Chapter 84 - 84- train ride

Luna's POV

Luna's summer was fun, yet boring.

It was fun, as she went to a trip in Amsterdam with her father in search of moon frogs, and while it was fun, she missed the soul stirring conversations she and Harry had, she missed learning to him talk about science and having someone give her different approaches to go to in her search of knowledge and magical creatures, but most of all, she missed the one person who took her ideas seriously.

She remembered, in one of their conversations in the beginning of the year, just after another failed try to befriend her yearmates, she asked him why does he waste time talking to her? After all, not only he is super busy and a second year, she is also weird. Harry looked at her deeply, and for a second she feared she was going to lose him, her first friend in school! Closing her eyes to prevent the tears from falling, she didn't notice his hand reaching her till he flicked her forehead saying "Stupid! Wasting time with you? Who is wasting time? Why wouldn't I want spend time with you? you are also the only student in this school with a mind!"

She shook her head with tears starting to fall, knowing it wasn't true, after all, there are all the Ravenclaws, and everyone in her year heard about Hermione Granger.

As if he knew what she was thinking about he said "I wasn't talking about ability to retain knowledge or grades, I'm not even talking about your impressive abilities in understanding people's thoughts and feelings. I'm talking about your mind - your ability to accept that magic isn't omniscient, that there are things we are not yet understand and your search for answers.

You are not weird, you are unique, and even if you weren't, you are my friend."

He was the third person who treated her that way, and the only one who wasn't her parent.

It was only after that conversation that she truly opened up to his unconventional ideas about the animals her father's newspaper was trying to find, of them was the moon frogs, and the reason she didn't want to spend her summer searching for moon frogs in Amsterdam, as they weren't there.

she tried convincing her dad that there wasn't any moon frogs in Amsterdam, as they are on the moon, and that instead they should steal one of the machines the book Harry wrote called Rockets or spaceflights and travel to the moon to search them, but he only laugh and rubbed her head while talking about the impossibility of anyone to go to the moon.

So while the travel was fun, knowing you search for something that was elsewhere was dreadful.

While there, she started to wonder - was that what Harry talked about when they had the conversation about the lack of imagination wizards had? She thought he talked about their unwillingness to admit there are anything magical that still hasn't been discovered, and their lack of knowledge about the muggle world, but could it be he was talking about their unwillingness to open their mind?

She used to think her father was the most open minded person, but could it be he was just a different species of the same kind? That just like most wizards he in close minded but that his kind is just seem to be open?

She might have to admit she was wrong- the greatest curse magical people have, might truly be the International Statute of Secrecy.

September 1st 1993

Luna reaches the train 30 minutes before the time, and couldn't wait another second before starting to search for the compartment that was hidden in a notice me not charm, the one show was sure Harry was in.

It took her 10 minutes to find it, and she walked in to see Harry was in the middle of a reading a book.

His aura became much more powerful and purple, and the weird look of the aura trying to hide itself that started by the end of last year was still there, she really wanted to ask what was that about, but it meant that she need to explain her ability, and she wasn't ready.

"Harry!" She yelled in true joy, even if it was hiding curiosity.

"Hey Luna." He hugged her "How was your summer?"

"It was fun, I went to Amsterdam with my dad to search for moon frogs even though..." Luna told Harry about her summer excited to talk to her best friend again until the train started moving, only then remembering to ask him about his summer.

"And how was yours?" Sheepishly was the only way way to describe her tone of voice.

"Well, I spent the first month working on the most boring things in one of my projects, and then I used the other to learn alchemy."

"What? That's all? That won't do! Next summer you have to do something exciting!" While she knew her friend loved learning, she feared that by doing only that he would miss the beautiful parts of life.

Chuckling he said "How about for the next summer we would go for an adventure together?"

"Yes! Let's do it!"

After that they spent the next few hours talking about all the places they wanted to go and see, muggle and magical.

They were in the middle of a talk about how could the ancient buildings that were built by magic survive until today, when the train stopped.

Luna could feel something was wrong, as not only did the train became much colder, but She could also see auras coming through the door and going to the window before disappearing.

Memories of her mother's death flashed through her head, making it seem like it was that day again.

"Harry..." She whispered, with tears leaking, unable to say it louder. "Help me."

Suddenly a bright light came from the side and the feeling and memories disappeared.

Looking, to Harry's location, she saw a beautiful thestral, looking similar to the ones the school had, only entirely silver, radiating aura of happiness.

She didn't know why, as their auras were completely different, and they were both there, but as the room became darker and she lost conscious, she couldn't help but think the silver thestral felt exactly like Harry.