It had rained the previous night, but the skies were clear that day. The sun was up, drying the grass and airing out the trees, after the long wash they had been through in April. It was just barely the start of May, and so the ground was perpetually soaked with water. Luna had enchanted her shoes to be impervious to the mud that squelched underneath their feet. She had done the same with Selene's, and she was delighted to exploit this. She ran ahead, sliding along the muddy trail that lead down from Hogwarts. The path was so slick, it was like gliding across ice. Even the grass had been flattened by the run-off, meaning that it was unlikely anyone would get to Hogsmeade without slipping at least once.

For that reason, not many students were on the visit. The few who were all had tried different methods of reaching the village without falling in the mud. A group of third years had applied sticking charms to their shoes, thinking it would stop them from falling. It did, but not in the way they had anticipated. Their shoes had to be left behind, stuck, sinking into the mud, while the students went to find someone who knew the counter charm for it. One girl was being carried, bridal-style, by her boyfriend. She obviously thought it was quite romantic and chivalrous, based upon the smug expression she wore. It didn't last however, as his arms gave out and she landed in a big puddle.

Luna's own attempt consisted of transfiguring a near-by stick into a wooden toboggan. She persuaded Selene to join her, and together, they pushed off. The toboggan was uncooperative at first, merely sinking into the soil.

"We have to break it out of position," Selene said.

"Alright, lean left."

They leaned in that direction. Then, to the other. By doing this a few more times, they were able to inch the toboggan out of the rut. Selene (who was sitting in the front) leaned forwards. Luna started to push the ground with her heels, moving them. All of a sudden, they were racing down the hill at a breakneck speed. Water, grass, and mud flew up around them, landing in their laughing mouths and getting in their eyes. Both their school robes were flapping wildly behind them, and Selene's hair got in her face. Luna's world was obscured with dirty-blonde hair. She untangled herself from it so she could see, but almost immediately tried to hide her face again. They were going to crash right into the gates of Hogwarts.

"Turn right, turn right!"

Fiercely grabbing the underside of the toboggan, they leaned with all their might, trying to slow them down. Luna's sleeve got caught in the runner. There was a loud rip as the fabric was torn, and she jerked her arm free. Just then, the spell wore off, and their ride became a stick once more. The sled may have stopped, but they did not. Luna and Selene rolled the rest of the way down the hill, only coming to a stop when they hit the entrance. They sat there, widely grinning and panting, with their backs to the gate. Already Luna could see the teacher in charge of security coming down the hill to meet them. Not even Dumbledore was above falling however, and he took a tumble of his own, trying to reach them.

"Well that was quite the adventure," said Selene, pushing the hair out of her eyes. "Do you think they'll let us do the same thing off the grounds?"

Luna couldn't answer, she was still feeling too giddy.

"Are you both alright?"

"Just a little dizzy."

Selene shook her head and was instantly back on her feet again. Water was starting to soak through her robe now. Not being very fond of the sensation, Luna rose to her feet as well. She was still seeing double, but a small hop in place cured her of this problem. Now, she smiled innocently at Dumbledore, hoping that it would be enough to stop them from getting in trouble.

"I see you put that transfiguration of transportation spell from my class into some good use."

"Yes Sir. We didn't account for the gate, however."

He laughed good-naturedly at this.

"Given how quickly you were going, that seems like a given. I suggest you simply walk down to the village, and use a few good scourgifies before you meet with your uncle."

"We will," Selene dutifully said.

"Oh, and ten points to Ravenclaw for a rather solid use of transfiguration."

They took Dumbledore's advice, washing off their robes and shoes as much as they could before entering the Three Broomsticks. The water had been cold, soaking them to the bone, but it was nothing that a seat near the fire and two orders of butterbeer could not fix. Other students were doing the same. They took off their coats and shoes, leaving them to dry near the fire.

Luna sat quietly in her seat, savouring the sweet taste of her drink, and the pleasantly warm sensation that flickered within her chest. She had always wanted a larger family. A brother, a sister, cousins (first cousins, that weren't also half-siblings, or some other ridiculous thing), anything really. Luna closed her eyes. She imagined that all of the hustle and bustle going around were family members, like the Weasleys. They were all gathered together, laughing, talking, enjoying each other's company. Family had always consisted of people who had the same interests as her, they believed in the same things, and never dismissed each other. Above all, there was the wonderful knowledge that someone cared for you, and you cared for them.

She had felt some of this with her friends in present time, but they often wrote her off as incorrigible, or strange when it came to some of her ideas. Luna actually found it odd that the people of the past had not done so as much as those in her own time did. There was something quite wonderful about that as well.

The flames in the fireplace roared, yet the heat dimmed. Luna did not need to open her eyes to know that someone had arrived through the floo. She did however, eager to meet her great-great uncle. She rose to her feet, and offered a hand to him. He shook it, while accepting a hug from his niece with the other.

"You must be Luna."

"This is Uncle Toghairm." Selene said, doing the introductions for them. "He married into the Lovegoods."

Toghairm was tall, Selene barely reached his stomach while hugging him. He had a wiry body, but his face was round.

"It's good to meet you."

"Likewise."

He smiled thinly at her. Luna got the impression it was not out of impoliteness, but the other, invisible things that troubled him. Toghairm leaned back on the heels of his shoes. There was a peculiar expression on his face. It made Luna think that he was trying to fall back into a previous life, so that he could escape his own. The only thing Toghairm fell into was his seat. He shook off his coat, and rested his umbrella against the vacant seat at their table for four.

"You look so much like her..."

With a sigh, he turned away from her. She had compared so many people and their minor resemblances to those she knew in the future, and now it was happening to her. It almost took Luna by surprise to hear this.

"I don't suppose you got the owl I sent yesterday?" Selene asked.

"No, no. Owley-" He cringed slightly when saying the name. "-our owl has always been a bit of a slow flier, and it's a two-day journey at best."

"There have been talks about shutting school down since the attack."

A waitress stopped by to take Toghairm's order. There was a pause in the conversation as he asked for a drink.

"I've heard. Dippet's mad if he thinks he'll get it closed without an enormous fight. Unless someone who isn't a muggleborn is hurt that is. I wouldn't worry though, seeing as this-" He smiled at Luna. "-Hogwarts student is with us."

"The school will remain open," Luna assured.

It suddenly struck her why Hogwarts remained open. Someone was framed. Hagrid, a person who shared her love of magical creatures, would be framed and expelled. It was another little tidbit of information that she had gotten from not Ginny, but Harry. The one who framed Hagrid was one Tom Riddle. Suddenly, she had trouble focusing upon the conversation they were having.

"Of course. Just look at all the students that have come overseas to go to Hogwarts. Malfoys, that Lestrange bunch, Rosiers, all the pureblood students. Even if a lot of 'em are Frenchies, at least half the board won't send them back to the warzone over there."

A glass of firewhisky was deposited in front of him. He thanked the waitress, and then took a sip.

"Don't they have places to stay here?" Selene asked. "Where else would they go in the summer?"

"They're not British magical citizens," He waved off. "There's a whole buncha' complicated legal problems that the Ministry has set up. They don't want to anger Grindelwald further by truly takin' them in, so it's being done unofficially. Long story short: so long as they're here for school, and have a friend's house to stay at, they can remain in the country."

Toghairm tipped his head back, and drained the rest of his firewhisky.

"Uncle works for the Ministry now that we're back in Britain," said Selene, who was clearly trying to steer the topic elsewhere. "He's the current head of the Centaur Liaison Office."

"And the only employee."

"It's still an important job," she insisted.

Toghairm laughed, and for a moment, Luna caught a glimpse of an entirely different man. The wrinkles on his face seemed less tight, and the shock of white hair on his head didn't make him seem old.

"It's hardly a job. I don't think a centaur has ever set foot into the Ministry, let alone the office."

"Have you met a herd before?" Luna asked. "The Forbidden Forest has one, but they usually sent me back when I tried to stargaze with them. They seemed to think I was making fun of the way they talked for some reason. But Firenze... He was nice. I was in his class for a bit. I'm not taking divination this time around though."

"I did, when Achelois and I were in Greece. We had a wonderful time. Wizard and magical creature relations there are much better over the pond than here. They were incredibly friendly," his voice became dreamy, and his eyes, vacant. "You look very much like her, Luna."

Again, Luna got the impression that Toghairm did not want to be here, with them. He was tall, and his robes a bottle green, but his hair was white. It was an uncombed mess, sticking out every which way. He was like dandelion fluff, ready to go wherever the wind pulled him without a moment's hesitation. The war meant that he was rooted in Britain however, and not floating across Europe.

"I've never met a centaur before," Selene piped up.

"You have. Your mother asked the leader of the herd to name you after you were born."

"Yes but I don't remember it."

"I'm sure we could meet the ones in the Forbidden Forest," Luna said.

"Right after exams and quidditch. I don't want us to lose too many points."

"Excellent!" She clapped her hands together. "There was an article on the proper greeting etiquette in the latest of the- oh."

Luna realized just how much she was going to miss things like this, so long as she was in the past. No more deliveries of her favourite reading material, no more editing articles, or playing with the magical printing press. She had lost one family member, yet gained two. She had also lost the friends she had finally been starting to make, after five long years of near-friendless schooling. In that one moment, she missed it all terribly. Everything that she had just lost flashed before her eyes. Her favourite scarf, the smell of her home, the lazy summer days she and Ginny spent together...

"Oh?"

"My dad is the owner of a magazine. But it doesn't exist now."

Her voice came out more strangled than she had wanted it to be. Selene knew what she was feeling, and patted her on the back.

"Don't worry, we're not going anywhere."

"That reminds me, you'll be needing, some, well, everything."

Toghairm reached into his coat, and pulled out a shrunken sack of gold. He tapped it with his wand, making it even larger than it had already appeared to be. Luna's eyes grew as wide as the galleons inside of it as he pushed the entire bag towards her. This was already a lot in her time. The money could probably buy her all her Hogwarts supplies. For seven years. Then she had to take inflation into account. Everything would cost much less in this time.

"I-I-"

"I would have wound up spending that much on you anyway," he said, knowing that she wanted to object to the amount of gold in front of her.

"We don't know how long I'll be here for. I might never get to use what I buy."

"Whatever happens, happens."

The look on his face made it clear that he did not agree with her. The idea that he knew something she didn't briefly touched her mind. Luna chose not to fight it however, and she graciously accepted the money he had given to her.

"You're keyed into the Lovegood vault at Gringotts," Togairm continued. "They're no strangers to your ah, type of predicament, it seems. They also suggested that you take out a subscription for the Daily Prophet, as well as read the old ones on file at school."

"Oh! That reminds me! You should read the Time Twisting Adventures of Ted Turner!"

"Isn't that a comic?" He asked.

"It's historical fiction as well," she corrected. "That means you'll be more versed in recent events! It's chock-full of advice on time-travel, too."

"Read," he summed up, "try your best to learn the customs of those around you."

"I will."

Toghairm stood, he stretched his long arms. Then, he pulled his coat back on, and grabbed his umbrella.

"I would join you with your shopping, but alas, the Centaur Liaison Office needs me."

"He means his lunch break is over," Selene whispered to her.

"It was good to meet you," Luna said.

With a clink of silver, Toghairm placed money for all of their drinks on the table.

"Likewise. I'll see you both at King's Cross."

He tipped his head towards both of them. Selene rolled her eyes and went to hug her uncle. Luna smiled, not knowing what her proper (at least proper in her eyes) response should have been. Taking a pinch of floo powder from the mantle, he threw it into the fire, and called out, "Ministry of Magic, Centaur Liaison Office!"

With their drinks finished and paid for, they exited the pub. Luna and Selene parted ways here. Selene wanted to meet with Algie at Honeydukes, and Luna knew it would take some time for her to get fitted for new robes. Luna walked along the cobblestone road, enjoying the sunny day, and the friendly people around her. It was nice to see wizards and witches not panicking over a dark lord, even if one did exist right now.

People were talking, waving at those they knew, no one had their head down. Hogsmeade was almost unchanged, barring a few differences. Some stores were different colours, and the road naturally looked a little less trodden upon. There were few places that she didn't recognize. Many of them had been there since the founding of the village after all.

Luna arrived at Gladrags Wizardwear, ready to get her wardrobe in order. Luna liked to mix and match her clothes, especially between time periods. It was strange to be in a time where things like long skirts and gingham dresses were in style. Luna browsed through the store first. There were other students in as well, looking at the clothing they had to offer. But Luna paid no mind to them, and the silly little criticisms each girl made about a certain style or pattern.

Gladrags, being a magical clothing store, offered their clothes with many different properties. Things like being waterproof, anti-shrink, and being able to grow with a person were all common abilities for clothing items to have. Luna was especially drawn to the stockings that had charmed patterns on them. There was one pair that were sky-blue. Green and red dragons flew around the stockings, chasing each other and breathing little spurts of fire. Luna watched it for at least five minutes, and the spell didn't loop. She realized it would be too distracting to wait and see just how long the chase went on for before it repeated, and decided not to purchase them.

The next pair of stockings that caught her attention were white. A blur of green then circled around, spiraling upwards while a trail of gold coins followed behind. When the stocking was filled with gold coins, the blur stopped and waved at her. It was a leprechaun. When Luna went to pick them up however, they made a very loud rattling sound, as if all the coins were crashing together. Everyone in the store immediately looked, wondering what the source was. She set them back down, deciding they were too noisy for her taste.

The third time was the charm, however, as she found a pair of stockings with blooming flowers on them. Grass sprouted at the top of them, while the multi-coloured flowers grew downwards, and opened around her ankles and toes. Luna was reminded of the brilliant glaring light that came from a room in the Department of Mysteries. The hummingbird there had done the same thing the stockings did: growing to it's full age before reverting back. Right away, Luna knew that she had to buy them.

She then purchased two mundane pairs in neutral colours. One was waterproof, and the other would not develop runs, no matter how many things snagged on it. Next, she found a lovely raincoat. It was black and white patterned. There were no magical properties to it, but when she moved in the coat, it almost appeared as if the complicated line patterns were moving as well. Luna then found skirts, blouses, socks, and all the undergarments she would need.

Next came the robe-fitting, as she would need four more school robes, and preferably three for every-day wear. The woman taking the measurements was much better than Madame Malkin. Not once was her arm poked by a pin, nor was she asked embarrassing questions about the width of her hips, or if she was going to grow any taller. The woman was quick, and her enchanted measuring tape seemed to know what to do before she even said anything.

There was a Quick-Quotes Quill and pad of paper that hovered next to the woman as she took every number. Seeing as it wasn't writing any malicious rumours (to cover up the existence of the pig-nosed lecteateath naturally) Luna did not mind. The quill couldn't exactly embellish upon numbers after all. But as the notes floated by her, Luna noticed that it was still writing in a ridiculous prose.

The tape measure deftly wrapped around the subject's arm, like a vicious basilisk, constricting its helpless prey. Through wrapping around the girl's arm, it was possible to see the numbers that were written upon them, and determine the width of her arm. 21.59 centimeters was the circumference around the arm that was being measured by the tape measure that constricted the one being measured's arm like a basilisk-

Basilisks didn't even constrict, they used poison and petrification! Well, at least it had gotten the number right. The Quick Quotes Quill went on to repeat what happened but with the a different choice of words (and no punctuation) at least three times. Luna read it all, every time the notes got near enough for her to see.

Being fitted was the last thing to do in the store. The woman working the register was nice enough to shrink her shopping bags down for her. She packaged them in a box, and sent them up to the school with an owl. They would be deposited on her bed, waiting for her. Luna left the store supposedly empty-handed, but with a wide smile on her face. She had not bought an entire wardrobe, but she did have a lot of clothing.

Gladrags was only one store of many in the world, and she refused to let all her clothes be from the same place. Luna found yarn, a package of different coloured threads, as well as two bolts of fabric that she liked. She received a pair of knitting needles for free with the yarn, and she purchased one for crocheting. Now she could make herself a few different clothing items, that no one else would have. It was nowhere close to the amount of supplies she had at home, but she could not spend the money she had on the entire store, either.

With clothes finally out of the way, Luna went to Scrivenshaft's Quill Shop to pick up parchment, quills, and ink for herself. She bought a spell-checking quill, and spell-checking ink, should the former ever wind up taken by the ashrays. Luna had thought about putting in an order at the post office for her textbooks, but the end of the term was almost there. She would simply use the school's until summer.

Luna was going to find Selene and walk back to school for lunch, but she then saw her through the window of Madam Puddifoot's with a boy who clearly wasn't Algie Longbottom. Luna smiled, and she waved at her grandmother. Selene enthusiastically waved back, while her date buried his face into his hands.

While Luna made her way up the hill to school, she encountered Not-Harry-Potter (She was still very fond of the nickname she had given him.) walking on the way down. Seeing how he was trying not to slide all the way to Hogsmeade, she said, "If the toboggan hadn't worked so well, I would have used a siphoning charm to push away the water."

"What?"

"I suppose it doesn't matter, so long as you get up after you fall. And you know how to scourgify without tearing your clothes."

He rolled his eyes, and continued walking.

"They're not going to close down Hogwarts you know."

The words had tumbled out of her mouth before she could stop herself. But here she was, altering the future by messing with the past. Luna wondered if her slip-up would be enough for him to realize the secret that she was hiding. Dumbledore would lose the bet they had made though. She was almost looking forwards to getting a chocolate frog card of Agatha Chubb from him.

"What?"

Luna noticed he said that a lot, in what seemed like a perpetually annoyed voice.

"Did you know that the current ratio of Slytherins on the school board is, as opposed to the other houses?"

"Ugh, Loony."

During her stay in the past, this was the first time she heard the insult. Luna had hoped she had left it behind, but that did not appear to be so. It stung, but she did not let it show. Instead, Luna turned around, bent on convincing him that she was not loony, and knew what she was talking about.

"Honestly," she said, huffing with her best Hermione voice. "Do any of the Slytherins seem worried about the school closing? Or any purebloods at all? I guess you just don't understand."

His eyes flashed dangerously, and Luna realized that she might have not wanted to push him. He didn't do or say anything to her, but she had the feeling that he strongly wanted to. She resumed her walk back to school, deciding to dwell upon it at another time.

Toghairm: Irish for summons. (Which will make a painful amount of sense later in the story.)