Warning: Rated T for profanity, yelling, consumption of alcohol, non sexual nudity, and emotionally intense content. There will be no romance, sex, or sexuality in this story other than a few occasional Romoine mentions that will be quite in the background. This story is an AU OotP in which Harry cuts ties with Ron and Hermione after they don't turn up after the prefects meeting and Susan and Luna become his best friends. Together, Harry, Susan, and Luna, will bond over their common sense and experience of loss. Harry being best friends with Luna and Susan instead of Ron and Hermione will cause some things to go very differently from canon. This story will either have a self-contained ending at the end of OotP or it could cover years 5 through 7. I'm not sure yet.
Harry Potter had to spend the first part of his Hogwarts Express ride without Ron and Hermione, who were both obligated to attend a prefects meeting.
Harry was not sorry about this. Ron and Hermione were on thin ice with him at that nanosecond for their lack of communication with him during the summer that had just concluded. Ron was on particularly thin ice because he had abandoned Harry the previous year after Harry's name had come out of the Goblet of Fire through no fault of Harry's. At least Hermione had believed him and supported him then.
After the Summer of Silence, Harry sensed that maybe having to sit with other people would provide an opportunity to discover new and better friends.
Most of the compartments were full, but there was room in the very back compartment.
This compartment contained only two girls who both seemed a bit on the quiet side. One was a redhead and the other had dirty blond hair, perturbant eyes, and some very unusual accessories such as radish earrings and a butterbeer cork necklace.
"Excuse me?" said Harry quietly, "May I please sit in here? Everywhere else is full."
"Sure," said the two girls together.
"My name is Harry Potter," said Harry nervously.
"Hello, Harry Potter," said the girl with dirty blond hair, "I'm Luna Lovegood. What year are you in?"
"Fifth year Gryffindor," answered Harry, "And you?"
"Fourth year Ravenclaw," replied Luna softly.
"I'm a fifth year Hufflepuff," said the redheaded girl, "My name is Susan Bones."
"It's nice to meet you both, Luna and Susan," smiled Harry.
Harry then exchanged very friendly handshakes with both Luna and Susan.
Harry felt a sense of warmth and welcoming coming over him. The very best thing Luna and Susan could have done was show zero reaction to the name Harry Potter. These were clearly NOT fangirls or celebrity worshippers.
"Had a good summer, Luna?" inquired Susan kindly.
"Yes," said Luna, now talking in a dreamy voice and staring up at the ceiling, "It was quite enjoyable you know."
"I can't say the same," piped up Harry honestly.
"I know," said Susan sympathetically, "I live with my Aunt Amelia, and she told me about your trial. You see, I lost my parents to Voldemort during the war and Aunt Ameila has raised me."
"I'm sorry to hear that Susan," said Harry empathically, "I too lost my parents to Voldemort."
"We all know your story, Harry," said Susan matter of factly, "But I didn't want to act too excitable when you told us who you were. Your "Boy Who Lived" fame must make you feel extremely uncomfortable. "
"I lost my mom to a tragic accident when I was nine," said Luna sadly, "At least I've been able to deal it with mostly privately though. The Boy Who Lived thing must be torture. And that scar must be a painful reminder of your losses."
"There is no worse tragedy than a child losing a parent," said Harry mournfully, "The three of us are in the same boat there. But I would like to thank both of you for treating me as a person and NOT being sickly fangirls. Fanboys and fangirls are a major turnoff to me."
"People who fanboy and fangirl you have no respect for what you've been through," said Susan seriously.
"Since you two have both shown you can respect me as a person and since I know now you two will be able to relate to me, I would like to share a few of my private thoughts about the loss of my parents with you two."
"You can come talk to me anytime you'd like," offered Susan, "We're not in the same house so we'd have to meet in the library, on the sloping lawns, in the Black Lake, in an unused classroom, or in the Room of Requirement, but as I have some idea how you might feel, I'd like offer to be your sounding board if you ever need one."
"I'd like to extend the same offer, although my circumstances are somewhat different," said Luna quietly, "Though Susan might be the better sounding board for you since your lives are almost carbon copies of each other."
"So," admitted Harry, "In my first year at Hogwarts, I came across a mirror called the Mirror of Erised that shows anyone who looks into it "The deepest and most desperate desires of their hearts". When I looked into the mirror, it showed me with my parents alive and standing beside me. There are times when I wonder what could have been. "
"I feel that too," acknowledged Susan, "I sometimes get very sad thinking about how my mom and dad will never see me off at King's Cross."
"I sometimes think about what it would be like to have a broom race against my dad or be hugged by my mom," said Harry sadly.
"I know what it feels like to be hugged by mom and that's exactly what makes her death so devastating to me," said Luna solemnly, "I yearn to have my mom back sometimes. Sometimes I think I'd give anything just to be hugged by mom one more time."
"That's why there is no worse tragedy than a child losing a parent, ESPECICALLY if they are very close with that parent," lamented Harry.
"Mom and I were very close." said Luna matter of factly, "At least I still have dad though. You two have nothing."
Harry, Susan, and Luna shared stories about their feelings about their losses until lunchtime.
When the trolley witch arrived, they each bought a licorice wand, a chocolate frog, and a bottle of Budweiser.
They ate slowly and quietly to take a break from their heavy conversations.
After lunch, Susan piped up, "I can say that Aunt Amelia has always treated me well, Harry, what are your muggle relatives like?"
"They hate me," confided Harry, "Uncle Vernon hits me with his belt, Aunt Petunia smacks me with her frying pan, and Dudley uses me as a punching bag. Dudley is my cousin who is about five weeks older than me."
"That's so heartbreaking," said Luna, a few tears rolling down her cheeks, "I can't imagine being treated that way by a relative."
"My aunt and uncle hate magic, that's why they treat me the way they do. For a large chunk of my life my bedroom was The Cupboard Under the Stairs," explained Harry, "Dudley is simply the product of how he's been raised so I won't judge him as harshly."
Susan, however, had a look on her face that indicated meaning business. Neither Harry nor Luna knew what this look meant but both correctly guessed that she wanted to be left in silent thought.
"My friends Ronald and Hermione said they would find me after their prefects meeting, but so far no sign of them," said Harry bitterly a few minutes and a few nanoseconds, "I may need to end my friendships with them. They're already on thin ice with me for giving me no contact over the summer after my terrible ordeal in the graveyard. Ron's the worst of the two since he abandoned me through no fault of my own last year after my name came out of the Goblet of Fire. I shouldn't have forgiven Ron then. If Ron and Hermione don't turn up this afternoon, I'm done with them and their bullshit."
Ron and Hermione never turned up although Ron had said they'd meet him after lunch.
After the Hogwarts Express had pulled into Hogsmeade station, Harry saw to his disgust as he, Susan, and Luna reached the carriages that Ron and Hermione were openly kissing on the platform. Harry suddenly realized that Ron and Hermione had likely spent the afternoon kissing and making out after the prefects meeting had ended.
"This is it," thought Harry to himself, "Either they bicker, and I'm caught in the middle, or they ignore me and I'm a third wheel. I'm done with those two."
"Sometimes, cutting ties is hard, but necessary, " said Luna bluntly, "Maybe the wrackspurts were affecting you when you forgave Ron. "
"What are wrackspurts?" wondered Harry.
"Creatures that float through the air and make your brain go fuzzy," said Luna, staring off into space."
"Maybe I was affected by one that day," said Harry thoughtfully, "I mean Ron PROVED to be a disloyal fair weather friend who didn't deserve my friendship by not standing by me after my name came out of the Goblet of Fire. Well, I'm shot of him now."
"Do you think we can become your friends now?" Susan asked Harry, pointing at herself and Luna.
"I don't think, I know," said Harry warmly.
"That's nice," beamed Susan and Luna together.