Disclaimer: The wonderful world of Harry Potter and the canon characters belong to J. K. Rowling, and I am only borrowing them to write for my and other people's enjoyment, without any intention of profiting from it. I thank this talented lady for blessing us with such a rich ground to build up our creativity on!
Luna Lovegood thought that the magical world was a strange one.
Witches and wizards had all these wondrous abilities to explore, but they let most of them fall to the wayside in favour of greed and power. Their society was as fabricated and backwards, as Gilderoy Lockhart's obviously fraudulent accomplishments, or Albus twinkle-twinkle little star Dumbledore's pseudo grandfatherly theatrics.
Ever since she was a wee little girl, Luna could always see and feel what others ignored or waved off as childish make-believe. At first, she went out of her way to prove herself against the hurtful disbelief her peers projected at her, but over the years, she had learned to accept that the world will only believe what they want to believe, and the truth rarely mattered.
Luna had quickly become well-versed in how to defend her delicate sensibilities, by adopting an air of nonchalance about the teasing quips and the mocking jibes that remarked that she was 'looney'. Even her House mates had taken to bullying her, which she could not help but feel disappointed about.
Ravenclaws were supposed to be intelligent and witty, weren't they?
"Look, it's Looney Lovegood," a group of girls cackled with malice, as Marietta Edgecombe had 'accidentally' ruined Miss Lovegood's completed assignments, and 'clumsily' spilled her inkwell. "Oopsie. I'm such a klutz. I suppose that your Crumpled-Hat Sockrag will help you out with your unfortunate predicament."
These remarks were usually spiced with audible sniggering and a few pitying looks directed at her from the more sensible Ravenclaws, but no one, not even the Prefects stood up for the blonde first year. They remained quiet in their comfortable 'there is no way in hell that I will get in the middle of that' bubble.
It surely did not help Luna's case when she corrected Marietta, and told her that it was 'Crumple-Horned Snorkack', and not a 'Crumpled-Hat Sockrag', complimenting her on her faith that such a creature existed instead, jubilant that she was well on her way towards becoming a true believer.
The third year's face reddened with anger, and a Stinging Hex was suddenly flying towards Luna, which she had easily evaded, her pale moonlight coloured eyes darkening slightly, but her adversaries missed the subtle change in her mood and aura.
The little blonde witch may have appeared to be taking everything in stride with her big innocent eyes and angelic face, but what no one realized was that she simply let herself be underestimated.
Luna was an incredibly perceptive girl, and she understood that to eventually have the upper-hand, she needed to think like a Slytherin, laying low and quietly observing people, thus she watched the snakes and absorbed every little nuance about their behaviour that she could. She watched their gestures, where their eyes flickered longer than necessary, who they talked to, and how they conducted themselves in social situations.
She noticed they had different masks for different scenarios, and they used them accordingly, so she developed her air of nonchalance, and kept up her childlike innocence in public. Only when she was alone did she drop these masks, her silver eyes freezing into cold steel, and her curiosity fading into an icy chill.
She was angry that they lived such lies, and she wanted to change that. She wanted to bring truth into the world. She wanted the Old Ways to surface from the depths of wherever they had fallen between the cracks. She yearned for the freedom of magic, all of magic.
Luna softly exhaled as she observed the high table from her lonely seat in the Great Hall, and she could not help but wonder if Professor Snape's ever-present sneer was as much of a practiced necessity, as Minerva McGonagall's thinly pressed lips, or Professor Flitwick's air of almost disturbingly blissful delight that he carried himself with.
Her pale eyes trailed over to the Gryffindor table, and focused on the Golden Trio. If only people realized how false that moniker really was, no doubt they would be stunned beyond words.
Harry Potter was not the hailed hero that the wizarding public believed him to be. He was simply a neglected child with an unquenchable thirst for love and affection, that he was looking to get from the wrong person. Ronald Weasley was nothing more than a jealous little boy, whom she had no doubt would turn on 'his best friend' at the first opportunity, his loyalty as fickle as Veela allure.
Luna saddened as her gaze lingered on Hermione Granger. How could anyone think she was an equal member in that fabled friendship trio was beyond her. The bushy-haired witch's eyes reflected so much loneliness, that her heart dropped into her stomach. It was an eerily familiar emotion that greeted her like an unwelcome friend.
Their eyes connected for a moment, and the Gryffindor's expression had become guarded as she looked down at her half-eaten breakfast, toying with a piece of bacon and toast.
Miss Lovegood hummed to herself, and decided that she would talk to the second year witch, and offer a genuine hand of friendship. There was no question that the muggleborn was bright, perhaps even the brightest witch she had ever met around their age group, and she lived in a tower full of Ravenclaws.
She would bet her thirty galleons that the Sorting Hat had considered to place Miss Granger with her House, before sorting her to join the lions. That had to mean that even though she was brilliant, she was also reckless, feisty, brave, and she had a good sense that the girl was loyal to the fault of blindly following those, whom she should not give the time of day.
Luna supposed she could explain some things Hermione ought to know to become more aware of who she puts her faith in, because she could already tell that Headmaster Twinkle-Star had an agenda, and she would noz want to see the witch harmed or manipulated. She looked terribly naïve.
The little blonde had spent her morning wandering the castle, and pondering the best way to approach the witch, when the opportunity simply presented itself, like a golden goose on a silver tray. Granger was comfortably snuggled into one of the far corners of the Library, sitting cross-legged on an arm-chair, a stack of books nesting between her thighs, as her eyes greedily scanned the pages for words of wisdom.
Luna grinned inwardly at the sight, and practically floated over to the witch, peeking at the title of the book she was currently holding, her blonde brows raising in surprise.
"Are you interested in acquiring a house-elf?" she asked curiously, her voice light and friendly.
Hermione was so startled by the airy voice, that she almost dropped the tome. Her breath hitched in her throat, and she exhaled slowly to calm herself. She looked up at the blonde first year with a confused look in her eyes, "Excuse me?" she echoed politely.
Luna smiled inwardly at the adorable sight in front of her. Hermione Granger looked like a disgruntled kitten, whose ball of yarn was slightly moved to the left, or the right, well–it did not really matter which direction really, what mattered was that she got distracted from her routine, and her version of confused irritation was rather endearing.
"Are you interested in acquiring a house-elf?" Luna repeated her question, gesturing to the book Hermione was reading.
Miss Granger's eyes widened in shock, and she looked affronted. "I'm certainly not interested in acquiring a slave," she scrunched up her nose in disgust. "I'm reading to see if I can gather information about how to effectively free them from their misery," she explained with an indignant huff.
There was an unreadable gleam in Luna's eyes as she stared at the witch. "I have a house-elf, and she"s treated with utmost respect, like a member of my family. Are you saying that just because you come from a society that is different from ours, that you know better what a magical race needs and wants, than those who lived their whole lives in the magical world?" she asked solemnly. "That is awfully arrogant. Calling a house-elf a slave is no better than Malfoy and his goons calling you the derogative word for muggleborns. Are you aspiring to be like them? Are you a bully, Hermione Granger?"
Hermione was shocked beyond words. She froze at the accusation, and thick salty tears were pooling in the corner of her eyes. Never in a million years would she have thought herself to be accused of being a bully, even if it was not her intention to be.
Luna felt a lump in her throat at reducing the other girl to tears, but she felt that it was necessary to educate her on some facts of life, before she went and insulted the house-elves, not to mention before she made a complete and utter arse out of herself in the eye of the whole student body, and the traditional pureblood elite would feel further justified in their fight for blood-purity.
The curly-haired witch wiped her eyes with her sleeves, and swallowed. "I don't appreciate being called a bully, Miss Lovegood. I was bullied and discriminated against all my life, either for being a bushy-haired, bucktoothed know-it-all, or being a filthy mudblood," her voice quivered. "I had no intention of insulting the house-elves. It's just––when I was purchasing my school supplies, I saw a wizarding family abuse their elf, and I was appalled that everyone simply walked by, like nothing remotely untoward had happened, like it was the norm." She paused to take a deep breath. "It's revolting. I wanted to see if I can change that," she mumbled quitely, looking completely dejected.
Luna swallowed her emotions, and knelt next to Hermione, placing a soothing hand on her arm. "Look, I know that I was harsh, but you needed to realize that just because you think something is wrong, doesn't necessarily mean the wizarding society agrees with that. I am not saying that I agree with our society, because it's nuttier than a Kneazle on catnip, but you need to make an effort to learn our customs and traditions if you want to fit in with us, otherwise no one will ever take you seriously. If you went ahead and created some sort of club for freeing the house-elves, not only would you have insulted their honour and lifestyle, the whole of Hogwarts would have had another reason to pick on you, furthermore you would have played into the hands of the traditional purebloods, rather seamlessly might I add," she explained tenderly.
Hermione looked into a pair of eyes that were so full of kindness, that she realized the witch was simply looking out for her, and she had appreciated that more than she could express.
She gave her a small watery smile, "You know, you're the first person to even mention I should educate myself on wizarding customs and traditions to fit in. It's like no one really cares about those of us who come from muggle families. Ever since I stepped on Platform Nine and Three Quarters, I was met with rejection in some shape or form. Even Harry and Ron needed a troll as an excuse to be friendly with me," she snorted bitterly. "Sometimes I can't help but feel that they only want me around to do their homework."
Lovegood nodded sadly. "I'm not saying this to upset you further, but that's probably true. I've been observing the students and Professors, since the beginning of term, and I have to say that there are a lot of mind games at play," she frowned. "Even those who we as students should be able to trust implicitly seem completely dubious. And then there are those who at first glance inspire fear, then appear to be more than what they seem."
Hermione furrowed her brows. "Who are you talking about?"
Luna simply smiled. "I have a proposal for you, Hermione Granger," she said in a sing-a-song voice. "I'll teach you everything I think you need to know about the wizarding world to navigate it seamlessly, and in turn you take your time and observe your surroundings instead of blindly trusting everything and everyone at face value," she grinned. "We can discuss your findings later. What do you say? Do we have a deal?"
A lazy smile curled into the corners of Hermione's lips as she realized what this wonderful witch was really offering her. She was offering her a way into understanding this backwards society, while inspiring her to hone in on her people skills, and make some deductions for herself.
"Luna Lovegood, this might be the start of a beautiful friendship," she beamed, her tears long forgotten, as the promise of a new thrill hung in the air between the girls.
A/N: I am intrigued by the idea of Luna and Hermione taking the world by storm. They will oppose both the Dark Lord and Dumbledore, with plans to take over with their ideals in focus.
The girls will be Dark, but not necessarily evil. We will see what happens next though as the plot progresses.
Updates will come as the inspiration waves hit. Blame my Muse for all the different stories. -Sigh- I even have another one in works, where Hermione's name pops out of the Goblet instead of Harry's, but I am trying hard not to start that yet, because this is madness.
Anyways, thank you for reading. I hope you enjoyed the premise, and the chapter!