𝐂𝐎𝐍𝐒𝐓𝐄𝐋𝐋𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍 || 𝗅𝗂𝗇𝗇𝗒

𝘕𝘖𝘛 𝘍𝘐𝘕𝘌

| 𝙇𝙪𝙣𝙖 |

TW: self harm, bullying, slurs, tough topics.

One. Two. Three. Four. Five. One. Two. Three. Four. Five. Luna tried to calm herself. Her shaking hand holding a broken shard of a mirror. Her mother's old mirror.

Calm down, Luna. Calm down. No, people don't care about me. I deserve to hurt. The bullies told me that.

She swiped at her arm. One, two, three, four, cuts. With each one, a sense of grounding..there was blood.. Find the bandages.

After cleaning up and bandaging her arm, Luna walked back from the bathroom to her dormitory. She crawled into bed, and tried to sleep... tried to push the bullies' insults and memories of her past, of her mother, of her trauma, out of her head...

THE MORNING:

(Hermione)

After breakfast, where Luna was unusually quiter than normal, the gang headed down to the Quidditch pitch for tryouts. Ginny had left a little bit early to set up and do last minute preparations, as she was the new captain. The others hung around for a bit, and then headed down as well.

Hermione could sense something was up with Luna, but didn't say anything yet.

Hermuoen had a very keen instinct. She was right about things almost everytume, and had learned to basically never doubt her instincts, or her gut. On the way down to the pitch, she thought about the way Luna had been acting around Ginny, and vice versa. She had a suspicion, but didn't voice it yet.

I should talk to them. Or give them space. Ahh, why is girl stuff so confusing, even to me sometimes?!

(Luna Again)

Think happy thoughts. Be excited for Ginny, and Harry, and Ron! Ahh, it's no use, I'm falling into a hole, I know, I just... don't know how to get out. Why can't someone realize I'm in pain and help me? Then again, I'd they tried, would I let them?

Maybe Ginny. I feel safe when I'm with Ginny.

People at Hogwarts were allowed to have music players, and listen to music, so Luna was listening to 505 by Arctic Monkeys. It fit her mood. As they entered the stands of the pitch, Ginny flew by playfully on her broom and smiled at Luna.This cheered her up slightly. She smiled back.

"Pancakes For Dinner" started playing, and she felt at peace, if only momentarily, watching the new try-out-ers lined up at the bottom of the pitch, with Ginny pacing in front of them, probably giving them instructions.

She looked so beautiful and fierce and...hot, when she was in charge, Luna thought to herself, which surprised her. Ha ha!

It's ok to think of your best friend as hot... right? She thought, reassuring herself.

Before they know it, the tryouts were over and Harry and Ron had made the team, along with Katie Bell, Demelza Robins, and two big, strong, and lanky-looking boys as Beaters, who she did not know the names of.

Back up to the castle it was. She almost tripped on the luscious, unevenground covering the lawn, but Ginny caught her by the waist, and pulled her back up from behind, and then twirled her around, so that the two girls were facing each other.

Luna blushed, her heart beating fast, and felt slightly disappointed when Ginny removed her hands from her waist. Why? She was asking herself the same question. Or she would, if she wasn't so distracted by the long, attractive, flaming mess that was Ginny's hair.

"You ok Lu?" The question, asked by Ginny herself, snapped "Lu" back into reality.

"Y-yeah," I'm fine. That was a lie.

She couldn't count the number of times she had said those two words. The truth is-

I'm not fine.

THAT NIGHT:

Heart racing. Palms sweating. Luna was on her way to Gryffindor Tower for the sleepover with Ginny and Hermione.

All was fine. All WAS fine, until she saw two of her worst... two of her biggest, strongest, SCARIEST... tormentors. Her bullies. The people who had made her life a living Hell, day after day, since the first time she stepped foot in Hogwarts. The two seventh year Beaters of the Slytherin Quidditch team were standing there, all cool, blocking her path to her friends. When they saw her, they smirked, exchanged glances, and then started toward her.

"Oooh, what's this?" taunted the slightly bigger of the two, snatching her bag from her and dangling it in the air, out of Luna's reach. "Pribably don't need it, right?"

"G-give it back." Luna squeaked, barely audible.

"G-give it back." mocked the other one. They laughed maliciously with each other, clearly enjoying themselves greatly.

"Where are you going, so late?" No answer. "Looks like there's no one around." grinned one them, slyly and meanly. Luna had just been thinking that.

In a burst of confidence, Luna leaped for her bag and missed. In a flash of chaos and panic, Luna felt a heavy blow to her stomach, knocking the wind out of her, causing her to double over in pain. the smaller one had kneed her there. Then a heavy blow to her head made her see stars, and brought tears to her eyes.

"You like that, you little dorky dyke?" They sneered together. Then another impactful blow to Luna's head.

And then nothing.

word count: 892

A/N- Wow, guys, this was probably my favorite chapter to write (and read!) so far. Sorry for all the angst, but I had to set the story! Hope you liked it. Leave a comment, and a vote? <33