DISCLAIMER: I neither own, nor plan to steal anything HP. I just take the characters and put them into my stories.
Save the crumple-horned snorkacks.
Blurb …
Neville always thought the worst of himself … until he met Luna.
One day, Luna gives him something to think about, and Neville learns that everyone has Gryffindor courage. You just have to find it.
Neville Longbottom was a round-faced and forgetful boy. That's how everybody saw him. The accident-prone guy who can never remember the passwords to the Gryffindor tower.
Right now, 17-year-old Neville worked in the library, desperately trying to complete his charms essay for professor Flitwick. It was particularly difficult, about the characteristics of a shield charm. Sure he had been taught how to do it by Harry, but naming the properties was something else.
Neville scribbled on his parchment frantically and glanced up at the big clock on the wall behind him, it showed he had 20 minutes to finish his essay for charms next. Curse his small writing.
In his haste, Neville turned for his ink, and accidentally knocked over his half-completed essay.
Fuming, Neville picked up his wand to repair the damage, but stopped when he realised that he couldn't remember the incantation. That was always Hermione Granger's thing.
Thoroughly annoyed that he had to start over, he went to pull out some fresh parchment out of his bag, when he heard a voice behind him/
"I can fix that."
Neville turned to see none other than Luna Lovegood. A 6th year girl with long dirty blond hair and misty prominent eyes. Neville was glad to see her-Luna had the confidence to say anything, and it generally ended up being about crumple-horned snorkacks, or something else from her father's magazine. Neville knew Luna could always cheer him up.
"Oh … hi Luna." Neville said, glancing up at the clock again.
"I can fix that." Luna repeated. She pulled out numerous things out of her bag, including a ball of twine, and something like a squashed mushroom, before pulling out her own wand. She poked his essay, and the ink disappeared, leaving the parchment and writing clean.
"Wow Luna!" Neville exclaimed, actually quite surprised. "Even I can't remember that spell!"
"I am in Ravenclaw-I'm not stupid." Luna said vaguely and she sat down nest to Neville at his table which his work was spread out over.
"I know that. It's just sometimes you never cease to amaze me." Neville said, and Luna laughed.
"So how are you Neville?" Luna asked, looking around the pieces of parchment and notes with her eyes un-blinking. It felt rather creepy to watch really, thought Neville.
"Not bad." He said, trying to find his charms notes. "Just trying to finish this essay in 15 minutes." He wrote something down and looked up, sighing. "So how are you?" he asked.
"Quite all right, thank you." She said. She looked around at his books and notes for a while, while Neville watched her.
It was quite nice just to watch Luna. She did the most peculiar things, but it was what made Luna, Luna. She wore her radish earrings and butterbear-cork necklace, and had placed her wand behind her ear.
Every now and then, she would tuck a piece of hair behind her other ear. It was quite cute actually.
"Did you know that the vampire minsters' making the crumple-horned snorkack endangered?" Luna asked abruptly. Neville was feeling slightly confused. Since when was there a vampire Minster?
"Er … vampire Minster?" he asked.
"You know … Rufus scrimgeor." Luna said, and Neville sniggered. He should have known.
"Oh, right." He said, as Luna looked as if she were unaware that he was laughing at her. "Well no. I er-didn't know that."
"Oh yes." Luna said eagerly. She fished in her bag for something. "Yes-father wrote a nice article all about it. He's hoping it'll raise awareness." She held up the magazine with a photo of a blurry splodge on the front. According to the potion, it was a crumple-horned snorkack.
"Well that's a shame it's going extinct." Neville told her.
"Yes." She said. "That's why I'm staring up the "Save the crumple-horned snorkacks club". To raise awareness. Hopefully, with enough members, we'll be able to stop the ministry stop destroying their natural habitat."
Neville seriously doubted that many people would want to sign up, but he didn't dare say so.
"That-that sounds lovely." He did say.
"So you'll join?" she asked eagerly.
"Er …sure!" he said and signed the piece of parchment with the list of members on it. So far, the list read:
Luna Lovegood.
Neville rather felt sorry for her. So he signed his name.
"I'm going to go to Hogsmede this Saturday, to see if I can get more members." She said, taking back the parchment. "Do you want to help? You are the second member to sign up after all."
Neville was about to say "Maybe next time." When something held him back. He realised that he would actually want to go with her. Sure he'd be asking people to save the crumple-horned snorkack, but he'd never really gone to Hogsmede with anyone before.
"That sounds like fun, Luna." Neville said. He sighed "But I won't be much of a help. I'm not a very good public speaker."
"Never think the worst of yourself." Luna said, turning her eyes on Neville. "That's what dad always says. If he kept saying "I can't catch a Gurgleback!" Then where would he be today?"
Neville was about to ask what a Gurgleback was, but thought better of it. He just smiled.
"I mean, I always thought I wasn't smart enough to be a Ravenclaw, but obviously the sorting hat saw it, so I realised that I am." Luna went on. Neville figured that this was a kind of random thing to be talking about, but then again, this was Luna.
"I wish I could see how I got into Gryffindor." He said. It was something he had always thought about. "I'm clumsy, and not very brave-"
"You have courage and bravery." Luna cut in. "It's just some people find it easier than others-like Harry. You're in Gryffindor for a reason-the sorting hat knows it. You have Gryffindor courage somewhere-you just have to find it."
This was so random, Neville thought, as she beamed ay him. One minute, they're talking about crumple-horned snorkack awareness, next, hoe he belongs in Gryffindor?
Guess that's Luna Lovegood for you.
Just then, the bell rang. Luna glanced up and the clock and packed away her things,
"Well, meet you in the entrance hall for awareness day!" She called, and started for the exit of the library. Neville panicked, realising that he hadn't done his essay.
He pulled it towards him, which was over where Luna had been sitting, to see that it was already finished.
Neville looked up to thank Luna, but she had already disappeared. He smiled to himself, as he packed up his things.
Well, she is in Ravenclaw for a reason …
A/N: Hiya! Yeah, very different to what i usualy write, but i love this pairing, and i just had to write this. I think it's really sweet, and it took ages to keep Luna in character. I hope she is. Anywho, reviews are appriciated, and i bid you good day and good night (Whatever time it is wherever you are. It's night here). Lol.
Moon. (yeah, i've left the "princess92" part off, as i'm too lazy now.)