Never Again

Part 2: The Welcoming Feast

"Luna, are you alright?"

Luna snapped out of her trance and looked at her friends. Ginny was staring at her with concern etched on her face.

"What?"

"You're really quiet. What happened?" Ginny asked.

"Oh, nothing," Luna shrugged. Then, seeing the unconvinced look on her friends faces, she added. "I saw Malfoy down the hall."

"What was he doing?" Harry immediately asked.

Luna shrugged again. "He was just staring outside the window. He didn't have any of his friends by his side."

"I'm going to take a look at him," Harry was halfway out of his seat when Ginny pulled him down.

"Seriously, Harry!" she turned to Luna. "Did you guys talk or anything?"

"He didn't say much, but he does look awfully thin. He said that mostly everybody avoids him because he was a Death Eater."

"Serves him right," Ron and Harry said at the same time.

"And he just sat there?" Neville asked curiously. "Like... all alone?"

"Yes," Luna returned to her book, staring vaguely at the moving pictures.

"Well, he's still a big git," Ron said. "Not that he ever stopped being one."

Train lurched to a stop, and everybody got off. Luna stepped out, and followed her friends from a fair distance as they chatted and laughed.

It was storming quite badly, and everyone was covering their heads, trying to run between the raindrops. Thunder slithered among the storm clouds, and Luna hid the two Quibblers under her jacket.

Her friends boarded the last carriage, and she was about to follow them, patting the Thestrals when her eye caught on a distinct shape through the rain.

Someone was running through the rain, trying to catch the last carriage. Luna frowned, as the figure turned out to be Malfoy: his hair splayed flat against his head, and his Hogwarts robes sopping from the rain.

"Wait a moment," she whispered to the Thestrals. She walked over to Malfoy's hunched shape. He slowed down, but when he saw her, his expression changed.

"You again?" he sighed exasperatedly. "What do you want, Loony?"

"You can come in our carriage," Luna explained. "Neville's in a different carriage with a group of Hufflepuffs, and there's an extra space in ours."

Malfoy looked at her strangely. "And you're sitting with Potter and his friends?"

"Yes," said Luna. "Would you like to join us?"

He scoffed. "I'd rather wither away in the rain here than sit with the Weasleys and Mudblood. There's so much filth that they'd dirty my robes without even touching them."

"That's not a nice thing to say," Luna replied calmly. "You should stop calling people Mudbloods. It's very disrespectful."

He gave yet another scoff and trudged ahead of her. She walked back to the carriage and climbed in.

"What took you so long?" Hermione asked.

"Malfoy's out in the rain. I invited him to come join us," said Luna simply.

"You what?" They all cried in unison.

"Luna, that was really nice of you and all," Harry said uncomfortably. "But Malfoy's been a prat to us for all the years we've been at Hogwarts. I'm not surprised he turned down the offer. You really shouldn't feel sorry for him."

"He deserves to be sloshing in all that rain," Ron added.

"Well, people can change, can't they?" Luna shook the remaining drops of rain off her coat sleeve.

Hermione shook her head. "You're too kind, Luna. But someone like Malfoy won't change like that."

"Maybe," Luna peered out to look at Hogwarts. It was definitely going to be some interesting year.

Luna watched as the last of the first years were sorted, and clapped along with the other Ravenclaws as 'Yu, Cheryl' was Sorted in their house.

"May I have your attention?" Professor McGonagall tapped a spoon against a water goblet. The chatter died down immediately.

"There are a few announcements we would like to make," she cleared her throat.

"First, we would like to welcome a few new staff this year. Please turn your attention to Professor Sprout, the deputy Headmistress!"

Many cheers rose from the Hufflepuff table.

"We have a new Transfiguration teacher, Professor Hart, Muggle Studies: Professor Williams, and Defense Against Dark Arts: Professor Lysander.

"Our caretaker, Argus Filch has retired, and now we welcome Rubeus Hagrid as our new caretaker, Which means our Care of Magical Creatures teacher is Professor Grubbly-Plank."

Luna clapped along with everyone else as the Ravenclaws exchanged relieved looks and the Gryffindors cheered.

"And now," Professor McGonagall clapped her hands together. "Let the feast begin!"

Suddenly, all sorts of delicious, mouthwatering foods appeared on the plate in front of her. She reached over to take a lamb chop, when she saw Malfoy sitting off to the side at the Slytherin table. She sighed and wondered if he would ever try and eat.

Then she frowned. Since when had she bothered so much about a Slytherin like Malfoy?

She helped herself to some lasagna and mashed potatoes, before grabbing a chicken wrap. Just as she did, the food changed to dessert, and she grabbed a piece of chocolate pie, and wrapped the chicken wrap and the pie in a napkin. She snatched a flask of pumpkin juice, then set it off to the side, and hastily started on her own food.

At last, people began filing one by one outside of the hall, and she ate her pudding slower than usual, waiting for everyone to leave.

Just as she predicted, Malfoy had stayed behind, staring down at his empty plate.

Luna walked over and gave the wrapped food and flask to him.

"You should really eat," she said.

He scowled at her. "Why do you always need to bother me?"

Luna ignored him and said, "It's really no good to starve yourself."

"I don't care!" Malfoy snapped. "Just leave me alone!"

Luna turned and walked out of the hall, and just as she was about to turn the corner, she glanced back and saw him unwrapping the food.

Smiling to herself, she headed up to the Ravenclaw tower, thinking of her warm, silky bed that was prepared for her.