b A/N: I don't any of the Harry Potter Characters, only the characters I create myself. My story is going to ignore some events in Half Blood Prince and all of Deathly Hallows. Enjoy and please comment to let me know what you think /b
i It had been months since Sirius died, only a few days shy of a year. /i she thought, sitting on her small, soft bed. You would think she'd be over the fact that he died, but she just couldn't shake it off. She pulled out an old blue book with worn, tattered pages and began to write.
i I can't go a day without thinking about how he used to teach me all his dirty tricks he did at Hogwarts, the wolf-like smile that would creep upon his then thin face, how he would look at you with so much love and concern, how he desperately tried to seem stern and ended up just giving a barking laugh. It was hard having him fall out of my grasp when I had only really known him for a few years. I cried like a baby when I got back to the common room, with the usual stares from my fellow house mates. I came to school with another person who cared for me for who I was, and I left loosing him. But I can't show my emotions to anyone around me except in the safety of my own house. /i
A knock at the door interrupted her concentration from her furious writing. She placed her quill down and shoved the book under her bed. She whipped the tears that were threatening to spill out from her grey eyes. She looked at herself in the mirror to make sure no signs of sadness remained on her delicate face. She smirked at her large eyes that gave her a look of permanent surprise. Her skin was always a flawless ghostly pale color, resembling a porcelain doll. The blonde tresses that descended from her head were slightly frizzed, but she didn't really care. She had always hated trying to tame her hair because then she would be like all the other girls with perfect hair. She enjoyed standing out and not fitting in. It meant she was unique. Sometimes she would wish she had more friends, but she knew in time people would appreciate her more for who she was. She straightened out her green t-shirt to release the wrinkles, and then started to fall into ordinary girl thoughts about her body. She had filled out during the summer break and her shirts became tight around her chest, and her hips had widened so she no longer looked like a pubescent boy. It made her feel somewhat awkward, just in the fact that she will be getting more attention from the opposite sex.
The knock on the door occurred louder than before, making her jump. She scurried over to the door and opened it quickly. A man stood before her that always brings happiness among people, even the manic depressed couldn't resist smiling. A small smile crept upon both their faces and the twinkle in his eyes seemed to grow brighter.
"Hello, Ms. Lovegood. I hope I wasn't intruding on anything private." Dumbledore said softly as is body towered over the small frame of Luna.
"You weren't intruding at all, sir." Luna replied. Dumbledore walked in swiftly and surveyed the young girl's room. He walked along the navy blue walls with silver trimming, then stopped at one of the large windows.
"I'm glad you love your house colors." He said with the hint of humor in his voice.
"My mom always wanted me to be in Ravenclaw, so she painted my room their colors before I was even born." She smiled sheepishly at the old man. "She even wanted to paint a raven on the wall, but decided not to."
"She did well in Ravenclaw, one of the best in her house." Dumbledore replied. He looked out the window for a short time before responding, "I wanted to thank you for letting the Order switch its headquarters to your house."
"It's no big deal," She said nonchalantly, "Anything to get i him /i out of existence is fine with me."
"I also must say that the Weaselys, Ms. Granger, and Mr. Potter will be accompanying us in our stay." She nodded her head, already figuring they would be at some point. He started to walk out of her room when he turned around to her abruptly. "One more thing, Miss Lovegood. Don't be afraid to reveal the truth to the ones who need to know." With that, he walked closed the door to her room before Luna had a chance to respond.
She stared at the oak door for a long time. i How the hell does he know I haven't told him? /i She thought bitterly as she sat down on her bed once again. She smiled at the thought of Harry, Ron, Ginny, and Hermione coming to her house. Even though she knew that the four that she was strange when they first met, she knew they thought different of her now. She remembered her petty crush on Ron when she first met him, even though he had a confused face whenever he looked at her. She would always talk to him about the animals that her dad looked for and how to protect him from them. She laughed out loud at the memory of him trying his best to get away from her, using Hermione as an excuse. She quickly got over the crush within the passing year, and noticed just how much Hermione would look at Ron with such admiring love whenever he wasn't looking. She had always known they were meant to be together, just because they were complete opposites. Ron was thickheaded not to see what an effect he had on her. She would light up whenever he walked in, and she would always hide her smile even when they were in an argument.
i Hermione still didn't except me for who I am /i Luna thought remorsefully. Hermione seemed to always want to prove that Knargles weren't real, and that she should give up her hopeless dreams. Sometimes she did think she was insane for believing in all those mythical creatures, but she promised herself never to give up. Hermione did have her moments where she could be counted on for any advice, but for the most part they were never close.
Ginny, on the other hand, became one of her best friends. She loved her vivacious personality and how she never listened to orders. She had the largest crush on Harry for many years, and Luna was always there to listen to Ginny have her girly moments. Ginny finally started to date him last year, but he ended the relationship right at the end of the year. It crushed Luna so much when Ginny would cry on her shoulder, hidden from all the other students in their secret hide out. (They discovered it on accident, and have used it to talk late into the night. It wasn't anything special like the Room of Requirement, but it worked for two girls. It was an abandoned Divination room that was hidden by a painting of a young girl in a blue dress. Ginny had convinced the girl to share her secret room, and they have been going there religiously since 4th year.) Even though Ginny was a strong girl, she was destroyed when Harry ended everything between them. She acted strong in front of him, but there were many nights where she would burn his smiling pictures from the numerous newspapers. Luna would write to Ginny three times a day to help Ginny get through the summer with Harry in her house.
Then there's Harry. Luna never thought she would get along with Harry, but he seemed like one of the nicest guys she's ever met. Their true moment of bonding was after the incident at the Ministry, where Harry helped her find her "mysteriously" missing items. They talked about the good moments in the DA, like when she finally cast a perfect Patronus that resembled a sleek otter. None of them knew why it was an otter, and they laughed about how random it really was. Their conversation quickly turned to Sirius, and it was Luna's turn to comfort Harry. He almost cried in front of her, but he quickly rubbed the tears shamefully away. Luna put a comforting hand on his shoulder trying not to cry herself at Harry's loving words towards Sirius. Eventually, they walked back into the Great Hall and departed to their own tables. It had been the last time she had really talked to him like that. Sure, they talked now and then, but never more than a few words. She didn't blame him for any of this because they were in different years, in different houses, and the DA wasn't having many meetings.
"It will be an interesting summer with them around 24/7," Luna thought out loud. She looked at herself one last time in the mirror before she made her way out of her room and down the spiraling staircase. She glided towards the kitchen, to be greeted by many members of the Order.
"Ello poppet," Tonks exclaimed at the sight of the young girl. She walked up and gave the girl a friendly pat on the back and flashed her a wide grin. Luna smiled at the unique woman and returned a genuine smile.
"When are you going to teach me the tricks of your trade, Nymphadora?"
"I don't know why you insist on calling me that hideous name," Tonks replied hotly. "But you know it's extremely hard to learn to be a Metamorphosis if you weren't born as one, but it's possible. Maybe in due time I will give you some little maneuvers." She added a wink at the end of this statement. They both went into a fit of giggles and sat down at the kitchen table.
"I like to see someone people are happy in the mornings," Remus stated warmly as he walked into the kitchen. Both girls looked up at him and smiled at him. "I'd watch out for Mad Eye though, he's pretty ticked that's he's up so early."
"We'll be picking up the crew in a few minutes." Tonks said as she drained the last bit of her coffee. "Mad Eye insisted on coming with us for protection, but he didn't realize we'd be leaving at 8 am."
"GOD DAMN MY DAMN EYE," Mad Eye howled as his magic eye came rolling into the kitchen, whizzing in every direction. A few seconds later came in a stumbling Mad Eye chasing the eye. Luna jumped up and grabbed the eye before rolled out the back door. He stopped quickly in front of her, grabbed the eye, and grumbled over to the coffee machine while putting his eye back in. "Don't you give me those happy-go-lucky smiles this early in the morning."
Tonks laughed heartedly and pulled Mad Eye gently on his arm. "There's no time for coffee now, we have to floo over to the Burrow in a minute." Mad Eye slammed his drink on the counter and stormed into the family room. Luna and Remus laughed at the sight, and started to follow them.
"Luna," Remus started, stopping them both near the family room entrance. "I wanted to see if everything's alright with you."
"Everything's good, Professor." Luna stated half-heartedly.
"You know I'm no longer your professor. Remus is just fine," He looked down at his feet before continuing. "You also know that I can sense when people are upset, since my senses are heightened."
"Then on that case, you should know I can do the same thing," Luna challenged. She quickly regretted sounding so harsh and added. "I'm sorry, Remus, but I just don't want to talk about it. Don't worry; I'm still the girl with the radish earrings." She stated happily, pointing to the large radishes dangling from her ears. He smiled softly at her, his concern evident in his eyes.
"Is it about i him /i ?" Remus whispered.
"Well, I was just thinking about it. Also the fact that dad's gone."
"We're trying our best to find him. He'll be alright." He pulled her into a small hug as a sign of comfort before he walked briskly into the family room. Luna heard the flames from her fireplace and then all was silent. She walked slowly around her now empty house. She thought deeply about the sudden disappearance of her dad at the beginning of the summer. She squeezed her eyes shut when the memories of the Death Eaters blasting their way into the Quibbler office, destroying everything in sight. Luna tried her best to save her dad, but one of the Death Eaters put her into a body bind. It had been only an hour when the Order was finally able to get her out of there.
She quickly brushed those thoughts out of her head and decided to plop onto the comfy couch that she loved. She grabbed on of the many books that were in her house and began to lose herself in the world of fantasy.
Within a few minutes, the green flames erupted in the fireplace and out popped a tall, lanky boy with bright red hair. Ron brushed off the soot off of his shoulders, not really noticing Luna on the couch. He finally looked up with his blue eyes, his mouth opening slightly as he stared in her general direction. Finally, he gave a friendly smile towards her. "Hey there," He said as he made his way over to her. She stood up to greet him expecting a simple handshake, but ended up giving her a hug (which was a first for him.) She smiled in his chest, not because of the contact, but because it meant he finally accepted her. Soon enough Hermione burst through the flames with a loud thump as she fell on the floor. She quickly jumped up and brushed down her skirt.
She walked over to Luna and also gave her a hug. "Hello, how's your summer been," Hermione inquired as she stood between Ron and Luna.
"Fine, I guess." Luna said politely. They both gave small smiles.
"LUNA!" Ginny shouted as she practically sprinted out of the fireplace. Luna gave a barking laugh as Ginny practically tackled her. Luna could only see a mass of red hair for a minute as Ginny smothered her in her desperate hug. "I've missed you so much. It's been hell only having Hermione to talk to about girl stuff," Ginny whispered in Luna's ear. Luna just squeezed Ginny more to control her fit of giggles that threatened to burst. They gave each other knowing looks when they parted.
Finally, Mr. and Mrs. Weasely, Made Eye, Remus, Tonks, and Harry appeared from the green fire. Mr. and Mrs. Weasely introduced themselves to Luna, and receiving one of Mrs. Weasely's famous bone-crushing hugs.
"I'm so sorry about your father dear." Mrs. Weasely said softly. "Now if there's anything you need, don't be afraid to call my name." Luna nodded and smiled as Mrs. Weasely immediately went straight into the kitchen to fix a guaranteed filling breakfast. Mr. Weasely smiled at her and joined Mad Eye and Remus' conversation. She then noticed Harry standing beside her. She smiled up at him as his green eyes twinkled.
"Hello Harry," Luna kindly said.
"Hey," He responded. They both looked at each other for a minute, before Harry finally gave her a warm hug. Luna, taken back with the sudden close proximity, merely froze as his arms held her tightly. She finally returned the hug. She got a whiff of his scent and it consumed her mind. She closed her eyes as she enjoyed how good he smelt. It finally dawned on her exactly how weird it is to just be sniffing someone, so she quickly pulled away from the hug. Harry looked quizzically at her, but smiled none the less. He started shuffling his feet and stated, "I'm sorry about your dad."
She nodded her head slowly, noticing Harry's intense gaze. He had always done this whenever he was talking to someone, making the person feel like they were the only one that mattered. It was something Luna felt was what made Harry special. His green eyes continued his stare as the group sat in a comfortable silence. Finally, Ginny cleared her throat. "I want to see your room" She said with a hint of seriousness.
Luna immediately knew that Ginny wanted to talk in private, and knew that she wanted to do it now. "Make yourselves at home guys." Luna said as Ginny yanked her arm towards the stairs. Luna quickly led the way up the stairs and down the hall to her room. The walked in hurriedly and Ginny slammed the door.
"I've been dying to talk to you alone." Ginny exclaimed as she plopped onto the bed. Luna stood at the door looking at Ginny quizzically.
"What for?"
"You know," Ginny started. "What you explained to me in your letters." Ginny stared seriously at Luna for quite some time before it registered in Luna's head.
"I completely forgot that I told you," Luna said apologetically. "Sorry."
"It's alright, you always forget something…usually when you daydream or think about knargles." Luna chuckled at the fact in Ginny's statement. Luna walked over to her bed and sat next to Ginny. Finally, Ginny asked, "How long does it take?"
"Usually a few months," Luna started. "It feels weird too. My senses are heightened and I can hear, smell, taste, and feel things that I never was able to before. For example, Remus walked into the kitchen this morning and I could feel the love radiating between him and Tonks."
"WHAT?" Ginny cried out. "I didn't even know they had feelings like that for each other."
"Neither did I until this morning." Luna said honestly. "I've also noticed it with Hermione and Ron, but that's beside the point." Ginny tried to ask more questions, but stopped at the last statement. "It seems I have mood swings too. I have to protect myself from werewolves though, because they can tell what's going on–"
"What about Remus? Last time I checked he was one." Ginny interjected.
"He's the one helping me through this; I just have to throw off his advances."
Ginny and Luna sat for a few minutes, absorbing all the facts that were being pulled out into the open. "What exactly would you call yourself?" Ginny whispered, breaking the silence.
"There is a technical term for it, actually. I'm called loup-garou puella, which translated literally means, werewolf child."
b So, what did you guys think? It's a little bit different from the ways I've seen Luna presented, so I thought this would be fun to do. Please review for me and let me know if you liked it or not. /b