an awful man. I didn't love talking about him at all. My mother, Sally, is amazing. I could talk about my memories of her all day.
The thestral huffed at me like it was saying: "are you thick? Of course, you've witnessed death! I'm right here!"
"Maybe I stepped on a bug or something...does that count as witnessing death?" I asked. Luna smiled and shook her head.
"Of course, it does count as a death. Bugs are as worthy of creatures as the rest of us. But it takes more than stepping on a bug in the halls to see a thestral."
Halls.
Halls...
Corridors!
I had corridor duties with Annabeth Chase! I knew I had to be somewhere! Darn it, what time was it?
"You have someplace else you'd like to be." It wasn't a question, Luna didn't look disappointed though. I didn't want to seem like I was trying to get away from her. Truthfully, I kind of liked her now. She was different, I wondered why kids could be so cruel. I guess I'm a hypocrite for saying that.
"I have corridor duties...I forgot. I'm sorry Luna, I need to go."
Luna smiled again. "I'll go with you."
***
We rushed back to the castle, and Luna showed me a shortcut to the corridor I was supposed to be at twenty minutes ago. Annabeth was standing there with her arms crossed and her usual expression of impatience.
"You're late. Care to explain?" She said, sternly.
"I--I actually just--" I started. Luna interrupted.
"He found me wandering the corridors, I was trying to find my shoes. I seem to have misplaced them. Percy was just helping me." Luna covered. I looked at her with an expression of disbelief. I couldn't believe she had lied for me and I had just met her. Also, I couldn't believe I hadn't noticed she wasn't wearing shoes.
This entire time.
Aren't I oblivious?
"Oh." Annabeth's expression relaxed slightly. Though, she still looked tense. She always looked tense. "That's okay then, I suppose. Luna, are the students treating you...differently again?" Annabeth asked.
"It's okay!" Luna insisted. "I often find myself misplacing belongings. I'm sure they are in my trunk. I'll go look there now. Goodnight, Annabeth and Percy."
She left and headed for the direction of the Ravenclaw house.
Annabeth turned to me with her arms crossed.
"What were you two up to?" Annabeth asked.
I sighed. "Honestly, Chase. I saw she was walking alone in the corridor. I didn't want her to get in trouble by another prefect because curfew was soon, so I walked with her. We walked and talked, that's all." She finally seemed convinced.
"What's that smirk about?" She nagged.
"Not jealous, are you whiz witch?"
"No!" She shot. "And what have a told you about that stupid nickname? Just because I'm in the Ravenclaw house doesn't mean that studying and books are the only things that represent me! I'm not a whiz."
I laughed. She was such a hotheaded person, and it was often fun to push her buttons.
"Take it as a compliment! Also, I'll stop calling you a whiz when you stop calling me all of the delightful nicknames you call me behind my back, and to my face on occasion." She scoffed and shook her head, mumbling under her breath something that my mother wouldn't be proud of me repeating.
"Sheesh, Chase. Only making a joke. You need to lighten up sometimes." She shook her head, continuing to mumble under her breath.
I noticed something about her appearance that had changed since last school year. It was something that I hadn't noticed about her before. A few strands of her hair seemed lighter than they had been. Though, it didn't look like she had dyed it. Who would die only a few stray hairs such a silvery color?
"What's happened to your hair? It looks like you may have burnt it or something." She cut me off.
"Can you just stop trying to talk to me, please? Both of us don't want to be here, and it will be a lot more enjoyable if you just shut your mouth."
So, I shut my mouth. Because when a scary blonde girl is already angry with you, the last thing you want to do is make her angrier.
Annabeth is smart, she's practically a genius. Maybe she would know more about the Thestrals? I wanted to ask her more than anything, but something about the fury in her expression told me it was best to wait.
After a few minutes of awkward standing in the halls with nothing to say, Annabeth's expression of worry turned into sudden panic.
"What's up?" I asked, noticing the sudden worry in her eye.
"I was supposed to meet Hazel in the Hufflepuff common room ten minutes ago. Curfew is in five minutes." She mumbled to herself.
I saw this as a chance to redeem myself.
"Go on ahead. I'll cover your last five minutes, since you covered when I wasn't here. If any teacher asks where you're at, I'll say you're in the bathroom."
She glanced at me with a look of apprehension and curiosity.
"Really, you'd do that?"
"Please, contain your surprise; I can be a decent human being on occasion."
She looked like she wanted to thank me or punch me. I wasn't great at reading people. She turned around without another word and headed for the Hufflepuff House.
I took the fact that she didn't punch me as a thanks.