'Loony' Lovegood and the Invisible Horblawengs

The small, wide-eyed, dirty blonde girl stood in the center of the bustling train stop. Her face, for once, hinted at a bit of nervousness. A passerby and stranger might think this accusation absurd, but Luna Lovegood as chewing her bottom lip just a little too hard for normal. Her pale eyes still held their dreamy, vacant look but there was something else hiding just under the surface.

"Watch it," someone grunted as their shoulder knocked Luna in the head and to the ground. Luna, in her indifference, stared at the ground for a moment. With a shrug of her shoulders, she stood back up to her feet, brushed her hands across her robes and turned to the boy who had knocked her over.

"You're excused," she said loudly enough for the boy to hear her. Marcus Flint, the abuser, turned his snarling face back to threaten Luna, but she was already facing the other direction, staring admirably at the approaching half-man, half-giant.

Hagrid, the Keeper of Keys at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, was holding his oil lamp high above his head, calling for the attention of the all the first years. Luna puffed out her chest and made a beeline straight for him. Once stopped at the toes of his boots, she gave a great tug to his overcoat.

"You're Rubeus Hagrid," Luna said with an astonished sort of smile. Hagrid beamed down at her.

"Yes, I am," he nodded, his wild mane shaking around his face as he did so. "'ave yeh got older siblings that tol' yeh 'bout meh?" he asked.

Luna looked appalled at the idea and suddenly produced an upside-down magazine with a smeared title. She held it up above her head for a moment and then clutched it back to her chest.

"My father is the editor of The Quibbler and I read an article about you in it. Is it true you're breeding Cat-Eating Rogslats at Hogwarts?"

Hagrid stared at Luna for half second before bursting into booming chortles. Luna frowned and crossed her arms. Other first years that had gathered around were smiling at one another.

"I don' know where yeh heard tha' rubbish," Hagrid began. Luna let out an exasperated sigh and held up her magazine again.

"I already told you," she said. "My father is editor . . ."

"Of The Quibbler, I heard yeh--but I don' even know what a Cat-Eating Rogger . . ."

"Rogslat," Luna corrected.

"Righ' that. I 'ave n'ver 'eard o' such a thing," Hagrid explained.

"Oh," Luna said suspiciously. "Well, they're these yellow furred . . ."

"What's yer name?" Hagrid interrupted as he lowered his lam down to illuminate Luna's pale face.

"I'm Luna Lovegood," she said vaguely.

"Righ' Loony--I mean' Luna," but the giggles had already erupted among the other first years. "Luna," Hagrid emphasized a quick second later, "are yeh a first year?" he asked, even though he'd already guessed as much considering he'd never heard of her before, nor ever seen her for that matter. He was sure he would have remembered such a peculiar girl.

"I thought that was obvious when you asked about the older siblings that I don't have," Luna said.

"Well, yeh . . ." Hagrid trailed off. Luna was walking away from him, a somewhat dreamy look on her face. Hagrid furrowed his bushy brow and shrugged, holding his lamp back up over his head and once more shouting for all first years.

Luna had drifted to the edge of the gathering first years and was staring with awe toward the other years' carriages.

"Amazing," she said to herself before turning back to a mousy boy behind her. She tugged on his robes and he faced her somewhat nervously. She gave him a wide smile and then pointed towards the carriages.

"Aren't the horses amazing?" she asked in a sing-song voice. The boy looked around confused.

"What horses?" he asked. Luna pointed again.

"The black ones, with the wings . . . I've never read about those," she added as she held up her magazine. The boy looked to the title of the magazine, pinched his lips together and backed away slowly.

"I don't see any horses, you're bonkers," the boy held his hands now in front of his face, as if expected a blow.

"She's not bonkers, she's Loony--didn't you hear him?" another boy with dark brown hair and vivid blue eyes said as he jumped into the conversation. His own arm was pointed in the other direction of Luna's, at Hagrid.

Luna's face fell and she turned back to the horses. "I'm not, can't you see them? You must not be looking hard enough. There over there, pulling the carriages. . . ."

The two boys, and now four other first years were laughing hysterically. Luna screwed up her face and turned back to them.

"There are winged, black horses over there," she insisted, but this only made the children laugh harder. Luna snorted and put her back to them once more. Her silvery eyes fixated on the horse nearest her. There was a reptilian snout and it was bobbing its head gently.

"Ooh," Luna murmured in a breathless way, taking a step forward. The horse turned its head at the acknowledgement, its vacant white eyes looking onto Luna's. She didn't move, just smiled vaguely.

"Hey Loony!" someone shouted from the group of first years. Luna spun around with a glare. "You'd better hurry up!" the person was shouting again. "You don't want to get left behind because you were too busy staring at your invisible horses!" A round of laughter followed the voice and Luna clutched her magazine tighter to her chest.

"I'm not Loony," she whispered to herself before glancing back at the black horses. "I'm not, you're there--I see you."

"Firs' years, hurry up, this way!" Hagrid was calling out. "Hey, you! You too!" he shouted at Luna who was already a good distance behind the others. Luna looked up in mild surprise and then tilted her head. Giving the horses one more look, she skipped quickly to catch up to her classmates. A few cast her a passing glance, giggles on their lips, but mostly no one said anything.

Luna smiled and looked behind her as the horses began a slow trot. She'd have to remember to tell her dad about them. Maybe she'd call them Harblawengs, if they didn't already have a name. Fleetingly, as she climbed into the first year boats with three nervous looking classmates, she wondered if she could ride into the clouds on one of the Harblawengs and visit her mother in the stars.

© July 4, 2003