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𝖈𝖍𝖆𝖕𝖙𝖊𝖗 𝖙𝖜𝖊𝖓𝖙𝖞-𝖙𝖍𝖗𝖊𝖊:
𝔠𝔥𝔞𝔯𝔪𝔦𝔫𝔤 𝔢𝔫𝔠𝔬𝔲𝔫𝔱𝔢𝔯𝔰

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𝕿HE LARGE WINDOWS LET IN STREAMS OF SOFT, golden light, illuminating the wooden desks arranged in neat rows. The blackboard at the front of the room displayed the date of the Transfigurations midterms, a topic that Professor McGonagall had been stressing them about for the past few days.

McGonagall had left everyone to review and study in class for the upcoming midterm. With your textbook and Transfigurations notebook cracked open in front of you, you concentrated on working on things you weren't confident in.

Sitting next to Lavender Brown, you noticed Lavender's constant fidgeting — tapping her quill against the desk, glancing around the room, and occasionally whispering to herself as if rehearsing the incantations.

Lavender leaned toward you, her nerves obvious. "Do you think you'll do well?"

You glanced up from your notes, taking in Lavender's anxious expression. Her usually bright demeanor seemed a little dimmed by the pressure of the upcoming midterm. You gave her a reassuring smile, even though the thought of the exam made your own stomach twist with nerves. "I'm not sure, honestly. Some of the spells still trip me up, but I've been practicing."

Letting out a small sigh, Lavender fidgeted with the edge of her parchment. "Same here. I'm worried I'll freeze up when the time comes. Transfiguration isn't exactly my strongest subject."

The low murmur of other students around the classroom could be heard around you, some buried deep in their studies while others whispered among themselves. Sitting in front of you, the Patil twins were quizzing each other on key concepts, their quiet voices a steady background noise.

"I think you'll be fine," you told her, giving her a small, reassuring smile. "McGonagall's been giving us a lot of practice, and you're good when you focus."

As Lavender's eyes flicked to the page her eyes lit up as an idea entered her mind. "Oh, (Y/n), you should join us for studying for midterms sometime, in the library."

"Us?" You repeated questioningly.

"As in me, Padma, and Parvati," Lavender clarified, effortlessly easing your nerves about having to work with someone you weren't familiar with. "We've been wanting to study together for it soon. You should join us too."

With a small smile and a nod, you agreed, "Alright, sure. Just tell me when."

The Forbidden Forest frightened you quite a bit, just because it was kind of creepy without the sunlight. With towering trees stretching upwards, their thick branches created a canopy that blocked most of the afternoon sun.

As you followed behind Luna cautiously, your shoes crunched softly on the leaf-strewn path. Luna moved with the kind of lightness that suggested she belonged here, her pale blonde hair swaying gently as she skipped ahead.

There was a distinct contrast between her serene enthusiasm and your quiet wariness. Despite being here so many times because of Luna, you were still apprehensive.

"They're so wonderful to see up close," Luna told you dreamily, staring up ahead, but already knowing you wouldn't be able to see them yourself.

To you, the space ahead was completely empty. Just swaying grass, a few scattered rocks, and a soft breeze that rustled through the leaves above. Already knowing that she was talking about the thestrals, you chuckled, "Sometimes, I wish I could see them, but I really don't want to either."

Luna slowed her pace for a moment, turning her head slightly to look back at you with a soft, understanding smile. "It's a strange thing, isn't it?" She muttered in her usual airy voice, her eyes thoughtful. "To want to see something so beautiful, but knowing what it would take to be able to."

"Yeah," you murmured, brushing your fingers against the bark of a nearby tree, feeling its rough texture beneath your fingertips. You nodded, feeling the weight of her words settle in the silence between you both. "It's one of those things you can't really explain."

With Luna's gaze lingering on you for a moment longer, her expression was filled with quiet understanding. "That's the thing about the world, though, isn't it?" Luna commented softly, her voice nearly overshadowed by the rustling trees. "Some things are meant to be felt, even if they can't be seen."

A warm feeling spread through your chest as you smiled at her words. There was something oddly comforting about Luna's perspective, her ability to see beauty in things most people would overlook, or be afraid of. Her world felt magical in ways that yours sometimes struggled to be, but you appreciated how she let you into it.

As you continued walking through the forest with Luna continuing forward to admire the thestrals, the shadows deepened, and you couldn't shake the uneasy feeling creeping up your spine. It wasn't the forest itself that unsettled you, nor the creatures that lurked in it. It was more the unknown — what you couldn't see and what you couldn't predict. Even with Luna's calm presence, your heart still raced with every step.

"Do you think it'll ever get less creepy?" You asked, your voice barely louder than a whisper as you attempted to add a chuckle to your tone to ease your nerves.

Luna glanced back at you, her lips twitching into a small, soft smile. "Perhaps not for everyone, but for me, it's always been more comforting than anything else."

Huffing a small laugh, you shook your head. "Of course, it is."

There was a pause before Luna spoke again, her voice even more distant this time. "Sometimes, I think people are like the Forbidden Forest." She reached up and you could tell that she was petting one of the thestrals. "Mysterious, full of secrets, and not everyone sees the beauty in them, but they're worth getting to know, even if they scare you at first."

You blinked, her words settling deep in your mind. "That's... an interesting way of putting it." You hadn't considered it like that before, but now that Luna had said it, it made sense.

"You're like that too, you know?" She commented in her usual airily and dreamy way, her gaze glued to the thestral that you couldn't see.

Luna's words caught you off guard and you glanced at her, unsure how to respond. "Me?" You asked softly, a bit startled by her observation. The forest suddenly seemed quieter, the air thick with the weight of her statement.

She nodded gently, still petting the invisible thestral, her fingers gliding through the air like she was brushing through its mane. "Yes. You're a bit like the forest," she continued, her tone light yet sincere. "Sometimes, you're hard to understand, even for yourself, but that doesn't make you any less wonderful."

Her comment made your heart skip a beat. You weren't used to being described in such a way. You didn't see yourself as mysterious, not like the Forbidden Forest with all its hidden dangers and secret beauty. But then again, you'd never thought of things quite like Luna did.

"I'm not sure anyone's ever said something like that to me before," you admitted, a shy smile tugging at your lips.

When she finally turned to look at you, her blue eyes were wide and filled with their usual dreamy quality, but with a hint of something more — something knowing. "Well, it's true," she told you simply, as if the idea was as obvious as the sky being blue. "You have secrets too, even if you don't know what they all are yet. Ones that you haven't told me or Kyra, and I doubt you've told Violaine."

"I don't keep secrets," you lied swiftly, but Luna saw right through your steadfast tone and casual expression.

"It's okay. Most people do anyway," Luna stated, her voice soft as you rested your back against one of the looming trees. "You can reveal them in your own time, I won't push."

Your mind raked over every secret you kept from Luna and Kyra — and few from Violaine, but she knew of some of them since she had known you since you were practically born.

Every secret.

Sure, Luna and Kyra knew about your parents, but they didn't quite know how deep it was. They didn't know about the endless nights of crying yourself to sleep, or the overthinking they caused, or the countless days you spent holed up in your room to avoid talking to them.

Sure, Luna and Kyra knew of your anxiety, but they didn't know how much you hated yourself for it. They didn't know how many times you wished you were normal, or wished that you could just befriend people, or wished that you didn't feel like throwing up every time you had to talk to someone new.

Sure, Violaine and Kyra knew of your various crushes, but they didn't know how badly you wanted that crush to be reciprocated. They didn't know that you wanted someone to like you so openly and proudly, or that you wanted to be someone's first choice, or that you so desperately wanted to prove to yourself that you were capable of being loved like that.

But then again, even you told yourself that you didn't need someone to like you, and that you would be completely fine like that.

As you blinked yourself back to reality, Luna's words settled over you like a blanket of understanding, warm and gentle despite the chill in the air. You exhaled softly, leaning back against the tree as the rough bark pressed into your spine. There was something reassuring about her quiet acceptance, her refusal to pry despite her ability to see right through you.

You smiled faintly, a small spark of gratitude flickering in your chest. "Thanks, Luna," you said softly, your voice barely above a whisper. 

"You don't have to thank me," Luna responded, her tone light and almost musical. Luna's expression softened, her eyes twinkling with a mix of kindness and curiosity. "I enjoy being here with you, secrets or not."

Looking down at the forest floor, the dried leaves crunched beneath your shoes as you shuffled your feet. "Sometimes, I feel like I don't even know what those secrets are myself," you admitted quietly, surprised at how easily the confession slipped from your lips.

Luna took a step closer, her hands folding together as she gazed up at the canopy of trees. "That's the thing about secrets," she mused, her voice airy yet thoughtful. "Sometimes, they only reveal themselves when you're ready to face them."

Her words lingered in the cool, still air, and you found yourself nodding, though you weren't entirely sure why. Maybe there was some truth in what she was saying, or maybe Luna just had a way of making everything sound like it made sense, even if it didn't. Either way, you felt a little more at peace.

The silence between you both was filled with an unspoken understanding. The forest no longer felt as foreboding, even though its mysteries remained hidden, and maybe that was okay.

The atmosphere of the Defense Against the Dark Arts class buzzed with the low hum of students chattering and the rustling of parchment. Your eyes flicked occasionally toward Ron, who was seated next to you. Along with feeling your usual apprehension at being paired with someone you didn't know very well, you were also worried since Ron wasn't exactly the most academic.

Ron's red hair seemed to catch the light as he animatedly discussed the project. "So, boggarts are all about fear, right? We need to come up with a way to deal with them effectively. What do you think we should focus on?"

Your gaze dropped to the notes that you had taken. "Well, to deal with boggarts is to use the Riddikulus charm. We should explain how it transforms the boggart into something funny, thereby neutralizing its power."

"Right," he agreed before humming lowly. "A part of the project is a poster, right? How should we go about doing that?"

Glancing around the classroom, your mind raced through ideas. The poster would need to be both informative and visually engaging to make the Riddikulus charm clear and memorable.

"Yeah, the poster..." You hummed thoughtfully, adjusting your notes. "We should probably start with a definition of what a boggart is and how it operates, then show how the Riddikulus charm works."

Ron nodded, clearly following along. "Okay, so we could start with a simple explanation and maybe include a few examples of boggarts and the types of fears they might represent."

"Yup," you agreed. "Uhm... We could illustrate a few common boggart scenarios and how they change with the Riddikulus charm. Like, a boggart that turns into a wolf would be shown as something like a stuffed animal after the charm."

"And we could use bright colors and fun illustrations to make it look less intimidating. Maybe add a few step-by-step instructions on how to cast the charm properly?" Ron added hesitantly.

"Good idea," you told him, causing a smile to bloom on his face. "We can add a section with the incantation and a short description of how to perform the charm..."

Ron grinned, clearly excited about the project now, which made some of your nerves ease up. "Alright, let's get started on sketching out some ideas. One of us can handle the written parts while the other focuses on the visuals."

You nodded, feeling a surge of relief. Working with Ron, despite your initial worries, was turning out to be quite productive. His enthusiasm was infectious, and you found yourself enjoying the collaborative effort.

"For visuals, were you thinking pictures or drawings?" Ron inquired.

"I was thinking maybe we could do a mix of both," you suggested, glancing at Ron with a thoughtful expression. "We could draw the transformation of the boggarts ourselves, that way we can make the images funny and exaggerated. But for the instructions on casting the charm, we could use actual pictures of the spell steps. It'll make it easier for people to understand."

"Yeah, that sounds good. You're good at drawing, right?" He asked, a hopeful tone in his voice. "I mean, I can try, but my artistic skills are more on par with stick figures."

You chuckled, feeling more at ease with Ron than before. "I can figure out the drawings. You could handle finding the pictures for the charm steps and maybe help with some of the design?"

"Yeah, I can do that," Ron replied confidently, grabbing a piece of parchment and scribbling down ideas. "Maybe we could add speech bubbles or something to make the drawings funnier? Like, have the wolf boggart say something silly when it turns into a stuffed animal."

"That could work. The more ridiculous we make it, the better it'll show how effective the charm is," you agreed.

As he nodded, Ron began to grin widely. "This is gonna be great. I'll start looking for pictures in the library after class. We can meet up later to put everything together."

"Sounds good," you agreed, feeling a sense of accomplishment as you both continued to plan. The apprehension from earlier had completely disappeared, replaced by a growing excitement for the project.

As the class continued, you found yourself relaxing more. Maybe working with him wasn't going to be as difficult as you'd initially thought.

As you sat on the windowsill of the abandoned classroom, you fiddled nervously with the corner of your book page. The sunlight from outside filtered in through the dusty glass, casting long shadows across the room. You donned your usual headphones, allowing the familiar hum of music to drown out the eerie silence.

Suddenly, you felt the familiar presence of someone entering the room. Without looking up, you instinctively shuffled over, making space for George to sit beside you. It had become something of a routine ever since you first shared your muggle music with him — these quiet moments shared in this forgotten classroom of the castle.

George settled in next to you, the soft creak of the windowsill beneath him barely audible over your music. He didn't say anything at first, and you appreciated that about him. He knew when words weren't necessary, when the quiet was enough.

After a moment, he nudged you gently with his elbow, a playful glint in his eyes as he glanced sideways at you. "You got anything new for me?" George asked, his voice teasing but soft enough to match the calm atmosphere of the room.

You let out a small chuckle, removing your headphones. "Of course I do, George. You know me."

Grinning at your response, George's eyes lit up with anticipation. "Brilliant," he said, leaning closer as if the prospect of new music was the most exciting thing in the world. You never thought he'd take to muggle music so eagerly, but George always had a knack for surprising you. "What've you got for me this time?" George asked, his tone playful but genuinely curious. His red hair fell into his eyes as he tilted his head, waiting patiently for your reply.

"This one's different," you mused, handing him your headphones as you changed the cassette out for something from your bag. "I think you'll like it, though. This is Janet Jackson."

The song began to play through the headphones and George listened silently. His face softened as the unfamiliar beats and melodies filled his mind. You watched him intently, curious to see his reaction.

After a few seconds, George flashed you a grin and nudged you slightly. "You're right, I do like it. You've got great taste, you know?"

You laughed softly, nudging him back. "I do know, actually."

George let out a warm chuckle at your response, shifting slightly to get more comfortable on the narrow windowsill. "Confident, are we?" George teased, though his grin remained easy and genuine.

Rolling your eyes playfully, you tucked your book