DISCLAIMER: I do not own any of the characters in this one shot. They belong to J.K. Rowling who is the author of the Harry Potter books.
Wandering around the halls of Hogwarts at night wasn't something that I did on a normal basis, but it was necessary tonight in order to finish my Potions' homework. I could not find my textbook and I was currently retracing the steps I had taken earlier on in the day hoping that eventually, they would lead me to my Eldorado - my missing book.
This isn't the first time that I have had to go on a search for a missing item. People seem to think that it is hilarious to hide my things for whatever reason, and then I waste precious time that could be spent on other pursuits of fancy trying to find the item in question. Sometimes, I wonder how they would appreciate having to search for their clothes, textbooks, or shoes if someone had hidden them? How would they feel if everyone used them as the butt of numerous jokes?
Just as I rounded the corner, a loud, mewing noise floated inside of my ear. Mrs. Norris -Filch's pet cat- was obviously doing her nightly rounds on this floor which meant that Filch himself wasn't too far off, so I decided that I'd better find an alternative route before landing myself in detention. Backing cautiously -and hopefully silently- away, I could not prevent my rapidly racing heart from beating as I attempted to put as much distance between Mrs. Norris and Filch from myself as possible. Unfortunately as I was sneaking down the corridor, my hand brushed against the portrait of Wilbur the Wuss and poked him in the eye with my forefinger causing Wilbur to shriek and howl with pain. The scream was intense enough to wake the entire castle, or at least alert Filch to my whereabouts, and I made a dash for safety, hearing Filch's fast footfalls behind me as I quickened my pace. Suddenly, a pair of strong, burly arms pulled me behind a massive suit of armor, knocking the wind right out of my lungs. I was certain that a teacher had captured me until I saw who my captor was.
Still dressed in his scarlet and gold Quidditch robes, Oliver Wood placed a finger to his lips to form the universal sign for be quiet as he peered through the crack in the helmet to see if Filch was gone or not. As I glanced over at Oliver, my mind was deciphering how we had even become friends in the first place. We were two completely different people and yet somehow, we'd managed to develop a bond of friendship. Oliver was like an older brother to me, and that was something that I'd never experienced before, being an only child. He was my guardian - my protector. Other students made fun of Oliver for befriending me, but their taunts did not tarnish his desire to be my companion; he did what he wanted, when he wanted, and didn't give a damn who was watching him do it.
"Luna, he's gone now," whispered Oliver, already ambling out from behind the suit of armor.
He held out his hand to me and I graciously accepted as I climbed out of the shadows and into the dimly lit corridor. We walked idly down the corridor towards our respective Common Rooms not daring to discuss our close call with Argus Filch, but talking instead about what we were doing out of bounds after dark. As usual, Oliver had mistakenly fallen asleep in the Captains' office while working on some new tactics for Gryffindor's next match versus Slytherin. I berated him by saying that if he cared more about getting a decent night's sleep than one upping Slytherin in Quidditch, then he wouldn't be wandering the halls after hours. He responded by making the point that if he hadn't fallen asleep, I would be in Filch's office right now chatting about what sort of vile punishment I should receive for my crime instead of enjoying a midnight stroll with a good friend.
There was no way that I could come up with a clever comeback for that response, so I just flashed a bright smile in his direction. Then, Oliver asked me why I was out so late at night and the answer I gave him put a goofy grin on his face which caused me to shoot an inquiring look his way. Extracting my Potions' textbook from within the folds of his robes, Oliver handed it to me and I wondered how he had acquired it in the first place. Shortly after, Oliver launched into an explanation for the strange occurrence starting with how he'd witnessed Cho Chang attempting to place the book on a very high bookshelf on the third floor on his way to the Quidditch Pitch and ending with retrieving the book.
I was rather amused that Oliver had coerced Cho into giving him my textbook, but flabbergasted when I saw that my essay for Potions was already completed. Stammering my thanks and telling Oliver that doing my homework for me wasn't necessary, his lips formed a devious grin and told me that I should really hand the credit to Cho since she's the one who wrote my Potions' essay for me. A gleeful grin danced upon my face as I imagined Oliver forcing Cho to write my essay and Cho furiously scribbling away on the parchment, beads of sweat dripping down her forehead as she worked vigorously to accomplish the daunting task.
"Expect an apology from her as well tomorrow," Oliver said as we reached the entrance to the Ravenclaw Common Room.
I waved goodbye to Oliver as he ascended the staircase that led to the Gryffindor Common Room on the seventh floor thinking about how he was everything I could ever want in a friend, and how grateful I was that he'd come into my life. With that final thought, I uttered the password -which was the answer to some trivial question- and went off to bed with the joyful promise of a well deserved apology from Miss Chang in the morning.
