Luna sat in front of the crackling fire in the nearly empty Ravenclaw Common Room, the few exceptions being two 7th years studying in a corner. Woona was sitting on Luna's lap, a thick blanket wrapped around her, and a steaming mug of hot chocolate sitting in between her hooves. She was also unusually quiet and somber. She had been like that since they had returned from Hogsmeade. Luna could imagine why. The shock of seeing Katie Bell in so much uncontrollable pain would be too much for any child Woona's age. Katie's chalk-white face still shone brightly in Luna's mind, but it wasn't the only thing. Luna told herself that she was going to tell Woona everything about what was really going on outside the castle; the battle that the wizarding world was currently facing. However, the thought still worried Luna. For someone so young and so innocent, would the thought of dark wizards scare Woona even more? Would she lose faith in the magical life she had been living in? What if Woona became frightened of her? Luna didn't want to lose her daughter, but she also knew that at this point, after seeing something as horrific as what happened in Hogsmeade, she had to explain.
Woona sipped her cocoa loudly, bringing Luna back to the scene. There was no use getting lost in her thoughts. No more stalling. Woona had to know. Luna picked up the filly and turned her around so that she was facing her. Woona looked up at her, curiosity glistening in those big eyes of hers, and for a split second, Luna didn't want to see those eyes turn terrified. Taking a deep breath, she spoke, her voice soft and comforting.
"Woona, I told you that I would explain everything; about what's going on, and I plan on doing that, but I have to warn you; there might be some things that could scare you. Scare you from the wizarding world. I just want you to promise me something."
"What's that, Mama?" Woona asked quietly.
"Whatever you hear, please don't think less about me or Hogwarts, ok?" Luna answered with a hint of desperation in her voice.
Woona tilted her head slightly and her mouth spread into a comforting smile. "I would never think less about you, Mama! You're the bestest Mama ever, and I will always love you. I pwomise!"
Luna smiled and stroked Woona's mane. Her words seemed to spark a refined confidence in Luna, and her gut unhinged a bit. Taking a second to think of how to word her sentence, she spoke again.
"You know how Hogwarts is filled with such nice people?" she asked.
"Yeah!" Woona responded happily. "Like Hawwy, and Won, and Hermione, and Dubbydore, and McGoggle, and Flitwick, and-"
"Yes, yes," Luna interrupted, placing an amused finger over Woona's lips, silencing her instantly. "Well, you see, not every witch and wizard is nice."
"You mean like that Dwaco Malfoy?" Woona asked.
"No," Luna responded. "Malfoy is only a bully. I mean that there are," Luna searched for the right word, "bad wizards. Very bad. Not only being mean, but doing bad things to others." Woona's confused look slowly changed to concerned, and the worried knot returned to Luna's stomach, but she continued on.
"Right now, outside of Hogwarts, there is a group of bad witches and wizards doing very bad things. They're called the Death Eaters, and the leader of the Death Eaters is the baddest wizard of all time. He's so bad that most people don't even want to say his name. We just call him You-Know-Who."
Woona was fixed on every word, not looking away or even barely blinking. Luna paused and wondered if she should say the name. If Woona was going to get all the information, it was only fair to tell her. On the other hand, Luna herself hadn't even grown accustomed to it. If only Harry were around. He never showed fear in saying the name. Looking at Woona's curious face again, it gave her the temporary courage to press forward.
"V-V-Voldemort," Luna gave a small shudder. "That's his name."
Woona scrunched up her face, and Luna knew she was trying to repeat it. It was the same face she made when she was trying to pronounce a difficult word.
"V-V-V-" Woona struggled to repeat. Luna was half-hoping she wouldn't be able to. "V-Voldywart?"
"Close enough," Luna responded, sighing slightly. "You see, a long time ago, Voldywart," Luna paused for a second, a little amused of how that was much easier to say and decided right away to keep that, "Voldywart had spread terror all across the country with his teams of Death Eaters. They hurt so many wizarding families, and even muggle families. They used lots of bad magic."
"There's bad magic?" Woona gasped.
"Oh yes," Luna nodded solemnly. "Voldywart and his followers loved using bad magic. In fact, the spell he seemed to favor the most was -" Luna paused again. Dare she tell about Avada Kedavra? Should she tell Woona of the darkest spell in the wizarding world? She had already brought it up, and it was just going to get darker still. There was no going back now. "- the killing curse, Avada Kedavra."
Woona's reaction was just as Luna had thought. Her eyes grew even wider, and Luna could feel her start to tremble a bit. Quickly, Luna started to stroke her mane again, and luckily, that calmed her down a bit.
"Voldywart used this curse on so many innocent people, including Harry's mom and dad." Woona gasped again and placed a hoof to her mouth. "15 years ago, he appeared that their house, and, well, used the spell on them. He then tried to do the same to Harry, but it didn't work. In fact, the curse rebounded and hit Voldywart instead."
"You mean he died?" Woona asked, still glued to every word.
"That's what everyone thought for many years. Harry became famous for being the only person to ever survive the killing curse, Voldywart's followers were rounded up and arrested one by one, and for a while, the wizarding world was at peace. Then, about two years ago, Voldywart returned to full power. No one knows how he did it, but he's back, and gathering his followers every day. That's the main reason why Harry formed Dumbledore's Army; to train us to protect ourselves from him and the Death Eaters. In fact, Harry, Ron, Hermione, Ginny, Neville, and I faced off against his Death Eaters last year."
Woona's mouth fell open and she leaned in a bit. "You and Daddy fought Death Eaters?" Luna could sense a mixture of fear, yet also amazement in her voice when she spoke.
"That's right," Luna replied, trying to not feel to proud of herself. "Because of us, Voldywart's return became known to everyone else, and since then, the whole wizarding world has been on high alert."
Luna leaned back in her chair and sighed as she looked down at the filly, waiting for a response. For a few seconds, Woona didn't speak. She had stopped trembling, but the wide-eyed expression still lingered as she stared downward at her hooves. Luna couldn't tell if she was scared, or interested in hearing more. She had a feeling Woona's ever-growing curiosity would get the better of her, and she would want to know where Voldemort was now, and if it was connected to what happened in Hogsmeade.
After a few more seconds, Luna's prediction proved correct, as Woona looked up again and asked, "So...is Voldywart," she looked towards the tower window, "out there?"
"Yes," Luna nodded solemnly. "He's still out in the world somewhere, no doubt thinking of ways to terrorize the wizarding world even more than before."
"Is..." Woona's voice had started to crack, a sure sign that she was becoming more afraid, "is he the one who hurt that Gwyffindor girl?" Luna looked away for a second. She honestly didn't know who was responsible, but it definitely seemed like his doing. But there was no way him or the Death Eaters could get into Hogsmeade without being spotted...right? Then again, there was always the Imperius curse. Turning back, Luna placed a comforting hand on Woona's shoulder.
"I don't know," she answered honestly. "Voldywart has ways of getting people to do what he wants even when he's not around them," Woona started trembling again, and Luna felt a pang of guilt before quickly adding, "but there's no way he could get into the castle. The protections are too great, and besides, he have Dumbledore. As long as he's here, we'll be completely safe."
Though Woona's trembling died down slightly, she still looked uncertain. This was just as Luna had feared. The last thing she wanted was for Woona to become paranoid, to stop trusting all magic, or even to, Luna's heart clenched at the idea, run away.
"I assure you," Luna started to say again, trying to sound sure, "nothing bad can happen to us here. We're...we're..."
Luna frantically tried to bring forth more words of comfort, but suddenly, none were coming to her. She wanted to tell Woona that it was going to be alright; that nothing was going to happen to them, but then she would be making promises that she knew she probably couldn't keep. Luna had never felt this uneasy before. The concept of death never used to frighten her that much, and sometimes, she even said that to some, death was the next, big adventure. Now, however, the idea of dying was becoming more and more frightening, and Luna knew why; Woona. Her daughter had become the biggest priority in Luna's life, and the thought that the impending war might separate them on way or another made all the blood drain from Luna's body. As she looked down at the little alicorn, the one she considered her own, Luna felt, for the first time, true fear. She suddenly felt small tears starting to form in her eyes. Giving a loud sniff, Luna then wasted no time in scooping up the filly in her arms, and holding her close, like it was the very last night they would see each other. Silent sobs escaped Luna as she hugged her daughter and stroked her mane with a trembling hand. Woona didn't say anything, but returned the hug. The two stayed like that for several minutes. Then, as if some magical force was driving her, not typical magic, but other-worldly, Luna started to speak again, and her voice was crackly and full of worry.
"Oh, Woona," she sniffled, "I honestly don't know what's coming. People all across Britain are getting hurt and disappearing, both wizards and muggles alike. Voldemort is out there, and he and his Death Eaters are not going to stop until he controls everything. It's more than likely that someday, he will bring the fight to Hogwarts and Dumbledore, and he will try to extinguish every one he finds unworthy to live in his world. I wish I could promise you that nothing will happen to us and that we will always be safe, but I-I can't. I'm sorry."
As she paused for breath, Woona still wasn't talking. It didn't even sound like she was crying. This gave Luna the motivation to calm herself down. She wiped the tears away with her free hand, and cleared her throat before continuing.
"But there is something I can promise you," she said confidently. "If a fight does come to Hogwarts, I will do everything in my power to protect you. I will fight until my limbs are shattered, and then I'll fight even further. As long as there is breath in my lungs, I will not let them get you. I promise." And she meant it too. She was not going to lose Woona to the Death Eaters, magic or no magic.
"I'll pwotect you too," Woona said softly.
Luna was so taken aback that she broke the hug and placed Woona back on her lap. Woona's face shown no signs of tears, but instead, wore a determined expression. Still a little shocked, all Luna could respond with was, "Huh?"
"I'll pwotect you too, Mama!" Woona said again calmly, but sternly. "I can do magic now too, wemember? I'll study even hawder than before, and do my best to learn as many spells as I can. I won't leave you, or Daddy, or anyone else alone." She then placed a hoof on Luna's chest and gave a small, reassuring smile. "It's alwight to be a little afwaid, Mama. I'll be bwave enough for both of us. I pwomise. After all, I'm in Dubbydore's Awmy! And I'm your daughter!"
Maybe it was from the surprise of Woona showing such bravery at the situation, or from her determination to study harder and become a better magical creature, but Luna's fearful nature was slowly drifting away. It was as if someone had poured warm water down her throat and washed out all the anxiety and nervousness, and what replaced it was pride. An ever-growing pride for the little alicorn in front of her. Still so young, and yet, showing more and more maturity every day.
There was no warning of tears this time. Luna's face instantly felt hot with the trickling down her cheeks, but a wide smile was spread across her face. Woona beamed back, and reached upward for another hug. Luna instantly obliged, and the two were once again locked in a loving embrace, this one practically radiating with admiration for one another. Woona's words had spurred a newborn resolution inside Luna as well; a resolution to work even harder herself to protect her daughter.
"You sure are," Luna said happily through her tears. "You're my Woona, and I love you so much!"
"I love you too, Mama!" Woona replied, nuzzling her mother's neck affectionately.
As mother and daughter held each other in the now empty common room, Luna found that the fear for Woona's faith had completely evaporated, and confidence had taken its place. A confidence that maybe, just maybe, the future was looking pretty hopeful after all with her daughter by her side.