Chapter 14
When Harry rushed into the Great Hall for breakfast the next day, having overslept, he was only slightly surprised to find Luna sitting at the Gryffindor table. He sat next to her and shot her a smile. Harry hadn't seen much of his whimsical friend since the start of term: he'd been too busy and Luna didn't seem to be around the castle too often.
"How're things Luna?" he said, grabbing a muffin off the table.
"Quite well actually," Luna answered, her voice lilting. "I've been spending quite a lot of time in the forest with the Thestrals. Some other students have started coming with me."
"Really?" As far as Harry could remember, most students were terrified at even the prospect of the creatures existing, much less interacting with them.
"Really. I think they're probably less scary when you can see them."
"And the Nargles?" Harry asked, succeeding in keeping a straight face; he was only trying to be polite. He might not believe in Nargles, but Luna certainly did.
"They've been away," Luna sang. "But don't worry, I'm sure they'll be back soon."
"I thought Nargles were bad?" Harry wrinkled his eyebrows, confused.
"Oh no," she said hastily. "They're not bad. I don't think any magical creature could be bad. They're just quite mischievous. Sometimes they're fun to have around."
"I understand." Harry nodded, not really understanding. Luckily, Ginny slammed her bag down on the table next to Luna at that moment, interrupting their conversation.
"Bloody Greengrass," she mumbled angrily, aggressively rifling through her bag.
"Ginny, you alright?" Harry peered over at her. She pulled out a sheet of parchment and shoved it in Ron's direction, completely ignoring Harry's question.
"Ron," she said pointedly. He immediately looked up and started to listen; at this point, even Ron had learned not to piss off Ginny when she got in one of her moods. "You need to memorize these plays by this afternoon. And Harry?" When she looked at him her eyes were blazing with an intensity that could've brought a grown man to his knees. "I don't care what you have to do, but whatever you do, do not lose to Malfoy."
"Ginny," Ron began carefully. "What're you on about?" She sighed and rolled her eyes.
"That Daphne Greengrass said that Slytherin could beat Gryffindor any day, and she was being so awful about it that I just couldn't take it anymore! So I challenged her to a mock Quidditch game after classes this afternoon."
"What?" Ron and Harry exclaimed simultaneously. Usually they spent weeks preparing for a game, and now they had to beat Slytherin with only a few hours to prepare?
"That's mental!" Ron voiced Harry's thoughts, although Harry wouldn't have used those exact words.
"Look," she glared at Ron, who shrunk back in his seat. "I know it's a bit rushed, but I just couldn't let Greengrass go on like that, alright?" Luna placed her hand on Ginny's arm in an attempt to calm her. Ginny took a deep breath and gave Luna a small smile. "The match is at two o'clock sharp. Don't be late."
With that, she gave Luna's hand a small squeeze and left the table. Ron ate the rest of his breakfast in stunned silence. He never did well under pressure, and Harry only hoped that this surprise match wouldn't damage his confidence. Ron was a fantastic Quidditch player when he believed in himself, but when he didn't, he would be lucky to block a single quaffle.
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Harry Potter and The Boy Who Had No Choice
Fanfiction"Face it Malfoy, you're a bloody coward." Harry's smile was gone, replaced by a menacing scowl. While he was talking, he had made his way back to Malfoy, who was now standing in front of him, seething with anger. "I. Am. Not. A. Coward," Malfoy sa...
