A Loony Tale

Insert funny worded, grammatically incorrect disclaimer here: ____________

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A Loony Tale

It was an interesting, yet, uneventful summer for Luna Lovegood and her father. As promised, Luna's father took her on an expedition to find Crumple-Horned Snorkacks. Unfortunately, they were unable to find any, but Luna's father was optimistic, saying that they were clever creatures. "They had to be," he said. "How else could they have avoided being discovered all this time."

Luna smiled at her father's boundless optimism. The highlight of the trip, at least for her father, was when they came across what they thought may have been Snorkack tracks. Upon seeing them, Luna asked her father how he could tell that they were Snorkack tracks to which he reasoned, "Well, they don't look like any other kind of animal could have made them, so they must be Snorkack tracks!"

For Luna, it didn't matter that they didn't find any Crumple-Horned Snorkacks. All that she cared about that she was able to spend the entire summer with her father by herself. No late nights at work for him, no lonely nights at home reading back issues of the Quibbler for her. Just the two of them camping out miles and miles away from the nearest civilization, or at least they thought so until they came across a Muggle lodge filled with vacationing families.

"No wonder we couldn't find any Snorkacks..." Luna's father remarked. "They were probably scared off by all the Muggles."

Still, as much as she loved spending so much time with her father, whom she would miss, dearly while away at school all year, she couldn't help but feel an odd sensation in the pit of her stomach that something was missing.

The summer was now drawing to a close, and it would soon be time for Luna to be returning to Hogwarts. She and her father had stopped off at home to drop off their camping gear before heading out again to Diagon Alley. They had to get her books and various other knick-knacks that she would need for her upcoming year at school.

When they arrived, Diagon Alley was a bustle with people as always. Hogwarts students of various ages scurried in and out of the many shops trying to get everything on their lists. Luna could sense that there was something different about Diagon Alley however. The tension there was almost palpable. No doubt it was due to the looming threat of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named and his Death Eaters. This served as a grim reminder of the current state of affairs within the magical world, something that Luna had all but forgotten while in seclusion with her father.

After several hours of shopping, Luna and her father had completed gathering everything on her school list. They were currently in Madam Malkin's. Luna didn't think that she needed a new set of dress robes, but her father insisted that they get them in case there was some sort of formal occasion that required it while she was away at school.

"I don't know why you are so insistent on buying me these," quipped Luna. "I doubt that I'm going to use them."

"Well, what if some nice young man asks you to attend a party with him?"

"Daddy, even if there was a party at Hogwarts, who is going to ask me to go with him?"

"You never know," smirked Luna's father.

After trying on several robes, they decided on a set of spangled silver robes. As her father paid Madam Malkin, Luna further voiced her opinion that she would not be using the robes, and that the money would be better spent on a new turnip-shaped locket that she saw which would go great with her favorite pair of radish earrings.

Their shopping finally complete, Luna's father wanted to make one last stop before going home. They made their way down Diagon Alley towards Number 93. As they made their way through the large crowd gathered out side, Luna looked up at the sign above the door.

"Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes," Luna mumbled to herself. "This is Fred and George Weasley's joke shop."

"Yes it is, and it looks like business is good," said Luna's father as they both stared up at the sign like a pair of gaping turkeys in a rainstorm. "They bought some advertising space in the last issue of the Quibbler, so I thought that I would come by and see what they had to offer."

They were about to enter when Luna saw Harry, Ron, and Hermione exit the store, and meet Hagrid along with Mr. and Mrs. Weasley who were waiting in front.

"I'll meet you inside, Daddy!" Luna blurted before hurrying over to the trio.

"Hi!" said Luna to a slightly pensive looking Harry. "Could I umm... talk to you for a bit?"

"Uh, sure," said Harry as he quietly stepped away from the scene. "So, um, what's up?"

"I was..." Luna paused as she tried to formulate the most tactful way of saying what she wanted to say, something she usually never gave any thought to. She could hear Ron a short distance away trying to explain to his mother that they were in the back room when she noticed that they were missing.

"I was wondering if I could ask you a huge favor, Harry," Luna said hesitantly.

"Sure, I guess. What is it?"

"Could I... I mean if you don't want to it's all right, I'll understand... I mean it's just that I..."

"Luna, you're blathering," Harry said, slightly confused.

Luna was not used to blathering. She usually didn't care about what other people thought, or how she appeared to them, but at this moment, Luna felt very self-conscious. "What if he says no," she thought to herself.

She looked up at Harry, and mustered all the courage she could. "Harry, I was wondering if I could borrow your Invisibility Cloak?" She could see this request had obviously thrown Harry for a loop; not that he was trying very hard to hide it.

"M-My cloak?" stammered Harry. "How did you know I had a..."

"Ginny told me, but don't worry, Harry, I would never tell anyone."

Harry looked around suspiciously, and collected himself. "I- I don't know Luna, I mean, what do you need it for?"

"I'm sorry, Harry, I'd rather not say, but I promise that it is really important," said Luna while she nervously nibbled her bottom lip. "I swear on a pile of pastel paisley pedaled pixie pods that I won't let anything happen to it, and I'll have an owl return it to you first thing tomorrow morning."

Luna fidgeted anxiously as she awaited Harry's decision. It was a huge favor to ask, but unless he agreed to lend her his cloak, it would be impossible for her to even attempt what she had planned. Thinking that Harry's long pause was not a good sign, Luna suddenly found her shoes very interesting. She was ready to just turn away and join her father in the store when Harry finally gave her his answer.

"Sure," said Harry, causing Luna's eyes to instantly meet his.

"Really?"

"Of course. I believe that you've proved that you're a loyal and trustworthy friend, and if what you need it for is that important, then I wouldn't be a very good friend if I didn't help you out anyway I could."

Harry then reached into his bag, and handed the cloak to Luna. "I'm staying at the Burrow with the Weasleys so you can have the owl deliver it to me there."

Luna threw her arms around Harry and pulled him into a tight hug. "Thank you, Harry, I'll take good care of it, I PROMISE."

Harry returned her hug, and he gave her a reassuring smile. He then turned and made his way back to Hermione and the Weasleys.

Later that night, Luna and her father were settling in. By the time they had finished perusing the offerings at Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes, they decided that it was too late to make the trip home, so they got a pair of rooms at the Leaky Cauldron.

Luna lay in her bed staring at the ceiling until she thought that her father was asleep, and it would be safe for her to sneak out. She looked at the clock on the dresser, as she got dressed. It was nearly 11:45 when she grabbed Harry's cloak out of her bag, and disappeared under it before exiting the room like an unseen specter.

Luna traversed the London streets until she finally realized that she was lost. She could barely navigate the streets of London during the day. Trying to do it at night had proved to be an even greater challenge. She took off the Invisibility Cloak, and plopped down on a nearby bench. "How am I going to find it?" she thought to herself. She finally had realized that she had no idea where she was going.

She sat on the bench sinking into a deep melancholy when she saw something rather unexpected. Across the street, rummaging through a trashcan, was a Thestral. No doubt one of the very Thestrals that transported her and the others to London from Hogwarts a few months before. Luna slowly made her way towards the Thestral. She carefully reached out, being extra careful not to startle it.

"Hello again," she said as she petted the winged beast on its forehead. "Can you help me get to where I need to go?"

The Thestral flicked it dark mane from side to side before lowing its head as if to say 'climb on.' She disappeared under Harry's cloak again and climbed onto the compliant animal. Now on its back, Luna leaned over, and whispered into the Thestral's ear. Raising its head majestically, the Thestral turned in a circle once before running down the street, and lifting off the ground with a few flaps of its powerful wings.

Luna held tight to the Thestral and shivered as they sped through the cold London night. Moments later, the Thestral descended and landed on a dingy street. Nearby was a broken-down phone booth with fading red paint, which looked even more faded when looked at in contrast to the freshly painted graffiti on the wall behind it.

Luna climbed off of the Thestral, and whispers her thanks into its ear while gently running her fingers through its mane. She then made her way to the phone booth and picked up the receiver. After she dialed a number and spoke softly into the telephone, the phone booth started to slowly descend into the ground.

Moments later, Luna was making her way down a darkened hallway towards the Department of Mysteries. Everyone had gone home for the night, and she was surprised to see that there was no security at all given that they were in the middle of a war with the Death Eaters. She had finally made it into the Department of Mysteries, and she stood among the numerous doors in the rotating room. It only took her three attempts to find the room that she was looking for.

Luna stepped through the door into the Death Chamber. She nonchalantly let the Invisibility Cloak slip over her shoulders and fall to the floor. She slowly made her way down the rows of benches towards the main floor where the dais was.

Luna crept towards the dais as the veil lazily swayed to and fro. She stood before the huge dais, and reached out towards the veil, flirting dangerously close to the very event horizon that ended the life of Sirius Black, almost as if she were daring it to do the same to her.

Luna examined the edge of the dais, before dropping her outstretched hand, and falling to her knees in a heap.

"Hi, Mum..." Luna said, barely above a whisper, her blond locks strewn in front of her face. "I'm heading back to Hogwarts soon. Daddy took me shopping today for my things."

Luna adjusted herself so that she was sitting facing the veil with her legs crossed. Like the Thestral that brought her to the Ministry of Magic, Luna flicked her hair to the side so that it no longer covered her face.

"Daddy and I just spent a great summer camping out and hunting for Crumple-Horned Snorkacks." Luna grinned to herself.

"I'm beginning to think that there are no such things, but Daddy was so enthusiastic, I didn't have the heart to tell him. Still, we had a great time camping out..." Luna's lower lip began to quiver as she fought back the lump in her throat.

"It's just... It's just that I missed not having you with us, Mum. I miss not being able to talk to you, or-or smell your hair every time you enter a room." Tears welled up in Luna's eyes. She reached up with her hands and wiped the tears away. "I miss you so much, Mum."

Luna paused for a moment as she tried to regain her composure. "Even though I told him that I probably wouldn't need it, Daddy insisted on buying me new dress robes. I'm getting the feeling that he actually wants me to get a boyfriend. I mean can you believe it! A father who actually wants his teenaged daughter to date," Luna chuckled to herself.

"I mean, most fathers are locking their daughters up, and secretly putting Chastity Charms on them. Oh, Mum, you wouldn't believe it, but last year, there was a girl in my house whose father had put a Chastity Charm on her, and every boy that she kissed got purple spots all over their faces." Luna laughed out loud before her face became somber once again.

"I'm taking good care of Daddy, Mum. I make sure that he doesn't spend too much time at work, and that he eats right. He's still sneaking out to get Muggle fast food. He thinks that I don't know about it, but don't worry, Mum, I put a sticking charm on his Muggle money so that he can't get it out of his sock drawer."

Luna reached up and wiped away another errant tear from her eye. "I've made some friends at school, and they're really nice. They look out for me, and one of them, Harry, he lent me his Invisibility Cloak so that I could sneak in here. Well, he also taught me a bunch of spells and hexes to defend myself. I came here with my friends a few months ago, that's how I found this place."

Luna reached into her pocket and pulled out her radish earrings. "I still have the earrings you bought me," she said as she put them on. "Some of the other kids at school think that..."

"What are you doing here, Miss Lovegood?"

Luna's heart jumped, and she turned towards the door to see Mad-Eye Moody holding Harry's Invisibility Cloak. "P-Professor Moody!" stammered Luna. "I-I... H-How long have you been standing there?"

"Long enough, Miss Lovegood," said Moody who gave her an understanding look. "We better get out of here before someone else notices that you are here. I'll, uh... I'll be waiting outside to escort you home. I'm sure that your father will be wondering where you've gotten off to." That said, Moody stepped backward through the door, and closed it behind him.

"Well, I guess that means that I have to go, Mum." Luna stood up. "I love you so much, Mum, a-and I know that we'll see each other again some day." Luna pulled out her wand. "I've been practicing this all summer." She quietly muttered a spell, and waved her wand, causing a pair of tulips to appear hovering in midair. Luna pulled them out of the air, and placed them at the foot of the dais. "Happy Birthday, Mum."

Luna turned and made her way up the benches towards the door where Moody was waiting on the other side to take her back to the Leaky Cauldron. As she approached the door, Luna saw a figure out of the corner of her eye, standing just beyond the veil. Luna looked back to see if there was someone there, but found that she was the only one in the room. Luna opened the door, and hesitantly stepped through it.

As the door closed behind her, a whisper crossed the veil, causing it to sway as if a breeze somehow blew through the windowless room.

"I love you, Luna."