Luna Lovegood's Diary

As a warning to all uninvited readers, I would like to inform you that if you so much as open this volume without permission, you will receive a rather nasty curse that will cause every single nargle in a ten kilometer radius to suddenly decide to occupy your sock drawer.

August First

The day of Bill and Fleur's wedding. Something is going to go wrong.

Daddy thinks I'm being ridiculous. Ginny thinks I'm being overly pessimistic. Hermione Granger thinks I need to get a grip on reality.

Well, I got news for you, Hermione. Reality is boring.

And seriously – Voldemort is on the loose, all the Death Eaters are free, and the battle at Hogwarts two months ago has just made it even clearer that the war is already started, whether we want to believe it or not. We've been lucky to have made it this far into the summer without anything big. Before, they were concentrating on getting Harry Potter. Now that he's of age and has escaped, for the moment, they're plotting. They have a plan, and when it hits, it will be bad.

But today, today seems to be the last bright day for a while. One speck of shining hope and joy in a world that is steadily careening into darkness. I'm just so worried that somehow, it'll be ruined.

So I made Daddy wear sun colors, for luck, and I stuffed my pockets full of Gurdyroots. I'm wearing Mum's lucky earrings and I'm carrying a Sneakoscope up my sleeve. Even though I know that all these small measures won't do a thing, I feel better.

Now I'm sitting at our scarred kitchen table, secretly eating a Brown Sugar and Cinnamon Pop-Tart. I snagged about twenty five boxes the last time I was in Ottery St. Catchpole, and I've been hiding them from Daddy all summer. He doesn't approve of Muggle food. I think he's crazy – Muggle's can't do much right, but the Pop-Tarts are certainly one of their few successes. Reese's Peanut Butter Cups are pretty good too – there's just something relieving about knowing that your candy won't explode, or burn a hole in your tongue, or jump out a window...

Oops – I hear Dad coming downstairs now. Gotta run!

Later

I can't believe it – SO MUCH happened today.

The wedding – right. As soon as Daddy and I had flown from our house to the Weasley's (I simply cannot wait until I learn to Apparate) I really felt better. They have a simply gorgeous garden. And the gnomes are such clever little beasts. I was bitten a few times, of course, but it was well worth it for the opportunity to observe them in their natural habitat.

And it was nice seeing all of my friends again. I can see Ginny fairly often, because she lives so close, but I also saw Harry Potter, disguised of course, and Hermione Granger. Ron made her dance for SO long, I thought she was going to just run away. But nothing like that happened – she must really like him. I danced on my own for a while because everyone else was busy, but then I just sat down and watched everyone. I talked to Hagrid for quite a bit – he seemed very fascinated by Crumple-Horned Snorkacks, and it was informative to hear more about the Blast-Ended Skrewts. They seemed much more interesting when I wasn't being attacked by them every Care of Magical Creatures lesson.

So I was really enjoying that when a Patronus came bounding in, hissing a warning that the Ministry had fallen. As if nobody had seen that coming! I have to admit that I was really hoping that we would be safe, that even though horrible things were happening everywhere else, the joy of this day would protect against the darkness. No such luck, of course. Everyone went frantic, and I was pushing through the crowd to find Daddy when it began to feel as if a small animal was having a seizure somewhere in the region of my elbow. I paused, and was nearly run over by Ron. As soon as I realized that it was only my Sneakoscope, Daddy grabbed me and took me home by Side-Along Apparition. It felt as though I was being strangled by a noodle.

And here we are! Somehow writing everything down made it easier to understand. I think I'll be spending a lot of time with Ginny from now on – it's only a quick broom ride, and now that there's so much more information for Daddy to be investigating, I have the feeling that it's going to be very busy at home.

September First

Back to school yet again. Whoopee.

That is what Daddy calls my sarcastic nature. Hardly anyone sees that side of me, only Daddy and Mum, before she died. Neville sees a bit of it too, but he doesn't usually understand it, hopeless boy that he is.

To be honest, I really did debate whether I should bring this journal at all, because I haven't even written in it for at least a month. But it was a birthday present from Daddy, and it does help to write things down when something big happens. I wouldn't want to forget all these special events when I'm senile and eighty, would I? Although the chances of me living until I'm eighty are pretty slim, what with this war and whatnot...

Moving on from the deep and depressing, I would now like to inform this notebook that I absolutely loathe going back to school. I love Hogwarts, and learning, and the food is terrific (although they never serve Pop-Tarts). But everyone besides Ginny and Neville makes fun of me, and with all the new creepy teachers, I have the feeling that this year is going to be difficult, to say the least.

So I got on the train and started looking for a compartment. Eventually I saw Neville sitting with his toad Trevor in his lap and his mimbulus mimbletonia in the seat next to him. Everything was dripping in Stinksap. Incidentally, the goo does clear up acne quite nicely, and I told him so, but I don't think it made him feel any better. Neville did look fairly pleased to see me, though. I hadn't seen him since June.

"Hey, Luna." he said. "Have a good summer?"

"Not bad." I said, smiling inside. "We went Snorkack hunting in Sweden." We didn't, of course, but it's always fun to see people's reactions when I mention things like that. They try to cover up the fact that they think I'm crazy.

I was not disappointed. "Ah. How nice." Neville said diplomatically, and hastily launched into a monologue about the Chudley Cannons' abysmal performance this year, very obviously trying not to laugh.

Boys. But at least I wasn't the only one who got some amusement out of it...

After that, we lapsed into silence for a while until I saw him glaring with unbrindled ferocity at todays edition of the Daily Prophet. The paper is often junk, but I didn't think it merited that kind of hatred.

Until I saw the headline.

"Snape headmaster?" I gasped in horror. "They can't – THEY JUST CAN'T!"

"They did." Neville said bitterly.

"But he's a murderer! And a traitor! HE KILLED DUMBLEDORE!"

At that exact moment, Ginny poked her head into our compartment, the infamous Weasley blush reaching from her neck all the way past her hairline. "Did you hear?" she said, her hazel eyes glinting in fury. "Snape's -"

"Headmaster." Neville finished darkly. "We know."

She sat down next to me with a loud thump. "Well, we can't let them get away with it."

"Huh?" I asked.

"I have a plan." Her eyes were still glinting, but with mischief rather than rage now.

Neville seemed to be catching on. "Are you thinking what I'm thinking?"

Ginny rolled her eyes. "Well, how would I know? I'm not a Legilimens, for Merlin's sake."

And then it hit me in a flash. Exactly what I had been longing for all last year, and now it was within my grasp. "Dumbledore's Army..." I breathed hopefully.

"Still recruiting." agreed Neville.

Ginny beamed. "I knew you two would be up for it. The one catch is, Harry, Ron, and Hermione are off on some crazy Voldemort killing job for Dumbledore."

"So we'll have to organize it." Neville finished.

"I'm up for the challenge." I declared.

Ginny grinned. "Mission One: Bother Snape."

"This should be fun." I said dreamily.

"As long as we escape from him with all our limbs attached." added Neville cynically.

"Ah, well, there is that." Ginny said. "But who really needs ten toes?"

We kept talking and planning for the rest of the trip. Once we reached the castle, Ginny slipped away to ride in a carriage with her other friends and Neville and I just sat in silence the rest of the way. The Sorting Hat sung more of the same. Stick together, find unity, learn to discard hatred in order to remain victorious. Yadda, yadda, yadda. Like some of those Slytherin Death Eaters To Be really wanted to become best pals with the Gryffindors.

Dinner was good, and I had three helpings of apple crisp. I wish I had more friends within my house, but nearly everyone I get along with is in Gryffindor. I talked to a few fifth years, but none of them really had a good sense of humor. Or an open mind – one girl spent twenty minutes arguing about how nargles don't exist. We'll see how she feels when some of them come out of the mistletoe and attack her...

So then we went up to our dorm. It was so nice to be here, back in my blue four poster bed. All the other girls are gossiping about useless stuff, so I decided to write for a bit. But now I'm so tired that my handwriting is going all crooked, so I'm going to stop.

September Second

Well! The first day of classes certainly was interesting, to say the least. I had Potions first, with Slughorn. I'm not brilliant at it or anything, but I did get an E on my OWL. He said my Draught of Living Death was quite good, although it didn't win the prize. Thankfully, he didn't notice that part of it had curdled into a sort of dumpling caked to the bottom of my cauldron. Thank goodness for cleaning spells, or I would've been there for hours.

Then Divination, junk as always, and after that was Transfiguration. I simply adore transfiguration. I got an Outstanding on it in my OWLs, and McGonagall gave us some positively tricky spells to learn. I had mine nearly perfect by the end of class. I may not be as brilliant as Miss Granger, but I'm in Ravenclaw for a reason.

And then it was Muggle Studies. I had never taken it before, but the new administration (the evil one) had made it compulsory. One of the Carrows (I seriously can't tell them apart) was teaching, and she (at least I think it was a she) spent the whole time ranting about how Muggles were evil, foul, mindless beasts. Ginny was pretty much just ignoring her, but some of the Slytherins really were getting into it. And then I had an idea...

I stood up, feeling a bit nervous, and raised my hand.

"If we give them the slightest chance, they'll sneak into our houses and murder us in our sleep! We need to punish them like a farmer punishes his beasts of burden – yes?" Alecto Carrow fixed me with a withering glare. "Who are you?"

"I'm Luna Lovegood." I said boldly. Ginny kicked me in the ankle, but she looked encouraging.

"And what do you have to say?"

I swallowed. "Well, Muggles may not have magic, but they can do a few things right."

The teacher looked furious. "Such as..."

"Pop-Tarts."

That had thrown her for a loop. "Pop-What?"

"Pop-Tarts. They're like little cookie pastry things that you cook and eat for breakfast."

Demelza Robins grinned and stood up too. She was a halfblood, and since there were no Muggleborns left she was probably one of the few people who actually knew what I was talking about. "Yeah! The Brown Sugar and Cinnamon ones are the best." she said, talking to me more than the teacher.

"Completely." I agreed. "Muggles make some pretty great candy, too."

"Oh, yeah." We were now pretty much having our own little conversation. "And some soda is really tasty, if a bit overly sweet."

I was really enjoying this now. Even though the Lovegoods were an old family, my mum was a muggleborn and had introduced me to all of the best Muggle things. "And all the other devices they've invented to make up for their lack of magic are very creative."

"Like cameras." Demelza said enthusiastically.

"Yeah!" I agreed. "We actually borrowed that idea from them, just made it more advanced with a special developing potion. And washing machines – crude, but certainly effective."

"And the electricity, too – I think their lack of magic actually contributes to their creativity."

"Oh, for sure. Cars, too – absolutely brilliant!"

I was lost in the conversation by now, but Alecto Carrow brought me out of my trance in a snap. Or rather, with a snap. I don't know how, or why, but she caused the light hanging above to fall onto the floor with a resounding crash.

"Oh, children." she said harshly. "I'm so disappointed in you. Breaking the light – how destructive! Ah, well, you have forced me to give you both detention until you have succeeded in repairing the chandelier – without magic, of course."

"Of course." I muttered, but sat down. Demelza followed me. The Quidditch player is really quite nice, and though she wasn't in Dumbledore's Army the first time, I think she might join this time around.

So I guess we'll have to start the D.A. up again really fast. I knew Hogwarts was going to be bad, but I didn't realize it was this bad. Umbridge wasn't teaching us at all, but these two are teaching us things wrong. Which is way worse. Obviously.

I have tons of homework, and I really should be working on it, but I wanted to write this first. Besides, I did most of it in the library with Neville in my free period. I'm hungry – I think I'll see if Padma Patil has any of those snacks from Honeydukes left.