While the school was busy with quidditch try-outs, I was busy making a new acquaintance.
Luna Lovegood.
If Hermione was the method to my sanity, then Luna had to be the method between insanity.
The first time around I had not been an acquaintance with Luna till the fifth year. It did not mean that it was only in our fifth year that I met Luna. Now that I had time to recall calmly my time at Hogwarts, Luna was always there to show me a bright path with her words in my darkest times, even if I did not understand the gravity of her words at that moment.
The first time that I distinctly remember meeting Luna was at the end of my fifth year.
It was around the time I chose not to attend the Leaving Feast, I bumped into Luna in a corridor. She was putting up posters asking for the return of her belongings, which had, once more, been hidden and Luna was typically calm about it.
Having just lost Sirius, I was initially, in no mood to talk to her, but Luna was both characteristically calming and intriguing. Overall, it was a brief encounter but one that was very crucial to my development as a person rather than a wizard.
'How come you're not at the feast?' I asked.
'Well, I've lost most of my possessions,' said Luna serenely. 'People take them and hide them, you know. But as it's the last night, I really do need them back, so I've been putting up signs.'
She gestured towards the noticeboard, upon which, sure enough, she had pinned a list of all her missing books and clothes, with a plea for their return.
An odd feeling rose in me; an emotion quite different from the anger and grief that had filled him since Sirius's death. It was a few moments before I realised that I was feeling sorry for Luna.
The other emotion was anger on myself. Here was a girl, whom everyone thought odd, everyone bullied and still, instead of felling resentment and anger that was rightfully deserved, she was calm and had a smile on her face.
It was at this time that I seemed to have been reminded that from the beginning of the year, I had seen her around the school more than a dozen times, but always alone and immersed in her own world. I distinctly remembered Ron informing us that Luna and Ginny had been friends when they were young but later got separated as Ginny was trying to mix with the normal group.
At that time, we were so mixed up in our own bubble that I had not paid much attention to the sadness that was filled in her.
The other time when I met her was in the beginning of the fifth year. That time she gave me a sound life advice but sadly I paid no attention. It was not until I was struggling for control in my conscience with Voldemort, that the advice gave me the power and clarity to overcome being taken over by Voldemort.
The regret was that I never thanked her or credited her with saving my life after that time.
Our meeting was in the forbidden forest, at a time when the whole school was treating me as crazy for spouting lies regarding the return of the dark lord. This had left me all alone once again and it had me doubting the efforts that we were taking to stop the rise of Voldemort, when these people themselves were turning against us.
At that time, she was feeding the Theastrels but barefoot. When I had tried to enquire, she casually answered that she was used to her things going missing, especially at the beginning of the term.
She was also the one who told me that these creatures were very peaceful by nature but because they were different and associated with death, they were misunderstood.
At that time, she understood the inner turmoil that I was facing, without her ever interacting with me previously. And the more shocking turn of events was that I was at ease discussing Voldemort and my thoughts regarding him and my situation with a girl that I had just met.
"You cannot think that you are alone" Luna had said. "If I was him than I too would want you to think that you were alone, because you alone are no threat to anyone," said Luna. Only by remembering that I had many in my life that still loved me and cared for me was I able to struggle successfully with Voldemort in my mind.
The final thing that had a major impact on me, finally cementing the thought that she could see through the madness of magic itself were her words that I would be able to see Sirius, my dad and mom and everyone who truly loved me when I would need their strength the most. When I had steeled myself to sacrifice for finally weakening him enough, so that he faces the resistance being a mortal once again. I was able to see them one last time when I dropped the stone in the forest.
To begin anew with Luna, I did not have to take a roundabout method. Every single individual, including Hermione and the twins, that I met with this time around, I had to use a made-up reason to either get close to them or stay away from them.
Three weeks into the new term, I just began sitting beside Luna when she had her breakfast, lunch, snacks or dinner. In just a week she began saving my favourite foods while she waited for me to join her. We had hardly had any conversation since then, but we became friends. During the weekends we would move to sit by the lake after breakfast. Sometimes, Hermione or Neville would join us.
This unnatural friendship did not go unnoticed by our fellow students. A new rumour was making its round in the castle, that I had overcorrected after being dumped by Daphne by pursuing "loony Lovegood". This did not go down well with Daphne, as I heard from Hermione that Daphne had given her piece of wrath to the Slytherins who were making these rumours.
Luna herself was not very bothered by these rumours and still had the kind smile on her all the time, without a negative thought about her bullies.
I had met Daphne a handful number of times in this term. Every time we met, we had to meet in secret, away from the prying eyes and ears. She visited me in the infirmary sometimes or we would meet in the kitchens to have a meal. I had already shared with her about Luna and therefore she had also made the other girls in her house to stop their bullying on Luna. Though she was not happy meeting in secret, she always showed her best side to me when we met.
I was very happy and considered myself blessed to have these women in my life, this time around to support and love me.