"Harry Gerald Benedict Lovegood! What in the name of Merlin are you doing?" Luna Lovegood asked, hands on hips. She was glaring through a tangle of muddy blond hair at her twin brother. "You'll scare the Burblesnaggets. Besides, we leave for the train in an hour and you haven't even packed."

Harry grinned from under his unruly mane of dark hair, glasses glinting in the bright sunlight that washed through the open field around them. In one hand the boy held a pair of Dirigible Plums and in the other he had two small metal earring posts. He had both hands hidden behind his back.

"I'm making you something for school. It's important, but you can't have it until we get on the train."

Luna started forward, her gray eyes sparkling with curiosity.

"Nope." Harry shook his head furiously. "You don't get to see what it is until later. Now, why don't you go help dad with something so I can finish or else you wont have them at all."

Biting her lip, the girl finally nodded and started back to the house, glancing over her shoulder every few steps as she went. Harry waiting until his sister was inside their rook shaped house before he went back to wrestling the plants into a pair of earrings. Dirigible Plums helped people to "see the extraordinary around them that so many often missed", at least, that's what their dad always said. It wasn't like Luna needed help to see the wondrous creatures lurking in every nook and cranny of the world, but Harry knew that the Plums would be like a piece of home for when she got lonely. Ever since their mom died Luna got lonely a lot.

Harry wouldn't admit it, but he was afraid about what might change once they got to Hogwarts. He was also terribly excited and hadn't slept a wink the night before. Luna didn't know that he had spent the early dawn hours carefully choosing what to take with him to school. His favorite copies of their dad's paper, The Quibbler, were on top of everything else that had been piled unceremoniously into his dinged up orange trunk.

"Ah, perfect," the boy said as he admired the finished jewelry in his hands. To the untrained eye, the Dirigible Plums looked almost exactly like radishes. They were beautiful. Satisfied with the gift, Harry shoved them into his jean pocket and ran back to house.

-

Xenophilious Lovegood studied his two children with a mix of pride and consternation. The bustle of the train station surrounded them, but the Lovegoods ignored everyone else. The two eleven year olds looked up at their father and he put a hand on each of their shoulders, drawing them to him in an embrace. They fiercely hugged him back. Harry even saw a damp shine around the edges of Luna's eyes when they drew back.

"Now you two be good. Don't cause any trouble and be kind to the elves," Xenophilious instructed gently. He smiled and patted Harry's hair down in a futile attempt to tame it. Luna smirked, her own pale hair having magically transformed into a less messy cascade of blond. "Take care of each other. I love you," their father said.

"I love you too," they replied in unison.

With one last pat, their father gave them a light push toward the Hogwarts Express where a half-dozen other wizarding families were giving tearful goodbyes to their own young children. Harry took Luna's hand in his own and together they boarded the train, waving over their shoulders at Xenophilious. He waved back with a wide smile and then was overtaken by the crowd. It was the last time either of them would see him alive.

-

"Anything from the cart, dears?" An older woman asked cheerfully from the hall.

Harry glanced greedily over the many enticing treats stocking her cart, his hands rubbing together in anticipation.

"No, thank you. We've got lunches," Luna answered for them both. She held up a brown paper bag.

"Very well. I'll be down a few cars if you change your mind," the woman said with another smile. She then moved on to the next train compartment.

Harry shot his sister a dirty frown. "What did you do that for? Dad gave us our allowance, we could have gotten something."

Luna returned her bagged lunch to the bulky satchel at her side. "Don't you want to save that until the Hogsmead trip, later? I'm sure they'll be loads of stuff you want to buy then."

Not wanting to admit that she had a point, Harry crossed his arms over his chest and stuck his nose in the air. "Still." His expression turned longing. "They had chocolate frogs and I'm only two wizards away from a full deck."

Feeling a bit guilty at that admission, Luna shifted in her seat and then changed the subject. "You said you had a gift for me. What is it?"

"Maybe I don't want to give it to you anymore," Harry said petulantly.

"Haarry," she wheedled, "you said if I helped dad you would give it to me."

Deflating, the boy shoved a hand into his pocket and took out the earrings. "Here." He plopped them into her outstretched hands.

Her silver eyes widened in delight as her fingers traced the plants. "They're beautiful." She giggled happily as she popped them into her ears. She turned her head first right and then left, they swung against the side of her pale neck. "How do they look?"

"Maybe they look good, maybe you should have let me have a chocolate frog," Harry replied sulkily.

She snorted and then pulled a hand mirror out of her satchel so that she could admire them herself. "They're perfect, Harry. Thank you. I'm going to wear them everywhere."

The boy found himself smiling, caught up in her excitement. "Really?" he asked, somewhat flattered.

"Of course."

She replaced the mirror in her bag and then tapped her chin thoughtfully. After a moment her eyes lit up and she jumped to her feet. "I'm going to go use the loo."

"Oka-ay."

She left, carefully sliding the glass door closed. Harry was staring out the window at the scenery flashing past when the door slid open again. He looked over to see a young boy with unfortunate buck teeth and foppish dark hair enter the compartment. The strange boy leaned over and looked under the benches.

"Have you seen a toad. I've lost mine," the boy explained as he continued looking around.

"Nope," Harry said. "I could help you look for it though."

The boy's eyes lit up. "Really? That would be wonderful. I'm Neville, by the way. Neville Longbottom."

Harry stretched out his hand. "Harry, Harry Lovegood."

They shook hands. Neville described the toad, Trevor, and they split up to look in the rest of the compartments in the car. It didn't take them long to find Trevor eating bugs off the window in an empty compartment. Neville followed Harry back to his seat. Luna shot her brother a glare when he walked through the door.

"Where have you been?" she asked.

"This is Neville. I've been helping him find his toad," Harry introduced the boy at his side.

Mollified, the girl motioned to the bench across from her. "You can sit with us, Neville," she invited.

He shook his head shyly, clutching the croaking familiar to his chest. "I need to get back to my things. We're almost there and I've got to change into my robes. See you at the feast?" he asked hopefully.

Luna and Harry both grinned. "Of course."

Neville hurried away then and Harry slid the door closed.

"We should probably get into our own robes then," he said.

"First. I have something for you," Luna said. She reached into a pocket and pulled out two chocolate frogs. "I hope they have the cards you need."

Harry took the packages and ripped them open, studying the cards carefully. "Yes!" he whooped. "I finally have Herpo the Foul...no Circe though, but this is great. Thank's."

Luna shrugged, but looked pleased.

"Do you want one?" Harry asked, holding out a struggling chocolate frog.

She took it and they ate their treats in silence. Afterward they put on their robes and waited in tense expectation for the train to reach their destination.

-

"All first years, follow me," a huge man, holding aloft a lantern, bellowed loud enough to be heard above the excited chatter of children.

Harry and Luna joined Neville at the back of the crowd of first years.

"That's Hagrid," Neville pointed at the large man leading them. "I read he is a half-giant."

"Hm." Luna made the noncommittal sound that Harry recognized as meaning she had noticed something odd, but not unpleasant, about Hagrid. Something Harry couldn't see. He still tried, squinting in the growing twilight.

Soon they were herded down to the Black Lake and onto boats. Neville held onto Trevor, looking a bit green around the gills as they passed the middle of the lake.

"Don't you like boats?" Harry asked.

"Sure. I just can't swim...and the lake is....really deep. I mean, there's a squid in there somewhere. That means it's really deep," Neville's voice shook as he spoke.

Luna gave him a comforting smile. The one that always made Harry feel better. "Don't worry. If you fell in, the mermaids would probably eat you even if you could swim."

"Uh," Harry watched Neville swallow hard, no doubt fighting back the urge to vomit. "That wasn't really helpful, Luna."

"Oh?" She murmerd dreamily, her gray eyes taking on an almost golden shine in the torchlight.

"Yeah."

The trio fell silent so that the only sound around them was the slap of oars against water. The castle lights drew closer with every second that passed and Harry's stomach started to do flips. He glanced over at his sister, but her dreamy look was still firmly in place. He knew what it meant. She had gone somewhere else and was now seeing parts of the world that others couldn't begin to comprehend. It was something their mother used to do too...before her death.

Not wanting to think about that, Harry looked over the side of the boat into the inky waters and imagined he saw a huge shadow under the waves, tentacled arms racing behind it. Before he knew it they reached the far shore and Hagrid instructed the first years to follow him up the steep hill to the castle entrance.

-

One after another, the first years were being called up to the front of the great hall to sit on a three-legged wooden stool and get sorted by a grubby looking hat. Harry did not look forward to wearing it and grimaced in sympathy when a bushy haired girl named Hermione Granger was called forward.

"Gryffindor!" the hat roared almost immediately.

It wasn't long before Harry's own name was called. He ignored the many eyes on him and sat gingerly, ducking under the hat so that it sat nearly on his upraised shoulders.

"Hm. What have we here?" a strange voice spoke into his head. "There's plenty of courage, but intelligence and cunning as well. Oh, oh, my, that will be a surprise!"

Harry's nose scrunched up at the nonsensical rambling. "Can't I just go in the same house as my sister," Harry wondered.

"Well, that will certainly depend on what is in her mind, little one," the voice responded. "For now, you've got equal measures in all the houses so I guess it comes down to what you want."

"My dad was a Hufflepuff so that's probably a good house."

The hat chuckled, the movement unsettling. "Was he now?" It did not elaborate.

"But mom was a Ravenclaw," Harry added with a mental sigh. "Can't you just pick something good. That's your job, right?" he asked.

The hat snorted. "I like you, Harry Lovegood." It stressed the last name strangely. "I'll have to go with Gryffindor!"

A table populated with an inordinate amount of redheads gave out a shout and started clapping. Harry went to the table and sat at an empty seat next to Hermione Granger and across from a red headed boy who had been called Ronald Weasley. Harry exchanged nods and smiles with the rest of the table before turning back to the watch his sister climb the stone stair leading to the sorting chair.

Luna sat demurely and accepted the hat with a mental greeting. "It's nice to meet you."

"Well met," the hat replied heartily. "You certainly have a lot of your mother in you. I remember her mind - sharp, sharp as a snargaluff tree - and you better be Ravenclaw!"

Saddened that she wouldn't be joining her brother, Luna was still excited to see what the year would bring and she joined her clapping table with an easy smile. The Ravenclaw's wore blue and bonze ties, some of which had become infested with infant Glumbumble. She'd have to remember to offer some nettle to those students if they didn't want the useful creatures to die. An older Ravenclaw with sharp features and carefully groomed black hair studied Luna for a second before lighting on her new bottle cap necklace and smirking. He never gave her another moment's attention, but she didn't notice. She was too busy listening to a couple of third years discussing the next day's schedule.

Harry gave her a thumbs up from his table and they exchanged grins before spending the rest of the feast getting to know their new housemates. After the dinner they said goodbye to each other in the front hall and followed their respective prefects to different dorm rooms. Their first night in the castle was about to end.

-

Harry stared up at the ceiling of his bed and turned over onto his side. He heaved a sigh. It was hard to sleep without the familiar buzzing of their father's' prized nest of Billywigs to calm his racing thoughts. He wondered if his sister was getting along with her dorm mates and if she missed their father as much as he did. Squeezing his eyes closed, the boy willed himself to sleep.

-

In the girls dorm of Ravenclaw, Luna was struggling not to cry. Her prized bottle cap necklace that she had worn to the feast was missing. Her mother had given it to her when she was a young child and it was imbued with a calming charm. Trying to sleep without its lulling embrace was impossible.

Luna's chin trembled as she finally let the hot tears seep into her pillow. Her heaving sobs were silent; she didn't want to wake the others.