The first rays of sunshine gently kissed her sweet dreams away. With a smile, she opened her eyes, her fingers brushing softly over her cheek, where the vivid memory of her dream still seemed to linger.

  Then, she stepped quietly to the slightly ajar window to fling it wide open. It was a day in the middle of time. Above her stretched a radiant blue sky, lined with thick, white fleecy clouds that drifted zily over the vast ndscape. As a child, she had always imagined sitting atop one of those clouds, drifting across the nds and watching the cities and people from above...

  For a while, she indulged in these thoughts before quietly slipping out into the small bathroom.

  "You’re awake early," Menie mumbled, still half-asleep, as she spotted Luna.

  "I'm sorry, Mel, I didn't mean to wake you."

  "It’s fine," the other replied with a dismissive wave of her hand, turning back over on her comfortable, magically enrged sofa to continue sleeping.

  Luna was still wearing her dress from the day before; she had been far too tired when they arrived at the castle yesterday. And so, she had fallen into the nd of dreams while lying on the bed in her dress.

  Carefully, she ran a bath of pleasantly lukewarm water, then grabbed a few of the ornate gss vials standing on the small sideboard. She chose an intense rose scent this time before slowly sliding into the tub.The morning was already well advanced by the time both were comfortably sipping their coffee, which was, of course, mixed with plenty of milk and sugar.Luna smiled dreamily to herself.

  "You’ve been smiling this whole time. Won’t you tell me what’s making you so happy?", Menie asked, her curiosity pulling Luna from her daydream.

  A soft blush spread across Luna's face. She hesitated for a moment before she began to speak. "Well, I had a very strange dream during the night. I was with a boy whose face remained hidden from me. We were standing in the middle of a meadow of flowers, where he drew me close and whispered a kiss onto my cheek," her gaze wandered thoughtfully toward the window.

  "Strange indeed. A pity you couldn't recognize his face," Menie chuckled to herself.

  The midday sun stood high in the firmament, and the two of them had made themselves comfortable on a bnket down by the ke. Menie was absorbed in a romance novel, while Luna, armed with her new wand and sewing kit, set to work on a simple summer blouse. Resting open before her was Menie’s fashion magazine: 'Fashion for the Modern Witch of Today', the instructions of which she followed closely...

  Across the wide nd, deep within a forest, inside that half-dipidated hut, he y upon an old and dusty bed, watching the py of light and shadow that the sunbeams, falling through the small, grimy window, painted upon the walls.

  Now and then, his hands glided cautiously over the ancient runes that were carved into the wood on the wall above the bed. They were protective symbols - old and powerful. A slight tingling sensation pulsed through his fingertips with every touch. Whether they originated from his grandfather or from long before, Tom could not say.Slowly, he rose. It was now up to him to bring a modicum of order and cleanliness to the hut...

  It was early evening, and the sun still flooded the corridors of the castle when Menie and Luna had returned from the ke.Menie made herself comfortable again on the sofa with an ice cold peach nectar and a book. Luna, meanwhile, stood in her bedchamber; with her arms stretched out, she held one of her dresses, which they had only bought yesterday, in front of her. It was that dream of aquamarine-blue tulle. It was, like almost all dresses in this time, floor-length and had short, subtly puffed sleeves.

  Carefully, she id the dress on the bed and gently stroked the gossamer fabric. A smile stole onto her lips at the thought that this dress would now belong to her alone. She picked it up again and held it close to her. With a gaze far away, she fell back through time, into those st moments when she and her father were so happy at the wedding of Bill and Fleur...

  As if in a dream, she began to dance, clutching her dress tightly, she danced through the entire room until she arrived in the living room, where Menie watched her silently and with a smirk...

  "Why don't you put it on just once!", Luna was once again pulled from her daydream.

  "Do you think... do you really think that’s alright?", Luna replied uncertainly.

  "But of course! Why ever not. After all, it's the holidays and we're pretty much alone here... except for Headmaster Dippet, of course. But I don't think he would mind at all," her voice sounded slightly amused.

  Still uncertain, Luna looked down at herself before nodding with a joyful smile and running back into her room. Only to return a moment ter in the tulle dream.

  And once again, Menie was quite amazed; just like the day before, the dress clung perfectly to her body as if it had been made only for her.

  "Come!", she called to her, moving to the small dresser next to the window. From one of the drawers, she pulled out a silver hairbrush with soft bristles and began to gently run it through Luna's long hair.

  Luna enjoyed this affectionate gesture with closed eyes. And once more, it truly felt as if they were sisters.

  "There, and then we’ll very carefully pin the little silver clip into one side of your hair, and the masterpiece is finished."

  When Luna opened her eyes again and looked into the mirror above the dresser, she was overjoyed.

  "May I go down to the Hufflepuff rooms?", Luna looked pleadingly at her 'sister.'

  "Certainly. But please don't stay too long. There is no need for you to wander through the vast castle alone in the dark."

  With a broad smile, Luna nodded. "But I still need shoes for the dress?"

  "Wait, we’ll have that in a moment," Menie quickly rummaged through the living room cabinet and pulled out a pair of simple but pretty looking white ballet fts.

  "Please, show me your foot. Otherwise, I won't know if I have to magically alter them."

  Luna did as she was told and stretched out her foot.

  "Perfect! I only have to shrink them a tiny bit," which she did immediately with a flick of her wand. So that Luna could slip into them without any trouble.

  "And?", Menie asked her questioningly.

  "Fits like a glove!", Luna beamed all over her face.

  Then, without any warning, she pulled Menie into a tight embrace and gave her a sisterly kiss on the cheek.

  "I have no words to tell you how infinitely grateful I am to you. You have done so much to give me not just a roof over my head and clothes here in this time that is so foreign to me. But also to make me forget the darkness...", Luna paused, for she had no more words.

  She knew she could never give back what she had received in equal measure.

  The words moved Menie deeply; she reached out her hand and gently touched Luna’s cheek.

  "What I did is simply human. And every single person on this earth should help when someone is in need...", the rest she left unspoken, for no further words were necessary. She felt a deep affection for this girl. And come what may, she would help her again and again.

  "Go on now. Otherwise, the sun will have set before you’ve even started."

  Luna nodded silently and ran to the door. Before stepping out into the vast corridors of the castle, she turned once more and gave her Mel a look filled with so much love that Menie had to swallow hard. The girl was truly attached to her. Which was more than understandable.

  The evening sun bathed the hallways in a dreamy light, while light footsteps echoed against the walls.With the skirt of her dress gathered up, Luna skipped through the corridors and across the stairs, lost in thought and humming a song to herself, until after a while she reached the basement where the Hufflepuff quarters were located.Quickly, she tapped a specific rhythm onto the barrels that blocked the way to the common room. Then, one of the barrels opened, revealing a passageway.

  In bright and warm shades of yellow, the common room y before her — literally inviting her to linger. For a silent moment, she sat down on one of the soft sofas. She had everything here all to herself now...Her gaze drifted around, from the empty firepce to the paintings and strange pnts that hung partly from the ceiling, shimmering in all the colors of the rainbow.

  Luna jumped up and, just like st time, ran to a singing pnt. Carefully, she stretched out a finger and very gently tickled its fine little leaves. This drew an almost ughing sound from the pnt. Yet another pnt swayed rhythmically back and forth, as if it were dancing, drawing a crystal-clear ugh from Luna.Then she headed purposefully toward the girls' dormitories. This room had enchanted her the most. A rge round window offered an indescribable view of the ke. The four-poster beds, with their soft light bnkets and wafer-thin, pale yellow tulle curtains tied with thin golden cords, looked beautiful. Here, too, her hands traced the delicate fabric.

  Then she sat down on the cushioned bench by the window. Her gaze wandered to the ke - capturing this sight within her for eternity. The sun sank lower and lower and would soon bid its farewell behind the dark treetops of the Forbidden Forest... slowly she stood up and walked back through the common room into the now almost dark corridors, which were lit by the glow of many torches on the walls.Lingering in one of her daydreams, she began to dance, just as she had on that day with her father at Fleur’s wedding. She spun around her own axis with her eyes closed - the image of her father before her. Her hands waved back and forth as she moved...

  Suddenly, fingertips were pced very gently upon hers - intertwining cautiously with her fingers...

  Startled, she opened her eyes - stopping dead in the middle of her strange dance movements...Before her stood a tall boy, only a little older than herself. His midnight-bck hair framed his symmetrical features. His eyes, as dark as a storm-swept sky, looked at her without any emotion...His long, slender fingers were still intertwined with hers.

  "What a strange girl," the thought crossed his mind. He had only recently Apparated into the Forbidden Forest back to the only home he had ever had. He had been about to walk toward the kitchens located in this part of the castle when suddenly this peculiar girl, dancing with closed eyes and waving her hands about, came toward him.

  He couldn't even say why, but out of an impulse, he had pced his fingers upon hers in the middle of her dance, which inevitably made her stop...

  Eyes as bright as two aquamarines looked at him in fright. Her blonde hair reached far past her waist. Her small face was beautiful, and no word would leave her mouth...Gently, he released his warm fingers from hers. "Please forgive me, I did not mean to startle you," his words sounded polite.With a quick nod toward Luna, he turned away and continued his way to the kitchens.

  For a while, Luna watched him silently until he had vanished into the shadows of the corridors.The quill of time was carving a new path... writing a new - a different story....