Dodging Prison and Stealing Witches

Chapter 11: Straight From the Graveyard - Part One

Notes:

(See the end of the chapter for notes.)

Harry stretched his tense muscles out in the unkempt grass and chewed on a dandelion stem. The weeks following the Book of Names mission had driven him to distraction. John would wake in just a few days time, and he'd gone over things in his mind so often he was having trouble sleeping.

The crisp midnight air ruffled his hair. He shook himself and settled down to watch the entertainment.

In the middle of their secret training spot, illuminated by the light of bluebell flames, red hair faced off against dirty blonde. One intense, determined, and focused, the other relaxed, casual, and dreamy.

He spat out the dandelion. "Begin!"

Four hands rose, one alight with pure white light, three alight with red.

Ginny leapt to the side, sending two stunners hurtling towards Luna, who danced away from one and let her shield absorb the other. Luna's stunner sailed towards Ginny. It passed over the red head's shoulder, and she landed on the ground.

Ginny rolled. She fired off another pair of stunners in quick succession.

Luna's shield absorbed the second stunner, but shattered on the third. She twirled. Both her hands lit up red, then pearl white, then red again.

Harry watched Ginny dodge and shield against the barrage of stunners and stingers. Her movements were close and sharp. Her eyes burned.

The two witches edged towards each other. The dodges became closer, the misses nearer, neither willing to back off.

Luna lunged. Two shields appeared from her hands, leaving her no attack.

Ginny's eyes widened at the sudden advance.

Harry's eyes narrowed.

Ginny poured stinging hexes into the shields as the blonde drew closer.

The shields held, power constantly flowing into them. Luna stood right in front of Ginny, full-shield versus full-assault, neither gaining ground on the other.

Then Luna shouted, "Stu-Pi-"—Her mouth glowed red—"-Fy!" A tiny, red light shot from the tip of her tongue, straight into Ginny's stomach.

The redhead blanked. Then collapsed into the soft grass.

Harry blinked.

He blinked again.

"Luna. Did you just fire a stunner from your tongue?"

"Yesh, Hawwy," Luna said, holding her tongue with her fingers.

He stood up and walked towards Ginny. "That's just... wow. How did you think to do that?"

"It's long and pointy, Harry. You said that's why we use our fingers. I bet boys can cast from their special boy parts too."

He coughed and lowered his wand from where he'd been about to enervate Ginny. "I wasn't planning on going into battle naked."

"Oh, Poo."

He shook his head, and turned back towards Ginny. Sometimes Luna freaked him out with how disturbingly adult her thinking could be.

"Enervate."

Ginny stirred and pushed herself into a sitting position. "What happened?"

"Luna got you with a stunner that she shot from her mouth."

Ginny's jaw dropped. "Wha—?"

"Yeah, I know." He looked back to Luna who was demonstrating by holding her tongue with her fingers, and pointing to it while making 'Ahhhh' noises. "I'd really like to know how that mind works."