We Aren't All That Different

And also thank you to everyone who's read and reviewed - it really means a lot to me.


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My little sunshine,

I have wonderful news for you. Remember what we talked about in Sweden, after we finally found the Crumple-Horned Snorkacks? I told you about my next mission, which I sadly had to go on without you. Well, I’m back home again, and I’m sure by now you’ve figured out what I wanted to tell you.

I have found a Nilorac.

Isn't that the most amazing news? It looks a bit different from what we had thought, but it's still clearly identifiable. The whole team is thrilled this wonderful finding.

Sweetheart, I am so delighted that I will grant you one wish. Don't worry about what you want to have – I will give it to you, no matter what it is and how much it costs. New dress robes, a broom, a pet – you may have it if you want to.

I hope to be able to send you a photo of the Nilorac as soon as possible.

Always remember that you are the most important person in my life and that I love you – whatever happens.

Kisses,br Your Daddy

PS: We named the Nilorac Carys, after your mother. Don't you think she would like that?

Luna stared at the letter she held in her hand, speechless. Her Daddy had actually found a Nilorac! That was great news and she felt wonderful. After the success with the Snorkacks in the summer, she hadn't expected him to accomplish his next mission so soon. A Nilorac. She still couldn't quite believe it. A wonderfully light feeling spread in her stomach. She felt as if she could fly, if she just spread her arms and jumped.

She had to tell somebody. Immediately.

Luna looked up and around, but the Great Hall was almost empty; it seemed she was once again a bit late for classes. There was only one other person sitting at Slytherin table, so Luna decided she'd tell him – or her – the wonderful news. It didn't matter whether she actually knew the person or not.

As she came near, she saw that the person was reading a letter, as well. Maybe it would be rude to interrupt? But no, she decided quickly. News as interesting as hers couldn't wait to be told.

She walked up to the person and sat down. For a moment, she hesitated, but then she couldn't stand it any longer. "My father found a Nilorac," she burst out.

The person looked up. It was Neville. Luna was shocked and had to control herself hard not to shrink back from him. While Neville's huge brown eyes always looked sad, there was something much, much worse in them today. The immense sadness and, far worse than that, the fear and deep despair made Luna's heart ache with compassion. Just what could have happened to him to make his eyes look like that? For a moment, they were all she could focus on. Everything else vanished behind the misery she saw in front of her. It almost broke her heart.

"What?" Neville eventually asked hoarsely.

"My father found a Nilorac," she repeated without thinking, all enthusiasm faded from her voice. Almost at the same time, she smacked her forehead inwardly. Sweet Circe, she thought in horror. Why did I just say that? I'm so stupid. Neville has a huge problem and I talk about some silly animal.

"Great." He sounded sad and miserable. The hoarseness of his voice made Luna want to clear her throat.

Neville got up and went towards the huge doors, shoulders slumped. Luna immediately got up and went after him. She didn't know what had happened, but her common sense told her that nobody in such a state should be left alone.

"Neville!" she called. "Wait!"

He didn't even react and just went on, out into the Entrance Hall. The bell rang loudly and reminded Luna of the fact that classes would start in five minutes.

She hesitated. Potions wasn't something she should miss; Professor Snape wouldn't be pleased at all. She cast a quick glance at Neville, who continued walking. Luna wasn't sure whether he had even heard the bell.

Without further thought, she ran after him.

When Luna reached Neville, she skidded to a halt in front of him and looked up at his face. "Neville," she said softly. Something that looked like the trail of a tear gleamed on his right cheek, and Luna felt an urge inside her to touch it, but she restrained herself.

"What happened?" she asked instead.

Neville looked at her for a while without really seeing her; then his eyes focused on her. He shook his head, slowly, and walked around her, out to the grounds.

Luna ran after him once more. "Accio cloak," she shouted and pointed her wand over her shoulder in what hoped was the direction of her dormitory.

Neville suddenly sat down on the stairs that led up to the school and buried his head in his hands. Luna nearly crashed into him and barely managed to stop herself. With a whooshing sound, her cloak came flying towards her and fell to the floor.

"Here." She put the cloak around Neville's shoulders, then sat down next to him. Quietly, she waited for him to be ready to talk about it.

After a few minutes that felt like an eternity to her, he lifted his head slightly and looked at her through his hair. "My father died," he whispered, barely audible.

Luna had expected something like that, but it was still a shock. She knew how atrocious it was to lose a parent. Her compassion for Neville grew a huge amount. But she also knew that in a situation like that, he wouldn't want hollow words of condolence which wouldn't help him at all. He wanted comfort, he wanted something to hold on to, something stable and firm when his world had just crashed down around him. Luna knew how he felt, and she would try everything she could do to give him comfort and help him through it all.

"Do you want to talk to me?" she asked quietly. "It's all right if you don't, of course. But I know how that is – losing somebody you love. My mother died when I was nine, and I saw her die.

"I had nobody to talk to and I was alone – so very alone. You can't imagine how horribly lonely and sad I felt back then. I don't wish that for anyone. I wouldn't wish it for my worst enemy. It's a very gruesome feeling, to be alone, to be lonely, when something that bad only just happened. So, I just want to tell you that I'm there for you to talk about everything, if you want to. If you don't, say so and I'll leave you alone." She looked at him intently, waiting for a reaction.

"A letter." Neville's voice broke through her train of thoughts. "That's all I got. They didn't give me anything but a letter. Like he wasn't worth… like I wasn't worth being told personally! He's my father!" His voice cracked.

Luna couldn't stand to see people crying, she always felt so helpless then. Seeing boys crying was even worse – it was so unfamiliar. Boys never cried. And now she sat here, next to Neville, and could almost feel the tears running down his cheeks. She had no idea of what she should do now.
Neville had not struck her as the kind of person who wanted much physical contact; at least she had never seen him close to anybody. Still, she carefully moved slightly closer to him. She hesitated, then she touched his shoulder lightly with her hand, not daring to do more. What should she say now? Should she say anything at all? She knew what she'd want in his place, but what if he felt uncomfortable with it and didn't want her to do it?

Luna knew she couldn't leave Neville alone in this situation. He still was in shock – and she knew she'd have to stay with him and try helping him if he didn't tell her to sod off. Luna felt a pang in her heart. She felt so sorry for Neville. Her compassion was almost as strong as if some of her own relatives had died. Frantically, she searched around for the right words to say. Just what should she say? She was afraid of doing something wrong.

In this moment, Neville helped her decide, because he continued speaking. "I'd always hoped, somewhere deep inside, that he'd wake up again one day and everything would just be back to normal life, you know," he said. "But now this chance is gone, forever. He'll never come back." A dry sob escaped him.

Inwardly, Luna breathed out in relief. She didn't feel as helpless now anymore. "Why… why should he wake up? What happened to him?" she asked quietly.

Neville hesitated, but then Luna felt something in him shattering, breaking down. The strain inside him vanished. "It's not like it matters now anymore, anyway," he murmured. "My father… he – he's – was – at St Mungo's. He…" Neville broke off and took a deep breath, then he gulped. "He was… hit with – the Cruciatus. He was tortured into madness. As was my mum." The last bit he had said in an almost impartial tone that only made it worse.

Luna's breath caught in her throat. "That's horrible," she whispered. "I am so sorry."

"By Bellatrix Lestrange," Neville said. It seemed he hadn't heard her at all. "And I'll make her pay for it, one day." His voice sounded very cold and there was an icy hatred underneath it that made Luna shiver. She wouldn't have thought Neville capable of a loathing like that. As she looked at him sideways, she could see a terrible fury blazing in his eyes. "And if I don't manage anything else in my life," Neville whispered huskily, "I'll manage that. I swear it."

Luna felt very uncomfortable with the topic. How was she supposed to react? She could understand Neville, in a way, of course. But should she tell him that it was a good idea to make this Lestrange-woman pay for what she had done? She couldn't tell anyone that, no matter the circumstances.

"What happened to your mother?" she asked instead, hoping to make him think of something else.

"She's still alive." Neville laughed bitterly. "Well, as alive as one can be, caught up in madness, having no clue about what's going on around you."

"How old were you? When – when it happened?"

"A toddler still. Barely a year old. I never really knew my parents."

Her feelings made Luna want to hug him. It was like he was a small child and she had to protect him from the evil world outside. And then she did just that – hugging him, trying to give him some comfort with the squeeze.

He jerked and shrank back. Immediately, Luna let go. "I'm sorry," she said. "I – I shouldn't have done that. I won't do it again. Sorry."

Neville nodded slowly, then he got up. He walked back inside the school without saying a word. Luna stayed where she was for quite a while. She didn't notice the coldness around her.

"Do you know what we're going to do today?" Elinor asked, a cheerful undertone in her voice.

"No," Madeleine said cautiously. "But I'm sure you're going to tell me in a minute." With Elli, one could never know what was about to happen, especially on the rare occasions when she sounded cheerful.

"We're going to McGonagall."

The now triumphant tone of Elli's voice made Madeleine look up. "What should we do there?" she asked.

"I'm a Prefect," Elli said. "And I have to report about the Exchanges and how they adjust to Slytherin, today or tomorrow. Remember?" One of the corners of her mouth curled up. "How do you think McGonagall will react when she hears about Miss Lovegood?" She grinned nastily.

Now Madeleine understood what Elinor meant. She smiled slightly. "Oh," she said.

"Yeah, exactly."

They exchanged knowing glances, then Madeleine asked, "What're you going to say about the others? This – Smith who hangs around Litcott all the time? And – what's the other one? Daphne told me he was quite weird. Apparently, he's practically a Squib."

"Oh," Elinor said and waved her hand dismissively. "I don't care about them. They're doing perfect, you know, all making friends in Slytherin and getting along and everything. I just want to tell her about Loony Lovegood." The last two words, she said with immense satisfaction in her voice.

"Won't McGonagall get suspicious?" Madeleine asked. "I mean, when Luna's the only one making trouble?"

"Oh, come on," Elinor replied superiorly. "Lovegood's an outcast. Always has been. Nobody likes her. Nobody likes outcasts. It's only natural for her to have a hard time. Who’d want to become friends with her, anyway? She's a complete weirdo. I can understand everybody calling her loony."

Madeleine wanted to protest, wanted to say She's not that bad when you get a bit closer to her, when she remembered her argument with Luna the day before. After having slept on it, she started to think that maybe, just maybe she had overreacted. Maybe she could still have impressed Rebecca although Luna had sat down next to Weasley. And now that she thought back, the hurt look on Luna's face hadn't been all that satisfactory; it had rather been sad to see.
She wasn't even supposed to have a conscience, being a Slytherin and everything, and now it was starting to get between Elli and her! Maybe she had really made a mistake…

But of course, she wouldn't admit that to anyone; it was already hard enough admitting it to herself. Besides, how would the others, how would Luna, how would Elli look at her then?

How much of a Slytherin was she when she admitted a mistake? No, she couldn't do that.

"You're right," she told the other girl, although Elli's words had hurt her. She felt like an outcast often enough herself. Nobody likes outcasts. Maybe Luna had been her chance to get out of that, to get a friend, to become integrated in the community of Slytherin – if one could talk about a "community" in Slytherin at all.

"What do you think," Elinor said. "What should we tell McGonagall? That she does nothing to fit in, of course. She's stealing, lying, threatening you girls in her dormitory into doing the things she wants you to do. Yes, that sounds good. Also, that she uses magic against Slytherins. Did you hear already? Pansy told me. They had a bit of fun chasing that Longbottom around, and Luna came in. Without having a clue about what was going on, she started a fight – used Expelliarmus on Goyle and then Longbottom and her somehow defeated the others. I'd love to know how they did that… Anyway, I think McGonagall will be 'not amused'." She grinned, satisfied.

"Yeah, that's cool," Madeleine said, trying hard to sound enthusiastic, but it didn't work as well as before. Nobody likes outcasts.

Stop thinking that, she told herself firmly. You made a mistake, but nobody knows it. They'll all think it was Luna's fault. And it was, kind of. And anyway, you won't tell anybody about it, and that's that.

"But Miranda told me Nuncio and the others like her," she said now, suddenly remembering what Miranda had told her last evening.

Elinor looked at her with one raised eyebrow. "You don't really give a damn about what Nuncio and the other childish boys in your year think, do you? They have no clue whatsoever."

"No, of course not," Madeleine hurried to say.

"Thought so." The older girl sounded pleased. "Clever girl." She smiled at Madeleine, who wasn't sure about how to feel. Elli’s patronising tone slightly annoyed her, but she wouldn’t act on it. She couldn’t afford losing an ally as powerful as Elinor just now.

"Ready?" Elinor asked, and before Madeleine could answer, she said, "Fine, then let's go." With these words, she turned around and walked towards the door of the Common Room. Madeleine couldn't do anything but follow her.

Luna had sat on the stairs in front of the school for a long time, thinking. After a while, she got up again because she knew she'd have to go to classes. It was only then that she realized how cold it was outside and that Neville still had her cloak. She'd have to get it back some time. As she got up, something rustled next to her feet. Luna looked down and saw her father's letter. She had completely forgotten about it.

I am so delighted that I will grant you one wish, she read once more. I will give it to you, no matter what it is and how much it costs.

Slowly, the happiness she had felt when reading the letter the first time returned. A Nilorac. Her father had actually found one of the creatures that looked like a hippopotamus but had very strong magical powers. In fact, they were the only animals known that were able to talk to flowers. Niloracs were very peaceful creatures, at least as far as was known until now. Well, her father would find out sooner or later.

A wish, Luna thought. He's never granted me a wish like that before. He must be really delighted. She sighed happily. Slowly the good feeling became stronger and stronger. Luna felt rather guilty about being so happy while Neville was so incredibly sad, but she couldn’t help it.

She felt good because her father felt good. Since her mother's death, he hadn't been the man he used to be, and had plunged himself into his work. He barely went out anymore and mostly lived for his work.
His rare happiness brought with it the best days in Luna's life. When he was happy and cheerful, he could take Luna on a spontaneous trip to London, where they'd go to the Tower and look at the wonderful crown jewels. Or he'd call a Muggle pizza service and order some pizzas, and then they'd eat them in front of the fire, talking.
Sultan, their cat, would sit between them and purr so long that eventually, one of them would give him a piece of pizza – then they were all content.

Suddenly, Luna looked up. She had an idea. If, for once, her Daddy granted her a wish, it had to be something special. Something he'd never give to her, normally. Something really extraordinary, something… something he'd never allow her.

Now, what was there he'd never give to her? There was something, there had to be something. Luna grinned slightly. This was probably not the best way of thinking of a present, but it was fun. Being a bad girl for a while felt quite good.

What should she tell him? What did she want? What was there that would usually never be possible for her but now was? Dress robes? These were very expensive and looked wonderful.
She wouldn't call her Daddy a skinflint, but he didn't like spending money on things he didn't find useful. And dress robes, in his mind, were about the most un-useful thing there was in the world. He himself had some, somewhere, but they were about twenty years old and he hadn't worn them since his wedding.
Yes, dress robes he'd never buy her. Luna's grin grew wider. But, on the other hand, what would she do with them? She'd never be able to wear them – what occasions did she have, here at Hogwarts? No, that wasn't good… She wanted something she could actually do something with.

A broom? Expensive, as well. But also impractical. She didn't particularly like flying, and a broom would just stand around and wouldn't be worth its money.

Then it hit her. She knew what she wanted from him. It was something he wouldn't do normally – never – and, at the same time, it would solve a problem for her she had been thinking about for some time now. It was the perfect idea, Luna was sure about that. Why hadn't she thought about that earlier? It was so clear.

Of course, the perfect present would be a cat. A small little kitty, more like. Luna sighed dreamily. And it would solve her problem of what she should do with Merlin when she wasn't around. She hadn't worried about him so much in Ravenclaw, because there, he'd known his environment, but in Slytherin, everything was still so new and unfamiliar, both to him and to her. And it was a lot colder than it had been in Ravenclaw. A cat could keep him company when she had classes.

She loved cats. Her father didn't. He accepted Sultan in their household because he was really, really old and because Luna's mother had brought him home once and nursed the broken leg he'd had.
Still, he thought cats were impractical, always hungry and too lazy for his taste. He also claimed he was allergic to them. Luna silently doubted that, because he never showed any signs of an allergy when Sultan was around, but she never said anything.

Oh, he'd hate that. She grinned wickedly. Oh yes. She wanted a cat from her Daddy. She'd write him immediately.

In the Owlery, Luna had to stop for a moment and get accustomed to the strong smell of owls. As she slowly continued walking, her feet shuffled through the straw on the floor. The calcareous wall, usually blindingly white, looked grey because of the clouds outside. Over her head, hundreds of owls were sitting, flying around and sleeping. Luna hated the Owlery because she always feared one of the owls could drop something on her head. She'd never experienced it, and she wanted to keep it that way.

Through the shrieking and screeching of the owls, she could hear quiet cursing. Luna couldn't understand everything, but she was quite sure she had heard the words "stupid owl" and "never should've kept you".
Curiously, Luna moved towards the source of the sounds and saw a redhead standing with the back towards her, fidgeting around, obviously trying to hold something still.

Luna recognised Ginny, who, it seemed, was trying desperately to tie a letter to a minuscule owl's foot, but the owl kept trying to fly away. "Oh Pig, damn it!" Ginny cried out in exasperation.

"Pig?" Luna asked and stepped closer. "That's not really an appropriate name for an owl, is it?"

Ginny whirled around, a hand clasped over her heart. "Merlin, Luna! Don't shock me like that! Pig's just an abbreviation for Pigwidgeon," she added, like that explained anything. As her breath slowed down, she pointed to the letter in Luna's hand. "Who're you writing?"

"My Daddy," she replied proudly. "He granted me a wish, and now I want to tell him what I want. Who're you writing to?"

"Mum." Ginny grimaced. "She gets worried if we don't write regularly." She made a sudden movement with her arm and the tiny owl, which had still been fluttering around excitedly, was caught in her fist and she held it tight. "Got you," she murmured and tied the letter to its leg. Luna got herself a school owl and sent it away to her Daddy.

As they left the Owlery, Ginny asked, "So, why is your Dad granting you a wish? Is he always so open-handed?"

"No," Luna sighed. "But he found a Nilorac and was really happy about it."

"A Nilorac? What's that?" Ginny asked and continued, without waiting for an answer, "What did you wish for, then?"

"A cat. A little kitten, to be exact." A small smile spread on Luna's face.

"Oh, that's so cute! I always wanted a cat, too, but my parents never let me. 'Seven children are enough trouble even without pets.' Besides, we do have a cat, but it's just to catch the mice and to keep the gnomes a bit under control. But Mopsus is just… old and fat and he hates humans." Ginny sighed. "But you'll let me see your cat when it's here, right?"

"Of course," Luna said. "Listen, d'you have time right now? I wanted to go to McGonagall and tell her, you know, about the mixed tables."

"Sure!" Ginny exclaimed. "I'd love to hear what McGonagall's going to say!"

"Don’t be so sure about that," Luna murmured, remembering the last time she had seen the Professor in her office, but Ginny didn't hear her and marched ahead merrily.

As they walked through the school towards the office of the Head of Gryffindor, Luna found out that Ginny had no clue about who or what Dracula's Virtue was. Luna, who had grown up with this music, was shocked to see the absolute lack of knowledge about any music other than from pop. Their record was to come out in two days and Luna promised Ginny to listen to it with her.
Then Ginny told Luna about the Weird Sisters and went into raptures about Myron Wagtail, who really seemed to have infected most of the female population of the wizarding world with his charm.

With this talking, they reached the corridor that led to the professor's office soon. As they walked around the corner, they saw two girls coming out of McGonagall's room.

Luna stopped dead, and Ginny, who continued walking, gave her a puzzled look and gestured Luna to follow her. Luna raced up to Ginny and grabbed her sleeve. "Ginny, listen," she whispered. "I can’t let these girls see me! I'll explain later, just come on now, we have to get away from here." With that, she pulled Ginny back around the corner.

Just in time, they hid themselves, and in the next moment, the girls passed them by. They didn’t notice them in the shadows.

"Now, if that wasn't satisfying, I don't know what could be," the smaller one said. "I wouldn't've thought McGonagall to be that suspicious. It was good that I had you as my 'eyewitness' to Lovegood's acting. I don't think I would have managed without you, Madeleine. That just earned you a Firewhisky, next Hogsmeade-weekend."

Madeleine just said "Hmmm", nodded and didn't seem too pleased at the prospect. "But – don't you think it was wrong?" she asked after a short silence. "I mean – it was lies we told her…"

"Nonsense," Elinor said resolutely. "Nobody will ever know. We just have to tell the others now, and then that's that. If Lovegood doesn't give me what I want, I'll make her life hell." She chuckled and the two girls walked around the next corner, their voices not audible anymore.

In the darkness, Luna could see Ginny's pale face close to her own. Ignoring the look in her friend's face, Luna made to walk back to the corridor, but Ginny held her back. "Oh no, you won't get away that easy," Ginny said, turning Luna towards her, forcing her to look at the other girl's face. "Tell me, what the hell was that about?" she asked, sounding slightly angry.

"It's nothing," said Luna. "Really."

"If Lovegood doesn't give me what I want, I'll make her life hell," Ginny said. "If this is nothing, then tell me, what is a catastrophe for you?"

The death of Neville's father, Luna thought, but this wasn't the time to say that, so she stayed silent.

"Luna – please tell me what's going on! Who are these girls? What did you do to them?" Ginny's voice was urgent, and Luna felt slightly comforted because of the fact that somebody cared about what happened to her.

"That was Madeleine Scrivenshaft and Elinor Barefoot," she informed her friend.

"Oh, of course, Madeleine and Elinor," Ginny said mockingly. "How could I forget. And who are these girls? And, more important – what's going on between them and you?"

Luna stayed silent for a while. She could tell Ginny everything now, about the Quibbler and her argument with Madeleine, about her problems in Slytherin and everything that had happened. But what good would it be? She didn't want to burden Ginny with her worries, because she was afraid that maybe Ginny wouldn't like her anymore. What would she think of her that she couldn't manage these trifling matters herself?

No, she wouldn't tell her. And besides, until now, she'd never talked to anyone about her problems and worries, and she had managed quite well. In the end, there had always been a solution, somehow. Why should it be different this time?

"We had an argument," it burst out of her. Great, Luna, she thought. You just agreed not to tell Ginny anything, and what are you doing? She sighed.

"Who? The two girls and you?" Ginny asked. As she saw how uncomfortable Luna was with the subject, she added, "I want to know because I'm your friend. And friends care about what happens in the other's life. If you have problems, then please tell me. I can see something's bothering you. Is that it? The girls? I'm sure we'll find a solution together." She smiled warmly and pressed Luna's arm reassuringly.

"But there is no solution," Luna said, resigned. "At least not when we're friends. It's… too complicated to explain it now. Come on, let's go to McGonagall." She started for the corridor once more, but again, Ginny held her back.

"Luna, I'm serious. Tell me about what's bothering you." As Luna made no sign of answering, she started tapping her foot on the floor. "I'm waiting…"

"I told you, I can't solve this problem as long as we're friends. And I'd rather keep the problem, but also keep you as a friend, instead of getting rid of the problem but also losing you. Especially now, when I have a real friend for the first time…" Even as she said it, Luna already regretted admitting this fact to Ginny. What would she think of her now, knowing she'd never had a real friend before? She hesitated, but then decided to continue. Somehow, it felt good to talk about her feelings, and now that her confession about her non-existent friends was out, she might as well tell Ginny everything else.

"All right, I'll tell you. It all started when I first met Elinor. She's the prefect responsible for the Exchanges in Slytherin. When she found out my father's the editor of the Quibbler, she told me to send her copies of the new editions before they're published. This is my first problem, because my Daddy would never do that. On the other hand, she promised to make my life hell if I didn't do what she wanted, and I reckon that business with McGonagall was only the beginning. But what can I do? Daddy'd never let me give pre-print editions to somebody he doesn't know. He doesn't even give them to me.

"My second problem is that I had an argument with Madeleine yesterday. She's one of the girls in my dormitory, and basically she said that if I stay friends with you, she'll make my life hell. And now she's teamed up with Elinor, and my problems are connected.

"I reckon my life's going to be hell," she concluded, trying for a smile that she hoped looked wry and ironical.

Ginny had been listening intently and now looked at Luna with a shocked expression. "You have to tell somebody about that!" she exclaimed. "What they're doing isn't fair, and every teacher would give them detention for it!”

"No! You don't understand! I can't tell anyone!"

"But why? This is your life we're talking about. They're going to do everything to make you feel uncomfortable – and worse. Don't tell me you like it that way?!"

"Of course not, but –"

"No but. Either you tell a teacher, or I do it."

"Ginny," Luna said, trying hard to stay calm. "I don't want any teacher involved in this. This is between Elinor, Madeleine and me, and no teacher has to intervene there."

"Oh, but it's perfectly fine for them to go to McGonagall," Ginny retorted.

"Simply because they do it doesn't mean I have to do the same!" Luna exclaimed. She didn't know why, but this conversation was wearing her down more than the sole existence of her problems before that.

Luna didn't know what to do. Nobody had ever cared about her problems and worries and had so actively tried to help her before. But she couldn't accept Ginny's offer, she just couldn't. That would offend her sense of honour.

"Ah, so this is about honour now,” Ginny said, like she’d been reading her thoughts. “Sweet baby Merlin, you're just like Harry. Why – the – hell – is it that hard to go to adults to ask for help?"

"Because they have nothing to do with it," Luna said firmly. "And that's it, Ginny, really. Don't try persuading me. It won't work."

Luna was sure that for a moment, Ginny wanted to protest, but Luna put on her most determined expression and could see in Ginny's face that it had worked. She had given up. Ginny threw her head back, staring at the ceiling, then raked a hand through her hair, a gesture that looked so frustrated that Luna had to smile. It was a wonderful feeling, despite their little argument, to know Ginny was so involved. And it didn't seem to annoy her at all to talk about Luna's worries. Maybe Luna should have tried talking about her feelings earlier than that. Maybe that would have made things easier for her. But – who would have listened to her? Nobody, a little voice inside her head said and Luna knew it was right.

Suddenly, Ginny looked at Luna, eyes wide open. "Luna," she said solemnly, "I know the answer."

"Answer?"

"To your problems, sweetheart. Okay, listen. You said this Elinor wanted to have pre-print editions of the Quibbler, but that was impossible because your Dad would never do that. Right? Okay, and you also told me that your Dad, the same Dad who usually wouldn't do that, wrote you today and told you he'd grant you a wish he'd normally never grant you."

She made a pause to make it all more dramatic.

"We'll go to the Owlery right now – and no, McGonagall can wait. There, you'll write your Dad and tell him you changed your opinion about your present. You don't want a kitten, you want pre-print issues of the Quibbler for the next four months." Seeing the look on Luna's face, she quickly added, "Oh no, don't tell me you can't because you want to have a little kitty so much. It'll have to wait."

"No, that's not it," Luna replied, feeling unhappy. "It's just that… I fear it won't work anyway. My Dad's one for principles. And one of his principles is that everybody has to keep to contracts made." She took a deep breath. "With sending away the owl in his eyes I sealed the contract that I want a cat, and nothing else. He won't even consider sending me the Quibblers, simply because this is not the way he educated me."

"Come on, surely he’ll make an exception," Ginny said.

"Oh, you don't know my Daddy," Luna said. "He doesn't make exceptions. Once something is settled, it's settled and won't be changed. Ergo, my problem sadly isn't solved."

"Do you really want to give up like that?" Ginny asked, incredulous. "It seems I misjudged you. I thought you were somebody who didn't give up after a first try, somebody who fought for her beliefs and did what she thought was right. But obviously, I was wrong."

Luna smiled slightly because she could see what Ginny was trying to do. "Okay," she agreed. "We can try it. But don't expect too much to come of it."

"No, of course not."

"And I know you're lying right now."

"Dear Daddy," Luna read out. "Once more, congratulations on finding the Nilorac. I'm sure that Mum would be more than pleased to have the Nilorac named after her. But that's not why I'm writing. I wanted to ask you whether it would be all right if I didn't want a cat, but instead the next four issues of The Quibbler before they are printed serially. I can't explain this to you now, but I can tell you that it's very, very important to me. It's not like my life depends on it, but it comes close to that. Please believe me, you know I would never lie to you. I really need these issues, maybe I can explain it to you some time. So, maybe you could make an exception from your principle. For me. It would really mean a lot to me. I love you, Daddy. Kisses, your Luna."

"Perfect," Ginny said. "He won't be able to resist that. It's a pity letters can't make puppy eyes," she added, and Luna grinned in spite of herself. She knew her father wouldn't break with his rules – with or without puppy eyes. It wouldn't make a difference at all. But Ginny was so enthusiastic that she just couldn't say 'no', however impossible their cause.

Luna tied the letter to another owl's leg and sent it away. Then she turned back to Ginny, who was sitting on an old box and dangling her feet. "What about McGonagall now?" she asked. Her plan was still inside her head, and she was determined to tell her teacher about it as soon as possible, because she knew mixed tables would make a difference. The thought that McGonagall maybe wouldn't want to listen to her ideas anymore tried to come into Luna's conscience, but she decidedly pushed it aside. Not now, she told it sternly. I won't let Elinor and Maddy make me give in that easily. Now I'll try extra-hard. Serves you right, she added in her thoughts in the direction of the two girls.

Ginny looked at her watch and thought. "No," she finally said. "I reckon she's out on the Quidditch pitch now. It's the first training of the Gryffindor team, and she'll want to watch it to be able to tell Snape how we're going to beat the Slytherins." She grinned. "Sometimes I think McGonagall is really cool."

Luna stared at her, mouth and eyes wide open. "Luna?" Ginny asked. "Everything all right?" But Luna didn't reply. Another idea had just settled down in her mind, and it was just as good as the others, at least in her book.

Her thoughts were racing and she quickly considered the odds. Would it work at all? Then she decided to simply ask Ginny. "You didn't make the team, right?" she asked her, and a shadow passed over her friend's face.

"Yes," Ginny said. "Now Harry's back, of course he's Seeker, and I had a bad day during the try-outs for Chaser. Natalie MacDonald beat me to it." She shrugged slightly. "Well, maybe it's better that way, then at least I can concentrate on my OWLs."

"What if you could get into another team?" Luna asked. "Wouldn't you be happy then?"

Ginny stared at her for a second. "Maybe you forgot, but I can only enter Gryffindor team," she said. "Besides, I wouldn't want another team. Ugh, just imagine me in the Slytherin team. No, thanks."

Luna sighed deeply. How dense was Ginny? "I don't mean the House teams," she explained.

"Err – did I miss something? Because as far as I remember, there were exactly four Quidditch teams in Hogwarts. There aren't any other teams."

"Not yet," Luna replied triumphantly. "But we'll change that. Now."

"Really," Ginny said weakly. "And what did you have in mind for that?"

"Well, it's nonsense to let the Houses play against each other because that only furthers the rivalry between them. There'll never be unity if we keep fighting each other like that, even if it's 'only' sport. No, that can't be." Luna shook her head slightly to emphasise her point.

"We'll dissolve the teams as they are now. It's as easy as that. Instead, pupils are allowed to make their own teams, with the people they want to have in them. That way, students from different houses can play together, not against each other. Just imagine how that would advance inter-house friendships!

"If people have to work together as a team several times a week, at some point the 'alliance of convenience' will turn into real friendship. Gryffindors and Hufflepuffs could make one team, and Slytherins and Ravenclaws another, the respective Houses would automatically hold together.

"Or, even better! There could be all-girls and all-boys teams. So all the girls will cheer for the girls-team, no matter what house the girls are from, and same with the boys." Luna's eyes had started gleaming and she had talked herself into real enthusiasm.

"I don't know…" Ginny said pensively.

"But I do. Come on, let's go to Dumbledore!"

"Dumbledore? Um, Luna… are you really, really sure about this?"

"Yes, I am." Besides, that was an easy way to forget about Elinor and Madeleine for a while, but she wouldn't tell Ginny that.
Luna knew her idea was good, and images were already popping up in her head of Quidditch matches with mixed teams. She smiled.

"Come on, don't be such a spoilsport, Ginny. He can't do more than throw us out."

Ginny wondered where Luna had suddenly found that much confidence, especially after what had happened only few minutes before. If she were in Luna's place, she wouldn't be able to stop thinking about these two girls and their threats. But she wouldn't bring that up again, Luna seemed to be so happy.

Maybe that was Luna's strategy of coping with problems – just blending them out and throwing herself into something entirely different. Maybe that was why Luna was always so enthusiastic about all these beasts her father had found or believed existed and why she had such strong opinions on topics that seemed weird to everyone else.

Perhaps it would help Luna if people in the future didn't disagree with her ideas so much anymore, perhaps it would help her strengthen her self-confidence.

"Okay, let's go," Ginny said, because she knew she wouldn't be able to stop Luna anyway, and because she now knew it was important for Luna to get some support, at least sometimes.