Warnings: discussions of house elves and slave labor, discussions of abuse, sadness

Chapter Two - The First Night

The school was brilliant.

Yes it was amazing too she supposed, to be here. But the building itself was brilliant. It was alive in a way that Luna usually only saw exuding from others. The creatures that inhabited the walls, the voice that murmured underneath the students and their plates and bowls. It's not audible unless you're not clinking your silverware, and unfortunately the entire room is. Luna had rather preferred it when the students weren't eating and she could hear something much less awkward.

On one side of her was Ginny, the other side Ginny's twin brothers. The three of them ribbed each other over her head (she rather liked that phrase, because everyone had ribs and pressing on them was usually ticklish if they were kind about it.), musing possible alternate houses, the twins singing praises to Slytherin between bites of spinach and mashed potato. Across from her, a bushy girl fidgeted in her chair. Luna watched her pick at her food, eating half-heartedly. Luna's frown twitched. Was this someone who understood the plight of the brownies and was downtrodden by it? That wouldn't do. The brownies shouldn't suffer along with her. It was rude to them and rude to the self.

"The elves will be worried if you don't eat," she ventured to say, blinking only once in the past five minutes. "They take that sort of thing very seriously."

The girl jumped and for the first time, as she adjusted in her seat, Luna realized she was speaking to an upperclassman. So it was very likely she knew by now. "I beg your pardon," she said weakly and Luna tilted her head to the other side now.

Her head is buzzing with wrackspurts. No wonder her hair is so powerful and all spreading.

Still, Luna had to press on. She had been asked to after all. "Yes, the house elves. They used to be called brownies in the olden times before the Statute of Secrecy, before the old pacts were made, but due to differences between human and elven magic, the house-elves were created as a side effect with contracted brownies. They make the food and clean the building, they're bound to the place they are meant to serve. This is easy to abuse by humans, but it is impossible to deny the free will of a creature at Hogwarts fully, especially since House Elves exist for the students and with willing joy. They would not have taken the contracts if not for the magical schools, for they perpetuated their lifespan and their contract without as much spy work and sneaking. So please eat. It fuels their magic and makes them receptive to new ideas."

Luna tried to smile at the end, but she felt so many eyes on her, she'd rather thought she'd quite failed. They seemed mostly like they were zeroing in on zingers, things that dragged more words than necessary out of people.

But the bushy girl, if anything, seemed so sickeningly fascinated and curious, all the more. "So… our food was made with slave labor?" She almost seemed put off her dinner.

"Only in the sense that cattle is," said another girl and for this Luna was grateful. "The elves thrive on the magic and support of the young in the world, so it's more symbiotic than anything. It's why they brownies in fables went to houses. If they had kids it was easy to feed. Though they also like milk." She glanced at Luna, who stared back, settling for curiosity. "Isn't that right?"

Someone let out a snigger and Luna only smiled. That she was used to. "Goat milk yes. Cow milk is for the thestrals. Though they also prefer meat, raw to the point of freshly dead." People looked at each other and Luna continued on unheeded. "Think of it as insects with parasitic plants. They feed off of each other and share companionship. That is the same for wix and house-elves. The old families often forget this however, and freely exploit it, not realizing the punishment rebounds on them in other ways."

"Like the Malfoys," supplied someone else down the table. "They've only had one kid for a whole century because they dunno how to marry someone who wants to treat the elves like they have sense."

"So it is best to eat, so the elf who is assigned to you is filled by your magic. They will appreciate your concern however," Luna said with a light smile and cut into her sprouts. "As that means you will be more aware of their connection to you and all you do and in your seventh year you'll be able to cut ties with more reverence than when you entered. That's what Daddy has always told me."

And she firmly went to eat.

"Blimey," groaned a sandy-haired boy a few more seats to the right. "Another Hermione."

"Don't be jealous you have bludgers for brain cells Finnegan," said another older student. "We need more brains in Gryffindor. We're a poor showing relying on three jumpy first years and their reckless bravery."

For some reason, the bushy haired girl flushed and started eating, earning the laughter of the twins.

That interaction had been positive on the surface. She didn't desire to be blinded by the Gildy Buzzards after all, there were enough of them at the Head Table to do so and she'd prefer they stay where they are, before she got attached to the idea of being welcomed.

Ginny ought to do the same. She keeps looking at her like the wrackspurts were at her head. It was all very strange.

People were strange.

Her parents would be proud of her for noticing that.

Still no Harry and Ron. One Luna but no brother and… crush, thingie. This was getting annoying. And scary. Were they expelled? Had they really missed the train and no one noticed?

Professor Snape was gone, rather gleefully too if the speed he was walking and disappearing behind a door had anything to do with it. Ginny's eyes narrowed. HEr brothers were right he was creepy. Even happy he looked mad or gross. He could be as attractive as all those books made Harry out to be but if you were a rude bully you were ugly no matter what.

The meal began to wane, everyone starting to yawn and chew slower, their plates with less food and everything else.

Hermione had dutifully wrapped food into napkins as they went, disappointment clicking her tongue. Ginny helped and earned a grateful nod. Whatever happened, the boys were probably starving.

She couldn't wait to tell Tom-

Tell him what, exactly? The sorting hat's words returned to her. Talking of suspicion and things that didn't belong. But surely she was in Hogwarts and would and did belong. It was just a book, a diary. Sure her dad worried over things like that. Things whose brains you couldn't see being unsafe. But Tom was nice, really. And he didn't laugh at her being nervous around Harry or being the lowest and the last, the one who was the most poor of a group of poor people despite being the daughter.

I grew up with nothing too, Ginny, he had told her. And I got out. I got a lot out. I got quite a few things and I thrived in Hogwarts. You'll be fine. You just have to be clever and bold and not be run over. Making fools out of people works sometimes, but that's better when they realize it themselves. Harry will notice you when you make a few waves, don't worry.

And her heart had warmed at the words, she'd felt terrible for forgetting him too. But she had him back, her first friend that was a boy.

… and maybe that was what the hat was worried about.

Not boys, but boys who knew what to say, people who knew what to say to make a person feel things, people who manipulated without looking back. Was that something to be afraid of? But a lot of people did that and they were still good, right?

Luna was like that. Hermione hadn't even noticed, but Luna had calmed her right down and was even slipping pieces of meat into another napkin too. She didn't even seem to know why, she probably thought it was a midnight snack trend or something but she was still doing it.

That decided it, really. Luna would get to learn about Tom too. She'd understand and then she wouldn't have to bore Tom with her problems all the time, all the girl things he couldn't possibly get just because he was a sixteen year old boy who thought he understood things and…

Oh. okay him being older was probably bad. But her parents didn't have to know that.

Maybe even Luna didn't even have to know that.