Nico di Angelo and the Goblet of Fire

Chapter 14: Luna Lovegood

Nico was leaning against the wall in the library, staring at a book. He had been reading for hours about the Living Charm, a spell that lets you stay alive for another day, even if there is no air, food, or anything else to sustain a human. The problem was, it was a spell made for aurors, and thus immensely difficult.

Nico sighed and closed the book. He tilted his head back against the wall. He really should get to practicing the spell, seeing as he had found as much information as possible.

'Give a small flick of the wand before the spell is cast-'

'Slash your wand downward to end the spell-'

'This has no counter spell, you must wait the allotted time for the spell to finish.'

'You will be able to function perfectly fine using this spell.'

'This spell will sustain you breathing wise and food wise.'

'Do not eat while this spell is in use.'

'This spell will block any injures, but you will have to contented with said injuries once the spell is complete.

'Do not die while this spell is in use.'

And so forth. He'd finally found the incantation- 'Viveties Onmia' -after hours of searching. It had been very well hidden, in the Restricted Section. He'd had to ask McGonagall for a pass so he could even read the books, and then he had to comb through all the books to see if it actually existed.

However before he'd even looked for a spell to help himself, he had had to find something for Harry. He had hinted at Neville that Gillyweed would work, and Neville got it, telling Harry about the plant. So that was Harry sorted out. Thankfully, Harry still hadn't caught on to how much Nico was helping him. Really, Nico didn't want him to because then he'd think he was being babied, and that would only make it more difficult.

Nico picked up his lantern and made his way out of the darkened Restricted Section. It was around five in the afternoon, Nico having been there since six this morning. He really didn't have a good sleep schedule. Nico nodded to Madam Pince, who scowled at him slightly. She did seem to like him though, at least appreciating that Nico was silent and treated the books well.

Nico exited the library, staring at the ground and making his way to Professor McGonagall's classroom, where Harry, Ron and Hermiome were practicing spells that Harry might need to use.

Nico was so focused on the ground that he slammed into a girl with long, white-blond hair. "Sorry," he muttered. "Should've looked where I was going."

The girl turned her large eyes on him. "Oh, it's quite alright. You're really the only one who's even acknowledged me whenever I get bumped into."

Nico looked at her. He felt kind of like a loner, but all of Gryffindor liked him, and he was friends with Harry, Ron and Hermione, so he was pretty well off. This girl seemed sad. "Why doesn't anyone say anything to you?" Nico asked. She seemed nice enough.

"They call me Loony Lovegood, that's why," she said dreamily. "I'm a bit strange. I've never had friends, either. I don't think people like me much."

Nico felt slightly bad. He could offer to be her friend, but he wasn't really sure if he wanted to.

"My name's Luna, really. Not Loony." Luna said, looked at Nico pleasantly. "You're Nico di Angelo. You're in the tournament."

Nico nodded awkwardly. "Yeah. Yeah, I am."

"You did well, I think. The dead aren't scary. They're interesting," Luna stated. Nico looked back at her. She was probably the only one who would say that.

"Thanks," he mumbled out.

"You look a bit lost," Luna continued, "can I help with anything?"

Nico was about to say no, but he thought over what she had said. She found him interesting, not weird. He wasn't sure how much help she would provide, but he wanted to talk to her. "Yes, thanks."

"What are you working on?" Luna asked. "You can practice on me."

"The Living Charm," Nico replied.

"I've heard of that. It kept Grindelwald alive." Luna said.

Nico nodded distantly. "Can you help me, though?"

"Of course!" Luna replied. "It's like helping a friend."

Nico shifted uncomfortably.

They went to practicing the spell in the weeks leading up to the second task, and Nico didn't only master the spell, he also gained a friend. Luna looked at things in such a different way he couldn't help but enjoy the time he spent with her.

The day before the task, Nico and Luna were in the library talking, a table away from Ron, Harry and Hermione. Professor McGonagall entered. "Miss Lovegood, Miss Granger and Mr. Weasley, Professor Dumbledore requires your presence. Follow me."

The three students stood up and left the room, leaving Harry and Nico confused.