The Stars That Lie (Druna ☾)

Chapter 10

Another birthday passed. Another year older. Luna didn't celebrate this year though, and she didn't bother bringing it up to any of her friends.

Not that any of them remembered.

And she didn't blame them. Things were horrible right now in the world. She couldn't escape it, not even at home since it was all her father talked about. All he wrote about.

The death eaters and the dark lord had consumed her whole life.

Harry, Ron, and Hermione didn't come back to school the following year. Cho did at least, but some of the others didn't when their families deemed it too unsafe. She almost wished her father hadn't let her go back either, for she no longer found solace in the castle halls.

Hogwarts felt...lifeless. Devoid of color. Not even the stars could hold her interest now. The heavens were quiet, stuck in their cycle of death and despair. They simply had to wait for it to end, but Luna couldn't help but wonder... What if it never ends?

What if this was their future now?

What if things would never get better or be the same again?

One night, she saw a new despairing omen in the sky, and she almost pitched her Polaris 2000 over the railing in a fit of fury.

Nothing was the same. Nothing felt right. Nothing felt okay.

And for once, the stars didn't keep her company, for the one person she had wanted to sit with her and look at the stars was long gone. Past the point of no return.

Cho tried to explain to her the signs of depression, putting ever so gently and lovingly that she saw those signs in Luna now. "I went through it too. After Cedric...you know. I know how it feels, and I want you to know you're not alone, Luna. You can talk to me. We can get through this."

Luna simply rolled over in bed, turning her back to Cho. "I can't talk to you about this."

It was too raw. Too hard for anyone to understand, for no one had sympathy for Draco Malfoy—the death eater initiate who let in the enemy and helped kill Dumbledore.

Things only got worse with the death eater twins at Hogwarts. Her classmates wanted to rise up, but Luna...

Luna was tired. Tired and unsure of everything. Unsure who the real enemy was when it seemed like everyone had ulterior motives for everything. Good or bad. Light or dark. No one was perfect. Everyone just wanted to survive.

Somehow, she made it through half of the school year, but Christmas was bleaker than ever. Her father's madness had completely spiraled out of control. The whole holiday turned into her playing nursemaid to her father who hadn't done any laundry or grocery shopping since she left for school three and a half months ago. He'd been living in squalor, and with most of his editorial team in hiding or dead, he was completely consumed with getting the next edition out of The Quibbler. And after that one, then the next one, and the next one after that, and the next after that...

She had to stop reading her father's magazine. None of the articles made sense anymore. They were mere ramblings from a madman, and she wasn't sure there was any truth left in them.

(Not to mention, Amycus Carrow had used the cruciatus curse on her for a demonstration when he saw her latest copy of The Quibbler sticking out of her bag. It wasn't safe to be seen with the magazine any longer.)

As much as she wanted to feel proud of her father for pushing for the truth, he'd pushed too far. Now he was in too deep, and the Lovegood name was a death sentence in the making.

Her fears came to fruition on the train ride back to Hogwarts. Even though she had almost not returned, she realized she had to pick her poison—suffer at Hogwarts, or suffer at home. At least at Hogwarts she had Cho. She was less alone there and more likely to be able to act with support around her. She could fight back easier with the enemy so close, assuming she ever worked up the courage and energy to attack the horrific twins. At home though, she felt trapped and weighed down, like if she stayed much longer, her father's madness would pull her under too.