Luna

[lunawiththewillow]

I thought this might help

[arcturustheserpent-deactivated2]

Come on, Lovegood. We elect the ministry. We pay good money for them to take care of us. If we don't like them we don't vote them in next election. The ministers do their best and are hardly even home from working so much. I should know, my father is one of them.

So, you're saying if I read the Quibbler I'd find myself questioning everything and I know about life and come out the other end enlightened? Fine. Hand me the magazine and I'll show you what questioning is.

[lunawiththewillow]

I'll give you a copy if you agree to read it with an open mind. You might not agree with everything written in it, but if you read it with a closed mind you definitely won't be challenged.

And I'm not going to give you the magazine to give you things to laugh at my father about, so if that's what you want you can forget it. I'm happy to give you the magazine because I would like everyone to broaden their minds, but I don't want to hand it to you if it's just going to become ammunition against my father.

[weezlibxi]

This is all seriously fucked...

[weezlibxi]

You would mind mine. Trust me.

Loud… Loud is an understatement. And Ginny has absolutely no fucking room to talk. She’s just as noisy and irritating herself.

[lunawiththewillow]

Ginny is lovely. Besides, shouldn't you be used to noise? Aren't Gryffindors supposed to be loud? All the Gryffindors I've met are rather loud.

Although, maybe if you always have noise around you, it's nice to have some peace and quiet. The Ravenclaw common room is really quiet because everyone's always reading. That's probably why I don't mind people being loud. It's a nice change.

[lunawiththewillow]

I thought this might help

[arcturustheserpent-deactivated2]

Opening minds without telling truth or fact? Then what exactly are you openning these minds up to? Besides, what's wrong with the other publications?

In case you haven't realized, just because someone hands something to you does't mean you have to accept it just like I didn't accept the Quibbler you just tried to give me. And what if they're right and they're giving you that option for a reason. That's what the Ministry, choose and give the best options to us.

[lunawiththewillow]

The Ministry of Magic chooses those options because it can pay to create whichever opinions suit them. The Ministry can pay to cover up things or can pay to publish things that make them look good, even if they aren't true.

No, the articles published in The Quibbler are not necessarily based on solid fact, but having theories that challenge their preset opinions encourages people to look for the truth themselves. I know that you don't have to just accept what other publications tell you, just like you don't have to accept what's written in The Quibbler, but if you never question what's written there, even if all you do is ignore it, you kind of are accepting what they're handing you.

[weezlibxi]

This is all seriously fucked...

[weezlibxi]

Nah. I’d just go to the Potters or the Longbottoms a lot. Their houses are so quiet and… brotherless.

Although— Harry’s little sister might be an even bigger pain than mine is. And that’s saying something, truly.

[lunawiththewillow]

I wouldn't mind having brothers and sisters. It would make things at home more interesting.

Although, you have quite a few of them, so I can see how that would get a bit loud. Ginny always talks about how noisy and irritating her brothers are, so it might be good if you go visit Harry or Neville. She would probably also enjoy some peace and quiet.

[lunawiththewillow]

I thought this might help

[draconis-perfectus]

Joonatan Jokela? I’ve never heard of him. Are you sure—no offense—but are you sure he’s actually reclusive and not just, you know…a nutter? Not that your dad would ever knowingly publish some crack-nob’s mad rambling of course, but he could have been tricked or something. You know? It happens…

Six—you’ve read it six times? Merlin…all right, fine, I’m sold. If it’s interesting enough that you read it six times, then I guess it doesn’t matter if this Jokela person is a crack-pot or not, I want to read it. If only to see what all the fuss is about.

[lunawiththewillow]

Oh, that's wonderful! I'll give you a copy as soon as the box comes from Daddy. 

I know you don't normally agree with everything published in The Quibbler, but it's really nice of you to try. It really does mean a lot to me.

[lunawiththewillow]

I thought this might help

[arcturustheserpent-deactivated2]

How the hell do plants ward off any kind magic, Lovegood? Let alone the dark arts. If that were so, wizards and witches all over the globe stocking up on it and growing it around their houses. Frankly, how much nonsense is in that magazine your father writes.

[lunawiththewillow]

The aim of The Quibbler is not to convince people that what is published is fact, but to open their minds. It offers the public alternate opinions to what the Ministry and other publications insist is absolute truth.

I can't tell you what to think. I only know that I really appreciate having the option of choosing what I believe as opposed to having it just handed to me.

[lunawiththewillow]

I thought this might help

[draconis-perfectus]

Oh, new stuff, huh? Well, that’s…great. Really.

Er…any idea who made this Herbological breakthrough that only The Quibbler heard about, for some reason?

[lunawiththewillow]

My dad was given an exclusive interview with  Professor Joonatan Jokela, one of Finland's leading experimental Herbologists. He's apparently quite reclusive, so it was really lucky that Daddy got to talk to him.

It's experimental Herbology so it might not work and I know that you don't always agree with everything in The Quibbler, but right now surely anything that might protect us against the Dark Arts is worth a try? In any case, it's a fascinating article. I've read about six times already.

[lunawiththewillow]

I thought this might help

[draconis-perfectus]

Oh, well, I…bet those are going to be popular. Yep. Good idea. I’ll, uh…I’ll just wait, yeah. That’s fine.

The…you mean the Black Lake? Here? Luna…no offense, but don’t you think that if there were special plants that protected people from Dark Magic that Sprout or someone would already be collecting them?

[lunawiththewillow]

That's a good point.

Although the plants mentioned in the article are supposed to be new Herbological breakthroughs. Maybe it's just that no one's heard of the amazing defensive properties that some of these plants have.

[lunawiththewillow]

I thought this might help

[longbottom-ed-deactivated201407]

Oh. Well, that’s…. Thanks for the offer, but I think I’ve got it covered.

I’ll get this back to you as soon as I can, alright?

[lunawiththewillow]

Sure, there's no rush.

A lot of the plants actually grow around Hogwarts. I was hoping to go looking for some of them, but I don't think the teachers would let us walk around the grounds with everything that's going on.

If you also want to look for some of them, we could perhaps organise a whole group of people to go too. We might be allowed out of the castle if we're in a group.

.

[lunawiththewillow]

I thought this might help

[draconis-perfectus]

Oh, er…that’s great, Luna. Thanks…I’m sure it will, ah, really come in handy…

…actually…maybe it really could. Can’t hurt anyway, right? Yeah, can I take a look at yours when you’re done with it?

[lunawiththewillow]

Oh, I told Neville he could borrow my copy, so I don't have it. Daddy is sending me a box of them later in the week though, if you don't mind waiting until then. 

Daddy told me that many of the plants in his article grow around the lake, but I think going out onto the grounds now is going to be difficult. The teachers will probably want to keep everyone inside as much as possible from now on.

[weezlibxi]

This is all seriously fucked...

[weezlibxi]

…I’m sure that they would let you do whatever you want, Luna…

Although why you’d want to do more exams than you have to is beyond me…

[lunawiththewillow]

I don't mind exams. I find some of them quite enjoyable actually. I suppose that not everyone feels that way though.

I think you'd probably miss your friends if they closed Hogwarts. I know I would. I think I would prefer to write exams every day than go for a long time without seeing my friends.

[lunawiththewillow]

I thought this might help

[longbottom-ed-deactivated201407]

Excellent! Thanks, Luna.

Anti-Wrackspurt…? Dare I ask what a Wrackspurt is?

[lunawiththewillow]

Wrackspurts are little creatures that float into your head and make your thoughts go fuzzy. You can usually bat them away with your hand, but they're invisible so it's tricky. That's why the hat is so useful. I could make one for you if you'd like? I know that not everybody knows how to knit.

[lunawiththewillow]

I thought this might help

[longbottom-ed-deactivated201407]

Really?

That does sound fascinating! I’d love to take a look. How quickly do you think you can get me a copy?

[lunawiththewillow]

Daddy is sending me a box of them sometime later on this week, but you're welcome to borrow mine for now. There's also a knitting pattern for an anti-Wrackspurt hat which has been incredibly helpful. I've only lost my train of thought once today.

[lunawiththewillow]

I thought this might help

My father wrote an article in this month's edition of The Quibbler about plants with properties that ward off the dark arts. I thought it might interesting to read with everything that's going on. If you want, I could get you a copy, or you could just borrow mine. It really is a fascinating article.

[weezlibxi]

This is all seriously fucked...

Although, I suppose that if we end up having to close the school, we don’t have to take exams…

[lunawiththewillow]

I suppose that's one way to look at things. Although I was quite looking forward to my first Care of Magical creatures exam. Do you think they'd let us write them once they sort everything out?