Hope
By: JnnLuvsU
Disclaimer: They're not mine, and sadly, never will be.

Harry, Ron, and Hermione walked out the entrance hall doors and onto the grounds. They walked casually out toward the lake. The grounds were empty tonight. They were about to sit down when they noticed a lone figure lying on the ground a made their way towards it.

"Luna," Harry said, upon recognizing her, "what are you doing?"

Luna turned her head towards them and then turned it back toward the sky, "I'm just looking at the Hulias."

Harry heard Hermione sigh and Ron stifle a laugh, but couldn't resist asking, "And just what are Hulias?" he asked.

Luna pointed, "Hulias are light fairies that live in the sky and guide travelers."

Harry looked up, "they're just stars, Luna," he said.

"That's just what Muggles think. If you watch them closely, you'll notice that they move and every now and then, one of them will die and you see it falling through the sky."

Harry smiled; sometimes he liked the way Luna thought. Hermione scoffed, "Hulias don't exist, Luna."

Harry sighed, here they go again. He didn't understand why Hermione couldn't just leave Luna alone.

Luna turned her head toward Hermione, "of course they do."

"No, Luna they don't. Nothing you believe in exists: Nargles, Crumpled-Horned Snoracks or whatever they're called, Heliopaths, and now this, Hulias. It's just nonsense," Hermione said.

Luna was on her feet in a flash. Harry and Ron stood bewildered and Hermione actually stepped back. Harry knew why, Luna's eyes had lost her dreamy look. She was angry, very angry.

Luna clenched her fists, "And what, may I ask, is so bloody wrong with nonsense," she spat at Hermione, "what's wrong with me believing in things unseen. Am I hurting you in some way?"

Hermione was silent.

Luna took a step closer to Hermione, "You know, in this school, I'm made fun of, laughed at, and ridiculed, but I don't feel sorry for myself. I feel sorry for you," she seethed.

Hermione glared at Luna, "Why would someone like you feel sorry for someone like me?"

"Some of the things that I believe in might not be real, but you know what Hermione, at least I believe in something. I hear about these things and, whether they're real or not, maybe they deserve to have someone believe in them." Tears sprang to Luna's eyes, "Everyone deserves to have someone believe in them." She wiped her eyes and glared at Hermione, "The difference between you and me isn't that I'm said to be loony and you're normal. Do you know the real difference between us?"

Hermione shook her head, now wishing she had said nothing at all.

"The difference is that I have hope. In a world where people are being murdered everyday, I have hope that tomorrow will come, that things will get better. That Hulias and Snorkacks are there to show us the way. I'm open to new possibilities, and you're not. That's the difference between us." Luna paused and took a deep breath, "You need to open your mind more, Hermione, because we need new ideas. The old ones aren't going to work anymore. They didn't work last time, so we're going to have to come up with new ones. And when it comes to extreme possibilities, it's not going to be people like you who save the day this time, it's going to be people like me, so I'd let me believe in whatever the bloody hell I want to." She spun on her heel and walked away.

Harry and Ron looked at Hermione, who was gaping at Luna's back. She glanced wordlessly between Ron and Harry. Harry cleared his throat, a little afraid that she would become angry with him, "You know, Mione, she does have a point," he whispered.

Ron made a little noise, "Yeah, I mean, the thestrals. Who else would have thought of that?"

Hermione sighed, "I know, and that's what scares me."

Author's Notes: I love Hermione dearly, but I always related more with Luna, and have been waiting for Luna to put Hermione in her place. She needs to stand up for what she believes in.