disclaimer: i don't own HP, i just practice writing.
please read and review, i need feed back to improve,
Because he was more upset than usual, he couldn't bring himself to stay longer in the Gryffindor common room. He picked up his broom and walked outside angrily. He pretended that a Hungarian Horntail was there and flew for his life to get that egg. The cold night wind hit his face, and he bent forward even more. He dived sharply and snatched the egg. He mimicked taking the imaginary egg in front of the dragon and laughed at her. "I got what I came for, you can't stop me," he laughed again
"Hahahahaha!" Another laughter sounded from below
He paused in midair, like a stop-action TV shot, and turned, trying not to lose his balance, to face the source of the laughter. The person was sitting in the grass, tearing blades of grass. It had blond hair and were wearing blue overalls with a yellow shirt. Harry couldn't honestly tell whether it was a girl or a boy from this distance.
"Hi!" she or he yelled, waved.
Harry descended closer to the ground to get a better look, still staring.
The person got up from the ground and came toward him. "What have you got there? May I see it? What were you fighting up there?"
A girl, he decided. Definitely a girl, but he couldn't have said why he was suddenly sure. She seemed more brave to be a first year student, out here. sitting alone in the middle of field, so she must be older student, he thought as she came closer.
"My name is Luna Lovegood. We met on the train earlier," she said.
He remembered commenting silently that she even had one of those peculiar wizard family names that could go either way, but he was sure now that he was right
"What's the matter?" she asked.
"Huh?" Harry replied.
"What were you fighting up there?"
"Yeah,.no," Harry said, pointing his thumb in the direction where his imaginary dragon had nested earlier and scratching his head with his thumb. "Harry Potter." Luna was wearing a necklace made from butterbeer caps. "Well,... well," he nodded at her. "I gotta go." He turned and was about to take off on his broom, but then he thought it wouldn't be polite. So, he decided to walk instead. There was no use in trying to fly anymore if he couldn't even get some alone time. He might as well go back and lay down.
"Hey!" Luna was standing in the middle of the Quidditch field, her head tilted, and her hands on her hips. "Where are you going?"
"I've got stuff to do," he called back over his shoulder.
"But what if that thing comes back?"
He pretended not to hear and kept walking.
Harry didn't see Luna Lovegood again except from a distance when the students gathered for meals, until the day they assembled at the Hog's Head. Harry, Ron, and Hermione were waiting for the others. Luna stepped inside, following the group from behind (perhaps she just saw a group of people walking and followed them).
Luna was wearing a black jacket with its buttons undone, still dressed in the blue overalls and yellow shirt, along with her necklace. She had sneakers on her feet with thick, furry socks visible between her shoes and her clothes. Harry glanced at Hermione, who let out a small sigh and went back to counting heads. Hogsmeade was a big deal for most students, a time to dress to impress, as they might get lucky and bring someone to Madam Puddifoot's Tea Shop.
The reactions of the others didn't seem to bother her. Luna quickly joined the table and took a seat next to Hermione, her eyes saying, "OK, friends, what are we going to do today?" in response to the looks from others while they scrambled for another chair. The round table was too small to fit everyone, causing envy-filled looks from others who arrived earlier, but Luna had secured a front-row seat. Luna waited quietly as the others looked for extra chairs. Without making any noise, she pulled her chair forward until the table touched her chest and then started to gaze at the rest of the students.
"Twenty-five," said Hermione.
"Twenty-five," Harry mumbled quietly. "Twenty-five. You said just a couple of people?" He finally decided to go along with it, seeing Hermione smiling and nodding, looking at the bartender, who used his wand to conjure extra chairs from the back. "There, take a seat, everyone."
"Er," Hermione began, her voice slightly higher than usual out of nervousness. "Well, um, hi." She started to explain the purpose and meaning of the meeting.
When it was time for Harry to speak, Luna grinned and calmly placed her hands on the table. Harry nodded with a raised eyebrow, trying to hold back his pity for her. She was doing this to herself—dressing oddly and making others feel embarrassed just talking to her.
The meeting went more smoothly than expected. They agreed to meet once a week at an undecided location, and everyone agreed not to tell anybody about the meeting.
Once it was over, everyone began to leave. However, half of them decided to take another table, including Luna, who sat alone at the farthest table. Conversations buzzed around Harry. The first visit to Hogsmeade had always been the busiest and noisiest. Students still had a lot to talk about, as if their time at school hadn't been enough.
"What did you order there, Looney?" Marietta Edgecombe, another Ravenclaw sitting next table to Luna, asked.
"It looks like onion soup," this comment came from Cho Chang, not waiting for Luna to answer.
"Yuck."
Cho wanted to laugh at her friend's comment, but she noticed Harry's eyes looking in their direction.
Merlin, why couldn't they just let people be? Why shouldn't Luna eat whatever she pleased?
On their way back to the castle, Hermione surprised both Harry and Ron with news about Ginny going out with Michael Corner. The news was clearly received badly by Ron. But Harry didn't find it too interesting, as he still had complicated feelings with Cho. They didn't even notice Luna Lovegood following them.
He heard her say "Harry" once, but when Ron glanced back, he whispered, "Looney, don't look back," and Hermione, who was used to Ron arguing about almost anything seem just agree with him and just straightened her face, continuing to walk. When they reached the end of Hogsmeade, Hermione, who walking in the middle, grabbed Harry and Ron's arms, hinting that they should quicken their pace without look like they were running, aware that Luna was right behind them. But Luna didn't call Harry again or try to follow them. She just took off running towards the Shrieking Shack.
Harry couldn't help but turn to watch. For a moment, he and Hermione felt guilty, but that disappeared when Ron said, "For what? If you want to hear more about that fire spirit, suit yourself. Don't drag me into it." Harry looked back at Luna, who was still running. It reminded him of a snow hare hopping over the snow. So small yet so graceful. The word "cute" crossed his mind, but he shook it away and hurried toward the castle.
To his surprise, Luna showed up at the first meeting. He thought she had lost interest since the three of them had been ignoring her.
Hermione, who eager to try out the Room of Requirement, paced back and forth on the seventh floor, opposite the tapestry of Barnabas the Barmy being clubbed by trolls. "You boys wait up while the girls go in. Ladies first," she said in her bossy tone when she exited. He and Ron just let her have her way when this happened.
"How many are we?" Harry asked once they were inside.
"Nineteen," Fred replied.
"Some aren't finding this interesting," George added.
"That's all right, we can be more focused this way."
Harry, who stood in front of the members seated cross-legged, began giving instructions on what they were going to do first. It wasn't something complicated, just a disarming spell. "I know it sounds simple, and I believe we all learned it in our first year at Hogwarts, but that spell has saved me so many times, even when I was up against You-Know-Who." This comment silenced Michael Corner, who had tried to argue that Harry's teaching was pointless. "Okay, now, everybody find a partner and try to disarm each other."
"Hi," Luna Lovegood approached him when everybody was up and looking for a partner.
He glanced briefly at her and then looked away. "Umph."
"Aren't you going to partner up too?"
"No, I'm the teacher." Maybe if he didn't look at her, she would go back and find someone else.
However, Luna didn't go back to her original spot but instead looked lost, unsure of whom to partner with. Harry watched Fred and George, who had already started disarming spells, not on each other but on Zacharias Smith, who looked confused because every time he tried to cast Expelliarmus, his wand flew out of his hand. No one else seemed to struggle with that simple spell; only the accuracy seemed way off.
Harry kept his eyes on the crowd lining up. He was aware that Luna stayed at his elbow but was careful not to look in her direction. He noticed three people who had partnered up, but he didn't know their names.
"Who is that person with black hair?" he asked Luna without looking at her.
"Ooo, I don't know him."
Harry walked over to them, with Luna still following him. "Hey, that's good... what's your name?" He tried not to sound rude for not knowing another member's name.
"Justin Fletchley, why?"
"Pair up with Luna here."
"What? Why me?"
"Why not you? You aren't afraid of being beaten by a girl, are you, Justin?"
For a moment, Harry thought Justin was going to refuse and go back to practicing with his own group of three. He wasn't used to ordering people around like Hermione. He couldn't show doubt or fear; he had to assert his authority here. But instead, Justin simply moved and took his place beside his old group. "Are we practicing or not?" He clearly wasn't happy.
"You can go with him, Luna," Harry said loudly enough to make sure Justin could hear him, and then he went to examine the others. 'See,' he told himself, 'you can stand up to anybody. You've already survived against Voldemort; there can't be anything worse. No sweat.'
Cho Chang and her friend Marietta seemed easy enough to work with, being a year above the majority of the group. 'But still, if she's up against me, I'll win that,' Harry thought. He was beginning to get really excited now. For once, he was sharing something, and they were listening to him. 'Oh, Lupin, if you could see me now...'
"Oh no," said Cho rather wildly as he approached. "Expelliarmious! I mean, Expellimellius! I — oh, sorry, Marietta!"
Her curly-haired friend's sleeve had caught fire; Marietta extinguished it with her own wand and glared at Harry as though it was his fault.
"You made me nervous, I was doing all right before then!" Cho told Harry ruefully.
"That was quite good," Harry lied, but when she raised her eye brows he said, "Well, no, it was lousy, but I know you can do it properly, I was watching from over there. . . ."
She laughed. Her friend Marietta looked at them rather sourly and turned away.
"Don't mind her," Cho muttered. "She doesn't really want to be here but I made her come with me. Her parents have forbidden her to do anything that might upset Umbridge, you see — her mum works for the Ministry."
"What about your parents?" asked Harry.
"Well, they've forbidden me to get on the wrong side of Umbridge too," said Cho, drawing herself up proudly. "But if they think I'm not going to fight You-Know-Who after what happened to Cedric —" She broke off, looking rather confused, and an awkward silence fell between them;
Then Harry felt it before he saw it: a wand flew right in front of his face. He instinctively leaned backward quickly, almost falling. He regained his balance and tried to stand up again, recovering from embarrassment as he searched for where it came from. Nobody seemed to notice except for Cho.
"Harry, are you alright?"
"I'm good."
Justin ran past Harry and Cho, picking up his wand. Luna faced Harry with a wide, pale smile. Harry didn't know what to say. He walked over to her and said, "Don't use too much force. Disarm by taking their wands, not sending them across the room."
Luna's smile faded, and she furrowed her brow. "I did what it's supposed to do, disarm. You didn't say to take their wands earlier."
"Well, now you know. You'll take someone's eye out if you keep doing it," Harry replied, trying not to raise his voice. He was annoyed because he felt embarrassed about what had happened in front of Cho.
He turned and saw Justin half-smiling, and Cho... He didn't want look directly at Cho
"Hah, see, Looney, you did it wrong," Justin said.
"But you got disarmed," Luna said.
His smile faded. "You were supposed to take mine. Do it before you hurt Potter again."
"Like you can take mine," she replied sarcastically.
"I don't need to if you keep doing it wrong."
"Then do it," Harry's anger bubbled out. Justin was just a victim of his embarrassment. "Then do it. Show us how you'll take her wand."
Justin glared at Harry unhappily, but Harry just nodded in Luna's direction. Justin would have to prove it now, he knew. Justin also looked at her with an angry expression.
She beat him. Luna disarmed him again and turned her large silver eyes on him while he had a completely mad face.
"Okay, no competition anymore, give back his wand. Just practice. Luna, go with Hermione; Justin, with me now," Harry instructed. He knew Justin was after something more than just a wand if he kept pairing up with her.
After an hour of practicing Expelliarmus, everybody seemed worn out, and Harry decided to call it a day. They would meet again next week. He pulled out the Marauder's Map and checked it carefully for signs of teachers on the seventh floor.
"That was really, really good, Harry," Hermione praised.
"Yeah, it was!" Ron chimed in enthusiastically. "Did you see me disarm Hermione, Harry?"
"Only once," Hermione retorted, stung. "I got you loads more than you got me—"
"I did not only get you once; I got you at least three times—"
"Well, if you're counting the one where you tripped over your own feet and knocked the wand out of my hand—"
Harry let Ron and Hermione walk in front of him, his eyes still on the map and Cho's dot. He thought about what she had said, how he made her nervous. Luna caught up with him.
"Thanks," she said.
"Yeah?" Harry wasn't sure what she was thanking him for.
"I'm not sure now. But thanks anyway," she replied before walking off toward the Ravenclaw Tower.
"Weird," Harry said to himself as he watched her skip away. She had caused him enough trouble, and he wasn't going to start feeling sorry for her again.
Thank you...hope you enjoy so far.