Chapter Thirty Six

Luna felt that the morning's disturbance couldn't have gone better. She had played her part, levitating a pinch of Peruvian Instant Darkness Powder over the Slytherin students to prevent them assisting the Carrows in any attempt to regain order. It had been plain to everyone exactly what the students thought of the Ministry Decrees, and nobody had been caught. As she approached her only lesson of the day, Muggle Studies, Luna hummed to herself.

As she took her seat Luna realised that she had less than two weeks left at school before she would return home and see her father. It wasn't the first time she'd had this thought over the previous few days, but it was the first time she remembered that she'd not yet found a suitable Christmas present. Although Luna had never really celebrated since the death of her mother, she and her father still exchanged gifts.

Maybe she would have to resort to an Owl-Order this year, Luna decided. There had been no Hogsmeade trips all term, so she had no reason to believe that she'd be able to go to a shop and buy something before returning home. The Weasleys' joke shop did a mail-order service, she knew, as did most of the shops where witches and wizards could buy practical items such as robes, spell books or necessities like quills.

The issue, Luna thought, was that she didn't know what her father might need, given that she'd not seen him for months. She hadn't written since the final owl saying she was going to stop communication until the holidays, and this made her a little sad. She had already decided not to tell him how dangerous Hogwarts had become, and had no reason to change her mind.

Luna followed that train of thought. Not even the details of Ginny's detention, recounted during the girls' walk to the lesson, could make her break her promise. She wasn't going to tell her father anything, partly so as not to worry him, and partly so he would continue standing up to the Ministry.

The Muggle Studies lesson turned out to be an exceptionally bad one, or would have been had Ginny not set off a dungbomb less than ten minutes in. Luna, unaware of the plan, headed into the corridor with the rest of the class, where she proceeded to perform a bubble-head charm. Grateful for the fresh air, she gave Ginny a smile.

Professor Carrow simply took the students to an empty classroom, where she continued to lecture on the many ways muggles could improve their lives, if they were intelligent enough to do so. Luna didn't take a single note or read the relevant pages in the textbook, but amused herself by rearranging the letters whenever Professor Carrow attempted to write on the blackboard.

For the rest of the week Luna continued to disrupt lessons. She had plenty of homework to do, but still found time to graffiti the corridors, break into the Carrows' offices and plan more chaos with Ginny. She mentioned the Master coin, and Ginny promised to look for it when she returned home. The weekend passed; Neville caused a plague of bats to sweep down from nowhere towards the staff table on Saturday and on Sunday Luna shot an Engorgement charm at Snape's goblet during dinner. It expanded until the base hit his plate and then tipped over, spilling the contents all over the dessert.

Monday and Tuesday passed, leaving Luna with only three more days at school. On Wednesday afternoon she and Ginny both earned detentions, this time for refusing to hex their classmates. Several others also remained stubbornly in their seats, wands on their desks, when instructed to perform the spells; in the end fourteen students from the class walked down to the dungeons that night.

Thanks to Ginny, Luna knew what to expect. The Carrows, or some of the Slytherins, would curse the students who had been given detention. They might use the Unforgivable Curses or use chains as a form of restraint.

Knowing what was to come didn't make it any easier for Luna. She and Ginny were the last pair to receive their punishment, and stood chained with arms above their heads, shoulders aching, whilst around twenty others screamed. This time the Carrows had enlisted only two helpers, who worked as a pair to torture two people at once. As each set of screams died away, Ginny would urge the victims to regain their feet. Luna, knowing how infuriated the Carrows were becoming at this, did her best to aid Ginny; where Ginny barked orders, Luna spoke in tones of soft encouragement.

In providing support to the others, Luna almost forgot that it would soon be her turn. She had been cursed and hexed, charmed and cut by the Carrows over the course of the term, but they had never Cruciated her. Finally the curse lifted from the two students standing to Luna's left, and she knew that she was next.

"Do it, and I'll curse you back," Ginny said to the Slytherin who approached her. "Sometime the Carrows aren't around to protect you. And you," she added to the Hufflepuff next to Luna, "Back on your feet."

"You'll be alright," Luna said, wanting to reach out a hand but unable to. "That's it, stand up, don't let them bully you." She smiled encouragement, then looked at the pair of Slytherins now standing in front of her and Ginny. "I can't stop you now," she said pleasantly, "But if you curse me, you'll regret it."

"You'll pay," Ginny said. "I don't care if you're, what, second year? We will get you back for this."

The two Slytherins hesitated, and Amycus Carrow broke in. "Enough!" he shouted. "You two, free those two Ravenclaws at the end, then leave." The Slytherins turned away from Ginny and Luna to do as the teacher had ordered, and the two Ravenclaw girls, both fourth year, sank to the floor in relief.

Alecto Carrow pointed her wand at the girls, who slid across the floor until they were huddled together in front of Luna and Ginny. "You're going to do it," she said. "Cruciate them, or I'll Cruciate you."

Luna looked at Ginny and without words understood that they were thinking the same thing. "Do it," Ginny said, more quietly now.

"We won't curse you back," Luna agreed, wondering how best to manage this new development.