Luna Lovegood had all of her things packed and ready in her trunk, now she just had to wait for her father.
"Come on dad" Luna said aloud to the empty house. She hoped this wasn't a ploy.
Her father had been less then willing to allow her return to Hogwarts after all that happened last year. Her father had turned a bit... paranoid was a nice way to put it, since the passing of his wife. Having his daughter kidnapped and held hostage for weeks had driven over the ledge of sanity. He didn't seem to believe Voldemort was truly dead. No matter how many time she told her father she saw him fall. He keeled over and died like any other human. He wasn't even specially powerful he manipulated people with fear, that was all that made him powerful. Her father was convinced she was only safe with him. At long last she had convinced him she needed to complete her seventh year.
Well Ollivander had helped, she thought fondly of all the dinners and talks she had shared with him over the summer. The wand maker had become her very best friend and she cared for him deeply. He had been a major determining factor in her battle with her father. She had grown quite accustomed to spending time with Garrick and would miss him when she was at school. Luna smiled planning on coming home and spending Christmas with her father and Ollivander. She would have to thinking of what to make for them.
"Luna! Come on we'll be late." Her father called from the yard.
Pulling her trunk behind her she lazily walked out to where her father waited. With a dazzling smile she took his hand and together they apparated directing onto platform nine and three quarters. They arrived directly in the middle of a throng of students. All the students that had been slowly disappearing each year with the recurring dangers that presented themselves at Hogwarts were back. With most of the seventh years from last year returning the school would he packed to the brim with young magic.
" I love you dad!" Luna whispered kissing her fathers cheek.
"I'll write you often enough, I always do. Time will breeze by I'll be back for winter break before you know it!"l said Luna, reassuring her father. He looked rather nervous but accepted his daughter words.
"I love you plum, I'll miss having you around the house but I'm sure I'll make myself busy with The Quibbler." He still looked sad but at least he forced some happiness in his voice.
The trains horns began to sound followed by a sharp whistle. She shoved her trunk into the closest compartment and hugged her father again stepping I to the train just in time. She cast a featherlight charm on her trunk and lifted it over her head, she turned around to find herself in a compartment full of unknown faces, mostly first years. They goggled at her, she was wearing foot long purple flowers from her ears that didn't quite match the light blue skirt and white top she had on.
"Welcome to the Hogwarts Express children! I hope to see a few of you in Ravenclaw, I'm going to find my friends now. Keep an eye out for wrackspurts don't let them get in your ears! " she warned them, leaving them all confusedly looking at one another.
She passed through compartment after compartment greeting people she recognized keeping an eye for Ginny and Neville. Finally, in the very last compartment of the train she spotted Hermione Granger. Opening the door to the compartment she was greeted by all her friends, Harry and Ginny sat together as did Ron and Hermione, while Neville sat apart from the others. Luna smiled at each one as she took a seat next to Neville. She was at somewhat of a loss for words looking around at all of her friends. All the things they had each been through, they were completely different then the children that had started a defense club just a few short years ago.
Dumbledore was gone, Professor Snape was gone. Everything was going to be very different. All of them had changed and their school had changed. The bond they had all formed had changed as well. It strengthened and grew to something a bit more then friendship. All in all Luna thought, the battle was over and they had won.