Chapter Two - A Chance Meeting

Hermione strode through the platform packed with parents saying goodbye to their children for the next year of school. Her trunk floated inches above the ground and followed behind her like a well trained puppy. She didn't stop to watch as all around her family's hugged and called out greetings, she had somewhere to be and nothing was going to stop her. With a grace that belied her age she cut through the crowds and boarded the train. She carefully checked each compartment as she passed, her friends were going to be on this train, and she would be happy to see one again and meet the other for the first time.

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After her parents shock at seeing a letter delivered through a black hole, and the fact that the letter was written in blood, and the letter claiming magic was real then proving it by instructing Hermione on how to do a simple summoning charm, well after all that sank in they realized there was little they could do to prevent their daughter writing to whoever or whatever was writing her back. Harry Potter had claimed not to know what he was exactly. Where he was was also unclear even to Harry himself it seemed. His answer as to how he was corresponding with their daughter just left them more confused, magic seemed to be the answer. But when asked about the specifics of how, his reply that magic was intent and power and also a little sentient didn't help much. In the end it didn't matter as Harry wrote sections for all three Grangers in most of his letters. In the following years Harry explained about the Wizarding world and the different branches of magic. He also instructed her to contact Luna Lovegood.

Hermione's parents were concerned when their eight year old daughter asked if she could invite a stranger to their home. They hadn't expected such a stranger when she appeared not 5 minutes later. Stepping off a giant purple triple decker bus that exploded into existence like a shotgun blast in the front garden, the Grangers got their first look at an eight year old Luna Lovegood. Luna twirled as she skipped off the bus waving at the conductor. She skipped up the walkway, humming a soft tune, and stopping to measure the leaves of a plant in the yard. The Grangers watched as the tiniest slip of a young girl danced to a stop right in front of Hermione and pulled her into a tight hug. Hermione's parents were just as confused when they were both pulled into hugs as well. Luna was dressed quite oddly (even by wizard standards) she wore two different shoes on each foot, on her left foot was a sandal that laced up to her mid shin and on the right was a bright yellow rain boot. Her sundress had once been white but was now painted many bright colors with fantastic animals drawn in. She had a necklace of bottle corks of some kind and small peaches as earrings. She had two crowns of flowers on her head. After introducing herself to everyone they retreated into the house to talk.

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Hermione found an empty compartment in the second to last car and waved her hand absently, sending her trunk gently floating to the overhead bin. Hermione pulled a book out of her satchel and settled in to wait for Luna.

She had come to greatly treasure Luna's friendship despite her odd first impression, Luna proved to be as sweet and innocent as only a child could be. The death of her mother when she was nine could have changed Luna, it could have broken her like it did her father. Hermione truly learned what it meant to be a friend when she refused to be parted from Luna during the aftermath of her mother's death, and her father's loosening grip on reality. The entire Granger family had come together and supported the young girl in her grief. Luna had spent most of that summer at the Granger's home when her father buried himself in his work and didn't come home for the days one time.

In that summer Luna had become more than just a friend, she had become family. When Luna was introduced to the letters from Harry Potter, she burst into tears as she told the Granger's the tragic tale of the orphan hero and his young death. After debating back and forth for hours it was decided to tell the letter writing Harry about the other Harry. He seemed to take the news well, the only thing he wrote back regarding Luna's story of his death was "sounds about right" and would never say more about it.

In the following years thousands of letters were sent back and forth through the darkness. Hermione learned quite a lot about who Harry Potter was, he was kind but fierce. He was smart but clueless. And he was loyal but to what and why she didn't think either really knew. Something about Harry's existence remembered something, but it was not something Harry could define. If ever the topic of his parents came up he would never hear a bad word said about the man that betrayed them to their death. He himself could not tell you why that was, but only that it felt wrong to hate Sirius Black.

While Hermione was lost in thought, the platform had become filled with families saying goodbye to their children and sending them off to learn. She missed the arrival of Luna and her father, Luna had insisted that she come to the platform with her father. Luna loved her father and it was easy to see that Xenophilius Lovegood loved his daughter, whatever else he lost with his grip on reality, no one ever doubted that he always would.

Luna wandered into the compartment with ten minutes before the train was scheduled to depart. Hermione hugged her friend and pulled her to sit down next to her, she was almost quivering in excitement. "When..." Hermione started to ask as she had so so many times since Harry had said he was coming soon.

It was yet another thing that Harry couldn't explain. Where he was and where he was coming from. The best he could ever do is say "I'm nowhere or when, but I'm coming soon, I'm closer I can just feel it." It frustrated her to no end.

"Soon, but not yet. You know what he said "when you ask no more than then" ". Luna told her calmly, as If that had been the first time instead of the ten thousand and first time. If there was one thing Hermione hated it was knowing that she didn't and couldn't know something. She also hated prophecy which seemed to be a large factor with who Harry was or where he was or something. Harry Potter was a genuinely confusing person? being? thing?

The train pulled away from the station at precisely eleven o'clock. Two minutes after the Weasley had ran onto the platform. Hermione had met the Weasleys several times over the last few years. She had been less and less impressed each time she had the misfortune to cross paths with them.

The first time they met was a week after Luna had shown up at the Granger's out of the blue. They had talked for hours and come to no conclusion as to how Luna had come to be with them. Something else they discovered was that Luna didn't know how to summon the knight bus. Eventually the Granger's had ended up driving to the leaky cauldron which Harry Potter had given them enough clues to find even though he didn't know where it was. From the tavern Luna knew the way to the Quibbler offices.

Pandora Lovegood was horrified by what her daughter had done. She was extremely grateful to the Granger's for seeing her safe return. As parents do, the Granger's struck up a conversation that would lead to a good friendship, and the Granger's were invited to dinner at the Rookery.

Arriving at the Lovegoods home was an adventure to the muggle family, Pandora had apperated first Mr. Granger, then Hermione and her mother. When they arrived there were already two young witches at the Rookery, Luna's friend from across the village was there. Ginny Weasley was alright as far as other children go, perhaps a little rough around the edges, but if her brother was anything to judge by it was a miracle she could walk upright and speak in more than grunts.

Ronald Weasley had been sent by his mother to fetch Ginny home for dinner. The only thing that was impressive about his was his ability to stand in someone else's home and insult them to their face so efficiently. In less than two full sentences he insulted Luna no less than three times and conveyed the sentiment that girls were mental.

The last time she had crossed paths with the Weasleys was when Molly Weasley forbid he daughter from having anything to do with Luna because of the rumors of Mr. Lovegoods mental health after his wife's passing. Hermione swore that if any weasley so much as looked at Luna unkindly she would end their family line.

The train ride was uneventful though still exciting. Several people stopped by, one boy with tears in his eyes looking for a lost toad, which Hermione summoned for him. A lady with a trolley full of sweets, and a perfect who advised them they should change soon, were their only visitors.

Hermione and Luna rode the boats and were both in awe of the castle lit up for the occasion. They waited nervously to be sorted. The great hall rivaled the view from the lake to an eleven year old seeing it for the first time. One by one students were called forth and sorted into their houses. The hat had barely touched Hermione's head before she was sorted, when Luna sat it was a much longer affair, for nearly five minutes Luna stayed under the hat, which at one point broke out in loud laughter, before Luna was finally sorted. Both girls sat at the Ravenclaw house table and waited. After Devon Porter because a Hufflepuff the hall fell silent when Harry Potters name was called the first time. Not a whisper was heard.

Hogwarts tradition demands a student be called three times before they have officially denied Hogwarts.

Professor Mcgonagall called softly into the silence for the dead. Her voice broke when she called for the third and final time.

Hermiones heart broke when Harry's name was called into the hushed hall for the second time. She turned to Luna an silently mouthed "where is he"

Luna smiled as bright as she ever had and nodded to Hermione, when she answered it wasn't in a silent whisper as Hermione had, she answered in a clear strong voice

The voice of Luna Lovegood echoed clearly to every ear in the great hall. "Now"

No sooner did Luna finish speaking, than a darkness seemed to pull all the light from the room into an amassing void that formed in the center aisle between the Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw house tables.

Omake

Luna Lovegood had always been a free spirit, probably something she had learned from playing with the fairies that called the forest around the rookery home. Her mother was at work researching facts for an article a serial contributor had sent in, daddy was in his home office doing boring parchment work. All in all a normal day for eight year old Luna. The fairies had seemed excited that morning, but they were often excited or playful when Luna came to play. Today though they had an edge of mischief to them. They normally stayed far from the road and preferred the deep forest, but today their play brought them right next to the road. Out of nowhere there was a giant explosion and instead of a hole twenty feet deep in the road where the explosion had come from, stood a purple triple decker bus.

An old man wheezed as he climbed down the two stairs and began a long rehearsed speech. "Welcome to the knight bus, transport to wherever you like so long as it is on land. Step aboard and we'll take you where you need to go." The last words were said as he climbed back up the stairs.

Luna didn't know that she wanted to go anywhere but man had said "need to go" not want to go. So Luna climbed on. The conductor followed Luna to a seat near the front and just as he was going to ask for her destination and read off the price list, Luna spoke. "Can you take me where I need to go?" She asked.

The old conductor had been on the job for close to seventy years and had seen and heard it all he thought. Didn't he just get finished saying that that's what the knight bus did? He was sure that was part of the speal he gave to every passenger, every time they got on the bus. The kid was young so maybe she wasn't paying attention, he answered her anyways. "Yea, anywhere you need to go." He was going to ask where she was going, but she spoke first again. A polite "thank you" was all she said.

The old man who rode the knight bus everyday, all day, for the last seventy years did something he hadn't done in fifty two years. He stumbled as the bus launched itself into the unknown. It really was the unknown, the magic of the bus worked with the magic of the passenger, the driver, and the enchanted bus to zoom around England delivering people where they wanted to go. This little girl hadn't stated a destination or paid, what the hell was going on?

The bus boomed to a halt in front of a nice two story house in a muggle neighborhood. The old man stood and straightened his uniform before he looked around. "Where are we" he asked, more to himself than anything, but Luna answered anyways. "We're wherever I need to be" she smiled at the confused man and skipped off the bus. "It will be quite interesting to see why I am where I need to be" she said to herself as she saw the small family waiting for her.