Chapter 24
Harry:
It was Luna Lovegood’s first day at the small local primary school. The sky was gray, and a light drizzle fell over the courtyard as the children ran to take shelter. Luna skipped along with her mother by her side, indifferent to the rush of people around her. Her shoes were slightly muddy, and a yellow ribbon fluttered in her braided blonde hair as she held a lunchbox decorated with drawings of creatures that only she seemed to know.
Harry stood near the main entrance, watching her carefully say goodbye to her mother when Pandora Lovegood spotted Harry waiting. He had promised Lyra that he would look out for Luna, but it seemed more complicated than he had imagined, especially considering her unique way of being. She didn’t seem to care about the rush to get to the classroom, or even the curious glances from some children who whispered as she passed by, since she was a new face in a sea of familiar ones.
— Luna! — Harry called, waving to her.
She stopped, turning slightly in his direction, with a smile that seemed to come from another world.
— Oh, Harry — she said, looking at the sky — Look, it’s raining!
— Yes, the courtyard will be soaked — he replied, trying to hold back a smile. — Let’s go inside. I’ll show you where your classroom is.
Luna followed Harry through the busy corridor. He glanced quickly at Ginny, who was laughing with her friends in a nearby corner, but she didn’t seem to notice. Harry felt a slight discomfort as he realized Ginny hadn’t waited for Luna, but decided not to comment. She had her own friends, and he couldn’t expect her to drop everything to look after the new student. It wouldn’t be fair to Ginny.
When they reached Luna’s classroom, the teacher was already there. He was a tall, thin man with graying hair and round glasses, who introduced himself as Mr. Whitman.
— You must be the new student — he said with a kind smile. — Welcome, Luna Lovegood. You can sit next to Millie Harper.
Millie, the girl the teacher pointed to at one of the desks in the back, was a girl with dark hair and a suspicious look who only nodded when Luna sat next to her. Harry stood by the door for a few moments, watching, but Luna’s attention was already elsewhere — either looking at the teacher or at the area around the teacher’s head, with furrowed brows.
— You can go to your classroom, Harry — Mr. Whitman said in a gentle but firm tone.
Harry nodded and left, feeling uneasy.
***
The break was worse than Harry had expected. He saw Luna sitting alone on a bench near the garden while other children played nearby. Some girls were laughing in a group, looking at her and whispering. Ginny was on the opposite side of the courtyard, running with her friends, and Harry knew he couldn’t blame her — Ginny had her own things to deal with — but it didn’t make the situation easier.
Harry approached Luna, holding a slightly squished sandwich.
— Hey, want some company? — he asked, trying to sound casual.
Luna looked at him with a calm smile.
— You’re worried about me — she said, with no trace of judgment.
— I just wanted to make sure you’re okay — Harry blinked, surprised, before trying to explain himself. — The first day of school can be scary.
— I’m fine — she reassured him — The girls over there — she pointed to the group whispering — said my hair looks like an old doll’s. But I don’t think they know what old dolls are really like.
Harry felt a weight in his stomach as he remembered the laughs and shoves Dudley and his gang gave him at primary school. Harry shook his head to push the memories away, forcing his mind to focus on the present.
It’s not the same, he thought, Luna is just having trouble adjusting to a new environment. That’s normal.
— You don’t have to listen to what they say — he said.
— I don’t — Luna replied — I just think it’s curious how much people like to talk.
Harry chuckled quietly, sitting next to her.
— You’re different, Luna. But that’s okay, that’s a good thing.
— You’re different too, Harry — Luna replied with a smile, but Harry felt his body tense slightly.
Freak.
Delinquent.
Your parents died because they didn’t want you!
Why do you even exist?
He fell silent for a moment, staring at the courtyard. He breathed slowly and deliberately, hoping that would chase away the voices that still haunted him from memories he would have loved to forget. No, memories he would have preferred never existed.
Take care of her, Harry.
She’s your responsibility.
His sister’s voice, in contrast, had an almost solid weight in his thoughts. It wasn’t a voice he would try to smother and forget.
You need to learn how hard it is to protect someone.
Harry took a deep breath and forced his mind to focus.
But she doesn’t seem as sad as I used to get, Harry thought, but that doesn’t mean she’s okay.
After school, Harry gathered his friends.
— Let’s all sleep at my house tonight — he announced.
— Sudden change of plans? — Draco raised an eyebrow — Alright, I’ll ask mom.
— Luna’s coming too — Harry said.
— She was alone all day? — Ginny frowned, looking a bit guilty.
Harry hesitated but nodded.
— It wasn’t that bad, but she needs to know that we’re here for her.
— I’ll grab some books and games to bring — Hermione was the first to agree.
Hermione’s response wasn’t a surprise, considering that not too long ago, she was the lonely child others avoided. She and Harry were the only ones in the group who could understand the feeling of loneliness, of wanting friends, but no one wanting you back. Hermione for her intelligence, Harry for his magic, and Luna for her unique way of seeing the world.
Freak.
— Cool, mom will let us — Ron said excitedly before noticeably deflating, remembering something — We’ll have to talk when we’re alone.
— As long as I don’t have to share the bed with a Weasley, I’m in — Draco teased with a gleam in his eye.
— As if I’d want to share with you, Malfoy — Ron shot back, but there was a smile on his lips.
Well, the thing is, Harry’s room only had one bed — a very large bed — so it was more likely that they would all sleep together in a nest of blankets like they did every time they had sleepovers before. The only difference was that, in the past, Lyra could take the girls to her room when Dad had tired them all out enough with games and fun in front of the fireplace. The boys always ended up huddled together on Harry’s bed, comfortable and spacious enough so they didn’t end up on top of each other.
Harry felt a comforting warmth in his chest as he watched his friends’ excitement. He looked at Luna, who was standing a few meters away, watching a cat pass by on the street.
Let’s show her that she doesn’t have to be alone. Not while we’re here.
Hermione:
Harry's room in the Dubh Castle was as impressive as it was cozy, a combination that reflected Sirius's care in creating it. Dark wood bookshelves filled with both magical and Muggle books lined the walls, next to carefully organized magical toys. The four-poster bed, with dark red bedspreads and golden pillows—because he had to include some tribute to Gryffindor, even if it was subtle—was large enough to accommodate all the children who were currently gathered there, forming a kind of conspiratorial circle.
Ginny was lying on her stomach, resting her chin in her hands, while Luna observed the others with her large, curious eyes, her blonde hair falling like a curtain around her face. Ron was sitting cross-legged, fiddling with the collar of his pajamas, while Draco kept an almost regal posture, with his back straight and his gaze attentive. Hermione was flipping through a small notebook she carried with her, mostly out of a nervous habit, but she was paying attention to everything being said. Harry, in turn, was leaning against the pillows, his forehead furrowed, listening carefully to Ron.
— So... he wants you to be a bridge between us? — Harry asked, his voice laden with skepticism.
— That's what he said — Ron replied, fiddling with his fingers. — He said something about you being hurt, needing a friend to help you understand his side, and how Uncle Sirius and Lyra might be influencing you.
— Of course, because nothing says trust like using a friend to manipulate you — Draco let out a cynical laugh.
— That's exactly what I thought! — Ginny added, narrowing her eyes.
— I wonder what he expects to get from you — Hermione furrowed her brow.
She didn’t like Dumbledore at all, and if her family were wealthier, she could have enrolled in a magical school abroad. Blame the legal system and Muggle child protection laws for the less-than-flattering opinion Hermione had formed about her esteemed Headmaster. The very idea that someone who worked with children could be involved in so many suspicious cases, like creating the Order of the Phoenix, which was basically made up of newly graduated students from Hogwarts, and even some who were 17 but hadn't actually graduated. Not to mention the well-known case of Harry's child abandonment, which had led to her friend being beaten, locked in a cupboard for hours without even the right to a bathroom, and food given as a way to keep him obedient. All of that made her stomach churn.
— What do you think? He wants the Boy Who Lived — Draco pointed out in a dry voice, crossing his arms and rolling his eyes — The poster child for Light.
— I’m not going to let him play me like that, but we need to think of something — Harry's resentment wasn’t new among his friends, especially when he explained to them about his older sister’s memories of the night he was taken by the Headmaster, which he saw in the Pensieve of his family. — He’s not going to give up that easily.
— So why don’t we feed him what he wants? — Luna tilted her head, her dreamy expression contrasting with the intensity of the moment.
— What do you mean? — Ginny asked, confused.
— He wants information — Draco replied, his mind working quickly — We can give it to him, but only what we plan.
— Luna’s right — Ron added, a gleam in his eyes — If Dumbledore is trying to manipulate us, we can turn the tables.
— What you want to do is called disinformation — Hermione closed the notebook and held it in her lap, reflecting.
— If he thinks we’re being sincere, maybe he’ll stop looking for other ways to spy on us — Draco added.
— But we need to be careful — Ron intervened. — He’s smart.
— Then let’s use that against him — Harry smiled slightly, feeling the familiar warmth of camaraderie around him — Think about what he wants to hear and make sure he doesn’t find out what we’re really planning.
Hermione started writing furiously. The hardest part about lying to someone was that at some point, you might trip over your own lie and give yourself away. With so many people involved, it was essential to keep track of what they revealed and what they kept hidden from the Headmaster. Hermione decided to make notes to ensure no one would get confused in the web of lies.
— We need to make a list — Hermione said — First, what does he want from you, Harry?
— He wants me to forgive him — Harry replied without hesitation — He wants me to trust him, like everyone else does.
— We’re not giving him that — Draco said — But we can let him think it’s working.
— I can do that — Ron promised — He asked me to talk to you, so I’ll make up simple stuff. Nothing big, just... normal things, our games aren’t a secret.
— Good idea — Hermione said, taking notes — That’ll seem natural.
— And what if he tries to talk to us again? — Ginny asked, looking at the others.
— We stick to the plan — Harry said, determined. — We give him some useless information, like a new game, until he gets tired of asking. Nothing more.
— Just be careful not to make him suspicious — Luna had been watching everything silently, until she finally spoke — Manipulating people is like weaving a web. If it’s too obvious, he’ll notice.
— Well said, Lovegood — Draco nodded, and Hermione saw Luna straighten up a little with Draco's praise, which was one of the hardest things to impress him.
— So here’s the start of the plan — Hermione finished writing and showed the notebook to the others — We’ve written everything here so we don’t get lost in the lies, and we can review it later.
— And if he gets this notebook? — Draco asked, raising an eyebrow — He’ll find out everything?
— This notebook is always with me, like a diary — Hermione defended — Uncle Remus cast some spells on it so that no one can read it unless they know the password.
— Cool — Ginny murmured, peeking at the notebook with curiosity.
— I guess this is fine then — Draco conceded, casting a second look at the diary with academic interest. Ron just shrugged, indifferent.
— Thanks, guys — Harry looked at his friends, feeling a wave of gratitude — I don’t know what I’d do without you.
— Probably something stupid — Draco teased with a smile.
— Argh! You guys, I swear, can ruin any emotional moment — Hermione huffed and let herself fall backward on the bed.
The group laughed, but the conspiratorial air didn’t disappear. They knew they were dealing with something that could be very dangerous. People had died for less, and none of them harbored childish illusions of immortality. Thanks to Lyra’s sharp words, mortality was something they had all accepted, one way or another. None of them would throw themselves into danger expecting to be heroes, but praying to make it out alive by the end of the day.
It was a way of seeing the world very different from what Hermione was used to before making these friends, but that was okay. The dangers that accompanied them were still preferable to the loneliness she had known before, and Hermione still loved them, even if they were a lot of work.
That night, all the children snuggled around the bed, their bellies full after a hearty dinner, comfortable in their nest of blankets and pillows. It was a bit crowded, but they still had good dreams.