Disclaimer: I'm tired of writing these. If you actually think I own anything recognizable, then you're not all that familiar with the concept of "fanfiction."

Christmas Lullaby

I'll never have the power to control the land
Or conquer half the world, or claim the sun
I'll never be the kind who simply waves her hand
And has a million people do the things I wish I'd done

Luna considered herself lucky. She had the rare opportunity to be herself at any given time; and since being herself meant, to the rest of the Hogwarts population, being loony and unpredictable, she could really do anything she wanted to without disappointing any of her peers. Not many people could do that, she knew, and she embraced the opportunity. Even if it distanced her from others at times.

She felt sorrow for her classmates, who were so tied to their assigned roles, even those who seemed to enjoy them. Draco Malfoy, for one, got away with saying any hurtful thing he wanted, and could be bad-tempered whenever he chose without having to have an excuse; but in return he was hated, and had to deal with the constant treachery of his associates and his father's. Luna had thought more than once that being a Slytherin must be exhausting. All that watching your back must cause a lot of whiplash.

And then there were Harry and Ron and Hermione, who carried the weight of the world on their shoulders. Others said that just Harry did, but they didn't realize that Ron and Hermione carried him on their shoulders. Luna was glad he had someone to share the burden with, but did not envy them at all. Harry was expected to literally save the world, and Ron and Hermione would have to be there with him. They weren't included in any prophecy, but their friendship meant that they were part of him. They would have to fight as hard or harder than he would. They would have to keep him alive until he could conquer Voldemort. Hermione and Ron would get less credit if their side (her side, too, Luna knew) won, but they would be blamed as much or more than Harry if they lost. No, she did not envy their position. She did not want such responsibility or power.

And I will give the world my eyes so they can see

People made fun of Luna for the way that she acted, but she believed that they were the ones who were handicapped by their adherence to "normality." They didn't, or couldn't, see what she did: the beauty and mystery of every day of life. Oh, why didn't they see the way she did? They considered themselves lucky who could not see the thestrals, as if being shielded from death made them more pure. They really just wanted to keep themselves from feeling all the things that people felt when they saw someone die. There was sadness, of course, if it was someone you cared about, and relief if they'd been in pain, and guilt at the relief, and then sadness all over again, and on and on. It hurt more than any name Luna had ever been called and more than any trick anyone had ever played on her. Through the pain she had felt her eyes slowly open to see the world as it was and as it could be at the same time. She could see thestrals now, but she could also believe.

For all the time people spent complaining about how horrible the world was, they did very little to change that. Luna was guilty of the same thing at times, but she tried not to complain about anything over which she had no control. And she saw that the world was always beautiful, even as it was always cruel. She saw merciless fighting under a breathtakingly clear sky that she would never forget. She saw compassion and kindness to enemies in the midst of the worst storm of the decade. Life was never simple, and it always was. Luna felt most alone when she realized that no one else understood the world that way. She wished there were some way she could show others what she saw.

And I will be like Mother Mary with a power in my veins
To believe in all the things I've yet to be
And I will be like Mother Mary, and I'll suffer any pains
For the future of the world inside of me

Perhaps they did not realize the strength it took to be Luna Lovegood. It was far easier to call names than to be called them, but she had long since learned to let the jeers and mockery go. Luna knew that she was young, that she had so much yet to learn and do and see, that she would one day become the person she was meant to be, no matter who that person was. It would take her whole life long to learn who she was, but she looked forward, every day, to learning a little more about herself and the world.

She already knew that she was never going to be a hero, a true hero. No one would ever hail her as the savior of the wizarding world, and that was fine with her. She would never be a hero, but she could not stand idly by. Like it or not, there was one person in whom she could see no good, and she could not let him win. Perhaps all of the years of being misunderstood and picked on were not just the throes of childhood, but were a preparation for something more. Perhaps learning to stand alone against the tide would help her hold others up against it. She was more than they knew, and was willing to sacrifice all she could give for the right. And she knew that in that willingness she was never alone.