Ginny wondered if she should have done more to her hair. It hung around her shoulders, its auburn waves refusing to cooperate. She'd just have to leave it loose. It looked like a crown of flames; dangerous, uncontrollable. She grinned impishly in the mirror, before hastily rearranging her features into various expressions.
It was her secret to appearing confident, both on and off the Quidditch field. Practicing her smiles and blank expressionless gazes meant that she felt more in-control of what everyone was seeing. Sometimes, she didn't know where the performance ended, and she began. It was beginning to scare her, but she pushed that thought down. Now was not the time.
She'd done her make-up minimally, a spot of mascara and a quick swipe of lip balm. She stared at the stranger in the mirror. It was Thea's make-up, and the effect was startling. Ginny looked older, somehow. She stared at the tube of berry lip balm. Don't make a big deal about it, she told herself firmly. It's not like our lips really touched… She shook her head to clear the thought. Since when had she become such a germophobe?
Gathering her things, she made her way out of the common room, passing a group of first-years playing exploding snap. She remembered when she'd been in first year… It felt simultaneously like both no time and an eternity had passed since her days as Ron's shy younger sister.
Luna woke to shafts of light dancing across her eyelids. She groaned. Why was the ground so hard and uneven? Shifting slightly, she felt a sharp sting in her back.
She sat bolt upright. Oh no! no, no, no, no! She'd fallen asleep, yet again. How was she ever going to get a good sketch of the Thrynxia if she slept through her stakeouts? The little pixies were known to be elusive, which is why there were no current published records of them. Luna wanted to change that; but first, she needed to properly see one. Sighing, and resigning herself to yet another disappointment, she slowly stretched, standing up amidst the tall trees growing in greenhouse nine. The morning sun filtered in through the layers of leaves, the refracted rainbows of light darting across the pavers.
It was lucky she didn't have plans for the Saturday. It was going to be a nice quiet day, Luna thought. Nowhere to be and nothing to do. Somehow this didn't have the same soothing effect as it normally would. It must have been the disappointment of not seeing the Thrynxia, she told herself.
She knew it was a lie.
Ever since she'd hauled Ginny out from the lake, some of her moments of quiet had lost their tranquillity. Now they seemed empty somehow, as if Ginny's unexpected presence that night had popped the bubble of Luna's solitude. She shook her head to clear it. She was just being silly, anyhow.
It's not as if a random encounter with a classmate was important in the great scheme of things.
That's what it was; it had felt important. Luna weighed the word in her head for a moment. Important.
She normally associated the word with her art, her aspirations or her family. The things she loved. Important didn't really describe a single moment with a classmate. Had it been that? Had it been a moment?
She needed to stop thinking so much. A nice cup of tea would fix her right up. She knew where Professor Sprout kept the best tea powders and dried flowers, so she carefully picked her way through the various roots and trees, being careful not to step on any poor unsuspecting plants. She pulled out a few purple leaves, humming as she added a spray of white petals to her mug. She waved her wand, casting a quick boiling charm, then, mug in hand, she pulled open the creaky door of the greenhouse and made her way outside.
She headed straight to the side entrance of the Great Hall –it was the fastest way into the Ravenclaw rooms from the greenhouses. She sipped her tea on the way. It tasted slightly of metal. She sipped it again. The sharp tang persisted, overwhelming her senses for a moment. She'd made a very strong brew, it seemed.
Commanding her suddenly leaden legs forward, she traipsed into the Great Hall. The ceiling mimicked a clear autumn morning, bright and crisp. Luna could almost smell the woodsmoke.
Wait, she could smell woodsmoke. Was something burning? She wanted to lift her head, to tell someone, but her thoughts were swimming. Feeling faint, she fell into a dark oblivion.
Ginny scrambled through the doors of the Great Hall, intent on getting to Hogsmeade early. Her feet skidded to a halt over the threshold when she saw Luna, swaying in the doorway. Her feet stumbled briefly, and as her eyes closed, her body crumpled.
Acting on instinct, Ginny dove. She managed to stop Luna's head from hitting the cobbled floor, but a second longer and she wouldn't have been so lucky.
Luna's head was unusually warm. Ginny placed the back of her hand against Luna's forehead, checking her temperature.
"Luna!" came a cry.
Ginny looked up to see a short and slight sixth year. She recognised the girl from last year's Ancient Runes class.
"Hi Maisie," Ginny smiled, greeting the Ravenclaw warmly.
"What happened?" Maisie fretted, too frazzled to return any greeting.
"I don't know," Ginny admitted. "I just walked through those doors a second ago, but I could tell something was wrong, and I caught her just in time." This last comment earned Ginny a quick glance from Maisie. She must have imagined it, but was it something like suspicion or jealousy on Maisie's face?
"It's lucky you did," Maisie said, all traces of that fleeting look gone. "But I can take it from here." Her voice emanated confidence and authority. "I'm one of Luna's close friends, I'll take her to the hospital wing."
Ginny didn't know why, but this made her feel slightly irritated. "I'll give you a hand," she said. It wasn't a question.
Luna gave a soft whimper, drawing both girls' attention back to her. Her lips were turning a strange shade of blue-grey, which made Ginny's stomach convulse.
People were beginning to stare, but Maisie quickly pushed the doors open, gesturing for Ginny to follow suite.
Ginny scooped up Luna, carrying her awkwardly bridal-style through the passage. This must have been what Luna had to do that night at the lake, Ginny thought.
She blushed with the memory, pushing the thought aside. Now that she was returning the favour, maybe they could be proper friends. She held Luna more tightly, worried that they wouldn't get the chance if she didn't hurry.
Rather than leading Ginny down the usual hall to the Infirmary's entry, Maisie passed the door without a second glance. Ginny bit back her retort; Maisie was Luna's friend, after all. And on top of that, she was a Ravenclaw. They were known for being reliable and steadfast with their academic commitments.
Still, as they passed hall after hall, and Luna didn't stir, Ginny felt real tendrils of fear begin to creep into her stomach. What if this was all a ploy? What if Maisie wasn't really Luna's friend?!
These thoughts were quickly dispelled once Maisie began climbing the tall spiral staircase which marked the entrance to Ravenclaw tower. Ginny suddenly felt like an idiot.
The knocker noticed Ginny and seemed displeased, but spouted a riddle, nonetheless.
"I always run, but never walk, I often murmur, but never talk. I have a bed, but never sleep, and a mouth, but I never eat. What am I?" Ginny nearly scoffed. Somehow, the riddle managed to sound like Luna.
Without wasting a second, Maisie answered: "A river". Her voice was quiet, but clipped. The door swung open, revealing a beautifully high-ceilinged tower room draped in all shades of blue.
"Lie her down there, please," Maisie said, gesturing to a pile of silver pillows by a bookshelf. "Upright, if you can."
Ginny quickly organised the pillows so that Luna was propped up gently, her soft hair framing her face like gold gossamer. Ginny reached out a hand to check Luna's brow and found it scalding hot. She cursed softly and looked up, eyes searching for Maisie.
The brunette returned with a dropper and amber liquid. Maisie brushed it gently across Luna's forehead with her fingers, and use the carefully administered three drops to her lips. Softly, she muttered "sana eam".
It felt like an eternity, but Ginny watched as Luna's eyes cracked slowly open. Her blue eyes met Ginny's first, before she noticed Maisie leaning over her wrist, counting her pulse.
She smiled softly at Maisie, and Ginny couldn't help but feel a twinge in her gut. Maisie grinned right back; her pixie-like features illuminated in the soft glow of the common room. She was pretty, Ginny reluctantly admitted.
"Couldn't have you going back to the infirmary now, could we?" Maisie smiled mischievously at her disoriented friend.
Luna made a weak attempt to playfully push her friend. "Come on, it's not that bad!"
"Really?" Maisie raised her eyebrows. "I seem to recall a certain Madame Pompfrey threatening to enchant you so that you couldn't get into any more 'dangerous situations'". Her fingers put air quotes around the last two words.
"Okay, okay!" Luna relented, and Ginny could see a twinkle in her eye. "Thanks." She seemed to suddenly remember Ginny was there too, and offered up a "Thank you, too" to the redhead.
Ginny tried not to focus on the fact that she had smiled more at Maisie than her. It was fine, they weren't even proper friends or anything.
Still confused, Ginny asked, "So, what happened, exactly?"
"Wraith-leaf, by the symptoms," Maisie concluded. "Did you mix it up with the teas in the Herbarium? It does look a little like rosehip," she mused.
"I don't think I would have," Luna said, head cocked to the side in confusion. It made the dusting of freckles on her nose catch the light. 'Besides, Professor Sprout wouldn't leave poisons in the tea cabinet."
Maisie shook her head. "We'll have to look into that, then. What matters is that you're alright now," she embraced her friend. Ginny shifted awkwardly. Why was she even here?
"I'd better get going, then. There's someone I was going to meet –I should probably let them know I'm still on my way." Ginny smiled at the two girls, wondering why she suddenly felt so unbalanced.
"Alright, see you around," Maisie said. "Thank you for your help. I wouldn't have been able to carry Luna up all those stairs myself." She smiled and waved as Ginny began picking herself up from the mountain of cushions.
Luna blamed the wraith-leaf, but she didn't want Ginny to go so soon. She still needed to say thank you – Maisie had implied that Ginny had carried her all the way from… she wracked her brains… from the Great Hall, if her memory was to be trusted.
Luna blinked up at Ginny, who was struggling to get out of all the pillows they'd arranged around her. Luna noticed the rippling in the corded muscles in her forearms working to pull her out. She quickly looked away, finding Maisie suddenly more interesting. She wasn't sure why that had seemed so personal. It was just an arm, for goodness' sake!
"Thank you," Luna said sincerely. Ginny had spent her already busy Saturday morning carrying her throughout the castle. Somehow this didn't make her as annoyed as it would have usually.
"I'll see you around," Ginny threw over her shoulder.
"We have to stop meeting like this", Luna teased, smiling at the redhead who'd looked back at her.