The Time
As she stared at the amulet clenched in Voldemort's hand, everything suddenly clicked into place.
Gripping her wand tightly in one hand, Luna eyed Voldemort nervously, her eyes darting back and forth between the dark wizard and his nemesis. Harry was holding his own, she knew, as she watched the two exchange spells yet again, but if that amulet was what she thought it –
The sickly green glow emanating from the crystal confirmed her fear.
It was a thing of strange beauty, she mused as the battle raged on around her. The crystal was contained within a tarnished metal amulet – silver, unless she missed her guess – of an elliptical shape, carved with runes. It looked very familiar to Luna – but where had it come from? She'd never know, but in that one moment she knew that everything revolved around that amulet.
Behind her, a scream sounded, and she glanced back to see Hermione fall, blood streaming wildly from her leg. Absently pointing behind herself, Luna fired off a single Stunning spell, dropping Hermione's attacker without ever taking her eyes off the amulet.
She didn't dare look away.
The sound of Harry's call to the combined forces of the Order and the DA echoed in her ears, the voice of her one and only love sounding desperate and harried. Frowning softly, Luna met his gaze, shaking her head slowly as Hermione grabbed her arm, trying to drag her along. The bushy-haired witch stared at Luna in confusion, fear flashing in her eyes as she stood there, surrounded by a tide of people rushing to safety. After a moment in which Luna gazed at Harry – a gash appeared on his forehead, dangerously close to his temple, as Voldemort took advantage of Harry's distractedness – Ron came running up and took Hermione's arm, pulling the bushy-haired witch along with him. Tears streaming down her face, Hermione looked back over her shoulder, calling helplessly to Luna as she was pulled out the door.
It was only Ginny who understood.
The only female Weasley was half-way up the stone steps, one arm wrapped around the waist of a badly battered Neville. The young man was gasping harshly for breath as Ginny helped him along, one hand clutching his bloody side as they went. When they reached the door – unharmed, as Harry fired off several spells to shield them and yet again drew the wrath of the five remaining Death eaters and Voldemort with a few choice words – Ginny turned back to gaze down at the scene, still supporting Neville. Watching Harry silently, Ginny bit her lip and forced back the tears.
Her eyes moved slowly to Luna, who was still watching the amulet out of the corner of her eye. In one short, controlled motion, Ginny nodded, and Luna smiled sadly back.
It had always been Ginny who understood her, long before Harry came along.
The door to the Chamber of the Veil shut with a final click.
Luna sighed.
A sudden wave of dizziness assaulted her and she grabbed her head with her free hand, biting back the whimper that threatened to surface as the ground tilted under her feet. Eyes opening wide, Luna jerked her head to one side –
Harry's pained scream cut through the fog in her mind.
Swearing viciously, Luna spun on her heel to stare at Voldemort's back yet again. As she watched, the delighted wizard lifted his wand and Harry pushed himself up from the ground, still shaking after enduring what Luna assumed had been yet another round of the Cruciatus Curse. His fury, as always, spiked as he arose again, and three Death Eaters went down under a barrage of spells.
Only Voldemort, Bellatrix Lestrange and Lucius Malfoy remained.
It was, Luna realized, now or never.
Raising her wand, she spoke only two words.
"Accio Amulet!"
The silver and green amulet flew from Voldemort's hand and he spun around in rage, his robes whipping around his skeletal frame. Not sparing him a glance, Luna turned on her heel and ran for the door, hurriedly placing the amulet around her neck. Behind her, she heard Harry's worried shout and Lestrange and Malfoy tore after her, brandishing their wands and shouting incantations that rapidly became more and more foul. Luna dodged to the left and right, racing out into the entrance hallway before shouting for an exit and diving into the golden lift down the hall.
Below, the remaining Death Eaters swore angrily as their quarry got away, and Luna waited until their backs turned to blast them both with the Reductor Curse from overhead.
Three minutes later, she was racing along a street in Muggle London, one hand clenched protectively around the amulet, another gripping her wand between white-knuckled fingers. Gasping for breath, she ran, knocking over passers-by as she went. A sudden chill ran down her spine and her head whipped around as the ground exploded behind her, tar and rubble flying into the air.
Harry had won, she realized with a smile.
But he'd be after her now, her mind concluded, and her smile faded as she turned and continued to run.
Down street after street, around corner after corner, and finally she came to it.
The bridge.
She'd seen it in her dreams, Luna remembered, ever since her mother's death. Seen again and again as she climbed up onto the ropes, as she looked down into the water –
She'd never known why until she saw the amulet.
Behind her, a rasping voice sounded, and Luna spun around, her hair whipping in the wind, to see Harry standing behind her, leaning tiredly against a guardrail, his hair filled with soot and dust, his face coated in a layer of grime. She smiled slightly, tears welling in her eyes as she reached carefully for the rope hanging from the bridge's suspensions.
He'd never looked more beautiful to her than he did in that moment.
"Luna," Harry said quietly, his eyes darting back and forth between her face and the amulet, "what are you–?"
He trailed off in bewilderment as Luna shook her head.
"I love you, Harry Potter," she whispered, and Harry straightened, horror crossing his face as awareness dawned. "Goodbye."
With a single lunge, Luna grabbed the rope, dropping her wand carelessly on the ground. One hand still clenched around the amulet, she began to climb up to the bridge's upper beams, pulling herself laboriously up the ropes. Her arm was trembling with exertion when she reached the top, tears flowing freely down her face as her ears rang with Harry's pleading shouts. Stepping carefully onto the crossbeams, Luna looked out over the water.
One hand still clenched around the amulet, she smiled.
"Let's see what you've got for me, then," she whispered.
And jumped.
The air whipped around her as she fell –
The air rushed out of her lungs and she pushed herself up quickly, staring at the leathery black wings that surrounded her –
Closing her eyes, Luna whispered quickly under her breath –
Overhead, a voice echoed from beyond the clouds –
Shouting hoarsely, Harry rolled over in bed and reached out, his arms gathering a warm body close to his own slender frame. Shaking, he closed his eyes yet again and pressed his lips to the girl's long, blond hair, tears slipping form his eyes as he clung to her.
"I had the most horrible dream," he confessed in a low voice, his breathing rapid and shallow.
Luna smiled sadly as she reached down, gently running her fingers through Harry's hair. "Just rest, Harry," she said softly. "There's nothing to fear."
An hour later, Harry's eyes fluttered closed, and his breaths became slow, deep and even. Luna gazed down at him, her eyes bright.
Carefully, she extricated herself from her husband's grasp and rose to cross the room. A sequence of taps on the frame of her mother's portrait revealed the open space behind it, ad a steady hand reached in to pull out two items; a slim, leather-bound book, and a battered old textbook. Frowning slightly, Luna opened the textbook to a well-worn page.
And gazed down at the image in the upper right-hand corner.
Closing her eyes, she spoke aloud the passage that had plagued her mind since her mother's death.
"The Magnifying Amulet," she whispered, "when charged with the Killing Curse, will kill any and all enemies of its carrier instantly. The amulet is triggered by a timer, preset by the carrier. There is no known defense against this amulet, but theorists speculate that a willing sacrifice–"
Here, Luna stopped and gazed down at the leather-bound book. Opening it carefully to yet another well-worn page, Luna stared down at the diary entry, made on the first day of her fourth year at Hogwarts.
Today I met the man I'm going to die for.
Shaking her head tiredly, she replaced the books with a soft sigh.
And went back to bed with her husband, absently humming her mother's lullaby, the image of the glowing green amulet still lodged firmly in her mind.
And somewhere from beyond, she heard the clock ticking.
It was almost time.
"Amor," Luna said softly, running her fingers through Harry's hair yet again, "vincit omnia."
Twenty years to the day after his mother's love first saved Harry Potter's life, his wife's love did the same.
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Cheers,
LIZ