Lunar Shift
Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or Sailor Moon. DAMMIT!
Note: the characters may be OOC! Sorry! It just makes this funnier! (hmm...or not) Oh, and I KNOW this chapter is quite short, I just seems to stop after 7 pages! (P) And if I don't update regularly after this, I apologise like crazy. I live in England at a boarding school, highly dependant on the internet, which the school have bothered to do filtering, and GUESS WHAT?! This stupid place sometimes blocks me from getting to fanfiction.net! Grr...really annoying. So if they don't remove the block (which they have before) then I'll only update about twice a term (how lame is that?!) Enough ranting! On with the show!
Chapter 2 ~ Mes Nouveaux Amies ~ 24/5/03
Luna shivered as she found herself up a high tree wrapped up in a thick, magically induced blanket that kept her warm. Snuggling deeper into the nook of the tree branch, she yawned and noticed it was just sunrise. Taking a deep breath, she made the blanket disappear and she stood on the tree branch, noting the height. Shrinking into a cat, she jumped down and twisted round so that she landed on the dew-covered grass with four wet paws.
As she stood up from her crouching position, she grew to her full height and changed into some black baggy trousers and a blue shirt that matched her dark blue eyes, hidden behind some chic sunglasses. Smiling at her simple outfit, she walked purposefully towards the airport, since her tree was merely just outside it.
Once inside the deserted airport, she looked at the flight times and scanned over all the spots on the world. Where would she want to spend her long holiday? Her eyes rested upon Heathrow, London. Minako had told her about that place. It sounded quite nice, friendly people and atmosphere, shame about the weather. Smiling to herself, she bought the ticket.
She boarded the plane and she flew away from her destiny, from her chains.
~~~
Yawning to herself as jet lag came into effect, Luna took the train into London, wowed by the majestic buildings. As she crossed the Millennium Bridge, her black wavy hair glittered with the raindrops of drizzle. She noticed that everyone seemed so used to this weather, that they all had their umbrellas. Once outside the Tate Modern, she saw a girl her age huddled and shivering under the bridge. Smiling in sympathy, she handed a £10 note to the child, who smiled brightly, but stopped abruptly as a pain in her chest erupted.
"Are you alright?" Luna asked, taking the girl of barely 15 in her lap and letting her sleep, an invisible barrier of warmth over them. Hovering her hand over the girl's head and brushing her short and messy light brown hair from her eyes. Luna closed her eyes making the dirty skin and clothes turn invisible, giving way to see pulsating tumour. Luna hugged the girl gently in sympathy and her hands glowed as a moon symbol appeared on her hand. She watched as the tumour reduced in size, and disappeared.
Once she was certain the tumour was gone, she ran her hands over the girl, ensuring no other tumour would grow again in another part of her body. The girl gasped and awoke, staring into Luna's kind eyes, who had long since removed her sunglasses.
"Hello." Luna said softly.
"'lo." The girl replied, her Prussian eyes wide in amazement at this act of comfort.
"What's your name?" The girl groggily lifted herself up, expecting a pain in her chest as usual, but found none. Hoping the pain had disappeared, she replied quietly but croakily,
"Who wants to know?"
"I'm Luna Kaguya, I'm here to help." Darting away, the Julia hid behind a metal railing of the bridge.
"W-What company are you from? I don't need your pity!"
"I'm not part of a company, you're not pitiful either. I'm simply a tourist who's decided to take care of a scared girl who needs her help." Julia stared at her curiously and narrowed her eyes this time in suspicion.
"No one's helped me before..."
"Well," Luna started, getting up and dusting grit from her trousers. "I'm not your usual person." She smiled warmly to the girl, taking note of her blue eyes that seemed so much like her own. "Now. I'm sure you'd like to have a nice bath wouldn't you?" Julia nodded faintly, tugging at her rags of some beige trousers turned black and a thick woollen jumper. Luna laughed lightly. "...And I'm sure some new clothes wouldn't be out of the question would it?"
Julia smiled weakly.
"I'm Julia Holdsworth." Luna smiled and ruffled her messy hair. But then Julia ran into the older girl's arms, hugging her tightly around the waist, her head buried in over her shoulder. English girls sure were tall...but nonetheless Luna smiled softly to the mass of short but messy light brown hair.
"I've just arrived here, this morning actually. I'm quite tired and I was on my way to find an apartment. Do you know where I could go?" Thinking a quite hard, Julia asked the most obvious question.
"How's your budget?"
Luna laughed softly. "Money is not a problem."
"Cool! Are you rich? Oop, no don't answer that." Julia thought about the question and her mind diverted to where she had always stared at and wished she lived there. In fact, she stayed by the river under the Millennium Bridge just to stare at the water. "What about by the river?"
Luna contemplated this thought, trying to think for any catch. "...I think that's a great idea." Luna replied, looping her arm through her new roommate's and pulling her into an alley beside the tall and large building of Tate Modern. "Now. You're going to have to trust me. I know it's hard, but if we don't want any strange glances from the police and such, I'm going to have to change your clothes."
"I...Into what? How?"
"I told you. I'm not your normal person. Hold still." Reluctantly, Julia stood in her place, glancing to the street for an escape if needed and wrapping her arms around her waist in slowly developing fear. "What kind of clothes would you like?"
"A...Anything. Aren't we going to a shop?"
"We don't need to. But you can if you'd like." Luna replied, pausing and waiting for Julia's answer. She frowned a little and shook her head. She had looked into Kensington High Street and Oxford Street occasionally, wishing that her parents would allow her debit card to work again. But no, she didn't want to go back to them. To their neglect, to their beatings, it was worse than scavenging off the streets. Besides, she had grown as an independent person, knowing that it was very important in the developing world. Besides, going in French Connection with tatty and dirty clothes like hers would be enough to embarrass her for the rest of her life.
Luna smiled confidently and raised her nimble hands to the heavens. Julia stared, her face contorted into an image of shock and wonder as Luna brought her hands down to her comrade's face and, for the first time, Julia noticed the shining twinkle of a crescent moon on her new-found friend's forehead. The clouds parted a little, and streams of light cascaded to the vision of a lady, and was absorbed into that crescent moon of hers. Suddenly, strings of absorbed sunshine exploded from the tips of Luna's fingers and wrapped around Julia, who tried not to scream, without much success. Of all the things to trust her with, this was the last on her list. This older girl was friendly and everything, but she'd only known her during the last 15 minutes. Then, all the sudden, she's going to live with her (she thinks) in an apartment by the river. Lots of reasons not to trust her at her abrupt caring, so Julia was suspicious. Very, very, strange girl.
Now she was looking down at herself wearing a shirt that had a shoulder wide neck line. It was a blue and white striped cotton shirt that was so soft and welcome on her skin, but the skirt to the knees in light brown suede was something she hadn't ever seen herself wearing. A scarf tied at the neck kept her warm, as well as a black coat that stretched just a little lower than her hips. To top it off, she felt a black beret on her combed hair. Overall she felt as though she had a nationality change to French.
"Wha-? Luna? How?" Luna simply beamed at her and brought out an umbrella that came out of nowhere, holding it above both of them.
"Shall we go?" Who was this girl? She was Luna Kaguya. Where did she come from? Japan. How on _earth_ did she get these powers? "To tell you the truth to your questions that I'm sure are knocking your brain into submission, I am going to have to have your absolute word that you'll keep it to yourself."
"I...I promise." Luna shook her head in remorse. Julia raised her palm. "I swear that I'll never ever tell anyone what you're about to tell me." Luna smiled confidently and nodded.
"Like I said, I am not your ordinary person. In fact, I am not your ordinary human. I come from the planet Mau, the cat planet. Ordinarily we use energy from any form of light, preferably moonlight. The energy is used much like plants use energy from the sun for their food. That's why we have five moons for the habitants of our planet to share." She paused for this to sink in. As they walked out of the alley, Julia simply stared ahead, her eyes occasionally widening as the truth of her new friend sank in. Why was she telling her all this? Sure, she was going to live with her, but if Julia were Luna, she wouldn't tell anybody. Then again, cats/people from the planet Mau must have different perceptions on life. Or, this woman's mind was under a mental disorder...but that didn't explain the change of clothes...
Soon Luna's story telling finished, her mouth dry from the talking. She pointed to a pub by the side of the road, to which Julia scrutinised as a run down building with windows boarded up and a battered old sign reading, 'Leaky Cauldron'. Julia shivered. Was Luna serious? There are plenty of other...more respectable pubs in this neighbourhood.
"Uhh...can't we go somewhere else?" Julia said uncertainly.
"This will do! Come on I'm thirsty!" Luna cried and pulled the puzzled girl into the door, which was surprisingly open. Then, what she had never expected, appeared around her. A normal looking pub, with strange looking people looked at them and gave them the once over. So they weren't in cloaks like them, but what gave them the right to stare at them like they were aliens?!
"What are you staring at?!" yelled Julia, sending the men and occasional woman to resume their chatter and drinking. Walking up to the counter, where a young man of around 18 greeted them. He nervously earned a scornful glance from his boss.
"...erm, could you show me your wands?" Luna and Julia stared at him.
"Okay, now I've realised. Luna, we're in a mental asylum. Come on." Julia remarked, pulling Luna away and for the door.
"No, no. I want to know what this place is!" Luna exclaimed, working her way to the bar again and to the young man. "What do you mean, wand?" He laughed nervously.
"...You might want to look behind you." He said, pointing behind them, where three middle-aged men crowded around the two girls, all holding some kind of sticks.
"Nutters Luna!" cried Julia. "We're in the nuthouse!"
"STUPENDOUS!" the men cried, sending red sparks from the sticks, but Luna at the last second, put forward her arm and her crescent moon insignia glowed brightly. A faintly glowing yellow bubble appeared around the two girls, absorbing the attacks. Once the men were done, they stared, as though they were hit by their own assaults. Luna put down her bubble and they both cried,
"WHAT IS YOUR PROBLEM?!"
"We're terribly sorry-We just thought that--- that you were muggles. What, dressing like them, and not knowing about wands." stuttered one man, in a pinstriped suit and a rather large moustache.
"Apology not-"
"Apology accepted." Finished Luna before Julia could finish, shooting her a glare. "Now, what about a glass of milk?" asked Luna to the young man. The group deadpanned. "What? No milk?!" Luna shrieked, tugging at her hair. "Miiiilllk!!!" For all those who did not understand her necessity of milk, Julia did, and she patted her on the back.
"Don't worry, we'll go somewhere else. Besides, can't you just make it appear?"
"I...I can." Luna sniffled. "But with all the spells I've been doing, I'm going to be exhausted at the end of the day."
"Don't worry, you can have a catnap later." Luna sniffled and nodded her head, her insignia glowing softly and a glass of milk appeared on the countertop. The men around them watched them intently, wondering how a mere child could work magic without having to use a wand. The last person able to do that was Serenity and her guard of the White Moon Kingdom 1000 years ago. Noticing their stares, Julia turned on her stool and yelled,
"What?! You can make sparks appear from a stick yet you all stare at someone making milk?! Leave us alone!" Luna laid a hand on Julia's arm to calm her as she licked away her milk moustache. The men of the pub turned and left except for the barman.
"Where do you come from?" he asked quietly in a Scottish accent, making Julia smile inwardly.
"I'm from Japan. Julia here is from London" Luna replied, "I think."
"Are you witches?" Luna spewed out her milk over the countertop, which the barman proceeded at wiping down. Wiping her face, rather embarrassed, she replied,
"Is that what you call people here with magical abilities?"
"Yep."
"Well, I suppose I am then. Julia here isn't though."
"You're a muggle?" They raised an eyebrow at him. "A person without magical abilities." Julia turned red.
"I...I guess so. It would be cool to work magic though." Julia responded, sighing a little. Luna patted her on the back and said,
"I can remedy that, if you want."
"R...Really?"
"Of course!" They smiled to each other and cried happily, "We'll be the witch sisters!"
"Umm...hate to butt in, but you can give away magic to other people?" the barman asked, puzzled at the girls before him. They seemed friends, yet they hardly knew anything about the other. Who were these people? Attractive, beautiful even, girls in front of him.
"Yes I can. It's easy."
"What's your name?" he asked.
"Luna Kaguya." Julia elbowed her friend, scornfully glaring at her as the barman tried to recall such a name. 'You don't just give away your name to people!' Julia seethed. 'I learnt that the hard way.' Her mind switched to when she was in a Metropolitan Police department for 'Missing Persons'. She smirked though as she managed to escape the police with swift kick in the gut. That guy deserved it... he was being so rude!
The barman raised his eyebrows and shrugged his shoulder since he couldn't come up with anything by 'Luna Kaguya'. Ignoring her friend's protests, Luna asked the attractive man his name, which turned out to be Oliver Wood who was only trying to get some extra cash. Taking another sip of milk, Luna asked him on the current events.
"To be honest I don't really know. I only know of the gossip from Hogwarts, from my old friends." They both tilted their heads to one side simultaneously in a quizzical expression.
"Hogwarts?"
"You don't even know about Hogwarts?" he asked curiously, to which they shook their heads. He sighed in confusion at the two. "It's a wizarding school, where most of witches and wizards go for training under the protection of the great wizard, Albus Dumbledore." As he said the name, Julia noticed he carried it with pride. 'Wonder why...' Julia thought.
Click.
However that's what it sounded like inside Luna's mind. Where had she heard that name? She racked her brain, thumping her head with her fists earning some strange looks from the viewers. "I've heard that name...where from?" she muttered. Opening the door to her memories, she searched through the endless books in the library of her mind, tossing most of them aside that were unhelpful. "Where!" She thumped her head on the bar in aggravation sending her hair to shimmer in the air behind her. "Have!" *thump*. "I!" *thump*. "Heard!" *thump*. "Him!" *thump*. "Before!" *crack*. A large crack appeared along the wooden countertop. Lifting her head suddenly to her new friends she hovered her hand above the crack absently and it returned to its pristine condition. "This is really annoying." She said, the only way she could have known about this man was if he was part of Silver Millennium, which aggravated her thoroughly. "How do I find him?"
"Err...take the Hogwarts Express?" Oliver replied.
"How do I take it?" Luna replied urgently, pressing her hands on the countertop.
"...Take the train of platform 9 ¾ at King's Cross." He responded, getting increasingly nervous under the stare of the girl in front of him. Julia pulled Luna down into her seat with a whisper of,
"You're making him nervous!" Luna nodded in understanding and held out her hand, which Oliver grasped and shook.
"I hope we'll meet again, but I'm taking that train! When does it leave?"
"11 tomorrow morning."
"Okay, see you around! Come on Jules!" cried Luna, tugging at her arm as Julia glanced for help in Oliver's direction, to which he shrugged.
"I'll you at the quidditch match!" he shouted to their backs.
"Sure!"
"What's quidditch?" they both yelled to him, as they waved and left the Leaky Cauldron. Nearly all the men got up and charged to Oliver, asked questions about the girls. "Are they veela?" one yelled. "Do you know them?" "Where are they going?" "Who are they?" "What are they called?"
Oliver held his head in annoyance at the crowd. "SHUT UP!" he yelled. " You want answers?! I DON'T KNOW!"
~~~
Luna grinned at her new independence, at her new friend. They stood at King's Cross Station, wondering how to get to the platform. Julia glared condescendingly to the signs of 9 and 10, as if willing them to spring to life and walk away from each other, revealing the platform.
"Let's face it. We were talking to a bunch of nutters." Julia finished, flailing her arms and letting them rest behind her head.
"Do you think I'm a nutter?" Luna asked innocently.
"N...No of course not!"
"Then why do you think they are?" Earning only a gaping mouth, Luna continued, "The wizards are only trying to protect their world. There must be some kind of entrance way between these platforms." Luna said absently, patting the red brick walls between the platforms 9 and 10. "Help me, would you?" she asked as Julia crossed her arms.
"Fine. But it's your fault if these people think I'm mad."
"You're not going to see them again, Jules." Luna retorted, patting the walls once again. They worked in silence, and soon a cry emitted in Julia's direction.
"Luna! My hand's disappearing!" she ran to Julia, who put her hand on the perfectly solid looking wall, and discovered that her hand went right through it.
"This must be it! Come on!" Luna cried happily and pushed Julia through the wall, to which she closed her eyes and opened them to an astonishing sight. A great big red steam engine labelled, 'Hogwarts Express' shined down on them, with crowds of kids and parents running about, getting on the train or leaving it, trying to haul their trunks into the train. As to those trunks that didn't fit through the door, it widened, letting them through.
"Wow." Was all Julia could say and they clambered aboard, rushing about to find a seat as the train was bound to leave any minute. Finally, they found an empty compartment and they sat with a groan of exhaustion on the comfortable seats opposite each other. Just as the train began to move, the door slid open and a girl about Julia's age stood in the doorway, puffing from exhaustion and brushing her long bushy brown hair from her face.
"Mind if I join you? Most of the carriages are full. And the other prefects said I could leave to study. They're talking too much for me to concentrate." The pair smiled and shook their heads. The girl planted herself on the seat next to Julia and opened a thick text book, watching the girls who stared out the window in the corner of her eye. "Are you new?" the girl asked. The girl with long wavy black hair tied into four buns turned to her and replied,
"No, we're not. We're not coming for education anyway. We're coming to see Dumbledore." The girl sighed nervously and introduced herself.
"I'm Hermione Granger. Current 5th year at Hogwarts." They nodded to her in approval and they replied,
"I'm Luna Kaguya."
"Julia Holdsworth."
"Pleased to meet you guys. But I have my O.W.L.S. this year. I have to study!" Hermione exclaimed, picking out of her bag a book for transfiguration and proceeded to read it and write notes.
After half an hour of complete silence, the door opened and a figure stepped inside, flanked by two burly boys. Luna was immediately on edge in front of the intruder. He had blonde hair, slicked back on his head to give an appearance that he was bald. He was already wearing his robes for Hogwarts.
"What do you want, Malfoy?" Hermione asked in a bored tone. "Come for more taunting? Because I don't think your threats are any use anymore." The 'leader' of the pack sneered at her back but all the same, Hermione's head did not move from her book as Luna and Julia watched from the sidelines.
"Mudblood, you don't know what you're getting yourself into." Malfoy growled in rage.
"I don't? Your insults don't compare with seeing horrors associated with You-Know-Who..." She countered in a murmur, flipping to the index and running her finger down the lines of words completely ignoring Malfoy. He narrowed his eyes and sent his associates to Hermione, who proceeded into tearing her books apart.
"Oh for Christ's sake!" cried Julia and she punched each of the fat boys who had no muscle in the face. Hard. They fell back to Malfoy's feet rumbling the train on impact. "Tearing her books?!" Julia shook her head in disappointment. "Is that the best you can come up with?!" For the first time, Malfoy looked to Julia, becoming startled by her beauty and choice of dress. Her light brown hair fell lazily into her Prussian blue eyes that matched the colour of the stripes of her shirt, which the neckline stretched to her shoulders. Her suede beige skirt hung gently to her knees, failing to hide her thin, but healthy glowing legs. Her temper would suit the Malfoys too. He prevented himself from slapping himself as his thoughts trailed from his usual demeanour. He was snapped out of his stupor as another girl, no, woman walked in front of his vision. Although she was shorter than himself, her shining long black hair only made her seem to be some sort of Authority.
Trying to recompose himself, he replied arrogantly to Hermione, "I'll see to you at school." And with a 'wingardium leviosa', he was gone.
"Good riddance!" yelled Julia down the hallway to Malfoy's back, to which he flinched involuntarily and continued. Upon re-entering her compartment, she sat next to Hermione, who whimpered softly to her ruined book. Seeing her hurt look, Luna stepped to her, letting her hand glow and the book repaired itself, in pristine condition.
"Wow!" cried Hermione in glee. "Thanks! How do you do that?"
"It's a gift." Replied Luna as Julia smirked to her friend and then to Hermione.
"Nice punch." Commented Hermione, and they burst into a fit of giggles.
###
Wha'cha thinks? That's the second chapter done! Review my work, and I'll see if I can correct whatever you throw at me!
Juni Juni
Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or Sailor Moon. DAMMIT!
Note: the characters may be OOC! Sorry! It just makes this funnier! (hmm...or not) Oh, and I KNOW this chapter is quite short, I just seems to stop after 7 pages! (P) And if I don't update regularly after this, I apologise like crazy. I live in England at a boarding school, highly dependant on the internet, which the school have bothered to do filtering, and GUESS WHAT?! This stupid place sometimes blocks me from getting to fanfiction.net! Grr...really annoying. So if they don't remove the block (which they have before) then I'll only update about twice a term (how lame is that?!) Enough ranting! On with the show!
Chapter 2 ~ Mes Nouveaux Amies ~ 24/5/03
Luna shivered as she found herself up a high tree wrapped up in a thick, magically induced blanket that kept her warm. Snuggling deeper into the nook of the tree branch, she yawned and noticed it was just sunrise. Taking a deep breath, she made the blanket disappear and she stood on the tree branch, noting the height. Shrinking into a cat, she jumped down and twisted round so that she landed on the dew-covered grass with four wet paws.
As she stood up from her crouching position, she grew to her full height and changed into some black baggy trousers and a blue shirt that matched her dark blue eyes, hidden behind some chic sunglasses. Smiling at her simple outfit, she walked purposefully towards the airport, since her tree was merely just outside it.
Once inside the deserted airport, she looked at the flight times and scanned over all the spots on the world. Where would she want to spend her long holiday? Her eyes rested upon Heathrow, London. Minako had told her about that place. It sounded quite nice, friendly people and atmosphere, shame about the weather. Smiling to herself, she bought the ticket.
She boarded the plane and she flew away from her destiny, from her chains.
~~~
Yawning to herself as jet lag came into effect, Luna took the train into London, wowed by the majestic buildings. As she crossed the Millennium Bridge, her black wavy hair glittered with the raindrops of drizzle. She noticed that everyone seemed so used to this weather, that they all had their umbrellas. Once outside the Tate Modern, she saw a girl her age huddled and shivering under the bridge. Smiling in sympathy, she handed a £10 note to the child, who smiled brightly, but stopped abruptly as a pain in her chest erupted.
"Are you alright?" Luna asked, taking the girl of barely 15 in her lap and letting her sleep, an invisible barrier of warmth over them. Hovering her hand over the girl's head and brushing her short and messy light brown hair from her eyes. Luna closed her eyes making the dirty skin and clothes turn invisible, giving way to see pulsating tumour. Luna hugged the girl gently in sympathy and her hands glowed as a moon symbol appeared on her hand. She watched as the tumour reduced in size, and disappeared.
Once she was certain the tumour was gone, she ran her hands over the girl, ensuring no other tumour would grow again in another part of her body. The girl gasped and awoke, staring into Luna's kind eyes, who had long since removed her sunglasses.
"Hello." Luna said softly.
"'lo." The girl replied, her Prussian eyes wide in amazement at this act of comfort.
"What's your name?" The girl groggily lifted herself up, expecting a pain in her chest as usual, but found none. Hoping the pain had disappeared, she replied quietly but croakily,
"Who wants to know?"
"I'm Luna Kaguya, I'm here to help." Darting away, the Julia hid behind a metal railing of the bridge.
"W-What company are you from? I don't need your pity!"
"I'm not part of a company, you're not pitiful either. I'm simply a tourist who's decided to take care of a scared girl who needs her help." Julia stared at her curiously and narrowed her eyes this time in suspicion.
"No one's helped me before..."
"Well," Luna started, getting up and dusting grit from her trousers. "I'm not your usual person." She smiled warmly to the girl, taking note of her blue eyes that seemed so much like her own. "Now. I'm sure you'd like to have a nice bath wouldn't you?" Julia nodded faintly, tugging at her rags of some beige trousers turned black and a thick woollen jumper. Luna laughed lightly. "...And I'm sure some new clothes wouldn't be out of the question would it?"
Julia smiled weakly.
"I'm Julia Holdsworth." Luna smiled and ruffled her messy hair. But then Julia ran into the older girl's arms, hugging her tightly around the waist, her head buried in over her shoulder. English girls sure were tall...but nonetheless Luna smiled softly to the mass of short but messy light brown hair.
"I've just arrived here, this morning actually. I'm quite tired and I was on my way to find an apartment. Do you know where I could go?" Thinking a quite hard, Julia asked the most obvious question.
"How's your budget?"
Luna laughed softly. "Money is not a problem."
"Cool! Are you rich? Oop, no don't answer that." Julia thought about the question and her mind diverted to where she had always stared at and wished she lived there. In fact, she stayed by the river under the Millennium Bridge just to stare at the water. "What about by the river?"
Luna contemplated this thought, trying to think for any catch. "...I think that's a great idea." Luna replied, looping her arm through her new roommate's and pulling her into an alley beside the tall and large building of Tate Modern. "Now. You're going to have to trust me. I know it's hard, but if we don't want any strange glances from the police and such, I'm going to have to change your clothes."
"I...Into what? How?"
"I told you. I'm not your normal person. Hold still." Reluctantly, Julia stood in her place, glancing to the street for an escape if needed and wrapping her arms around her waist in slowly developing fear. "What kind of clothes would you like?"
"A...Anything. Aren't we going to a shop?"
"We don't need to. But you can if you'd like." Luna replied, pausing and waiting for Julia's answer. She frowned a little and shook her head. She had looked into Kensington High Street and Oxford Street occasionally, wishing that her parents would allow her debit card to work again. But no, she didn't want to go back to them. To their neglect, to their beatings, it was worse than scavenging off the streets. Besides, she had grown as an independent person, knowing that it was very important in the developing world. Besides, going in French Connection with tatty and dirty clothes like hers would be enough to embarrass her for the rest of her life.
Luna smiled confidently and raised her nimble hands to the heavens. Julia stared, her face contorted into an image of shock and wonder as Luna brought her hands down to her comrade's face and, for the first time, Julia noticed the shining twinkle of a crescent moon on her new-found friend's forehead. The clouds parted a little, and streams of light cascaded to the vision of a lady, and was absorbed into that crescent moon of hers. Suddenly, strings of absorbed sunshine exploded from the tips of Luna's fingers and wrapped around Julia, who tried not to scream, without much success. Of all the things to trust her with, this was the last on her list. This older girl was friendly and everything, but she'd only known her during the last 15 minutes. Then, all the sudden, she's going to live with her (she thinks) in an apartment by the river. Lots of reasons not to trust her at her abrupt caring, so Julia was suspicious. Very, very, strange girl.
Now she was looking down at herself wearing a shirt that had a shoulder wide neck line. It was a blue and white striped cotton shirt that was so soft and welcome on her skin, but the skirt to the knees in light brown suede was something she hadn't ever seen herself wearing. A scarf tied at the neck kept her warm, as well as a black coat that stretched just a little lower than her hips. To top it off, she felt a black beret on her combed hair. Overall she felt as though she had a nationality change to French.
"Wha-? Luna? How?" Luna simply beamed at her and brought out an umbrella that came out of nowhere, holding it above both of them.
"Shall we go?" Who was this girl? She was Luna Kaguya. Where did she come from? Japan. How on _earth_ did she get these powers? "To tell you the truth to your questions that I'm sure are knocking your brain into submission, I am going to have to have your absolute word that you'll keep it to yourself."
"I...I promise." Luna shook her head in remorse. Julia raised her palm. "I swear that I'll never ever tell anyone what you're about to tell me." Luna smiled confidently and nodded.
"Like I said, I am not your ordinary person. In fact, I am not your ordinary human. I come from the planet Mau, the cat planet. Ordinarily we use energy from any form of light, preferably moonlight. The energy is used much like plants use energy from the sun for their food. That's why we have five moons for the habitants of our planet to share." She paused for this to sink in. As they walked out of the alley, Julia simply stared ahead, her eyes occasionally widening as the truth of her new friend sank in. Why was she telling her all this? Sure, she was going to live with her, but if Julia were Luna, she wouldn't tell anybody. Then again, cats/people from the planet Mau must have different perceptions on life. Or, this woman's mind was under a mental disorder...but that didn't explain the change of clothes...
Soon Luna's story telling finished, her mouth dry from the talking. She pointed to a pub by the side of the road, to which Julia scrutinised as a run down building with windows boarded up and a battered old sign reading, 'Leaky Cauldron'. Julia shivered. Was Luna serious? There are plenty of other...more respectable pubs in this neighbourhood.
"Uhh...can't we go somewhere else?" Julia said uncertainly.
"This will do! Come on I'm thirsty!" Luna cried and pulled the puzzled girl into the door, which was surprisingly open. Then, what she had never expected, appeared around her. A normal looking pub, with strange looking people looked at them and gave them the once over. So they weren't in cloaks like them, but what gave them the right to stare at them like they were aliens?!
"What are you staring at?!" yelled Julia, sending the men and occasional woman to resume their chatter and drinking. Walking up to the counter, where a young man of around 18 greeted them. He nervously earned a scornful glance from his boss.
"...erm, could you show me your wands?" Luna and Julia stared at him.
"Okay, now I've realised. Luna, we're in a mental asylum. Come on." Julia remarked, pulling Luna away and for the door.
"No, no. I want to know what this place is!" Luna exclaimed, working her way to the bar again and to the young man. "What do you mean, wand?" He laughed nervously.
"...You might want to look behind you." He said, pointing behind them, where three middle-aged men crowded around the two girls, all holding some kind of sticks.
"Nutters Luna!" cried Julia. "We're in the nuthouse!"
"STUPENDOUS!" the men cried, sending red sparks from the sticks, but Luna at the last second, put forward her arm and her crescent moon insignia glowed brightly. A faintly glowing yellow bubble appeared around the two girls, absorbing the attacks. Once the men were done, they stared, as though they were hit by their own assaults. Luna put down her bubble and they both cried,
"WHAT IS YOUR PROBLEM?!"
"We're terribly sorry-We just thought that--- that you were muggles. What, dressing like them, and not knowing about wands." stuttered one man, in a pinstriped suit and a rather large moustache.
"Apology not-"
"Apology accepted." Finished Luna before Julia could finish, shooting her a glare. "Now, what about a glass of milk?" asked Luna to the young man. The group deadpanned. "What? No milk?!" Luna shrieked, tugging at her hair. "Miiiilllk!!!" For all those who did not understand her necessity of milk, Julia did, and she patted her on the back.
"Don't worry, we'll go somewhere else. Besides, can't you just make it appear?"
"I...I can." Luna sniffled. "But with all the spells I've been doing, I'm going to be exhausted at the end of the day."
"Don't worry, you can have a catnap later." Luna sniffled and nodded her head, her insignia glowing softly and a glass of milk appeared on the countertop. The men around them watched them intently, wondering how a mere child could work magic without having to use a wand. The last person able to do that was Serenity and her guard of the White Moon Kingdom 1000 years ago. Noticing their stares, Julia turned on her stool and yelled,
"What?! You can make sparks appear from a stick yet you all stare at someone making milk?! Leave us alone!" Luna laid a hand on Julia's arm to calm her as she licked away her milk moustache. The men of the pub turned and left except for the barman.
"Where do you come from?" he asked quietly in a Scottish accent, making Julia smile inwardly.
"I'm from Japan. Julia here is from London" Luna replied, "I think."
"Are you witches?" Luna spewed out her milk over the countertop, which the barman proceeded at wiping down. Wiping her face, rather embarrassed, she replied,
"Is that what you call people here with magical abilities?"
"Yep."
"Well, I suppose I am then. Julia here isn't though."
"You're a muggle?" They raised an eyebrow at him. "A person without magical abilities." Julia turned red.
"I...I guess so. It would be cool to work magic though." Julia responded, sighing a little. Luna patted her on the back and said,
"I can remedy that, if you want."
"R...Really?"
"Of course!" They smiled to each other and cried happily, "We'll be the witch sisters!"
"Umm...hate to butt in, but you can give away magic to other people?" the barman asked, puzzled at the girls before him. They seemed friends, yet they hardly knew anything about the other. Who were these people? Attractive, beautiful even, girls in front of him.
"Yes I can. It's easy."
"What's your name?" he asked.
"Luna Kaguya." Julia elbowed her friend, scornfully glaring at her as the barman tried to recall such a name. 'You don't just give away your name to people!' Julia seethed. 'I learnt that the hard way.' Her mind switched to when she was in a Metropolitan Police department for 'Missing Persons'. She smirked though as she managed to escape the police with swift kick in the gut. That guy deserved it... he was being so rude!
The barman raised his eyebrows and shrugged his shoulder since he couldn't come up with anything by 'Luna Kaguya'. Ignoring her friend's protests, Luna asked the attractive man his name, which turned out to be Oliver Wood who was only trying to get some extra cash. Taking another sip of milk, Luna asked him on the current events.
"To be honest I don't really know. I only know of the gossip from Hogwarts, from my old friends." They both tilted their heads to one side simultaneously in a quizzical expression.
"Hogwarts?"
"You don't even know about Hogwarts?" he asked curiously, to which they shook their heads. He sighed in confusion at the two. "It's a wizarding school, where most of witches and wizards go for training under the protection of the great wizard, Albus Dumbledore." As he said the name, Julia noticed he carried it with pride. 'Wonder why...' Julia thought.
Click.
However that's what it sounded like inside Luna's mind. Where had she heard that name? She racked her brain, thumping her head with her fists earning some strange looks from the viewers. "I've heard that name...where from?" she muttered. Opening the door to her memories, she searched through the endless books in the library of her mind, tossing most of them aside that were unhelpful. "Where!" She thumped her head on the bar in aggravation sending her hair to shimmer in the air behind her. "Have!" *thump*. "I!" *thump*. "Heard!" *thump*. "Him!" *thump*. "Before!" *crack*. A large crack appeared along the wooden countertop. Lifting her head suddenly to her new friends she hovered her hand above the crack absently and it returned to its pristine condition. "This is really annoying." She said, the only way she could have known about this man was if he was part of Silver Millennium, which aggravated her thoroughly. "How do I find him?"
"Err...take the Hogwarts Express?" Oliver replied.
"How do I take it?" Luna replied urgently, pressing her hands on the countertop.
"...Take the train of platform 9 ¾ at King's Cross." He responded, getting increasingly nervous under the stare of the girl in front of him. Julia pulled Luna down into her seat with a whisper of,
"You're making him nervous!" Luna nodded in understanding and held out her hand, which Oliver grasped and shook.
"I hope we'll meet again, but I'm taking that train! When does it leave?"
"11 tomorrow morning."
"Okay, see you around! Come on Jules!" cried Luna, tugging at her arm as Julia glanced for help in Oliver's direction, to which he shrugged.
"I'll you at the quidditch match!" he shouted to their backs.
"Sure!"
"What's quidditch?" they both yelled to him, as they waved and left the Leaky Cauldron. Nearly all the men got up and charged to Oliver, asked questions about the girls. "Are they veela?" one yelled. "Do you know them?" "Where are they going?" "Who are they?" "What are they called?"
Oliver held his head in annoyance at the crowd. "SHUT UP!" he yelled. " You want answers?! I DON'T KNOW!"
~~~
Luna grinned at her new independence, at her new friend. They stood at King's Cross Station, wondering how to get to the platform. Julia glared condescendingly to the signs of 9 and 10, as if willing them to spring to life and walk away from each other, revealing the platform.
"Let's face it. We were talking to a bunch of nutters." Julia finished, flailing her arms and letting them rest behind her head.
"Do you think I'm a nutter?" Luna asked innocently.
"N...No of course not!"
"Then why do you think they are?" Earning only a gaping mouth, Luna continued, "The wizards are only trying to protect their world. There must be some kind of entrance way between these platforms." Luna said absently, patting the red brick walls between the platforms 9 and 10. "Help me, would you?" she asked as Julia crossed her arms.
"Fine. But it's your fault if these people think I'm mad."
"You're not going to see them again, Jules." Luna retorted, patting the walls once again. They worked in silence, and soon a cry emitted in Julia's direction.
"Luna! My hand's disappearing!" she ran to Julia, who put her hand on the perfectly solid looking wall, and discovered that her hand went right through it.
"This must be it! Come on!" Luna cried happily and pushed Julia through the wall, to which she closed her eyes and opened them to an astonishing sight. A great big red steam engine labelled, 'Hogwarts Express' shined down on them, with crowds of kids and parents running about, getting on the train or leaving it, trying to haul their trunks into the train. As to those trunks that didn't fit through the door, it widened, letting them through.
"Wow." Was all Julia could say and they clambered aboard, rushing about to find a seat as the train was bound to leave any minute. Finally, they found an empty compartment and they sat with a groan of exhaustion on the comfortable seats opposite each other. Just as the train began to move, the door slid open and a girl about Julia's age stood in the doorway, puffing from exhaustion and brushing her long bushy brown hair from her face.
"Mind if I join you? Most of the carriages are full. And the other prefects said I could leave to study. They're talking too much for me to concentrate." The pair smiled and shook their heads. The girl planted herself on the seat next to Julia and opened a thick text book, watching the girls who stared out the window in the corner of her eye. "Are you new?" the girl asked. The girl with long wavy black hair tied into four buns turned to her and replied,
"No, we're not. We're not coming for education anyway. We're coming to see Dumbledore." The girl sighed nervously and introduced herself.
"I'm Hermione Granger. Current 5th year at Hogwarts." They nodded to her in approval and they replied,
"I'm Luna Kaguya."
"Julia Holdsworth."
"Pleased to meet you guys. But I have my O.W.L.S. this year. I have to study!" Hermione exclaimed, picking out of her bag a book for transfiguration and proceeded to read it and write notes.
After half an hour of complete silence, the door opened and a figure stepped inside, flanked by two burly boys. Luna was immediately on edge in front of the intruder. He had blonde hair, slicked back on his head to give an appearance that he was bald. He was already wearing his robes for Hogwarts.
"What do you want, Malfoy?" Hermione asked in a bored tone. "Come for more taunting? Because I don't think your threats are any use anymore." The 'leader' of the pack sneered at her back but all the same, Hermione's head did not move from her book as Luna and Julia watched from the sidelines.
"Mudblood, you don't know what you're getting yourself into." Malfoy growled in rage.
"I don't? Your insults don't compare with seeing horrors associated with You-Know-Who..." She countered in a murmur, flipping to the index and running her finger down the lines of words completely ignoring Malfoy. He narrowed his eyes and sent his associates to Hermione, who proceeded into tearing her books apart.
"Oh for Christ's sake!" cried Julia and she punched each of the fat boys who had no muscle in the face. Hard. They fell back to Malfoy's feet rumbling the train on impact. "Tearing her books?!" Julia shook her head in disappointment. "Is that the best you can come up with?!" For the first time, Malfoy looked to Julia, becoming startled by her beauty and choice of dress. Her light brown hair fell lazily into her Prussian blue eyes that matched the colour of the stripes of her shirt, which the neckline stretched to her shoulders. Her suede beige skirt hung gently to her knees, failing to hide her thin, but healthy glowing legs. Her temper would suit the Malfoys too. He prevented himself from slapping himself as his thoughts trailed from his usual demeanour. He was snapped out of his stupor as another girl, no, woman walked in front of his vision. Although she was shorter than himself, her shining long black hair only made her seem to be some sort of Authority.
Trying to recompose himself, he replied arrogantly to Hermione, "I'll see to you at school." And with a 'wingardium leviosa', he was gone.
"Good riddance!" yelled Julia down the hallway to Malfoy's back, to which he flinched involuntarily and continued. Upon re-entering her compartment, she sat next to Hermione, who whimpered softly to her ruined book. Seeing her hurt look, Luna stepped to her, letting her hand glow and the book repaired itself, in pristine condition.
"Wow!" cried Hermione in glee. "Thanks! How do you do that?"
"It's a gift." Replied Luna as Julia smirked to her friend and then to Hermione.
"Nice punch." Commented Hermione, and they burst into a fit of giggles.
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Wha'cha thinks? That's the second chapter done! Review my work, and I'll see if I can correct whatever you throw at me!
Juni Juni