14

14

It was the day all magical children of age left their homes to travel to Hogwarts School for Witchcraft and Wizardry to either start or continue their magical education. The Hogwarts Express was waiting at King's Cross Platform 9 ¾ as the many families gave their final farewells and helped their children get their school trunks into storage. Most of the smaller children were both scared to leave their parents for so long and excited at what awaited them. The older children gave their hugs and kisses but left their parents quickly, now well used to the long absence.

Luna Lovegood had been both eager to start and dreading starting her education at Hogwarts. She had wanted to start the moment she found out that she had magic. Her parents always spoke so fondly of their time at Hogwarts and she wanted that as well. Friends and adventures. The beginning of the rest of her life. Her excitement had never once wavered, even after the death of her mother. But as it does when change looms, dread began to creep its tendrils around her heart. Like quill ink that was slowly flowing into clear water. She did like water though, how it could flow and dance when the wind tickled it. While it would be foolish to completely disregard such feelings before life changing moments, one could not live their life by such feelings. That would only lead to living in constant fear, something Luna would never accept. Her mother told her to not be afraid.

Her father, Xenophilius, was walking a little too close to her to be anything other than hovering, like a wrackspurt now that she thought about it. She completely understood his perspective of course. He had never really gotten over the death of her mother and tended to be more protective of Luna than a mother hen was of her chicks. Other people tended to look at him strangely and call him words like 'weird' and 'bizarre', but Luna couldn't care less about their opinions. She would choose to be bizarre over being bland any day of her life.

"Luna!" A young girl's voice called out her name from somewhere within the crowds of people milling about the train platform. The red hair alone would be enough for Luna to know who was calling her.

"Ginny!" Luna had just enough time to face the young redhead neighbor before Ginny ran right into her and nearly knocked her over. "I knew you would be excited for today," Luna smiled at one of her few friends. Ginny smiled brightly at her in turn, but there was something off about her eyes. They weren't as bright as she was used to seeing, and the nargles that used to flutter about her hair were noticeably less numerous than they were a few weeks ago. She didn't have long to think about it before Molly Weasley was bustling over to them.

"It's so good to see you Luna!" Molly spoke in her usual jovial tone as she trailed her daughter. "Ready to start at Hogwarts dear?" She asked Luna with a kind smile. She turned to face Xenophilius when he stopped by his daughter. "Are you ready for her to start?" She asked with a far softer and sad tone.

"Not even close," Her father replied with a large smile that fooled no one. "But I have no doubt that I will survive. It will give me a little more time to do a little more digging for the," he dropped his voice and leaned in as if to pass on a secret before he continued with wide eyes, "Rotfang conspiracy." He stood back up and smiled down at his daughter before he reached out to give Luna a rough, one-handed hug. "Eventually that is," He added quietly.

Molly gave him a gentle smile and a gentle pat on the shoulder before gently patting Luna's cheek and turning to wrangle the rest of her sons into action. Ginny gave Luna a smile that didn't quite meet her eyes before slipping between the many people at the platform after her mother. Xenophilius turned Luna so he could give her a hug that was just a bit too tight.

"Write as soon as you get settled. I want to know everything," He spoke into her ear with barely contained sadness, his smile was watery but genuine.

"I will father. Don't you worry about me," Luna hugged him back, albeit much softer as she hid her tears in his robe.

Xenophilius got her trunk into the train and gave her several more hugs before finally letting her get onto the train and to begin her journey. She didn't see Ginny right away, so she made her way down the hallway and past the many cars to try and find a compartment to sit in. Luna gently pushed past the other children that were standing in and moving through the hallway, but she couldn't blame them for their impoliteness. She was just as excited to start school as they were and she too would stop to talk to friends while in the way of others. Thankfully, she found an empty changing room so that she could quickly change into her school robes. She was just too excited to start school to wait to change into her uniform.

Many of the compartments were already full of people she didn't recognize. Luna didn't really feel like talking to so many new people so soon, so she moved on. Most of them had too many wrackspurts for her liking. She found Ron Weasley still in his home clothes and sitting alone with a sad look on his face being reflected in the window. Luna didn't mind the youngest Weasley brother, but they were far from friends, so she left him to his brooding.

George and Fred Weasley were in a compartment full of other kids that were all reveling in the twins' antics. Lee Jordan was the only person Luna recognized as he sometimes came around the burrow during summer breaks when Luna was also there. There was too much mirth in the compartment for them to think about changing into their school clothes just yet. She was closer to them than Ron or Percy, but she didn't enjoy all the noise that followed them.

She saw Susan Bones, a student she only knew through her father and Susan's Aunt, was sitting with a dark haired Ravenclaw girl and a Slytherin boy with white blond hair. They were already dressed for school and seemed busy discussing something that probably concerned the various school books that they all had open on their laps and the seats next to them.

Finally Luna came across a compartment that only had one person in it. A bushy haired Ravenclaw girl that was already in her school uniform. She was busy reading a rather large book that sat in her lap and had a tall stack of books sitting next to her. While she looked like she was buried in her book Luna felt like she was someone that could be a good friend.

"Hello," Luna greeted the girl as she smiled as the sun warmed her belly and legs. "May I sit with you?"

"As long as you don't try to make conversation. I'd like to finish my book before we arrive," The girl replied stiffly.

Nodding Luna sat down across from the girl as quietly as she could. "It'd be polite to at least introduce ourselves."

The girl looked up from her book with an irritated look in her eyes before sighing sharply through her nose. "Yes I suppose it is. My name is Hermoine Granger, I don't mean to be rude but I need to finish this so I can be ready for professor McGonagal's lectures this year."

"Luna Lovegood. A pleasure to make your acquaintance," Luna spoke in her typical soft and airy tone as she sought more of the sun that felt like her mother's smile. Her airy tone always put people at ease.

"Likewise," Hermoine replied with a far less sharp tone before quickly returning to her book.

Luna made herself comfortable next to the glass as the train began to pull out of the station. She knew her father would not want to stick around to wave goodbye like so many other parents because it still hurt him too much. It seemed like Hermoine had much the same arrangement with her parents since she didn't even give a glance to the window as the train pulled out of the station.

As the scenery rushed by, Luna couldn't help feeling a little lonely. Just after her mothers' accident, her father had hired a house elf to be a nanny and companion for Luna. He told her later that he knew that it would take him a long time to get over his grief and didn't want Luna to suffer along with him. The first few months with her mother were the hardest for Luna and she had a terrible time sleeping. The house elf would tell her many fantastical stories about the young boy that had somehow defeated the powerful Lord Voldemort. According to her father, Lord Voldemort's defeat was still, officially, steeped in mystery. No one had any proof as to what happened the night of the Potters' deaths, but there were many theories. None of those theories mattered to Luna since they didn't matter to her father. The Ministry was known to lie about anything that made Fudge look bad, so their theories were worthless at best, misleading at worst. The House elf, on the other hand, had an answer as to what happened that night and what he had been up to since that horrible and wondrous night.

Luna had managed to drift off a bit thinking about the many stories she had been told by both her father and the house elf until she was jerked awake by the train beginning to slow it's moment. Hermoine had begun packing up her books into her book bag as the train came to a stop in the station. They walked together in the mass of bodies that were getting off the train.

"Good luck with your sorting," Hermoine spoke into her ear before giving her a smile and then disappearing into the crowd.

Luna walked over to the area her father had stored her trunk and found all the trunks being unloaded by a pack of house elves for each storage area. A smaller male house elf dragged hers out and nodded to her as he loaded it onto a carriage that the other elves were then going to move into the castle.

"Thank you, sir." Luna said to him as she took her trunk from him and placed her day bag into it. The house elf seemed quite surprised but still smiled at her and waved when she walked away to allow other students to get their last minute items from their trunks.

All the first year students were ushered over to a very large man with an equally large smile and beard. Other house elves were already loading their trunks into a large carriage behind the large man.

"First Years! First years over here!" The large man bellowed out. "Hello there little ones!" The large man greeted them jovially. "My name is Hagrid! I'm usually the Groundskeeper here, but tonight I'm going to be leading you to Hogwarts!" He gestured widely towards the large castle in the distance. "The elves are working at getting your trunks loaded up. Don't worry about them. You'll find them in your rooms after dinner."

Hagrid motioned for them to follow him and the small group of first years did so with few words. As they followed Hagrid, the sounds of water became louder. Hagrid stopped near the edge of the water and motioned to the several boats that were up on the shore of the Great Lake.

"Now get into the boats. Careful now!" Hagrid added somewhat frantically when a couple of boys nearly capsized the small boat in the shallow water. "The boats are enchanted, see? So there'll be no fighting about who gets to paddle, alright?" He tried to speak sternly, but it didn't have any bite to it. "Now just sit tight and enjoy the ride. Professor McGonagall will meet us on the other side. Forward!" Hagrid commanded the boats and the small fleet pushed themselves off the shore and started towards the school.

The group of children were deathly silent as the boats carried them across the Great Lake. The water was about as calm as it could be, even with the boats gliding across the surface. No one in the boats was looking at the water. They were all staring at the large castle that seemed perched on the small mountain above them, like a majestic Sphinx, both beautiful and foreboding.

It was incredibly dark all around the boats, even with the bright lanterns hanging from the front of the boats. One of the boys pointed out a light that they were slowly getting closer to. As they came closer, they saw that it was another lantern being held by a person on what they assumed was the other shore. This must have been the Professor McGonagall that Hagrid had mentioned on the other shore.

"Welcome children," A stern older woman's voice echoed across the water as they drew near the lantern. "I am Professor McGonagall and I will be escorting you to the Great Hall." She watched the boats beach themselves and the small children exit the boats like an old hen watching her latest clutch of chicks. "You will now follow me in an orderly line into the castle," She spoke sternly as the children moved into a line behind her.

The Professor led the children in the castle through the side courtyard. She walked them up a large staircase that led to an incredibly large wooden door, but stopped just before the door.

"Now children," he firm voice carried across the clutch of children that had fallen silent at her words, "just beyond this door is the Great Hall. Within the Great Hall are the teachers that will be teaching you for the next seven years of your education and the fellow students that have already started their education here. You are about to begin the first part of the rest of your lives. But first. You must be sorted into your house." She went on about how the house was like their family while they were here and the point system and that rule breaking was not to be tolerated.

The large wooden doors opened behind her and she walked the line of children into the large room. The first years were in awe of the Great Hall. Lit candles were floating above the four long tables that were full of the other students, already sorted into their houses. To Luna the amount of people and noise was almost too much to take in all at once. She and the other first years were led to the front of the Great Hall and were stopped in front of a fifth long table that stretched across the other four and was full of all the teachers. In front of the teachers table was a stool that had a ratty hat that sat on top. Then a rip opened in the hat and a magical voice began to sing about unity and the founders.

"You will now be sorted into the houses that you will remain in until you graduate. Step forward as I call your name." McGonagall stated as she picked up a thick scroll in one hand and the ratty hat with the other as the applause died down after the Sorting Hat's song.

Professor McGonagall announced a name off the parchment, however Luna was no longer listening. The floating candles were like stars in the nighttime sky, dancing around without a care. The stars always comforted Luna after the death of her mother. Static, yet ever changing. Luna smiled as she thought about the sun, the moon, and the stars.

"Lovegood, Luna!" Professor McGonagall's loud voice startled Luna out of her day dream. Luna scampered up to the stool, not missing the slightly disapproving look from the Professor or the distant snickering from the student tables. Luna sat on the stool and the Professor placed the Sorting Hat onto her head.

"Ah…" Luna heard a deep voice within her mind. She wasn't afraid of it. Her father had explained to her that this was how the Sorting Hat sorted the students. "You took your time getting up here. But you're not afraid." It stated plainly.

"Forgive sir...Sorting Hat. My mind tends to wander," Luna thought about her response. It was strange, but not the weirdest thing she had ever experienced.

"So I see. A bright mind you have there. My yes, so bright," The voice hummed a bit as it searched her mind for a bit longer. "You're a brilliant young lady. So much potential, but I know just where to put you."

"Ravenclaw!" The Sorting Hat bellowed for the whole room to hear. One of the tables clapped louder than the others, making it easy to assume that was the Ravenclaw table.

"Very good," Professor McGongall smiled down at Luna. "You may now go to your house table Ms. Lovegood."

Luna hopped off the stool and walked back down past the kids that had yet to be sorted. A few gave her little pats on the back and congratulatory smiles. An older female student wearing the Ravenclaw colors motioned for Luna to follow her.

"Welcome to House Ravenclaw," She patted Luna on the back as she directed her to sit down next to a boy sorted before her.

Luna couldn't help but smile at the energy in the room. Some of the kids at the other tables were less happy than the ones at her table, but she understood. She was quite a catch.

"Luna!" She heard her name called from further down the table. She leaned forward to see that Hermione from the train ride had called to her from a little further down. Luna smiled and waved at her, which Hermoine returned with more enthusiasm than on the train. The darker skinned girl sitting next to Hermoine also waved happily.

Luna only paid attention to a little bit of the remaining sorting. She was interested to see where Ginny was going to be sorted, but Luna could guess that she was going to be a Gryffindor, like everyone else in her family. Many people believed that your family name and history would dictate which house you would go into, but that wasn't wholly true. Her father explained that how you were raised and the ideals that had been instilled in you had far more to do with it than anything else. Her mind wandered to wonder idly if there would be pudding at the Start of the Term Feast. Her father always told her that there would be more food than she could even think about eating. Everything from chicken legs to sweet tarts. Maybe even new food, that she hadn't tried yet.

"Gryffindor!" The Sorting Hat's booming voice pulled Luna from her musings about pudding.

No surprise that Ginny did in fact go into Gryffindor like all her family before her. Luna watched Ginny take a seat next to Ron and smiled at her new housemates. Again, Luna noticed the same strange deadness in her eyes. Hopefully Luna would have time later to ask Ginny about what may have happened to her over the summer that gave her that look.

The headmaster, Dumbledore, officially opened the term and many plates of food bloomed onto the tables. Luna was pleased to see a couple different bowls of pudding to choose from, as well as many other types of food spread out before her. Everyone around her reveled in both the food and the magic all around them. It was easy to spot the first year Muggleborn students. It was almost sweet how they were looking all around them in awe.

The meal progressed quickly since it was just children eating, laughing, and having a good time. Before long Headmaster Dumbledore offered his speech on the rules and then dismissed the students. The older students began getting up and heading to their dorms. The first years were instructed by the older girl that escorted Luna and the other first years to their seats to wait until the majority of older students had filtered out of the Great Hall.

"First years," The older girl got their attention. "I will now escort you to our house's Common Room and Dorms. Stay close and please keep any comments you have low."

The first years followed after the older girl closely. There were older kids still walking around the hallways, talking to one another and just generally enjoying themselves. It all made Luna feel so at-home. So welcome despite everything that had happened in the past. They walked up a long, tight staircase in a single file line so that other students could pass by going in the other direction. The first years were led to a large door with a bronze eagle knocker. A few of the kids were startled when the knocker moved.

"Which came first, the Phoenix or the flame?" It asked in a monotone voice.

The older girl turned to them. "This is how you will get into our Ravenclaw Common Room and your dorms. The bronze eagle will ask you a riddle and you will need to give it a satisfactory answer. Remember, it doesn't need to be wholly correct, but it does need to make logical sense," The girl turned back to the eagle. "Neither. It's a circle with no beginning or end."

The eagle nodded once and the door opened for them. They were led through what Luna knew was the Common Room. It was even more splendid than her father had described to her before bed. The room had graceful arched windows and the walls were covered with hung with blue and bronze fabrics that her father told her were silk. The ceiling was painted dark blue with stars and the carpet was very similar. Many other kids were already changed out of their uniforms and sitting at the various tables and chairs around the room, talking and reading. The older girl stopped and motioned to two staircases that were on either side of her.

"This is the way to the boy's dorm. This way to the girl's," She motioned to each staircase in turn. "No one of the opposite gender is allowed in the other dorm. You may go up to your dorms and get settled in for the night. Your class schedule and school map have been placed with your belongings. Breakfast starts at 7 a.m. and first class begins promptly at 8a.m."

A few of the first year boys pushed their way past their classmates and ran up the staircases. Most, thankfully, were more subdued and understood they had a whole year to explore this magical place. Luna still smiled as she saw a muggleborn that was a dorm-mate of hers hurriedly unpacking their trunk with jerky movements. They would no doubt be buzzing with excitement for a couple weeks. A couple of the others spoke as everyone turned to bed, but they were kind enough to keep their conversation quiet for the others.

They were awoken in the morning by a gentle tone and were escorted to the main hall by an older boy. They were told they could sit wherever they wanted within the Great Hall during meal times except for special gatherings and the feasts. Many of the first years sat at the head of the Ravenclaw table where they sat after their sorting. Luna walked over to Ginny, who was already sitting at the Gryffindor table with her youngest brother, Ron.

"Luna! Are you as excited to start classes as I am?" Ginny called out to Luna as she neared.

Ron rolled his eyes as Luna sat down. "Give it time," He muttered as he pushed eggs around his plate thinking about the new schedule of classes and homework that was going to be imposed on his evening.

"What's your first class?" Ginny asked, completely ignoring her brother.

"Transfiguration with Professor McGonagall, followed by Potions with Professor Snape," Luna replied smoothly while pouring herself some eggs and grabbing a few pieces of toast which she began to spread some marmalade on before taking a bite.

"Snape's a terror, but McGonagall is fair," Ron replied before Ginny could answer. She made a face at him, which he also returned. "Wouldn't you agree, Neville?" Ron called to a blond boy that sat alone a little distance away from them as he spoke with his mouth full of food.

"Please don't involve me," Neville pleaded pathetically.

Ron snickered as he returned to chasing his potatoes and sausage around his plate. They settled into a pleasant silence as they all ate their breakfasts. Luna noticed that there was a well-worn black book sitting on Ginny's lap. Her free hand was resting on the book, almost like she was protecting it. Luna decided to wait until Ginny was nearly done eating before speaking up, just in case the conversation didn't go well.

"What's this book here?" Luna asked gently while reaching out to touch the book.

Ginny flinched the book away from Luna's hand. "It's just my diary," She replied curtly.

"A diary? How lovely," Luna offered a serene comment. "I've toyed with the idea of starting one myself, but I'm always afraid Nargles will steal it."

Ginny stood up suddenly and walked out of the Great Hall with a long stride. Luna was confused about her friend's behavior, but knew this outcome was a possibility.

"Don't worry about her attitude too much there, Luna," Ron spoke to her through another mouth full of food. "She's been moody since before school started."

"She has? Has something happened?" Luna asked softly, concerned about her friend and the only girl she knew the best.

"No idea," Ron shrugged as he spooned more eggs and bacon to his plate. "She's been writing in that diary of hers day and night, it seems. Maybe it's helping her deal with being away from mum?"

Luna wasn't so sure about Ron's theory about the change in Ginny, but she had nothing else to go on. She looked down to Neville and noticed he was trying very hard to listen to their conversation without being noticed.

Transfiguration class was interesting enough. Professor McGonagall was a proficient teacher in the subject and even showed off her Animagus form for the first years to see the upper tier of Transfiguration skill. The class itself was mostly theory and a small amount of practical application. It was mostly for the benefit of the muggleborns that didn't have a magical pool of knowledge to pull from. She found herself taking notes and once she was practicing she was wondering how else she could change the matchstick into something beautiful.

Potions class was much the same, but Luna could see what Ron meant about Professor Snape. He was short and nearly downright mean with anyone not from Slytherin house. Luna could see the truth in his words and his actions. He was trying desperately to hide his sadness and pain, but Luna could see it in his eyes, so she wouldn't allow his words or actions to get to her.

She didn't see Ginny at lunch, which wasn't that surprising based on her severe reaction to Luna's interest in her diary. Luna decided to sit at the Ravenclaw table to eat. Most of the other students were either busy eating or chatting with friends, so Luna ate alone. She was awaiting her father's next issue of the quibbler so that she could read more about the real news in the wizarding world. Maybe her father would have new information and a new story to write about what Harry Potter was doing in South America or if he was wrestling serpents in the rain forests? He was certainly an adventurous spirit, Harry Potter was. She noticed Ron was sitting alone yet again while they ate. He really needed some friends. Neville caught her eye and she noticed he was looking in her direction. He startled visibly and quickly gave her a shy wave, which she returned warmly. It was cute how his tension melted as he let his breath go after she waved.

The rest of the day went by quickly enough. While Luna was excited for both Charms and Herbology it was actually a little boring for her. They were much the same as Transfiguration and Potions. Mostly building the foundation necessary for the more advanced magic that they'll learn later on. Some of the Purebloods made snide remarks about them being held back by the mudbloods, but they were wrong. Her father always told her that having a magical lineage had little to do with your magical ability. 'They were just spoiled rotten,' as he always said.

More of her father's wisdom came true as the days at Hogwarts turned into weeks. Everyone wanted to be your friend until you challenged their perspective or beliefs. In her case, a lot of people started avoiding her or making fun of her as soon as she brought up Crumpled-Horned Snorkacks and Dabberblimps. They weren't willing to believe these creatures existed if they weren't in one of the books that only had a small fraction of the knowledge that was in the world. Hermoine Granger was at least kind enough to pretend to believe that Luna had the possibility of being correct. Something was always better than nothing.

The hour before the Hallowe'en feast and the entire school was well into the spirit. The Great Hall seemed to spawn more pumpkins each day that passed. Even the Ravenclaw Common Room had gotten into it with lit pumpkins all around and even a few enchanted muggle ghosts that would float around the room and bother people.

Luna was sitting in the common room while working on her Transfiguration essay that was due just before winter break. She had gotten an early start on it since she knew she was going to have a rough time trying to explain how to turn a button into a Nargle. Hermoine had rolled her eyes when Luna tried to explain it to her, but told her that if she could explain it properly enough that Professor McGongall couldn't take points off, then she had the obligation to do so. Luna always thought Hermoine was a strange mix of pure logic and unique perspective. Luna had also come to know her close friend, Padma Patil, who was nicer than Hermoine in general conversation. She agreed with Hermoine, but stated that if you could explain your point well enough, what the correct answer really was didn't matter.

The main door of the common room opened and Professor Flitwick walked in followed by the Quidditch team and a few random other students. Luna noted how worried he looked.

"Attention Ravenclaws. By order of the Headmaster, all students must remain in their assigned House dorms and common rooms until further notice."

Professor Flitwick nodded to the students in the common room and quickly left the room up the stairs to the boy's dorms before any of the students could ask questions. Most of the Quidditch team followed Professor Flitwick into their dorms looking just as confused as the students in the common room.

"Hey Cho!" One of the students called out to the group of students. A slender Asian girl in a Quidditch uniform turned back around.

"Yeah?" She asked a bit tersely.

"Do you know what's going on?" A different student Luna couldn't see asked

"I don't know much," Cho shook her head tiredly. "I heard a few of the Gryffindors at Quidditch practice saying one of their first years was missing. The Hufflepuff Head Boy was talking to the Slytherin Head Girl about a big mess that had to be cleaned up in the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom. That's it."

There was a chorus of 'Thanks Cho' around the room as she turned and went up the stairs to her dorm. There were quiet conversations around the room. It seemed some of the students were concerned about what this lockdown meant. It was interesting to see that a few of the older students were quite surprised that there was even a lockdown. A seventh year girl in the far corner was telling the fourth year next to her that there had never been any kind of a lockdown in her time at Hogwarts.

Professor Flitwick appeared in the common room again, this time flanked by the seventh year Prefects. The Professor had a long parchment in his hands and was quickly writing something down.

"Alright Ravenclaws. Please remain seated while we take roll." Professor Flitwick announced as he passed the parchment to the male prefect.

The male prefect went around the room and took note of everyone present while the female prefect went into the girl's dorms with her own parchment. By the time the seventh year male was done taking roll, the female was back from the dorms. They both handed their parchments to Professor Flitwick, who then read over them both while the room waited in silence for more information.

"Is this roll call correct?" Professor Flitwick asked the two students.

"Yes professor," They both replied.

Professor McGonagall burst through the main door suddenly, startling several of the students closest to the door. "Are you done with your roll call?" She asked firmly.

"Yes, Professor," Professor Flitwick handed the two parchments over to McGonagall as quickly as he could.

Professor McGonagall read through the two pages. She made a face when she finished. "There are three names missing from these lists," She stated plainly.

"Yes, I noticed that as well," Professor Flitwick replied hesitantly. "I was just about to go out and see if I could round them up."

"No need. I'll give these names to the ones patrolling the halls and they'll look for them. Remain here with your house," Professor McGonagall ordered firmly.

She turned and left the common room quickly, leaving a deafening silence behind her. The students in the Common Room were confused, and maybe even a bit concerned.

"Alright Ravenclaws. There's nothing to be afraid of or concerned about. We are simply confined to our Common Room and Dorms until the Headmaster says otherwise," Professor Flitwick announced to the students with an tone of control. He flicked his wand out and conjured a chair next to the common room entrance and with another flick summoned a tome to his hand that he sat down to read while he waited. He sat down and as he opened the book he spoke to the students in the common room, "Homework or quiet games in your dorms so as to not disturb the other students please."

Luna looked around the room full of somewhat concerned students. It was only then that she realized she hadn't seen Hermoine since she left with Padma to go to the library after classes ended. Three names were missing from the list. Luna could only hope that they would turn back up unharmed.

Mealtimes were some of the few times during the day where Severus Snape was not required to be in charge of the many irritating children that attended Hogwarts. He preferred to eat his meals quickly in the Great Hall or more leisurely in his office. Today's private mealtime was interrupted by the arrival of Fawkes, Dumbledore's phoenix familiar. Severus hated his personal time being interrupted almost as much as he hated the arrival of the haughty phoenix, but he only had to suffer the arrival of the overindulgent bird when Dumbledore truly needed him and couldn't leave wherever he was easily. With a click of his tongue he took a draw from his goblet and wiped his mouth with a sigh.

Severus stood up from his desk quickly and left his half eaten meal to follow the damnable bird to whatever his handler needed of him today. He was led to the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom before Fawkes flew through the classroom and out one of the large open windows. There was no one in the classroom so he proceeded to walk to the office of the inept Lockart, assuming that Dumbeldore was there. He pushed the office door open a bit harder than he really needed to and found Dumbledore leaning over the desk covered with Lockhart's things. Minerva McGonagall was standing next to Dumbledore with her arms crossed. Both of them had unreadable expressions on their faces.

"Why have I been summoned here, Headmaster?" Severus sneered to the Headmaster, already irritated, while approaching his two colleges. He was startled out of his sour mood when his foot nearly slipped out from underneath him. He looked down at the floor, finding it covered in a dark red liquid. He lifted his foot and was disgusted when the liquid tried to hold onto his shoe. "What is this?!" Severus demanded while trying to carefully step out of the puddle.

"It had come to my attention that Professor Lockhart was not present for his classes today. Upon further investigation, it turns out that he had not been seen since dinner yesterday," Dumbledore explained calmly. He pushed off the desk and straightened. "You have just stepped in what we believe to be what is left of him."

Severus recoiled physically when he fully understood the meaning of Dumbledore's words. It was only then that he realized there was a blood red skeleton just beside the desk nearly hidden in the shadows of the room. The red liquid looked like it had flowed from the skeleton to nearly out the door into the classroom. Looking back down at his shoes, he just knew that even with magic it would take a few hours to scrub the late professor off his shoes.

"We would like you to see if you can discern if a potion or poison was used on him," Dumbledore continued in his usual calm exterior.

Severus carefully stepped around the sticky red puddle and over the leg bones in his path as he moved towards the desk. Minerva gently pushed a teacup towards him by the saucer it was sitting on. He was pleased to see that it was little less than half-full. Having liquid left in the cup makes it easier to determine if anything undesirable had been added.

"We've already checked the cup. No one other than Lockhart has touched it since it was filled," Minerva supplied him with the helpful information.

"That will make things much easier," Severus muttered as he picked up the saucer in order to examine the teacup.

Severus turned the cup from one side to the other for a cursory examination. Nothing noteworthy stood out, so he moved to the more magical examinations. Using his wand and a few magical incantations, he came to a somewhat lackluster result. He set the saucer and teacup back down on the desk.

"Well, Severus? What have you learned?" Dumbledore asked him calmly.

"I can't tell you much," Severus shook his head. "Something was obviously added to the tea," as he gestured to the remains of the man that was next to the desk, "that much I can tell you with all certainty."

"That's it?" Minerva demanded. "A teacher is dead and all you can tell us is that something was added to his tea? Obviously there was something added to his tea, there's no spell residue on his body or in the office so the only thing we can infer is some sort of poisoning!" Her voice held an edge of desperation.

"I can also tell you what it is not," Severus drawled as he raised an eyebrow and waited for Minerva to regain her control. As much as they disagreed with one another, he took no pleasure in seeing her in any state but her best. "It's not any potion or poison that I know of. It's incredibly corrosive and fast acting," He motioned to the skeleton and puddle next to him again, no skin, or any tissue at all left except bones and some cloth that was not in direct contact with the fluids. "Clearly."

"If it is corrosive, why didn't it damage the mug?" Minerva asked in a far more measured tone now that she had had her moment of panic and was reined in again.

"Given the integrity of the teacup and the state of the...remains...I can tell you that it doesn't seem to affect bone," Severus said as he tapped the saucer with his finger to indicate the fine detail work on the cup.

"That does make sense," Dumbledore nodded sagely. "Lockhart was quite proud of his dragon bone tea set."

"This is not made of dragon bone," Severus couldn't help but smirk. Lockhart was an idiot on so many levels. "The set is muggle made. High quality, but no magical properties. The non magical nature of the bone used in the tea set narrows things down greatly. However, I would need to do some extensive research to learn more."

"Would you say, in your opinion, that this was an act of foul play?" Dumbledore asked him in a very serene tone. It would have irritated Severus more if it weren't for the mood of the room. Just because he was Dumbledore's spy didn't mean that he was in the business of murdering people with poisons or polutices.

"Yes," He stated firmly. "Whatever was used against Lockhart is something highly unusual and, therefore, hard to get a hold of. It could only have been premeditated and not within the capabilities of any student currently enrolled."

Dumbledore nodded in agreement to Severus' statement, most likely only using him to enforce his own conclusion. "Minerva. Perform a roll call if the student body and initiate a lockdown. We need to make sure no one else falls prey to whomever is behind this. Bring everything to my office once you're done."

Minerva nodded. "Of course, Albus," She carefully walked around the red puddle and out the door with haste.

"You too Severus. Do your house roll call and then meet us in my office with any information you can gather," Dumbledore said as he gazed at the remains before he turned to look at the rest of the office and the large portrait of Lockhart that was currently weeping great tears while looking at his real body's remains. Dumbledore had asked the portrait if it had seen anything and was met with a less than helpful response of, 'no'.

Severus also nodded and left without bothering to avoid the puddle. His shoes were already ruined and he cared little about tracking the late idiot across his classroom. Let the worthless squib deal with it.

Thankfully, his chosen prefects and head girl rounded up the children quickly and the prefects performed the roll call efficiently. It gave him time to go by his classroom and grab a few books that may hold some information about what kind of a poison could have been used to get such an unusual result.

An echoing scream startled Severus from his thoughts. He looked around himself, trying to see if there was anything in his general area, since he wasn't paying attention to the direction the scream came from. Another scream echoed off the stone walls, allowing him to follow it. He pulled out his wand, almost hoping that the person who killed Lockhart was attacking someone else. It would be incredibly pleasing if he were able to secure the perpetrator and deliver them to Dumbledore. Not only would he get the credit for ending the threat to the school, but he could end the whole thing before it cut too much into his personal time. He still had his dinner to get back to, after all.

There was a sound of something wet and heavy hitting a hard surface as Severus quickend his pace down a corridor before turning to wear he was certain he heard teh scream originate his wand ready. He immediately noticed a student was laying on the ground and could assume that whatever happened to them was what caused the sound he heard. Severus lowered his wand as he walked towards them, assuming that whatever had attacked them was now gone and he would be able to escort the student to either their house common room door or to Madam Pomfrey for treatment.

As he walked closer he realized that his initial assumption was very, very wrong. The dark-skinned student he didn't immediately recognize, or rather what was left of said student, was laying in a growing pool of blood. Whatever had happened to the student had left only the top part of their body behind. The soft tissue at the torn half of the body was slowly dissolving into a sticky red substance very similar to what was left of Lockhart.

A gasp came from behind and he immediately knew who it was. The stupid caretaker, Hagrid, must have been called into the castle by Dumbledore for extra support. Smart, but irritating.

"What's all this?" The halfbreed towered over Severus, only irritating him further.

"I assume that whoever attacked Professor Lockhart has also attacked this student," Severus stated without taking his eyes off the meat dissolving. The body, except for the bones, had dissolved well into the chest, making any possibility of saving the young man impossible. Though the loss of the body below the ribs might have also prevented that outcome as well. Severus was puzzled at why this body was only half here and dissolving instead of being a whole body that was being melted. What was different between Lockhart and this student's attacks?

"Did they write those words on the wall too then?" Hagrid asked in his typical simple manner.

Severus looked up to see what the big oaf was talking about. Large words had been painted on the stonewall in what looked like blood. It said, 'THE CHAMBER OF SECRETS HAS BEEN OPENED. ENEMIES OF THE HEIR, BEWARE' just above a large blood splatter that must have come from the student at his feet.

The Chamber of Secrets? Now that was something Severus knew very well. There were whispers in the Slytherin Dorms of the chamber being opened when a girl mudblood was murdered long before he was in school. There was enough text in enough books to make the Chamber of Secrets more real than myth.

"Call Madam Pomfrey. Wait here until she collects the body," Severus demanded of Hagrid. As much as he hated depending on the man, Severus needed to get back to Dumbledore with his findings. "Don't let her touch the body with her hands, I am unsure what kind of corrosive poison it is."

"Of course, Professor," Hagrid nodded dutifully.

Severus didn't bother waiting to make sure the giant could perform the task. It was no longer his problem. Severus moved to the Headmaster's office and found Dumbledore sitting at his desk with a somewhat fraught Minerva looking over a few parchments.

"Severus. How did roll call go?" Dumbledore asked without looking up from the parchments before him.

"Well. All Slytherin students were accounted for," He handed the roll call parchment to Dumbledore to review.

"That's good to hear. There are students missing from all the other houses," the Headmaster stated shortly.

"How many are you missing, Minerva?" Severus asked softly.

"Three. Two first years and second year," Minerva swallowed thickly before continuing. "Same for Ravenclaw. Hufflepuff is missing two."

"Do you know if any of the missing students is a younger dark-skinned male?" Severus asked, unhappy to share the news of death even if he was used to it from the last war.

Minerva's eyes lit up. "Yes. My missing second year, Dean Thomas is of African descent. Did you find him?" She asked slightly panicked, which for Minerva, was incredibly panicked.

"Yes, I did," Severus made sure to keep his tone level as he spoke slowly, dreading the news he was now going to give to Minerva. "I'm sorry, Minerva. I found his remains on my way here. I left Hagrid to stand guard over him until Madam Pomfrey could arrive."

Minerva's head dropped from the weight of her emotions. She was the strongest person, emotionally, Severus knew. To see her fight back tears was harder to watch than he thought it would be. Dumbledore rose from his chair and placed a caring hand on her shoulder. He was always better at comforting people than Severus was.

"Did you investigate the body or the surroundings?" Dumbledore asked softly.

"Only half of his body was present, but the part that remained was actively dissolving into a liquid state nearly identical to Lockhart," Severus tried to remain professional, even as he saw how much his words got to Minerva.

"So it's the same person," Dumbledore mused with a slight nod as his mind started to rifle through possible explanations.

"I don't believe it's a person we're looking for. I believe it's a magical creature of some sort," Severus firmly offered.

"A magical creature?" Minerva's voice was thick with rage and despair warring behind her eyes. "What kind of a creature is capable of such a thing?"

"There was text written on the wall over Mr. Thomas' body in what I assume was blood. It warned that the Chamber of Secrets had been opened," Severus continued as he turned to look out the headmaster's window out to the grounds.

"The Chamber of Secrets?" Minerva straightened suddenly, all emotion forgotten. "That's not possible," She whispered under her breath.

"If that is what it said," Dumbledore paused, for dramatic effect, no doubt. "Then we are in more danger than we first thought."

"What can we do?" Minerva asked, a barely detectable quiver in her voice. "We still have six student that are unaccounted for! We can't just go traipsing around the halls with a literal monster on the loose!"

"Minerva has a point. We are ill equipped for this situation," Severus added more calmly. As he continued to look into the darkened sky now flickering with stars.

Dumbledore sighed wearily. "We'll have to contact the Ministry. Let the Aurors deal with it."

"Aurors," Minerva muttered angrily.

"You know what the Minister will want to do," Severus added. His scowl now returned and his hot dinner now forgotten.

"Fudge will no doubt attempt to remove me as Headmaster. Maybe even attempt to jail me," Dumbledore walked back to his desk and sat down. "Things will no doubt move quickly once the Ministry is notified. If the worst happens, I know I can depend on you two to keep the students safe." Both professors nodded to him. "Go prepare the students for evacuation. I'll contact the Ministry." Both teachers nodded again and walked together towards the office door. "And do be careful. I'd hate for anything to happen to either of you," He added as they exited the office.

Things became quite strange at Hogwarts after the lockdown. There were whispers of murder and a killer on the loose. Others heard that it wasn't a person, but a dangerous magical creature that was terrorizing the school. No one really knew anything other than this had never happened before. When the Aurors showed up to the different Houses' common rooms, their situation became abundantly clear. They were in danger. Professor Flitwick had instructed them the day before to pack up their trunks of everything that wasn't immediately needed and to be ready to leave the school on short notice. The notice came when five Aurors entered the common room.

"Listen up you lot!" An older man spoke only slightly louder than conversational. The room had quieted quickly once they had entered. "You need to go and get your trunks. We will be escorting you to the Hogwarts Express."

There were some murmurs amongst the students, but one student in the back spoke up. "What's going on?"

"I'm not authorized to divulge any details at this time. A letter will be sent home to your parents or guardians with more information once the investigation has been concluded," The Auror stated firmly, leaving no room for back talk as he gazed over the common room. Two male Aurors herded the boys into the Dorms to collect their trunks while two female Aurors did the same to the girls.

The entire Ravenclaw House was led out of the common room dragging their trunks behind them in a long line, protected by the five Aurors and several teachers. Almost the entire House, Luna thought to herself. Luna was well aware that there were three missing students within their House alone. Hermoine and Padma hadn't been seen since just before the lockdown and Penelope Clearwater, one of their Prefects, hadn't been seen since she went out to look for them. If the gossip was to be believed from the talk of the other houses students as they meet on the stairs and in the hallways, there were at least five more students missing from all the other Houses except for Slytherin. Many students theorized that it was a Slytherin student behind whatever was happening, but few believed it. They didn't even know what was really going on, so Luna disregarded their idle prattle. They joined the other students at the school in the hall nearest to the front doors. More Aurors joined the ones escorting the houses as more students joined the throng from the dungeons. They were looking down every hallway, examining every teacher, and even looked up towards the ceilings. Perhaps they were looking for Heliopaths for Fudge while they were here?

They were led back to the Hogwarts Express, which was ready to take the students back home. There were a lot more Aurors standing guard next to the train. They didn't help get the trunks loaded, but were quick to bark orders at the uncomfortable children.

Luna was fortunate enough to slip onto the train before she caught the attention of any of the Aurors. Could never be too careful around people involved in the Rotfang Conspiracy. The feeling of the train was different now. There was no happiness here. Instead of students standing in the walkway, chatting away with friends, they were huddling together in the compartments. It was almost as if they were huddling together for safety. Which was silly because even cowering together in the sun would attract Umgubular Slashkilters.

Ron was in a compartment with Neville and another boy with short brown hair she didn't recognize. Neville and the other boy looked wrought with emotion while trying to comfort Ron who was crying, furiously wiping tears from his face as he tried to pretend his school mates hadn't seen them. The redheaded twins had lost all of their rowdiness. They sat so close they were nearly on each other's laps and had their arms around each other. Their behavior made more sense once she realized she couldn't find Ginny. The train ride was quietly morose.

King's Cross was nearly full to bursting with anxious parents waiting impatiently to take their children home. Xenophilius had already gotten Luna's trunk off the train by the time she found him. He hugged her far too tightly once she got through the throng of people.

"Luna! My beautiful moon," He muttered into her hair. "Let's go home. I'll cook your favorite for dinner."

Xenophilius pulled her through the group of people with one hand while her trunk floated along behind them. Luna caught sight of the Weasley family through the many people. She saw Molly counting the heads of her many children. Then watched as her face fell. Luna had the terrible feeling that things were only just beginning to get bad for the Weasley family.

The next few weeks went by quickly enough. Xenophilius stopped hovering as he did have a paper to write and edit, letting Luna go on her walks again without thinking a Death Eater was going to jump out of a bush and curse her. She had written letters to Ginny and Hermoine in some vain hope that they would write back, but they didn't. Hermoine's mother wrote back informing Luna that her daughter had been injured at school and was receiving specialized treatment at a magical hospital, but was vague on the details. Her letter to Ginny was answered by Molly. She wrote that Ginny didn't come home from school, but that she would let her know Luna had been writing when she returned. A nice, if not helpful, sentiment from both mothers, she missed her mother dearly she thought as she sat under the dirigible plum tree.

Luna stood after she had nibbled on some of the fruit lost in her thoughts for a time, she had bundled herself up for her walk today. It was nearly December and the weather was just beginning to turn cold under the simple wards of her home. Xenophilius wished her well on her walk from the kitchen as he fixed himself up a late morning snack.

Sometimes Luna would use her walks to try to find some Moon Frogs or Dabberblimps, but other times, like today, she just needed the space and fresh air. Her mind wandered to Hermoine's mysterious condition, the change in Ginny, and the lockdown of the school. Her father admitted that he had never known the school to close, even during the height of the Wizarding War led by Lord Voldemort. The school had always been seen as a safe haven to everyone that attended. But it seemed like that safe haven had been breached in the worst way.

Luna found herself nearing the Weasley Burrow. Seemed like her mind had gotten away from herself once more. She probably shouldn't go and bother them, especially without Ginny around, but she wanted to know what was happening out there beyond the falsehoods spouted by the Ministry. Lucky for her, it seemed like a couple of the boys were already outside. The last thing she wanted to do was cause Molly any emotional distress.

"Hey! It's Luna!" Fred called out as she came near with a big smile on his face.

"Hello Gred. How are you today." She greeted him serenely. Her greeting seemed like it had the desired effect, since Fred's smile grew much larger.

"Luna!" George came out from around the corner and gave her a light hug.

"Good afternoon, Forge." George's smile also grew like his brothers'. "How have you been?"

The smiles dimmed almost immediately and Luna felt a twinge of guilt for being the reason for it.

"We won't lie to you little moon. It's been right horrid." George sighed as he sat down next to his twin. Usually the twins swapped words part way through their sentences, it was certainly unnerving to see them speaking as individuals. They must be really unhappy with Ginny being lost at school somewhere. The nargles were in top form stealing away so many students.

"We really...shouldn't," Percy spoke up from behind Luna, having come out the front door of their house.

"This is Luna!" Fred raised his voice to his older brother. Anyone that had even a passing knowledge of the Weasley's knew just how much the younger boys didn't get along with Percy. "You remember, little blond haired angel that would doddle on Bill's summer homework? Adorable blond sister from over the hill?" He huffed in annoyance at Percy. "We can't lie to her too," He added much softer, "I bet she's worried about Ginny too."

Percy rolled his eyes, but the action held no venom. He did think she was a sweet girl that he was, secretly, fond of. "Alright, but I won't be held responsible," Percy said as he turned to the side and folded his arms attempting to hold his prefect demeanor.

"Are you ever?" George asked sarcastically. In a rare show of petulance Percy stuck his tongue out at his younger brother, making both the twins laugh.

Their laughter died down before Fred spoke back up. "Ginny never came back home," He stated solemnly. George patted his arm and Percy ran his fingers through his hair in frustration. Luna wondered if Percy felt more guilt because he was a prefect and he had lost his sister in the school.

"I figured as much," Luna sat down on the other side of Fred and patted his leg, "when I didn't get a letter from her." Fred tried to smile at her, but just couldn't manage it. "What have you two figured out?" She probed gently as she hummed a lullaby she remembered her mother sang to her years ago when she felt sad

"Cho has had a lot to say, but that's not really that surprising," George started to say.

"That girl certainly has her finger on the pulse of gossip," Percy muttered without looking up from a book he was now pretending to read.

George rolled his eyes before continuing, "Cho said that most of the missing kids have been confirmed dead."

"With the exception of Hermoine, Padma, and Ginny," Fred added.

"Something happened to Hermoine and Padma that left them petrified," George nodded as for the moment some of the tension eased in the telling of gossip.

"But," Fred lifted his hand and pointed his index finger into the air, before dropping it as he let out a frustrated sigh, "There's no word on what actually happened with Ginny."

"Only Ministry standard excuses," George said as he dropped his chin into the hand that was propped up on his knee.

"If you take them at their word," Percy interjected into the twins rapid-fire conversation as he snapped the book closed and turned to the three sitting nearby.

"You don't?" Luna asked airily as she tilted her head to the side and basked in the sun as she let the information wash over her.

Percy sighed as he placed the book in his lap and folded his finger over top of it and straightened his back. "As you might not know Luna, I've been shadowing father at the Ministry for a few weeks."

"You were thinking about starting a Ministry career, yes?" Luna added, knowing it would put him at ease she looked at him as she shifted a bit to face him more directly.

Percy smiled kindly to her acknowledgement of his life goals, "Yes, that's right. I've been hearing some things when father isn't around. Like they don't think I'm listening."

"More than just snide remarks?" Fred sneered as he imagined being stuck behind a Ministry desk.

"Shockingly, yes." Percy drawled, more thoughtful than sarcastically. He was, for the moment, unaffected by his brothers' attitude. "If you give idle gossip any credibility, someone at the Ministry was responsible for what happened at Hogwarts. And I don't mean the closing of the school after the incident."

"Lies!" The twins yelled at the same time. Percy only sighed in response. The front door opened and Ron stepped out.

"Oi! What's going on out here? Oh, hey Luna," Ron waved at her before sitting down next to her near bonelessly. "I can hear you bloody idiots from upstairs."

"Percy is telling lies," George muttered, sounding more like he didn't want to think someone had murdered… He shuddered but was unnoticed by the rest of the group.

"I'm not lying!" Percy finally raised his voice as he squeezed the book in his hands, his white knuckles showing just how hard he was trying to rein in his temper. "People at the Ministry are both stupid and gossips," he hissed at his brothers.

"What do they talk about?" Ron asked quietly, much unlike him. Ron was unusually focused on what his brother was saying.

"The low level employees usually talk about nonsense. It's the Secretaries to the Governors that have the real good info," Percy explained carefully.

"Anything good?" Ron asked.

Percy ran his hand over his face before he licked his lips and glanced into the house. "It's mostly about the various affairs or whatever underhanded deal someone is trying to force on someone else, but every once in a while they talk about current affairs. Lately, it's been about how Lucius Malfoy has been trying to use what happened at Hogwarts and Ginny's disappearance against our father," Percy explained slowly.

"That snake!" Ron snarled as his fist clenched and his face immediately burned crimson. "I'll kill him!"

"Those are the Heliopaths talking Ron. Let your brother finish before you start cursing your enemies," Luna soothed the eruption of the youngest son as she reached for his hands and rubbed his hands until the fists opened and cupped his hand between hers and gave it a gentle squeeze before she let him go.

Ron's boiling anger lowered to a simmer, it was hard to be angry when Luna was around, and nodded to his brother to continue. "They also say that there's rumors with the other secretaries that this whole thing with Hogwarts was orchestrated by one of the Governors. I haven't been able to figure out which one, though. The conversation tends to die when I'm noticed. Mostly it's the dark families talking though, nothing much from the neutral or light families I've noticed."

"Shame. It'd be nice to send our newest pranks to them," George spoke casually as he absently picked at his lip and rubbed his chin.

"Even if I did find out IF any of the Governors were involved, you would do no such thing," Percy ordered his brother like the prefect he technically still was.

"They wouldn't be able to trace it back to us!" Fred exclaimed. Luna could see the gears already turning in both of the twins' minds.

"No!" Percy attempted to order.

"Do you really think you'd be able to stop them?" Ron asked his brother incredulously. Percy had the good grace to accept that he had no way to stop any of his brothers. The twins chuckled to themselves, but chose not to needle their older brother anymore.

"Did Cho say if Hermione and Padma were ok?" Luna asked the twins.

"Magically petrified. Recoverable. Eventually." Fred explained distractedly as he was making and discarding plans in his mind's eye.

"They're the lucky ones. We had three students unaccounted for when we left the school. Two have since been reported as dead," George spoke solemnly.

"A first year and a second year. Both Muggleborns," Fred added. News about their sister was not passed on to anyone as yet.

"The Ravenclaw prefect, Penelope Clearwater, has also been reported dead," Percy added without much enthusiasm and a tear that he hid from his brothers.

"I hadn't heard of her," Fred said carefully in a way that left the question unasked.

Percy made a sour face as he attempted to master himself before he drew in a deep breath and let out a shuddering sigh before speaking, "Her mother told me."

They both smiled at Percy with big grins that told Luna that they knew why he had heard about Penelope's death before they did, but chose not to say it out loud. Before the twins recognized the situation was not for teasing. His girlfriend had died. Fred and George looked at each other and cringed guiltily before looking back at the group.

Percy nodded gratefully at the twins before he cleared his throat and discreetly wiped his eyes. "Susan Bones made a comment to me about this whole thing the last time I saw her at the Ministry."

"You saw Susan Bones at the Ministry? What's she doing there?" Ron asked as he missed the whole girlfriend situation.

"The Bones family has always had strong ties to the Ministry. Her Aunt, Amelia Bones, is the Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement and is favored heavily in replacing the Minister someday," Percy lectured to his brother.

"I had no idea," Ron muttered to himself as he thought about his classmates. "What'd she say?"

"Madam Bones doesn't believe the Ministry's line about the Hogwarts deaths or Ginny. She firmly believes that Lucius Malfoy or one of the other Pureblood Governors has been somehow manipulating events and details to gain more political power and eliminate political rivals," Percy explained thoughtfully as a thought occurred to him on the dark families possible motives.

"Like father," George and Fred corrected at the same time. Percy nodded to them, Arthur was not terribly influential but he was one of the few members of the ministry who was attempting to add new laws and regulations in favor of muggleborn and mixed ancestry magical persons.

Ron turned to Luna. "Can I curse my enemies now?" He asked with a grim smile.

Luna nodded to Ron and he quickly stood up to loudly curse Lucius Malfoy again, but was stopped by Molly opening the front door.

"Boys!" Molly bellowed out as she walked out the front door. She startled when she looked down and saw most of her boys sitting near the front door. "Oh! Luna! Hello darling!" She greeted Luna happily with a big hug and a sad smile. "How have you and your father been?" She asked after she looked the girl over and was convinced that she was well.

"We have been doing well, Mrs. Weasley," Luna replied. She would usually ask how she was doing in return, but that would just drum up the bad feelings about Ginny she was sure. "Your hair looks lovely today," she said instead.

"Are you staying for dinner?" She asked hopefully.

"I'd love to, but I didn't ask father if I could. I've been out on my walk for a while now. I should get back home," Luna said as she stood and brushed her legs off before turning to the Weasley matriarch.

Molly's happy smile waned and turned into something broken, "Oh... yes of course dear," She nodded to herself, her eyes far away. "You be careful, alright? I would hate for something bad to happen to you," Her voice cracked a little bit with the sad feelings she was trying so hard to hide.

"I will. Thank you for the invitation," Luna waved to the four boys. "See you later."

The boys waved back as Luna left the Burrow to head back to her own house. Molly seemed so sad by her departure. She probably just missed having her own little girl around and wished that Luna would stay so that she could at least pretend. Luna did eventually start coming over for dinner at least a couple times a week. Her father understood why she suddenly started to go to the Weasley's house more often. His tight hugs told Luna that he would be doing much the same thing if it had been her instead of Ginny. The boys were as fun as they ever were, so long as conversation didn't stray too close to the topic of Ginny.

The school owls arrived just after when winter break was supposed to start. Xenophilius let Luna read the letter it brought herself. The Ministry stated that their Aurors had finished their search of the school and had debunked the rumors of a magical creature being behind the attacks. The perpetrator had been found to be a member of the faculty and they had been apprehended. The school year was set to resume at the normal time at the end of winter break with the addition of some Aurors to make sure there were no more problems. Xenophilius wasn't too happy about having Aurors so close to Luna, but he was happy things at Hogwarts could resume.

The day school resumed, Xenophilius and Luna ended up going with the Weasley's to the train station. Molly hovered a little too much around Luna, and fussed over her hair and clothes but thankfully neither Lovegood seemed bothered. They knew she needed it, and they shared a secret smile at the mothering by proxy. There were tears in her eyes as she kissed her remaining children on their heads and wished them well at Hogwarts. Arthur held Molly closed as the kids boarded the train. He may have been more stoic than his teary eyed wife, but anyone could see the emotion in his eyes. Ginny had been missing for two months.

Ron insisted that Luna sit with him on the train. It seemed a little strange to Luna, but had become clear to her very quickly that she had become a surrogate sister and daughter to some of the Weasley clan. If it made them happier, she was willing to go along with it. Ron had taken over the compartment that Neville was sitting in by himself, though it didn't seem like Neville cared too much. He already looked tired and stressed, but still smiled sweetly at Luna when Ron pulled her into the compartment.

"It's all bullshit!" Ron growled angrily once the train set off from the station. He paced in the small room like a caged animal.

"Tell us how you really feel," Nevile muttered just loud enough for Luna to hear. He smiled at Luna when she giggled at his comment.

"Those liars implicated Ginny in the bullshit they pulled Hagrid into!" He didn't quite yell, but he wasn't quiet either. His teeth gnashed and ground against each other as he paced furiously. "They're saying she was a willing participant in the murders!"

"Who said this?" Neville asked Ron, completely unfazed by his anger.

"The Ministry," Ron gestured angrily at nothing in particular. "They've decided that Hagrid was behind the murders and he convinced Ginny to go along and help him before he killed her too and hid her body!"

"Why Hagrid though?" Neville asked in a curious tone.

"Something about another murder that took place near fifty years ago at Hogwarts that he was allegedly behind," Ron sighed as he plopped down across from Luna and Neville. "It's already been decided. Hagrid was sent away to Azkaban and the investigation has been closed," he wailed as his emotions burst forth and he sobbed as he sank into the cushions like a puddle.

"I'm sorry Ron. I miss her too," Luna spoke softly, hoping to calm him down. It seemed to work when Ron's sobs stopped and after rubbing his face furiously to clear his vision he sat up and smiled back at her.

"Thanks Luna. That helps," Ron spoke in a much more conversational tone.

"We'll be here for you when you need it Ron," Neville looked to Luna, who nodded to him and then Ron.

"Thanks Neville," Ron looked up to Neville with a guilty smile. "I'm sorry. If I was rude to you before, I'm sorry. Friends?"

Neville waved off Ron's apology. "Water under the bridge mate."

The three lapsed into quiet companionship for the rest of the trip. Ron's anger had lulled for the most part and he had pulled out his chocolate frog cards to show off to Luna. Neville had his own cards with him to compare to Ron's, which made Ron happier.

Once the train stopped, Luna had to break away from the two Gryffindor boys to get her school robes and get back to the Great Hall for the first dinner back at school. Walking through the stone hallways felt different now. It was like danger could be around any corner. The students were looking over their shoulders with quick glances or watching over any other student near them. The older students subconsciously hovered near the younger students, watching all around them and guarding them.

Even dinner was different now. People were chatting away with the friends they hadn't seen for months, but it was still a little uneasy, even with all the people around. Luna looked through the students to the Gryffindor table and saw that Ron was sitting in such a way that he had an unimpeded view of Luna. He waved once he noticed she was looking at him. She waved back, still not sure how she felt about the subtle protectiveness from the youngest brother. The presence of a few Aurors didn't make things any less tense. Everyone noticed that Professor Dumbledore wasn't at the head table. Instead, there was a small woman wearing a pink dress sitting in his spot.

"She looks like a toad that fell into a pot of pink paint!" One of the first year boys sitting near Luna whispered to another boy sitting across the table. The second boy nodded with a sour look. A high pitched hem hem cut through the hushed conversations and got everyone's attention to the pink toad lady.

"Attention children," The lady spoke in a simpering high pitch. "My name is Dolores Umbridge and I am your temporary Headmistress. The Ministry has taken a very strong interest in what has happened and is happening here at Hogwarts," She gave the students an insincere smile. "You have nothing to worry about. The person responsible for the tragic attacks on muggleborn students has been found guilty and been...taken care of. There will be no need to inquire into the matter further. You are safe." She assured the students, though Luna remained unconvinced. This woman was a terrible liar. "I will inform you that Professor Dumbledore is wanted in connection to the student deaths for his unforgivable decision to hire the halfbreed Rubeus Hagrid. Any student that has information on his whereabouts is hereby compelled by Ministry Decree to inform the nearest Ministry official. In this case, me." She gave them a cruel smile. "I'm sure we will get past this unfortunate event and grow stronger from it."

Umbridge sat back down in the Headmaster seat and dinner progressed as usual. Luna didn't like the Ministry being so close to Hogwarts and she especially didn't like this Ministry official with the insincere smile and cruel eyes. Luna looked down the table and found that Hermoine and Padma were still gone. Luna's heart ached at the unknowable fate her two housemates were suffering through.

Classes seemed much the same. Some of the teachers seemed very opposed to the idea of the Ministry interfering in Hogwarts and the bounty on Dumbledore's head. Other teachers were less opposed to Ministry interference if that meant no more students died mysteriously. There were more teachers and the occasional Auror in the hallways between classes.

Luna had just finished History of Magic and was heading to the dorm to drop her things off and to change for dinner. The second year Gryffindor Charms class was getting out at the same time and was on her way, so Luna was going to greet Ron and maybe Neville, if he wasn't rushing off already. Her path was blocked when Randolph Burrow, one of her House's Quidditch players, stepped out in front of her.

"Hey Looney! Where are you off too?" The third year sneered at Luna as he swiped her copy of the Quibbler out from her grip. "More of this filth?"

"It's not filth just because you don't understand it," Luna replied, her normally airy demeanor had hardened into a flinty glare. "Would you like to sign up for your own copy so you can educate yourself?" She suggested helpfully. The taunts from her Housemates had long since lost their effect on her.

"No thanks. I don't want to rot my brain Loony," He laughed as his other friends joined in. Luna tried to take her magazine back, but Randolph kept it out of her reach.

"Give it back to her, Randolph. It's not yours," Ron voiced carried over the group of bullies

"What do you care, Weasley? She ain't no mudblood for your family to off," Randolph jeered.

Luna saw the anger in Ron's eyes flare brightly. She wanted to stop him from the rash action that he was deciding on, but she also knew that stopping Ron Weasley from acting rashly was like trying to stop the sun from shining. It was nigh impossible.

Ron moved in a flash, closing the gap between him and Randolph and punched the older boy in the face with a closed fist. Randolph landed flat on his back with blood already running out of his nose. He tossed the Quibbler away before climbing to his feet and leaping at Ron who was tussling with his friends. Randolph pinned Ron to the ground beneath him and sat across his stomach before he began to rain down punches on the smaller boy in return. Some of the other students pleaded for the boys to stop fighting, but most of them were cheering them on or encouraging them into further violence. Ron snarled and grabbed the older boy's upper arm, he rolled and pulled his face down and slammed the older boy into the stone floor before he grabbed his hair and slammed his face down a second time and began to untangle himself from the bully as the other boy groaned and tried to focus back on the fight.

"What is the meaning of this?!" Professor Flitwick yelled over the crowd. He saw the two boys fighting on the floor and quickly cast a silent spell that sent Randolph flying away from Ron and back onto his back. Professor Flitwick performed another spell that Luna couldn't place until she noticed neither boy could get off the floor. A clever trick, using a sticking charm to stop a fight between students. "Someone care to explain what is happening here before I give everyone present detention?" Professor Flitwick demanded.

"Ron hit me for no reason!" Randolph yelled from the floor, trying to point at Ron.

"He took Luna's magazine and was calling her names!" Ron yelled back.

Professor Flitwick turned to Luna. "Is this true? Did Randolph take your magazine and call you names?" He asked her calmly.

"That is correct, Professor," She wasn't about to lie to the professor, even if she kind of did want to avoid future trouble. "I'd really just like to have my magazine back and get to dinner."

Professor Flitwick nodded to her and turned back to the boys. "Alright. The two instigators will have a weeks worth of detention with the head of their respective Houses and a loss of twenty points. All bystanders will receive a warning. Everyone is dismissed!" The standing students quickly scattered in various directions before the professor changed his mind. "You two will go see Madam Pompfrey about your injuries and then go to dinner before reporting to the Head of your house for your first detention session. Is that understood?"

The two boys nodded to the professor and were released from the sticky charm. Professor Flitwick nodded to Luna before going on his way towards the Great Hall. Randolph sneered at Luna before heading down the hallway, probably towards the Hospital Wing. Ron brushed the dirt off his robe as he walked towards Luna.

"You alright there Luna?" Ron asked sweetly.

Luna took a moment to get a good look at him. There was a stream of fresh blood running from his nose and his left eye was already blackening and swelling up. She noticed an older cut on his lip that was still healing and a cut on the bridge of his nose that was nearly fully healed.

"I'm fine Ron. You really didn't need to do that," Luna spoke softly, not sure how she should feel about how quickly that had escalated.

"People like that need to be hurt. Otherwise they'll never learn," Ron replied with a firm resolve.

"I understand that Ron, but you shouldn't just get into a muggle brawl with everyone that calls people names," Luna sighed.

"I can try," Ron said with a smirk. "You should get to dinner. I've gotta get cleaned up before starting my latest detention." Ron waved over his shoulder as he walked away from her. "See you around, Luna!"

"He's been getting into a lot of fights," Neville spoke conversationally. Luna realized that Neville had been standing next to her the whole time.

"When has this started? He was never like this before. A little brash sure but brawling and fighting just from some name calling?" Luna was now very concerned about Ron.

"He started getting into fights just as soon as we came back to school," Neville shook his head. "I've been trying to get him to stop, but he's just so angry anymore."

Luna didn't like the sound of that. Ron had always been a little more hot blooded than his brothers, but this was new even for him. She knew Ginny's disappearance had affected the Weasley clan greatly, that was only logical. But starting fights over something as ridiculous as petty name calling? That could only mean bad things for him in the future. And if Ron had been acting so differently, could that mean that George or Fred or even Percy were changing in some dark ways?

Luna turned to Neville. "Were you heading to dinner, Neville? We could walk together," She asked hopefully. She wouldn't mind having some pleasant company.

Neville gave her a sad smile. "I can't. I've got something I'm doing during dinner. We can catch up later!" He flashed her a quick smile before walking away at a brisk speed.

Things remained much the same way for the rest of the school year. Ron was always covered in healing wounds and constantly in detention. The twins had all but disappeared. When Luna asked their Housemates or Ron, they replied with a simple 'They're busy experimenting'. Percy was much the same outwardly, but he did tend to be more forgiving when Ron got into his fights or the twins' latest product created some unfortunate student.

Professor Umbridge was quickly becoming a problem for many students. While she couldn't do much as temporary Headmistress, she could still pass some new rules that did nothing but micromanage the students. The wall outside the Great Hall already had several framed Educational Decrees hanging around the double doors. So far, there was a decree forbidding male and female students from being within eight inches of each other, one confining pets to common rooms and dorms and owls to the Owlery, and one that stated that students would be expelled if found in possession of sweets from 'Unauthorized Suppliers'. Everyone knew that the last one was directed at George and Fred Weasley, but it did little to hinder their operation.

One night Luna woke up near the Greenhouses. It wasn't unusual for her to sleepwalk around the dorms or common room, but she had never gone this far before. Luna decided to go through the greenhouses before heading back to her dorm. The smell of wet dirt and happy plants lulled her mind into a happy kind of peace. A strange noise pulled her out of her thoughts. It sounded almost like something was sniffing around. Luna became excited, thinking she may have found a Crumple-Horned Snorkack hiding in the greenhouse. She snuck around one of the long planters as quietly as she could, hoping not to spook whatever was there with her. There was no Crumple-Horned Snorkack hiding in the greenhouse. Instead, she found something far more interesting. She found Neville, crying quietly in the dark.

"Neville?" She called to him as softly as she could. She didn't want to startle him too badly, afterall.

Neville startled anyway. Shooting up to his feet and ready to fight whomever had snuck up on him. He relaxed as soon as he realized who it was.

"Oh, hello Luna," Neville rubbed his chest like he was trying to get his heart to calm down. "What, uh, what are you doing here?" He stuttered out.

"I sleepwalk sometimes. Seems like my body wanted a stroll through the greenhouses tonight," She kept a light tone, so he would calm faster.

Neville nodded shakily while looking around them. "Look, we probably shouldn't be in here this late," He motioned over his shoulder.

"It looked like you needed the quiet," She pointed out as gently as she could. "Would you like to sit just outside? The fresh air might do you well." She smiled up at the older boy.

Neville looked around them again, but relented and let her lead him to just outside the greenhouse doors. The night was quiet and nearly still. There were some far off sounds of owls and thestrals and maybe even some sounds of the lake if she listened very closely.

"Thanks Luna," Neville broke the silence between them suddenly. "I haven't been very nice to you lately," His words trailed off.

"You've been quite kind to me," She assured him.

Neville smiled sweetly at her. "I've been so busy with...things. I haven't been a proper friend to you."

"Don't worry yourself about it. It seemed like you were just busy learning to keep away the Umgubular Slashkilters" She returned his smile.

They lapsed into quiet companionship once more. They sat together for long enough that Luna was just thinking about heading about going back to her bed. Neville seemed like he had calmed down enough that she wouldn't be worried about leaving him alone.

"I have been doing special training," Neville said suddenly. "With some of the teachers."

"Special training?" That didn't make sense to Luna, but she withheld the questions she wanted to ask and instead went with the more vague and comforting ones. "For a test?" She asked.

"No," Neville shook his head with a pained smile on his face. "I'm not really sure of all of the reasons. Dumbledore told me I needed to train for when...You-Know-Who comes back." He whispered to her.

"When? I thought he was defeated," Luna was used to playing dumb. People tended to say more when they thought they were explaining something new to you.

"Yeah. Dumbledore doesn't believe that he's gone for good. And without the one that defeated him before…" Neville sighed and with a breath that nearly unburdened all of the weight he had carried for months he looked over at Luna.

"Harry Potter?" Luna interjected before Nevile could continue.

"Yes, actually," Neville looked at her with curiosity. "Most people don't know that name anymore."

Luna blushed a bit, having let her mouth run off again. Thankfully, Neville didn't seem to mind. "I grew up hearing the stories about the great Harry Potter from my nanny house elf."

"You had a house elf nanny telling you stories about Harry Potter?" Neville chuckled. "I hadn't heard about Harry Potter until Dumbledore told me about his plan."

"Dobby's stories almost seemed unbelievable. Father believed it was all a part of the Fawn Conspiracy. He wrote several articles detailing it in the Quibbler," Luna said with pride. She was pleased to share one of her favorite stories with a friend.

"The Fawn Conspiracy in the Quibbler, eh?" Neville seemed to ponder it for a moment. "Yeah. Go ahead and sign me up for a subscription. I really want to read about that."

Luna smiled, happy that someone didn't think she was strange for her beliefs. She knew she didn't have anything to prove to anyone, but it was nice to just be believed.

"I'll write to Father. He has older copies that he can send to you," Luna said as she reached out and grabbed his hand while she looked into the stars above them.

Neville nodded and seemed to be considering something. "Would you mind helping me?" Neville questioned slowly. "With these...extra-curricular studies? Just between us, of course," He added quickly.

"I'm not sure how much help I could be with the practical lessons, but I could help with the theory, at least," Luna said as she looked at the boy next to her, who was her friend. It was nice to have friends.

Neville smiled at her again and gave her a one armed hug. "You're the best Luna. Let's head to bed. It's getting very late. Or early." His lame joke made Luna laugh as they walked together back to their dorms.