Chapter 147: A Walk by the Lake
The Fat Lady was having a very strange afternoon.
She'd been minding her own business, humming a tune from her youth and occasionally glancing at the passing students, when the girl had appeared. Just... appeared, standing before her portrait without a word, staring with those pale, protuberant eyes that seemed to look through rather than at.
At first, the Fat Lady had tried conversation. "Lovely weather, isn't it, dear?" Nothing. "Are you waiting for someone?" A slow blink. "You're from Ravenclaw, aren't I? I can tell by the—" Nothing. Just that steady, unsettling gaze.
After ten minutes, the Fat Lady gave up and settled for pretending the girl wasn't there. But it was difficult to relax with someone staring at you. Very difficult indeed.
When Elian finally appeared, the Fat Lady nearly wept with relief. "Oh, thank goodness! Is she here for you? She's been standing there for ages, just staring. I was beginning to think I'd grown another chin or something."
Elian glanced at Luna, who had turned at the sound of his voice. Her expression, which had been distant and dreamy, softened into something warmer. "Lin Xiao. Do you have time?"
He nodded. "For you, always."
Luna's smile brightened the corridor. "Then will you walk with me?"
The Fat Lady barely waited for them to move before swinging shut, muttering something about strange children and peace and quiet.
They walked in comfortable silence through the castle corridors, past the moving staircases and the chattering portraits, out through the great oak doors and onto the grounds. The autumn air was crisp, carrying the scent of lake water and fallen leaves. A few students were scattered across the lawn, but most were indoors, studying or hiding from the increasingly oppressive atmosphere Umbridge had created.
Luna led them to the shore of the Black Lake, to a spot she seemed to know—a flat rock that jutted slightly into the water, worn smooth by years of students seeking solitude. She sat, tucking her legs beneath her, and gazed out at the water.
Elian sat beside her, close enough that their shoulders almost touched. He didn't speak, didn't push. He simply waited, as he always did with Luna, understanding that she would speak when she was ready.
The lake lapped gently at the shore. A giant squid tentacle broke the surface in the distance, waved lazily, and disappeared.
"I've been thinking," Luna said finally, her voice soft and musical, "about Nargles."
Elian hid a smile. "Oh?"
"They're very misunderstood creatures. Most people think they're just stealing things—earrings, socks, loose change. But they're not stealing, really. They're collecting. They gather things that have been lost, and they keep them safe until someone comes looking." She paused, tilting her head. "I think that's rather kind, don't you?"
"Very kind," Elian agreed.
Luna was quiet for a moment. Then: "I've felt a bit lost lately. Like something important has been stolen, and I don't know where to look for it."
Elian turned to look at her. Her profile was delicate in the afternoon light, her silvery-blonde hair stirring in the breeze. There was a sadness in her eyes that he hadn't seen since their first meeting on the Hogwarts Express.
"The D.A.," he said. "You miss it."
"Mm." She nodded slowly. "I miss everyone. Ginny. Hermione. Even Ron, though he's a bit loud sometimes." A small smile. "And you. I missed you most of all."
The admission was so simple, so honest, that it struck Elian like a physical blow. He was used to complexity—to schemes within schemes, to hidden motives and calculated words. Luna had none of that. She said exactly what she felt, with no filter, no defense.
"I'm sorry," he said quietly.
Luna blinked at him. "For what?"
"For not being there. For not checking on you. I've been..." He trailed off, unsure how to explain. The giants. The System. The endless preparations for a war that hadn't yet begun. "I've been busy. But that's not an excuse."
"You don't need an excuse." Luna's voice was gentle. "You're doing important things. I know that. Father says you're going to save us all." She looked back at the lake. "But sometimes, even people who save the world need to sit by the lake and do nothing for a while."
Elian stared at her. In her strange, roundabout way, she had just given him the same advice Dumbledore might have—if Dumbledore were the sort to sit by lakes and do nothing.
"You're remarkable, you know that?"
Luna considered this seriously. "Father says I'm unusual. Most people mean it as an insult, but I don't think it is. Unusual things are often the most interesting."
"They are," Elian agreed.
They sat in silence for a long moment, watching the light play on the water. A small fish jumped, caught a mayfly, vanished. The giant squid's tentacle surfaced again, closer this time, as if curious about the two figures on the shore.
"Can I tell you something?" Luna asked.
"Always."
"I was happy before. Before this year, I mean. I had my books and my creatures and Father, and I thought that was enough. I didn't know I was lonely until I wasn't anymore." She hugged her knees. "And now that the D.A. is gone, and everyone's hiding, and I don't see you or Ginny or Hermione... I know what lonely feels like. And I don't like it."
Elian felt something shift in his chest. He thought of Hermione, of the hope in her eyes when she thought he'd noticed her changes. He thought of Harry and Ron, of the trust they placed in him. He thought of Dumbledore's request, of the weight of responsibility he'd accepted.
And he thought of Luna—gentle, strange, wonderful Luna—who asked for nothing but his presence.
He reached out and took her hand. It was small and cool in his.
"You're not alone," he said. "You'll never be alone. Not while I'm here."
Luna looked at their joined hands, then at his face. Her smile returned, brighter than the afternoon sun.
"I knew that," she said simply. "I just wanted to hear you say it."
They sat by the lake until the sun began to set, painting the sky in shades of orange and pink. They talked of Nargles and Wrackspurts, of Quibbler articles and magical creatures, of everything and nothing. And when they finally rose to return to the castle, Luna's hand still in his, the loneliness that had plagued her was gone.
As they approached the entrance, Luna stopped. "Lin Xiao?"
"Yes?"
"Thank you. For sitting with me. For listening." She squeezed his hand once, then let go. "And for being my friend. It's the best thing that's happened to me in a very long time."
Before he could respond, she turned and walked toward the Ravenclaw common room, her steps light, her hair bouncing with each step.
Elian watched her go, something warm and unfamiliar spreading through his chest.
This, he thought. This is what I'm fighting for. Not power. Not dominion. Moments like this. People like her.
He turned and climbed the stairs toward Gryffindor Tower, the weight of the world still on his shoulders, but somehow, for the first time in weeks, it felt a little lighter.
(End of Chapter)
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