Harry Potter - Series Fan Fiction ❯ Caught in the Dust ❯ Chapter 4 ( Chapter 4 )

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

By: StarX

Chapter 4

Cold, hard dirt met her chest as she crashed to the ground. Above her, Draco Malfoy stood smirking, his lackeys laughing hard behind him. “Loony Luna, Loony Luna,” they chanted, making her feel as if she were lower than dirt, or at least trying to. One thing they hated was that she always got up and acted as if nothing had happened, as if she wasn't cut up and bleeding.

Malfoy kicked her hard in he shin, making her yelp loudly in pain. “Loony people belong in the St.Mungo's, Lovegood,” he told her, “Or didn't you know that? Do you know that you are insane?” She crawled away from him to gather her scattered books and quills and her ripped bag. “Go to St.Mungo's, Lovegood, it's where you belong.”

Laughing and snickering, they left, not caring about anything they did. Witnesses turned their heads away, but whether they were ashamed of the Slytherins' behavior or from having to look at her, she didn't know. She held up the two limp pieces of torn fabric that was once her bag. It didn't really matter, she had another bag in the dormitory, but her father had sent her this particular bag from his adventure in Austria, searching for secret vampire societies that supposedly were in the area with 25 fellow wizards. They hadn't found anything, but Luna thought that that was for the best, you never knew what vampire would do. In some dangerous ways, her father was too out there; not that she wasn't what, what with the Department of Mysteries and all, but she feared for him.

A pair of strong hands came into view, helping her gather her things. She looked up to see the jet black, messy top of Harry's head. He looked at her and grinned, his amazing deep green eyes somehow extremely comforting, “Sorry I didn't get here sooner or I would have beat Malfoy to a pulp.”

She highly doubted that; he wouldn't want to be expelled, but she desperately wanted to believe him, she truly did.

“What class did you have,” Luna asked, the only outdoor classes were Care and Keeping of Magical Creatures and Herbology, and she was sure that he wasn't in one of them because one was a first year class and the other was hers. There were other people outside who weren't in either of those classes, but she was also positive he wasn't one of them.

“I was just in Transfiguration; I saw you out of the window. I got here as quickly as I could. Are you alright?” he asked, noting her bloody knee.

She glanced down at it, “I better go see Madam Pomfrey to get some bandages,” she stood and tried to walk, but tripped and would have fallen to the ground again if Harry hadn't caught her.

“I'll help you, Luna. Plus, I think you'll want to take your things with you.”

“Harry, go have lunch with your friends, I can go myself.” `Go eat lunch with Ginny, she's in love with you even if you can't see it.'

“Sorry, I can't leave a friend like that,” he said, putting an arm around her to help her walk.

“Friend,” she asked curiously.

“What else would you be after last year,” he questioned right back.

“An acquaintance.”

“Nope, you are most defiantly a friend. No point in arguing, Luna, you're stuck with me.”

“Oh, the horror,” she said, overdramatically. It was strange…he still looked at her like she was a total weirdo, but in a nicer way. Like that was who she was and it was OK. He made it seem OK to just joke around, be sarcastic, even, dare she think it, act normal. Sometimes, it felt completely nice to be normal. But, being weird was funnier.

He just grinned as they entered the infirmary. Madam Pomfrey rushed over and led them to a bed, instructing Harry to set her on it carefully, Luna slightly protesting, “You'll be up and running in a half hour, Miss Lovegood. Until then, just walk. Don't over exert yourself. Mr. Potter, I'm charging you with her care, watch her carefully.” With that, she bustled out the door, and the duo could have sworn they heard the nurse's stomach growling.

Harry shook his head half in amusement, half in disdain. “Well, Luna, I don't know about you, but I'm starving.”

Together they walked down the corridors to the Great Hall, Luna explaining the odd diets of Muffleworms the entire way there and Harry humoring her with his own input to what he thought about the odd subject.

Luna walked down the steps of the tower from her Astronomy class alone. Everyone else was walking in groups; it was quite spooky in the Astronomy Tower after sundown. Actually, it was creepy all the time. There was a slight breeze and someone whispered, “Luna.”

She whopped around, her face completely freezing as it went through Cedric's chest. Gasping, she stopped and grasped the stonewall with one hand, and held her face in the other.

“I-I'm so sorry,” he whispered; there were still some other students in war shot.

“It- it's alright,” she said finally, releasing her face, revealing a slight, but shaky grin.

“I-I really am sorry.” He looked shakier than she did.

“I said I'm alright.”

“I-I-I know,” there was a silence that clung to the air, making the towere seem awkward and stuffy instead of creepy before Luna started talking about an article in The Quibbler to beak the silence.

Laughing, Cedric held up a hand to quiet her, “I came here to tell you something, as interesting as the article sounds. Maybe you could bring a couple issues of the infamous Quibbler to me sometime?”

“Of course,” Luna replied excitedly. Someone new wanted to read The Quibbler!

He looked away for a few minute, out a thin window at the dark, starry sky. He looked s majestic and ethereal that Luna could not help but let out a soft gasp. Not looking at her, he started, “I think that you need to stand up for yourself.”

A look of confusion set over Luan's features. He groaned and looked at her, “I saw what happened with that Malfoy bastard this afternoon. You need to tell him to bugger off.”

“It doesn't matter,” she told him straightforwardly, “They'll just keep making fun of me.”

“But you have friends that are willing to stand up for you.”

“Who?”

“Ginny, Harry, Neville, I think Hermione would, although she would never consider herself your friend in the near future. She respects you, though, from what I heard, for what you did at the Department of Mysteries. Just think about it. Don't let people push you around.”

With a grin and reassuring look, he headed through a wall.

A/N: I am slightly bored. I have everything planned out for this story, but nothing fun really happens for like 5 or 6 or 7 more chapters. I forgot which. I have written to chapter 8, so I'm counting until after that.