Disclaimer: This is fanfiction, so no. I don't own Harry Potter :D

Written for the Restricted Section Challenge

Shelf 1: Write a Trio Era fic without including or mentioning Harry, Ron, or Hermione

It isn't supposed to be like this, she thought to herself. She sat at her desk with her head buried in her arms. It was comfortably dark and shielded her from the curious stares of her classmates. She had eagerly awaited the arrival of her Hogwarts letter and when it finally came she thought all her dreams would come true. She'd make friends, get the best grades, impress her teachers, and become the star of her family and not just because she was the only girl. She, Ginny Weasley, would prove that she did not need to be coddled.

But somewhere along the line, it fell apart. Instead of being the incredible adventure she always imagined, her first year became a nightmare. Waking up with blood on her hands and robes covered in white feathers. Hazy memories of dipping her hand into thick, warm liquid and lifting it to write words on the wall. The echo of water as it dripped from the ceiling to dark stone floors. The sound of scales making its way across a dimly lit chamber. An unintelligible command hissed from her lips. Kill.

It's all Tom's fault. Tears welled up in the young girl's eyes and she squeezed them shut, trying to hold them back in vain. Tom had been her first friend. She told him all of her secrets, her dreams, ambitions, and fears. When she began to suspect him of causing her blackouts and the lapses in her memory…she sometimes had trouble sorting out the tangle of emotions now. But chief among them was betrayal and guilt. Betrayed because she trusted him and guilt because she didn't trust him enough.

In the end, her conflicted emotions had resulted in the petrification of her schoolmates and her own imminent demise. Fortunately (for her), that incident had a happy ending. Everyone was safe and healthy once more and no one knew what really happened. So, why? Why couldn't she forget what happened? Why couldn't she be happy? And why, why did she feel each of her classmates' eyes piercing through her shield?

Ginny wanted to slip away where their judgment couldn't follow her. Her heart ached for the weathered pages of her first friend. He would know how to deal with her current dilemma. He'd have comforting words, friendly advice, and would be able to safely change the topic so that she could focus on more enjoyable things. She wouldn't feel so alone. There would always be a steady presence beside her when she carried Tom's diary.

Guilt flooded her once more only this was different from the previous year.

She stiffened when she felt a comforting presence somewhere to her right, her backpack lay on her right. Before she could lift her head though, a seat pulled out and she relaxed. It wasn't him. He couldn't sit next to her.

"You have a terrible infestation, you know?" a girl's voice chimed from the presence. "There are wrackspurts buzzing all around you."

Ginny's face scrunched in confusion and she raised her head to the speaker with a final sniff. Dirty blonde hair, large grey eyes, and dirigible plums made into earrings. Ginny remembered her very well. Luna Lovegood was her closest magical neighbor. She had spent a summer with the strange girl and her equally strange father after her mother died three years ago. Ginny rubbed her eye and met her classmate's eyes. "I'm sorry but what are wrackspurts?"

Lovegood aimed a bright smile at her and her eyes which usually seemed faraway focused on her. "They're invisible creatures that fly all around. Most of the time they're harmless but they do have a tendency to cause confusion."

"Oh." Ginny had never heard of the creatures and she didn't necessarily believe the other girl either but she couldn't deny that she was, in fact, very confused. "How do you suppose I get rid of them?"

"I've found that the best way is to live in the moment," Luna responded breezily. "The past happened already and there's no point in lingering over it. Once you do that, you can feel comfortable with yourself and the wrackspurts lose interest."

"That sounds hard."

"It is, but it's the best thing you can do for yourself." Luna hummed a little ditty as she took out her supplies for study hall and began to work on an essay. Ginny looked down at her own blank parchment and then snatched up her quill and dipped it into the inkpot. She had a transfiguration paper to write after all and it wouldn't be completed if she didn't start. Several minutes passed with just the scratching of quills against parchment and the shuffling of pages all around them. Ginny spent this time studying the girl next to her and decided that she probably didn't have any ulterior motives.

Ginny took a deep breath. It wasn't easy to let go of her past experiences. The last time she had confided in anyone, she had almost died. "People are always staring at me. They blame me for all those people who wound up in the Hospital Wing," Ginny murmured.

Luna was silent and Ginny was certain the other girl hadn't heard. But, she thought to herself, that's for the best. There's no reason to bother her with my problems. We don't know each other, really. She returned her attention to her essay.

"No one blames you for anything." Luna swept her eyes slowly across the Great Hall, taking in the darting eyes of their respective housemates. They were indeed looking at the pair. She supposed that they would look odd sitting next to each other. Oh well. "And they're looking because they're curious."

Ginny started and glanced up at Luna. "What are they curious about?"

"You, I imagine. Not many people pay attention to me anymore. They already know who I am."

"Who are you?"

"I'm the only person I can be. Myself."

And, with sudden clarity, Ginny understood. Luna Lovegood didn't define herself by her past experiences because she was more than that. She was her past and her present. Distant, dotty, and dreamy. Surprisingly wise. Accepting. And Ginny suspected that she could see far more than anyone she'd ever met. Altogether, Luna Lovegood was herself and she didn't need anyone else to acknowledge her for that.

Luna met Ginny's gaze and smiled dreamily. "Look at that, they're already starting to go away."

Ginny smiled brightly at her new friend. "They're probably bothering other people now."

"Yes," Luna agreed with a nod, "but they'll move on eventually. They always do."