Authors note: Sorry for the delay in writing this! I hope you like it & forgive for the time lapse. Anything you recognise belongs to JK Rowling.

Chapter 2 - Off to Hogwarts!

1st September 1992

Luna woke early on the 1st September and decided to dress in her brightest purple sweater, faded green jeans and pink, flowery high-top shoes. He put her lucky beetle ring on that she had made with her mother when she was a young child, a butterbeer cork necklace to repel the Nargles (they could not interfere with her first day!) and her dirigible plum earrings. Luna tied her hair up in a messy bun and put her wand behind her left ear for safe keeping.

By 10:30am that morning, Luna and her father were getting ready to use Floo Powder to get to Platform 9¾. Luna took a pinch of the glittering powder and threw it into the fire saying, "Platform nine and three-quarters!" She felt the familiar spinning sensation, but did not close her eyes, she wanted to look out for those pesky fire spirits, heliopaths! But all too soon, she was slowing down and slowly came to a stop; she stepped out of the fireplace, brushing soot off her clothes as her father appeared behind her with her trunk and owl, Ghost. Luna took Ghost from her father and drifted off to find a compartment; she found one towards the end and her father loaded her trunk onboard for her.

"Luna-love, I must dash back, I have a meeting in 10 minutes for the next edition of the magazine. Will you be ok?" Xenophilius asked his daughter.

Luna nodded. "I will be fine, daddy. I will write to you tonight and see you at Christmas time. Please send me some Gurdyroots, so I can make some tea with them. I want to stay protected against the Gulping Plimpies."

Xenophilius gave his daughter a swift kiss on her forehead and promised he would, before disapparating home. Luna turned and walked onboard the train, sitting down in the compartment where her trunk was and pulling an edition of the Quibbler out to read. She was just reading about Crumple-Horned Snorkacks, when the compartment door opened; a small boy with chestnut hair stood in the doorway.

"Hi!" He said in his high-pitched, excited voice. "I'm Colin Creevey, can I sit in here with you?"

Luna nodded and stared at the boy as he pulled his trunk into the compartment. He pulled out a camera and pointed it out the window, snapping a photo of the sign that said "Platform9 ¾".

"My dad's a milkman, I only found out that all the strange things I can do are magic!" Colin exclaimed. "I never knew, so I'm taking as many photos as I can to send back to dad and show him!"

"That's nice." Luna said. "If you happen to take a photo and find any Nargles, please show me! I wish to send daddy images to put in his magazine."

Colin looked confused. "What are Nargles?"

"They usually infest mistletoe, but they're little critters that like to steal from people." Luna said, her fingers caressing the butterbeer cork necklace. "That's why I wear this necklace, it protects me from them."

Colin still looked a little puzzled, but nodded. "So, what are you reading?"

"It's my daddy's magazine: The Quibbler." Luna showed Colin the cover. "Would you like one? I have another edition in my bag here."

Colin shook his head. "Um… no thank you, I might just have a look at my textbooks."

The rest of the trip to Hogwarts passed without too much excitement or chatter, for Colin went walking down the train, muttering about trying to find Harry Potter and didn't come back for a very long time.

The first years crossed the lake with Hagrid in the boats, Luna shared with Colin, the red-haired girl from the robe shop, who still averted her eyes and another girl with shiny black hair. They entered the castle, all looking around and a witch by the name of Professor McGonagall gave a speech about the four houses and told the students to smarten up before walking through another door; however Luna was not paying much attention as her father had told her about the ceremony and what to expect. Professor McGonagall did not come back, instead a tiny wizard lead them into the Great Hall and up to the front, between the four long tables. The Hat on the stool at the front opened the rip that looked like a mouth and began to sing; Luna continued to look around. She noticed all the ghosts sitting amongst students and the ceiling that appeared to mirror the outside weather. The hat finished its song without Luna not having listened to a word and the hall applauding the hat as it bowed to the four tables. The tiny wizard at the front began calling people forward to be sorted. After a short while, Luna's name was called and she drifted up to the stool and sat down.

'Hello, my name is Luna' she thought.

"Hello. Hmm… a very open and accepting mind, intelligent and brave. I think, yes… you would be most suited for RAVENCLAW!" The hate shouted the last word and the house to the right of the hall clapped politely. Luna sat by herself at the table, watching the sorting politely but not paying much attention. Finally, after all the new students had been sorted and a small speech made by the Headmaster, Professor Dumbledore, food appeared; Luna noticed that Professor Dumbledore left the staff table and walked out quickly. She didn't think much about it, but while she was eating, she heard a few older students talking.

"…yes, I heard the same!"

"Apparently Potter and his friend flew here…"

"…by car? Puh-lease, attention seeker much?"

"I heard they both got expelled!"

"No way!"

Luna listened to the buzz around her as she ate her roast chicken, not engaging with the other students but observing them. One of the older boys gave her a look that plainly said "What are you looking at?", however she ignored him. Luna then helped herself to some pudding after the main course disappeared. She was feeling very full indeed by the time she followed the other students up to the dormitory; the prefects showed the students to their dorms and Luna walked up the stairs, yawning. Luna scribbled a short letter to her father telling her she got to school and was sorted into Ravenclaw; she gave the note to Ghost and gave her some treats before she flew out of the window. Luna was alone in the dormitory, so she went for a shower, got into her pajamas and was asleep before any of her roommates came upstairs.