I wake to the soft rustle of pages.
Luna is already sitting cross-legged on her bed, hair messy, eyes half-lidded with sleep as she studies a creature sketch by the window's pale dawn light.
My cat is curled on her lap again.
She looks over at me and smiles like sunshine filtered through quiet clouds.
"Oh. Good morning, Dionida."
"Good morning," I whisper back, voice still sleepy.
We get dressed slowly, sharing quiet glances, her hand brushing mine when we reach for our cloaks at the same time. By the time we head toward breakfast, the castle is buzzing with the early morning rush.
At breakfast, we sit together at the Ravenclaw table, porridge steaming, pumpkins carved for decoration near Halloween. Luna eats serenely, poking bits of fruit into her bowl, while my cat steals bacon from my plate.
Across the hall, Harry, Ron, and Hermione are clearly in some kind of debate—Ron waving a spoon dramatically, Hermione looking like she might hex him, and Harry trying to calm them both.
Luna watches for a moment, then returns to her fruit.
"They're always preparing for something. Even when nothing is happening, something is happening for them."
"You don't want that?" I ask.
"Oh no," she says softly. "I prefer calm mornings. And creatures who don't shout during breakfast."
She offers me a blueberry and gently pops it into my hand like it's the most natural thing in the world.
My heart does a strange little flutter.
At magical creatures class, Hagrid is cheerful as always… and holding the aggressive beast book—the one that tries to bite fingers and growls like a wild dog. Most students keep a good distance.
"Right, everyone! Pair up! Today we'll be observin' somethin' special!"
Luna instantly loops her arm with mine.
"We're a pair," she says softly, as if it was decided long ago.
Our book snarls. My cat hisses.
Luna pats the book like it's an angry kitten. "Shh… don't worry, we've no intention of opening you."
Miraculously, it stops fighting.
"You really have a magic touch," I whisper.
She tilts her head. "Creatures understand me better than people. Except you. You're quite good at understanding."
I feel my face warm.
Hagrid waves everyone over to the far meadow, and that's when we see Buckbeak—majestic, proud, and alert, wings folded but eyes sharp.
Harry steps toward him with calm confidence, hand out, moving as if he and Buckbeak understand each other perfectly. His group forms a loose circle, Ron hesitant but loyal, Hermione tense.
Luna stands very still beside me, watching with quiet reverence.
"He's beautiful," she says.
"You know him?" I ask softly.
"Yes." Her voice turns gentle.
I fall silent. She doesn't push, she doesn't explain further. She simply watches Buckbeak with a softness that makes my chest ache.
Buckbeak lowers his head slightly, curious and cautious. Luna kneels slowly, offering a small piece of apple she had in her pocket. The creature bows his head further, accepting it delicately.
"See?" she whispers to me. "Even beings others fear… they only want understanding."
I kneel beside her, close enough that our sides brush. Buckbeak snorts a warm, soft breath against our hands.
Luna's fingers find mine.
Not by accident.
Not by mistake.
Just… gently intertwined.
She smiles at me, eyes shimmering with morning light.
"You're fitting into this world very nicely, Dionida."
My breath catches.
"Maybe because you're here."
Buckbeak flicks his wings once, causing a gentle gust. Harry glances our way briefly, and Luna's hand squeezes mine.
The world feels warm, alive, and full of quiet magic.
The peaceful moment shatters in an instant.
A loud, bone-deep screech echoes across the meadow. One of Hagrid's Hippogriffs—massive wings beating like thunder—rears up. Students scatter, and Hagrid jumps forward with surprising speed.
"Easy! Easy there, girl—back off now!"
But the creature is panicked.
Draco Malfoy, immaculate as always and smirking at the world, had gotten too close—reaching out without waiting for a single instruction.
The Hippogriff lashes its powerful wing defensively, striking him across the chest.
He's thrown backward, landing hard with a gasp.
The air leaves him. His face twists in pain.
"Merlin's beard!" Hagrid rushes to him. "Draco! Don't move—yeh took a nasty hit!"
Hagrid lifts him effortlessly—Draco groaning, trying to maintain dignity and failing.
"Everyone stay put!" Hagrid shouts. "Don't wander off! I'll take him to the infirmary!"
Hermione calls after him.
Ron mutters something about karma.
Harry's expression is a mix of concern and annoyance.
The class collapses into scared whispers.
While everyone clusters together, Luna slips her hand gently into mine.
"Come," she whispers calmly, her voice a soft ribbon of peace. "Let's give her some space."
She guides me away from the group, toward the quiet edge of the meadow, where Buckbeak and the other Hippogriffs stomp and nuzzle each other peacefully.
One nudges Luna's shoulder.
"Oh, don't worry," she murmurs kindly. "You didn't mean it. You were frightened too."
We walk a little deeper into the trees, and soon it's just Luna, me, and Buckbeak—like the forest formed a sanctuary just for us.
---
PLAYFUL HIPPOGRIFF
Buckbeak lowers his head to the ground in a gentle bow—the signal to approach. Luna strokes his beak softly.
"It likes you," I whisper.
"It likes you too," she says. "See?"
He nudges my sleeve gently, and I laugh, surprised. My cat watches from a stone, tail puffed with indignation.
Luna giggles—light, airy, a sound that makes everything else fade.
"We shouldn't wander too far," I say.
"Yes, but…"
She runs her hand along Buckbeak's neck.
"Sometimes wandering shows us wonderful things."
With a sudden, graceful motion, Buckbeak kneels.
Inviting.
Luna's eyes widen in delight.
"He wants us to ride."
My heart jumps. "Is that allowed?"
"Probably not," she says dreamily. "But neither is feeding wild fluffbears."
She climbs on first—light, graceful—and then reaches a hand back to me.
For a heartbeat, the world holds still.
I take her hand.
And Buckbeak leaps into the sky.
---
FLIGHT
Wind roars past—cold, bright, exhilarating.
Luna's hair whips wildly around her, brushing my face.
Her laughter rings like silver bells carried by the wind.
The forest shrinks below.
Hogwarts rises, majestic towers piercing the morning sky.
Clouds swirl around us as Buckbeak lifts higher, wings stretching wide and strong.
"It's beautiful!" I shout.
Luna looks over her shoulder, eyes glowing like twin moons.
"It feels like freedom, doesn't it?"
Buckbeak tilts, gliding gracefully, and I instinctively wrap my arms around Luna's waist.
She rests her hands over mine—warm, steady, trusting.
"Dionida!" she calls over the wind.
"I'm glad you came into this world!"
Her words crack something tender open inside me.
Buckbeak climbs again, slicing through sunlight, carrying us into a sky painted in silver and blue.
For a perfect, breath-stealing moment—
it feels like the world belongs to us.
Magic. Sky. Freedom.
And Luna.