Into Your Gravity ( Luna Lovegood & Tom Riddle )

Chapter three: Introductions

I met someone, I'll call him the breeze,
he sent me flying.
I met someone who terrifies me.
Waving Wild - Arum Rae
•

Shutting the door to Professor Dumbledore's office behind her, Luna became lost in her thoughts as the gravity of her situation began to settle down on her. She wrinkled her nose as she walked through the dark, quiet corridors of the castle alone, considering what would happen if even Dumbledore could not figure out how to get her back to her own time. If she never saw Ginny or Neville or Harry again. If she never saw her father again.

Her feet carried her the path toward Ravenclaw Tower, not needing to consult her mind in order to find their way along a route they had walked so many times in the past. Her eyes followed the cracks between the stones in the corridor floor, and she cheered herself with the consideration of how interesting an article she could write for The Quibber in the event she was in fact able to return to her own time. This thought induced a small, dreamy smile to spring up on her face, and it was with this expression on her face that she ran headlong into someone, causing them to stumble.

Thoughts interrupted, she said, "Oh, I'm terribly sorry, I wasn't paying attention."

"Clearly."

Luna looked up to see whom she had run into, and was met with the sight of a boy about her age. He had black hair with a slight wave to it, swept to the side and back with a carelessness that felt calculated, hanging just a bit into eyes such a dark blue they were almost black in the dim torchlight lighting the corridor. He had a shiny Prefect badge pinned to his chest, and he was looking down an aristocratic nose at her, past sharp cheekbones, black brows furrowing and forming a line of irritation between them.

"What are you doing out of your dormitory? It's after hours."

"I know. I was just headed there now. I'm...a new student," said Luna. She offered a benign smile which he did not return.

His eyes flickered from her earrings, to her purple socks, to her wand tucked behind her ear, and at last back to her face. His left brow raised a fraction higher than the right. "I see. Which house are you in?"

"Ravenclaw," she said. "I suppose...I'm a bit lost?" It hadn't been her intent for it to sound like a question, but she felt out of practice at being dishonest. She supposed she would need to get better at it.

"I'll take you to your common room," he said. "You aren't supposed to be out at this time of night alone." He turned on his heel and began walking towards Ravenclaw Tower.

Luna had to hurry and take several steps to keep up with his long strides. "That's quite nice of you," she said.

"You say you're a new student?" he asked, as though she hadn't spoken.

"Yes. I've just arrived here today."

"We've all just arrived here today; it's the first day back."

Seeing his smirk and choosing to ignore it, Luna said, "Of course. But I'm completely new!"

The boy fell silent, and their footsteps echoed between them. Luna was just thinking they had reached a place of companionable silence when he spoke again. "Why are you coming here all of a sudden?" he asked. "Surely you're in at least fifth or sixth year. Where have you been going until now?"

"Oh." She reviewed the lie Dumbledore had concocted before responding. "Well, you see, I'm a relative of Professor Dumbledore's. I'm his...first cousin, twice removed."

The boy looked sideways at her at this, new interest flaring behind his eyes. "You're related to Professor Dumbledore?"

"Yes, I'm rather fond of him, old, er...Cousin Albus. I've been going to Koldovstoretz, but my mother felt it would be a good time to do an exchange year here at Hogwarts. Thought it would be good for my education. And with my dear Cousin Albus here as a professor, the opportunity could not have been better."