Notes: And because my last two HP posts were arguably happy, now something a bit more bittersweet, to balance that out.

Summary: Luna Lovegood has a chance to all but ensure her new family's survival, via a lifelong, three-person curse that offers shared strength, but overrides free will. Luckily, she has two members of current cursed trios willing to coach her through it. And if any of that sounds suspiciously familiar? It should.

Luna Lovegood and the Cursed Trios

A Harry Potter/Fantastic Beasts Fanfic by

Nate Grey (xman0123-at-aol-dot-com)
Chapter 1: Miss Una

The Crups Upon the Hill, Verse 1 of 5

The only Crup upon the hill

Lived lonely nights and days.
He said, "This is no way to live!
I'll end my only ways!
I'll find a twin, my very own

And he'll always answer my tone!"
No more only Crup upon the hill...

"I know what you're planning to do, honey. And you don't have to. At least, the Luna I know wouldn't."

"I can't take that chance, Queenie."

The two witches stood only inches apart, their gazes locked. Though it was her own bedroom, Queenie Goldstein felt more than a little cornered. Although, if push came to shove, she was fairly confident that she had forgotten more about dueling than Luna Lovegood had ever learned, or at least would be able to use against her at the moment.

"Why are you so certain?" Queenie finally asked. "That we won't all come to love you on our own?" Her face softened. "That some of us don't already?"

Luna blinked away what might have been tears. "But that's just it. I'm not certain. Of anything, anymore. But this time, I'm not willing to wait years to find out. It's a compliment, really, when you think about it. This family is so warm and lovely-"

"That you want it to belong to you," Queenie finished. "And we could be yours. The natural way. The right way, sweetie."

"You could also turn away from me. And that would destroy me. More completely than anything else I can imagine."

"And someone with your imagination lacks faith?"

"Only in the idea that love will come to me on its own."

"But you do have love on your own, Luna. You've let me see those wonderful friends of yours, so why-?"

Luna's face closed up, and Queenie knew at once. She had overstepped. And she instantly knew why.

Slowly, Luna raised her wand. "Please, Queenie. Just give me a lock of your hair. Don't make me-"

"-hurt me?" Queenie whispered, as much a confirmation as a challenge.

"Please," Luna repeated softly. "I do love you, each of you. I know that you know I do."

"Yet you simply don't trust that I would continue to love you, knowing what I know. And you don't trust that I wouldn't tell the others."

"Are you saying that you wouldn't?"

"I'm saying that I'm disappointed, that someone I adore would resort to this, rather than trust in my words." Queenie shook her head. "Have you really thought this through, honey? What if I had defended myself? Attacked you? What then?"

Luna stared at her sadly. "If you had done that... I would have lost everything."

"Because you wouldn't allow me in your family then?"

"Because we both know that I could never harm you."

Queenie laughed softly. "You sweet, silly girl. If you alone are capable of that much love, then why can't you accept that we could-?"

Luna smiled bitterly. "You keep saying 'we could'... but right now, it's only you and my dear Rolf that love me. And as much as he loves me now, he could still change his mind. Then I'd only have you. And you would never turn away from your family, I know you wouldn't. And that's exactly why I need you in mine, Queenie. Why I can't afford to lose you."

"But that's not the only reason, is it?" Queenie asked. "You need the consent of one person to activate the curse. And Rolf would never have agreed to this. So you need the Legilimens on your side, or-"

"You know that has nothing to do with it!" Luna cried, her voice raw. "Even if anyone else was the Legilimens, I would still tell you the truth!"

Queenie smiled faintly. "And why would you? Say it one more time, Luna."

"Because... I love you," Luna whispered.

Queenie nodded, having heard enough. "Just not enough. Not enough to wait for the others to come to love you on their own."

"I don't want to force-"

"I never said you'd have to." Queenie produced a neatly-tied chunk of her own silver hair from her pocket and handed it over.

Luna stared at it. "You... were always going to give it to me?"

"I wanted to see the strength of your resolve, honey. If there was any chance that you weren't completely committed to this course of action, I wouldn't have let you move forward. Besides, the only way I would ever let someone do this to my family, is if their intentions were... not pure, but at least good." She smiled softly. "I know that you do this out of fear. But I know it is at least partially out of love, as well. So, if this is the only way to satisfy you, then... I'll be your conspirator."

"No," Luna said at once. "That makes it sound so dirty... so less than what it is. You're not my conspirator, Queenie."

Queenie hesitated, in the face of the combined flood of desperation, love, gratitude, and relief she suddenly felt coming off of Luna in waves. For the first time, she was truly able to appreciate how conflicted Luna felt about what she was doing... and how determined she was to see it done, despite that.

With a trembling smile, Luna reached for Queenie's hand, carefully intertwining their fingers. "Not a conspirator. Not at all," she murmured. "You're my Number Two."

Hermione Granger had received numerous invitations to have tea with Luna over the years. She accepted only some of them, and when she did, it was only ever in public settings. One of the more common reactions to a sip of gurdyroot infusion, was that one was enough to last a lifetime. And Hermione, for the sake of her continued friendship with Luna, had no desire to repeat the experience.

But one could not simply have tea with Luna. They had to experience tea with Luna. The conversations alone kept Hermione up at night for days afterward. And that was when nothing unexpected happened.

So when one of those meetings was interrupted by the loud, signature CRACK of an elf appearing, Hermione knew she was in for a deluxe experience.

A young elf stood next to Luna's chair. He wore a brown, shapeless poncho, and violently bright socks on his feet. Hermione could easily see that one sock was yellow with constantly flapping ravens on it, while the other was blue with endlessly hopping hares.

Hermione did not need to ask where he got the socks from.

The elf spoke, in a voice soft with reverence as he stared up at Luna. "It is you."

Luna stared at him calmly. "Hello."

"They is telling me," the elf said. "Every day they is telling me. About the witch who, on the day I was born, put socks on my toesies, so no one could ever say I was a house-elf. About the witch who sends us new socks every year. So no one could say we was not free."

Hermione looked sharply at Luna, who kept her gaze trained on the elf.

"They is telling me this witch is a friend to all elves. They is telling me that she is kind and generous. So I... I has come here, to ask."

"What would you ask of me?" Luna said warmly.

"I has come to ask if Miss Luna would give me a name. A human name. So there can be no doubt that I is no house-elf."

Luna smiled. "Well, there is a particular human that I am quite fond of. He has had many names. There is one I especially like that he no longer uses. Would you be interested in having it for your own?"

The elf bowed low. "I is honored that Miss Luna thinks me so worthy of such a name."

Luna reached down and patted his shoulder. "None of that, now. Stand up straight and proud. Neither myself nor my friends will ever require you to bow to us. And as we both have human names, that makes us equals. But I should ask: what was your old name?"

The elf stood up straight. He seemed unfamiliar with it, at least in such a public place. "Wonky, Miss Luna. Wonky the free elf."

"Then from now on, you are Roonil Wazlib the free elf."

Hermione just barely stopped herself from snorting into her teacup. She was definitely going to have the best story, the next time she and Ron had dinner with Harry. Shaking her head, she cleared her throat and quickly summoned an extra chair. "Well, Roonil, my name is Hermione Granger, and we were just in the middle of tea. We'd be ever so pleased if you would join us."

Roonil stared at her in shock, then glanced at Luna, who nodded. "I... would be honored, Miss Mione." He hesitantly hauled himself into the chair, which Hermione had subtly adjusted for the height difference, and more closely resembled a child's high chair. It would probably be a bit uncomfortable, but it would allow him to see over the table.

It was, by far, the most pleasant tea that Hermione ever had with Luna.

"Come now, Roonil, old boy! You've never let me beat you twice in a row!"

Roonil blinked and turned his attention back to the chessboard in front of him. "Begging your pardon, Mister Rolf. Roonil's mind has been awandering today."

"Then perhaps we should stop, if your heart isn't in the game just now," Rolf Scamander suggested, looking concerned.

"No, no. Roonil's mind has come back to him. Let us play again, please."

"Never say die, guv'nor!" one of Roonil's recently flattened pawns cheered, raising a fist weakly.

"I must say," Rolf murmured as the chessmen righted themselves and scrambled back into place, some taking a bit more time due to wounds suffered in the last game, "when Luna told me that the first thing she taught you was how to play wizard's chess, I wasn't sure why. I thought, there had to be more important things to show you. Now, though, I wonder if she wanted to show you how we have fun, or if she somehow sensed that you're carting around the soul of a grandmaster."

Roonil did not reply. He was focused on the game, or at least appeared to be as Rolf made the first move. Really, though, Roonil was focused on the one thing Luna had asked him to do: keep playing chess with Rolf. It was not a difficult task, as Rolf thoroughly enjoyed playing against Roonil, but never before had the game been so important. As for why it was this time, Roonil wasn't entirely certain.

But he did know that Luna was up to something this night, something important and life-altering and, perhaps, nothing he should know the details of. He had sensed that much from the anxious look on her face, and the upset in her normally serene aura, which was practically visible to anyone who had known her long enough.

There was much that Roonil still did not understand about humans. He simply could not fathom how someone as wonderful as Luna had felt so alone for so much of her life. From the moment he'd met her, all he'd wanted to do was remain at her side. How much more simple could friendship be? Why was it so much more complicated for humans?

For Luna, the witch who had guaranteed his freedom and become his first human friend, Roonil would do anything. If she asked him to play chess while she went about her work, that was nothing. If that work included binding her family to her will... that was nothing, as well. Although, it was a nothing that he didn't have to like much.

If she had asked, though, he would have told her that it wasn't something a good woman like her should be involved in.

But if she had asked, he would have done it for her, so her soul could remain clean.

Luna hadn't asked for any of that, however. She'd only asked him to play chess with Rolf. And, minutes later, when Roonil saw the brief, telltale flash of red in Rolf's eyes, he knew Luna's work was done. The part that involved cursing, at least.

Roonil appeared in the sitting room with a loud CRACK. "They is waiting in the kitchen, Miss Luna. And Miss Queenie and Mister Rolf is resting upstairs."

Luna looked up from her lap and smiled weakly. "Thank you, Roonil. I think... I can take it from here."

Roonil shook his head. "I told you on that first day, Miss Luna. I would walk with you, when you needed me, and especially when you say you don't. And you usually sound more sure when you say you don't."

Luna stood up. "You did say that, yes."

Roonil stepped closer. "You said we was friends. Equals, you called us. So you can't tell me what to do. I is no house-elf."

"All true," Luna agreed softly. "You are my companion, by choice."

"And you is mine." He stretched out his hand, his long fingers extended. "And I say I is not done walking with you."

Sniffling, Luna took his hand and squeezed it gently. "Thank you, my dear Roonil. I would be lost without you."

Roonil smiled. "You still not listening, Miss Luna. If you was lost, Roonil be lost with you. Because we walk together, remember?"

She nodded, no longer trusting herself to speak without crying.

"I has made apple cider for everyone. Miss Tina insisted."

Luna looked as if she might cry again, for an entirely different reason. Still, when Roonil tugged lightly on her hand, she followed him into the kitchen.

Newt and Porpentina Scamader were seated at the table: Newt, thin as always, and Porpentina, thin but a bit more curved around the edges. There was nothing pleasant about her face, which was frozen in a grimace, and the moment that Luna entered, Porpentina flicked her gaze away and would not meet her eyes.

Luna would be dealing with the ex-Auror, rather than the happy housewife, then. Few things truly terrified her about Porpentina, but that was certainly one of them.

Newt, on the other hand, met Luna's gaze evenly, as he always did: reserved, unafraid, and curious. It was he who gestured to the chair. "Please sit, Luna. You as well, Roonil." After a pause, and a glance at his wife, he added, "The apple cider is perfect, by the way. She would say so, except... ah."

Roonil nodded and sat, and after hesitating a second, so did Luna.

"We agreed, I think," Newt began, "that you would provide certain answers at this point."

"I will," Luna assured him. "All I ever wanted-"

"If you are about to say 'for us to trust you'..." Porpentina spat in a warning tone.

Newt placed his hand over his wife's. It did not take away her anger, but she did stop speaking.

Luna looked down at the table, blinking rapidly.

"Why don't we start at the beginning?" Newt suggested. "How did you first learn of the Cruply Curse?"

"A previous Number One," Luna answered.

Newt's eyes narrowed. "By previous, surely you don't mean...?"

"Oh." Luna seemed to realize that she had misspoken. "Sorry. I meant to say, a current Number One. Just that, they aren't part of my... of this... um, trio."

"Three is the required number of participants?"

"At first, at least. More can be added later, if necessary." She hesitated. "But, you said-"

"That one of the conditions for my silence and cooperation was that you not involve myself or my wife. Yes, I did. That has not changed. Still, I wanted to be certain."

Luna nodded slowly. "I see. Well, aside from reciting the spell itself, three Crup tails and a lock of hair from each person to be included are needed. They're combined to create a sort of amulet, but once the curse is active, the amulet merely becomes decorative. It has no importance after that."

"What are the effects of the curse?" Porpentina asked abruptly. "Beyond keeping all three alive, that is?"

"Shared power and vitality," Luna replied. "The trio can share power with each other, to increase their individual or collective strength in times of need. That's part of what makes them so difficult to kill. You can't just kill one. You would have to kill all three at the same time. Or they would all have to agree to die together. Which typically is the way the curse ends, and only after a rather long time. Any sooner would defeat the purpose. You wouldn't do... this, if you didn't want to live."

"And the rest?" Porpentina said coldly.

Luna swallowed hard. "There are specific roles. Number One is the person who activates the curse." When she felt Porpentina's hard stare, Luna went on. "As the leader, they can exercise a certain amount of control over the others."

"Please specify," Newt murmured.

Luna sighed. "In the examples I was given, when faced with a difficult decision, a person was compelled to pick the opposite of the choice they'd been leaning toward. But I should point out, the entire purpose of the curse is to survive. If someone were to choose something that would endanger them or another member of the trio, then of course the curse would compel them to prioritize the trio's survival."

"Is it the curse or Number One that compels them? You've implied that it's both."

"It is. When the curse is acting, it may present itself as a hallucination of Number One. But Number One can intervene in much the same way. So the curse can be thought of as a manifestation of Number One's will."

"So no free will," Porpentina said at once.

Luna grimaced. "That would depend on Number One's will. And to be clear, the Number One who told me all of this was such a person where, until they told me about the curse, I never suspected that there even was one. The other two had more than enough free will where they were never suspected of being cursed. Of having a charmed friendship, perhaps, but never cursed."

"And Number Two?" Newt asked.

"While Number One is the person who activates the curse, Number Two is the person who actually makes it possible. Their consent is required for the activation. And the consent must be heartfelt, not forced in any way. If they don't truly want it, the curse won't activate. Which isn't to say that they can't be convinced through talking."

"As you did with my sister," Porpentina concluded.

"Queenie... understands me," Luna said slowly. "I swear to you that I didn't trick her."

"And what does Queenie understand?" Porpentina demanded.

Luna stared at her. "She understands that Rolf and I both know the pain of losing two parents. She understands how alone that can make a person feel. And she understands that one might do nearly anything, to keep from losing any other family after that. That's why she gave her consent. She understands that I want to protect Rolf, not control him."

"No, controlling him is just a handy feature that comes with your protection."

"Do you really think Queenie would have agreed if she thought I would abuse that power? Do you think a Legilimens wouldn't know if I had or was planning to?"

Porpentina snorted. "Well, if you can just make her think whatever you want through the curse-"

But Luna was shaking her head. "That's one privilege exclusive to Number Two: they maintain free will in thought at all times. They are duty-bound to support Number One through action, but they can say whatever they wish while doing it. It's meant to be a conscience for Number One. Someone whose thoughts they can't forcibly manipulate. And I trust Queenie to tell me exactly when or if I overstep."

"And Rolf is Number Three," Newt said. "Which means what, exactly?"

"Traditionally, Number Three is thought of as the knight. The protector of the trio. Although in the trio I was familiar with, that very person was also the one that the other two wished to keep alive most. They were entire reason for the curse."

Porpentina stood up abruptly at that point, nearly overturning her chair.

Luna watched her with wide eyes. Newt looked as if he'd been expecting the outburst for some time.

"I know who it is!" Porpentina snapped. "Your other Number One was Harry Potter, wasn't it?! He and his two friends! So Ronald was Number Two! They did it to protect Hermione!"

Luna shook her head.

"Don't you dare lie to me!" Porpentina shouted, her nostrils flaring.

"I'm not," Luna said calmly. "Harry could never do that. And not for the reasons you might assume. It's not because he's too good or too perfect, or anything silly like that. The original written account of the curse is purposely misleading, in order to protect the truth about the first Number One. About every Number One who initiates the curse. It's a requirement of the position, in fact."

"And what's that?" Newt asked.

Luna sighed. "Harry couldn't be Number One, because... Number One must always be female."

"You can go ahead and blame me, Mr. Lovegood. This is all my fault."

The woman knelt down and carefully placed the bouquet of sunflowers beside the grave.

"But I don't want you to worry. I'll watch over Luna. I swear it."

She stood up slowly, brushing the dust from her Ministry-issue robes as the wind began to pick up.

"If there's one positive thing I've learned about this curse, it's this. It teaches you to take good care of your own."

After offering a brief prayer, Hermione turned to leave. With the wind roaring in her ears, she brushed her bushy, brown hair out of her eyes, which briefly flickered to silver before returning to their usual brown.

The Crups Upon the Hill, Verse 2 of 5

The twinly Crups upon the hill

Faced never-ending foes.
Their twinly might, it still fell short

And could not end their woes.
But the thirdly Crup, the Cruply knight

He never would give up the fight.
Cruply trio, three upon the hill...

Continued in Chapter 2: Miss One

Harry was prepared to die as the final Horcrux, to bring an end to suffering. But few of his allies realized that he might also want that in order to end his own suffering. And when he had the chance, one intervened. Rather, Number One did.

Endnotes:

When I started this story, I knew there would be a curse involved, but I had no plans to put it to words or music, just to sort of vaguely refer to it here and there. And yet, by the second day, I had the verses done, and they somewhat matched the tune of "The Ants Go Marching" (if you sing fast enough, anyway), so that worked out.

This is actually not the Roonil Wazlib backstory story that I referred to earlier, but apparently I tend to work him into any story where Luna is an adult, anyway. And I think his role here is a bit more important, so that worked out, too.

Three chapters planned, each for a single member of a different trio. I'm sure you can guess who gets the next one.