Both of Luna's parents were magical and she had been raised in a magical home, so when she got her letter to Hogwarts School of witchcraft and wizardry, it came as no surprise really. Her first reaction was disappointment with the fact that once again no fan mail had come for her father's magazine 'The Quibbler'. Although, she couldn't say she wasn't pleased, this simply reminded her for the first time this summer of going to her new school – a place where she will learn spells, make some real friends and no doubt find some wondrous creatures that she has heard about over the years.
Luna returned from the front door, skipping, having gathered the one letter the Lovegood family had got since she could remember, and headed through the kitchen from where she had been eating her strawberry ice cream sandwich, towards the living room where her father, Xenophilius Lovegood was working on his next edition of his magazine, specifically an article about moon frogs. Luna surprised her father suddenly while he was deeply entranced into his work by pinching his ear (something in the family that is believed to be good luck). Xenophilius turned around to see his dirty-blonde haired daughter beaming at him.
"Dad! My letter to Hogwarts came today" Luna announced to her befuddled dad
"Ah, that will be the noise I heard at the door then, I thought we were getting Knarls ruining our plants again, I mean really I leave out food for them and they still go for the garden" humored Xenophilius however still not joking enough to stop him checking the window for any hidden guests
"Maybe they just want to get some attention?" pointed out Luna as she noticed her father's strange glare towards the window
"I suppose that's one way of looking at it. Anyway, Luna, congratulations on getting your letter, I suppose we shall have to buy some books now eh?" Xenophilius chuckled while beaming at his mass towers off books creating a maze around the room.
"Ha-ha, I suppose we're fine for books, but what about a wand, a cauldron and a pet too!" said Luna in a more excited tone than her usual joyful voice
"Now now dear," chuckled Xenophilius "I'm not sure another pet would be such a good idea, you know how your mother was like. Whenever she saw that rabbit of yours she couldn't help but cast a spell on it."
This silenced the conversation, Luna and her father never spoke about Luna's mother in the accident, at least not since the funeral. Luna's mother died just two years ago in a catastrophe while trying to create another one of her spells, often when Luna's mother messed about with spells she never produced more than a spark or two, or maybe changed Luna's old pet rabbit 'Stella' into a monocle, but not that time, in the same explosion that killed her mother, Luna witnessed her pet fly across the wall and instinctively ran towards the rabbit first. She and her father have not discussed that day much since, probably due to Luna's belief that she cared more for her rabbit than her own mother, or maybe because her father cannot bear to think back to that time.
Luna realized that they had been quiet for a few moments, so decided that she had better bring the conversation running again.
"Well, okay dad not a pet, but what about my wand?" pondered Luna, while trying to rush the topic of the pet scenario.
"Aha! Well I've got something special for you there" Xenophilius said with a grin on his face
Xenophilius then ushered Luna out of the room and into the kitchen. He stood beside the bust of one of the most famous witches ever known, Rowena Ravenclaw, and waited for Luna to catch up. Luna stood before her father and this bust confused and bewildered by what her father had to show her this time.
"Now, I know they say that every wand chooses its witch. But this is something I think you will truly, adore…"
Xenophilius proceeded to lift the bust of Ravenclaw and beneath it was a small box; he passed the box to his daughter and gestured to her to open it. Luna opened the box to find a beautifully decorated wand made of oak, with acorns across the sides and a handle shaped like a fine and thin wing. Luna picked it up and stared at her father.
"It's for you" Her dad said gleefully "It was your mothers, I know for a fact she would have wanted you to have it, it always did her proud, even if it did sometimes do things I believe the wand didn't want to do…" Xenophilius trailed off, thinking about how his wife had mistakenly created an explosion that knocked down part of their home and killed her. "I think that that wand there is made of stronger stuff than you or I my dear, I'm sure it will do you good"
Luna stared up at her dad, tears in her eyes, but smiling also. She didn't know whether to be sad having remembered her mother's final moments, or to be in joy of such a gift her father had given her.
"Thank you dad" She said finally, she then kissed her dad on the cheek and placed the wand on top of her ear. "To keep it safe" She said to her smiling father and answering what she thought was a questioning look on his face.
"Your mother did that too." He said with a smile.
