2 | CONFESSIONS° HARRY POTTER

6 | LUNA LOVEGOOD

ACT THREE, loss
CHAPTER SIX, luna lovegood

        Iris was awake bright and early to go to the train. There was a lot of commotion throughout the house as everyone got ready to leave. Fred and George had bewitched their trunks to fly downstairs to save the bother of carrying them, with the result that they had hurtled straight into Ginny and knocked her down two flights of stairs into the hall; Mrs. Black and Mrs. Weasley were both screaming at the top of their voices.

"— COULD HAVE DONE HER A SERIOUS INJURY, YOU IDIOTS —"

 "— FILTHY HALF-BREEDS, BESMIRCHING THE HOUSE OF MY FATHERS —"

Iris helped Ginny get patched up after she had fallen.

"You know," Ginny started as Iris tended to her wounds. "I really enjoyed having you around! You're a lot more fun to be around than everyone says."

Iris's eyebrow rose. Fun was certainly not a word she was used to having people describe her as. The corner of her lips turned up.

"Well, don't sound so surprise." Iris said with a teasing tone in her voice. Ginny's eyes widened, thinking she had accidentally insulted Iris. 

"I didn't mean—"

"I was joking." Iris said. She stepped back after she finished helping Ginny. "You're not so bad either."

Ginny smiled triumphantly at that.

After Iris gathered her belonging and hauled them down the stairs, she heard Mrs. Weasley screaming up to Ron, Harry, and Hermione to come downstairs and they nosily came behind her. 

Mrs. Black's portrait was howling with rage but nobody was bothering to close the curtains over her; all the noise in the hall was bound to rouse her again anyway.

 "Harry, you're to come with me and Tonks," shouted Mrs. Weasley over the repeated screeches of "MUDBLOODS ! SCUM! CREATURESOF DIRT!" since Harry would need guards at the station as a precautionary measure. "Leave your trunk and your owl, Alastor's going to deal with the luggage. . . . Oh, for heaven's sake, Sirius, Dumbledore said no!" 

A bearlike black dog had appeared at Harry's side as Harry clambered over the various trunks cluttering the hall to get to Mrs. Weasley.

"Oh honestly . . ." said Mrs. Weasley despairingly, "well, on your own head be it!"

"Wait, wait!" Calypso exclaimed, rushing down stairs. Her hair was dishelved like she had just woken up but she was completely dressed. She jumped over the many trunks and made a beeline to Iris, pulling her into a hug. "I'm so glad we got to spend the summer together. Make sure you write!"

"Bye, mum." Iris said. Calypso turned to Harry and wrapped her arms around him as well. Harry's eyes widened before a happy look appeared on his face and he hugged his godmother back.

"You write as well, and try to stay out of trouble." Calypso said in a warning tone. She turned to Sirius in his dog form. He wagged his tail at her and she bent down to press a kiss to his head. In response, he licked the side of her face. "I will see you soon. Bye!"

Mrs. Weasley wrenched open the front door and stepped out into the weak September sunlight. Harry, Iris, and the dog followed her. The door slammed behind them and Mrs. Black's screeches were cut off instantly.

 "Where's Tonks?" Harry said, looking around as they went down the stone steps of number twelve, which vanished the moment they reached the pavement.