Disclaimer: I am not blonde, female or wealthy. I do not own or even rent any of the Harry Potter world, which is owned by JK Rowling and her associates. But you knew that already, because I am not blonde, female or wealthy. My loss. However, I do like to imagining what happened afterwards.
Rating: T, no warnings
Chapter 1: One Encounter Leads to Others
July 15, 2015
Hogwarts' newest professor sat at her desk. Come September, she was to teach divination and co-teach Care of Magical Creatures, and she was drawing up lesson plans, thinking of how she had gotten to this point in her life.
Hagrid had finally come to the conclusion that, although he enjoyed showing off the big dangerous creatures he loved so much, he really had very little aptitude for teaching students and he hated marking papers. He also had much less contact with the smaller creatures or awareness of their characteristics. However, being that Hogwarts was the only home he had had for 75 years, there was no way Headmistress McGonagall was going to fire him. He had a home and position in perpetuity at Hogwarts, as long as he wanted it (although it was also known that he was partial to a location in southern France, and the company of a certain Headmistress). However, this also meant that Minerva required someone who could and wanted to teach.
After the Battle of Hogwarts, Firenze had been welcomed back into his herd, who finally had seen that their own pride in their heritage had grown to the point of bigotry and outright racism, as bad as the racism the humans felt against them, and this had helped precipitate the second Voldemort War (or the 'Purity War' as some were starting to call it, given the pureblood agenda of the Death Eaters). Some inter-species cooperation was going to be required, even if they didn't like it. However, the herd did want Firenze to teach only those portions of Divination which pertained to centaur knowledge, and not the exclusively human aspects of the topic.
So with the current gamekeeper teaching only part-time, and the current divination professor wanting to reduce his teaching time (Sybill Trelawney being still under treatment for Korsokov's Syndrome at St Mungo's most of the time and hence unavailable as a replacement, and in more-or-less permanent isolation in her cottage on the Hogwarts grounds the rest – Professor Dumbledore having granted her permanent residence many years earlier), when Luna expressed an interest in teaching, the jobs were hers.
Luna knew that part of her huge colleague's problem with the smaller magical creatures was just the man's size, and another was his love of the bigger animals. When the mifflefalls saw the huge man feeding dead weasels to the hippogriffs, they hid away, being distantly related to weasels and looking a lot like them – when you see things that look a lot like you, being fed to a large and dangerous creature, you tend to avoid being around the person doing the feeding. When you are very small, you are careful around large things – like dik-diks and other small gazelles, speed and camouflage are essential for survival.
Luna had long had a special touch with the small timid magical beasts that she and her father had sought out on their many travels. She had finally been able to get her friends to sit still long enough in the Forbidden Forest, thinking only vegetarian thoughts, that the mildly telepathic nargles dropped their disillusion and became visible. For Hermione to finally admit that nargles did indeed exist was a moment in which Luna took great pride, knowing that her know-it-all half-wife was quite loath to admit that she had ever been wrong about anything. To see Hermione stroke the fur of the litter of nargle pups, that the mother had (very cautiously) brought up to the brunette witch as she sat calmly and quietly by the small pond in the forest, was a moment of rapture for the diminutive blonde witch.
Luna gestured absentmindedly towards the kettle, commanding it to brew some more tea. She smiled as she recalled the looks of astonishment that she used to get from her housemates in her student days, when she would make comments designed to keep her more orthodox-minded acquaintances off balance (such as asking, as she made herbal tea in the common room, why it was that a rose had hips but no breasts). Comments such as these kept the annoyingly dull and narrow-minded people at a distance, even though at the cost of some bullying. Only a few other students (and her Head of House, Professor Flitwick) saw through the facade to her brilliant mind – Harry Potter had found her to be so refreshingly unusual that he had become her first male friend when Ginny Weasley introduced them to each other – Ginny had been her friend since before primary school in Ottery St Catchpole. One special moment in her memory was when she and Harry met at the thestral's corral, sharing their common exposure to death.
Thinking of Harry and her school days brought her thoughts to the winter of 1999 when everything changed. Although legally an adult (at least to the wizarding world), she was still a student, finishing her seventh year at Hogwarts along with Ginny, and Hermione (who had returned to finish her schooling after losing the year due to the horcrux hunt and the battle). After the Battle where Voldemort and his Death Eaters had been finally and decisively defeated, the three friends welcomed a return to what passed for normality in their world.
January 1, 1999
Harry Potter had taken up his inheritance as Laird of Clan Dhu (the Scottish branch of the Ancient and Noble House of Black), as the heir to his godfather Sirius Black (who had never had the opportunity to assume the title and responsibilities, having been killed by his cousin). As part of his function as the new Chief of the Clan, Harry had hosted a grand party to see in the New Year (called Hogmanay in Scotland) at the Clan's Highland castle, a short way away from Hogwarts.
Something about the magic inherent in the castle, and perhaps Harry taking on a powerful and more adult role, led to some seriously adult adventures, and on the morning of the New Year, Luna had bedded Harry for her first time. She did not give herself to Harry; just as Harry was sharing all he had with his friends, Luna shared what she had, and what she was, with Harry. It was an encounter with respect and kindness on both sides – they respected each other several times before falling asleep in each other's arms. This event changed her world.
After a short sleep, Luna rose around noon to return to her room and change, then joined the other guests who were partaking of the buffet which the castle's elves had laid out for those who had stayed overnight, which had included most of Harry's friends from school and comrades-in-arms in the DA. Harry was mingling with the throng, thanking them for attending the ceilidh and inviting them to return the following year. As it had snowed heavily overnight, he was casting warming spells onto the vehicles of those who had come by car or coach, as a farewell gesture.
Ginny Weasley had approached Luna with a wide grin on her face. The girls had discussed matters between themselves as to how to 'share' Harry, and Ginny had taken her 'turn' the month before. She asked Luna what time she had gotten to bed, to which the young witch had responded "About eight this morning", to which Ginny smirked and added "And when did you get to sleep, then", to which Luna smiled warmly and with a slight reddening of her cheeks, said conspiratorially "That was sometime later".
Hermione had gone to her own bed shortly after the ceilidh broke up at two in the morning, skipping the several after-party parties which Harry and Luna had attended. Consequently, she had risen earlier than either of her girlfriends. She came up to her two friends, and asked "Did either of you feel that pulse of magic about half past eight this morning?" to which Ginny replied "Sorry, I was asleep", and Luna said coyly "Sorry, I was otherwise occupied", to which Ginny added "Occupied, I like that. Hermione, Luna's 'battlefield' was being occupied by Harry's little soldier". While Hermione and Ginny grinned and hugged their co-conspirator, Luna commented, "A very interesting metaphor, but essentially correct. I found Harry's marching song very catchy."
Several other witches and wizards had felt the magical pulse that morning, and over their luncheons, the more muggle-aware were making comments about the 'disturbance in the Force', which puzzled those who were less aware of muggle entertainments.
In the middle of the eating and visiting, Elly Granger, Hermione's mother, rushed into the room and up to her daughter with a huge grin on her face. The two women had become close again since Elly and Gil had returned from Australia, where they had been for a couple years, and where they would soon to be returning to work with the Flying Doctor service. Elly grabbed Hermione by the shoulders, and announced that the outside temperature was just around freezing, and the heavy snow was just perfect for building a snowman – she announced to all within earshot (which took in most of the large dining room) that one thing she had really missed Down Under was the joy of family activities in the snow. She insisted that Hermione get dressed for outside and come out and help her parents building the biggest snowman they could (Gil had already been sent up to their room to get their outer clothing).
Hermione looked around the room, and announced happily "You all heard my Mum. Let's get out there!"
Some of the older guests, including Minerva McGonagall and her husband, begged off on account of age, but most of the remaining guests headed outside to play in the snow. After a seriously inebriated party the night before, it seemed the logical thing to do.
The snow had been deep and just soft and sticky enough to make good balls of snow. When the rolls of snow got too heavy to lift, wands came out and 'Wingardium Leviosa' spells were heard throughout the courtyard. Partway through the construction however, Ron Weasley was hit in the head with a snowball. He looked around, and spotted his sister gloating over her accurate shot. In short order, snowballs were flying all over the yard.
As several snowballs hit Harry, five elf guards apparated into the courtyard carrying weapons. Harry asked them "What's wrong? Are we under attack?" to which the lead elf shook his head, looking very puzzled. "My Lord, you were being attacked! We came in your defence, as is our duty!" Harry laughed, thanked them kindly for their attention to their duties, and ordered them to stand down, put their weapons away, and then rejoin the fun and to bring Hamish (the castle's steward and chief elf) with them, as well as anyone else who wanted to come. When most of the estate's elves returned, all were pelted with snowballs, and after a nod from Hamish, joyously retaliated in kind with great (and somewhat high-pitched) laughter.
After a couple hours of play, Elly and Gil Granger asked if the hot pool was available, as they were getting cold. Harry called Hamish and asked that the entire pool be heated to spa temperatures, and turning to the crowd, announced "To the pool!", at which point his three favourite witches jumped on him and stuffed snow down his back to make sure he would better appreciate the warm water.
After a welcome warm soak, and a relaxed supper, those who were staying the night retired early, having been up very late the night before. Harry found his bed had been enlarged and was occupied by Ginny, Hermione and Luna. All were exhausted from the previous night and the day's activities, and after some friendly hugs soon fell asleep, after Harry had thanked them all for their confidence in his 'stamina', but begged off for a later 'rematch'.
January 2, 1999
The next morning, after waking up slowly before dawn all wrapped in the arms of Harry, Ginny and Hermione (in a bit of a heap), Luna had gently disentangled herself, dressed for the outdoors and taken a solitary walk over to the edge of the forest near the castle. She hoped that, if she was early enough, she might be able to observe the local wood-elves making preparations for their Perihelion Day celebrations – as the wood-elves loved starlight, they tended to be active only during the nighttime hours. She worried that they might not be out, as the moon was just past full, and so the stars would not be in their full glory. On the way, she greeted Hagrid's sister, who was the assistant gamekeeper on the estate. Mhairi commented with a smile that, strangely, the unicorns were particularly active that morning, and if she was lucky Miss Lovegood might get to see one of the rare and shy creatures. The forest was an extension of the Forbidden Forest at Hogwarts, and was the territory of unicorns, centaurs and other marvellous creatures.
A/N: If brothers sharing one parent are half-brothers, then it seems reasonable that wives sharing the same husband would be half-wives.