Chapter Eight – Stolen Hair

Luna stood in the out-of-order girls bathroom, waiting for Hermione and Ginny. She had been let out of the hospital wing that evening, when Madam Pomfrey had proclaimed that her 'Weasley' hair was back to normal. Luna was still trying to work out what she had meant by that.

A childish ghost figure zoomed out of a toilet and cackled madly.

"Loony's a red head! Ginger nut! Carrot hair!" Moaning Myrtle shrieked with delight.

Luna turned to face her and said, "Hello Moony."

"Don't call me that!"

"Loony…Moony…go well together don't they?"

Myrtle scowled. "Why did you dye your hair? You look like one of the Weasleys."

Luna gave the ghost a strange look and spun around to view herself in one of the cracked old mirrors. She opened her mouth in shock and put a hand up to touch her new red hair. It was the same length, down to her waist and still straggly, but the colour had changed.

"Goldfish! Loony is a goldfish!"

Luna shut her mouth as Hermione and Ginny walked in.

"Wow what did you do to your hair?"

"You're hair! Luna! You…Hermione her hair! It's the same as mine!"

Moaning Myrtle stuck out her bottom lip sulkily. "Weasley, Loony and the mud-blood all at once. Perfect!" She flew back down her toilet and Luna ran her fingers through her red hair.

"I don't know what happened, maybe Madam Pomfrey got the potion wrong."

"She stole my hair!"

"Shut up Ginny! I don't think Madam Pomfrey would make a mistake."

Suddenly, something in Luna's brain clicked. "She thinks I'm a Weasley! That's why she said those things…! So she did a red-hair potion or something…"

"Has Malfoy seen it yet?

"Who cares about Malfoy? She can't copy my hair!"

Ignoring Ginny, Luna replied, "He last saw me this morning, why?"

"Because…oh this is going to be great!" Hermione said and Luna thought that this was probably the first time she had seen Hermione so excited.

"Ginny, show her the dress!"

"But…"

"You got them without me! I thought we were going together?" Luna said, looking and feeling hurt.

"I know, but we thought you might…umm have a different taste to us, and umm it was a surprise."

"So you chose my dress for me?"

"Well…yes…but…"

"Hermione how could you? Ginny!"

"Oh don't, its really…Ginny show her the dress!" Hermione repeated, frustratedly.

Rolling her eyes, Ginny pulled a parcel wrapped in tissue paper from a posh purple bag. She handed it to Luna, who carefully un-wrapped it.

A beautiful dark red ball-gown fell out. Hermione squeaked in delight as Luna un-folded the material and gazed at it. In Luna's eyes it was a rather plain yet pretty dress, though with some accessories it could be brightened up. However, anyone else would see it as a stunning dress. An eye-catcher, a wonderful colour, and a great design including a four-layered skirt.

"Well…thanks." Luna started, not really knowing what to say. "Its lovely, but I would have preferred to choose one myself."

"I knew we should have let her come!" Ginny said to Hermione.

"No its fine, Luna it will look great with your new hair!"

"Umm I'm going to get my 'old' hair back."

"No! You have to keep it red for the ball! You can get it put back afterwards."

"But I…"

"It will be a surprise for Malfoy!"

"Well ok then, but I'm…"

"Ermm Luna, you can't steal my hair!" Ginny said, looking at her own red mop in a mirror.

"Ginny, I didn't steal your hair, but if you like you can borrow my old hair to make it fair, Madam Pomfrey could make a new potion…"

"I don't want your horrid old hair, I want mine!" Ginny clapped her hand over mouth, but it was too late. "I'm sorry! Luna! I didn't mean that!"

"Oh so I 'stole' your hair, I wasn't invited to pick my own dress, my old hair is horrible and lets be even more truthful, you hate Draco, you think I'm a weirdo and you'd much rather be with someone else right now. Well I'm used to it, so you can take your dress and your friendship away. Nobody's forcing you to like me. Harry's not going to hate you if you're mean to me, so just go! Both of you!" Luna said, throwing the dress aside as tears formed in her eyes and slowly fell down her face.

Hermione and Ginny looked shocked. Neither of them had ever seen Luna like that before. Hermione took a step forwards, "Luna, we like you. You're our friend. Nobody is making us, we want to. I'm sorry about the dress but I thought you'd like it…"

"I'm sorry too. I was over-reacting, you can jeep your hair like that forever if you just forgive us." Ginny pleaded, looking truly sorry.

Luna leant against a sink and stared at the floor, not knowing what to say as her tears continued to fall, silently.

"Look, Luna you know you're a bit different from most people…" Hermione started. Luna moved her head in a nod.

"Well we were trying to help you by getting the dress without you. I thought you might choose something…well in your normal style. I think Mal- I mean Draco will really like this dress." Hermione said, picking up the dress. "Oh, and I got some earrings for you too." She pulled a small navy box from her robes and offered it to Luna, who took it and opened it. Two tiny silver spiral earrings lay on the velvet inside. Luna handed the box back.

"Sorry Hermione, but they aren't my 'style'. Anyway I've already found the perfect earrings."

Hermione took it the wrong way and anxiously said, "Luna don't! Take them, please and forget all this."

"No, I really do have some others. Its kind of you, but why don't you wear them instead?"

"Well nobody's invited me actually…and I don't have my ears pierced."

Ginny, who had been rather quiet, spoke up," She got a dress anyway though. So did I, well a few people have asked me but I'm not sure who to go with yet…"

Hermione nudged Ginny.

"Oh and I really am sorry Luna. The hair thing…I just…people like my hair, I suppose I thought they might prefer you or something, I was being selfish…and your hair isn't horrid, I was just feeling bad."

"You're an idiot Ginny." Hermione said, deciding not to mention that she doubted anyone would prefer Luna to Ginny, whether they had the same hair or not. Luna looked up, "I'm sorry too, I know you're my friends and it's a lovely dress thank-you. And I know my normal hair isn't exactly the nicest thing to hit the earth, but I like it and even though Ginny's hair is really nice, I would never keep it. Daddy would hate it if he saw it now, because it's like Mummy's. Sort of a memory to both of us I think…" she said and looked up at the ceiling for a minute. Ginny and Hermione looked lost for words until Ginny grinned.

"Group hug?"

Smiling, they hugged.

"Ooh I know, try your dress on Luna!" said Hermione, handing it to her. Luna went into one of the cubicles to change and came back a minute or so later wearing the dress.

"Wow, you look beautiful Luna!"

"Yeah it looks great! My hair looks good too!" Ginny said approvingly.

Luna looked at herself in the mirror, ran into the cubicle and came out again in her robes.

She handed it to Hermione. "I can't wear it."

Ginny and Hermione exchanged puzzled looks.

"Why?" Ginny asked bluntly.

"It's too beautiful. I don't suit it. I'll just get my old hair back and wear these silver robes I have of Mummy's." Luna replied.

"No, you're wearing that dress Luna Lovegood and you're going to look beautiful." Hermione said firmly.

"I don't want to. I love it and it's really kind of you, but I…"

"Didn't you hear her? You're wearing it Luna, so stop blabbering!" Ginny said. "Right, now that's settled, did you know Hermione likes Harry?"

"Ginny!"

Luna looked surprised, "You do? Well…maybe you should ask him to the ball?"

"No I think he might ask me as a last resort. I don't want to show my feelings yet."

Ginny looked at her watch. "I've got Quidditch practice in ten minutes, so we'll talk later, or tomorrow when we get ready for the ball together.

Hermione nodded, "Yes I need to finish some homework." She handed Luna back the dress and left calling, "Bye!" as she did. Ginny followed, leaving Luna alone in the bathroom. She fingered the red material carefully for a moment, before slipping it back into its purple bag. Of course she would need to alter it before tomorrow and maybe make a new necklace, so Luna too left, but not before gazing at her long straggly red hair in the mirror, and wondering if it was possible for it to ever look like Ginny's bright, healthy hair. Maybe, after all Hermione and a wand could work magic.