Extended Family

Chapter 134: Something Like Real Life

Takes place a few years after everyone graduated, a year or two after Chapter 8

"HI Harry!"

"Hi Luna!" Harry hugged her fondly. "What's up?"

"How do you feel about pretending?"

Harry blinked at her.  "Like...pretending something isn't real is real, or do you mean the opposite?"

"Pretending that you are doing something you're not currently doing."

"I get like that during practice sometimes when it's flying drills.  Pretend I'm outside.  Or during games sometimes when I'm a little rattled from the crowd, I pretend they're not there or are wearing dumb hats."

Luna giggled.  "Those are good applications of pretend.  But how would you like to pretend you're someone you're not and doing something fantastical?"

"I actually used to do that a lot," Harry said quietly.  He shook his head.  "Sorry."  He smiled a little when Luna hugged him once more and even harder, having caught his meaning.  "Why do you ask?"

"Well, I found something interesting the other day at a Muggle bookstore and it looked like a lot of fun.  It's called a role-playing game and people make characters and play the game pretending to be them.  You decide what you do based on rolling dice.  Another person tells the story for them to play in and controls the other non-playable characters."

"That does sound interesting."

"And it's something like real life," Luna said.  "There's magic and magical things.  A different sort of course."

"I gather you're looking for people to play?"  He smiled at her enthusiastic nodding.  "Well, I'll ask around and see who's interested."

Luna clapped.  "This will be so fun!"

-0-

Hermione blinked a few times, looking around the room with astonishment.  "Uh...love what you did with the place."

"Did you base it off of school?" Tracy asked.  "I swear the bricks look familiar."

Harry had come to Luna's flat with Hermione, Daphne, Tracy, Ron, and Mirabelle.  After explaining to them what Luna told him, they had shown the most interest and were willing to try it out.  The main room of Luna's flat had been transformed.  The walls and floor and ceilings were dark grey fitted stone cut into large blocks and bricks.  Torches flickered and flared on the walls and the center was dominated by a very large wooden table.

"I did," Luna said, beaming.  "I wandered about the dungeons for inspiration."

"Oh, now I understand," Hermione said, realization dawning.  "You were talking about Dungeons and Dragons."

"I got that from what Captain told me," Mirabelle said with a smile.  "I'm excited.  I love fantasy novels and things like that.  Part of the reason why I love Hogwarts so much."

"I did like the feeling of the castle too for similar reasons," Hermione admitted.

"What's so weird about dungeons and dragons?" Ron asked.