Waning Moon
Disclaimer: All JK's!
A/N: Thanks for the review, AnneMarie!
Chapter 2 (Like a Shadow)
I.
The next few days passed without anything special; Luna went to her classes like always and she did extraordinarily good - like always. In her free time she would sit outside, enjoying the last warm days of the year. Sometimes she would think of Ron, too. Ever since they had gone to Hogwarts together the year before she kept thinking of him. He was so very different from the other boys she knew, although she doubted that he liked her.
All of this she thought over on a warm day at the end of September. She kept playing with her mother's wedding ring, turning it so that she could have a better view. It was a simple silver ring, not more and not less. Luna liked it just for those reasons ... those were also the reasons why she liked Ron. He was simple. Nothing too fancy, but strong and always there.
She sighed and got back up to walk back to the castle. Thinking about all of this was so senseless as he would never like her. No one liked her; that was how it had always been and would always be. And yet it was killing her inside to know that she would be alone for the rest of her life.
"Well, what does it matter?" she said to herself and slipped the ring back onto her finger, when she suddenly heard steps behind her. She turned around to face the tall Slytherin who had taken the ring from her a couple of days ago and a few others, including Draco and Pansy.
"I got detention because of you," the guy snarled.
"I-I'm sorry," Luna muttered.
The Slytherins were getting nearer and nearer, making a circle around her. Luna gulped; that wasn't good. They were alone out there with no teacher or prefect to help her. She pulled out her wand, just in case.
"Ohhh, Loonie wants to do some spell work," Pansy sneered. "How cute."
Suddenly the tall guy pulled out his wand and yelled: "Incendio!" The spell set Luna's long hair at fire at once. She cried out in pain and fear, desperately trying to think of a counter curse. Finally she managed to calm herself down enough to mutter a few words: "Finite Incantatem!" It wasn't perfect, but it helped and it gave Luna the time to regain her composure and storm away from the Slytherins.
She stormed into the Forbidden Forest as fast as she could, oblivious to the fact that branches and thorns tore her robes and skin apart. Finally she collapsed out of pure exhaustion. She cried into her hands for a very long time. It was getting darker and darker, but she was sure that no one would miss her at the dinner table.
"It's enough," she murmured to herself. "It's enough."
She hesitated for a second, contemplating if she could do what she wanted to do. If she was strong enough or not. Finally she decided that she would just have to try. She got up, determination written on her face. She pointed her wand at herself.
"Avada Kedavra!"
Everything around her got dark and she felt that something inside her had just burned out.
"That's better," she whispered.
II.
"Where's Miss Lovegood?" Professor Flitwick asked the next day in Charms class.
Everybody was shocked when they suddenly noticed that Luna was gone. When they couldn't find her by lunch time the whole school got an afternoon off to look for her.
Harry, Ron and Hermione decided to go and look for her outside. They were just leaving the castle when they saw Hagrid running towards them, Luna in his arms.
"Outta the way, kids!" he grumbled and ran to the hospital wing as though his life depended on it.
Ron gasped when he caught a brief glimpse of Luna's face; it was white like a ghost's body. He shuddered and unconsciously wrapped his arms around himself. He wondered what had happened to the girl and if Madame Pomfrey could help her.
The three walked back to the Gryffindor commonroom which was deserted as everyone was still looking for Luna. A few minutes later Katie Bell walked in, pale and shaking. She had been in the hospital wing for a few pays because she had fallen off her broom during practice.
"I just saw how Hagrid brought her in. I heard Madame Pomfrey say tha-that ..."
"What?!" Ron snapped.
"She ... she used the Avada Kedavra curse on herself."
"What?! How? Why?" they all three said in unison.
Katie shook her head and then burst into tears. "W-we sh-should have been ... nice to h-her. Wh-what if she n-never wakes up again?"
"How did they find her?" Hermione asked.
"S-some Slytherin s-saw her walk into th-the forest."
Ron stared at Katie for a moment, then got up to rush down to the dungeons; for some reason he had the feeling that the tall idiot had something to do with it.
Disclaimer: All JK's!
A/N: Thanks for the review, AnneMarie!
Chapter 2 (Like a Shadow)
I.
The next few days passed without anything special; Luna went to her classes like always and she did extraordinarily good - like always. In her free time she would sit outside, enjoying the last warm days of the year. Sometimes she would think of Ron, too. Ever since they had gone to Hogwarts together the year before she kept thinking of him. He was so very different from the other boys she knew, although she doubted that he liked her.
All of this she thought over on a warm day at the end of September. She kept playing with her mother's wedding ring, turning it so that she could have a better view. It was a simple silver ring, not more and not less. Luna liked it just for those reasons ... those were also the reasons why she liked Ron. He was simple. Nothing too fancy, but strong and always there.
She sighed and got back up to walk back to the castle. Thinking about all of this was so senseless as he would never like her. No one liked her; that was how it had always been and would always be. And yet it was killing her inside to know that she would be alone for the rest of her life.
"Well, what does it matter?" she said to herself and slipped the ring back onto her finger, when she suddenly heard steps behind her. She turned around to face the tall Slytherin who had taken the ring from her a couple of days ago and a few others, including Draco and Pansy.
"I got detention because of you," the guy snarled.
"I-I'm sorry," Luna muttered.
The Slytherins were getting nearer and nearer, making a circle around her. Luna gulped; that wasn't good. They were alone out there with no teacher or prefect to help her. She pulled out her wand, just in case.
"Ohhh, Loonie wants to do some spell work," Pansy sneered. "How cute."
Suddenly the tall guy pulled out his wand and yelled: "Incendio!" The spell set Luna's long hair at fire at once. She cried out in pain and fear, desperately trying to think of a counter curse. Finally she managed to calm herself down enough to mutter a few words: "Finite Incantatem!" It wasn't perfect, but it helped and it gave Luna the time to regain her composure and storm away from the Slytherins.
She stormed into the Forbidden Forest as fast as she could, oblivious to the fact that branches and thorns tore her robes and skin apart. Finally she collapsed out of pure exhaustion. She cried into her hands for a very long time. It was getting darker and darker, but she was sure that no one would miss her at the dinner table.
"It's enough," she murmured to herself. "It's enough."
She hesitated for a second, contemplating if she could do what she wanted to do. If she was strong enough or not. Finally she decided that she would just have to try. She got up, determination written on her face. She pointed her wand at herself.
"Avada Kedavra!"
Everything around her got dark and she felt that something inside her had just burned out.
"That's better," she whispered.
II.
"Where's Miss Lovegood?" Professor Flitwick asked the next day in Charms class.
Everybody was shocked when they suddenly noticed that Luna was gone. When they couldn't find her by lunch time the whole school got an afternoon off to look for her.
Harry, Ron and Hermione decided to go and look for her outside. They were just leaving the castle when they saw Hagrid running towards them, Luna in his arms.
"Outta the way, kids!" he grumbled and ran to the hospital wing as though his life depended on it.
Ron gasped when he caught a brief glimpse of Luna's face; it was white like a ghost's body. He shuddered and unconsciously wrapped his arms around himself. He wondered what had happened to the girl and if Madame Pomfrey could help her.
The three walked back to the Gryffindor commonroom which was deserted as everyone was still looking for Luna. A few minutes later Katie Bell walked in, pale and shaking. She had been in the hospital wing for a few pays because she had fallen off her broom during practice.
"I just saw how Hagrid brought her in. I heard Madame Pomfrey say tha-that ..."
"What?!" Ron snapped.
"She ... she used the Avada Kedavra curse on herself."
"What?! How? Why?" they all three said in unison.
Katie shook her head and then burst into tears. "W-we sh-should have been ... nice to h-her. Wh-what if she n-never wakes up again?"
"How did they find her?" Hermione asked.
"S-some Slytherin s-saw her walk into th-the forest."
Ron stared at Katie for a moment, then got up to rush down to the dungeons; for some reason he had the feeling that the tall idiot had something to do with it.