Chapter Text
Hogwarts
I didn't want to go to Hogwarts.
I really didn't. Said school was a deathtrap. Magic really did seem to chase away common sense.
I was not looking forward to the whole 'Chamber of Secrets' fiasco. Over time, my feeling towards Ginerva Weasley had cooled and once I had been given an overdue apology (and given one for being so... unstable), I hoped we might be able to be friends again. I had missed her blunt way of phrasing things and the way she managed to ground me.
I had long since learned to do it for myself but sometimes it was nice to let someone else help.
But my detachment from her had given me time to properly grieve. I felt my emotions so strongly, all the time, that sometimes I shut them out so I could function normally. It was more healthy than unhealthy, yes, it stopped me getting overwhelmed but that didn't mean it was healthy.
I had spent too long falling back on cold logic. I now realised that I had gone too far in my quest to balance my emotions and had gone overboard.
My true solitude - Father hovered less these days: I was older - had allowed me to reflect on what I wanted to happen next and what would. I was by no means emotionally balanced but I was managing so much better than before. Isn't that what humans do? Manage?
Well, I was kind of wrong there.
Perhaps overall but you couldn't really take a mean of human life so...
I distracted myself by staring at the cloud in the sky. It looked simultaneously like a dragon, a house and a man. What was I saying again? Balance, me- I'd lost it.
At least the clouds were nice to look at - they made such interesting shapes!
I spent the rest of that afternoon, staring at the clouds.
Head lost in the clouds.
Who me? I don't know what you're talking about. Oh, look a sprite! Or was it a fir tree...
Letters
The day my Hogwarts letter arrived was a somber one.
I liked it here and though I could not live without change, I got plenty of it and I felt comfortable. At the very least, I could make conversation with my Father. I even felt settled enough to call him 'Dad' to his face. The man was never going to know that I wasn't Luna (unless I told him and even if I did, why would he believe me?).
It would even be alright at Hogwarts (people would think I was mad) so if I let slip that I'd been reincarnated, they wouldn't bat an eyelash. I didn't appreciate being ridiculed but it would keep my secret safe so it would be alright. Better than being dragged off to a mental hospital at least.
That wouldn't be pleasant.
I’d heard all sorts of horror stories and as perception of mental health had generally moved forward in my original time, it was likely to be worse here.
As it was, I was surprised that no one seemed to go to a therapist but there was a pretty big time skip and I’d already come to the conclusion that there weren’t any in the magical world.
So, no thanks, I wasn't being dragged of to anywhere. I suppose I could be taken to the Department of Mysteries but literally no one knew what went on there. If I was going to be interrogated anywhere, though, it would be there. To be fair, they might decide to recruit me instead. I knew next to nothing about Unspeakables except Augustus Rookwood (follower of the Dark Lord) was one.
I might have tried to send a letter in warning but he'd easily trace it back to me and I was kind of attached to my life, thanks. Dying once had been more than enough. I didn't want to die in this body - unless it was of old age.
I wouldn't mind that. A nap that lasted forever.
Anyway, even if I tried to reveal Rookwood's allegiance, I would be digging my own grave and even I wasn't that stupid. The more I thought over it, the more holes I found. I needed to somehow prove he was a Death Eater without incriminating myself or outing him to someone who'd help him out. How did I know there weren't more people who supported Voldemort in the Ministry?
I hadn't even realised how much it scared me until I started crying.
What was it with me and tears?
At least I had a good reason. I was contemplating my nasty, very likely, gruesome murder. With a bit of tor- Don't think about it. Don't think about it. Don't think about it...
If that actually worked, I would probably be one of the happiest people on the planet.
Trying my very best to drown out the image, I hastily wiped my tears away. My father had been more present in recent years and he would undoubtedly notice my tears. While this was inconvenient for me, I was ecstatic that he was a bit more grounded. If the original Luna ever got this body back, it would be better for her to have an attentive parent. I had tried so many different ways to save Mother but it was all for vain. I think I simply succeeded in delaying her fate. While it chafed me to think of the event in such a way, it had been a pivotal learning experience.
It helped to think so logically about the event. It was my coping mechanism, I suppose.
Mother's death had taught me that while I couldn't prevent what was to come, I could derail it.
My frequent correspondence with Harry Potter supported that hypothesis.
I had finally found some sort of solution. While my blood still boiled whenever I thought of the Dursleys, I didn't have enough faith in the system to whole-heartedly convince Harry to rat them out. If he ran away though, Dumbledore would probably find him and dump him back there.
The Headmaster had always stuck me as a little manipulative and he had the 'I know best' mentality that never failed to get on my nerves. A good ally and a dangerous enemy. I preferred to just not get involved with him. Nothing would get Dumbledore faster on my case than kidnapping Harry.
I wasn't sure if Harry running away would make him actually check out the Dursleys and what Harry’s life was truly like. Harry had decided to simply stay there. With the discovery of magic, his life had suddenly gotten a lot smoother. He particularly enjoyed the fact that he was no longer getting kicked around like a football.
If he was manipulating Dudley into forgetting about him and playing with his 'friends' instead, well, I wasn't going to say anything.
Twins
That idiot!
To be fair, it wasn't completely his fault but still...
I suppose I could blame it on his relationship with Murphy's law. I was still mad though. How had he not only attracted the attention of a fanatic house elf and got himself locked up? Bars on his windows, really? What an... even with my extensive vocabulary, I couldn't quite find a word.
I sighed.
Yelling at Harry wasn't going to do anything. I needed to figure out how bail him out before he got a stupid idea like - oh I don't know, getting expelled for performing underage magic for the second time! Or god forbid, running away somewhere. How about not getting broken out by some redheads?
Oops.
Harry was currently sitting in the Rookery's living room, looking suitably chastised. I found I didn't have the energy to scream at him any longer so I decided to just go for a tackle hug. I didn't quite manage to knock him over, the floor was hard so I decided it was best not to push him too hard.
The twins stood there somewhat awkwardly.
Maybe they'd come along as some sort of 'if she murders you, we'll bury your body' friends.
The twins were a point I wasn't sure about either. Their role models were The Marauders. Whatever else the Marauders were, they had been bullies. After heard some truly horrifying stories about their antics as children, I decided that I wanted no part in their 'mischief'. Seeing as I clearly couldn't fly under their radar, they were Harry's only friends, I was going to settle for being the 'What the hell are you doing?' figure.
Fun wasn't fun when they were traumatising people.
Now, I wasn't good when it came to knocking some sense into people so I needed to find a better way to make them realise what they were doing. I didn't think the twins were that bad, really, but they didn't seem to realise that there was a fine line between pranks and bullying. I blamed magic. Most children simply didn't have the maturity to realise what a powerful weapon they were holding.
Yes, I realised how... interfering... that sounded but my bleeding heart could never watch them doing such cruel pranks and not saying anything. I also realised that my opinion was a bit controversial but the way I saw it, the twins were lighthearted pranksters that ended up harming people.
I really hoped they proved me right on that.
Dinner
Apart from thoroughly enjoying time spent with my only friend, not much else happened during that summer.
Actually, that was a lie.
I ended up running into Ginny quite a few times. Harry was staying at the Weasleys but as his pen-pal, I ended up getting visited quite a lot. I was getting over it.
Until he dragged me to dinner at the Burrow.
I had several problems with this.
1. More than three people who weren't on my 'family' list absolutely terrified me. (Currently that list only had my Father on it and he wasn't coming.)
2. I had to face Ginny.
3. I did not want to be pranked (I remembered earth worms in Bill's soup and I was still vegetarian. The twins might find it funny but I didn't. To me, it was cruel not to respect my choices and dupe me. They hadn't done it yet but I was apprehensive.)
4. The most important reason: I didn't want to.
I ended up going anyway. I was just gathering the courage to resist Harry's pleading when my Father told me to go. With him on board, Harry managed to drag me off.
It didn't go... as badly as expected.
There was a bit of blushing when all the Weasleys swung around to see their newest guest. I briefly wished I could just hide in a convenient cranny but alas it wasn't to be. Instead I had to cling to Harry without it seeming like I was clinging to him. It sounded as hard as it was. Molly Weasley cooed over me and thankfully didn't mention my tense relationship with her only daughter.
I was immensely thankful.
That would have made it so awkward. I mean, it was already awkward but it would have been even worse.
I ended up sitting between Harry and Charlie. It was an interesting combination and I particularly enjoyed hearing the redhead’s dragon tales. What really endeared him to me though was the fact that he listened to my enthusiastic tales about the hunts I went on with my father.
At this point, Arthur Weasley joined our conversation, intrigued by the Muggle (still hadn’t found a suitable alternative with no negative connotations) technology we used.
I may not have been obsessed with my phone in my previous life but that didn’t mean I didn’t know how to operate it. I just had to be a bit careful and use metal. From what I understood, magic was sort of like electricity but instead of being conducted well by metal, it transferred best through conducts, like wood. It was fundamentally the same as electricity.
Of course, I didn’t have enough time to fully explain electricity to Mr. Weasley. The man was a quick and dedicated learner but his sources were clearly outdated. He was meant to be the foremost authority on Muggles but he hadn’t even heard of a plane let alone a rocket. He still seemed to think that Muggles rode around in horse carriages. Some might but really cars were so much more common than he thought.
At least he was trying.