NEW LIFE
Ch 1: Preparations
"Good job Luna" I hear come from my right. I look over and see Neville standing there with pride in his eyes. His face is smeared with dirt and sweat. His hair is clinging to his head and he looks worn out. "Thanks. You too" I reply with a fatigued smile. I suppose we all are tired and ready for peace as I take another glance around the Great Hall. Everywhere I look is people from the DA, the Order of the Phoenix, and the Auror Corps helping others or congratulating each other on surviving the Final Battle. I see Madame Pomfrey (?) hugging a crying Mrs. Weasley who is mourning over the body of her son and attempting to comfort the living twin. I turn away at the sight and spot Harry being swamped by Hermione and Ron. I smile at that. I'm glad they are not severely injured. So many were or have passed on to "the next great adventure" as our previous Headmaster, Professor Dumbledore always called death. No one has been left untouched by this horrible war.
I make my way over towards the Golden Trio stopping on the way to greet members of the DA and any of the students that stayed behind to fight in my spacey way that I am known for. When I reach Harry, Hermione, and Ron they turn towards me with smiles on their faces even though they look dead on their feet. I give them a smile and look towards Harry. "The nargles are not hanging about your head anymore." I say with a faraway look in my eye. It is true though; the dark spirit that had been hovering over him was gone. Harry grinned at that while Ron looked at me like I really was loony and Hermione rolled her eyes and huffed a muttered "Honestly!"
"Good to see you're alive Mate" Ron told me and Harry brought me into a one armed hug before he was torn away by Ginny arriving and practically tackling him to the ground. They left to go snogg in some niche is my guess; or to console the Weasley's and then go snogg. Hermione gave me a smile before dragging Ron away to do the same. I grinned in their direction before turning away. I am glad that there is still happiness after all the grief that this war has torn in our small world. I start to hum as I skip out of the Great Hall. It is the last that we will see of each other, but I am glad that everyone will recover and that they saw me once more before I disappear so they don't think that I was killed in the Final Battle.
Once I am free of any spectators I break out into a run heading for the dungeons. I need to disappear in the post battle haze so no one will notice that I am missing before they can stop me. There is nothing holding me here in this world now that I have done my duty and the war is over. It is time for me to join my older brother. He is three years older than me and no longer lives on this plane of existence. Before I was born and when the war was at its fiercest my parents decided that it was not safe to raise a child in the condition that the wizarding world was in; even more so because Daddy runs a newspaper called The Quibbler and could be targeted for spreading the absolute truth to its readers. My Mama and Daddy decided to give him a new life and hope for a less dangerous world for him to grow up in. One that had no wizards. I found out through Mama's diary (that I have coveted since her death when I was nine and she died attempting to create a new spell) that they sent him to an alternate universe. They used a spell which I believe my Mama made herself and with a few alterations I have made it possible for me to travel to the same world that he is in and to the same city as well.
I duck into the Potions storage room and thank whoever is watching over me that there was no damage done here. I flip through the entire collection just glancing at the titles, aware of the time constraint that I am on. I am searching for any potions that will potentially help me in the world that I am traveling to. Hopefully some type of translation potion that will allow me to understand different languages other than English and Latin. I come across a potion titled knowledge. I look incredulously at it, but being the Ravenclaw I am I turn it over and read the explanation on the back of the bottle.
KNOWLEDGE POTION:
This potion will allow the user to immediately understand and grasp knowledge that comes their way through spoken or written methods in a one week period of time and retain that knowledge. It will also potentially forever boost the user's ability to understand and grasp knowledge at a slightly faster rate than they did previously.
My eyes are incredibly wide by the time that I finish reading the back of the potion bottle. This must be one of the extremely hard to brew potions and not well known otherwise everyone and their cousin would be taking it. I slip it into my pocket and continue my search because there is enough for one dose and it will be extremely helpful on my journey I am sure.
A half an hour later and I have thoroughly searched the shelves and there is no sign of any type of translation potion. I groan, this so won't be cool if I finally find my brother but I unable to communicate with him because we speak a different language! I make one last futile glance at the shelves before backing out of the potion storage room. Just as I turn to leave I slip and fall on the floor. I throw my hands out in front of me to catch myself so I don't sprain anything and land in a push-up position. As I situate myself on my knees to push myself back up I catch a glimpse of glass. I lean back down, pushing my cheek into the floor as I squint into the darkness underneath the shelf. There is a potion bottle down there! I reach under and pull it out.
The label is so faded that I am unable to read it in this dim light so I exit the room to the potions class room where there is more light to read it by. The bottle looks really old so I have to wonder what it could be. There, in a spiderlike scrawl is the words De-Aging Potion.
I gasp. That is a highly illegal potion! What on earth is it doing in the student potion storage room? I roll the glass bottle between my hands as I stare down at it contemplating what I should do with it now that I have found it. Should I use it or destroy it or leave it? I remember reading about it in the library one time when I was looking up potions that will temporarily or permanently alter or change your body or its appearance. It was quite interesting of a read, I will tell you that, and I got full marks on it from Professor Slughorn too!
The De-Aging Potion will render the user younger than they are. It will make the change permanent so if you change yourself on accident to a baby you would have to relive your life all over again. You are only able to take the potion once or there will be grave injury to your body and possibly death. The user literally becomes the age they wish. The body reverts to the size that it was at that time and you will come up as being that age no matter how someone tests you. The advantage to using this potion instead of a ritual (which is banned by the ministry as well) is that the user keeps their memories and personality as they were before they were De-Aged.
This could come in handy with my journey to the alternate universe that my brother now dwells in, I think as I look at the murky liquid sloshing inside the glass bottle. A child showing up is less suspicious than a teenager popping out of nowhere. With the right clothes and attitude no one would suspect anything and if they did they would just write it off because what could a poor innocent child do? Yes, this could work. If I don't heal myself and don't clean up and put on some old and used clothes no one would take me for anything but a neglected child that doesn't have anywhere to go.
The more I think about it the more I like the idea. If I play it right, then it would explain any gaps in my learning and knowledge base and with the knowledge potion I would be able to learn enough to get by until I find out everything about the new world I will be in. Definitely less suspicious than a 16 year old showing up with no history and no understanding of the world she lives in. That would absolutely raise questions! I break out into a smile as I race from the dungeons to the Room of Requirement.
As I reach the area in front of the Room of Requirement I pace back and forth three times while thinking about the room that I need to do my final preparations and then transport myself to my new life. An archway that reminds me of the one in the Narnia series appears and I grin as I enter. The room is spacious and perfect for my needs. The floor is padded so if either of the potions is painful I will not hurt myself anymore than the cuts, scrapes and bruises that I already have from the Final Battle. The walls are my favorite shade of purple and there is a chest full of what look like hand me down clothes in various sizes. My trunk is here as well. There is also a stack of books.
I enter and close the door. I ask Hogwarts to keep everyone from finding it until I have already disappeared from this plane of existence. I get the feeling of acceptance from her and I smile knowing that she will grant my request. No one knows, but I have a higher sense of awareness than most and that allows me to instinctually understand, or grasp, what is going on in a situation than others except those with exceptional training. I am on par with them and sometimes exceed them. It also has graced me with the ability to in a way communicate with sentient beings. Hogwarts herself is sentient because of all the years of magic that has been done in her halls and used to build and repair her time and again. I can feel her emotions and know if she agrees or disagrees in this way. This does not mean that I am an empath, because I am not, I can only do this with magically sentient beings or objects.
Because of my abilities I donned a mask that made me "Loony Luna Lovegood". This worked in my advantage because it hid my abilities from those who would want to be my friends to exploit them and it made everyone underestimate me. This was especially helpful in the war and I became the DA's best information gatherer because the enemy would overlook me when I was around and was not careful with what they said. I was able to gather much intelligence in this way that saved several students' lives and provided us with the necessary details to keep us hidden and safe. Becoming a child should not be difficult even when keeping up the façade of being neglected. Especially since I will potentially be able to start to let my Ravenclawness and true attitude and level headedness shine forth once whoever is taking care of me gets me to "open up".
I decide to look at the books first. "Yes yes yes!" I shout with joy when I read the titles. They are all various translation charms. I am giddy with excitement because this will allow me to cover the basic languages on earth that I have not mastered so that there is a better chance of knowing the language that my brother speaks. I eagerly scour the contents page of several books looking for the one that will be most useful for me on my journey. I finally come across one that should do exactly what I want it to. It allows me to not only understand what people say, but speak it and be literate in the language as well. An upside for this particular spell is that I will gain the knowledge of the language and so even when the spell wears off I will not have to recast it.
I ponder for a few moments which languages to choose. I already know English and Latin. English because it is the native language and what I grew up with and Latin because you really need it with all the spells are in Latin which means half or more of each textbook written is in that language plus many of the older tomes are entirely written in that archaic language. French would be a good one to learn, so would German. I determine. And then because of the business world (all good Ravenclaws keep themselves updated in these things and in the muggle aspects as well) I choose Japanese plus it would be really cool to learn.
I decide to apply the charm to myself after I am in my younger body because I don't want any adverse effects to happen when I de-age. For this same reason I decide to take the Knowledge Potion when I have been de-aged. I pick up the glass bottle that contains the murky De-Aging Potion. As I uncork the bottle I ponder what age I should pick. I have always been small for my size so it will not be hard for them to imagine that I have not had the proper nutrients for my body to grow with and that will enforce my appearance of being neglected. This will be further enforced with my skinniness and with a younger body my ribs will most likely show more. I have not been neglected myself, but this past year in Hogwarts has been hard. We may have had the secret passageway to get food but it could not come on a regular basis and so many times we all went without. I also had been kidnapped by Death Eaters and held hostage for a time and you don't exactly get regular full course meals while being forcefully held in their company. Combine all this with the cuts, scrapes, and bruises from the final battle and it will be no stretch of the imagination for anyone looking at me to jump to the conclusion of mild to severe neglect and possible abuse.
I sit on the floor and chug the potion. It tastes worse than it looks, and that is saying something. I scream as my body shifts and my bones and muscles contract and shrink. The pain is of the level of the Crutiatus Curse and I am praying to whoever it is that is watching over me to just stop the pain. I grit my teeth to keep myself from biting my tongue and ride it out. I know that it is necessary for what I embark to do. It feels like forever but is more than likely only minutes later that the changes stop and I am left gasping for breath on the floor as the pain recedes. It is several long moments afterward that I am able to steady my breathing and get up off the floor. My clothes are now swamping my body.
I call forth a mirror and am shocked at what I see. I look like I did when I was nine! Only, I am skinnier and will definitely look the part of a neglected and potentially abused child. My dirty-blonde hair is hanging down to my waist in a tangled mass. My eyes are as blue as ever. My cheeks are sunken in slightly and when I lift up my shirt I am able to see an outline of my ribs. I still have bruises all over from being knocked into and from the debris and spells that were flying all around in the Final Battle. It does not help that I had to throw myself onto the ground or into walls several times to avoid lethal spells. I have scrapes and cuts as a result of that as well, although not as many. My skin is definitely dirty and looks like I have not been given a proper bath in a while, even though it has only been two days since my last one. The Final Battle and the last minute preparations insured that I did not get one yesterday and I will not take one today because of the look I am trying to create. I look to be about 3 and ½ feet tall, or 106 centimeters; which is small for a nine year old. It is more the size of a seven year old child.
I gulp down the knowledge potion and it has no pain. I am thankful for this mercy. I then cast the translation charm. I will not know for sure that it worked until I am in the new world and have a chance to test it out, but I will keep my hopes up as the Room of Requirement has yet to lead me wrong.
I head over to the chest with the hand me down clothes. Now I need to perfect my outfit. I look through the jeans tossing aside ones that are too small or way too large for me and I am left with several ones that will not be perfect fits but will not hamper my movement. I quickly look at seams as I don't want to pick one that will fall apart on me. I finally choose a pair that has no tags or brand name. That is good because who knows if the stores are named the same? It is faded and the bottoms are much frayed and will be slightly long. There is a hole just under my left knee so it looks as if I fell and it ripped.
I move on to the shoes. I immediately toss out any that look like they could be expensive or are not running, tennis, or working shoes. I need them to be well worn and look as if I have had them forever and most likely got them from someone else who had them forever before me. I choose a pair of white sneakers. The sole is detaching in several places but not enough to cause concern. The laces are knotted at the ends to keep them from unraveling because the tips fell off at some point. Around the mouth of the shoe it is fraying and there are scuff marks all over. I ask for some blue thread and a needle. I patch up some parts where the seams are coming undone. I smear some of the dust and gravel from the fight that had fallen off my old clothes onto them to make them look like they have been constantly worn and not washed. I slip them on with bare feet and look in the mirror. Perfect!
Now I just need a shirt. I dig around in the chest for shirts. I toss out any that look nice or look like they were previously nice. I also throw out any that have logos or designs because I don't want to pick something that does not exist in the alternate universe. I finally settle on a grey short sleeve shirt that is only one size too big. It has stains on it and is threadbare but overall not in terrible condition.
Is there anything else that I need for my outfit? I sit back down on the floor to think. I am very un-coordinated in my younger body. I will need to work on that straight away. Ah! Yes. It may be cold there so a sweatshirt or jacket is needed. I think for a moment if I have any of my own that would work instead of raiding the chest again. After a couple of moments I remember that I still have the Ravenclaw hoodie that I received when I was sorted into Ravenclaw. That is still up in the Ravenclaw dormitories so I ask Hogwarts to retrieve it for my via the Room of Requirement. A couple moments later it pops up in front of me. I hold it up to look it over. It should work. It is a Ravenclaw Blue, but the edging is done in Ravenclaw Bronze. It looks newer than what I am currently wearing but it still looks worn. The edges of the sleeves are starting to wear and it has a faded look to it. I slip it on to see how it fits. Even though I got it when I was eleven it swamps me; although I am very small now. The hood goes well past my eyes and almost to my mouth if I pull it down all the way and the bottom of the hoodie reaches my mid thighs at least. It looks like some older kid gave it to me. That will work. Now I have something to remember Hogwarts by and it will fit for some time to come.
I step in front of the mirror again and I like what I see. All I have to do now is act the part and I am good to go! I turn to my own trunk to decide what it is that I will take. Unfortunately I can only take the essentials because I am acting as if I am neglected/ran the streets so I can't take anything of value and no pictures. I take a deep breath and close my eyes, fighting back the tears that threaten to spill. Although I am secure in my desire to swap universes to be with my brother, I will still miss this world. I shall miss Hogwarts and all of my material items that remind me of better times; of times spent with friends, searching the coasts for various creatures with Father, and the little things I remember doing with Mother before she died: like bedtime stories. There is no way that I can take any pictures of my parents or of friends so I take a couple moments to look through the pictures that I have laying around in my trunk and remember.
I take a deep breath and continue my search for what I will take. I have several messenger bags. My favorite is a dark blue knit tote, but I am afraid that it will be too delicate looking so I scrounge around my trunk to see what other ones I have. I finally happen upon one that I have had since my first trip with my father to find the elusive Crumple-Horned Snorkack. It is a canvas like material that is a dark beige. It is very plane looking and does not zip, there is a flap that folds over, but all the same it is sturdy, yet old, and will remind me of good times spent with my Father.
I continue looking. I would like to take something that shall remind me of Mama, yet not be too young looking or something out of place on the child I am trying to display. I finally decide on the bear that I got from my Mama at birth. She made it herself. It is about ten inches tall and made of a light blue fabric. The eyes, nose, and mouth is made of black thread. There is a midnight-blue length of fabric about two inches wide that has white and yellow stars on it that wraps around the bears neck and ties off in a bow. The bear has been and still is well loved by me and it looks that way. My Mama made me the bear when she was pregnant with me. The bear's name is Francis. That is my brother's name, although I am sure that it has since been changed as when Mama and Father sent him off he did not have any identification on him.
I slip Francis into my messenger bag and set the bag at my feet. I ponder what else I should take. I finally decide on asking the Room of Requirement for a half-loaf of baked bread that looks to be homemade. If anyone sees it they will either think I was given it when kicked out or that I stole it off some street vendor. I quench my thirst in this universe as I don't think it would be as easy to explain away a glass of water and I am sure that there are public restrooms somewhere that will have either a water fountain to drink out of or I can cup my hands and drink from the sink.
After all that I am finally ready to leave Hogwarts, and this plane of existence, once and for all. Once I do the spell there is no turning back. I take a deep breath and slowly exhale. I am very calm by nature, but I find that this is getting to me. I close my eyes, count to ten, and steal my resolve. I open my eyes and they are full of determination. I nod my head and pick up my wand. I will snap and discard of it immediately when I arrive. I ask Hogwarts to help me in my casting of the spell and I chant it:
Take mihi ut alius Universum. Qua EGO ero tutus. Take mihi ut meus cruor frater. Permissum mihi licentia is locus.*
I am swept away with the unnatural wind that swirls around me. All that is left is the echo of a whispered goodbye.
AN: I know that Luna has grey eyes in cannon but for this story she needs blue eyes.
*Take me to another Universe. Where I will be safe. Take me to my blood brother. Let me leave this place.
I translated with Google, so if there is a better translation let me know please!
Posted on: Jan 1, 2012