DISCLAIMER: I don't own anything HP.
A/N: How were the last few chapters? Was there enough suspense? Did the pain register? Please read and review, tell me what you think 'cause the next few chapters are still a bit muddled in my head and it would be great if you could give me some comments! Oh, and tell me if you would prefer more fluff or more drama! Enjoy!
P.S. Would it be too much if I asked you guys to fill in the poll on my profile too? It's just that I really, really want to know what the majority of you want to see in fanfiction and this would give me some ideas. Thanks!
Two months had passed and there was still no word on the whereabouts of Luna. Professor McGonagall had contacted the Ministry and had confirmed that the hooded figures were indeed new members of an army recruited by the remaining death eaters, presumably led by Lucius Malfoy, who had been right in the inner circle during Voldemort's day. What was more shocking was the fact that some of them had been former death eaters who had somehow managed to break out of Azkaban. Though dementors were no longer in use since Kingsley became the Minister of Magic, the Aurors and officials from the Department of Magical Law Enforcement had come up with a set of powerful protective spells that had been very effective in keeping the prisoners in, until now. It was slightly terrifying, the way this new band of death eaters seemed to have acquired a form of foreign magic that was beyond what they knew. It was unfamiliar, and it was powerful; perhaps even more powerful than that of the magical knowledge of the Ministry of Magic and Hogwarts Professors put together. Though Voldemort had performed extraordinary magic in his time, he was an exception and none of the abilities of his followers were even close to rivalling his powers. This time, it seemed the levels of all the new recruits were equal to that of each other, allowing them to have power in numbers. They were all very much aware of the fact that this time, it was not going to be an easy defeat, even without the dark lord.
One mystery that remained unsolved was why these death eaters had taken Luna away. She was a remarkable girl, but so were many other students at Hogwarts. Why hadn't it been Harry Potter, the Chosen One? Or Hermione Granger, the smartest witch of her age? No one seemed to be able to answer this question. It troubled Neville, and his instincts told him there was more to the situation than meets the eye.
Neville staggered into the Gryffindor common room, exhausted from another day of fruitless searching. He collapsed into the armchair by the window and just sat there, unmoving, staring blankly. That was the way Ginny found him.
"Hey. Still no luck huh?" She asked timidly, obviously aware of what his answer would be.
"No. Still no sign of her. I don't get it; I have been putting out a notice for her in the Daily Prophet every day, posters have been stuck all around every magical town in the whole of Britain, members of the Order and people from the Ministry have been looking all over for her and there is not a sign, not even a whisper. What did they do to her, how is it that she has seemingly been wiped off the face of earth?" He closed his eyes, no longer having the strength to put up the pretence of being alright. Because things were not alright, not when Luna was still missing.
Ginny placed a hand on his shoulder. "Don't give up. You have been putting so much effort into this search; there is sure to be some result soon. Luna needs you, you can't let her down. Not now, when she is needing you more than ever."
"I know. But it is so tiring, to have to force myself to be hopeful each morning, hopeful that today would be the day that all this torturous searching would come to an end and Luna would finally be back by my side. But that's not going to happen, is it? It's been two months. What if..what if she has already…" He halted, not daring to continue.
"Stop that ridiculous thinking immediately! Luna survived captivity before, she survived the Battle of Hogwarts and she is going to prove to us that she has survived this ordeal too! Tell you what, how about I go with you tomorrow to continue the search? It would be good for you to have some company for once. I won't take no for an answer!"
"Yeah, that would be great." He tried to sound enthusiastic but the dejectedness in his voice and the lack of expression on his face gave him away. "I've had a long day, I think I'll go back to my room now. Thanks anyway. I'll see you tomorrow." Without a backward glance, he got up and left, his whole figure slumped as if there was no life left in him to hold him up anymore.
Halfway across the world, in China, a girl with dirty blonde hair was found wondering through the streets of a poor old village. Where am I? What is this place? She looked around for a friendly familiar face in vain. She stumbled into something hard and smooth. "Oof!" When she looked up, what she saw caused her face to burn.
She had just walked right into the naked chest of a Chinese boy, who looked to be about 19 years old and was very surprised at being attacked by this foreign but pretty girl. Though his face and body was covered with grim, she could still tell that he was good-looking, and the muscles that rippled across the very chest she had come in contact with was very impressive. Suddenly, an image of a tall dark-haired boy flashed before her, and, for a second, she watched as a blonde haired girl crash into him, slamming against his chest and causing his books to fly all over the place. As quickly as it came, the image disappeared and she blinked as she was brought back to reality. "Arrghh!" She felt a piercing pain in her head and she clasped her hands tightly on either side, as if trying to contain the pain. It was too much, and she fell to the floor writhing.
The boy she had crashed into looked alarmed; dropping the baskets he had been carrying he hurried over to her side. He placed a hand on her shoulder, trying to calm her down. "xiao jie, ni mei shi ba?" The girl was barely able to register his questioning tone, and she didn't understand a word that he just said. As the pain slowly subsided, she was able to sit up, still gasping for breath. When her vision cleared, her eyes were met with those dark concerned ones of the boy, who had not left her side. "Sorry?" she asked. "Ay!" realization dawned on the boy's face and he almost slapped himself with his stupidity. Of course she wouldn't understand what he just said! She was obviously Western, judging by her pale hair and skin. He chuckled and gave his best attempt at English. "Lady. You – Okay?" He pointed a finger at her, hoping to bring the message across.
Still looking confused, the girl nodded her head, but was met with yet another bout of pain, though not as bad as the last. Wincing, she placed a hand on her head to steady herself and said "Yes, I'm fine thank you."
"You – Lost?" he asked. At his words, she looked up, taking in the cobbled streets with dozens of Chinese people strolling around, and the stalls set up on the edges of the pavement. He was right. She had no idea where she was. "Yeah…I think I am. Where am I?"
"This Li Jiang, in China. Me Tian Qi." He pointed at himself, indicating that "Tian Qi" was his name. "What name?" he pointed at her.
"I'm…I'm…" she was at a loss for words. This was ridiculous; how could she forget her own name! Desperately racking her brain, she came up empty-handed. "I'm not sure who I am."
Tian Qi looked stunned. This girl had no idea where she was, no idea WHO she was, and didn't speak any Chinese. This was not good. Not good at all. He had errands to run and he was already late with his delivery because of this accident. If he didn't get to his customer's house soon, he was sure to get a sore scolding. Just as he was about to make up his mind to leave, he caught sight of the helpless expression on the girl's face. His kind nature overtook his anxiety to avoid a scolding and he tried to think of some way to help the girl. Suddenly, he had an idea. "You lose memory? Come me. Wise nanny. Help you." He tried to use his limited English to tell her to follow him to meet his Grandma, who was old and wise and was sure to be able to provide them with a solution to this problem.
"Me? Follow you?" the girl looked half scared, half uncertain. Though she seemed to have lost her memory, she still had her wits about her and a voice in her head was screaming NO! It would be stupid to follow a stranger to any place, especially since she was in such a vulnerable position. Seeing the look on her face, the boy smiled warmly. "No – worry. Other no speak English. I, help you. No Harm." He gestured at the other Chinese pedestrians who were looking at the two of them curiously, some even coldly. Knowing deep down that he was probably right, she went against her better decision and agreed. "Okay. Fine." She sighed. It was not as if she had much of a choice. The other people around her didn't look half as friendly, and she had a good feeling about this boy. She stood up to leave with him.
"Good." He smiled at her again, his teeth surprisingly neat and white. As they started walking together, the Tian Qi stopped abruptly, causing the girl to slam into him for the second time that day. "Sorry!" he exclaimed. "You no name. We think name for you?"
The girl knew what he was talking about. "Yeah, we should think of a name for me. How about…Helena?"
"He –He-leen-ay?" he struggled with the pronunciation. The girl laughed. "Okay, maybe not Helena. How about…Mia?"
"Mee-ah. Mi-yah. Good sound. I like!" he smiled again. "Me Tian Qi." He repeated, clearly wanting her to try to say his name too.
"Tee-yarn Gee. Tee-yarn Gee?" the words felt strange in her mouth.
"No!" Tian Qi laughed. "Me Tian Qi." He emphasized the syllables of his name.
"Tee..Tee…Ah I give up! How about I call you…Danny? How does that sound to you?"
"Danny. Danny. Good. Me Danny!" He beamed at her, and, for the first time since they met, she smiled back. Maybe this wouldn't be so bad after all.
Note: Sooo…was this unexpected? Or is it too clichéd? What will happen to Luna aka Mia (in case you haven't caught on yet)? What HAD happened to her after the incident in the Room of Requirement? Keep an eye out for the next chapter to find out! And..THANK YOU FOR READING UP TILL THIS POINT! Love you all x