A/N: I'm sure this has been done at least once before, but I didn't see any harm in taking a crack at writing the events of chapter 10 of Book 5 from her perspective.
Disclaimer: Harry Potter is not mine. Also, much of the dialogue is taken from chapter 10 of Order of the Phoenix.
On the morning of 1 September, 1995, Luna Lovegood was double-checking her supplies to ensure she had everything she needed for her fourth year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
Books, check!
Cauldron, check!
Robes, check!
Wand, check! That goes behind the left ear. Butterbeer cork necklace goes round the neck.
The young witch found herself thinking of her first three years at Hogwarts, which had certainly been interesting enough what with her lessons and the many secrets she had discovered while exploring the castle, the grounds, and the Forbidden Forest. However, she had had little success making friends...well, unless you counted Ginny, but sadly the two girls hadn't had many opportunities to interact with one another as they had been Sorted into different Houses. Besides, Ginny had her own circle of friends in Gryffindor.
Luna wasn't too surprised that most of her classmates didn't like her or think much of her beliefs, but she had hoped her housemates, at least, would be willing to accept her as she was. But, as it turned out, they were far more closed-minded than she'd thought; meanwhile, they seemed to be under the impression that Luna was every bit the opposite of what a Ravenclaw should be. She didn't see how this year would be any different, but still, one never knew...
"Luna! Breakfast!" came her father's voice from downstairs.
Luna had just stowed her luggage onto a compartment near the end of the train and was just about to climb aboard when Xenophilius said, "Just a moment, moonbeam." He handed her the latest issue of The Quibbler. "You may want to pay particular attention to the article on page 57; you might find it interesting."
"Thank you, Daddy," replied Luna, giving her father a hug before climbing onto the train. "Goodbye!" she called as the train began to move.
"Goodbye, my love! Have a good term!" Xeno called back right before Disapparating.
Luna sat down, got out her magazine, and began to read; when she got to page 57 she found an article featuring a series of runes which, when turned upside down, revealed a spell to turn one's enemy's ears into kumquats. The young Ravenclaw didn't like hexing or otherwise attacking other people at the best of times; admittedly she had bitten one of her dormmates back in her first year after the latter had grabbed her butterbeer cork necklace and held it out of reach, but she wasn't proud of it. Still, this spell seemed as if it could be quite amusing.
Suddenly the sound of the compartment door opening and a familiar voice broke through Luna's thoughts. "Hi, Luna. Is it okay if we take these seats?"
She looked up to see Ginny Weasley standing in the doorway with two boys she'd never met before. One was round-faced and pudgy; the other was rather skinny, with green eyes and round glasses. The moment Luna looked at his forehead, she immediately realized who this was. She nodded in response to Ginny's question.
"Thanks," replied Ginny with a smile, and the three of them sat down while Luna stared avidly at the bespectacled boy.
"Had a good summer, Luna?" asked Ginny.
"Yes," the blonde answered. "Yes, it was quite enjoyable, you know. You're Harry Potter."
"I know I am," said the boy called Harry Potter. The round-faced boy chuckled, and Luna turned to him. "And I don't know who you are."
"I'm nobody," he mumbled.
"No, you're not," Ginny told him sternly. "Neville Longbottom - Luna Lovegood. Luna's in my year but in Ravenclaw."
"Wit beyond measure is man's greatest treasure," Luna sang before she hid her face behind The Quibbler. The others' voices faded into the background as the Ravenclaw thought of the smear campaign against Harry, courtesy of the Ministry of Magic and the Daily Prophet. Luna had never much liked the Prophet, and this gave her yet another reason to dislike it, for she knew that underneath the fame, Harry was a human boy with feelings just like everyone else, and he certainly didn't deserve to be ridiculed like this.
About an hour later Luna saw two more people entering the compartment: Ginny's brother Ron and a bushy brown-haired girl Luna guessed must be Hermione Granger. She continued to let her mind wander as everyone else was talking, until -
"...Anthony Goldstein and Padma Patil for Ravenclaw," Hermione was saying. At that moment Luna looked at Ron.
"You went to the Yule Ball with Padma Patil."
"Yeah, I know I did," the redheaded boy replied.
"She didn't enjoy it very much. She doesn't think you treated her very well, because you wouldn't dance with her." Of course, Luna had gone home for the holidays as she was only a third year then and hadn't been invited to the ball, but not long after the start of the winter term she'd overheard Padma complaining to her friends about how Ron had barely paid attention to her. As an afterthought, she added, "I don't think I'd have minded; I don't like dancing very much." Indeed, she'd never found the idea of couples dancing very appealing, although she didn't mind dancing by herself occasionally.
Then, not two minutes later...
"I...must...not...look...like...a...baboon's...backside..." This was too much for Luna; she let out a sudden burst of laughter, barely noticing as her magazine slipped from her fingers and slid down to the floor. She'd seen Ron a few times during those long-ago play dates with Ginny, but she'd never really interacted with him until now, and she had never realized how funny he was.
Luna continued to laugh for several minutes; she was left breathless when Harry asked her if he could have a look at her magazine.
"Anything good in there?" asked Ron.
"Of course not," said Hermione scathingly. "The Quibbler's rubbish, everyone knows that."
Rubbish? Rubbish?! How dare she say that! Luna didn't have much of a problem with people calling her names or stealing her belongings as long as she got them back later, but when someone took a stab at her father or his magazine...now that was a different story.
"Excuse me," she told Hermione very coldly. "My father's the editor." She took her Quibbler back from Harry and hid behind it again, thinking angry thoughts about Hermione. Ginny had told her a bit about Hermione, how she was the brightest witch in her year and had gotten Harry and Ron out of some rough spots. For such a smart girl, Luna had never expected her to be so narrow-minded. She did hope one day she could persuade Hermione to open her mind a bit more.
That evening as everyone was preparing to board the carriages that would take them to Hogwarts Castle, Luna saw Harry trying to point out the Thestrals to Ron, who apparently was unable to see them. Best friends the two boys may have been, but the Ravenclaw knew that what Harry really needed was someone who could really understand and connect with him, especially now when everyone, including himself, was questioning his sanity. And that someone was closer than he knew.
"It's all right," Luna told him gently. "You're not going mad or anything. I can see them too."
"Can you?" asked Harry in a desperate tone of voice.
"Oh yes, I've been able to see them ever since my first day here. They've always pulled the carriages. Don't worry. You're just as sane as I am."
Luna climbed onto the carriage with a small smile, hoping her words had made Harry feel a bit better. And something told her that maybe, just maybe, he and the rest of the people who had shared a train compartment with her would want to be friends with her. Well, almost all of them; Hermione seemed like a rather tough case. Even if the two of them didn't see eye to eye, Luna hoped that the Gryffindor would at least keep her dismissive views to herself.