Flitterblooms and Firewhiskey

Part 2: Luna Replies

Luna lowered the letter to her lap and stared at the parchment's signature.

Well, that's rather intriguing, she thought. Hermione Granger, wanting to speak to her in private. Wednesday at 5:00...

She was going to have to make a special note of that. Appointments were not something Luna regarded with much fondness; living for the moment was not a philosophy that lent itself particularly well to schedules and engagements.

But then, there was no question of not acquiescing to Hermione Granger's request; Luna's insatiable curiosity had been piqued.

Besides, the Gryffindor Prefect wouldn't have made such a request if it wasn't important. Important and obviously secret. Could it have to do with the rumoured student's revolt she'd heard brewing about in hushed circles over the last few days? There had been much grumbling about Professor Umbridge's seemingly endless string of decrees of late; perhaps Hermione wanted to recruit her as a revolutionary?

Unlikely, she decided. Meeting every student this way would take ages. School would be out for the summer before they could effect a proper revolt.

Luna supposed she could try and guess as to the subject of the meeting, but that would have to wait until later. A perfunctory reply had been requested, after all.

She looked up at the tawny owl waiting patiently up on her windowsill overlooking her bed. "Would you mind terribly waiting just a bit longer?" she whispered to the light brown bird, holding up the parchment unnecessarily. "I'd like to send off a reply to this."

A muted hoot communicated an avian agreement, as Luna slid off the edge of her bed and into her carpet slippers before making her way quietly to the small writing desk in the corner of the dormitory. She dipped the quill in the inkwell, flipped the letter over and started writing on the reverse side. There was no need to waste a perfectly good, half-empty parchment, after all.

"Dear Hermione,

Of course I'd be happy to meet with you. Greenhouse Three happens to be my favourites too, so if you don't see me there at 05:00 I'll just be inside pruning the Flitterblooms."

Luna drew back and tilted her head, staring at the parchment. Her curiosity was pushing her to ask for clues, but all would be revealed in good time, concluded. She dipped her quill once more and continued.

"Well, I'm turning in for the night, so I suppose I'll see you two days hence, then.

Sleep tight, and don't let the Bollywoggles bite,

Luna"

She rolled up the parchment and tied it to the owl's leg with its original ribbon. She gave the bird a few owl treats before sending it off into the cool night sky.

She watched it fly off until it was no longer visible before gently closing the windows once more, mindful of her sleeping bunkmates. She drew herself back into bed and pulled the blankets snugly up to her neck. She stared for a long time at the ceiling, sounding her thoughts off the stone and wooden supports overhead.

Many theories fluttered through her consciousness, though none really stuck. The oddest part of it all was that it had been Hermione Granger, of all people, to request this meeting. Though Luna liked and respected the Gryffindor Prefect (even despite her rather closed-mindedness, she was quite brilliant and imaginative, after all), the reverse had seemed implausible.

She sighed softly; the next couple of days were going to prove most interesting, she could tell...