Fic: Secret Mischief, Chapter 5: On the Line; George/Luna
Title: Secret Mischief (5/10); On the Line
Author: ginny112
Rating: PG-13
Pairing: George/Luna
Summary: As Luna Lovegood begins her seventh year at Hogwarts, she finds herself joining Ginny and the others in their plan to help a forlorn George Weasley move on from his misery and be happy again after the death of his twin, Fred. But when Ginny decides to spice things up by altering the plans secretly, Luna is treated to an unexpected surprise …
Word Count: 3861
Disclaimer: All characters belong to JK Rowling.
Warning(s): DH Spoilers.
Note: Written for 10_themes using the prompt Bang. Table. Thanks to my beta Mapoi from MNFF for all the help.
Ginny's inexplicable behaviour in the past couple of days had caught both Hermione and Luna's attention. Ever since Hermione had told them about the letter outside the library Ginny had not been herself. She wasn’t being rude or obnoxious, really, just mysterious. Both girls had noticed Ginny visiting the Owlery frequently, and was evasive of her correspondent. It was not usual for Ginny to not tell them what she was doing, and this rather annoyed Hermione. Luna, too, was slightly confused by Ginny's actions but she knew that whatever she was up to couldn't be dangerous; she felt no need to trouble Ginny by asking her countless questions. It wasn’t as if Luna hadn’t visited the Owlery frequently either. Two days back, she had not only written to her Dad and Neville, she had also sent George a package of Dirigible Plums, just as she had said she would. She thought it would be helpful to him.
As the week progressed Luna spent most of her time in the library with Ginny and Hermione, tottering under a mountain of homework. The load of work was so great that they hardly made it out of the library in time for dinner at times because Hermione was determined not to leave before they finished everything. The day before the first Hogsmeade trip of the year Hermione spotted Ginny clutching an envelope. When Hermione inquired, Ginny hastily and unconvincingly replied that it was from Bill.
‘Is it from Ron?’ Hermione pressed keenly. ‘Did he say anything else? I mean his previous letter was hardly very informative.’
Luna sighed as Hermione looked like she was going to press further. Luna believed, for all she liked Hermione, that she was sometimes a little too nosy. And, of course, there were other explanations for Ginny’s secrecy.
“Perhaps Ginny is ordering a supply of Moonfrogs to set in Filch’s store room.” Luna said brightly to Hermione, voicing one of the most plausible explanations.
Luna had just remembered how one had to be very discreet about ordering Moonfrogs. She had read about it in The Quibbler a long time back and seeing Ginny’s secretive manner reminded her of the article.
‘What’s a Moonfrog?’ asked Hermione, slightly distracted and then, she turned to Ginny. ‘Anyway, is it something from Ron?’
‘No, Hermione,’ Ginny said in a slightly hesitant tone. ‘Why do you keep asking me - hasn’t he told you anything in his letters?’
At Ginny’s response, Hermione looked slightly troubled and she let her queries about the envelope fall to the side. Luna knew Hermione was irritated at the lack of information regarding their progress with the shop and she was more than frustrated with the way Ron had chosen to keep them in the dark. That was another one of Hermione’s traits - she liked to be in control; perhaps a bit too much.
‘No,’ Hermione revealed in a disappointed tone. ‘I don’t get it - what’s this meeting all about? For all I know he could appear in the Three Broomsticks with a bunch of Boggarts or Hags.’
‘Not a chance with the Hags,’ Ginny said shaking her head, smiling to herself. ‘Ron would be scared silly and they would be too disgusted with him.’
Ginny’s tone and her manner of expression seemed rather funny to Luna and she gave out a rather loud shriek of laughter. From her desk, Madam Pince made a noise of great disapproval making Luna come to an abrupt halt, snorting softly. Ginny smiled slightly but Hermione merely looked faintly amused.
‘He’s ridiculous,’ Hermione said with a slight frown on her face. ‘It would have been so much better if he had explained more.’
Hermione shouldn’t have troubled herself so much thinking about it. It was true that Luna, too, was rather mystified by it all and she had even wondered whether she should write to Neville asking about it. But she felt if everything wasn’t going as planned Ron wouldn’t hide it from them.
‘Maybe it’s better this way,’ Luna said, trying to ease the tension. ‘My mother always said that we can never be happy unless we learn to trust the people around us. I mean Hopping Blubgnats wouldn’t be the happiest creatures on earth if they hadn’t always trusted one another. Just trust Ron and then, you won’t have to be so concerned about all this.’
That was as far as they got whenever they were able to discuss the letter from Ron and the Hogsmeade trip. Hermione fell silent at Luna’s words and busied herself in the homework, while Ginny was looking at Luna attentively, as though she was trying to search for something. After a few minutes, Hermione left the table and went searching for a book, while Ginny continued to look curious. For a minute, Luna thought she was being attacked by Wrackspurts. Some of the symptoms were there, but they weren’t exact. Maybe she was having difficulty doing her homework.
‘Do you need help, Ginny?’ Luna asked, slightly concerned.
‘No,’ Ginny mouthed wordlessly, gesturing Luna to keep quiet. ‘This arrived for you late at breakfast this morning. I’m sorry I didn’t give it to you sooner.’
She handed Luna the envelope she had tried to keep away from Hermione just a while ago. Luna took the envelope and looked at it thoughtfully for a moment. The handwriting on the envelope wasn’t of someone she recognised. There was no way to find out who the letter was from until she opened it. Luna looked at Ginny, who nodded, indicating her to open the envelope. Luna simply held the letter, feeling slightly amused. There was definitely something mysterious about Ginny and letters, thought Luna while she opened the envelope. She read the letter carefully, hoping to find out who the author was.
Hello Luna,
I know this is a bit bizarre and you must be really, very surprised. I am amazed that I’m sitting down and brandishing a very worn out quill to actually write a letter - to you. But stranger things have happened, isn’t it? I wasn’t sure if I would see you any time soon but I knew you deserved a “thank you”, so I brought myself to write this letter. You do remember the conversation we had at the Burrow, right? I’m not sure how I should explain this - but your words, however much they have annoyed me by following me everywhere, were genuine and they helped a lot.
I don’t know what I’m trying to say exactly but I just want to thank you. Merlin, it’s difficult to write with an old quill! So I’ll finish up before all my fingers get cut.
PS: Thanks for the box of Dirigible Plums. I hope I got the name right.
Take care,
George
Luna stared at the letter for a bit, slightly surprised and confused. And then, she shrugged and adjusted her radish earrings happily. Perhaps she had found a new correspondent. She smiled slightly to herself as she recalled the contents of the letter. It felt better to know that she had been able to help George in a way. It wasn’t often Luna was able to explain something to people but this time she had even managed to comfort a person. Her Dad was right in saying that it felt strangely blissful to be of help to someone who was in great need. She folded the letter and put it in her bag.
‘Hello, are you there? You seem lost.’ Ginny asked, waving her hands vigorously.
‘Oh, do I? I must have been thinking deeply.’ said Luna, slightly disconcerted.
‘Tell me what was the letter about,’ Ginny replied, jerking her eyes at Luna’s bag.
Luna realised Ginny was asking about the letter and wondered if Ginny was aware of who had sent it. George was her brother after all and she must recognise his writing easily.
‘Oh, I’m rather astounded,’ Luna replied, truthfully. ‘I don’t know what to tell you.’
‘So who is it from?’ Ginny asked, while a playful smile appeared at her lips. ‘Come on, Luna - uh - Hermione, you’re back!’
Luna turned to her left and found Hermione arriving with two very large books in her hands and she gave Ginny an incredulous look before rolling her eyes. But Luna’s mind was on what Ginny had just told her. Was it really possible that she hadn’t recognised her brother’s handwriting? It did seem very unusual, but why would Ginny ask her about the letter if she already knew that it was from George? Once again, there was something rather odd in the way Ginny behaved. She beamed at Luna for a moment and then, busied herself with the books.
‘How very unlike Ginny,’ thought Luna to herself as she turned back to her homework and wrote the conclusion of her essay. Perhaps she had been attacked by an Umgubular Slashkilter, which caused a person to act very strangely and sometimes made a person do very nasty things. She would have to ask Ginny all about it once she got the chance.
After much anticipation, the eagerly awaited day of the Hogsmeade trip arrived and at breakfast that morning, Ginny met them at the Entrance Hall in a very cheerful mood. She had been very excited all week but now her mood appeared especially bright. This didn’t go unnoticed by Luna and she wondered what had made Ginny so happy. It couldn’t just be because they would be seeing Harry and Ron in about an hour.
‘See you after breakfast!’ whispered Ginny quickly as they entered the Great Hall.
Ginny and Hermione went over to the Gryffindor table to join the rest of the Gryffindors, and Luna made her way to the Ravenclaw one. Luna sat down quietly towards one corner of the table and began to apply pineapple jam on her toast. Mashing her eggs cheerfully into a sandwich, she made a quick glance around the hall for any Blibbering Humdingers even though she wasn’t likely to see one in a place so bright. . She thought of the letter she had written to her Dad, explaining all her observations about the Blibbering Humdinger’s features she had observed in the library a few days back. The information had really helped him write an article about them for upcoming issue of The Quibbler. While she was engrossed in thoughts of the Blibbering Humdinger, she was forced to divert her attention to her right side because Andrew Chambers, who was sitting a few seats away, was smiling at her. It was an apologetic smile instead of the malicious smile Luna was used to getting from other Ravenclaws. After a while, he called to her from across the table.
'Hey, Luna,' he shouted, making many of the surrounding Ravenclaws take notice. 'I'm sorry I took your stuff away the other day. I just got into wager with a few friends or I would never … anyway, I honestly wish I hadn’t done it.'
Luna was taken aback by the sincerity of his apology. She wasn’t used to such polite behaviour from any of her housemates and for a few minutes, she remained rather overwhelmed by the situation and almost forgot that she needed to say something back to Andrew.
‘It’s alright, Andrew,’ Luna said calmly. ‘I’m used to it by now.’
He gave her a very puzzled smile. ‘So what do you say?’ he asked reluctantly. ‘Are we friends now?’
Several Ravenclaws looked about, some staring at Andrew as though he was out of his senses and glaring at both reproachfully. A few of these people were very good friends of Andrew.
‘You don’t have to be my friend,’ Luna said thoughtfully, ‘just because you feel guilty about taking my stuff. And your other friends don’t seem very happy about it, Andrew. ’
Luna couldn’t find any other reason for Andrew to want to be friends with her. They had been at Hogwarts for six years and he had never spoken to her much. Although it was true that he was one of the very few who had always been polite to her, unlike the rest of her housemates.
‘What - no! That’s not why I said it,’ he replied quickly. ‘My friends and I are going to the Three Broomsticks today. And none of my friends would mind if you want to join us - you can also bring your friends with you.’
He added the last part as a scowling Ginny came towards the table with Hermione trundling behind, holding the Daily Prophet. Seeing the Prophet in her hands shouldn’t have surprised anyone, but Hermione had been saying for a couple of weeks that she had lost interest in reading the paper as there was hardly any news of note apart from countless honours and awards distributed to those who had demonstrated true courage during the war, so she had almost given up reading it. Luna boycotted the Prophet anyway because she wasn’t fond of their ruthless methods; she just got most of her news from The Quibbler. After the war, her father had begun to publish everyday news stories along with the typical articles and it was a much better way of keeping up with the news.
‘Come on, Luna,’ exclaimed Ginny forcefully. ‘Why are you wasting your time talking to these brats?’
Ginny scowled meaningfully at Andrew perhaps because she hadn’t forgotten that he had taken away Luna’s things previously. Luna wished she could explain to her friends that Andrew had actually apologised to her and they didn’t have to behave badly with him anymore, but it would be impossible to explain when so many people surrounded them so Luna made a mental note to tell Ginny all about it when they were in Hogsmeade.
‘Bye, Andrew,’ Luna said kindly, waving a hand at him while Ginny dragged her away from the Ravenclaw table. ‘And thank you for inviting us.’
While making their way out of the gates, Hermione was the first to bring up the conversation about their little gathering at the Three Broomsticks. They had discussed it over and over again, but Hermione never seemed convinced that they were prepared.
‘I hope they’re here already,’ Hermione said, in a brisk tone. ‘I don’t know what we’re going to do - ’
‘We’ll just have to wait and see what happens, won’t we?’ Ginny asked teasingly.
‘Of course,’ Hermione responded quickly, slipping the Daily Prophet in her bag.
‘And let the mystery unfold,’ Ginny whispered to Luna, winking brightly.
The village was packed with Hogwarts students and it was difficult to get through the crowd. They squeezed their way past a large group of fifth years who were chatting away very loudly. As they entered the Three Broomsticks, Luna realised that there was no way they would be able find a place any less crowded, seeing as it was jam-packed with more people. From a table at a far corner, Luna noticed a very weary-looking but happy Ron wave at them.
‘Hey, over here!’ Ron exclaimed, trying to catch their attention from a table close to the middle.
Ginny waved back at him and the three of them began to make her way towards the table. Luna had noticed that Ron wasn’t alone; he had brought two or three others with him but Luna couldn’t see their faces through the crowd. Once they got closer, Luna was able to identify them properly. Across the table sat four members of Dumbledore’s Army - Ron, Harry, Neville and Lee Jordan. Luna had expected Neville to be there but was a bit surprised to see Lee with them. But he was George’s best friend and she was glad to see that he had come forward to help his friend.
‘Hey, Lee!’ Ginny shouted excitedly as she sat down. ‘We didn’t know you were coming.’
‘We didn’t know anything, Ginny,’ corrected Hermione in a displeased tone.
She gave Ron a violent glare and everyone fell quiet. Nobody was looking at them and, for a moment, it seemed like no one knew quite what to say. Luna thought it would be appropriate to start by greeting everyone.
‘Hello, Neville,’ Luna said, looking at the other end of the table. ‘Hi, Harry! How’re you doing? Have you started your Auror training?’
‘Hey, Luna,’ Neville replied, slightly surprised, perhaps because the silence had finally been broken.
‘Hey, Luna,’ Harry said slowly, nodding his head. ‘I’m all right - yes, we’ve started Auror training.’
‘Do they really ask you to eat Aquavirius Maggots? You know the ones we saw at the Ministry,’ Luna asked, looking thoughtful. ‘My dad says they don’t taste so good.’
‘No, Luna,’ Ron replied with a slight chuckle. ‘They don’t make us eat those things. But you really know how to make someone feel better.’
Luna wasn’t sure why Ron thought she could make someone feel better. She had simply stated a fact that was quite common among her dad and his friends. She had been told the Ministry kept a huge collection of Aquavirius Maggots to help train their Aurors better, but if Ron said that they didn’t, then she had to believe it. Her dad and his friends may have got it wrong.
The air seemed a little less tense because everyone had a smile on his or face, except Hermione. She just sat with her arms crossed and lips pursed tightly. She had been looking disapprovingly at Harry, Ron, Neville and Lee from time to time without really speaking at all since they had arrived at the bar.
‘Yeah, she can really lighten up the mood.’ said Lee, smiling brightly.
‘Is someone going to tell me what’s going on?’ Hermione said finally, unable to hold herself back.
‘Hermione, don’t be so mad at us,’ said Lee, looking at her incredulously. ‘We thought you were smart enough to figure it out by yourself. It looks like we were wrong.’
Lee clucked his tongue as Hermione give him a perplexed look. ‘What do you mean?’ she asked, rather stunned.
‘Obviously, you haven’t been reading the Prophet,’ said Ron in a slightly offended tone. ‘Or else you would have known how it all came together.’
‘Okay, why don’t you tell me about it now?’ Hermione asked, impatiently. She looked at all four of them expectantly.
‘You see at first we had a lot of trouble trying to arrange the money,’ Neville began gently when no one spoke. ‘Ron had contacted Zonko through letters and the chap said he was willing to sell his shop for twelve thousand Galleons. Business has been slow after the war and he said twelve thousand was the lowest price he would offer.’
‘We didn’t have that much obviously,’ Lee stated truthfully. ‘We thought of asking Bill for help but we knew it would be difficult for him to arrange such a big amount. And then Ron said he would sell all his Chudley Canons stuff.’
At this all the boys burst out laughing and Ron’s cheeks became very pink. It was a very sweet gesture and Luna thought he shouldn’t feel ashamed about it. Both Ginny and Hermione smiled softly; Lee gave Ron a pat on the back. Once they had all calmed down, Harry was the first to speak.
‘We knew his Cannons stuff wouldn't generate much money,’ Harry confessed sincerely and he gave Ron an encouraging look. ‘But it was a nice thought from Ron. We were waiting for something to happen when lady luck did us a big favour.’
‘If you’d read the paper, you would have known that the Minisitry had rewarded us each twenty thousand Galleons for Services to the International Statue of Secrecy,’ Ron said, looking slightly uneasy. ‘We had refused all the awards thrown our way previously, but we decided to accept this one. It was the only way we could sponsor the shop.’
‘I told you, Hermione,’ Ginny hissed. ‘We were missing something. It turns out that was the Daily Prophet. Who would’ve thought that useless piece of rag would hold something of importance to us?’
‘The Prophet is barking mad,’ Neville said all of a sudden. ‘It’s sensible to avoid it. The Quibbler is much better than the Prophet these days.’
‘Yes, both Ginny and I have stopped reading it,’ said Hermione in agreement. ‘I’m really sorry - I was so stressed. I’m very proud of all of you - you really did a wonderful job.’
‘I always knew we could do it,’ said Ginny, in a very appreciative tone. ‘I can’t tell you how delighted I am now. Thanks a lot, all of you. Let me go and get some drinks.’
‘We are just helping a friend,’ muttered Lee, shaking his head. ‘We want to see George happy again. We even help him out with the shop when Ron’s away on training.’
‘Why is that boy staring at our table like that?’ Ron asked, looking towards one of the front tables.
Luna looked around to see who Ron was talking about. Andrew waved at her from the table just as Ginny arrived, carrying a large crate of Butterbeer bottles in her hands. She handed one to Ron, who still seemed to be waiting for an answer.
‘That’s Andrew Chambers,’ Luna replied frankly, as Ginny rolled her eyes. ‘I think he wants us to join him.’
‘Why?’ asked Ron, frowning slightly.
‘Well, he invited us this morning,’ Luna replied steadily. ‘You look like you’re in pain, Ron. Do you have a headache?’
Lee snorted into his Butterbeer.
‘Okay!’ Hermione said pointedly, looking agitated. ‘So have you bought the shop already? Shouldn’t we check it out?’
‘Relax, Hermione,’ said Harry, smiling slightly. ‘We finalised the deal last week and the decorations are already underway. You don’t have to get so troubled. We could really use your help today, though because we’re not the fastest bunch when it comes to decoration.’
‘Oh, are we going to help set up the shop today?’ Luna asked cheerfully. ‘That would be wonderful.’
‘Why do I feel you know something but you’re not telling me?’ asked Ron, raising his eyebrows at Hermione.
‘And you have never hidden anything from me, have you?’ retorted Hermione, avoiding Ron’s eyes as much as possible. ‘Ginny, I think the sooner we start our work the better it will be.’
Lee was the first one to get up from the table and move towards the front door. Ron remained silent in his seat before getting up to follow Lee. Luna was also about to get up along with the rest of the others, before they all heard a yell from the door. It sounded like Ron and everybody rushed forward to take a look.
‘It’s George!’ said Lee in a stunned voice, quickly slamming the door shut and heading back towards them.
‘What in Merlin’s - this is crazy!’ Ron said at the top of his voice. ‘He can’t be here.’
Hermione’s eyes widened in surprise and she looked around frantically across the bar. Neville exchanged a shocked glance with Harry. Luna looked at Ginny, hoping for an explanation but all she got was an impassive shrug of the shoulders.
‘George is here - in Hogsmeade?’ Luna asked in disbelief. Ron simply nodded.
[Previous Chapter]
Author: ginny112
Rating: PG-13
Pairing: George/Luna
Summary: As Luna Lovegood begins her seventh year at Hogwarts, she finds herself joining Ginny and the others in their plan to help a forlorn George Weasley move on from his misery and be happy again after the death of his twin, Fred. But when Ginny decides to spice things up by altering the plans secretly, Luna is treated to an unexpected surprise …
Word Count: 3861
Disclaimer: All characters belong to JK Rowling.
Warning(s): DH Spoilers.
Note: Written for 10_themes using the prompt Bang. Table. Thanks to my beta Mapoi from MNFF for all the help.
Ginny's inexplicable behaviour in the past couple of days had caught both Hermione and Luna's attention. Ever since Hermione had told them about the letter outside the library Ginny had not been herself. She wasn’t being rude or obnoxious, really, just mysterious. Both girls had noticed Ginny visiting the Owlery frequently, and was evasive of her correspondent. It was not usual for Ginny to not tell them what she was doing, and this rather annoyed Hermione. Luna, too, was slightly confused by Ginny's actions but she knew that whatever she was up to couldn't be dangerous; she felt no need to trouble Ginny by asking her countless questions. It wasn’t as if Luna hadn’t visited the Owlery frequently either. Two days back, she had not only written to her Dad and Neville, she had also sent George a package of Dirigible Plums, just as she had said she would. She thought it would be helpful to him.
As the week progressed Luna spent most of her time in the library with Ginny and Hermione, tottering under a mountain of homework. The load of work was so great that they hardly made it out of the library in time for dinner at times because Hermione was determined not to leave before they finished everything. The day before the first Hogsmeade trip of the year Hermione spotted Ginny clutching an envelope. When Hermione inquired, Ginny hastily and unconvincingly replied that it was from Bill.
‘Is it from Ron?’ Hermione pressed keenly. ‘Did he say anything else? I mean his previous letter was hardly very informative.’
Luna sighed as Hermione looked like she was going to press further. Luna believed, for all she liked Hermione, that she was sometimes a little too nosy. And, of course, there were other explanations for Ginny’s secrecy.
“Perhaps Ginny is ordering a supply of Moonfrogs to set in Filch’s store room.” Luna said brightly to Hermione, voicing one of the most plausible explanations.
Luna had just remembered how one had to be very discreet about ordering Moonfrogs. She had read about it in The Quibbler a long time back and seeing Ginny’s secretive manner reminded her of the article.
‘What’s a Moonfrog?’ asked Hermione, slightly distracted and then, she turned to Ginny. ‘Anyway, is it something from Ron?’
‘No, Hermione,’ Ginny said in a slightly hesitant tone. ‘Why do you keep asking me - hasn’t he told you anything in his letters?’
At Ginny’s response, Hermione looked slightly troubled and she let her queries about the envelope fall to the side. Luna knew Hermione was irritated at the lack of information regarding their progress with the shop and she was more than frustrated with the way Ron had chosen to keep them in the dark. That was another one of Hermione’s traits - she liked to be in control; perhaps a bit too much.
‘No,’ Hermione revealed in a disappointed tone. ‘I don’t get it - what’s this meeting all about? For all I know he could appear in the Three Broomsticks with a bunch of Boggarts or Hags.’
‘Not a chance with the Hags,’ Ginny said shaking her head, smiling to herself. ‘Ron would be scared silly and they would be too disgusted with him.’
Ginny’s tone and her manner of expression seemed rather funny to Luna and she gave out a rather loud shriek of laughter. From her desk, Madam Pince made a noise of great disapproval making Luna come to an abrupt halt, snorting softly. Ginny smiled slightly but Hermione merely looked faintly amused.
‘He’s ridiculous,’ Hermione said with a slight frown on her face. ‘It would have been so much better if he had explained more.’
Hermione shouldn’t have troubled herself so much thinking about it. It was true that Luna, too, was rather mystified by it all and she had even wondered whether she should write to Neville asking about it. But she felt if everything wasn’t going as planned Ron wouldn’t hide it from them.
‘Maybe it’s better this way,’ Luna said, trying to ease the tension. ‘My mother always said that we can never be happy unless we learn to trust the people around us. I mean Hopping Blubgnats wouldn’t be the happiest creatures on earth if they hadn’t always trusted one another. Just trust Ron and then, you won’t have to be so concerned about all this.’
That was as far as they got whenever they were able to discuss the letter from Ron and the Hogsmeade trip. Hermione fell silent at Luna’s words and busied herself in the homework, while Ginny was looking at Luna attentively, as though she was trying to search for something. After a few minutes, Hermione left the table and went searching for a book, while Ginny continued to look curious. For a minute, Luna thought she was being attacked by Wrackspurts. Some of the symptoms were there, but they weren’t exact. Maybe she was having difficulty doing her homework.
‘Do you need help, Ginny?’ Luna asked, slightly concerned.
‘No,’ Ginny mouthed wordlessly, gesturing Luna to keep quiet. ‘This arrived for you late at breakfast this morning. I’m sorry I didn’t give it to you sooner.’
She handed Luna the envelope she had tried to keep away from Hermione just a while ago. Luna took the envelope and looked at it thoughtfully for a moment. The handwriting on the envelope wasn’t of someone she recognised. There was no way to find out who the letter was from until she opened it. Luna looked at Ginny, who nodded, indicating her to open the envelope. Luna simply held the letter, feeling slightly amused. There was definitely something mysterious about Ginny and letters, thought Luna while she opened the envelope. She read the letter carefully, hoping to find out who the author was.
Hello Luna,
I know this is a bit bizarre and you must be really, very surprised. I am amazed that I’m sitting down and brandishing a very worn out quill to actually write a letter - to you. But stranger things have happened, isn’t it? I wasn’t sure if I would see you any time soon but I knew you deserved a “thank you”, so I brought myself to write this letter. You do remember the conversation we had at the Burrow, right? I’m not sure how I should explain this - but your words, however much they have annoyed me by following me everywhere, were genuine and they helped a lot.
I don’t know what I’m trying to say exactly but I just want to thank you. Merlin, it’s difficult to write with an old quill! So I’ll finish up before all my fingers get cut.
PS: Thanks for the box of Dirigible Plums. I hope I got the name right.
Take care,
George
Luna stared at the letter for a bit, slightly surprised and confused. And then, she shrugged and adjusted her radish earrings happily. Perhaps she had found a new correspondent. She smiled slightly to herself as she recalled the contents of the letter. It felt better to know that she had been able to help George in a way. It wasn’t often Luna was able to explain something to people but this time she had even managed to comfort a person. Her Dad was right in saying that it felt strangely blissful to be of help to someone who was in great need. She folded the letter and put it in her bag.
‘Hello, are you there? You seem lost.’ Ginny asked, waving her hands vigorously.
‘Oh, do I? I must have been thinking deeply.’ said Luna, slightly disconcerted.
‘Tell me what was the letter about,’ Ginny replied, jerking her eyes at Luna’s bag.
Luna realised Ginny was asking about the letter and wondered if Ginny was aware of who had sent it. George was her brother after all and she must recognise his writing easily.
‘Oh, I’m rather astounded,’ Luna replied, truthfully. ‘I don’t know what to tell you.’
‘So who is it from?’ Ginny asked, while a playful smile appeared at her lips. ‘Come on, Luna - uh - Hermione, you’re back!’
Luna turned to her left and found Hermione arriving with two very large books in her hands and she gave Ginny an incredulous look before rolling her eyes. But Luna’s mind was on what Ginny had just told her. Was it really possible that she hadn’t recognised her brother’s handwriting? It did seem very unusual, but why would Ginny ask her about the letter if she already knew that it was from George? Once again, there was something rather odd in the way Ginny behaved. She beamed at Luna for a moment and then, busied herself with the books.
‘How very unlike Ginny,’ thought Luna to herself as she turned back to her homework and wrote the conclusion of her essay. Perhaps she had been attacked by an Umgubular Slashkilter, which caused a person to act very strangely and sometimes made a person do very nasty things. She would have to ask Ginny all about it once she got the chance.
After much anticipation, the eagerly awaited day of the Hogsmeade trip arrived and at breakfast that morning, Ginny met them at the Entrance Hall in a very cheerful mood. She had been very excited all week but now her mood appeared especially bright. This didn’t go unnoticed by Luna and she wondered what had made Ginny so happy. It couldn’t just be because they would be seeing Harry and Ron in about an hour.
‘See you after breakfast!’ whispered Ginny quickly as they entered the Great Hall.
Ginny and Hermione went over to the Gryffindor table to join the rest of the Gryffindors, and Luna made her way to the Ravenclaw one. Luna sat down quietly towards one corner of the table and began to apply pineapple jam on her toast. Mashing her eggs cheerfully into a sandwich, she made a quick glance around the hall for any Blibbering Humdingers even though she wasn’t likely to see one in a place so bright. . She thought of the letter she had written to her Dad, explaining all her observations about the Blibbering Humdinger’s features she had observed in the library a few days back. The information had really helped him write an article about them for upcoming issue of The Quibbler. While she was engrossed in thoughts of the Blibbering Humdinger, she was forced to divert her attention to her right side because Andrew Chambers, who was sitting a few seats away, was smiling at her. It was an apologetic smile instead of the malicious smile Luna was used to getting from other Ravenclaws. After a while, he called to her from across the table.
'Hey, Luna,' he shouted, making many of the surrounding Ravenclaws take notice. 'I'm sorry I took your stuff away the other day. I just got into wager with a few friends or I would never … anyway, I honestly wish I hadn’t done it.'
Luna was taken aback by the sincerity of his apology. She wasn’t used to such polite behaviour from any of her housemates and for a few minutes, she remained rather overwhelmed by the situation and almost forgot that she needed to say something back to Andrew.
‘It’s alright, Andrew,’ Luna said calmly. ‘I’m used to it by now.’
He gave her a very puzzled smile. ‘So what do you say?’ he asked reluctantly. ‘Are we friends now?’
Several Ravenclaws looked about, some staring at Andrew as though he was out of his senses and glaring at both reproachfully. A few of these people were very good friends of Andrew.
‘You don’t have to be my friend,’ Luna said thoughtfully, ‘just because you feel guilty about taking my stuff. And your other friends don’t seem very happy about it, Andrew. ’
Luna couldn’t find any other reason for Andrew to want to be friends with her. They had been at Hogwarts for six years and he had never spoken to her much. Although it was true that he was one of the very few who had always been polite to her, unlike the rest of her housemates.
‘What - no! That’s not why I said it,’ he replied quickly. ‘My friends and I are going to the Three Broomsticks today. And none of my friends would mind if you want to join us - you can also bring your friends with you.’
He added the last part as a scowling Ginny came towards the table with Hermione trundling behind, holding the Daily Prophet. Seeing the Prophet in her hands shouldn’t have surprised anyone, but Hermione had been saying for a couple of weeks that she had lost interest in reading the paper as there was hardly any news of note apart from countless honours and awards distributed to those who had demonstrated true courage during the war, so she had almost given up reading it. Luna boycotted the Prophet anyway because she wasn’t fond of their ruthless methods; she just got most of her news from The Quibbler. After the war, her father had begun to publish everyday news stories along with the typical articles and it was a much better way of keeping up with the news.
‘Come on, Luna,’ exclaimed Ginny forcefully. ‘Why are you wasting your time talking to these brats?’
Ginny scowled meaningfully at Andrew perhaps because she hadn’t forgotten that he had taken away Luna’s things previously. Luna wished she could explain to her friends that Andrew had actually apologised to her and they didn’t have to behave badly with him anymore, but it would be impossible to explain when so many people surrounded them so Luna made a mental note to tell Ginny all about it when they were in Hogsmeade.
‘Bye, Andrew,’ Luna said kindly, waving a hand at him while Ginny dragged her away from the Ravenclaw table. ‘And thank you for inviting us.’
While making their way out of the gates, Hermione was the first to bring up the conversation about their little gathering at the Three Broomsticks. They had discussed it over and over again, but Hermione never seemed convinced that they were prepared.
‘I hope they’re here already,’ Hermione said, in a brisk tone. ‘I don’t know what we’re going to do - ’
‘We’ll just have to wait and see what happens, won’t we?’ Ginny asked teasingly.
‘Of course,’ Hermione responded quickly, slipping the Daily Prophet in her bag.
‘And let the mystery unfold,’ Ginny whispered to Luna, winking brightly.
The village was packed with Hogwarts students and it was difficult to get through the crowd. They squeezed their way past a large group of fifth years who were chatting away very loudly. As they entered the Three Broomsticks, Luna realised that there was no way they would be able find a place any less crowded, seeing as it was jam-packed with more people. From a table at a far corner, Luna noticed a very weary-looking but happy Ron wave at them.
‘Hey, over here!’ Ron exclaimed, trying to catch their attention from a table close to the middle.
Ginny waved back at him and the three of them began to make her way towards the table. Luna had noticed that Ron wasn’t alone; he had brought two or three others with him but Luna couldn’t see their faces through the crowd. Once they got closer, Luna was able to identify them properly. Across the table sat four members of Dumbledore’s Army - Ron, Harry, Neville and Lee Jordan. Luna had expected Neville to be there but was a bit surprised to see Lee with them. But he was George’s best friend and she was glad to see that he had come forward to help his friend.
‘Hey, Lee!’ Ginny shouted excitedly as she sat down. ‘We didn’t know you were coming.’
‘We didn’t know anything, Ginny,’ corrected Hermione in a displeased tone.
She gave Ron a violent glare and everyone fell quiet. Nobody was looking at them and, for a moment, it seemed like no one knew quite what to say. Luna thought it would be appropriate to start by greeting everyone.
‘Hello, Neville,’ Luna said, looking at the other end of the table. ‘Hi, Harry! How’re you doing? Have you started your Auror training?’
‘Hey, Luna,’ Neville replied, slightly surprised, perhaps because the silence had finally been broken.
‘Hey, Luna,’ Harry said slowly, nodding his head. ‘I’m all right - yes, we’ve started Auror training.’
‘Do they really ask you to eat Aquavirius Maggots? You know the ones we saw at the Ministry,’ Luna asked, looking thoughtful. ‘My dad says they don’t taste so good.’
‘No, Luna,’ Ron replied with a slight chuckle. ‘They don’t make us eat those things. But you really know how to make someone feel better.’
Luna wasn’t sure why Ron thought she could make someone feel better. She had simply stated a fact that was quite common among her dad and his friends. She had been told the Ministry kept a huge collection of Aquavirius Maggots to help train their Aurors better, but if Ron said that they didn’t, then she had to believe it. Her dad and his friends may have got it wrong.
The air seemed a little less tense because everyone had a smile on his or face, except Hermione. She just sat with her arms crossed and lips pursed tightly. She had been looking disapprovingly at Harry, Ron, Neville and Lee from time to time without really speaking at all since they had arrived at the bar.
‘Yeah, she can really lighten up the mood.’ said Lee, smiling brightly.
‘Is someone going to tell me what’s going on?’ Hermione said finally, unable to hold herself back.
‘Hermione, don’t be so mad at us,’ said Lee, looking at her incredulously. ‘We thought you were smart enough to figure it out by yourself. It looks like we were wrong.’
Lee clucked his tongue as Hermione give him a perplexed look. ‘What do you mean?’ she asked, rather stunned.
‘Obviously, you haven’t been reading the Prophet,’ said Ron in a slightly offended tone. ‘Or else you would have known how it all came together.’
‘Okay, why don’t you tell me about it now?’ Hermione asked, impatiently. She looked at all four of them expectantly.
‘You see at first we had a lot of trouble trying to arrange the money,’ Neville began gently when no one spoke. ‘Ron had contacted Zonko through letters and the chap said he was willing to sell his shop for twelve thousand Galleons. Business has been slow after the war and he said twelve thousand was the lowest price he would offer.’
‘We didn’t have that much obviously,’ Lee stated truthfully. ‘We thought of asking Bill for help but we knew it would be difficult for him to arrange such a big amount. And then Ron said he would sell all his Chudley Canons stuff.’
At this all the boys burst out laughing and Ron’s cheeks became very pink. It was a very sweet gesture and Luna thought he shouldn’t feel ashamed about it. Both Ginny and Hermione smiled softly; Lee gave Ron a pat on the back. Once they had all calmed down, Harry was the first to speak.
‘We knew his Cannons stuff wouldn't generate much money,’ Harry confessed sincerely and he gave Ron an encouraging look. ‘But it was a nice thought from Ron. We were waiting for something to happen when lady luck did us a big favour.’
‘If you’d read the paper, you would have known that the Minisitry had rewarded us each twenty thousand Galleons for Services to the International Statue of Secrecy,’ Ron said, looking slightly uneasy. ‘We had refused all the awards thrown our way previously, but we decided to accept this one. It was the only way we could sponsor the shop.’
‘I told you, Hermione,’ Ginny hissed. ‘We were missing something. It turns out that was the Daily Prophet. Who would’ve thought that useless piece of rag would hold something of importance to us?’
‘The Prophet is barking mad,’ Neville said all of a sudden. ‘It’s sensible to avoid it. The Quibbler is much better than the Prophet these days.’
‘Yes, both Ginny and I have stopped reading it,’ said Hermione in agreement. ‘I’m really sorry - I was so stressed. I’m very proud of all of you - you really did a wonderful job.’
‘I always knew we could do it,’ said Ginny, in a very appreciative tone. ‘I can’t tell you how delighted I am now. Thanks a lot, all of you. Let me go and get some drinks.’
‘We are just helping a friend,’ muttered Lee, shaking his head. ‘We want to see George happy again. We even help him out with the shop when Ron’s away on training.’
‘Why is that boy staring at our table like that?’ Ron asked, looking towards one of the front tables.
Luna looked around to see who Ron was talking about. Andrew waved at her from the table just as Ginny arrived, carrying a large crate of Butterbeer bottles in her hands. She handed one to Ron, who still seemed to be waiting for an answer.
‘That’s Andrew Chambers,’ Luna replied frankly, as Ginny rolled her eyes. ‘I think he wants us to join him.’
‘Why?’ asked Ron, frowning slightly.
‘Well, he invited us this morning,’ Luna replied steadily. ‘You look like you’re in pain, Ron. Do you have a headache?’
Lee snorted into his Butterbeer.
‘Okay!’ Hermione said pointedly, looking agitated. ‘So have you bought the shop already? Shouldn’t we check it out?’
‘Relax, Hermione,’ said Harry, smiling slightly. ‘We finalised the deal last week and the decorations are already underway. You don’t have to get so troubled. We could really use your help today, though because we’re not the fastest bunch when it comes to decoration.’
‘Oh, are we going to help set up the shop today?’ Luna asked cheerfully. ‘That would be wonderful.’
‘Why do I feel you know something but you’re not telling me?’ asked Ron, raising his eyebrows at Hermione.
‘And you have never hidden anything from me, have you?’ retorted Hermione, avoiding Ron’s eyes as much as possible. ‘Ginny, I think the sooner we start our work the better it will be.’
Lee was the first one to get up from the table and move towards the front door. Ron remained silent in his seat before getting up to follow Lee. Luna was also about to get up along with the rest of the others, before they all heard a yell from the door. It sounded like Ron and everybody rushed forward to take a look.
‘It’s George!’ said Lee in a stunned voice, quickly slamming the door shut and heading back towards them.
‘What in Merlin’s - this is crazy!’ Ron said at the top of his voice. ‘He can’t be here.’
Hermione’s eyes widened in surprise and she looked around frantically across the bar. Neville exchanged a shocked glance with Harry. Luna looked at Ginny, hoping for an explanation but all she got was an impassive shrug of the shoulders.
‘George is here - in Hogsmeade?’ Luna asked in disbelief. Ron simply nodded.
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