Harry dropped back into his human form. "How did you know it was me?" he asked.
"Did you change?" she responded in a slightly distracted voice. "I am afraid I haven't quite been myself. I don't even remember deciding to go for a walk tonight but I don't mind since it meant I got to meet you."
Harry wasn't sure how to respond to that. "Er- I am Harry. What is your name?"
"My name? I am Luna. But they are all starting to call my Looney. Looney Luna Lovegood, it has a nice flow and it all alliterates. Ravenclaws are clever that way. I am sure if I was in Gryffindor it would be some silly pun or reference to an animal. What animal would I be? I bet they call you Furry. Or maybe Fuzzy." Harry didn't have an answer for that but he did feel his head starting to hurt already.
"How do two pieces of darkness make so much light?" Luna asked suddenly.
"What light?" Harry asked. "It is nearly pitch dark out here."
Luna giggled. "You're right, Harry Potter. But don't worry, I am sure you will be able to see sooner or later. Well, I have to go now. I need to get up early so I can find where my shoes have walked off to. Good night, Furry Potter!"
Harry watched the odd Ravenclaw Firstie skip through the darkness back towards the castle. What had that been about? He still didn't know how she knew about his Beast form. Sure, Ron and Hermione knew. And he'd told Ernie and Padma over the holidays when he'd stayed with Ernie's family. But he was sure none of them would have told anything especially to a First year none of them really knew.
Harry changed back into the Beast and resumed his run towards the Forest. He hoped the night air would help clear his head. It was probably too late to see Madam Pomfrey for a potion to fight the migraine he felt coming on.
....
12 March 1993
"The Heir took her! She is missing! We have to get her back! I can't lose her!"
Harry grabbed the smaller girl as she ran past.
"He took who? Calm down and tell me," Harry said.
The little red-head looked up into the eyes of her hero. "He took Luna! He took Luna into the Chamber of Secrets! There was a new message on the wall. The professors took a roll of all the students and she was the only one missing! She's my best friend! Please Harry, you have to save her!"
"He took Luna Lovegood?" Harry asked. "Little blonde Ravenclaw?"
"Yes, yes! Please, you have to help me!" Ginny pleaded.
Percy Weasley entered the common room just then and announced, "The professors want all students to assemble in the Great Hall in five minutes, no exceptions! Everyone out!"
Ginny grabbed hold of Harry. "Please, Harry, you have to help her. You're the Boy-Who-Lived! I know she's been acting odder than normal this year but she is still my friend."
"You mean she is not normally that… crazy-sounding?"
Ginny shook her head. "No, that is her normal. But sometimes she'd get all cold sounding and tell me to leave her alone. Then she would act later like it never happened."
"Did you tell anyone?" Harry asked.
"I said something to Professor Flitwick and he said he'd talk to her last month but I never heard anything more. She wasn't like this before we came to Hogwarts. She doesn't tell me anything - just writes it into the diary I gave her."
"Come on, you two. You're the last ones here," Percy demanded. "I will give you both detention!"
Harry and Ginny made their way out of the common room although not without Ginny making some parting shots at her officious older brother. They were almost to the Great Hall when they ran into Ron and Ernie followed by Professor Sprout.
"Harry!" Ron yelled. "Hermione and Padma have been petrified!"
Harry felt his stomach drop. "When?"
"Just now, this morning," Ernie answered solemnly. The normally excitable Hufflepuff looked really shaken. "They left me in the library to go to the loo. I found them outside of Myrtle's bathroom."
"You can talk inside the Great Hall," Percy demanded. "Now move!"
Ron snapped and started yelling at his brother. Ginny joined in which pulled in Professor Sprout. The professor started herding the squabbling siblings into the Great Hall. When she tried to pull Ernie along he came out of his shock enough to add to the mayhem. This eventually drew Professor McGonagall out of the Great Hall.
"What is the meaning of this?" she demanded.
"They refuse to obey Professor Dumbledore's commands, professor!" Percy reported.
"It's not that bad," Professor Sprout reassured her colleague in a calm manner. "The poor dears are simply in shock from the attack on their friends."
"I see," the Transfiguration professor answered. "And where is Mr Potter?"
The professor and prefect looked around but the most famous (or notorious) student in Hogwarts was missing.
...
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