Staying Strong

Christmas Memories

It was now nearing the end of December, and today, everyone would be boarding the Hogwarts Express to get home for the holidays. Many were relieved; the holidays would be like a break from prison. Nobody signed up to stay at Hogwarts for Christmas, not even the few orphans and unwanted children, who had arranged to stay at their friends’ houses. Why would anyone want to spend Christmas at Hogwarts?

I was standing in the main entrance area of the castle along with all the other students. I was not surprised by the fact that there were no decorations. The place where the large, sparkling Christmas tree was supposed to go seemed unusually empty.

I was trying to spot Luna or Neville somewhere in the crowd, but I couldn’t. There were just too many people in one place. We were waiting for the Hogwarts Express to arrive.

Just when I was craning my neck to see over a tall, curly-haired boy, I felt someone tap on my shoulder.

“Wha-?” I said, startled. “Luna!”

"Hello, Ginny. I’ve been looking for you everywhere, you know.” Luna said.

“And I’ve been looking for you too, how’d you find me?” I asked.

“Your bright red hair.” she said mildly, pulling out a copy of the Quibbler.

The next few moments were spent in silence, which struck me as a bit odd, as Luna would usually explain to me all about her supposedly true magical creatures whenever she had the chance.

I glanced at her, expecting to see her reading her magazine upside-down or something strange like that, but she wasn’t. She wasn’t even reading; instead, she was staring blankly at the ceiling, deep in thought.

Even though she did this often, I could tell that something was wrong; there was just something about her expression that puzzled me.

“Luna, is something bothering you?” I asked her.

“Yes, there is.” she replied, still staring at the ceiling.

“Well then, what’s bothering you?” I asked gently.

She finally looked at me, and I noticed that she looked concerned.

“It’s Daddy; I’m worried about him. The Death Eaters are mad at him for what he’s writing in his magazine. Daddy sent me an owl this morning, telling me to be careful when I’m on the train. He says they’re mad at him for printing the truth.” she explained.

I was truly concerned for Luna; I knew that what Luna’s father was printing in his magazine was risky from the start, and now she and her father were in danger.

“I’m sure he’ll be fine. Besides, you’ll see him soon enough,” I said encouragingly.

“I hope so.” she said.

There were now not many people left in the entrance hall; the train had arrived, and everyone was boarding. Luna and I found Neville and Seamus, and we chose a compartment in the middle of the train.

“Did you hear what happened to Hagrid?” Neville asked gravely.

“Hagrid-? Oh my gosh, is he okay?” I asked quickly.

“He’s fine, but he’s on the run.” Neville explained.

“Something happened at his party, right?” I asked fervently.

“Yeah, the Death Eaters noticed a commotion at his hut, and a group of them broke in. Hagrid fought them off long enough so that everyone at the party could leave safely. It’s not easy to beat a half-giant, you know. Hagrid knocked them unconscious, and we managed to get into the castle in time.” Seamus explained, as he rummaged through his trunk.