Ficlet: More to See
Sep. 5th, 2009 05:21 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
book_worm5This was written as a drabble for ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
sueatducksfoot. The prompt was something happens in the Room of Requirement. It's nowhere near still a drabble, but I believe I did manage to keep it to exactly 800 words.
Hermione paced back and forth in front of the blank wall, thinking I want to be where we're supposed to meet, I want to be where we're supposed to meet… Heaving a small sigh of relief, she stepped through the small wooden door that appeared—and stopped, blinking in shock.
She was no longer in a room, unless it was so large that the walls were lost. Spreading out before her was a wintry valley surrounded by craggy mountains, almost entirely snow-covered with patches of green. In fact, she now noticed she was standing calf-deep in snow herself. Looking around further, she noticed that several of the DA were already there. Most of them, including Harry, Ron, and Neville, looked as bewildered as she felt. Ginny, however, was smirking at a point just beyond Hermione's shoulder.
"Oh, I'm so glad you could come," said a dreamy voice. Hermione whirled around. The second thing she noticed was the continued presence of the door, though it now seemed to be free-standing, anchored in a patch of mist. The first thing, however, was Luna.She was clad from head to foot in long white fur; all that could be seen of her was her pale blue eyes and a few wisps of long blonde hair. She looked like a very small yeti.
"Luna!" Hermione exclaimed. "What's going on? Where are we?"
"Oh, we're still in Hogwarts," she said cheerfully, "but it looks like we're in Sweden. Or maybe Norway. I'm not really sure."
"Luna. Why are we in Sweden? We're supposed to be having a DA meeting!"
"We could practice duelling in the snow," Luna pointed out. "Besides, it'll take some time for everyone else to get here. Once I found out that the Room could show us what was really happening in other places, I thought you might like to see a Snorkack. You're always asking me about them."
Hermione tossed her head in exasperation. "I'm trying to help you realise that—"
She was interrupted by a low bellowing sound, somewhat like a cow or a llama, and Luna pointed. "Oh look," she said softly. "There they are."
Hearing murmurs from the the other students, Hermione turned once more, and blinked again. She fought the urge to rub her eyes, and not just from disbelief. Crumple-Horned Snorkacks, it seemed, came in all sorts of shades, but very few of them were ones Hermione would consider ‘natural’. There was one large one exactly the shade of Rita Skeeter's quill, romping with another of an eye-watering purple. Some of them were patterned in more than one colour, though not always clashing ones.
Hermione was about to protest that creatures like these couldn't possibly have gone undetected for so long if they did exist, when one of the larger ones, with red and blue patterning that was actually quite pretty, threw up its head and made a higher-pitched hooting sound. Immediately, the—herd?—began moving, and then the largest portion of them seemed to flicker and…vanish.
Hermione blinked again, then peered closer; she found she could sometimes make out shimmering outlines, similar to Dissillusionment, as the larger animals herded the smaller ones, which were still mostly visible or flickering wildly, toward a cave which she had thought was merely the shadow of an overhanging rock. It was almost like watching a moving heat haze, although that of course was ridiculous here among the snow.
Among the murmurs of the other students, she turned to Luna again, who was watching the departing group with a poignant look in her eyes. "Luna, I…" she began.
"They're terribly hard to encounter, you know," the younger girl remarked, not seeming to notice Hermione had said anything. "Daddy thinks they might be related to Demiguises, somehow." She sighed, quietly. "I do wish we could have gone up to them, but I don't think the Room can do that. I think it only lets you see things, unless they're inanimate, or it can find what you'd like in the castle somewhere."
The scene began dissolving around them as several more of the DA arrived; Luna's gear went with it, except, for some reason, the large furry hat. As the Room resumed a more familiar form, Harry pulled himself together and began to organise the start of the meeting. Luna brightened again.
"We could go to tea in Paris sometime," she offered. "All you really need there is the scenery, and the Room does make lovely tea. I think it may come from the kitchens, really, but it's quite nice to pretend sometimes, don't you think?"
"Thank you, Luna," said Hermione softly. "I'd…I'd like that."
sueatducksfoot. The prompt was something happens in the Room of Requirement. It's nowhere near still a drabble, but I believe I did manage to keep it to exactly 800 words.Hermione paced back and forth in front of the blank wall, thinking I want to be where we're supposed to meet, I want to be where we're supposed to meet… Heaving a small sigh of relief, she stepped through the small wooden door that appeared—and stopped, blinking in shock.
She was no longer in a room, unless it was so large that the walls were lost. Spreading out before her was a wintry valley surrounded by craggy mountains, almost entirely snow-covered with patches of green. In fact, she now noticed she was standing calf-deep in snow herself. Looking around further, she noticed that several of the DA were already there. Most of them, including Harry, Ron, and Neville, looked as bewildered as she felt. Ginny, however, was smirking at a point just beyond Hermione's shoulder.
"Oh, I'm so glad you could come," said a dreamy voice. Hermione whirled around. The second thing she noticed was the continued presence of the door, though it now seemed to be free-standing, anchored in a patch of mist. The first thing, however, was Luna.She was clad from head to foot in long white fur; all that could be seen of her was her pale blue eyes and a few wisps of long blonde hair. She looked like a very small yeti.
"Luna!" Hermione exclaimed. "What's going on? Where are we?"
"Oh, we're still in Hogwarts," she said cheerfully, "but it looks like we're in Sweden. Or maybe Norway. I'm not really sure."
"Luna. Why are we in Sweden? We're supposed to be having a DA meeting!"
"We could practice duelling in the snow," Luna pointed out. "Besides, it'll take some time for everyone else to get here. Once I found out that the Room could show us what was really happening in other places, I thought you might like to see a Snorkack. You're always asking me about them."
Hermione tossed her head in exasperation. "I'm trying to help you realise that—"
She was interrupted by a low bellowing sound, somewhat like a cow or a llama, and Luna pointed. "Oh look," she said softly. "There they are."
Hearing murmurs from the the other students, Hermione turned once more, and blinked again. She fought the urge to rub her eyes, and not just from disbelief. Crumple-Horned Snorkacks, it seemed, came in all sorts of shades, but very few of them were ones Hermione would consider ‘natural’. There was one large one exactly the shade of Rita Skeeter's quill, romping with another of an eye-watering purple. Some of them were patterned in more than one colour, though not always clashing ones.
Hermione was about to protest that creatures like these couldn't possibly have gone undetected for so long if they did exist, when one of the larger ones, with red and blue patterning that was actually quite pretty, threw up its head and made a higher-pitched hooting sound. Immediately, the—herd?—began moving, and then the largest portion of them seemed to flicker and…vanish.
Hermione blinked again, then peered closer; she found she could sometimes make out shimmering outlines, similar to Dissillusionment, as the larger animals herded the smaller ones, which were still mostly visible or flickering wildly, toward a cave which she had thought was merely the shadow of an overhanging rock. It was almost like watching a moving heat haze, although that of course was ridiculous here among the snow.
Among the murmurs of the other students, she turned to Luna again, who was watching the departing group with a poignant look in her eyes. "Luna, I…" she began.
"They're terribly hard to encounter, you know," the younger girl remarked, not seeming to notice Hermione had said anything. "Daddy thinks they might be related to Demiguises, somehow." She sighed, quietly. "I do wish we could have gone up to them, but I don't think the Room can do that. I think it only lets you see things, unless they're inanimate, or it can find what you'd like in the castle somewhere."
The scene began dissolving around them as several more of the DA arrived; Luna's gear went with it, except, for some reason, the large furry hat. As the Room resumed a more familiar form, Harry pulled himself together and began to organise the start of the meeting. Luna brightened again.
"We could go to tea in Paris sometime," she offered. "All you really need there is the scenery, and the Room does make lovely tea. I think it may come from the kitchens, really, but it's quite nice to pretend sometimes, don't you think?"
"Thank you, Luna," said Hermione softly. "I'd…I'd like that."
