So. Truck-kun was real, and he's a serial killer.
This revelation should be a lot more concerning than it was. But, honestly, Truck-kun did her a favor, so she couldn't be too mad at him.
Sure, she would miss her family… eventually. Maybe. They didn't really... like her. Like, at all. She was always the odd one among them and although they weren't cruel or abusive or anything, they weren't- well, bottom line, she never really belonged there, so she wasn't exactly sorry that she ended up somewhere else. She was sorry that they would have to bury and mourn her, but it wasn't her fault that it happened. And after they moved on with their lives without her, they would be alright, she was pretty sure.
So it all started with a wild encounter with Truck-kun, and getting isekaied into a different universe. How did she know she got isekaied? Well, being reincarnated into a baby was her first big clue. The second was seeing her new parents waving wands above her crib, making magical sparks appear in the air.
They spoke English – which was nice, since she knew English. So she probably wasn't in an Asian isekai. Which was also nice! Because as much as she enjoyed anime in her previous life, they were often very gruesome and bloody and dangerous, so honestly, she wasn't keen on living in one. Especially if it meant being a side character, since those very often ended up being cannon fodder.
Speaking of which, she hoped she wasn't a protagonist, regardless of genre. Once you become a protagonist you can say goodbye to your parents, because there is 99% chance they're going to die. And she really did not want to be an orphan. Orphanages and foster families are not nearly as charming as fiction makes it sound, even the non-abusive ones. Also, people dying for no reason other than plot was just sad. She did not like sad plot. She wanted to be in a happy story.
Fortunately for her, it turned out to be easy to figure everything out, once her new parents called her name.
"Isn't she perfect? Just look at her, our charming little Luna Lovegood."
Luna Lovegood? The Luna Lovegood, from the Harry Potter series?
Thank you, Truck-kun!
Xenophilius and Pandora were strange, even by wizard standards. Of course, she had known this. She had not known just how much, before, but even so, her new family was perfect. Because they were exactly the same type of weird she was, and she never felt more at home in both of her lifetimes.
Unsurprisingly, they figured out the truth about her pretty quickly.
"You are a reincarnation, aren't you honey?" Pandora asked her with a tranquil air while making chokecherry pancakes after Luna finished telling her the entirety of the plot from Avatar the Last Airbender.
She gasped, more delighted than surprised. "You know!"
"Of course I do, sweetie. The way Blibbering Humdinger avoid you is very telling. You know they are extremely sensitive to otherworldly auras. Also," She splattered the batter across the pan, making it into a Gulping Plimpy shape. "You know way too much for a three-year-old."
Oops. Yeah, she had not been very subtle, huh.
"You are not mad?"
"Why would we be mad? You are not a reincarnation of a heliopath, are you?"
"No," Luna sighed in disappointment. "Sadly not." Being a rampaging spirit of fire was almost as cool as being a Firebender.
"Cheer up, honey. Maybe you'll become one in the next life."
That did make her feel better.
"Have you ever reincarnated, mom?"
"Not that I remember! But I do get an interesting feeling around Crumple-Horned Snorkacks. Perhaps I was one in a previous life and I can't recall."
It was not long after that when Luna described to her parents the Harry Potter novels in perfect detail. Luckily, she had been a pretty big fan of the series while growing up, so she remembered them very vividly. Less so with the film adaptations, unfortunately. However...
"...I do not think we're in the movie version of the story," Luna said, squinting at her dad. "You don't look like Rhys Ifans at all."
"Was he handsome?" Asked Xenophilius curiously as he wrote everything down.
"Oh, extremely."
"Well, that is disappointing…"
"Don't worry dad, you are way better looking," she told him sincerely.
"Oh, sweetheart, you're too good for me."
"It's true!"
"She is right, dear," Pandora said, giving him a kiss on the cheek. "You are devilishly handsome, breaking hearts all around. Remember that Gryffindor girl who tried to use Amortentia on you in our sixth year?"
"Oh, really?" Luna grinned, quickly demanding the whole story.
In the end, her parents took everything in extremely well. Except when it came to Pandora's death, which made Xenophilius sad for a whole week. Pandora was pretty decisive what to do about it, though.
"Well, it seems there will be no experimenting with mystical spell-work in my future," she said, smiling, without a trace of reluctance.
"But mom, your work…" Luna said, twisting her hands. "Isn't it important?"
"Not as important as you two," she replied, filling her daughter's heart with joy. "Besides, that is an exciting experiment on its own, isn't it? Trying to change fate? I am absolutely going to write a thesis about it."
There was, of course, a long discussion about what to do with Voldemort and the Horcruxes. Her parents were reluctant to spoke the name still, as the decade-long war was still fresh in their minds and the taboo on Voldemort's name was, as it turns out, a real thing which cost several of their friends their lives. There was an easy solution to this, of course:
"...Let's just call him Tom," Luna decided. "There is no way on Earth to make the name Tom sound intimidating. I think that's why he changed it in the first place."
"It is rather plain for a self-styled dark lord," Pandora admitted, rubbing her chin. "Tom, the Eater of Death. Tom, the Lord of Darkness… No, that doesn't really work."
"Not at all," Xenophilius agreed, writing it down. "Do you mind if I put it in the next issue of the Quibbler?"
"I think we should wait," Luna said quickly. "If Death Eaters read about it, they might try to come and kidnap me, like they did in the novel. We'll post it after we deal with all of Tom's Horcruxes, alright dad?"
The mention of his daughter's kidnapping was a good deterrent. Xenophilius might be stubborn and reckless at times, but if there was one thing he feared, was the threat to his family. Luna was really lucky to have him as her father this time around.
"I don't know what to do about Professor Dumbledore…" Luna admitted, hesitant. On one hand, she believed him to be a decent person overall, flaws and all, he would be an excellent ally to have against Tom. On the other, his ways of meddling and keeping secrets would definitely become a problem if they wanted to change fate. "Should we tell him the truth about me? After we get the evidence and gather some Horcruxes?" She did not feel comfortable about telling other people. Her parents were one thing, since she trusted them, but strangers?
Xenophilius and Pandora looked at each other for a long moment. Then, as one, they nodded and turned back to her.
"We've always known our daughter was born with a special gift," her mother stated, something mischievous gleaming in her eyes. "The gift of foreknowledge is commonly known as the Inner Eye."
"The Inner Eye…" Luna repeated, slowly getting it.
"It is a famous talent among Seers. The Second Sight is rarely very specific, and quite fickle, as it turns out."
"As well as extremely difficult to verify," her father added. "If one were to, hypothetically, claim to have the Inner Eye, as well as the evidence to prove it… Who is to claim otherwise?"
"So, I have the Inner Eye." Luna stated, this time confidently.
"Indeed. And your Inner Eye showed you secrets tied closely to the prophecy of Professor Sybill Trelawney."
"It is true, no lies needed."
"Won't Professor Dumbledore find that extremely suspicious?"
"No doubt he will, but what could he do about it?" Pandora gave her daughter a heavy book. "Once you master your mind, you will have nothing to fear from him or Professor Snake-"
"You mean Professor Snape?"
"Him, yes."
The cover read, The Arts of Sharing and Sheltering Thoughts.
"You guys know Occlumency?" Luna was surprised. It was almost too good to be true! She definitely did not want to learn it from Professor Snape. "You'll teach me?"
"Of course, sweetie! We were always going to. After all, it's basic defense against the Nargles."
Occlumency training was grueling, but very rewarding. Legilimency went in hand with it, and as it turned out, Luna had a talent for it; which did not come out of nowhere. Of course she had no interest of forcefully diving into someone's head like Tom and Professor Snape did in the novel – it was not the intended use for it. According to the book, the wizard who originally came up with the idea wanted to find a way of silent communication between allies, by skimming surface thoughts through eye contact. As it turned out, her parents used it constantly. Luna used to think they just had typical soulmate telepathy, being able to convey meaning with looks alone – in reality, they just used Legilimency to constantly flirt with each other.
It was gross and extremely sweet at the same time.
Once Luna was big enough to fly by broom, the Lovegood family began to travel. Most of the time, they were tracking elusive magical creatures, like the Crumple-Horned Snorkacks. However, several trips they made were disguised as Magizoologist research, but were actually investigation into Tom's background and Horcruxes.
So far, everything pointed to this world following the novel cannon. There was in fact a Riddle House in Little Hangleton, and there was a shack concealed by a number of spells that used to belong to the Gaunt family.
Well prepared by Luna's warning about the ring and its curse, Xenophilius collected it wearing dragon hive gloves – which not only had protective properties, but were also too bulky to put jewelry with them on. Pandora also cast complicated spell-work on them, which made Xenophilius unable to take them off by himself, even if the ring tempted him into disarming himself. Additionally protected by Spectrespecs on his head and several other similar artifacts, he was able to put it into an enchanted box and carry it out safely.
Thus, the Lovegoods got their hands on the first Horcrux. Years passed, undisturbed, people none the wiser. The Quibbler continued to be as popular as ever. When Luna reached ten years old, the whole family celebrated – as they had never known when exactly Pandora was supposed to die, but ten-year-old was definitely no longer 'a little girl'. They had successfully changed fate.
Almost half a year later, the Daily Prophet posted an article about a break-in of Gringotts Wizarding Bank, but it stated that nothing was stolen.
"This is it!" Luna said excitedly to her parents over baked brussels sprouts with phantasmushroom sauce they had for breakfast. "Quirrell and Tom attempted to steal the Sorcerer's Stone from Nicolas Flamel's vault! The first novel's events has finally begun!"
"That is good news," Pandora agreed cheerfully. "I must say, am I glad that you are not attending Hogwarts this year. I do not want you to be taught by a teacher wearing Tom on the back of his head."
"So unsanitary," Xenophilius nodded with a perturbed expression. "Not to mention unfashionable."
"Of course" Luna said, biting into a brussels sprout. "Who wears a turban besides a person hiding something evil on their head? No one, that's who."
"Why is no one suspecting him?" Pandora wondered, sprinkling her portion with chopped wrinkleberries. "I thought Professor Dumbledore has more sense than hiring someone so conspicuously possessed? A child should be able to spot it."
"I think they are suspecting him," Luna replied, chewing thoughtfully. "But, you know. Keep your friend close and enemies closer."
"Still seems like a foolish thing to do."
"Not as foolish as Tom not using the Chamber of Secrets to hide even a single one of his Horcruxes," she complained. Because honestly, she had an issue about that ever since she read the novels. "The Room of Requirement? Seriously? Anyone can walk in! And there are hundreds curious students attending Hogwarts every year! The Chamber is protected against anyone not a Parselmouth, or at least unable to speak the password. Sure, Harry got Parseltongue by sheer luck, but Tom couldn't have predicted that. Otherwise, it's the perfect hiding spot! I mean-" Luna furiously stabbed another sprout with a fork. "Room of Requirement? Really?"
"It just proved what I've always told you, sweetie." Xenophilius told her serenely. "One doesn't need to be intelligent to become a Dark Lord. Just charismatic."
The next ten months passed rather uneventfully (aside from a minor explosion in the living room, but those were not that uncommon in the Lovegood household). As the school year came to a close, the Daily Prophet presented an article about Harry Potter's confrontation with Professor Quirrell, from which the Boy Who Lived emerged successful, protecting the Sorcerer's Stone against his teacher.
"Disintegrated…" Luna muttered to herself, reading the article. "Lily Potter really wasn't messing around with that love protection spell, wasn't she? Disintegration! From a single touch!"
"It really is a pity she died so young. She would have been an excellent research partner." Pandora sighed. "Then again, I don't have much room to judge, do I?"
"You're still alive, mom," Luna comforted her, giving her a kiss on the cheek. "And you will be for a long time, if I have anything to say about it."
"Of course," Xenophilius said as he embraced both of his favorite girls. "Both of you are going to live forever. That is absolutely non-negotiable."
Pandora passed him another kiss. Luna giggled, happily.
That summer, Luna finally got her Hogwarts acceptance letter, alongside with a list of books for her first year.
She had forgotten how many Gilderoy Lockhart would put in there.
"Seven books!" Pandora said incredulously "Seven! Is that man serious? And they're 5 galleons each! This is insane!" She frowned heavily. "I've read one out of curiosity before. They're not even that good! Way too much focus on the drama, and too little credible information on how to actually deal with dangerous magical creatures. These are not suitable textbooks, they're sensation fiction."
"Not to mention he's ugly," Luna added, nodding fervidly. "Most Charming Smile Award? What a joke! Dad is way more handsome than him!"
"That's right!" Pandora slammed the letter down, her eyes glowing in determination. "We are not buying a single one of those trash novels! Luna, sweetie, go grab my forging kit."
"Are we going to make fake covers for completely unrelated books?" Luna asked with excitement.
"Exactly. Its been a while since we've gotten some quality mother-daughter bonding. This is the perfect activity. Now, what would you like to read to pass time during classes?"
Luna had the absolute best mother in the world, no contest.
"Let's look at the bright side," she later told her worried parents as she packed for the Hogwarts Express. "I'll only have classes with Lockhart for one year. Professor Dumbledore should hire Remus Lupin as our teacher next. After we deal with Tom, the curse on the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher post will expire – and we'll have an actual competent teacher permanently."
"That is good news," Xenophilius said, passing her a jar of pickled radishes. "Having a werewolf for a teacher is a fantastic idea. Battling lycanthropes is best field training for hunting Umgubular Slashkilters."
"...I don't think they'll let us battle Professor Lupin during the full moon, dad."
"Really?" he said, surprised. "How disappointing! What even is the point of Defense Against the Dark Arts then?"
"I know." Luna shrugged. "But at least there are some Acromantulas in the Forbidden Forest. I'll make sure to train with them sometime."
"Just wait until your second year, honey" Pandora, the most cautious one in the family, stated wisely. "That's when they allow students to have brooms."
"Right. One of the biggest combat weakness of the Acromantula is that they can't fly," Luna remembered. "But I can still haggle with the merpeople in the Hogwarts Lake, right?"
"Only if you bring emeralds, dear."
Finally, the time has come. It was the 1st of September, and Luna Lovegood would officially become a student at Hogwarts school of Wizardry and Witchcraft.
It felt as if she had waited her whole two lifetimes for this moment.
"Hello," she greeted Ginny Weasley, sitting alone in a compartment. "I'm Luna Lovegood. What's your name?"
"Hi. I- I'm Ginny," the girl shyly replied.
"Nice to meet you, Ginny. Can I sit here?"
"S-sure..."
Luna sat down. Then she frowned and looked at Ginny's bag. "What do you have there?"
"What?" Ginny blinked at her in confusion. "That's my school supplies."
"Why do you keep a dark artifact with your school supplies?" Luna asked innocently. "Did I miss something on the school list?"
"Dark artifact?" the red-haired girl repeated in shock. "I don't have any dark artifacts!"
"Sure you do! My Inner Eye told me so."
"Inner what?"
"Inner Eye. It is a Seer ability," Luna told her with a serene smile. "I've had it since I was born. And that is definitely an evil magical object you have in there."
Ginny narrowed her eyes in suspicion. Understandable. She did live with Fred and George Weasley her entire life, after all. Slowly, she started to pull out books from her bag. One by one, she placed them on the seat next to her. None of them looked like T. M. Riddle's diary.
"Hm…" Luna pondered upon this conundrum. "It must be hidden in one of these. Let me check?" Seeing the other girl's reluctance, added politely: "Please."
"Okay… just, don't do anything funny, okay?" Ginny said, crossing her arms. "Those were really expensive."
"I promise. I really just want to see."
Luna opened to books one by one. Finally, she found what she was looking for in the copy of Break with a Banshee.
"There!" she said triumphantly. "I found it. See?"
Ginny stared at Luna as if she had grown a second head and started singing Chinese opera. "That's a blank diary."
"It is," she nodded, pulling out a pen. "And it's possessed by an evil spirit."
"You're pulling my leg, aren't you?"
"Let me show you!" Luna opened on a random page and scribbled: Hi Tom, how is being a Horcrux working out for you? "Now, watch this."
"What's a Horcrux?" Ginny asked, then gasped as the ink faded into the page: "It's gone!"
"Yup. Look, it's replying!"
Who are you? How did you find this diary?
"It didn't deny it! See?"
"What is a Horcrux?" the red-haired girl repeated. "It sounds… bad."
"Like I said, it's possessed by an evil spirit. The more you tell it about yourself, the more control it'll have over you, eventually taking over your body to do its dark bidding," Luna explained, not really lying though omitting some details. "I've found one just like it on a trip with my parents. It was a ring with a really nasty curse on it. If someone was to put it on, the curse would spread from their hand to their whole body and they'd die a horribly painful death."
"Wow…" Ginny didn't seem horrified as much as impressed. "Did you sense that one with your Inner Eye, too?"
"It told me about it, yes. My dad wore dragon hive gloves to safely transport it into a magically sealed box to keep it until we find a way to destroy it. I'm supposed to tell Professor Dumbledore about it in my spare time, since it's likely connected to the Death Eaters."
"Cool," the other girl breathed out, grinning, and Luna realized she just accidentally made a friend.
Huh. Who would have thought making friends was this easy?
When they made it into the boats to cross the Hogwarts Lake, Luna leaned over the water and chirped loudly, making several clicking noises with her tongue.
"What are you doing?" Ginny asked curiously.
"Shhh! Listen."
Ginny paused and listened. After a moment, there was a very quiet sound coming from the water, almost like a thud or a single beat of a drum.
"What-?"
"Wait." Luna tossed an emerald into the dark waters. "Just a moment..."
For a long while, nothing happened. Then-
*Thunk!*
Something jumped out of the water and landed in their boat. Ginny jumped with a tiny shriek.
Luna grabbed the small wet parcel from the bottom of the boat and opened. Inside, she found a spool of light thread.
"Yesss!" Luna exclaimed, tossing a fist into the air. "Authentic Litigolian Waterspider silk! Finally, I can make my own Nargle-repelling jewelry!"
"How did you do that?" Ginny asked with wide eyes, infected by her new friend's excitement.
Luna explained the haggling system with the merpeople living in the lake. "The key," she warned Ginny, "Is to ask very politely and pay with first-class emerald gemstone. Otherwise, they might get offended and send their Ferrum Chowdergolems after you in revenge. It's all written down in Newt Scamander's second volume of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. There are even proper salutations included."
"You are so weird," Ginny said, very happy for some reason. "I like you, Luna! Do you want to be best friends?"
"Of course!" Luna never had a best friend, in either life. She would certainly love to have one in Ginny Weasley. She had always liked her character a lot.
When they got to the castle, Ginny asked her where did she think would get sorted.
"Ravenclaw, definitely." She sighed. "Too bad we won't be in the same House."
"How do you know?"
"Trust me, my Inner Eye knows. You are a Gryffindor through and through."
Ginny blushed, once again shy. "You think so? I don't know..."
"No doubt about it. You'll see."
"If you say so… but, that doesn't mean we can't continue to be best friends."
"Are you sure?" It was Luna's turn to become bashful. "I mean, most people don't like how I am… They might not like me hanging out with you."
"Are you kidding? You are so cool! If people can't see it, then they're stupid," Ginny told her, surprisingly passionate about it. "You saved me from getting possessed by an evil notebook minutes after meeting me. Of course I'm going to continue being friends with you, no matter what."
For knowing her for such a short time, Ginny was surprisingly sweet. Luna felt warm inside, like after drinking Dirigible plum juice. If this was how having friends felt like, then it was very nice. She hoped she could make more in the future.
Luna noticed Ginny looking around the Great Hall with a worried expression. "What's wrong?"
"I can't find Ron," she said, biting her lip. "Or… or H-Harry Potter. They were with us at the train station… Where are they?"
"Let me think…" Luna closed her eyes and hummed. Then, after a moment, she opened them and looked at Ginny. "Looks like your brother and Harry are currently in a flying car, crashing into a very angry tree. I think they're going to get in a lot of trouble for it."
Ginny gaped at her in disbelief. "How-?!"
"I always had an affinity for knowing Harry Potter-related things."
"You're kidding..."
"I'm not. I swear, it's true!"
Their conversation was interrupted by the Sorting – which went exactly as Luna had predicted – and afterwards, they were seated at separate tables. It was a little lonely, but alright, and the food was amazing (though not nearly as amazing as her mother's). Later that night, gossip spread to the whole school about Harry Potter and Ron Weasley getting detention for crashing a flying car into the Whomping Willow.
The next day, Ginny approached Luna with a wild grin.
"I can't believe it! It was exactly as you said. You really are a Seer!"
Luna scratched her chin. It was a bit awkward, to be regarded as something she was not – but as her parents told her, she wasn't really lying. "My Inner Eye is quite useful sometimes. It doesn't work on everything, though."
"Still, that is so awesome! I really with I had a talent like that!"
"It's not that special..."
"No way!" She shook her head. "It's one of the greatest things I've ever seen. Hey," Ginny's tone suddenly shifted to something more self-conscious. "If you know things about Harry… Then, would you mind sharing some with me?"
Oh, right. Luna had totally forgotten eleven-year-old Ginny was a total Harry Potter fangirl. "Like what?"
"You know… just." Ginny blushed scarlet. "Stuff. Like, maybe. What does he like?"
"Hmm…" Luna pondered for a moment on the moral implications of sharing intimate details about Harry to someone romantically interested in him when he didn't give his permission. After a moment, she decided it wasn't really a big deal. It's not like Ginny was some old pervert on the internet or something. "I'm not sure. Chocolate frogs? Just, definitely don't hire a dwarf to sing awkward descriptive poetry for him for Valentine's Day, and everything will be fine."
Ginny stared at her with wide eyes. "That was… strangely specific."
Luna shrugged, smiling. "I get that a lot." Or she will, at least.
The next day, Luna found the Fruit Bowl Painting in the underground corridor near the Hufflepuff common room. She gently tickled the pear and watched it turn into a door knob.
When she was let inside, she found the House-Elves busily busting around the kitchen. She approached one of them politely.
"Excuse me, would one of you please help me? I'm looking for the Come and Go Room, but I'm not sure how to find it." She had honestly forgotten where exactly it was. She knew it was next to a tapestry depicting of Barnabas the Barmy attempting to teach trolls ballet, but she had no idea on which floor it was supposed to be located, and Hogwarts was massive.
"I is happy to help, Miss!" One of the Elves told her. "But, why Miss is needing the Come and Go Room?"
"There's an old, dusty hat which got lost some time ago," Luna explained vaguely. "I'm pretty sure it ended up in there, and I need to collect it. But if you are all too busy, I can come back later."
"Not at all!" The little House-Elf jumped up and down like a ping pong ball. "Tinkle is showing Nice Miss to the Come and Go Room now! Follow Tinkle, Nice Miss!"
"Thank you, Tinkle."
Tinkle the House-Elf brought Luna to seventh floor in the left corridor, and showed her the famous troll tapestry.
"Nice Miss has to walk past it three times," Tinkle told her. "Nice Miss must think of the old hat to make the door appear. Is Nice Miss needing anything else?"
"No, I'm good." She patted the Elf affectionately on the head, making it blush bright red. "Thanks a lot, Tinkle. I owe you one."
"N-no, nothing is owed, Nice Miss! Tinkle is happy to help Nice Miss!" Tinkle wriggled his hands, looking at the floor in embarrassment. "Nice Miss should come back to the kitchen sometime, and- and get a tasty snack, if Nice Miss wants to?"
"Sure!" It sounded very nice. Was she already making another friend? She was on a roll! "My name is Luna Lovegood," she told him, smiling. "I'll make sure to stop by soon."
"W-wonderful!" The little creature squeaked out, shy but excited. "G-goodbye, Nice Miss Luna Lovegood!"
With a loud crack, the House-Elf disappeared into thin air.
A minute later, Luna was in the Room of Requirement, properly transformed into the Room of Hidden Things. After rummaging around for some time, she finally found what she was looking for: a dusty, discolored diadem sitting next to a chipped bust of an old, ugly old warlock.
Perfect!
Three down, three to go.
That evening, Luna wrote a letter to her parents, telling them she was done collecting the Horcruxes. Now, it was time to put the rest of their plan into motion.
It was really easy to get Ginny to introduce her to Harry. It barely required any nudging on Luna's part, as her new best was very eager to show her off in front of her brother.
"Ron, this is Luna Lovegood," Ginny said cheerfully, momentarily forgetting her shyness in front of the famous Boy Who Lived. "She can predict the future! And knows all kinds of things! It's really crazy. She's amazing! Luna, this is Ron. He's the youngest of my older brothers. He's in second year."
"Hello," Ron said, evidently clueless at what else he was supposed to say. Hermione gave Luna a long, skeptical look, which was fully expected. Harry seemed the most neutral one about this, which was fair, since he was the one who the most crazy stuff always happened to.
"Hello," Luna greeted him, like a good friend ought to do while meeting her best friend's family. Then, she unceremoniously turned to Harry. "Hey, do you know that your scar is a Horcrux?"
"I'm sorry?" Harry said at the same time as Ginny screeched "WHAT?!" at the top of her lungs, making the Golden Trio flinch.
"What, what is it?" Harry put a hand to his forehead.
"His scar is a Horcrux too?!" Ginny demanded answers, shaking Luna's shoulders violently.
"What's a Horcrux?" Hermione asked snottily, frowning. Of course, she doubted everything she never learned from a book.
"What do you mean, too?" Ron spoke up, getting worried. "Is it something bad?"
"A Horcrux is an object possessed by an evil spirit," Luna gave a simplified explanation. "Or, at least a fragment of one."
This time, it was Ron's turn to yell "WHAT?!" making all students in the hall stare at them even more. Hermione gasped loudly. Harry turned very pale.
"P-possessed?" the Boy Who Lived stuttered, frightened. "I'm possessed?"
"Does your scar give you headaches?" Luna asked sympathetically.
"Y-yeah?"
"Does it hurt sometimes?"
"From time to time… But only since I came to Hogwarts..."
"Was it given to you by a Dark Wizard?"
Harry huffed. "Well, obviously."
"Did it hurt specifically when you were near that wizard?"
"Y-yes…" By the look of it, Harry was starting to believe her.
"Did you ever have strange dreams, or intuition on what was about to happen which you couldn't really explain?"
Harry went silent. Luna continued:
"Especially about what that wizard was currently doing or planning to do?"
"I mean…" Harry said hoarsely. "It could be something else… right?" He turned to his friends. "Right?"
Ron and Hermione stared at him, speechless.
"We've got to go to Professor Dumbledore," Hermione finally spoke, visibly shaken.
"Actually, this is great timing!" Luna said, pulling out a box from her bag. "I was right on my way to meet him about something. It's about what I found in the castle, and in Ginny's possession when I first met her."
"That's right!" Ginny snapped out of her own shock, turning back to Ron. "You're not going to believe this, but Luna sensed a Horcrux on me when we met on the train! It was a sentient notebook which replies when you wrote stuff down."
"Really?" Harry blinked, looking at Luna's box. "Another Horcrux?"
"Two more, actually. Three- well, four, including Harry."
Jaws dropped all around.
"What the-"
"Are you-"
"-kidding me-"
"-serious right now?!"
"-bloody hell?!"
Author's Note:
This story was supposed to be a one-shot. However, as I'm insanely busy and I only wrote this because the idea wouldn't leave me alone until I spilled it all over my keyboard, I decided to split it in half.
Look, personally – I don't actually like self-insert OCs, okay? I do not think they are always bad, necessarily, but usually I prefer when an already-established character gets isekaied, not some random millennial; that's boring. I even wrote a fanfic already mocking the stereotypical female OC insert shipped with the protagonist (who already has a cannon love interest and doesn't need a new, BORING one!). But at the same time, I take delight in every story where a character is given knowledge – be it time travel or other means – of what is about to happen and fixes problems before they can even start. I don't know why, there is something just really fun about the premise.
I always thought Harry Potter series has the most fixable plot ever, if someone just started tracking down the Horcruxes and Death Eaters before Voldemort came back (sure the Ministry of Magic would still be trash, but isn't the government alwaystrash?). Because if you haven't noticed, before Voldy's resurrection the victim toll of his schemes during the events of the novels was like… zero! Grand and total zero! Sure Quirrell died in book 1, but I don't think anyone missed him – he's probably the most underdeveloped villain in the whole series. People got petrified in book 2, but they all got better (aside from Lockhart, but we can all agree that was Karma). No one died in book 3, and in book 4 Cedric died at Voldemort's command to signal that things are getting real – so that doesn't count.
Look, my point is, if ANY character walked into Dumbledore's office before the ending of book 4 with a stack of notes titled 'Tom Riddle's Horcruxes and Where to Find Them', the series would be over in an instant. And the delight of Luna Lovegood's character is that she can be a weirdo-OC-millenial-insert with basically no personality change whatsoever. Which is why so many people love her, including me.
Luna is the perfect self-insert for this, hands down, I rest my case, don't blame me for this.
Thank you for reading, please leave a comment if you liked it, add to favorites and follow if you wish to see the rest of the story, but most importantly – read on and enjoy! :)