Stargazing

Chapter 10

Stargazing

"That was certainly... different."

"Wasn't it fascinating, Allie?"

Moody wrapped an arm around his fiancée and drew her in closer as they stepped out of the auditorium. The closing door muffled the sounds of applause from within the building. The sidewalks of Diagon Alley flooded with attendees, most of whom were young couples like themselves. The air was abuzz with talk of the lecture still impressed in everyone's minds. Moody pulled the pamphlet that he had been using as a makeshift bookmark out of his manuscript. The picture on the cover depicted two snakes circling a dagger with a caption written in Greek. When they broke from the crowd, he glanced over his shoulder, making note that Evan Rosier was keeping pace behind them.

"I hope you don't mind my brother tagging along," Druella said while thumbing through her identical pamphlet. "Mummy and Daddy wanted him exposed to some culture for a change."

"Naw, I don't mind," Moody replied with exaggerated crestfallenness. "After all, it's only been the first time in months since we've had the opportunity to spend some time alone together."

"Aww, I know." She looked up at him with sympathetic eyes. "I promise I'll make it up to you."

He nodded behind them. "He hates me, you know."

"You mean Evan?" Druella answered with a pinched brow. "How can he hate you? He doesn't even know you. Don't be so paranoid, Allie."

"Me paranoid? I think the people in that meeting have the market corned on paranoia. A bunch of blabbering idiots, that lot." He threw the pamphlet away as they passed a convenient dustbin.

"How would you know?" she asked, eying the manuscript that Moody had placed back in his coat pocket. "You seemed to be more absorbed by that dingy old notebook than the presentation. What is that you've been reading, anyway?"

"It's... something for work. Nothing you'd be interested in."

She seemed unsatisfied with the answer but didn't press the issue. "Well, I didn't agree with everything they said either, but they still had some valid points. You would've been impressed had you been paying attention."

"I was paying attention," he corrected her. After a few steps, however, a smirk betrayed him. "What did they call themselves again?"

She looked to him with a reprimanding glare in answering, "The Separation Society."

"Right," he said, snapping his fingers. "So, the Auror in me is left wondering how these blokes are any different from Grindelwald and his ilk."

"Grindelwald was about the subjugation of Muggles and other lesser beings. The SS, on the other hand, is about pure segregation: leaving Muggle affairs to Muggles and Wizarding affairs to wizards."

"But let's be honest; the level of separation they want can never be achieved. There haven't always been wizards and witches. I mean, we came from humans; therefore, we are forever related, aren't we?"

"Yes, but you have to look at in context. Of course we came from humans, just as they evolved from a lower form of primate."

"So, where does that leave half-blood wizards?"

Druella remained blasé in her response. "I have nothing against halfsies. Some of my best friends at Hogwarts have one Muggle parent, but that doesn't mean I want them in my family."

"But, by your own admission, we all came from Muggles. So, we're all Muggle-born to some extent, right?"

"And that's why they propose the Pure-pool: seven generations of Wizarding blood in your family tree is considered sufficiently pure." She glanced into the pamphlet to make sure she quoted it correctly. "It makes sense, given the magical significance of the number seven."

He grinned at her enthusiasm. "Sounds like a wizard-breeding program."

She snorted quietly. "It's more about preserving our heritage. There aren't many of us left, after all."

"Now you're advocating arranged marriages? That's a little old-fashioned, don't you think?"

"On the contrary, it's about choices: a community by and for pure-bloods. I think it's quite progressive."

"And what's wrong with Muggles, anyway? I know a few myself. They aren't a bad sort in general."

"You're kidding." She said, rolling her eyes. "Muggles have the capability to destroy the planet. Their constant warring is fodder for Dark magic." She rolled the crinkled pamphlet into a tight cylinder. It made an odd scratching noise when turned against her laced silk gloves. "Honestly, did you sleep through all of your Muggle Studies courses?"

"Frankly, if it didn't help strengthen my wand-arm, it didn't garner much interest for me."

"In that case, it's lucky that you have me." She smiled and took his arm in hers. "There have been studies done by the Ministry that suggest Muggle cultural influences are serving to unravel our very way of life. The SS certainly makes a compelling argument when they claim that a departure from our traditions has led us astray. Moreover, all this interbreeding is accelerating that departure."

He gave her a knowing wink. "With all this talk of breeding, you're not trying to hint at something, are you?"

She bopped him on the forehead playfully with the cylinder. "Focus, Alastor."

"So, the fact that Aurors have to fight off goblins, ogres and Dark wizards is due to Muggles?"

"I'm just saying that if there were less Muggle influences in our wizarding society, then your job would be a lot less perilous. Ergo, you wouldn't have to work so hard. Ergo, you would get to spend more time with me."

"I guess I can't argue with that..."

She yelped when her heel gave out from under her. Arms flailing, she spun out of his grasp and fell backwards.

Moody's training took over. Mobilicorpus!

His spell grabbed her inches before the back of her head would have struck the base of an old iron lamppost.

"Putain de merde!" She looked down at the heel of her shoe which had caught in a crack in the pavement and broken off. Oblivious to her near peril, she seemed more concerned with the appearance of her dignity. "That wasn't my fault!"

"I know it wasn't," Moody sighed, relieved that she was considerably lighter than a training stone. After she was steady, he levitated her upright.

She looked back to her brother, Evan, who had wisely pretended not to notice the display. "That's a deathtrap; someone could get hurt!"

"Funny how you seem to attract danger like a magnet," Moody commented under his breath.

She glared at him. "What did you say?"

He smiled. "What? I didn't say anything."

"You can't blame me for that one!"

"I know, pet."

"Honestly, I almost broke my bleeding neck!"

He brought her around firmly at eyelevel, forcing her attention. "Not when you have me around to catch you."

The words calmed her enough to allow her to notice that she was still suspended off the ground. She blushed when their eyes met. "Allie, put me down."

He shrugged innocently. "What? It's not me."

"I know it's you." She giggled involuntarily when, with a wave of his hand, he spun her around higher, but she grew self-conscious again when she regarded the looks from some of the passersby. "Allie, people are starting to stare. It's not proper."

"That's because it's not everyday that you get to see an angel flitting about." He curled his finger.

She embraced him when she settled slowly to earth. "Charmer."

They leaned in tentatively, caressing each other's lips, when the moment was interrupted by a shrill cough. They looked over to Evan, who remained a few paces back and whose expression sported a slight look of annoyance.

Moody frowned. "I think I'm starting to see the real reason why your parents wanted your brother to tag along."

She put a hand on his cheek and leaned in closer to whisper, "Why don't I take Evan home, then meet up with you at our special place. Say in an hour?"

Regarding her mischievous wink, Moody looked around warily with a sly grin. "I don't know. People might get the wrong idea – it not being 'proper' and all."

"Don't be that way, mon bébé."

"Alright. But only if you promise to be on your best behavior," he said, shaking his finger at her sternly.

She balanced on her tiptoes, stopping short of gracing his lips with hers. "Absolutely not."

He watched her as she and Evan headed back toward the train station. When they were out of sight, he reached into his pocket. He opened the manuscript to where he had left off and continued to the end of the street. His eyes were fixed on a picture of Godric dueling two dragons, one gold and one red, and dispersing the dragons' flames with twin spouts of water. Moody had studied the drawing for hours in his spare time, analyzing every detail – especially the wands that Godric wielded in each hand.

He soon found himself standing outside of Ollivander's wand shop at the far end of the street. He put the manuscript away before going inside; the doorbell tinkled upon his entrance. He gave the place a quick sweep. He hadn't been here in years, ever since he had purchased his own wand before enrolling at Hogwarts. Nevertheless, the ancient shop looked just as he remembered it. The only difference was that the old man he then recollected behind the counter was replaced by a much younger one.

The shopkeeper finally looked up from his ledger to regard Moody. "Purpleheart wand with a core of gryphon's feather."

When he realized that the shopkeeper had just described his wand, Moody looked at him suspiciously. "That's right."

The shopkeeper, Ollivander, went on, "I was the one that delivered it when you purchased it from my father."

"I see."

"Purpleheart...a relatively uncommon wand, but elegant nonetheless." He stepped out from behind the counter and walked over. "Is that the kind you used against the giant?"

"You have a good memory."

"We all do. I just choose to exercise mine." He crossed his arms. "Now, what can I do for you?"

"Do you... have anymore Purpleheart wands in stock?"

...oOo...

Moody made his way beyond the edge of the Forbidden Forest. When he was sure he was alone, he took out his new wand and compared it to the original. Ollivander's craftsmanship certainly had not waned over the years. The two specimens were indistinguishable from each other. His eagerness got the better of him; he could no longer wait. With a wand in each hand, he made his way to a clearing, pointed both wands at a nearby tree and concentrated on the first spell that came to mind.

Aguamenti.

Nothing happened. He tried the spell verbally.

"Aguamenti!"

He frowned. Not so much as a drop of water appeared. He held both wands together in the same hand. This time, he decided to try something simpler.

"Lumos."

He was blinded by an explosion of light. He dropped his wands instinctively to shield his eyes. The nearby creatures of the night darted from their hiding places, confused by the sudden appearance of daylight.

Moody got on his hands and knees and groped blindly for his wands. Eventually, the light subsided enough for him to see. When was able to open them, he found himself face to face with a unicorn filly. He couldn't tell at first if the glow around it originated from the animal or if his eyes were still reeling from the effects of the wand-flash.

The unicorn approached closer and nuzzled against the side of his leg. He put his hand across her mane when he recognized her energy as a Patronus. She encouraged Moody to follow her deeper into the forest. He followed the trail illuminated by the Patronus' afterglow until he passed a familiar boulder perched at the head of a shallow stream.

He walked around to find Druella sitting comfortably on a felled log, warming herself by a small campfire. The surrounding trees only allowed for a small inlet of the night sky to be visible through which a beam of silver moonlight shone down upon her.

She basks in the moonlight, my night-angel.

Has she bewitched me?

Druella smiled and beckoned him over. When he took a seat next to her on the log, they both petted her Patronus briefly before allowing it to trot off.

She withdrew her wand after sending the Patronus back into the aether. "She keeps me company when you're away."

"You have got to show me how you do that sometime."

"And give up the one thing that I'm better than you at? Not likely."

When he moved in closer, his hand brushed against something leathery. He looked down and picked up an old book. "What's this?"

"I had to make a stop at the library," she said, blushing as she bit her lip. "Now give it here."

"Hold on a sec." He kept it out of her grasp when she reached for it. He read the title aloud. "Practical Astrology."

She reprimanded him as he flipped through the pages. "Don't get snarky, Allie."

"I didn't say anything."

"You have that look." Before he could respond, she continued to explain, "I couldn't exactly tell my father that I was going out unescorted to meet a boy in the Forbidden Forest."

He grinned in understanding. "So, you told him that you're off to the library, and you grabbed this book on the way in order to give credence to your lie."

She looked at him, slightly shocked. "It's not a lie."

Amused, he continued to thumb through the tome. "So, why this book?"

"I just grabbed the first book I saw." She started to become annoyed as he continued to read. "What are you doing?"

His grin broadened into a smile. "Well, if you're going to carry on with a lie, you must do it properly."

"Stop it, Allie. I didn't lie."

"Sorry. I simply meant that you should be prepared in case your dad decides to check out your story."

"I see you're already starting to think like an Auror." She sat up straight, putting her hands on her hips, and turned her nose up at him. "For your information, daddy trusts me. He would never question my intentions."

At that, Moody's smile disappeared. He leaned over and eyed the circumference of her dress. "Er... how is your father, besides? Charming man that he is."

When she realized what he was doing, she put her hand to her mouth in order to stifle her laughter. "My dress isn't that big, you paranoid git."

"I'd rather not underestimate your father's resourcefulness," he said with an arched eyebrow. "I thought that vein on the side of his temple was going to explode after we told him that I proposed to you."

"Meh. It always does that," she said dismissively. Upon further consideration, however, she leaned in and read along with him. "Come to think of it, you may have a point."

His grin returned as he opened the book wider, making it easier for her to gander. "I like to keep it simple. Pick a detail to read up on, that way, if he happens to ask, you can tell him about your favorite part, thus circumventing any suspicion."

She looked to Moody with a suspicious eye which he failed to notice. "You know, it worries me how naturally this comes to you. It makes me wonder if you're hiding anything from me."

"And you call me paranoid?"

She pinched his arm lightly. "So, what do you suggest?"

He flipped the page to the next chapter. "This looks interesting: constellations." He presented the page to her and asked, "Which one's to your liking?"

By this point, she was no longer looking into the book. Placing her head on his shoulder, she looked skyward. The stars twinkled brightly in the heavens, second only to the moon in brilliance. A shooting star caught her attention and led her gaze to a clutch of stars in the east. Using her wand, she traced their pattern in the air for Moody to see. "Which one is that?"

After examining the formation, he referred to the book for the answer. "That would be Andromeda, pet."

"Andromeda," she parroted in reverie. "Go on."

Moody read on, "Andromeda is a constellation named after an Ethiopian princess who was chained to a rock by her parents as a virgin sacrifice to a ravaging sea monster."

"That doesn't sound very nice."

"Well, I'm sure it had a happy ending," he said, patting her on the leg before reading further. "It says here that, according to this bloke, Ptolemy..."

Her head perked off his shoulder. "Who the devil is Ptolemy?"

"Heck if I know, pet. But I'd bet he's big in Peoria," he said dryly.

"Do tell."

When her head nestled back into his shoulder, he finished the passage, "It says that all of the stars within are of the nature of Venus, and lovers at odds are reconciled under its influence."

She closed her eyes, hanging onto his every word. "I like that name."

"Ptolemy?"

"No, silly," she giggled. "Andromeda. It's pretty...the sort of name I'd give to a girl if I had one."

He closed the book and let it rest on his lap. "That's not the kind of name you give to a child."

When he put his arm around her waist, she snuggled in closer, resting her head in his chest. "Why not?"

"Because it's not a real name."

"Of course it is. Someone had to have been called it at one time, hence the name, right?"

"Maybe an eon ago." He spoke softly as he stroked the top of her brow lightly. "But using it for a constellation sorta retired it for conventional use, don't you think?"

"You certainly have all the answers, don't you, Alastor Moody?" She slowly stood up and turned to face him. She removed the hat on her head and allowed her hair to flow freely. She kicked the book aside and lowered herself onto Moody's lap, straddling him. "Answer me this: have you given much thought to what life will be like after we're married?"

"Every day, pet."

"Doesn't it scare you?"

He pondered for a moment. "The only thing that scares me is that one day, fifty years or so from now, it will eventually come to an end."

"Not bad." She smiled seductively. "I have a surprise for you."

Moody stared as Druella peeled the laced gloves from her delicate arms. She ran her bare hands through her black hair a few times before fanning it out. By the time it settled back to her shoulders, it had changed to blonde. She pursed her lips and they became slightly fuller. Her breasts swelled, on the verge of popping out of her corset.

Moody said with his eyes what he was too stunned to utter with his mouth.

"You like?" She let him trace a finger along the length of her lip before nipping it tenderly. "I've been practicing for you."

"For me?"

She pressed against him with her arms curled around his neck. "With the excitement and adventure you'll be living as an Auror, I don't want you to grow bored with me." She leaned in closer. "I could be a different woman for you every night."

He placed two fingers onto her parted lips. His voice remained soft yet stern. "I never want to hear you say that rubbish again...ever!"

She was taken aback by the rebuke but quickly softened in his firm embrace. At his insistence, her feminine features returned to their comfortable dimensions. Nevertheless, she pouted. "Why is it that the only person with whom I can truly be myself only wants me to be... myself?"

"You don't know by now?"

When they finally kissed, he felt complete. He knew that she was the only woman for him, and her moans at their parting lips let him know that she felt the same. He ran his fingers through her violet hair; he loved the way that it shimmered in the moonlight.

"Allie, would you...." Her voice cracking, she cleared her throat before saying in a breathless whisper, "Would you like to ask me how my father is again?"

Moody was content to gaze into her starry eyes. "Your father can wait, pet."