Fic Challenge 08
Title: Seeing Past The Panic
Summary: For fic challenge #08. Must be about a canon student that attended Hogwarts at the same time as Harry, but cannot be from Gryffindor house. Not Draco. A bathroom, a History of Magic text.
Characters/Pairings: Luna Lovegood, cameos from others and an OC
Rating/Warnings: PG I guess
Medium: Fic
Word Count: 930
Luna Lovegood had never been into this bathroom before.
She had heard about it from the other girls in her class. In fact, after her first day at school, the Ravenclaw prefects escorted them past this on the way back to the dormitory, and the female prefect, Penelope Clearwater, said in a voice a little over a whisper, "That's a girl's bathroom. Don't use it if you can help it, because a ghost lives in there and she'll harrass you while you pee."
One or two of Luna's dorm-mates didn't listen to this advice, or they were too busy chatting. They went in it a couple of days later, and returned to Ravenclaw Tower ashen and slightly exhausted.
"What's wrong, Sally?"
"There's a ghost in one of those bathrooms."
"Ah, I wondered if that was true," Luna said brightly. "Did she try to recruit you?"
"Recruit me?"
"Yes," Luna said seriously. "My Dad warned me that ghosts try to possess people's bodies from time to time, but the best way to do this is through recruiting the host to become a ghost in her place. They share the body, do you see?"
The girl, Sarah, tilted her plaited head to one side. "That's crazy, even for you."
"Oh, okay," Luna said, not especially hurt by this. "Try to do your History of Magic essay, too."
That was a few months ago. The Chamber of Secrets had been opened since then. Everyone was worried about the shadows on the wall, distrusting their closest friends, doubting that their Professors could stop this beast.
Well, everyone except Luna, of course. She had already solved the mystery. It was just hard getting people to listen to her theory. For some reason people tried to get away from her when she tried warning them about Nargles and Blibbering Humdinger plagues, but those were entirely different from this; she simply told them about these because they may be of some interest. No, Luna had to get people to listen to her somehow; after some effort she realised what she needed more than anything was proof. After all, everyone was espousing their own theory right now, so what made hers any different?
It wasn't until December that she had worked out what to do. She had gone to hand in McGonagall's transfiguration essay on behalf of Sally (who, being almost Muggleborn, was too scared to leave the dormitory except for classes), when she noticed a few spiders scurrying along the corridor. She wouldnt' have noticed them normally, had it not been for the essay in question detailing how to turn spiders into paperclips.
What mattered here was how the spiders were running toward her. She looked at them scurrying along the floor, and when they drew level, they kept running past her and up the corridor.
"Professor McGonagall, spiders don't tend to race each other, do they?" Luna asked as the door swung open.
"They're not known for it, Miss Lovegood," McGonagall said in clipped tones, as it entertaining Luna's eccentricities was the last thing she wanted to do right now.
Luna put her fingernail to her mouth and chewed it absent-mindedly. "Professor, did you forget to brush your hair this morning?"
McGonagall looked down at Luna from her impressive height. "I beg your pardon?"
"You usually have your hair all smooth and tidy," Luna continued obliviously. "But it's not like that at the moment. Did you have Wrackspurts in your office?"
Luna returned to the dormitory with her lips downturned. Her friend Sally looked at her. "Did you hand in the assignment?"
"Yes, but McGonagall docked five points from Ravenclaw," she said, genuinely puzzled. "I don't think that was very fair. Shall we start on our Potions, then? I'm sure Professor Snape would be very cross if we didn't check it through."
"Wait," Sally said. "McGonagall took points off us? Why?"
After Luna explained what went on to Sally, a small argument arose between them, which was only interrupted by the news that another attack had happened by the monster, one of whom was a student; the other a ghost.
Ghosts.... this led Luna to go to the girls' bathroom, for some peace and quiet. Why didn't she just ask a ghost about how what was going on? Ghosts knew so much more than people because their brains weren't confined to a skull (or confined to anything, really).
The prevailing smell of the bathroom was that of knotgrass. The prevailing sight was of a cauldron stewing over. The prevailing sound was a girl sobbing in a cubicle.
"Hello," Luna said pleasantly. "How are you?"
"Go away," the voice said sulkily. "I don't want to talk to any of you."
"I wondered if you knew whose cauldron that is?"
"Oh," the ghost poked her head intangibly through the door. "I thought you were the big-haired girl again. Some student in Gryffindor. She just ignores me, usually."
"My friends ignore me too," Luna said happily. "I don't mind though; my thoughts keep me company just fine. What's your name?"
"Myrtle," said the ghost. "But I bet you knew that anyway. Everybody talks about me. Nobody EVER comes in here because of MYRTLE."
"Hello Myrtle," Luna said. "My name is Luna Lovegood. Do you mind if I sit here and read my Histor of Magic text? If you don't feel like chatting, that's fine."
And so it began. After about thirty minutes of Luna humming quietly to herself, Myrtle drifted over, and an unusual, enlightening conversation began.
But Luna Lovegood was Luna Lovegood. Nobody ever listened to her anyway.
Rob//Gryffindor//31 points + 5 bonus GET!!!
Summary: For fic challenge #08. Must be about a canon student that attended Hogwarts at the same time as Harry, but cannot be from Gryffindor house. Not Draco. A bathroom, a History of Magic text.
Characters/Pairings: Luna Lovegood, cameos from others and an OC
Rating/Warnings: PG I guess
Medium: Fic
Word Count: 930
Luna Lovegood had never been into this bathroom before.
She had heard about it from the other girls in her class. In fact, after her first day at school, the Ravenclaw prefects escorted them past this on the way back to the dormitory, and the female prefect, Penelope Clearwater, said in a voice a little over a whisper, "That's a girl's bathroom. Don't use it if you can help it, because a ghost lives in there and she'll harrass you while you pee."
One or two of Luna's dorm-mates didn't listen to this advice, or they were too busy chatting. They went in it a couple of days later, and returned to Ravenclaw Tower ashen and slightly exhausted.
"What's wrong, Sally?"
"There's a ghost in one of those bathrooms."
"Ah, I wondered if that was true," Luna said brightly. "Did she try to recruit you?"
"Recruit me?"
"Yes," Luna said seriously. "My Dad warned me that ghosts try to possess people's bodies from time to time, but the best way to do this is through recruiting the host to become a ghost in her place. They share the body, do you see?"
The girl, Sarah, tilted her plaited head to one side. "That's crazy, even for you."
"Oh, okay," Luna said, not especially hurt by this. "Try to do your History of Magic essay, too."
That was a few months ago. The Chamber of Secrets had been opened since then. Everyone was worried about the shadows on the wall, distrusting their closest friends, doubting that their Professors could stop this beast.
Well, everyone except Luna, of course. She had already solved the mystery. It was just hard getting people to listen to her theory. For some reason people tried to get away from her when she tried warning them about Nargles and Blibbering Humdinger plagues, but those were entirely different from this; she simply told them about these because they may be of some interest. No, Luna had to get people to listen to her somehow; after some effort she realised what she needed more than anything was proof. After all, everyone was espousing their own theory right now, so what made hers any different?
It wasn't until December that she had worked out what to do. She had gone to hand in McGonagall's transfiguration essay on behalf of Sally (who, being almost Muggleborn, was too scared to leave the dormitory except for classes), when she noticed a few spiders scurrying along the corridor. She wouldnt' have noticed them normally, had it not been for the essay in question detailing how to turn spiders into paperclips.
What mattered here was how the spiders were running toward her. She looked at them scurrying along the floor, and when they drew level, they kept running past her and up the corridor.
"Professor McGonagall, spiders don't tend to race each other, do they?" Luna asked as the door swung open.
"They're not known for it, Miss Lovegood," McGonagall said in clipped tones, as it entertaining Luna's eccentricities was the last thing she wanted to do right now.
Luna put her fingernail to her mouth and chewed it absent-mindedly. "Professor, did you forget to brush your hair this morning?"
McGonagall looked down at Luna from her impressive height. "I beg your pardon?"
"You usually have your hair all smooth and tidy," Luna continued obliviously. "But it's not like that at the moment. Did you have Wrackspurts in your office?"
Luna returned to the dormitory with her lips downturned. Her friend Sally looked at her. "Did you hand in the assignment?"
"Yes, but McGonagall docked five points from Ravenclaw," she said, genuinely puzzled. "I don't think that was very fair. Shall we start on our Potions, then? I'm sure Professor Snape would be very cross if we didn't check it through."
"Wait," Sally said. "McGonagall took points off us? Why?"
After Luna explained what went on to Sally, a small argument arose between them, which was only interrupted by the news that another attack had happened by the monster, one of whom was a student; the other a ghost.
Ghosts.... this led Luna to go to the girls' bathroom, for some peace and quiet. Why didn't she just ask a ghost about how what was going on? Ghosts knew so much more than people because their brains weren't confined to a skull (or confined to anything, really).
The prevailing smell of the bathroom was that of knotgrass. The prevailing sight was of a cauldron stewing over. The prevailing sound was a girl sobbing in a cubicle.
"Hello," Luna said pleasantly. "How are you?"
"Go away," the voice said sulkily. "I don't want to talk to any of you."
"I wondered if you knew whose cauldron that is?"
"Oh," the ghost poked her head intangibly through the door. "I thought you were the big-haired girl again. Some student in Gryffindor. She just ignores me, usually."
"My friends ignore me too," Luna said happily. "I don't mind though; my thoughts keep me company just fine. What's your name?"
"Myrtle," said the ghost. "But I bet you knew that anyway. Everybody talks about me. Nobody EVER comes in here because of MYRTLE."
"Hello Myrtle," Luna said. "My name is Luna Lovegood. Do you mind if I sit here and read my Histor of Magic text? If you don't feel like chatting, that's fine."
And so it began. After about thirty minutes of Luna humming quietly to herself, Myrtle drifted over, and an unusual, enlightening conversation began.
But Luna Lovegood was Luna Lovegood. Nobody ever listened to her anyway.
Rob//Gryffindor//31 points + 5 bonus GET!!!