Wrackspurts (Part Four)

The Quibbler article did manage to be delivered by the next morning. Before lunch, half the school had read about how: 'The Ministry Covers Up Sirius Black's Lack of Trial' and 'Only The DMLE Head Is Working For Justice'. By dinner the rest had seen it.

Luna quickly found dirty looks directed her way. She had fully expected it as she was the author of both articles. It was part of the reason why she had avoided taking this step for so long. The other was she had gotten used to the protection being friends with Harry and Daphne had afforded her. The others were wonderful true, but people were frightened of Harry and Daphne in particular. Daphne had very deliberately spread the story of the fight with the basilisk to ensure that Harry and she received proper credit. They commanded respect and fear. For a time that had extended to Luna as she was taken under their wing. The wrackspurts…the bullies…had stopped. They didn't want to get on the wrong side of the Slytherin Slayers.

Now that was going to change. Nothing else had worked. Harry had been tearing his hair out for the past two weeks trying to determine what he was missing. What he was overlooking regarding the two fugitives. But he had come up blank. So Luna had acted. She had sacrificed her protection to help her friend. She would deal with the consequences as she had for so long until he had come.

She was left alone until 9:55 pm. Just prior to curfew. Marietta, Lisa and a girl whose name she did not know, came for her as they had all last year. They laughed as they stripped her, berating her for printing her delusions. For showcasing her oddity. For presuming to be friends with Harry Potter. For standing in the way of her betters. For daring to be different.

Luna refused to give them the satisfaction of knowing their barbs hurt. She never once let her eyes fill with tears nor did she cry out as they slapped her nor did she plead as they forced her out of the Common Room to wander the halls. They let her keep her bra and panties for which she was grateful, but she did not show it. It would only be worse the next time if she showed any emotion. She had learned that long ago. Luna would endure as she always had. She had friends she could go to in the morning. She had a room with a delightful couch she could curl up on for the evening. Luna would endure.

Then she heard the laughter. "Well, well, well, if it isn't Loony Lovegood," Marcus Flint crooned from behind her.

Luna's thoughts froze. Flint was even worse than Draco Malfoy. All Malfoy would do would be throw a few curses, maybe lock her in a closet for the night and surreptitiously unlock it in the morning. Flint…might not unlock the closet.

With widening eyes Luna realized that it might be even worse. She had recently hit puberty and actually required the bra now. Flint would want to sample the fruit before he spoiled it.

"Good evening, Marcus Flint," she said injecting a bit of mocking into her airy voice carefully modulated to show complete disinterest even as her muscles tensed.

"Girls shouldn't wander the halls this late at night you know, Loony." He stopped behind her. Close enough for Luna to feel the brute's breath on her neck. "Marietta told me you might be up here around now. Such a shame to see that she was correct…I suppose I should…lead you back." His hand running down her back left no illusions on just where exactly he intended to lead her.

"Why, thank you. I appreciate that," she said. She had to wait. Wait just long enough to…

"Oh you'll be thanking me indeed little one," Flint turned her around and leered at her body. Luna used the movement to throw a punch into his neck and lash out with her leg towards his crotch. Flint had better reflexes than she had hoped. He managed to avoid the jab and shifted enough to miss her groin shot. However his move did put his knee into the path of her leg. Grunting in pain Flint fell back holding his injured knee as Luna turned on her heel and bolted. There was no point in trying to get back into the Ravenclaw's Common Room. No doubt Marietta and the others were still there. Instead she had to find other means of escape. She could still perhaps –

Any idea of hiding her pain and continuing along the same path as before fled at Flint's footsteps sounding behind her. "Get back here you little, bitch!" He had long legs. This race would not last long if she didn't take additional steps.

"Comm on, contact Harry!" Luna said between breaths. She thanked all the gods and goddesses she knew that Marietta had left her the earring Harry had given her.

"Wha? W'as goin' on?"

"Harry, where is," she dodged as a red spell shot over her shoulder. Tearing around a corner Luna continued, "where is the Gryffindor Common Room?"

"Luna? Seventh floor, Grand Staircase, North side. Why? Luna why are you breathing heavy?"

"If you wouldn't mind," she paused again as Flint threw another spell at her. She just barely managed to jump over that one though the landing hurt in her bare feet. She jumped onto the staircase and started heading up. "If you wouldn't mind opening the door, I would greatly appreciate it."

"Stop running you little – " Flint's shout was cut off as Luna lobbed a helmet from one of the suits of armor she passed at him.

"Where are you, Luna?" Harry asked all traces of sleep vanished from his voice. "I'm coming." She smiled. Harry had saved her before. He would again.

"One level down, Harry. I should be there in a moment," Luna used her momentum to slingshot around the edge of the banister and into the corridor Harry had specified. Flint seemed to have realized where they were as he redoubled his efforts to catch her. It was useless, the portrait of a rather corpulent woman swung wide in front of her and a roiling aura stood in the open path beyond. She flew into Harry's arms and he swung her aside as he swept his other arm forward.

She burrowed into her savior's chest only dimly realizing he had no shirt on – only a small leather belt with holsters on it was draped over his chest. With a satisfied grin, Luna watched a torrent of water flow out of the palm of Harry's outstretched arm. It flooded towards Flint's lower body and after barely a second froze completely solid. Flint's upper half jerked down and his head smashed into the ice sculpture he was encased in drawing a bit of blood from his nose. The impact threw his wand forward towards the portrait hole and seemed to knock the older boy out.

Harry glared at Flint for long enough to make certain he wasn't a threat then turned his eyes towards Luna. She tried to force back the tears she felt welling up but was only successful in holding them to a sheen across her eyes. She pushed her head into his chest further to avoid him seeing her like that. Avoid him seeing her as weak. As incapable. As unable to defend herself. As pitiable. As useless.

"Luna? Are you alright?" His voice was so gentle. So quiet. No one had spoken to her like that since her mother died. No one had ever even bothered to ask her that question in over two years.

"I am fine, Harry. Thank you for asking," she responded, voice thankfully light and airy and not betraying her feelings at all.

"If you're fine then why was Marcus Flint chasing you through the corridors in the middle of the night?" Harry put his free hand under her chin and lifted her face. Inwardly, Luna cursed that she hadn't managed to dispel the sheen from her eyes yet. "Luna, where are the rest of your clothes?" Most wouldn't have heard it but Luna could detect the strain in his voice – the need for her to answer, to tell him. But it was tempered by the restraint of holding back, of not forcing an answer. With a start Luna remembered back to the day he had asked her to sit with him in the Great Hall. He had said that he had been called names as well. Perhaps…perhaps she should say…something.

"The…the wrackspurts took them," Luna appeared to crumple inward. It was all she could ever say when confronted. It was more than most but it was still not enough.

"Wrackspurts plural? Are the wrackspurts in Ravenclaw, Luna?" he asked quietly. Luna flinched. It was all the answer he needed. Hugging her close, Harry tapped his Comm Stone. "Comm on, contact Hermione. Mione? I need you to come down to Common Room immediately. Bring a spare set of clothes please. Yes. Yes, I'm serious. Yes, it's an emergency. No, I'm fine. Mione…Okay, thanks." He had barely disconnected the call when Hermione flew down the stairs to her dormitory leaping over the last three. Luna saw Hermione quickly scan the Common Room and settle on Harry wrapped around her in a protective cocoon.

Hermione's eyes widened and her nostrils flared. She practically flew across the room and draped the robe over Luna's shoulders. Harry pulled back enough for her to pull it on and smile at the two Gryffindors. "Thank you. It was quite cold."

"Luna, what happened? Are you okay? Did they hurt you? Did they touch you?" Hermione asked softly pulling the blonde into a hug. Luna gave her a quick hug back inwardly sighing that Hermione hadn't minded Luna holding onto her boyfriend's chest.

"I am fine, Hermione. As I told Harry, the wrackspurts took my clothes and Marcus Flint merely took advantage of the opportunity he was presented. Harry assisted in handling the situation," she nodded her head to the still frozen and passed out Flint. Hermione looked over, widened her eyes slightly and then twisted to Harry.

"Freezer," he said with a shrug slotting a rune stone back into his harness. "I heard her being chased but not who was chasing. It's a good nonlethal, but still extremely effective, stopping option. Luna, can you…has this happened before, Luna?"

She hesitated. How was she supposed to answer that? It was a direct question and there were few evasions available. She couldn't use a creature the way he had worded that. With a groan she realized she had hesitated too long. Like her earlier flinch, it was all the answer that Harry needed. He growled and Hermione's lips curled into a snarl as well. The older girl clutched Luna tighter. "Luna," Hermione said stroking her hair. "This is never going to happen again."

"You cannot promise that, Hermione."

"Yes, we can, Luna," Harry said folding into the hug from behind.

Luna wiggled out from both of them growing angry in spite of herself. "No, you cannot. I endured long before any of you came along. I endured my mother's death. I endured my father's insanity. I endured the taunts and the names and the threats and the disappointment and the abuse and the bullying and the hexes. I asked for help tonight because I am older now and Flint is not the type to stop. Thank you for your assistance but I will endure as I have and you cannot promise that this will not occur again. I spent the entirety of my first year learning how to deal with this and I can handle it on my own."

"Luna…" Harry waved her to the couch and down in the chair across from her. Hermione joined her on the couch. "Luna, do you remember the first time you sat down with us at breakfast?" She nodded. "I was like you for a long time. I have friends now though and I have people I can turn to for help and support. People I can lean on when it gets hard and things come crashing down. You have that now too, Luna. We're all here for you. You're not alone anymore and you don't have to deal with this on your own. I may not have a ton of political power just yet but I have enough friends that I can ask for some favors and make sure that people answer for what has happened."

"I don't need that, Harry." She sighed and let the mask slip. It was tiring to keep it up around them.

"Luna, please," Hermione said laying a hand on her leg. "We are your friends. Please let us help. What are the names of the…wrackspurts?"

Luna looked into Hermione's eyes. She let the last remnants of her mask slide and used her full piercing gaze to stare into the depths of Hermione. She knew what effect her look could have on people but the older girl didn't even flinch. Turning to Harry, Luna looking into him as well. Eventually sighing and nodding Luna gave a wry grin and snorted. "You aren't going to let this go are you?"

"They didn't let it go for me, Luna," Harry said giving her a small, sad smile.

"Very well. Marietta Edgecombe, Lisa Turpin, a girl I don't know who hangs out with them. But really there's no point. Nearly the entire House is aware of it. Only Su Li and Padma Patil don't know the extent. They spoke up once when they found my missing clothes and Marietta and the others have been careful around them. I think Cho Chang only believes it to be harmless stealing. So you see? Short of changing Houses, there is no point in doing anything. You cannot take on an entire House, Harry, Hermione."

"Watch me," Harry said, a slightly scary glint entering his eyes. Luna couldn't help but feel buoyed by that. He would never turn that gaze on her but her enemies…Luna grinned in response.

Hermione snorted. "You've been around us long enough, Luna. You should realize not to give Harry a challenge like that."

"Comm on, contact Neville, Daphne, Tracey and Susan," Harry said. "Sorry to wake you all, but we have a bit of a situation. I need everyone to meet outside the door to the Ravenclaw Common Room in five minutes. It really can't wait until then. Great, thanks guys." He tapped his earring and disconnected.

"I didn't know the stones could connect to more than one at once?" Hermione said cocking her head. Luna chuckled quietly. Of course that would be what the witch noticed.

Harry shrugged. "I try not to use them on conference too much for too long. The stones are small enough that a conference call taxes them a bit too much for me to be comfortable with it." Neville came down the stairs to the Common Room yawning and Harry stood up nodding at his friend. "Luna, wait here with Hermione okay? I'm going to go talk to the…wrackspurts about this."

"You don't seriously think you're leaving me out of this?" Hermione asked with raised eyebrows.

"I am not sitting on the sidelines if you are doling out justice like an avenging angel," Luna commented at the same time as Hermione. Both girls looked at each other, smiled and laughed. Hermione waved for Luna to go ahead. "Harry, I am fine. I am uninjured beyond a minor bruise on my shoulder and you have succeeded in ensuring I am calm. If you are going to confront them, I want to be there to watch."

"Confront who? Luna?" Neville narrowed his eyes at her. "I missed the action again didn't I?"

"Don't worry, Neville," Luna said with a smile. "The action is just about to get started. You merely missed the prologue. As did Hermione at that."

"Oh, good," Neville nodded looking a bit more awake. "I keep missing most of the fun stuff and Harry promised I could have first crack at Voldy this time."

"We're not going against Voldy, Nev. Just some schoolmates who have gone a bit too far." Harry said leading the way out the portrait hole. He stopped to grab Flint's wand and tucked it into his pocket stunning Flint with a stupefy for good measure.

Neville looked at the Flint-sculpture and shook his head. "I guess that was the prologue?"

"Yes," Luna replied nodding.

"I like that rune."

"Yeah. Worked better than I had hoped actually," Harry said. "You know I have to admit, I would've put money on Malfoy, not Flint."

"Draco Malfoy is an idiot, but he is not so stupid as to attack me with anything beyond what he does to the rest of the student populace," Luna said shrugging. "Marcus Flint however…well he is that stupid."

Harry shrugged in reply as the group pulled up outside the Ravenclaw tower. Daphne, Tracey and Susan melted out of the shadows, dispelling their Ninja stones. Tracey snorted seeing Harry while Susan shook her head and Daphne whistled appreciatively. Harry cocked his head in confusion as Daphne ran her eyes up and down his chest. "Err, guys?"

Hermione groaned and slapped her boyfriend's head. "Idiot. You forgot to grab a shirt. Daph stop ogling my boyfriend."

"Hey, I can look. I just can't touch," Daphne replied waggling her eyebrows. She quickly turned to glance at Tracey who just chuckled and waved for her to go ahead and keep staring.

"Hey as long as I can ogle other people too, Daph, feel free to stare," Tracey drawled.

"Harry put this on," Hermione said handing him a shirt she had transfigured from her jumper.

"As funny as this is, why are we in front of the Ravenclaw Common Room in the middle of the night?" Susan yawned. She moved over to rest her head on Neville's shoulder but kept her eyes open staring at Harry.

Harry sighed as he adjusted his harness to fit over the shirt. "One second. Hermione can you fill them in?" She nodded and as she moved over, Luna listened to Harry activate his Comm Stone again. "Shiva, I'm about to enter the Ravenclaw dorms. Luna was attacked. She's alright but this has been ongoing for a long time. I could use Professor backup. Would you mind grabbing Flitwick on the way? This concerns him too. No, Shiva, I'm not going in alone. Everyone else is assembled already. I wanted to start before you got here. Plausible deniability, Shiva. No. No, I'm not letting this go until morning. Yes, it is that bad. Shiva, she was almost raped because they tipped off Flint. Roger." Harry disconnected and turned to the others. "Everyone up to speed? Good. We have between two to five minutes before the Professors arrive. Daphne, you and me at the front. Let's play up this image you've built for the two of us."

"Slytherin Slayers," Luna provided helpfully. "Because you slew Slytherin's monster."

There were soft chuckles at that though most lacked actual mirth. Luna smiled at them all. She did actually have friends. That was…something beautiful.

"…a hole," Hermione said, answering the riddle to open the door into the Common Room. Luna padded in after the rest. They stood in formation. Harry and Daphne in front side by side, Tracey behind Daphne's shoulder to the side, Neville mirrored her behind Harry, Hermione centered and able to provide support to either or both sides, Luna and Susan slotted in behind Hermione slightly offset.

Harry grabbed a rune stone and held it up in his left hand before holding his wand in his right. "Silencing charms everyone. This is loud. You can drop them once I lower the stone." A quick set of thumbs ups later and Harry activated his Boomstone. Luna could feel the sound reverberating through her bones though it stopped after a moment when Harry lowered the cluster back into his harness. She dropped her silencing charm and listened in.

"RAVENCLAWS! ASSEMBLE IN THE COMMON ROOM NOW! FRONT AND CENTER!" Harry yelled holding his wand to his throat for the sonorous charm. Stamping feet hurried down both sets of staircases as the Common Room quickly filled up. Most of the House had a mixture of sleep, fear and confusion on their faces. She sought out Marietta and was rewarded by witnessing the girl's face drain of color when she caught sight of Luna standing behind the group of friends.

"What the bloody hell is going on here, Potter?" one of the Prefects asked.

"Ravenclaw has failed their Housemate. Ravenclaw has failed their duty. Ravenclaw has failed their school. Ravenclaw has failed their honor," Daphne said, holding her head high. She formed the perfect picture of an Heiress to a Noble House.

"What are you on about – " Marietta tried to sneer but was cut off as Neville snapped a silencio at her.

"As Daphne was saying," Harry said calmly gesturing to his partner, "Ravenclaw House has been grossly negligent and we are here to ensure you understand that and make certain it doesn't happen again – either to our friend or to anyone else in the future."

"Whatever Loony told you – " Lisa started before she too was cut off by a silencing spell, this time from Tracey.

"Ravenclaw has systematically bullied a young girl," Harry said. To most he appeared merely angry. To Luna…Harry was holding on by a thread. She saw his hands clenched tight enough to turn white, his breaths coming in short bursts, his tone carefully neutral yet dripping with contempt, his magic fluttering around him in little arcs and sparks only noticeable if one was watching for it. She realized he had called for the Professors as much to ensure he didn't go too far as to make certain that her Housemates were reigned in.

"You have degraded and derided her. You have insulted her and her parents. You have stolen her things. You have forced a 12 year old into the corridors at night in just her underwear!" Harry said.

"I was 11 when that started," Luna interjected. She barely prevented her grin when Marietta paled even further at that.

"She was assaulted tonight because you…people…tipped off Marcus Flint!" Harry growled. He flicked out his hand and Luna watched Marietta fly across the room towards them. Lisa followed immediately after. A few wands were raised in reply by some of the older years, but the majority was either too stunned or fearful to do anything. "Luna, please point out the third ringleader." She raised a hand to answer Harry's question and that girl was soon on the ground beside the other three.

Daphne took over since Harry was visibly vibrating now and his teeth were clenched. "Su Li, Padma Patil, please stand aside," the two singled out glanced at each other but nodded at the group and moved against the wall of the room between the two groups. "All the rest of you have insulted and trod upon the Noble House of Lovegood. In doing so you have also insulted the Noble Houses of Potter, Greengrass, Longbottom, Davis, Bones – "

"If they did what you said, add Patil to that!" Padma snarled walking over and standing beside Neville. "I've brought shame on my own family by missing this. I'm sorry, Luna." Luna nodded to her in reply.

Su Li walked over to stand beside Tracey. "The Li family also takes offense. I apologize as well, Luna. Rest assured, my family will endeavor to make reparations for allowing abuse to go unchallenged."

Daphne nodded calmly at both newcomers as the door behind them swung open. "As I was saying, You have insulted eight Noble Houses through your actions, inactions and tacit approval. If any of us were so inclined, we would be perfectly justified by calling for an Honor Duel right here and now." Luna couldn't stop a slight upturn to her lips at Professor Flitwick's intake of breath behind her. "Consider this your one and only warning. Do not mess with our friends. You should count yourselves lucky we are holding back tonight. I doubt any of you could stand against the Slytherin Slayers."

"Mr. Potter," the quiet voice of Shiva sounded. Luna turned to the professor and smiled, giving her a very small almost unnoticeable nod. "Please explain why you and these others are in the Ravenclaw dorm at night making threats." Flitwick just nodded along apparently a little too dazed and confused to risk speaking.

"Professor Babbling, Professor Flitwick," Harry said. His magic was getting back under control and Luna could no longer hear the venom dripping from his voice. "Marietta Edgecombe, Lisa Turpin and this girl stripped Luna Lovegood to her underwear in the Common Room just prior to curfew and ejected her from the dorms. They also informed Marcus Flint that she would be alone around this time. He found her and assaulted her. Luna got away and came to us for help. Flint is currently half frozen outside the Gryffindor Tower and I have his wand for proof right here." Harry handed over the wand. "We came up here because Luna has informed us that, with the sole exception of Miss Li and Miss Patil, the entirety of Ravenclaw House either assisted, approved or ignored her treatment. This is merely the latest – "

"And last," Tracey interjected.

"And last," Harry agreed, "incident. At minimum we intend for Luna to sleep at one of our Houses tonight. We will discuss options going forward tomorrow morning with the Headmaster and Deputy Headmistress."

Flitwick blinked several times and looked to Luna horror plain to see across his face. "Miss Lovegood? Is this all true?"

"Yes, Professor," Luna said with a sad smile. "I did try to tell you at first, but you didn't quite understand."

"You said you were being harassed by…wrack…spurts…oh Merlin…" he wiped a hand over his face and Luna shrugged.

"I could have perhaps been clearer but that is not my way, Professor."

Shiva nodded at the assembled group. "Very well. We'll take it from here. Everyone please return to your dormitories. Miss Li, Miss Patil, if you two wish you may accompany Miss Lovegood in alternate sleeping arrangements for the evening." The two girls nodded and Harry's Slytherin Slayers headed out of the Ravenclaw Common Room. As the door was closing Luna heard Flitwick start shouting loud enough to hurt her eardrums.

Luna just smiled and skipped along after her friends. The wrackspurts had been dealt with.