The next morning, Luna awoke from her slumber, having slept well last night. However, as soon as she woke up, she felt something was wrong. Her feet were bare, and those beautiful shoes were gone again.
"We didn't see them, how could we possibly know?"
The other roommates had already left, leaving her alone. Luna went to the classroom and found them, asking about the whereabouts of her shoes.
"Didn't see them."
"Don't know."
"Haven't seen them."
The three young witches from her dorm all claimed they hadn't seen them. But even a fool would know this was related to them. It couldn't be that Hogwarts had a grand thief who specialized in stealing shoes, and only your shoes, Luna?
"You can't possibly not know. They were clearly there when I came back last night."
This time Luna didn't choose to endure it. She rushed forward and tightly grabbed one of the young witches' sleeves, demanding them back. This time was different from usual—the shoes weren't hers; they had to be returned. People aren't machines; they can't stay calm all the time.
"So you're saying we stole your shoes? We're not that bored, you loony, silly girl."
"Let go of me!"
The young witch seemed not to expect Luna would dare to get physical. With her sleeve tightly gripped, she couldn't break free for a moment. The other roommates immediately surrounded them, clearly siding with her.
As for the other Ravenclaw students, they looked on as if watching a good show. This was Ravenclaw. As Hogwarts' self-proclaimed 'sages,' they weren't impulsive and reckless like Gryffindors, nor as tightly knit as Hufflepuffs, nor did they weigh pros and cons and prioritize honor like Slytherins.
When encountering trouble, they mostly chose to observe, acting only when the time was right. Even when other Houses came looking for trouble, it was the same. In one sentence—each for themselves, a plate of loose sand. Or just slow to react.
Two fists can't fight four hands, especially since Luna hadn't trained. Her strength naturally couldn't compare to three young witches. She was quickly pinned to the ground by the three of them.
"You lunatic! Just as crazy and neurotic as your dead father!"
Looking at Luna pinned on the ground, the young witch whose cuff was caught cursed like a madwoman, various foul words pouring from her mouth. Yet even so, Luna still held onto her sleeve tightly.
"Let go!"
She screamed loudly. How dare a mere Luna Lovegood resist her?
"My dad said The Quibbler is something written by lunatics for lunatics."
The other two dormmates also chimed in. Although The Quibbler was a decent-selling magazine, most people just read its contents as a joke. For example, The Quibbler once wrote: Minister for Magic Cornelius Fudge commanded an army of fire spirits.
What a joke! How is that possible?! Fudge? He deserves it? In the eyes of many powerful wizards, the name Fudge was synonymous with mediocrity.
Of course, this was also his own doing. When Fudge first took office, he had no ideas of his own, only echoing Dumbledore. Even now, though he was showing a trend of breaking away from Dumbledore, the ingrained impression had already formed.
"Give me back the shoes!"
Luna turned a deaf ear, her attitude still firm. This was her belief, if you borrow something, you must return it.
This action completely enraged the young witch whose sleeve was caught. Being embarrassed in front of so many people was a heinous crime. The anger in her heart completely erupted.
"I said! Let go!"
She forcefully grabbed Luna's hair, pulling and tearing, yet still couldn't make Luna let go. Then she saw the desk nearby and, without thinking, slammed Luna's hair against the corner of the desk—the sharpest part.
The force was clearly intended to kill. Luna closed her eyes in fear, but even now she didn't think she was wrong.
A spell struck the attacking witch, and a clear female voice sounded.
"Ravenclaw, attacking someone in public. What do you think you're doing?"
The hand gripping Luna's hair let go, and the three young witches were pushed aside. Three figures appeared before the Ravenclaw students. The Disciplinary Squad arrives.
"Are you alright?"
Hermione helped Luna up, brushing the dust off her clothes.
"What are you doing? Didn't you see this lunatic attacked us first?"
The three got up from the ground, originally intending to give their attacker a piece of their mind, but stopped when they saw who it was. Granger, Weasley, and Longbottom, members of the Disciplinary Squad. They definitely couldn't win a fight.
"Miss Audrina, I don't think you should call your classmate a lunatic."
"Also, we're not blind; we can distinguish right from wrong."
Neville said in his deep voice. Combined with his increasingly strong physique, the three of them all retreated.
Audrina's eyes rolled, and she immediately said, "So what if you're the Disciplinary Squad? Can the Disciplinary Squad attack people on the spot? You all saw it, they cast a spell on us!"
As Ravenclaws, they were smarter than Gryffindors. The first thought wasn't 'Let's just fight,' but to twist the truth and use public opinion.
The crowd grew larger and larger, not just limited to Ravenclaws, students from other Houses and other years also came. Again, not everyone at Hogwarts was convinced by the Disciplinary Squad... just a bunch of second-year students.
Most importantly, Mr. Dursley and Mr. Potter weren't there, even that Slytherin Malfoy wasn't there. Just Granger leading, even with Weasley and Longbottom, what's there to worry about?
Without Potter, Malfoy, and Dursley, they're nothing. Answering questions? We Ravenclaws can do that too, we just don't like to show off.
If Slytherin knew this thought, they would laugh their heads off. In their minds, Miss Granger was definitely no less capable than Mr. Potter and Mr. Dursley.
"I think we should first understand what happened... Miss Audrina," Hermione said in an unhurried tone.
Her voice wasn't loud, but it could be heard clearly by every student present. This technique was extremely similar to what Dumbledore had shown at the feast... it directly stunned the restless young wizards.
Extremely advanced spellcasting skills...
Dudley had told her that when necessary, she needed to show her strength, preferably to awe the entire room, so she could seize control of the conversation.
Seeing her goal achieved, Hermione turned to Luna. "Well then, Miss Lovegood, tell us the reason."
As Luna explained, the students present finally understood the situation.
Shoes repeatedly going missing... No wonder the Disciplinary Squad showed up... Mr. Dursley had said they specifically handled injustices at Hogwarts.
Audrina was not flustered at all, immediately sneering. "We're not that bored. Who would hide her shoes for no reason? How do you know she didn't lose them herself?"
"Where's the proof?"
'As expected... she guessed it.'
Ron was shaken upon hearing this. The other's words were exactly as Hermione had said yesterday.
"Girls, I can give you one chance." Hermione had long expected the other to say this. She imitated Dudley's usual demeanor and glanced coolly at the three young witches led by Audrina. "If you confess now, there's still time."
Luna, besides being calm and ethereal, actually has an unwavering belief. And the belief part is even larger, she is actually very stubborn, for example, on the matter of Crumple-Horned Snorkacks. Also, her intuition is very sharp. Once she decides on something, she will see it through to the end.