Cooldown
“Are you all feeling all right?” Harry said as he and his friends had retreated to the Potter Quarters for the day. After Pomfrey gave them a final check up and some chocolate after the thing with the Dementors.
“I wish I could say I was, but I’m not. Not yet.” Luna said. She sat down on the floor, in a corner of the room.
“We’ll live.” Fred and George moaned.
“They seemed nastier then usual. Were their effects always that strong?” Neville asked as he continued to shiver.
Daphne, the Ice Queen of Slytherin, almost always seen in perfect control and with her emotions under control, now looked in the verge of a breakdown, as Tracey soothed her by rubbing her arm.
“Gotta say, dang Harry!” Angelina said. “We knew you could make a Patronus, but that one just tore the Dementors to shred. We didn’t even know Dementors could die.”
“How did you even do that? And why is it a cute angel girl now? It was something else if I still recall the Quidditch match from last year…” Alicia asked.
“I am not sure. She came out that way. But I’m not complaining. I just had the thought of protecting all of you on my mind.” Harry noted.
“I read somewhere that Patroni can change shape, mostly under emotional circumstances or life altering events.” Hermione said. She sounded raspy but she still managed to enter ‘lecture mode’ flawlessly. “Though I can’t explain the power boost.”
I was supposed to protect my chick, but I needed help myself. The memories of being trapped in a cage, they overwhelmed me.” Hedwig said.
“Anyone whom is sentient is vulnerable to the Dementors, its nothing to be ashamed about.” Harry assured her. “You helped take down Crouch Jr. which was quite impressive.”
“I regret having the brains and memories of four different people. I was literally falling apart.” Maps moaned.
“I had no memories but I felt cold and I had no joy. It’s still freakin’ scary.” Bolt said. “I envy your immunity, Cloak.” Bolt said.
“Speaking of…did you actually eat those Dementors or was I still hallucinating?” Katie asked.
“No, not exactly. I am the Cloak of Death, the same from the tale. I think when Harry ascended me, I also became more powerful. I am not just a Cloak, I’m a veil of Death.” Cloak explained.
“A veil? That is frightening. I know from my aunt that the Veil is a method of execution. Those pushed beyond the Veil never come back. It is the final solution for anything that needs to remain dead.” Susan said with a shiver.
“Good thing she is on our side. And we know it works on Dementors.” Hannah said.
“Freakin’, soul-sucking parasites. Last time I didn’t react so badly…I saw things…” Daphne shivered.
“Yeah, they are horrible. Especially if you have really bad memories. I hear my parents, and Voldemort killing them when they’re near. But I couldn’t let the same happen to you guys.”
“I also hear my parents.” Neville said. “How they were being tortured. They are alive but…they can never recover from it. The Lumos spells are lit, but nobody’s home, basically.” Neville said morosely. “And Gran, I know she loves me and she tries but…”
“I get it.” Luna said. It was heartbreaking to hear her voice. Normally it was airy, joyful and calm but now it was still soft but sorrowful. “Daddy tries to ever since Mum…he got a roof over my head, made sure I was well-fed and well-clothed. And he always lets me know he loves me. But I know he feels lost. Mum…she was brilliant. She loved to experiment, but it just went wrong one day.”
Harry felt sympathy for her loss. He sat down on the floor beside her and wrapped an arm around her. “You got to spend time with her, you got to make memories with her. That is something precious. You can actually feel. I…I am mad and sad but I have no real memories of my parents. They are more like a void, something that could have been. What you had was real.”
“It doesn’t mean that you don’t remember, that what you don’t feel is real, Harry.” Luna said back. “Maybe you don’t remember but…you still knew, from the short time you had with them. I think it made you a good person. Because…well, if what we hear about your relatives is true, you certainly didn’t learn it from them.”
Harry smiled a bit brighter. “You got that right. Thanks for that, Luna. The Ravenclaws are stupid for not recognizing your intelligence. I am sorry, I tried to cheer you up, but you ended up cheering me up.”
“We ended cheering each other up.” Luna stated.
Hermione sniffed. “I should tell my parents I love them more often. I think I should send more letters as well…I have been staying at Hogwarts for the holidays a lot as of late, and haven’t seen them as often…I should go see them during the Holidays, right after the Yule Ball…And I also want you to meet them. They’d love you, Harry. And you too, Luna.”
“That’d be nice. I’m sure they’re great.” Harry said.
“They are…they were all I had for a long time. Not exactly popular at school, I was ‘too smart’. Other kids either picked on me or only hung out so I’d do their work for them. Not even my extended family like me since I upstage my cousins at every turn. I thought I had one true friend, but as the bullying increased, she switched sides, joining the bullies to save herself.” She sighed. “What am I babbling about? You two are talking about those you lost, my problems seem minor.”
“Doesn’t mean they’re not valid. Both Harry and me suffered from bullying. And no one deserves that.” Luna said.
“Yeah, and I think that we haven’t given those bullies enough payback yet.” Maps said as she punched her right palm with her left fist. “You twins want to help me with that?”
“Sure do!” Fred and George said.
“Come here!” Harry said as he reached out to Hermione, whom moved towards them, sat down on the ground next to them and joined into a hug.
“This feels nice.” Hermione said.
“Should we be doing something about it?” Maps asked, unsure.
“No, please leave them like that for a bit. I ship them.” Cloak said softly.
“Whom of us is going to give Harry ‘the talk’?” Bolt asked. She, Hedwig, Maps and Bolt looked awkward.
Tracey turned to Daphne and whispered. “We are among real friends here now. They will show us the same support if you want. I’m sure of it.”
“I…I am not sure if…” Daphne noted. She looked at the others. They had bared their souls to each other here. But she wasn’t sure if she felt comfortable doing the same.
“Halfblood, Pureblood, Muggleborn…heck, being human, it doesn’t matter. These guys won’t judge.” Tracey said. “But it’s still up to you. I won’t force you but…you may feel better getting it of your chest. I know it has been eating you up.”
Daphne thought it over. Sure, they never can be themselves in Slytherin. Full of blood bigots, and even if they are Purebloods, they are looked down upon for not being prejudiced against non-Purebloods. In short, they are being shunned for being good people, as if that is secondary, or comes last in comparison to everything else. They were promised sanctuary in the Potter Dorms. So they could be themselves, but they still hadn’t taken advantage of that newfound freedom.
“Something eating you two?” Hannah asked. The others had noticed the two Slytherin girls had talked among themselves softly. They had gotten worried.
“You want to tell them?” Tracey asked.
Daphne thought about it. She didn’t have to speak up. But if she didn’t do it now, in the safety of the Potter Dorms, when will she ever feel safe doing so. She sighed and spoke towards everyone else: “The Dementors not only take away happy memories to leave the sad and horrible ones. They also twist existing memories, or create fake memories based on fear. Me and Tracy have loving parents but…we fear rejection.”
“Why would they reject you?” Harry wondered.
“As far as we know the Greengrass and Davis Houses are not prejudiced against blood status.” Susan said. “They wouldn’t disown you for hanging with us, right?”
“There are other forms of prejudice.” Tracey clarified. “And that is the sort we fear most, the one that may lead to rejection.”
“What do you mean?” Neville asked.
Daphne and Tracey looked at each other and nodded. “I’m a witch’s witch.” Daphne said.
“So am I!” Tracey declared.
Harry blinked as he didn’t understand. Oddly enough even Hermione was confused. Only those of wizarding heritage caught on as they nodded and said ‘Oh’, but they didn’t seem mad, or sad, or judgmental. If only if they knew what was going on.
Tracey saw Harry and Hermione were confused. “Me and Daph stir the potion counter-clockwise.” Tracey explained.
“What does this have to do with Potions?” Harry asked.
“I think that Muggle euphemisms are different from magicals.” Luna said. “I think you have to be more direct.”
“Of for the love of-we’re lesbians!” Daphne said.
“Oh!” Harry and Hermione said.
“So prejudice of the LGTB also exists in the Wizarding World…of course it does, the tossers are obsessed with keeping a pure bloodline and breeding ‘the right stock’. Bunch of backwards plonkers.” Hermione said.
“Is that why you’re afraid of rejection from your parents?” Harry asked. “I thought they loved you?”
“Sometimes fear doesn’t have to be rational. Our parents do love us, and they don’t abide by blood, but they hope to see the Greengrass and Davis houses continue.” Tracey explained.
“And for all that magic can do…we still can’t have homosexual reproduction.” Daphne said. “And it is frustrating to be eyed by the males whom thinks of us as future broodmothers.”
“Adoption exists but most families look down upon it, as a sign of a bloodline that can’t continue naturally is seen as weak.” Tracey continued.
“The more I hear about these Pureblood bigots the more it shows that inbreeding kills braincells.” Hermione said.
“You shouldn’t be ashamed. Love is love. In fact, I have an older brother whom is bent.” Katie Bell said. “And that doesn’t make him less of a brother. And it doesn’t make you less of people too.”
“You’re still our friends. Nothing will change that…Unless you were to join Voldemort, but that will never happen” Harry noted. “I’m sure your parents and your siblings would say the same.”
Daphne looked relieved, and so was Tracey. They let out the relieved sigh as they held hands. “Trace and I have been friends since childhood. I’ve known her from day one, and I think I also loved her since then.”
“It always felt right, being with her, everything was right in the world.”
“A childhood friend to lover romance…Those are always so touching.” Angelina said as she wiped a tear from her face.
“It must be nice to be loved like that. I wonder what it would really feel like to be in love.” Harry said. He had recently learned what familiar love was. And he had a crush on Cho, it had died recently and he was sure it wasn’t real love felt like. He was emotionally stunted after all and hence didn’t realize the fuzzy feelings around Hermione and Luna he had.
“Yeah, I think it must feel great.” Neville said, not noticing the looks Hannah and Susan gave him.
“Is it me or does it get really sappy in here?” Maps said.
“You are the only one of us transfigured to know what love’s like, you got like four brains.” Bolt noted. “I was a simple stick of wood before. I don’t know the first thing about romance.”
“I only got their brain upon seventh year, they were barely adult and hadn’t tied any knots. And only one had a long lasting meaningful relationship. The other three are a werewolf with a self esteem issue, a womanizer afraid to bind himself and…let’s not talk about the last guy.” Maps said.
“If I still thought like an Owl, I would look for a mate, but now its not as simple. With sentience comes a lot more complexity when picking life partners. Will I ever find a life partner, since I’m the only one of my kind? I’ll still take care of Harry-chick like a mother but…” Hedwig said.
“I have been around for a while, and I know my owners were in love, generation upon generation having a family but I…well, I’m a bundle of woven hair, I am as much out of my depth as Bolt.” Cloak noted. “I think that’s still a part of us that we haven’t explored after our transformation.”
“Does romance have to be a thing?” Bolt asked. “Can we instinctually or automatically feel it? We could talk and understand things as soon as the spell hit us and we feel joy, fear, sorrow and all those things. But love?”
“To be fair, we’re in a way, born yesterday.” Maps said. “There is a lot about our new selves we don’t know.”
“In a way you can still discover a lot about yourselves, which I think is great.” Luna noted. “You are the product of a unique magic, so your opportunities are infinite. Even if you will not come to understand love, you can discover a lot for or about yourselves, in ways witches and wizards can.” Luna said. “Must be amazing. Able to see the world through fresh eyes. Magic is often taken for granted despite it being part of our world. But the Muggleborn and now you can offer a fresh perspective, a sense of awe and open possibilities. I am a bit envious if I’m honest.”
“Luna, you keep amazing me.” Hermione said. “Why didn’t we run into you earlier?”
“Because you were involved in dangerous shit, had other things to worry about and were distracted while I spend most of my time isolated?” Luna noted.
“That was a rhetorical question.” Hermione said.
“I gave a rhetorical answer.” Luna replied.
“That’s not what rhetorical means and you know it.” Hermione sighed.
“I know, I was just having fun.” Luna said with a smile. It got a chuckle out of everyone, even Hermione. “I think we’re all in a better mood.”
“Yeah, suck that, Dementors!” Neville said happily.
Daphne shook her head. “Why was I ever afraid of opening up to all these dorks?”
“I think the Ice Queen is much more of a softie deep down? Should we call you Soft-Serve ice cream?” Harry said.
“What is Soft-serve?” Daphne asked.
“A type of ice cream in the Muggle World…you know, all of you guys should be invited to the Muggle World and see some of its best aspects too.” Harry said.
“If it involves the culinary aspects, I’m very willing to try.” Tracey said. “I know I love my ice cream.” She said as she wiggled her eyebrows at Daphne, whom blushed.
“Get a room, you two.” Harry said.
“You gave us one of your rooms already.” Tracey said. This incited more laughter.
It was a long and tiring day. And a bit painful, but now this friend group of felt everything was right in the world again. To just laugh your troubles again, even for a short while. There would still be hurdles across the road, but all was well for now. No one felt alone, no one felt judged, and everyone felt cared for.