Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter, unfortunately :(

AN - So this is a AU story canon up to the end of HBP, but from there on it goes off in a very different direction to JK's novel. When the story begins Voldemort is dead, however despite heavy loses on both sides, his followers have not been defeated or disbanded so are still a very real threat.

Guardian

He walked with precision, a complete awareness of his surroundings and a posture that screamed his readiness to attack at any provocation. His companion however seemed to skip, as though she was walking through a field of flowers with the sun shining down on her, rather than on a battle field barely dodging the mutilated bodies of the not long deceased. But both were dressed like warriors in dragon hide with wands firmly in their hands, holsters on their arms, weapons strapped across their backs and eyes which said they had seen too much at too young an age.

The man they were following looked over his shoulder at them and called out.

"It's not far."

A silence met his words.

Once the guide had began to move again the young man pulled his comrade close and whispered to her in the quietest voice possible, conscious of the man ahead who could very well be listening.

"I need you to stay alert. There is a large chance that this is going to end up being a trap and if that's the case then you need to get out of there as fast as you can. Do not hesitate. Do not look back. Do not wait for me. Have you got it?"

"Don't be silly." She replied in a voice just as quiet, but one that was missing the tense gravity of her friend. "I would never leave you." She pushed her hair behind her ears, making the scar that went horizontally across the left half of her face and into her mutilated eye, easily visible. "Besides they'd never forgive me if I left you." She gestured to what appeared to be empty space either side of the man.

"They would if it meant you were still alive," he replied, not even looking to see who she may be gesturing toward.

She shook her head giving him a sympathetic look, as though he was speaking of things he couldn't possible understand, than took his hand and moved them onwards.

It nearly an hour later before there guide stopped walking again and turned to them, the battlefield well behind them. "The wards end in ten metres or so. Once we're passed them I can side along apparate you both to just outside the current head quarters, but that's as far as I'll go." He looked nervous as though the mere thought of going near that place made him want to vomit up his insides.

"You're a hundred percent sure you can't just tell me the location?" the young man asked.

"It's a tongue-tie curse, I can't tell you outright. My apparating us there is a loophole as I'm not outright saying it. Now are we ready to continue?"

They both nodded, eager to just end this. They had no choice but to trust the man in front of them and hope for the best. Not that that had done them any favours in the past. But resources and allies were limited and the bounty on both their heads was steadily growing larger with each passing day. They had both been living on pure instinct and luck for far too long. Even if this was a trap, at least they would most likely find themselves in the snake's layer, and weren't they aiming to find out its location anyway? Yes now was time for trusting and prayings for the best.

The guide grabbed hold of both of them and they felt the familiar squeeze of being apparated. They had barely re-materialised when the young man yanked his arm from the guide and cast a shield charm that encompassed all three of them. It took but a few seconds and was done just in time to deflect at least ten spells which hit the magical barrier. Turning to his companion he saw she already had their guide at wandpoint.

"Didn't I tell you it was going to be a trap?" He asked his companion as he looked about their surroundings trying to judge just how many people were surrounding them. There was at least forty.

"I never said it wasn't," she replied. "I just said that we should go." Her wand had not moved from being jabbed in the next of the man who had led them here, but her eyes were darting almost gleefully about the chamber they were in. It's been a long time since we were last in the ministry." She took a deep breath filling her lungs, and stated in a matter of fact voice, "still infested with nargles though."

"Ministry huh?"

"Oh yes. More specifically though we're in-"

"The department of mysteries," a voice interrupted. "Don't you remember it? I thought for sure you would recognise this room and the lovely decoration behind you." The voice laughed and several others in the room joined in drawing in closer towards then.

"Have you forgotten your manners?" came the snarling reply of the young man. "Surely you know that it's rude to interrupt and eavesdrop on private conversations." But at the new voices remarks he had glanced around and noticed the large arch which was directly behind him and his friend. It was the veil that had haunted his dreams for years. Only years of training to hide his emotions had stopped him from reacting visibly to seeing it after all this time. "Now what is it you are wanting Malfoy?" Hatred burned in his eyes as he looked at the crazed man who had stepped towards them. The blonde aristocrat was cloaked in a madness of the darkest sort. This war had left his mind distorted unstable, a fact evident in his mannerism and appearance.

"To watch you die." Malfoy answered him a wild look in his eyes.

But he just laughed. "You are willing to try? Even after what happened to the Lestrange?"

"I am not as foolish as my sister in law was." Lucius Malfoy took another step forward, the others in the room followed his lead closing in on them. "You can't hold that shield forever. And when it fails both you and the girl will die."

He hated to admit that Malfoy was right, but he wouldn't be able to hold the shield much longer. The battle which he had fought in the last few days had drained him considerably. But he wasn't going to give in that easily. "Have you not heard the prophesies? With your oh so wonderful leader dead you can't kill me. None of you can."

"Oh I have heard them. But I don't plan on killing you myself, despite how much I would love to. No I plan on watching you do it yourself."

"Myself?" he questioned raising an eyebrow.

"That's rather clever actually," came his friends voice and he spared a glance in her direction. It seemed while he had been speaking to Malfoy she had grown tired of holding their guide at wandpoint and he now lay unmoving on the floor. Dead or unconscious he couldn't tell and it didn't really matter right now. "In fact it's brilliant." Her face had lit up and she was smiling brightly.

"Even she can see the genius in the plan." Malfoy sneered. "Are you prepared to die now? Because I promise you if you will watch her be torture to insanity until you obey."

"Oh your plan is awful," she replied waving a hand absently in his direction. "I meant their plan." She gesture the empty space either side of her partner.

"Clearly I will not have to do much to crack her, if anything at all." Malfoy replied drily, looking her up and down with no little disgust.

But she just ignored him and looked to her friend. "Can we go now? They're rather dull and I'm in no mood to kill anyone else today."

He just chuckled. "What do you have in mind?" he answered using his free hand to clutch at hers. They were completely outnumbered and it would almost take a miracle to get them out of there alive.

"Oh just this..." she whispered and through one hand up in the air a spherical object was let loose and flew a lightning speed through the shield that was just about still holding. It arched forward and hit the ground near Malfoy exploding before he or and most of the other death eaters in the room had a chance to fully reacts. As the chaos spread, spells were cast manically in all directions and smoke filled the room she pulled her companion backwards, holding his hand and forcing him to follow her, dodging spells and leading him through the large stone arch before he had a chance to fully process where she was guiding him, too busy trying to shield them. At the last second he heard her say, "portus," and saw something glow briefly.

It was then the world started spinning and his body began to sear in pain feeling as though he was being pulled apart, stretched in every direction and at the same time compressed. He had never felt anything like it.

As the world seemed to settle he noticed that they had landed in the hallway of 12 Grimmauld Place and the two of them were still holding hands. Drawing comfort from the fact they were home he allowed himself to give in to the unconsciousness that was trying to claim him. He felt the body to his left collapse with him.

Had either of them stayed conscious for just a few seconds longer they would have noticed the house was not as empty as it was suppose to be.

But both Harry Potter and Luna Lovegood were oblivious to the pandemonium the sudden arrive of their war ravaged bodies caused.

Another AN - Just so you know Harry is twenty in this and Luna nineteen. The war has cost them pretty much everything and for a while now they have only had each other. I do not plan on having it be slash at the moment, but because of everything they have been through they will be very close and protect of each other.

Please tell my what you think, what you like, what you don't like, anything that isn't clear... I think constructive criticism is important so I can improve.

Thank you for reading,

anotherlife.