Luna and her Woona

Chapters

Cute Discovery in the Forest
At Hagrid's Hut
Dumbledore's Permission
First Breakfast
Woona Wuvs Kitties!
Snape meets Woona
Daddy Neville
Mr. Filth- er...I mean...Filch
Woona's First Magic
Trip to Hogsmeade
Woona Learns About You-Know-Who
GO GRYFFINDOR!!
Slughorn's Party
Post Nightmare

Cute Discovery in the Forest

It was a bright, Sunday afternoon at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. The school grounds were just as majestic to look at as ever. On one side of the grounds stood the famed Quidditch field where the famed wizard sport was played, on the other was the edge of the Dark Forest and the hut to Hogwarts' groundskeeper and Care of Magical Creatures teacher, Hagrid, and in the middle stood the gigantic castle of Hogwarts, in all its glory. The sun shone high above the towering castle, casting shadows below as students were enjoying their day off from classes. It had been only a week since the new school year started, and everyone was settled in quite nicely. All the new students were sorted into their houses, and those returning were getting used to their new year changes. One such student was a Ravenclaw 5th year by the name of Luna Lovegood.

Luna was an interesting girl. She wasn't like any other, but it didn't bother her. She would always talk about creatures nobody knows of, like Nargles and Wackspurts, wore the most peculiar set of trinkets, including radish earrings and small bells in her long, blonde hair, and always talked like she was in her own little world, which a lot of people thought she was. They'd be right. Luna didn't care though. She didn't care about fitting in or being like everyone else. She had her own style, and she was proud of it. She was also exceptionally bright, earning good marks in all of her classes, and also had an uncanny knowledge of magical creatures. Yes, it would seem that Luna Lovegood had a perfectly abnormal life as only one as Luna Lovegood could have. Truly, there was nothing that could make her life even more abnormal than it already was.

Or so was thought.

On this particular day, Luna had decided to enjoy the day off by taking a relaxing walk around the grounds. As she skipped down the cobblestone path towards the edge of the woods, Luna hummed a happy tune and looked around at the birds soaring through the clear skies. Before she passed the Whomping Willow, a very old and aggressive tree, she suddenly heard her name.

"Luna! Wait up!"

Luna stopped and turned around to find three of her good friends, Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, and Hermione Granger, running to catch up with her. Luna smiled as they approached.

"Hello, everyone. You have a free period too?"

"That's right," Harry replied as he huffed for air. "W-we saw you down here and thought we'd join you."

"That's nice," Luna said. "It is a lovely day for a walk. Well, c'mon then."

As they walked, Hermione started to go on about how she has already started studying for her NEWTs examinations, which resulted in Ron reminding her NEWTs weren't until their final year, which, in turn, resulted in Hermione reminding Ron not to procrastinate, which, in turn, resulted in Ron rolling his eyes and groaning. That seemed to happen a lot between Ron and Hermione, clashing their personalities like two stags fighting over a doe, and Harry was always caught in the middle of it, mostly having to choose a side. Didn't help much, seeing how he mostly sided with Ron, making Hermione huff with annoyance. Same routine as always. Luna didn't get involved though. Luna was more of a listener than a talker, and to listen to a silly argument from Ron and Hermione was, in and of itself, an enjoyable experience. By the time the group had reached the forest, Harry had changed the subject to the upcoming Quidditch season.

Just then, as the four made their way along the edge of the woods, Luna heard something. It almost sounded like something small, almost like a mouse, was crying. Of course, Luna had never heard of a mouse crying before, but the sound of anything crying made Luna feel bad. It sounded like it was coming from inside the woods. Luna instantly stopped as she peered through the trees, trying to pinpoint the sound, but it suddenly ceased. Her stop didn't go unnoticed as Harry and the others walked up to her.

"Luna?" Harry asked. "What's wr-"

"Shh!" Luna said sharply, putting a finger to her mouth. Everything around them went quiet as Luna tried to listen for the sound again. After a few seconds, she heard it again. It definitely sounded like something small was crying. Curious, Luna started making her way into the forest, letting her ears lead the way. Harry looked at Ron and Hermione, who shrugged with confusion, and the three followed Luna.

"What're you looking for?" Ron asked quietly.

"I heard something crying," Luna replied. "I want to find it, and comfort it."

The three exchanged confused looks again.

"You don't even know what it is," Hermione said. "What if it's something dangerous?"

"Then if I comfort it, it won't attack me," Luna answered. Hermione was about to register another protest, but Luna stopped and put her finger to her mouth again. The sound was closer. Much closer. She looked around, trying to hear where the sound was the strongest. It sounded like it was coming from a large patch of bushes off to her right. As she slowly approached them, the crying became louder, proving her theory was right. Harry and the others watched as Luna slowly knelt down and parted the branches to look inside.

Suddenly, a high-pitched but soft squeak echoed around them, making the three jump. At first they thought that it came from Luna, but she was just frozen in place, her eyes a bit wider than usual and her mouth slightly ajar. Curiosity took over them as they walked over to her. Before they could ask, Luna looked up at them. She looked like she just witnessed something truly amazing. Luna put her finger to her mouth again and motioned the others to look inside. Slowly, the others knelt down beside her and looked inside the bushes. Harry's eyes grew wide as Ron let out a small gasp and Hermione covered her mouth in awe at what they saw.

Inside the bushes was, what looked like, a little winged unicorn, no bigger than a full-grown cat, with indigo fur and a short, blue mane. It was wearing a small, dark blue, almost black, tiara and a collar of the same color with a white, crescent moon on it. It was covering its face with its hooves, presumably with fear, and trembling as little whimpers escaped its mouth. Everyone was speechless. They had never seen a creature such as this. Though they have seen multiple unicorns of different colors, they had never seen one with wings, nor any that could whimper and curl itself into a fetal position. The four glanced from one another back to the scared, little creature for a minute. Finally, one of them spoke.

"What...is it?" Ron whispered.

"I don't know," Hermione replied, equally quiet. "I have never seen anything like it before. It's so small, so odd, so..."

"Adorable," Luna sighed as she neared the bushes, her head pushed up against the tiny leaves. Taking another step in action, Luna started to reach her arms straight into the bushes towards the creature. It lowered its hooves slightly and peeked out from behind curiously, but squeaked again and covered its face at the sight of Luna's approaching hands.

"It's alright, little one," Luna said softly. "I'm not going to hurt you. I just want to get you out of there." Just as she said that, her hands had reached their destination and wrapped themselves around the little one's midsection. Instantly, the creature let out a frightened shriek as it was carefully pulled out of the bushes. It started to squirm, its tiny wings fluttering like mad as it tried to escape Luna's grasp, but with no luck. Even with the creature resisting, Luna was very careful to not let it scratch against the sharp branches. After some maneuvering, Luna had finally managed to get the squirming and squealing creature out of its leafy prison. Harry, Ron, and Hermione took a step back as they watched the creature continue to try and break free, its hooves still covering its face in fear. Luna, however, smiled softly and brought the creature to her chest, as if she was trying to cradle it.

"Shhh," she started to say as she reached up with one hand and stroked at the little one's mane. "It's okay. It's alright." This continued on for a few minutes, but then the squirming started to die down. The others were glued to the scene, their eyes wide with amazement, and their mouths slightly ajar. After it had calmed down, the little one finally took its hooves away from its face and looked up at Luna. Its eyes were so big, bright, and teal. From the look of them, the creature was definitely female. Tears were glistening off its big eyes as it stared confusingly at Luna, its head tilted slightly. Luna smiled softly and stroked its mane some more. Everyone watched to see what would happen next. How would the little creature react next? Pretty soon, their question was answered. The little one's mouth curled into a smile as she leaned her head up against Luna and wrapped her hooves around her as far as it could reach in a hug. Luna's smile widened.

"There now, see?" she said sweetly. "There's nothing to worry about. I'm here."

"Amazing!" Hermione gasped. Luna jumped a bit. She had completely forgotten the others were still there. She motioned for them to come closer, which they did slowly. The creature heard their footsteps and turned its head to see the others coming towards her. She quickly squeaked again and burrowed its head in Luna's chest, grasping at her tighter.

"It's ok, little one," Luna said reassuringly. The creature looked up at her. "These are my friends. They're nice." Harry, Ron, and Hermione all gathered around the creature as it glanced at each of them, its eyes continuously blinking with curiosity.

"That was bloody brilliant!" Ron exclaimed. "How did you do that?"

"I knew she was just scared," Luna replied. "Sometimes, gentleness is the best way to go by things."

"Well, one thing's for sure," Harry said, "you did a bang-up job, Luna."

As soon as Harry had said that, the creature's ears and head suddenly perked up, almost as if she had heard something familiar.

"Did you see that?" Harry said surprisingly. "Seems she has some kind of reaction for the name Luna!" The creature's ears perked up again as she looked back up at Luna confusingly.

"My name's Luna," she said. "What's your name?"

Hermione sighed. "Luna, I don't think this one is capable of actual talking. I mean, normal unicorns can't-"

"W-W-Woona."

Hermione stopped instantly, a shocked expression appearing on her face at the sound of the childlike voice from the creature. Harry and Ron stood there, their faces equally shocked. The creature could actually talk! Luna, however, was unfazed, and just continued smiling at the creature, as if this was completely normal for her.

"Hello, Woona. It's so nice to meet you," she greeted, holding Woona up to meet her at eye level. She then stuck out her nose and nuzzled it affectionately against Woona's muzzle. Woona let out a soft giggle and reached her hooves up to touch Luna's face, which in turn made Luna start giggling. The others' faces did not change.

"So much for that theory, Hermione," Ron said finally with a smirk. Hermione shot him a look before turning back to the giggling duo.

"Ok," she said, "so she's not a unicorn. Then...what is she?" She squinted her eyes towards Woona, as if she was trying to see right through her and find the answer somewhere inside of her.

"Isn't it obvious?" Luna asked as she lowered Woona back down to her chest. "She's an alicorn."

The three looked at each other again, even more confused than before. "A what?"

"An alicorn. A hybrid between a unicorn and a pegasus."

"Wouldn't take technically make it a pegacorn?" Ron asked. Woona suddenly turned towards Ron with a sour expression, stuck out her tongue, and blew a raspberry right in his direction. Ron backed up a bit, with eyes wide with surprise, as Harry, Hermione, and Luna started laughing.

"I think even Woona thinks that's a stupid name, Ron," Harry chortled. Ron blushed and rubbed the back of his neck, chuckling along with them. Woona just smiled as she clutched to Luna's chest, nuzzling under her neck, and humming happily. Luna hummed back and stroked Woona's mane yet again.

"She's definitely has taken a liking to you, Luna," Harry said at last. "What do you think with should do with her?" Luna stared at him, her head tilted with confusion. "I mean, obviously we can't just leave her here, but I don't think she's going to be welcomed in the school." Luna's smile faded a bit. Harry was right. An alicorn wasn't on the list of pets that were permitted at Hogwarts. There was a good chance that if she tried to keep Woona there, the little one would probably be labeled as a wild creature and asked to be removed from the grounds, and even worse, back to the forest. Luna looked down at the happy alicorn, now adorably nibbling on her hand. Luna smiled again. She was planning on doing whatever it took to make this little one happy.

There was a moment of silence as the four thought, until Hermione loudly gasped, making the others jump suddenly.

"I got it!" she exclaimed. "Hagrid! We can take Woona to Hagrid! Surely he could think of what to do with her, and maybe even answer some questions about her species!"

"Of course!" Harry replied. "What about it, Luna?"

Luna looked back down at Woona, who looked back up at her with a bright smile. "Alright," she said as she looked back up. "Hagrid's it is."

With their minds made up, Harry, Ron, and Hermione made their way out of the forest and back to the stone path with Luna following close behind, now holding Woona like a doll; facing out with her back legs dangling. Woona looked up at Luna with curious eyes as they walked back into the sun.

"Don't worry, Woona," Luna said sweetly. "We're just taking you to meet Hagrid. He'll be able to help."

"Ha...ha..." Woona staggered with the pronunciation , like a toddler trying to learn it's first words. "H-Haggid."

Luna chuckled. "That's right. Hagrid. Mr. Hagrid is very nice, and I'm sure he's going to love you."

At Hagrid's Hut

"Hagrid?" Harry called as he knocked on the front door of Hagrid's hut. "Are you there? It's Harry!"

"Jus' a minute!" Hagrid's gruff voice called from inside.

As the four stood there waiting, Woona was looking around wildly at the area surrounding the hut, clearly amazed by the size of everything. Luna giggled as Woona whipped her head in all directions, her face being tickled by Woona's mane brushing it as she turned. Obviously, Woona hadn't seen anything outside the forest. Pretty soon, the door opened, and out stepped Hagrid with his big stature and bushy beard and hair.

"'Ello, all!" he greeted kindly. "What are you lot doin' here?"

"We need your help, Hagrid," Harry responded. "Luna found this creature in the forest, and we thought you could help us with it." Ron and Hermione nodded and stepped aside so Hagrid could see. As soon as Hagrid looked at Woona, his eyes went wide and opened his mouth in surprise. Woona, however, squealed at the sight of the giant of a man and covered her eyes again, quaking with fear. Luna quickly started to stroke her mane again, calming her down a bit.

"Don't worry, Woona," Luna said softly. "This is Hagrid. He's nice too." At the reassuring words, Woona lowered her hooves and looked up at Hagrid's amazed face. Hagrid slowly walked up to her and knelt down.

"Well I'll be," Hagrid gasped. Woona looked right into his eyes, still with the hint of caution. Hagrid smiled sweetly. "'Ello there, little one," he said as he reached out a plump finger towards Woona. At first, Woona flinched back towards Luna, but then eyed the finger curiously. Then, Hagrid reached forward more and poked softly against Woona's belly. Woona's attitude changed immediately as she giggled. Hagrid smiled even wider and poked her again. Another giggle escaped the creature as she squirmed to try and escape the ticklish torture. The others watched on with growing smiles.

After a few more seconds, Woona, still giggling, reached up with her hooves and took Hagrid's finger between them. "Haggid!" she said cheerfully.

Hagrid's smile widened in amazement. "That's right!" he said as Woona played with his finger. "Aren't you a knowledgeable, little tyke!"

"Hagrid," Hermione started, "we were hoping you could tell us what she is."

Hagrid stood back up while keeping his finger down at Woona, who was now sucking on it happily. "Don' know," he said. "Never seen a creature like this before. At first I thought it was a baby unicorn, but they can' talk." He looked back down at Woona and smiled again. "She really is somethin' though. You said you found her in the forest?"

"Yeah," Ron nodded. "She was all alone in a bush. Looked scared out of her wits."

"And there was no sight of bigger ones around?" Hagrid asked.

All four shook their heads. Hagrid sighed and patted Woona's head, his hand almost engulfing it entirely. "Poor little thing. Probably got separated from its parents, or maybe worse." The others looked down at the happy creature again with sad expressions. Hagrid had a point. Woona may have just lost her parents in a tragic accident, or some wild animal killed them. Either way, it was sad to even think about it.

"Hagrid," Hermione continued, trying to perk up, "since Woona probably wouldn't be allowed up at the school, do you think you could take care of her? After all, you are the best candidate for the job. Who else to take care of a magical creature than the Care of Magical Creatures teacher?" Harry and Ron nodded while Luna just smiled. Hagrid looked back down at Woona, who looked back at him with a big, adorable smile on her face. He then glanced from Luna to the others, who wore pleading faces. After looking back at Woona, Hagrid smiled.

"Well o' course I'll help," he said gleefully. "I'm always willin' to help out a creature in need. I'm sure I can find stuff for her to eat, a spot for her to sleep. She'll be fine!"

Harry, Ron, and Hermione's faces lit up.

"Thank you, Hagrid," Harry said. "That helps us a great deal."

"Hear that, Luna?" Hermione asked, walking up to Luna. "Woona will be safe with Hagrid. You don't have to worry about it." But Luna didn't respond. She didn't even move. She just stood there, looking down at the happy alicorn, who was looking back at her with those big eyes. The expression on Luna's face was almost...grim. It almost looked like she didn't want to hear that news. Hermione, noticing this, looked back at the others with a concerned expression. She turned back and said softly, "Luna?"

"W-what?" Luna asked, shaking her head slightly and returning to the present.

"Hagrid will take Woona off your hands," Hermione repeated. "You won't have to worry about her."

Luna looked up at Hagrid, who was smiling softly and holding out his hands to take Woona.

"Oh," she said, sounding almost sorrowfully. "Right." She then raised Woona to meet her at eye level. Woona giggled at the sensation of rising and took Luna's head between her hooves. Luna smiled as she leaned in and nuzzled Woona's muzzle against her nose. When she leaned back, it seemed that a tear had trickled down Luna's cheek, though she was still smiling. Harry, Ron, and Hermione looked at each other with concern.

"I'll come and visit you, ok?" Luna said, her voice cracking a bit. Woona's smile faded as she looked at Luna curiously. "Now you be good for Mr. Hagrid." Then, after another few seconds of just looking at her, Luna handed Woona over to Hagrid, who cradled her in his gigantic arms.

Woona instantly started to whimper. Eyes still locked on Luna, Woona started to reach for her, her eyes filling with tears. Luna turned back as she felt her eyes start to water as well. Hermione quickly placed a comforting hand on Luna's shoulder.

"We better get back up to the castle," Ron said. The others nodded and started to walk back up the path to the school, Hermione's hand still on Luna's shoulder. Luna looked back to see Woona still whimpering and stretching her front legs out, trying to reach for her. Luna gave a loud sniff and turned back around, wiping her eyes.

Suddenly, there was a loud sound that made the others jump. It almost sounded like someone shooting a blast of magic through their wand. The second it went off, they heard Hagrid behind them, gasping loudly. They were about to turn around as ask what had happened, when another blast sounded and Luna looked down to see Woona had returned to her arms, clutching at her chest, and still whimpering. Everyone's eyes widened surprisingly.

"Did Woona just...apparate?" Harry asked, astonished.

"Th-th-that's impossible!" Hermione stuttered. "Nothing can apparate or disapparate within the castle grounds!"

Everyone turned back around to see Hagrid running up to them, looking just as surprised as they were. They then looked back at Woona, who had calmed down and was nuzzling her head under Luna's chin.

"Don' know what happened!" Hagrid said, eyes still wide with shock. "I was about to walk back into me hut, when I noticed Woona's horn startin' to glow. Before I could figure it out, she had vanished!" He then pointed to Woona. "In any case, it seems that she wants to stick with you, Luna."

Luna looked back down at Woona, who wrapped her front legs around as far as they could go in a hug and rested her head on Luna's chest, sighing with content. Luna's face broke into another smile. If Woona didn't want to go back into the forest, and if she didn't want to stay at Hagrid's, then there was only one logical thing to do.

"I'll have to take care of her then," Luna announced. She turned to the others, who all wore surprised looks, mostly for her decision. Hermione was about to protest, but Luna spoke first. "I'm going to go see Professor Dumbledore. I'm going to ask him if I can be Woona's caretaker until further notice."

"And if he can't allow it?" Ron asked. Luna paused for a moment, glancing back at Woona, who was now humming happily and chewing on Luna's hair.

"One step at a time," Luna said. "All I know is that this little one chose me. She needs me, and I'll do anything it takes to make sure that I'm there for her." The tone in her voice was one that the others haven't heard from her before. Normally, Luna sounded laid-back, almost completely mellow all the time, but now? Now she sounded determined. Almost like this was a mission that she needed to do, and she wouldn't back down for anything or anyone.

After a brief pause, Hermione spoke again. At first, everyone thought that she was just going to protest again, but surprisingly, she said softly, "Do you want us to go with you?"

"No, no," Luna replied, waving her hand. "I need to do this alone. I'll see the rest of you later." She waved goodbye to the others, and started up the path towards the school again, looking more determined than ever. Maybe she didn't understand where Woona came from, or why the two connected so well, but one thing was for sure; Woona needed Luna, and Luna was planning on doing everything to make sure that she was there for Woona. As she hurried along towards the long bridge, Woona swayed from side to side in her arms, giggling at the ride. Luna smiled.

"Don't worry, Woona," she said strongly. "I won't let anything happen to you. I promise!"

Dumbledore's Permission

As Luna hurried through the castle doors and up the grand staircase, she caught the eyes of several students as she passed. Though she faintly heard gasps and murmurs about Woona, she didn't waste any time to explain. Even some of the portraits on the walls and ghosts were glancing at her, their eyes directly on the small creature she was holding. Woona, all the while, was looking around at everything she could take in, her big, curious eyes darting left and right, up and down. Her mouth was in the shape of an O with surprise and at the new surroundings. Her curiosity was broken for a second to squeal slightly at the sight of Nearly Headless Nick, the Gryffindor House ghost, as he floated nearby. After that though, Woona started to get used to seeing ghosts and just went back to eyeing everything with awe.

Luna had just arrived on the third floor when a small group of Slytherin students were walking towards her, talking among themselves. Not paying attention to them, Luna accidentally brushed one of them as she passed.

"Hey, Lovegood! Watch it!"

Luna stopped and turned around. The Slytherin that she had brushed was 6th year, Draco Malfoy, a rather stuck-up student. He was with his friends, Vincent Crabbe, Gregory Goyle, and Pansy Parkinson, who were glaring at Luna along with Malfoy.

"Sorry, Draco," Luna said, bowing her head slightly with apology. "I was just going to-"

"Hold on," Malfoy interrupted. It appeared that they were no longer glaring at Luna, but gaping at Woona, who was looking at them with a tilted head. Malfoy sneered and pointed at her. "What the blazes is that?"

“This is Woona,” Luna replied, though rather coldly from Malfoy’s look of disgust, as she pulled Woona closer. “She’s an alicorn. I found her in the forest.” Malfoy let of a snort, which was followed by a chuckle from Crabbe and Goyle. Pansy, on the other hand, didn’t laugh. On the contrary, she stepped closer, eyes full of wonder, and leaned down to look Woona in the face. She stayed there for a second before Woona gave a cute giggle and waved happily to Pansy.

“Aww!” Pansy squealed delightfully as she clutched at her heart. “She’s adorable!”

A gruff, forced cough broke the moment as Pansy looked behind her to see Malfoy glaring at her annoyingly. Wiping the smile off her face, she backed away from Woona to behind Malfoy and muttered, “Well she is!”

Malfoy ignored her and continued on Luna. He stepped forward, but only slightly and gazed upon the tiny alicorn in Luna’s arms, who smiled sweetly. Malfoy leaned back in disgust.

“Ugh,” he sneered as he continued to glare at Woona. “I can’t believe you would bring that dirty thing into the castle! Wouldn’t be surprised if it had rabies.” Luna’s brow furrowed and she opened her mouth to retort. Before she did, however, Woona stuck her tongue out and blew a raspberry right at Malfoy, who flinched backward with shock.

“What the-” Malfoy spat, recovering his posture. “Did that thing just blow a raspberry at me?” Luna nodded with a smirk as Woona stuck out her lower lip in defiance. Crabbe, Goyle, and Pansy tried to hide their snickers from Malfoy, but failed, and received dirty looks from him.

Malfoy turned back to Woona and growled, “Dirty, little monster!” He then reached into his robe and pulled out his wand, pointing it directly at Woona’s head. Woona let out a terrified squeak and buried her head against Luna’s chest, her hooves covering her eyes. Within a split second, Luna had used her free hand to retrieve the wand out of her pocket and pointed it angrily at Malfoy.

“Draco! Don’t you dare!” she scolded. Malfoy’s arm didn’t lower as he stared daggers from Luna to Woona. Crabbe, Goyle, and Pansy had all taken a step back, not knowing what was going to happen.

“What’s all this then?”

The strict, familiar voice echoed around the corridor. The Slytherins jumped at the voice, but Luna stood her ground and calmly put her wand back into her pocket. Professor McGonagall, head of Gryffindor house and Deputy Headmistress, was walking up to them from behind Malfoy. Her lips were pursed and her eyes were glaring at the students from behind her spectacles.

Malfoy quickly shoved his wand back into his robe and turned around just as McGonagall made her way up to the group.

“Professor! Lovegood brought in a creature from the forest!” Malfoy said quickly.

“What’re you talking-” McGonagall stopped when she looked at Luna, or, more specifically, what she was holding. Her eyes suddenly grew wide as she drew closer to Luna. Out of curiosity, Woona peeked her head out from behind her hooves and looked up at McGonagall. The two stared at each other as the students watched on. Finally, McGonagall spoke.

“Upon my word!” She sounded intrigued as she examined Woona closer. “What is that?”

“Professor McGonagall,” Luna said suddenly, “I need to speak with Professor Dumbledore.” McGonagall straightened up a bit, rather annoyed that her question was not answered. She raised an eyebrow as she studied the student. Luna continued. “It’s a matter of Woona!”

McGonagall raised the other eyebrow. “Woona?”

“This little one,” Luna replied, holding up Woona to the professor’s eye level. Woona squeaked a bit, but didn’t squirm. “Woona, this is Professor McGonagall.”

Woona stared at McGonagall for a minute before giggling and happily shouting, “McGoggle!” McGonagall’s eyebrows shot straight up as she gasped slightly. She didn’t look frightened, but rather surprised. Woona, however, continued to smile and even stretched out to try and touch the professor.

“Please, professor,” Luna continued, “May I speak with Dumbledore?” McGonagall glanced from Luna, to Woona, to the Slytherins, who weren’t moving a muscle. It was clear from her expression that she was calculating what to do and what the right course of action would be.

Finally, McGonagall straightened up to her full height, turned, and started off down the corridor. Before Luna could wonder what was going on, McGonagall stopped, and, without turning around, said “Follow me, Lovegood.”

Luna smiled slightly and turned to follow. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Malfoy sneer and walk down the stairs, followed closely by the others. As Luna followed McGonagall down the hallway, more students and portraits turned to glance at Woona, who was smiling contently in Luna’s grasp and swaying her dangling legs back and forth. Both Luna and McGonagall paid no attention to the stares as they continued through the halls. McGonagall said nothing, aside from the occasional, “Excuse me,” to students in her path. Luna would glance down at Woona, who looked back up with a smile. At least she was having a good time.

Finally, McGonagall turned into an empty classroom. More technically, her classroom. She then stood in front of the opened door and motioned Luna inward. Luna complied instantly. As soon as she was in, McGonagall turned to leave.

“Wait in here please,” she said, and she was off again.

Luna looked around the empty room. She and the other Ravenclaws would be back in here on Monday for third period with the Hufflepuffs. She looked down at Woona again and smiled. Woona was whipping her head back and forth, hastily looking at all the new scenery the room had to offer, her eyes wide with curiosity. Chuckling softly, Luna walked up to McGonagall’s desk at the front of the room and placed Woona on top. As soon as Luna let go, Woona instantly stood up and walked around, still looking in all directions. She took a break from looking around when she saw the ink bottle and quill at the corner of the desk and leaned down to sniff it. She went too far though, as her muzzle disappeared into the bottle, only to be jerked up, completely black with ink.

Luna giggled as Woona wrinkled her muzzle. Her eyes went cross as she stared at the ink. Luna sighed as she reached in her pocket for her wand again and pointed it at Woona.

“Scourgify!”

A small jet of soapy water shot towards Woona’s muzzle and cleaned it instantly. Woona’s eyes widened again as she continued to stare where the ink used to be. She then looked back up at Luna, smiled, and trotted up toward her. When she reached the edge of the desk, she stood up on her hind legs and reached out for Luna.

“Uppie!” she squeaked.

Luna’s smile widened as she reached down and picked up the little alicorn. She then cradled her like a baby and started to tickle Woona’s tummy, which brought her into a giggle fit as she squirmed. Luna just couldn’t stop smiling.

“Don’t worry, Woona,” she said when Woona’s giggling finally died down. “Professor Dumbledore’s a good man. He’ll be able to help!” Woona said nothing, but tilted her head a bit, her eyes blinking innocently. Luna just took that as an understanding. After a few more minutes of waiting, the door opened again, and Luna straightened up. In walked McGonagall and following behind her, with a long beard of white and half-moon spectacles, was Professor Dumbledore.

“Hello, Miss Lovegood,” he greeted kindly after he had closed the door. McGonagall had placed herself next to her desk, her eyes glancing from Luna to Woona, and her face unreadable. Dumbledore, however, wore a casual smile as he walked up to Luna. Woona’s eyes widened as she stared at the man with the long beard and hair with a tilted, curious head.

“Professor, I-” Luna started, but Dumbledore raised his hand, stopping her immediately.

“Professor McGonagall has already informed me of your friend,” he said calmly. He then looked down at Woona and smiled sweetly. “Hello there, little one.” He reached out his long fingers toward Woona, who didn’t flinch at all, and placed them on her head. Woona instantly relaxed her eyes and leaned her head up to Dumbledore’s hand with a smile. Dumbledore gently ran his hand along her head and down to her cheek, like he was petting a cat. Woona didn’t mind at all, and even giggled when Dumbledore tickled her chin. Luna and McGonagall just watched in amazement.

“Dubbydore!” Woona proclaimed happily as she pressed her head harder into his hand. Dumbledore’s eyes twinkled as he smiled.

“Rather informative, isn’t she?” he said to Luna, who nodded slightly.

“Albus,” McGonagall intervened suddenly, “I’ve never seen anything like it! What is it?”

“An alicorn, I believe,” Dumbledore answered, now stroking Woona’s mane. McGonagall blinked confusingly, which made Dumbledore chuckle softly. “They are a combination of all three types of horses; earth horses, unicorns, and pegasi.” He looked back at Woona, who was now holding his fingers between her tiny hooves. “They are rare, but not unheard of by some.” He turned to Luna. “Wherever did you find her, Miss Lovegood?”

“In the forest,” Luna answered. “She was all by herself, alone and scared. I couldn’t just leave her there. I tried to take her to Hagrid-”

“Ah yes,” Dumbledore said, stroking his beard with his free hand. “Hagrid does have a keen connection with magical creatures, of course.”

“-but she wanted to stay with me,” Luna continued. “Professor, I can’t take her back. She needs me. May I please take care of her? At least until she’s ready to be on her own. Please, sir?”

Dumbledore looked at Luna, his eyes deep with thought, and glanced back to Woona, still smiling innocently. He stared at the alicorn, almost as if he were trying to stare into her inner soul, though his eyes were calm. After poking Woona playfully in the muzzle, he removed his hand from her grasp, resulting in a playful pout from the little one, walked across to the door, and stared out the window, stroking his beard in thought.

“Albus?” McGonagall said softly. Dumbledore continued to stare out the door, not saying anything out loud, but a faint muttering under his breath could be heard in the silence of the room. Even Woona wasn’t making a sound. Luna clutched Woona tighter to her chest as she stared at the professor. After what seemed like a lifetime, Dumbledore, without turning around, finally spoke.

“Do you believe in fate, Minerva?”

McGonagall straightened in surprise, rather taken aback by the question, but answered, “I...don’t know, sir.”

Dumbledore hummed in acknowledgment and turned around. His expression was light, which gave Luna some hope.

“I believe that everything happens for a reason,” he said as he walked back to Luna, “that there is no such thing as mere coincidence. Everything serves a purpose and nothing is just by chance.” He looked back down at Woona, who smiled sweetly back up at him. “It is my belief that Miss Lovegood finding Woona was not by chance, but for a reason. In short, it’s her fate. It would be most unwise to go against fate, wouldn’t you say?” He then looked back up at Luna with twinkling eyes and smiled. Luna’s heart gave a leap.

“So, does that mean…”

“Yes, Miss Lovegood,” Dumbledore nodded, “You may take care of Woona, until the appropriate time comes to take her back to the forest.”

“Oh thank you, sir!” Luna said happily as she clutched Woona lovingly against her. Woona must’ve understood, because she started giggling cheerfully. Dumbledore’s smile widened.

“Minerva,” McGonagall straightened up as Dumbledore turned to her, “could you inform the other teachers about Miss Lovegood’s privilege, please?”

“Right away, sir,” McGonagall answered calmly. She then started for the door. Before she left though, she turned back to Luna and said in a firm voice, “Lovegood, I just want to remind you that I do not want you to falter on your studies because of this. I needn’t remind you that this is your O.W.Ls year. I don’t want to hear that your grades are falling. Understand?”

“Of course, Professor,” Luna nodded. McGonagall nodded back and walked out of the room.

“Splendid,” Dumbledore said with a clap. “Now, I think the little one might be hungry.” He reached down and rubbed Woona’s tummy, making her giggle some more. “It’s about dinnertime. Why don’t you take her to the Great Hall for some food?”

“I will,” Luna said happily, and headed for the door. She then turned around and bowed her head slightly. “Thank you again, sir!” Dumbledore nodded and Luna turned to leave.

“Bye-bye!” Woona called over her shoulder as she waved to “Dubbydore.” Luna chuckled cheerfully as she walked down the corridor toward the Great Hall.

It didn’t take long for the news of Woona to spread throughout the school. Apparently there were some ghosts listening in on the meeting and spread the word to more ghosts, who told some portraits, who told a student, who told more students and so on and so forth. By dinnertime, almost half the school was informed about the rare creature that Luna Lovegood had found in the forest.

At dinner, students from all the houses weren’t even focused on their own meals, but glued to the sight of the little, blue alicorn, chewing happily on a salad from Luna’s plate. Even some of the teachers found themselves constantly looking up from their own meals. Almost all the conversations going on that night were about Luna and her “Woona.” The reactions were varied, with some students finding Woona fascinating, but others, like the majority of Slytherins, seeing her as a nuisance. Luna didn’t mind though. She just sat there, giggling as Woona messily dug into some ice cream straight from the platter. Some students, mainly girls, came up to her just to fawn over how cute Woona was. Luna had never been so popular before, nor had she been asked so many questions. Woona, at first, was shy to all the new faces, but grew quite fond of all the attention. Whenever she would say “Hi,” all the girls would go, “Awwwwww.” It wasn’t until McGonagall told them to return to their seats that Luna was finally alone again.

After dinner, Luna took a full and drowsy Woona up to the Ravenclaw Common Room, where she grabbed a spare blanket, found a good seat by the fireplace, and sat down, holding Woona in the blanket. All the Ravenclaws had finally returned to the room, and after some more fawning over the tired little one, they all went to their dorms for bed. Luna was all that was left in the room. Nothing could be heard but the faint crackle of the fireplace. Luna said nothing, but continue to rock Woona back and forth.

“You’ve had a long day, Woona,” she said softly. "You must be tired.” Woona confirmed that with a heavy yawn. Luna smiled softly.

“Hello, Luna,” came a voice from behind. Luna turned her head to see fellow Ravenclaw, Padma Patil, a 6th year with a twin sister named Parvati in Gryffindor. Luna smiled as Padma walked to beside her.

“Hello, Padma,” Luna greeted.

“I had heard about your special privilege from Parvati,” Padma said. “I wanted to see her for myself, but I didn’t get a chance at dinner.” She then looked down at the half-awake Woona. “She’s so cute!” Woona noticed Padma, who waved, and giggled tiredly.

“She seems to like you, Padma,” Luna said. Padma chuckled. After looking at Woona for another minute, Padma turned to leave.

“You know, it’s funny,” she said suddenly, turning around again. “Seeing you like this, holding that little one in your arms like that, it’s almost looks like you’re her mama.”

Luna giggled softly. “You think so?”

“That’s what it looks like!” Padma replied. “I’m going to bed. See you tomorrow, Mama Luna!” Then, with a small chuckle, Padma turned and made her way up the stairs to the dorms.

“Goodnight, Padma,” Luna called softly before turning back to Woona. As she continued to rock the little alicorn, she found herself humming a tune her own mother would sing to her at night. It seemed to work, for Woona’s eyes grew heavier and heavier until they had finally shut. Luna smiled as she looked at the sleeping innocent in her arms.

“Mama Luna, huh?” she wondered aloud. “I like the sound of that. What do you think?”

Woona stirred a bit as her mouth opened to speak. “M-m-m-” she then let out another yawn before, “Mama.”

Luna’s smile widened. “I thought so.” She then leaned down and kissed the little alicorn on the forehead, resulting in a content hum from her. “Goodnight, Woona. Pleasant dreams.”

And with that, Luna soon followed in drifting off to sleep with her Woona happily dreaming in her arms.

First Breakfast

"Move it! I want to see!"

"Wait your turn!"

"She is so precious!"

"Wherever did you find her?"

"I want one!"

A large crowd of students was gathered around Luna the next morning at breakfast, trying to look at the new creature they had heard about. Luna didn't even get a chance to pour a goblet of orange juice. The second she sat down at a table, she was instantly bombarded by curious students who had heard the news of Luna and her "Woona." While the boys were pretty tame with their interest, the girls were going crazy, fawning over the little alicorn smiling and waving at them. All kinds of baby-talk was echoing throughout the Great Hall. At first, Luna thought that all the attention would be too much for Woona to handle, but she was quickly proven wrong, as Woona happily welcomed it. She was smiling from ear to ear as she waved to the onlookers and kept saying, "Hi!"

"Alright," said a loud voice in the crowd. "Shove off, the lot of ya! Show's over! Nothing to see here!"

Luna looked as Ron shoved his way through the crowd to the table, followed closely by Harry and Hermione. Slowly, but surely, the crowd dispersed back to their tables, with some of the female students shooting rotten looks at Ron. Finally, the noise had returned to its usual chatter. Luna sighed and scooped up some eggs and sausage onto her plate as the three sat down around her.

"Good morning, everyone," she said mellowly, as if nothing had happened.

"Good morning, Luna," the three replied, grabbing plates of their own.

"Goo' mornin'" Woona happily greeted. Hermione chuckled and poked Woona's muzzle playfully, resulting in a giggle from the alicorn.

"Hermione, don't you start too," Ron said as he piled toast onto his plate. "I had enough of squealing girls for today, thank you."

Hermione rolled her eyes and patted Woona's head before reaching for the eggs. As soon as Luna had filled her plate, she placed a piece of toast in front of Woona, who sniffed it cautiously before ripping off a corner with her teeth.

"Looks like Woona's quite the celebrity," Harry chuckled. "I haven't seen huge crowds like that since the Triwizard Tournament."

"I know," Luna responded as she watched Woona lap up orange juice from her goblet. "She's come out of her shell a bit more though. She's done nothing but smile and wave at everyone in the crowd." She then started stroking Woona's mane as Woona continued her toast happily. "I think she likes the attention."

"'As sche go' inoo any trouber 'et?" Ron asked with a mouth full of sausage, accidentally spitting some onto Hermione.

"No. No trouble," Luna responded nonchalantly. "I think she might have a liking for cats, though. She was chasing Cho Chang's around the Common Room when I woke up. My guess is she was trying to snuggle it to death."

"Any chance of letting her meet Crookshanks?" Ron asked jokingly. Hermione huffed and elbowed him as Harry chuckled softly. Luna smiled and took a sip of her juice before giving the rest to Woona, who gulped it happily.

"I see she's also able to eat regular food," Hermione added. "It must be nice not having to worry about acquiring special animal feed for her."

"It is rather nice," Luna nodded, chewing on some eggs in the process. "Last night, when we got to the Common Room, she had her first Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Bean." Luna snickered softly, placing a hand to her mouth. "It was Radish. Let's just say I don't think she'll be eating them again soon." The others laughed along with her. Woona must've understood what she was talking about, because when Luna said that, she stopped and wrinkled her nose in disgust.

"Yucky!" she said, sticking out her tongue.

"I rest my case," Luna chuckled as everyone returned to their food

As they ate, Woona stopped to take a quick look around the rest of the spread on the table. Her head came to a halt when it came to the jar of marmalade next to the platter of toast. Tilting her head, she trotted up to it and stared at the contents inside. The others watched curiously as Woona leaned down, took a big sniff, and stuck her tongue into the jar. Her eyes then shot up and a big smile spread across her face as she sat down, grabbed the jar between both hooves, and brought it up to her mouth, gleefully slurping up all the sticky substance. Students sitting at the table started to laugh along with Luna and the others at the show. Finally, after cleaning the very bottom, Woona tossed the empty jar aside with a clatter and walked back to Luna, her mouth and hooves now covered with marmalade.

"Yummy!" Woona proclaimed as she licked her lips. Another onslaught of "Awwwwws" echoed a group of girls across the table.

"Oh shut it!" Ron snapped loudly, resulting in the others laughing even harder. Luna watched for a bit as Woona started licking her hooves, trying to get every bit of the sweet preserves, before pulling out her wand and pointing it at Woona.

"Scourgify Maxima!"

A large ribbon of soapy water shot from Luna's wand and encircled Woona, who giggled from the feeling. Then, with a pop, the ribbon was gone, and Woona a clean once again. Woona looked surprised at first, but quickly shrugged it off and leaped down onto Luna's lap. Luna chuckled softly and started to stroke Woona's mane again.

"By the way," Harry suddenly said, "what are you going to do with her during classes?" Ron and Hermione straightened up and looked at Luna, who didn't look fazed.

"I'm going to take her to class with me," she replied.

Harry, Ron, and Hermione looked at one another with concern. "Will the teachers allow that?" Hermione asked.

"Professor McGonagall told them about Woona," Luna replied, "so they should all know." Hermione opened her mouth again, but Luna stopped her. "McGonagall said that as long as my grades don't start falling, I can do whatever it takes to take care of Woona. She can sit next to me on the floor. She won't be in the way." She looked down at Woona, who was playfully swatting at Luna's necklace. "I'll make sure she's entertained. They won't even know she's there."

"And, you're sure?" Harry asked.

"Positive," Luna responded confidently. "I know that Hagrid will be happy to see her again, and I'm confident that Professor Flitwick will find her quite fascinating. Speaking of which," she then scooped Woona into her arms and stood up, "I have to get to Charms. See you guys later." Before she turned, she reached down to get her bags, but struggled due to the giggling alicorn in her arms. Hermione instantly grabbed Luna's bag and handed it to her. Luna glanced from the bag to Woona, then shifted so that Woona was in one arm and grabbed her bag with the other. When she finally straightened up, it was apparent that she was uncomfortable.

"How are you going to carry all your stuff and Woona?" Harry asked. Luna glanced from Woona to her bag and back again, the wheels turning in her head, trying to find the right solution.

"Well," Hermione said," she could always levitate whatever she-" She suddenly stopped when she looked to see Luna putting her back down and grabbing Woona with both hands. She then raised her up and, with no hesitation, placed Woona on her head, with Woona's hind legs standing on her shoulders. Harry, Ron, and Hermione looked befuddled, and several heads around the Hall turned to look at the new sight as well. Luna, however, didn't pay any mind and picked up her bag like nothing was odd.

"Uh...Luna?" Ron snickered, trying to hold back his need to laugh, "That's a nice hat you got there!" Hermione shot him a look, but Luna smiled.

"Thanks, Ronald," she replied.

"Tanks Wonal'," Woona repeated happily.

"See you."

Then, paying no attention to the stares and snickers from the surrounding students, Luna turned and happily left for Charms with Woona draped over her head, cheerfully humming to herself.

Woona Wuvs Kitties!

To say that Luna’s classes were exactly the same after Woona joined her would be a bold-faced lie. That was made apparent from her first class with Professor Flitwick, Charms teacher and head of Ravenclaw. As she walked into the Charms classroom, Luna was certain that Flitwick would find Woona quite fascinating. She couldn’t have been more correct. The dwarfish professor had to stand on a stack of books just to see the whole class, and when he saw Luna and took a glance at the smiling creature, he almost fell off his stack.

“Oh-ho!” he squeaked excitedly. “So this is the little privilege Professor McGonagall has told us about!”

“Indeed, Professor,” Luna nodded slightly, making Woona sway. “This is Woona. Woona,” she reached up and scratched Woona’s ear, earning her attention, “this is Professor Flitwick.”

“Fitwit!” Woona cheered.

“Splendid!” Flitwick chortled gleefully. He reached out a stubby hand and patted Woona’s head, resulting in a giggle from her. “Welcome to Charms, Woona!” He then looked down at Luna. “Just be sure she doesn’t disrupt the class, Miss Lovegood.”

“Yessir,” Luna replied with a smile before turning to her seat and sitting down. After lifting Woona down from her head and placing her on the floor next to her, Luna reached into her bag and pulled out some shiny stones she had collected and pulled her necklace off. She then placed them down on the ground in front of Woona, who eyed them curiously.

“Alright, Woona,” Luna said softly, catching the little one’s attention. “I have to pay attention to the class now. These are to keep you entertained.” She pointed to the stones. “You have to keep quiet and behave yourself while Mama learns some magic. Understand?”

After taking a second to process what was said, Woona nodded and softly replied, “Yes, Mama.”

Luna smiled and patted Woona’s head. “That’s a good girl.”

Woona smiled and started playing with the rocks, pushing them around the small, vacant area. Luna sighed happily and leaned back up just in time for Flitwick to take attendance.

Thankfully, Woona was well entertained for the entirety of Charms. While she did, at one point, want some attention from Luna, she was almost instantly satisfied with Luna reaching down and scratching her ears and stroking her mane without taking her own eyes off of Flitwick. After class, Luna praised Woona for her patience by tickling her tummy, sending the filly into a giggle fit.

After Charms was a free period, which gave Luna plenty of time to play with Woona. After taking her up to the Common Room, Luna played a few rounds of hide-and-seek with the little one, which she loved immensely. Whenever Woona would hide, she was all so easy to find, as she would hide almost in plain sight. Then when Luna would find her, she’d lift her up and tickle her some more. The room was filled with the many giggles from both mother and daughter as they played. Some students who were up there as well watched with amusement, and some found themselves laughing along. It was definitely the best free period Luna has had in a while. After some more rounds of hide-and-seek, and more chasing of Cho Chang's cat, it was time for Transfiguration. Luna scooped up the filly, planted her on her head, and made her way down the stairs to the class.

When she entered the Transfiguration classroom, Luna instantly felt a quick sense of deja vu, as she had just been in there last night. That sense disappeared as quickly as it had come as she moved her way to her seat. Up at the front of the room was McGonagall’s desk with its usual stack of papers, ink, and quills atop of it. The only thing that was different was the tabby cat sitting in the corner, its tail casually swinging back and forth. The cat was brown, with black stripes all around its body. The most peculiar stripes were the ones by its eyes, which closely resembled spectacles. Luna ignored it and quickly started to take her seat.

“KITTY!”

Luna’s eyes grew wide with realization and reached up, but wasn’t fast enough to grab the little one. Everyone in the class watched as Woona dropped from Luna’s head and charged at full speed at the desk toward the cat, who flinched backward a bit. When Woona had gotten to the desk, she quickly climbed up onto a chair and leaned forward, her eyes not leaving the cat. Luna immediately knew what she was planning.

“Woona no!” she called out, but it was too late. With a mighty push of her back legs, Woona went soaring into the air toward the cat, who reeled back and let out a screech. Everyone gasped as Woona made contact with the cat, engulfing it in a tight hug and tackling it off the desk behind the teacher’s chair. Instantly, everyone burst into laughter, all except Luna, whose mouth just opened slightly, as if it say, “Now I’m in trouble.”

Almost instantly, a familiar figure rose up from behind the desk, arms tightly at her side, glasses askew, and a happy alicorn with its front legs still around her neck. The animagus’ face immediately showed that she was not amused. As soon as her eyes shot up to the students, the laughter vanished.

“Miss Lovegood,” McGonagall snapped toward Luna. “Front and center, please.”

Every eye turned to watch as Luna hastily made her way down to the front of the room. All that could be heard was the harsh tapping of McGonagall’s foot.

“Miss Lovegood,” she said, her lips pursed, “when I woke up today, I remember thinking to myself how much work I would have to do, how long would it take for me to teach the Avifors spell to the 2nd Years, and even wondering what the cooks were making for lunch today.” She then reached up and tore Woona away from her neck, making the little one pout playfully. “What I didn’t think, surprisingly, was whether or not I would be tackled off my own desk by a baby alicorn.”

“I’m so sorry, Professor,” Luna said as she was handed Woona who, by this point, had sensed that she had done something wrong. “Woona just really loves cats. She didn’t know any better. She’s still learning.”

McGonagall straightened her glasses. “Be that as it may, I’m beginning to wonder if I should allow this one to stay in my class if she's going to be this rambunctious-”

“She won’t be any trouble!” Luna quickly objected. “I’ll make sure of it. Truly.” Luna then raised Woona to her eye level, her eyebrow furrowing a bit. “That was very impolite, Woona. We don’t tackle teachers off their desk, even if they are a cat. No!” Woona hung her head slightly, her lip trembling.

“Now,” she then held Woona up to meet at McGonagall’s eye level, “say you’re sorry, young filly.”

Woona lifted her head, her lip still trembling and her eyes glistening with some tears, as she looked at McGonagall and said, “Sowy, McGoggle.”

Everyone watched as McGonagall stared at Woona, her eyes almost expressionless, as if she was trying to read the little alicorn. From the way it was looking, Luna wasn’t sure what was going to happen. McGonagall was known for being quite strict, but also fair. Woona’s odds seemed to be 50/50 at this point.

After what seemed like an eternity, McGonagall’s expression, to everyone’s surprise, softened. A sudden wave of relief spread over Luna as she watched McGonagall reach up and gently pat Woona on her head.

“Well, there was no harm done,” she said calmly as she dusted her robes off. “Children will be children after all, even if they are alicorns.” Surprised murmurs surrounded Luna as McGonagall made her way back to her seat and sat down. “Just make sure that she’s well, and quietly, entertained for class, Miss Lovegood.”

“Yes ma’am,” Luna said, bowing slightly, clutching a now smiling Woona to her chest. “Say thank you, Woona.”

“Tank you,” Woona said.

McGonagall paused a moment, a slight blush forming across her cheeks, before answering, “Er...you’re welcome, dear.” More murmurs sounded throughout the room. Even Luna was surprised. Never, as far back as any student had known her, had McGonagall called someone “dear.” McGonagall was always on a strict, business-like basis when addressing someone, and never used pet names. Luna quickly returned to her seat, but as she turned, she couldn’t help but notice what looked like a small smile spread across McGonagall’s face.

When she had finally sat down, McGonagall cleared her throat, stopping all the murmuring, and said, “Alright class, we have a lot of work to do to get you ready for your O.W.Ls.”

Luna’s classes following Transfiguration were not as exciting. They were pretty standard; the teacher was surprised by Woona, they told Luna to keep her under control, and Woona was kept entertained throughout each class. There was a slight surprise for Woona when she met Professor Binns, the History of Magic teacher who just happened to be a ghost, but besides that, her morning classes were just basic.

It wasn’t until Potions when Woona started to get a little fussy, her stomach audibly growling for the whole class to hear. Professor Slughorn didn’t seem to mind though, as he understood that children tended to get hungry much faster than others. It was lucky that the following class was actually lunch. So when Luna entered the Dining Hall and sat down, Woona instantly tried literally diving into the food. Luna was on top of it this time, and quickly grabbed her before she could. She then piled some salad onto her plate and then allowed Woona to dig it, which she did very happily.

After Woona had finished her salad and demanded seconds, Harry, Ron, and Hermione had entered the Hall and took their places beside Luna, who told them of Woona’s experience with McGonagall. Soon, that area of the Hall was filled with the uncontrollable laughter of Harry and Ron. Hermione, on the other hand, wasn’t as amused.

“It’s not funny, guys!” she scolded. “McGonagall could’ve been seriously hurt!”

“Oh come off it, Hermione,” Ron replied, gasping for breath. “McGonagall’s a tough, old cat. She can handle being,” he snorted a bit, “tackled by a baby alicorn. Oh I wish I could've seen it!” Hermione just rolled her eyes and went back to her food. After finally calming down, Ron and Harry did the same. Woona, meanwhile, had finished her second salad and was lying on an empty part of the table near Luna, who began to scratch her belly. Woona sighed of content as the others ate.

“So did McGonagall get mad?” Harry finally asked.

“She started to,” Luna replied as she cut into her potatoes, “but softened up when Woona apologized. It was like her tone changed almost instantly. And then, when Woona said thank you, McGonagall said, and I quote, ‘You’re welcome, dear.’”

It was as if Luna had just said that she wanted to marry Draco Malfoy, because almost instantly, Harry, Ron, and Hermione looked up at her, their eyes wide with the utmost surprise. Ron had even froze his hand in mid bite and allowed his fork to slip from his hand, letting it hit the table with a clank. The three just stared at Luna, seemingly unable to speak.

“She did...what?” Harry asked slowly. “She called Woona, ‘dear’?” Luna nodded, and Harry, Ron, and Hermione looked at each other, their eyes not changing expressions.

“Never,” Ron started after finally swallowing the large bit of beef lingering in his mouth, “in all my years, have I ever heard McGonagall call anyone a pet name. She doesn’t even like nicknames!”

“It’s definitely odd,” Luna answered casually as she started stroking Woona’s mane again. “It was as if Woona was the cause of that character change. Maybe it was the way she said it, or just how she looked-”

“In any case,” Ron said impressively, “Woona was able to soften McGonagall up, and that takes skill.” He then leaned in toward Luna. “Do you think I can borrow her for Transfigura-OW!” Ron reeled back, rubbing his shoulder. “I was only joking, Hermione.”

Harry and Luna chuckled before finishing their plates. After all the food had disappeared, Hermione got up stretched her arms before saying, “It’s almost time for Potions. We’d better get going.” She then turned to Harry. “I hope you’re not just going to rely on that book, Harry.”

“Don’t be daft, Hermione,” Ron spat. “He’s the top student with that book. I wouldn’t give it up, and neither should he.” Hermione rolled her eyes again and grabbed her bag. Harry and Ron got up as well and reached for their books.

“Oy! Lovegood!”

The four looked around to see Crabbe and Goyle making their way passed them to the entrance. Surprisingly, Malfoy was not with them. This didn’t go unnoticed.

“Where’s Malfoy?” Harry asked.

“We don’t know,” Goyle answered grumpily. “He said he needed to be on his own.”

“Wow! I guess even Malfoy got annoyed with you two dunderheads hanging over his shoulder,” Ron teased.

“Shut it, Weasle King!” Crabbe snapped. He then turned to Luna. “We heard how your little beast brainwashed McGonagall into letting her stay in her class. Don’t think that’s gonna happen again!”

“What do you mean?” Luna asked bluntly.

“Don’t be daft,” Goyle answered indignantly. “Your pet may have won over all the other teachers, but there’s one that won’t have any of it; Professor Snape!”

Crabbe chuckled. “Yeah! As soon as he sees that thing in his class, he’ll be tossing it out for the Whomping Willow!” Woona must’ve understood, because she instantly squeaked with fear and lept into Luna’s lap, clutching her tightly as Crabbe and Goyle walked out of the Hall laughing.

“Don’t let them get to you, Woona,” Hermione said soothingly as she bent over and stroked Woona’s mane. “They’re just big, blithering meanies.”

“Though they do have a point,” Harry said. “If there’s one teacher who won’t want Woona in his class, it’s Snape.”

“It’s alright, guys,” Luna said as she clutched Woona to her chest. “I’m not worried. Dumbledore made it clear to all the teachers about Woona staying with me, and Snape has to live by that.”

“But if Woona makes one disturbance-”

“She won’t.” Luna picked up Woona so that they were staring face to face. “You’ll be good, right Woona?”

“Yes, Mama,” Woona replied.

Luna smiled and kissed the filly on the forehead, making her giggle. "See?" she addressed the others. "Nothing to get worried about."

“Well, we’ll hope for the best,” Harry said. Ron and Hermione nodded in agreement. “Good luck, Luna.” Then, with one last wave goodbye, the three had disappeared through the entrance.

Even though she had said she wasn’t worried, Luna couldn’t help but feel a bit of fear in the pits of her stomach. As much as she hated to admit it, Crabbe and Goyle were right. Snape was not going to stand for any shenanigans in his class. If Woona made one little disturbance, he would throw her out without a second thought. Luna couldn’t imagine how scared Woona would be, not being beside her Mama at all times. No. She wasn’t going to let that happen.

She looked down at the smiling alicorn, hugged her even tighter, and smiled slightly. “Don’t worry, Woona. Things will be turn out alright." Her smile then faded for a second.

"I hope.”

Snape meets Woona

As Ravenclaw 5th years filed into the Defense Against the Dark Arts room, Luna heard Woona let out a frightened whimper and grip her head tighter. Luna didn't blame her. Snape had always kept his classroom rather dark. The only light source the students had were a series of lamps lit in a line on each of the walls. Above the room hung a giant skeleton of what looked like a dragon, though no student was bold enough to confirm that. Luna quickly took her seat and lowered Woona down onto the desktop. Woona was still shaking slightly and whimpering as she whipped her head around nervously, looking at all the strange and creepy artifacts that littered the room. Luna pulled the little one into a soft hug and ran a comforting hand through Woona's mane.

"Don't worry, Woona," she said in a warm, motherly tone. "Nothing's going to hurt you. Mama will be right here."

This seemed to calm Woona down a bit as she stopped whimpering and pressed her head against Luna's chest. Pretty soon, the 5th year Gryffindors filed into the room as well, some taking their usual seats. Some, however, went over to Luna to get a good look at her little alicorn, having failed to do so during that morning. Woona, thankfully, was cheered up by the fawning students, and smiled happily. The onlookers' reactions were varied. Some clutched their hearts, while others simply smiled back. One of those Gryffindors was Ron's younger sister, Ginny Weasley, who had fought her way to the front of the crowd.

"Hello, Luna," she greeted merrily. She then looked down at Woona and patted her head. "Hi, Woona."

Woona giggled and waved. "Hi."

"Getting along well?" Ginny asked, turning her attention back to Luna.

"Oh yes," Luna replied. "Woona's been ever so good in classes."

"Aside from a certain Transfiguration incident?"

Luna's cheeks turned a slight pink. News did travel fast in the school. "Well, it all worked out." Ginny chuckled.

Just then, the door to the class slammed open, and Professor Snape came marching into the room, his coal-black robes swiftly dragging behind him and his greasy, black hair swaying slightly. The crowd instantly and quietly scattered back to their seats. When he had reached the front of the class, Snape took out his wand and flicked it behind him. A large screen unraveled itself from the ceiling and dropped to the top of Snape's desk. Snape then whipped his head toward the class, and the students straightened up without a word.

"Turn to page 302," Snape said in his usual monotone voice. The class immediately obeyed. "Today, we will begin the section on curses. For the next few weeks, you will be learning the history of curses, what they can do, and, yes, even the Unforgivable Curses. I daresay you will need that knowledge for your O.W.Ls. We will start today with-"

"Woona, you need to get down now."

Snape instantly stopped as his eyes met Luna's desktop, which was currently occupied by Woona, who was sitting atop the opened book and flicking the corner of the page. Luna had been trying to get Woona's attention before getting caught. She looked up to see Snape staring directly at her, his eyes narrowed and mouth thin. Luna froze, her mouth closing instantly. A pin could be heard dropping from the silence that filled the room as the students looked from Snape to Luna, wondering what was going to happen. Finally, Snape spoke in a more articulated, menacingly soft voice.

"Miss Lovegood, Professor Dumbledore had made it clear to the teachers about your little," his eyes fell on Woona for a second, who had finally looked up to meet his eyes, "privilege. I, however, will not allow it to disturb my class. This has been your first and only warning. If I have to stop class again because of your pet, it will be sent to the hallway for not only this, but all other classes onward. Do I make myself clear?"

Woona must've understood this, for she immediately shrank in fear from Snape's gaze and huddled closely to Luna.

"Yes, Professor," Luna replied as she brushed her hand through Woona's mane.

"Good," Snape said as he strolled over to his desk. Luna quickly picked Woona up and put her down beside her desk. She dropped the shiny rocks in front of her and sat back up. She placed a finger to her lips in a "Be quiet" gesture, and Woona nodded. Luna then smiled and opened her book as Snape continued.

"As I was saying, we will start today with looking at a history behind curses and when they started. Starting at the top of page 302..."

For the next 15 minutes, the class all sat in silence and took notes as Snape read on. All Luna could hear was the faint clunking of stones rolling on the hardwood floor beneath her. At first, she was afraid that Snape would hear it and consider it a distraction. It was clear, however, that the sound was too faint to reach the front of the class. Luna continued to read along with Snape's words and copy down what was being said. It was a pretty uneventful lesson, but Woona was well-behaved and quiet the entire time. There was a slight scare when Woona sneezed. Snape had stopped for a second, staring toward Luna, but continued on. Luna looked down at her watch. Still another 30 minutes to go of class, but things were looking pretty well. It seemed that Luna was going to get through Snape's class just fine.

"Mama."

Luna suddenly felt a slight tugging on her robe. She looked down and saw Woona standing on a patch of robe and looking up at her with big eyes.

"What's wrong, Woona?" Luna whispered.

"I'm tired," Woona replied, rubbing an eye with her hoof.

"Then take a nap on the floor," Luna said softly.

Woona shook her head and lifted her front legs to Luna. "Uppie."

"You can't lay on my lap, Woona," Luna said, now leaning a little toward the alicorn. "Professor Snape might not like that."

Woona stuck her lower lip out in defiance and reached out again. "Uppie!"

"I can't."

"Please, Mama?"

"I'm sorry. I promise I'll let you lay on my lap later, but now isn't the time to-"

"Ahem."

Luna froze in place. She had failed to realize that all the class had grown eerily quiet again, and Snape had stopped his lecture. She saw Woona's eyes grow wide with fear as they looked up at something behind Luna. Gulping slightly, Luna slowly turned her head around to see Professor Snape glaring down at her with a menacing stare. Luna wasn't sure how Snape was able to make himself seem five times taller, but the intimidation he was giving off was so pungent, it could probably be felt all the way in the Great Hall. Luna straightened up with Snape's eyes following her.

"Did I not say, Miss Lovegood," Snape snapped in a more menacingly soft voice than the last, "that if any more distractions were cause by your little pet that it would be put outside?"

"Professor, I'm sorry!" Luna said quickly. "She's just getting a little fussy. It won't happen-"

But in that moment, Snape had taken out his wand and flicked it towards Woona, who suddenly rose from under Luna. Woona let out a startled squeak as she floated to Snape, who outstretched his hand and grasped a patch of fur on Woona's back neck, making her dangle in front of him. The class softly gasped as Woona started to whimper.

"I told you that was your only warning," Snape continued, turning to look at Luna. "Your pet will have to wait outside." He then turned toward the door and took a step.

"Please, Professor!" Luna begged, making Snape stop for a second. "She's still so young. She'll be lost without me. Please! It won't happen again! I promise!"

"I don't care," Snape retorted as he turned back toward the door. "I will not be interrupted by this little-"

At that moment, however, a series of small whimpers made Snape stop both talking and moving. He and Luna looked at his still outstretched arm and saw a few tears trickle down Woona's face. Her lip was trembling furiously as she looked at Snape, who still wore his scolding expression. The room turned silent as Woona continued to whimper and sniffle, not looking away from Snape's gaze.

"I'm s-s-sowy, Pwofessor," she whimpered softly. And then, to everyone's horror, she covered her eyes with her front hooves and began to cry.

The whole class, including Snape, froze as tears continued to run down Woona's cheeks and drip onto the floor. It was quite a heartbreaking sight, and Luna found out quickly that she wasn't the only one who thought so. A few "Awws" could be heard from some of the girls, who clutched at their hearts. Some even started to tear up as well. Luna looked back at Snape, who was just staring at Woona, his expression not changing, as she sniffled even harder. Luna was just wondering why Snape hadn't just ignored her sobs and continued to the door. Snape never was one to care much about making students cry before. He had, on several occasions, caused Hermione to break into tears, and even had Neville Longbottom, a 6th year Gryffindor who was quite forgetful, on the brink of tears. Snape would've not let a student's tears interfere with punishment. So why was he just standing there, almost frozen, and not carrying out his punishment?

Woona's crying by this point had died down a little, but tears were still seen trickling down her face. She sniffled again and wiped her eyes before opening them again. As soon as she stared at Snape with her eyes seeming bigger than before and her bottom lip still trembling, Luna just caught a glimpse of Snape's own eyes. They were still hard and unchanging, but Luna couldn't help but notice that his one eye twitched a bit, almost like he was holding back a change in expression.

Finally, after what seemed like forever, Snape lowered the whimpering alicorn back onto Luna's desk. Both looked back at him, but he had already turned around and was making his way back to his desk.

"Last warning, Miss Lovegood," he finally said, his voice still soft, but a little less threatening. "Make sure your pe-" he glanced back at Woona, who was wiping her eyes of the remaining tears, "-I mean...eh...Woona, is properly accommodated."

"Yes, Professor," Luna quickly answered. She then picked up Woona and placed her in her lap. Woona sighed contently and made herself comfortable before curling up like a cat and closing her eyes. Snape grunted and looked back to the rest of the class. Everyone's mouth was hanging open, and their eyes were all large with shock as they looked at Snape.

"Well?" Snape asked, returning to his usual tone. "Why aren't you all copying notes?"

The class quickly snapped out of their trances and buried themselves back into their books. Luna joined them, but not before letting out a soft, relieving sigh. She took a glance down at Woona, who had started snoozing away, her cheeks still slightly matted from the tears. Luna smiled, glad that Woona wouldn't have to spend time alone and scared, and continued on with her work.

At the time the bell had rung, Snape had given out the homework assignment of writing a five parchment long report on the start of curses. Luna quickly woke Woona up, gathered up her stuff, placed Woona on her head, and headed for the door. When she turned, her eyes met Snape's. She half expected Snape to stop her and warn her about not interrupting class again, but he just stood by his desk and watched everyone leave. Luna turned to leave with the rest of the class, but as she did, she felt Woona turn a little on her head back toward Snape and say, rather friendly, "Bye-bye!"

Luna turned toward Snape. He had not responded, but Luna noticed a slight twitch in his eye again as he turned back to sit at his desk. Luna left the class feeling much better than she had at the beginning of the lesson. Though it was rather curious. Why was it that Snape had not carried out on his promise of punishment, something that had never happened before? He didn't even take any points from Ravenclaw or gave Luna a detention. It also was similar to what happened with McGonagall, and her using a pet name for the first time. Whatever it was, Luna couldn't help but wonder if it had something to do with the humming alicorn currently perched on top of her head. Luna smiled and wiped the thoughts from her head. The time to think of that wasn't now. Maybe soon, but not now. All she knew now was that the worst was behind both her and Woona, and as she skipped her way to History of Magic, Luna had a feeling that the future classes with Snape would be a little less tense.

Daddy Neville

Author's Note

Sorry for the long wait. Lots of projects. Adding some simple, chapters in here between the bigger stuff. Just some cute filler, and what's wrong with some cute filler? Enjoy! :heart:

Daddy Neville

"HOW?"

Ginny had cornered Luna outside the Great Hall on her way toward the courtyard. Woona was still perched on top of Luna's head, eyes closed comfortably, while she hummed an unknown tune, almost like she was in a pleasant daze. Not too far off from Luna's general behavior now that Ginny thought about it, but that wasn't the biggest thing on her mind. Without even giving any greetings, it was the first thing that came out of her mouth. Her tone was pure, unadulterated astonishment when she asked. Luna, however, kept her far-off expression, as if there wasn't a bother in the world.

"You'll have to be more specific, Ginny," Luna responded. "How what?"

"How did Woona do it?" Ginny asked again, pointing toward the alicorn. "Snape has never shown mercy to any student besides his own! He was ready to throw her out, but then, something happened! What was it?" Luna chuckled amusingly, as if Ginny had just told a cute joke.

"I think it's rather obvious, Ginny," Luna said, reaching up to rub Woona's back, making her sigh heavily with relaxation. "Professor Snape has taken a liking to Woona. Can't really blame him though. She really is a treat." She then scratched behind Woona's ear, which earned a soft giggle from the pony. Ginny just stood there motionless, like she was waiting for the moment where Luna would say it was a joke, but it never came.

"You're kidding, right?" she asked. "You really think that Snape, the Professor Snape, the most cold and unemotional teacher at Hogwarts, has 'taken a liking' to Woona?"

"Now really, Ginny," Luna said with a raised eyebrow as she stopped scratching Woona's ear and brought her hands down to her hips. "We live in a world of magic. We've seen and experienced things far beyond the comprehension of any muggle. Talking portraits, mythological creatures, ghosts, potions that can do many amazing things, dark lords, prophecies, and even crumple-horned snorkacks! Are you really saying that with all the acts of impossibility and magical forces all around us, it's the thought of Professor Snape having a hidden affection for a talking, baby alicorn that is too impossible to fathom?" Woona looked over at Ginny as well, humorously mimicking her Mama's raised eyebrow expression.

"YES!" Ginny exclaimed with raised arms. "That's EXACTLY what I'm saying!" There was a short pause as Luna and Woona looked at each other, Woona having to lean over the top of Luna's head to do so, with thoughtful looks. Ginny just stood there, frozen in place with her hands raised, and a slight air of exasperation circling her.

"Well, weirder things have happened, haven't they?" Luna finally said, returning to her far-off expression and light smile. "See you later." And with that, Luna continued out toward the courtyard, leaving a very confused and dumbfounded Ginny behind.

The sun was shining as a warm breeze swept across the cobblestone courtyard where Luna walked. She heard Woona sigh again, no doubt content and very much enjoying the good, autumn weather. She felt Woona's tiny wings flap slightly against the breeze, like she was about to take flight, but Luna knew that it was still too soon for Woona to fly. Still, it certainly seemed that Woona would like it if she could. An idea instantly came to Luna, making her stop; a chance for her to give Woona a taste of flight. Luna quickly draped the straps of her bags across her shoulder,reached up, and lifted Woona off of her head. Instead of lowering her though, Luna stretched her arms up higher, holding on to Woona's sides. The little alicorn squeaked, but didn't squirm. Luna looked up just in time to see Woona's surprised face slowly change to an excited smile, stretch her hooves out in front of her, and flap her wings. Luna smiled and walked forward. Instantly, Woona started to giggle again, and even shouted, "Wheeeeeeeee! Fly, Mama! Fly!"

Luna started to laugh as well as she continue to walk down the cobblestone. She stayed at a normal pace, but Luna knew that to Woona, it was like flying at top speed. People around her turned to watch as she walked past them, still holding the laughing alicorn high over her head. The cheery mood Woona was putting off must've been contagious, because for each student they past, a majority couldn't help but smile and even laugh at the adorable sight, not to mention the usual onslaught of "Awwwwwwws," from girls all around.

"Hey, Luna!"

Luna looked around until she saw the source of the call; Neville Longbottom, who was coming up the path from the Herbology Greenhouses. Luna smiled and slowly brought Woona back to earth into her usual cradling position. Woona nuzzled against Luna's chin as Luna stopped and turned to face Neville.

Hello, Neville," Luna greeted cheerfully. Neville was a Gryffindor 6th year who was known for being rather forgetful, but he and Luna did have a wonderful friendship. They had trained together in DA (Dumbledore's Army) lessons and had fought Death Eaters at the Ministry of Magic the previous year. Along with Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Ginny, Neville was part of her greatest group of friends. "Did you just have Herbology?"

"Just got done," Neville huffed, no doubt winded from the uphill climb. "I was just on my way to the Common Room to get some work d-" Neville suddenly stopped as his eyes caught sight of Woona, who had stopped nuzzling Luna and was looking up at him with a tilted head. Neville's eyes went wide. "Wow! Is this Woona?"

"It is indeed," Luna replied. She lifted Woona to meet him at eye level. "Woona, this is my good friend, Neville." Woona smiled and waved cheerfully. Neville smiled as well. "You haven't had a chance to meet her yet?"

"I had heard about her," Neville explained, "but every time I wanted to see, there had been a crowd of people around." He leaned down a bit and stroked Woona's mane. "Uh...hi, Woona. It's nice to meet you at last." Woona giggled and lifted her chin to push into Neville's hand as he ran it down her mane and reached her cheek.

"She likes you, Neville," Luna said. She then turned Woona's attention to her. "Woona, do you want Neville to hold you?"

Neville instantly stopped and stammered nervously, "O-Oh no, Luna. It's fine. Harry and the others already told me how much Woona wants to stay with you. I don't think she would-" but Neville was cut off by the sound of Woona grunting slightly. Both he and Luna looked down to see Woona stretching out to Neville. Luna's smile widened.

"I think that's a yes," she said, looking back up at Neville and holding Woona out for him. Neville hesitated at first, but then slowly wrapped his hands around Woona and pulled her out of Luna's arms and into his, as if he were cradling a baby. Unlike with Hagrid, Woona didn't start to whimper. On the contrary, she actually looked up at Neville with a smile and reached for his hand. Neville looked at Luna frantically, looking for instructions. Luna just chuckled and whispered, "Play with her."

Neville obeyed and lowered his free hand toward Woona. Woona happily took it between her hooves and started to bounce it around, still smiling all the while. Neville had relaxed a bit and smiled back. He then poked Woona's belly, resulting in a giggle from her. He did it again, and even started to tickle it. Instantly, Woona broke into a giggle fit as she squirmed in Neville's arm. Luna's smiled broadened and saw Neville start to chuckle as well. Now more comfortable and quickly catching Woona's contagious cheer, Neville held her outstretched in his hands and spun around on the spot. Woona let out another "Wheeeeee!" and Neville started to laugh himself; a laugh filled with pure happiness. The scene was too adorable for anyone to handle.

"See? You're a natural, Neville!" Luna cheered as Neville slowed from his spin, Woona still giggling in his grasp. "She seems so comfortable with you. That hasn't happened with anyone else but me. Why, it's almost as if you could be her daddy!"

"You think so?" Neville asked. He had finally skidded to a halt and instinctively pressed Woona to his chest, who leaned up against him with a big smile plastered on her face.

"I know so," Luna replied. "Oh!" Luna's eyes lit up and she clapped her hands together, as an idea popped into her head. Neville and Woona jolted to her attention. "That's it! You can be the daddy!"

Instantly, Neville's smile had fallen and his eyes went wide with sudden shock. His cheeks had also gone a slight pink. A short silence fell between the two as they just stared at each other with different expressions; Neville with surprise, and Luna with glee.

"Wait...what?" Neville asked as Woona continued to nuzzle his chest.

"I'll be Woona's mama," Luna said, her smile not faltering, "and you can be her daddy. Oh what a fun game that would be! We'll be like a family!" Neville's entire face went beet red.

"T-t-that would be...I m-mean...y-you mean we would..." Neville was starting to look around, not meeting Luna's eyes. Luna giggled again. It was quite cute. "I-I don't know. I mean, what if I don't...I...you...wouldn't that be..."

"DADDY!"

Neville looked down and saw Woona's hooves stretched around his waist in a hug and was looking up at him with loving eyes. "You're my daddy!" she repeated happily.

Even from her distance, Luna could almost feel Neville's heart melting at those words. His face broke into a small smile and, it may have been a trick of the sun, but Luna thought that she saw a tear forming in the corner of Neville's eye.

"Well that settles that!" Luna sighed dreamily. "What a wonderful game this'll be indeed." She then looked around and realized that most students were gone. "I've got to get to Care of Magical Creatures." Neville, who was in some kind of trance, snapped back and handed Woona back to Luna, who placed the little alicorn back on top of her head. "Say bye-bye to daddy, Woona."

Woona waved and said, "Bye-bye, Daddy!" Neville opened and closed his mouth, no doubt trying to find the right words, but in the end, just smiled softly and waved back.

"See you later," Luna said as she turned before playfully adding, "'dear'."

Neville's face went red again as Luna and Woona turned back and continued down the path towards Hagrid's hut. Luna started to lightly skip, a new, pepped-up and cheery feeling filling her. Though she didn't know for sure, she had a feeling that Neville was feeling the same sort of euphoria. She also could help but think that he was going to become quite popular.

After all, who else could brag that they were, make-believe or not, the daddy to a baby alicorn?

Mr. Filth- er...I mean...Filch

It didn't take long for the rest of the school to learn of Snape's act of mercy towards Woona. As Luna expected, Ginny wasn't the only one to see it as an incredible event. No one wanted to believe that a teacher like Snape was even capable of showing mercy to anyone other than his own house. When Harry, Ron, and Hermione had confronted Luna about it, they were practically besides themselves with shock. Harry, who had always hated Snape the most, was even more unconvinced than Ginny about the possibility that Snape had actually taken a liking to the alicorn ("I would sooner believe that Umbridge had become a saint over Snape showing fondness toward Woona," he had said). As for the rest of the school, it was pretty divided. Half the students seemed to think it was some kind of miracle, while the other half, including the entirety of Slytherin, believed the alicorn had confunded the potions master.

Either way, Luna and Woona received many stares from the students as they made their way down the halls during the next few days, even more than usual. The looks ranged from impressed shock to indignant loathing (guess which one belonged to the Slytherins). Luna had grown used to the many eyes falling on her and Woona though, and just continued on with her classes as usual.

Snape, like Luna, was carrying on like nothing had even happened. Though he started to not really acknowledge Woona's presence when in his classes. If ever he couldn't ignore it, like when Woona happily greeted him, "Goo' morning, Pwofessor," the familiar twitch would appear in his eye. When it came to the other students, Snape's attitude hadn't changed a bit. However, he did seem pretty keen on punishing anyone who had been talking about his act of mercy. One could possibly pass it off as his usual routine, but it seemed a little too coincidental when he gave lines to Hufflepuff's Justin Finch-Fletchly and Ravenclaw's Terry Boot, who both had to the write the sentence, I must not be irrelevant.

After a while though, the shock had died down, and everything returned to the Hogwarts norm. All in all, by the time October had arrived, mostly everyone had grown used to the addition of Woona. While many students still found time to goggle and swoon over the baby alicorn, most others, including the teachers, had just started treating her like an average day the week. However, that didn't mean that there weren't moments where Woona didn't grasp some unplanned attention.

One particularly rainy afternoon, Luna had taken Woona outside during free period because she wanted to play in the rain. Luna watched as Woona happily jumped in puddles and slid on the cobblestone, giggling wildly, as Luna sat under the canopy and worked on her O.W.L homework. Afterward, Luna called for Woona to come back into the castle, but before Luna could perform a drying spell on her, Woona excitedly ran right into the entrance hall, mane matted to her face, dripping madly, and trailing mud behind her. Then, before Luna could stop her, Woona shook her body like a dog so that water sprayed in all directions. Luna sighed.

"Oopsie. Sowy, Mama," Woona said, trying to hold back her giggles. Luna just shook her head exasperatedly, but lovingly. She then noticed that they were not alone in the hall. A shabby-looking cat with big, yellow eyes was watching them from the corner by the main staircase. Luna's smile fell slightly. She immediately knew what that meant. Wherever the cat Mrs. Norris was, her owner, the grumpy caretaker Mr. Filch, was usually not far behind. Filch always looked for an excuse to punish students, and a wet and muddy entrance hall was perfect for him.

"Ooh!" Woona suddenly gasped. Luna looked down at the alicorn to see her staring in the direction of the stairs; directly at Mrs. Norris! Luna's eyes widened.

"Oh dear," she whispered under her breath.

Before Luna could even say anything, Woona bolted towards Mrs. Norris, a big smile plastered on her face. The cat reeled back and ran for the other side of the room. Woona, thinking this as another game, chased Mrs. Norris around the hall, still trailing mud behind her and laughing playfully. Luna was trying to calm the creatures down when...

"FILTH! FILTH EVERYWHERE!"

Luna winced slightly and turned around to see the all to familiar, angry scowl of Mr. Filch. He was stomping down the stairs with a mop firmly grasped in his hand. Apparently, he had already been cleaning, possibly for the whole afternoon. Now he was facing the whole hall with muddy hoofprints trailing all over. He looked even more livid than usual.

"Hello, Mr. Filch," Luna greeted, trying to sound as friendly as possible. Filch continued to scowl.

"Do you know how long I've been cleaning up muck and mess today?" Filch spat, advancing on Luna. He didn't give Luna a chance to answer. "All morning! But none of you wicked children care, do you?" He then put on a fake smile and made his voice more shrill to sound like a child. "It doesn't matter! Just dirty it up again! It's just Filch!" He dropped the demeanor. "Didn't you think that I have more important jobs to do than just to clean up after you brats?!"

"Very sorry, Mr. Filch," Luna bowed her head apologetically. "I meant to dry Woona off before she came in, but she just gets so excited-"

"WOULD YOU CONTROL THAT LITTLE BEAST?!" Filch interrupted, pointing at Woona, who was still chasing a now hissing Mrs. Norris around the room.

As Mrs. Norris sprinted towards Filch's legs, Luna scooped down and snatched up Woona, who had just past under her legs. Woona was still giggling and trying to reach for Mrs. Norris, who in turn was hissing and snarling. Filch picked up his cat and held her close to him.

"Why Professor Dumbledore let that little pest in the castle is beyond me," he grumbled, turning his scowl towards Woona. Instantly, her smile disappeared as she shrank back in Luna's arms. Mrs. Norris' fur was still standing on end. "That pet of yours needs to be kept in your dormitory with the other animals!"

Luna's expression hardened a bit. She had grown to not enjoy the word pet to describe Woona. She wasn't like a common cat or owl; she was special.

"She's not my pet, Mr. Filch," Luna said, straightening herself up. "She's my-" she looked down at Woona, who met her eyes and cuddled closer to her.

"She's my daughter," she finished firmly.

It was just as she said it that Luna realized something; it was the first time that she had officially announced Woona as her daughter. She had been addressing herself as a mother since that first night, but she hadn't called Woona her child until now. As soon as she said it though, a sudden wave of undying affection rushed through Luna like a swarm of Wrackspurts. Something about it just felt, there was no other word for it, right. Woona must've felt it as well, for as soon as Luna had said it, Woona's smile widened and she nuzzled against Luna's chest. Luna smiled and squeezed Woona affectionately.

The touching moment was broken however, by the sound of Mr. Filch snorting indignantly.

"Daughter indeed," he grumbled. "What a load of tosh."

"It's not tosh, Mr. Filch," Luna retorted calmly, but with a hint of motherly protection. "Just because she's of a different species, it doesn't mean she can't be family."

Filch scoffed again and shook his head. Without missing a beat, Luna pointed to Mrs. Norris. "Don't you think of Mrs. Norris as your own daughter? What's the difference?"

Quite taken aback, Filch straightened up and looked affronted. He started to splutter, obviously trying to come up with a comeback, but failing. He looked down at Mrs. Norris and then back at Luna while words tried to leave his mouth, his scowl never leaving.

"Well...I...that's not...entire besides the...completely..."

Luna didn't need an answer. She had seen it for herself since her first week of her first year at Hogwarts how much Filch cared for his feline companion. During her first year, Mrs. Norris had been petrified by a basilisk from the hidden Chamber of Secrets, and Filch was in misery without her. It was clear that while he let it be shown, he cared for Mrs. Norris like his own daughter, no matter how much he may have denied it.

"I apologize again for Woona dragging dirt through the hall," Luna continued. She held Woona up to look Filch in the eyes. He was still trying to find words. "Say sorry, Woona."

"Sowy, Mr. Filth," Woona said innocently.

Filch instantly looked furious. Students passing by and who heard started to giggle.

"It's FILCH!" he barked, his face growing slightly purple. "Not Filth!"

"Filth!" Woona said again cheerfully, proud of her new word. Filch, however, was beside himself.

"Filch!"

"Filth!"

"Ff-ill-ch!" Filch said slowly, over-articulating every syllable.

"Ff-ill-th!" Woona repeated with the same amount of emphasis.

Filch looked ready to explode as he stared daggers at Woona, but the fear that Woona had towards the caretaker had completely disappeared. She just looked at him cheerfully, and even started to giggle. Luna had a sneaking suspicion that Woona was mispronouncing his name on purpose. If so, it would seem that Woona had developed a mischievous side. Passing students who had stopped to watch the conversation were clutching their sides from laughter. Filch's face, meanwhile, had turned such a violent shade of purple that his head almost looked like an overgrown eggplant.

Just then, something suddenly swooped down from the ceiling above, causing everyone, including Filch and Woona, to jump in surprise. As soon as the culprit was brought into view, almost everyone relaxed a little. It was Peeves the Poltergeist; a small, troublesome being, whose goal was to cause as much mischief as possible for all, especially Filch.

"Oooooh!" Peeves cackled wickedly, whirling around toward Filch, who had clutched his chest from the sudden shock. "Mr. Filthy, Filthy Filch! Why didn't I think of that before? Oooo what a wonderfully nasty name!" He then started to circle around Filch and chant, "Filthy, Filthy Filch! Filthy, Filthy Filch!"

Filch had finally found his voice as he rounded on Luna, his jowels quivering with rage.

"Now you see what your little beast has done?!" he howled as Peeves cackled around him. "Peeves will never forget that name! He'll never let me live it down!"

"Shant forget it indeed, Filth!" Peeves said with a wide smile. He then turned and glided toward Woona, who had since recovered from her own shock, and was finding the poltergeist quite funny.

"Thank you, ickle, alicorny Woona!" he said, reaching for her nose playfully. Woona giggled harder and swatted Peeves' hand away. Filch was still standing there, fuming even more now. Luna didn't know whether to feel sorry for the caretaker, or try not to chuckle from how his contorted expression was almost comical. Controlling herself, Luna sighed and tried to sound empathetic.

"She didn't mean anything by it," she said, though she still had a feeling that Woona was rather enjoying this. "I'm very sorry, Mr. Filth-" Luna quickly clapped her hand over her mouth. "Oops."

It was too late. The damage had been done. Instantly, Filch rose himself to his full height, his body quaking under the fury that had finally burst, and roared, "IT'S NOT FILTH! IT'S FILTH! I mean- FILCH! GAHH!"

With one final furious grunt, Filch turned around and stomped up the stairs and out of sight, Mrs. Norris still clutched in his arms. Peeves quickly followed, still cackling and chanting, "Filthy, Filthy Filch," all the way down the hall. The foyer was still trodden with muddy hoofprints, though Luna had a feeling it was probably best for Mr. Filch to do it at a later date, when his face had returned to its normal, pale color.

"Poor, purpur Filth," Woona said, looking up at Luna with innocent, though not completely innocent, eyes.

"Oh, Woona," Luna sighed. She then took out her wand, pointed it at Woona's legs, and said, "Scourgify."

The mud vanished instantly, leaving Woona's hooves sparkling clean. Luna then placed her daughter on her head, picked up her school bag, and headed up the stairs for the Ravenclaw common room.

As she walked, Luna could hear Woona softly singing an unknown tune, whose words couldn't help but make Luna chuckle.

"Purpur Mr.Filth. Purpur Mr. Filth. He has a kitty, an' he's purpur, an' his name is Mr. Filth."

Woona's First Magic

The last days of September faded away, and October crept in. The weather became a lot colder, and the leaves on the great oaks surrounding the castle grounds began to change to their Autumn colors of yellow, orange, and red. The winds also picked up. No longer could Luna nonchalantly keep Woona perched on her head, but cradle the little alicorn against her chest as they crossed the grounds to Herbology at the greenhouses and Care of Magical Creatures at Hagrid's hut. On one particular occasion, Luna had underestimated the power of some fierce Tuesday winds, and poor, little Woona almost got swept away. A quick hovering charm thankfully resolved that, but when Luna returned Woona to her chest, the little one's mane was standing on end.

Apart from the weather and her usual classes, Woona was changing as well. Thanks to nightly grammar lessons before bed, Woona's speech and reading skills had improved wonderfully by mid October. Sure there were a few bigger words that she pronounced incorrectly (she still had trouble with Dumbledore and McGonagall), but she could say complete sentences. It was pretty astonishing how much Woona had grown already. This got Luna thinking however; just how quickly would her adopted daughter be growing up, and when would she reach the peak of maturity for an alicorn? Luna could only assume that Woona's current maturity in human years was about five years old. As for when she would become fully grown, well, they had time to worry about that later. In the meantime, Luna kept the lessons going, while also finding time to do her own homework, for the teachers had once again expressed the importance of the 5th years' O.W.L.s. With all the lessons, homework, practicing, and lessons for Woona, Luna's schedule was becoming very tight. She didn't mind though, for any time spent with her daughter was enough strength for her to press on.

One night, after finishing their lessons, Luna had tucked Woona into bed. Afterward, she returned to the common room to finish that night's homework. Slowly, the candles began to burn out, and other students headed up to bed, until by midnight, Luna was the only one in the room. As she finished Snape's essay about the proper wand movement and full effects of the stunning spell, Stupefy, Luna sat back in her chair, reached into her robe pocket, and pulled out what looked like a gold galleon. She examined it for a minute before sighing heavily and putting it on the table.

"Mama?"

Luna turned and saw Woona coming down the spiral staircase from the dormitories, rubbing her eyes tiredly with her blanket draped over her back.

"What is it, sweetie?" Luna asked softly.

"C-can I have a glass of water, please?" Woona asked, stifling a yawn.

"Of course," Luna nodded as she walked over to a small table near the window where a water jug and a few glasses sat. She poured some into one of the glasses, walked over to Woona, and lowered the glass to the alicorn's lips.

"Thank you, Mama," Woona said after she had drained the glass. Luna smiled and returned the glass to the table. She then walked back to Woona and scooped her up in her arms.

"I'm pretty much finished," she said as she rolled up her essay with her free hand. "I think I'll go to bed too." She tucked the parchment into her bag, swung it over her shoulder, and started toward the stairs. She had just reached the bottom step when she realized she had forgotten her galleon. Pulling out her wand, she pointed it at the table and muttered, "Accio galleon." The little gold coin soared through the air as if pulled by an invisible magnet toward Luna, and she caught it and tucked it back into her robe along with her wand.

"What was that, Mama?" Woona asked as they ascended the staircase.

"Oh just a trinket," Luna responded. "A very special trinket."

"Why is it special?" Woona implied further as Luna pushed the dormitory door open. She didn't say anything at first, but sat Woona back on the bed and quickly changed into her pajamas. She then sat herself down on the bed, placed Woona on her lap, and finally answered.

"Well, a year ago, there was this teacher named Professor Umbridge, a truly horrible woman, who was the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher at that time. However, she was refusing to teach any student defensive magic, so no one was learning anything helpful. Then, one day, Harry, Ron, and Hermione gathered a large group of students together, and we all decided to form a secret organization to learn and practice actual Defense Against the Dark Arts. It was called, 'Dumbledore's Army.'"

"Wow," Woona whispered, her jaw dropped in wonder.

"That's right," Luna continued. "Hermione made us all special coins that would help us communicate in secret, without Umbridge finding out. The coins would glow and reveal the time and date of the next session." Her expression fell a bit as she carried on. "But after we were finally found out, we had to stop meeting. I was hoping that we would start up again this year, but since Umbridge is gone, Harry doesn't see a reason to continue." She sighed heavily. "It's a shame really. It was the first time I felt like I had real friends. I still check my galleon constantly, but it hasn't done anything yet." Luna paused for a second, stuck in those blissful memories of practicing Expelliarmus and Impedimenta with the rest of the DA. The train of thought was interrupted, however, by the loud yawn from Woona.

"Ok," Luna said, coming back to her senses and picking up the alicorn. "Bedtime." She laid Woona down so that her head rested on the pillow and pulled the covers up to her neck. As Luna pulled her hangings closed and crawled under the covers beside Woona, the filly's soft voice broke the silence.

"Could I be in Dubbydore's Awmy?" she asked innocently.

Luna chuckled tiredly. "I don't see why not, but you'd have to learn magic first."

"I could do it!" Woona remarked excitedly. "I would be the bestest, magicalist alicorn ever!"

"You sure would," Luna yawned as she leaned over and kissed her daughter on the forehead. "Goodnight, Woona."

"Goodnight, Mama."

At first, the idea of Woona wanting to be in Dumbledore's Army humored Luna, but after a day of thinking it over, a thought did come to mind; could Woona learn wizard magic? She had definitely shown magical elements before when she apparated into her arms, but that just showed that her magic was different than wizard magic. It actually reminded Luna of House elves; having their own sort of magic that didn't following the usual laws of wizardry. But even then, it was possible for House elves to do wizard magic with the absence of a wand. Maybe alicorns were the same way. In any case, if Woona wanted to learn magic, it couldn't hurt to let her try. The problem was, Luna already had so much on her plate already, so trying to fit in magic lessons seemed almost impossible. If only there was a way to somehow teach Woona without practical demonstrations. Luna thought back to her first year. When she first started out, the teachers would have them read about the spells before actually-

And the answer came to Luna immediately. She had the solution stored in the bottom of her trunk in the dormitory. Without wasting any time, Luna, who was halfway down the staircase to the common room, shot back upstairs and into her room. She pulled her trunk out from under her bed and started to rummage through the bottom. Within seconds, she found it. She still had all four; good! Woona would need them if she advanced. Smiling to herself, Luna ran back down the stairs and stopped at the bottom. She saw Woona sitting on a chair in the corner waiting for her. Luna hastily put the book behind her back and walked up to the filly, who noticed her almost at once.

"Woona," Luna said, trying to contain her excitement, "I have something for you."

"What is it?" Woona asked, her head tilted slightly.

Luna pulled her arm out from behind her back and held out a thick, black book to Woona. On its cover was the title, written in golden letters, The Standard Book of Spells Grade 1. Woona eyed the book curiously as Luna spoke again.

"This book helped me learn all the basic spells from my first year at Hogwarts. I don't really use it anymore, but maybe you could get some use out of it. I mean, you have to start with the basics if you want to learn magic." Instantly, Woona's eyes shot up to meet her mother's, now wide as plates, and an excited smile slowly spread across her face as comprehension dawned on her.

"Weally?!" she asked happily.

"Really," Luna nodded with equal happiness. "You'll have to really study though if you want to learn."

"You just wait, Mama!" Woona said with a confident smile. "I'll start wight now!" She then tried to stand the book up straight, but Luna chuckled and lowered it again.

"How about after breakfast?" she suggested. As if on point, Woona's stomach growled softly.

"Ok," nodded Woona. Luna smiled, put the book in her bag, placed Woona on top of her head, and started down to the Great Hall.

During that morning's Charms class, Woona stayed quiet the entire time with no complaints. Every time Luna checked under her desk, she saw the little alicorn's head hidden behind the propped up Standard Book of Spells Grade 1, not making a single peep. Luna instantly felt a combination of pride that Woona was reading all by herself, and relief that she had found an activity to keep her daughter fully entertained all throughout a class. Feeling at ease with these feelings, Luna put her full attention toward the lesson of the day, Cheering Charms. Woona's deep interest in the book didn't falter through the morning. While Luna and Woona normally played during Luna's free period before Transfiguration, the little one was found on one of the comfy chairs, engulfed in the pages of the spell book. Seeing how she had O.W.L. work to catch up on, Luna's free period was uncharacteristically quiet. An hour later, however, Luna picked up Woona, and started down to Professor McGonagall's class.

That day in Transfiguration, they were starting Vanishing Spells. As Professor McGonagall lectured on, the students started their taking of notes.

"Keep in mind that the larger the target, the harder it is to vanish," said Professor McGonagall sternly at the end of 30 minutes, "so we'll be starting with mice." She indicated a medium-sized, wooden box on her desk, where a distant squeaking could be heard amongst the scribbling of quills on parchment.

When Luna looked down again to write another paragraph, she noticed that the spell book was no longer perched up in its usual reading position, but laying flat on the ground. Curious, Luna peeked under the desk and saw that Woona was no longer reading. In fact, she was staring intently in Professor McGonagall's direction. Woona's eyes were narrowed, and her tongue was sticking out of the side of her mouth, as if she was straining to concentrate on something. Just then, Woona's horn glowed for a split second, and then was extinguished. The harder that Woona concentrated her face, the longer the glow would stay before disappearing.

"Woona?" Luna whispered, her curiosity peaking. "What are you-"

"Wingawdium Leviosa!"

The words spilled in a hushed tone from Woona's mouth, and then, suddenly, Woona's horn glowed again. This time though, it did not disappear. A light blue aura was sparkling around her horn. Luna's eyes widened with realization as she quickly looked up toward Professor McGonagall. To her mixed amazement and horror, she saw the box containing the mice was also glowing with the same, blue aura, and started to slowly, but surely, rise into the air! Other students started to notice as well, and were quietly pointing out the levitating box to their neighbors. Each head leaned slowly to the side, dragging their attention away from Professor McGonagall to the magical display behind her. This went unnoticed by Professor McGonagall, who continued on with her lecture.

"Now, there's a very high chance that this will appear on your O.W.L. examinations, so I strongly recommend that you-"

"Woona," Luna whispered urgently under the desk, "Put the box down this instant please!" Woona looked up and pouted for a second before begrudgingly shutting off her horn. The glow around her horn vanished instantly; as did the glow around the box.

" -once you've all got the hang of vanishing mice, we'll move on to MERLIN'S BEARD!!"

Professor McGonagall jumped back in shock as the box fell and hit the desk with a loud CRASH! The box tipped over as the white mice inside spilled out onto the floor and scattered. Instant pandemonium followed. Girls shrieked and jumped up onto their desks, while boys gasped and raised their feet onto their seats, watching the rodents scurry beneath them. Woona, who wasn't scared of mice, started to chase them around shouting, "I'll get them, Mama!" Luna groaned and pressed a palm to her face.

"Accio mice!"

Professor McGonagall had obviously recovered from her shock, and had her wand pointed outward, her eyes wide and lips pursed. All throughout the room, mice were lifted into the air and flown back towards the desk, where they landed safely in the box. When all the mice were collected, McGonagall turned sharply toward the students, who were slowly returning to their seats. She looked absolutely livid.

"Well?!" she snapped, addressing everyone. "Whose idea of a prank was this, hm?" Come forward, now!"

A minute of silence passed as the students looked uneasily around at each other. Luna sighed and was about to speak up when-

"It was me, Pwofessor McGoggle," Woona said guiltily, her ears drooping slightly. All eyes fell upon the alicorn slowly trotting her way up to the front of Professor McGonagall's desk. Professor McGonagall raised her eyebrows, a hint of her anger being replaced with surprise.

"I just wanted to pwactice the Hoverwing Charm from the book Mama gave me," Woona continued. "I didn't mean to interrwupt your lesson and scare evwyone. I'm sowy."

Woona hung her head in shame as everyone just glanced between the filly and their teacher for a minute, wondering what was going to happen. Luna, however, couldn't help but experience a sense of pride in Woona for how maturely she was handling the situation. Apparently, Professor McGonagall felt the same way, for, at last, her expression softened a bit as she addressed Woona.

"Well," she said with a sigh, "I appreciate your honesty, Woona. I'll let you off with a warning today, but no more unwanted magic demonstrations, or I'll have to ban you from my room. Understand?"

Woona nodded. "Yes, Pwofessor."

"Very well," Professor McGonagall said, and Woona quickly returned to under Luna's desk. "And Miss Lovegood," Luna turned toward her, "All younger aged magic practice should be saved for the common room. Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes, ma'am," Luna responded.

The rest of the class was free of anymore impromptu alicorn magic, and Woona stayed hidden behind her book. When the bell rang, Luna made to leave with Woona perched, as usual, on her head. She was held back, however, by Professor McGonagall's voice.

"Miss Lovegood!"

Luna turned to face the Transfiguration teacher, who was stacking papers at her desk. She didn't say anything else at first, but as soon as she saw the last of the students leave the room, she called out, "I should let you know that I will be informing the headmaster about this," There was a slight pause before she added, "and Professor Flitwick. I think he would find it quite amazing. You may go."

Luna bowed slightly and left the classroom, sure that she had seen Professor McGonagall smirk at her last statement. As soon as the two of them were around the corner, Luna suddenly felt Woona stand up, and leap off her head. Instinctively, Luna reached out and caught the filly as she looked at her mother with a gleeful smile.

"Did you see that, Mama?!" she asked excitedly. "Did you see my Hoverwing Charm? Did you?"

"I did," Luna replied, trying to hold back her own glee.

"I did magic!" Woona cheered. "Actual, weal magic! Just like you, Mama!"

Unable to hold her true feelings back anymore at these words, Luna smiled widely and pulled Woona into a joyful hug as the two started to laugh. People around them stopped and stared, but the two didn't care.

"You really did, Woona," Luna finally said, breaking the hug to look her daughter in the eyes. "I'm so proud of you!"

Woona beamed, and pressed against Luna again. As Luna held the filly, she reminded herself to keep track of pinnacle moments like these for Woona; to remember them forever. She had the moment they first met, their first day together, and now, Woona's first, controlled magic!

At that moment, Woona looked behind Luna's back and gasped in delight. Noticing this, Luna looked around, and then smiled, to see Neville making his way up the staircase. Feeling nothing but joy and pride for her daughter, Luna sighed with content as she hurried up toward Neville with Woona shouting for his attention.

"Daddy! Guess what I did today!"

Trip to Hogsmeade

"Mama! Mama!"

Luna woke with a start, sat up, and looked around. Within seconds, she found Woona, who was jumping excitedly on the end table by the window.

"What is it, Woona?" she asked groggily, rubbing her eyes.

"Out at Mr. Hagwid's house!" the alicorn announced, pointing out the window. "There awe big, owange things gwowing next to it! What awe they, Mama?"

Luna smiled serenely and swung her legs to the side as she got up. "Those are pumpkins, Woona. Hagrid's probably preparing them for Halloween." The holiday was only a few weeks away, and Hagrid always grew pumpkins as large as carriages for the holiday feast that would happen that day. Woona looked back out the window and continued to gape, mouth half-open, as Luna dressed. After pulling on her coat, she joined her daughter at the table and looked out the window.

It was impressive that Woona could see anything at all. The snowstorm outside was so thick, it was almost like looking at a white wall. Through the gale, Luna spotted the patches of orange that were the pumpkins, and a big, brown mound bending over them that was obviously Hagrid.

"Hey, Luna!"

Luna and Woona turned around and saw Padma Patil as she walked by pulling on her winter cloak. Luna smiled and waved, and Woona copied almost immediately.

"Remember; Hogsmeade trip today!" she said, grabbing her scarf. "Though I don't know if many people would want to go in this weather. See you." And she was gone down the stairs.

The Hogsmeade trip. How could Luna have forgotten? Then again, finding and taking care of a baby alicorn, along with studying for her O.W.L.s would be enough to drive things like that from one's mind. Would it be prudent to go to the village, even with everything going on? It's not like she was behind on any of her assignments, but then again, it was dreadful weather outside. On the other hand, Woona hadn't seen Hogsmeade yet, and Luna was certain that she would love it, especially when she got a glimpse of Honeydukes. It could be a wonderful mother/daughter outing opportunity. Yes, it would be fun for both of them, and the thought of seeing the little filly's eyes light up at the village was enough to cement the decision.

"What's Hogsmeade, Mama?" Woona asked curiously.

"It's a village," Luna responded as she started to gather her gloves and scarf. "Several times a year, students get the take trips down to Hogsmeade and explore the shops. There's a joke shop called Zonko's, The Three Broomsticks pub with foaming mugs of hot Butterbeer, Dervish and Bang's Wizarding Supplies," With every thing Luna listed off, Woona's eyes grew wider with awe, "and, of course, Honeydukes Sweets, the biggest candy shop around!"

All it took were the words "biggest" and "candy" for Woona to start bouncing up and down with excitement, her eyes still as wide as dinner plates. Luna, who was expecting nothing less, chuckled amusingly.

"Awe we gonna go?" Woona asked giddily, "Huh? Huh? Huh? Awe we? I wanna go! Please, Mama? Pretty, pretty please?"

"Don't worry, sweetie!" Luna said loudly over Woona's continuous pleas. "Well go after breakfast."

"Yay!" Woona cheered happily as she was picked up and placed on Luna's head. All the way down to the Great Hall, Woona was rocking back and forth with excitement, humming an unknown tune, happy as a lark. She only calmed down a bit when they entered the Hall and was sat down on the bench next to Luna, who gave her a bit of toast. She had just sat down and pulled a plate of fried eggs toward her, when a familiar face greeted her from behind.

"Hey, Luna. Woona."

"Daddy!"

Luna looked around in time to see Woona jump off the bench right into Neville's arms and hug him tightly. Neville blushed as he always did when Woona called him "Daddy."

"Are you two going to Hogsmeade?" Neville asked as he stroked Woona's mane.

"Yes," Luna nodded. "It's going to be quite a trip though." She looked up at the enchanted ceiling above which showed the weather outside. It was completely white and snowy.

"I know," Neville said. "I was actually kind of surprised that they were still having the trips." He placed Woona back on the bench beside Luna. "You know, because of all the extra security precautions they have been taking."

Luna took a swig of orange juice and shrugged. "It'll be fun anyway. It's Woona's first time after all."

"Yeah!" Woona chimed in, bouncing slightly. "We're gonna see Honeyducks!"

"Honeydukes," Luna corrected, chuckling again. Just then, as she looked up at Neville, an idea came to her. "Neville, would you like to join us in the village? It could be like a little 'family outing' for the three of us!"

Woona's ears perked up and she looked towards Neville as well, her tail now wagging with anticipation. Neville blushed again, but smiled all the same and nodded. Luna's smile widened.

"Splendid!" she clapped happily. "We'll meet you by the entrance hall after breakfast."

20 minutes later, after bundling Woona inside her coat, Luna and Neville were making their way down the sloping lawn toward the village of Hogsmeade, battling against the heavy winds and snow. The two of them were still laughing about Mr. Filch, who had been prodding students with a secrecy sensor. When he poked at Luna, Woona popped her head out of the coat and said happily, "Hi, Mr. Filth." From the shade of red his face had gotten, it almost looked like his head was turning into a giant tomato. The road to the village was full of students, all facing their own fight against the bitter winds that whipped everyone's faces. Luna and Neville held their hands up in front of them, trying to block most of it out, and Luna felt Woona shivering from within the confines of the coat. Luna patted the lumpy bit which was the alicorn comfortingly, and had to shout when she said, "Don't worry, Woona! We're almost there!"

When they got into Hogsmeade, they looked around. It was not a festive sight. What was normally a happy-looking setting, with the assorted shops and people looking inviting, was replaced with a much more grim picture. All around, residents and shoppers were just keeping to themselves, not wanting to talk to anyone, it might've been mostly because of the weather, if it wasn't for the fact that several shops were boarded up, including, Luna's heart gave a little pang, Zonko's Joke Shop. Luna knew why everyone was acting like this. It was the same in Diagon Alley when she had gone to buy her school things. It still didn't make her feel any better. She looked around some more, and it wasn't until Neville tapped her on the shoulder and pointed to Honeydukes, which was mercifully open, and the two fought their way into the warm, sweet-smelling air of the shop.

As soon as Luna had unwrapped her scarf and bit and pulled Woona out into the open, the little alicorn's eyes went as wide as wagon wheels, her jaw dropped, and she whipped her head around, looking at all the store had to offer. Luna and Neville glanced at each other and sniggered.

"Welcome to Honeydukes, Woona," Luna said, placing the filly on her head. It was too crowded to try and keep track of her on the floor. Even still, Luna could feel Woona squirming excitedly.

"CANDY!!!" Woona suddenly shouted, and lunged her body forward as if to dive from Luna's head. Luna, however, was ready this time. She quickly grabbed the filly before she even left the crown. As she held the child close to her body, Woona continued to struggle against her bonds, reaching both hooves out towards the countless dishes, barrels, and cabinets of Chocolate Frogs, Fizzing Whizbees, Jelly Slugs, and so much more. The crowd around them chuckled merrily as they watched the sugar-mad Woona trying to escape Luna's grasp.

Luna smiled at Neville again and said, "Where should we start?"

After taking another glance at Woona, Neville replied, "I'm guessing with everything in the store." The two laughed and headed off toward the fudge counter.

After filling their pockets with as many sweets as they could carry, and realizing that it was going to be a very hyper evening for Woona, Luna stuffed the alicorn back into her jacket, and she and Neville travelled out into the gale yet again. Seeing how Zonko's was no longer opened for the time being, the most logical place to go would be the Three Broomsticks. Luna pointed toward the pub, Neville nodded in agreement, and the two bowed their heads against the wind lashing at their scarfs.

Once the front door of the Three Broomsticks slammed shut, Luna and Neville sighed with relief at the sudden warmth. The place was, as it always was on a Hogsmeade trip, packed with students amongst the onslaught of bar-goers. Luna unzipped her jacket a bit, and Woona's head instantly popped out and looked around excitedly. Up at the bar, the curvy barmaid, Madame Rosmerta, was serving several tankards of various drinks to some warlocks. Over in a corner, Luna saw Harry, Ron, and Hermione deep in conversation, all with mugs of Butterbeer in front of them. Luna looked down and chuckled as she watched Woona's head whip left and right, taking in everything.

"Come on," Neville said, pointing to an empty table a few paces from the door. Luna nodded, and she followed Neville between the crowds and plopped down in their seats with contemptuous sighs. Luna then unzipped her jacket further, pulled out the now squirming alicorn, and sat on the table. As Woona trotted back and forth on the table, looking at everything she could, several students smiled and waved at her. Grinning broadly, she waved right back.

"I'll get the drinks," Neville said as he got up and headed for the bar. Now that Luna had a moment to look around, she noticed that Woona was getting more attention than just the students. Several full-grown witches at a table nearby pointed at Woona, mumbling to themselves. One shabby-looking wizard was craning his neck to see over the crowd, his eyes wide and mouth open. Even Rosmerta was temporarily distracted when Neville pointed out their table. She was so distracted in fact, that she accidentally overfilled the Butterbeer she was pouring, slopping it onto the counter. Blushing furiously, she gave Neville two foaming mugs and started to hastily wipe up the spill.

"Oh you're going to love this, Woona," Luna said when Neville returned and put a mug down in front of the filly. Woona's curiosity overtook her, and she sniffed near the top of the mug. She seemed to like the smell, for a small smile spread across her face. Luna smiled too and tipped the mug a bit as Woona put both hooves on the sides of the mug and pulled the brim down towards her mouth. She watched the drink leaned closer to the rim and put her lips to it as the contents ran out into her mouth. Slowly, as she slurped, Woona's eyes widened with delight and soft, content hum escaped her. After a few seconds, Luna pulled the mug away, leaving a foam mustache plastered on the happy filly's upper lip.

"Yummy!" Woona cheered, smacking her lips.

"Glad you like it," Luna replied before taking a sip herself. For a while, Luna and Neville talked about all of their current endeavors at the school. Luna went on about her continuing O.W.L. preparations and what she hopes to do after leaving Hogwarts (she was thinking of a Magizoologist), and Neville told of his ever-increasing herbology talents, and lamented about his ambition to become an Auror like his father (he didn't secure an O.W.L. in Transfiguration). Woona happily retold the story of her first magic, it was the third time she told it, and how she was trying to get the Color-Changing charm she found in Standard Book of Spells Grade 1. Neville and Luna laughed as Woona said how she "wanted to put some color in Malfoy's life." All in all, it was a fun bit of "family" togetherness for all of them. The three continued to talk and laugh and drink for several more minutes, until Woona turned her attention towards Harry, Ron, and Hermione, who were just heading out. She waved at the three as they disappeared into the storm. Neville watched them leave and suddenly sighed heavily.

"It's a real shame Harry didn't start up Dumbledore's Army again this year," he mumbled. "I was really looking forward to it." He then dug into his pants pocket, and pulled out a galleon, similar to the one Luna owned. Woona gasped at the sight of it.

"You're in Dubbydore's Army too, Daddy?" Woona asked enthusiastically.

"Yes," Neville responded with a nod. He twiddled the coin between his fingers and smiled reminiscently. "It was because of them that made me, I don't know, feel a little more bolder in my abilities. I felt...like I was making my parents proud. I probably wouldn't have been able to pass my Defense Against the Dark Arts O.W.L. if it wasn't for the D.A. Harry said that I improved greatly because of it, and I was even able to hold my own back at the Minis-" He cut off and looked at Luna, who gave an empathetic look. "Well, it was great." Luna reached out and placed her hand on his.

"I miss it too, Neville," she said comfortingly. Possibly sensing that her Daddy was hurting, Woona trotted over the Neville and hugged him tightly. Neville's smile widened as he hugged her back. After a minute, the two broke apart, and Luna saw Neville quickly wipe his eyes and look around.

"We might as well leave now," he said, trying to hide his voice cracking. "Nothing much else to do with most of the shops closed and being in this storm."

"Quite right," Luna agreed, turning to Woona. "Come, Woona! You can try some of those new sweets when we get back up to the castle." The filly wasted no time in charging excitedly into Luna's arms and being put back into her jacket. Luna wrapped her scarf around her neck, Neville grabbed his hat, and the two left the warm setting of the pub behind them, and back into the stormy gale before them.

They had only taken a few paces outside, however, when a cry echoed around them; a horrible, high-pitched shriek that gave Luna a chill down her spine that had nothing to do with the cold. It was a cry that was the unmistakable sound of someone being terribly hurt. Whatever it was, the sound was coming from the path that led back to the school. With one worried glance at Neville, the two shot off in that direction, running as fast as their legs could carry them. Luna's eyes stung as she tried to see in front of her, trying to catch a glimpse of the source, but still she ran. The two rounded a corner, looked up, and saw the cause of the commotion.

Three figures were crouched around another figure lying on the ground. It was screaming at the top of their lungs, and writhing like an injured worm. As Luna got closer, she saw that the three figures were Ron, Hermione, and another Gryffindor girl to whom Luna had never met who was crying over the still screaming body of-

Luna gasped. It was Katie Bell; a 7th-year Gryffindor who played Chaser for the Quidditch team. She looked pale, her eyes were bulging, and her scream was painful. More people quickly started to gather around, trying to see what was going on. Luna and Neville could only stand and watch in horror at the scene.

"What's wong, Mama?"

Not wanting her daughter to see such a scary sight, Luna moved to zip up her jacket even more, but too late. Woona's head popped up and looked down at Katie Bell. Although she couldn't see the alicorn's face, Luna could feel her start to tremble from within the jacket.

"Get back!" shouted a booming voice. "Lemme see her!"

Everyone looked up to see Hagrid, followed closely by Harry, pushing through the crowd. The people quickly dispersed slightly as Hagrid stooped down to the still screaming Katie.

"Something's happened to her!" the Gryffindor girl sobbed. "I don't know what!"

Without another word, Hagrid scooped Katie up into his massive arms, and rushed through the herds of students back towards the castle. When Katie's cries finally died away, Luna peeled away from the spot where she was laying, and looked concernedly at Neville, who wore a similar expression. No doubt they were both asking the same thing; what could've caused Katie to act like that. The answer came to them almost immediately. An answer that sent a small chill up Luna's spine.

A curse.

"You're Leanne, right?" Luna heard Hermione ask as she put a comforting hand on the sobbing girl's shoulder. Leanne nodded. "What happened?"

"I don't know," Leanne responded through her tears. "Katie said she was going to the loo in the Three Broomsticks. When she came out, she was carrying that!" She pointed down towards the ground, and Luna saw a small, opal necklace sitting on brown wrapping paper. When Ron reached down to take it, he was stopped by Harry's sudden outburst.

"Don't touch it! I've seen that before in Borgin and Burkes! It's a cursed necklace!" Ron quickly recoiled his hand.

Hermione went back to talking to Leanne, but Luna wasn't paying attention. She didn't even seem to notice that most of the crowd had dispersed. It didn't seem to matter at the moment. Someone had given Katie a cursed necklace. If that's what happened when Katie just touched it, Luna shuddered to wonder what would've happened if she would've put it on. Though that raised another question; who would want to hurt Katie Bell? Or maybe it wasn't meant for her. If it was hers, she would've opened it when she got it. Maybe she was just asked to deliver it, but to whom? Just the thought of a cursed necklace being sent out to hurt someone at the school scared Luna.

"Luna?"

Luna was snapped back to the present as she felt a soft hand on her shoulder. She looked up into Neville's concerned face, and the two just stared for a second, both still scared and confused as to what had happened.

"Let's get out of here," Neville said reassuringly. Hearing his words seemed to wake Luna's senses as well, and she nodded. The two were just about to continue forward when-

"W-why?"

Luna started a bit. She had completely forgotten about the alicorn in her jacket. She leaned her head forward and saw that Woona's eyes were still glued to the spot where Katie had lain. Now that her senses had returned, Luna also noticed that Woona was still trembling. And then, when Woona turned to look at her, Luna's eyes widened to see some tears forming in the filly's big, turquoise eyes. When she spoke again, her voice cracked slightly.

"Why w-would somebody do that to her, Mama? Who would hurt her like that?"

That fact that Woona also seemed to realize that this was no accident almost scared Luna. As she looked down into the filly's watery eyes, an onslaught of worries that only a parent could have rushed through her mind. What should she say? What could she say? Should she tell her not to worry? Should she just say it really was an accident? Luna was so caught up in her own little world, taking care of Woona and showing her the great things around Hogwarts, that she didn't even consider telling her about the impending dangers out in the world. It took something like this to remind her of that. But would Woona be ready to know what's out there? Would she be able to handle it, and at such a young age? Would it scare her? For the first time since she started her parenthood, Luna was nervous to tell the truth to Woona.

No, a stern voice suddenly boomed inside Luna, she has to know, to prepare her. She was going to find out sooner or later anyways. It was best to tell her now and help her understand. One thing was for sure, Luna had to keep a level head for her daughter. She took a deep breath, and looked down at Woona again.

"Come on," she said softly. "Let's go warm up at the castle. We'll talk there."

Luna then zipped up her jacket, and she and Neville continued their trek back to the school, all the while wondering what she was going to say. It was time for Woona to know the full story of what was really out there.

Woona Learns About You-Know-Who

Luna sat in front of the crackling fire in the nearly empty Ravenclaw Common Room, the few exceptions being two 7th years studying in a corner. Woona was sitting on Luna's lap, a thick blanket wrapped around her, and a steaming mug of hot chocolate sitting in between her hooves. She was also unusually quiet and somber. She had been like that since they had returned from Hogsmeade. Luna could imagine why. The shock of seeing Katie Bell in so much uncontrollable pain would be too much for any child Woona's age. Katie's chalk-white face still shone brightly in Luna's mind, but it wasn't the only thing. Luna told herself that she was going to tell Woona everything about what was really going on outside the castle; the battle that the wizarding world was currently facing. However, the thought still worried Luna. For someone so young and so innocent, would the thought of dark wizards scare Woona even more? Would she lose faith in the magical life she had been living in? What if Woona became frightened of her? Luna didn't want to lose her daughter, but she also knew that at this point, after seeing something as horrific as what happened in Hogsmeade, she had to explain.

Woona sipped her cocoa loudly, bringing Luna back to the scene. There was no use getting lost in her thoughts. No more stalling. Woona had to know. Luna picked up the filly and turned her around so that she was facing her. Woona looked up at her, curiosity glistening in those big eyes of hers, and for a split second, Luna didn't want to see those eyes turn terrified. Taking a deep breath, she spoke, her voice soft and comforting.

"Woona, I told you that I would explain everything; about what's going on, and I plan on doing that, but I have to warn you; there might be some things that could scare you. Scare you from the wizarding world. I just want you to promise me something."

"What's that, Mama?" Woona asked quietly.

"Whatever you hear, please don't think less about me or Hogwarts, ok?" Luna answered with a hint of desperation in her voice.

Woona tilted her head slightly and her mouth spread into a comforting smile. "I would never think less about you, Mama! You're the bestest Mama ever, and I will always love you. I pwomise!"

Luna smiled and stroked Woona's mane. Her words seemed to spark a refined confidence in Luna, and her gut unhinged a bit. Taking a second to think of how to word her sentence, she spoke again.

"You know how Hogwarts is filled with such nice people?" she asked.

"Yeah!" Woona responded happily. "Like Hawwy, and Won, and Hermione, and Dubbydore, and McGoggle, and Flitwick, and-"

"Yes, yes," Luna interrupted, placing an amused finger over Woona's lips, silencing her instantly. "Well, you see, not every witch and wizard is nice."

"You mean like that Dwaco Malfoy?" Woona asked.

"No," Luna responded. "Malfoy is only a bully. I mean that there are," Luna searched for the right word, "bad wizards. Very bad. Not only being mean, but doing bad things to others." Woona's confused look slowly changed to concerned, and the worried knot returned to Luna's stomach, but she continued on.

"Right now, outside of Hogwarts, there is a group of bad witches and wizards doing very bad things. They're called the Death Eaters, and the leader of the Death Eaters is the baddest wizard of all time. He's so bad that most people don't even want to say his name. We just call him You-Know-Who."

Woona was fixed on every word, not looking away or even barely blinking. Luna paused and wondered if she should say the name. If Woona was going to get all the information, it was only fair to tell her. On the other hand, Luna herself hadn't even grown accustomed to it. If only Harry were around. He never showed fear in saying the name. Looking at Woona's curious face again, it gave her the temporary courage to press forward.

"V-V-Voldemort," Luna gave a small shudder. "That's his name."

Woona scrunched up her face, and Luna knew she was trying to repeat it. It was the same face she made when she was trying to pronounce a difficult word.

"V-V-V-" Woona struggled to repeat. Luna was half-hoping she wouldn't be able to. "V-Voldywart?"

"Close enough," Luna responded, sighing slightly. "You see, a long time ago, Voldywart," Luna paused for a second, a little amused of how that was much easier to say and decided right away to keep that, "Voldywart had spread terror all across the country with his teams of Death Eaters. They hurt so many wizarding families, and even muggle families. They used lots of bad magic."

"There's bad magic?" Woona gasped.

"Oh yes," Luna nodded solemnly. "Voldywart and his followers loved using bad magic. In fact, the spell he seemed to favor the most was -" Luna paused again. Dare she tell about Avada Kedavra? Should she tell Woona of the darkest spell in the wizarding world? She had already brought it up, and it was just going to get darker still. There was no going back now. "- the killing curse, Avada Kedavra."

Woona's reaction was just as Luna had thought. Her eyes grew even wider, and Luna could feel her start to tremble a bit. Quickly, Luna started to stroke her mane again, and luckily, that calmed her down a bit.

"Voldywart used this curse on so many innocent people, including Harry's mom and dad." Woona gasped again and placed a hoof to her mouth. "15 years ago, he appeared that their house, and, well, used the spell on them. He then tried to do the same to Harry, but it didn't work. In fact, the curse rebounded and hit Voldywart instead."

"You mean he died?" Woona asked, still glued to every word.

"That's what everyone thought for many years. Harry became famous for being the only person to ever survive the killing curse, Voldywart's followers were rounded up and arrested one by one, and for a while, the wizarding world was at peace. Then, about two years ago, Voldywart returned to full power. No one knows how he did it, but he's back, and gathering his followers every day. That's the main reason why Harry formed Dumbledore's Army; to train us to protect ourselves from him and the Death Eaters. In fact, Harry, Ron, Hermione, Ginny, Neville, and I faced off against his Death Eaters last year."

Woona's mouth fell open and she leaned in a bit. "You and Daddy fought Death Eaters?" Luna could sense a mixture of fear, yet also amazement in her voice when she spoke.

"That's right," Luna replied, trying to not feel to proud of herself. "Because of us, Voldywart's return became known to everyone else, and since then, the whole wizarding world has been on high alert."

Luna leaned back in her chair and sighed as she looked down at the filly, waiting for a response. For a few seconds, Woona didn't speak. She had stopped trembling, but the wide-eyed expression still lingered as she stared downward at her hooves. Luna couldn't tell if she was scared, or interested in hearing more. She had a feeling Woona's ever-growing curiosity would get the better of her, and she would want to know where Voldemort was now, and if it was connected to what happened in Hogsmeade.

After a few more seconds, Luna's prediction proved correct, as Woona looked up again and asked, "So...is Voldywart," she looked towards the tower window, "out there?"

"Yes," Luna nodded solemnly. "He's still out in the world somewhere, no doubt thinking of ways to terrorize the wizarding world even more than before."

"Is..." Woona's voice had started to crack, a sure sign that she was becoming more afraid, "is he the one who hurt that Gwyffindor girl?" Luna looked away for a second. She honestly didn't know who was responsible, but it definitely seemed like his doing. But there was no way him or the Death Eaters could get into Hogsmeade without being spotted...right? Then again, there was always the Imperius curse. Turning back, Luna placed a comforting hand on Woona's shoulder.

"I don't know," she answered honestly. "Voldywart has ways of getting people to do what he wants even when he's not around them," Woona started trembling again, and Luna felt a pang of guilt before quickly adding, "but there's no way he could get into the castle. The protections are too great, and besides, he have Dumbledore. As long as he's here, we'll be completely safe."

Though Woona's trembling died down slightly, she still looked uncertain. This was just as Luna had feared. The last thing she wanted was for Woona to become paranoid, to stop trusting all magic, or even to, Luna's heart clenched at the idea, run away.

"I assure you," Luna started to say again, trying to sound sure, "nothing bad can happen to us here. We're...we're..."

Luna frantically tried to bring forth more words of comfort, but suddenly, none were coming to her. She wanted to tell Woona that it was going to be alright; that nothing was going to happen to them, but then she would be making promises that she knew she probably couldn't keep. Luna had never felt this uneasy before. The concept of death never used to frighten her that much, and sometimes, she even said that to some, death was the next, big adventure. Now, however, the idea of dying was becoming more and more frightening, and Luna knew why; Woona. Her daughter had become the biggest priority in Luna's life, and the thought that the impending war might separate them on way or another made all the blood drain from Luna's body. As she looked down at the little alicorn, the one she considered her own, Luna felt, for the first time, true fear. She suddenly felt small tears starting to form in her eyes. Giving a loud sniff, Luna then wasted no time in scooping up the filly in her arms, and holding her close, like it was the very last night they would see each other. Silent sobs escaped Luna as she hugged her daughter and stroked her mane with a trembling hand. Woona didn't say anything, but returned the hug. The two stayed like that for several minutes. Then, as if some magical force was driving her, not typical magic, but other-worldly, Luna started to speak again, and her voice was crackly and full of worry.

"Oh, Woona," she sniffled, "I honestly don't know what's coming. People all across Britain are getting hurt and disappearing, both wizards and muggles alike. Voldemort is out there, and he and his Death Eaters are not going to stop until he controls everything. It's more than likely that someday, he will bring the fight to Hogwarts and Dumbledore, and he will try to extinguish every one he finds unworthy to live in his world. I wish I could promise you that nothing will happen to us and that we will always be safe, but I-I can't. I'm sorry."

As she paused for breath, Woona still wasn't talking. It didn't even sound like she was crying. This gave Luna the motivation to calm herself down. She wiped the tears away with her free hand, and cleared her throat before continuing.

"But there is something I can promise you," she said confidently. "If a fight does come to Hogwarts, I will do everything in my power to protect you. I will fight until my limbs are shattered, and then I'll fight even further. As long as there is breath in my lungs, I will not let them get you. I promise." And she meant it too. She was not going to lose Woona to the Death Eaters, magic or no magic.

"I'll pwotect you too," Woona said softly.

Luna was so taken aback that she broke the hug and placed Woona back on her lap. Woona's face shown no signs of tears, but instead, wore a determined expression. Still a little shocked, all Luna could respond with was, "Huh?"

"I'll pwotect you too, Mama!" Woona said again calmly, but sternly. "I can do magic now too, wemember? I'll study even hawder than before, and do my best to learn as many spells as I can. I won't leave you, or Daddy, or anyone else alone." She then placed a hoof on Luna's chest and gave a small, reassuring smile. "It's alwight to be a little afwaid, Mama. I'll be bwave enough for both of us. I pwomise. After all, I'm in Dubbydore's Awmy! And I'm your daughter!"

Maybe it was from the surprise of Woona showing such bravery at the situation, or from her determination to study harder and become a better magical creature, but Luna's fearful nature was slowly drifting away. It was as if someone had poured warm water down her throat and washed out all the anxiety and nervousness, and what replaced it was pride. An ever-growing pride for the little alicorn in front of her. Still so young, and yet, showing more and more maturity every day.

There was no warning of tears this time. Luna's face instantly felt hot with the trickling down her cheeks, but a wide smile was spread across her face. Woona beamed back, and reached upward for another hug. Luna instantly obliged, and the two were once again locked in a loving embrace, this one practically radiating with admiration for one another. Woona's words had spurred a newborn resolution inside Luna as well; a resolution to work even harder herself to protect her daughter.

"You sure are," Luna said happily through her tears. "You're my Woona, and I love you so much!"

"I love you too, Mama!" Woona replied, nuzzling her mother's neck affectionately.

As mother and daughter held each other in the now empty common room, Luna found that the fear for Woona's faith had completely evaporated, and confidence had taken its place. A confidence that maybe, just maybe, the future was looking pretty hopeful after all with her daughter by her side.

GO GRYFFINDOR!!

"Ok, Woona. Try again, and remember; enunciate."

Luna and Woona were sitting at a small table in the common room during free period, a few days after the Hogsmeade trip. Woona was standing on one side of the table, staring intensely at a small box with a lock on the other side. After the talk they had that night, Woona was keeping true to her word; she was working much harder on learning magic. Luna no longer had to worry about her being bored in classes, for Woona's nose was within The Standard Book of Spells Grade 1 from beginning of class to end. The filly had since all but mastered the Hovering Charm, as seen at the end of one Charms class, where Woona had hovered Professor Flitwick's hat off his head, spun it around, and placed it comfortably back where it was. Flitwick was really impressed, and even gave Luna five points for Ravenclaw to give to Woona.

"Why, any more learning," Flitwick said as he left, "and Professor Dumbledore might as well induct Woona in as a student!"

Woona's pride was through the enchanted roof at Lunch, as was Luna's. Her little alicorn was growing more and more, both intellectually and, slowly but surely, physically. The previous day, Luna had noticed how much harder it was to just keep Woona perched on her head without straining her neck, so she decided that Woona was at the point where she could just walk beside her. There were still no signs of Woona attempting to fly yet, but Luna knew that it shouldn't be too long now. It seems like time was moving along quite fast for Woona, as it seemed only last week when Luna first found her in that forest, scared and basically a toddler. Now she was learning magic and become much more profound in her vocabulary. But, then again, Luna thought, alicorns do mature rather quickly.

With the Hovering Charm completed, Woona had started working on more than one at a time. She was currently trying out the Unlocking Charm, Alohomora, on the box Luna had conjured up for practice. Woona continued to stare at the box, her tongue sticking out a bit in concentration, and her horn slowly starting to glow its colored aura again.

"A-A-Alohomwa!" Woona yelled as she pointed her horn at the lock on the box.

Nothing happened.

Woona sighed and stuck out her lower lip in a pouting manner. Luna couldn't help but giggle. She may have been maturing in some cases, but she was still a child after all. Of course she wouldn't take failure as well.

"It's alright, Woona," Luna said encouragingly. "Try to pronounce those 'r's. They make all the difference. Come on; Alohomora."

Woona nodded, looked back at the box, her horn started to glow again, she took a deep breath, and...

"Alohomora!"

A small beam of light shot out from Woona's horn, across the table, and hit the box. After a second, there was a small click, signaling the unlocking of a lock. Luna and Woona looked at each other with big smiles.

"Mama! I did it!" Woona said, bouncing up and down excitedly on the table. "Did you see? Did you see me do it?"

"I certainly did!" Luna replied happily as Woona bounced into her arms. "You're getting along so well! At this point, it won't be long before you can try Transfiguration and defensive spells." Woona beamed proudly as she hugged Luna. "If fact, maybe you can show Aunt Hermione what you can do before the Quidditch match tomorrow."

Woona's hooves dropped a little as she looked up at Luna with a confused expression on her face. "What's Qu-qu-quidditch?" she asked, struggling a bit to pronounce it.

"It's a wizard sport," Luna explained, sitting the alicorn on her lap. "There are several players on two teams that fly on brooms and try to get a ball through some hoops to score points." Woona still looked a bit confused, but it wasn't surprising. Trying to understand the full game of Quidditch was difficult for such a young mind. Luna smiled sweetly. "You'll see tomorrow. Uncle Harry, Uncle Ron, and Aunt Ginny are playing in the game."

Woona's eyes widened excitedly. "W-Really?"

"That's right," Luna replied. "So we have to make sure to cheer nice and loud for them, ok?"

The filly sat up straight and sprang to a salute. "I'll be the bestest cheerer for Gw-Gryffindor ever!" Luna's smile widened.

"Wonderful," she said, clapping her hands together. "Now, I have something to wear tomorrow to support the team." She paused and looked at Woona's head, getting a mental picture of what she would need. "I think I can make something for you too. The others will love it!"

The next morning, Luna's plan for Woona was made apparent immediately. Everybody stared as Woona skipped merrily down the hallway toward the Great Hall next to Luna, looking at their headgear. Luna was wearing a hat with a big, lion's head, mane and all, perched on top that she had made the previous year. When prodded with her wand, the lion actually roared. Many students had already seen this one however. What they had not seen yet was Woona's hat, where perched on top was the head of a lion cub, which meowed majestically when she lit her horn. Every time it did this, Woona giggled slightly and loudly said, "GO GRYFFINDOR!" Everyone around them looked with eyes widened, but the two were as happy as could be.

When they entered the Great Hall for breakfast, they spotted the Gryffindor team at their table, wearing their scarlet uniforms. Luna and Woona skipped through the onslaught of sniggers from the Slytherins and "Awws" from the girls to where Harry and Ron were sitting. As they got closer, Luna noticed that Ron was looking very pale, almost like he was ready to throw up. Harry was offering him something to drink.

"What would you like, Ron?" Luna heard him ask as they passed by. "Tea? Coffee? Pumpkin juice?"

"Anything's fine," Ron groaned solemnly.

Luna and Woona passed the team and spotted Hermione sitting by herself, her nose in a book, but her eyes on Ron.

"Good morning," Luna said cheerfully as she sat down. She reached down and picked up Woona, setting her down next to her. Hermione glanced over at Luna and smiled slightly.

"Morning, Luna," she said. She then turned to Woona and patted her head. "Hello, Woona." She then looked back at Ron.

"Good morning, Aunt Hermione," Woona replied happily. She then spotted a platter of fried eggs, and, licking her lips, she whispered, "Wingardium Leviosa." The plate rose slightly into the air, and was brought down right in front of the alicorn, who instantly started chowing down.

This briefly recaptured Hermione's attention again as she looked back at the two, eyebrows raised. "It looks like she's really getting good at beginner's magic," she said to Luna, who was gathering a plate up with toast and sausages.

"Oh yes," Luna replied. "Yesterday, she did the Alohomora charm for the first time, and she's also been trying the Lumos spell.

"That's really good," Hermione said. "She keeps this up, and we'll have to-" she then stopped, and a taken aback expression appeared on her face. "Wait a minute. Did she just say Aunt Hermione?"

Luna chuckled slightly, a little amused of how long it took Hermione to actually notice, and then said, "Yes. Since Neville's the daddy, I told Woona that she could refer to the rest of my friends as her aunts and uncles. I hope you don't mind."

"Mind?" Hermione asked, her expression quickly changing to glee. "Of course I don't mind! I've never been an aunt before! This is such an honor! And I know that Harry, Ron, and Ginny wouldn't mind either." She glanced back at Harry and Ron. "Though I might recommend not adding Ron at the moment. He's been rather unbearable lately, and I-" she then stopped again as her eyes went wide with shock. She seemed to be staring at Harry now, who Luna saw had just passed Ron a goblet of pumpkin juice.

"Did he just-" Hermione gasped under her breath, "He shouldn't- against the rules-" she then stood up with a snap, making both Luna and Woona flinch suddenly. "Not while I have anything to say about it!" And before either could recover from the suddenness, she had stormed over to Harry and Ron and started scolding them for something Luna couldn't hear.

"What was that about, Mama?" Woona asked.

"I don't know," Luna replied. "All I saw was Harry pouring something into Ron's goblet. Probably a tonic or something." The two watched intently as Ron gulped down the goblet, Hermione looking appalled, and then he and Harry left the Great Hall with the rest of the team, leaving Hermione still seething. Luna then turned back to Woona and said, "It's almost time for the match. Hurry and finish eating, and then we can go down to the stadium!"

Woona didn't need telling twice.

The stadium was getting packed by the time Luna and Woona had made it down. The weather was perfect for a day of flying; no clouds, no wind, and all sun. Luna held the filly close to her as she scooted through the crowds of Ravenclaw students as she made her way to her House section, marked with a bronze eagle on a blue shield. She found a good seat right at the front before placing Woona down on her lap. Woona's body bounced up and down excitedly as she looked around the giant field. Her tiny wings flapped happily, tickling Luna's stomach, and an excited smile was spread across her face. Woona lit up her horn and her hat gave a loud, squeaky "meow," to which she the shouted, "GO GRYFFINDOR!" Luna chuckled as she tapped her own hat, which gave a majestic roar.

Pretty soon, 14 players, 7 wearing fiery red robes and the other 7 wearing serpent green, were making their way out onto the pitch from either side of the stadium and meeting in the center. Woona instantly stood up as her tail began to swish back and forth.

"I see Uncle Harry, Mama!" she shouted, pointing down at the Gryffindor players. "And there's Uncle Ron, and there's Aunt Ginny!" She then lit up her horn, another meow sounded, and she shouted, "GO GRYFFINDOR!"

Luna laughed as the two team captains, Harry and Urquhart, shook hands, and all the players mounted their brooms. Madam Hooch, the referee, stood in the center, letting loose the two black bludgers and the golden snitch, which instantly took flight.

"On my whistle," Madam Hooch shouted. "Three, two, one!"

The whistle blew, and the players were off. Ron immediately flew over to the three rings, Harry went upwards, and Ginny and the other two Chasers, Dean Thomas and Demelza Robins, took off with the Quaffle.

"And there they go," came a snide voice that echoed around the stadium. "Well, I think we're all surprised about the team Potter has put together this year. Many would've guessed he would ditch Ron Weasley after his performance last year, but then again, it pays to know the captain."

Both Luna and Woona looked up towards the source of the voice as Slytherins jeered from the other side of the stadium. Surely he wouldn't have been selected as the new Quidditch commentator, thought Luna. But there was no mistaking that blonde hair and upturned nose. The moment Woona noticed him, she wrinkled her own muzzle in disgust.

"Who's the meanie?" she asked, looking imploringly up at Luna.

"That's Zacharias Smith," Luna answered. "He's a member of Dumbledore's Army." And that's all she could say without being tempted to talk about just how much of a wart he was. Woona gave an audible sniff of disapproval towards Smith, then quickly returned to the game.

"And here comes Slytherin's first change to score," Smith commentated, as the Slytherin captain zoomed down the field with the Quaffle under his arm. Woona's eyes widened and Luna felt her starting to tremble with anticipation. "Urquhart flying down the pitch, dodges Thomas, throws the Quaffle, and..." Woona and the other Gryffindors let out a big cheer as Rom caught the Quaffle.

"He saves it," Smith finished, sounding slightly surprised. "Well, I suppose Weasley's bound to get lucky at least once."

Luna shot another annoyed look up towards Smith. Woona, however, had full attention upon the game. Her head whipped back and forth as she watched the players fly left and right across the field, her eyes wide and mouth open with excited awe. When Ginny scored Gryffindor's first goal, both Luna and Woona activated their hats. A mighty roar and loud meow echoed around them, followed by Woona shouting, "GO GRYFFINDOR!" Luna chuckled again. It seemed that Woona had found something else at Hogwarts that she really enjoyed. Even Smith's snide comments about the team didn't distract from how much fun Woona was having watching the game. The only time Woona wasn't watching the players was when she was asking Luna about the other rules of the game. Luna had explained that each goal was 10 points, and it was Ron's job to protect his goals, while Ginny had to score them. When one of the Gryffindor Beaters, Jimmy Peakes, swung his club at an oncoming Bludger, Luna gave a brief explanation on the Beaters' job.

"And what about Uncle Harry?" Woona asked, looking up towards Harry, who was circling high above the pitch.

"He has to catch a tiny, golden ball called the Golden Snitch, which is very fast," Luna answered. "If he gets it, the game ends, and Gryffindor gets another 150 points."

"Wow," Woona whispered loudly, and looked a bit longer at Harry before having her attention diverted by another goal by Ginny. "GO GRYFFINDOR!" she shouted again as her hat meowed, and Luna's roared.

After half an hour, Gryffindor was up 60 - 0, and Woona's excitement was building more and more. She hadn't sat down once, but was standing on Luna's lap, her eyes glued to the field, and her mouth still open. Luna thought humorously that if Woona kept her mouth open any longer, she was going to swallow a bug. Meanwhile, Zacharias Smith had stopped criticizing the Weasleys after Ron's eighth save in a row, and instead turned his attention to the Gryffindor Beaters. Again and again, Gryffindor scored, making Woona cheer, "GO GRYFFINDOR!" every time, and Ron kept saving goals again and again. Pretty soon, the crowd started to sing Weasley is our King, a song created last year by the Slytherins to mock Ron's poor Keeper skills, but had since been rewritten in support of him. Luna couldn't help but noticing, also, that the more excited Woona got, the faster her wings would flap. Luna could actually feel the wind they were generating, which made her giggle.

"Mama!" Woona suddenly shouted as she peered upward. "Look!"

Luna looked up to see the Slytherin Seeker, Harper, starting to dive suddenly.

"And it looks like Harper has seen something," Smith announced. "He's definitely seen something Potter hasn't."

All eyes in the stadium followed Harper's broom as he sped out of the dive and off across the pitch, his hand outstretch, trying to grasp at something. Harry was soon following suit, speeding after Harper as fast as he could. Woona's wings beat faster and faster as rose her head higher to try and get a better look. Now, she was on her hind legs, her front legs resting on the barrier in front of them. Luna turned her gaze towards the two Seekers as well. Harper still had a bit of a lead on Harry. If Harry didn't do something quick, Harper would get the Snitch, and Slytherin would win. Luna's eyes continued to follow their trail, until it was obstructed by Woona wings fluttering in her face. Wind blasted Luna's face, and she looked down for a moment to dodge the gust.

And then she saw that Woona's hooves weren't on her lap at all, but hovering a few inches above!

Luna jerked her head up, eyes wide with shock, and looked at her daughter. Sure enough, her head was now higher than Luna's, as well as many others. Slowly, but surely, Woona continued to rise, her wings fluttering what seemed like a mile a minute. Luna glanced at Woona's face; she hadn't even noticed she was flying. She was so fixated on the game, nothing else seemed to matter to her. Luna couldn't believe it! Her daughter had finally shown signs of flight!

"Woona!" she called out happily. "You're fl-"

But she was cut off by the thunderous cheers and applause that rang throughout the stadium. Luna quickly looked around before spotting Harry, hovering in the center of the pitch, clutching the Golden Snitch in his hand.

"YES!" Woona squealed, and at that moment, her wings stopped at once, and she fell back down onto Luna's lap, as if nothing had happened. Woona had never even noticed it happening. Luna opened her mouth again to tell her daughter what she had done, but was cut off by Woona spinning around and whooping happily.

"GRYFFINDOR WON, MAMA!" she cheered, jumping up and down, as the Gryffindor team met in the middle of the field, and hugged each other, and three-quarters of the stands continued to erupt in celebration. "GRYFFINDOR WON!" She lit her horn, and the cat meowed loudly, audible even over the cheering crowds. "GO GRYFFINDOR!"

Luna looked for a second at her bouncing daughter, then smiled, and tapped her own hat, which roared triumphantly. There would be time, after the euphoria had died down, to tell Woona of her unnoticed feat.

Slughorn's Party

Woona’s euphoria from her first Quidditch game lasted all the next day. She even continued to wear her lion cub hat, only taking it off when she was told off by McGonagall for disrupting her class. Luna hadn’t had a chance yet to tell Woona of her brief period of flight, but quickly realized that if she tried, the alicorn wouldn’t even pay attention, she was so happy. The thrill of the match had sparked inside Woona a new mania, so much so that Woona didn’t even practice her magic at all for the next three days. Luna had even checked out Quidditch Through the Ages from the library for Woona, and the little filly couldn’t take her eyes off of it throughout all of Luna’s classes. Whenever Luna would look down at the little one, eyes glued to the pages of the Quidditch book, all she could do was chuckle. Whether this was just a phase for Woona or something stronger, only time would tell.

By the fourth day, however, Luna had decided that she had postponed the news long enough. She sat her daughter down during afternoon break, and told her about what she unknowingly did. Needless to say, Woona’s reaction was exactly what Luna had predicted. When she was told that she had briefly flown without even realizing it, Woona was over the moon with excitement! Immediately, she wanted to try it again. Not wanting to wait another minute, she stood up on the bed, started flapping her wings furiously, and, with a determined look in her eyes, jumped forward. The results, however, were drastically different, as Woona hovered for a brief second, and then dropped like a bag of dungbombs. Woona hit the floor with a loud THUD, landing on her face. There was a short silence, and then, to Luna’s horror, Woona started to cry.

Luna quickly rushed over, picked up the sobbing child, and examined her face. Through the onslaught of fresh tears, Luna saw that there was no bleeding or bruises, and sighed softly of relief. She then hugged Woona comfortingly as the alicorn rode out her sobs. After a few more minutes, the crying died down into sniffles, and Luna broke the hug to look at her daughter.

“W-w-why can’t I do it?” Woona asked, wiping her muzzle clean. “I-I-If I did it before, w-why not again?”

“You will, Woona.” Luna reassured her as she wiped the tears away. “You just need to practice a bit, that’s all. You do that, and you’ll be flying for sure.”

“Promise?” Woona whimpered with her lower lip trembling. Luna smiled and kissed her daughter’s forehead.

“Promise.”

This seemed to cheer Woona up again, and after a quick nap (during which Luna was able to catch up on some O.W.L. work), Woona was back to her usual, happy self. The next class Luna had was Charms, so after packing up her bag, she made her way out of the Common Room and down the stairs with Woona close behind. As they walked, Woona continued to flap her wings and kept trying the jump with every other step, but to no avail. This time, though, she didn’t start crying, but pulled a quick pout that made Luna giggle.

“It’ll happen when you least expect it to, sweetie,” Luna said. “Just keep practicing.”

“Wait until I tell Daddy about this!” Woona responded excitedly. “He’ll be so proud!”

“He certainly will,” Luna replied as they passed the girl’s bathroom, “and I bet Professor Flitwick would be interested in know-”

Luna was suddenly cut off by a sound coming from the girls’ toilets the two were walking past. It sounded like someone was crying from inside. Luna and Woona stopped and stood just outside the entrance, looking in at the mysterious noise. After glancing at each other curiously, they walked in.

“Hello?” Luna called out. “Moaning Myrtle? Is that you?”

Moaning Myrtle was the gloomy ghost that usually haunted the girls’ toilets on the 2nd floor, but occasionally visited other bathrooms as well. When Luna looked further in, however, she saw that it wasn’t Myrtle, but Hermione. She was standing in front of a mirror, sobbing silently into her hand. When she turned and saw Luna and Woona, Hermione quickly wiped her eyes and straightened up as best as she could.

“H-hello, Luna,” she greeted in her best attempt at a casual voice. “Hello, Woona.”

“Is everything alright, Hermione?” Luna asked.

“Oh, it’s nothing,” Hermione replied, new tears already starting to form. “It’s just...Ron did something in Transfiguration...so cruel…” and more tears streamed down her face. Woona stepped forward slightly.

“Do you want a hug, Aunt Hermione?” she asked softly.

“Yes please,” Hermione responded almost immediately.

Woona rushed forward as Hermione bent down and outstretched her arms to let Woona into an embrace. Hermione held her for what seemed like a minute as she cried some more. After they broke the hug, Luna walked forward and offered her hand. Hermione smiled weakly and took it.

“That’s it,” Luna said sweetly as she helped Hermione up. “You’ll be ok. Let’s get you to your next class.” She then cradled Hermione’s hand in her own and led her out of the bathroom. As soon as they exited, Luna’s attention was drawn to another friend walking down the hall. Harry was hurrying towards them, his hands filled with books.

“Hi, Uncle Harry!” Woona exclaimed, waving happily.

“Hello, Harry,” Luna copied. “Did you know one of your eyebrows is yellow?”

It was true. Harry’s right eyebrow, while normally black, was a bright yellow that brought attention to that part of his head. Harry smiled slightly at Luna, and then turned to Hermione.

“You left these in Transfiguration, Hermione,” he said, handing the books to her. Hermione wiped her still glistening eyes and took them.

“Thanks, Harry,” she sniffled loudly. “I’ll see you later.” And with that, she hurried away down the hall, leaving only Harry, Luna, and Woona still looking after her.

“We found her crying in the bathroom,” Luna said suddenly, turning to Harry. “I thought it was Moaning Myrtle. She said something about Ron Weasley doing something to her.”

“Yeah, they had a fight,” Harry said solemnly. Another moment of silence passed over them as the three continued to stand there. Some may have called the situation awkward, but any time with friends, even times of silence, were cherished by Luna. Finally, after another minute, Harry spoke.

“How’s your year been so far?”

“Oh it’s good,” Luna responded dreamily. “Woona has been improving so much in her magic, and just recently, she has shown the capability of flying.”

“That’s nice,” Harry said, though he sounded like he was only half-listening.

“Yeah,” Woona chimed in, “and Aunt Ginny beat up some meanies for calling Mama ‘Loony,’ right, Mama?”

“Yes she did,” Luna nodded. “I really like Ginny. She’s so nice to me and Woona, and-”

“Would you like to come to Slughorn’s Christmas party with me?”

Luna blinked. The question was so out of the blue, that she was actually taken aback by it. She looked at Harry, who was looking at her with an expression that showed no signs of foul play or false intentions.

“What?” she asked in a stunned tone.

“Well, I have no one to go with,” Harry responded casually, “and I thought maybe you would like to go with me,” he then quickly added, “as friends, I mean. If you don’t want to though-”

“Oh no!” Luna interrupted, her confusion having turned into absolute joy. “I would love to go to the party with you as friends! No one has ever asked me to a party as friends before!”

This was also true. Luna had long accepted that excluding Harry, Ron, Hermione, Ginny, and Neville, all the students at Hogwarts thought of her as weird, crazy, and, yes, even loony. She never did let that bother her, as she was happy just the way she was, but there was still a small desire within Luna; a desire to be invited to gatherings with friends. When Harry asked her, that desire was granted, and a wave of happiness and gratitude spread through Luna like hot butterbeer.

“So,” she said pointing at Harry’s mismatched eyebrow, “is that why you dyed your eyebrow? For the party? Should I do mine too?”

Harry chuckled. “No, that was from Transfiguration.”

“Oh, Uncle Harry!” Woona squeaked excitedly, jumping up and down. “Could I come too? Please, please, please, oh can I come to the party too? Pretty please with a cherry on top?”

“Don’t you worry, Woona,” Harry said as he patted Woona’s head. “I’m sure Slughorn would love to have you there too.”

Woona squealed and jumped again even higher than before, her wings flapping furiously. She hovered for a brief second, and then she fell back to the ground. This time, however, she smiled widely at Harry, who’s eyes widened slightly.

“I see what you mean about her showing signs of flight,” Harry commented. Luna and Woona both just smiled and nodded.

All around the castle grounds, the feeling of Christmas was spreading like wildfire. Hagrid had secured ten towering Christmas trees for the Great Hall with Flitwick, McGonagall, and the prefects covering them with golden baubles, tinsel, and shimmering stars. Wreaths were being strung all along the corridors, and, best of all, the school was showered with a blanket of fresh snow. Luna was especially excited for the holidays, for she would be taking Woona home to meet her father, Xenophilius. When she had written to her father about finding Woona back in October, Xenophilius replied back with elation and showed much interest in meeting the filly. Woona was excited too. She had never seen anything outside the school grounds for her, and Luna knew that she would love the Lovegood house.

But while other students were focused on the holidays, there was only one thing currently on both Luna and Woona’s mind; the party. Harry’s invitation had sparked an anticipated delight inside Luna that she hadn’t felt since the day she became Woona’s mother. For the rest of the week, all Luna could do was think about how much fun she and Woona were going to have. Since Luna had never been to a Christmas party before, she didn’t know if there was a specific dress code, but she assumed it had to be formal. The first thing she did was write home asking her father for a Christmas party dress, and Xenophilius responded splendidly. Two days later, he sent the family owl with a package containing a beautiful silver dress with a wreath tiara with holly in it. With the package came a note saying the dress used to belong to Luna’s late mother. Luna was more than happy to wear it. As for Woona, who was just as excited, Luna fixed up a matching silver dress with small bells draped around it, and two holes cut out for her wings. Luna also did up the filly’s mane into a short, elegant ponytail held together with a band of holly. Needless to say, by the night of the party, Luna and Woona looked like a pair of princesses.

Harry had told Luna to meet him in the 6th floor corridor outside Slughorn’s office, where the party was being held. Luna and Woona were the first to arrive. While waiting on the corner, Woona looked down the hallway towards the faint sounds of talking and laughter of the party as she fluttered her wings with anticipation.

“Uncle Harry should be here any moment,” Luna said to her daughter, smiling softly. “Any moment.”

A sudden thought crept into Luna’s mind. A pessimistic thought that wasn’t welcome in Luna’s subconscious. Was there the slight possibility that Harry had changed his mind? Or even worse; he had never intended on coming at all! No, Luna thought sternly. Harry was her friend! He wouldn’t do something like that! Not after what they’ve been through.

“Hey,” said a voice from behind. “You look…nice.”

A sigh of relief escaped Luna’s lips as she turned to see Harry in his dress robes, the same he wore two years ago to the Yule Ball in fact. Luna’s smile widened.

“Thank you,” she said serenely. Woona sped forward and hugged Harry’s legs.

“Hello to you too, Woona,” Harry chuckled, almost stumbling off balance. Luna giggled as Woona let go and glanced back to the party.

“Shall we, then?” Luna asked. Harry nodded, and the three ventured down the corridor towards the office. As they approached, the sounds became louder, and Luna could hear the hearty guffawing of what could only be the big-bellied Professor Slughorn. Not wasting any time, Harry led the way as they entered.

No sooner had Harry, Luna, and Woona taken a step inside when a loud, “Harry, old boy!” echoed ahead. Sure enough, Slughorn was making his way through the crowd straight to Harry. When he reached them, he wrung Harry’s hand in a tight handshake. The bright red cheeks on Slughorn’s mustached face was an obvious clue that he was already a little tipsy.

“Good you could make it, m’boy!” he greeted in a rather slurred voice. He then turned to see Luna and beamed. “And a marvelous hello to your date!”

Before Luna could respond, Woona tugged on the leg of Slughorn’s trousers and said merrily, “Hello, Professor Slughorn!”

Briefly confused, Slughorn looked down and smiled at the happy alicorn before him. “Hello there, little one! Good of you to join us!” He then bent down slightly and whispered loudly, “Do you like butterbeer?”

At once, Woona’s face lit up, and her wings flapped even harder at the mere mention of the savory beverage. “Oh yes, sir!”

“Well,” Slughorn said, pointing to a far table near the back of the room. “Over on that table are some small glasses filled with butterbeer, perfect for little alicorns! Help yourself to as many as you’d like!”

Woona’s head whipped towards the back table, and then up to Loona, her wings still going a mile a minute. “Oh can I, Mama? Please, please, please!”

“Go ahead, Woona,” Luna nodded before adding, “Just don’t leave the room, ok?”

Woona jumped, hovered, and fell to the floor again before dashing off to the back table. Students and various adults looked down in surprise as Woona weaved between legs and ducked under robes to get to her butterbeer. A random, “Hello, Woona!” reached her ears, but Woona only had one thing on her mind at that moment, and that was the sweet, refreshing taste of butterbeer.

Woona screeched to a stop in front of the back table and looked up toward the unseen contents on the surface as her smile faltered a little. Immediately, she could see a problem; the table was much too high up for her reach. That didn’t stop her from trying though. Getting up on her hind legs, Woona stretched her front hoof up as far as she could. Straining, she could just barely touch the flat top of the table, but it still wasn’t enough to get a glass. Sitting down and pouting slightly, Woona looked around at the crowd, trying to find her mother. She’d just have to ask her to get her a glass. She soon spotted Luna with Harry, talking with Slughorn and another man Woona didn’t know. Woona hesitated. Her Mama taught her that it was impolite to interrupt someone when they’re talking. Maybe there was someone else at the party Woona knew. Scanning the room, no familiar faces were popping out. How could so many fit into such a small-looking office? Woona turned back to the table and looked up again. The mouthwatering butterbeer was just a few feet out of reach. Woona felt her wings start to flutter again with desire.

Suddenly, an idea came to the little alicorn. She glanced back at her wings, and then at the table. It was only a few feet after all. If she could do it before at the Quidditch game, she could do it again. She had to try! A determined look in her eye, Woona fixed her gaze towards the table’s unseen surface. It was now or never! Woona stiffened her legs, arched her back, and took a deep breath. Starting off slowly, she started to flap her wings. As Woona continued to look upward, her wings picked up in pace. Faster and faster they flapped, and all the alicorn could think of was how good the butterbeer would taste. She imagined herself reaching the top, levitating a glass to her lips, and feeling the fuzziness inside as it slid down her throat. Slowly, very slowly, Woona could feel herself getting lighter. Looking down, she saw that her hooves were starting to lift off the office floor!

Excitement filled Woona as she continued to climb upward, her wings flapping so fast they were causing little bursts of wind. Woona looked back at the table. Her eyes were becoming level with the surface, and she could see them! Little cups spread out over a silk tablecloth, each one filled to the brim with the golden nectar she was longing to taste. As Woona’s excitement built, the higher she hovered. Now she was looking down at the surface of the table, mere inches from the nearest glass.

Taking another breath, Woona concentrated on the cup, and said confidently, “Wingardium Leviosa!”

A blue aura surrounded the glass, and it too began to rise. Woona’s eyes widened as she reached out to clasp it between her hooves. Her mouth was watering, her wings were starting to get tired, but she didn’t care. She was so close! Her mouth was so close to the drink that she could feel the bubbles fizzing from it. She tilted the cup upward and prepared to savor the butterbeer when…

BUMP!

A sudden bump from something solid passed by, and Woona was falling. She hit the floor with a THUD, just like in the dormitory. The difference though was the crack of broken glass that echoed it. Everyone near the table grew quiet as they looked down at the fumbled alicorn in front of a shattered cup and a small pool of spilt butterbeer.

“Who the-” said a voice near Woona. A snide, brash voice that didn’t sound the least bit sorry for what had happened. “Who let this beast in the party?”

Woona, whose eyes were still closed, could feel the aching in her legs and stomach, which hit the floor first, as well as a stinging feeling on her hoof. Opening her eyes, the first thing Woona saw was the broken glass and butterbeer, now wasting on the rug. Her eyes widened in shock as she looked up to see a burly figure standing over her, looking disgusted.

“Mclaggen!” came a new, more familiar voice. It was Hermione, and she had cut through the crowd, and was looking angrily at the figure. “Don’t you dare call Woona a beast! She’s a guest here, just like you! And I saw what happened! You bumped her and made her spill her drink!”

Mclaggen scoffed. “It’s not my fault, Granger. The thing shouldn’t have been in my way.”

The fury that Hermione was aiming at Mclaggen was deaf to Woona, for she had looked back down at her spilt drink; the drink she had worked so hard to get. Another sharp sting hit Woona’s hoof, and looking down at it, Woona saw why. A small shard of glass had made a small cut on her hoof, and Woona could see a drop of blood forming. Tears started to flood the filly’s eyes as she looked back at the wasted butterbeer. All of that effort was wasted, and it was this Mclaggen’s fault! She glanced back up at Mclaggen, who was still looking snide and unapologetic.

That’s when it happened.

It was as if a wildfire had awoken inside of Woona’s mind. The sorrow she had been feeling was instantly replaced with something else. Something that Woona had never felt before; rage! The fire was set in Woona’s eyes as she got up, glaring at Mclaggen. Her body’s pain seemed to disappear, or maybe it was the adrenaline. Then, all around Woona, the lights in the room started to flicker. Hermione and Mclaggen stopped arguing and looked down at the alicorn. Hermione gasped, and Mclaggen snapped, “Bloody hell!” Woona was changing. Her coat, while normally dark blue, was turning jet black. Her tear-stained eyes were sharpening, and her pupils were becoming dilated, like a cat. But most notable of all was her mane. It had gone from a flowing blue, to something that didn’t look solid, as if the stars themselves made up her mane.

“Woona?” Hermione said hesitantly, “Are you-”

Then, before anyone could act, Mclaggen was engulfed in a blue aura, and was lifted off the ground, rotating all around.

“What is this?” he shouted, and he looked scared now. “Let me down!”

“Repent, heathen!” came a voice from Woona, but it wasn’t hers. It was a little deeper and sounded almost sinister. “Repent for yon sin, or thou shalt be enveloped by the night!”

If Mclaggen floating hadn’t caught the attention of the room, Woona’s booming voice certainly did. People gasped and gaped at the little alicorn spinning the Gryffindor 7th year around in the air like a top.

“Thou shalt pay a hundred times over for what thou hast done!” Woona boomed as she hovered Mclaggen upside down over a table of sweets.

“WOONA! STOP!”

Luna had broken through the crowd, followed by Harry, Slughorn, and Professor Snape, who quickly unsheathed his wand. Luna ran past Mclaggen and fell to her knees in front of Woona and took the filly’s head in her hands, her eyes wide and worried. Woona’s gaze turned quickly to stare at Luna, who also had small tears starting to glisten.

“Woona,” Luna said softer, her hands not letting go of her daughter. “Please, calm down. Please. For your Mama.”

Immediately, Woona’s expression softened at the sound of her momma’s voice. She blinked, and the dilated pupils were gone, replaced with her normal eyes. Slowly, the alicorn’s coat faded back to blue, and her mane shrank back. As this happened, the lights stopped flickering, and the magical hold on Mclaggen broke, sending him to the floor with a crash. No one was paying attention to his sudden outcries of pain, but were focused on the pony, and the young witch that calmed her. Snape sighed softly and stuffed his wand back into his sleeve. Hermione was clutching onto Harry, who stared open-mouthed at the scene. Woona opened her eyes again, and looked into her mother’s loving gaze.

At once, realization caught up to Woona, as well as the pain, as she bowed her head and started to cry.

Luna didn’t waste any time, but picked up her bawling daughter and cradled her in her arms. Waves upon waves of tears streamed down Woona’s face as Luna started to rock her. No one spoke, not even Slughorn, who had definitely sobered up.

“I’m sorry, Mama!” Woona cried into Luna’s shoulder. “I’m so, so sorry! I’m so, so, so sorry!”

“Shhhhh, my dear,” Luna whispered comfortingly. “You’ll be ok. Everyone’s ok.”

“I’m not!” shouted Mclaggen, but once again, no one paid attention.

“Come on, Woona,” Luna said, finally getting up. “Let’s go to Madam Pomfrey. She’ll heal that cut in a heartbeat.” Then, with no more words, she walked past the crowd, who had all cut a path for her to walk down, and hurried out the door.

Woona continued to cry as Luna turned the corridor and went down the stairs into the empty hallways. She soon passed Filch, leading a struggling Malfoy, but they paid her no mind, and neither did she with them. All that was going through Luna’s mind was what had just happened. It wasn’t something that could be easily forgotten. She had never seen Woona look like that before. Was this something all alicorns could do? And the power that she was displaying? Woona was levitating a fully-grown, broad 7th year as easily as a piece of paper. And what was with that voice? More questions flooded Luna’s mind, but she didn’t have an answer for any of them. There was only so much about alicorns that Luna knew. Perhaps after putting Woona to bed, she could ask Dumbledore about it. One thing was definitely for sure; Luna didn’t want to see her daughter go through that again. And as Woona continued to cry into her mother’s arms, Luna knew Woona felt the same way. There was no other word for this experience, except one.

Nightmare.

Post Nightmare

Author's Note

I'm so sorry for the long hiatus. So much had happened in my life. Got a new job, a new house, and, more special of all, I got married! :pinkiehappy: So much was going on, but I wanted to work on the story when I could, though I know better than to try and force the words to come to the screen. I will do my best to make sure the next chapter doesn't take nearly as long. And yes, it is Christmas themed next chapter but there's a good chance that it won't come out by Christmas Day, but hang in there! More Luna and Woona to come! Thanks for your patience, and enjoy! :heart:

Post Nightmare

Luna sat in the hospital wing an hour later, her expression blank, her body stiff, and her mind only on one thing. Beside her, in one of the beds, was Woona, sound asleep. After Luna had rushed from Slughorn’s party, Woona had cried for what seemed like half an hour. Her body shook with sobs as Luna asked Madame Pomfrey, the school matron, to heal her hoof. Though it was healed in a heartbeat, the little alicorn still held herself close to Luna as if it was the last safe place in the world, and continued to cry. All Luna could do was hold her daughter until she finally tired herself out. After getting permission to keep her overnight, Luna tucked the tear-stained pony into the closest bed and took the chair beside the bedpost. As Woona slept, all Luna could do was sit and worry. It was Luna’s goal not to worry about many things, but as she had discovered this year, sometimes all a mother can do, when it comes to the safety and well-being of her child, is worry.

Flashes of what Luna had dubbed “Nightmare Woona” haunted her thoughts as she sat there in the dark hospital wing; the black fur, cosmic mane, and eyes that, Luna shuddered at the idea, reminded her of a vicious predator. She had never seen Woona do that before. It was just so unlike her. Along with the images came an onslaught of questions. Where did it come from? How did she do it? Had it been inside Woona this whole time? Could all alicorns do that? And more importantly, would it ever happen again? Luna hated to think that there was a side of her daughter that she could fear, but even now, she couldn’t help but fear it.

“What’s wrong with you?” Luna muttered to herself. “This is your daughter; the most loving, caring creature in this castle! She wouldn’t hurt a fly!”

Ah, came a creeping voice in the back of her head, and yet she clearly was ready to hurt that Gryffindor boy. Are you sure you can trust her not to lose control again?

Luna shook her head. How dare she think such a thing! She would lay down her own life for Woona. She couldn’t abandon her, especially not now! She wanted to be there for her, and yet, she couldn’t think of what to do about this nightmare. What if it did come back? What if she lost control again? Would she attack one of the teachers, or her friends, or even Luna herself? And if it seemed like Woona would lose control again, what then? Lock her in Ravenclaw tower until who knows when? No, Luna thought. That would make her feel like a prisoner, and would probably make the situation worse. Would Luna have to take Woona back to the forest? She was still too young, Luna thought. She’s only recently shown signs of flight, and there’s still much she needs to learn about magic. She wouldn’t stand a chance out in the wild! And, Luna’s stomach sunk at the thought, it would make Woona think she, Luna, didn’t love her anymore. All of these thoughts were too much for Luna, and in an instant, the emotional barriers inside Luna were broken, as she dropped her head into her hands, and started to cry soft tears. Luna hadn’t sobbed like this since her mother died. She had always been so good at trying to look on the bright side of every situation, like her mother had taught her, and yet here she was; feeling more helpless than ever before.

“Good evening, Miss Lovegood.”

Luna shot up almost immediately at the greeting. Whipping her head around, she saw, standing in a patch of moonlight behind her, was Professor Dumbledore! Luna didn’t even hear him enter, but then again, she was too deep in thought and tears to notice. Realizing her eyes were still wet, Luna hastily wiped them on her arm and sat up.

“P-Professor,” Luna croaked. “W-what are you doing here?”

“Oh,” Dumbledore sighed, walking closer to the bed, “I was just leaving the grounds for some… personal business, when I heard from the portrait of Armando Dippet about what happened at Professor Slughorn’s party. Of course, Professor Dippet heard it from a group of monks whom he was conversing with, who heard it from the Fat Friar, who heard it from Nearly Headless Nick, who heard it from a suit of armor on the sixth floor by Slughorn’s office.” Professor Dumbledore chuckled slightly as he conjured a chair with his wand and sat beside Luna. “As always, news travels at Firebolt speed around the castle.” Luna gave a weak smile as a response and turned back to Woona, still sound asleep.

“I can see you are not to be quickly distracted,” Dumbledore sighed again as he too looked at the slumbering alicorn. “Quite an appropriate response. I’d say it’s a mother’s duty to be first and foremost concerned about the wellbeing of their child.” After a few moments of silence, Luna finally spoke.

“So, you know what all happened then?”

“Indeed I do,” Dumbledore nodded solemnly.

“Then you must know why I’m so worried,” Luna asked, finally turning to look at the headmaster.

“Yes, I do,” he replied. “I would say that a magical outburst such as that would alarm any stable-minded person.”

Luna turned back to Woona and wiped some stray tears from her cheeks. “Do you have any idea of what it was?” she mumbled. Dumbledore didn’t answer at first, but stroked his beard, humming slightly in thought. Luna didn’t turn to look this time. It almost felt like if she took her eyes off of Woona, then something terrible would happen.

“Well,” Dumbledore finally said, “Keep in mind that my knowledge on alicorns is not as vast as others may be, and this is just an old man’s guess, but I would say that Woona, being an alicorn, has a hidden vault of magical power deep inside of her. And while she had been, for the most part, happy during her time here, that power lay dormant, almost waiting for the surge of energy that could release it from its confines.” He paused for a moment, finally making Luna look at him. “And this is just another guess, but at some point tonight, Woona felt a great surge of rage and/or sorrow that she hadn’t felt before, and that was enough to unlock the hidden power inside of her. From what was described to me, she had changed form, correct?”

Luna nodded. “Her fur changed to black, her pupils became slits, and her mane turned almost ethereal and wavy. And when she spoke,” Luna shuddered at the memory, “her voice was booming and deeper than before. It sounded like she was possessed.”

Dumbledore nodded again. “Yes, that’s what I was told. And while in that state, she was filled with adrenaline, and could even levitate a whole person. It was only after she calmed down that the power drained away, and possibly tired her out greatly with how deeply she’s sleeping now.”

“So,” Luna choked as a horrible thought came to her, “are you saying that Woona was taken over by this…dormant power?”

“It would seem so,” Dumbledore said. Luna could feel the knot return in her stomach. Her first instinct was to start crying again, but something about knowing that Dumbledore was right next to her made Luna want to look as calm as possible. Dumbledore must’ve sensed how Luna was feeling, for after he had said this, he placed a soft hand on Luna’s shoulder and added, “but this does not make Woona a threat by any means.”

Startled at how well Dumbledore had read her thoughts, Luna finally turned back to look at the headmaster. “But Professor,” she squeaked, “what if it happens again? I don’t know if the rest of the school would share that sentiment! And what if it happens during a class? What if she hurts someone? How can I-” Luna could feel the tears starting to break through her defenses, so she abruptly turned away, choking back a sob as she did so.

“Miss Lovegood,” Dumbledore said in a comforting tone, “do not think for a minute that Woona is a danger to anyone. This power was just due to an outburst of emotion. Yes, it was scary for many and seemed dangerous, but it can be used for good.” At this, Luna’s face froze in between her fighting sobs as her eyes fell upon the sleeping alicorn once again, Dumbledore’s words echoing in her mind.

“Any power, whether magical or not, has the potential to be used for good or evil,” Dumbledore continued, “depending on how it is molded and trained. In that matter, I wouldn’t feel worried at all.” When Luna looked back at Dumbledore again, he was staring right in her eyes, and his expression was soft and caring. “I have seen you mold this young one to have a kind, caring, gentle spirit, such as yourself, Miss Lovegood. And as she grows physically, mentally, and intellectually, she is going to develop more of her hidden, alicorn power, as shown tonight.” Luna sighed heavily as her brow furrowed. She had always thought that Woona would develop her powers, but she never thought that they would be so…sinister-looking. The image of Nightmare Woona penetrated Luna’s mind again, and the horrible worries took over. Once again, Dumbledore must’ve been reading her thoughts, for he continued with, “But her losing control does not mean she is turning evil. It means she is growing up.” He then turned his gaze back to Woona, still sound asleep, and Luna, momentarily blocking out her worries, followed. Looking at her daughter, Luna did notice that Woona’s features were more mature. Still young, yes, but more mature. Luna hadn’t really thought about Woona growing up, but seeing her now made her think how time had really flown.

“Yes,” Dumbledore resumed, “I have a feeling that little Woona is going to play a part in the events to come,” he turned back to Luna once again, gaining her attention, “and she’s going to need you more than ever. Let her grow, evolve her abilities, and help her to control them. There may be stumbling along the way, but the best we can do when we stumble is to pick ourselves up, learn from the experience, and continue on, so be there to help her up in her younger years, Miss Lovegood.” Luna looked down at her hands resting on her lap. Slowly, as Dumbledore spoke, she could feel her mind clearing of the worrisome thoughts. When she glanced at him again, Dumbledore was smiling sweetly, which made Luna feel even better. “Keep her on the path that you have set for her. If you keep being the same teacher, friend, and mother that you have been, then I am confident that Woona’s future will be bright.”

At that moment, Luna’s mind filled with a new image. Before, she had only been able to see Nightmare Woona replaying over and over. Now, however, Dumbledore’s words of encouragement have caused that image to fade away, to be replaced by a different Woona. A Woona that was older, wiser, more powerful, and had a confident glow that shone like the sun. She had unlocked her hidden potential, and learned to control it. And most importantly, she was standing beside her, Luna, and she was happy. Luna suddenly felt more tears fill her eyes, but these were tears of joy, and of hope. Dumbledore was right; she couldn’t give into those doubts from before. Woona needed her to be optimistic; to lead her in the right direction. Woona was growing more and more, and it was this time of growth where she would need the guidance of her mother now more than ever.

Wiping her eyes, Luna looked back at Dumbledore with a grateful smile. “Thank you, Professor.”

“You’re quite welcome,” Dumbledore smiled back before finally standing up. “Now, I hate to leave so quickly, but I have urgent business outside of school over the holidays and must set off as soon as possible.” Luna watched as Dumbledore headed toward the hospital doors, still smiling. Right before disappearing behind the doorway, he turned around and waved, “Goodbye, Miss Lovegood. And please tell Woona I said, ‘Happy Christmas.’”

“I will,” Luna replied softly. “Goodbye, Professor, and Happy Christmas.” With one final smile, Dumbledore quietly closed the doors, leaving Luna alone with Woona once more.

Sitting there in the renewed silence of the hospital wing, Luna sighed again. But this time, it was a relief that hadn’t been there before. The fearful chill that she was feeling before Dumbledore’s visit was long gone, and instead, Luna felt a warmth that spread throughout her body like sunshine. Looking at the sleeping filly again, Luna’s smile widened. Silently, she moved her chair closer to the bedside and stroked Woona’s mane lovingly, which made the child hum to the touch. Yes, Luna thought, there are going to be trying times coming with Woona. But I will be here to guide you as best as I can. A new feeling then started to overtake Luna; sleepiness. Luna chuckled, realizing that she had been up for a while. Leaning down closer to Woona, she planted a soft kiss on her forehead, whispered, “I love you, Woona,” and leaned back in her chair as her eyelids finally gave way, and she drifted off to a nightmare-free sleep.

“Mama?”

Luna’s eyes slid open. The first thing she saw was the morning sun peeking through the windows, filling the room with light. The second thing she saw was a little, blue figure sitting up in bed, rubbing her eyes sleepily, and looking directly at her. Luna rubbed her own eyes and smiled at her daughter.

“Hello, Woona,” she said with a slight yawn. “How are you feeling?”

“Ok,” Woona responded. She sounded hesitant, as if afraid of giving any other answer. Luna could tell she could still remember what had happened the previous night. Woona raised her bandaged hoof, the one that was cut and mended, and looked at Luna with a worried expression. Am…am I still me?” Luna wasted no time in reaching over and scooping up the little alicorn in a loving hug. Woona let out her own sigh of relief, relishing in her mother’s touch, and buried herself into Luna’s chest.

“Yes, dear,” Luna sniffed. “You’re still you. And don’t you worry about the future. I’ll always be here for you. I promise!” And she meant it too. Luna was going to do whatever she could to be there during Woona’s next stage of her life, and help her every step of the way.

“Thanks, mama,” Woona whispered, and Luna could tell that the nightmare had been put behind her. For now at least.

“Now,” Luna said cheerfully, breaking the hug, “how about we get back to the dormitory? We’re going back to my house for Christmas tomorrow morning, and I still have some packing to do.”

“Yay!” Woona cheered. “It’s gonna be the bestest Christmas ever!” Luna’s smile widened as she scooped her daughter into her arms and started towards the double doors.

“I think so too,” Luna agreed. And as the mother/daughter duo crossed the threshold and down the stairs to the Ravenclaw Tower hallway, Woona suddenly tugged on Luna’s collar.

“Mama?”

“Yes?” Luna asked.

“What’s Christmas?”

All Luna could do was giggle as she replied, “Oh you’ll see, Woona. You’ll see.”