Chasing a Starlight [Eden/Bodi]

[Bodi Lovegood]

Although he was on the mellow side of Virgo, Bodi had spent the past 10 minutes ensuring the corners of his most favorite belted plaid sat perfectly symmetrical upon the velvet Welsh grass. Likewise, he checked his thermos of adult hot chocolate at least half a dozen times (it was still pipping hot) and whispered sweet nothings to Dogwood, who was performing his Lumos work admirably atop the racer's staked broom. All the space needed now was Eden, and Bodi Lovegood would have near everything he held dear in this one little vignette.

Lovegood sat back on his heels and gazed up. The Milky Way always looked most mighty on nights like this and cast a heavenly glow that eased even the most troubled of minds. Bodi wondered if Eden's mind was troubled. Upon returning from his month-long "nap" in the Forbidden Forest, and following his mad dash statement to Alex Kameren at the Ministry, Bodi sought Eden out in the usual places they found each other to no avail. A dull ache quickly formed in his heart when the hours of her silence stretched to days and her special light was missing from the journey of his thoughts. Finally, when he could not take her absence any more, he sent her an owl with the carefully-scrawled caps: DEAR THESTRAL, I LOVE YOU. FROM UNICORN. He was thankful he had a friend he could say that to without it getting weird. He was also thankful that Eden replied - in her uniquely special way.

Bodi knew Eden's gift to be miraculous one and one that bore her many unspeakable scars. Still, she carried her role as a seer with courage, and while he did not have an equal talent in seeing or healing, he could offer her a shoulder and nights where they did nothing but lie in the grass and chase a starlight.

[Eden Fletcher]

Eden Fletcher was a wreck. 17 years of silence had softened her. Had lured her into a day dream that she was normal, that now that she had reached magical maturity she was never going to have another vision again. The day dream had been shattered on the night of the returned when she'd had what seemed like 17 years of visions in one night. Eden had thought that maybe after that one flood of power she would get a break. The first few weeks after the return of her powers she was fine. She began to hope that her powers wouldn't impact her life in such a big way. Would not debilitate her like Max's did to him. Wrong again. Slowly, Eden's power took over her life. A glimpse here, a flash there. Nothing that she needed to record. Then bam! The floodgates opened and she was sucked under, waking up in the middle of the night to find that she wasn't in her bed anymore. Hundreds of images of runes scattered on the floor. It seemed like her power was flooding through her making up for lost time. It hadn't been this bad when she'd been a child. As a kid she'd long months without a vision. She also hadn't blacked out nearly as much. Now it seemed that she was having visions on a weekly basis. It was like the brief time before the first demon attack when she had fought to keep the visions at bay.

Eden was freaking out. One minute she would be focusing on her current painting and then she'd come to hours later with drawings she didn't remember creating. After the incident in the kitchen where she drew on every available surface, Eden had started tacking butcher paper to the walls of her bedroom and studio. She was beginning to fear holding a quill just in case a ready instrument caused the visions to come forth. She had taken to running to exhaust herself to make sure she was so tired she didn't dream. She was having nightmares of the images she had seen, flashbacks of the glimpses of future on repeat in her head whenever she closed her eyes.

She stopped leaving the house as much, afraid that she would go into a trance while in the checkout line at the grocery store. She was also a bit moody and didn't want to accidentally shoot acid at anyone. In an attempt to keep the extent of her condition from Max, Eden had taken to spending a lot of her time at her studio. Alone, on the edge of Hogsmeade she was safe from everyone else and them from her. She was out in the wood near her studio when she got the owl from Bodi. Eden had been in a patch of trees, crying when the letter plopped down on her head. She scowled at the tail feather's of the owl as it flew away. Eden opened the note and laughed.

Bodi Lovegood had impeccable timing. Eden felt a little better as she stared at the missive. She felt his love for her wash away the pain she had felt. Eden grabbed the quick and ink she usually kept in her bag, a fresh piece of parchment and had penned a reply in her loopy cursive. DEAR UNICORN, YOU MAKE THIS WILD BEAST'S HEART SING. LETS RUN WILD, LOVE YOU ALWAYS THESTRAL. She carefuly drew a thumb sized sketch of a thestral wrapping it's wings in a hug around a unicorn.

She posted the missive as soon as she made it back to Hogsmeade.

Wales was a wild, lovely magical place. She had popped into view at the base of their stargazing hill. Eden grinned as she spotted dogwood lighting the way, a beacon in the dark. Quickly, Eden climbed the hill and plopped down besides her friend on the plaid. The tins in her shoulder bag clinking as she sat down.

"Hello love," She said as she too leaned back on her elbows to stare at the sky, her hair a tangled mess around her head.

"See anything good?" Eden asked, trying to spot a constellation in the sky.

[Bodi Lovegood]

"Nothing more beautiful than you, darling," Bodi said, as he wrapped his limbs around Eden to give her his trademark starfish hug. Again, there were few people he could do this with and he used the moment to reassure himself that, at least in the flesh, Eden was alright. "BUT...I did spy Cygnus, a Muggly satellite and what I'm sure was the scary end of a Hag Stag. I heard their cackles clear across to Conwy. Merlin, I've missed you. I brought us treats!" Bodi clambered for his rucksack, pulling out a bag of soft molasses cookies and pouring two healthy mugs of something much stronger from his thermos.

"You wanted to run wild," he smiled, offering Eden her drink. "I'll be honest, this is probably as wild as I get." Bodi watched his friend above the top of his mug, taking in every centimetre of Eden's face and looking for a sign. He couldn't shake the feeling that all was not well with this dear spirit but he didn't want to start an inquisition so soon after she had arrived. He wasn't even sure he should bring it up at all. Instead, he pulled out another blanket, offered his shoulder to her as a pillow, and lay back.

"Dogwood," Bodi patted his side. The wand eagerly extinguished it's light and hovered down to nestle in between the friends. Dogwood adored Eden and would eventually end up in her lap.

"Let me know if he starts to snore."

[Eden Fletcher]

Eden snuggled into the embrace, resting her head on Bodi's shoulder. She felt safe in Bodi's hold and tension that she hadn't realized she'd been holding in released. Eden could let go of everything in Bodi's presence. Something that she couldn't do with Max for fear he'd be overwhelmed by her emotions. It was a blessing to be with someone who didn't have empathy.

BUT...I did spy Cygnus, a Muggly satellite and what I'm sure was the scary end of a Hag Stag. I heard their cackles clear across to Conwy. Merlin, I've missed you. I brought us treats!"

Eden shifted as Bodi bounded up for the drinks. She sat up reaching for her own bag to pull out the tin of biscuits. "I've missed you too darling. I brought double chocolate biscuits from that muggle bakery by my house. I could live off these and french bread. Eden put the box between them and took the offered cup of adult hot chocolate.

Eden inhaled the sweet aroma before taking a sip, her eyes closing as she savored the rich warmth.


"You wanted to run wild," he smiled, offering Eden her drink. "I'll be honest, this is probably as wild as I get."

"I dunno, there is something wickedly daring about drinking chocoholic beverages in the middle of the night in the middle of no where. Maybe the hags will come back and try to rope us into their antics. Could be an adventurous night," Eden teased as she settled back down, her head on his shoulder.


"Let me know if he starts to snore."

"His snoring never really bothered me anyways," Eden said as she stroked the wand.

"I'm having visions again," Eden said letting the words hang between them. It had been 17 years since she last had a vision.

[Bodi Lovegood]

Bodi released a heavy, solemn sigh and quickly grabbed for Eden's hand beneath the covers, squeezing hard. Merlin, why wasn't he there for her. He could tell that something very dark bordered on her horizon but this...the visions...it was something entirely different. He hadn't known Eden when her gift erupted almost two decades earlier, however he saw the aftermath and the emotional scars it left on this dearest light. She barely survived the first onslaught and he feared the next would be much worse.

"Eden, when?" Bodi inched closer, wrapping his arms around the woman and pulling her close, so that every inch of his love would find her. Eden was the very opposite of weak but in this moment, she felt the smallest she had ever been in his arms and it alarmed him. He planted a warm kiss upon her head.

"I'm so sorry. I should've realized. My absence..." Bodi didn't wish to suffocate the artist and yet he found it difficult to let her too far from his grasp. He wanted to protect her and to comfort her, but he also understood the sad reality that all he could offer was to pick up the pieces. She was an angel and he was an ordinary man.