Charlie had never paid much mind to Luna Lovegood, they simply didn't exist within the same circles. Not that Charlie particularly belonged to any 'social circle,' that would require that she actually participate in the social lives of her classmates, which she preferred to avoid. Drama came with groups of friends, so it seemed logical to just avoid groups of friends. Less stress, less nonsense.
It made sense then that Charlie and Luna had never really spoken before, especially since Charlie was a year older than Luna. The matter that they were both in the same house held little value, since most students at Hogwarts tended to only really talk to those in their year. There were a few exceptions, especially in the case of siblings, but for the most part there were pretty clear lines drawn in the sand.
Perhaps if they'd both been in Gryffindor it might have been a different story, the lions seemed so much more lively and inclusive, or even Hufflepuff - they thrive off of that shit. However, Ravenclaw shared more similarities with Slytherin than any of the other houses, especially in respect to its sense of competition within its own house.
Ravenclaws were painfully competitive, each student wanting to prove themselves more clever than the rest, all to vie for the title of the 'most Ravenclaw.' Consequently, a sense of house unity was low. Even Slytherin house had more solidarity, they may squabble amongst each other, but everyone knows that when push comes to shove Slytherins stand united in front of the other houses. Perhaps it had to do with their house's less-than-reputable reputation and the need for inter-house support, but Slytherin always seemed to have their act together. Ravenclaw, on the other hand, was the true snake pit.
Of course, unless you are a Ravenclaw yourself, you likely are none-the-wiser. Like Slytherins, Ravenclaws always hold their cards close to their chests, partly for the purpose of feeling superior about knowledge that others don't have, but mostly because they simply don't trust each other. However, there's also an expectation that Ravenclaws not speak ill of each other outside of their house. If nothing else, Ravenclaw values its reputation the most. In truth, Charlie suspected that much of Ravenclaw house is comprised of students who were actually better suited for Slytherin, her own sorting begging the question.
She remembered when McGonagall had placed the sorting hat on her head, a nervous muggleborn who only wanted to avoid ridicule, tired of the constant bullying she'd faced in primary school.
The hat had startled her at first, as it entered her mind, whispering softly as it puzzled through her innermost thoughts.
"Ah yes, brave but also ambitious. What's this? A thirst to prove yourself and prove others wrong? Oh, but not interested in popularity, no... Clever, aren't you?" the hat hemmed and hawed.
It seemed to quiet for a few seconds before piping up, "You're witty and a bit of a social cameleon, able to bend others to your point of view unknowingly… you'd be an excellent Slytherin, yes."
Charlie had shifted uncomfortably in her seat, hearing a little about Slytherin's views on blood purity on the train in from the pureblood she'd sat across from in her compartment. It had been an uncomfortable and insulting conversation to say the least. "Are you sure that's a good idea?" She'd said to the hat in her mind, she had a feeling she might not be welcome.
The hat seemed to chuckle a little warily in her mind, "You would do well there my dear, but I see here you've had more than your fair share of difficulties with classmates… no let's put you with the rest… RAVENCLAW!"
As she'd taken off the hat and handed it back to McGonagall, she'd wondered what the hat had meant about 'the rest' at the time. It was only in Charlie's later years she'd come to suspect it meant others like her. Others that didn't want to break the Slytherin mold and make waves.
Of course she'd quickly learned that Slytherin house of course had muggleborns, they just didn't seem to thrive in it. From what few she'd seen, they went mostly ignored, and if spoken to by fellow Slytherins, seemed to be often reminded that they were outsiders. It seemed a bit miserable, she'd thought, not feeling at home in your own house. While Charlie had never felt 'warm and cuddly' with her housemates, she at least didn't feel like a second-class citizen. They got along well enough, when they weren't all trying to one-up each other at some intellectual challenge. That being said, not everyone in Ravenclaw seemed to have Charlie's experience, which she'd quickly come to realize when she first met Luna.
Charlie had been on her way back to the Ravenclaw common room after attempting to brew a particularly difficult potion in the Room of Requirement, which one of her Gryffindor friends had told her about a few months ago. She'd been a little tired looking, that potion having been particularly draining given how intensive it had become to tend to that evening. When she'd looked at the time on the way back to the common room she'd realized that she would be late for curfew, and had taken a shortcut back to the tower in the hopes aof avoiding Filch or patrolling prefects. She'd just rounded the corner past the seventh floor corridor when she'd stumbled a group of Ravenclaws who seemed to be in the year below, one of them suspending Luna Lovegood 15 feet of the ground while the others laughed. Lovegood seemed a bit dazed and a tad frustrated, but didn't so much as swear at her housemates. Charlie saw red.
"Just what. Do you think. You're doing." She'd spat out, her wand in her hand in a flash.
The group had turned to her slightly, the boy holding Lovegood aloft smirking at her. "Just reminding Lovegood that she doesn't belong here."
Charlie bristled at his arrogance. "You'd best put her down and piss off."
The boy cocked his eyebrow, "Yeah, or what?"
While Charlie had been glaring at the boy, one of the other Ravenclaw girls had come up behind Charlie and snatched her wand. Charlie quickly looked at her and punched her in the nose, the girl shrieking in pain. Snatching her wand back quickly, Charlie aimed several hexes at the rest of the group before they could react, and they quickly turned tail. Guess there was a reason they didn't make it into Gryffindor.
When the group had left, Charlie had turned to look at Lovegood for the first time really that evening, having just taken a minute glance at her when she'd found the group. In the chaos, her tormentor had released the charm and Lovegood had fallen to the ground and landed a bit hard on the castle floor. Nevertheless, the unflappable blonde didn't seem too bothered, look at Charlie with a misty glance from the floor. "You stopped them." She stated, her voice having an airy and factual quality.
Charlie looked at her, a little surprised, and just shrugged. "Well yeah. They were being awful. Band of pricks."
Luna cocked her head to the side, "Why did you stop them?"
Charlie squinted a little at the girl, offering her a hand to help her up from the floor, but Luna just shook her head, smiling and crossed her legs on the floor. She didn't seem in a rush to get up.
Charlie sighed, "No one has the right to torment others like that. I don't like bullies, everyone's allowed to be different."
Luna smiled dreamily at her, standing and picking up the bag that had been dumped on the floor during her housemates' debacle. "You have a lot of gnargles surrounding your head, I'll help you get rid of them. They're terribly bad luck."
Charlie had heard of Lovegood's obsession with imaginary creatures, so she took it in stride.
"Is that so?" Charlie smiled softly, leading Luna to the common room with her.
Lovegood's smile softened even further, her eyes crinkling as she looked at Charlie. "Friends protect each other."
Charlie grinned as they approached the entrance. Who knows, maybe Lovegood just knows something the rest of the world didn't.