"Where is Luna?"
Hermione let out a heavy weighted breath, "I don't know" her brow furrowed and her cheeks pinked. Her eyes seemed to focus strictly downward as she found her hands fiddling in her lap sitting before the headmasters desk. Standing next to Dumbledore's very large chair was the bespectacled Professor, McGonagall looking as stern as usual.
"Miss Granger, we have a student missing and you seem to be the only one that might know anything about that. What happened?"
Dumbledore leaned forward in his chair, his hand reaching up to cup over his glasses and slide them down his slender crooked nose. Watching as Hermione shifted uncomfortably in her seat her eyes darting back and forth almost looking for an escape.
"I can't.." her voice cracked as tears well up in the corners of her eyes. "I was so awful Professor." Finally her head lifted from their focused gaze at the floor boards to the window watching as it starts to rain. The quiet tapping rhythmically breaking the weighted silence. McGonagall moved forward stepping out from behind Dumbledore's desk, she crouches down in front of the young student and places her hand over Hermione's.
"Start from the beginning, maybe we can get to the bottom of this. Alright?" a reassuring smile creeps across her face as she waits patiently. Hermione turns and focuses her eyes on McGonagall so kind and brave.
Returning back to school after summer break for me was always bitter sweet. I had missed my friends so much and of course I missed doing magic, but I grew up in the muggle world. It was everything I had known and watching the look on my mother and fathers faces when I leave breaks my heart. I don't think students with magical parents or who come from a magical background can totally understand. I know it is a lot for my parents to trust me to follow my own path to becoming who I am suppose to be. I am leaving them, all of their knowledge and experiences to take on a world outside of their comfort zone and beyond their understanding. It is wonderful and terrifying and my parents were so brave to allow me and to trust me to leave their world and start anew.
I very much looked forward to the welcome back dinner at Hogwarts, sitting with Harry and Ron resettling in to the hustle and bustle of Hogwarts life. However, my second years welcome back dinner was possibly the most important of all of them so far. It is when I first noticed Luna. She was a strange young girl standing at the front of the great hall with the other first years huddled close to Ginny.
"Luna Lovegood!" McGonagall called out and the girl skipped up to the stool without a care in the world. She was a cute little thing with pale skin and brilliant corn silk hair. I thought how fitting the name Luna, she was brilliant and shone like the moon among a sea of black. If her hair and complexion weren't enough to set her apart her rather bright lime green leggings and purple boots would definitely set you off. I admired her at first glance, she was everything I wasn't. She was care free. "Ravenclaw!" the had shouted and she smiled brightly jumping down off the stool and running off towards the table with her fellow Claws. They looked her over the interest and scrutiny, the group of academics whom valued knowledge above all things did not know what to make of the child full of so much spirit.
As the sorting hat ceremony finished and everyone settled in getting ready to start our year. Dumbledore took to the podium with the start of term announcements. My eyes couldn't help but fall on the girl that the others seemed to scoot a little away from and was eating on her own. I heard one of the girls speak up "What did McGonagall say your name was? Looney?" Luna's eyes went wide and her brow furrowed but she didn't say anything she just went back to quietly eating her meal not making eye contact with anyone. Dinner finished up steadily and the Prefects took the lead motioning for everyone to rise and make their way out of dining hall. Gryffindor stood and followed after Ravenclaw as everyone filed out. Luna seemed to fall behind and break off from the group meekly mentioning needing to go to use the lavatory.
"I will catch with you" as I dodged the line as well and followed into the main floor girls bathroom. Inside the first thing I heard was the sound of the young girl crying echoing the room with the tall ceilings. I approached the stall slowly and stood in front of the door. "You know you should be careful locking yourself in the bathroom by yourself to have a cry" laughing a little to myself "I did last year and found myself face to face with a troll someone had let into the school." With a quiet click the bathroom door swung open and sitting on the toilet seat was the small girl in black robes and green tights staring down at the ground pouting.
"Hi there, I'm Hermione Granger. And you must be Luna Lovegood right?" holding out my hand hoping that she would take it. Hesitantly her hand took mine and she stepped out of the stall. "It is a pleasure to meet you Luna" she seemed too crack a small shy smile "So what's wrong?" Luna told me about how she traveled a long way to Hogwarts for school and how she had never been away from her father. "We use to do everything together and now I have to do this on my own, I'm scared and I don't know anybody. And they don't seem to want to know me." she seemed to tear up once again. Managing to pull her into a gentle hug and stroking the back of the girls hair soothingly. "Everyone feels like that when they are brand new. Just give it some time, and I'll be your friend." smiling reassuringly. "Now you had better hurry and catch back up with your class so you don't get left behind" her eyes went wide as she hopped past me and left the bathroom after a moment I followed behind making my way to Gryffindor tower.