Into Your Gravity ( Luna Lovegood & Tom Riddle )

Chapter seven: Friendship

She opened her mouth to say something, obviously thought better of it, then shut it again, instead offering a shrug and a blank look in response.

"Well, make no mistake," he said coolly, injecting as much ice and disdain into his voice as possible, "you are no friend of mine."

It was not until he had already made it halfway to the Slytherin common room that he realized he hadn't even given her detention.

•

The following night at dinner, Cat snapped her fingers just in front of Luna's face, where she sat staring at the beef wellington, chewing her lip. "Lovegood!"

"I was just wondering," Luna said, releasing her lower lip from her teeth, "what a soul might be made out of? Do you suppose it's fragile? Is it brittle like spun sugar? Or is it sturdy like oak?" She knocked her fist against the wood of the Ravenclaw table. "Or perhaps it might be rather bendy, like a bit of bamboo." She propped her chin on a hand and continued to look thoughtful.

"Erm, a soul?" Lorraine repeated.

"What are you on about now, Luna?" said Cat. She tapped Luna's head with her finger. "What goes on in there?"

"Haven't the foggiest," Luna replied, making Lorraine and Cat snort with laughter. Finally coming back to the table, Luna looked around. "Where's Lucinda?"

Lorraine was lost into another bout of giggles at this, so Cat answered, "Oh, she's off with some boy. Gryffindor. Probably snogging. Ran off with him this afternoon."

"Oh, that's nice," said Luna.

"Uh, yeah, I guess so," Cat said, fighting a smile.

"Fancy a game of Gobstones? I've finished my homework for tomorrow," said Lorraine as they finished eating.

"Sure, let's head up to the common room," said Cat.

The three girls stood up to leave the Great Hall. As they passed the Slytherin table, Luna gave a cheery wave and a grin at Tom, who had been side-eying her from amidst his usual group of lackeys. At her wave, he turned his head away.

"You, uh...friends with Tom Riddle now?" Lorraine asked in an attempt at nonchalance.

"No, not at all," Luna said, continuing to grin. "He's made that thoroughly apparent."

Once they were settled down at a table in the Ravenclaw common room with Lorraine's set of Gobstones, Luna deferred playing to the other two girls. "I would like to practice my commentating skills, to be honest. I have commentated Quidditch and quite enjoyed it."

Lorraine and Cat acquiesced to having their game commentated, but quickly began to regret this as other Ravenclaws turned to see what was happening with bemused expressions. "I suspect Cat will perform the Wronski feint here soon, she is quite clever after all...," Luna said in a dreamy voice that carried around the common room.

"Luna, that's a Quidditch maneuver, this is Gobstones," Cat muttered.

They were just about to ask her to stop when Lucinda finally reappeared, bursting into the common room looking perky and pleased with herself.