Luna Lovegood gazed serenely at the black chamber that lay ahead of her. In the aftermath of the war, she had seen too many of these burial chambers. She had been to too many funerals, and each one of them had been just as unpleasant. No matter how bright and sunny the weather may have been, there was always a sensation of coldness and numbness at funerals. Luna felt as though she standing in the winter rain or getting attacked by Wrackspurts. They tend to attack when a person is most vulnerable.


She had come to attend Fred Weasley’s funeral. It seemed unbelievable to Luna that he was no longer alive. After all, he was so young and ought have lived longer. However, the war had taken away the best of people along with it, and Fred Weasley was no exception. She hadn’t known him well, but at Hogwarts his and George’s mischievous activities had always fascinated her. She had rather fond memories of the Weasley twins, and she knew wherever Fred might be, he was proud to have sacrificed himself for the wizarding world.


The funeral ceremony had already begun. Luna could see a big crowd of people gathered around her. All the Weasleys were present, along with members of the Order of the Phoenix, as Ginny had said. Almost the whole Gryffindor house including many of its former students were also present. Luna wasn’t surprised at all. She knew that he was very widely loved.


They were holed up in a deserted field close to the Burrow. Wherever she looked, she saw his family and friends with their heads bent low, their eyes glistening with tears, while some stood firm, fighting back any tears that may come along. She knew it was hard to lose a loved one; she had lost her mother at the age of nine. She had cried back then, but that was because she was such a small girl. It’s always difficult to deal with it at first. She didn’t know the real things then. Once she realised that she would be reunited with her mother one day, she hadn’t felt the need to cry. She never liked crying or seeing anyone else cry.


She wondered if Fred would want anyone to cry because of him? He had always been the life and soul of every occasion, along with George. They made everyone wipe their tears and brought smiles on their faces. Now that she gave it a thought, she was certain he would not want such a thing. Maybe the only other person who thought similarly was Fred’s twin, George Weasley. He stood beside his sister Ginny, who held him tightly while tears gushed down her face. George merely stared at the black chamber, just like Luna had been doing before. He did not cry at all throughout the ceremony. He really did look as though he had suffered an attack from Wrackspurts.


Even his brothers had been in tears, but George just stood there fighting back his tears. She could see a strange shadow of grief mixed with shock etched on his face. Luna suddenly felt slightly concerned for him. His loss was perhaps greater than anyone else’s. He had lost his twin, his other half. Luna wondered what he must have been going through. She had once managed to ask Padma Patil how she felt having to live separately from Parvati.


She had retorted with a frown, ‘It’s not so bad. Parvati and I are very different. I’m almost pleased we are not in the same house.’


Luna knew, though, that the Patil twins were the complete opposite of the Weasley twins. The Patil twins seemed to enjoy living their lives separately. They had nothing in common with each other. It was sometimes impossible to think that they were twins. The Weasley twins, on the other hand, were inseparable. They almost seemed a part of each other. They were together most of the time and had done everything together. One could never imagine one without the other. Luna couldn’t help feeling bad for George. She could only imagine how numb and empty he must be feeling, but she could never know for certain.


Luna looked around, and found that the funeral ceremony had come to an end. People had started to make their way out of the field, and she saw many of them saying words of comfort to the Weasleys. Her daddy was one of them, and once he had finished talking, he came towards her.


‘Luna, my dear,’ said her dad, placing his hand on her shoulder. ‘I’m going to take a look at a stream nearby. I’ve been told there are some good Fresh Water Plimpies in there. You know how rare they are to find these days.’


‘It’s all right, Daddy,’ Luna replied, looking at him. ‘I’ll wait here, and you can go ahead.’


‘Thanks, dear. I won’t be long.’

Her daddy was very fond of Fresh Water Plimpies, and Luna didn’t want him to miss out on such an opportunity to catch some of them. Luna sat down on the warm ground; she would look foolish standing in the middle of the field by herself. After some time, the field that had been so full just hours ago, had become almost deserted. Only the Weasleys remained, but they were on the far side. Luna could see George moving away from the rest of his family. As he came closer, she noticed he looked very wistful and pensive, and his face held a morose expression. He stopped walking and stationed himself under a very tall tree.


Tears began to trickle down his freckledface. He wasn’t sniffing or sobbing. Instead, he was crying quietly. Luna had known all along that George would cry, but she hadn’t expected him to cry like that. The more she watched him, the more she realised how very little she knew about him. He seemed so forlorn and lost without his twin.


Luna stood up slowly and began to walk towards George. He didn’t even notice as she slipped by his side. She stood there for some time before finally speaking.


‘I was wondering when you’d do that,’ she said softly. She had indeed been wondering when George would finally resort to tears.


George seemed surprised by her sudden appearance. He turned around and stared at her for a minute.


‘Do what?’


‘Cry.’


‘I’m not crying,’ he replied, turning away from her. Luna could still see him attempting to wipe away the tears. He couldn’t succeed though; they kept coming back. Luna was unsure why someone would try to hide his or her tears. It was a very natural thing.


‘I would cry, too, if I was in your place. There’s nothing wrong in crying.’


‘I’m not--’


‘Don’t worry, George,’ Luna said, softly. She could imagine what he must be feeling and wanted to assure him that he wasn’t lonely. She wanted to comfort him. ‘You haven’t lost him.’


‘Err…’ George turned around, narrowing his eyes.


Luna gazed at him tenderly. He was probably unaware of such things. Most wizards were, but Luna strongly believed in it. If a person who someone truly loves leaves this world, it does not mean they wouldn’t see each other again. They would be together again when the time arrives. She wanted to share her belief with him, but not because she thought it would comfort him. She knew he would believe it too.

‘You’ll see your brother again,’ Luna said gently.

Luna couldn’t tell whether he had understood what she meant to say. He looked quite mystified. There was a slight pause in which George gave her an incredulous look.


‘What are you talking about?’


‘You’ll see Fred again,’ Luna repeated, hoping he would understand her this time. Luna knew she would have to explain it to him slowly. Perhaps, she had been a bit too abrupt.


‘Luna, my dear! It’s time to leave--’


Luna looked around to see her daddy returning from the stream. He held a brown bag in his hands that probably contained the Fresh Water Plimpies. She knew she would be unable to explain any further to George. There was no time.


‘I’ll see you around, George,’ she said, starting to walk towards her daddy, leaving a confused George.

‘Wait!’ called George, but Luna did not stop. She had to leave. It seemed the right thing to do.

Luna Lovegood gradually made her way up the uneven streets of Ottery St. Catchpole. It was a rather warm and bright morning, and it would have been a perfect day to search for Blibbering Humdingers. But unfortunately, Luna already had other things to do, because her friend Ginny had invited her to the Burrow for the day. And it would be the first time ever Luna had visited Ginny during summer holidays apart from the one time she went to Bill Weasley’s wedding. Luna had never been invited to any of her friends’ houses to spend a whole day before, and she had been quite amazed to receive the owl from Ginny the previous day.


At first, Luna was slightly apprehensive about visiting Ginny. She hadn’t seen any of the Weasleys since Fred’s funeral a few weeks ago, so she was unsure if she had done the right thing in accepting Ginny’s invitation for a visit. It seemed rather unusual to visit them now, when they were going through such tough times, but Luna was glad to know that Ginny considered her close enough to share her troubles. Luna was very fond of Ginny’s family, and she was willing to help the Weasleys in any possible way. She had tried to help George on the day of Fred’s funeral, but she had been unable to explain things properly to him. She didn’t know if she would have the chance to do so today. She certainly hoped she would.


After some time, Luna realised she had reached the front steps of the Burrow. She had been there a year before for Bill Weasley’s wedding and it had been buzzing vibrantly that day. But today, there was an unwonted silence about the house that made Luna feel awkward. She knocked on the front door uncomfortably and after some time, a slightly pale Mrs Weasley came rushing to open the door with a soft creak.


“Hello, Luna dear,� said MrsWeasley, as she tried to put a soft smile on her face that Luna could tell it wasn’t a very genuine one. “Ginny told me that you were coming over for the day, and we’re all really pleased to have you here. �


“Thank you, MrsWeasley,� replied Luna, taken aback by Mrs Weasley’s warmth even when she was going through such difficulties. She had never been spoken to in such polite manners before. “It was very kind of Ginny to invite me.�


“Not at all, dear,� MrsWeasley said gently. “You are, after all, a very good friend of Ginny, Ron, Harry and Hermione now. They are all inside waiting for you.�


She led Luna to the living room where everyone was supposed to be, and returned to the kitchen in no time, leaving Luna to survey the interior of the house. The interior of the Burrow was quite fascinating to Luna, who had never been inside the house. The furniture and decorations were very different from her house, and there were some rather interesting objects in the living room that Luna hadn’t seen before, and she observed each of them curiously. She had grown very fond of the Burrow in just a couple of visits because of its uniqueness and for the Gernumbli Gardensi that resided in it. She decided to say hello to them before leaving or else it would be rude.


“Come on, Luna,� called Ginny, as Luna was surveying parts of the living room.


Luna caught sight of Harry, Ron, Hermione and Ginny, who greeted her with a faint smile. Luna walked across to join them.


Ginny was pointing at the vacant seat beside her. “Take a seat.�


“You have a very unique house, Ginny,� Luna complimented Ginny after she sat down, before turning her attention to the others gathered in the living room.


Harry looked rather drained as though he had just come back from a very long and tiresome trip. Luna giggled as she reminded herself that he indeed had.


“How are you, Luna?� asked Hermione, who sat beside a rather unusually quiet Ron.


“I’m well, Hermione,� Luna replied rather comfortably. “I’ve just been slightly busy helping Daddy get The Quibbler back up and running. There have been some marvelous stories to deal with. This lady sent us pictures of herself with a Snorkack while she was hiding in Sweden during the war. And what about you?�


Ron smirked slightly and Hermione looked slightly incredulous. Luna wondered what she had said to amuse Ron.


“Uh - I’m doing well, and I’m planning to go back to Hogwarts to finish my NEWTs,� Hermione said in a serious tone. “I’ve been talking to Professor McGonagall about it, and I asked Harry and Ron to think about it as well, but they don’t want to go. �


“Well, that’s really good,� said Luna warmly. She was pleased to know Hermione would be at Hogwarts with her this year. “I guess it won’t be such a bad year now.�


Luna spent the rest of the morning talking to her friends about almost everything. She had never talked to any of them so freely before, but she was enjoying her time with her friends. She had lunch at the Burrow, which was a delicious treat and she was introduced to Ginny’s entire family. However, there was no sign of George Weasley anywhere, and somehow Luna really wanted to have an encounter with him. She didn’t really know if he was indeed at home, but since all of the Weasleys were indeed there, he should’ve been present. When Ron went up to call him upon Mrs. Weasley’s orders, Luna couldn’t help but wonder why he had been hiding from everyone, especially when there was a guest at his house. However, Ron returned without his brother and lunch was taken very quietly and in rather low spirits. Luna thought it was quite rude of George not coming for lunch, and she could tell his behaviour had hurt his family, because no one spoke much during the meal.


After lunch, Luna went to the Weasley’s garden to take a look at the Gernumbli Gardensi, whom she had become very good friends with at Bill’s wedding. She found them to be very interesting creatures just as she had always heard from her dad. She was gently running her fingers over one of the gnomes when she heard a soft thud behind her. She turned around to see George standing quite a few feet away from her, and staring at her in disbelief.


“Hello,� Luna murmured, continuing to play with the gnomes. They were all dancing in circles around her.


“I didn’t know you were here,� George whispered awkwardly as he turned his eyes towards one of the gnomes.


“Oh, didn’t you?� Luna asked simply.


George looked rather drained and sullen faced, and he had lost a lot of weight. He seemed very hesitant to speak. It was as though he had a lot of things to say but he was not sure if he should say them. However, he short period of pause was broken after a while.


“Hey, I was wondering,� he began cautiously, not looking directly at her. “What did you mean by your words at—I mean the other day?�


Luna had been expecting that he would ask her that question. She knew he was talking about Fred’s funeral, but he was unable to say that part, quite understandably. She could understand how much troubled he must have been after only hearing half of Luna’s suggestion.


“Oh, I was just telling you not to cry for Fred,� Luna began uncertainly, trying to find the right words to explain. “I don’t think he would quite like that, do you?�


George seemed slightly surprised by her words and stared at her thoughtfully. “Uh--no, he wouldn’t like it,� George said apprehensively.


“Your family doesn’t like it, either,� Luna pointed out. She wanted to let him know how much his behaviour was hurting his family. “I think they feel very bad to see you like this.�


“What should I do then? � George shouted defensively, looking slightly irritated. “I’m not prepared to face anyone at this moment, and I never intended to hurt anyone. But it’s – not possible for me to pretend – like nothing happened.�


“Of course, you didn’t intentionally hurt them,� Luna replied tenderly. “I can understand what it feels like when you lose a loved one, George. I know it’s not going to be easy for you. Fred can’t come back, but I’m sure he wouldn’t have wanted you to be sad because of him. You should try to move on from all this.�


“It’s not that simple, is it?� George began, slightly at a loss. “I never even imagined I’d be alone like this. He’s always been there and when you said I’ll be able to see him again, I thought …�


George didn’t complete his sentence, and Luna noticed a hint of disappointment in his voice as he was speaking. She felt rather uncomfortable seeing the miserable look on his face.


“You’ll see him again, just like I’ll see my mother. We always see our loved ones who have departed after our life has come to an end too. But until then, you have to keep going ahead in life.�


George seemed pensive and slightly stricken after listening to Luna, who was pleased to have completed her explanation. She was, however, unsure of the effect it had on George.


“I never really thought of it that way,� said George in a tone surprise. “I understand what you’re trying to say – it’s just that I miss him every moment, and it’s like a part of me has gone missing.�


“You shouldn’t think like that. He’s not with you visibly, but he is always there with you in spirits,� whispered Luna soothingly, looking at George, who remained silent and thoughtful. “Would you like to join me in dancing with the Gernumbli Gardensi?�


George twitched slightly before narrowing his eyes. He gave her a confused look and said, “Dance with the what?’


Luna tilted her head in the direction of the little garden gnomes marching around the garden. George gave her an incredulous look, before his lips curled into a smile. “Are you talking about our annoying garden gnomes?�


Luna shook her head in disbelief. “They are called Gernumbli Gardensi, and they are very sweet creatures. Look, they love dancing with me.�


“They’re not dancing with you, Luna,� George said laughing slightly. “They’re encircling you to gear up for an attack.�


“But they’re such gentle creatures,� Luna said, amazed. “Why would they want to attack me? I was having so much fun dancing with them, George. �


“You’ve just taken it in a different spirit,� George said with a smile. “They think you’re here to chuck them out, like we all do while de-gnoming the garden.


“Oh…�


Luna was slightly disappointed to hear that. She felt sorry for the little ‘gnomes’ as George liked to call them. They didn’t deserve to be chucked out, but she was pleased to hear George laugh and see a smile on his face.


“You’re not like what I used to think of you,� said George, with a thoughtful expression on his face.


“Well,� Luna replied seriously. “What did you think I was? Loony?�


“Err—yeah,� George said slightly embarrassed. “Everyone at Hogwarts said – anyway, they were wrong about you.�


“That’s very generous of you,� said Luna with gracious smile.


“No, I mean it,� George said, lowering his gaze. “Thanks a lot, Luna, for everything.�


His words took Luna by surprise and left her lost for words, and before she could speak, she saw Ginny come out in the garden. She was walking very quickly and with every step she took, she looked more and more bemused.


“George?� Ginny asked with a surprised look on her face. “What are you doing here?�


“We were just dancing with the Gernumbli Gardensi,� George replied with a slight laugh. Ginny looked even more bemused. “I’ll get going then. Take care, Luna.�


George went back inside, leaving a very bewildered Ginny with Luna.


“Did George just laugh?� Ginny asked incredulously, as she tried to figure out what had just occurred. “And he was with you all along? What did you do to him, Luna?�


“Nothing,� Luna replied simply, as she did not want to disclose the subject of their conversation. “We just talked.�


“Really, you just talked?� Ginny said with a smirk. “Well it certainly seems like you two understand each other well. You should talk more often.�


Luna didn’t know what Ginny had meant by that remark, but it was rather difficult to deal with the mysterious looks she kept giving Luna throughout the rest of her time at the Burrow. One thing was certain; Ginny was not going to let this get away so easily.

Luna’s visit to the Burrow was thoroughly enjoyable although it had left her slightly perplexed. She knew that while she had clearly explained to George why he should take comfort that he would see his brother again; she had perhaps given Ginny Weasley the freedom to let her wild fancies wander. The mysterious looks she had been giving Luna noticeably suggested so. She wasn’t sure what the reason was behind it all, but it felt nice knowing she had helped George Weasley in some sort of way.


It was rather strange for Luna to be so curious about someone she had barely spoken to, but George had certainly managed to occupy her concerns with alarming ease. She couldn’t help wondering whether he had taken her advice and was trying to lead a normal life without his brother, or if he was still feeling guilty and distressed about it. However, she hadn’t really seen Ginny or any of the Weasleys after her encounter with George, so she wasn’t sure how he was doing.


Throughout the rest of her holidays, Luna spent time working with her father on The Quibbler or walking about Diagon Alley. One early August day, she was walking around Diagon Alley. After visiting Mr. Ollivander, she noticed dark clouds lurking in the morning sky. She had come out to take a moment to admire the beautiful sky, coloured in various shades of grey and blue. She noticed that Diagon Alley was bustling with witches and wizards of all sorts who were busy doing their shopping. Luna heard someone shout her name from behind. She turned around and saw Ginny rushing towards her.


‘Hello, Ginny,’ she said in a tone which evidently showed her astonishment. ‘How are you?’


‘I’m alright. But, you know how everything is … all over the place,’ answered Ginny, as she finally caught up with her. ‘I’m really glad to see you, Luna. I was at the shop helping George; we all are – me, Ron, Hermione and Harry. You should see what a mess it is, really. Can you come join us as we could do with some more help?’


‘I’m sorry, Ginny,’ Luna began apologetically, though she was glad to know that George was finally concentrating on his shop. ‘Daddy really needs me today at work. I would’ve been delighted to join you if it wasn’t so important. I need to help him write an article about the Blibbering Humdinger we saw near Cheshire the other day.’


Ginny’s face held an amused expression and her eyes were widened slightly, but after some time, she changed her expression and gave Luna a faint smile. ‘No problem, Luna.’


Ginny seemed to have a rather thoughtful expression on her face, as though she was thinking about something very carefully; she almost looked troubled.


‘What’s wrong, Ginny?’ asked Luna, slightly concerned.


‘Uhh — nothing really,’ she said in a low tone, as she snapped out of her reverie. ‘Everything is in such disarray. I don’t know … things will never be the same, will they?’


Ginny fell silent again, but this time Luna had understood what she was thinking. The war had taken its toll on everyone but there were some who suffered the most. Ginny had lost friends and family, and it was difficult for her to recover from it, especially when a cloud of misery and uncertainty hung over everyone’s head.


‘Perhaps things will never be the same as before,’ said Luna solemnly. ‘My mother used to say that there is always sunshine after a dark storm. All wounds left by the war will heal with time. I think it will be better than before.’


‘I hope you are right, Luna,’ replied Ginny, unable to keep the hopeful tone in her voice away. ‘Don’t let me keep you from doing your work. I’ll see you later.’


With that, Ginny disappeared into a crowd of people and Luna skipped her way to her dad’s office. Something was definitely troubling Ginny and Luna hoped she would get a chance to find out what it was so that she could be of some help.

*****

The bright sunny days of August soon came to their end, and it was nearing the start of September, which meant Luna was becoming rather busy preparing for Hogwarts. The booklists and the letters had arrived. She had bought all her things from Diagon Alley a few weeks ago. The holidays seemed to have passed by faster than usual, and as Luna thought about it, she had done a lot of work this time. She had experienced a rare combination of emotions during her holidays. She had seen sorrow as well as joy, and she had come to terms the most unusual incidents. Overall, she could have said that it was her most interesting and saddening summer holiday yet.


Even though Luna was quite happy to return to Hogwarts, she was rather sad because she would be leaving her dad alone at home again. It was one of the things she truly disliked about going back to school and the thought of it distressed her. But while she checked her trunk to see if everything was packed on the first of September, Luna knew this would be her last year at Hogwarts, and she felt rather strange about it. She had never really thought about leaving Hogwarts, and now that she did she felt a strange mixture of sadness and happiness. Luna felt reassured knowing she would have her friends to get through the year as she fondly glanced at the new paintings of all her friends that she had made on her bedroom wall after they repaired their house.


She ate her breakfast with her dad, who appeared to be extremely delighted and cheerful. She knew he was upset and he was going to miss her terribly, but he always concealed his feelings from her. Luna knew he would become very lonely, but at least they were both more assured of each other’s safety than the last time Luna went to Hogwarts. They went to the station in a Muggle taxi, which was a rather slow but comfortable means of transport. Luna wasn’t a great flier and since she had never really enjoyed the Floo Powder journeys, she had got used travelling like a Muggle.


They reached King’s Cross with fifteen minutes to spare, and found it quite noisy and busy. Luna was wearing her Muggle clothes because she thought it better to change on the train, and her Hogwarts robes were in her trunk, which she put into a trolley. She and her dad went through the barrier and entered platform nine and three quarters. People were screaming on top of their voices, kids were running about excitedly, and parents were trying to calm them down. Everyone was making his or her way to the train with huge trunks.


‘We’re on time, Luna dear,’ said her Dad, looking around with relief. ‘Now, I think you had better get on the train and find yourself a compartment.’


‘Yes, Daddy,’ muttered Luna, hugging him. She looked up and smiled at her Dad, who returned it. He always saw her off in high spirits because he felt it made the journey safe and successful. ‘I’ll miss you.’


‘So will I, dear. I hope you haven’t forgotten to take some of the Dirigible Plums with you.’


‘I’ve packed a whole box,’ she said brightly. And then just as quick reminder, she added, ‘I’ll be eagerly waiting for my monthly subscription of The Quibbler.’


‘Of course,’ he said enthusiastically with a broad smile. ‘I’ll see you at Christmas, then.’


‘Goodbye, Daddy!’


With that, Luna hopped on the train with her luggage and began to search for a compartment. She kept an eye out to check if any of her friends were around, but since she couldn’t find any, she had to settle for an empty compartment. She kept her luggage in the compartment and began to read the latest Quibbler edition. Soon, she heard the compartment door open and saw Ginny and Hermione pop in with their luggage.


‘Hey, Luna!’ greeted Ginny with a smile. She went over to the window curiously. ‘Too bad we can’t see anyone from here, you must be crestfallen, Hermione.’


‘No, why should I be?’ snapped Hermione, looking at Ginny with a flustered face.


‘I thought you’d want to see Ron,’ said Ginny with mock innocence while Hermione simply glared at her in embarrassment.


As the Hogwarts Express made its way by the countryside, Hermione’s annoyance calmed down and Ginny became strangely subdued. The silence was rather long. After waiting for some time, Luna finally decided to speak.

‘Are you okay, Ginny?’


‘What? Oh, no, I was just thinking about George,’ she said in a low tone after a long pause. An expression of deep concern spread across her face. ‘I think George is hurting himself awfully. He’s opened the shop and all, but his heart isn’t in it. It’s just so plain that he’s trying to make us think he’s happy and that he’s moved on. But he isn’t fooling anyone.’


Luna remembered Ginny seeming rather uncertain about George at Diagon Alley, but all this time she had simply assumed that things had become all right. She had been wrong, it seemed.


Hermione’s expression softened slightly, and then in a soothing voice she said, ‘Don’t worry, Ginny. He will be fine, I’m sure. He just needs some time and a push in the right direction.’


‘I’m sure he got a push in the right direction, so he tried to make an effort to live like he used to before,’ responded Ginny somewhat discontentedly. Hermione’s words of comfort hadn’t worked.


Luna was beginning to realise that Ginny had an inkling of the conversation between George and her at the Burrow. However, the more pressing thought on Luna’s mind was George. She had been happy when Ginny told her he had re-opened the shop. She had thought he was finally able to face the situation, but it seemed he was still struggling.


‘It’s going to be hard for George, Ginny,’ said Luna unexpectedly, as the other two stared at her in surprise. ‘He feels guilty that he lived while Fred died, but he needs to realise it’s not wrong of him to be happy without Fred.’


‘I hope there is a way to make him realise that,’ said Hermione in a miserable tone. ‘He doesn’t look himself at all. I mean every one has been subdued and desolate after the war, but he’s looked absolutely lost. Ron and I were talking about him the other day. Ron says George is always in a reverie. When customers arrive, Ron is forced to take care of them because George sometimes doesn’t seem to take notice of his surroundings. Perhaps we could help him somehow …’


‘Yeah, we should really do something,’ said Ginny, looking deep in thought. ‘I’ve been thinking about it a lot, you know. I guess it was the ideal time for us to get our hands on this.’


Ginny held out a parchment in her hand, which looked like a letter to Luna. She shifted in her seat to get a better view of the parchment while an expression of comprehension spread across Hermione’s face and she whispered ‘Oh!’


Mr. Fred and George Weasley,

This evening, I received your letter with the proposal to buy Zonko’s for the third time. You seem to want a location for a branch of your own merchandise, Weasley’s Wizard Wheezes, at Hogsmeade, and I’ve been wondering why you don’t look elsewhere in Hogsmeade for a suitable location. You said in your letter that Zonko’s was the inspiration for your own joke shop, and you wish to help me at a time when Zonko’s is struggling to flourish.I have no intentions to sell Zonko’s at the moment because I love my shop very much. But if you come to me with an offer I can’t refuse, I would be willing to consider it.

Zonko


Luna finished reading, and looked up Ginny and Hermione in confusion. They both seemed to have something on their mind that Luna did not understand. It was Ginny who explained it -


‘You see, the twins always wanted to have a shop at Hogsmeade,’ Ginny said with a hint of interest in her voice. ‘And it was their dream to buy Zonko’s. I remember they were at Hogsmeade during our fifth year holding discussions. I don’t think they managed it because of the war.’


‘So that day when we were cleaning the shop at Diagon Alley,’ added Hermione. ‘We came across this letter, and a long parchment that had plans about how to turn Zonko’s into Weasley’s Wizard Wheezes.’


‘I’ve been thinking about it,’ said Ginny, looking quite pleased as she continued to explain. ‘I mean, I don’t know how we’re going to do it while in school, but I really want to do it. I know it sounds crazy when George is least interested in the shop right now, but I really want us to open that shop for him in Hogsmeade.’


Ginny looked at the two of them expectantly, as though she was hoping they would show a sign of appreciation or agreement. Hermione was staring blankly and biting her lip, as though she was struggling to hold herself back. Luna thought it was a nice idea, and it could end up being the necessary inspiration for George. However, she thought giving him a basket of Dirigible Plums was still her preferred choice. She was about to suggest it to Ginny when Hermione spoke up.


‘But Ginny –’ exclaimed Hermione with an incredulous expression on her face. ‘It’s impossible, don’t you see? How are we going to buy Zonko’s? Where will we get all the gold? And most importantly – who will do all this when we’re supposed to be in school? I think you’re being a bit naïve.’


‘Hermione!’ Ginny shouted crossly, shaking her head. ‘I would’ve thought you of all people might have known from experience that nothing is impossible if you have the determination. I love my brothers, and I’m going to do anything to see them happy!’


Hermione looked affronted as she opened her mouth to argue and closed it once again. Luna couldn’t help but support Ginny in the matter, because if a wizard or witch is determined and open minded, he can achieve great heights. However, Luna had always thought that Hermione was always rational and believed too much in what was written in the books instead of being imaginative and instinctive. She hadn’t even recognised the horn of a Snorkack as Luna had found out from her dad.


‘I think that’s a very good idea, Ginny,’ asserted Luna with conviction as Hermione gave her a bemused look. ‘I would love to help you.’


Ginny finally looked to have got over her fit of anger and smiled, glancing at Luna with the same mystifying expression that she had previously. Luna assumed that it was because she was delighted to have her helping them. She was extremely happy to know that Ginny cared for her brothers so much that she was going to help them to accomplish their dream, and she was glad to be a part of their plan.


‘Are you with us then, Hermione?’ asked Ginny, giving her a very searching look.


‘Uh – I-of course, Ginny,’ Hermione answered in a rather uncertain tone before forcing a faint smile on her face.


The sun was about set, and the sky turned a brilliant shade of purple. The Hogwarts Express was slowing down its pace, indicating they were closer to Hogsmeade. As she bounced out of the compartment into the corridor, Luna thought that it would make her feel better to see George cheerfully playing pranks on people just like he used to before.

As she stepped through the gates into the Hogwarts grounds, Luna took a deep breath and looked around, taking the atmosphere in. Hogwarts was just like home, and she had missed it greatly. She felt strangely peaceful when she looked at the high windows of the tall towers and heard the trees purring cheerfully to the beat of the wind and the eerie sounds coming out of the Forbidden Forest. Everything that was damaged during the war had been fully refurbished, looking as good as ever. Everyone seemed happy; even Peeves was back and wreaking havoc at any available opportunity. He had welcomed the second years by spraying everyone with Essence of Hippogriff Muck through an enormous pipe, only stopping when Professor Flitwick threatened to summon the Bloody Baron. The ornate chandeliers were as bright as ever, the ghosts floated through the walls, and everything was in its proper place. There was no sensation of terror or danger looming in the atmosphere anymore. Luna was just delighted to be back, because she had missed Hogwarts even more than usual, as her time there had been cut short when she was taken in Death Eaters during Christmas last term.

She skipped into the Great Hall and admired the magnificent decorations and twinkling stars in the enchanted ceiling. Luna gazed at the starry ceiling through Sorting ceremony, hoping to find out which tiny ball of light was her mother. She had told Luna that when a person died, they became a star in the sky to watch over their loved ones. Every time Luna saw stars in the sky, she felt as though her mother was watching over her, and she never felt lonely because of that comforting thought.

A loud round of applause brought Luna out of her reverie, and she looked at forward. To her surprise, Professor Sprout was conducting the Sorting ceremony. Luna had expected the familiar face of Professor McGonagall to be there; during the holidays when everyone had been wondering who would take Professor Snape’s place at Hogwarts, Ginny had even picked her to be the Headmistress, but she was nowhere to be seen. Instead, Professor Flitwick got up at the end of the Sorting ceremony to welcome new staff members. There were four new additions to the staff - Professors Bobbins, their Potions teacher, Professor Humphrey, their Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, Professor Kirtle, their Transfiguration teacher and Professor Feilhaber, their Arithmancy teacher.

Professor Vector, who was previously their Arithmancy teacher, had been appointed Headmistress. The Hall was alive with whispers at the news of all the new staffing changes. From across the Gryffindor table, Ginny gave Luna a baffled glance, but she could only give a blank glance in return.

Another surprise came when Professor Vector announced that Professor McGonagall and Professor Slughorn would no longer be a part of the staff as they had retired; it generated a lot of murmur among the students. But after a moment of shock and general chatter, everyone clapped at full volume for the new appointments.

After a rather unexpected first day back, things began to settle down as the classes progressed. The start of the new term at Hogwarts brought with it a very hectic few weeks. There were mountains of new homework to adjust to – this was N.E.W.T. year for Luna. Everyone else had been moaning about the new teachers, saying they were giving too much homework, but Luna could not find a reason to complain. She loved Hogwarts and welcomed the extra load of work, because it kept her busy.

At the start of the third week, her daddy sent her a post with a letter saying everything was well, and he had also attached and edition of The Quibbler for her. Luna had so much work she couldn’t get around to read even the first page. That afternoon, while Luna sat quietly in her dormitory, another owl arrived on the window with a letter. It was a very tiny, golden-brown owl with chocolate eyes, and she stroked it tenderly after she removed the letter. Before opening the letter, she took a guess that it was from Neville, and once she read it, she found that she was correct.

Dear Luna,

I hope you are doing well at Hogwarts. I’m very sorry for not writing much all summer, but there have been lot of guests coming over to see Gran and me, so I was extremely busy. I didn’t even have time to write one tiny sentence. I’m going to write frequently now. I received Ginny’s letter earlier this summer, and Ron owled me last week. I just wanted to say that I’m with you people, and I’ll try to do whatever I can to help George. I have already started communicating with Harry and Ron, and we’ll soon come up with something. I think it was a great initiative to take, and I’m glad you are also part of it. We’ll definitely be able to do something to help George if we stick together. Take care of yourself.

PS: I’ve heard you have a few new teachers, so what are they like? How are things at Hogwarts?

Neville

Luna folded the letter, and smiled while stroking the tiny owl with her fingers. It was just like Neville to help out his friends whenever they called upon him. She was happy he had written to her, because, for a while, she had been worrying he had stopped being friends with her. She used to have such fears a lot before, but her friends always managed to do something to prove her wrong in the end. She was very grateful for that, and she felt she was extremely lucky to have such wonderful friends. She stood up to get a parchment and quill and began writing her reply. She tied the letter to the owl’s leg, stroked it one last time and let it out of the window, watching it fly far out of sight.

By the end of the third week, Luna’s belongings had started to disappear once again. The first of her possessions to disappear was her pair of Dirigible Plum earrings, followed by her favourite quill and her Spectrespecs. She had, as always, put up a notice in the common room board so that anyone who found her things would return them to her. Luna knew they would be back soon, but she just wished that those who took her stuff would ask her first before they took it. If they did, she’d saved of a lot of trouble looking, but nobody ever confessed.

For the first time in years, she didn’t have to sit alone in the Ravenclaw common room all the time, because Ginny made sure Luna was always with her and Hermione, sitting by the lake or doing homework in the library. At times, they would talk about George and the shop, but these discussions were very limited as they did not know when they would be able to buy Zonko’s and how. Hermione’s greatest worry was the cost of the shop and how to raise the funds. She also pointed out that perhaps this was the reason why they had been delayed in buying the shop, but Ginny remained positive and determined that they would sort something out very soon.

As Luna sat quietly in the very noisy Great Hall for breakfast, wondering about George and the shop, the morning post arrived with hundreds of owls delivering letters and packages to the students. Luna didn’t expect to have a post for the day, because her Daddy had written to her just a few days ago. She had finished her breakfast and decided to leave the Ravenclaw table, where a few girls were staring at her with appalled expressions. She did not even bother to think of what had possibly amazed them, as she walked away from the table quietly.

She chose to greet Ginny and Hermione while passing the Gryffindor table. They were caught in an intense chat, with Hermione looking severely questioning.

‘Please, Ginny, you’re not doing any –? ‘

‘Hermione, just stop interfering!’ shrieked Ginny before realising that her voice had carried to everyone in the Gryffindor table. She looked a bit flustered as a few heads turned in their direction, but she continued to glare at Hermione.

‘Hey, Ginny!’ Luna said, waving cheerfully.

She thought her arrival would stop the argument between Hermione and Ginny. They always seemed to have a disagreement, and every time Luna was left perplexed as she tried to find the reason. Ginny looked startled as Hermione struggled to regain her composure.

‘Oh – hey, Luna,’ Ginny stuttered before she shot a severe look at Hermione for the last time. ‘I was just going to find you! We just received a letter from Ron; he said he and Harry would be visiting Zonko’s soon to see if anything comes out of it, or we have to find another location. I don’t know …’

‘Have you even wondered,’ began Hermione, lowering her tone, ‘where we would get the money to buy the shop? We should have thought this through more thoroughly.’

‘What do you mean, Hermione?’ Ginny asked in confusion.

‘I think,’ Hermione began, looking at Ginny cautiously. ‘My idea of presenting a photo of the twins to George and putting it up on the wall of their shop would have much better, and would help him heal just as well. And we didn’t even consider Ron’s idea of taking him to a game of Quidditch. I think Fleur’s idea of taking him out on vacation wasn’t bad either. But obviously – where’s the adventure in it?’

Hermione looked rather exasperated as she finished her sentence, and Ginny simply looked at her in irritation. Luna didn’t know that any of these ideas had been suggested, but she thought Hermione’s idea would have been worth a try.

‘Listen to yourself, Hermione,’ asserted Ginny said, widening her eyes. ‘How many times are we going to have to go over the same thing? Those were sweet ideas, but do you honestly think any of them would help George?’

‘I don’t think coming up with an outrageous plan to buy a new joke shop for him would either, Ginny,’ said Hermione in a furious tone, as Ginny began to look slightly edgy the more she thought about what Hermione had said.

If Luna had been asked to suggest something, she would have suggested getting a painting of Fred made, so that George would be able to talk to his twin and not feel lonely all the time. Although, it was possible he could hear Fred talking to him without requiring a painting, just like Luna heard her mother calling her when she was lonely.

‘It definitely will help him, Hermione,’ Ginny said defensively after a while, as she recovered from Hermione’s words. ‘It’s what they have both always wanted. It was always their dream, and we all agreed it was the best thing to do.’

Hermione wasn’t wrong in looking out for flaws, but Luna was sure they would be able to do something to solve the problem. Ginny had always comforted her, and Luna thought she should do the same for her at that moment.

‘Don’t worry, Ginny,’ said Luna in an encouraging tone. ‘Maybe Mr Zonko would give us a good discount, because he knows Fred and George well, you know.’

‘Thanks, Luna,’ said Ginny. ‘I hope they do something before the next Hogsmeade trip so that we can get to work on the shop. I’ve started planning how we could decorate the interior.’

Hermione pursed her lips as Ginny gave Luna a cheerful smile. Luna was happy to see that Ginny wasn’t sad anymore, because she liked it much better when all her friends were happy. It made her happy, too. Ginny scuffled in her robes and took out a red waxwing feather quill from her pocket, and Luna instantly recognised it as hers.

‘I snatched it from that prat, Chambers,’ said Ginny, handing the quill to Luna as they left the Great Hall. ‘I overheard him while he smugly told his mates how he had nicked it from under your nose. He seemed very pleased with himself until he got a taste of my Bat Bogey Hex.’

Luna felt sorry for poor Andrew Chambers because Ginny was very good at that hex, but she thanked Ginny for her help. She had always been there for Luna when she needed it. Sometimes, she couldn’t believe she had such wonderful friends who cared for her and helped her all the time.

Luna had never had friends as a young girl, and she had been so used to not having any friends, she felt overwhelmed when she realised she had made so many great friends at Hogwarts. She happily shoved the quill in her bag and was delighted to have got her favourite quill back after so many days. There was an extra spring in her steps as she raced to her Care of Magical Creatures class across the grounds. She loved magical creatures of all types and Hagrid always brought the most amazing ones to class, and he explained every detail about the creatures to the students. Luna was surprised to see only two other people had kept the subject apart from her. Even those who attended the class seemed to be sadly disinterested. Luna thought it was because they were unaware of the wonders of magical creatures. Each creature was unique in its own right, and always came in aid of wizards.

As she neared Hagrid’s hut, she saw Hagrid bringing a large creature with sharp horns towards the class. Romilda Vane clapped her mouth with her hands and let out a gasp, and Derek Beates stepped backward as Hagrid drew forward with the creature. After staring at it for a while, Luna was delighted to realise that the creature was a Graphorn, which was usually found in the mountains of Europe. She had seen a picture of it in Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them some time back.

As Hagrid told them about the Graphorn’s features and the vital uses of its horns, Luna listened intensely, but was constantly interrupted by Romilda Vane’s murmurings about the next Hogsmeade weekend, which was to be on the second week of October. She wished Romilda would pay attention to Hagrid instead, because it was a very interesting lesson. Graphorns were very rare creatures, and it was amazing how Hagrid had managed to get hold of one.

That day, everyone was excitedly buzzing about the next Hogsmeade trip and planning how to spend it even though it was almost two weeks away. As the week progressed, things got slightly out of hand, and Professor Kirtle was forced to take ten points off Gryffindor because Romilda Vane had been whispering in class about it.

On Sunday afternoon, Luna set out to the library to complete her homework, because Ginny had told her she wanted them to do their homework together. When Luna reached the library she found Ginny occupying a table. She seemed deep in thought as Luna joined her.

‘I feel like setting Doxies on Professor Bobbins,’ Ginny said impatiently as her eyes remained fixed on the parchment. ‘Why does he have to give us such long essays? Thirteen inches on all the ingredients required for a Confusing Concoction! And he wants us to innovate and experiment. What the hell is that supposed to mean, anyway? And how are we supposed to do it in an essay? It sounds like Fred and George – they love experimenting.’

Potions could have adverse effects if one experimented with them. It reminded Luna of her mother, because she was also fond of experimenting with magic and in the end it had caused her great damage. Luna hadn’t revealed this to anyone, but she had never really liked Potions as a subject from the day she set foot at Hogwarts and found it a rather unnecessary subject that exposed people to dangerous situations.

‘I only like potions when they heal, not hurt,’ Luna answered, as she began to finish her essay. ‘Experiments can hurt people if they go badly wrong.’

‘Fred and George never cared about getting hurt,’ said Ginny hastily, looking up from her homework. ‘Some of their stuff is pure brilliant – even Mum says so.’

‘I would love to take a look at their stuff some time,’ Luna replied, looking thoughtful. She hadn’t seen their shop as yet and it was one of the many places she was very keen to explore.

‘Hey, Luna?’ Ginny asked tentatively. ‘Have you heard from Dean?’

Luna had already begun adding more content to her half-done essay when she vaguely heard the word ‘Dean’ from Ginny’s mouth and stopped writing; she looked at Ginny in confusion.

‘Did you say Dean – Dean Thomas, Ginny?’ asked Luna, perplexed.

‘Yes,’ Ginny muttered, smiling reluctantly. ‘I don’t know – Bill said you two seemed like very good friends, and Fleur said you looked very cute together. Do you have any contact?’

‘Oh,’ Luna said, shaking her head. ‘Dean and I became good friends when we were staying at your brother’s place after Harry rescued us, you know. He was very nice to me throughout, but he hasn’t written to me and I never expected him to. Why were you asking?’

Ginny looked a bit timid though pleased to hear Luna’s response. ‘Umm - I thought you would have kept up a correspondence since you are friends.’

She had never really thought about writing to Dean. She did know that he was going to leave the country with his mother for a short while, but he hadn’t told her the reason. Just then, a bouncing Blibbering Humdinger caught her attention and she followed it with her eyes as it flew about gracefully, spreading a soft glow around the dim library. Its skin had a silvery tone and gave it the ‘extraordinary’ air. Its wings were very light and looked like a very silky net.

‘Do you still like Dean, Ginny?’ Luna asked sincerely, as she snapped out of her thoughts of the Humdinger. She wondered whether that was the reason behind Ginny’s query.

‘Of course not,’ Ginny said, looking alarmed. ‘I mean - I think he could be a good friend, but I never really liked him that way – we just dated.’

‘I’m very sorry Ginny,’ said Luna apologetically, as she looked at Ginny for a split second. ‘No one other than Daddy writes to me - sometimes Neville writes, but that’s it.’

For a second, Luna thought Ginny looked almost delighted to hear her response, but she brushed the thought away, as she noticed the Blibbering Humdinger sitting on one of the shelves. It was the first time she had seen one at the library, so she took a moment to observe its behaviour quietly. It seemed to like the smell of parchment, and was flitting about the books happily, which made Luna realise that it was fond of books. She decided to mention this little observation to her Dad the next time she wrote to him.

‘It’s the same with me – mostly Mum and Ron send me owls these days,’ Ginny said with laugh. ‘Neville and George also write often. It’s nice to hear from George every once in a while, but his letters really don’t say much.’

Luna eyes darted towards the Blibbering Humdinger before she noticed that Ginny’s face held an annoyed expression.

‘Maybe he doesn’t know what to write,’ Luna suggested honestly. ‘I was very confused when I wrote to you the first time, Ginny.’

‘Or he’s just plain silly,’ said Ginny, with a faint smile. ‘I can’t wait to show him the shop; he will be so happy, Luna.’

They fell silent as Madam Pince came around, obviously having heard their voices. She told them both to stop talking and finish up quickly. As she went away, Ginny scowled at the librarian before burying herself in the homework. Luna had always felt Madam Pince gave an impression of being stricter than she actually was. She had never really felt annoyed at the librarian in all her years at Hogwarts, and sometimes felt sorry for her as she had a very lackluster job. Luna didn’t say a word as she finished the remaining two inches of her essay.

It took Ginny another half an hour to finish hers, and Luna resorted to observing the Blibbering Humdinger around the back shelves as she waited. She was already noting down their every activity in her mind, making a mental note to send every detail to her daddy when she got back.


As they came out of the library and reached the Entrance Hall, Luna noticed Hermione rushing towards them. She looked relieved to have found them.

‘Ginny!’ Hermione said in an anxious voice. ‘I received a letter - Ron says he’s coming to Hogsmeade next weekend to see us. It’s important apparently.’

‘Really?’ Ginny asked in a shocked tone.

Ginny looked slightly awestruck as Hermione delivered the news, but soon a cheeky smile appeared on her face. Luna wondered what was on Ginny’s mind, but Hermione was the first to ask that question.

‘What’s that look on your face?’ Hermione asked curiously, as she surveyed Ginny closely.

‘Nothing,’ Ginny muttered dismissively and fidgeted a little as she spoke. ‘I have to send a letter. You guys go ahead – I’ll see you at dinner.’

With that, she rushed towards the Owlery, leaving a very befuddled Hermione with Luna. Hermione crossed her arms, irritated and marched hastily to the Great Hall alongside Luna, who had a difficult time keeping up. Ginny was up to something, but neither of them knew what that was.