Chapter 295: A New Look at Luna
The sky outside the Hogwarts Express had darkened into a deep indigo when Luna suddenly straightened, her silver eyes flickering with realization.
"Alexander… it's getting dark. Can you go out for a moment?"
She sounded shy, but also faintly proud—still basking in the praise he had given her earlier.
Alexander tilted his head, feigning innocence.
"Why? What's wrong?"
Luna lightly punched his chest with her small fist, cheeks tinted pink.
"I want to change my clothes."
She whispered it so quietly that the wind might have carried the words away—if Alexander hadn't already known.
The tiny smirk tugging at his lips betrayed him.
He definitely knew.
Luna huffed with a pout.
"See! You do know!"
"Alright, alright." Alexander raised both hands in surrender. "And now that you mention it—we are almost at Hogwarts."
She gave an indignant little snort, but her eyes were smiling.
Alexander slipped out of the compartment so she could change, and found several other students lingering awkwardly in the corridor for the same reason—waiting while the girls inside switched into their school robes.
---
Luna, Before the World Met Her
Luna Lovegood's childhood was… unusual.
Her father, Xenophilius, had loved her fiercely, especially after losing his wife. But he had absolutely no idea how to raise a daughter. He dressed her strangely, let her roam barefoot, and praised creatures that didn't exist.
Because of this, Luna spent most of her childhood almost entirely inside their lonely home in Ottery St. Catchpole, inventing imaginary animals just so she wouldn't feel alone.
She was bright. Innocent. And heartbreakingly isolated.
Her odd clothes, her dreamy voice, her slightly protruding silver eyes—every little thing became ammunition for children who didn't understand her.
Some boys said cruel things just to get her attention.
Some girls avoided her because she looked unkempt.
Some Ravenclaws dismissed her because she believed things that "weren't in books."
In the original timeline… she became the strange girl everyone whispered about.
The one always left out.
The one who learned to smile through loneliness.
But this time, something was different.
This time, she met Alexander Smith on the train.
Alexander, who gently met her delusions with warm curiosity.
Alexander, who soothed her fears with a silly made-up creature—the "Soundproof Bat"—that made her laugh for the first time that day.
Alexander, who treated her like someone worth talking to.
Slowly, the ice around Luna's heart melted.
---
A New Luna
A soft knock sounded from inside the compartment.
"…Alexander? I'm done."
He opened the door.
Even though he had prepared himself—he still froze.
Luna had changed into her Ravenclaw school robes.
Her messy hair remained as wild as ever, but without her mismatched earrings and peculiar clothing, she looked…
Different.
Gentler.
Almost fragile.
Her beauty, hidden beneath layers of oddness, finally showed through.
But Luna wasn't smiling.
In fact, she looked… disappointed?
Alexander sat beside her, gently taking her small hand into his.
"What's wrong?"
She wriggled her hand lightly—only a symbolic attempt to escape—before letting him hold it.
"You're a senior, right?" her voice trembled. "My father said first-years take the boats to Hogwarts, but older students ride carriages."
Her eyes dimmed.
"Will we… not see each other anymore?"
Alexander chuckled softly, brushing his fingers through her tangled hair.
"Luna, friends don't drift apart just because of a short walk or a different route."
He tapped her forehead playfully.
"And besides… with my kind of magic, do you really think I can't find you whenever I want?"
Luna blinked up at him—then smiled.
Really smiled.
For the first time all day.
Her intuition, usually sharp and unyielding, whispered that Alexander meant her no harm.
That he was safe.
Warm.
The kind of presence she had never had aside from her father.
She let him gently comb her hair, leaning into the touch without realizing it.
---
The Journey to Hogwarts
From Luna's perspective, Alexander never let go of her hand.
He held it as they rode in the boats, starlit water glimmering around them.
He held it as they passed through the vast, echoing tunnel beneath Hogwarts.
He held it while climbing the stone steps to the castle's entrance.
And he held it even when Professor McGonagall escorted the first-years to the small waiting chamber beside the Great Hall.
"Luna? Luna Lovegood?"
Ginny Weasley's voice rang out as soon as McGonagall left.
Ginny's eyes widened when she saw Luna.
The girl who'd arrived at King's Cross with radish earrings and mismatched socks…
now looked quietly pretty, even a little elegant.
"Luna! You look amazing!"
Luna—flustered—instinctively stepped in front of Alexander, hiding him from Ginny's view as if he were a precious secret she didn't want to share.
Alexander didn't mind.
Ginny, bursting with gossip, launched into a rapid-fire monologue:
"Luna, you won't believe it—Harry stayed at our house for a while! Then he, Ron, and Malfoy ended up in Grimmauld Place—don't even ask how—then Ron vanished on the train! It's a whole mess!"
Ginny was lively and animated in front of friends—none of the shy awkwardness she had around Harry and Ron.
Luna nodded along, never giving Ginny the chance to notice Alexander hiding behind her.
---
Meanwhile… Back on the Train
While Luna hadn't disembarked yet, Hermione's compartment had turned into a miniature hurricane of noise.
All of Hermione's dormmates were there, along with Parvati Patil.
One girl is quiet.
A group of girls? Absolutely not.
They were in full gossip mode.
"Gilderoy Lockhart's sentence is way too harsh!" Lisa Dupin fumed.
"He only borrowed some stories and tweaked a few memories—why Azkaban?!"
Padma nodded vigorously.
"He deserved punishment, yes, but not that long!"
Parvati agreed instantly.
Hermione wanted so badly to correct them—but she had learned emotional intelligence over the past year.
So she only smiled politely and occasionally squeezed Alexander's hand to comfort him.
Alexander looked… exhausted.
He knew the truth: if he didn't actively "anchor" his presence, the girls would forget Lockhart entirely and focus all their attention on him instead.
Which meant peace was impossible.
Thankfully, the conversation mercifully shifted to the new Defense Against the Dark Arts professor.
Lisa sighed dreamily over the Daily Prophet's photo of the young, handsome Voldemort (the diary fragment version).
"I hope he and Professor Dumbledore are a couple," she said with absolutely no shame.
"But if not… maybe I still have a chance."
The other girls began enthusiastically discussing every ship imaginable—Deha, Roha, Rona, and so many others.
Hermione pinched the bridge of her nose.
Girls really do have unlimited potential to become fangirls…
Alexander silently agreed.
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End of Chapter 295
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