Ginny, Luna, and Neville found an empty compartment on the Hogwarts Express and sat down together. All three of them were silent, lost in their thoughts, each for a different reason.
In Harry Potter’s absence, Neville Longbottom had, more or less, taken on responsibility for the D.A. He had planned meetings and rallied students, all very discreetly. He had the help of his friends, especially Ginny and Luna, though, so it wasn’t like he was overloaded. Now, as he headed home to his grandmother’s house, he realized just how tired he was.
Luna’s father, Xenophilius Lovegood, the owner of the Quibbler magazine, had been printing his support for Harry. She was very proud of her father, it was pretty brave defying the Ministry and Voldemort, after all. But lately, his letters had been a bit… aloof, and she was worried. She was almost certain that the Ministry was threatening him.
Ginny, for her part, had a head full of Draco Malfoy. She was still flustered over the incident they’d just had in that classroom. The infinite sadness, and… something else, in his eyes had struck her so that she felt alternately hot and cold all over. Her first thought had been to kiss him, the second to run. Naturally she chose the second.
The three friends sat silently for a minute, not a single word spoken in greeting, collecting themselves. Then, at the exact same time, they all sighed. Instantly they collapsed in laughter.
Neville was clutching his stomach, rolling around in his seat. Luna was giggling lightly, a hand pressed across her chest. Ginny had her head thrown back as she let all of her tension out in one of her usual, hearty laughs. They made quite a sight together.
When they calmed down, they looked at each other, eyes glinting merrily. Neville was the first to speak. “I guess we’ve all been a little tense, huh?” he said.
Luna nodded. “It’s very easy to get tense when times are troubled. My daddy always says that everyone needs to make time to relax, no matter how busy they are.”
Ginny smiled fondly at the blonde girl. Most people, on meeting Luna, thought her to be nutters with all her talk of Crumple-Horned Snorkacks and what-not. But she really was a brilliant, insightful girl.
The three friends spent the next while making plans for their return to Hogwarts after the hols. Neville had some ideas to rally more students to the cause and, one by one, he laid them out for the girls.
Ginny was impressed. Neville may not have been particularly good in school, but he was smart. He’d taken a lot of responsibility with the Trio gone and was handling it brilliantly. Gone was the shy, fumbling boy who’d first come to Hogwarts all those years ago, and in his place was a confident, brave young man.
Luna engaged in the discussion, though her heart didn’t appear to be in it. Her expression went vague and sad (well… more vague than usual, anyway) a couple of times. Ginny noticed that instead of saying ‘we could,’ she mostly said ‘you could.’
After an hour of discussing plans, Neville got up and went in search of the trolley, complaining about how hungry he was. As soon as she was sure he was gone, Ginny turned to Luna and demanded, “What’s going on? You’re acting really strange.”
Luna hummed as if she hadn’t been paying attention. “Oh, nothing,” was her reply, even as a shadow of something contrary passed across her face. “I’m just fine.”
“There’s something you’re not telling me,” Ginny argued, watching her friend closely. “You keep talking as if you don’t plan on being a part of everything after vacation.”
Luna shook her head, slightly, her ever-present radish earrings swaying. “Oh, no. Just a mistake.” Her voice was feathery and distant. “I just slipped up a bit.” She smiled. “Tired, you know.”
Ginny wasn’t satisfied, but she decided that it wouldn’t do to press her friend. She had her reasons, and that was good enough. But she couldn’t stop herself from being worried.
It wouldn’t have mattered anyway, as Neville’s return to the compartment prevented any more discussion. He held pumpkin pasties and cauldron cakes in his hand. “The trolley wasn’t far,” he told the girls. “In fact, if I’d stayed, it would have been here quickly enough and saved me the trouble.”
As they ate their snacks, the three friends talked about less significant things, like what they would do for the two weeks they had at home, free from school obligations. They all agreed on one thing: they’d be sleeping late every day!
The train pulled into the station long before any of them expected it, caught up as they were in their conversation. As they steamed to a stop, Ginny wondered why it was so quiet. Platform 9¾ was usually teeming with family members anxiously waiting to greet the Hogwarts students, yelling out hellos and being all around excited. It was always mayhem and confusion. Today, however, all that could be heard was the noise from inside the train.
Ginny pushed open the window of their compartment and poked out her head to see what was going on. She noticed other students up and down the train doing the same. She forced herself not to look for Draco’s tell-tale white-blond hair. Instead she focused on the large group of imposing men standing in the center of the platform.
The parents were huddled in the background, looking nervously around. The men seemed to be holding them back, though no one was actually moving. They all wore heavy, dark cloaks that reminded Ginny of Death Eaters, except for the Ministry insignia.
Neville stuck his head out above Ginny’s. “What’s going on?” he asked. “What do they want?”
One of the men stepped forward and, with a magically amplified voice, announced, “No one is to leave their seats! The Ministry of Magic has received a tip about a dangerous person or persons being aboard this train!“
At this, the students erupted into worried exclamations and even some screams. They yelled back and forth about the possibilities of that statement, and speculation about who it could be ran back and forth.
The speaker raised his hands and boomed for quiet. When everyone had calmed down enough, he continued, “We must ask that no one leave the train until we are able to search it. This person must be apprehended!”
Ginny and Neville pulled their heads back in and turned to face Luna. Their Ravenclaw friend was still sitting in her seat, wearing an expression of complete calm. She had a copy of the Quibbler in her lap and was softly stroking the cover, on which there was a large picture of Harry with a caption begging support.
“No matter what happens,” she began, her voice eerily soft, “promise me you won’t panic or do anything foolish.”
Ginny and Neville exchanged nervous looks. They were unsure what to make of this. Luna often spoke cryptically, but this was a whole new level. What could she possibly think was going to happen?
Luna went on, hardly noticing her friends’ uncertainty, “Promise?” When Ginny and Neville nodded their agreement, she said, “I was visited by a Prophetic Spielbol last night. They show you the future in your dreams, you know.”
The other two didn’t know, but they nodded anyway, hoping she would explain what it was she meant.
“It told me that everything that is about to happen, no matter what it is, will be a good thing.”
So much for that. They knew no more now than they did before. Did Luna even know? Neville glanced at Ginny and she shrugged, not having anything at all to say.
Several minutes passed in complete and total silence. They could hear the search going on in other parts of the train. Suddenly there was a yell of “Here!” and the door was flung open.
Luna took Ginny’s hand as two of the large men stepped into the compartment. “Tell my father I love him.” Then she stood, quite calmly, and faced the Ministry men.
They grabbed her by the arms and said, “Miss Lovegood. You are hereby placed under arrest for conspiracy against the Ministry of Magic and supporting the criminal, Harry Potter, in his illegal activities.”
Neville stood up, gasping indignantly, and would have argued, but Luna put out her hand. “Remember what I said, Neville. This is supposed to happen. Do not interfere. You’ll only make it worse.”
As Luna was led unresisting out of the compartment, her face still calm and serene, Ginny stood as well. The two remaining friends wrapped their arms around each other for support. Ginny buried her face in Neville’s shoulder and cried. He stroked his hands up and down her back as tears streamed from his own eyes.
This war was steadily becoming worse. As if it wasn’t bad enough that the Ministry was doing very little against Voldemort, and there being Death Eaters in charge of the school, the midnight raids and unexplained disappearances, deaths, and attacks, now they had to come along and arrest students right off the train from school? Was the world going insane?
What next? Would Thicknesse, the current Minister, suddenly don a white mask and black cloak, sporting a fancy tattoo on his arm? He certainly wasn’t a very good Minister. More likely to hide beneath his desk than face a problem. Really, it wouldn’t be much of a surprise if he caved.
“Oh, how sad,” mocked a menacing voice from the door.
Glancing up quickly, Ginny saw Pansy Parkinson and her minion following, Millicent Bulstrode and Daphne Greengrass, smirking at her.
“The poor little Gryffindors have finally discovered that their dear, stupid friend is a criminal!”
Neville stiffened momentarily, then pushed Ginny behind him. He reached for his wand, but Pansy was faster.
“Petrificus Totalus!” she yelled, her face turning a shade of purple that would have rivaled Ron.
Ginny gasped as Neville’s arms and legs snapped straight and he pitched forward. He narrowly missed striking his head on the edge of the open door.
Ginny whipped out her wand fast as lightning and said the first spell that came to mind, “Aguamenti!” A spray of water shot from the end of her wand, sending the three Slytherin girls screaming from the train.
Ginny knelt by Neville and quickly unpetrified him. “Thanks,” he said, pulling himself to his feet.
She shrugged and shook her head. “Who would have thought that something as simple as a bit of water could get rid of them so easily,” she muttered with a smile.
They chuckled stiffly, still reeling over Luna’s arrest, and walked out of the compartment. They said good-bye when they reached the platform, and Ginny ran over to her parents who were waiting anxiously. They hugged each other fiercely.
Then Ginny spotted Mr. Lovegood standing off to one side, his hands clenched tightly in front of him. He looked much more frazzled than he had at Bill’s wedding the summer before.
She pulled away from her family and made her way over to him. Mr. Lovegood seemed to know at once and reached out his arms to her. Ginny fell into them, crying softly. “She said to tell you that she loves you,” she whispered through her tears.
“Thank you,” Xenophilius said. He patted her shoulder awkwardly and sighed sadly.
In Harry Potter’s absence, Neville Longbottom had, more or less, taken on responsibility for the D.A. He had planned meetings and rallied students, all very discreetly. He had the help of his friends, especially Ginny and Luna, though, so it wasn’t like he was overloaded. Now, as he headed home to his grandmother’s house, he realized just how tired he was.
Luna’s father, Xenophilius Lovegood, the owner of the Quibbler magazine, had been printing his support for Harry. She was very proud of her father, it was pretty brave defying the Ministry and Voldemort, after all. But lately, his letters had been a bit… aloof, and she was worried. She was almost certain that the Ministry was threatening him.
Ginny, for her part, had a head full of Draco Malfoy. She was still flustered over the incident they’d just had in that classroom. The infinite sadness, and… something else, in his eyes had struck her so that she felt alternately hot and cold all over. Her first thought had been to kiss him, the second to run. Naturally she chose the second.
The three friends sat silently for a minute, not a single word spoken in greeting, collecting themselves. Then, at the exact same time, they all sighed. Instantly they collapsed in laughter.
Neville was clutching his stomach, rolling around in his seat. Luna was giggling lightly, a hand pressed across her chest. Ginny had her head thrown back as she let all of her tension out in one of her usual, hearty laughs. They made quite a sight together.
When they calmed down, they looked at each other, eyes glinting merrily. Neville was the first to speak. “I guess we’ve all been a little tense, huh?” he said.
Luna nodded. “It’s very easy to get tense when times are troubled. My daddy always says that everyone needs to make time to relax, no matter how busy they are.”
Ginny smiled fondly at the blonde girl. Most people, on meeting Luna, thought her to be nutters with all her talk of Crumple-Horned Snorkacks and what-not. But she really was a brilliant, insightful girl.
The three friends spent the next while making plans for their return to Hogwarts after the hols. Neville had some ideas to rally more students to the cause and, one by one, he laid them out for the girls.
Ginny was impressed. Neville may not have been particularly good in school, but he was smart. He’d taken a lot of responsibility with the Trio gone and was handling it brilliantly. Gone was the shy, fumbling boy who’d first come to Hogwarts all those years ago, and in his place was a confident, brave young man.
Luna engaged in the discussion, though her heart didn’t appear to be in it. Her expression went vague and sad (well… more vague than usual, anyway) a couple of times. Ginny noticed that instead of saying ‘we could,’ she mostly said ‘you could.’
After an hour of discussing plans, Neville got up and went in search of the trolley, complaining about how hungry he was. As soon as she was sure he was gone, Ginny turned to Luna and demanded, “What’s going on? You’re acting really strange.”
Luna hummed as if she hadn’t been paying attention. “Oh, nothing,” was her reply, even as a shadow of something contrary passed across her face. “I’m just fine.”
“There’s something you’re not telling me,” Ginny argued, watching her friend closely. “You keep talking as if you don’t plan on being a part of everything after vacation.”
Luna shook her head, slightly, her ever-present radish earrings swaying. “Oh, no. Just a mistake.” Her voice was feathery and distant. “I just slipped up a bit.” She smiled. “Tired, you know.”
Ginny wasn’t satisfied, but she decided that it wouldn’t do to press her friend. She had her reasons, and that was good enough. But she couldn’t stop herself from being worried.
It wouldn’t have mattered anyway, as Neville’s return to the compartment prevented any more discussion. He held pumpkin pasties and cauldron cakes in his hand. “The trolley wasn’t far,” he told the girls. “In fact, if I’d stayed, it would have been here quickly enough and saved me the trouble.”
As they ate their snacks, the three friends talked about less significant things, like what they would do for the two weeks they had at home, free from school obligations. They all agreed on one thing: they’d be sleeping late every day!
The train pulled into the station long before any of them expected it, caught up as they were in their conversation. As they steamed to a stop, Ginny wondered why it was so quiet. Platform 9¾ was usually teeming with family members anxiously waiting to greet the Hogwarts students, yelling out hellos and being all around excited. It was always mayhem and confusion. Today, however, all that could be heard was the noise from inside the train.
Ginny pushed open the window of their compartment and poked out her head to see what was going on. She noticed other students up and down the train doing the same. She forced herself not to look for Draco’s tell-tale white-blond hair. Instead she focused on the large group of imposing men standing in the center of the platform.
The parents were huddled in the background, looking nervously around. The men seemed to be holding them back, though no one was actually moving. They all wore heavy, dark cloaks that reminded Ginny of Death Eaters, except for the Ministry insignia.
Neville stuck his head out above Ginny’s. “What’s going on?” he asked. “What do they want?”
One of the men stepped forward and, with a magically amplified voice, announced, “No one is to leave their seats! The Ministry of Magic has received a tip about a dangerous person or persons being aboard this train!“
At this, the students erupted into worried exclamations and even some screams. They yelled back and forth about the possibilities of that statement, and speculation about who it could be ran back and forth.
The speaker raised his hands and boomed for quiet. When everyone had calmed down enough, he continued, “We must ask that no one leave the train until we are able to search it. This person must be apprehended!”
Ginny and Neville pulled their heads back in and turned to face Luna. Their Ravenclaw friend was still sitting in her seat, wearing an expression of complete calm. She had a copy of the Quibbler in her lap and was softly stroking the cover, on which there was a large picture of Harry with a caption begging support.
“No matter what happens,” she began, her voice eerily soft, “promise me you won’t panic or do anything foolish.”
Ginny and Neville exchanged nervous looks. They were unsure what to make of this. Luna often spoke cryptically, but this was a whole new level. What could she possibly think was going to happen?
Luna went on, hardly noticing her friends’ uncertainty, “Promise?” When Ginny and Neville nodded their agreement, she said, “I was visited by a Prophetic Spielbol last night. They show you the future in your dreams, you know.”
The other two didn’t know, but they nodded anyway, hoping she would explain what it was she meant.
“It told me that everything that is about to happen, no matter what it is, will be a good thing.”
So much for that. They knew no more now than they did before. Did Luna even know? Neville glanced at Ginny and she shrugged, not having anything at all to say.
Several minutes passed in complete and total silence. They could hear the search going on in other parts of the train. Suddenly there was a yell of “Here!” and the door was flung open.
Luna took Ginny’s hand as two of the large men stepped into the compartment. “Tell my father I love him.” Then she stood, quite calmly, and faced the Ministry men.
They grabbed her by the arms and said, “Miss Lovegood. You are hereby placed under arrest for conspiracy against the Ministry of Magic and supporting the criminal, Harry Potter, in his illegal activities.”
Neville stood up, gasping indignantly, and would have argued, but Luna put out her hand. “Remember what I said, Neville. This is supposed to happen. Do not interfere. You’ll only make it worse.”
As Luna was led unresisting out of the compartment, her face still calm and serene, Ginny stood as well. The two remaining friends wrapped their arms around each other for support. Ginny buried her face in Neville’s shoulder and cried. He stroked his hands up and down her back as tears streamed from his own eyes.
This war was steadily becoming worse. As if it wasn’t bad enough that the Ministry was doing very little against Voldemort, and there being Death Eaters in charge of the school, the midnight raids and unexplained disappearances, deaths, and attacks, now they had to come along and arrest students right off the train from school? Was the world going insane?
What next? Would Thicknesse, the current Minister, suddenly don a white mask and black cloak, sporting a fancy tattoo on his arm? He certainly wasn’t a very good Minister. More likely to hide beneath his desk than face a problem. Really, it wouldn’t be much of a surprise if he caved.
“Oh, how sad,” mocked a menacing voice from the door.
Glancing up quickly, Ginny saw Pansy Parkinson and her minion following, Millicent Bulstrode and Daphne Greengrass, smirking at her.
“The poor little Gryffindors have finally discovered that their dear, stupid friend is a criminal!”
Neville stiffened momentarily, then pushed Ginny behind him. He reached for his wand, but Pansy was faster.
“Petrificus Totalus!” she yelled, her face turning a shade of purple that would have rivaled Ron.
Ginny gasped as Neville’s arms and legs snapped straight and he pitched forward. He narrowly missed striking his head on the edge of the open door.
Ginny whipped out her wand fast as lightning and said the first spell that came to mind, “Aguamenti!” A spray of water shot from the end of her wand, sending the three Slytherin girls screaming from the train.
Ginny knelt by Neville and quickly unpetrified him. “Thanks,” he said, pulling himself to his feet.
She shrugged and shook her head. “Who would have thought that something as simple as a bit of water could get rid of them so easily,” she muttered with a smile.
They chuckled stiffly, still reeling over Luna’s arrest, and walked out of the compartment. They said good-bye when they reached the platform, and Ginny ran over to her parents who were waiting anxiously. They hugged each other fiercely.
Then Ginny spotted Mr. Lovegood standing off to one side, his hands clenched tightly in front of him. He looked much more frazzled than he had at Bill’s wedding the summer before.
She pulled away from her family and made her way over to him. Mr. Lovegood seemed to know at once and reached out his arms to her. Ginny fell into them, crying softly. “She said to tell you that she loves you,” she whispered through her tears.
“Thank you,” Xenophilius said. He patted her shoulder awkwardly and sighed sadly.
Author notes: I'm sorry, Luna!! This is my version of her disappearance over Christmas break. You know what's funny? Her personality fits mine rather nicely. I was afraid she'd be so hard to write, but then I tried it... No issue. Anyway. I'd like to 'hear' what you thought of this chapter. Thanks to Rosalie, choravenclaw, merriza, Len, wes-emerald, GoldenFawkes, darkloveangel, and psyche. Loves!
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