Rowena's Quill

One late afternoon about a week before the end of school, Luna was seized with a feeling that something momentous was about to happen. She knew that Neville was sitting for the last of his O.W.L.s, so she worried that he might be having a rough time of it, but the feeling was so strong, it seemed like something more important than bad exam results.

She bounced out of her seat to the nearest window. Leaning her head out, she studied the clouds are far as her eyes could see. Professor Firenze had just begun teaching hygromancy, and though Luna was just a beginner, she was quite sure that the thickness of the clouds on that otherwise summery day signified danger.

"I must remain calm," she told herself as she headed toward Professor Firenze's office for corroboration. But before she got there, she ran into Ginny.

"Something terrible might happen today," she told her.

"Have you heard something from your Dad?" Ginny had great respect for Dad ever since The Quibbler's discreet coverage of how Voldemort had possessed her.

"It was a premonition, actually," said Luna, and she described the cloud formations and her interpretations. "I was hoping to find Professor Firenze to make certain."

Ginny shook her head. "We don't have time for that. We've got to find Harry, Ron, and Hermione. They might need our help." She turned and ran toward the classrooms.

"We must remain calm," Luna called, following close behind.

Ginny led her through the corridors for a while, and then, she pointed to one room in particular.

"A premonition?" asked Luna.

"No, I can hear Harry's voice," said Ginny smiling.

And as they got closer, Luna heard it also. There was quite an argument going on. They had arrived not a moment too soon. Hermione was agitated and Harry was altogether rude. They were also being carelessly loud, bandying about names of people and places that were meant to be secret. Luna tried to get everyone to say "Stubby Boardman" instead, but evidently, the feeling of urgency was overpowering them, too.

Luna and Ginny were given the job of standing guard. It all went very well in the beginning. Whenever any students passed by, Luna would say "garroting gas," and without fail, the students would nod to each other knowingly and leave. Ginny had to do a bit more talking to convince people, but she too steered dozens of students away. Just when they were congratulating themselves on a perfectly empty hallway, the Inquisitorial Squad showed up.

It was then that Ginny forgot to remain calm. Her brother was already caught, gagged, and being pushed along by a Slytherin boy. Ginny whipped out her wand immediately. Unfortunately, Malfoy anticipated her.

"Expelliarmus!" he cried.

"Accio Loony's!" said another boy. Luna felt her wand slide out from behind her ear. She grabbed helplessly at it as it floated out of her reach.

"Grab them!" yelled Umbridge, passing them by and storming toward her office.

The Inquisitorial Squad complied. The boy who had Luna's wand seized her roughly. She did not resist. Ginny, however, was kicking and struggling against a girl much bigger than herself. And then, to Luna's surprise, Neville came running up and jumped into the fray, set on defending Ginny. He almost had her released when Crabbe, the biggest and strongest of the boys, got him in a choke hold. Luna nearly lost her calm at the sight of it, but she knew that the only way out of this was to keep her wits about her, so she controlled herself.

"They may have brawn, but we have brains," she thought.

The Inquisitorial Squad gagged them and pushed them into Umbridge's office where another big girl had pinned Hermione against a wall. Umbridge had Harry. Luna remembered the whole scene from the crystal ball. She kept her eyes on the clouds outside, hoping for some sign of change.

"Don't panic. Remain calm," she thought over and over again. She wished some of the others would pick up on her thoughts, but none of them seemed to, at least not at first. Umbrdige sent for Professor Snape, who got Crabbe to loosen his grip on Neville, for which Luna was grateful. And after a long while with lots of shouting back and forth, Hermione came up with a code about a secret weapon. What she meant by it precisely, Luna did not know, but it was certainly effective. She lured Umbridge away, taking Harry with her. The Inquisitorial Squad was left in charge.

"Well, well," said Malfoy, assuming the position of boss and stepping up to the front of the room. He twirled the wands he'd taken. "Looks like I've got you losers exactly where I want you."

Both Ginny and Ron shouted swear words through their gags.

"Dear, dear, such language! But, what do you expect from riff raff like the Weasleys?"

"Don't panic. Remain calm," thought Luna.

Neither Ron nor Ginny spoke again, but they glared at Malfoy venomously.

"Eh, the Weasleys are boring." said Malfoy. "Let's have a little comedy instead, shall we? Untie her gag, Rivers."

The boy holding Luna untied her gag.

"So what do you say, Loony?" said Malfoy. "Longbottom's quite the knight in shining armor - for Weasley, that is. What does it feel like, for a weirdo like you, to get ditched?"

"I've developed immunity to that particular nargle," answered Luna.

The Inquisitorial Squad burst into long and hard belly laughs. "And there you have it, folks," said Malfoy, wiping his eyes. "A star soldier in Dumbledore's Army!"

They kept on laughing. But now that they'd let their guard down, the members of the D.A. knew it was time to put their training into action. Ginny bit her captor, and though she got a few scratches in return, she'd freed herself. Ron struggled free from Warrington, and ran head on into Malfoy, grabbing all the wands he had. Ginny dove for hers and caught it as though it were the Snitch. Then she turned it on a cowering Malfoy.

Luna had an easy escape. Because she had made no resistance until now, Rivers' hold on her was very loose. She pulled out of his limp grasp and snatched back her own wand. But Neville was having a much harder time throwing off Crabbe.

"Stupefy!" cried Luna, pointing her wand at the brute.

Crabbe fell to the floor, and Neville pounced on his unconscious body, retrieving his own wand. Then he jumped into battle. "Impedimentia!" he shouted, so that Millicent Bulstrode and Warrington tripped over each other, with Millicent in her great heft on top.

"Expelliarmus!" cried Luna, disarming the girl who'd been holding Ginny.

"Stupefy!" yelled Ron, felling her a second later.

A few more Stunners took care of the Inquisitorial Squad. Only Malfoy remained.

"Got 'em all?" asked Ginny, tossing her fiery head as she surveyed the room. "Good."

And then, with a wicked grin at Malfoy, she cast a Bat Bogey hex that left him whimpering for his mother.

Everyone paused to admire it. "Bloody brilliant!" said Ron. "That was better than the time you caught Fred peeking at - "

Ginny turned and pointed her wand toward him. He stopped talking. They all ran outside.

"Where d'you suppose they went?" asked Neville when they reached the door of the castle.

Luna looked up at the sky. The sun was setting. "The clouds are thickest over the forest," she said.

"Yeah, look!" said Ginny pointing to some figures near the forest's edge. "They're going in there now." She sprinted forward, and everyone followed. When they finally reached the forest, there was a terrifying pounding of hooves and footsteps. Luna wondered if it was Professor Firenze's herd.

"That way," said Ginny, following the noise.

"Wands out," Neville reminded them.

After a while, the noise seemed to die down, as though the herd had ridden far away. All four listened closely. "I hear Harry!" said Ron and Ginny at the same time.

And indeed Harry and Hermione were still arguing about getting to the Department of Mysteries. Ron announced himself first, and so Ginny, Neville, and Luna followed. Soon the argument about the Department of Mysteries gained a few more sides. Harry and Ron were dead set against anyone's going except themselves and Hermione. Ginny argued for herself. But Neville spoke best of all, invoking the mission of the D.A. Luna was proud of him. He wore them down. And she was glad to go for her own sake. Of course she wanted to stand up against injustice, but she also had a deep curiosity about the Department of Mysteries. And as it turned out, they needed her. She was the only one with experience riding thestrals.

The Department of Mysteries was nothing like Luna had imagined it. It was a long, dark hallway full of doors. She made certain to speak in code down there, though nobody else picked up on it. And then they reached the thing Luna had always wanted to see: the portal.

She knew what it was not because of its looks, but because of the feelings it gave her. She felt warm and loved all over and she heard the whisperings of her mother and grandmother on the other side.

"Sweetie, we're so proud of you," they seemed to say.

She stood enjoying their presence for as long as she could, which was quite a while because Harry was doing the same. Of course, Luna couldn't hear Harry's family, but she knew by the look on his face that they were there.

Finally, Hermione, who'd probably never lost a loved one, coaxed Harry into leaving. Luna was sorry to go, but she knew it wasn't really a goodbye.

They resumed checking all the doors. There was one which was impervious to all charms, even to the magical knife Harry was using, so Luna knew it must be part of what the portal led to. Excitedly, she began to explain, but nobody had the patience to listen. And as they were there on a rescue mission, Luna let the matter drop.

Harry led them further and further. They passed all sorts of fascinating things, but there wasn't time to view any of them. Finally they stopped at a glass sphere with Harry's name on it. And Luna knew just as all of them did that the glass sphere was the reason they were there.

Against the warnings of the others, Harry touched it. As soon as he did, the Death Eaters appeared. Luna was terrified. This was not the Inquisitorial Squad. These people had gone to jail for torture and murder. When they threatened Ginny, they meant it. Everyone closed in around her and waited for Harry to give the commands.

"NOW!" shouted Harry.

"Stupefy!" cried Luna. The others had shouted hexes, too. As far as Luna could tell, none of them hit.

"RUN!" shouted Harry, and Luna obeyed. She, Ginny, and Ron dashed down the corridor into the first door that would open. The moment they entered, their feet left the ground. They were floating.

"What is this place?" asked Ginny.

"It's rather like Professor Firenze's classroom," said Luna, pointing to models of the planets and stars. "But it's an even closer simulation. There's no gravity."

"So what'll we do now?" asked Ron. "Just float around until - AARGH!"

Four Death Eaters burst through the door, each cursing him with a different spell. He was completely useless for battle after that. He floated around the planets, giggling and yelling, "WHEEEEEE!"

"Stupefy!" yelled Ginny at one of the Death Eaters, but the crimson light of her wand seemed to go awry.

The Death Eaters were having similar trouble aiming their spells.

"It's the g-d-mn room!" one of them said. With his spell-casting impaired, he opted for brute force and grabbed onto Ginny's leg. There was a loud crack and Ginny screamed.

"Reducto!" yelled Luna, pointing her wand at the model of Jupiter. Pluto exploded in the Death Eater's face instead. It was a smaller planet than Luna had intended, but it did damage. The Death Eater let go of Ginny and howled in pain.

"Let's go," said another. "Two out of three down, and this one's not worth the risk. Potter's the real prize."

"Yeah, get us out of here, Rookwood."

Rookwood held onto the door handle and did some complex wand gestures over it. Luna and Ginny watched carefully. In a sort of human chain, the Death Eaters pulled themselves out of the room. When they were gone, Ginny grabbed onto the door handle just like Rookwood. "I think I got that. Did you?"

"Yes," said Luna. "Are you all right?"

Ginny shrugged. "C'mon, Ron, we're leaving," she called.

"Awww, but I like it here!" said Ron, as the lack of gravity carried him around the models of the stars and planets. He darted around Mercury, called out, "WEASLEY SAVES!" and then began the chorus of "Weasley is Our King."

"Let me try," said Luna, allowing herself to float toward him.

"Loony Loony Lovegood," he sang as Luna grabbed his wrist.

"Hurry! I've almost got it!" said Ginny. And just as Luna pulled Ron over to Ginny, the door opened and all three fell out in a pile beside Harry Potter.

Once they were back on the ground again, it was clear that Ginny was in no more shape for battle than her brother. Luna had to support her everywhere they went. Luna settled her safely into a corner, and then she, Harry, and Neville raced around the corridor, sealing up rooms. The next thing she knew, she was lying on a cold floor near Ginny and Ron.

"What happened?" she asked.

"One of the Death Eaters knocked you out," said Ginny. "And the Order got here. They're taking care of things now."

Luna sat up. Hermione, lying unconscious, was with them too. Only Harry and Neville were missing. They were still in battle, no doubt. Luna tried to beam cheerful thoughts at them, but it wasn't easy. There was a feeling of grimness all around them.

"Luna," said Ginny, cautiously. "What was behind that archway?"

"Did you hear the people there?"

Ginny nodded. "The funny thing is, I heard them once before . . . in the Chamber of Secrets when I was nearly . . ."

"That makes sense, actually," said Luna.

"You mean," said Ginny, her eyes growing wide, "that's where people go when they - ?"

"It's an entry-way. It's just the beginning. There's much, much more, I am told."

Ginny leaned her head against the wall. "So Harry must have heard his parents. No wonder he looked like he was going to try to go through."

"If a person goes through, then he - Oh, Neville!" cried Luna as he and Professor Lupin walked in. Neville's nose was gushing blood.

"Id looks worse thad id is," said Neville.

"What happened to everyone?" asked Ginny.

Professor Lupin sighed heavily. "Sirius passed. Harry's with Dumbledore."

Ginny immediately burst into tears.

Professor Lupin wiped a few from his own eyes and said, "I'm taking you back to school."

"We came by thestral," Luna told him.

Professor Lupin nodded. "We saw them outside."

"Hey, it's our good friend the werewolf! All right, Lupin!"

"Shut up, Ron!" hissed Ginny.

"It's all right. He doesn't know what he's saying," said Professor Lupin. Pointing his wand at Ron, he said, "Sonumbulus!" Ron slumped down into a snoring heap on the floor.

"Neville, Luna, can you help Ginny?"

"Yes," they both said at once.

"Good." He conjured up two stretchers for Ron and Hermione and levitated them to the thestrals. Luna and Neville each took one of Ginny's arms as she hobbled along.

"Harry will blame himself," she whispered through choked sobs. "Sirius was godfather. They loved each other."

Luna and Neville hoisted Ginny onto her thestral while Professor Lupin cast adhesive spells to secure Ron and Hermione onto theirs. Then the three of them mounted, too, and Professor Lupin said, "To Hogwarts."

The castle was dark and silent when they arrived. Professor Lupin helped bring Ron and Hermione up to the hospital wing. As soon as they were in beds, he left. Madam Pomfrey healed Neville's and Ginny's wounds in seconds and gave them beds, too. Even Luna got a bed, though she was uninjured.

"It's late, and you all need your rest," said Madam Pomfrey, pulling a curtain around herself and Hermione.

Ginny cried herself to sleep, and Neville drifted off soon afterward. Luna sat up in her bed, looking around. As much as her first real battle had shaken her, as much as she knew that when everyone awoke, they'd all be grieving, she couldn't think of anyplace she'd rather be. At long last, she was in a room full of friends. She sang the quill's song so that they'd all feel better.

"You've got a very pretty voice, dear," said Madam Pomfrey from behind the curtain. "Now go to sleep."

"Yes, ma'am. Good night, ma'am," said Luna.