Chapter Two
all in good fun
Despite what the rest of the school may have thought her, Luna was not "loony". She knew perfectly well what the other students called her, but the fact of the matter was that she just didn't care.
She was happier when she dwelt in her own world, accompanied by mythical creatures who she believed in easily, without the need for proof of any kind. Who needed reality when it was just so painful? Living in a fantasy world was often more pleasant than dealing with a castle full of angst-ridden teenagers in need of someone to take out their insecurities on, along with dozens of exam-obsessed professors.
She stopped outside of the portrait hole, closed her eyes, and took a deep breath. The cold corridor outside of the common room was strangely empty. There were usually at least a few students walking to and from the library or snogging in the corners.
Luna started skipping down the hall, waving to the old portraits on the walls, who recognized her and smiled back.
"Hello, m'lady. You seem to be in fine spirits this morning!" called out the portrait of a woman in her underclothes sitting and painting her fingernails orange.
"Oh, hello Lillianne! I'm just off for a bit of a walk. Homework's dreadful this year."
"Well, honey, have a spiffing time," responded Lillianne, and off Luna went, smiling over her shoulder. Her little stroll was interrupted however, when she reached the corridors closer to the center of the castle. The other students stared at her and some even shouted things about her ... unusual ... choice in jewelery, or reached out to give her an unnecessary shove.
"That's quite an awful thing to do!" Luna said to one pale, blond fifth year Slytherin after he had spit in her face. "If I didn't know that it was all good fun, I would think you had been trying to hurt my feelings." He laughed at her and called her all sorts of filthy names, but she continued on her way.
Thinking about it, she decided that the grounds by Hagrid's hut would be more deserted in this weather, and so she changed her course and headed to the entrance hall. Opening the huge front doors, she walked down the hill, heading towards the Forbidden Forest.
What she really wanted to do right now was to visit the thestrals. She had a couple apples and some toast in her bag; maybe even a few turnips. Thestrals were lovely creatures, really, once you got to know them. People just avoided them because, like her, they were a bit... different. Smiling at Hagrid who was poking several gigantic pumpkins repeatedly with a small pink umbrella, she disappeared into the trees.