Disclaimer: I don't own Doctor Who or Harry Potter; they belong to their respective owners.
Set after the Next Doctor and before Planet of the Dead for the Doctor and before the Harry Potter series.
A/N: I've updated a few things, for example, I changed Luna's mother's name to the canon name that was released on Pottermore, and the Gaelic word for mother was wrong, so that's all fixed now. I might come back and revise it, but who knows when that'll be. Enjoy!
August 5, 1990 was the worst day of Luna Lovegood's life. She had witnessed death for the first time.
"I created a spell, and I would like you to see it," said her mother as they entered her laboratory.
"What is it, mother? What is it?" nine-year-old Luna bounced up and down.
Her mother closed the door behind her, stood in front of Luna, and raised her wand. "It improves life." She waved her wand, saying, "Illis!"
Luna recognized the word; it meant by these, so in other words… a life is enriched BY THESE, but it did exactly the opposite…
The spell blew up in her mother's face, and her eyes widened. Luna watched in horror, eyes wide. Her mother's knees gave way, and she fell to the floor, lifeless.
"Mother!" Luna cried running to her side. "Mother, wake up!" she shook her, tears falling onto her mother's lifeless body. Luna curled up beside her mother, and cried by her mother's side for hours, not being able to except her terrible nightmare.
The funeral took place three days later; Luna took no notice for who was there, except for Ginny who let Luna cry on her shoulder.
Pandora Callahan Lovegood
May 19, 1960 - Aug 5, 1990
Loving mother, wife, and teacher
A week had gone by and Luna's attitude had not improved, sure she knew she was safe, but she could not get her mother's reaction when she died out of her mind. She tried distracting herself, but nothing helped. She sat on her bedroom window bench, and stared out at her mother's grave. Luna encountered all her memories with her mother, happy and sad, and sat there wishing she were comforting her now.
"Allons-y, Luna! Let's learn about Africa!"
"Yay!" cheered four-year-old Luna.
Luna could say Africa's countries in alphabetical order by the time her father walked in an hour later.
"Daddy!" she said running to him. "I memorized all of Africa's countries!"
"Did you? What are they?" he asked her excitedly. She recited the countries without a single delay.
"I'm so proud of you, Luna!" he said picking her up, and rubbing his nose against hers.
Three-year-old Luna recited an Irish poem to her mother in Gaelic. The poem felt like a song, for that's what Gaelic is like: a song. Luna spoke it fluently as it was her first language.
"Máthair!" exclaimed seven-month-old Luna. Her mother and father turned around staring at her in shock. Her mother smiled, she had said 'mother' in Gaelic.
Six-year-old Luna and her mother took turns reading Little Women by Louisa Mae Alcott. It was a long read, but Luna understood every word.
Luna blinked, making her tears fall down her face. She missed her so much; her heart ached because of it. It had broken in two, and it could not be fixed. She sobbed, wishing for her dear mother.
Then she was there walking to her, and sitting beside her. "Wherever I am, whatever I'm doing. I will always be there for you sweet Luna," her mother kissed her forehead. Luna closed her eyes as she did so, and then reached to hug her, but no one was there.
She was alone.
A strange wheezing noise caught Luna's attention. A blue box appeared outside feet from her mother's grave. Luna blinked, where did it come from? Was it magic? She pushed her face right against the glass, and stared.
The doors swung open, and a man stepped out. His long coat billowed in the wind, as Luna watched curiously; the man looked around, examines his surroundings. He moved his mouth saying something, but Luna couldn't hear it, as she was too high up. He then noticed the tombstone, and his face fell. A frown came upon his face in a mournful way; he then started to turn around as if he was heading back to his box. Luna put a hand on the window, and mouthed, "Stay."
She needed someone to talk to besides her father, and he wouldn't let her leave the house to even go to the Weasleys', or that was she guessed, all he answered with was with a grunt. The man noticed her, and nodded reassuring her that he was coming. He walked over back to his box, and a cold tear fell down her cheek realizing the man was leaving; she left the window, and walked downstairs.
There was the man, standing outside her front door talking to her father. Luna's heart raced, and wanted to jump into the man's arms.
"I'm a doctor, I can help," he said.
"She's very sensitive," said her father.
"I can deal with that," he said. "Can I see her?"
"Yes, yes," he said stepping aside to let him in.
"Hello! You must be Luna," he said.
"Yes," she said, heart beating hard against her chest.
"I'm the Doctor, and I would like to talk to you."
Wasn't a doctor a muggle term for healer? She wondered, "A doctor?"
"Yes."
"In my room?" she asked.
"Of course. Lead the way," he said smiling. Luna gave him a small smile before leading him up the stairs to her bedroom. "Lovely room," he commented.
"Thank you," said Luna shutting the door. She sat crossed legged on her bed, "What do you want to talk to me about?"
He pulled the chair from beside her bed to sit on, "That tombstone, outside," he said stiffly. "Your mother wasn't she?"
Luna only nodded.
"I'm sorry. I saw your face in the window, you looked like you needed someone."
"Yes," she paused. "It was a week ago."
"How old are you?" he wondered.
"Nine."
"You're rather mature for a nine year old," he remarked.
"I started learning from an early age."
"I'm sure," he said noticing her bookcase that was packed tight with books.
Luna smiled at the floor, and he looked around the room noticing her paintings on her walls. "So, you like painting?"
"I love it," she said.
He turned to look at her, "Tell me about yourself, Luna."
She twisted her skirt in her fingers, "Well, my birthday is April 18. I'm half Irish, and half British. Dad's British, and mum's-" she cleared her throat, and continued. "My first word was a Gaelic word when I was seven months old, I love reading, and art," she went on. She didn't know why she told him all of her background, but she felt that he was trustworthy.
"Good," he nodded.
"I don't know why I told you all that," Luna confessed, "I don't even know you."
"I just have one of those faces," he said simply.
"Who are you really?" she wondered looking straight into his eyes. They were brown, but full of regret and sadness.
"I'm the Doctor, and I travel a lot," he said looking away.
"Travel where?" Luna said curiously.
"Loads of places."
"Where?" she leaned forward.
"You would never believe it."
She smiled, "Try me. I've read books that are set before Earth's history began, where you enter cupboards and come out into a magical land, I've read about traveling through fifth dimension, and also, I'm a witch, so tell me." She ended with a smile.
"Well, I travel through space and time in that blue box outside," he admitted.
Luna only grinned.
"That's not really a big deal to you is it?"
She shook her head, still smiling.
"All right. So what else do you want to know?" he asked leaning back in his chair.
"Can I see in your box?" she asked eagerly.
"It's too small," he said, "haven't you seen it?"
But Luna knew he was lying, she could see it in his eyes. She leaned forward, "Is it a doorway to another dimension?" He stared, and then blinked, but she smirked. "Gotcha! Now can I see it?"
"Fine," he said. "One look, that's it!" he stood up. "I'm not taking you on any adventures."
She made a pouty face, and complained, "Why not?"
"You're much too young," he said.
"Nine is too young? I'm mature!"
"Yes it is," and he held open the door. "Are you coming or not?" he asked when he noticed she was still sitting cross-legged on the bed.
"Of course I am!" she jumped off the bed, and ran out.
"How is nine too young?" she asked him as they climbed down the stairs. "Charles Wallace was five when he went on his first adventure."
"Yeah, and got in a lot of trouble," he commented.
"You've read A Wrinkle in Time?!" she exclaimed happily and it echoed.
"Shh! Luna, quiet down," and they reached the bottom of the stairs.
Her father wasn't there; Luna assumed he was in his bedroom because there was no sound of the printing press.
"Come on, "she said opening the front door.
"We need to tell your dad-" but she broke him off.
"It'll be just a quick look," she said quickly leaving the house.
"Luna!" she heard but she ran on. She came to the back of the house, and to the blue box; the Doctor was right behind her. He pulled a key from his pocket, and put it in the keyhole. He turned it, and pushed the door open. Luna walked inside, and grinned.
It was absolutely amazing; there were circles on the walls, and a console in the center of the room, or that's what it looked like. She flipped a switch, which made it make noise.
"This is amazing!" she expressed.
"You're supposed to say 'it's bigger on the inside!'" groaned the Doctor.
"I've gone camping loads of times. The tents are like this! Kitchens, bathrooms, bedrooms-"
"Oh blimey, wizards," he fussed walking in. He walked up to her, "You done looking?"
"No," she said walking around now.
"Come on, Luna. Your dad will wonder where you went," he tried telling her.
"It hasn't even been five minutes."
"Exactly," but she didn't hear him.
After she examines everything in the room, Luna turned around with a smile on her face, "Can I travel with you?" her face lit up like the sun.
The Doctor looked taken aback, "W-what?" he stammered.
"Travel with you," she repeated walking around the middle of the room. "You know, you me, time and space."
"No," he said firmly.
"Because I'm too young?" she figured.
"One of the reasons, two, I promised your father I would only talk to you about your mother, so, Luna, out."
Luna stared, "Sorry?"
"I can't take you with me," he looked at the floor with his hands in his pockets.
"There has to be other reasons," she said putting her hands on her hips.
"I lose a lot of the people I travel with, so, out," he pointed toward the door.
"You won't lose me," she said sitting in the pilot chair. "Can we tesseract through the fifth dimension?"
"There isn't a fifth dimension," he said.
"Says who?" she said leaning back in the chair.
"Says me," he walked to the pilot chair.
"You don't know everything. No one knows everything," her eyes were closed.
He shook his head, and quietly leaned over to pick the young girl up. He managed to get his arms around her before she realized what was happening, "Luna, calm down!"
"I want to go with you!" she shouted.
"I'll pick you up in a couple of years," he promised.
"Like when?"
"When you're a teenager," he said walking to the open doors.
"In four years," she muttered.
The Doctor moved to walk out of the doors, but they shut in his face. "What?" he said.
"What's wrong?" Luna moved her head to look behind her. "Just open them!" she said when she saw they were closed.
"They shut on me!" he exclaimed, and tried opening them while trying to keep Luna close. The lock wouldn't budge, and the same wheezing noise that Luna heard earlier, filled the air.
"No! No! No!" he exclaimed.
"We're going on an adventure!" exclaimed Luna excited.
"No, no, no. I can't take you," he kept her close. "What have I done?" she heard him mutter to himself.
"I want down," she said.
"No, you'll run off."
"Where to?"
And the same wheezing noise filled the air once again, and the doors swung open.
"Out there," and he turned, but Luna had dropped from his grasp. "No, Luna!" she unlocked the doors, and went out. "Luna!" she heard.
She looked around it was another world definitely. She knew that from reading science fiction novels. "There's nothing to be scared of, Doctor!" she exclaimed.
"Who are you?" said a voice, and Luna turned around.
"Hello, what are you?" she said sweetly.
"What?" asked the being coming into the light. The being looked similar to a giant raven with the bones showing and it made Luna curious.
"What are you?" Luna asked again in a curious tone.
"I am a Carrionite, what are you?"
"I'm a human," she said, she started to continue but the Doctor ran out, and noticed the Carrionite. He gaped at the creature, and grabbed Luna and pulling her close to the box.
"What are you doing? She's fine," Luna said calmly, getting out his grasp.
"Luna…" he trailed off, and she walked up to the Carrionite.
"What's your name?" she wondered.
"Mother Wormmuster," she introduced. "What is yours, child?"
"Luna Lovegood."
"Nice to meet you, why have the two of you come here?" she looked from the Doctor to Luna.
"Accident. I don't know what happened," explained the Doctor.
"Who are you?" Mother Wormmuster asked him.
"I think it's best if you didn't know, don't tell anyone I was here," he grabbed Luna's hand. "Come on, Luna."
"No," she protested.
"Is my form scary?" asked Mother Wormmuster.
"Bit, yeah," confessed Luna.
The large raven like creature changed into a more human like form, like witches from the old fairytales.
"But you're a witch!" Luna burst out.
"That's what Earth would call me, and you are from Earth. Am I right?"
"Yes, born and raised in-" she tried to say.
"Luna!" warned the Doctor.
"I'm making a friend!" she complained. Why was the Doctor being so overprotective?
"Not with them, not with them…" he trailed off and pulled Luna's hand with him.
"What is wrong with us? Why won't you tell me your name?"
The Doctor shook his head, "Spoilers, Mother Wormmuster."
Luna looked up at him wondering what that meant; she opened her mouth to ask but he pulled her into the box. He shut the door, and took off.
"Are you okay?" he asked her.
"Great," she smiled. "Why didn't you want me to talk to her? She seemed nice."
He sighed, "A Carrionite came from a time before our reality that we are in now. They use witchcraft, but its really word-based science. They use words alone to give them control. I've met them before. Shakespeare sent them all to the void, the three I met are locked up in a crystal ball somewhere in here," he explained.
"Makes sense, but she looked like a witch," she said, "after she changed her form."
He was shocked that she understood.
"So this is the TARDIS?" she wondered.
"Yeah," he stood up. "Time and relative dimension in space."
Luna grinned.
"Now, you're going home," and Luna's smile fell. The wheezing noise was heard again, and the floor shook as they landed.
"Home sweet home," he said checking a screen.
Luna turned to him, taking a deep breath, she said, "Thank you, Doctor."
"About what?" he wondered turning to her.
"I thought my life was over when my mother died, you've given me hope. And proof that there really is other life out there, and that it's not just stories."
"You're welcome," a smile crept onto his face.
"I would like to meet other alien life forms too," she commented.
"Well," he said hesitating, "you're talking to one," he said.
She blinked, looking at him, "What?"
"I'm a alien from outer space."
"Really?" she wondered smiling. "So you can change your form?"
"Not in that way exactly, but I look human every time."
She grinned, "One more question," she said.
"Yes?"
"Can I come?" she pleaded.
"No," he said grimly.
"You look so alone, you said you traveled with others earlier," she was getting her hopes too high right now.
"I can't," he said softly. "I'm sorry, Luna. You're much too young, and I don't want to worry your father."
"Will you come back?" she asked.
"Of course," he said. "And, Luna, do a favor will you?" he said when she turned to leave.
She turned back, smiling, "Anything," she said cheerfully.
"Don't tell anyone about what you've seen," he said.
"Of course," she nodded, and ran to give him a hug. He got down to her height, and hugged back.
"Bye, Doctor," she said. "Find someone will you?"
He smiled sadly, and then kissed her forehead, "Bye, Luna."
Luna ran out of the doors, and into her house.
"Luna!" exclaimed her father. "There you are! Where have you been?"
She ignored him, and ran upstairs hoping to get to her window before he left. Fortunately, she did. She sat down on her window bench, and watched the blue box fade. "Till the next time, Doctor," she said. The box faded, and Luna inhaled, and then let it out. She smiled, then got up and ran downstairs.
Climbing down the stairs, she finally felt like everything was fine. The Doctor had showed her that, you lose things sometimes, but you have to move on. Her mother might not be around anymore, but she still had a loving father, and that cheered her up. Because she knew, somewhere up there was her mother watching her, and she knew that she would see her again one day, but for now she had her in her heart, and she would have to remember her often, and as what L.M. Montgomery wrote in her novel, The Story Girl: "Nothing is ever really lost to us as long as we remember it." And that's exactly what Luna did, she remembered her.