Heaven ♡ Luna Lovegood

11.

Chapter 11;

The Christmas holidays were nowhere near as enjoyable as Annie first thought they would be.

She spent every day in the greenhouses, and when she wasn't in the greenhouses she was catching up with and spending time with her parents, who went out of their way to make Annie smile. Even her mother forwent the yearly Celestina Warbeck Christmas broadcast, and instead played tracks from the Weird Sisters on Christmas Eve.

But that didn't change the fact that Luna was in the hands of the Death Eaters; Luna, who had the most beautiful soul Annie had ever met.

Luna, who she had a crush on.

Annie had realised it soon after the holidays started, when she couldn't get the blonde girl out of her mind. Then she realised that there was a reason she blushed when Luna complimented her, why her heart skipped a beat whenever Luna smiled - she had a crush on the Ravenclaw.

The realisation only had the pain of losing her even worse. Annie barely smiled, even on Christmas when she was given the rarest book about plants in the Wizarding world. She missed Luna so much throughout the entire holiday it was like a constant ache.

Her parents didn't fail to notice that something was wrong. Her mother knew the reason why, and had told her father, but neither of them knew what to do to cheer her up.

A few days before the holidays ended, Annie's father, Chris, talked to her while they were in the greenhouses together. Annie had always been closer to her father than her mother, since they shared more similar interests.

"I know you're going through a tough time," her father had said, as they picked several vegetables for a dish that night and tended to the numerous other plants in the room.

Annie bit her lip and continued the methodic task of picking vegetables.

Her father  sighed. He put down his tools and turned to her.

"Look, Annie," he said quietly. "I might not be like you or your mother, and I might be clueless about a lot of things that are going on... But I do know something terrible is happening, and I know you're upset. I know you've lost a friend... And that's something I can understand."

Annie sniffed. Her eyes remained fixated on the plant as she took several deep breaths to try and console herself - but in the end, she couldn't. She'd been keeping things bottled up for too long and now, everything was overflowing.

With a strangled sob she turned to her father and wrapped her arms tightly around him. "I love you, Dad," she choked out, as the tears began to fall.

Annie didn't see the tears that were in her father's own eyes as he wrapped his arms around her, rubbing her back. "I love you too, sweetheart."

Her father's embrace was warm, and he hummed the song he always used to sing to her when she was little. Annie cried into his shirt and he just held her, providing her with all the comfort she needed as she finally allowed herself to express her emotions. 

And it was that warmth Annie took back to Hogwarts with her. When the dreaded day of return came, she packed quickly and left home after giving both her parents second hugs and kisses. She talked to her mother all the way back, promised to write every day, and to keep her nose out of trouble (even though she'd be breaking that promise on a regular basis with Dumbledore's Army).

She didn't let either of her parents think she was nervous about returning to Hogwarts. The entire time she'd held her head high and talked confidently. She wasn't going to let herself be intimidated.

For she had made her mind up long ago. With or without Luna, Annie wasn't going to succumb to fear. She would make Luna proud.

Sure, when Annie reached Platform Nine and Three-Quarters, she felt a stab of pain when she realised that she wasn't going to see Luna, see her bright smile or hear her mystical laugh. Hogwarts already felt darker without Luna's gentle spirit to light it up, or her blonde hair and radiant smile to illuminate the dark atmosphere.

But then she remembered the Death Eaters, the very people who had taken Luna, were in the castle and her resolve returned once again.

Let the Carrows try and intimidate them.

She wasn't going to back down.

For Luna.

+++

"Annie! We were wondering where you'd be!"

Annie looked up from her book as Ginny and Neville sidestepped into the compartment. Annie smiled at them and shifted to the side to make room. After stowing their trunks away, Ginny collapsed beside Annie, and Neville sat opposite them.

"How were your holidays?" Ginny asked carefully.

Annie forced a bright smile on to her face. "Brilliant. I was home with my folks and no Carrows to worry about. What else could I have asked for?"

Ginny pursed her lips and shared a look with Neville. Annie knew her bravado hadn't convinced either of them.

"I'm sure Luna's okay," Neville said gently, but firmly. "She's made of strong stuff, it would take more than Azkaban to break her."

"She's probably teaching everyone about Nargles and Wrackspurts and Crumple-Horned Snorkacks," Ginny said lightly. "Our Luna's brave, Annie, she wouldn't want you to worry."

Annie chuckled. It would be so like Luna to do that. She had always managed to find the bright side of everything, she would be surprised if Azkaban was any different - even though Annie would much rather prefer Luna wasn't in Azkaban.

She'd rather Luna was still by her side.

Luna is strong. And I'm going to make her proud.

"I know," she said, and she wasn't about to dwell much longer on returning to Hogwarts without Luna for their compartment door opened again, and this time several DA remembers, including Seamus Finnigan, Parvati and Padma Patil, Hannah Abbott, and Ernie Macmillan squeezed thorough and managed to find room in the compartment. Annie ended up squeezed next to the window and Ginny, Neville directly opposite her in very close quarters to Hannah Abbott.

"What's the plan for this term?" Seamus asked eagerly, leaning forward in his seat.

"The same as last term, for the most part," Ginny said, tossing her hair back. "Just give Snape and the Carrows hell."

"I don't mind doing that," Parvati laughed.

Annie smiled and joined in the conversation as the train continued its journey to Hogwarts, all of them planning different ways they could bring hell to the Carrows and Snape.