A/N: NEW CHAPTER!
This chapter is dedicated to my reviewers: sheshe330, Lillith Aurora, Aeraqua, Starlight1746, and buhbibutterfly for their amazing reviews for the last chapter!
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, or Luna, or Fred, or Nargles.
WARNING: The Sorting Hat song from Order of the Phoenix is not mine, although the bolded lines are mine.
Summary: Luna's a veela that refuses to use her powers... until Fred comes along.
Luna's POV
The Great Hall was decorated with hundred of floating candles, all hanging just out of reach if one were to stand on a chair and try to grab one. The Hogwarts ghosts floated amongst these candles, searching for the familiar faces of returning students.
In the very middle of the Ravenclaw Table, in the very middle of the room, I was seated. It was my fourth year, and to my dismay, I had no real friends. I sat alone on my bench, with no one within three seat of me.
Was it me? Or the Nargles? There tends to be a lot of Nargles flying around Hogwarts these days.
"I'm so glad there's pudding. Chocolate pudding." I said aloud. One of the Nargles heard me speaking to myself, and turned to look at me. He was a cute little thing: bright blue, with a big head and smaller body, little purple wings and giant doe eyes that were a deep brown color.
He stared into my eyes, looking into my mind. Then he smirked and pointed behind, towards the Gryffindor Table. I looked over and saw a boy staring at me. He noticed my look and blushed a reddish-pink, looking down at his empty plate.
'That was oddly peculiar.' I thought. The Nargle nodded his head.
His name is Neville, you like him.
"Pardon?"
You like the boy, and he likes you. Tell me, why don't you use your veela power on him? He would be yours forever.
"I don't use them, I never have. You've seen my memories, I refuse to use them." I stated, not a hint of anger in my voice.
Very well. But I do hope that you change your mind. There will come a time when you will need to use your powers, or someone who will become very close to you shall die.
"Very well, then. Tell me, what is your name? And when shall the time come?"
I am Pramana. The time will be upon you faster than you expect. When the one with serpent eyes rages war upon the home, your time, and his, will be up.
"Thank you Pramana. Do you know who I shall have to save?" I asked, ignoring the looks of the students who were staring.
The boy is older than you. He is of a well-known family, the...
The door to the Great Hall opened, revealing a cross-looking Professor McGonagall and a group of very nervous first years.
I must go. Farewell, young Luna. Remember to heed my words.
The Nargle flew off then, joining the rest of his kind. I watched him go, trying to memorize his appearance before he disappeared.
I was jolted back to reality when the entire hall became deathly silent. Professor McGonagall was up front, placing the well-worn Sorting Hat on its stool. The hat seemed to stretch for a minute, like a person would do after they have just woken up, then eyes and a mouth appeared. He seemed to look through the entire hall, assessing each person. When he seemed pleased, he began to sing his song for the year.
In times of old, when I was new,
And Hogwarts barely started,
The founders of our noble school
Thought never to be parted.
United by a common goal,
They had the selfsame yearning
To make the world's best magic school
And pass along their learning.
"Together we will build and teach"
The four good friends decided.
And never did they dream that they
Might someday be divided.
For were there such friends anywhere
As Slytherin and Gryffindor?
Unless it was the second pair
Unless it was the second pair
Of Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw,
So how could it have gone so wrong?
How could such friendships fail?
Why, I was there, so I can tell
The whole sad, sorry tale.
Said Slytherin, "We'll teach just those
Whose ancestry's purest."
Said Ravenclaw, "We'll teach those whose
Intelligence is surest"
Said Gryffindor, "We'll teach all those
With brave deeds to their name."
Said Hufflepuff, "I'll teach the lot
And treat them just the same."
These differences caused little strife
When first they came to light.
For each of the four founders had
A house in which they might
Take only those they wanted, so,
For instance, Slytherin
Took only pure-blood wizards
Of great cunning just like him.
And only those of sharpest mind
Were taught by Ravenclaw
While the bravest and the boldest
Went to daring Gryffindor.
Good Hufflepuff, she took the rest
and taught them all she knew,
Thus, the Houses and their founders
Maintained friendships firm and true.
So Hogwarts worked in harmony
for several happy years,
but then discord crept among us
feeding on our faults and fears.
The Houses that, like pillars four
had once held up our school
now turned upon each other and
divided, sought to rule.
And for a while it seemed the school
must meet an early end.
what with dueling and with fighting
and the clash of friend on friend.
And at last there came a morning
when old Slytherin departed
and though the fighting then died out
he left us quite downhearted.
And never since the founders four
were whittled down to three
have the Houses been united
as they once were meant to be.
And now the Sorting Hat is here
and you all know the score:
I sort you into Houses
because that is what I'm for.
But this year I'll go further,
listen closely to my song:
though condemned I am to split you
still I worry that it's wrong,
though I must fulfill my duty
and must quarter every year
still I wonder whether sorting
may not bring the end I fear.
Oh, know the perils, read the signs,
the warning history shows,
for our Hogwarts is in danger
from external, deadly foes
and we must unite inside her
or we'll crumble from within
One lives among us
A special young girl indeed
She holds the power to unite
And conquer all greed
For with her gift of great love
She'll save not one but all
Though if you heed this warning not
She watch us from above
Young girl, listen now
For my time is nearly done
The one to save, which will save us all
Is of many, but one
I have told you, I have warned you...
let the Sorting now begin.
I stared at the Sorting Hat, not listening to the sorting, just listening. A young girl with the power of love? My veela power? Is of many, but one?
Is of many, but one?
Could that mean one of the Weasleys? There are definitely many of them. Which one? Charlie? Bill? Fred? George? Percy? Ron? Ginny? Molly or Arthur?
I looked over towards the Gryffindor Table again, this time ignoring poor Neville gaze, and looked at the group of red-heads. Ron, the fool, was making Hermione mad again. Ginny was flirting with Harry, though he didn't notice her love-struck gazes. Percy was reading. And Fred and George were talking with some 6th year girls.
I had no clue which one I had to save, that is if the hat was really talking about me. I wonder if it would tell me the truth if I asked it? I let my mind wander, going through what I could do.
The next time I looked around the hall, it was almost empty. It seemed I had day-dreamed through the feast, again. I went to get up, and caught eyes with dear-old Professor Dumbledore. He had that sparkle in his blue eyes again. I wonder why? I waved to him, then skipped out of the hall and to the Ravenclaw Common Room.
The big bronze raven looked at me, then nodded and asked its question:
"What creature has the power of love and hate, and can command them as they wish?" The raven stared down a me, impatiently waiting my answer.
I felt my mouth go dry. "A veela." I finally managed to say. The bird nodded, and opened the hidden door. I thanked him, then climbed up the winding stairs, anxious to get to my cozy bed and forget everything, at least for a little while.
When I got up to the dormitory, all the other girls where already asleep. I went over to the empty bed, and sighed. The girls had left me with the most horrendous bed. It had scratches along the headboard, pieces of the frame were chipped off, and the curtains were ripped and moth-eaten.
I sighed and reached into my trunk, pulling out a faded photograph. It was of me and my mum. I was sitting in the garden in my mum's lap. She was laughing and watching as I plucked the petals off of a pink flower.
I took a deep breath and tried to ignore the tear rolling down the side of my face.
I missed her. A lot.
I placed the picture on the table beside my bed, moving just so that I could see it, then got under the covers and closed my eyes.
A/N: My goal with this chapter, was to deepen to plot (check) and to go deeper into the character of Luna. In the books, we see Luna as insightful and crazy. I wanted to go further and try to show that that's not all there is to Luna. Did I do a good job?
Reviews=love!
~Samie
P.S. I promise there'll be more Fred in the upcoming chapters, but a warning: this starts Luna's fourth year and goes to her sixth year (Deathly Hallows) so the Fred/Luna romance will be slow, but sweet.