Will-o'-the-Wisps

October 28th, 2002

Pacing the oversized bedroom, Theodore Nott skimmed the letter held in his hand over and over, making sure that the loopy written words did not magically change to read as something else entirely. He simply couldn't believe it. A warm, light feeling settled in his chest: the up-and-coming Magizoologist Luna Lovegood was finally back in Britain and was interested in meeting with him.

Theo had been owling her for a few months on the behalf of his business partner and close mate Draco Malfoy, inquiring about her thoughts and opinions on what creatures could be utilized as potential wand core materials. He stretched it further, however, stating that they had also been seeking to find more humane ways to extract the materials that were to be used as cores and if she would be interested in offering her expertise on the matter.

Her owls came sporadically, oftentimes with an abstract gift of a creature's tooth it lost at some point, scales that had been molted off from something, and - perhaps the strangest - was the tongue from a creature called Swooping Evil that died of old age. She offered some odd facts about them, and would offhandedly claim that some of them might be decent cores, if the creature didn't have to be killed.

In reality, the two ended up drifting from professionalism, instead they wrote about trivial things and getting to know one another better. Where many would say she was downright loopy, Theo found Luna more and more fascinating with each letter. Though, he could barely place a face to her name, only recalling that she was a blonde and often described as flighty.

"Six o'Clock today at her home," he double-checked the letter, finding the meeting place slightly odd.

Glancing at his watch, he panicked. Where did all the time go? Stopping in front of the floor length mirror, he checked his hair and examined his teeth. He felt really ridiculous for doing so, why was he acting so nervous?

Pulling the ornate hairpin peppered with moonstones from his pocket, the eager brown-haired wizard waited for the portkey to activate. "Any minute now."

A quiet minute passed and he felt the magic trigger through the hairpiece, pulling him into the void.

Appearing at the base of a hill in the middle of a field, Theo observed the strange black structure and its surroundings before him. Its shape equivalent to a rook on a chessboard, spindly trees on each side that started to lose their leaves and fruits, a fence that would've kept nothing out, and the rest was littered with bizarre plants. Unable to hold back a smirk at the sight, he couldn't have expected anything less from the eccentric witch.

Winding his way up the pathway toward the door, the wizard barely knocked before the heavy door swung open, meeting bright silvery eyes that warmed her beaming smile.

"You made it."

Stepping from behind the door, Luna wore a dark purple, billowy dress with various shades of orange and yellow flowers on one side. Dirty blonde hair was tied with an orange ribbon and hung over her shoulder in heavy ringlets, hiding one of the large pumpkin-shaped button earrings that matched her handmade autumn themed button bracelet.

"You weren't too difficult to find," Theo gently teased.

Stepping off the step so she could exit her home, he offered her his arm before noticing she was holding a large wicker basket. "What's that for?"

"It's our supper," she replied matter-of-factly, examining the basket. "I wasn't sure what you liked, so there's a little of everything in here. It needed a featherlight charm."

"Ah. Well, allow me." He reached for the basket. Shuffling a foot forward for balance, Theo accidently stepped on the witch's toes.

"Ouch!"

"Oh shite, I'm sorry!" Theo blurted, all but leaping backward.

Why was he acting so nervous? 'Get a grip, you git!'

Luna slipped off her purple shoe to inspect her toes. Seeing no immediate damage, she slipped her shoe back on. "It's alright. I hear it is supposed to be good luck."

He tilted his head slightly at the comment, never hearing anything like that in his life. Not bothering to respond to it, Theo carefully took the large basket from the witch. Even with a featherlight charm it still felt heavy.

'What on earth did she put in here?'

Offering his arm again, he let Luna guide him to their destination somewhere out in the field around her home. The sun had already started its descent past the horizon, bathing the Autumn scenery in its rustic golden light. The pair walked in a comfortable silence for a bit, simply enjoying the presence of one another. Considering they'd only known each other through letters for so many months now, Theo found the quiet stroll pleasant.

He was able to steal a glance her way every so often, seeing how the evening light glistened through her hair and made her skin glow. Unable to hold back the ridiculous grin, he tore his eyes away, not wanting her to catch him with a stupid look on his face. Never in his young life did Theo think he'd be so smitten with someone he hardly knew, but there was just something about Luna that intrigued him; her eccentric intelligence, the loopy cursive of her handwriting, her interests in the most obscure things, and how unbiased she was.

"How was your trip to Asia?" Theo inquired, never been to that part of the world himself.

Luna smiled, looking at him with a sparkle in her eye. "You remembered."

"Why wouldn't I?"

"Some of my friends never read my letters, you see. But that's okay, not everyone has the time to."

Theo scoffed, feeling offended on her behalf. "Some friends they are. I like to hear about your journeys."

"Oh, they all are very good friends. They send me letters from time to time with photographs and notes. They're starting families now, and are busy with their careers. Not much time in the day to invest in reading or writing. I don't have time myself some days." Luna explained, speaking with a fondness Theo admired.

He could never use such tone to talk about his alleged friends the way she did. It was how he was raised: everyone around him was to be seen as a colleague more than a friend. He worked on trying to fix that mindset now.

To think that this was supposed to be a professional dinner meeting, with paperwork and work related vocabulary being exchanged between them while the costly food sat growing cold on the table. Draco was going to kill him when he found out that it turned into a date. Or at least that's what he assumed this was supposed to be.

"So where are you taking me off too?" the wizard finally asked.

It felt like they had been traipsing through a field for some time now, the sun was half set already.

"We're close. It will be dark soon," Luna replied, her tone as mysterious as their destination was.

He wondered if he should suggest a proper sit-in restaurant, but refrained from sheer curiosity on what she was planning. When she'd stopped abruptly, Theo had not been paying attention and almost lost his balance when his foot caught a thick vine. Luna grabbed his arm to steady him, her touch sent his skin into a frenzy of tingles.

"Thanks."

"We're here," Luna announced, gazing over a large pumpkin patch that bordered some woods. "Just in time, too."

Guiding him closer to the cluster of trees, she paused and turned to him. "I'm famished. Shall we?"

She spoke so wispily and suddenly, switching topics so fast Theo barely registered what she was talking about. "In time for what? Being eaten alive by bugs?"

The witch lightly chuckled at the joke, reaching into the basket to pull the white and red plaid blanket that laid just inside. Pulling her wand from behind her hair, she gave it a flourish and the large blanket flattened out on the ground. Sitting down with her legs tucked under her, she patted the area beside her.

"It's a surprise. Trust me, I think you'll like it," she said in that mysterious tone again.

Placing the basket in the center, Theo crossed long legs in front of him, eyeing her suspiciously before a low grumble emitted from his stomach. "Guess I will have to wait then because, apparently, I am starved as well. Dare I ask what you packed in here?"

As expected, the food was bizarre. Surprisingly, he enjoyed a majority of it, such as the hákarl from Iceland, and especially what he was familiar with - frog legs and cooked snails. Luna laid out several mason jars around the outer skirt of the blanket that contained bug repelling flames and offered a soft glow around them when the sun faded away.

Digging through the basket, Theo watched the witch as he finished his wine. "What are you looking for now? A fruit cake for dessert?" he teased, leaning forward to peek inside.

She pulled out some more mason jars, but they were all empty. "No. Though that does sound lovely. I am getting the traps."

Perplexed, the wizard glanced around him before deciding to coax more information. "I was not aware we were hunting for something. I wouldn't have worn my good shoes."

"You should be alright. We're just going into the woods, the Púca don't come into the fields."

"The what now? Woods? Why?" He should have insisted a sit-down restaurant now; not too keen on entering a strange mass of trees after dark.

"Púca. You know… perhaps Will-o'-the-Wisps?" she asked, getting a blank stare in return again. "Fairy Fire Wielders?"

"Honestly, it sounds like a weird cuisine. Púca, that is," Theo stammered out, trying to understand. "You're looking for a fire creature?"

"No, more like a miniature goblin-fairy hybrid that carries a flame to lure people off the path and get them lost." Theo's face showed a thin veil of panic as she described them, but she didn't notice. "Of course, that is only one of the tales I've read. I am curious to know if they exist. I have only read about them in Muggle folktales."

He scratched the back of his head, feeling an uncomfortable crawl under his skin at the idea of looking for something that could get them lost in foreign woods. "And you want to confirm these… uh… tales?"

"I hope to. They sound like fascinating creatures."

Luna stood up, jar in hand and wand in the other, she swished it around to make the container grow to the size of a watermelon that she carefully tucked in a bag with a couple smaller ones that varied in size.

'When did she get that bag?' Most likely from the basket when he wasn't paying attention. Following her lead, he brushed off his trousers and retrieved his wand from his pocket.

"Do you… have you been in there before?" Theo gestured to the trees nearby.

"No, but it couldn't be that bad." She took his hand in hers, giving it a gentle pull as she made for the treeline.

He followed with reserved hesitation, not wanting to appear cowardly because she clearly invited him along for a purpose, right?

Slipping between the trunks, the darkness quickly swallowing them as they trudged forward, Luna looked around every which way scoping out the creatures. If those things weren't going to get them lost, then they were going to on their own. Noises from the wildlife sounded off around the pair every so often, sticks cracked underfoot. The outlines of trees were difficult to make out until his arm scraped against bark, or he stumbled from a misstep. Not having any kind of light did not help; Luna didn't want to use any to enhance their experience and maybe entice the creatures to them.

She put an arm up behind her to stop Theo in his tracks. He went to say something, but was shushed before he could ask if she thought she found it. He scanned the darkness for any kind of light, but didn't see anything out of the ordinary. Giving the area around them another scan, he saw a very dim flash of light to their left, tapping the witch's shoulder, he pointed it out.

"There," he whispered, moving to head for it.

Luna followed as the dim light flashed again, this time there were two. The couple approached the bush where the lights flicked on and off, kneeling down, she carefully reached out and picked up the creature that emitted the light.

"Hello there," the witch said quietly, holding up a beetle-looking bug sitting in the palm of her hand. "You have a lovely glow. I suppose you haven't heard of a Púca living here, have you?"

Theo stayed beside her, amused by the one way conversation she was having with the insect. Keeping watch for any other unusual lights emitting in the distance, a noise from behind startled him. Whipping around quickly, the wizard pointed a now lit wand in the direction of a deer looking back at him, nose twitching as it sniffed the air.

Luna slowly got to her feet, looking over his shoulder at the deer. "Hello, you're quite cute. Unfortunately, you aren't what we are looking for, either."

Relaxing some, the two watched as the deer moved on into the darkness. He turned his attention back to the witch. "That was unexpected."

"A little. Let's go further in," she stated, yanking his arm to follow.

Theo flicked the wand light off as he continued to follow the fearless witch deeper into the void in search of something that most likely didn't even exist. Not like he minded, he was thoroughly enjoying every second with her and her quirkiness.

Written for Round 9, Year 1 of The Houses Competitions

House: Hufflepuff

Category: Short Story (900-3000 words)

Prompt(s): 10. Theo/Luna (pairing)

Word count: (Per Google Docs) 2,320

Beta(s): The one and only, absolutely amazing, VanillaAshes! (also Dina ;P)

Judge's Pick

The House Competition

Round 9, Year 1