050. Spade
Herbology. Definitely not one of Luna's better subjects. Digging the spade into the damp, fresh dirt of the pot she was tending to wasn't necessarily difficult or disgusting, it just went more along the lines of pointless. Pointless because in Herbology working in groups was always more fun and no one wanted to work with her.
Ginny Weasley, who had been rather nice to her a few times and offered her a place in her group on occasion, was working with three other Gryffindor girls leaving Luna alone to tend to her plant. The greenhouse was full of gossip on two main subjects: Colin Creevey getting paralyzed a few nights prior and the Chamber of Secrets.
Colin Creevey was a first year, like herself, and didn't have a boasting number of friends, like herself. No one informed her on the Chamber of Secrets bit, but Luna knew something or someone was attacking people. First Mrs. Norris and now Colin. An unsteady feeling came over Luna whenever she walked through the halls alone.
A certain gloom had taken to hanging over Luna recently, a gloom in the form of Fred Weasley not talking to her as much as he used to. Her only true friend was completely ignoring her now and she got the sinking feeling that she knew why.
Luna wasn't popular, pretty, smart, funny, charming, or his age. There was a three year gap between them and Luna couldn't say she was exactly surprised at this sudden drop in affection. At least she didn't have a secret crush on him or, even more frightening, have some kind of creature that lived in pipes sticking them together when he didn't want anything to do with her. A creature that could control minds and make him despise her; maybe even want to kill her.
As Luna's mind went into overdrive thinking of this new creature that would surely be the cause of her eventual downfall she failed to notice the shouts being directed toward her by Professor Sprout.
"Miss Lovegood!" Professor Sprout shouted, her face now a hue of pink. "Stop digging! There isn't any dirt left in your pot!"
Luna looked down to see dirt smeared on the front of her robes and piled all around her, but none in her pot. Putting down the spade in her hand, Luna looked back to Professor Sprout.
"Sorry, Professor, your greenhouse must be full of Wrackspurts," Luna apologized in her dreamy voice.
Before Professor Sprout could even ask what a Wrackspurt was the bell rang signaling the end of the lesson. Everyone started to pack up their belongings and file out of the greenhouse. The Gryffindors on their way to Potions and the Ravenclaws off to Charms.
Luna was the last to leave since she had spent some time trying to scrape caked dirt off of the front of her robes with her spade. This didn't go very well and only spread out the dirt even more. Sighing and giving up, Luna hoisted the strap of her bag on her shoulder as she left the greenhouse.
Leaning against the side of the greenhouse stood Fred Weasley who looked very nervous and as if he may start off at a sprint at any moment. Luna glided right past him, not even noticing his presence when his hand coiled around her wrist.
"Hey," he said. "Good lesson?"
"Yes," Luna said, slowly taking her wrist back from him. "Why haven't you been talking to me lately?"
Luna enjoyed the effect of her blunt question on his face. He looked like he had been thoroughly smacked.
"I've tried to," he explained. "You just look so scared these days and whenever I get a word in you always go walking off with this dazed expression."
"I don't recall any of this," Luna said. "Are you sure you didn't dream that you talked to me and took that as the real thing so in actuality you weren't talking to me because you thought you already had?"
"Yes- no, wait… What?" Fred stammered. "Luna, if I did something to upset you, just tell me. I'm really sorry about whatever it is I did."
"So you're sorry that you talked to me in your dreams, but not in real life?" Luna pondered as she began to walk toward the castle.
Fred followed after her still looking confused, but desperate now. "Luna, I consider you a really great friend. You've just been really out of it lately and I can't help but wonder if it has something to do with all of the attacks that have been happening lately."
"It… might," Luna admitted, finally seeming to catch on. She had been imagining things far more often than usual lately. "I'm just scared something might jump out and…"
"Grab you?" Fred prompted.
"Rip me to little pieces, actually, but yes they would have to grab me first to do that, wouldn't they?" Luna said as they entered the castle.
"Well, I can walk you to your classes," Fred suggested. "If it'll make you feel safe."
Luna gave him a small smile. "Thank you. That does make me feel safe. I'm happy you're talking to the real me now instead of the dream one, Fred."
"Er, yeah, me too," Fred said, thinking it best not to argue. "So, are you going to keep carrying that spade around with you?"
Luna glanced at her hand only to see the spade she had been using in Herbology class still clamped tightly in it.
"Oh," she said simply. "I didn't know I was still carrying this."
"Well, if anyone grabs me first you can just throw that at them and run," Fred laughed. "It might buy you some time."
Luna laughed as well as they continued to walk down the halls gaining strange looks from passersby. Even though everyone knew Fred and Luna were friends people still thought it was one of the strangest things to happen social wise at Hogwarts.
"So, I'll see you around, Fred?" Luna asked as they reached the Charms classroom.
"Yeah, I'll make sure it's the real you," Fred said.
Luna gave a small laugh as she entered the classroom and Fred made his way done the hallway, threatening anyone who had given Luna a strange look for having dirt all down her front.