Secrets

The dreams were getting stronger. In fact, there was more of them too. In addition to the snake, who appeared yet again, there was other...dreams. Hermoine, looking as if she was dead, but her eyes were open. Then there was the wall, with a message written in blood. Abby couldn't make out the message, but she knew that it would be something dire. And of course, the one that confused Abby most, was the bathroom. The bathroom itself seemed eerie, but she didn't understand why it was appearing in her dream...

"Abby, I would get up now, if I were you." Abby's eyes flew open, to see the familiar blonde girl looking at her from the foot of her bed.

"Morning, Luna," she said, yawning, and pulled herself out of bed. Noticing Luna was dressed in her shirt and robes again, a thought struck Abby.

"What's wrong?" Luna asked, noticing her change in expression.

"I don't know what i'm going to wear. I wasn't told to get robes or ties; all I have are my own clothes." She looked up to Luna, and another thought worried her. "I don't really want to be the centre of attention on my first day here." Luna nodded in understanding, and walked over to her trunk.

"Well, you're lucky, I guess," Luna pulled another robe out of her trunk, and held it up to Abby, smiling. "I have a spare." Without realising what she was doing, she cried with joy, and jumped over to hug her tightly. Luna seemed a little taken aback at first, but soon hugged her back.

"Would you keep it down? We're trying to sleep here!" Abby whipped around, having completely forgot that there were two other girls in the dormitory.

"You might want to get up for breakfast anyway." Luna said politely, handing the robe into Abby's hands.

"I don't care, Loony, just be quiet." Abby's jaw dropped, shocked at the sheer nerve of the girls to insult Luna.

"Take that back!" Abby gasped, storming over to their beds, despite Luna's protests. The girls groaned and sniggered, angering her even more. Without realising what she was doing, or what had gotten into her, Abby tossed the robe back on to her bed, and with a great heave, pulled the girls' duvets off one after the other.

"Oi! What do you think you're doing!"

"Geroff!"

"Do not insult Luna in front of me. And thats a warning." She shot the two girls the biggest glare she possibly could, before grabbing her robe, and the clothes she'd picked for the day, and storming into the bathroom to get dressed. She heard the girls groan and murmur behind the door, but she didn't care. She pulled her clothes on, along with the robe, and went back to sit with Luna, a lot calmer, and glad that the girls had left.

"Thank you," Luna said suddenly, and Abby looked up. She looked touched, but shocked. "No one's really ever stuck up for me like that before."

"Really?"

"Yeah..." She shrugged, and Abby hugged her again.

"Now, was it me, or did you say we had breakfast to catch?" She smiled widely, and the two set off for the great hall together.

~*~

Abby remembered how big the Great Hall looked when only the teachers were in it, but as Abby followed Luna into the hall that morning, she doubted she had ever seen anything so massive. How the hall managed to fit the several hundred or so people it did, she had no idea. Luna walked to the table on the far right, so Abby followed, and sat in the seat next to her. The many others sitting down looked up, some looked back down, some smiled. Abby smiled back, and comfortably sat, looking at the plates of food.

"Bloody hell," she breathed. There was everything: bacon, eggs, sausage, potato scone, porridge, toast, cereal, even pancakes! Abby avoided the porridge, having had it for breakfast for almost every morning she could remember, but piled bacon, eggs, sausages and potato scones onto her plate, looking at it and feeling as though she hadn't eaten in years.

"Someone's hungry," Luna commented, as Abby finished chewing her first forkful. She'd never had such good a breakfast in all her life.

"I'm used to porridge every single morning." Abby explained. "This, is what I call breakfast." Luna nodded as Abby shoved another forkful into her mouth, and noticed her gaze had began to wander.

"Do you know her?" Luna asked suddenly, and Abby looked up at her in question, and then followed her gaze to see someone she'd been looking forward to seeing for months, with their mouth wide open.

"Ginny!" Abby exclaimed excitedly, and she waved. Ginny, sitting two tables away, seemed to be contemplating whether or not it was her best friend, but eventually she grinned and waved back. She shrugged, gesturing to how Abby was here. She merely nodded to the door, and then the food, hoping that she would understand that she would tell her after breakfast. To her relief, Ginny gave her a thumbs up. The two smiled once more before returning to their breakfast.

"Well that was...interesting." Abby looked up at Luna, and laughed quietly.

"We're best friends. Have been since we were nine. She's like my sister." Luna nodded, and began eating her toast and jam. Abby also continued eating her breakfast, until the sound of fluttering wings almost startled her. Were there birds inside the school!? Looking up, about five owls swarmed in, circled and dropped parchments and small packages in front of students. And then, suddenly, over a hundred more followed. Abby drew back in her seat, watching the swarm of owls fill the room, letters dropping like snow.

"Sorry, I forgot to remind you that post comes at breakfast." Abby regained herself a little, and nodded. Once the fact had set in, she immediately began wishing she had something to receive.

"What sort of things do they deliver?" Abby asked curiously.

"Anything, really. If you stay in at christmas, you get presents delivered. Except, they're delivered to your common room." Abby nodded in understanding, thinking about staying in for christmas. "Well, that's everything, I guess," she said, pushing her empty plate away. Abby was just finishing her last potato scone. She held up a finger so Luna could give her a minute, and then wiped her mouth with the napkin sittnig next to her.

"Alright, lets go." They both stood up, and headed for the big doors, until Abby remembered Ginny. She stood patiently just beyond the door, and finally saw her stand up and walk towards the door. Upon seeing her, Ginny burst into a run, asnd the two met in a hug,

"I missed you so much!" Ginny cried, hugging Abby even tighter, and Abby complied.

"I missed you too! The year's been so boring without you!"

"What did you even do?" Abby remembered how horrid the year had been, spending most of her time in her room or arguing with her mother; or a bit of both, or sulking around dreaming about Hogwarts.

"Nothing really. Anyway, i'm here now, aren't I?"

"Yeah, and how are you here!?" Abby grinned.

"I'm not too sure, all I know is that Dumbledore wanted to have a meeting with me, and offered for me to stay here for the rest of the term. I was supposed to come here anyway."

"Well then, why didn't you?" Abby opened her mouth to reply, but realised that there was too much to say, and they didn't have much time. She knew Luna and Ginny would have to go to their classes soon.

"I'll tell you later, ok? You better go. Oh! And Ginny, this is Luna," she said, stepping back to allow Luna and Ginny to exchange smiles. They both said their hello's and Ginny hugged her.

"Well, i'll see you around!" Ginny said, asking her friends to wait a minute.

"Sure will! Bye!" With that, the two hugged once again, and she left with Luna to go back to the Ravenclaw common room.