823A/N: Thanks to the few who are still reading and reviewing this story. I appreciate it. Hearing from you reminds me people are actually still interested and that I probably shouldn't stop working on it.
Just a reminder that so many liberties are taken with this story so just keep that in mind if something sticks out or looks wrong or there's some out of character (OOC) stuff. So no need to report it, I'm aware. That's what this story is about after all.
The Slytherin Reformation
By Spectre4hire
12: With a Little Help from My Friends
"So…"
"So?" Harry wanted to help his friend out, but he wasn't sure what Hermione wanted to talk about. She was the one who invited him to come with her. They were on their way to the Owlery. Harry had a letter for Sirius and Hermione had one for her parents.
"Sorry."
He glanced over to see she looked a little flustered, "Is that what you wanted to say? Sorry?"
"No," that finally got her to smile.
Harry shrugged at the look she sent him. "I mean I'll take it. An apology from you is no easy thing to get."
She rolled her eyes, but her amusement didn't last. Her smile disappeared with her biting her lip. "It's about Theo."
It had been more than a month since Theodore received his father's howler. Harry and the others had found him in an empty classroom. It hadn't been an easy sight for him to see a friend at such a low. It brought back too many memories of the Dursleys locking him in his old cupboard under the stairs. They had been able to talk to him, but he hasn't been the same since that day. It reminded Harry of Theo when he first met him, standoffish and quiet. He wasn't that bad, He corrected himself, but his father's letter had clearly taken its toll.
"Yeah," Harry understood her concern. "Has he been okay?" He stopped, wondering if he wanted to continue despite the awkwardness the question might bring. "Ya know when its just the two of you?"
Hermione's face turned a little red. "Yeah," she answered, her voice went a little higher, "But he's been different too."
Harry nodded, relieved that topic could be dropped, and that because Theo wasn't hiding anything. He understood what Hermione meant by being different. They all saw it. Harry didn't think anyone could be unaffected after that ordeal. Especially when its his father and in front of the whole school. "It sucks." He summarized it eloquently. "What about you?" The howler had not just been directed at Theodore, but her too.
"It's nothing I haven't heard, Harry," She reminded him with a sad smile, brushing it off, "I'm just," She paused, "I'm just happy we're still together," She admitted honestly, "I was afraid he'd try-"
"I understand," Harry finished for her, seeing the discomfort the mere idea brought to his friend. Her shoulders were slumped, while she worried at her lip.
"The Holidays aren't far off," Her fingers were nervously tapping on her bag's strap, "I'm worried about him," She confessed, "I'd stay but-"
"No, you should go," he encouraged her, "You don't see your parents that often."
They walked the next few seconds in silence. Harry was thinking about his friend. There had been a similar issue with Theo and the holidays last year, but Harry was able to help him, by getting Cyrus involved to pressure Claudius into letting Theo stay with them. Harry didn't think that trick would work twice.
"My parents wouldn't mind having him," Hermione commented, signaling she had been thinking of alternatives too, "But,"
"Yeah," Harry knew the problem because it was the same one he ran into-Mr. Nott. He had a sinking feeling that Theo's father wasn't going to approve or allow his son to spend the holidays with anyone, muggle-born or pureblood. Whoever invites Theo, his dad will just say no. Harry found it unfair and frustrating.
They had reached the base of the West Tower. They started their ascent up the spiral stairway to the top where the Owlery was located.
A name came to him, but Harry wasn't sure how helpful he could be, but he still said it. "I could speak to Dumbledore. Maybe the headmaster could give Theo special permission or something?" He didn't fully believe it, but bringing up Dumbledore did work in soothing Hermione's nerves.
"You think?"
"Yeah?" Harry's answer came out more as a question, but Hermione still took comfort in it. She wants to believe, he realized. "I could stay too."
"What about Sirius?" She didn't need to remind him. "You've been looking forward to spending the Holidays with him since he was exonerated."
That was true, but Harry thought Sirius would understand, not just Harry wanting to be with his friend, but the pure-blooded problems and expectations that were plaguing Theo. He knew them all too well.
"Harry," She touched his arm, "I'd hate for me-"
"You wouldn't be." Harry was prepared to spend last year's Christmas at Hogwarts with Theo if his plan had fallen through with Cyrus. He was just as determined this year then he was last. "He's my best friend. I won't complain if I have to spend the holidays with him at Hogwarts." They'd still be better than any one of the Christmases I spent with the Dursleys.
They were nearing the top of the tower with the hooting of hundreds of owls getting louder and louder. As well as certain smells that began to waft down the stairs. The putrid odor made him slightly nauseous.
"Theo's lucky to have a best friend like you, Harry."
"It's nothing," Harry deflected. He had so long wished for friends when he was with the Dursleys and now that he'd have them, Harry would do anything for each and every one of them.
"It is," She hugged him. "I'm lucky too," She murmured, "to have a friend like you."
It was an uneventful Wednesday night at the library for Harry and his friends. Their table was more crowded than usual with Luna and Susan joining them. The table proved enchanted since it extended at the ends to allow the two arrivals to fit in comfortably.
Harry was trying to focus on his Charms homework, but that proved easier said than done. He was still thinking about his conversation with Hermione from the night before. He had sent a message to Dumbledore asking him if they could meet and was waiting to hear back from the Headmaster. He looked down at the table where Theo was working, his friend's nose was in his History of Magic textbook. He sat stiffly and quietly, having rarely spoken since they assembled little less than an hour ago.
Hermione was at his side, scribbling furiously on her parchment. Harry couldn't remember what homework she was tackling first, Ancient Runes or Transfiguration. She would occasionally look up and say something to Theo, but other than that he was quiet and she was busy.
He looked down and reread the last few lines of his Charms homework, but the words drifted away before he really had a chance to process them. Harry stopped himself from sighing, fearing this was going to be a long night.
"Harry?"
Daphne's voice was quickly able to dispel the frustration that had been gathering. "Yeah?"
"You okay?"
"I'm fine," He hadn't told Daphne about his talk with Hermione or him possibly staying at Hogwarts over the holidays. He knew he should've since she was looking forward to them spending the holidays together. I don't want to disappoint her, he thought, but I can't leave Theo alone. He hoped Dumbledore would have a solution for him, because he didn't want to end up hurting one of his friends.
"You sure?" Tracey joined in, "You were looking at the parchment with an intensity that we don't normally see," She pointed out, "Well, unless its Hermione getting her hands on a new book."
Hermione looked up from her homework. She turned her head where Tracey was sitting on her other side. "Funny," she drawled, "I was going to say he looked like you when you're holding your broom."
"She has you there, Trace," Daphne went against her best friend with her agreement.
"Don't mock what you'll never understand," Tracey exclaimed in feigned outrage.
"Maybe he's just really concentrating," Neville, always the Gryffindor coming to their aid.
"Thanks, Neville," Harry was appreciative of his friend who was sitting on his other side.
"How do you guys get any work done?" Susan joked, but her smile was fragile as if afraid she may have crossed some line. She didn't.
"It's a mystery for the ages," Tracey answered, overly-dramatic, "We may never know."
A look of relief flickered across Susan's face and a chuckle followed. She then turned to Luna, the second year Ravenclaw, who hadn't spoken in some time. "Luna, I thought you said you finished your homework."
She didn't bother to look up when she answered. "I did."
Harry couldn't see what she was writing, but it looked like a lot. There was inches of ink which prompted him to ask. "Then what are you working on?"
"Friend fiction," She said in between her humming.
"What?" Daphne wasn't the only one confused by the answer.
Luna's answer was enough to stir Theodore from his work. He looked up from his textbook. "Did I hear that right?"
"Hear what, right?" Daphne replied, "I don't even know what it is."
"Friend fiction," This time she spoke in a patient tone, like what a professor would use when teaching their class.
"Yes, you said that, Luna," Hermione replied with a friendly smile, "But can you explain it to us?"
"Certainly," Luna returned the smile, "I'm writing about the adventures we go on," She lay her fingers on the table. They were darkened with ink stains.
"Adventures?" Neville didn't hide his interest, "What sort of adventures?"
"All sorts," Luna answered happily, "They're often fun, but dangerous," she looked down at what she had been working on, "We're at the moment dealing with pirates on the Black Lake."
"Pirates?" Tracey repeated.
"On the Black Lake?" Theodore added, equally confused.
"How did they end up there?" Hermione, who had practically memorized Hogwarts: A History looked dubious at the possibility of pirates plaguing the lake outside their school.
"Their ship's enchanted," Luna answered plainly, "And we have to stop them."
"There's that we again," Daphne observed, "You're writing about us?"
She didn't get her question answered since Tracey quickly redirected the conversation. "What about the giant squid? Is he helping us?"
Luna shook her head. "He's tied up."
Daphne sent her friend an annoyed look at her interference.
Harry was initially confused by the term, but it seemed simple enough to grasp. He could see by watching Luna, just how invested she was in these stories and how proud she was of them. It made him smile. She's including us into something she obviously enjoys, he was touched by it. It's a little strange, he admitted, but still endearing.
This friend fiction didn't bother him. He remembered when Daphne and Neville first introduced him back in his first year to all the published stories that had been written about him. They included all sorts of silly things including children's books detailing events that he never did despite the book claiming otherwise. I'd rather have a friend write about me than some stranger, he thought, Luna writes because she cared about us. Those authors only wrote to try to exploit him and his fame.
"Theodore is steering the ship in a daring chase to stop the pirates."
"I am?" Theodore looked confused, but proud of his friend-fiction's counterpart.
"Yes," Luna bobbed her head, "and you're doing a good job. You're the one who found the cursed gold medallion. That's the source of the pirate's troubles."
Theodore's pride in himself swept away the lingering confusion he may have had at what actually was going on and being talked about.
Harry was just happy to see his friend in an actual good mood again. If it took friend fiction to make his friend smile then Harry would easily accept it.
"Enough about, Theo," Tracey put in, "What about me? What am I doing?" She tried to look over Luna's shoulder to read for herself.
"No peeking," Luna scolded, using herself as a shield to block Tracey's attempts. "It's not finished yet."
Tracey actually looked disappointed at not being able to know what was happening in a story she had only learned about minutes ago.
Luna tapped her quill to the parchment. "I just got to the part where Theo found out Hermione was captured by the pirates."
"Captured?" Hermione harrumphed, "I'm the damsel in distress in this story?" She frowned, clearly offended by her counterpart's role. "That's not fair." She crossed her arms over her chest, her homework forgotten.
"They only think that," Luna said calmly.
That mollified Hermione. "Good," Pleased at this reveal.
"What about the rest of us?" Neville asked eagerly, not hiding his longing for wanting to know what he was doing in the story.
"Yeah," Tracey added, "What about us?"
"You're at the pirate's secret den," Luna pointed to Tracey, "It's in the Forbidden Forest."
"The pirates are in the Forbidden Forest too?" Hermione seemed insulted by the freedoms Luna was taking with Hogwarts and its surroundings.
Luna continued as if she hadn't heard Hermione's complaint. "You're fighting Fog Warriors. The gold belonged to them and they've come to get it back."
"Cool," Tracey leaned back in her seat, putting her hands behind her head, smiling.
"How did these Fog Warriors get to the forest?" Hermione appeared more interested in pointing out the issues with the story then the story itself. "What are Fog Warriors? Are the pirates in the forest or on the lake? You can't just-"
"Quit nitpicking," Tracey chided her lightly, "Just try to enjoy the story for what it is."
"Daphne and Susan are with you, Tracey," Luna went on, unperturbed "But you're getting close to being overwhelmed."
"Really?" There was genuine worry in Susan's voice about her character's fate.
Harry glanced over towards his girlfriend. He could see past Daphne's reserved expression to spot the clear interest that was shining in her blue eyes about Luna's story and their characters.
"Yes, but don't worry," Luna patted Susan's shoulder, consoling her, "Harry and Neville are coming. They're desperately trying to reach you before its too late."
"We'll get there in time, right?" Neville asked nervously.
Luna revealed nothing. "You have to wait and see."
"Why can't we save them?" Daphne looked put out by their predicament.
"Because I already wrote that in one of the other stories," Luna said it as if it was common knowledge. "It was when they woke up a Mummy."
"That does sound like us," Theodore put in dryly.
Harry chuckled, "I hate it when we do that."
"I wouldn't mind reading that," Daphne spoke up, "I like the idea of us saving them from certain doom."
"Saving Harry Potter?" Tracey said it as if she was sampling an item and trying to decide if she should get it, "Yeah, I could read that."
Harry only smiled. "Well, you have my thanks for saving me."
"Of course, I couldn't lose you," Daphne said, sweetly, kissing his cheek. "So can we read them, Luna?"
Luna looked surprised by the request, but it melted away with how she brightened in an instant. One of her warm and dreamy smiles coming over her. "Okay."
"Wait," Harry noticed something, "What are you doing?" He had heard everyone else's role in the story but hers.
Luna's smile turned enigmatic and the only answer she gave was silence. She picked up her quill and without another word went back to her humming and writing, acting as if nothing had just happened and she hadn't just revealed about all the stories she writes that involve them.
Disappointed, Tracey looked down at the homework she had abandoned when learning about Luna's friend fiction. "I want to read about the pirates," She whined, "How can I finish my boring Charms homework now?"
Hermione nodded. "I want to know how I stop the pirates."
"You're their prisoner," Daphne reminded her.
"That's what they think," Hermione insisted.
That led surprisingly to a spirited discussion that pulled in the rest of his friends with them all trying to figure out what happens next and who does what. All the while, Luna happily wrote seemingly oblivious to the interest her stories had ignited with her friends.
Harry didn't get a chance to join or restart on his homework since they were interrupted.
"Excuse me."
Harry turned to see a student was standing behind him. He noticed the Gryffindor patch on her uniform, but didn't recognize the girl. He figured she was in her first or second year.
"I was told to give you this," She handed him a folded up letter.
"Thanks," Harry took it, realizing it had gotten the attention of his friends save for Luna. He opened it, instantly recognizing the writing at once. He got out of his seat. "I need to go," He was hastily gathering up his things and tossing them into his bag. Luna's friend fiction was forgotten at the arrival of Dumbledore's note. Unlike Luna's pirates, I need help with a very real problem.
"Thanks for seeing me so quickly, sir," Harry hadn't even had to knock. The door to the headmaster's office was open with Dumbledore waiting for him behind his desk.
"It's not a problem, Harry," Dumbledore waved him in. "I actually had been meaning to speak with you."
"Really?" Harry froze where he stood. "About what?"
"That will come," Dumbledore held up a hand as if knowing Harry may protest. He was. "I just wish to hear what you have to say first."
"Oh yeah," Harry said, sheepishly, feeling bad at how quickly he had been distracted from the reason why he had come. Harry stroked the crown of feathers on Fawkes' head. "It's about Theodore and the upcoming holidays."
"Ah," Dumbledore gave a contemplative nod, but nothing else.
"I was wondering if you could help him ya know," He tried to find the right word, "leave for the holidays."
"You mean without his father's permission?"
He nodded.
"That is beyond my power, Harry."
Harry was thankful to have Fawkes nearby. The phoenix gently nuzzled Harry, its plumage tickling his fingers. He knew it was a difficult ask, but it still couldn't soften the disappointing blow at confirming what he already feared. Fawkes let out a soft trill that brought a rush of warmth to spread through him better and faster than any heating charm.
"Claudius Nott's howler wasn't illegal, just merely improper," He sighed. "The vocabulary he used while terrible and revealing are beliefs that are sadly held by many in our world," He shook his head, looking tired. "The Nott family could find no better witch in Hogwarts than Miss Hermione Granger, but pride often comes before sense, Harry."
Harry sagged into the nearest seat, lowering his head. It wasn't accepted, but expected. Harry remembered Hermione saying something similar when he asked how she was after hearing what Claudius Nott had thought of her. That makes it accepted, Harry thought bitterly. He had faced it in Slytherin, and he knew he'd face similar opposition once he left Hogwarts.
Fawkes had left his perch and landed on the arm of Harry's chair, prompting a small smile out of him. "Thanks, Fawkes."
"I will see if I can make some inquiries."
"Really?" that got Harry to look up.
"Yes," Dumbledore nodded, "Discreetly, and it will take time, Harry." He cautioned him. "I cannot promise you anything."
"Thanks, sir," Harry wasn't sure if it would do anything, but any attempt of getting Theo away from his father, he thought, should be followed through. The combination of Fawkes and Dumbledore's words improved his mood, which helped to remind him from something earlier. "Sir?"
"Why did I want to speak with you?" Dumbledore guessed with a smile. "I wanted to tell you that I will need your help over the Holidays."
"Really?" Harry had a feeling for why, but he didn't want to say it in case he was wrong.
"Do you remember that night when Minister Fudge and Madam Bones came to Hogwarts?" At Harry's nod, he continued, "I mentioned to you that I was close to finding another horcrux. I can now say that I've found it."
Harry had guessed right. "Where?"
"That, I won't say until we make the trip," Dumbledore answered, "Your memory put me on the right path and some research has made me certain of it. We'll not be going alone," He revealed, "Professor Lupin and Sirius will be joining us."
Harry was surprised by that, but he didn't mind at all. Moony had helped last year with the Chamber of Secrets. No, the surprise came with the mention of his godfather.
"These are journeys and burdens I do not wish to thrust upon you, Harry," Dumbledore sighed, "But Tom is clever and he possessed talents that I do not have."
"Parseltongue." He was absentmindedly stroking Fawkes' feathers.
"Yes, Professor Lupin and Sirius will be accompanying us to make sure you remain safe. There will be dark magic at work, Harry," Dumbledore warned. "We must never underestimate the depths Tom went to in his desperate attempt at immortality."
"I understand," Harry didn't feel restrained. He felt relieved, "Will Sirius be okay?" He was more worried about his godfather than himself.
"He insisted on coming," Dumbledore replied. "I believe he regrets not being there for you for all those years when you needed him."
"I'm not mad at him," Harry was quick to put in.
"I know," Dumbledore smiled, "You have a compassionate heart, Harry. It gives you power that Tom will never understand," He said, "I'm sorry that I couldn't help you more."
"It's fine, sir. I'm just sorry I can't bring Theo along for Christmas..." Harry had been getting out of his seat, but stopped when the beginning of an idea came to him. I was too busy stuck on trying to bring Theo, it seemed so obvious to him now, That I never stopped to think on what I could change. It wasn't Mr. Nott's mind, but something else entirely.
If I can't bring Theo to the party, he was thinking it through, What if I brought the party to Theo?
"Sir," He began, not wanting to get too excited that he may have found a solution, "What are the school's rules about visitors during the Holidays?"
"What did you have in mind?"
"So I have to pretend to be mad at you?"
"Yeah," After Harry had left Dumbledore's office he was beginning to put the pieces together to make it work, but he was going to need help from both his friends and a few adults. The first and only friend he told so far was Daphne, who he bumped into in their house's common room.
They were sitting in a pair of high back leather chairs near the fireplace. Despite all of the magic put and built into this place, it couldn't stave away all of the cold that seeped into the dungeons of the castle which included Slytherin's common room. The windows looked out into the depths of the Black Lake and not the blue skies above the castle. The murky waters cast a green tinted light into the room. Sometimes when he looked out, Harry thought he was sitting inside a shipwreck instead of their common room especially when watching some of the magical creatures swim by.
Daphne looked at him nonplussed after he finished explaining part of his plan. "You don't want Nott to think he's alone but you won't tell him what you have planned."
"Well," Harry saw her point and his need to make it more complicated, but he had an answer for it. "I should be allowed to have some fun." He thought a surprise Christmas party for Theo was the better option. Was it needlessly more work? Yes, but he thought it would be worth it.
"You're doing a good thing, Harry," Daphne looked down to where her fingers were pulling a bit of thread from her long sleeved shirt. "But I don't have to pretend," she confessed, "because I'm disappointed and maybe a little mad," Her tone wavered, "listen to me," she let out a frail laugh, "You probably think I'm some selfish and spoiled brat."
"No, I don't think that," Harry quickly assured her, "I think it makes you honest."
She still couldn't meet his eyes. "You always think the best of us."
"It isn't hard when I have you all as my friends," Harry couldn't have asked for better ones. He reached across to take one of her hands, hoping it would get her to look at him. "I had been looking forward to it too," He saw her lift her head slightly to try to read his face, "I had plans, fun plans," he added, "I mean I was going to try to get the house-elves to cover your whole house with mistletoe."
That earned him a soft giggle. "Really?"
"Oh yeah," Harry was happy to see the traces of a smile forming on her lips, "Though, the idea may have been inspired by something Sirius claimed to have done in the Gryffindor Common Room one year," Harry admitted, "but the way Moony tells it, Sirius ended up accidentally kissing a bloke."
Daphne snorted.
He felt her fingers squeeze his. "The guy had long hair and Sirius admitted to being a little..."
"Drunk?"
"Yeah."
"I would've liked that," She said before her eyes widened, "I-I mean your mistletoe idea, I wouldn't have minded," A little red creeping into her pale cheeks, "Though we wouldn't want us to repeat Sirius' mistakes."
"Definitely," Harry happily agreed, enjoying this little comfy moment between them.
"I suppose we should leave?"
"Leave?" He felt his smile dip.
"Yes," She answered, "We have to have this argument, right?"
"We do, but I think it could wait a little while longer."
She smiled. "I like that idea."
"You sure the Floo Network Authority connected with her house?"
It was Christmas Day at Hogwarts. He and Theo were on their way to Professor Lupin's office. Harry had told his friend that they got special permission to use the floo to make a call. If only he knew the truth.
Harry remembered the conversation he had with Dumbledore when he first came up with this plan. It wasn't just the headmaster who helped Harry. Cyrus was one, as was Moony and Sirius and his friends. Another one was a witch, who was a Floo Network Regulator. She was very nice and he didn't mind having to send her a signed photo even if it did give him painful flashbacks of Gilderoy Lockhart. It wasn't just his fame that he used to his advantage to get this to work.
Sure, I may have exploited a few vague rules, such as the Headmaster's discretion in regards to visitors of the castle. He wasn't hurting anybody. So what if those rules were from a different era. They were written down. They hadn't been repealed. To Harry, that meant he could use them.
"I'm sure."
"Good," Theo pushed a few loose strands of his hair back into place, mumbling while he did. He was expecting to make the floo call and he wanted to look presentable, "Thanks again, Harry, for staying with me."
"You're welcome," He replied, but he waved the notion away like it was a burden with the flick of his hand. "It's been fun," He wasn't lying, but before he could go further they had reached Moony's door. Harry grabbed the doorknob and turned it, trying not to smile since he knew what was coming. Before they had even taken two steps into the room they were given a deafening greeting.
"SURPRISE!"
It looked as if some sort of Christmas explosion had gone off in the classroom.
The walls were plastered with red and green streamers while hovering Christmas lights flickered above their heads. There were banners that wove through the room, enchanted to spell out holiday messages as they slid through the air like paper serpents. Dozens of ornaments and decorations that looked both muggle and magical were set out on tables and desks, or were dangling below shelves or just in the air. An equally decorated Christmas tree was tucked away in a corner with a layer of white powder snow resting on its branches. There were more things that caught his eye, and even he was surprised by it all. And I helped plan this.
In front of them they were all waiting and smiling at them: Moony and Sirius with the latter wearing reindeer antlers and the former was wearing a hat which Harry first thought was shaped as a white snow cone, but it turned out to be a miniature snowman, who sang and danced. Moony wasn't as enthused about it as Sirius was. Cyrus and Roxy had chosen more formal attire, but their clothes were still infused with the Christmas spirit. Astoria was with them, and she was waving at Harry. Neville, and Tracey were near them, Luna too. She was wearing a red and green jumper that was blinking due to it being bespeckled with Christmas lights. There were others who Harry spotted, but he forgot about them all when he saw her.
She was wearing the same green dress she had worn to the Ministry. The one he complimented and had liked. I still really like it, He decided as he watched her approach. Her dark hair fell in curls and she was wearing a Slytherin silver colored shawl that wrapped around her shoulders. "Happy Christmas, Harry."
It took him a second or two to find his voice, "Happy Christmas, Daphne." He wanted to say more, but that was when Theo finally spoke up.
"What's happening?" He was blinking in the astonishing sight in front of him. His expression etched in disbelief, wide eyed with a creased brow.
"It's a Christmas party," Hermione stepped forward.
Some of his dismay slipped away at seeing her, but Hermione's dress seemed to further distract him. "I-I see that."
Hermione unable to wait had made up her own mind. She closed the distance between them to hug Theo. She then gave him a quick kiss, but it was still enough to turn both their faces a little Christmas red.
Harry knew the reason when he spotted Mr. and Mrs. Granger among the guests. To Theo's good fortune Mr. Granger didn't exactly look murderous but he was not going to say he looked particularly jolly either.
"You did all this, Harry?"
Harry shook his head. "No, we all did," gesturing to everyone who had come. He clapped his friend on the shoulder, "Happy Christmas, Theo!"
And indeed it was a very Happy Christmas.
A/N:
My inspiration for the friend fiction comes from Isabela in Dragon Age 2. That's also where the Fog Warriors reference is from. I personally haven't seen friend fiction done before but I'm sure it has been and was probably done better too.
Maybe, it's just my silly interpretation of Luna, but I just see her writing stories about her friends. In canon you see how emotionally invested she is with them by that mural in her room. Let's just say that for this story she harnessed that creativity into writing instead of painting. I don't know I could be way off, just mark it down as another liberty. I've lost count of how many I've taken. Like everything about that Christmas party with having visitors and all that entails is like just one giant liberty. So no need to point it out.
We'll see a little more of the party and what follows in the next chapter.
If you like what you read then please review. It would mean a lot to me. It's nice to know that people have stuck around and are still enjoying the story.
Until next time,
-Spectre4hire
P.S: I think Hermione stayed at the castle during the third year holidays but that was canon b/c that's what Rowling wanted/needed to happen. This is fanfiction and I needed something else.
