As Harry stepped onto the grounds, he breathed in deeply. The crisp air was refreshing. He gazed around the landscape as he strolled along the pathway towards the outskirts of the Forbidden Forest. As he neared Hagrid’s hut, he entered the forest, glancing around for a sign of blonde hair. Luna. Chirps echoed through the leaves; strange clips and creaks brushed through the earth at his feet.

The forest had an ominous peace to it, but it wasn’t frightening to him like it had been when he’d been eleven. Harry enjoyed the scenery, looking through the treetops and the rays of sunshine that peered through the leaves. He noticed movement amongst the branches.

Strange lights hid behind the foliage, darting back and forth.

What are those?

The lights disappeared with light giggles. He waited, watching for further movement, but it didn’t come. He walked deeper into the forest, hoping Luna hadn’t gone too far into its depths.

Can’t imagine Snape will be happy if he knew I was here.

“Hello, Harry.”

Her gentle voice slipped through the silence of the forest. Harry looked in her direction to see Luna standing beside a number of those strange horses, thestrals. She tossed a slab of meat towards one of the foals. It tore into it with the veracity of a predator.

“I was hoping I’d find you,” said Harry, coming to stand next to her. The creatures made him feel uneasy, but he was also drawn to them at the same time.

“Well, that’s nice,” said Luna with a smile. “How are you feeling? Has Professor Snape been helping you get better?”

“Nothing more than forcing me to stay in bed for two days,” said Harry, shaking his head in playful annoyance. “And if he knew I was out here, he’d stick me into bed for another week.”

She chuckled, tossing the last of the raw meat to the thestrals. They converged on it, only for the foal to make off with it. The adults didn’t go after it. Harry and Luna laughed at the little foal’s antics. Luna looked at him, her eyes bright.

Then, Luna’s eyes shifted to the side, as if her attention caught onto something. Her expression lifted with a soft smile, before she looked back at him.

Harry, filled with curiosity, glanced back.

The small flutter of wings brushed by; the creature flew with the erratic, yet elegant nature of a butterfly. Its body was different than any other insect Harry had seen. There was something ethereal to this one. It lacked any color as well, its body complete with monotone grey.

“Don’t worry,” whispered Luna. “There’s nothing there.”

Hang on…

Harry looked back at her, frowning. “Uh, but I saw…”

Wait, am I seeing something she can’t? Crap, crap, crap.

Luna blinked. “You saw…”

She sucked in her breath. In a manner that was very unlike Luna, she grabbed him by the shoulders and turned him around. At his side, she pointed to the grey creature that slowly flew away.

“You can see that?”

Relief poured through his entire being.

“Yeah, I’m not crazy, then,” said Harry with a weak laugh. He looked at her and sucked in his breath in surprise.

Luna was staring up at him with near twinkles in her eyes. They were wide with pure excitement and adoration.

“You can see things!” cried Luna, clapping her hands together. “I’m not the only one any more!”

“Is that what’s going on?” asked Harry, taken aback. “Wait, so, you’re saying…”

Luna let out a soft, airy laugh. “Did you think I made Blibbering Humdingers up? They’re real as you and I!”

There was no way he was going to answer that.

It must’ve shown on his face because Luna let out another laugh. “It’s all right, Harry. I know that a lot of people think I’m a bit odd. It doesn’t bother me.”

“I don’t think you’re odd,” said Harry, before he could stop himself. Luna gave him a look. Harry cleared his throat, his gaze shifting to the side. “Well… Being odd isn’t a bad thing, now is it?”

“I don’t think so,” said Luna blithely. 

“I don’t think so either,” said Harry.

He looked away.

“I could see some things before,” said Luna in a low voice. “But I could only see grey shadowed shapes. Ever since I was poisoned, I can see things more clearly.”

The quill…

Everything that had happened so far was rooted within that stupid quill. How could the ministry not burn every single quill in existence? How could Umbridge use something that could change their magic so rapidly and so differently?

There’s so much to magic that I don’t know.

“What does the quill actually do?” asked Harry, looking back at her.

Luna shook her head. “I’m not really sure,” she said with a light shrug. She tapped her chin with a finger. “Maybe it opens pathways in our magic? It gives us clarity of sight and mind? I’m not a seer, though.”

“Why would it hurt some people and not others?”

“That’s the mystery of dark objects,” whispered Luna, a deep sadness entering her eyes. “Sometimes… they can carve a mark that will destroy us or make us stronger.”

“I wish it wasn’t like that.”

“Me, too.”

There was a lull for a few moments. It didn’t make Harry uncomfortable.

“My mother could see shadows, but lost it as an adult,” whispered Luna, after a moment. “That’s what she was experimenting with. She was trying to see again.”

“So, that’s how…”

Luna nodded. “Yes. 

The lull lifted between them again. They watched the thestrals wander around them, sniffing them for meat. The foal tugged on the empty pouch that had once carried the meat and, for a time, Harry watched as Luna played tug a war with the foal.

After awhile, Harry sighed, running a hand through his hair. Luna stopped and looked up at him.

“Is something troubling you?”

“Well… yeah, kind of.”

Luna, with her quiet patience, waited for him to speak. Though, at times, it felt unnatural, Harry couldn’t help but appreciate her lack of needing to fill the silence. It gave him time to think and to gather his thoughts.

“I was wondering…” began Harry, finally. “What do you know about spirits?”

“Is there a reason why you’re asking?”

“Well… I rather not say exactly.”

“I know a little about spirits. Are you talking about souls? Or ghosts?”

“Souls, I guess. There’s a difference, right?”

“In a way, no,” said Luna, shaking her head. “From my understanding, a ghost was a spirit, but didn’t leave. I think a lot of them regret their choice. A ghost seems to feel more than when they were merely a spirit, even though they still can’t feel as we can with flesh and blood.”

“Can you see them?” whispered Harry.

Luna’s countenance softened. She shook her head. “I can see other things, but I’ve never seen a spirit before.”

Harry nodded. He figured that was the case. It didn’t surprise him. A hand touched his arm, drawing his attention towards her. Luna looked up at him with a deep concern in her eyes.

“Have you seen one?” asked Luna.

Her question echoed in his mind. It was an innocent question, he knew that. He could lie. It was simple. Say no. But somehow, he didn’t want to lie about this to Luna, the girl who could see things others couldn’t. She would never mock him nor disbelieve him. She wouldn’t pressure him about it either.

Slowly, Harry found himself nodding.

She waited at his side, looking up at him. It took Harry a few long moments to unlock his voice, to push through his fear.

“I saw Euan after he died,” whispered Harry, as if saying it out loud in a lonely forest would announce it to all the habitants of the castle. “I’ve been trying to make sense of it.”

“Are you supposed to make sense of it?” asked Luna with a tilt of the head. “Do you have to find the reason of why?”

“Uh…”

With that one question, everything shifted inside of Harry. He blinked. He opened his mouth after a moment, before shutting it closed again. Luna smiled lightly at his confusion.

“You can see Euan’s spirit,” said Luna softly. “I wouldn't worry too much about that. I think the question to ask is: What are you going to do with this new gift? After the quill, our magic will be evolving for a long time, I suspect. You might find other gifts.”

“But I feel like I need to find an answer to this,” whispered Harry. “There has to be a reason, right?”

His mind drifted to what the castle had said to him earlier. The spirit of Tom Riddle… There was only one logical place that he could be ‘lingering.’ Harry had been twelve years old last he’d seen Tom Riddle. If he made a trip to the Chamber of Secrets, what or who would he find there?

Was that spirit stuck?

If he’s there, then…

An odd realization flooded through Harry. He remembered what Riddle had called himself: a memory. But the castle was saying that wasn’t the case. Riddle was a spirit. A broken and shattered lost ‘soul.’

How can Voldemort have two souls? How can he be in two places at once and of two different ages? It can’t be time travel, right?

Broken and shattered…

“There doesn’t have to be a reason. Not really,” said Luna with a sad smile. “Sometimes…” A distant light fell into her eyes. “Sometimes, things just happen.”

Harry exhaled, tension leaving his chest. “Yeah, no kidding.”

***

“Severus Snape. Fudge is on his way with two aurors. Mr. Potter will be arrested if he insists on keeping the Headmastership.”

When it rains, it pours.

Once again, Severus was faced with this annoyance called panic – panic over the boy named Harry Potter. Everything was hitting the proverbial fan and Severus wasn’t sure he had the patience not to blow up at anything and everything that moved and breathed.

Well, he had just handed out five detentions. Okay, maybe he just made a handful of first years cry. He might’ve just made that stressed seventh year cry, too.

Severus huffed out loud.

He couldn’t find the blasted boy!

He’d been searching for over an hour. It was close to two hours now. He didn’t have the energy to run through the corridors any more. He had searched the owlery, the Gryffindor Tower, the kitchens – he finally searched the library, only to find that he had just missed the boy. How he was managing to avoid Severus and Fudge, it was a mystery to him.

The blasted gargoyle wouldn’t move for him. The useless dilapidated stone at least had the common sense to confirm that Harry wasn’t in the Headmaster’s office. Severus would’ve taken no responsibility if the gargoyle had become a pile of rubble.

So, where was that boy?

I had explicitly instructed the brat to not go gallivanting across the castle. This is ridiculous.

As Severus neared the entrance hall, he could see Harry walking through the courtyard. He was glaring at Umbridge as he walked by. The woman said something. The boy made a rude gesture in return.

Severus’ lips thinned.

If that boy was outside all this time…

Severus opened the doors of the grand hall, folding his arms and sending Harry his sharpest glare yet. It made an impact before the boy even saw him. He flinched and looked up. Harry winced, before his expression blanked.

“What’s wrong?” asked Harry, stopping a few steps below. “Is something wrong?”

“I have been looking all over this castle for you,” whispered Severus in a low hiss.

“But you knew…”

“I knew you’d go for a walk,” said Severus in that still dangerously low tone. “I didn’t know you would visit a myriad of places on a mission.”

“I…” Harry looked down and sighed, before looking back up. “I wasn’t trying to make you worry. What’s going on?”

“Fudge is looking for you,” said Severus, gesturing towards himself. Harry walked inside with a roll of his eyes.

“It’s fine. I—”

“It is not fine,” snapped Severus. “He wants to arrest you.”

“I know.”

“And—You know?”

“Fudge has already been taken care of, sir,” said Harry, a smirk lifting his face. A strange sense flittered through Severus. “I set the twins on him.”

“You what?”

Severus wasn’t sure if he could handle any more shocking news.

“I also made it clear to Fudge that I want Umbridge arrested and tried for the murder of Euan.” Harry clenched his fist, bringing it up to his chest level. He stared at it for a moment. “I might not be the same as before, but I think that’s the point. I’m not going to let Fudge do whatever he wants. I won’t let Hogwarts be weakened for an even more dangerous attack.”

The Dark Lord…

Harry looked at Severus expectantly; all uncertainties disappeared within that youthful gaze. Severus felt that all frightening, yet inspiring impression: this boy will be a powerful leader.

‘Power the Dark Lord knows not…’

“I won’t let him win this,” said Harry with determination. “I have plans for the staff meeting. Can we talk about it before the meeting?”

“Of course,” whispered Severus.

Fire burned in those eyes – those bright green eyes that reminded Severus of memories long gone.

And yet they didn’t seem like Lily Evans’ eyes any more.