Luna's heart always made an excited flutter whenever the Hogwarts Express pulled into Hogsmeade Station. Hogwarts was her home away from home. She felt truly in her element there. Feeling the magic and all the possibilities to tap into made her feel as close to her mother as she believed possible. Her mother, Pandora, had adored magic. Of course any wizard or witch appreciated their own abilities but to her mother, and Luna herself, it felt like an entirely new realm that you could explore at will. It fuelled her. Being home with father, with the underage restrictions in place, seemed to dull something inside her. She couldn't wait until she turned 17 and could truly be magically free.
But the downside to Hogwarts was of course the separation with her father, whom she loved dearly. In an ideal world, Xenophilius Lovegood would be here with her. Perhaps as a professor. She knew he would be a wonderful teacher. But his heart lay with The Quibbler and she couldn't be prouder of him.
She let the throng of students guide her towards the carriages, where some of her favourite magical creatures stood waiting. Majestic in their shining black fur and long manes, the herd of Thestrals had always been a comfort to her. Especially at times when she had felt lonely. It was odd to think back to her first years at Hogwarts and realise how much she had depended on them.
She had always been aware that she went through life on a tune rather different then her classmates. While she thrived on her creative soul and unpredictability, it quickly became apparent that there were few who found satisfaction in that too. Only Professor Trelawny had sensed early on what went on in her mind and had taken her under her wing, even before she started Divination. She had even helped her retrieve her belongings at the end of her first year, when the Nargles had hidden everything. That had been the only time Luna had truly been upset about the situation. But thankfully as the years went on, less of her stuff disappeared and even her dorm mates had stopped helping the Nargles as often.
Last year had changed her, she sensed it deeply. Learning so much new magic and meeting new friends in the DA was something she had never predicted. She would always be grateful to Ginny Weasley for being such a kind friend and introducing her. And despite her initial expectation that her new friends would all go their own separate ways, Harry Potter had surprised her by unequivocally stating she was his friend and even inviting her to a party. She had loved it! Meeting so many interesting people and sharing knowledge was something she loved to do best. Even the reserved yet polite boy Blaise had seemed interested in her story. She hoped he enjoyed the Quibbler edition she'd sent. Although there had been no reply, he had taken very good care of her owl Diana, and that told Luna everything she needed to know. You could always tell whether people were good or not by how they treated animals.
There was no chance this time to give the Thestrals some extra attention and so she decided to slip out this afternoon, before dinner, to give them some treats. It had been Christmas after all. To her glee, both her missing boots now stood by her bedside when she arrived in her dormitory. Two of the other dormitories girls had arrived by train too, excitedly catching up. The other two would arrive via Floo powder in Professor Flitwicks office. Many more students had chosen that way of travel for safety. Neither she or her father believed it would make any difference. The Ministry, who had organised the unconventional travel method, couldn't be trusted anyway.
Luna quickly exchanged pleasantries before slipping into some clean warm clothes. Gleefully she pulled up her newly knitted stockings, covered with little silver stars and slipped on her boots. She twisted the top part of her hair into a messy bun, securing it with her wand before skipping down towards the kitchens. The Head House Elf, in charge of the kitchens called Pitts, always let her take some scraps to feed a variety of creatures. The corridors were still sparsely populated as students were trickling back into Hogwarts. Apart from two Hufflepuff and Slytherin first-years, she met no one through the dungeons hallway, as she walked towards the fruit portrait. She grinned as she tickled the pear fruit softly and entered the kitchens.
She was met by a multitude of smells and sounds. The house elves were obviously busy in their preparation for the dinner tonight. A few looked up and gave her genuine smiles. Not wanting to distract them, Luna waved happily and deftly made her way through the space until she found Pitts, who gravely stirred a monstrous pan of stew.
"Hello Pitts! It's wonderful to see you. I am sorry to bother you when you're busy, but I wanted to go see the Thestrals before dinner. Are there any scraps I can bring?" The older house elf looked up from his work. He had a heavy brow and different shaped ears. He always looked a bit grumpy, but Luna knew he was very kind. He straightened as he saw her.
"Miss Luna, good to see you. Pitts hopes you had a good holiday. Pitts is very busy, but Tammy has some scraps you can take. We are making rabbit stew." Luna smiled back gratefully.
"That would be perfect, thank you Pitts."
"No thank you Miss Luna. Would you like something to drink or eat?"
"Thank you Pitts but not this time. I look forward to tasting your stew. Everything smells delicious." At that Pitts chest puffed out in pride and he gave a little bow.
Tammy helped her gather the meat scraps into her bag and also slipped a package of cookies into her coat pocket.
"Thank you, Tammy. You always make the best!" And with some final pleasantries Luna thanked them all and made her way back through the dungeons and out the front door. The grounds were still lightly covered with snow and she gratefully stepped through it in her boots.
It didn't take her very long to reach the Thestral herd. After 5 years, she knew what to look out for. She could tell some of the older in the herd apart from each other. They all had little markings that they were either born with or simply from living in the Forbidden Forest. Only the foals were still skittish, ducking between their parent's skeletal legs as she approached. She quickly took her wand from her hair and cleared a little patch on the ground. Then she reached in her bag and took out a quilt she usually carried with her to the forest to sit on if the ground was too cold. Then she carefully laid out a few of the meat scraps and sat back, patiently waiting for the foals to brave coming closer. Meanwhile an adolescent Thestral that she recognised from markings on its bat-like wings, nuzzled her head softly, coming to settle beside her, folding its spindly body around her. She softly stroked its head, as always marvelling at the soft texture of its fur.
"Hello you, it's lovely to see you again. Are you happy to see me too, or are you just here for the treats?" The Thestral let out a whinny as it nudged her hand. She laughed and fished another scrap from her bag, presenting it. It wasted no time to happily munch the red meat.
"Perhaps a bit of both." She mused softly and gave it another pet.
It was then that she sensed movement behind her, something that didn't sound like an approaching Thestral but rather human footsteps. Curiously she turned her head. The animal beside her tensed, but she soothed it as she made out the figure within the darkening forest.
"Don't worry, it's only Blaise. He's good with animals." The tall boy with upturned obsidian eyes looked at her with an expression she reckoned to be shock. He probably needed some encouragement too. She knew from his roaming eyes that he could see them too. She quickly assessed the herd. Her own lack of alarm seemed to tell the elders there was nothing to worry about, but the foals had retreated back. She sensed she couldn't move or scare them further. Instead she softly turned her head back to the interesting boy that had obviously followed her.
"Hello Blaise. I can't get up I am afraid. It will frighten the foals. But if you come here slowly, I am sure it will be fine." He didn't answer her immediately, but simply stared, his eyes flicking from her, to the quilt, to the Thestral beside her, back towards the herd and the pieces of meat scattered around. He was tall, she noted but also lean with long legs, reminding her of the foals. He held the same skittish energy. As so she smiled and waited patiently. He seemed to focus back on her and the single Thestral, disregarding the herd. He took a tentative step towards her.
"Is... is that... safe?"
"Of course."
"I mean... it being so close to you?"
"Yes, I've known this one ever since it was a foal. Even younger than some of those there." For emphasize she let her hand trail along the Thestral's neck. "They are very docile creatures." She told him calmly as he took a few more steps towards them.
"I saw you pet them." His voice was soft and deep. "Before going on the train."
"Oh yes, I try to give them some cuddles whenever I can." A silence stretched as he reached her, eyeing her warily. He muttered something intelligible before clearly his throat.
"You know them well?" Luna nodded softly and her heart gave a leap of triumph as he carefully sat down beside her on the quilt. He then eyed a piece of meat suspiciously.
"They are carnivorous. But don't worry, I brought these from the kitchen. Pitts always lets me take some scraps." She told him simply. He shifted uncomfortably.
"How long have you been able to see them?" he asked softly, looking at the Thestral beside her that started to nudge her hand again. She pulled out another piece of meat and fed it.
"Since my first year." His eyes widened.
"So young. Who... who did you see pass?"
"My mum. She loved to experiment with magic and she was very good at it. But one day one of her spells went horribly wrong. I was 9."
"Merlin... I... I am sorry." She gave a small shrug.
"I am still sad about it sometimes, but I have my father. What about you?" He turned away, looking back at the herd and the foals that had started to inch back towards the strewn scraps. He was silent for a long time. "You don't have to tell me. Death is very personal." She told him earnestly, fully anticipating he would remain silent. But he surprised her.
"Fourth year. I saw my... one of my step fathers die."
"I'm sorry about that too. That must have been difficult." Now he shrugged.
"Not really, I was used to it."
He turned to her then, his eyes assessing as she blinked in confusion.
"Do you know many people that died?" She asked.
"The name Zabini really doesn't mean anything to you?" She tilted her head, unsure why there was a biting undertone to his voice.
"No, should it?" He gave a mirthless chuckle.
"It's an interesting and messed up story. Would be great for The Quibbler..." She stiffened at the veiled insult and instantly the Thestral next to her did the same, lifting its head to stare at Blaise while giving an annoyed snort. That seemed to have an impact as Blaise too stiffened, his obsidian eyes fixing on the unsettling milky eyes.
"It can't be interesting enough if my father hasn't published it." She told him icily. He looked back at her and once again silence stretched. But this time it felt uncomfortable and Luna didn't like it.
Finally, he gave a sigh and looked back at the herd. Despite the tension, the foals had dedicated themselves to finding at the scraps. At least they were very cute, Luna mused silently. Then Blaise spoke again.
"You're right. It's not interesting, just messed up. I am not used to people not knowing. My father died when I was three and my mother... married many men afterwards. They all died. My last and sixth step-father was the one I saw die."
"That's very sad." She told him and he let out another humourless laugh, but Luna could tell it wasn't meant for her.
"That's the messed up part. I never felt sad about it."
"That's understandable." He looked back at her warily, his eyes narrowing.
"Is it?"
"Of course. So many fathers... You wouldn't let them get close enough to feel sad about it. Trust takes a long time to build... but you never had time." He seemed to let her words sink in before replying.
"I was only sad once."
"Oh?"
"Fifth step-father, Antonio. He's my sister's father. I was sad for her when he died... but not for him." Something passed over his face.
"Would you like to talk about something else?" She asked and he blinked in surprise before giving a brief shrug. She smiled, leaning back and finding the cookies in her pocket. She handed one to him. He took one. "How old is your sister? Is she at Hogwarts?"
"Not yet, she's 10 and can't wait to come next year."
"The first year is always the most exciting. I spend nearly the entire summer at Diagon Alley with father." He gave a low chuckle.
"Magdalena has been begging mother to do the same. She really liked your glasses." Luna blinked in surprise before remembering the Spectrespecs.
"Oh I forgot they were in that issue. I am glad she liked them. Did you like the article?" Once again he shifted uncomfortably and she laughed. "You don't have to like it. Not everyone is open-minded enough."
"I... well... it's a unique paper." He looked unsure as she smiled at him.
"Thank you, that's kind to say." He wrinkled his nose and she couldn't help but laugh. "You look funny when you do that."
"You think I look... funny?"
"When you do that? Yes!" And she laughed again and he seemed to shake his head in disbelief.
Silence, comfortable this time, settled between them once again as they watched the herd. It took a while for Luna to look up at the sky through the dense forest and see streaks of pink. Slowly she unfurled herself and saw Blaise do the same. The Thestral gave a soft whinny of protest as she got up and started to gather the quilt back into her bag.
"Oh don't worry, I'll be back soon. I'll ask Hagrid for a squirrel or two, I know they're your favourite." As if understanding her perfectly, the Thestral gave a small flap with its wings before strutting back to its family. Blaise meanwhile had cast Lumos and walked ahead, leaning them out of the forest.
"It's cool you know them so well." He told her earnestly. "They remind me of my horses back home, but I never... felt comfortable to... well... get closer."
"I understand. They are a bit different aren't they? But they are even better tempered then horses."
"You really like animals don't you? Do you want to be a Magizoologist?"
"Oh, I would love that! My father and I often travel to find new creatures. We went to Sweden last summer to catch a Crumple-Horned Snorkack."
"A... what?"
"Crumple-Horned Snorkack."
"And... did you... catch one?" She gave dejected sigh which seemed to amuse him.
"No, unfortunately. But I am sure we were close. Next time we will!"
"I am sure you will."
They existed the Forbidden Forest and saw the familiar sight of Hagrid's hut. Blaise stopped rather abruptly then, shoving his hands in his pockets.
"I um... thank you for introducing me to the Thestrals. But I think I'll stay behind a bit. You go ahead."
"You're welcome Blaise. But are you sure? Dinner will start really soon."
"Yeah, I am sure."
"Alright." And she gave him a smile. "It was nice speaking to you. The Thestrals liked you. They are always a bit shy the first time. They like rodents or birds when you visit them."
"I'll keep that in mind." She started up the hill before giving him a final wave.
"Bye Blaise."
"Bye... Luna."
And with that she skipped her way back to the castle, now shimmering with thousands of lights emanating from the windows. She entered the Great Hall right on time for the dinner to start. As she passed the Gryffindor table, she greeted Harry, Ginny and Hermione happily. Ron, it turned out, was sitting with his girlfriend Lavender Brown. She knew Hermione was upset about it. That was one thing Luna could never quite understand. Why did it seem so difficult for people to admit each other's feelings and be nice about it? It would safe a lot of time and heartbreak. As she sat at the Ravenclaw table and helped herself to some roast potatoes, she saw Blaise entering the Great Hall too. He didn't look at her however and she saw that his house mates immediately started to question him. His face fell into a mask. He did that a lot, she realised and it made her a little sad. But before she could think about it more she heard Harry's laugh as Ginny said something and turned to look. Ginny's head was turned to Hermione but Luna saw Harry's gaze, understanding, especially when she caught Hermione's eye.
Luna sighed, focusing back on her dinner, a steaming bowl of rabbit stew in front of her. Why couldn't everyone just be honest and happy?