Chapter Text
The Muggleness of the slap hurt more than the action itself. Millicent's head snapped to the side, her vision blurring for a moment before it came back into focus. She turned back to Luna, shoulders hunching as she towered over the blonde. When presented with the devestating destruction that had been done to their year-long classroom projects, Luna had walked toward them, raising her hand in a motion so swift that Millicent hadn't had time to react.
"How could you?" Padma asked in shaken horror.
The trio of Pulsating Peony-Roots—PPR for short—that had been labelled and grouped together since the start of the term, sat where they'd been left since their last class. Nothing out of the ordinary until one realized the true horror was what had become of Luna and Millicent's in the last hour: Every single visible stem had been broken, the wriggling root that had been meticulously covered in enriched soil, were now dug up and unceremoniously chopped into pieces. High-pitched ringing penetrated everyone's ears as the dying plant squealed in pain. If one chose to do so, one could imagine that each severed ancillary root tendril had been a leg for the poor bulb, cruelly amputated in what Luna could only have hoped to be a swift act.
Snorting with derision, Flora dropped the remainder of the trembling creature she'd just shorn from her grasp, dusting her hands of the soil and sap that clung to her skin.
"It's just a stupid plant," Millicent sneered. She expected Luna to gaze at her with that eerily dreamy look she always had but was met with pure ice.
"Stop it!" Parvati pushed Hestia away from their shared pot as the Carrow sister took delight in ripping leaves off the squealing plant. "Can't you see you're hurting it!"
"If you're upset about this, you should see what we've been doing for weeks," Hestia grinned.
"Let's show them. Look!" Flora aimed her wand at the pot with her and Padma's names. Sending stinging and freezing hexes in quick succession, she giggled with sick pleasure at the way the poor plant, noticeably smaller than Luna and Millicent's had been, trembled.
"Stop it, stop it!" Padma threw a shield over the plant, Parvati doing the same for her tiny sapling as Hestia joined her sister's game.
Millicent felt a pang of discomfort at the wailing. She'd bit her tongue and gone along with it until now, but she was wavering. The time she'd spent with Loony was starting to get to her, she knew. Spending time after class, between class, between meals to 'check in' on their little pet project had made the daft girl worm into her brain until Millicent didn't know up from down. Left from right. Right from wrong.
"It's wrong. You know it is." Luna said in that quiet way that carried more meaning than any shouting ever could.
Millicent swallowed, aware of the eyes that were on her. Finally, she turned away with a scoff, shoving her shoulder into Luna to push her way past. "Sprout's got loads. So what if we fail? Not like you need the credits-"
"It's not about the credits." Luna cut in. "Don't you remember why we're growing these? Why we've been tending to these so carefully?"
"Just because Hogwarts decided to use their suudents for slave labour doesn't mean I need to care." Millicent rolled her eyes. The discomfort in her chest grew at the barking laughter and gaffaws that the Carrows made. "Besides, St. Mungo's doesn't need students helping them grow soem miracle cure for whatever boil or infection those Untouchables have in their wards."
"Do you really believe that?" Luna asked. Behind her, Parvati and Padma had levelled their wands against the Carrow sisters as the Slytherins had begun to look for new targets.
"Don't even think about it." Parvati said firmly.
Flora's smile sharpened. "Or what? You'll 'tell on me'?"
Millicent's eyes flicked over, a flash of apprehension crossing her face before she smoothed it over, but Luna had caught it. Of course.
Not wasting a second, Luna grabbed Millie's hand, dragging her toward the exit.
"Where are you taking me?" Millicent asked. Despite their differences in stature, she was shocked by how strong Luna was. Her fingers, dainty though they were, gripped her wrist firmly.
"We're going to the Hospital Wing."
"What? Why?" Millicent barely had time to utter the question before Luna had activated the Floo channel closest to the Herbology greenhouses, both of them flying through the green flames until Luna pulled them out of it at their destination. "Why are we here?"
Ignoring her, Luna strode through the doors, making her way to Madame Pomfrey's office.
"Let go of me, stop this!" Millicent dug her feet into the stone floors as they finally stood just outside the mediwitch's office. "I'm not ill. Why are we here, damn it?"
Luna finally turned to face her Herbology partner. "We are going to St. Mungo's."
When she got like that, her piercing silvery eyes staring fearlessly into Millicent's, there was not dissuading the girl. The entire trip to St. Mungo's passed without so much as a discussion, not that Millie had the foggiest idea about why she had suddenly been pulled into an impromptu field trip.
Luna had that effect on her. Had had it since the day she'd coaxed Millie into practicing her watering spell after commening on the unusualness of Millie watering their plant the Muggle way.
"No need to scowl like that," Luna said pleasantly. Levitating Millicent's watering can, she waved her wand to let it lighting spinkle over the leaves, smiling as the green shoots vibrated with happiness.
Millicent had turned to scowl at her, eyes narrowed and mouth opening to form some retort. It must have been the way the afternoon sun made her blond hair shimmer, scattering light like a crystal in a window. Millicent had felt a tightness in her chest, and she'd turned away, silenced.
"Is there a reason you don't use charms?" Luna had asked.
"Who says I don't use charms?"
"Oh, no one. I just noticed that you don't."
Millicent had grunted. "Don't like them." The lie felt like a barb on her tongue.
"Oh. I just thought maybe you couldn't do them." Luna had said in that matter-of-fact tone that left everyone just a little wrong-footed.
"I can do them!" Millient had whirled around.
"Oh good. Then go ahead. I'm a little tired holding my wand up so much. I've been helping Neville wrangle the Flobberworms, you know. Dirty work, but I don't mind too much." Luna lowered the can, nodding for Millicent to take over.
The sound of Longbottom's name set Millicent's nerves of fire. With nowhere to release it, she'd jabbed her wand at the can, muttering the spell without precision. The result, of course was catastrophic.
"Oh!" Luna yelped in shock as water sprayed down on both of them, drenching their clothes.
Red rose on Millicent's cheeks, a lump forming in her throat as she turned away to try and wring out her skirt. It wasn't necessary, though. Steam evaporated off of her, and she turned to find Luna pointing her wand at her, a drying spell clearing off the remaining water. "Thanks." Millicent had muttered.
"You're welcome. I can show you how to do the spell if you'd like."
Millicent had paused. It could be a trap. Was Loony that cruel? Immediately her mind said no. Nodding slowly, she crossed her arms. "I'd…like that. I suppose." She said the last part hurriedly, not wanting to seem too eager.
The smile Luna had given her that day had heated her from within, making her nearly lightheaded with its sincerity.
"Here we are." Luna stepped out of the Floo archway onto the St.Mungo's Floo lobby.
"So, why are we here?" Millicent asked yet again.
"We're going to the Janus Thickey ward, of course."