A Hope for Friendship
Chapter 1 – First Meetings
((Author Note: Will probably forget some points of the plot. Contains lots of OCs.))
Luna Lovegood was tired. Extremely tired. So tired, in fact she had trouble keeping steady as she made the hesitant step onto platform nine and three quarters, hand in hand with her smiling father. She knew she was early, that was the reason she felt so sleepy but she couldn't help but feel excited to return to Hogwarts, hopefully she'd be free from Nargles this year.
It was Luna's second year at Hogwarts and she hoped that this one wouldn't include as many upsets, although she did find it awfully exciting, so long as nobody was hurt, of course. Blinking she glanced around the platform, realising she'd been stood in the same spot for some time and disgruntled early-birds were stepping around her. With a shrug, she skipped toward the train, kissing her dad, who had started silently weeping, and boarded it.
Sitting herself down in one of the many empty compartments, she reached into her bag and pulled the latest edition of the Quibbler from it. After the trolley approached and she'd gorged herself on as many sweets and cakes as she could afford, Luna felt much more awake and was able to have a lot more fun reading the latest article about vampires in the dark forests of Norway.
The train journey remained uneventful and Luna's compartment remained empty. She didn't mind, it would have been nice to have someone to talk to, but she enjoyed her own company, she was often left home alone when her dad went out to work anyway, it was nice. Soon, the train came to a halt she excitedly filed behind the rest of the students toward the castle.
Luna couldn't help the gasp that escaped her mouth the second she stepped onto the pebbled path, earning her several raised eyebrows, which she ignored. Thestrals, she knew them from books and there had once been an article in The Quibbler about them, it had been an interesting read, indeed.
'Of course,' she thought, with a knowing smile. 'Only those who've witnessed death can see them, I don't understand why they're being used to pull carriages though.' She'd have to question her father via owl.
She stroked a thestral's mane, this recieved more strange looks, but Luna didn't care, she was used to said looks. Giving the horse-like creature one last pat she scrambled into the carriage, she'd been sat there for a while and finally gave in to the itching feeling she'd had in her stomach and scanned the group of girls who were whispering and continually glancing up at her from beneath the cart. She wondered what they were doing, but they seemed in a deep conversation which she didn't want to disturb.
"Go on, there's none left." murmured a short girl with black curly hair.
"We're holding everyone up, just do it!" snapped a tall blonde.
"Why can't you?" grumbled the red head everyone seemed to be growling at.
"Ginny!" the four girls hissed.
"Fine…" said the girl, who Luna recognised as Ginny Weasley, who was now approaching her carriage.
Luna smiled down at the red head, giving her a gentle but questioning look. The girl stared at her momentarily, a flash of fear in her eyes, then relaxed, "Hello, Luna, is it?" she said, with an obvious forced smile.
"Yes, you're Ginny Weasley." stated Luna, not altering her expression. "Are you okay?"
"Um, yeah, yes I am. Is it – Can we please get in this carriage, as well?" the smile was becoming more forced by the minute.
"Of course you can, as long as there's room, I don't mind." Luna nodded and relaxed back into her seat, playing with the charm on her necklace.
The five girls stepped into the carriage. Ginny sat beside Luna, after many digs from elbows and hushed whispers. There was quiet for a while, until Ginny piped up for a second time.
"Everyone, you know Luna." she looked round at the group, wide eyed, everyone nodded quickly. "Well, I think I ought to introduce everyone, anyway.
"This is Rebecca." Ginny gestured toward the dark-skinned girl beside her with dark curly hair that fell halfway through her back. She wore a Ravenclaw tie.
"Oh, I know, we're in the same dormitory." smiled Luna, nodding at Rebecca, who murmured a quick greeting.
"This is Bridget." the girl she pointed to had long styled platinum blonde hair and bright green eyes, and, to Luna's surprise, was wearing a Slytherin tie. The girl nodded at Luna, who beamed back.
"And Emily." she smiled at the girl beside her, who had bright purple hair, forced into a tight pony tail and was wearing square glasses over pale blue eyes. Another Luna recognised, Emily Dawson, but Luna had never spoken to her directly.
"Are you a metamorphmagus?" asked Luna, keeping her tone pleasant.
"Oh, no, many people think that. But my hair is just this way since a spell went wrong." Emily giggled and ran a hand through her bright hair.
"Oh, that's a shame. But it does suit you." smiled Luna. Emily's laughing came to a halt and she shifted in her seat.
"Right, yep, and this is Aimee." the final girl was clearly of Chinese descent, her dark hair was cropped and her heavy fringe covered over one of her midnight eyes. She was also a Gryffindor.
Luna found it very strange how they seemed to have been allied with a Slytherin, yet there were no Hufflepuffs within their group. 'I do hope they're not prejudiced," she thought. 'I wouldn't like to become friends with people like that, sometimes Rebecca can be quite unkind.'
"It's very nice to meet you all." she smiled, it wasn't entirely true - some of them seemed extremely close-minded - but she didn't want to hurt anyone's feelings. "It's interesting that you're a Slytherin, often Slytherins don't befriend people from other houses, I've been told." She smiled at Bridget.
"Uh, yeah, well, I don't know, I don't really get on well with some of the Slytherins, uh, to be honest the hat had trouble sorting me, so they didn't trust me so much," said Bridget, her accent was thick and Scottish. "I'm in the year above these guys and they were nice to me, Ginny didn't like me much at first, though.
"It's not my fault Slytherins are normally douchebags." smirked Ginny. Everybody laughed at this, Luna thought it was mildly funny, though rather mean, but she only smiled to show this.
"Well, yeah, but now we're all good friends and all, now." shrugged Bridget.
"Oh, that's good." They sat in silence from then, Luna decided not to try and start a conversation, these people just didn't seem to like her and she certainly didn't like Rebecca, though the rest of them seemed nice enough.
Upon reaching the castle, the five girls hurried from the carriage, giggling and smirking, Ginny remained the longest to thank Luna and offer her a smile.
"It isn't a problem, your friends are all nice, though they seemed to be rather rude just then." replied Luna, but she returned the smile and followed Ginny from the carriage, who nodded and ran off to reach her group.
Feeling slightly dejected, but still cheerful to reach the school, Luna skipped onward, ready for another year of learning. She daydreamed of pudding as she made her way down the short path toward the school.
((Reviews appreciated, but don't be mean, haha. ^^))