How I spent my summer vacation by Luna Lovegood (was Goyle ..)

[samnanya]

No: HPFGUIDX 104272

> Eustace_Scrubb:
> I'm sure Samnanya will correct me if I'm wrong, but I think her
> scenario helps explain why this will be Harry's shortest summer stay
> yet at 4 Privet Drive...the proposed attack will occur before
> _Harry's_ 16th birthday, not Luna's.

Samnanya:
Imagine this (virtually all supported by canon):

Luna is still at Hogwarts looking for her things after the
departure of the Hogwarts express. Her dad had agreed to
pick her up at Hogwarts in a day or so after he publishes
the last issue of the Quibbler before leaving for Sweden 
on Holiday for the summer. While trying to get the edition
out, he is attacked by Goyle and [fill in death eaters here,
if any, and ] is killed, but before he dies is able to use 
one of the quick quote type quills to dictate an urgent 
message to Luna. [JKR has spent a lot of time describing all
kinds of quills, including dictating ones] 
Since there is to be a delivery, lots of owls are anxiously
awaiting  delivery and with extreme effort, is able to get
 the message off with an owl [how about ol' Pigwidgeon,
helping to earn his keep with the Weasleys by taking on odd
jobs ?] before he is  killed. 
Goyle, finished with his dirty work, rolls up his sleeve.....

Luna gets the owl, knows her dad is in danger, and finds a
 thestral to ride to London to help him.... she is flying
over the Quibbler building and sees the dark mark in the sky
 [both her and her dad know what the dark mark means because
 they were both conveniently at the Quidditch World Cup
 in GOF]. Knowing that her dad is dead [or in grave danger]
 she turns away and heads for the one person she knows who
 can help her..... and  questrals are good at finding places
 (and people? only slight hole in theory)

Later that night, Harry is awakened by the Dursleys garbage
 bins being overturned, looks out his window, and to his
amazement, sees a thestral rummaging through the trash and
 Luna gazing up at him.... 
He lets her in the house, hears her story, and is ready to
 help her. After all, he is Harry Potter, and had already
asked her twice if she wanted his help searching for her
things. 

Of course Petunia {or pick a Dursley, any Dursley...} finds
 Luna ALONE WITH HARRY!! IN HER HOUSE !!! {the horror! 
the shame! the neighbors might think she is normal!} and
 shrieks {but not as loudly when she sees the thestral 
hoofing through her trash}. Vernon/Dudley arrive and 
Harry and Luna are  summarily booted out of the house forever,
 before his sixteenth birthday and without protection from
 the dork lord.....

IMHO That would make a helluva start to book 6,  and extending
the scenario further makes a lot of sense for what will happen
in the future.  For example, there is no way that Hermione 
returns to the Veil with Harry - she is terrified of the place.  
However, if her dad has "gone on", Luna has lost the last 
anchor to this world {ignoring the Harry ship possibility
 for now..], and will be super motivated to go back there, 
with Harry, who has similar reasons.


Given the above scenario,  - i would love to hear alternatives
that make sense given what has gone on before, or more ideas 
supporting it. If you think that this idea sucks then come 
up with a better one, or skewer it with canon.

I love puzzles and JKR has written the best one yet...

Let the adventure begin .....