Disclaimer: I make no claim to the rights of any characters that are owned by J.K. Rowling or Warner Bros., and make no money from this venture. This work is purely for entertainment purposes.
—CHAPTER NINE—
Luna
Luna Lovegood travelled through the fireplace, as Professor McGonagall had told all of them, to the Hospital Wing of Hogwarts. Luna wasn't sure why they had to go there instead of Professor McGonagall's office, but she didn't worry too much about it. Her usually very active mind seemed almost silent. She had just witnessed the funeral of Neville Longbottom. While she hadn't known Neville all that well, she had considered him a friend and it hurt knowing that she would never see him again.
The last funeral that she had attended had been her mother's and she remembered that day as though it were yesterday. Her father was nearly inconsolable and she had felt, even in her nine year old mind, that she had to be strong for him. She sat through the whole funeral barely crying as her father sobbed quietly, watching his wife be farewelled from the waking world.
This time was different. It was almost as though Luna was experiencing a different type of funeral, even though it was similar. This time, she cried and her father was the strong one. It had been tough for Luna to get through Neville's funeral, but she did it because she had liked Neville and she didn't want to disrespect him in any way.
When she came out of the fireplace, she was greeted with the sight of Madam Pomfrey showing some of the others who had gone through just before her out. Luna wasn't entirely sure what she should do. She wanted to wait for Harry and the others to come through before she left, but she also didn't want to bother them.
She decided quickly to leave the Hospital Wing, so she said goodbye to Madam Pomfrey with a small smile, something which hadn't happened since the Department of Mysteries. Luna found some of the other students who had gone to the funeral, most of whom were members of Dumbledore's Army, lingering in the hall outside. Luna looked at them for a moment before turning and walking away. She wasn't sure where she wanted to go. A little part of her said that she wanted to go to the kitchens and see the House Elves, so Luna found a shortcut that would take her directly there.
Luna had explored a lot of the castle in her years as a student. Most of the time she found that she couldn't bear being in Ravenclaw Tower, so she took to exploring the castle to be away from it. As she was always on her own, she had found ways to go almost completely unnoticed. Even Peeves hadn't seen her in her wanderings for two years. She was always silent as she walked the Hogwarts castle, usually looking for nothing in particular.
Occasionally, she would stop and talk to some of the portraits. They were most informative and Luna found that a lot of what they told her actually helped her pass Professor Binns' History of Magic class, which she then used as time to nap. The portraits were always nice to her and she found them more interesting than most of her fellow Ravenclaw students.
Luna would sometimes run into some ghosts, most of whom would not even acknowledge her, though she always greeted them when she could. This was how she had come to talk to Helena Ravenclaw. Helena was a very private woman and did not say very much, but all the same Luna enjoyed her company and she thought that Helena enjoyed hers.
Luna soon arrived at the kitchens and tickled the pear to get the portrait to open. When it did, Luna was hit almost immediately by the smell of cooking food. It was clear that the House Elves were working very hard on dinner for that night. Luna smiled as she entered, seeing the Elves at work.
"Ooh!" one of the female House Elves squeaked, quickly walking up to her. "Hello Missy Loveygood."
"Hello," Luna said airily. She had never been able to memorise all the Elves' names so she didn't try to. She figured that it would be a nearly impossible task. They didn't mind anyway. "How are you this afternoon?"
"Serry is good Missy Loveygood," the House Elf said, a wide grin on her face. Luna knew that House Elves were not used to being treated so nicely by witches and wizards, so she tried her best to be nice to them. "Would Missy Loveygood like something to eat?"
"Oh, a nice scone would be lovely," Luna said with a smile. Serry nodded, her big ears flapping, before she turned and walked away. Within minutes, Serry returned with a scone in her hand. "Thank you very much."
"Is no problem, Missy Loveygood," Serry said, her voice squeaking even more in happiness. "You is always so kind to the House Elves, so we is nice to you." Luna took a bite out of her scone as she watched the others work. Vaguely she wondered if Neville had ever been to the kitchens. It was certainly a sight to see, all the House Elves working together for a common cause.
Feeling to be on the verge of tears, Luna pushed Neville out of her mind.
Luna talked to Serry for a little while longer, mostly about what was for dinner. When she announced that she was going to leave, Serry gave her two more scones, her face split in a grin.
"Missy Loveygood is always welcome here," the little House Elf said. "We is always having food for you."
"Thank you Serry," Luna said sincerely as she exited the portrait hole and made her way down the corridor. She didn't run into anyone she knew and tried to keep out of sight as she walked, eating her scones as she went. She found herself subconsciously heading for Ravenclaw Tower. While it was nowhere near night-time, Luna wanted to just go to her bed and sleep.
In fact, Luna had found herself wanting to sleep more often since the night at the Department of Mysteries. She always went to bed earlier and woke up at exactly the same time that she had done since she was eight. Her dreams were more frequent and filled with even more nonsense than usual. And she was remembering her dreams better. She wasn't sure what was going on or whether it was a good or bad thing.
When she only had a few corridors to go before reaching Ravenclaw Tower, she ran into someone. She had been off in her own world and didn't see where she was going.
"I'm sorry," she said quietly without looking up. She started to walk away, but felt a hand on her shoulder.
"Wait, Luna," Harry said, turning her around. Luna looked up into his green eyes.
"Oh, hello Harry," she said quickly. "What are you doing here?"
"Looking for you," Harry replied, a worried look on his face. Luna raised her eyebrows.
"Why would you do a thing like that?" she asked.
"Well, you weren't there when we came out of the fireplace," Harry replied. "We thought something had happened to you."
"Oh no, I went to the kitchens," Luna said with a smile. "The House Elves love me. They give me lots of scones."
"Why didn't you wait for us?" Harry asked. Luna frowned again.
"Why would I do that?" she asked, genuinely puzzled. Harry looked surprised.
"Because we're your friends," Harry said. Luna's heart leapt, but that feeling was overpowered by a sense of concern and wariness.
"You are?" she asked sceptically. One girl had told her that they were friends in First Year. But it was all a big joke and in the end Luna was left alone, friendless and a laughingstock. She hadn't had friends since. Harry laughed and Luna felt upset for a moment.
"Of course we are," he said, still chuckling. Luna looked into his eyes again. He didn't seem to be lying.
"Why?" she asked. Harry looked taken aback.
"Well, we like you, Luna," he said slowly.
"Do you?" she asked, her heart leaping again.
"Yeah," Harry said, with another chuckle. "We told your dad earlier that we're your friends." Luna remembered that. She didn't think they were telling the truth at the time.
"But that was Daddy," she said sceptically. "You were just being nice."
"That's because we're your friends," Harry said with a smile. Luna saw a momentary twinkle in his eyes. She felt herself swell up.
"I've never had friends before," Luna confessed as she smiled. "It feels nice."
There was a silence for a few moments before Harry spoke up.
"Well, we're all going to spend some time in the Room of Requirement," Harry told her. "Do you want to come with us?" Luna thought about it only for a moment.
"That might be fun," she said happily. She wiped her left hand on her robes to get rid of the crumbs of scone that were left there and took Harry's hand in hers, a big smile on her face. She was watching Harry's face and saw his eyes widen slightly and look at their clasped hands. Luna started walking and had to pull Harry along for only a minute before he caught up with her.
"This isn't the right way, Luna," Harry said quickly as they walked. Luna giggled.
"I know lots of shortcuts that will get us there," she said with a smile as they turned into a wall that she knew they could get through. "Are all of the others waiting?"
"Well, no," Harry said, looking back over his shoulder at the wall they had walked through. "They're out looking as well. We said we would meet up at the Room of Requirement soon if we couldn't find you. Hang on. I didn't know we could go through that wall."
"Oh, I know a lot of things about the castle," Luna said mysteriously, now walking a bit slower. They walked past a small group of Third Year boys who looked at their clasped hands and then at Harry, who was a little bit red. But he didn't stop holding her hand. That made Luna happy.
"Are you sure you know where you're going?" Harry asked as they ascended a flight of stairs.
"This is the way I always go to get to the Room of Requirement," Luna replied. They ascended another flight of stairs and walked down a corridor before Luna tugged Harry in the direction of another wall, which they walked through to reveal the seventh floor corridor. Harry smiled.
"Looks like you were right," he said with a small chuckle. "That was a lot quicker. You'll have to show me again one day."
"It's different from Gryffindor Tower," Luna told him as they walked towards the wall where the Room of Requirement would be. "But I know the way. I would be happy to show you how to get there."
"I expected you to say that the Nargles help you," Harry said, stopping in front of the wall.
"Oh no," Luna said with a smile. "Nargles have a terrible sense of direction. They would never be able to help."
"I see," Harry said. "Well, I'm just going to open up the Room." Luna nodded and Harry started pacing, muttering slightly under his breath.
A door materialised on the wall and Luna opened it to reveal a smaller room than usual, with a two nice couches. There wasn't much else in the room. Harry followed Luna into the room and sat on one of the couches as Luna sat next to him, one leg folded under the other as she faced him.
"How long will the others be?" she asked. Harry checked his watch, which Luna thought looked really nice and old.
"About fifteen minutes, I think," he said. "I found you faster than I expected and then we got here quickly, so we've got some time."
"That's nice," Luna replied with a smile. They talked for a while, mostly about school stuff, before Hermione came in through the door.
"Hello Hermione," Luna said as cheerfully as she could.
"Hi Luna," Hermione said with a smile that didn't quite reach her eyes. Luna hoped that that was because of Neville and not because Hermione didn't like her. Luna saw that Hermione noticed how close Luna and Harry were sitting together, but said nothing. "How long have you been here?"
"About fifteen minutes," Luna replied. "Harry found me near Ravenclaw Tower. I had been eating scones." Hermione raised her eyebrows but said nothing. Soon, everyone had arrived. Ginny and Colin turned up together and Ronald was the last person to turn up, grumbling slightly.
They talked for a long time. Luna estimated that it was over two hours that they spent together. They covered a lot of topics, but mostly talked about Neville. She had found that she couldn't cry any more. She just enjoyed the banter and company.
It was the first time that she could remember feeling included in any kind of group. It was a strange sensation, really. She had never had friends before and certainly not as many as this. Although she did get a strange vibe from Ronald. Whenever he looked at her, it was as though he was angry at her about something that she wasn't aware of. She didn't think she had ever done anything to Ronald, but she couldn't be sure.
Everyone else was nice to her though. They even asked how she was. That question made Luna swell up inside and she found herself happier than she had ever been, despite the circumstances. Harry and Colin, who had sat next to her on the couch, were the nicest to her. She felt loved by someone other than her father for the first time in a very long time.
Occasionally, during some of the sadder conversations, Harry would hold her hand, though in such a way that the others wouldn't see. Luna didn't know if he was doing it for her or for himself. Either way, she didn't mind it at all.
Eventually, the others started to trickle out. Ronald was the first to leave, saying that he wanted to go to bed early because he hadn't slept well since the Department of Mysteries. Luna felt the same way, but didn't tell him so. He was still acting strange around her, and Luna wasn't sure how he would react. Ginny left not long after her brother, saying that she promised to write her mother a letter, even though she had seen her that day.
"I should probably go too," Colin suggested not long after Ginny left. Hermione agreed with him.
"I'll meet you two in the Common Room," Harry told them with a smile. "I thought I might walk with Luna back to Ravenclaw." Hermione and Colin both gave him a strange look, but nodded and all four of them left together.
"Bye bye," Luna said as the other two left in the opposite direction to where Harry and Luna were going to walk.
"You're going to have to show me the way again," Harry said with a smile. "I would look a bit daft running into a solid wall." Luna laughed and took his hand again. This time he seemed prepared for it, and their hands seemed to slide together more easily.
"Okay," she said, pulling him towards the right wall. Soon they were nearing the Ravenclaw Tower. The area around them was surprisingly empty. Luna stopped.
"I'll be okay from here," she said with a smile.
"Are you sure?" Harry asked. Luna looked into his green eyes. They were a little bit sad.
"Oh, yes," Luna said airily, her eyes not leaving his. "I'll be perfectly okay."
"Alright then," Harry said, his eyes now a little happier. "I guess I'll see you in the morning, then."
"Okay," Luna replied. And she would never know what made her do what she did next.
Luna got up on her tiptoes and brushed his lips with her own. Just for a moment. But when she got back down to her own height, she saw that Harry's eyes were bulging. For some reason, this made her get butterflies in her stomach. She gave his hand a squeeze and turned around towards the entrance to Ravenclaw Tower and actually skipped off. She looked over her shoulder for just a moment and saw Harry gaping after her.
When she entered the Ravenclaw Common Room, her happy feeling disappeared almost instantaneously as people began to come up to her and swarm her, asking so many questions. About the funeral. About the Department of Mysteries. About the rumour that had been going around the castle about her and Harry. About The Quibbler. One question about Nargles which she did actually want to answer but was cut off by another about the Department of Mysteries.
On the whole, Luna was feeling very overwhelmed. She started trying to push through everyone but found that it was extremely difficult and was pushed back into the spot she had been before.
"HEY!" a voice yelled over all of them. Everyone quietened and Luna saw Cho Chang's head pop up above everyone else's. Luna suspected that Cho was standing on a table. "Leave Luna alone! She obviously doesn't want to answer your questions, so leave her be!"
The small crowd of people murmured collectively as Cho's head disappeared. Luna saw her push her way through the group and then grab Luna's arm.
"Move," Cho snapped angrily. Luna noticed that Padma Patil, Anthony Goldstein and Terry Boot had surrounded her as Cho pulled her out of the group. When the group was gone, Cho let go. "Are you alright?"
"I'm okay," Luna said quietly.
"Totally out of line, they were," Terry said, anger lacing his words. Luna felt a hand on her shoulder.
"Don't let them do that to you," Padma said to her kindly. "If something like that happens again, we'll try and help."
"Why?" Luna asked, her eyes shifting to Cho who, at one point, had teased Luna.
"We're DA," Cho responded. "We will stick together."
"Oh," Luna responded, not knowing what else to say. "That's nice. Thank you."
"No problem," Anthony said with a broad smile. Luna smiled back.
"I'm sorry," Luna told all of them, "but I am really very tired. I'm going to go to bed." After that, Luna found her way to her dorm room, closed the curtains around her bed and turned up the quieting charm around her bed quite high so she wouldn't be disturbed. It only took her a few minutes to fall asleep. When she did, she had a very strange dream.
She was looking at what was clearly the ruins of a house. The dark mark was hanging high in the blue sky. In the ruined house stood a pretty woman in a dazzling blue dress. She was looking around the ruins with a quizzical look on her face, as though the ruined house confused her.
There was a flash of green and the anguished scream of a child before the scene changed.
Luna looked at a cliff from afar. Though far away, she could see the same woman in the blue dress examining something on the cliff face.
This time there was no flash, but the pained screams of a woman as the scene changed again, morphing in a swirl of colour and screams.
This time it was a forest. The woman in the blue dress was there once again, looking on the ground for something, her beautiful face anxious. The ground beneath her feet changed from grass to ice, as if they were moving to a frozen lake. She glided across it, still looking for something, lines creasing her face.
There was a flash of blue and the grunting of a man as the scene changed again.
The lady in blue stood in the Headmaster's office. She looked inquisitively at a ruined book, a sad look on her face. She picked up the funeral notice of Neville Longbottom, an anguished look etched on her face.
A flash of green.
Hogwarts was burning. The lady in blue stood watching from the shore of the Great Lake.
When Luna awoke, she felt some of the memories fade from her mind. Some stayed the same. She did not know what to make of it.
She felt tears on her face.