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Chapter 4: In Which Characters are Concerned about Jacob

Ron loved Jacob Black. Not in that sense of course, but he could really identify with him. He was always the best friend. Often, he thought he deserved just a little bit better. There was nothing like getting the shaft when someone else got the glory…or the girl. He wasn't the jealous type but sometimes he wondered when it was going to be his moment.

He truly sympathized with Jacob. It wasn't bad enough that Jacob didn't get Bella, but half of the girls Ron knew had entirely skimmed the four-hundred odd pages of New Moon just to get to where Edward was back. Edward was great and all, but what about Jacob? Jacob was pretty cool, Ron thought. He was a werewolf! He didn't go killing people just because he wanted their blood. He was a protector, the clear good guy. And he understood people. Ron didn't think that was one of his own strong suits, but he certainly admired it. Ron was more like Edward in that regard, a bit stubborn, but at least he tried. He didn't think he had made very many errors in judgment like Edward had made with Bella. Sure, he and Hermione had their moments, but they were never his fault, were they?

Without a doubt, Ron liked Jacob better. He even knew about cars. Ron wasn't as adamant about his fondness for Muggle things as his dad was, but there was a certain attraction to the unknown. He remembered his first experience with the…oh, what was it called? tellyfone, telferone… telephone – that was it. He had gotten Harry in a bit of trouble with the yelling through the mouthpiece and all. He sighed. Jacob had gotten in trouble over a phone conversation, too.

Ron walked down the hall, feeling a bit glum about the whole situation. If Jacob couldn't get the girl, how was he, Ron, supposed to? At least he couldn't be jealous of Harry in that regard. There was no girlfriend envy when your best mate was dating your sister.

"RON!"

"Oh, bloody hell," Ron cursed under his breath. He had managed to steer clear of Hermione for a while, but he seemed as if his luck was running out. He hurried down the hall, barely noticing a passing Luna Lovegood waving a meek hello.

Luna observed the Twilight book clutched tightly to Ron's chest as he flew down the hallway. There's another one, she thought. Luna had always prided herself on not doing what was popular. It wasn't that something being 'popular' negated any of its credibility or value; it was just that Luna knew she was different. And, by being different, she knew that what was popular usually wasn't for her. All this was more of a subconscious realization than conscious awareness, but nonetheless, when Luna noticed many of her peers devouring Twilight and New Moon, she knew that those were books she would most likely never read.

Earlier that day, Luna had found herself seeking the company of Neville Longbottom after Care of Magical Creatures. Expecting to find him with Professor Sprout working on some kind of magical plant, she made her way over to the greenhouse. The herbology teacher, however, told her rather roughly that Neville had not been by in the past two days, a very unusual occurrence. Not quite sure where she would find him, Luna made her way to the library. It was on her way there that she passed a rather scared looking Ron in the corridor.

Luna walked into the library to find a very pensive Neville at one of the tables. Neville was in a state of confusion. This, in truth, was not unusual in of itself, but Neville had never suffered such an agonizing internal battle before. He was utterly perplexed. It took quite a few tries for Luna to attract his attention.

"Neville, what ever is the matter?"

Neville took a rather deep breath and stated, "Relationships are like dandelions, Luna."

"Really, Neville?" Luna tried to sound polite, but she was a bit baffled. She nodded her head encouragingly, though, and Neville took another deep breath, as if he were about to begin. But then he took another deep breath. The depth of his breath wasn't exactly necessary, but the taking in of air itself was relatively essential to his survival as a non-vampire. He took another deep breath and then began in a rush.

"Yes. Think of a dandelion. Think of it when it is yellow. That's how relationships begin. Like a dandelion, they're sunny and happy and even though they might be bad, like a weed, you can't help liking them. Then they grow more beautiful. The dandelion softens and begins turning white, a magical sphere of many seeds that each have the potential to blossom." Neville paused and closed his eyes happily for a little bit, reveling in the imagery of it. He really loved plants. He opened his eyes again and stated more morosely, "But then the seeds drift away. Maybe they leave by choice; maybe they're forced to leave. Regardless, the dandelion is no longer beautiful and like many a relationship, it dies. But the seeds! The seeds can grow to become more dandelions – more relationships. Sometimes, the relationships are for the better. Maybe it's not the same, but it's not something you regret. Maybe it's only putting more weeds in your garden, but you love those weeds. But then, one of the dandelions ends up being that same love you had before – the sunny, happy dandelion smiles at you and everything is well again. But what about the other dandelions?" Neville put his head in his hands.

"Neville, I really don't think you're talking about dandelions anymore." Luna herself was bewildered by the dandelions. It had started out as a lovely analogy, but it had grown a little odd by the end. She was even one who usually appreciated weeds more than their floral superiors, but she felt she was missing the connection Neville was trying to make. She momentarily wished she could read Neville's mind and work through his convoluted statement.

"What about Jacob!" Neville exclaimed to the confused Luna.

Confused, perhaps, is too light of a word. Luna, considered by many the oddest student at Hogwarts, was completely mystified by Neville's outburst. She started considering if he might be going crazy…

"Jacob, Neville? Who is Jacob?"

He looked at her with a shocked face. Neville was usually slow on the uptake, but Luna not knowing who Jacob was appalled him. Thinking about it a bit, he knew he really shouldn't be that surprised, but still… not knowing who Jacob was? He idly wondered if she knew who Edward was. He was sure she did. The thought slightly angered him – it wasn't that he didn't like Edward. Truth be told, he really liked Edward. He even liked Jasper and Emmet – especially Jasper. He knew what it was like to cause problems. But he also really liked Jacob. He decided that rather than explaining it, though, he'd let her discover it on her own. He thrust his Twilight and New Moon copies across the library table to her.

"Oh, Neville. Not these." Luna looked chagrined. She didn't want to hurt Neville's feelings, but she had no intention of reading them.

"Read them, please Luna?"

"Al – right." Luna gathered the two books and left the library. Neville put his head back into his hands and pondered the fate of poor Jacob Black. A few hours later, he eventually got himself up and went back to the Gryffindor common room. He wondered if Luna had decided to give the books a try.

He was met with a peeved Hermione, a sheepish-looking Ron, and a giggling Ginny when he walked through the Fat Lady's portrait. He was about to ask what was going on when a flustered Harry rushed into the room.

Harry looked awful. It looked like a war had been waging inside of his head. In fact, it had only been the making of plans for war, but he was stressed nonetheless. His eyes warily met his friends' and in a hushed voice, he said, "We're reinstating the D.A. meetings – Voldemort is up to no good."

"Oh, good!" Everyone turned around to see Luna. She noticed their wide-eyes and quickly amended, "No, I mean…it's not good about the Dark Lord and all. But I was wondering – do you think we could talk before we get down to business? I think I have finally solved the mystery behind the mind-reading Avolros my dad has been looking for lately to write about in The Quibbler. He'll be so pleased. He said that they're known for their onion-like skins and pale white coloring…" Luna continued talking, but Harry, Ron, Ginny, Hermione, and even Neville were walking briskly and determinedly away.

As they walked, Ginny considered asking if they could rename the D.A. to something having to do with Edward Cullen – like the E.C.A., for example. She also considered asking if they could start a fundraiser. It had dawned upon Ginny that Hogwarts was lacking internet access, and computers for that matter, and she had learned that there were Twilight and New Moon outtakes online, and a certain place called FanFiction.

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Next chapter: Voldemort is making his plans for a take-over of Volterra, if he can find it…