The Great Hall followed its usual morning rhythm, a familiar routine where each House settled into its expected roles. The Gryffindors ughed too loudly, always the first to disrupt the calm, while the Hufflepuffs quietly shared notes and breakfast in their tight-knit clusters. The Ravencws buried their noses in books, discussing theoretical problems between bites of toast, and the Slytherins—always perceptive—observed the room, taking in everything with calcuting eyes, speaking in low murmurs that held more meaning than they let on.

  Hermione stirred her tea zily, feigning interest in Bise and Theo’s ongoing argument over international trade policies that had been pying out for the st three mornings. Daphne sat beside her, listening with half an ear, more entertained by Pansy’s recounting of a particurly vicious takedown in the test Witch Weekly article. Draco, as ever, was reading the Daily Prophet, pretending he wasn’t listening to every word spoken around him.

  And then, Luna Lovegood entered the Great Hall.

  Hermione didn’t lift her head immediately, but she felt it—the way the magic in the air shifted, curling at the edges of her senses like the first whisper of a storm. It prickled at her awareness, something old and familiar, like a song she had almost forgotten.

  Luna never simply walked. She drifted, as though the floor had never truly learned how to hold her. She moved through the whispers, the gnces, the amused smirks of Ravencw, and she did not bend to them. Instead, she smiled as though they were all part of a private joke she had yet to share.

  But today, for the first time, Luna did not walk toward the Ravencw table.

  Instead, she turned toward the Slytherin table.

  The reaction was instantaneous, though subtle. A first-year nudged his pte aside, a second-year shifted down the bench, and without a word, a space opened up across from Hermione.

  A seat had been made for her.

  And without hesitation, Luna took it.

  She lowered herself onto the bench with all the grace of a queen slipping onto her throne, reaching for a slice of toast and spreading marmade with the slow, deliberate movements of someone who had all the time in the world.

  Daphne, mid-sentence, flicked her gaze toward the Ravencw table, where several students had outright stopped eating to stare. She smirked, turning her attention back to Luna. “I think you just broke your House, Lovegood.”

  Luna didn’t even gnce up as she carefully banced her toast on the edge of her pte. “Oh, they’re not broken. Just realizing they were never whole to begin with.”

  Bise exhaled through his nose, intrigued despite himself. “And why is that?”

  Luna took a thoughtful bite, chewing slowly before answering. “Because some of them always assumed I was mad, and others feared I wasn’t.”

  Hermione, stirring her tea with practiced ease, finally spoke. “Idiots.”

  Luna nodded sagely. “But useful ones, sometimes.”

  Across the table, Theo studied Luna with a new kind of interest, tilting his head slightly as though reassessing her entirely. “You pnned this.”

  Luna finally met his gaze, silver-blue eyes shimmering with amusement. “Some things don’t need pnning. Just the right kind of waiting.”

  Daphne sighed, tapping a manicured nail against her goblet. “You knew this would happen.”

  Luna picked up a raspberry, rolling it between her fingers as if deciding its fate. “It was always going to happen. I was only waiting for Hogwarts to catch up.”

  Draco, who had been mostly silent, finally set his newspaper down, his gaze sharper than before. He studied her with the kind of cautious curiosity one reserved for creatures that shouldn’t exist but somehow did. “You’re not surprised.”

  Luna smiled faintly. “I rarely am.”

  Draco leaned back slightly, fingers steepling together as he considered this. “You’re either the most oblivious person I’ve ever met or the least.”

  Luna popped the raspberry into her mouth. “I prefer to let people decide that for themselves. It makes things more interesting.”

  Bise let out a quiet chuckle. “I think I like her.”

  Theo exhaled slowly, shaking his head. “I don’t know why I didn’t see it before.”

  Daphne raised an eyebrow. “See what?”

  Theo smirked slightly, swirling his tea before taking a sip. “That she’s one of us.”

  Silence settled over the table, but it wasn’t empty. It was the pause before realization, the moment of understanding before a shift became permanent.

  Slytherin prided itself on seeing things others missed, on recognizing power, control, and potential. And yet, they had missed Luna Lovegood entirely.

  Not because she had been difficult to see.

  But because she had been hiding in pin sight.

  Bise exhaled through his nose, shaking his head. “We should have noticed sooner.”

  Daphne hummed, tilting her head as though looking at Luna through a different lens. “She’s been pying the long game better than half the school.”

  Luna, entirely unbothered, reached for another raspberry. “Did you know that some deep-sea creatures produce their own light? Not to see—but to blend in.”

  Bise smirked. “That’s an interesting bit of trivia.”

  Luna smiled softly. “It’s more than that. In the dark, the only way not to stand out is to glow like everything else does. Otherwise, you’re too different. You become a target.”

  Theo drummed his fingers lightly against the table. “They survive by looking like something familiar.”

  Luna nodded.

  Draco, who had returned to pretending he wasn’t interested, muttered, “Cunning.”

  Daphne smirked. “Adaptable.”

  Bise chuckled. “A snake in the grass.”

  Hermione and Luna shared a look, their expressions mirroring each other’s amusement, the barest glint of mischief in their eyes.

  Then, together, they turned back to the table and spoke in perfect unison—

  “You’ve missed Mr. Potter as well.”

  The reaction was instantaneous.

  Draco stiffened, his goblet hovering mid-air. Bise’s easy smirk faded into something sharper, his mind clearly already working through the implications. Theo’s fingers stilled against the table, and Daphne, who rarely looked caught off guard, blinked once, slowly.

  Luna, entirely composed, took a sip of her tea and then added, “The Weasley twins.”

  Hermione smirked, setting down her cup. “Neville Longbottom.”

  Draco let out a sharp breath, more frustration than disbelief. “You cannot be serious.”

  Luna tilted her head. “Who do you think controls the medicinal herbs supply in Hogwarts?”

  Bise’s eyes widened, and Theo let out a low, incredulous ugh.

  Daphne pinched the bridge of her nose. “This school is exhausting.”

  Bise exhaled slowly, his usual amusement repced by genuine calcution. “Well. That changes things.”

  Theo huffed a quiet ugh. “It’s almost embarrassing.”

  Draco, still looking deeply unimpressed with this entire conversation, scowled. “You’re both enjoying this too much.”

  Luna and Hermione, in perfect unison, replied, “Oh, absolutely.”

  Daphne groaned. “Oh god, it’s like the Weasley Twins.”

  Bise snorted. “If they start speaking in riddles next, I’m leaving.”

  Hermione leaned forward slightly, her lips curling into a mischievous smile. “But Bise, where’s the fun in answers without a bit of mystery?”

  Luna, mirroring Hermione’s expression perfectly, added, “Besides, we wouldn’t want you getting too comfortable.”

  Bise visibly reevaluated all of his life choices. “I hate both of you.”

  Theo chuckled. “He’s lying.”

  Daphne shook her head, muttering under her breath. “This school is exhausting.”

  Draco scowled, pinching the bridge of his nose before finally conceding defeat. “Fine. If we’ve been missing things, what else is there?”

  Luna’s smile widened, and Hermione tilted her head ever so slightly.

  “Oh, Draco,” Luna mused, her voice as light as air. “We wouldn’t want to ruin the surprise.”

  Theo huffed a quiet ugh. “It’s almost embarrassing.”

  And for the first time, Hermione felt like she was home.