"Next is Luna Lovegood," Hermione said, looking at the list on the parchment. "She came to me directly, and her grades are good."
"I've seen her a few times," Harry said. "She's always sitting alone in a corner reading. Sometimes she talks to herself. Some people say she's a bit... odd."
"Odd?" Ron made a face. "I heard she believes in things that don't even exist, like Crumple-Horned Snorkacks and Wrackspurts."
"Wrackspurts?" Neville blinked in confusion. "What are those?"
"According to her, they're invisible creatures that crawl into people's ears and muddle their thoughts," Fred explained with a straight face, though his eyes glinted with mischief.
"Sounds like something she made up," Ron said.
Sylvia spoke up. "I think Luna's lovely. She sees things from a unique angle, and she's very kind. Once, she even told me how to care for moonflowers."
Fred and George exchanged a glance.
"The Lovegood girl," Fred said. "Her dad edits The Quibbler."
"It's an interesting magazine," George added with a sly grin. "Most of what it prints is nonsense, but every now and then it gets something right by sheer luck."
Harry thought of the times he had run into Luna in the corridors. She always looked at him with those large, slightly dreamy eyes and talked about things like Crumple-Horned Snorkacks that he didn't understand. But she had never made a fuss over his scar the way others did. She was calm, almost detached.
Harry shrugged. "I don't know her well, but she seems all right."
Malfoy gave a dismissive snort, but when Harry and Will looked his way, he shut his mouth. His expression remained unconvinced.
Will tapped his fingers lightly on the table.
Luna Lovegood was an ethereal girl with sharp instincts and a philosophy of her own. If Harry and