Luna Lovegood
It was the second week of September when Luna, having finished her classes, found herself lying comfortably on a patch of grass near the Hogwarts lake, enjoying the pleasant afternoon weather and reading the newspaper.
Surprisingly, the newspaper in question was not the Quibbler, which was her usual reading, or even the Daily Prophet. No, it was actually the first issue of Colin Creevey's newspaper, "The Fifth House".
Apparently it was some kind of journalistic joke? Luna didn't quite understand it, but she was nevertheless happy for Colin, especially since the newspaper turned out to be quite interesting, making it quite an enjoyable read.
The Fifth House mainly consisted of various articles about current Hogwarts news, both magical and mundane, but it also included such things as potion-making tips obtained from older students, food recipes and such things as crossword puzzles and jokes to lighten the mood of the newspaper.
("What is the name of the dog that can cast magic spells? Labracadabrador." was her favorite).
Luna was, of course, disappointed that the newspaper didn't include some of the things that made Quibbler so special, such as the cryptid corner or the "find all the Ministry's crimes in a photo in 60 seconds" segment, but she understood why they weren't there. After all, provoking the Ministry of Magic so early in his career would probably be a bad idea for Colin. He should probably wait a few issues before openly denouncing the government and urging people to protest.
Still, it wasn't as if Colin had completely given up on writing about the really important subjects. After all, he wrote a quite enjoyable article about the recent assassination attempt.
"... Everything indicates that the responsibility for the attempted murder of Gryffindor third-year, Harry Potter, lies with an currently unidentified house elf spotted at King's Cross station during the incident. According to sources, the assailant deliberately moved a huge gargoyle statue just above Harry Potter's head with lethal intent, attempting to prematurely put an end to the so-called 'boy who lived'." Luna read the article fragment aloud, holding the newspaper at arm's length. "I tried to contact Harry Potter to discuss the incident, hoping he would have some insight into the attack, but unfortunately he refused to answer my questions, saying, quote: 'Leave me alone, Colin. I have enough problems as it is'. With no clues about the assailant, we can only assume that the attack was related to the house elf rebellion rumored to be ongoing. As one eyewitness to the incident, Ravenclaw second-year Michael Brown, stated, "the evidence of a long-ear uprising is blatantly obvious and irrefutable..."
After reaching that point, Luna stopped reading, quite satisfied with the article.
While the article itself was surprisingly diplomatic, not trying to blame the house elf rebellion on the awful treatment of elves by their wizard masters, it was still nice to see that her and Michael's efforts in educating the other students had paid off and now some of them were beginning to spread the truth themselves.
Speaking of Michael...
"Michael, can you tell me what happened to you?" Luna asked softly, both interested and concerned at the state of the boy sitting next to her.
"...I... don't want to talk about it." Michael answered quietly, avoiding Luna's gaze and watching the lake with distant eyes. Numerous scratches and bruises littered his body, but the boy seemed to ignore them, as if unwilling to even acknowledge their existence.
The reason for these injuries was unknown to Luna, but they must have come from some sort of incredible adventure. After all, just a few hours earlier, Michael had announced that he had had enough of living on just fish and plants and was finally going to hunt a real animal. That's why, having armed himself with a self-made spear, as well as some traps and tools, he set off into the woods in search of prey.
Luna assumed he would be successful, given his vast experience in survival, but after perhaps an hour of absence, Michael returned from the forest empty-handed and with numerous wounds on his body. At the sight of Luna, he simply sat down next to her without saying a word, apparently content to leave the whole situation unexplained.
Normally, Luna would have respected his wish and stopped asking, but his injuries clearly indicated that he had fought against some truly terrifying creature. Just imagining what kind of monster it was awakened Luna's adventurous soul, filling her with excitement. Was it a powerful dragon defending its nest? Maybe some territorial treant trying to use Michael as fertilizer. Or maybe even a nundu that defeated Michael, but for some mysterious reason spared him? She just had to know.
"You can trust me, Michael. I promise not to tell anyone." Luna said with a small smile. Seeing that, the boy relaxed slightly.
"...Well, I guess that's true. And it's not like there's any harm in telling you." After a moment's thought, Michael agreed reluctantly. He then looked up at the sky, as if reminiscing. "You see..."
Michael Brown
I was slowly approaching my target, heart full of determination and spear ready in my hand.
My target seemed not to notice my presence, as it was calmly drinking from the brook, its long neck twitching slightly with each sip. It appeared to be completely oblivious to the danger, not reacting to the fact that I was slowly creeping toward it, using various bushes and trees to hide from its sight.
As I was nearing my target and watching its form, I couldn't help but think about the delicious meat it contained, so different from the ordinary dry fish I had become so accustomed to eating.
I swallowed involuntarily, already imagining the dish I would prepare. Unfortunately, that was not to be, as I was so consumed by my fantasies that I failed to notice the huge branch lying on the ground in front of me, carelessly stepping on it and breaking it in half, which caused a loud crack and revealed my presence to my target.
Time seemed to come to a crawl as the creature's long white neck rose into the air and its head looked in my direction. As our eyes met, I saw confusion turn to anxiety and then to anger.
Not thinking much, I hurriedly jumped out of the bush I was hiding behind and threw my spear at the animal, intending to skewer it before it could escape. My strength was sufficient and my form impeccable, courtesy of countless fishing sessions, so the wooden projectile flew straight at the animal's head, about to end its life.
My victory was certain.
But then something happened that I didn't expect. The creature reacted to my throw and moved its head to the side, completely avoiding the projectile, before looking straight at me with laser-like focus.
There was no trace of fear in its movements as it began to flap its wings aggressively, danger radiating from every inch of its body.
As I looked into its eyes, those burning eyes of animalistic hatred, I realized that there would be no negotiation, no peace. Only a fight awaited me.
"HONK! HONK!" The beast opened its orange beak and shrieked, freezing the blood in my veins. It then rushed at me at high speed, its wings fluttering furiously and its talons extended.
I tried to reach for Kenny, desperate and afraid, but it reached me before I could do so.
Only pain followed.
Luna Lovegood
"...It was horrible. I fought bravely, but the beast quickly overwhelmed me, leaving me bloodied and defeated. I was forced to flee the battle, humiliated but alive." Michael said, his voice haunted. "I hope I never see it again."
"It's okay, Michael. You're safe now." Luna said, giving the boy a hug. She then realized something. "Actually, you still haven't told me what kind of creature it was. I don't recall any monster with a long neck, white wings and an orange beak. It must have been really powerful if it was able to defeat you, but I don't remember any monsters fitting that description. Maybe it was some unknown type of Roc? Or maybe..."
"H-hey, you know what, why don't we do something fun instead of worrying about that?" Michael asked quickly, sounding like he desperately wanted to change the subject. Maybe he was still shaken after the battle? It was certainly understandable, as the Rocs were fearsome opponents, capable of controlling storms and lifting entire elephants into the air.
"Of course, Michael. What do you want to do?" she asked, worried that further conversation about the Roc might stress the boy out.
"Well, I got a book on necromancy and we need some experience if we want to resurrect dinosaurs, so..." Michael said slowly, making Luna look at him with curiosity. Seeing that he had caught her attention, he continued "...How about we catch some fish and try to raise them? I mean, it could be fun,"
There was silence for a moment as Luna considered Michael's words.
"Sure." She finally replied, her voice cheerful.
They spent the rest of the day at the lake, trying to resurrect the various fish they had caught. They didn't have much success, but they had fun and that was what mattered most.