A/N: So I got…interesting reviews on the last chapter. Sorry some of you guys didn't like it. I told you that I wasn't sure if I liked or not. I'm telling you things are going to be explained with Draco. I promise…just not until later. Please be patient with me. But anyway, here's a new chapter. PLEASE BE KIND.
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Luna's and Harry's relationship quickly became public knowledge overnight. It seemed to be the talk of the entire school. Ginny and Hermione constantly reminded Luna that they kept saying that he liked her. Constantine jumped on Luna when she found out. Harry was always the perfect gentleman towards Luna at all times, walking her to class and carrying her stuff. Luna had completely lost track of time whenever she was around him. They would sneak off and find empty class rooms to get a break from the constant gossip and staring they received.
Currently, they were hiding in the unoccupied Muggle Studies room.
"I think this is going to be our regular date spot." Luna joked, turning towards Harry and giving him a playful grin.
Harry looked up from the book he was flipping through, leaning against one of the desks. "The only downside to Hogwarts is the lack of romantic spots."
"I don't care about where I am, it's who I'm with." Luna tilted her head much like a dog and continued her exploration of the room. "How was Potions today?"
"Earned a detention, as usual." Harry replied somewhat angrily. "Snape just pisses me off so much. I don't understand why Dumbledore trusts him."
"Dumbledore sees something in Snape, even if it's hard for everyone else to see."
"But he's so evil. He was a Death Eater for Merlin's sake."
"Everyone has a bad part of their past. In order to move on in life, you can't dwell on mistakes made in the past." Luna walked over to him slowly and sat in the chair that belonged to the desk Harry was leaning against.
"You know, sometimes you remind me of Hermione."
"I hope that's meant as a compliment."
"Completely." Harry sat on top of the desk, giving all of his attention to her. "She says something along the lines of what you just said all the time. She's told me that for years."
"Maybe you should listen to her sometime."
"Do you listen to all the advice she tells you?"
"Truthfully? No." Luna sighed softly before she continued. "Ever since she's known me, she has tried her best to tell me that I am wrong in what I believe in. I know now that we're close friends, but she'll still do it sometimes."
"Well, some people won't accept something different and some people want to push their beliefs on others who think otherwise. It happens a lot in life. It's almost like really stuck up pure blood families. Most of them won't accept anyone that had a muggle ancestry, no matter how much the world changes around them. Voldemort is trying his best to get rid of muggles, forcing his opinions on everyone."
"I hope Hermione doesn't do something that drastic."
Harry chuckled and smiled down at her. "I highly doubt she has an ounce of evil in her."
Luna smiled brightly. "If she did, I'd have to kick her ass."
"That's my girl." Harry leaned in and gave her a swift kiss. "Are you nervous?"
Luna looked at him questionably. "What are you talking about?"
"This weekend…it's November 22nd."
Luna's mind went completely blank as the memory of her trip to the werewolf pack flooded her mind. Luna was so consumed in her new relationship with Harry that she didn't give a second thought to her trip.
"I…forgot." Luna replied, her voice shaky.
"Hey, don't fret." Harry said, jumping off the desk and getting on his knees in front of Luna. He held one of her hands in comfort. "Everything will be alright. Those werewolf chicks will be insanely jealous of you. Nothing can compare to you."
"But what if I mess up?"
"Then you mess up, and keep on going." Harry pulled her up from the chair, still holding to her hands as they stood. "You need to learn more about yourself and what you need to expect."
"I know." Luna looked down at her feet, trying to push her nerves in the back of her mind. "Are you going to miss me?"
"Of course I will. I will be a sick puppy moping around until I see you again."
"That was so cheesy." Luna replied. Both of them laughed softly.
"I couldn't resist a cheesy line. But I will miss you while you're gone." Harry took one of his free hands and lifted her chin to give her another kiss. Instead of the simple kisses that the two usually shared, Harry pressed his lips harder against her. Luna opened her mouth slightly, and Harry's tongue quickly went inside. Luna repeated the same movements that Harry was doing. She felt him moan slightly as the kiss quickly progressed. Luna pulled him closer to her, wanting more than just kissing. Harry kissed her eagerly as one of his hands made its way down her sides and to rest on her waist.
"Luna," Harry whispered in her ear when he finally pulled away. "We can't do anymore."
"What?" Luna said, pulling back quickly.
"I won't be able to control myself if we continue."
"I see." Luna said as she took a deep breath to calm down. "I was caught up in the moment."
"I was too." They sat in silence for what seemed like an hour when he finally said. "I better go serve that detention now."
"I wouldn't want my lover boy to get in any more trouble."
"Lover boy?"
Luna laughed at herself. "It was a joke. I'm not like those other girls."
"No you're not." Harry smiled at her and gave her a peck on the cheek. "I'll see you tomorrow."
"Bye." Harry closed the door behind him softly and Luna was once again surrounded by silence. She turned around and kicked the chair angrily behind her, and let out a yelp in pain. She knew that her hormones were going crazy due to her werewolf DNA, and that she needed to be more careful in what she did with Harry. It seemed so hard for her to restrain her desires whenever she was around him. Harry was having a hard time restraining himself too, Luna could tell that easily. It was the first time they actually made out instead of simple little kisses. She understood that he was trying to be gentle and not wanting to bring out anything in her, but a girl needs to make out. Luna laughed as she got the sudden image of Ginny telling Hermione about the sex book those months ago, and how she and Constantine giggled at the pictures in the book.
"She never told me about her mystery date at the ball." Luna thought suddenly. Luna barely saw them at all, and Constantine kept quiet about the night, only saying that she had a good time. Luna made the mental note to ask Constantine more about the ball.
"I'm getting restless." The wolf inside her growled.
"You're going to have to wait until I talk to the other werewolves."
"You must choose someone quickly, or else I will take action."
"I can handle that on my own. I can resist you."
"You don't understand. You are submitting to my requests more and more. I got you to fondle yourself. I got you to pull Harry towards you. I got you to dance with that other boy to make Harry jealous. Your strength is weakening. You won't be able to keep this up much longer."
Luna gave a frustrated sigh as she continued the argument in her head. "You only controlled that one night when you suggested I'd feel better."
"And you felt better. Do you honestly think you would go dance provocatively with that other boy to make Harry jealous? I made you do that. You just didn't realize it. I needed some contact for Christ's sake."
"I can handle this on my own. Now leave me alone and shut up." Luna didn't realize that she was clenching her fists once the argument was done. She let her shoulders sag as she felt the stress increase. Luna left the room quickly, slamming the door behind her. She didn't have the patience anymore to deal with anything, really. She stormed her way around the school, constantly brooding in her thoughts. Letting her legs do things on their own accord, Luna didn't bother to notice where she was going. People looked at Luna oddly and she opened the doors and walked outside. She finally stopped at the lake. Luna looked around, thankful that no one was around the lake. Sighing, she laid on her back and stared up at the sky.
Cloud watching was something Luna did a lot, which only helped her earn her loony nickname. She couldn't exactly explain what it did for her, but it calmed her none the less. Luna tried to clear her mind by staring at the star shaped cloud above her. She stared at it fiercely, letting her mind recognize another shape in the sky.
A certain cloud caught her attention after a few minutes. She adjusted her eyes and looked at it, then groaned. It was the shape of a dog's head.
"Why," Luna thought "Why must everything constantly remind me of werewolves?"
"Someone doesn't look happy." A voice said behind her. Luna sat up turned her head to look at the red head towering above her.
"Hello Ron." Luna replied as she sat up and gave him a small smile. "Why do you say I'm not happy?"
"You usually have that surprised look on your face when you're happy, and since you look all serious, I figured you weren't happy." Ron sat down next to her and began fiddling with a pebble.
"I wouldn't say I'm unhappy." Luna paused to organize exactly how she felt. "I'm more worried."
"Over what?"
"I am going to see a werewolf pack to learn the proper way to get a mate and perform the coming of age ceremony."
"That's understandable." Ron tossed the pebble up in the air and caught it with ease. "I'd sure as hell be nervous. Then again, I don't have that problem. Maybe you should talk to my brother."
"You mean Fred and George?"
"No, my oldest brother Bill, you know the one that married Fleur. He got bit awhile back. He's fairly new at the whole werewolf thing…so maybe you two could help each other out."
"I had no idea he was a werewolf."
"Well, it's not something you broadcast to the world now is it? Fleur is a great girl for staying with him after all that he's gone through. Do you have any idea who all you will be meeting?"
"Not really. I do know that they knew my mom when she first became a werewolf."
"Then they have no reason to hate you. If they are willing to help you, then why would they try to bring you down?"
Luna looked over at Ron at the simple logic that he unearthed. "How can you be the angriest person I know, but be able to be the best listener and advice giver?"
"Who knows, I'm just good like that." Ron smiled at her. "Sometimes if you just stop thinking about something that's worrying you, then reasoning will come up in the most unlikely of places." Ron stood up and stretched his long limbs. "This is usually where I go to let out some steam after a fight. It's a relaxing place, no?"
"Yea it is." Luna watched as Ron studied the pebble in his hand before he chucked it into the water.
"Throwing stuff is usually works too." Ron said as he picked up another pebble and handed it to her. "How about you have a go?"
Luna studied the grey pebble in her hand, trying her best to imagine the thing she hated most in the world. Suddenly, an image of Sterling popped in her mind. She grinned as she clenched the stone and looked up at the lake. She pulled her arm back and took all of her frustration out in that tiny pebble and hurled it across the lake. Luna and Ron watched it soar through the air. The squid in the lake raised its head above the water just in time to be smacked in the eye with Luna's pebble. A noise that resembled someone gurgling erupted from the squid as flung it's tentacles in every direction.
"Run" Ron said as he and Luna sprinted back up towards the school while other students were running down to see what the commotion was about. "You have one hell of an arm there. You'd be a good Chaser."
"You think so? Maybe I'll look into that next year." Luna looked around at all the other students making their way down to the lake. "Thanks for helping me sort through my thoughts."
"Anytime, just find me if you need me." Ron and Luna made their way to their separate tables in the dining hall. Luna walked up to where Constantine was eating and sat down.
"Hey." Constantine said as she swallowed her mouthful of mashed potatoes. "Seems like we haven't talked in forever."
"I know!" Luna replied as she began filling her plate with corned beef and hash. "I guess it's because whenever one has free time, the other is busy. Which reminds me, you never told me much about that mystery date."
Constantine shot Luna a look while she drank some of her pumpkin juice. "There's not that much to say."
"Now come on, you were freaking over it before and fawning over the notes he would leave you. You just don't suddenly say there wasn't anything."
Constantine looked around, making sure that no one was listening, before she leaned in and whispered, "I got to see who he is."
"Who is he?"
"I can't say."
"What?" Luna said a little loudly, causing some people near by to look at the two. "Why not?" Luna added in a softer voice.
"Because I promised I wouldn't tell anyone until we were both ready."
Luna nodded her head, knowing she wasn't going to be able to weasel anything out of her. One quality that Luna liked in Constantine was that she always kept her promises. "Is he good looking?"
A blush crept across Constantine's face as she nodded her head vigorously. "He's so romantic and charming." Her brown eyes sparkled while she talked about him.
"I'd say someone's smitten."
"You sound like my grandmother when you say that." Constantine said as she wrinkled her nose. "Please don't use it again."
"I promise" Luna said with a small laugh.
"So how are you and Harry?" Constantine asked.
"Pretty good I guess, it's only been three weeks."
"But you're dating him, I'd be a little more excited than that."
"I am, trust me I am. It's just…"
"What?" Constantine replied as she scooted over towards her. Luna looked up at Constantine, trying to figure out exactly what to say. She knew that what she was going to say was going to enter the awkward zone, but it would be better to get it off her chest.
"I just wish he would kiss me differently instead of a simple peck."
Constantine snorted as she took a sip of her pumpkin juice and looked at Luna comically. "He's afraid to kiss you?"
"I think he's just trying not to bring out anything bad with the state I'm already in with my coming of age ordeal."
Constantine smiled while she held in a laugh. "Well, maybe you could ask the other werewolves what they did to cope with their raging hormones."
Luna nodded her head and continued eating. Her thoughts quickly, and not surprisingly, turned to her pending weekend with the pack. Luna eyebrows furrowed as she concentrated on exactly what she was going to learn. Luna reviewed the proper greeting in her mind, noting not to rub her head against the females. Luna snorted at the thought of accidentally doing the mating greeting. It seemed comical to her, but she knew if it happened, she would feel incredibly awkward.
"I wonder if anyone at Hogwarts is a werewolf" Luna thought. "Surely I would be able to smell them, let alone they would be extremely attracted to me." Luna scanned the room to see if there was anything specific to werewolves, but it was near impossible. Luna sighed and fiddled with her food. Then she thought about sniffing the air, but when she started to sniff, many people around her looked at her as if her head was attached to her ass, making her stop quickly. Luna gave a frustrated sigh and continued playing with her food. She somehow became entranced with making little shapes with her carrots and peas. She was able to make different letters and an assortment of different shapes. She tried to concur stacking peas on top of the carrots. She smiled at the odd creation in front of her and was about to place the last pea on top with her fork when Constantine accidentally nudged her arm, causing her fork to flick the peas and carrots off the table and into an unsuspecting 3rd year. Luna immediately turned scarlet and turned to Constantine.
"Pretend like we're talking."
"Aren't we talking now?" Constantine said giving her a confused stare.
"Just make it look like we've been talking this whole entire time."
"What is going on?" Constantine questioned with a bewildered look. Over in the distance a little yelp could be heard as the 3rd year stood up and finally noticed the collection of veggies in her hair. Constantine began to look over in the direction where Luna's army of veggies attacked, but Luna moved so she was blocking the scene.
"Nothing interesting is going on, I promise." Luna said sweetly and innocently.
"Like hell there isn't. What did you do?" Constantine finally maneuvered around Luna and saw the poor girl picking out all the food out of her hair. Luna watched as Constantine's face change from confusion, to pure laughter. Constantine was one of the few people laughing, and soon most of the Ravenclaw table joined her. Eventually, Luna contributed a few laughs before everything died down and the girl finished cleaning everything out. "Why did you do it?" Constantine finally questioned.
"Didn't mean to." Luna responded truthfully. "You nudged be while I was in the middle of making an amazing pea/carrot fort, and my fork flicked everything off into her hair."
"Wow, who knew Luna liked to flick food at people." Harry said behind her. Luna twirled around and smiled at him.
"What can I say, food can be a great source of fun." Luna put the fork down and stood up next to Harry. "How was detention?"
"Surprisingly easy." Harry responded, a surprised tone evident in his voice. "I have, however, been told to take you down to see Snape, for an important meeting. Did you know about this?"
Luna cocked an eyebrow and shook her head. "I didn't know anything."
"Well, he was getting antsy in his office and demanded to get you. So for the sake of both of us, I think we should go on ahead and go down there."
"I'll see you later." Luna said to Constantine with a bit of a wave. Harry took a hold of Luna's small hand and gently led her towards the dark and cold dungeons.
Luna's heart started to beat harder in her chest as they made their way to Snape's office. If there was one teacher that Luna was afraid of, it was Snape. He joined in with the teasing that the other students would do to her on a daily basis. He even referred to her as "Loony" in class. She was never good at potions, which only fueled Snape's hatred towards her.
True, she thought the man was innately good at heart, but it didn't mean that she had to like him.
Harry gave Luna a reassuring squeeze to her hand, knowing how much Luna disliked him. Luna smiled weakly at him as they continued their descent. The two turned down one of the halls to finally come up to the dark wooden door that held within the most hated teacher at Hogwarts. Luna let go of Harry's hand and opened the door herself.
Luna was surprised to see the room empty, a sight she had never seen before. Usually Snape would be sitting at his desk while grading term papers, or peering evilly over the shoulder of student and mocking their potion. Luna glanced around and noticed the door that led to his office was slightly opened, and a dim light was pouring out into the usually dark room.
"Don't disturb me." Snap muttered once Harry closed the door. "I'll be done soon."
Luna sat down on top of one of the students desks, while Harry stood next to her, his hand resting on her shoulder. Luna fiddled with her fingers as they waited for Snape to finish whatever he was working on in his office. The door flew open suddenly as Snape swooped into the classroom, holding a cup of a vile smelling potion.
"Where are your manners, Lovegood? It's improper to sit upon tables and desks. Then again, I don't expect students to know proper etiquette."
Luna blushed deeply as she jumped off the table lightly. She cast her eyes down at her lake of manners and continued fiddling with her fingers. Luna eyed the potions suspiciously and prayed it wasn't for her.
"You may leave now, Potter." Snape said as he sat the potion down on his desk.
"I'd rather stay, Professor." Harry responded boldly, keeping his stance firm. Snape visibly stiffened as Harry stressed 'professor'. He turned around slowly, giving Harry a menacing glare.
"What Ms. Lovegood and I have to discuss has no matter of importance to you."
"When the other party involved happens to be my girlfriend, then it is important to me." Harry put a hand on Luna's hand as if to claim property. Luna paled when Harry revealed that they were dating, not wanting Snape to use something against her in class. Harry's bravery was always seen as a good quality, but Luna hated it at this moment.
A comical face flashed on Snape's face as he looked between the two teens. "It still is no matter to you, Potter, even if your intentions are not as noble as you think. Tell me, Potter," Snape glided up to the two and gave a prominent sneer. "Are you sure you're not thinking with your hormones when you decided to date a loup-garou puella?"
Luna felt like crying when Snape suggested that Harry was using her for sex. What really made Luna angry, however, was that Harry didn't respond. Luna turned to look at him to see what was wrong with him, but his face was an unreadable stone. His green eyes stared at Snape blankly, and his jaw was clenched tightly. Luna quickly turned back to Snape to see him smirking, obviously happy to get the reaction he desired. Just when Luna was about to reach for her wand and let her temper and raging hormones get the better of her, a knock sounded.
"Come in." Snape drawled, never taking his eyes off of Luna's twitching hand. The door creaked as the occupant on the other side opened it slowly. Luna took her eyes off of Snape and almost screamed in delight at who was there. Remus walked in with a smile on his face, even though he looked like he'd been beaten up.
"Remus!" Luna squealed as she ran over to Remus and gave him a bear hug. He chuckled slightly and returned the hug.
"How is everything going?" Remus questioned once Luna let go of him.
"Great! It's been so long since I've seen you." A small blush crept across Luna's cheeks as she remembered the last encounter they had. Luna noticed his tired eyes and his paleness, instantly becoming concerned. "What's wrong?"
"Tonight's the full moon." Snape said as she shoved the potion towards Remus. Remus wrinkled his nose as he gazed at the potion. He downed the potion in a large gulp, then coughed for a few minutes.
"Wolfsbane." Remus muttered as he cleaned his mouth with a napkin. "Nasty tasting, if you wanted to know." Remus looked around the room and finally noticed Harry. "Harry, my boy, how are you?"
Harry walked over to Remus and shook his hand firmly, "Everything's great." They both smiled at each other as Remus patted him on the back.
"I hate to interrupt reunion time," Snape snarled. "But we do have important matters on our hands that don't involve Potter."
"As I said before, Snape, I'm going to stay in here with Luna." Harry turned to Remus and said with a pleading voice. "Can't I stay?"
Remus gave him a puzzling look. "Well, the decision is up to Luna."
"Well then, I'll be staying." Harry responded as he smiled smugly at Snape as he stood next to Luna.
"Don't be quick to judge, Potter." Snape responded. "Let Ms. Lovegood voice her opinion."
Luna looked at the three men in the room. Snape stared her down with black beady eyes, daring her to let Harry stay. Harry, on the other hand, didn't seem worried at all with what Luna said. His eyes were urging her to go on ahead and say yes, his head leaning in waiting for her response. Finally, Remus didn't look at Luna. Instead, he concentrated on his own feet as if he didn't want to see a nasty argument.
'Do I want him to listen to all of what might be said' Luna thought. 'True, Harry is my boyfriend, but does that mean he's entitled to listen to all of this information? What if it's a very personal topic that I'd rather not want him to listen to?' She looked over at Harry again and smiled to herself. 'He would be very supportive and comforting with whatever might be said. However, he might become too over-protective by the information.'
Luna took a deep breath and braced herself. "Harry, I think it's best that you don't stay."
The look on Harry's face was a mixture of surprise and anger. He furrowed his eyebrows and his mouth opened slightly. Then, shutting his mouth tightly, he stormed out of Snape's room and slammed the door behind him. Luna felt her heart sink at the reaction, but had no time to go after him.
"We don't have that much time to talk, Luna. The moon will rise in 45 minutes." Remus said as he pulled out a chair for the two of them. Snape went over to his desk and observed the transaction there. "We are going to have to leave tomorrow morning, as soon as the sun rises."
"Won't you be exhausted?"
"Yes, I will. I thank you for caring for my well being, but in order to get there, we have to leave as soon as possible. We will be taking a train and arrive just outside the magical ward that the pack has created, and then I will walk with you as far as possible, then one of the beta females will escort you to the female housing area."
"Why won't you come with me?" Luna questioned. Behind her, Snape let out a loud snort. Luna turned around and looked at him with raised eyebrows.
"Don't mind me," Snape said smugly. "I'll just go into my office for this next part."
Remus watched Snape walk into his office and close the door. Luna noticed the uncomfortable stance Remus was holding when he continued. "I'm not going with you simply because I don't want to see you naked."
"What?" Luna shrieked, her eyebrows disappearing into her hair line and staring at him wide eyed.
"These werewolves like to be in a natural state, which means no clothing. When I found this out, I asked if one of the beta females could escort you the housing area, and they kindly agreed."
"Do I need to bring anything?" Luna questioned, wishing to change the topic from her being naked.
"No, I wouldn't think so."
"When will we come back?"
"We'll be back next Tuesday. So about four days."
Luna nodded slowly. "Wait, where are you going to go for the full moon?"
"The Shrieking Shack. I should be heading there now, now that you mention it." Remus stood up and stretched. "I will send you an owl tomorrow morning on where to meet me and at what time. Oh and, what is going on between you and Harry?"
"Well, uhm, Harry and I are dating." Luna responded awkwardly. Remus raised his eyebrows, but had a small grin across his noticeably tired face.
"It's about time." Remus said as he walked out of the room.
Luna stayed in the room for a few seconds before she made her way out. Not many of the students were out in the halls at this point, most likely all of them hanging out in their houses' common rooms. Luna was busy making her way up to her room when she passed the entrance to the Ravenclaw house. She looked at the old door with the eagle staring out, waiting for another student to solve its riddle. Luna remembered that she is still allowed to enter the common room, and that she hadn't been in there the whole year. Feeling a sudden want to be in her house, Luna walked up to the door and waited for the eagle to recite its riddle. The eagle peered at Luna, before it opened its mouth and said in a majestic voice:
"They are very little creatures;
All of them have different features.
One of them in glass is set;
One of them you'll find in jet.
Another you may see in tin,
And a fourth is boxed within.
If the fifth you should pursue,
It can never fly from you.
What are they?"
Luna ran over the words over and over in her head, trying to decipher the difficult riddle. 'One of them in glass is set… It could possibly be talking about water there. One of them you'll find in jet? I have no idea. Another you may see in tin and a forth is boxed within. That could still be water. If the fifth you should pursue, it can never fly from you…wait. Maybe it is about where it's located. Glass, jet, tin, boxed…where is the fifth one located? It can never fly from you…maybe it is always with yourself? No, that can't be it. Glass, jet, tin, boxed…fly? Wait, I think I got it."
"It's a, e, i, o, u, and sometimes y. The vowels are found in those words." Luna answered proudly.
"Correct." The eagle responded, and the door opened. Luna walked in and felt as if she was home again, gazing up at the star painted ceiling and blue walls. The statue of Rowena Ravenclaw stood majestically in the room, the pearly color shining in the dimly lit room. Surprisingly, no one was relaxing in the common room.
"Everyone's probably studying." Luna whispered to herself with a small smile. "Only Ravenclaw students would go study in their free time."
She walked over towards the blue couch that, when she lived in the Ravenclaw dormitories, she would take the most peaceful naps. Sitting down on it gently, stretching out lazily like a cat. Luna laughed delicately at how odd it was for her to want to come back here. 'After all the years I spent wishing to escape this house and the people in it, I find myself wanting to come back.' Luna thought.
The fire had been recently lit; Luna could tell by the tall flames that danced eagerly. Luna took in the smell of the burning wood and smiled to herself. The smell of the burning wood, for some reason, calmed her and made her feel sleepy. Thinking she would just lay down for a few minutes, Luna curled up into the couch and closed her eyes, drifting off into a dreamless sleep.
- - - - - - - -
"Luna, you need to wake up. There's an owl for you." A voice said off in the distance. Luna stirred in her sleep, then finally registered what the voice said. Luna's eyes shot opened to gaze upon Padma Patil standing over her, her black hair cascading off her shoulders.
"Sorry." Luna muttered as she sat up and rubbed her eyes. "Where's the owl?"
"Over there," Padma responded, pointing an elegant finger towards the statue. "What are you doing in here anyway? I haven't seen you all year."
"I honestly don't know. I just had a sudden urge to come in here."
"I wouldn't, not after all you had to go through." Padma paused, her dark brown eyes searching hers. "I'm sorry for all we did to you."
"Padma, you don't-"
"What we did to you was horrible." Padma continued, not giving Luna's plea to stop any notice. "No one deserves what we did. Even though I never actually participated in all the pranks, I didn't do anything to stop them. So for that, I'm sorry."
Luna felt suddenly awkward with the apology. Sure, it was good natured, but Luna never expected an apology from the people that picked on her. Finally, Luna smiled at Padma and said, "You sure aren't like Pavarti."
Padma snorted and rolled her eyes. "Even though we're twins, doesn't mean we have to act the same. I'm not an idiot who follows every action of Lavender Brown."
Luna walked over to the owl, untied the letter, and read the short message quickly.
Meet me near Hagrid's hut as soon as you get this message.
Remus
Luna folded the letter and placed it in her pocket. "Thanks, Padma." Luna said as she began to walk out of the room.
"You're welcome."
"Padma," Luna said as she paused by the door. "Could you tell Constantine that I had to leave to go see my sick grandmother?" Luna made sure to use the code that Remus told her to use previously.
"Sure, and I hope she feels better." Padma walked back up the stairs to her own dormitory as Luna quickly ran out of the Ravenclaw common room. Since her agility was much higher than the average person, thanks to her dear mother, Luna was able to move swiftly throughout the halls without being seen by Ms. Norris or any of the other patrolling prefects. Opening the main door slowly, Luna slipped into the small space and sprinted out on the cold damp grass. Luna could barely see the sun creeping up in the horizon, and no moon in sight.
'I didn't think he meant literally after the moon disappeared." Luna thought as she began to see Hagrid's hut in the distance. Birds began waking up in the nests nearby, which gave a peaceful aura to the grounds of Hogwarts. Luna could feel the butterflies begin to form in her stomach with every step she took towards Hagrid's hut.
When Luna finally stopped at the hut, she could see Remus hobble his way over to Luna from the Whomping Willow. He looked worse than Luna had ever seen him. His face and arms held fresh and deep cuts, his color almost matched the paleness of the moon itself, and it seemed to take all of his strength to move a muscle. Luna decided to spare him a few steps as she made her way over to him, put one of his arms around her shoulders in support, and guided him over to a large boulder.
"Thanks." Remus croaked as he sat down. He reached for his wand and muttered a spell, causing all of his new cuts to heal and leave a light scar in its place. He pulled out a jug of water and drank it hungrily, some of it spilling onto his cheeks. "Sorry for my lack of manners." Remus replied as he cleaned his face.
"I don't care." Luna replied, watching every move he made with a worried glance. "We probably should wait until later today to leave. You need to rest."
"I've done this for many years, Luna. It takes much more than a few hours for me to get better." Remus said, holding a strong stare with her. "We need to get off Hogwarts' grounds, so we can leave from there."
Luna nodded her head, finally breaking their stare. She walked over and helped Remus stand up. His knees wobbled for a second, then he regained some amount of strength and began walking. Luna walked two steps behind him, making sure he kept his balance. He grunted with every step he took, obviously still having pain from his recent transformation. Luna watched him carefully, feeling an immense amount of pity. She knew the story of how Remus became a werewolf from when he would comfort her when she was younger and tell her how it wasn't so bad. Now being older and wiser, Luna could see it was taking its toll on Remus. She knew Remus never wanted to fully tell her the story. But after her mom died, Remus pulled her aside and said it was her mother's wish for her to fully understand that not all werewolves are willing.
He was seven when it happened, Luna remembered him telling her. He was outside, running around and being a normal little kid when it happened. He didn't reveal too much detail about the tragic event, just that he had no idea what the werewolf was. He said he went up to pet it, and that was when he was bit. She later found out from Sirius that he was almost eaten by the werewolf, since children are a delicacy to werewolves. It was a miracle that he survived, even if he never saw it that way.
He told her that the transformations in the beginning were insanely painful, noting that he had no idea how her mother was so calm whenever she transformed. He would attack himself instead of feeding on people, causing many of the scars that are scattered across his body. When he went to Hogwarts, he met her mom and didn't know what to do. He obviously could tell that she was a werewolf, and she could tell he was too. She walked up to him and asked if he was a werewolf, showing a boldness that he had never seen in any other eleven year old. She quickly told him how she did it voluntarily because it was a respected creature in Latvia. They had bonded throughout their years at Hogwarts and quickly became best friends. He was, after all, the one who introduced her mom to Sirius.
Luna now noticed that the tall gates of Hogwarts were right in front of them. Luna was so caught up in her thoughts of Remus that she took no notice to her surroundings. The frown on her face deepened as she began to become more nervous with the upcoming journey.
'I never said goodbye to Harry," She thought suddenly, immediately feeling worse. Harry was pissed at her, she was sure of that, and now he will be even more upset that she said something to Padma instead of Harry. She cursed herself under her breath, knowing there was going to be hell to pay when she got home. She wished she could turn around and tell him goodbye, but there wasn't any time to do it now. Sometimes she wished Harry didn't get easily angered, but it shows that he deeply cares about others. It's a blessing in disguise.
'He also didn't even respond to Snape's comment about us.' Luna thought angrily. She furrowed her brows and clenched her jaw as she began to analyze his reaction. He had kept his face stone-like, which almost made it humanly impossible to know what he was thinking at that moment. Would he use me for sex? Luna thought she knew the answer when he wouldn't do more than kiss her. Had she been blind to some hidden agenda? Luna didn't think so, but Snape planted the seed of doubt in her mind.
Remus and Luna slipped through the gates quietly. Remus peered around them, then turned to Luna. "Alright," he said in a whisper. "We're going to have to do apparate together to another train station."
"Ok." Luna responded softly.
"I'm going to need you to hold on to me tightly in order for you to end up in one piece."
Luna nodded her head and walked over to him. She wrapped her arms around his abdomen, but she was too afraid to hold on too tightly. Remus looked down at her with a faint smile and pulled her closer.
"You're not going to hurt me, Luna. Unless you want to not have a leg, I suggest you hold on as tight as you can."
She held on with all of her might, now convinced that he wasn't hurting from her tightness. Remus held onto her strongly to make sure she stayed with him through the process. Suddenly, Luna felt as if she was being pulled slowly through a pea sized hole. The feeling was extremely uncomfortable, but she still continued to hold onto Remus. After what felt like many minutes, the sensation stopped and they landed on the ground softly. When she let go of Remus, she noticed they were standing in a vacant train station. Luna had never seen another train besides the Hogwarts Express, and the train in front of her was rather dull compared to the Hogwarts Express. Remus walked to the conductor and gave him tickets, and both of them walked on the train. Remus led her to their compartment.
"How long should this trip take?" Luna questioned once the train started moving and they were seated comfortably.
"Only a few hours." Remus replied as he laid on the seat. "If it doesn't bother you, I'm going to try to take a nap since I didn't get any sleep last night."
"I think I'll do the same." Luna replied with a yawn. She curled up into the seat and almost instantly fell asleep. The next thing she knew, Remus was shaking her gently and telling her that the train had stopped. When they walked off the train, Luna scanned her surroundings quickly. They had stopped on the outskirts of a dense forest, the trees seeming to be touching the sky. She could hear the distant sound of a creek nearby. Nothing seemed to be stirring in the forest, which left an odd aura around her. She looked up and noticed the sun was already shining brightly.
"Luna," Remus said behind her. "This is the very edge of the werewolf grounds. We're in Riga, Latvia. I will be staying in the Man-Tess Hotel in Riga. If you need to contact me, ask one of the alpha females for permission to write me. I will be back in two days."
"Am I just going to wait unprotected until the girl shows up?" Luna questioned.
"No. She's over there." Remus said as he pointed just over her shoulder. Luna turned around to see a girl about her own age hiding behind a tree. Her vibrant waist length red hair stood out in the green and brown forest. The crystal blue eyes stared at Luna and Remus curiously. Her nose was very slender and her high cheek bones made her face more elegant than it already was. She had her head cocked to the side like a curious puppy, but she never said a word. "It's my time to make my leave." Remus said in her ear. "She won't do anything until I leave."
"I'm nervous." Luna whispered, her voice wavering as meeting the werewolves was so close.
"You'll do great." Remus said as he gave her a strong hug. "Just remember to ask the alpha females to write me if you need me."
"Bye." Luna said as he began to walk away from Luna and got onto the train. Once the train left, Luna turned to the girl and quickly covered her eyes. The girl had emerged behind the tree completely naked. Luna only caught a glimpse of her silhouette, but it was enough to tell that the girl was naked. Luna cursed at herself for freaking out in such a state, knowing that the girl probably didn't own clothes and didn't understand Luna's discomfort. Mustering up all the composure she had, Luna lowered her hands and looked at the girl before her. The girl had the body to make any girl insanely jealous, and any boy to chase after her. Her skin was decorated with many freckles, and she was fairly muscular. Luna didn't stare for long since it was an awkward event.
"Hello." The girl said with a voice that instantly eased Luna's fears. "They call me Madara. What do they call you?"
"Luna Lovegood." Luna responded. She realized that Madara was giving her an odd look, as if she was expecting something. Luna quickly walked over to her and did the traditional greeting. That seemed to ease Madara and she gave a striking smile.
"I'm glad you decided to visit us." Madara said as she scratched her head. "Why do you wear those?"
Luna looked down at her school robes and struggled with a good explanation to clothing. "Where I live, people cover up their bodies around others."
"Why, when you can be free and let everyone see your natural beauty?" Madara twirled, her arms high in the air and her hair waving in the wind. "Natural beauty is something to treasure, not something to be hidden."
Luna smiled at the care free Madara. When she twirled, even though she was naked, it reminded Luna of herself...in an odd way.
"We shouldn't keep the alphas waiting. You need to take those off." Madara said pointing at her clothing. Luna gave a shy smile, and slowly started to take off her shoes and socks. Starting with simpler clothing, such as shoes and socks, would ease her into the expected nudity, or at least Luna thought. Once she was done with that, she started to untie her tie and unhooking her robe. She was only left with her skirt and her button up white t-shirt. She hesitantly started to unzip her skirt, her cheeks suddenly reddening from embarrassment.
Luna looked up at Madara and noticed she had turned her back to Luna in order to give her privacy. Madara, sensing someone looking at her, turned her head to Luna and smiled encouragingly. Luna gulped and started to pull her skirt off. Now figuring the faster she took it off, the better she'd feel, Luna quickly unbuttoned her shirt, bra, and underwear. Luna felt the coolness of the air touch her body, causing goose pimples to form everywhere. She didn't know what part was more important to cover, finally deciding on her chest. Crossing her arms quickly, she looked up at Madara and said, "Where do I put my clothes?"
Madara turned around, giving Luna a small smile, but not paying any attention to Luna's body. "Over by the tree there is a hidden compartment we sometimes use to give nonwerewolves some of our supplies. That should suffice for now."
Luna walked over to the tree and noticed a small handle on it. She pulled it and a small area appeared in the tree. She quickly placed her clothing in and closed it back up. Luna looked back at Madara and smiled meekly.
"Alright." Madara began. "Let's go."
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I'm so sorry for taking forever to update. My life has been extremely crazy as of late. I promise to try to update much quicker than that. Please review for me! Nice constructive comments please... I don't like rude ones. :)