AN: Chapter 2 is go! Chapter 3 might not be done for a while as I'm in a performance which has rehearsals after school everyday this week, plus there's a dress rehearsal all day Saturday so I will try and write bits here and there but it might be a short chapter! As usual please rate and review, it means a lot to me!

Breakfast time. Luna was dreading it. But managed to escape eating by going over to the Gryffindor table and asking Neville to lend her some old books. She felt bad taking advantage of his kind nature, but it was rather urgent.

"Neville I'm ever so sorry to bother you but it appears all of my school books have disappeared, I suspect nargles are behind it."

He smiled at her. "Of course Luna, I left all my old books here last year, I'd wondered why my remberall had gone red. I'll run up and get them after I've finished my breakfast."

"Thank you ever so much Neville." She hugged him, although the boy was slightly taken aback by this sudden movement, and proceeded to blush a shade of tomato red.

Luna sat with the Gryffindors for a while, and had two cups of tea while having a conversation with Harry about Umbridge.

"For such a horrible woman she seems to enjoy kittens quite a lot. I always thought kittens were for nice people. You don't see Voldemort with a kitten."

Harry smiled at Luna, her ramblings never failed to cheer him up.

"I think his snake would probably eat it Luna."

Luna took this into consideration. "I suppose."

Professor McMonagall signaled everybody to head off to their first lessons. Almost every first year opened maps and prefects herded them, leading them through the labyrinth of corridors that is Hogwarts. Luna had double potions first, potions was not her favourite subject, she was good at it and always got good marks if she put her mind to it (she was in Ravenclaw for a reason) but Professor Snape made her very anxious. While she was sure he was a perfectly charming man there was something about him. The way he looked at Luna like he knew everything about her made her feel very uncomfortable.

Potions went by fairly fast, they were creating antidotes to common poisons and before Luna knew it the lesson was coming to an end. Luna had a free lesson which she spent in the library, she took a detour to the kitchen to get a flask of tea. She had no homework to do because it was the first day of school, so she settled on a book about healing plants to pass the time. Some 5th years were also in the library, study was important to them as they would sitting their O. this year. As Luna sipped at her tea she looked intently Draco Malfoy, who seemed incredibly distant amongst his friends, who were talking about Quidditch tryouts. Draco caught Luna's gaze and gave her a brooding look, but not one to be put off Luna smiled at him, the corner of his mouth twitched, then his eyes darted back to his book. Luna smiled at everybody, whether they disliked her or not, it was great comfort when people smiled back, it felt like she had friends.

She finished her book which was actually very useful and made a note to experiment with the plants in the near future. The librarian announced that lunch was now being served. She frowned slightly amd proceeded to take the long walk from the library to the Great Hall. Luna entered the room and took a seat at the Ravenclaw table. She took some sandwiches off a plate in the center of the table and a few bits a fruit. In an hour she'd managed to eat a banana, an apple, some grapes, a satsuma, half a digestive biscuit (this was an accident, the other half dropped off in her tea) and had made a pitiful attempt at a cheese roll.

It was funny to her. She was surrounded by people, but she had never felt more alone. The voices of people talking past her, inside jokes that she was always outside of, a snide comment here and there about so and so's new haircut. People were fully emerged in a constant stream of chatter, but Luna had not even put a toe in to test the water.