The remainder of August passed quickly. The lazy heat of summer gave way to a nipping chill in the air, and the thin, scraggly trees behind the Leaky Cauldron had a hint of yellow to the leaves as September approached.

Luna spent most of her days before school started wandering through Diagon Alley. She marked the shops that differed from those she remembered, and the ones that would still be standing in fifty years. It was quite fascinating, how the Alley could change so much in such a relatively short amount of time. Humans always did move so much more quickly than nature.

Ollivander's still stood, of course, but in the place of Florean Fortescue's ice cream parlor stood a small potions shop. The potions shop Luna was used to instead housed a Quidditch supply store. There was a tea shop rather reminiscent of Madame Puddifoot's where Quality Quidditch Supplies would one day stand, and the pet store she found in the location that would in the future house Madame Malkin's Robes for all Occasions. Sir Traver's, which appeared to sell primarily Hogwarts robes, occupied the pet store's future home.

Luckily, her favorite store in the whole Alley stood right were she recalled. Indeed, except for a few shelves rearranged on the inside, it was almost identical to the store where she had spent countless afternoons wandering about and getting lost as a child, while her father looked for resources for the Quibbler or her mother searched for things to help her spellcrafting.

She had finished all of the novels the Snorkack had sent her two weeks in to August, and then had spent an entire day browsing through the stacks at Flourish and Blotts, picking out a number of interesting titles she had never seen before. Near the back of the shop, she had discovered a small book on unusual magical creatures from around the world. The book had been nearly hidden in a dusty corner at the bottom of a shelf that looked like it was rarely touched. She could not imagine why anyone would avoid a shelf full of titles such as Dragons: Real Beasts or Magic-Induced Myth?, Muggle Magicians: A History, and Merlin's Time-Traveling Hoax Explained, and Other Historical Falsehoods, but she chose to limit her own selection to three books, including the one on magical creatures, and return to the rest later if she got the chance. Regardless of having already taken a version of the sixth year curriculum, her mission in the past meant that she might not have as much time as she was used to for pleasure reading.

Twice more throughout August, she spotted Tom Riddle walking through Diagon Alley. After the fiasco of their initial meeting, she felt content with staying back and observing. On both occasions, she stopped following him when he entered Knockturn Alley shortly after arriving. Luna had never liked the feelings she got from Diagon Alley's shadier offshoot, and she tended to avoid it if she could. By the last day of August, she was quite ready to return to Hogwarts where the world would perhaps be a bit more familiar. Hogwarts held uncountable dangers, certainly, but it was also just as much her home as the house with her father had been, and she loved it dearly. She tried not to think of the fact that her father's house would not even be built for some years yet.

August thirty-first arrived on a gray and drizzly day. Luna spent the morning searching for Wogglesprots, a small, puddle dwelling creature originally native to Ireland. There were quite a few puddles that formed in the streets of Diagon Alley, but though Luna splashed through every one she came across, she found nothing but water, mud, and on one occasion, a lovely little bracelet that she returned to it's owner, a small girl who had dropped it from her pocket just a moment before. There would likely be occasions to search for Wogglesprots in the future, so Luna returned to the Leaky Cauldron that evening with a smile under her dripping hair. Rain was a lovely and necessary thing for so many creatures. She had never understood why so many of her classmates disliked it.

She at a warm and cozy soup for dinner, and found herself unexpectedly reluctant to return to her room. Though she looked forwards to Hogwarts, her time so far in the past had been unexpectedly pleasant.

On returning to her room for the final time before she would depart the next morning, Luna was surprised to see an owl sitting patiently on the windowsill. She gave the lovely barn owl a gentle stroke and an apology in case it had been waiting long, and sat down on her bed to read the letter.

Dear Luna,

I hope you are doing well and looking forward to starting at Hogwarts tomorrow. I apologize for not writing you earlier; I've been applying to the Auror academy, and things became rather busy. However, I was accepted! They typically only take people straight out of Hogwarts, but they were impressed enough with my spellwork to give me a chance! I shall be quite busy, but I would still be delighted to hear from you. You should send me a letter when you've had a chance to settle in at Hogwarts and let me know how it goes.

Additionally, I do hope it was not too forward of me, but I took the liberty of informing the next Head Girl about your situation. She is a lovely Hufflepuff by the name of Maisie Bones. I didn't know her personally, but I knew her brother Albert quite well, as he was one of the Ravenclaw Prefects while I was in school. The Bones's are a good family, and she has assured me that she would be delighted to offer you any assistance you might need in acquainting yourself with Hogwarts at such an unusual age.

I must admit, as September first approaches, I find myself fondly recalling my own school days, and being just a bit envious of those who have not yet left Hogwarts' halls. I know that you have recently experienced a tragedy that I cannot say I understand; however, I can tell you that Hogwarts is a wonderful place full of wonderful, kind people, and I think you will find a lot of happiness there.

If you find yourself a bit lost and lonely regardless, please do not hesitate to write me! I will always be happy to hear from you. I've instructed Rowan to wait if you wish to send a reply right now, as well.

Best wishes for your upcoming year,

Emmeline

Luna read the letter three more times, before folding it very carefully and placing it carefully in under the front cover of her sketchbook. A soft hoot from the barn owl nearly startled her; she had quite forgotten it was still there, perched on her windowsill.

"You must be Rowan," she said, conjuring a bowl of water for the owl. "I am terribly sorry. I shall have a reply ready in just a moment."

She sat down with a piece of parchment and a quill, and then stared blankly at the page. As much as she had loved her friends from her own Hogwarts, they did have a tendency to forget about her when she was not around. Receiving Emmeline's letter had been quite unexpected, and she did not know quite what to say. Words were easy enough to produce when they were simple facts about animals or about the people around her. Letters to friends, however, were a subject in which she had little experience. She could hardly tell Emmeline the truth about her mission in the past, or even that she was in the past at all.

Finally, Luna settled on a beginning, and placed quill to parchment.

Dear Emmeline,

Thank you for your letter; I was very pleased to receive it. I am glad that you are doing well. I hope your new job brings you much joy.

My time here has been rather uneventful so far, and I will be happy to arrive at Hogwarts tomorrow. I am looking forward to meeting my new classmates. I do hope some of them wish to be friends with me. Even if they find me strange, I am glad to have your friendship.

Sincerely,

Luna

The words looked woefully inadequate, but they would have to do. She tied the brief roll of parchment to Rowan's leg and leaned against the windowsill to watch it fly away.

As Rowan disappeared into the night sky, Luna tipped her head down towards the rain-blurred London skyline. It would be nice to see the cleaner skies over Hogwarts again. Seeing the boy she was meant to save again, however, Luna was less certain of. Luna was not one to back down from challenges, and she had seen much in the past few years.

Few of those things had been as simultaneously captivating and frightening as Tom Riddle. She remembered what little Ginny Weasley had been willing to share of her possession by Tom Riddle during their first year. The boy was already capable of horrible things. Bringing him back from such a dark path was a dangerous task. Whether or not it was a task she could accomplish remained to be seen.

Sleep eluded Luna for a long time that night.