Chapter 64. Luna Lovegood

Just as I was about to question this strange girl’s motives, the door to the compartment opened. I turned around, and the moment I did, the sudden feeling of being charged into accompanied cries of joy. “Lucas! How was summer?” I immediately recognized her dark brown hair, easily mistaken for black at times. Her voice was very similar, but her height had changed relative to mine. Before, we were the same height, now I was tall enough to see the top of her head as she tightly hugged me.

Draco was right behind her, despite his longer hair, and taller stature, his usual smirk gave him away to who he was. “Just the same as the end of last year.” He scoffed, shaking his head, his arms crossed over his chest. It was true, at the end of the year Pansy had gotten… More physical. She touched, bumped, hugged, and occasionally smacked me playfully on the off chance I cracked a joke. “Nice to see you both.” I said looking at Draco.

I patted Pansy’s back as Draco made his way inside the compartment, casually hitting my left arm as he walked past. “Who are you?” He suddenly asked, Pansy moving away from me to see around. Draco looked in confusion, and a small bit of contempt seeing the raven on her lapel. Suddenly the girl seemed much more nervous, avoiding looking at Draco or Pansy directly as she spoke. “Apologies, but I have to be in this cabin…” She muttered, scooting as far into the seat as possible away from the three of us.

“Blonde hair, Ravenclaw… I’ve heard of you before, Loony Lovegood.” Draco scoffed at her. “Who names their daughter Loony?” I asked in confusion, Draco sighed at me as the train suddenly jerked on its way to Hogwarts. I glanced at Pansy, seeing her just as confused as I while she looked back at the strange expressionless girl. “Of course neither of you two would know about school matters outside of quizzes and tests, almost more Ravenclaw than she is.” He said, taking the opposite side of Loony, wanting as far away from her as possible.

He then pointed at her, the vindictiveness of his fingertip causing Pansy to wince a bit, Looney looking absentmindedly out the window. “That is the weirdest student of Ravenclaw, not to be outdone by the strange one in Hufflepuff.” Pansy chuckled with a shrug, not wanting to say much about it while we sat down as well. Pansy took the spot beside Loony, but still much closer to me, her leg almost touching mine.

“How did you end up in our compartment?” Pansy asked, Loony continued to look through the rainy window, a storm beginning to encompass the train. “There was no space for me…” She said in that strange manner of speech. Light tone, yet little to no words. Words that all seemed directed more towards the air than the person she responded to. Definitely a strange character, but this one didn’t give me a strange sense of connection as the one from Hufflepuff.

The cabin became encompassed in silence again, Draco yawning in boredom. “I would normally kick you out to another cabin, but since I’m too tired from being woken up too early for this…” He shuffled in his seat, laying down and closing his eyes. He then opened one up and looked at Pansy and I. “Keep an eye on her would you?” He said, untrusting of her.

Pansy and I both scoffed and nodded in silence, a wave of sleepiness also hitting me as well. ‘I did stay up later last night from Val’s excitement, now he’s already asleep too…’ I sighed as I rested my head against my seat, my eyes became heavy as the pitter patter of raindrops bounced from the glass window just beside me. Pansy didn’t fare much better, later resting her head against my shoulder, the memory of her sleeping while I waited for Merlin’s response came to my tired mind.

However, with that, came Merlin’s response to my plight. On that sour note I clicked my tongue, opening my eyes once again, no longer feeling tired. “Bad dream?” The calming voice of Loony asked as she stared at me. I frowned seeing her strange bright eyes focusing onto me. “Nothing of your concern, Lovegood.” I said, looking out the window, noticing that the darkness of the storm we were heading into had fully descended upon us. “It’s Luna…” She said in an almost whisper, her tone constantly gentle, much to the opposite of her neutral expression.

“My name is Luna Lovegood… My friends gave me that nickname, and it seemed to have stuck…” I looked back at Luna, frowning at her in disbelief. The name Luna twisting in my chest for what it represented. “If you are delusional enough to call those ‘friends’ then I can see why they feel safe from any repercussions to their own actions.” I said, curt in my manor of speech, sick of all the bullying that occurred for any possible reason others could excuse. ‘Draco has sort of mellowed from being separated from Crab and Goyle, but still has the occasional jaunt…’

I flinched when seeing Luna tilt her head as she leaned closer to look at me, her sky blue eyes looking me over, very carefully. “You are very gentle…” She said, matter-of-factly, making me shake my head in disbelief at her sudden comment. “Excuse me? You don’t know me, and I’d thank you to keep your delusions to yourself before others may call you insane.” I quickly answered back, frowning at the strange girl. She only blinked a few times in silence, before suddenly asking a new question.

“Have you ever read the Quibbler?” I frowned in confusion. “The what?” Luna quietly reached into her bookbag, I noticed only now that she was covered in trinkets. A few bracelets that rustled against each other, and a stag beetle ring on her left index finger. However what caught my attention most was the necklace, a cork from something being kept closest to her chest. I slowly brought my hand to my chest, the difference between the unicorn blood which was now gone, and Basilisk fang now present came with memories I’d rather not think about now.

The shuffling of papers brought my attention back as Luna presented me with a strange newspaper. I carefully took the paper, doing my best to keep as steady as possible to not wake Pansy from her sleep. “It’s an older issue…” She said, glancing at Luna I could see she was staring at me intensely watching my every move as I studied her newspaper. I cautiously looked at the main title, my heart almost leaping from my chest as I read the headline. Witch unknowingly Werewolf!?

I gulped, trying to keep my expressions neutral. ‘Does she know? That would be impossible. Even Voldemort had no idea that I didn’t know. Coincidence?’ I flipped the pages to the designated section for the headline, trying to act as calm as possible as I read. ‘I had no idea, you have to believe me! An unnamed Witch testifies, saying that she had no memories of the time when she was changed.’ I continued reading the article, seeing more and more similarities between her and myself. My heart raced, needing to know more of our similar abnormalities.

“Who is the creator of this?” I asked, the Witch’s name never being mentioned throughout the article, leaving me only the journalist left as a paper trail. “My father…” Luna said, looking over Pansy’s shoulder to see what I was reading. I frowned while quickly closing the newspaper, handing it back to her without another word. My mind, too preoccupied with the idea of sending an anonymous letter for more information.

However, a sudden jerk, accompanied by loud screeching of the wheels slowing us to a halt took my concentration. Pansy and Draco woke up, both equally confused. “What’s happening?” “Are we there already?” They both asked, stretching themselves awake. “No, I don’t-” I was about to say, but another big thump sent the lights out throughout the train. Anxious, I grabbed my wand while looking around.