A/N I do not own any of the characters. They belong to J K Rowling. The O/C is Arvid Eriksson, a Swedish wizard, who is a close associate of Xenophilius Lovegood.
Chapter 1: The Journey
Luna had, at last, persuaded her husband to accompany her on what was her father's ultimate quest, the search for the crumple horned snorkack. He would not be coming with them, as old age had caught up with him. In any case, his work on 'The Quibbler' kept him in Britain. Xenophilius had indicated to Luna that the best places to look for the snorkack were the extreme north of Sweden and the adjacent parts of Norway and Finland - in a word, Lapland. He also indicated that the best time of year would be late September to November, when the beasts were preparing for hibernation.
Between August and October that year, apparating between Britain and Europe was hazardous, particularly when solar storms were frequent, as they were that Autumn. Therefore, the couple decided to use muggle transport. They decided to use surface transport as Luna had her doubts about aeroplanes. Accordingly, they decided to travel by Train from London to Newcastle, ferry to Amsterdam, overland to Bergen, and then board one of the cruise ferries which ply up and down the Norwegian coast, calling at various ports on the way. They appreciated that this was going to take some time, but fortunately time was not a limiting factor. In any case, it would mean that they would be spending a lot of time together while travelling. Both of them were looking forward to this aspect of the expedition.
Xenophilius had provided details of a wizard called Arvid Eriksson, who was also a magizoologist. He lived on the outskirts of Kiruna in Northern Sweden. He would provide accommodation for the couple. Since he also believed in the existence of the snorkack, he would be of considerable assistance in locating it.
Having arranged their transport, Neville and Luna visited Xenophilius before setting out on their search. He contacted the Swedish wizard and indicated to him approximately when the couple would be arriving in Kiruna. Because of the ports visited by the coastal ferries, they would have to disembark at Tromsø and travel overland back to Narvik to board the train to Kiruna.
At last the day of departure came. Luna was excited, but Neville was a bit apprehensive as he had never been on a ship on the open seas before. Luna reassured him that it was quite safe. The first part of the journey form Kings Cross to Newcastle reminded both of them of the beginning of their many journeys on the Hogwarts Express. Once they were on the ferry, Luna assured Neville that they could relax. The weather was quite windy and the ship did move about quite a bit as it crossed the North Sea. Neville, to his surprise found this relaxing. One factor contributing to this was probably that Luna's gentle arms were cradling him for much of the overnight crossing.
The next part of her journey took them from Amsterdam to Copenhagen, then across the Øresund bridge into Sweden. Rather than travelling overland to Kiruna, they went via Oslo to Bergen in Norway.
After their epic European train journey, they boarded the ferry which would eventually take them to Tromsø. They now had three days of relaxation and togetherness.
To say that Neville was impressed by the fjordland scenery would have been an understatement. He was overwhelmed. He stood on the deck behind Luna, his arms round her waist.
"At last, scenery as beautiful as you." said Neville.
"I think you really mean that." said Luna.
"I always say what I mean." said Neville, "You know that. This place is amazing. Are you glad I came along?"
"Of course, sweet Neville." said Luna, "The expedition wouldn't have been the same without you. I would have come anyway, and I would have extended the expedition to other parts of the world. We would have been apart for over two years. You would probably have forgotten all about me when I returned."
"Never!" exclaimed Neville, "You will always be a part of me. Even if I did form a relationship with someone else, there would still be a Luna shaped void in my heart. In any case, we're married and I wouldn't betray your love."
"How did these fjords form?" asked Luna.
"Tens of thousands of years ago, during the ice age," said Neville, "These valleys were filled with ice. Glaciers were slowly flowing down them, grinding the rocks and making them really deep. When the ice age ended, the glaciers melted. The sea level rose. The water flowed in and partly filled them, leaving the fjords you see today."
"Wow!" exclaimed Luna, "You seem to know a lot more than Herbology."
"I didn't just study plants," said Neville, "but also the geological history of the places where they grow. I found that part of it really fascinating."
"You seem to know a lot more than you let on." Said Luna.
For the next three days, Neville and Luna settled down to life on board the ship. Briefly exploring the ports where they docked for several hours. The weather was cloudy for much of the voyage northwards, so they didn't see much of the sun or the stars. However, they did make use of the ship's facilities and attended some of the on-board lectures. One of these was about Roald Amundsen's successful expedition to the South Pole.
Their arrival in Tromsø coincided with a brief clearance in the weather, which was fortunate, as they were going to spend a couple of days there before their departure for Narvik. They also visited the Polar Museum and learnt more about Roald Amundsen's expedition. Neville's interest in World War Two battleships also took them to the war museum, as the Tirpitz was sunk in the harbour at Tromsø.
At last it was time for them to leave Tromsø and take a bus to Narvik. From there, they would take a Swedish train to Kiruna. When their train pulled into the station at Narvik, Luna would contact Arvid Eriksson, their wizarding contact in Sweden. He would meet the train at Kiruna.
The bus journey was scenic, as they were travelling through fairly mountainous territory with numerous Lakes.
"I'd love to see this when there's snow on the ground." said Luna, "It'd be so beautiful."
"And very cold." remarked Neville.
At last the bus arrived at Narvik rail station. The couple disembarked and waited for the train, which would take them on the last leg of their journey.
The best thing that can be said about the train journey was that it was interesting. It could not be described as uneventful. The train left the environs of Narvik and climbed into the mountains. It then stopped, drove forward into a tunnel then reversed out again. It did this three times before proceeding on its way to Kiruna. This worried Neville, but Luna accepted it as part of the adventure and remained tranquil throughout this rather unusual progress.
It was nearly dark when Neville and Luna reached Kiruna station. They were met by Arvid Eriksson, who they discovered, was not averse to using muggle forms of transport. His car was a large Volvo estate car. It had the same modifications as Arthur Weasley's Ford Anglia. It could fly and also become invisible.
"Hello you two." said Arvid, "Have you had an enjoyable journey?"
"A long one." said Neville, "Luna worked out a surface route, since she has her doubts about aeroplanes. We had to travel via Amsterdam, since we couldn't sail direct to Norway."
"Anyway," said Arvid, "Not far now. Pity it's clouded over, although it's supposed to clear again in the next day or so. The stars are amazing where I live because there are very few street lights."
"That will be so wonderful." said Luna, "I really love starlight."
"That's good." Said Arvid, "If the sky is clear, you'll get plenty of that here."
The couple loaded their luggage into the back of the car. Neville and Luna made themselves comfortable in the rear seats. Once they were under way, Arvid operated the invisibility device and then took off. They were to fly about twenty miles away from Kiruna itself.
"Do you know Arthur Weasley?" asked Arvid.
"We don't know Arthur very well," said Luna, "But Ginny, his daughter is my closest friend."
"We got to know several of his sons while we were at Hogwarts," said Neville, "Particularly Ron. He was in my year."
"Arthur showed me how to modify this car," said Arvid, "So I can travel rapidly around this part of Sweden in comfort without being seen."
After about twenty minutes of flight, Arvid touched a button on what looked like a smartphone on the dashboard. Immediately lights appeared in front of them. He landed the car gently and vertically on the drive of a remarkably normal looking house. Just as he landed, he touched the button again and the lights that had indicated the location of the house were extinguished, leaving only the porchlight at the front door.
Letting the couple in, Arvid introduced them to his wife, Freja and made them comfortable in the lounge. Freja served coffee and joined them, while Arvid prepared for what they were proposing to do the next day. As soon as she joined them, she sensed something about the couple.
"You two have had interesting lives." said Freja, "I can sense that both of you have lost parents when you were children. I also sense that you are deeply in love with each other and with life."
"That's true." said Luna, "Neville's my rock. We met at Hogwarts as a pair of slight outcasts. We fell in love. Now, I can't imagine life without him. He's so special."
"If I'm not intruding on private matters, Neville," said Freja, "What happened to your parents? I know how Luna's mother died. Xenophilius told us about it. So sad. She was beautiful."
"When I was tiny," said Neville, "Voldemort and some dementors came to our house and tried to kill them. They nearly succeeded. Perhaps it would have been better if they had. They're in St. Mungo's. They are alive, but don't seem to be part of this world. They barely acknowledge my presence when I see them."
"That is tragic." said Freja, "So they are in a sort of living death. Who's looked after you since this happened?"
"My grandmother, Augusta." said Neville.
"What was she like?" asked Freja.
"Very strict," said Neville, "And not very encouraging. She led me to believe I was a nobody, a squib."
"What changed things?" asked Freja, "From what I've heard about you, you're a confident young man who played an important part in the battle of Hogwarts."
"I met Luna." said Neville, "She made me feel I was worth something."
"Worth enough to be a war hero from what I've heard." said Freja, "Luna's a wonderful young lady. Ah! Here's Arvid. I'll finish getting dinner."
Freja disappeared into the dining room, set the table, and then went to the kitchen to finish preparations for dinner. As the arrival time of their guests was not precise, she had prepared a reindeer stew. Arvid engaged the couple in conversation while Freja was preparing the dinner.
"This is a bit like venison." commented Luna, "What is it?"
"Oh, didn't I tell you." said Freja, "It's reindeer. It's probably the meat we have most often up here."
"How is Xenophilius?" asked Arvid, "I was expecting him to come with you."
"He says old age has caught up with him," said Luna, "But I suspect it's because he's working on a very special edition of 'The Quibbler'. He didn't want to interrupt the flow of his work."
"So he's sent his lovely daughter and her new husband." said Arvid, "Are you looking forward to our search, Luna?"
"Of course." said Luna, "It'll be an interesting adventure."
Arvid, Neville and Luna spent the next hour or so discussing their plans for the next few days. They decided that they would start out for the first location where the crumple horned snorkack might be found late afternoon the next day, since it was only about thirty miles away. They would be returning the same evening each day from this first location, but they would camp at the more remote places during the second and third weeks. Neville was a bit doubtful about camping, but Arvid assured him that his wizard's tent was warm and comfortable.
After these discussions, it was late. Neville and Luna were shown their bedroom, after which they enjoyed a hot chocolate nightcap.
Sleep came easily to them as they had been travelling almost continuously for the previous week. It was the first time they had slept in a bed in a private house for eight nights.