Chapter6:

Harriet sat in the great hall listening to the rest of the school come in.

someone sat down next to her at the Ravenclaw table. And Harriet felt their long hair brush her robes.

"hello, what's your name, I've never noticed you hear" the girls voice was somehow dreamy as though she was only half concentrating on what she was saying.

"I'm Harriet" Harriet said wondering who this girl was.

"oh, I'm Luna Lovegood, what year are you in?"

I'm in second year" Harriet replied.

"oh, I'm in that year too" Luna said. "oh look at the sorting" she continued.

Harriet looked where the most noise was coming from as a line of people shuffled into the hall lead by the brisk steps of professor McGonigal.

"why aren't you looking at the sorting hat?" Luna enquired looking at Harriet's eyes who had rested on professor McGonigal.

"oh, your looking at McGonigal, I don't always like her, she's very narrow minded" Luna said dreamily.

"yes" Harriet said "but she's very kind and a good teacher"

"yes I suppose so, but I've never been very good at transfiguration" Luna agreed. "did you see the Dementors on the train?" she enquired.

"no, I wasn't on the train, and what's a Dementor?" Harriet asked.

"i don't really know but daddy said they guard Azkaban and he says there not happy because Sirius Black escaped" lunar said "and why weren't you on the train?"

"i was already hear" Harriet replied just as the Griffindor table exploded in cheers.

"why?" Luna persisted.

"I came hear after I got out of St. Mungoes" harriet said.

"why were you at St. Mungoes?"

"this" Harriet said, lifting the edge of her robs so part of the scare could be seen.

"urr... that must have hurt! Was it a Heickery"

"a what?"

"a Heickery, there highly dangerous creatures with three legs that live in the peak district" Luna said quite calmly.

"oh, no" said Harriet slightly surprised, not sure they really existed "it was about 13 dogs"

"13!" Luna exclaimed.

Harriet nodded, she was starting to like Luna. She wasn't treating her like some sort of weirdow like everyone else her age she'd ever met.

Then around them the hole hall fell silent.

"oh look, Dumbledore's getting up" Luna exclaimed.

Harriet looked at were she knew the staff table was. It did seem to her that someone was standing there, but being blind she couldn't tell who.

Then he Spock and immediately Harriet recognised Dumbledore's calm voice.

Then once he'd finished speaking the plated in front of them filled with food. Harriet helped herself taking in the smell of each thing to make sure there was nothing she didn't like or worse that was poisoned. For Dumbledore had mentioned a merderer in one of Harriet's previous meetings with him and he had mentioned his name again; Sirius Black along with the mention of Dementors.

Harriet also knew that Black was after harry Potter because she had heard Dumbledore telling McGonigal when they'd thought Harriet wasn't listening. Which meant that if black found out she was related to harry he would want to kill her as well.

"want some potato? Its very nice" Luna's voice came.

"err... yeah" Harriet hesitated she had unfortunately missed the potato because it didn't have a very strong sent.

They talked very little during the feast each enjoying the amazing food. Then finally when it was all over and Harriet felt she couldn't eat another mouthful the food disappeared and everyone got up.

Harriet picked up her cane hopping she could remember the way.

"coming?" Luna asked and then "what's that?" touching Harriet's cane.

"its a cane"

"what's it for?" Luna asked with mild interest.

"its because I'm blind"

"oh are you" Luna did not sound poetically surprised and nor did it seem that because of this information did she want to break friends with Harriet.

Together they slowly made there way to Ravenclaw and when they arrived Luna knocked. Then a strange musical voice came from the mouth the the golden eagle knocker.

"Finnish the rhyme:

'When his wand's oak and hers is holly,

Then to marry would be folly Rowan

Rowan gossip, chestnut drones,

Ash is stubborn, hazel moans.'"

"how interesting, it doesn't normally ask questions like that" Luna said thinking, then finally "'wand of elder, never prosper' because of the deathly hallows"

"the deathly what?" Harriet asked.

"the deathly hallows, there three things that will make the user immortal, most people don't believe they exist but daddy said they do and he' trying to find them"

"right" said Harriet not sure she believe they existed either.

The common room they found themselves in when the door swung open was a huge and airy common room all lined with book shelves and a huge starry ceiling.

They both crossed and went up a carpeted staircase to their dormitory where Harriet saw that '2nd year' had been written in brail on the plaque, probably for her benefit.