When Myths Meet Magic || 4

20|| Jason

Jason waited outside the Ravenclaw common room with Ginny, who had led him there, chattering all the way.

"It's really great that you're taking Luna, you know. She told me she was really excited when you asked her, then said something strange about blue. Probably your eyes."

Jason shifted uncomfortably about the fact that thirteen year old girls were talking about his eyes.

Ginny sighed longingly. "I sorta hoped Harry would get the idea to ask me, but he's got someone else, hasn't he?"

Jason decided not to comment about the fact that Harry was nearly desperate at the end and didn't even think about who he was taking. Sort of like Jason himself.

"But Neville's asked me," Ginny added happily. "So I haven't need to miss it after all!"

"That's nice," Jason said for lack of anything better.

"If Luna says anything strange, just go with it." Ginny looked at Jason carefully. "She's really very interesting once you get to know her."

The door opened before Ginny could say any more, and Luna exited.

She was wearing what strongly resembled a Christmas tree, with three layers of sky blue silk that ended in ruffles. Her hair was down, and she had evidently left her strange glasses in the common room. Luna looked from Ginny to Jason dreamily, her wand twirling in her hand. Then her expression cleared, and she looked at Jason, intrigued.

"You have a biddlebug flying on you," she said.

Jason was taken aback. "A what?"

"It looks like a tiny eagle. Flying above your head in a little thundercloud."

Jason was instantly on alert. An eagle. Above his head. In a thundercloud.

"I'll let you two go enjoy the ball, then," Ginny said, smiling. "See you later!" She vanished back into the corridors.

"Erm, shall we go, then?" Jason asked awkwardly. Luna smiled again and they set off towards the Great Hall.

"Luna, what is a biddlebug?"

Luna shrugged. "I dunno, really. I think it's a sort of cloud bug that's drawn to people with blue eyes. That other Gryffindor girl, Thalia, she has one too."

"Ah." It took all his willpower not to stare at Luna. "Um... where is it, exactly, right now on my head?"

Luna tilted her head. "I don't see it," she said. "But I can see it." She traced a swirling design above Jason's head, eyes unfocused. "And now there's thunder." She let out a light laugh. "The girl always seems to have thunder, but this is the first time I've seen it on you. You're just cloudy. Sometimes rainy."

Bewildered, Jason shook his head to clear his thoughts.

"Oh, that won't get rid of them," Luna said seriously. "They're very clingy. Like that tiny owl above that other girl's head."

"Let me guess," Jason barely managed. "Annabeth, in Gryffindor?"

Luna clasped her hands together. "Oh, you see it too!"

"Yeah." Jason swallowed. "Yeah, I see it."

But all thoughts of the strange girl next to him were drawn from his mind as they stepped into the Great Hall.

The entire thing had been transformed into a winter wonderland. The enchanted ceiling let snow fall lightly from the sky before vanishing as they hit the candles. Ice crystals hung from the candles, sending thousands of glittering sparkles around, like a chandelier. Swirling patterns of ice crept up the windows, frosty works of art. The walls were covered in a thin sheen of ice, shimmering and blue. The candles glowed a pure snowy white. The tables looked like thin slices of ice. The entire room had a comfortable chill to it.