Luna stared at the sky. It was slowly fading back to the clear blue it had once been before the battle a few months ago; it had taken weeks for the evil to be cleared from the sky. She didn't understand how people could just go on with their lives as if nothing at all had happened. People had died in the battle of Hogwarts. Fred, Colin, her father and many others. She was sick of it. Now all she wanted was to go back home. Her cold, empty home where she could grieve in peace, grieve for her father who would never come home telling her to pack her bags as he had finally found the lair of the crumple horned Snorkak. She had finally had it with life. Luna never thought that the day would come when she would no longer be a cheery, mismatched person. No, she had started to become a lost, empty girl. Luna no longer knew who she was anymore.
The Ministry of Magic had finally found out that she was living by herself and where else would she go but to the Weasley's? Seeing as she had no living relatives the Ministry had placed her with her father's close friends.
Ginny had come over in the morning and together they had salvaged and packed what she would need from the house. Then, the pair had walked over to Ginny's home.
As Luna stood in front of The Burrow, she looked in and wondered how the Weasley family could still be so merry and happy after they lost Fred. Luna cautiously entered the house. As she came in there was a sharp intake of breath.
Luna had changed. Her hair no longer glowed; it was dull, coarse and flat. Her clothes were mainly grey and brown. Her face was impassive; it no longer held her mischievous grin or her bright, inquisitive eyes. They were now bleak and grey. Hermione approached her, confusion and sadness written into her face. She put on a fake smile.
"Hi Luna, it's so good to see you. How are you?"
Luna stared at her, and then her face contorted. She laughed. It wasn't her usual, happy, joyful laugh, though; it was a dark, scary, if anything insane laugh. It was crazed, but tinged with hysteria and pain. "Oh I'm just fine, Hermione." At that moment Mrs Weasley bustled in from the kitchen.
"Oh, Luna dear, you're finally here. Now, you're going to be staying in the attic for now, ok? It's just temporary. The Ministry said they were going to send an expandable bedroom for you to attach to the house on a new level, but you should be fairly comfortable."
Mrs Weasley finally stopped talking and gazed at Luna worriedly.
"Luna, come here," Mrs Weasley said softly. She crossed the room and enveloped Luna into a warm embrace, gently, lightly and with great care. Luna's eyes widened; it had been months since she had received any parenting or love in any form, so she didn't know how to respond the slightest.
Ginny smiled at Luna, and Luna relaxed slightly. Ginny had nearly always been there for her, protecting her and looking out for her. Luna smiled weakly back.
"Come on Luna, I'll show you your temporary room," said Ginny
Ginny slipped her warm, clean fingers into Luna's scratched, dirty, pale and very thin hand.
"Ginny, when you're done showing Luna her room will you show her the bathroom? She probably wants to have a hot shower, some food and then bed," said Mrs Weasley. She bustled around the room picking up bits of laundry as she went. "Goodness if only this rain would let up, the poor dear is absolutely covered in mud," she muttered to herself.
Ginny showed Luna the bathroom.
"Don't worry about your stuff, I'll take it up for you now." Ginny moved out of the room to fetch Luna's bags from the front hall.
Luna mumbled her thanks and then closed the door behind her. She usually loved to have long relaxing baths while reading a book, but now she just wanted to get it over and done with. Her father used to start hammering on the door to make sure she hadn't drowned in the water. It had become too painful for any reminders of her father.
She clean herself, making sure to wash her hair. It had been a while since the Ministry had cut off her water supply at home.
'Home,' she thought. She had to stop thinking about it like that. It was no longer her home.
She stepped out of the bath, looking down at the clothes she had randomly grabbed from her bag: a dull grey t-shirt with a black outline of a dragon on it, a pair of loose black leather pants and a warm knitted dull faded green jumper. She shrugged on her clothing and walked out of the bathroom.
Ginny had mentioned a ghoul had once lived in the attic but apparently he had found a new resting place in an abandoned cottage a while away. She crossed the floor to the staircase and walked to the top, seeing the room Ginny had pointed out to her. She opened the door and viewed her surroundings.
A bed with a knitted blanket on the top, a desk and chair and in the corner her two boxes of belongings. Opening the one that contained her clothing, she scrambled through it, frantically searching for a pale-green decorated box. Finding it, she opened it carefully, withdrawing from it a thin silver necklace with a charm that repelled nargles and a flat silver bangle with intricate patterns on it that had been the last gift her father had ever given her.
After putting away her belongings in the box she lay down on the bed and slept, too tired after the long walk to the burrow. Three hours later, when Luna woke up and she heard Mrs Weasley's voice echoing up the stairs.
"Dinner's ready!" After a few seconds Luna heard the distinct rumble of people rushing down numerous flights of stairs. Luna paused for a while, then realised she should join them. She walked downstairs, pausing only when she reached the bottom of the staircase. She noticed with relief that no one stared at her or made her feel unwelcome. Luna saw they had set a place at the table for her. She walked to her seat, sat down and helped herself to some food.
Eventually, general chatter rose around the table, and aside from Ginny occasionally talking to her she was left alone. Eventually everyone had finished their dessert and Mrs Weasley waved her wand. The dishes magically started washing themselves, and everyone tumbled up the stairs, saying goodnight one at a time. As Luna rose to leave Mrs Wesley called her back.
"Luna, would you mind coming to talk to Ginny and I?" Luna glanced back and followed Mrs Weasley to the kitchen. Mrs Weasley leaned against the counter, eyeing the girl almost beadily. "Well Luna, you see, Ginny is going to Romania the day after tomorrow for a few weeks to visit Charlie. She hasn't seen him for at least six months now. She missed him at the... well... at the battle. Since Ginny isn't keen on going by herself, Ron originally was going to go with her, but he and Hermione are going to Australia together to look for her parents, so we were wondering whether you would like to go with her to Romania? It might do you some good dear."
Luna looked at her blankly, and then smiled faintly. "Thank you, Mrs Weasley. I would love to go to Romania. It's a country I am not yet familiar with, so it would be a fantastic opportunity," she said. Her father had brought her up never to say no to the aspect of travelling to new, mysterious countries. She did mean it genuinely when she said she loved spending time with Ginny. They were really close friends.
"Well, that's all settled then. Ginny has already got a Diagon Alley magazine, so you can go over it with her tonight and then your things should be ready for you for tomorrow when you leave the day after," said Mrs Weasley. Luna nodded, thanked her and went off with a smiling Ginny, who had been standing next to her the whole time.
"Good night," said Ginny quietly.
Luna nodded at her. "Good night."