Today is the day!

Luna leapt from her bed to her bare feet with a grin she couldn't wipe off her face. Even if she had wanted to, which she didn't. She scooped up Artemis, and felt the black kitten's mighty purrs against her chest.

"You're getting big!" Luna chirped, kissing her little forehead.

The once runt kitten used to sit comfortably in the hollow between Luna's shoulder and neck, but now she could easily curl up around her neck, leaving her front paws and tail on both her shoulders.

Artemis slowly blinked at Luna as she took her favourite perch, not caring that Luna twirled around her room, happily staring at the rainbow filigree she painted all over her room over the years. She paused to look at her favourite painting.

A pretty girl with olive skin stood among the rainbow vines, barefoot, her brown and dark amber eyes stared up lovingly at the flowers, while her cat ears and tail communicated tranquil joy, her curly brown hair flowing into the blossoming flowers and beaming.

September first, it wasn't only the day Luna would board the train, but it was also Hermione's fourteenth birthday. And Luna made her the perfect present! She grabbed the brown paper wrapped parcel off her desk and couldn't help but smirk. Luna imagined Hermione's beautiful brown eyes sparkling galaxies as she opened it.

Luna stopped spinning to throw open the doors of her wardrobe, wondering what she should wear. She picked out a blue pinafore with stars and moons hand-pained over it, a yellow sundress with embroidered sunflowers.

"Which one should I wear?" she asked.

Artemis stretched and yawned, not seeming interested in Luna's outfit choice. Then the kitten narrowed her sapphire eyes before leaping down from her shoulders.

"I know she's dating Hiro, Artemis!" Luna groaned. "I'm allowed to look nice for my best friend, you know!"

Artemis began grooming the sole patch of white, shaped like a star, on her chest before gesturing to the jar of kibble she kept on her desk.

"Of course, breakfast!" Luna laughed, pouring the kibble into her bowl. "Oh! I'll do the blue with a pink blouse. I like that."

Artemis began eating, purring as Luna pet her.

Luna sang Brown Eyed Girl as she got dressed with her chosen outfit. She fastened a yellow belt around her waist, pulled on rainbow knee high socks.

"How do I look?" she twirled and beamed. "Oh! I know!"

She fastened her bottle cap neck around her neck and put in her favourite pair of radish earrings. Luna smiled at her reflection knowing that she very much looked like herself, something she couldn't really do in school with the uniform and approved hairstyles mandated whenever outside the dormitories.. She took the sunflower crown hanging off her mirror and wondered if Hermione would like Luna being so unapologetically herself as much as she did.

"Now, did we pack everything, Artemis?" she asked, placing the small box in her pocket.

Artemis returned to her perch on Luna's shoulders and purred happily as she skipped down the stairs, conscious of the kitten on her shoulders. She learned how to skip with Artemis over the months so they could both express their joy.

"Morning, Daddy!" She kissed his cheek.

"Good morning, my little luna moth!" her father grinned over his coffee. "I made your favourite."

Luna gasped and stared at the sliced strawberries on top of bright green pancakes with heaps of cream and maple syrup. Black tea sweetened with strawberry sauce sat at the table, a little foam rabbit jiggling over the mug.

"Strawberry matcha pancakes and bunny tea!" she squealed in excitement. "Thanks, Daddy!"

"Any time, luna moth," he beamed, his silver eyes crinkling around the edges. "Oh, owl post came in today, and it looks like you got something."

Luna chased a bite of matcha pancake down with her tea. "Who's sending me mail the day before school?"

He handed her the white envelope and Luna immediately recognised Hermione's neat, but hurried scrawl. "It's from Hermione."

"Do you mean only the prettiest, cutest, cleverest, bravest girl in the whole world?" he grinned, arching a silver-blond eyebrow.

Luna felt her face flush with warmth, she wasn't normally one to blush, but her father's grin and the image of Hermione smiling had Luna wishing her capillaries behaved themselves. "She has a boyfriend, Daddy. Fiance actually."

"Fiance?" her father coughed. "Wait, how old is this girl?"

"Turns fourteen today," Luna said.

Her father sighed, and smiled. "I wouldn't count on it lasting, sweet. But in any case, there are other girls."

Other girls. Luna thought back to everyone she thought she might fancy. Well, Hermione was the only one to make her feel so..she wasn't exactly sure. But she certainly liked Newt, they were fun, funny, and their nose crinkled when they laughed. Ron was funny, and not exactly hard on the eyes either. Though he was a bit mean, and it was hard for her to forgive for hurting Hermione so many times. But Hermione, Luna so badly wanted her to be her person.

Luna held Hermione's letter close to her. "And boys, and—-well, I don't think I care about gender at all, Daddy."

"Oh!" He smiled. "So boys and girls! That's fifty-percent more fish in the sea."

Luna smiled and tilted her head to the side. "I'm pretty sure that's not how it works, Daddy."

Her father sighed and began eating his own pancakes. "So, what does the prettiest, cutest, cleverest, bravest girl in the whole world say?"

"Let's see!" Luna tore open the letter and her fluttering heart sank.

Dear Luna,

I'm sure by the time you receive this letter you'll have heard about the attack at the Quidditch World Cup. Hiro, Kaori, Sayaika, Miyuki, Harry, the Weasleys (more than four to list, haha), and I are all safe. I plan to send out letters to some of the staff to enquire about missing people and captured wizards. I don't think the Dark Mark was a tasteless prank, and I want to know who made Winky (the house elf that used to be Crouch's slave!) cast it.

Anyway, the attack scared my dad. He did what my dad does best and took me home. I really wish we didn't live at the school sometimes. So now, I won't be able to join you on the train this year. I'm really, truly, very sorry, Luna. I wish I could have convinced him to leave me with the Weasleys, but if I'm being honest, I didn't try. I wish I had at least done that, but, well, you know my dad.

Again, I'm so sorry. I made a promise and broke it. But I can't wait to see you at school! Library before the first bell?

Love,

Hermione

Luna's shoulders slumped. She would be riding the train alone again. She shouldn't have cared, she loved being weird, trying to be normal, to suppress herself, stifling her, as if her spirit was slamming on the walls of her flesh demanding to break out. People made fun of her, and it hurt, but that suffocating, tight-chested feeling hurt more. That didn't mean she enjoyed being ostracised

"Professor Snape took her home early," she let Artemis lick a dollop of cream from her finger tip. "They live at Hogwarts, so we won't be on the train together."

"I'm sorry, little luna moth," her father said. "I know you were looking forward to meeting her. And you look so cute too."

"Hey, I did this for me!" Luna stuck her tongue out, but she also had wanted Hermione to make the same assessment.

"Of course," he kissed her forehead. "Now eat up, so we can catch the train."


Neville Longbottom hated the first of September since he was twelve-years-old. Sure, he was happy to go, thrilled at the prospect of meeting new friends, and, if he were honest, leaving his grandmother three years ago. He imagined proving himself to his grandmother as a talented wizard, of meeting friends and making mischief, and finally finding a place where he belonged, where people cared if he lived or—well, if people cared about him at all.

All of his fantasies were dashed within the first term. His grades were abysmal, the professors were consistently mean to him over things he couldn't help, and then there were the other kids. They all were so awful, jinxing him, making fun of him, shoving him in places he could barely fit, and the nice ones were patronising at best. He had no friends, no one to joke with, commiserate with, nor hang out with in Hogsmede or the corridors.

Only Hermione sent him letters over the summer, and even that was sparse. At school only his gran sent him letters, always reminding him how his parents would be ashamed if they still had their minds.

At least at home, his gran was the only one reminding him of that. And she was nothing compared to the professors and students. He sighed, prepared to spend another train ride alone, knowing that Ginny Weasley only joined him last year because she couldn't find her friends.

Neville clutched his spotted toad to his chest and wondered if he should have joined the Hogwarts Herald back in second year with Luna and Hermione.

So you could contribute nothing? Watch them laugh at you when you fail to spell the simplest words in whatever articles you've been assigned?

Neville shook his head and looked at the pile of books in his bag, wondering how long it would take him to catch up. He and his gran got them as soon as the list came in, and he spent hours pouring over them, but it just—no one ever believed him.

"What do you mean the letters move ?" Gran asked. "There's no spell, and I've checked you for all the curses. You're just not trying hard enough!"

"But it's true!" Neville cried over Spelling Before Spelling, his chubby hands clutching the thick paper. "Everytime I think I got it, the words just— change !"

Gran narrowed her eyes at him and pinched his ear with an iron grip. "Enough with this nonsense! You're seven , Neville! Your father could read this book with ease by the time he was four!"

"But Gran!" Neville begged.

"No!" she snapped. "Read it again. We're not leaving this room until you read it to me!"

Neville shuddered at the memory. At fourteen, he could read now, but it was still so hard. His stomach churned every time he saw the professors scrawl intricate instructions on the board. Every time he was made to remember something. Told to focus. Why the fuck couldn't he just read? Remember new information? All things a four-year-old should have been able to do, and he just...couldn't.

"Now, Neville," Gran scanned him with her hawk-like blue eyes. "This is a very important year. This is the last year before the OWLs, and the foundation of everything you'll do next year. If you don't try, you won't go anywhere in life. You need to get this down. Do you understand, Neville?"

Neville shrank under his grandmother's gaze and stared at his shoes. "I know, Gran."

Gran hugged Neville and kissed his cheek. "I'll write you every week. Things will be fine. Just try."

I always do, he thought, but said: "I will, I promise."

"Good boy," she smiled.


"What is wrong with that girl?" Terry Boot whispered to Rachel Grenfield.

"I don't know," the curly haired ravenclaw girl replied. "Hey, Luna, why do you have a garden in your hair?"

Luna smiled and shrugged before tipping the flower crown. "Just felt like it today. I think sunflowers are my favourite. Did you know that they turn to face each other when the sun's out?"

Rachel Grenfield gave her the same awkward look she'd given her since first year. "No—erm—I didn't. You're very colourful."

"Thanks!" Luna smiled.

She should have expected the cruel laughter that under cut the compliment. "Like a rainbow vomited. And the silver slippers? Going to Oz any time soon, Dorothy?"

"Say hi to the Madhatter for me!" Terry Boot Smirked.

"That's silly," Luna blinked. "The Madhatter's from Alice in Wonderland. They're two completely different books, Terry. You didn't know?"

Terry narrowed his eyes. "Whatever, freak."

Luna sighed and shrugged, skipping away, determined to be unphased by the idiots. Why did they care how Luna dressed? And fuck them, she liked being a freak.

"Luna!" a sunny voice called from behind her.

Luna turned to see a very tall girl with long strawberry blonde hair, in a pink flowy sundress and a pink flower pinning a plaited band behind her ear. She beamed, the smallest owl Luna had ever seen chirped on her shoulder, its amber eyes dominating its face.

The girl was sixteen-year-old Deirdre Delaney, one of Hermione's friends from being pushed up two classes, and a writer on the Hogwarts Herald. Luna loved how easily Deirdre was just Deirdre. She loved animals and plants and was vocal about it. Easy going and whimsical, everything Luna felt she was herself. Though she didn't know the owl.

"I'm so glad you kept the flower crown I made you," Deirdre delicately tapped the petals. "Nice preservation work, kid. Oh!" she gestured to the grey speckled owl. "This is Breena, she's an elf owl. Artemis is so big!"

Luna kissed Artemis's forehead. "I know, I can hardly believe she was the runt!"

"Me neither!" the girls laughed and headed to a compartment.

Sitting alone in the compartment was Skylar Sloan, a student in Hufflepuff year, already in robes with even brown skin and amber eyes on high cheekbones and long black hair plaited. They read a book on their own but looked up and smiled at Deirdre.

"What kept you?" they asked with a raised brow.

"Found some youth to corrupt," she shrugged, gesturing to Luna.

Skylar rolled their eyes and laughed. "Oh, she was a mini-you, before you met!"

"Hey!" Luna stuck her tongue out. "Artemis and I resent that. I'm—erm—less much more—is that a ukulele?"

Deirdre laughed and gestured to the one strapped to her back. "Yeah. I decided I'm okay with torturing my fellow Hufflepuffs after all."

Luna gasped and stared wide eyed. "I fucking love the ukulele! Can you teach me? Please? "


"Hey!" Theodore Knott growled. "Watch where you're lumbering around that fat arse!"

"S-sorry," Neville murmured, trying to move around him.

"Oh be nice," Pansy Parkinson grinned. "We don't want him to start blubbering ."

Milicent Bullstrode averted her gaze as the other two laughed. That girl was two years older than them and easily twice Neville's size, but he guessed Pansy only mocked overweight Gryffindors.

"I'm not even sure he'd know how to navigate the straight corridor," Pansy Parkinson added.

"Can I just get through?" Neville swallowed, keeping his eyes on his feet.

"I don't know," Pansy said. " Can he, Millicent?"

Millicent Bullstrode lumbered forward, leering over him, her dark eyes challenging him to attempt a move. Neville gulped, he knew this girl could tear him limb from limb if she wanted.

"Picking on the littluns, again, Millicent?" an Irish voice sneered from behind them. "Is it because they're the only ones who want to play with you? I don't think I remember the last time someone from our year could be bothered with you. But I suppose your inability to grasp the simplest spell and your neanderthal brow don't help there."

A scrawny Slytherin boy with long red hair tied behind him and freckles. He glared at the girl, and though Neville thought she could snap him in half, Millicent did step aside, but she glared at him and seethed: "I wouldn't be talking if I were you, Lolicon!"

"For the last time, Bulstrode," the boy sneered. "We're just friends. And I'm only two years older than her."

"Three," Pansy chirped. "We all know he lied about her age to hide the affair he had with a student."

"Sure," the boy scoffed. "Talk like that will get you expelled."

Pansy's pug-like face split into a wicked smile. "Maybe you would, but I'm untouchable."

"Fuck off," he groaned. "Comeon, kid."

Neville followed the older Slytherin boy with a knot in his stomach. He recognised him as one of Hermione's Hogwarts Herald friends, but he couldn't remember his name, and why he decided to defend Neville from his own housemates was beyond Neville. Fear begged him to stop, but curiosity pushed him forward. Until they stopped at a compartment door.

"Damien O'Malley, by the way," the boy said. "You're Neville Longbottom, yeah?"

Neville nodded as ukulele music floated through the door. O'Malley flung open the door and Neville was shocked to see the scene before him.

An older girl with strawberry blond hair and flowers in her hair sat cross legged on the floor, coaching a smiling Luna Lovegood (who had a cat on her shoulder) on a brown ukulele with pink flowers painted on it. A student with long black hair and dark skin stretched out on the bench opposite them, relaxed with live chamomile and lavender draped over their eyes. Neville couldn't tell if they were a boy or a girl.

"Neville Longbottom," O'Malley said. "Welcome to our little band of freaks."

The older girl smiled up at him, and Neville noticed that she had the smallest owl on her shoulder, and a dancing venus flytrap, with several flowers in a bowl of water on her lap.

"I promise we're not as bad as he makes us sound," she beamed.

Neville admired the girl's spell work, watching the snapping traps sway to Luna's scales in the water. The flowers should have been bulbs if at all, but, instead they were full tropical blooms releasing a sweet perfumy scent that elevated the calming chamomile and lavender.

"We are," the student grinned from under their blind fold. "Freaks,weirdos,and misfits!"

"And that is why Skylar doesn't write club promotions in our paper," Luna joked, not looking up from the fret-board.

"I thought you wanted to sleep, Sky?" the girl rolled her eyes. "Not sure if you remember my name, I'm Deirdre Delaney."

Neville sat beside Deirdre, hesitantly, and warmth rose to his cheeks, but he couldn't help but stare at the dancing carnivorous plant. "How'd you—erm—how'd you get it to dance like that?"

Deirdre blushed but pointed at the growth stock above the water line. "You see plants enjoy music like we do, sensing vibrations and moving with them. By enchanting the seeds, I can make them move more dramatically to them, but not hurt them."

"That is–erm–so cool!" Neville exclaimed.

"I can teach you," Deirdre offered.

Neville shook his head and looked away. "I'm–erm–I'm complete rubbish with magic. I—erm–I'll just muck it up."

Luna stopped playing and shot him a no-nonsense look. One that would be easier to take seriously if she weren't dressed like a princess. "No, you're not. All you need is confidence. Even Hermione says she's jealous of your herbology talent."

"R-really?" Neville gasped.

"Give it a shot, kid," O'Malley shrugged, moving Skylar's feet. "Last I checked, compartments are supposed to hold eight."

"Skylar needs beauty sleep!" they groaned.

"Skylar needs a swift kick up the arse!"

They all burst into laughter and Luna was the first to speak, only sending the five of them into stitches.

"I'm still waiting for you two to snog," she giggled. "Or more."

" Not happening," O'Malley elbowed Skylar.

"The gentleman doth protest too much me thinks," Skylar sang.

"Oh, feck off, ye git!"

"That's how you know Skylar's won," Deirdre stage whispered into Neville's ear.

"I'm—erm—still plotting my revenge," O'Malley flushed pink and averted his gaze. To Luna's surprise, Deirdre did as well.


A sudden knock on the compartment door and a fifth-year hufflepuff with a pale face, brown hair and wide hazel eyes peaked in, one that Luna knew and admired. "Erm—Sorry, everywhere else is full. Is it okay if we come in?"

"Newt!" Luna sang. "It's great to see you again."

"Erm, thanks, Luna," Newt nodded, coming, and he gestured behind them. "Come on, Gwen."

Gwen followed him in. Luna wasn't familiar, but she looked to be around the same age of Newt, and tall, with umber and olive patched skin, and curling black hair tied bag with a blue bow, while pink ringlets framed her heart-shaped face.

"Hey, Newt," Deirdre said awkwardly before turning her attention back to Neville.

Luna wondered what was wrong with Deirdre, but shrugged before turning to greet the new girl.

"You play?" she asked.

Luna shook her head. "Deirdre's teaching me."

"Yeah," Deirdre didn't take her eyes off the plant. "I originally wanted to play the acoustic guitar, like the Indigo Girls, but—well, this was much easier to carry."

Gwen gasped and her brown eyes grew twice their size and a grin split from ear to year. "Bitch, I love the Indigo Girls!"

"Indigo girls?" Luna asked.

"Just the best American folk band ever!" Gwen exclaimed.

"Yeah," Deirdre agreed. "My mam hates it, saying Ireland's enough musical talent for anyone, but I need more acoustic lesbians in my life."

"I wonder if I'll be able to play my portable CD player on the train," Gwen mused. "Give everyone a listen."

"I think magical interference might be a problem," Luna said. "I read in Hogwarts a History that magic and electronics don't mix."

"You actually read that?" O'Malley scoffed.

"Didn't everyone?" Luna asked.

"Erm," Neville turned red. "I didn't really read any of the optional books. Well, except for Son of Hermes. "

"I love Son of Hermes!" Gwen squealed.

"You're in good company!" Luna smirked, intrigued by the older Hufflepuff. "Remember in Athena's Artefice when—-"

"Spoilers,Luna!" Neville clapped his hands over his ears.

"Oh!" Luna covered her mouth. "Sorry, I just thought where you started back in second year that you—"

"Yeah," Neville sighed and cradled his head in his head, embarrassed. "I'm only on Huntress of the Moon. It's hard to juggle with school and—-"

"I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU!" someone screamed. "You know what? Go on, I'm just going to ride here…if it's not full. But if it is–I'll figure it out!"

"Padma," an identical voice groaned. "Don't be stupid. Just apologise."

"Not happening."

"Don't be so childish!"

"Oh did you get that wisdom from the full twenty minutes you were alive before me?!" Padma swung open the door to the compartment, and awkwardly smiled. "Erm—any chance you lot got room for one more?"

"Of course, Padma!" Luna beamed. "You're the closest thing I have to a friend in Ravenclaw."

"Erm, well," Padma gulped, but entered, twiddling her thumbs. "Thanks, Luna."

Parvati, however, rolled her eyes before glaring at her twin. "Fine, have fun with Looney Lovegood and her merry band of misfits."

"I will!" Padma snapped, sitting beside Luna and crossing her arms and legs in fury.

"You know what? Mum was right about you!" Parvati huffed, slamming the compartment door behind her.

"What was that about?" Gwen asked.

Padma's cheeks flushed as she found her feet and nervously soothed her long black plait.

Neville nodded. "Yeah, Parvati's normally so nice."

" Nice?" Padma scoffed. "She just wants to be Mum's perfect ickle girl, and I have to be her copy. God, do you know how many people confuse me for her when we're not wearing our house colours?"

Luna mused on this, she had definitely made that mistake before. It must have been frustrating. "Maybe change up your hairstyle? It's hard for people to tell identical twins apart."

"We're fraternal!" Padma snapped. "And my eyes are darker than hers!"

Luna blinked. "Sorry, Padma."

A whistle interrupted the scene and suddenly the train lurched forward, sending those seated on the floor forward, and Padma tripped, Gwen quickly catching her before she could faceplant on the carpeted floor.

"Are you okay?" Gwen asked.

"Erm," Padma's ochre cheeks flushed red, and she soothed her long black plait while sitting next to Luna."Yeah, I'm fine. I'm Padma Patil."

"Gwendolyn Glynn," she grinned. "You can call me Gwen!"

"Well," Luna beamed back. "I'm glad you joined our 'merry band of misfits!'"

O'Malley scoffed and rolled his eyes. "Yeah, kid. Welcome to the compartment of losers."

"And freaks!" Skylar added.

Deirdre waved her wand to clean up the water and sat between Skylar and O'Malley, elbowing them both. "And don't forget weirdos!"

While Luna missed Hermione, she felt at home as the group talked about their summers, discussing books, plans for the year and the excitement of the Hogwarts Herald going legit. Luna felt like a real paper editor, and couldn't have found a group of people better to share the paper with.

Luna expected to spend the hours long train ride to Hogwarts alone, but she found a home in her compartment of losers, freaks and weirdos.