The Forbidden Forest

...

Luna is here even though it's forbidden. What a rebel. Anyway, she's feeding the Thestrals because they're her favourite of all the magical creatures, and she feels bad that people don't like them just because they're different.

Caradoc is exploring the forest out of boredom, and is only doing so BECAUSE it is forbidden and probably dangerous. He's wearing a now torn shirt and jeans, and smiles when he sees Luna with some magnificent creatures he immediately recognizes from the books and the first day, drawing the carriages. "They're beautiful," he says softly, carefully approaching Luna and her forest friends.

Luna looks behind her to smile at the familiar voice, still petting the closest Thestral because she's grown rather attached to this one throughout her four previous years at Hogwarts. "They are," she says softly before turning back to Abacus. Luna hopes Dean reads this because she's the only one who gets why Luna named the Thestral this. "You can see them too?" she comments, though with her dreamy nature, it comes out sounding like a question even if she obviously knows the answer.

"Yes, and obviously you can too. They're lovely, though I'm surprised to see you with them. Aren't most people afraid of them?" he asked, stepping forward to lightly pet one.

Luna shrugged. "I think people just don't like them because they're different. Strange. They're quite misunderstood creatures, if you ask me," she says softly as she looks at the thestral adoringly.

"I've said before, I like strange things. They're exciting, and I always need excitement," he said in a soft, soothing tone, so as not to upset the thestrals. "What brings you out here, Luna? I was just looking for something fun and potentially risky, didn't expect to see a girl like you in the forest."

"I like to come out here to feed the thestrals every now and then, considering I haven't seen them all summer. Thestrals are sort of a favourite of mine," she says smiling as she reaches into her bag to pull out some raw meat and feeds it to the thestral in front of her. Yes, she had that in her bag. Don't be hatin'.

"I can see why. They're so beautiful and unique in their own way, and so undamaged by the rest of the world, like a lot of the things that live here, it seems," he said, taking a piece of meat from Luna and tossing it at a baby thestral who quickly tore into it with glee.

Luna smiles approvingly as she watches Rad feed the thestrals. "Exactly," she murmurs as she turns back to the thestral to continue deeding it. "Everyone here is just interested in unicorns and such, but don't get me wrong. I love them too," she says happily because she's a 15 year old girl. Of course she loves unicorns. "I've always wanted to see one up close."

"A unicorn? I could probably work that out, somehow. We met some when I went hiking last summer with my boyfriend at the time. Granted, it was only a young foal, still golden, but still, he was a a beauty," he said with a smile. "Maybe sometime we can look for the unicorns together. I didn't know there were any here until Care of Magical Creatures this morning."

Luna's eyes light up just as much as they would if Hermione were to ever compliment her. "Really!? You saw one!? And we should, that would be fun!" she says excitedly because she would probably die of happy if they found one. "Boyfriend? Huh, I didn't know you were gay as well," she says as she continues petting the thestrals.

Caradoc shrugged. "Yeah, I'm gay. I didn't know you were either, though. Do you have a girlfriend?" he asked, trying to make conversation while he played with the baby thestral, who'd come to trust him after he'd been feeding it for a bit. Awwwehh.

"No," she says with a sigh, though she smiles when she watches how cute the thestral is with Rad. "Never have." Luna is more innocent than a unicorn. Yup. MORE innocent. "What about you? Do you have a boyfriend?"

Rad snorted with laughter, and shook his head. "Commitment and I don't really get along, exactly. Most of my relationships were short lived, though all fun while they lasted, and some of them were open relationships. I'm mostly just in it for the sex," he said quite bluntly. "I've never had a serious relationship or anything, though, and it's a good thing, because none of them have ended badly. I'm still good friends with my first boyfriend, from back when I was fourteen. I promised I'd write to him while I was here," he said with a smile. "Really though, never? I can't imagine why, you're so sweet, and pretty!"

Luna blushes slightly. "Nope. Never." She knows she probably could get a boyfriend if she wasn't so intent on spending all her time with Hermione, the girl who was most likely straight and would never look at Luna the way she looked at her. "Maybe one day, I guess," she said, no longer really paying attention because she's off in Hermione la la land.

Caradoc took one glance at Luna and laughed. "Alright, spill, I know that look you've got on your face. What's her name?" he inquired, chuckling as the baby thestral licked his hand.

"Hm?" She snaps out of her light daze and turns her attention to Caradoc. "Oh! It doesn't matter. Just a silly crush, really."

"Hey, silly crushes are still fun to talk about," he said with a smile, sitting down on top of a hollowed out log, and beckoning for Luna to join him. "Come on, tell me about her, I wanna hear," he encouraged.

Luna hesitates for a moment before walking over and sitting down next to Rad. "Um. She's in Gryffindor. And she's really smart, and nice, and pretty of course. We've been really close friends since I got to Hogwarts. Not like it matters. She's obviously not interested. She's probably not even into girls, to be honest," she says with a sigh. "See? Just a silly crush. It's stupid, really." She forces a small smile to show that she's over it...Which she's obviously not.

Caradoc smiles and drapes an arm around her shoulders. "She sounds wonderful, Luna. Don't be so hard on yourself, and have a little hope. Have you asked her if she likes girls? It's just a genuine question, it wouldn't make her think that you like her, necessarily. Maybe you should just ask her, so you know where you stand," he suggested.

"...Uhh. No thanks." She sighs and leans into Rad because right now he's being sort of comforting so lean into him she will. "I'd just rather not know, to be honest," she mumbles, her mind thinking back to how happy Hermione had been about Viktor being back at school. "It's easier that way."

"Why's that? Don't you want to know if you have a real chance? You never know, maybe she feels the same way, but doesn't know you swing that way either. I've had that happen to me before, and since, I've just been open about my sexuality," he said, rubbing Luna's back soothingly.

Luna sighs. She was open about everything, but Hermione is sort of clueless like that so she doesn't really know considering Luna has never actually been in a relationship, nor does she openly check people out. Ever. "She doesn't feel the same way. I've known her long enough to figure that much out for myself."

"Maybe she would, if she got the hint to open her eyes a little more. Maybe she just hasn't thought about thinking about women before," he suggested. "Some guys I know just never thought to think about other dudes, they just assumed they were straight, until someone came along to help them see themselves a little more clearly. You never know. You should give it a try, I think. What've you got to lose just by asking?"