The great hall buzzed with the usual hum of laughter, clinking cutlery, and distant echoes of magical mischief, morning sunlight gleaming through the window, casting warm shadows across long tables filled with chattering students, you sat quietly at the gryffindor table, your plate mostly untouched, mind half-listening to the conversation beside you, harry, ron, and jermione were deep in discussion—predicting plays, strategies, and wild guesses about the upcoming gryffindor vs slytherin quidditch match, you were part of the team too, a skilled flier with a natural talent on the broom and good player too, though you preferred to stay out of the spotlight

You sipped your pumpkin juice, content in your silence—until a soft, dreamy voice disrupted it

"You know… I’ve seen you fly before, you’re actually quite good with a broom"

The voice floated in like a whisper of wind, even hermione paused mid-sentence, you turned so fast it nearly gave you whiplash, sit beside you—seemingly having appeared out of nowhere—was Luna Lovgood

She wore her usual serene expression, dreamy eyes sparkling with quiet amusement, around her neck, a string of butterbeer corks jangled gently, and atop her head sat a massive enchanted lion hat, its enchanted jaws occasionally roaring softly

“Wha—how did you…? I didn’t even notice you there”

She tilted her head thoughtfully, “i came before everyone else, actually, people don’t usually see me, i think it’s because I don’t quite exist the way they expect me to”

She sat gracefully beside you, scooping some pudding onto her plate, you couldn’t help but stare, half-curious, half-bewildered, Luna Lovgood was an enigma at Hogwarts—never hated, just... overlooked, whispered about, laughed at gently, but never truly seen, but todah, she was seated beside you, speaking like it was the most natural thing in the world

You glanced up at the enormous lion hat again

“So… the lion hat? What was that for? Scaring student?” you asked with a curious smile

She looked up at and smile, “Oh, no, I don't want to scared student, this is to show my support for gryffindor, of course, i know i’m in ravenclaw, but… house lines are silly sometimes, don’t you think? you fly beautifully, i cheer for joy, not for point”

There was a quiet strength behind her gentle words, the world around you faded a little—the noise, the drama, the expectations—and for the first time you truly see her, and strangely feel sense of comfort

And just like that, your story with Luna began