Chapter Two

Dawn came and went, and as she had every day for the past two years, Luna greeted the sun with the same response. "Hullo, you. I know it's lonely, but keep burning, okay?" She couldn't quite explain why she felt the need to reassure the bright orb in the sky, but it made her feel better.

Giving one last smile to the sky in her bedroom ceiling, she bounced from her bed and opened the door into the hall. Staring her in the face was an extremely irate looking garden gnome, sitting in a cage suspended from the ceiling. She waved absently. "Hullo, Ivan."

Artemis Lovegood was convinced that garden gnomes knew powerful, secret magic. He had been looking for one to question for a long time before one literally landed on his head as he walked home past the Weasley house, only a few weeks before. Personally, Luna thought the gnome should be let go, but her father insisted that as long as they fed him, it would be okay.

Patting the gnome on the nose and withdrawing her finger before he could bite her, Luna wandered through the cluttered hallway and into the kitchen.

As she entered the room, she was greeted by a chorus of howls, squeaks, hisses, and yowling from the assortment of animals inside. Her father sat at the table, scribbling furiously on a scrap of parchment, muttering. "I've got them this time… they can't deny… Oh, good morning, dear."

Greeting her father with a smile and wave, Luna looked at him for a moment before speaking. "You've got your work coat on."

It was true, Arti Lovegood glanced down at his favorite coat, one with dozens of pockets, all filled with an assortment of quills and parchments. Looking back up at his daughter, who was staring at him intently, he blinked. "Why… yes… I'll be going into the office early today. You should have plenty to eat in the—"

Luna cut him off. "We're supposed to go to Diagon alley today, to pick up my school things, and then you're dropping me off at the train station. I'm going to Hogwarts today, remember?"

There was a blank look from her father for a moment, and then he looked utterly surprised. Luna managed to keep the crestfallen look from her face. He really had forgotten. The day she was leaving for the whole year and he had forgotten about it.

"Oh… dear me… I'm sorry, Luna. It's just that there's this secret meeting of the Gonzorbal clan leaders, and I'm certain that I know where it's being held this time. I'd take you… but if I don't make it to the meeting in time, I'll miss the…" He trailed off as his daughter shrugged her thin shoulders.

"It's okay, I can do it by myself." Luna forced the disappointed tone from her voice and managed to sound slightly bored. "We can just say good-bye here, and I'll see you at Christmas break, right?"

Now Artemis looked doubly pained. He shook his head. "I'm taking that trip to Iceland this Christmas, remember?"

He had been planning the trip for months now, but Luna had forgotten about it. She sat at the table where a small rhesus monkey named Paka was eating grapes. Taking the offered grape when he held it out to her, she popped it in her mouth and swallowed before responding to her father. "Good luck with that. Spring Break then?"

Artemis nodded quickly, looking both pained and relieved that she was taking it so well. "Of course. Yes, I will see you at spring break." He beamed at her. "You'll do wonderfully, Luna. You'll be the best in your class, just like your mother. You have your stuff packed then."

Now Luna's voice acquired a dream-like quality that she had managed to cultivate when hiding the way she felt about anything. It was much easier to hide your feelings by sounding rather bored with the subject. It worked with her father anyway, and he merely nodded when she said, "Oh yes… I have everything I need except for what I need to buy in Diagon alley."

Satisfied, Artemis held out a pouch of galleons. "Here's your school money then, and you know how to use the flu powder?"

Rising and picking up the box of powder from the fireplace mantle, Luna answered. "Of course. I've used it before, you know… whenever you—"

Folding his paper under his arm, her father nodded. He already looked distracted. "Yes, yes… I'm quite certain you'll be fine." Absently, he leaned over and kissed her on the forehead. "Good luck, dear. I'm off now, be sure to send lots of letters."

"Yes, I—" He was gone, out the trap door before she could finish. "—will." Looking down at Paka, who offered her another grape, Luna smiled. She always smiled when her father acted that way. It was just the way he was. He got so distracted by his work. It used to frustrate her, but now she understood. It wasn't that he didn't love her, just that he could get slightly nuts about his job. He was slightly nuts period, but she still loved him.

Finishing off her breakfast of grapes and wishing herself good luck, Luna dressed in a pair of violet pants and a bright red shirt, said good-bye to all of the animals and stepped to the fireplace with her trunk. Opening the box of powder, she tossed some inside and said, "Diagon Alley!"

It was hours later, as she sat on a bench outside Olivander's wand shop, looking at the wand she'd received. It wasn't very long, only eight inches, and was remarkably thin. The wand was made of rosewood, with a hair from a hippogriff as a core. Looking at it, Luna decided that she rather liked the wand. It looked unassuming and innocent, but there seemed to be more to it than she could see.

Looking around for a place to store the wand, she finally tucked it behind her ear and opened her trunk. Inside were the books that she had just bought, and a small package. It was this that she took out. Glancing around carefully, she cracked the small box and peered inside. There was a wand there, split neatly in the middle. It was the wand that had killed her mother. Luna had hidden it from her father, afraid that he would try to use it. Not knowing the safe way to dispose of such an obviously dangerous item, she had merely kept it hidden for the past two years. Now she hoped to show the wand to one of the teachers at Hogwarts. They would know what to do with it.

"What do we have here then?" The sudden voice surprised the eleven-year old girl, and she quickly closed the small box before looking up. An older boy stood there, looking down at her with a slightly mocking look on his fine features. His white-blonde hair was combed smartly back, and every inch of him seemed to proclaim his wealth and status to all who were in his presence. He was, of course, a Malfoy. She thought his name was Draken, Darko, Drake, Draco… that was it. His name was Draco. He was a year or so older than she was, so Luna couldn't understand why he would choose to talk to her.

She looked around carefully before responding, making certain that it was indeed her that the pampered boy was speaking to. Finally, just as the look on Draco's face turned to one of sheer impatience, she spoke. "What you have here is Luna Lovegood, me. You're Draco Malfoy." She finally remembered where she'd heard his name. Her father had written an article the previous year about Lucious Malfoy, Draco's father. The boy himself had been mentioned as being near the top of his class, a source of great pride for his father. Of course, Artemis had quickly turned the interview around to the subject of Flockfooted Amperdanes.

He swelled up proudly. "Yes… Lovegood. Your father writes that dirty old rubbish paper, doesn't he?"

Luna could feel her anger rise as it always did when someone insulted her father's work. Instead of appearing upset however, she merely looked at Draco appraisingly for a moment. "I'm sorry, but I didn't insult your father. Please don't insult mine. If I wanted to insult yours, for example, I would say that he spends so much time preening for the camera that it's little wonder that he's infested by Snortbrallers." She paused, and met Draco's furious gaze. "I didn't say that however, so kindly leave off mentioning my father."

For a moment, Luna thought that Draco was going to hit her. His fist balled up and he looked mad enough to clobber her right there in the middle of the street. Peering at him, she added, "Actually, you kind of look like a Snortbraller yourself, the Queen of course, she's the only one big enough. The others are much too small to be you. Are you sure you're not a Snortbraller Queen?"

Draco's eyes bulged, and he started to lunge at her. Just a Luna started to yelp, a hand fell on the boy's shoulder. Draco spun around and met the gaze of two boys. They were twins, with red hair and an assortment of freckles. Fred and George Weasely. They lived near her, but she'd never spoken to them.

Fred and George both looked at Draco and smiled. The one holding his shoulder let him go and stepped back. "Right then, George. Who does this git remind you of?"

George seemed to ponder this for a moment before snapping his fingers. "I've got it, he looks like a Mandrake with a wig."

Draco's eyes narrowed, and he seemed to have forgotten about Luna. "What's the matter, Weasley's? Your fat old mother scrape together a few more sickles for a broom that isn't a decade old? You were here before… with Potter."

Fred chuckled softly and nodded, nonplussed. "That's right, or something like that. We're actually here to pick up our herbology books. Seems that something happened in Flourish and Blotts before that might have distracted our dear old mum."

"Yeah." George added. "So we came back to get them. What's your excuse, did your father sneeze so you've got to buy him a gold-laced handkerchief?"

Instead of answering, Draco stalked away, muttering darkly to himself. Still chuckling softly, Fred looked at Luna. "Hullo there."

After making sure that her trunk was safely closed, she answered. "Hello. You're Fred and George Weasley. My father was hit by a gnome near your house the other day. We named him Ivan. My father says that he's going to tell us the secret spell needed to find the invisible doorway into the place where the Ministry is hiding their Crumple-Horned Snorkack's."

Luna didn't know why she was rambling like this. It was just something she did a lot. She couldn't help it, and she knew from the looks on Fred and George's faces that they were confused. Instead of laughing at her however, they finally just shrugged at each other. "Do you mind if we sit down?"

Looking at the seats next to her, Luna finally nodded. "I don't think anyone's there, but you might want to be careful. There could be an invisible tralleywag just waiting for you to sit on it. They love that, you know. It's why they're forever climbing onto chairs and just waiting for people to sit on them. Since they like it, I suppose it would be okay if you did sit on one, but you might not like it much, as their spines are not more sharp than ticklish."

"Sure." Fred answered easily, pausing to look at his chair before sitting down. George went so far as to pat the seat first. Finally, after both boys had sat, George held out a bottle to her. "Butterbeer? Our mother sent us with enough money for the books, but we just found some cheaper ones and bought a treat with what was left over. This one's extra, you can have it."

Accepting the offered drink with something akin to amazement, Luna stared at the bottle for a long moment as Fred spoke. "You're a first year, right?"

"Yes. My father's busy at work, so I came here by myself." Luna couldn't keep a note of pride from her voice. "I found everything I need, I think…" She paused, and then asked, "Do you know which of the teachers at the school are good with… wands?"

To this, the twins seemed to think for a moment. Finally, Fred answered. "Well, I'd say that would be Professor Flitwick."

George nodded. "Definitely. Why, is there something wrong with yours?" He glanced at Ollivander's, which was right behind them.

Luna shook her head quickly. "No, I just… I was just curious."

The twins let it go at that, to her relief. Finally, she remembered the butterbeer in her hand and took a long drink from it. The fizzy feeling made her slightly giddy, and she giggled, much to the amusement of the boys.

Raising his own butterbeer in a toast, Fred said, "Well, good luck to you…." He trailed off, looking at the girl questioningly.

"Luna." She spoke, realizing what he was waiting for. "Luna Lovegood."

Fred smiled then. "Good luck to you, Luna Lovegood. George and I have to be off, don't want to be late for home. Mum would kill us if we miss the trip to King's Crossing. You'll be there then?" Luna nodded and he looked around. "Now where is that trash?" His hand held the empty bottle, and George also began looking for a place to throw his own.

Eyes wide, Luna held out her hands after setting her own bottle down. "I'll take them. I… I'm going that way."

Looking slightly surprised again, Fred and George nonetheless handed over their bottles and stood. "Thanks, and we'll see you then." She waved, and they walked away.

Looking at the bottles, Luna thought quickly. The bottles themselves were too big to carry around, but there was no way she wasn't keeping part of them. This butterbeer was the first gift someone outside of her own family had ever given her, and she thought it was lucky. Having the twin's as well had to make it even luckier. Finally she took the caps from each bottle and put them in her pocket. She'd decide what to do with them later.

Realizing by looking at the sky how late it was, she hopped to her feet and began dragging her trunk after her. She had to get to King's Crossing soon, or she'd miss the train.