It was a stormy morning. Luna woke up early and the pounding rain on her bedroom window wouldn't let her go to sleep again. Her ceiling was spotted with faintly glowing stars and she just lay awake, watching the fading light as the rays of the morning sun crept into her room.
She didn't have to check the calender to know which date it was. It was the day she had been looking forward to. The First of September. Today, the Hogwarts Express would leave London, and hopefully she would be on it.

She could, quite clearly, remember last year, how her father had lost the second broom and how the remaining one nearly crashed into a near mountain due to the heavy weight. She didn't judge her father; indeed, she loved him with all her heart, but she had to admit he could be quite stressfull.
But today would be different, nothing could spoil the day, on which she should start her second year at Hogwarts.
She got out of bed and stumbled down into the kitchen, where her father sat in an old rocking chair, reading an upside-down book, wearing a yellow sock over his right ear.

"Luna, my dear", he said after a couple of seconds, noticing her standing in the doorway.

"Is it time?"

"No, daddy", she laughed, plunging herself on one of the cozy sofas. "It's not even seven."
"Right." Mr Lovegood absent-mindedly flattened his trousers. "We'll leave in three hours, then? Will you be ready?"
She had already told him three times, that she packed her trunk a week ago, but she just smiled and nodded. Sometimes she missed her mother. But she had died. Luna still remembered the day on which she had entered the laboratory and found her mother lying on the floor, still and cold. She would never forget this day.

The three hours passed quickly. At half past ten, the clouds had vanished, and a bright blue sky was perking through the window. Luna had bewixed the trunk to fly out of the window (she knew, she was not supposed to use magic outside Hogwarts, but who was there to punish her?) and was now standing next to it, already dressed in her new Hogwarts robes and peering up the steps, waiting for her father to turn up. But the minutes passed, and nothing moved inside the house. A couple of minutes later (she spend some time to "shh" the fairies away from her father's beloved plants) ten rattling noises filled the air and Luna entered the house to get her father. Unsurprisingly, she found him fast asleep in his rocking chair, the open book on his chest, a silvery, shimmery tiara dangling from his hand.

"Daddy", she wispered, trying not to startle him. Nonetheless, he jumped and grabbed her arm. "Come now, my dear. I assume we will have to leave now."

Luna smiled and ran after him out into the garden, where she watched him fixing the trunk to one of the brooms. He then helped her to mount the other, and off they went.

"The Weasleys have a flying car, did you know that?", shouted Luna towards her Dad, as they soared off into the summer air.

"Oh, but how would you know that?", asked Mr Lovegood, eyebrows raised in astonishement. "I watched them yesterday. Some boy now lives with them, I think it is the one everyone is talking about. Is that possible, dad? Imagine him living next to us. That would be amazing, wouldn't it?"

Mr Lovegood smiled but didn't answer.

Luna had always loved flying and so she was a little sad, when they reached King's Cross station. A little girl looked at the flying brooms and her eyes widened, but everyone else ignored. This was due to some kind of charm, her father had told her, but she did not quite understand it.
The station was crowded with people, especially as her father still hadn't removed the charm; everyone kept bumping into her. But she didn't mind: in fact, she started to enjoy this litte game, avoiding everyone and slipping through under arms and trunks.

Just minutes later they arrived on Platform 9 and 3/4, where the beautiful, red and shining Hogwarts Express waited for her. She could not help but smile, as she said goodbye to her father. He, however, did not seem to be really aware of reality at the moment, his eyes hovered over the crowd and he blinked several times, before he let go of her.

Off you go, love. Have a wonderful year, will you? And always remember the nargles!"
"I will, Dad", she cried, as she approached the train, her trunk in her hand. Traces of steam evaporated in the autumn air as she borded the train; she had some problems heaving the heavy trunk onto one of the seats, but no one stopped to help her. It was as if they looked right through her, neither noticing her or the trunk. Additionally, her compartement remained empty (well, except for her, of course), although she knew the train was always packed with people. It was only when the train started moving when she realised: her father had not removed the charm he used on her. The charm, that made no one notice her, and that was extended on the things around her. It was not like they pretended to not see her - they actually didn't. A wide grin spread on her face and she streched out onto two seats and began to read.

The train journey to Hogwarts was very pleasant. No one came in to talk to her or annoy her. The landscape behind the train windows was beautiful; the clouds had finally disappeared and gleaming sunlight reflected on the shimmering surface of the lakes.

Hours later they sped past a small village which Luna recognized from her last journey. It could not be long now. Her stomach made a grumbling noise; the trolley lady had ignored her just as everyone else did. Just minutes later they arrived at Hogsmeade station. Luna climbed out onto the platform and slowly walked over to the dark carriages, pulled by gigantic, dragon-like horses. She had long ago accepted the fact that no one else seemed to be able to see them.

As soon as she reached one, everyone else seemed to forget about it, and so she climbed inside (after patting the horse's sceleton-neck - it looked at her and blinked) and watched Hogwarts' shimmering windows approach.

After she crossed the gigantig, marvellous entry hall with the marble staircases on her right and the golden statue of a very old wizard to her left she entered the Great Hall and came to a halt.
A wondertul evening sky streched out above her, spotted with twinkling stars. She knew, of course, that the ceiling was bewixed to look exactly like the real sky, but it still amazed her.

She almost immediately regretted to have slowed down, as the students behind her bumped into her and their half-surprised. half-angry voices made her jump.

Swift as a shadow she found a place at the crowded Ravenclaw table and let her gaze flicker through the hall. It was a sea of black, the house ties being the only colour spots.

A boy sat opposite her, his black hair covering half of his face, but his eyes gleamed below. Somehow, Luna knew that he was able to see her. "Hello", she said, trying not to make it sound like a question.

"Who are you? I don't think I noticed you last year. Are you in second year now?"
Even though the students next to Luna not even so much as flinched when she spoke, let alone turn towards her or answer her, the boy looked up. His eyes were green, and he was staring at her with such intensity, that Luna felt she sudden urge to look away. "Hello", he said quietly. "I'm Jace. You're right, it is my first year at this school, but I'm in second year."

Luna raised an eyebrow. "But how is this possible? Where have you been last year?"
"My parents didn't want me to go to school." He left it at this, but Luna was not satisfied.
"But why are you here, then? Did they change their minds?"

"They died." It was such a simple sentence, but Luna could feel emotions in it that threatened to overwhelm her. She bit her tounge and looked up to him. "I'm sorry." He didn't look at her but studied the golden plate in front of him. Tears glittered in his eyes. He blinked several times, then he looked up again. "It's ok. You couldn't know that."

For a moment Luna thought about telling him about her mother, but then she decided to leave the topic. He obviously didn't want to talk about it. Their silence was broken by the beginning of Dumbledore's speech. She didn't really pay attention to it. Others had told her, the speech was pretty much the same every year, so she stared at her plate and imagined the kitchen below her, all the house elves making last-minute preperations for the fantastic meal they were going to send up to her any minute.
The hall broke into applause and Luna quickly joined in as Dumbledore took his seat and the golden plates suddenly were packed with food, delicious and nearly gleaming. She tried everything, especially the pudding. It was magnificent, probably the best she ever tried. Between two spoons she looked up to Jace who didn't seem very hungry. "You're alright there?", Luna asked, and Jace jumped. "What? Yeah, sure, I'm fine." Luna's eyes narrowed, but again she didn't continue the conversation. It was nice being with someone, who was just fine with silence.

"Why does no one see you?", asked Jace after a while. Luna looked up. "How did you notice?". she asked back. He smiled. "You just nearly punched your neighbour in the face, just a second ago. She didn't even blink." Luna tried hard not to laugh out loud. "Oh, did I? My father forgot to erase the spell he used on me. Now no one can see me. I don't even know why you can see me." "That's special about me." His smile was rather wicked. "Special skills, you know? I'm awesome." "Haha." She couldn't help but smile, too. She decided she rather liked this boy.