Thankyou to all my lovely reviewers, followers and those of you who have favourited this story! It is so great to have so much support! :) So... here's a bit of Luna for you! To all those who are craving more Ron/Hermione, there will be more coming, I promise you! It is just very hard to write much about them since Hermione is at Hogwarts and Ron is at the Burrow. But please, enjoy my Luna! I love her dearly :) xx
The Silver Unicorn
The autumn breeze nipped at Luna's skin as she skipped, barefooted, through a bed of pine needles. Trees as tall as the highest of the castle turrets loomed around her. Light seeped through the gaps in the dark green foliage, casting a surreal, green light over the Forest floor. Although it was forbidden, Luna often ventured into the Forest during the early hours of the morning, to feed the Thestrals. The little scraps she was given by the House Elves in the kitchens always pleased the Thestrals and Luna felt a sort of obligation to care for them. They had been there for her when no-one else had. They were a constant reminder of her mother, something Luna felt comforting. After her mother's unfortunate death when Luna was just nine, she had felt a certain emptiness, despite her wonderful relationship with her father. The Thestrals, only visible to those who had seen death, gave the impression of her mother's presence and Luna never felt alone when around these strange creatures.
The line of trees opened into a small clearing and Luna, skilled with summoning the Thestrals, stood in the centre and raised her food bag up in the air. She sounded a strange whistle, almost a shriek, into the clear, morning air and waited. The air was cool and refreshing and Luna inhaled eagerly. This was another reason why she often escaped into the Forest; the serenity of a world untainted by humans: Muggle or Magic alike. The purity of the Forbidden Forest was alluring, particularly at the dawn. Most of the Forest dwelling creatures were slumbering, except for the occasional bird or Thestral. The sounds of their slumber hummed through the Forest and Luna smiled happily. Yes, this was why she loved being outdoors.
A shriek similar to Luna's echoed throughout the Forest. Luna looked up and saw, to her delight, the herd of Thestrals circling above her. She held up the food higher, so they could smell the blood and released another whistle. One by one, the Thestrals landed softly on the ground in front of her and peered at her with large, pale white eyes.
"Here you go," said Luna, unwrapping the strips of meat from her bag and throwing them on the ground. A younger Thestral broke forward from the herd and stalked towards the meat strips, its nose to the ground. Luna laughed as it sniffed it, licked it and then looked up at Luna for approval.
"Yes, it's for you," Luna encouraged it and the Thestral gave a whinny before swallowing one strip without chewing. This particular Thestral was Luna's favourite. She had secretly nicknamed it Marigold after her mother, although she knew that she wasn't allowed to name the Thestrals. Merlin, she wasn't even allowed to be in the Forest unaccompanied. But none of that stopped her from leaning down and stroking 'Marigold's' sleek, leathery hide affectionately. Soon, the rest of the herd gathered around the youngest Thestral and began devouring the meat that Luna had saved from the kitchens. It gave Luna a sense of satisfaction to know that she had a certain bond with these creatures; it was unlike any relationship she held with a person.
Luna got to her feet and patted down her school skirt. Her hands and knees were covered with dirt and she patted them off quickly before heading back up to the castle. It wouldn't do to be late to Divination. She began humming to herself happily as she made her way. But her humming was interrupted by a panicked shriek. Luna looked back at the Thestral herd, but none of them appeared to have made the agonising sound. It sounded again and Luna followed it, heading west into the Forest again. It was there she found, to her surprise, a young Unicorn. Luna was dumbfounded. Her feet were rooted to the ground as she regarded the beautiful creature. Its slender body was covered in a sheen of sleek, white hair; its mane and tail even brighter. Golden hooves were buried in the ground and Luna almost had to shield her eyes from the brightness of its utter purity. The beginnings of a silvery horn peeked out of its forehead and it peered at Luna with dazzling, golden eyes. It was by far the most wonderful thing Luna had witnessed. Despite its grandeur, Luna saw as she proceeded forward, that the Unicorn was injured. It's front, left leg was bent in an odd angle and there were severe slashes made at the flesh. The wounds seeped glistening silver blood, which pooled delicately at its feet. The fine silver hair of its tail was tangled painfully in a tree branch.
Her compassionate side took over and, forgetting all that she had learned about approaching wild creatures, she rushed to the Unicorn's side.
"You poor darling," she crooned as she gently untangled its tail from a branch. The poor creature needed urgent attention, and yet she had no idea how to heal an injured animal. It was far different from healing a broken nose or toe. Luna had absolutely no experience. And she couldn't very well tell a teacher about her adventures in the Forbidden Forest for she would surely get in trouble. However, she refused to let the poor creature suffer. Using a quick Disillusionment charm,she was able to half carry the unicorn up to the castle without it being noticed.
Once inside the castle, Luna knew exactly where to go. There was only one place in the whole of Hogwarts where one could hide secrets. Trying not to make a sound, Luna traipsed up the staircases until she came to the seventh floor, opposite the portrait of Barnabas the Barmy. Being sure to check that no-one was watching, Luna closed her eyes and asked the question three times in her mind:
"I need a room to hide an injured baby unicorn that can only be accessed by myself; Luna Lovegood."
She opened her eyes and to her delight, saw a large, rustic, wooden door in front of her. Without hesitation, Luna opened the door. The Room was nothing like she had ever seen. It resembled the Forest itself, with moss covering the floor, and tree trunks reaching up to the ceiling where there sprouted wide, flat leaves. Bookshelves containing various assortments of books, ingredients and magical tools were lining the left side of the room. Luna led the unicorn foal to one of the trees and lay it down gently. It released a small whinny of discomfort.
"I know it hurts, sweetie," crooned Luna gently, running her fingers through its silky mane. "It's going to be okay."
She stood up and searched the shelves until she found what she was looking for; a bandage. Carefully, she wrapped the foal's injured leg with the bandage and held it in place with some Spellotape. That will do for now, she thought as she closed the door to the Room and headed back to the Ravenclaw Common Room. The sound of wind whistling around Ravenclaw Tower was the only noise that could be heard. Luna bounded up the staircase until the she reached the eagle shaped, brass door-knocker on the door to the Ravenclaw Common Room.
"The more you have of it, the less you see. What is it?" asked the door knocker in its strange, mysterious voice. Luna thought for a moment, allowing all possible answers to fill her mind. This was a usual routine for the Ravenclaws. Instead of a password, the Ravenclaws would be tested with a riddle. If they answered the riddle correctly, they were allowed to enter. If not, they would have to wait to someone else to get it right. Once, Luna had waited for eight hours to enter to Common Room, as the riddle had been extremely difficult.
"Darkness," said Luna loftily.
"Correct," replied the door-knocker, and the door opened to reveal the Ravenclaw Common Room. It was a circular room, with a wide, spacious interior, drab in blue and bronze tapestries. The ceiling was decorated in stars, giving the feeling of the night sky. Often, Luna had slept on the soft rugs in the Common Room instead of in her dorm, gazing at the stars. It gave the impression of sleeping outside.
Most people had left the Common Room by now, so Luna was free to collect her books and head down to the Great Hall for breakfast.
"Luna? Are you okay?" asked Amy Medhurst, a brunette in Luna's year.
"Huh?" Luna had been staring at the ceiling of the Great Hall.
"Wrackspurt got your tongue?" Amy giggled as she used Luna's own words against her.
Luna continued to ignore her, staring vaguely at the ceiling decorated with the clear autumn sky.
"Oh, it must be the Nargles then," supplied Billie Fenwick, who sniggered causing her auburn ringlets to bounce about her oval face. "They are very prominent this time of year, I find."
"Actually," said Luna matter-of-factly, "They tend to accumulate in the spring when the flowers are at full bloom."
The two girls looked at each other in shock. It was very rare to hear Luna use such a firm tone of voice. Her usually lofty, vague replies were more common. Deciding that they didn't want to talk to Luna anymore, Amy and Billie went back to their usual breakfast conversations of boys and gossip. After sharing a dormitory with these girls for seven years, Luna had learnt to tune out their useless banter. She had more pressing circumstances to worry about.
For the rest of the lesson, Luna's mind was filled with the unicorn foal. Was it hungry? Had it escaped? Was it still alive? Did the bandage need to be changed? These questions swirled and danced along the ribbons of her conscience, constantly interrupting her concentration. If she had looked over at Hermione Granger in Charms class, she would have notice her classmate in a similar predicament, but for a completely different reason. By the end of the school day, Luna was so pent up with anxiety that she didn't even bother to take her books as she sped off to the seventh floor.
"Luna?" A male voice approached her as she was nearing the entrance to the Room.
"What?" she snapped, another unusual occurrence.
"You left your books in Transfiguration."
Luna turned around and saw Neville standing in the seventh floor corridor, holding out her books and looking meek. Feel guilty about her lapse in manners, Luna smiled and took her books from him.
"Thank you, Neville. That was very kind."
"What exactly are you doing in the Room of Requirement?" asked Neville curiously.
Luna froze for a second. She didn't know whether she should tell Neville. What would he think?
"Follow me," said Luna quietly, making up her mind. She looked around to make sure no one was watching before repeating the phrase in her mind:
"I need a room to hide an injured baby unicorn that can only be accessed by myself; Luna Lovegood."
The doors appeared and Luna ushered Neville inside. He gasped and looked at Luna incredulously.
"I found him in the Forest this morning when I was feeding the Thestrals," Luna answered his confused face. "You can't tell anyone about him!" she insisted. "Please!"
Neville sighed as he stared into her large, pale eyes. Typical Luna, he thought, hiding magical animals.
"Okay," he nodded seriously. "I won't tell a soul. But what are you going to do with him? Shouldn't he be back in the Forest with the other unicorns?"
"No!" Luna shook her head madly. "He's injured. Come and see."
She led Neville over to the unicorn and indicated to its bandaged leg. "I got caught in a tree. I have to heal him."
"Do you know how?"
Luna shook her head and gestured to the numerous books that lined the shelves. "I will learn how to heal him!"
"Would you like me to help?"
Luna nodded her head, her eyes slightly watery. "That is very kind of you."
"Come on," said Neville, lifting his friend off the ground. "Let's get you back to the Common Room. The little guy will be alright."
Neville had never been to the Ravenclaw Common Room before. It was a part of the castle he had never had the opportunity to explore. He watched, awestruck, as Luna answered yet another riddle correctly and the door swung open to reveal the open circular Common Room.
'Thank you for helping me Neville," said Luna sweetly and leaned up to kiss his cheek quickly. Then, feeling uncharacteristically embarrassed, she hurried into the Common Room without another word.
So, what do you think? As I have said before, Luna and Neville do not end up together. But I think they would have had a little thing for each other- even if it was only for a little while. I loved writing about the Ravenclaw Common Room and I would like to thank all the Harry Potter websites for helping me with these little details! Please read and review! xx
