Luna in America: Harry Potter Blogfest

Michael at In Time is having a Harry Potter blogfest today! Yes, these blogfests are getting around! (Stay tuned... I'm announcing my own tomorrow. Everybody's doing it!) Drop by his blog and check out all the entries in the Blogfest.

In my entry, Luna Lovegood is spending Christmas-- and Boxing Day-- in America with her Muggle-born boyfriend, who she met last summer in Diagon Alley, and his family. I wanted to do a "wait-- we don't celebrate Boxing Day"-type thing, and Luna seemed the most likely character to spend the holidays out of the country.

“Did I do it right?” Luna asked the girls who were standing back in amazement.

“Wow, Luna, just… wow,” Michelle said.

“I just did what you said to do,” Luna turned her head, trying to see the French braid she had just put into her hair. “Is it right?”

Michelle nodded. “Yes, it’s perfect! I’ve just never seen anyone do her hair with magic before.”

Emily, Michelle’s younger sister, giggled. “Your hair flew around so fast, I thought you’d end up with a big knot when you were done.”

“Oh, I’ve done that before,” Luna said, unconcerned. “It can be undone just as easily.”

Emily nodded but didn’t say anything. This new girlfriend of her brother’s was a strange one. Of course, all of her brother’s friends were strange.

“Are we ready to go, then?” Michelle asked.

“It seems odd to go shopping on Boxing Day,” Luna said. “Are you sure the shops will be open?”

“We don’t have Boxing Day in America,” Michelle reminded her. “They’ll be open, all right.”

Luna breezed into the living room, where her father was lecturing Seth on the finer points of wizarding botany. “The Dirigible Plums have to be tended carefully, you see, so that the Wrackspurts don’t get them,” he said as Luna entered.

“Daddy, we’re about to go,” she said. “Are you sure you don’t want to come with us?”

“Quite sure,” Xenophilius said. “Seth has just been telling me about the Discovery channel. I think I’ll watch it for a bit, now I’ve learnt how to use the… what did you call it?” he asked Seth.

“Remote control,” Seth replied with a grin.

“Right, yes. It’s like a wand, Luna, but with buttons, and it only operates the television.”

Luna smiled at her father. “Well, have fun, Daddy. Did Seth tell you how to use the telephone? You can’t send a Patronus when we’re in a Muggle shopping mall.”

“Yes, my dear, I have the number right here.”

“Good-bye, Mr. Lovegood. We’ll be back in a few hours,” Seth said as he motioned the girls toward the door.

“Bye, Daddy!” Luna exclaimed as she went out.

“You’ve really never been to a mall, Luna?” Emily asked in awe.

Luna shook her head. “We do all our shopping in Diagon Alley,” she answered, and smiled at Seth. The two of them had met there the previous summer when he was on his first visit to England.

“The mall isn’t so different from Diagon Alley,” he said. “Just no magical shops.”

“I’m glad you and your father could spend Christmas with us,” Michelle said.

“Oh, so am I!” Luna said. “Daddy was so surprised to get an invitation. We’ve never had Christmas anywhere but at home. It’s so nice to see how you celebrate Christmas in America.”

“And Boxing Day,” Emily chimed in. “Of course, it’s how we don’t celebrate that one.”

“Here we are!” Seth said. “Your first American mall, Luna. Are you ready?”

Luna smiled. After all her life’s adventures, a Muggle mall couldn’t be too hard to get used to. “I’m ready,” she said.