Waning Moon
Disclaimer: They're not mine, except for the tall Slytherin whose name will be ... Angus Mayfair. And the name Mayfair belongs to Anne Rice ...
A/N: Just had to get the twins back somehow ... ^__^
Chapter 3 (Forever alone)
I.
Luna Lovegood opened her eyes slwoly, blinking as the bright sunlight burned down on her. She closed her eyes immediately but shadows kept dancing behind her closed eyelids, anyway.
"You are finally awake, then," a soft voice spoke up.
Luna opened her eyes again to gaze into Albus Dumbledore's.
"Professor, I ..."
"It's all right, Luna. I'm not angry. I just want to know why you did that. Using a curse like this against yourself ..."
The headmaster's voice trembled like Luna had never thought it could. Dumbledore had always been like a safe rock in an ocean of uncertainty.
"Well, I ... it ... seemed right at that moment."
"Does it have to do with Mr Mayfair?"
Luna closed her eyes again, closed herself to the world. "That Slytherin? No, not really. He made me realize that it would be the best for good, but he's not the reason. No."
Dumbledore sighed. "I haven't talked to your father yet; it was pretty obvious that the curse was too weak to do great harm and I wanted to hear what you had to say first."
"Please, don't tell him. He shouldn't ... he shouldn't worry about me. Please."
"All right, but please tell me why you did it." Both stayed silent for a while, Dumbledore waiting for Luna's answer and Luna trying to come up with a reason.
"Why didn't the curse kill me?" Luna suddenly asked.
"Well, you know when Harry tried to perform the Cruciatus Curse last summer? It did cause his victim pain, but only for a while. That is because Harry is not a cruel person; he doesn't get pleasure from hurting people. And you - you love life too much to kill ... yourself."
Luna shook her head. "I don't love life. Why would **I**, Luna the Loonie Lovegood love life?! Everyone seems to do their best to make my life a living hell! No one loves me! Least of all Ro ..." Luna gasped; she had almost given her secret away. Dumbledore smiled softly and put a hand on Luna's brow.
"There are more people in this world who love you. And that person you have been thinking about ... he certainly doesn't hate you."
With that the old wizard got up and left.
II.
Ron, Harry, Hermione and the twins who had been forced to do their final year at Hogwarts again by Mrs Weasley were outside under a tall tree near the lake, talking about the whole situation. The twins had only arrived a few days ago and were shocked to hear of the recent events, too.
"I don't get this," Hermione said sadly. "Why would anyone use that curse at all? Least of all against ... well ... yourself."
Ron drew his legs up to his chest and wrapped his arms around his knees. Ever since he had seen Hagrid carry Luna in that day he hadn't felt warm anymore. George looked at his brother worriedly.
"Are you okay, Ron? You look pale."
Ron shrugged. "I'm fine."
"We should have done something a long time ago," Harry said furiously. "We **knew** Luna! She was a member of the DA. She was our **friend**. And we ... we even called her Loonie, too."
"WE didn't," Fred said, pointing to George first and then to himself. "She had some really great ideas for our shop. And she let us test stuff on her."
"You were ... are friends with her?" Hermione asked. "Since when?"
"Well, when she was in her first year she saved us from Filch one evening. He would never think that she could do anything bad. She is the only one he never caught doing ..."
" ... stuff. In return we saved her from a Slytherin. That Mayfair guy. He got what he deserved," George continued with his twin's explanation, grinning.
"What was it you did?" Ron asked eagerly.
"Think of Montague," Fred answered. "It's no good trying to fight a person who's twice as tall as yourself with your bare fists. Besides that we're wizards for crying out loud."
The twins had saved Ron from Angus Mayfair before the Slytherin had been able to do anything really bad to their younger brother.
"But at the beginning of last year she told us she would rather concentrate on school now and so we left her alone." George shrugged. "Her choice." Ron got up. He couldn't bear sitting around anymore. "I'll ask if I ... we can see her now, okay?"
Everyone stared at him in awe; Madame Pomfrey had performed some pretty evil spells to protect the hospital wing from any visitor or enemy who might have wanted to visit Luna. As a matter of fact no one had visited her so far. No one had sent her cards or sweets or whatever.
"Are you sure?" Hermione asked carefully. "Maybe we shouldn't ..."
"Well, you would like to see someone besides Madame Pomfrey yourself if you were there, wouldn't you?" Ron asked furiously, his ears going scarlet.
"Of course, but ..."
"Let's go!" Harry and the twins called out in unison.
Hermione sighed, but followed the boys. They would probably need her to do something against these spells ...
III.
Thirty minutes later the company had managed to get to the hospital wing's door and were about to knock when Madame Pomfrey opened it.
"You are pretty annoying," she snapped. "What do you want?"
"We want to visit Miss Lovegood," Hermione answered politely. "Would that be possible."
"Miss Lovegood needs rest and besides that ... are you friends with her or what?"
"As a matter of fact, we are. May we see her now?"
The healer sighed and got out of their way, walking over to her office. "But only for a little while. You mustn't excite her," she warned them.
The others followed Hermione and everyone, but Ron sat down on the chairs and beds beside Luna's. Ron was holding some flowers in his hands which he had stolen from Professor Sprout.
"Luna?" Luna's eyes were closed, but they were all pretty sure that Luna wasn't asleep as her lips were moving and she was muttering something to herself.
"Mmm? What?" Suddenly Luna's eyes were wide open and she seemed very awake.
"Ron? Harry? Hermione? What are you all doing here?" she asked. Then she discovered the twins who were sitting at the end of her bed.
"Fred, George! What are you ... You're back!" Luna was obviously pleased to see them and they, too, seemed to be happy to see the younger girl.
"Hey," George said and came to Luna's right said.
"Good to see you, Moonie." Fred took the place at her left side.
"Moonie?" Hermione asked.
"Luna is the Italian word for 'moon' and she's kinda a member of the new Marauders," George explained.
Luna smiled, already deep in thought again. She had completely forgotten about the twins. The year before she had pushed them out of her life as well as she could. She didn't want to get them into more trouble than they usually were and besides that they reminded her of Ron so painfully ... And yet they had all come to visit her. Ron had come ... She smiled, suddenly feeling very warm and sleepy. Now everything would be all right somehow.
A/N: Sorry, still not a lot of romance, but this chapter was necessary for the plot.
Disclaimer: They're not mine, except for the tall Slytherin whose name will be ... Angus Mayfair. And the name Mayfair belongs to Anne Rice ...
A/N: Just had to get the twins back somehow ... ^__^
Chapter 3 (Forever alone)
I.
Luna Lovegood opened her eyes slwoly, blinking as the bright sunlight burned down on her. She closed her eyes immediately but shadows kept dancing behind her closed eyelids, anyway.
"You are finally awake, then," a soft voice spoke up.
Luna opened her eyes again to gaze into Albus Dumbledore's.
"Professor, I ..."
"It's all right, Luna. I'm not angry. I just want to know why you did that. Using a curse like this against yourself ..."
The headmaster's voice trembled like Luna had never thought it could. Dumbledore had always been like a safe rock in an ocean of uncertainty.
"Well, I ... it ... seemed right at that moment."
"Does it have to do with Mr Mayfair?"
Luna closed her eyes again, closed herself to the world. "That Slytherin? No, not really. He made me realize that it would be the best for good, but he's not the reason. No."
Dumbledore sighed. "I haven't talked to your father yet; it was pretty obvious that the curse was too weak to do great harm and I wanted to hear what you had to say first."
"Please, don't tell him. He shouldn't ... he shouldn't worry about me. Please."
"All right, but please tell me why you did it." Both stayed silent for a while, Dumbledore waiting for Luna's answer and Luna trying to come up with a reason.
"Why didn't the curse kill me?" Luna suddenly asked.
"Well, you know when Harry tried to perform the Cruciatus Curse last summer? It did cause his victim pain, but only for a while. That is because Harry is not a cruel person; he doesn't get pleasure from hurting people. And you - you love life too much to kill ... yourself."
Luna shook her head. "I don't love life. Why would **I**, Luna the Loonie Lovegood love life?! Everyone seems to do their best to make my life a living hell! No one loves me! Least of all Ro ..." Luna gasped; she had almost given her secret away. Dumbledore smiled softly and put a hand on Luna's brow.
"There are more people in this world who love you. And that person you have been thinking about ... he certainly doesn't hate you."
With that the old wizard got up and left.
II.
Ron, Harry, Hermione and the twins who had been forced to do their final year at Hogwarts again by Mrs Weasley were outside under a tall tree near the lake, talking about the whole situation. The twins had only arrived a few days ago and were shocked to hear of the recent events, too.
"I don't get this," Hermione said sadly. "Why would anyone use that curse at all? Least of all against ... well ... yourself."
Ron drew his legs up to his chest and wrapped his arms around his knees. Ever since he had seen Hagrid carry Luna in that day he hadn't felt warm anymore. George looked at his brother worriedly.
"Are you okay, Ron? You look pale."
Ron shrugged. "I'm fine."
"We should have done something a long time ago," Harry said furiously. "We **knew** Luna! She was a member of the DA. She was our **friend**. And we ... we even called her Loonie, too."
"WE didn't," Fred said, pointing to George first and then to himself. "She had some really great ideas for our shop. And she let us test stuff on her."
"You were ... are friends with her?" Hermione asked. "Since when?"
"Well, when she was in her first year she saved us from Filch one evening. He would never think that she could do anything bad. She is the only one he never caught doing ..."
" ... stuff. In return we saved her from a Slytherin. That Mayfair guy. He got what he deserved," George continued with his twin's explanation, grinning.
"What was it you did?" Ron asked eagerly.
"Think of Montague," Fred answered. "It's no good trying to fight a person who's twice as tall as yourself with your bare fists. Besides that we're wizards for crying out loud."
The twins had saved Ron from Angus Mayfair before the Slytherin had been able to do anything really bad to their younger brother.
"But at the beginning of last year she told us she would rather concentrate on school now and so we left her alone." George shrugged. "Her choice." Ron got up. He couldn't bear sitting around anymore. "I'll ask if I ... we can see her now, okay?"
Everyone stared at him in awe; Madame Pomfrey had performed some pretty evil spells to protect the hospital wing from any visitor or enemy who might have wanted to visit Luna. As a matter of fact no one had visited her so far. No one had sent her cards or sweets or whatever.
"Are you sure?" Hermione asked carefully. "Maybe we shouldn't ..."
"Well, you would like to see someone besides Madame Pomfrey yourself if you were there, wouldn't you?" Ron asked furiously, his ears going scarlet.
"Of course, but ..."
"Let's go!" Harry and the twins called out in unison.
Hermione sighed, but followed the boys. They would probably need her to do something against these spells ...
III.
Thirty minutes later the company had managed to get to the hospital wing's door and were about to knock when Madame Pomfrey opened it.
"You are pretty annoying," she snapped. "What do you want?"
"We want to visit Miss Lovegood," Hermione answered politely. "Would that be possible."
"Miss Lovegood needs rest and besides that ... are you friends with her or what?"
"As a matter of fact, we are. May we see her now?"
The healer sighed and got out of their way, walking over to her office. "But only for a little while. You mustn't excite her," she warned them.
The others followed Hermione and everyone, but Ron sat down on the chairs and beds beside Luna's. Ron was holding some flowers in his hands which he had stolen from Professor Sprout.
"Luna?" Luna's eyes were closed, but they were all pretty sure that Luna wasn't asleep as her lips were moving and she was muttering something to herself.
"Mmm? What?" Suddenly Luna's eyes were wide open and she seemed very awake.
"Ron? Harry? Hermione? What are you all doing here?" she asked. Then she discovered the twins who were sitting at the end of her bed.
"Fred, George! What are you ... You're back!" Luna was obviously pleased to see them and they, too, seemed to be happy to see the younger girl.
"Hey," George said and came to Luna's right said.
"Good to see you, Moonie." Fred took the place at her left side.
"Moonie?" Hermione asked.
"Luna is the Italian word for 'moon' and she's kinda a member of the new Marauders," George explained.
Luna smiled, already deep in thought again. She had completely forgotten about the twins. The year before she had pushed them out of her life as well as she could. She didn't want to get them into more trouble than they usually were and besides that they reminded her of Ron so painfully ... And yet they had all come to visit her. Ron had come ... She smiled, suddenly feeling very warm and sleepy. Now everything would be all right somehow.
A/N: Sorry, still not a lot of romance, but this chapter was necessary for the plot.