I'll probably change the summary at some point, but I'll see if what I have now brings in readers first.
Disclaimer: I don't own anything. Blah, blah, blah.
"Luna-bug, come here for a moment, darling!"
Nine-year-old Luna Lovegood abruptly stopped brushing Cindy-Lou's golden locks and threw her down beside her two other dolls, Polly and Francesca, before running to her mother's study with a gleeful grin on her young face. With any luck, her mom was calling her because she needed help with another one of the spells she was experimenting with. Luna absolutely loved helping her mom with her work; Usually, it meant she got to spend more time with her.
"What is it, Mummy?" asked Luna, grinning expectantly as she stood before her mom, bouncing on the balls of her feet. "Are you working on a spell? May I help?"
Luna's mom laughed at Luna's excitement, her blue eyes twinkling merrily.
Luna thought her mom was very beautiful, with her long blonde hair that fell past her shoulders in little ringlets, her porcelain skin, and her bright silvery-blue eyes, but she was even more beautiful when she was happy. Her dad often said that her mom's smile could banish all the dementors in Azkaban.
"Yes, sweetie," she smiled, ruffling Luna's hair affectionately. Luna beamed up at her. "That's actually why I called you down. Do you want to be mummy's special helper today?"
"Of course!" Luna hopped up and down eagerly, her short blonde hair bobbing by her ears.
Mrs. Lovegood clapped her hands together happily. "Excellent! Your task is very simple. All I need you to do is soak this flower—"she held up a withered black rose in one hand, "—with this potion—" in her other hand, she held a glass vial with blood-red liquid filled to the brim, "—when I tell you to. Do you think you can do that for me?"
Pushing her shoulders back and holding her head up high, Luna answered her confidently, "Yes, Mummy."
Luna's mom lowered the two objects with a proud smile on her face. "That's my big girl," she said.
Luna rolled her eyes playfully. "Big girls don't play with dolls like I do, so I'm still your little girl."
Laughing, Mrs. Lovegood set the rose and potion on her desk beside Luna and walked to the opposite side of the room. "We'll discuss why it is you don't want to grow up after this, alright?"
Luna nodded obediently.
"Are you ready?" Again, Luna nodded.
With a deep breath, Luna's mom raised her wand and closed her eyes in concentration. Luna watched with wide, eager eyes as her mom's lips began moving soundlessly in a silent chant. The room grew brighter as the air crackled with magic. Luna's heart raced as she watched her mom with admiration.
A light gust of wind swept through the room, whipping her mom's blonde hair around her face and gently rustling her robes. Streaks of light sparked from the tip of her wand. To Luna, it looked like a small firework show. Smiling widely, she clapped her small hands and bounced on her heels. It was all so pretty!
But then, suddenly, it all changed. Luna didn't know what happened. The wind grew stronger, louder, and started howling angrily at the two. Her mom's eyes popped open fearfully and she gripped her wand with both hands as she began chanting louder. The flashes of light crackled dangerously above them.
Luna covered her ears as the wind became deafening. Her bottom lip trembled and her legs felt like jello. She didn't like this anymore.
Her mom was shouting now—at her? Luna's vision had blurred, so it was hard to tell. She blinked her eyes several times and stared at her mom's lips. Now. Now, Luna.
Luna understood immediately. She gathered up her courage, dropped her hands from her ears, and turned to the potion and the flower—but where was the rose? Luna snatched up the potion quickly before looking around desperately, ignoring her hair as it flew in front of her eyes. The rose had been on the desk when they had started, but that had been before the wind...
Luna dropped to her hands and knees as she searched for the flower. Sheets of paper littered the floor, flung about from the wind, making it harder for her to find the missing rose.
"Luna!" she heard her mom scream.
She looked up. Her mom was struggling to hold her wand, her eyes wide with fright as she gazed at Luna. She opened her mouth to say something just as a bolt of light struck her chest and she collapsed. Luna didn't even have time to scream as another streak of light hit her. As she fell to the ground, the vial in her hand shattered, the blood-red potion spilling out and puddling around her fallen form.
When her father found the two of them three hours later, not a drop of liquid could be seen.
...what was she thinking, experimenting with a child...
...insane lady... what kind of mother would do such a thing...
...poor dear—and her poor father...
...be alright. I can't lose you, too. You're my little angel, my little gremlin...
Luna moaned loudly. Every muscle in her body ached and she just wanted to sleep, but the voices were too loud.
"Luna, honey, can you hear me?" She's alive! Thank you, Merlin. Thank you, Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff, Gryffindor, and Slytherin.
She struggled to open her eyes. "Daddy?" Her voice was weak to her own ears.
Oh, sweet Merlin. I thought I'd never be able to hear her say that again."Yes, gremlin—" his voice trembled, and Luna knew he was crying, "—it's me."
She felt him lean over her and hug her tightly, his entire body shaking as he sobbed. Thank you, thank you, thank you.
Luna's eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "Why are you... Thanking me?" But the darkness had once again claimed her before she had a chance to hear his answer.
The next time she awoke, she was alone.
And yet... She wasn't. She could hear voices in her head—dozens of them—all talking at once. She squeezed her eyes shut, trying to focus on just one of the voices.
...quick stop at the Leaky Cauldron after work. Lucille won't mind. Been too obsessed with her new best friend to even notice me—not that I mind. Gives me a vacation... The voice grew fainter.
Then she heard a different voice, a higher pitched one. ...stupid patient on the third floor. Stupid, bloody idiot. He should know better than to spit out potions at other people... This person's voice also grew fainter, as if the person was walking away.
Luna opened her eyes in confusion. What was happening? Who did these voices belong too? And why couldn't she shut them off?
She turned on to her side in the bed and hid her face under the thin pillow in an attempt to block out the noise. The voices made it hard to hear herself think. Why couldn't they all just be quiet for one second.
...better check on her in case she's awake. I don't know how I'm going to tell her about her mother...
The door opened loudly and Luna peeked out from under her pillow to see who was there; It was her dad wearing his favorite light-blue robes which he said kept the "bad people" away.
He smiled sadly down at her, his eyes red and bloodshot. There's my baby girl.
Luna frowned. She had watched his lips and they hadn't moved, but that was definitely his voice she heard.
"Hey, turkey," he greeted her tiredly.
Throwing the pillow away from her, she moved to sit up. Her dad rushed over to help her.
Once she was sitting up securely, she turned her intelligent eyes to him. "Hi."
"How are you feeling?" He asked gently. How do I tell her?
"Tell me what, Daddy?" she asked him, rubbing her forehead uncomfortably. "And my head hurts."
How did she know...?
He smiled reassuringly and patted her hand. "I'll go get the healer," he told her, avoiding her question. I need to get out of here.
"But—"
"Don't worry. I'll be right back." With that said, he turned on his heel and left the room. I just can't do it. How do you tell your daughter that her mother is dead...?
Luna sat in her hospital bed in shock. She couldn't have heard that right. No, she thought to herself, shaking her head. No, it couldn't be. Her mom... No...
In her mind's eye, she saw a bright light hit a tall woman with long blonde hair. Her mom. She saw her fall down. She wasn't moving. It replayed in her head again. Her mom, falling. Motionless. Again. Falling. Down, down, down. Again. But this time, she saw red. Dark red. Like blood.
Luna didn't realize she was crying until a particularly loud sob tore her away from the memory. It was then that she became aware of the pain in her chest; Her heart ached, like someone was punching it repeatedly. She couldn't breathe. She clawed at her throat, at her chest.
Her mom was dead.
A/N: I don't have any real plans for this story yet. Review or PM me if you have ideas or advice for me. I'd love to hear whatever you have to say. Seriously. Oh, and tell me if you like it, of course. Or if you hate it... But if you hate it, you should probably tell me why.