Luis Moody was a lot of things.
A good student, an honorable Hufflepuff, a good team player! But what Luis Moody didn’t consider herself, was a good sleeper. Every night it was the same; toss and turn, grumble, and toss and turn again. All her life she had been like this, sleep being the ONE thing she had the most difficulty with for as long as she could remember.
One of those nights was tonight. All of her current peers slept soundly, the gentle snores being the only white noise the Hufflepuff girls dormitory could provide as Luis lay restlessly. She sighs into the likes of her soft pillow, moving her blankets up to her chin in hopes of the warmth helping her succumb to the likes of her dreams. But it proved itself faulty, as she still lay there with wide open eyes.
Finally letting out a groan of discomfort, the female rises from the likes of her bed; careful to keep quiet as her bedmates sleep. She digs her feet into a soft pair of slippers, shivering slightly at the cool air radiating around the likes of the dormitory.
It was a bit eerie at night for Hogwarts students; curfew WAS a thing, yes, but it didn’t stop most students from staying up past their supposed bedtimes and studying relentlessly for exams or tests. Luis though was a different case, a girl who was too curious for her own good and often than not was caught
once or twice roaming the halls closest to the Hufflepuff common room, only to be escorted back to her bed with a small lecture.
With a skip in her step and a robe adorning her small figure, the girl beelines into the darkness of the corridors of Hogwarts, determined to find the one person who could aid her on nights like these: her father, Alastor.
Her adventure is brought to a quick end when she makes it around a corner, only to bump head first into a rather bulky figure. Landing on the likes of her bottom the Hufflepuff lets out a grunt, rubbing her head from the slight ache she just endured.
“Luis? what’re ya doin’ out of bed, lass?”
The familiar voice causes the girl to perk up, only for her frown to break into a relieved grin when she makes out the face of her father. The man offers her a helping hand, and happily she takes it to stand to her feet, her own parent worriedly dusting off her robes and giving a small tut as he lifts his lantern to see the features of his daughter.
“Oh goodness, I’m so glad I ran into you!”
Luis chirps, hugging her father rather tightly and the man grunts, his voice breaking into a chuckle as he returns the hug affectionately, patting her back.
“My girl, you should be asleep! You know how Professor Mcgonagall is with wandering souls in the night! Now tell me, what is it that has you so awake at this hour?”
“I simply can’t sleep, father! It’s gotten me stumped, and I can’t rest even if I wanted to!”
Luis sighs, crossing her arms along her chest and huffing. Alastor takes a moment to think, humming and mumbling to himself out of habit before he gets an idea, and motions for his daughter to follow him into a secret passageway.
“Come now, we must not get caught. Dumbledore will have my head if he sees you out of bed!”
He pipes up, Luis quick in her footsteps to follow behind him and into the inky shadows of the passageway. Most of the trip is just simple banter between them, Luis eyeing the likes of the tunnel her father ushered her through, his lamp being the only source of illumination within the darkness.
“So where are we going?”
She finally asks, Alastor peddling on his good foot as he grunts in response.
“Taking you to the one spot I used to go to with yer’ mother on sleepless nights,”
He murmurs, his voice echoing off the walls as they continue their departure up a flight of stone steps. Luis though tilts her head in silence; she hadn’t known much of her mother, only that her father rarely spoke of her due to the grief it brought him. So often than not she never asked about her, simply enjoying the relationship and time she had with her only guardian.
“...With mother?”
“Aye, a more secluded part of the school grounds that yer’ mother revealed to me. It’s only fair I pass it onto ye.”
His voice comes out a bit sorrowful, Luis’ heart softening at his words. She knew her mother had died long after she was born, more so due to a curse that Alastor himself couldn’t cure. With no real memory of her maternal figure or idea of what she was like, Luis tried to imagine what her mother looked like with closed eyes.
Perhaps blue green eyes, much like her father? Or brown eyes, soft and warm? Or even a lopsided smile, much like her own? It left her curious; her father never really opened up when it came to his late wife, but tonight was different. She didn’t understand why, but it was still comforting all the same that he was thinking of her so.
Though quickly Luis is brought back to reality when her father whistles out to her, finding herself in front of an open doorway leading out into the night. Her father smiles warmly at her as he holds open the stone passageway, adoring the way his daughter lights up and rustles her way into the outside world.
The time Luis steps out, she’s practically amazed, curious eyes wide with awe.
Around her is a beautiful view of the night sky, an overall look over the school’s long horizon and plenty of cozy pillows and quilts lining the stone balcony. It’s cramped, but it’s cozy; and she can’t help but feel her heart swell knowing her father wanted so desperately to share this with her.
“oh my gosh! Father this is so cool!”
The young girl squeals with delight, but her father shushes her gently so as to not alert anyone nearby. Alastor watches though with great pride as his daughter sits herself amongst the raggedy old cushions, getting herself comfortable and patting the spot beside her with a smile.
“Please, do join me!”
Luis giggles, and her father; although bashful, is slow to sit himself down next to her, placing his lantern on the nearby ledge and watching as the light casted their shadows along the space of the balcony. Luis is practically bug eyed, eyes shining within the dim atmosphere and watching the stars twinkle above her.
“...Yer’ mother was always somehow nose deep in a book up here.”
Alastor spoke up, his daughter turning to him as her features softened. He looked rather grim for a moment, but then his lips curved into a warm smile as they both looked up to the sky. Constellations across constellations line the sky, shimmering back at them with such beauty.
“...Always chiding on about god knows what…Yer’ exactly like her, in a lot of ways, lass.”
He explains, a fondness to his tone as Luis listens intently. She furrowed her brows, thinking about it. Though she never did know her mother, she felt like somehow this brought her closer to her in a weird sense. She hums in acknowledgement.
“...Did Mother like to learn a lot too?”
She asks suddenly, and Alastor looks to her solemnly, nodding with a sad grin.
“She would’ve loved ye, she always had a knack for readin’ or learnin’. You are yer’ mother’s daughter.”
He chuckles with a slight wheeze, and Luis giggles softly before placing her head on her father’s shoulder. Throughout this entire time with him, she hadn’t felt one once of sleep. It bothered her still, sighing gently as her parent looked at her with a questionable expression.
“What’s got ye upset?”
“It’s just…I still can’t sleep. I love it here, I do! I just wish I could find out why I’m so restless…”
Alastor is quiet for a moment, letting out a soft “oh” at her words and pressing his lips into a fine line. He meddles until he gets an idea, although he wasn’t quite sure if it would work.
“Here…”
He whispers, leaning over to rustle through his coat pocket in hopes of finding the one thing he was looking for. He had picked it the other day, only remembering its significance now rather than before. With a quick hand he reveals it to Luis, a single flower with purple petals and a soft stem. She blinks at her guardian.
“Father…that’s Lavender. How is that supposed to help me sleep?”
She chides, and Alastor lets out a mere chuckle.
“My dear, it’s more than just a flower. Muggles use it for sleepin’ purposes, a natural remedy to help young ones like you find slumber.”
He presses it into her palm, and Luis investigates it between her fingers. It did smell nice, and she wouldn’t lie it soothed her senses. She continues to eye it, before looking back to her father. He motions for her to sit close, and with a silent nod she leans into her father’s hold, twirling the flower between her hands.
“How about a story about yer’ mother and I? Would that help ye?”
“Really?”
“Yes or no, lass?”
“Okay, okay!”
The two share a laugh, before Alastor clears his throat and begins to start off his tale; all the while resting his hand against Luis’s head delicately and running his fingers through her ruffled hair, much like he did when she was just an infant.
“A long, long time ago, when I was just a wee youngling…”
Luis yawns gently, holding the flower close and inhaling it’s scent. It’s weak, but it lulls her mind. Her father’s words continue to flow like water through her ears, listening to the tale her father had to offer about himself and her mother all those years ago. Her eyes happened to drift up to the night sky again, eyelids fluttering with each word from her guardian as she watched the stars and moon with curiousity.
“And so with what little we had left…”
She felt calm, Luis thought to herself. The warmth of her father’s hold, the crackle of her father’s voice, and the smell of lavender only made her drift further into this feeling of comfort. Alastor happens to notice this out of the corner of his eye, continuing his story as he wrapped Luis in a heavy quilt, holding her close to him.
“Yer’ mother would come to laugh, and what a beautiful laugh she had…”
He continues to explain in great detail, Luis fighting to keep her eyes open. But all she could see was black fading into her vision, and her father’s gentle smile as she hid her face in his shoulder; and without another word, she fell into slumber.
Alastor looks down at his daughter with a look of love, his heart grieving at the sight of her. She looked exactly like his long passed lover, a mix of himself and her in what became of their daughter. He sighs, tutting gently and shaking his head as he rests his head on Luis’, ensuring she didn’t wake up from his movement.
“I love ye, Luis,”
He murmurs ever so softly into her hair, his story coming to an end. He kisses her forehead so delicately, in fear she’d break under his hold. She would always be his most precious, and if the world came down on her, he’d be there to pick it back up for her.
“...Sleep well.”