The eerie voices - carried by wind and night - ceased with the breaking of day. At some point, Luna had quietly crept back into the room shared by her and Menie to find a little more sleep.

  The sun stood high in the celestial firmament, and a gentle warmth touched the nd. Around the small table, the little group took their te breakfast.

  Tom and Luna had decided, for the time being, not to say anything about the voices of the night. After all, they were not sure if it had not been a deception of wind and rain. And besides, they did not want to ruin the lighthearted mood with any conjectures.

  Luna sipped her coffee silently, just like Tom. She wasn't really hungry and, after a while, settled into the grass, where she watched a few butterflies dancing around the small wildflowers. Tom had remained at the table, reading a newspaper Dippet had handed him. Menie, sitting opposite Tom, watched him intently. Somehow she had the feeling that something had happened again during the night. She just didn't know what. The two were behaving strangely, but a quarrel did not seem to be the problem. She shook her head inwardly; she simply couldn't make sense of those two.

  The Director looked rexed into the blue of the sky, which was fringed with occasional clouds. Suddenly he leapt up so frantically that even Tom, surprised, let his newspaper sink.

  "OH NO! Merlin, please not now!", he excimed, trying to sprint toward the tent as fast as he could.

  Tom and Menie didn't even know what was happening when suddenly a small screech owl flew past them in a dive—straight toward the Director.....

  Dippet was fast..... but not fast enough; even before he could close the entrance to the tent behind him, the bird was already inside.A loud squawking could be heard before the Director came out again, swinging a newspaper - the bird in tow.

  Now Luna also became aware of the grotesque scene unfolding before her. Dippet waved the newspaper wildly, while the bird, for its part, pecked at the Director. Luna couldn't help but burst out ughing, just like Menie.

  "Oh, just give it here," Dippet gave in. As if at the push of a button, the small owl paused, hovering in the air, and suggestively held out its leg, where a small scroll was attached.

  Quickly the Director took it and unfurled the message. The bird, however, pecked at Dippet's head one st time as a farewell.

  "Just you wait, you cursed little beast!", he shouted after the fleeing animal.

  "Who is the message from?", Menie asked curiously.

  The Director made a dismissive hand gesture. "Oh, it's Professor Dumbledore again. Our Transfiguration teacher," Dippet snapped.

  "He requests that we return to the castle immediately. There is supposedly a very urgent matter. Brilliant as he is, he nevertheless sees a Dark Wizard lurking behind every dark corner, wanting to finish off the wizarding world. And in 100 cases, he is wrong 90 times. It's a misery with him. Sometimes I'd like to tie him to a broom that flies straight into outer space," he cried, rubbing the spot on his head where the bird had pecked.

  "But even more nerve-wracking than he himself is his cursed bird! It's enough to make you tear your hair out with those two," he ended his frustrated tirade.

  The Heir of Slytherin had to agree with him on every point this time. Dumbledore was someone who y in wait for you wherever he could to spoil everything, it went through his mind.

  Menie snorted loudly at the Director's words. And Luna had jumped up and whispered into Tom's ear whether he wouldn't like to go with her a little into the thicket of the forest where they would be undisturbed....He agreed gratefully. And so both ran off.

  "But not too far into the forest, who knows what's lurking around there!", Menie snapped after the two.

  "Come and catch me. If you catch me, you can do whatever you want!" rang out the bell-like ughter of Luna, who ran back and forth between the trees as fast as the wind.

  "And if I win, I get to wish for whatever I want.... even that you renounce the Dark Arts!""Dream on, Moon!", Tom called out and hurried after her like lightning itself.

  It didn't take long before he had caught up with her and thrown her to the ground. He y over her, his breath racing.

  "And now?", he breathed softly. "I get to do with you whatever I want...", and already his sensual lips, which seemed made for kissing, were upon hers - drawing her into a kiss that was meant to kiss the child out of her soul.

  Hastily he stripped off her clothes. His mouth traveled gently down her neck, and his hands pyed around her soft curves - touching her most sensitive spots.

  A loud cracking in the undergrowth made them both look up, armed. Only a short distance away in a bush, a small deer had been startled and leaped through the thicket deeper into the forest. Luna had to ugh briefly before Tom drew her into a kiss again...

  When he too divested himself of his clothes, Luna skillfully wrapped her legs around his pelvis and pulled him down to her, his hands to the right and left of her face, his eyes as always a storm-tossed sky, like an elemental force devouring the nd beneath it. His movements were hard and deep, so that she began to moan softly. Before that sound too ebbed away as his lips covered hers again....

  Hot - feverish - as if their bodies wanted to merge for eternity.

  Evening had fallen, and with it, the night. It had been decided to spend one more night here.

  The small group sat as usual in the glow of the floating candles in front of the tent. With a few snacks and cool raspberry juice, they had made themselves comfortable with one of the countless card games the Director carried with him.

  Midnight. Whispered the world, as it sang its eternal song of ancient magic and beings of long-gone days.The midnight forest y there silently - dipping everything into deep dreams.

  "Actually, the winner should get a small gift every time," Menie called out to the group, as she had now won for the third time in a row.

  "Hmmm.... a good idea," the Director decided. With a flick of his wand, a small box with a pink bow floated out of nowhere before the eyes of the young witch.

  Quickly Menie grabbed it and opened it rapidly. Silver earrings in the shape of a witch's broom appeared, adorned with a small purple stone.

  "Oh, how pretty!", Luna breathed dreamily. "I would like some like those too. Can't we py a few more rounds?"

  With a bright ugh, Dippet waved his wand again, and before Luna's eyes, another small box floated, but this time with a red bow.

  "Go on, open it!", Menie cried excitedly.

  Quickly her delicate hands pushed the bow aside and opened the box. Silver earrings also appeared, in the shape of a rose, adorned with many small deep red stones.

  "Red roses for the lovers!", Dippet chuckled mischievously.

  "They are wonder - wonderful," Luna said, putting the earrings on immediately.

  Tom had to admit that the old codger didn't hold back when it came to their little excursion. He was trying more than hard. What was the other old codger doing in the castle? It went through his head with a malicious smile. He was surely annoyed that Dippet hadn't followed his request and was scolding his brazen bird. A ugh escaped him as he imagined Dumbledore arguing with his bird while the feathered creature fluttered around his head, trying to pull his hair out with its beak.

  An icy gust of wind suddenly blew out the candles - plunging everything into the bckness of the night. Around them, all the sounds of the forest died away - just as if even the night itself were holding its breath.

  Something felt all too familiar to Tom. His hand moved toward his wand as if by its own accord.

  "Now, that's odd! My weather sphere didn't forecast any bad weather at all," Dippet mused to himself, while the Heir of Slytherin merely rolled his eyes. Sometimes the old man was truly useless.

  A faint whispering echoed from the trees. Now, all at once, Menie also became aware of the threat lingering in the air. She, too, reached frantically for her wand.

  The wind pressed harder and harder - carrying unholy voices across the forest and the nd once more....

  "What by Merlin is that!", Dippet gasped as Luna suddenly raised her arm and pointed into the swirling darkness...

  "Look," she whispered.

  Only a short distance from their camp, something even darker rose out of the shadows....