DannyMay 2021. Day One

"Memories"

Danny hummed in thought and twirled his wand (7½ inches, yew, with a thestral hairstring core), listening to Harry Potter talk about not feeling bad for not mastering the patronus in the first try, since it was a difficult spell and all.

"A very happy memory…" He mumbled, fighting the desire to tap his wand against his leg, least something get cast.

"Expecto Patronum!"

He glanced aside and then fully turned to watch in awe as the glowing mist rabbit made its way towards Luna, who regarded it with big eyes and a beaming smile, even when it vanished soon after.

"Wow! That was really coo, Lu!" He praised his friend as he walked over. "What memory did you use?"

"That one time we went to the Nasty Burger and Sam punched Dash on the face." Luna answered simply.

Danny sighed wistfully, recalling the event as well. "Yeah, that was good."

"Really?" Asked Hermionie Granger as she approached, with a confused frown on her face. "All the books I've read that talk about the patronus say the good memory can't be mean-spirited."

Oh. She was out for blood. People already had an idea that Granger put a big deal of respect in books; maybe to the point of dismissing a practical show that implied otherwise.

"Oh, trust me, he had it coming." Danny said without a shred of doubt.

"Hmm." Granger replied with a tight smile.

She was obviously uncomfortable around Luna, if the ride in the train and then the chariots was something to go by (it was).

"Maybe it wasn't the fact itself that made it a good memory?" Potter, having appeared out of nowhere, wondered. "Why did you think of that memory? Of…" He trailed off, apparently he hadn't heard the memory itself, only that it was 'bad'.

"Our friend Sam punched Das Baxter in the face." Luna recalled happily once again.

Potter's eyebrows went up, probably not expecting something so… violent from the eccentric ravenclaw.

"Oh…" He finally said, awkwardly. "And, uhm, why did this Sam do that?" Harry ventured to ask.

It was obvious that Luna and Danny were not related, but in that moment, with him opening wide his eyes and tilting his head curiously with an airy smile, Harry and Hermionie felt the need to double-check these two weren't siblings.

"Why! Dash called Luna 'Loony' in front of her friends!" Fenton said with chilling sweetness and innocence.

The gryffindors flinched back and, with an awkward cough, Harry said, "Well, uh, that must be it."

And, with tight smiles, they walked away.

If you are a regular reader of me, first of all thank you, second, yes, this is in the usual Harry Potter AU I manage, not the one where Danny is Draco's twin. It lives in my head rent free, but as I have learnt, what I only ever say in my head doesn't exactly translate as I want it in here, so for context: in this AU Danny went to Hogwarts since first year and... that didn't really change the plot until later, but he did become a good friend with Luna, sometimes she visited in the States and befriended Sam and Tucker.

Weird kids gotta support each other.