The Magical Quad: Book 2-The Silvery Mist Animals

Chapter 3-Luna

A/N: Thanks for reading, please vote and comment! Thanks, Astrid

Luna

I plop down at the Ravenclaw table in the Great Hall, in the only seat available. Across Cho Chang, who talks waaaay too much, and her friend Marietta Edgecombe. I unfold today's edition of the Quibbler and prop it up so that it shields me from them and grab a slice of toast from the basket in the center of the table.  I spread it with my favorite flavor of marmalade, strawberry, and flip to a random page. The piece of toast falls from my hand and onto my Ravenclaw sweater, and the strawberry marmalade smears all over, but I don't care. I gasp, slam down the copy of the Quibbler, and yell for the whole Ravenclaw table to hear, "Sightings of Crumple Horned Snorkacks! In Ireland!"

Cho Chang giggles and rolls her eyes, Marietta sniggers. "There are no such things as Crumple Horned Snorkacks, Loony."

"Watch who you're calling Loony!"

Ginny appears behind me, glaring at Marietta Edgecombe and Cho Chang. "Luna, don't listen to them.  Crumple Horned Snorkacks are real as long as you want them to be real."

"See?" I smile pleasantly at Marietta and Cho. "All you need to do is believe."

        ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I've got Defense Against the Dark Arts now - Professor Lupin seems like a really fun person. When he was leading us to the staffroom to do something - I don't know what - we happened to meet Peeves.

"Loony, Loopy, Lupin," Peeves cackles, sticking out his tongue.

"Watch who you're calling Loony," I advise the poltergeist.

Peeves just pops some bubble gum in his mouth and sticks it into the keyhole of the staffroom.

"Peeves did the same thing to Mr. Filch's broom cabinet earlier today when I was teaching the Gryffindors," Professor Lupin sighs. "Here's quite a useful spell - Waddiwasi!"

The fum flies up Peeves' nose and everyone laughs.

"Okay, may we continue?"

Professor Lupin leads us into the staffroom, where there is a huge, shaking wardrobe. "It's okay," He assures everyone, seeing the frightened look on some people's faces. "It's only a boggart. The boggart might be a bit worn out - I've been using this to teach the third years also. I just figured you would need more practice seeing as the teacher you had in the previous year wasn't the best. Who would like to give it a try?"

"Ooh! Me!" I throw my hand up into the air.

"Alright, then, Miss Lovegood, wand at the ready, now..."

I pull out my wand, prepared to face the boggart.

"Now, you will think of the thing you fear the most.  Then, you will think of something amusing.  Perhaps something like a Crumple Horned Snorkack?"

I grin.

"Okay, then. You will say the incantation, Riddikulus, when the boggart comes out."

"Riddikulus!"

"Excellent.  Now concentrate on the Crumple Horned Snorkack. The boggart's coming now, one, two, three..."

CRACK! The boggart flies out of the wardrobe and takes the shape of my friends. Lynx is giving me a cold look, scowling, like she hates me. Cass is wearing a look on her face that reminds me a lot of this Pansy Slytherin third year and singing, "Loony, Loony, Luna!" Worst of all, Ginny is staring at me with utmost hatred on her face and growling, "No one likes you. Crumple-Horned Snorkacks are the fakest thing ever, Loony."

"Riddikulus," I say firmly, after all, they would never do this to me! It's ridiculous!

My boggart erupts into a Crumple Horned Snorkack and I laugh happily. Everyone around me claps.
I grin happily.

        ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

As I walk out of Defense, Cass walks out of Potions looking scared to death.

"What's wrong, Cass?"

Cass gulps. Lynx comes by, biting her nails nervously.

"What's wrong?" I insist.

"Forbidden Forest." Lynx mutters.

"WHAT?" I yell. Everyone around me rolls their eyes at me.

I walk up to them, poke them, and say firmly, "Crumple-Horned Snorlacks are real. Ask Ginny."

Apparently, they're Gryffindors, because they laugh and say, "Ginny would never be friends with you."

I start to say something back but then bite my tongue. In my boggart, Ginny did call me Loony." I blink back tears as Lynx and Cass start to hug me in comfort.

"STOP." I hear and see a flash of red hair. It's Ginny! But...Cass is gone. Then seeing the imperfections of Ginny and Cass gone, I realize it's Cass. Disguised as Ginny.

I laugh. Of course Cass would do such a thing. It's so Cass-like!

At the sight of "Ginny", the boys gulp, "Sorry! We didn't mean to-" and they scramble off.

"Awesome, Cass!" I grin. "That's better than a Crumple-Horned Snorlack!"

Lynx and Cass laugh, and I smile. "Don't worry, guys. I'll be in the Forest with you." I reassure.

        ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

People are talking about my boggart for days even after the lesson. As I exit my dormitory, some girls behind be push forward goggle at me, "I can't believe your boggart isn't someone putting your beloved 'Quibbler' in the shredder," one of them smirks.

"Oh, well, there's much more important things," I say seriously. "Like friends, and family... and Crumple Horned Snorkacks."

The girls burst into giggles.

"Would you like to be my friend?" I ask pleasantly. "I don't have very many, you know."

Horrified expressions creep up the girls' faces, but I pretend not to notice. "Just Ginny, Cass, and Lynx - but they're all in different houses, and I would like some Ravenclaw friends - "

"You're friends with that Slytherin?" They gasp, and run away.

"Why, what's wrong with her?" I break out of my serene trance and whirl around, startled.

"She's a rebel, that's what," I hear a voice - a group of Hufflepuffs are walking by. I see a flash of blue - "Cass!"
"You were asking what's wrong with Lynx?" Cass whispers, as the Hufflepuffs start going around in their own directions. Cass and I walk to the Quidditch pitch, where they're having their first game, Gryffindor against Slytherin.

"Yeah, but what's wrong with being a rebel?" I ask. "There are so much Gryffindor rebels."
"I know, but the thing is, they're in Gryffindor! Lynx is in Slytherin," Cass sighs, "and people talk. Plus, she doesn't seem too bothered about being a rebel - see?"

We glance toward the section where all the Slytherins are sitting and see a flash of red and gold even though it's surrounded by green and silver. Lynx, despite wearing the Slytherin colors on her robes, is jumping up and down and waving a Gryffindor banner and cheering her head off. The Slytherins around her are glaring at her, the Quidditch players on the pitch are goggling at her.

I giggle so hard that I have to jinx myself seven times to make myself shut up. People around me are glaring at me. The game is about to begin.