090. Home

Back at school caused many students to take on unpleasant moods and with Sirius Black still at large a state of panic was still looming over the school. It wasn't as bad as last year when the Chamber of Secrets had been opened and everyone was going crazy. The danger was coming from outside now so it was a bit more comforting.

So with everyone panicking and flinching at every corner it was hard to see why Luna Lovegood basically floated around the castle with a glow of happiness surrounding her. Students and staff just brushed it off as her being her usual loony self, but it was so much more to Luna.

She was finally home. Home at last. The house she shared with her father gave her comfort and familiarity, but Hogwarts truly was her real home. It was where she had made her first friends and she knew her way around so well and it just felt right.

Classes were over for the day and all of the students were heading to their common rooms since it was far too cold to go outside. Luna was heading toward Ravenclaw Tower as well when she saw Fred Weasley talking with someone outside. Out of curiosity Luna peered out of a window in the hallway she was passing through.

Squinting through the snow, Luna could just make out Fred and Angelina talking to each other. Or maybe yelling was a better term. Instead of following her good sense and going on ahead to Ravenclaw Tower, Luna turned back around and descended a stone staircase to get a better view.

Once she was directly under the hallway she had just been standing in, but now on the ground floor, Luna looked once more out of a window to see that she obviously hadn't missed much. The couple was still outside except now Angelina had her hands on her hips and Fred seemed to be cowering slightly. Snow was still swirling around outside making it hard to see. Luna was closer to the scene though so it was easier to make out their movements.

Eventually Angelina threw her hands up in what Luna assumed to be exasperation and stomped through the snow back to the castle. Fred looked dismayed at her sudden exit and Luna was about to go meet him outside to question him about what she had just witnessed when he started running after Angelina. He grabbed her elbow and spun her around and Luna could remember him doing the same thing to her several times.

In one second Fred was talking to Angelina again and in the next he was pressing his lips against hers.

Luna felt her heart drop into her stomach with a surprisingly strong force as she gaped at the embracing couple from the window. She should feel happy that Fred had finally gotten the guts to express how he felt about Angelina, but she couldn't bring herself to smile. It hurt more than anything else.

Seconds felt like minutes before the two broke apart. Luna expected them to come together for another kiss before Angelina took her hand and slapped Fred right across the face. Jumping, Luna watched in shock as Angelina marched back to the entrance of the castle and entered it.

Fred watched her go sadly before sighing and walking toward the entrance to the castle Luna was standing next to. She knew it would be best if she left and continued to Ravenclaw Tower, but Luna found herself frozen to the spot. Fred opened the side door and closed it before putting his head in his hands and sighing deeply.

"I'm such a git," he said.

"No you're not," Luna said quietly.

Startled, Fred looked over to her. He looked sad and angry all at the same time. Actually he just looked angry.

"Luna," Fred said as he stomped over to her and placed a hand next to her head on the stone wall. "How much did you see?"

"Well, I didn't hear anything," Luna said, feeling slightly afraid as he moved his face closer to hers.

"That's not what I asked," he said roughly.

"Most of it, I assume," Luna said, shrinking against the wall.

He continued to glower at her before she found the courage to speak again.

"I don't think kissing her so abruptly was a good way to make her see that you like her so much," she said softly, avoiding his eyes.

"That was private," he said without changing his tone. "I just- I panicked and she was walking away and… We were talking about you and it made her angry because I-."

His mouth closed and he looked to the side, finally taking his gaze off of Luna.

"Never mind," Fred said. "Just go to your common room, Luna. We can talk tomorrow."

"No we can't!" Luna cried as he began to walk away. "Something's wrong with you, Fred! I can't- I can't be friends with you anymore. You need to figure out what's going on in that head of yours before you start talking to me again. I don't want to be around you any longer!"

With much courage that she had no idea she possessed Luna marched straight passed him. It wasn't until she reached the stairs leading to Ravenclaw Tower that Luna sat down on the stairs and put her face in her hands.

She knew she had done the right thing by giving him time to sort things out, but it hurt so much. Missing him was something she had become accustomed to lately and she was sick of it. Coming back to Hogwarts had been scary because she hadn't known what to expect. On her first day back all of those things had just happened so quickly at once and it was making Luna dizzy.

The reason she wanted to come back so much was because this was her home. Or so she thought.

Hogwarts wasn't her home. Her home was wherever the boy she loved was and right now she couldn't find him.