Chapter 2
Luna Lovegood and Ginny Weasley had become the best of friends in their first year. Luna, after proudly joining Ravenclaw, watched as the very last person was sorted. She was a small girl, with bright red hair and overwhelming patterns of freckles. With her Nargle Glasses on, Luna had almost mistaken her for a leprechaun. She took them off, just in time to see the green eyes alight at the word Grifindor, and the girl quickly hopped off the stool and scurried to a trio of similar redheads. The two who looked oddly alike were whopping and hollering madly, while the one with curly red locks sat stiffly, but clapped and smiled as well.
Leaving the great hall, the Ravenclaws and the Griffindors walked side by side. Somehow, Luna was shoved into Ginny, probably by the Slytherin on her other side.
"Sorry." She adopted the light, airy voice she had perfected for when her father was around. The girl smiled then turned to the suspected Slytherin, a boy with brown, wavy hair and scarily dark brown eyes.
"Watch where you're going. You're a wizard for God's sake, can't you manage not to be an idiot?" The girl's eyes blazed with so much fury, Luna wondered if she could shoot lasers. She'd seen it in a muggle documentary once.
"Bug off, Weasley." The boy snarled, but he turned and continued walking.
"Thanks." Luna stammered, her fluttery act gone.
"I'm Ginny by the way. Ginny Weasley." Her cheeks took on a blooming scarlet, but Luna had never heard of the name.
"I'm Luna Lovegood." She breathed, offering a hand. Ginny shook it gratefully. Then she glanced around in alarm.
"We've lagged behind a bit. Best see if we can find our way, then." She pulled Luna along by their still clasped hands.
Together, they discovered Fluffy, who still occupied his room in the third floor corridor (now guarding Fred and George's contraband), Mrs. Norris, and the potions master, who awarded them both detention.
They were forced to dust the entire library, and they had never really parted for long after that. Ginny was bright and fun and brave, the things Luna didn't think she was herself. Luna, however, was fun to Ginny, and she was clever and interesting too. Soon, she managed to get catnip into the school to enable them to escape from Mrs. Norris. She'd gotten it from a second year Ron knew named Neville, who'd grown some for Luna in exchange for her Quibbler copy about extremely rare magical plants.
Luna became a great comfort to Ginny after the incident with You-Know-Who as well. From the day Ginny told her, she promised herself that she would never let anything hurt her friend again. It would be easier said than done.
For while Ginny had kept the diary a secret from Luna, Luna had a secret of her own. Ginny figured it out sometime after the incident, in the last few days of school. They were taking the final Herbology exam (Ginny had forcefully declared herself well enough). They were supposed to say the spell to make the flower seedling in their pots grow. Luna grew so frustrated that she waved her wand so forcefully it shot out of her hand. Instead of the spell, a blaze of ice shot from her palm.
She scrambled about for her wand, trying to play it off as a fluke. Professor Sprout tutted at her dismal work. She relaxed and began to clean up her station, more relieved about the close call ending well than worrying over her exam score. She assumed everyone thought she had just cast a temperature lowering spell by mistake.
Someone had seen though, because Luna saw the bright green eyes widen as she approached. Luna forcefully shook her head at the questions forming on her friend's lips. Ginny saw Luna's terrified expression and let it drop. Until they were crossing the lawn, that is.
"Luna. How did you do that?" She hissed, her eyes blazing with curiosity.
"Do what?" She adopted her airy tone, hoping to dissuade the girl. It did not work.
"That was wandless magic!" She whispered excitedly. "Only the most powerful of wizards can do that."
"It's not special, Ginny. It's a curse." Luna dropped her gaze to her shoes.
"I bet." Ginny rolled her eyes. Her brothers had told her all about not-Mad-Eye-Moody showing them all of the unforgivable curses, and magic without a wand didn't cut it.
"Ginny, you-you can't tell." Luna whispered.
"Why not? Those Slytherin creeps would think twice about messing with us." Ginny waved her wand through the air threateningly, as if the trees themselves were the dreaded serpants.
"Swear it, Ginny. Swear that you won't tell." Luna turned and faced her friend, a pleading yet demanding look in her eyes.
"I swear, Luna. Now, how about we go whip up some cold tea?" Ginny smiled, Luna grinning at her friend's joke. Luna had always liked her tea cold, being as odd as she was, and Ginny often had cold tea at home due to the fact that her brothers grabbed everything first.
"Sure." Luna smiled, and the girls walked hand in hand to the castle for supper.
