Luna Lovegood

Luna finds herself a bit bemused, though she wonders if perhaps that may not be the best of emotions, at the time. Still, she is.

She supposes that this is likely due to the fact that everything seems to be happening so rapidly, and no one seems to be acting like they're supposed to. Prim Professor McGonagall is a force to be reckoned with, steadfast Professor Snape jumped out a window, and the rest of the school is just plain fidgety. Luna wonders absently if the sudden infestation of blajicks is the cause of this anticipation or a result of it. Either way, no one else seems to notice them, so Luna doesn't mention it.

In the past few weeks, Dean seems to have become rather protective of her, so Luna has been absently traveling with Dean and Seamus since the adventure with Harry – the attempt to find Rowena Ravenclaw's lost diadem.

The three of them have been stalking up and down hallways, waiting for something to happen. Seamus is bouncing on the balls of his feet, seemingly excited. This doesn't surprise Luna in the least – she's only met him this year, but she already knows Seamus doesn't seem to fear danger like normal people; he's thrilled by it.

Dean, on the other hand, has gone still. There's no extra movements – he walks clinically, conserving energy. This is odd, because Dean normally has unusually twitchy hands that don't stop moving, ever. He's always drawing something in his mind, and his hands move along the strokes. But not tonight.

Luna wonders if perhaps her own behavior is different from usual. It doesn't feel like it is, in any particularly noticeable way, but she supposes it could be. She wonders, if it's different, how so. Seamus and Dean, both make sense in the ways they're currently acting. Seamus is on an adrenaline high, and Dean's mind is fully occupied with something other than art.

So she considers her thought process, and how it might be different. It doesn't particularly feel different, but then, how exactly does one deduce whether she is thinking differently? She supposes that it doesn't particularly matter in the end, but still, a person wonders. Or, well, Luna wonders, anyway. Dean and Seamus are probably thinking nothing of the sort.

But Luna's always been deeply curious. It's that, she thinks, that likely landed her in the house of the Raven, because she's not really much for cool logic. She tends to work her way around a problem and approach it from the back. It works for her, and she's not one to question things that work.

It's not until the figure comes around the corner, though, that Luna realizes that her behavior is, in fact, different from usual. She's on high alert, ears tuned, eyes peeled.

The slightest 'swish' of a cloak on cold stone floor is below her hearing threshold, but some part of her brain registers it without telling her conscious mind, so when the person comes around the corner, he's on the ground, stunned, before Luna has even registered that she saw him.

Seamus's jaw drops, and Dean raises his eyebrows at her. Luna just smiles in return.

Dean shrugs and jerks his head, gesturing toward the person on the ground. In synch, the three of them approach.

It's Dean that recognizes the features first. "Colin?"

Luna blinks and realizes that Dean is correct – the boy she stunned is Colin Creevey. "Finite Incantatem."

Colin groans, sitting up. He glances around, somewhat surprised at the faces.

"Colin," Luna says softly. "What are you doing here?"

Colin looks down. "I felt the Galleon burn. I've been checking it constantly and… I couldn't. I couldn't stay home. This is it!"

"And where's Dennis?" Luna asks serenely. "He has a Galleon."

Colin keeps his eyes on the floor. "I took it. But he saw me leave, and he asked, but I told him to stay home." Colin looks up, suddenly defensive. "It's too dangerous for him here!"

Seamus laughs, but not cruelly. "If it's too dangerous for him, kid, what makes it safe for you?"

Colin stands up, huffing. "I'm not a kid! I'm sixteen years old, and I'm am perfectly capable of making my own choices!"

"All the underage people have been evacuated," Seamus says.

Colin's eyes widen. "Please, don't. This is my school as much as anyone else's, and they forced me out of it, running for my life. You've got to let me have this chance to claim it back."

Luna smiles at Colin. Dean, though, frowns, pursing his lips. He glances at Seamus, who is frowning in thought.

"Seamus," Dean says – that's all he says, but Seamus appears to get a lot more meaning out of it than Luna does. Luna is intriguied by this, as she's never actually seen Dean and Seamus together before. She met Seamus at the beginning of the year, at school, and Dean after Christmas, on the run. The way they interact fascinates her.

Seamus nods at Dean. "I know, but…"

Dean tilts his head, considering. Eventually, he nods minutely. Seamus looks mildly surprised, but he turns to Colin.

"As long as you're well aware that you're not allowed, you're well aware that this is dangerous, we won't say anything. Stick close by, though."

Luna sees something shining in Colin's eyes – relief.

"Thank you," he says. "We – Dennis and I – finally found a place where we belong. I'm not going to let them take that from us."