-CHAPTER #01-
"Sorry I'm late, dad." I felt drowsy as I walked into our huge circular kitchen.
It was six in the morning. If you are wondering why I say that I'm late at six, you are sure to die early from a Mondigo attack. Mondigos are invisible creatures in The Death Eaters army who've been bred to poison our breakfasts. Latest findings say that they are active from eight to twelve in the morning, so we always have our breakfast early. It's more convenient as well, I think, as dad usually has to rush off these days to face some ministry psycho who wanted to fine him for printing the truth.
Anyway….it was six o'clock Sixteenth of June, and I, Luna Lovegood, was exactly sixteen years old.
Sweet Sixteen!
Not that anything was sweet or in the least, nice right now. If hadn't seen for myself the things that were happening I'd have thought I was suffering from Dementor's Dementation, and I wish I was! Dumbledore's death was bad enough and things seem to be going really out of control right now…
"My dear, Luna, Happy Birthday! Happy Birthday!"
The huge oblong table was covered with a blue cloth with silver dust. A huge, yummy chocolate cake stood in the middle-sixteen blue candles whirling on it.
Good old dad! He looked a bit older than last year-he had more silver than brown hair and quite a more wrinkles had appeared on his face.
"So, how do you like it?" He was beaming. "I know it seems a bit early for partying, but a cake in the morning is better than a Mondigo attack in the afternoon."
And so it was. Dad had made the cake himself and it tasted more like vanilla than chocolate, but of course, it was much better than a Mondigo.
"Ah, here comes the owls." Dad rubbed his hands ecstatically.
"Five, six, seven…no…nine owls! And here comes four more…" I gasped out aloud as the table was covered with a flurry of white and brown, but in a second I knew the reason.
"Dad, people seem really interested in that article by Twinkle Cracklepit about the theories of Mr. Pumpkin-Fickle."
"Hmm…" Dad absent-mindedly fumbled with the knots of a thick parcel.
"Miggle Pumpkin-Fickle promised to send me a full story about the Purple and Red Skinned Eye-Cruncher. Ah…this must be it. Well…well…I never got so many owls since that interview the Skeeter woman had with Harry Potter, and it wasn't half as interesting!"
"Here, use this knife dad. I think The Quibbler will top even The Daily Prophet after that is published."
"Oh, that bundle of rubbish, they brainwash the whole lot of those foolish wizards. As if anybody with some brains would be interested in reading those boring…Praise Buggle whatever is this? Luna, it's not from Pumpkin-Fickle-it's got your name."
My name?
I leant forwards curiously. I don't remember getting any post for a long time.
"Wow…"
It was unbelievable-just like there was a Dream-Skat overhead.(They make people think that impossible things were happening) But…. the huge card with a picture of a witch in spangled silver robes (I wonder who she is) blowing out candles was really really true. Across the top in huge sparkling blue and silver was written "Happy Birthday Luna!"
For the first time in my life somebody had sent me a birthday card!
Dear Luna,
A very happy birthday. All the best returns of the day. I hope you like this puffleskein. Are you returning to Hogwarts? Whatever happens, Ron and I will. Hermione has been made Head Girl and Harry is Head Boy. Anyway, I hope to see you sooner at Bill's wedding.
Take care,
Ginny
Ginny! How nice of her… I've always been very fond of Ginny. She is a really pretty and popular girl in our year (two things which I was and always will be at the bottom) but she has always been very nice to me. She even ticked off some boys when they called me loony. And the puffleskein is cute-though I think I'll dye it purple to make it more interesting."
"You've got more, Luna."
And yes, there were four more bundles on the table. Oh great Buggle, are you sure there is no Dream-Skat over me? Why, this was like I had friends!
Next was a bright orange box. It was full of silvery dust. I couldn't think what it was and luckily I saw a piece of paper sticking out.
Dear Luna,
Happy birthday. Have you found the Purple and Red Skinned Eye-Cruncher yet? This is screaming powder. You have to swallow only a teaspoon at a time and you can comment without the mike.
Cheers,
Ron.
P.S. Don't tell Ginny I sent you this, she's been made a Prefect and she'll confiscate.
Ron Weasely-that's Ginny's brother. That's nice of him-though I think he's making fun of me. He's awfully funny, though very unkind at times.
Dear Luna,
Happy Birthday! I think you'll like these quills. They are also trick wands and anybody who uses it other than you will be sent flying. I brought them from Weasely's Wizarding Wheezes.
Hope to see you soon,
Harry.
Hope to seen you soon? Well that means that he must be returning back to Hogwarts. I'm so glad. I was really afraid that he'd not return. Though half of the girls totally run after him, he's really nice. We went to Slughorn's party together and I really enjoyed it. Nobody had asked me to a party before…
The next was a brown parcel tied with a whole mess of string and a huge, messy card.
Dear Luna,
I was wondering what to send you. Grandmother told me to send you this Remembral-she said you looked as you needed it."
Happy Birthday,
Neville.
Neville is another DA member. He's very nice, but I think he has some problem because he seems so sad at times. He also seems dead scared of his grandmother-I wonder what she meant by me needing Remembrals. Maybe it's to remind me to check on the DA coin-as if I would forget!
The last was neatly packed and I knew even before I saw the card that it was from Hermione Granger. Though she is pretty narrow minded, she is very kind and extremely clever-she should have been a Ravenclaw. She had sent me a Homework Planner.
"Well…Luna I can say that you are pleased, and I have something to give you too." Dad looked mysterious.
"Oh, dad!" I really hadn't expected anything. Dad wasn't going through easy times-all the work for The Quibbler was taking a heavy toll on him.
"Here you are. This belonged to your mother. She told me to give you this when you came to age in case anything happened to her."
"Wow!'
It was a small blue jewellery box. Inside was a pretty silver ring with a blue sapphire."
"This came from your mother's great grandmother. She was a very famous and gifted Seer. I remember your mother telling that you had the blood of a Seer too…
"A seer, but I don't even take Divination!"
"As if I would let you! Professor Trelawney is a hoax-a hag I think. You'd better be careful from her. Seers don't have to learn Divination-it's in their blood…Good gosh, Twinke…"
Dad's photo-editor rushed into the room..
"Mr. Lovegood-it's the Death Eaters and they's done it to one of their own. They sent an Eye Cruncher to the werewolf Remus Lupin's wedding today…"
Edited by Dikte - 19 years ago
Hindi TV Shows
37