Written In The Body

Poetheather

A/N: Do you ever wonder if any of the Potter actors read any of the fanfic? I mean… if so what would they think of some of the stuff out there? What would Emma and Bonnie think of this one? Just wondering.

A/N 2: This also puts the story at over 100,000 words. YAY! So have it a little early.

A/N 3: I hope people like the cover picture.

Still not even remotely JKR.

Twenty

"Nnn. NNnnnnn. No. No! NO! GINNY!" Hermione screeched as she thrashed herself awake and out of the arms that held her. Her wand flew across the room and slapped into her palm and her eyes, wide with fright and worry began tracking the room looking for targets. She was panting heavily as if she had run a long way, the air difficult to hold.

"Hermione, calm down."

Hermione started at the sound and rolled out of bed. Even before she hit the floor her wand was pointed right at the person who spoke, not even remotely wavering as her body shifted into a more defensible position.

Ginny had both her hands up in the air, trying to look as harmless as possible and was still seated in bed with the covers over her legs, her brown eyes locked on to wide panicked ones. "It's okay 'mione, it's okay. Look, I'm right here, right in front of you and I'm fine. Nothing happened to me. Our enemies are all gone, we defeated them and you are safe. I am safe. Everything is okay. I promise you, you are safe, we are safe. Put down the wand and come back to bed."

"Ginny?" Hermione's voice was filled with disbelief and hope. Her eyes searched the girl's face as if she could not believe her eyes that it really was the redhead who was sitting there.

"Yes 'mione, it's me. You're safe. You had a nightmare, that's all. Everything is okay. It was just a nightmare." Ginny was keeping her voice calm and measured, trying to ignore the fact that a wand was pointed at her by a very panicked and dangerous witch.

Hermione blinked at Ginny a few times, as if she were clearing her sight and then stared at Ginny. Her mind tried to make sense of what she was seeing but her nightmare had been so vivid, so specific that she was trying to decide if Ginny was a ghost or not. When she seemed truly convinced that it really was the redhead in question she was seeing, she slumped to the floor and dropped her wand, with it bouncing off the carpeted floor slightly. Ginny was out of the bed and by her side in a flash, pulling the girl into her arms, trying to comfort her. "I have you Hermione. You're safe Kitten. You're safe."

Shuddering, barely noticing what was going on, Hermione began to cry and clutched onto Ginny's pajamas as if the girl were a lifeline. Her hands kept clenching and unclenching in the fabric, making sure that it was really there. Ginny just held her, pulling the slightly smaller girl into her lap as she shifted her position some, making sure that her legs were not in an awkward place when they both settled. There was no resistance in Hermione and so she just went with whatever the redhead wanted, curling into Ginny's chest. Her crying turned to sobbing as Hermione realized that she had turned her wand onto the woman she loved, a curse ready on her lips. "I'm sorry, so sorry."

"Shhh… shhhh Kitten, it's okay 'mione. You didn't do anything wrong and I am perfectly alright, see? All that happened is that you had a really bad nightmare that apparently terrified you. It was nothing more than that, I swear to you. You are allowed to be a bit freaked out over something like that. I guess that something bad happened to me in it? That's fine because it's just a dream." Ginny continued to soothe Hermione, rubbing her back and kissing the top of her head, doing everything she could think of to calm the girl down.

"How? How can you be okay with this? I'm crazy. I'm a crazy woman." protested Hermione, sounding just a touch hysterical.

"You had a bad day today and haven't been taking your potions like you should. That is all the blame you get on this one. If you do something a bit stupid then you are going to have repercussions, you know that. This is to be expected. Honestly Hermione, you think I don't know about this? Remember who had an exciting summer filled with trying to come back from being mindraped by good old Tom Riddle. That whole damn event had really scared me and it took a lot of time, patience, and potions to get my feet back under me. Ron never really knew how difficult it all was because Mom, Dad and I were hiding it from him, and well the rest of them at the same time. I was so glad we got to see Bill that summer. I didn't have you yet so he was the next best thing. We talked to him since he was familiar with dark objects and being cursed by them. He really helped me over some tough spots and over some spots where I did stupid things because I thought I was better or stronger when I really wasn't. So, yeah 'mione, I know that these things are bound to happen. And it actually took me until a bit into my second year for me to really get better, with seeing someone weekly to help deal with sorting my thoughts apart from the things he put in my head. I was a mess, which is why I kind of avoided you guys that year. I was trying to get me back together. So the reason that I am okay with this 'mione is because I have been there. I know what this is like." She hugged Hermione to her again and kissed her softly on her forehead and then on her lips. She rested her forehead against her girlfriends and just held them like that.

Hermione felt like the air had been knocked out of her and she felt a bit light headed. In all their talks over the years, about so many varied things, Ginny had never once shared anything about the aftermath of the possession with her and honestly she had thought, had kind of hoped really that her friend had forgotten all about it. Clearly that was not the case and it kind of horrified her. That Ginny not only remembered it all but had to work through it, her stomach churned. She nervously asked, "Are… are you okay now?"

"I'm… better. Last year was rough because there were things the Carrows did that brought back some of the worst parts of those memories. I spent a lot of nights crying as memories of Tom came back. I'm not sure there really is an okay after something like that happens to you. How can you go back to being whole and normal after you have been shattered like that? It screwed me up bad and I can't imagine anybody not being wrecked after going through something like that. In the end I realized that all you really can do is you keep going, you keep breathing, keep moving, just so the memories don't win but for a while there you feel completely disconnected, separate from yourself, from everything around you. It usually takes something pretty big to really bring you up out of that hole and back into the rest of the world as it seems so all encompassing. For me, that was spending time with you before and during the Quidditch World Cup. I… I really began to feel like me again and it was wonderful and a real change from how things had been. So I know kind of what you are going through, so just know you can talk to me about any of it. I may not have gone through the exact same experience you did but never doubt that I'll understand. I will always be here for you 'mione. Always."

"Thank you." whispered Hermione, tears welling up in her eyes.

"For what?"

"For everything! For being you, for being so understanding, for being so strong, for caring about me, I could go on and on. So thank you." A few tears spilled out and trickled down her cheeks, to fall still warm onto her legs.

Ginny blushed slightly under all of that praise, and leaned back, lifting Hermione's head so she could look into her brown eyes. "You're welcome, but you need to accept that you are amazing as well then. There is no question in my mind at all about that. I have to admit that I have been in awe of you for almost ever. You are smart, kind, wonderful, brilliant, beautiful, dangerous, sexy, so many things that it beggars the imagination."

Hermione blushed and lowered her face into the crook of Ginny's shoulder, unable to deal with what she was hearing. "Stop."

"Nope, can't do that 'mione, especially not when it's all true. You just need to get used to me complimenting you."

Hermione leaned up and kissed Ginny gently on her lips in an attempt to shut her up. "Fine, be that way."

Ginny grinned at her girlfriend, rising to her feet, and then holding her hands down towards Hermione, offering to help her up. "I will. Now come on and get up. I know that it is not all that comfortable there. Now, do you want anything like maybe some hot chocolate or anything else before I give you a calming draught to help you get back to sleep?"

"Ginny, I don't need a potion." protested Hermione with a little bit of a whine. "I'll be fine."

Ginny just looked down at her with a look that spoke volumes. It was clear what the redhead thought of that idea.

With a frown, Hermione took Ginny's hands and was helped to her feet. She knew that she wasn't going to get her way in this and to a degree it was nice to know she was being taken care of, even from herself. "Fine. I can see I'm not going to win this one. Can I get some juice?"

"No problem. Just call your House Elf and let's get this taken care of. I kind of want to get back to sleep as well." Ginny gave a little bit of an embarrassed yawn as she said that.

Rolling her eyes, Hermione shook her head before she called out, "Topsy?"

A dainty looking House Elf appeared in the room, looking at them both wth her big eyes and asked in a slightly timid voice, "Can I helps you Miss Grangey?"

"Can we have two glasses of apple cider please Topsy?" Hermione asked politely.

The House Elf nodded and then disappeared with a pop, reappearing quickly holding the two chilled glasses. She smiled a bit bashfully as she handed them over, saying, "Can I gets you anything else Miss Grangey?"

"No thank you Topsy. I am very grateful for your help." said Hermione with an encouraging smile.

Topsy seemed a bit confused with that response and that was clear on her face just before she disappeared.

Ginny snickered at that scene, taking a sip of her juice before asking, "Trying to save another one?"

"No. I realized that I just don't actually know enough about House Elves to really do anything useful for them. I thought I did but I realized I was wrong. After Dobby died Harry told me that Dobby had been picking up the pieces of clothing I had been leaving out for the House Elves all around Gryffindor tower. The other Hogwarts Elves had been really upset with me because of this since they saw this as an insult to them as I was basically saying they were doing such a terrible job I wanted to get rid of them. They had stopped cleaning the tower because of it, leaving Dobby to do all of it himself, all because of me and I had no idea. Then back in May, they fought and some of them even died for us in that battle, proving that they are far braver and more deserving of our respect than I thought before. It made me realize that I honestly did not know much of anything about them. We never really covered them in Magical Creatures and there isn't a lot written about them so I am at a loss. If I want to do anything to help them get treated better by the wizarding populace as a whole, I think I need to better understand them and not just go off what I believe. How does doing that serve the House Elves or Dobby's memories?" said Hermione, still fired up over the ideas of S.P.E.W., though things had clearly been tempered with wisdom borne of pain.

"Okay. I have to admit that sounds like a better plan than what you had before anyway. I guess we can go down to the kitchens at some point and you can apologize to most of them down there. One of the twins told me that was where the head of the elves is if I remember correctly. That might make things right with you and them if you go see them. Now drink up. I'm still tired and you need to get your rest. We still have the first day of classes tomorrow, or it's more likely today at this point."

Hermione nodded and had some more of her cider, enjoying the crisp apple taste. She saved some of it for after her potion as they were notoriously bad tasting and it would be nice to wash the taste out of her mouth. As always the potion started to take effect quickly and help calm her jangled nerves even more. She yawned wide as a lassitude descended on her and Ginny took the glass from her, setting it down on her desk so it did not drop. She gave the bushy haired girl a hand getting into bed and once there, Ginny climbed in alongside her and leaned down, kissing the girl on the forehead. "Get some sleep 'mione. I'll hold you tonight and keep you safe."

As Ginny put her arms around Hermione, the girl snuggled into the redhead's arms and sleepily murmured, "Good."

HGHGHGHGHGHGHG

Hermione had slept much better for the rest of the night and was even smiling when she woke up. She lay there in bed, being held by Ginny with a blissful grin on her face lying in the place she loved above all others. She felt inordinately pleased with herself and life that it allowed her to have the woman she loved in her bed. True they were doing no more than kissing and cuddling, occasional some groping at this point but she had very graphic dreams several times that fueled some wonderful masturbatory sessions and high hopes of a long and happy sex filled future. Well, her mind was filled with more of a life together but she had to admit that sex was definitely a part of that equation. Oh yes definitely sex, lots and lots of sex if she had her way. Ginny was sexy and she wanted to revel in that.

Need forced her from the warm and comfy bed and so with an irritated grumble she headed into the loo all the while wishing she could have stayed where she had been. Once finished she looked back in and saw that Ginny was still asleep but now was cuddling with her pillow, her freckled face kind of nuzzling where her head had lain. That made her smile. Ginny really was adorable, almost painfully so and she wouldn't have it any other way.

Well, despite the fact that she could stand there all morning daydreaming about her girlfriend there were classes that day and things she had to get done. She probably should get ready for the day and there would still be time for Ginny to get some more sleep and still get cleaned up before it was time for them to head down to breakfast. Her girlfriend had to be tired after taking care of her last night as being awoken with her screaming and freaking out couldn't have been easy on her. It wasn't easy on her and she was the one experiencing it. It had to be terrifying from the outside. Hermione also doubted that Ginny took a calming draught to help her get back to sleep either, choosing instead to watch over her while she slept. It was such the Weasley thing to do that she wasn't about to question that that was what happened.

As Hermione got herself ready for the day, with the warm water of the shower pouring over her head helping to wake her up and wash away the fear from her nightmare, she thought about the uncomfortable fact that she sort of needed taking care of. It wasn't a comforting realization for someone as strong as her, as it sort of made her feel weak, like she couldn't take care of herself on her own, like it infantilized her. But was that really the case? From her own experience and observation she knew that her mother needed her father and vice versa in a somewhat similar manner, although the similarities could not be pushed too far, so could it simply be something like that she was feeling? She knew that she was strong and was aware that if she had to she would be able to make it through all of this trauma without any particular special issues cropping up. It would be tough to be sure but she felt certain that she could do it. With Ginny there helping here and taking care of her however, this whole mess was infinitely easier for her to face and deal with and she felt safer, allowing her to relax more. Was that what was actually going on? Was that what she really needed, that feeling of safety that Ginny's love gave her?

It made some degree of sense the more she thought about it, lining up with what she knew of psychology. Several years of being on edge and not feeling safe, even at school, and then last year with the constant threat of discovery and danger. Then how even that little bit of safety they had managed to hold onto had been torn away when Bellatrix had gotten ahold of her. She swallowed heavily, water trickling over her face. She had to turn the temperature up to continue as he body felt a bit more chilled. The madness of Gringotts and the battle… was it really any wonder that she craved the feeling of safety that Ginny's arms gave her like a junkie craved their next fix. It also made it clear why she might want someone to take care of her, since she had worked so hard to take care of Harry and Ron, learning everything she could for years, just so she could be able to have the right spell, the right skill for whatever they faced. Ginny was able to give her something, whether purposefully or not, that Hermione had missed for a long time and that right now she hungered for with everything in her. Ginny's love and attention was feeding her soul.

Maybe that was why Harry felt something for Luna, because she was an outcast in a similar way to him, both saying and doing things that got them stared out and ostracized by the rest of the wizarding world. Because of that they spoke the same language and were able to communicate in a way that no one else was able to with either of them. The two of them clicked somehow and even though she was still trying to figure the slight girl out, Harry seemed to get her, even if he did not understand her at all times, intuiting what she meant and wanted in a way that was incredible. He got her and she got him. She got Ginny and Ginny got her. The two of them spoke with the same pain or at least pain that was similar enough to have a meaningful dialogue. That had to be the key.

And why hadn't Gin ever told her about remembering everything Voldemort had done to her because of that Diary? That she recalled all of that was horrific and to not know that her best girlfriend had been holding that in this whole time… she did not like that. It was very upsetting. That Horcrux had almost killed her down in the Chamber, using her soul and life force in an attempt to reconstitute a younger version of Tom Riddle and she had to have been violated in a number of ways. Why hadn't she ever shared that? All this time, all these years Ginny had been carrying the pain of this event while letting others think that everything was okay, that it was something forgotten, something in the past, when it was still there, under the skin. Hermione shuddered and turned up the heat in the shower yet again, needing to warm up, chilled by the very idea. Mind raped indeed.

Ginny was amazing. How could anyone not think that? This just went to show how strong the girl truly was deep in the core of her. To be able to face that nightmare and still be able to come out of it whole and able to love, Hermione was not sure she could deal with that. True she had survived quite literal torture at the hand of a Master of the craft and a lot of other things but what Ginny had gone through… and in her first year, it staggered her imagination. How did she ever get so lucky to have someone so amazing in her life, in her arms?

Walking out into the room with a towel wrapped around herself and another around her hair, Hermione looked over at the still sleeping girl. This was the girl she loved, the one who had been ignored by her brothers and more often than not been a quiet hero, fighting and not worrying about credit, similar to Harry in her own way. That made her smile. While she was not quite ready to say the words aloud there was no doubt in her mind that she absolutely loved Ginevra Molly Weasley. When she noticed the Ginny was drooling on her pillow that smile faded into a chuckle. She shook her girlfriend's shoulder gently, "Gin, time to get up."

Ginny mumbled something that may have been words but more than likely simply precoherent sounds strung together to create the illusion of speech.

She shook her again, this time a bit harder. "Ginny."

There was still very little response from the redhead and her breathing was still fairly sleep deep. The girl was dead to the world. Knowing that there was not a lot of leeway available in their schedule, especially since she let Ginny sleep in, she needed to wake her up before she left the room or Ginny would never make it to breakfast or class on time. Thinking about it, she grinned and stepped to the side, out of any potential line of fire, "George, don't do that to her!"

Ginny rolled out of bed, eyes wide, clearly looking for her brother. Hermione started laughing. She had been certain that there was an almost unconscious reaction to that sort of phrase and her hypothesis was born out. Ginny's response was only to glare at her. "That wasn't funny!"

"Yes it was. That was hysterical. I have to admit you have great Weasley survival skills. Now get your cute little butt in the shower. I let you sleep as late as I could. Once you're done and dressed we'll head down to the Great Hall for breakfast. I'll be in the common room waiting for you." Hermione started getting dressed, pulling on a pair of panties under her towel.

Ginny sighed, "Fine. I'm glad I brought a change up so I can get ready without having to run downstairs. I'll see you there."

While Ginny was in the bathroom, Hermione quickly dressed and headed downstairs with her schoolbag, ready for her first day of classes. All in all she was excited and looking forward to everything. This should be fun and she had to admit she had truly missed all of this last year. School would have been infinitely better than playing hide and seek with Snatchers. At least, she was hoping it would be fun. She wandered downstairs, trying to run through all of the things she might need for her first day that she might not actually have in her expanded bookbag, since she was unsure what her schedule would be.

There were not a lot of people down in the common room at this point, as it was still a bit on the early side for most anybody else besides her. Hermione did like to get a good start on the day and this usually helped, which was something that she knew Ginny would have to get used to. Seeing a few familiar faces she said her hellos and was heading to sit down when she saw a small figure huddled on the couch by the fire, curled up protectively. This sparked something in her mind and frowning a little, she headed over to where this particular first year was sitting there hugging their knees, head resting on their arms. When she got closer she could tell that it also looked like his robes were rumpled, as if he had slept in them. This was worrisome and seemed like something she should deal with as Head Girl. Hadn't anybody else noticed this? She sat next to him, startling the boy a little. "Hello there, how are you today?"

He looked up at her with wide eyes, clearly a bit terrified to be seeing her, his tousled brown hair in disarray. Noting how small he was she wondered if she really had ever been that small. First year seemed so very long ago. "I… uh… I…"

"You know, it's okay. I won't bite you." She said with a friendly smile, hoping that would disarm his fears. "My name's Hermione, what's yours?"

"Simon." His voice was quiet, and he sort of curled into himself even more if that were possible. It was inordinately clear that he was afraid of something and she was hoping it was not her. What was going on?

"Well Simon, are you looking forward to your first day of classes?" She asked, trying to draw him into a conversation.

He nodded his head a bit hesitantly, his eyes looking for a possible exit. Was she really that terrifying?

"Do you have any idea what class you are looking forward to the most?" She asked, trying to get something, anything out of him.

He shook his head no. "I don't know anything. I found out about magic this summer."

It was there in his voice and in the way he had said that, especially the word magic, like it was dirty, years of being Harry's friend let her see it for what it was. The way the boy seemed to see himself, the way he seemed to be afraid of her as a figure of authority, his appearance, it all added up with what she had learned. This boy had been poorly treated by someone, whether it was his parents or someone else she did not know but by someone. This would not stand.

"Oh, you're a muggle born like me? That's wonderful. We need to show these others just how awesome we can be. There is nothing wrong with being muggle born, nothing at all. Don't let anyone tell you differently. We're special because the magic chose us for a reason. Tell you what Simon, I need to run down to see Madam Pomfrey for a minute before I head to breakfast. Do you want to come with me? We can keep talking and I would be happy to tell you all about Hogwarts and the magical world. That way you could get a leg up on things and maybe even learn some things your classmates don't know." She was hoping this ploy worked because she did not want to find some other, less kind way to get the boy to the healer. This was something she wanted checked out and preferably subtly. Nothing could have been done with Harry for a number of reasons, especially those damn blood wards, but as far as she knew Simon was not a boy of prophesy.

After a few moments of deliberation, he nodded, his eyes a bit wide, clearly nervous about all of this. She smiled and as she stood she held her hand out, silently asking for his.

Once she had his trembling hand in hers, the two of them took off, with Hermione talking about the history of the school and some of the important things for a first year to know, using her knowledge of Hogwarts: A History and her own experience to draw from. When they were down a few flights Hermione sighed as she remembered something and stopped, chiding herself for her forgetfulness, "Just a moment Simon. I forgot to do something. It won't be a moment."

She cast her Patronus and whispered her message to it, sending it on its way to Ginny with a flick of her wand. Simon's eyes were even wider if that were possible, looking at her with awe as the otter swam out of sight back towards the tower. She blushed a little under the boy's scrutiny, answering the unasked question, "Oh, that is a spell you might learn when you are older. It has a number of uses, one of which is to send messages. Every person's form of that spell is different and mine happens to be an otter. Now before we continue let me get you sorted quickly."

They continued on their way downstairs after she used some freshening spells on him to get the wrinkles out of his clothes and make him feel as if he had bathed and they soon found themselves in the medical wing. Simon was relaxing more in her presence, which was making her happier, as she had kept up the light hearted dialogue in an attempt to calm him, getting him to actually answer some questions about himself. She had discovered a number of things about him on their trip, that he was from Canterbury, had a younger brother and sister, enjoyed riding his bicycle and liked reading books and the library. That was useful to know but he really did little to explain his home life, he always sort of talked around it instead of about it. That just fueled her suspicions rather than assuaged them. It just created another mystery for her to solve.

Walking into the infirmary as she had been ordered, Hermione smiled when she saw the nurse. "Good Morning Madam Pomfrey."

"Good Morning Miss Granger. And who is this with you?" Madam Pomfrey smiled, obviously pleased that Hermione showed up as she had promised.

"Madam Pomfrey this is Simon Cresswell, a first year muggle born Gryffindor. From what I can tell from his answers, he reminds me in a number of ways a little of Harry when he first arrived here." She gave the nurse a very pointed look as she said that hoping that the woman would be able to catch the implication.

The nurse nodded, clearly understanding her look and said, "Well, it is a pleasure to meet you and if you are anything her friend Mr. Potter you are sure to be a wonderful wizard. Just don't imitate his habit of becoming my patient several times a year. Now then… Hermione, I hope you slept well. Let's get you your potions and send you on your way. Oh, Mr. Cresswell, seeing as you are new to magic, would you like to see how a diagnostic spell is cast? If you are anything like Mr. Potter and Miss Granger here than you probably have not seen much magic preformed before getting on to the train or arriving here."

The boy nodded, eyes wide, "You can check someone out with a single spell?"

"Yes, there really is not much to it. It's just like this." She cast her diagnostic spell and smiled.

"That's pretty neat."

"Yes it is. Now why don't you both head off to breakfast? Oh Miss Granger, could you come back at lunch, for your next treatment. We can talk more then. You have far more interesting company at the moment." teased the woman.

Since she was aware that Simon could not see her face, Hermione did not have to school her features when she saw Madam Pomfrey nod slightly. She was aware that she looked slightly distraught and she tried to pull herself together. "I'll see you then. Good bye Madam Pomfrey."

The two of them headed to the Great Hall, talking about inconsequential things, Hermione trying to keep things light as her own mind worked over what she had learned. That Madam Pomfrey had seemingly confirmed her hypothesis about Simon was disturbing and really upset her. There were a number of times where she really preferred to be wrong and this was certainly one of them. Once inside the doors, Hermione could see Ginny sitting at the Gryffindor table with Luna and she leaned down to talk to the first year. "So Simon, did you want to go sit further down the table with the other first years or would you rather hang out with my friends?"

After a few moments of consideration, he said hopefully, "Can I sit with you? I'm not sure they like me."

"What's not to like? You seem like a great kid to me?" She smiled brightly, having already decided that she did like him. He seemed earnest and nice, reminding her a little of Neville now that she thought about it, only far less clumsy.

"What's this Hermione? Cheating on me already?" asked Ginny with a big grin as Hermione walked up.

Knowing that they had decided to not tell anyone directly about their relationship status but just be themselves and let people figure it out through their actions, Hermione went up and kissed her briefly on the cheek. "Absolutely. Simon here is such a charmer he stole my heart away at a glance. How could I resist him?"

Simon blushed and looked down at the table, unsure what to say to that. Luna smiled at this interplay and said, "Don't tease your paramour Hermione, it's not nice. He wouldn't like it."

Hermione chuckled a little and then made introductions, "Simon this is Ginny, the Captain of our House Quidditch team. If you don't know what that is just ask her and she can teach you all about it. And this other young woman is Luna, from Ravenclaw. She is a journalist."

"Uhm… Hermione?" Simon seemed unsure of himself as he leaned in and whispered to her.

"Yes Simon?"

"Is… is Ginny your girlfriend?" He was clearly nervous as he asked that, whispering the last word even quieter than the rest of the sentence.

"Yes she is. Is that a problem?" She replied in a normal tone of voice.

He shook his head vehemently no which earned him a smile. She gave him a hug, saying, "Don't worry about it Simon. You're alright by me. Why don't you eat, because you'll need your energy for your first day of classes. Magic does use up energy, especially when you are first learning how to use it."

The group ate and talked, keeping things nice and light. Professor Flitwick came over and gave Luna her schedule, saying hello to the others. The girls took that time to introduce Simon to the diminutive professor. A short while later Professor Cottington came up with the schedules and handed them out. "Mr. Cresswell, these are some interesting friends you have made."

He blushed and looked down at the table. "Yes ma'am."

"While I know that these are some wonderful ladies to know, don't forget about your year mates. While certainly not nearly as exalted as these three they will be here the rest of your time at Hogwarts. It might be a good thing to make friends there as well." This was said kindly, with her hand resting on his shoulder.

As the Head of House and new DADA professor walked away, Luna turned to Simon and said, "Don't let the wrackspurts gather and muddle your thinking Simon. You are a nice young man and still will be even if the veil is pulled away and people can really see."

The other three looked at Luna with some confusion on their faces as she had another bite of melon from her plate. With her mouth full, she looked back at them with her usual innocent, dreamy expression and said, "What?"