Cloudy Skies ⇒ EDITING IN PROGRESS

Chapter 1

Luna knew that she would always remember the day she met Theodore Nott. He was the only person who didn't make fun of her, didn't tease her for what she liked, or didn't snap at her if she got in the way. Luna would never forget the day when she learned that yes, it is possible for someone to be kind to her.

Luna skipped through the halls of Hogwarts, trying to escape all of the taunting and teasing coming from the other students. Skipping helped her find a happy place in her mind where she could ignore the outside world, and in turn, ignore all the comments and snide remarks.

Luna made a sharp turn around the corner, to buried in her thoughts to look out for oncoming students. She crashed into someone who was about her height, and fell to the floor with a groan. Inside of Luna's head, she was silently reprimanding herself for not looking out.

After taking a deep breath and bracing herself for the yelling that would come, Luna looked up and found herself staring into the pale face of a Slytherin. Not that she had something against Slytherins - they weren't evil or anything - it was just that it was mainly Slytherins that teased her in front of her face. Once Luna stared into the face of the boy, she couldn't find herself able to look away.

She knew that it was rude to stare, but it was hard not to. His dark brown hair was cut in a way that made the harsh lines of his jaw seem softer. His eyes reminding Luna of a deer - soft and brown. Luna internally cursed herself for being so clumsy, but it wasn't like it was new or anything. She should have been used to it by know. Luna and her bad luck.

"I'm sorry, I should have been watching where I was going." Luna said, finally mustering up the willpower to tear her eyes off of his face. She could see the boy's mouth tugging up at the corners as if he was trying his hardest not to smile. To her surprise, he offered Luna his hand (which she took) and pulled her to her feet.

"It's okay, I understand how you feel." The boy said, finally cracking the smile he was trying his hardest to hide. "I'm Theodore Nott. Nice to meet you."

Luna smiled in return. "Luna Lovegood, although I'm sure you know that already."

Theodore nodded but made no mention of how. He made no mention of the stupid nicknames that students called her. He made no mention of how easy it would have been to call her one of the stupid nicknames and then carry on his way. Instead, he talked with Luna, as if he actually cared about her. And the two carried on their way, only departing once they reached the Great Hall in time for lunch.

And that was how Luna met her first friend. That was how Luna met the first person she ever trusted outside of her family. That was how Luna met the first person who didn't call her names and tease her. It intrigued her.

Everyone seemed to be under the impression that the stares and the harmful remarks didn't affect Luna. Maybe it was Luna's fault for bottling up her feelings, and maybe it was their fault for not paying enough attention. Whatever the case, Luna was always forced to put on a brave face and not let the hurt show.

In a way, Luna did have a say in the matter. She was able to make the decision to not say anything back instead of retaliating with an even greater insult. It reminded Luna of what her mother used to tell her, to be the bigger person.

Sometimes it was hard. The hardest times were when Luna had to face the Slytherins, who never passed up an opportunity to call her names. But all of that changed as soon as Theodore Nott came along.

Once they became friends, Luna definitely noticed a change in how often she was made fun of, especially by the Slytherins. While it did still happen, it definitely didn't happen as often anymore. The only times she was ever really made fun of anymore was when Theodore wasn't around.

Theodore didn't care if defending Luna made him unpopular within his house - he didn't believe that anyone should be treated so poorly as she was. And, after all, it wasn't like Luna had any other friends who would stick around to defend her from everyone. He took it upon himself to always be there for her and always do his best to stop the tormenting.

The only reason Luna knew that someone was watching her back was because the teasing had never ceased before she became friends with Theodore. To add to that, she discovered that she wasn't the only one in the school being constantly teased anymore. Whenever she would pass by the Slytherin table, she was able to hear the other Slytherins taunting Theodore. It angered her, but she didn't dare stick up for him - she just couldn't muster up the courage.

And so they remained that way through the rest of their years at Hogwarts. Always there for one another and doing their best to watch the other's back. And although they sometimes couldn't talk to one another, there was always some sort of an invisible bond holding them together.