Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter


Table of Contents:

Part 1 (Chamber of Secrets): Chapters 1 - 8
Part 2 (Prisoner of Azkaban): Chapters 9 - 15
Part 3 (Goblet of Fire): Chapters 16 - current


Chapter 1: The Dream

The little girl skipped up the well-worn dirt path, slowly cresting the hill. A basket of biscuits hung on her arm. Her friend's mother had insisted she take them back, and she didn't have the heart to turn her down. After all, it meant so much for her to share her cooking and baking.

A small sparrow darted out of the bush in front of her and took flight, soaring up towards the sun in the clear sky. A tower rose up before her with a thin wisp of smoke rising from the roof, surrounded by rows of berry bushes and trees. A fleet of dirigible plums floated merrily in the breeze. The little girl smiled. That was her home.

There was a loud bang. The ground shook, and the little girl fell to the ground. The basket tipped over and the biscuits spilled across the grass. The dirigible plums broke free of their tethers and fled up into the sky. The little girl looked up at her house with eyes widening in horror.


Luna Lovegood woke up screaming. Her mother rushed into the room, looking around frantically. Luna was sitting up in bed, hands curled around her knees, sobbing. Mum walked over and sat on the edge of the bed, draping her arm around the quivering girl. Luna leaned over onto her mother's shoulder and just lay there for a few minutes as her mother stroked her hair. "What's wrong Luna? Did you have a nightmare?"

Luna nodded.

"Would you like to tell me about it?"

Luna shook her head, instead breaking down sobbing again.

"Please Luna, it will help. I promise."

"It was awful. It seemed so real," Luna said, looking up at her mother, her eyes wide with fear. Tears streaking down her cheeks.

Mum gently wiped the tears from her face and quietly asked, "What happened Luna?"

"I was walking back from Ginny's house. It seemed like a pleasant dream. Just a bit more real. Do you know what I mean," Luna asked, looking up at her mother through her puffy red eyes.

"Yes. I do."

"I was almost home when the ground started to shake. Something bad happened."

"It was only a dream, Luna. It can't hurt you."

"Are you sure?"

"Of course. Can you tell me what else happened?"

Luna just shook her head and shuddered. Mum held her for a few more minutes while she regained her composure. When her breathing settled, her mother tapped her on the shoulder and said, "Why don't you go wash your face off."

Luna stood and walked over to the bathroom and looked into the big mirror that hung over the sink. She really did look terrible. Her eyes were all puffy and red. It made sense why Mum was so worried. She was usually a sound sleeper. She hadn't had nightmares in years. She turned on the tap and splashed water on her face, trying to erase the images from the last seconds of the dream. She felt a little better when she shut off the tap and wiped her face dry with a towel. She took a deep breath, regaining her composure before returning to her room.

When she entered, her mother was still sitting on her bed. In her hands lay a small package wrapped in brown paper. Luna was puzzled. She hadn't had that with her when she came in earlier. At least, that was what she thought. Luna shook her head again, shaking the last of the Nargles loose before walking over and sitting down next to her mother on the bed.

"I saw this a few weeks ago," Mum said, holding up the package, "I thought it would be perfect for you. I was planning on saving it for the solstice, but I think you could use some cheering up now."

Luna hesitantly took the package. She glanced up at Mum who gave her an encouraging smile and nod. Luna carefully pulled on the string, undoing the knot, and pulled the twine from around the package. She carefully undid the wrapping paper. No sense in destroying the paper that her mother had so carefully wrapped the gift in, even though it was only plain parchment paper. She turned the package over and opened the gift. There, sitting on her lap was a small book. It was dark blue with lots of bright dots. Stars, Luna realized. It was a book of the night sky. Only, it was unlike the sky she could see from the roof of her house. She could recognize most of those constellations from her stargazing with Daddy, but this had none of those familiar patterns. Maybe she could find the patterns in the book and come up with her own constellations! She opened up the book and was puzzled to find it completely blank. She looked up at her mother, who was gazing down at her with a soft smile on her face. She seemed happy. But was that a tightness around her eyes? Was she worried? Luna blinked, and the look was gone. She must have imagined it. "Thank you for the book Mum. It is so pretty!"

"You're welcome Luna. I hoped you would like it."

Luna let a puzzled look cross her face, "Why is it blank?"

"It's for you to fill. To write your own story."

"I already have a diary," Luna said, reaching over to pull the bright pink book from the drawer of her nightstand. "What should I write in this book?"

"When the time comes, you will find something to write in it."

"What do you mean? Come on Mum, that's not much to go on. Please give me another clue."

Her mother shook her head and raised a hand to her mouth, zipping her lips and throwing away the key.

"Please Mum," Luna asked, pulling her hands together.

Her mother chuckled and said, "You know that never works on me. My lips are sealed."

Luna sighed. The innocent puppy look always worked on her father. She decided not to push it further. If her mother wanted her to wait, she would need to wait. Instead, she leaned over and gave her mum a hug "Thank you Mummy, even though you won't tell me what the book is for."

"Luna dear, let's keep this dream as our secret, okay?"

"Sure. Can I tell Daddy?"

"No, Luna," her mother said sadly. "I don't think that's a good idea."

"What about Ginny? Can I tell her?"

"No Luna. I need you to promise me that you won't tell anyone ever. Okay?"

"I promise," Luna said solemnly. "What about the book? Can I show that to Ginny?"

"Sure. It's a bit after 7:00. Why don't you go get dressed and come down to eat some breakfast? By the time you are done and walk over there, she should be up."

Luna quickly changed out of her pajamas and rushed down the stairs. Daddy was sitting at the kitchen table with a glass of beet juice. "Good morning, sunshine. How did you sleep?"

"Terribly," Luna replied matter-of-factly.

"Oh?" Daddy said. "We can't have that. What happened?"

"Well," Luna began, but caught her mother's gaze. Right. She promised not to say anything. "It was nothing important."

"What can I get you for breakfast?" Mum asked, forestalling any other questions.

"I'm not really hungry," Luna replied.

"Luna dear, if you don't eat breakfast, then the Wrackspurts will be after you all day!" Daddy exclaimed.

"You are not going out unless you eat something, young lady," Her mother scolded.

"But I'm not hungry."

"In that case, I think we shall all have toast," Daddy announced.

Mum flicked her wand and a loaf of bread from the pantry started to slice itself. As the pieces of bread floated over to the stove, her mum sat down and asked, "What are you reading dear?"

"I'm just looking over this new article Svenson sent in. He sighted a Blibbering Humdinger near the Dover coast."

"Did he get a picture?"

"Not this time, but he made numerous observations. I think this might even be worthy of the front page of the next edition."

"I thought you were putting the article on Mr. Fudge's candidacy for Minister on the front page."

"But dear, no one wants to read about that. This is much more important."

"Nevertheless, it belongs on the front page. I think Svenson's article would be better on the third page, don't you?"

"Well…"

Luna snatched a piece of lightly toasted bread from its location hovering over the stove. She held it up to her mum and asked, "Can I go now Mum?"

"Alright Luna," she replied before turning back to Luna's father. "By the way, I was thinking we should move up the trip to Norway…"

Luna missed the rest of the conversation, as the door swung shut behind her.

The day was bright, warm, and clear. A soft breeze blew through the valley as Luna made her way along the stone path, washing away the last vestiges of the previous night. By the time she spotted the Burrow standing tall and proud over the hills, the dream was all but forgotten.

Luna glanced around as she made her way through the yard. There was no motion in the kitchen and the lights in the house were all still off. Maybe she really had come too early. While it was disheartening, she was not ready to go home just yet. Instead, she turned and walked over to the chicken coop. At least the birds would be some company. As she rounded the house, she spotted Ginny crouched by the shed. She must have stepped on a twig because before she could raise a shout in greeting, Ginny turned around and held a finger to her lips. She then gestured to Luna to walk over quietly.

"Hi Ginny! What you up to?" Luna asked brightly.

"Shhh! Please keep quiet," Ginny whispered, "No one else is up yet, and I don't want to wake them."

"You didn't answer my question," Luna responded, eyeing the hair pin jammed into the shed's lock.

"I'm trying to get the brooms," Ginny said, turning back to picking the lock. "Charlie, Percy, Fred, and George got back from Hogwarts yesterday. Bill even came back from Egypt to see everyone. Bill and Charlie both brought their brooms with them, and they are sitting here in the shed. I want to get some practice in before everyone wakes up."

"Why do you need to pick the lock? I'm sure Bill would let you use his broom if you asked."

"You know why, Luna. Mum would never stand for it. You were there when I asked to fly last year."

"Yeah. I was," Luna giggled. "'No! Never! You are just a little girl. Flying is dangerous!' It was pretty funny."

"Not for me," Ginny grimaced, "Give me a sec. I think I almost got it."

With a satisfying click, the door of the shed popped open. Ginny scurried inside, careful to keep the door opened as little as possible to avoid the squeaky hinge. She pulled out a broomstick and closed the door while Luna placed down a rock to keep the door closed, but not locked. The conspirators then scurried past the darkened windows of the house into the nearby grove of trees.

"Sorry Luna. I should go back and get the other broom."

"Why?"

"So you can fly too…"

"I told you last time. There is no way I am ever going to fly on something that doesn't have a mind of its own."

"Wait… What?"

"How can I trust something not to let me fall dozens of meters to the ground if it doesn't have even a basic intelligence. How can I trust my own safety to something that doesn't have any self-preservation instincts!"

"Okay… Would you be willing to toss me something while I fly?"

"Sure," Luna replied. She looked around for a minute until she found a slightly deflated ball lying in the shadows of the tree. "How about that?"

"That's fine," Ginny said as she mounted the broom and kicked off. She soared up to the tops of the trees, feeling the freedom of leaving the ground behind. She pulled to a stop and looked back down at Luna who gave her a thumbs up. It was a pretty good takeoff. Ginny really had a talent. Luna almost couldn't tell this was only her fourth time ever on a broom. With a smile, she wandered over to the long-forgotten ball, wondering how it got to be left here abandoned. It was pretty well hidden in the gaps between the tree's roots and covered by leaves. The children who had played with it had probably looked for it for hours without finding it. Luna reached down and picked it up, giving it a short inspection. It was well used, but not damaged. Someone had probably spent many pleasant afternoons tossing the ball in the yard. It felt comfortable in her hand; the kind of ball that was begging to be thrown. Luna liked to believe that if it could think, it would be glad to see some use after so many years abandoned. She turned and jogged back to Ginny.

They took it slowly. At first, Ginny hovered just above the top of the grass and they tossed the ball back and forth a dozen times. Once Ginny felt stable enough on the broom to keep her hands free, they tried ever-increasing elevations. It was a simple game of catch, the kind Bill played with Ginny and Ron when they were younger. The difference being Ginny was now hovering well above Luna's head.

"I got this Luna," Ginny said after about fifteen minutes, tossing the ball back down. Luna had to admit to herself that Ginny really did. She looked comfortable perched on the broom. Whether by intent or instinct, she had found the exact center of lift and was sitting there comfortably, not needing to make even slight adjustments to keep herself upright. "I'm going to try to catch it while moving."

Ginny gripped the broom and started to fly slowly in a circle around the clearing. She held one hand on the broom to keep moving and held up the other, giving Luna a thumbs-up. Luna took a moment to gauge Ginny's position and speed before tossing the ball up to her. Miraculously, Ginny snatched the ball out of the air with one hand.

"Yes!," Ginny yelled before clamping her free hand to her mouth, remembering her sleeping family. She had to be careful to avoid waking them, or her mother in particular. With a broad smile on her face, she tossed the ball back down to Luna.

Their early success probably jinxed them as the Ginny missed the next throw completely, the ball bouncing off into the trees. Luna chuckled and set off to try to find it while Ginny flew another lap around the grove, this time faster. She found the ball resting in the grass, next to some brightly colored mushrooms. As Luna turned to return to the clearing. She caught site of someone leaning in the shade of a tree on the opposite side of the clearing. Luna quietly approached, trying to catch a closer look. The stranger was tall with bright red hair. He was watching Ginny fly gracefully through the air with a bright smile on his face. He looked over, met Luna's eyes, and gave her a small wave before setting off back through the trees. It was Bill.

Luna returned to the clearing and needed to call out to Ginny a couple times to get her attention. Some people are probably really meant to fly, Luna mused as she tossed the ball back up to Ginny who made a small dive to catch the ball. She was disappointed when Ginny suggested that they should probably head back. It was getting late. Not late in the day, but it was no longer the early morning and some of the other Weasleys may be awake. They crept back to the house, carefully avoiding all the windows, and Luna kept watch while Ginny returned the stolen broom to the shed. Well, since Bill knew it was taken and seemed to approve, it probably shouldn't be called stolen. Perhaps the borrowed broom?

Ginny slipped back into the house to grab a piece of toast while Luna wandered outside as usual. Luna had already eaten and really didn't really want to get caught up in the whirlwind that was a normal Weasley morning. She had long ago learned if Mrs. Weasley spotted her during 'breakfast time' (basically any time before 10:00), she would be stuck sitting at the table with a plate of sausages, bacon, eggs, and toast piled in front of her. And Mrs. Weasley would always give her a disappointed look if she didn't eat it all, despite already having had breakfast at home. How Ginny could get away with only eating a piece of toast was beyond her. Instead, Luna opted for a non-confrontational approach. As long as she stayed out of sight in the morning, there was no danger. Ginny could somehow grab a quick breakfast then slip back out to meet up with her. They could safely reenter the house later in the day.

Luna broke out of her reverie when she reached the vegetable garden to the south of the house. The gnomes were up and about, wandering around in their little potato bodies and gnawing on things with their sharp, pointy teeth. Her father said they had some remarkable magical properties, but Luna always thought they looked rather adorable, like vegetables given mobility and intelligence (intelligence being a relative term). While they could not carry on a conversation, they had somehow picked up a rudimentary vocabulary with increasingly colorful language. Luna suspected that Fred and George were teaching them to swear. She wished she knew how they did it. She would have loved to sit down in the garden and talk with the gnomes. There was so much more she could learn from them, and they probably had fascinating opinions. Sadly, they attempted to bite her every time she tried. Instead, she leaned against the fence post and watched as two gnomes tried to eat the same tomato. It was hanging there, just out of their reach. Luna squinted her eyes, hoping to drop it from the plant, but instead it exploded all over them. An offended gnome covered in the glistening tomato seeds screamed something unintelligible and charged the pair. It probably intended to gnaw on them but didn't realize how round their bodies were. Instead, it bounced off them, and all three tumbled down the slope. Dozens of other gnomes charged after them, waving their tiny arms and screaming battle cries like "Merlin's socks," "Dung-brain," and "Aardvark."

"What did you do?!" Ginny asked, leaning against the fence post next to Luna. "I haven't seen them this riled up in ages!"

"Nothing," Luna said, careful to keep a completely straight face. "Anyways, even if I did something, it was completely for their benefit. They really enjoy a good brawl."

"Well, whatever it was, it sure cleared them out," Ginny replied, gesturing to the garden with the piece of lightly buttered toast in her hand.

"I heard some new words from them today. I never would have thought of using aardvark or woolly mammoth as a swear word before," Luna said. She tried to hold a straight face, but they both collapsed against the post, giggling. When they caught their breath, Luna turned to Ginny, her face more serious. "Actually, there is something I wanted to show you," she said, pulling out the book.

Ginny turned over the book, admiring the cover before flipping through the pages. "What's it for?"

"Not sure. That's what I wanted to ask you. Have any ideas?"

"Diary?"

"Doubt it. I already have one, and my mum said it was for something else."

"Why did she give it to you today?"

"I had a pretty rough night, so my mum gave it to me to cheer me up. She'd been saving it, but wouldn't explain what it is for. I thought you might have some ideas."

"Uh… Not sure. A scrap book maybe?"

"That seems a bit mundane, no?"

"Maybe a journal for sketching?"

"You know that I don't draw that well. Anyways, the paper is lined. It wouldn't work."

"Well, then I got nothing," Ginny sighed, holding out her hands in defeat. They sat there for a moment before Ginny's face lit up. She climbed through the fence and pulled up a small carrot. "You want to go catch a gnome and set it loose in the twin's room?"

"Sure!" Luna exclaimed, and the two girls ran down the hill to find a straggling gnome.


Luna didn't make it back to the Weasleys for another week. When she got home that afternoon, carrying a bulging basket of muffins Mrs. Weasley insisted on giving her, her parents sent her up to her room to pack. They were going on a surprise trip to Norway for the week. Her father was trying to write an article on the differences between wood sprites in various regions, and he wanted to get to those in Norway while it was still spring. After quickly packing, the three Lovegoods took a portkey across the North Sea.

The camping trip was a lot of fun, as camping with her parents always was. They took long hikes through the woods, keeping eyes out for interesting creatures, and made warm, welcoming campfires when they settled down for the night. They would sing songs, and her parents would tell her stories brought to life through the smoke rising from the fire. Luna was even able to meet several actual wood nymphs. (They normally only saw the creatures they set out to find about half the time.) She was sad when the magical week came to an end, and they had to return home.

On the morning after the trip, the first official day of summer, Luna woke up bright and early. Despite arriving late the previous night, her parents were both up before her, waiting at the breakfast table.

"Mum, have you seen my book?"

"I'm sure you'll find it soon enough," Mum replied, "the things we lose have a way of coming back to us in the end, if not always in the way we expect. Remember that, Luna."

"Alright."

"Well, I had better head off," Daddy cut in. "I am interviewing Professor Grubby-Plank at Hogwarts to get a bit more details for the article."

"When do you think you'll be back?" Mum asked.

"Probably sometime this afternoon. I need to pick up another manuscript on that band, I forget their name. I heard from a reliable source that they have been incorporating actual spells into their song lyrics," Daddy replied as he walked towards the door. He turned and said, "Goodbye" before apparating away.

"Goodbye."

Mum then turned to Luna. "So what do you want for breakfast?"

"Maybe eggs?"

"Eggs sound great," her mother replied, pulling out her wand. As the food cooked, her mother asked what Luna's plans were for that day.

"Well, I was thinking of going to the Burrow. I promised Ginny that whenever we go on a trip I would come by and tell her what happened."

"That sounds like a good idea, Luna. I think you should spend the afternoon there as well. It's summer. You shouldn't spend too much time indoors."

"Okay Mum," Luna replied. "What are you going to do today?"

Her mother's breath caught a bit. Luna wasn't sure, but thought she saw the pan on the stove become still. In a blink, everything was back to normal, and her mother replied, "I don't know. I was thinking on working on a new spell."

"That sounds like fun, Mum."

"Yes it does, Luna," her mother replied with a soft smile.

In short order, breakfast was consumed, and Luna was pulling on her shoes to go.

"Luna."

"Yes Mum."

"Promise me you'll be careful."

Luna tilted her head to the side, confused. "I'm always careful Mum."

"I know dear."

"Well, bye Mum!"

"Goodbye, Luna. I love you."

"Love you too!"


Luna opened the gate at the Burrow and glanced around. There was no one in the yard, but she caught a few glimpses of red hair in the kitchen. Someone was up. She started crossing the yard when the youngest Weasley boy exited from the back door. "Hey! Ron!" Luna called out, "You know where Ginny is?"

"Uh… No idea. I didn't see her inside."

"Thanks," Luna replied with a small wave goodbye. She circled the house, checking the shed, chicken coop, and garden before skipping down to the grove. She wandered through the trees, searching for any sign of red hair among the browns and greens of the trees. It was almost like the explorations with her parents on their trip. Only this time, she was looking for a human, not a wood nymph who blended into the colors of the forest and could vanish into a tree at a moment's notice.

The search did not last that long. Before she reached the clearing, she heard a voice call out from behind her, "Luna! You're back! How was your trip?"

Luna turned around and saw Ginny hanging upside down from a nearby tree, her legs hooked around a branch. "Hi Ginny," Luna said with a smile. She cocked her head to the side and asked, "Is your Animagus form a possum or bat by any chance?"

"Not that I know of. Why?"

"Well you are hanging from a tree. I figured you were practicing."

"No. I was just climbing the tree."

"So, your form is a monkey?"

"Luna!" Ginny growled as Luna collapsed into giggles. "I know you better than this. You are not pulling another one over on me."

Luna smiled. "Fine. You win this time. But come out of the tree. I want to tell you about my trip!"

"I'm comfortable here," Ginny replied, pulling herself into a sitting position. "You come up here."

"I guess that would be appropriate. I did spend the past week looking for wood nymphs," Luna said as she walked over to the tree and started climbing. Ginny moved over, giving her some space to settle in.

"Now where did you go?"

"Well, we started off in a forest in southern Norway …," Luna began. She summarized most of the stories, ranging from their meeting with a group of students from Beauxbatons who claimed to have been searching for a presentient hare (They had been sent by a real live Seer!), to a wood nymph named Daisy who wanted nothing more than to see the flower she was named after. They sat there in the tree talking until they heard Percy calling for them to come back in. It was lunch time.

Ginny jumped down from the tree while Luna slowly picked her way down. Something felt wrong.

"Oh. I meant to ask. What's the necklace for?"

"This?" Luna asked, holding up her necklace of butterbeer corks. "I forgot to mention it. My mum made it for me on the first day of the trip. The corkwood in the caps is a form of protection against wood nymph magic. I suspect it also may be useful for other things."

Ginny asked her something that she didn't catch.

"What?"

"I said, you're staying for lunch, right?"

Luna hesitated. That had been the plan after all, but something felt… wrong. Like a small but deep pit had opened up inside her stomach. A quiet feeling of dread. "I don't think so."

"But you will come back tomorrow to finish the story right?"

"Of course. I promise," Luna replied. She needed to get home.

She had planned on dropping Ginny off and slipping away, but Mrs. Weasley spotted her and called out, "Luna, how lovely to see you. Fred, set another place at the table for Luna."

"It's okay, Mrs. Weasley. I'll eat lunch at home."

"Nonsense. It's lunch time. You should eat here then head back."

"Really, my Mum is expecting me at home," Luna lied, "I need to get home."

"I understand. At least let me give you something to take back."

"It's fine…" Luna started to say, but Mrs. Weasley was already inside, filling a small basket for Luna to take home.

In the interest of getting home as fast as possible, Luna accepted the basket with a quick 'thank you' and 'goodbye' before turning down the hill. She was halfway down the hill before she paused to peek under the cloth covering the basked. It was full of biscuits. Luna briefly considered going back to return them but rejected the idea. Mrs. Weasley would probably take them back, but she would be hurt, and it probably wasn't worth the fight. She had taken food back from the Weasleys dozens of times in the past. Biscuits were nothing special, right?

The trip back was uneventful, and Luna felt the dread lessen the closer she got to her house. By the time she reached the crest of the last hill, she found herself skipping, and when her house finally came into view, she couldn't help but smile. The thin wisp of smoke standing out against the bright blue sky. The dirigible plums in their bright purple standing out against the green of the leaves. There was nothing to worry about after all.

The ground started to shake, and Luna fell to the ground. The basket fell from her arm. Luna looked up in horror. She had seen this before. She knew what she would see, but she didn't have a choice. Maybe the dream before was just a dream. This had to be different. It just had to.

She raced up the path, the door flying off its hinges before she could even reach it. She skidded to a stop on the first floor, turning to face the basement. Her mother's workshop. The door was already engulfed in flames. There was nothing she could do.

She knew it would happen. She had the dream. Yet there was nothing she could do.

Luna collapsed onto her knees, wrapping her arms around her body, sobbing.

There was nothing she could do.

Nothing.


A/N: This is a story about the side characters at Hogwarts, particularly Ginny, Luna, and Neville. It is technically cannon compliant and is simply my interpretation of events that could have taken place off-screen in the main series. This is not the only interpretation nor even the most likely one, but I think that it tells an interesting story in its own right. As there are very few named characters in Ginny/Luna's year, this story will have some OCs. The first few chapters can be a little rough, but I hope you give the story a chance to grow on you as it has me.

A/N2: This story is written in a series of arcs, each roughly corresponding to a book. New chapters are posted monthly with a short break between parts.