"Password?"
Standing before the Fat Lady's portrait, Harry and Ron looked at each other, aghast. After the day they'd had, Harry was more than ready to collapse on his four-poster bed and forget about the perils of flying cars for a while, and from the exhausted look on Ron's face, he could tell his friend felt the same. But there they were, without another student in sight, and it seemed that a single word was all that stood between them and a good night's sleep.
Ron groaned. "Now what do we do?"
"Are you lost?"
They both spun in shock, only then catching sight of the first year standing rather close to Ron's shoulder. It took Harry a moment to fully understand what he was seeing with his Whomping Willow-addled brain. The girl was an inch or two shorter than he was, with long, dirty-blond hair that reached her waist. It was braided with a dozen or so orange and yellow ribbons, which clashed horribly with her Ravenclaw tie. She stared up at them with wide gray eyes, a garden trowel cradled in her arms.
"No, we…we're not lost, we just…don't know the password to get inside," Harry stammered. The girl hadn't blinked since they'd turned around.
"Looks like you're the one who's lost. Ravenclaw's clear on the other side of the castle," Ron said, gesturing at her robes, before turning back to the painting. "Why can't we ever catch a break?" he grumbled, kicking half-heartedly at the wall. "We were here last year, don't you recognize us? He's Harry Potter, for crying out loud!"
The Fat Lady sniffed disapprovingly. "You must know the password to gain entry. No exceptions."
The girl tilted her head thoughtfully, tapping her chin with her trowel. "Have you tried guessing?"
Ron snorted. "It could be anything. We could guess until we're blue in the face, but we'd never get close. Someone will be along eventually; better to just wait it out."
Turning to face the Fat Lady's painting, the little Ravenclaw asked, "Is it 'caravan'?"
The Fat Lady shook her head. Ron looked ready to bang his own head against the nearest suit of armor. Harry admired the girl's confidence, if a bit doubtful about their odds.
She clearly was just getting started. "What about 'hobgoblin'?"
Ron groaned again. "I told you, it's useless! Why don't you just let us wait in peace?"
Unfazed, the girl merely shrugged. "I feel bad leaving you out here. You both look terrible."
Ron's hand flew to the cut on his forehead, his face reddening; Harry tugged at his rumpled robes and said sheepishly, "We've had a rough day." To save them from further embarrassment, he gestured towards her trowel and asked, "What's that for, then?"
She looked down at the tool in her hands, then back at Harry. "I haven't decided yet."
They were saved from coming up with a sensible response by the sound of running feet headed their way. Harry and Ron turned to find Hermione rushing toward them, relief clear on her face.
"There you are! Where have you been? The most ridiculous rumors – someone said you'd been expelled for crashing a flying car - "
"Well, we haven't been expelled," Harry assured her. If her scowl was any indication, Hermione didn't take much comfort from his statement.
"Skip the lecture," Ron cut in, heading off what was sure to be a spectacular scolding. "Just tell us the new password."
"It's 'wattlebird,'" Hermione said impatiently, but that's not the point –"
"Hah!" Ron exclaimed, turning around and saying, "You see? We'd never have guessed- hey, where'd she go?"
Harry glanced around and realized they were the only three in the hallway; the little Ravenclaw had vanished.
He and Ron shared a look of confusion before the portrait swung open and they were met with thunderous applause. Harry and Ron were pulled through the portrait hole by their curious classmates; Hermione pursed her lips and climbed in after them, as what seemed to be the entire House crowded around to congratulate the daredevils in their midst.
It didn't look like they'd be getting to sleep any time soon.
~The End~
This idea came from a prompt by reviewer ObsessedwReading, about Harry and Luna meeting on her first day at Hogwarts. Thanks again for your suggestion! I really will right something if you ask, guys, just send your Larry ideas my way. You can take this as a prelude to my next story, which is almost finished, that shows a very important moment in Harry and Luna's lives. What could it be? It should be fully up this weekend, so stay tuned!
The order of my Larry Wonder!verse stories is now up in my profile, starting with Come Wonder With Me. Take a look if you have the chance, and as always, happy reading!
~MA