Dust in the Wind

The world is quiet and perfect at this moment. Around you swirls the golden light of dust and flames. Light now pervades your world in a perpetual dance between what is real and what is a figment of your own imagination.

Right now, your mind is in turmoil. The idea that you could be breaking down, or that you have lost track of reality is not that foreign of a concept to you, but with that thought in mind, you are now questioning the questions.

Are your thoughts your own, or are they a figment of your warped imagination? Right now, what you’re experiencing could all be false. Some dream thought up by your own deluded mind.

The renewal that you felt the other night was amazing. A damn breaking within your skull, and a torrent of clarity and fresh thought pushing through the seeping cracks. Since then you have been twice as active, and your body feels like it is walking on air. The benefit of constantly being high is that often one’s own experiences are skewed. You realize this, and possibility that what you’re going through right now could be a hallucination hasn’t escaped your thought pattern.

The fact is, you cannot force yourself to care overly much. You feel great. Better than you have felt since the start of the summer when you started experimenting. This feeling that you have, it is new, yes, and it is great.

A thought crosses your mind. What you need now is something to do. Laying here on the floor of the common room just is not cutting it. You have answers to seek, and the only place for knowledge that you are going to find is within the realm of the library.

--

The moment was right as Harry made his way through the empty hallways of Hogwarts. The night was young, and curfew only just started a few hours back. Harry was amazed with how bright the moon was. The sky, which had been cloudy all week, was at this moment, at it’s most clear. The bright luminescence of the moon ate into Harry’s skin and made him tingle.

The new awareness that now coursed through Harry was unlike anything he’d ever felt. He had noticed it before, that sense that he was aware of everything, and it was only stronger now.

The golden dust swirling around him made the moonlit night look so much brighter. The dust, to Harry was so tangible that he felt he could write his name in it. He laughed at the urge to write “Wash Me,” in midair.

Harry hadn’t taken his invisibility cloak with him, nor had he thought to bring his map. The plan that had formed in his head had been instantaneous– which meant an absence of forethought.

He could see the elves moving throughout the castle already. He knew it was a sign of a good elf to not be noticed, but with his awareness nothing was missed. Spiders in the dust clouded corners, elves meandering about, cleaning where he could only see them out of his peripheral vision, ghosts shooting about up in the rafters.

Harry was amazed at how active Hogwarts really was at night. Normally, when he was moving about with Ron and Hermione it was always on some misbegotten task for the greater good, and because now he gave fuck all if he got caught or not, Harry had decided this was the best past curfew experience he ever had while attending Hogwarts.

He wore his charmed cloak, the one he’d been working on all week in Charms class. With the addition of the rabbit pocket, it had vastly reduced the real estate that was his pocket space. All things considered, Harry used a mixture of transfiguration and charm work to store and give access to anything he may need.

--

Harry finally made it to the Library an hour and a half later. His wandering had taken longer than expected, and when he figured out what it was he’d been aiming to do, he changed his course to the proper direction.

Just outside the library he heard a patter of bare feet.

Looking up, he spotted Luna standing before him in a flowery skirt and a t-shirt. Feeling a bit over dressed, Harry greeted her silently, a large goofy smile on his face. Gesturing grandly, Harry described his plan to her.

She nodded, and all Harry could think was how amazing it was that someone actually understood what he was trying to say. Even he didn’t know what the hell he’d just told her.

The door they chose had been left opened a crack and it was only a matter of Harry and Luna squeezing through, without bumping into the door, to make it in.

For a woman so in love with her books, Madame Prince was rather lax on security, thought Harry.

Luna went off in her own direction leaving Harry as the rows split from subject to subject. Having no idea what to look for in particular, Harry just browsed about amidst the golden dust that coated the tomes of lore. It seemed to Harry, who that the ones that shined brightly might be something worth looking into.

He didn’t really know why, and he didn’t care all that much. It was an intuitive sense, that only seemed clearer when he read the titles of them.

The one that sparked his interest the most, held the name Side Effects of Potions Most Potent.

The other books were on Herbology, and Harry pocketed those for safe keeping and reading later. He figured since the librarian didn’t keep her doors locked, she wouldn’t miss a few books. Having found what he figured he’d need to read, he then set out to find Luna.

He rounded the corner of one isle of books, and was surprised to see Luna standing in the corner. She was leaned nonchalantly against the stack of books, twisting a lock of her hair around one of her fingers.

Harry moved closer to her, and she turned towards him. Her grey-blue eyes seemed shiny as her gaze lit upon him. There was a vacant smile on her face, as she continued twisting her hair.

“You know, Luna,” Harry whispered, “I don’t think I asked you why you were here earlier...”

Luna smiled again, and whispered back, “You said to come to you...” Idly, she pulled a now vacant stick from behind her other ear.

Harry made a face of understanding and got even closer to her, the smell of her shampoo and whatever perfume she used smothering him, and he spoke.

“The next few hours are going to be possibly the best and worst of your life. I’ll try to make this as fun for you as I can. Just remember though, you’re still here, this is your body, and no-one is going to take it from you.”

For emphasis, he pulled a small rabbit from what he now called the rabbit pocket, and added, “Not even this guy.” Putting the rabbit back into his pocket, Harry took her hand and moved with her towards the exit of the library.

--

Before, the moment for Harry had been all about acquiring new information. Now it was a matter of experience.

Under the cover of the open sky, and the shining stars, Harry and Luna had found their way outside the school building. There had been little interference from outside forces affecting the two.

Harry chose the path of least resistance when choosing their way outside. That was, they exited from a window.

The rush of the wind hitting his face made Harry want to yell with glee. The relaxed manner in which Luna took to the falling made Harry comfortable knowing that she was taking things so well. Harry took control of what had been a controlled fall from the start.

He asserted force with his magic, and slowed down their fall until when they hit the ground, they both walked from their landing point.

The night air around them was cool and brisk, and Harry could tell from the front of Luna’s shirt that she was feeling it.

Taking off his coat to put it around her, he realized that she wasn’t wearing anything on her feet. Reaching into a pocket, quickly, he pulled out a pair of charmed socks that would keep her feet warm.

Sadly, he didn’t carry shoes.

Putting his coat around her, he took her to a clearing that was near the Forbidden forest. The moon shone brightly here, enveloping everything. The grass glowed white and gold, casting an ephemeral glow on Harry’s world.

The moment needed very few spoken words. Harry hadn't had anyone to share this feeling with. He'd always been alone until now.

He breathed deeply, taking in as much air as he could, causing himself to go dizzy. His body exploded with feeling. A zigzag of color flashed behind his eyes.

He encouraged Luna to do the same.

After the two of them had fallen into a pattern, arms wrapped around one another, heads tilted to greet the moon and take in the light, he could hear Luna speaking, “... What next...”

Her voice was tiny, and meek. Delicate.

Harry looked down at her, meeting her gaze, and smiled.

“Now,” he said, “We pretend.”

Holding Luna close, he started drifting about and swaying.

--

The next aware moment Harry had was one of blinding clarity. For one, it wass cold, and for another, there was something warm pressing into his side.

Looking upwards at his surroundings, he sees the early morning sky. “Outside,” he thinks. “I wonder--” Then, feeling beside him, Harry’s hand comes across something soft and warm.

The next thing he knows, there’s a female voice coming from beside him. “Honestly, Harry, if you didn’t get enough of feeling my breasts last night, then by all means, squeeze away... But, if you would, I’d like my shirt, it’s rather cold out here...”

Slowly, Harry stopped moving his hand, and pulled it back to his body... Memories from just hours ago rushing through his mind at super speeds.

--

Harry and Luna made their way back into the school building. Harry walked with Luna as far as the Marble Staircase and then they parted ways.

Harry quickly rushed up to Gryffindor Tower, throwing open the portrait door with a hurried password, and making his way up to the dorms as fast as possible. He couldn’t let Ron see him just now coming up to the dorms. If he did, of course it wouldn’t matter, but it’d cause less argument in the end.

Today was Saturday, so Harry had nothing planned for the day, and had every intention of finding Luna again later.

Harry finished his morning ritual, and took an extra long shower. The cold weather had toughened his joints and meant that the water needed longer to seep into his skin. He didn’t mind though. The aromatic smells of his shampoo suds gave him great comfort.

That is, until he remembered what else he’d gotten into last night. The library, and the books he’d pocketed.

Luna still had his coat, he’d have to get that later, but that was okay.

Today was going to be a great day, and whatever he might learn about what was affecting him would mean nothing in the end. His life was great.