TITLE: Our Family Secret
FANDOM: HP/BtVS
AUTHOR: Dizzy Flower
PART: 4/?
RATING: PG
SUMMARY: Luna has to research an ancestor for History of Magic. When she stumbles across one Drusilla Rose Kent, she has to know what happens to her. Answer to Gidgetgirl's Loopy Challenge.
DISCLAIMER: BtVS and Angel belongs to Joss Whedon. Harry Potter belongs to JK Rowling. This story is an answer to a challenge by Gidgetgirl.

Our Family Secret

Chapter 4-

Of Stalkers and Salads

The effeminate looking boy's words hardly entered her brain.

"That's not true!" Luna said firmly, trying to open the grate. "I can't have lost it!"

"Whatever it was will have floated away by now," the boy said, a bit uncaringly in Luna's opinion. He could have shown more compassion.

"No, it wouldn't have," Luna said, a trace of hysteria beginning to enter her voice. The grate wasn't moving, and her hands were starting to hurt.

"That grate is not going to open," the boy said, sounding amused.

"It might if you helped," Luna said angrily. What if she'd lost her wand? She wouldn't be able to survive without it!

The boy gave a sigh and dropped to his knees beside her. He placed a hand on either side of the grate, and with a grunt, he pulled. Luna saw the muscles in his arms flex, and the grate was pushed aside.

"Th-thankyou," Luna told him, confused. Were muggles supposed to be that strong? She hadn't thought so. What if this boy was some kind of demon as well? Oh, that was a scary thought, and Luna suppressed a shiver. Did everybody in LA have something wrong with them? Luna thought of Wesley, and that comforted her somewhat. Wesley was definitely normal. Nothing mystical there, thankyou very much.

She pushed that thought away and looked down into the darkness. Deep down, she knew that what the boy said was true- her wand was lost. "I have to find it," she whispered under her breath. She was utterly useless without it. Luna swung her legs over the side, preparing to jump in.

"Stop!" The boy reached out with a hand and grasped her arm. "You can't jump in, you don't know what's down there."

"I have to find my wand," said Luna. Realising what she'd just said, she slapped a hand over her mouth.

The boy's eyes narrowed in suspicion. "Wand?"

"A trinket my father gave me," Luna said at last, after thinking desperately of an explanation. The boy still looked unbelieving, so she decided to change the subject. "My name's Luna. What's yours?"

The boy looked at her for so long that Luna began to feel a little uncomfortable. She had a feeling he could see right through her distraction method. Finally he said. "I'm Stephen. It is nice to meet you."

"Well, Stephen," said Luna, extracting her arm from his grip. "It was nice meeting you, and thankyou very much for saving me from the demonic crab, but I must rescue my wand now."

Stephen was looking at her like he wasn't sure what to make of her. "Goodbye then, Luna," he said at last, standing up with ease. Luna was surprised with his grace- he wasn't as gawky as all the teenage boys at school were.

Luna turned back to stare into the grate for a moment, and when she looked up again the boy was gone.

Luna decided not to think about the strange boy anymore, and instead focused on getting her wand back. With a deep breath, she pushed herself off the edge of the grate.

Luna got home late that night, but she was still there before Wesley arrived. She'd searched the tunnels near the alley for a few hours, but her wand had completely disappeared. After crying for a bit, Luna had realised the time and managed to find an exit. Sopping wet, she'd hailed a taxi. The cabdriver had looked at her doubtfully before she'd pulled out some notes. They were slightly damp, but she assumed they were still currency. She was correct, and after that his manner changed quite abruptly. She gave him quite a large tip because she'd left a damp spot on one of the seats.

After having a shower and changing into some dry clothes the first thing Luna did was ring Hermione. She didn't really worry about the time difference- after all it was an emergency.

When a slightly groggy Hermione answered, Luna plunged into her entire tale. Hermione was fascinated with the demonic crab, and Luna could tell she wanted to start researching it straight away. However, the first thing she found out for Luna was the location of Los Angeles' version of Diagon Alley. It wasn't located in an alley, which was good because Luna had had enough of those to last her a lifetime. Instead it was situated at the back of a little costuming shop.

After Luna had thanked Hermione profusely and hung up, she reflected on what to do next. Tomorrow, she decided, she would go to Madam Mayfair's House of Costumes, and get a new wand. In the meantime, she would be a good houseguest and make dinner.

A quick glance into the kitchen changed that thought. Wesley would probably appreciate it more if she didn't burn the apartment down than if she cooked a half-done omelette.

She could make a very nice salad, though. Salads usually required no cooking, and she really liked arranging the vegetables into patterns. Once she'd arranged them to make the face of a Welsh Green. It ended up being quite nice, even if she did say so herself, but at the end of the night the dragon was missing an eye, nose, and a jaw.

After searching through Wesley's fridge and having fun using the muggle knife (all wizarding ones chopped by themselves) Luna had created a passable imitation of a parakeet in flight.

She placed the salad in the fidget (such a strange name) to keep it fresh and then looked at the clock. It was almost eight o'clock- Wesley was late.

Perhaps the demonic crab had gotten him too?

Luna heard the front door click, and twirled around, her hand going to her waist before she remembered her wand wasn't there any more. She gave a relieved sigh when she realised that she wouldn't need it anyway. Wesley closed the front door behind him and took off his coat. He didn't have the package anymore.

"Hi Wesley," said Luna brightly, deciding not to mention his lateness. After all, she was a guest.

"Hello, Luna," said Wesley, sounding rather tired. When he looked up at her, she saw he had a new cut stretching across his cheek. She gasped, "Your cheek..."

"I, er, fell over," Wesley said, a slight blush rising on his cheeks. He pulled at his high collar embarrassedly.

Luna nodded sympathetically. She fell over a lot, too, but more often than not somebody pushed her first. "I made a salad," Luna said, changing the subject.

"That sounds lovely, thankyou," said Wesley, and as he began to set the table and Luna took the salad out of the fidget, she reflected just how amazing it was that Muggles like Wesley could live in complete ignorance of magic.

Madam Mayfair's was certainly an eye-opener. At first she thought that all the people walking by on the streets outside were witches and wizards who had forgotten to put on muggle clothes, but then she realised they were just Muggles dressed very strangely. The whole street was full of costume shops and boutiques, and although most of the people who shopped there were actors, some of them were ordinary people looking for what they thought were ordinary clothes. She saw a woman walk past wearing a cloak made entirely of feathers. It looked a little odd in the Muggle world, but Luna had half a mind to buy one to wear back home. It really was rather striking.

Madam Mayfair's itself was a rather dull shop compared to the others. Luna thought that maybe this was done on purpose, so the muggles wouldn't be tempted to go inside. Hermione's instructions on once to do inside the shop had been rather vague. She'd mentioned a mirror, though, one that took up the whole back wall.

Luna darted around the mannequins and racks of clothing that covered most of the floor space of Madam Mayfair's before coming to a stop at the mirror. She peered at it curiously. All she could see were the reflections of the shop and herself. Luna couldn't help the mournful smile that came over her face as she looked at herself. Her straggly blonde hair was tied up in a loose ponytail, and her eyes, too large and far apart, made her look permanently surprised. She'd gone to the beach with Hermione, Ginny, Ron and Harry once, and while she was pretending to be asleep after a swim she'd heard Ron tell Harry that she looked like a drowned albino rat. Yes, her hair was straggly and thin, but her hair wasn't white, like that prat Malfoy's. Luna was about to look away from the sorry sight but something caught her eye. She was still reflected in the mirror, yes, but the shop wasn't. Now, the mirror was showing a busy streetscape, similar to the one out side the shop. Awed, Luna stepped through the mirror into George Square, LA's equivalent of Diagon Alley.

She never noticed the figure following her through the mirror.

She also never noticed the figure as she made her way to the ultramodern glass building that housed that Los Angeles branch of Gringotts, her first stop. She had quite a lot of money in her purse, but it was all in galleons, pounds or dollars, and she needed to change it into American wizarding currency.

After exchanging twenty galleons with an extremely surly goblin, Luna stepped out of the revolving doors and into the bright sunlight. She desperately wanted to look around at the many shops in George Square and on the streets branching off from it, but she knew she'd better buy her wand first or else she would spend all her money. After wandering around for a while, she located a shop with a sign above it proclaiming: Dusker and Fredrick: Makers of Fine Wands Since Settlement. The front window display consisted of three wands, all made of different wood, suspended in mid air on star-spangled cushions. Unlike Ollivander's it looked very clean and professional.

Luna wasn't sure she'd like it. Mr Ollivander had charm, if not the knowledge of any cleaning spells. She trusted all his wands to be well-made, and she knew nothing about American wand-makers.

Nevertheless, she desperately needed a wand, and so she pushed the door open and stepped in.

Dusker and Fredrick was well lit, with long aisles stretching out from behind the counter. Luna assumed they were packed with wands. Nervously she stepped in front of the counter and pinged the little bell that was sitting on top. It gave out a tune like a mockingbird, and Luna jumped. She was used to bells that sounded like bells.

"May I help you, Miss?" a woman's voice called, and Luna looked up to see a woman striding up an aisle.

"Yes. I've lost my wand, and I was wondering if you could fit me for a new one?" Luna asked politely.

"A tourist, huh?" The woman reached the counter and smiled at her. "Of course I can get you a new one, honey. Let me measure you first-"

The woman stepped around the counter, a measuring tape following her like a snake. As it measured Luna, the woman took out a huge book and began flipping through. "So, what was your last wand?"

"Twelve inches, holly with a dragon heartstring." Luna answered promptly.

The woman turned the page and sighed. "No, we haven't got a wand similar to that one here." She put the records down and beamed. "Great, so we can fit you for an entirely new wand. It's quite good to change them occasionally, anyway."

"Really?" Luna asked as the tape measure finished and slithered back to the woman.

"Yeah." She picked the measuring tape up and tucked it into the belt of her robe. "Especially when you're a student, kids can be a bit tough on their wands."

Luna thought of Ron's old wand and grinned.

The woman disappeared down an aisle for a few moments and then returned carrying enough boxes that her eyes were hidden. Luna wasn't sure how she could see to walk, but she supposed that the woman would have had a lot of practise. She dropped them on the counter.

"Try this one," the woman said, pulling a wand out of its box and pushing it into Luna's hand. Luna gave it a little wave, but nothing happened.

"Ah, never mind," said the woman and took another one out, "try this one instead."

Luna walked out of Dusker and Fredrick very satisfied. She'd found a wand that both worked and that felt just as comfortable as her old wand. In fact, it might even be better. The grip was more moulded to her hand, and she could feel it hum as the magic rushed through it. Hopefully this wand would fare better than its predecessor.

The next shop Luna wanted to go into was a sweets shop. She didn't notice as she left Dusker and Fredrick the figure that detached itself from the wall and stealthily followed her all the way to The Poisoned Candy Apple.

The Poisoned Candy Apple was decorated in pinks and greens, and had almost as big a selection as Honeydukes. None of the sweets were the same as the ones in Britain, so Luna made sure that she tried every one of the free tasters available. The toffees were so-so, but the fudge was delicious. She decided to buy a box now for herself, and then come back later and buy some for Ginny and Hermione as a present. If she bought it now, she probably would have eaten it by the time she got home to England.

Luna paid for the fudge and stepped out of the shop. The square was bustling, and Luna decided to go somewhere quieter, with not so many people. Spotting a little side street that seemed to be quieter than the rest, Luna picked her way through the crowd. A quick glance showed the side street to be mostly inhabited by bookshops, but Luna didn't hesitate before stepping in. She loved books- they couldn't laugh at you, or tease you, or anything like that; they just made you think about things differently, gave you new opinions, and made you analyse things you'd never thought about before.

Deep in thought, Luna didn't realise that someone was following her. She hadn't noticed that she was being followed all the way from Wesley's apartment either. In fact, the first time she knew that something wasn't right was when a hand clapped over her mouth and she was pulled into an alley behind one of the shops. Her captor slammed her against the wall and stars exploded in her eyes. She shook her head gently to get rid of them, but it just made her dizzier.

"What are you?" a voice hissed, and Luna opened her eyes to find the boy Stephen looking down at her, a disgusted expression on his face.

"Pardon?" Luna asked, groggily. "I don't underst-"

"What type of demon are you?" Stephen asked, holding her against the wall. Luna thought about kicking him, but then remembered what he'd done to the demonic crab the day before. No, that was not a good idea.

"Answer, demon!"

"I'm not a demon," Luna answered with a scowl. "I've no idea what you're talking about. Put me down!"

Stephen obviously didn't believe her. "Then what is this, if you are not a demon?" he demanded, jabbing his head towards the square. "The mirror? The wand?"

"I'm a witch, not a demon!" Luna said coolly. She decided to chance her luck and kick him. Connor stepped easily out of the way of her foot, and glared at her.

"A witch is just as bad," he snarled.

"Do you even know a witch?" Luna asked, trying to be brave.

"I know magic," he persisted. "It's the devil's tool."

"If you knew a proper witch you would know that we're not demons or evil," said Luna firmly. "So, Stephen, would you please put me down?"

Luna gazed into Stephen's eyes imploringly. They were cold and hard, and Luna felt her courage slipping away. Suddenly, Stephen's grip slackened and she slipped down the wall.

"Th-thankyou," Luna stumbled over her words. She hadn't expected Stephen to let her go, and his actions put her off balance.

"You didn't answer my question," Stephen demanded again, and Luna realised that even though he wasn't holding her anymore he didn't mean to let her go.

"Well," Luna hesitated. It was hard explaining things to a muggle, especially a seemingly psychotic one like Stephen. "The mirror is a gateway to a section of the city that caters solely for those with magic."

"Why did you come here?"

"I had to buy a new wand," Luna explained. "The demonic crab yesterday knocked mine down into the grate."

Stephen nodded slowly, his face impassive. Luna gave a gulp. This boy was dangerous, she knew, and he seemed to have something against magic.

"I'm sorry I hurt you, before," he said suddenly.

"That's okay," Luna said, confused even more. Now he was apologising to her? "I need to pick up my shopping." Luna pointed to where she'd dropped her bags. They were still lying on the ground in the middle of the street. When Stephen didn't say anything, she cautiously edged away from him towards the street. He still didn't move, and so she turned and began walking towards her bags. He fell into step beside her, and Luna decided that the danger was over.

Luna picked up her bags. No one had taken anything –that was a surprise in itself. "Fudge, Stephen?" Luna asked, taking out the box from one of her bags and showing it to him. She decided that it would probably be best to get on his good side. Perhaps if she proved to him that she wasn't dangerous he would stop calling her a demon.

"What's fudge?" he asked, a frown crossing his face.

Luna gasped. "You've never eaten fudge?" she asked, appalled. When Stephen shook his head she opened the box and took out a square. "Here. Eat that."

Stephen looked at the fudge in her head suspiciously, but after a few moments picked it up and put it in his mouth. Luna watched closely as he chewed it and then swallowed. "Well? Did you like it?"

Stephen allowed himself a small grin. "Yeah. It was actually pretty good."

"I told you so," Luna said smugly. There was an uncomfortable silence as they stood in the middle of the street together. Finally Luna said, "Do you want to go and have an ice cream? I saw an ice cream parlour around here somewhere." Without waiting for an answer, she turned back in the direction of the parlour and began walking. After a second's thought, Stephen followed her.

TBC...