Nova's Universe

Chapter 12 (2014)

Aoede

"Noah, where are you taking me?" I giggled, his hand in mine as he dragged me down the path towards the Forbidden Forest.

"You'll see soon enough," he whispered mysteriously, as he always did when he was up to something.

"I thought you were taking me on a Hogsmeade date?" I questioned.

"I fibbed a bit to get you out of your room." He stopped walking and turned around, looking rather pleased with himself for tricking me.

"So instead of a romantic date, you're taking me to the one place on Hogwarts grounds that could get us expelled with only a month left in our final year?" I raised an eyebrow.

Sneaking into the Forbidden Forest had never appealed to me, unlike my parents, who somehow managed to graduate without getting expelled for their antics.

"We won't get caught," he said, rolling his eyes playfully. "I've got it all figured out."

I nodded, knowing he was usually quite the planner.

We'd started dating after staying at Hogwarts over Christmas break last year. I'd snuck into his dorm room to open presents together, knowing we'd be alone since his roommate went home for the holidays. For a Christmas gift, he'd surprised me with a heartfelt love letter and a map that led us to the lake where we had our first date. Quidditch was usually his only topic of conversation, so the meticulously planned date had been a delightful surprise.

Taking a deep breath, I followed him into the Forest. Though I wasn't completely convinced this was a good idea, I didn't want to spoil his surprise.

"There are less perilous places for a bit of snogging, you know," he chuckled at my words, not looking back as we continued walking until we reached a small clearing bathed in moonlight filtering through the trees.

"Noah, what is...?" He placed a hand over my mouth before I could finish, silencing me with his finger on his lips. "Are we having a picnic?" I whispered impatiently, not a huge fan of surprises but willing to play along.

"Look." He stepped behind me, his hands on my shoulders, and gently turned me to the right. My hand flew to my mouth to stifle a gasp that threatened to escape. A unicorn, magnificent and graceful, slowly entered the clearing.

"Merlin's beard! Noah, it's a unicorn!" I tried to stay still, excitement bubbling within me. My eyes were probably sparkling, or maybe those were happy tears.

"I know," he chuckled, wrapping his arms around me from behind as we both watched the creature graze.

"How did you know it would be here?" I asked, my voice barely above a whisper.

"Hagrid helped me out," he said proudly. "He left some treats in the clearing to attract one." He kissed my temple. "I know seeing a unicorn is one of your biggest dreams, and I wanted to make it happen for you."

"Noah, I'm speechless. Thank you." Stepping out of his embrace, I took a few cautious steps towards the most magnificent creature I'd ever seen. A twig snapped underfoot, and I glanced down to see a broken branch. My gaze darted back to the unicorn, now staring intently in my direction. I held my breath, trying not to move a muscle. The magical creature, bathed in moonlight, began to approach me. Every fibre of my being wanted to run towards it and hug it, but I knew that would scare it off. This was my once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to observe the most beautiful creature in the world up close, and I wasn't going to mess it up.

It stopped just a few feet away, its gaze unwavering. Now, I wouldn't be my parents' daughter if I didn't know how to handle a cautious creature. I closed my eyes, bowed my head, and leaned back slightly, showing it I meant no harm. After a moment, I peeked up from under my brow. The unicorn dipped its head in response and took another cautious step closer. I couldn't believe it! Was it really considering interacting with me?

Besides dragons, of course, unicorns were the creatures I knew most about. They preferred a woman's touch and trusted us more than men. But this was beyond anything I'd ever dreamed of. With my head still bowed, I took a slow, deliberate step forward, and the unicorn mirrored my movement. We continued this way until I was standing right beside it.

Gently, careful not to startle it, I reached out and placed my hand on its mane. It was softer than anything I could have imagined, the beautiful hair cascading through my fingers. Tears gathered in my eyes as I took it all in. This was pure happiness, on par with the moment Mum and Dad said I could go to Muggle college.

Lost in the moment, I don't know how long I stood there, stroking its soft fur and gazing at it with awe. But eventually, the unicorn shook its head, a signal for me to back away. I'd been so enthralled, that I'd completely forgotten about Noah waiting patiently at the edge of the clearing.

"Noah, this has to be the most incredible gift ever," I said, pulling him into a tight hug. "Thank you so much."

"So, sneaking into the Forest was worth it?" he asked with a grin.

"Absolutely," I nodded. "But how'd you convince Hagrid? I know he doesn't exactly encourage students to be in the Forest."

"At first, he wasn't budging. But then I mentioned it was for Charlie and Nova's daughter, and his whole face softened. He made me promise we'd stick to the clearing, of course. You mentioned your parents being friends with him, I guess he has a soft spot for them." Noah couldn't hide the pride in his voice, clearly pleased with his surprise.

"You really are a planner," I giggled, leaning in for a kiss.

"Well, it is a special occasion," he said, pulling me closer and kissing my nose.

"Special occasion?" I repeated.

"Of course!" He beamed. "Dee, would you go to the Ball with me?"

A gasp escaped my lips. I'd completely forgotten about the Ball. "Of course!" I grinned, burying my face in his shoulder. "But you didn't need to go through all this trouble. I thought it was a given we were going together."

"I know," he admitted, "but I wanted to make it special." Typical Noah, making everything an event. And here I was, barely keeping track of them all.

"Well, you did," I said, squeezing him tighter. "Thank you, it truly was special."