Wheels are always spinning. Most are as old as time, some are just starting, but everyone is caught in one. The best one can do is break out of one wheel, into another.
Luna Lovegood briefly wondered why this idea had been so present in her mind the past couple days, but as she quietly wandered through the upper halls of Claer, she found it didn't matter. Or, at least, she wasn't going to get the answer anytime soon.
She was used to being alone, and even though she had gained a great feeling of camaraderie once she had joined the Order, and even more so when she had moved into Claer, most kept her at a little distance. She normally didn't mind, but lying to herself and saying it didn't bother her every now and then would solve nothing.
She glided over the ground, not making a sound as her feet only lightly made contact with the floor. Her mother had always said she had dancer's feet, but the rest of her body apparently never agreed with that notion. Still, she liked the idea, and thought about it when she needed a little cheering up.
A little cheering up was something seemingly everyone could use these days. Claer, which was usually bustling with activity and sound, had been very subdued as of late, and she figured that was what was most responsible for the wheel thoughts that kept rolling through her brain. She had the definite feeling that something was coming; some change, though whether it would be for good or bad, she didn't know. One thing she was sure of was that the person that this change concerned most didn't sense it, and that worried her.
How long this heaviness had been in the air was easy to pinpoint: it had started the night of the ambush. While this timing made sense to her, something about it felt wrong. All the DA members had seen death, especially during the last year at Hogwarts, but one never really gets used to death, and the fact that it was three of their own might also contribute to the tension in the air as well.
She knew that this was partly correct, but there was more to this story than she was yet aware. There always is.
She turned a corner, still immersed in trying to puzzle out this riddle, and nearly ran right into Ron, who jumped back in surprise.
Always so fidgety and nervous, she thought with a small smile. Just like weasels in the wild.
"Oh, er, sorry Luna," he said, looking a mite embarrassed. "Didn't see you there."
"Your last name suits you," was all he got in response. She had to choke back a little laugh at his confused reaction.
"Right. Er, thanks for that."
"Care for some company?" she asked in the quiet voice she knew bothered some people. "You've been wandering these halls so often lately, might do for a change of scenery."
A grimace slid across his face as he said, "What, have you been keeping any eye on me?"
"Too hard to keep an eye on something that's always moving," she answered. "I've just not seen you around."
Ron shrugged and allowed her to fall into step next to him. As the walked, she glanced up at him. His eyes were completely focused directly ahead of him, and it was no wonder he didn't see her. People teased her about it all the time, but here was someone in a different world entirely.
She remained quiet on the subject which she knew to be bothering him the most, even if he wouldn't admit it and did his best to hide it. Practically everyone had expected something to happen between Ron and Hermione eventually, so when word spread that Hermione was with Harry, "shocked" had been a very kind description of most people's reactions. She knew that it had hit Ron especially hard, not only because she could tell there was a part of him that had expected to be with Hermione, but also because it totally changed the dynamic of his friendship with Harry. The well of bitterness she sensed in him ran deep, but she hoped that his loyalty to his two friends would win out in the end.
Of course, nothing is certain.
Ron, clearly not enjoying the silence, suddenly broke it. "The house seems so quiet. Has for the past couple days."
"Yes, I've sensed it too."
"You don't need to sense it, for heaven's sake! You just need to listen."
"Explain the difference to me," she asked. He shot a look at her and shook his head.
"I think it's the deaths from the ambush the other night. They were three of our own, and that's hard, even if we've al seen death before."
"No, I suppose no one does. But don't worry, the dead are aren't always dead. They may be spun out again."
"The dead aren't always dead? Of course they are, Luna! Once you die, you die. There's no middle ground there."
"So the ghosts in Hogwarts are what exactly?" she countered quietly. "Or what about the people in the portraits? Some of them were real people, and they're no doubt long dead by now, but they still move and can talk. Yet they're not gone, are they?"
Ron was quiet for a moment. "I supposed I hadn't thought of that. Still, that's not every person who dies. Some are just gone."
Luna shook her head. "No, some you just have to look a little harder to find."
Ron chuckled a little and said just barely audibly, "If that makes me feel a little better, am I crazy?"
She smiled a little at that.
They were walking past a window that overlooked the houses back yard, and both glanced out in time to see a figure quickly disappear into the kitchen, and Draco standing outside, watching it go.
"Who the bloody hell was that?" Ron asked, peering through the window. Luna wasn't sure herself, but she could've sworn she had seen a mess of brown hair. Suddenly, she had Goosebumps all over her skin, and felt a little lightheaded.
They watched as Draco lingered a moment longer, than followed the figure inside.
"I'm going down there," Ron said. "I don't like the idea of Draco letting some stranger in here. I don't care what Harry says, I still don't trust him."
He moved to go, but like lightning she reached out and wrapped her hand around his arm. She turned and looked straight into his eyes.
"Don't go, Ron. I, it's getting faster all of a sudden. No good will come of this. Just let it be."
Ron looked at her, and at her small hand around his arm, and for a moment seemed lost, before he shook his head and freed himself from her grip.
"I don't know what you're talking about, but we can't have him letting people in here." He started off down the hall, pulling his wand out of his pocket. "I'll take care of this," he said as he disappeared.
His voice hung in the air for a moment, but it was too late. Luna had a sinking feeling that whatever wheel they were all caught up in, it was about to change drastically.
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