Mr and Mrs Potter

by MRSTJ1

Third and last chapter: if everything changes, is it worth trying to keep anything the same? Harry has to decide.

1. Chapter 1

Mr. and Mrs. Potter

The Beginning

Harry had always believed if he could just get through the war, if he could just defeat Voldemort and come out alive, that he would be perfectly happy, and that his life would finally be normal. Now that the war was over, though, he was restless and dissatisfied. He had no solid plans for the future. He had an application in for Auror training, but he hadn't heard from anyone yet, and wasn't worried about it. It seemed to him as if he had always been the means to an end, and now that the end had come, he didn't know what to do with himself.

Hermione and Ron were both working with the Ministry on Magical/Muggle relations, along with Arthur Weasley, and doing a wonderful job of it. Hermione often tried to drag Harry into it, as she had so long ago tried to drag him into S.P.E.W. but he had avoided giving her an answer, and was grateful when Ron occasionally got up the nerve to tell her to give it a rest.

Quidditch was making a comeback and several teams had expressed interest in him, but that all seemed so trivial now. Professor McGonagall had told him that he should do a few years more of private study, and then come back to Hogwarts to teach. She cited his success so long ago with the DA, but Harry, at twenty, didn't feel up to handling the problems of other teens, when he had made such a mess out of his own teen-aged years. A huge benefit was being planned for St. Mungo's, and the healers were very keen on Harry being on the committee, assuring him he would not really have to do much.

"You would be an asset, because people would come just to see you," one had told him.

Harry had shuddered, not wanting to go out to a public event to be gawked at again.

He as haunted by all of the losses he had suffered along the way…too haunted to simply be relieved they seemed to be at an end. When he tried to sleep at night, no matter where he was, he saw his parents, or Siirus, or Cedric's face. He saw Quirrell turning around with Voldemort's s blazing red eyes coming out of the back of his head. He saw Dumbledore lying spread-eagled on the ground, broken.

Harry heard horrible things, too. He heard the sound of the night, as he had heard it in the forbidden forest so many times. He heard the clatter of Aragog's pincers, the arguments when he had been chosen Tri-Wizard champion, the sound of Fleur screaming in the Tri-wizard maze, Draco Malfoy sobbing in the bathroom at Hogwarts, and the sounds of endless battles.

When he was with people, he wanted to be alone, and when he was alone, it was a desperate loneliness. He liked being with Remus and Tonks, up to a point. Lupin's thoughtful, gentle nature and Tonks' sense of fun cheered him in small doses, but became wearying after time. He spent one long afternoon with Tonks, listening to her talk happily about their plans.

"Of course," she said, "we'd like to get in a couple of kids, but not right now. They don't allow Aurors with small children, because it's still so dangerous. They learned their lesson about that after the first war."

Harry let this go in one ear and out the other, because it didn't apply to him, but he was happy for Remus that Tonks eventually wanted to have a family. Harry had total faith in Remus Lupin's ability to be a good father, but he didn't let himself think about it too much. It reminded him of how desperately he had needed his own father when growing up, and how great his loss had been.

Ron and Hermione had come out of the war hopelessly, desperately in love, and it amused and pleased him to see them so happy. He expected to hear about wedding plans from them at any time, but he could find no energy to seek his own happiness.

He knew whenever he went to the Burrow that Ginny's eyes were following him, waiting for him to resume their old relationship, but Harry just wasn't the same person he had been when he had been with her. After all of the things he had seen, the hard blazing look in her eyes when she had first kissed him seemed shallow. The twisting feeling of his desire for her inside him now seemed silly compared to the emotions that had gone through him as he had fought for his life and for the fate of the wizarding world over that last year of the war. He still wanted her, or at least thought he should, but he was emotionally drained.

One afternoon, not long after the final battle, he had tried to take a nap down by the Weasley's pond, and had dreamed a spectacular dream. In his dream, he had convinced Cedric to take the cup with him, and Cedric had died, then a mystic portal had appeared, and Sirius had been on the other side, beckoning Cedric through. Harry had called to them desperately, but they had just shaken their heads sadly, and faded from view.

Harry woke up, his heart pounding, covered in sweat. Ginny came round the curve of the path just then and seen how upset he was.

"Harry, what is it? You look positively ill."

"It was nothing…just a dream." He sat up and gulped some fresh air. "I saw Cedric Diggory, and I told him to take the cup with me, and…"

"Oh, Harry for God's sake, let it go," Ginny said exasperated. "You can't keep blaming yourself for that. Look at me! If I had sat around thinking about how I should have listened to Dad and not written in the diary, and thought about everyone who got petrified, and Lockhart losing his memory, and you and Ron getting hurt, I would have gone completely mad by now. I don't feel guilty about any of that. I never did. Once it was over, it was over. I didn't blame myself."

"How could you do that? How could you not think about it?" Harry asked, confused.

"What good would it do? What's done is done. I was glad it was over, and I was out of it. When it was over, I was perfectly happy again." She sighed and shook her head. "Can't you just let it go and be happy? It's over. Nothing can change anything that happened. So why care?"

"I don't know. I just do," Harry said, getting up off the ground, and brushing a bit of grass off the back of his shirt.

He kept thinking about it, though, all of it, as he continued to visit his friends, let Molly Weasley fuss over him occasionally, and spent a lot of time sitting in Grimmauld Place. He couldn't let it go. It went on and on in his head, wearing a groove in his mind.

Sirius was dead. Madam Bones was dead. Cornelius Fudge was dead. Dumbledore was dead. Even his Uncle Vernon was gone. Bill was still badly scarred. McGonagall was looking much older and weaker than Harry ever dreamed she could.

Neville's parents were still in a coma, and Harry visited them sometimes with Neville. Harry was now welcome at Longbottom Manor, and often took advantage of the fierce protection of Mrs. Longbottom, who let him come and stay whenever he felt the public eye too keenly. Neville had, after all, defeated Bellatrix Lestrange with a spell Harry had taught him. The stern old lady, in her black robes, and green hats, would always be fond of Harry, and Harry would always be fond of Neville, who had never let him down. Neville wanted to start a plant nursery someday, where he could work with flowers and do research on magical plants. His grandmother didn't have much faith in him, but Harry tried to encourage him.

Mr. Lovegood, who had been attacked the summer before the last battle, was also at St. Mungo's in a coma, and Harry often found himself drawn to that old man's bedside as well. He did not realize that his frequent trips to the hospital had begun to make the hospital committee hope that they might gain their star dinner speaker after all.

Harry knew, even though Luna never brought it up, that her father had been attacked because of the favorable articles about Harry that he had printed in the Quibbler. Their cottage had been burned to the ground and he was in a coma from the enchanted smoke he had inhaled Luna spent nearly every day at her father's side at St. Mungo's, and Harry liked to go and sit with her as much as she liked to see him. The silence around Luna was never uncomfortable. It was more companionable, because with Luna, you didn't always have to speak to be understood. You could just be.

They never planned to meet, it just kept happening, over and over. Sometimes Harry would bring a newspaper, or magazine, and they'd discuss the high points of the news. Her father's friends were trying to keep the Quibbler running, and Luna would tell him how that was going. A formidable wizard named Harold Hunnicutt, who had worked with Mr. Lovegood was keeping it going. Harry knew things were hard for Luna, and he wanted to offer her money. Between his parents and Sirius, he had plenty, more than he could ever spend, but he didn't know how he would ever get her to take it.

Several times he brought the wizarding chess set he had gotten for Christmas his third year at Hogwarts. He sat in Mr. Lovegood's room with her and tried to teach her the game to help pass the time, but she always got confused by the movement of the pieces, and argued with them when they refused to so what she told them to do. When he discovered that she was staying in a muggle hotel near the hospital, he did however convince her to stay at Grimmauld Place instead. At first she did not want to impose on him.

"Harry, I can't take over your house."

"Luna, I'm not there that often. I stay at the Burrow sometimes, or at Professor Lupin's, or at Longbottom Manor. When I am there, it won't be a problem for you to be there, too. It's a huge old pile, and you won't bother me. You can have Mrs. Black's old bedroom. I use the one Sirius used to use." Harry did sleep in Sirius' old room, trying to be closer to the man who was most like a father to him after losing his own. It was part of his longing for family.

Luna finally did give up her hotel room and come there, and after leaving the hospital every night, it was a great comfort to her to have a place to grab a quick meal and get some sleep before heading back to St. Mungo's every morning. Dobby was especially glad to see her. He had brought Winky to live there, after the death of Albus Dumbledore, hoping a more homelike atmosphere would help her adjust. She had never adjusted to Hogwarts, but Grimmauld Place was not exactly a homey atmosphere, and Winky often found herself mediating between Dobby and Kreacher. Kreacher still disliked Harry with a passion, and Winky was not fond of him, but neither of them had any better place to go, and Winky at least could tolerate Harry, if she had someone to vent with occasionally. Kreacher became almost fond of her, the only one he had managed to develop a fondness for since the Order had taken over the house.

Hedwig, to Harry's pleasure, had also become fond of Luna. Luna was such an animal lover, and Hedwig was such a beautiful owl, that this did not surprise Harry. He had not expected Hedwig to have a problem with Luna.

Winky had stopped drinking with normal housework to occupy her, and that was a blessing. Since Harry did not spend much time at the house, he didn't pay much attention to the elves anyway. He had been afraid of Mrs. Black's reaction to Luna, but Mrs. Black had calmed down a bit since the Order had left. She moped a lot over the end of the war, but Luna's Pureblood presence did not bother her at all. Luna liked to start extremely boring (to Harry!) conversations with Mrs. Black. Sometimes they would talk about the various people in the portraits, or about odd looking antiques that Luna became interested in on her way in from the hospital or out. When Luna did this Mrs. Black became almost friendly to the blonde girl, to Harry's amazement.

He had packed for a weekend at Neville's once, and was hauling his trunk down the stairs when he heard them chatting about an old hammer that was mounted on the wall near Mrs. Black. Luna was sitting on the floor with a cup of tea, while Mrs. Black told her the story of it.

"My dearly departed husband got that from Glamorganshire, Wales," Mrs. Black said, reminiscing, "from one of the goblins on Barry Island. Have you ever laid you ear next to a cleft in the rocks? You can hear them working still. Merlin commanded them to forge blocks of brass. He was going to build a protective wall all around Britain. The enchantment bound them to work until he gave them leave to stop, but he never did. The witch, Vivien, tricked him into imprisonment inside an oak tree about that time, and he had other things on his mind. Now they must build blocks underground forever, never to be used. It's perpetual labor, you know."

"I think Daddy did an article on it for the Quibbler once," Luna answered. "Oh, hello, Harry. Or should I say goodbye? Are you ready to leave?"

"Yes, I'll be at Neville's until Monday. Have a good weekend, Luna."

While Harry did not interact with Luna much while she was at his house, he did either escort Luna to the hospital occasionally or at least meet her there. When he did this, he brought flowers, and chocolates, and boxed lunches for them to share. He brought ice creams and cakes to treat her. He kept trying to teach her chess, and she did get better at it, but not much. Sometimes they would joke and laugh and Harry would be amazed at how they could laugh, in such a place, in such a time, after all they had been though.

Harry would leave, always glancing back at the gray-haired man in the bed, wishing with all of his might that he could tell Mr Lovegood how extraordinary his daughter had been, when Harry had needed help in that last fight.

Harry liked to visit Hogwarts, as well, to walk around the lake, stand at the white tomb, and wander the familiar halls, but the school was not the same. So many students were dead or had just gone silently away like morning dew. So many wizarding families were in ruins, torn apart by death or divided loyalties, or poverty. He was visiting the school when he heard of yet another casualty. It was Nearly Headless Nick who told him.

"Harry! There you are!" Nick said, slipping through a stone wall on the second floor. "I've been looking for you. I was just speaking to the Gray Lady, and she told me that the Lovegood girl's father has finally passed on. Since Miss Lovegood was always such a good friend of yours, I thought you'd like to know."

Harry froze. "Are you sure?"

"Oh, quite sure. It happened this morning. Professor Flitwick told the Lady himself. He got an owl from a friend of his who works at the hospital. She lets him know whenever something happens to one of his former students." Nick eyed Harry carefully. "You ARE still friends with the Lovegood girl, are you not?"

"Oh, yes, we are friends," Harry said. "She's even been staying at Grimmauld Place part of the time her father's been in the hospital. Poor Luna! I must go to her. Is she still at the hospital, so you think?"

"Oh, no, they have probably begun planning the service by now. "

"Thanks, Nick!" Harry said, and hurried to the gates of Hogwarts, to apparate away. He didn't know where Luna would have gone to seek help planning a funeral, but he knew she would probably want her father buried near her mother in Ottery St. Catchpole, which was not far from the Weasleys, so he went there.

"Goodness, Harry! How you startled me!" Mrs. Weasley exclaimed, dropping the basket she was carrying, as he appeared in the front yard. "I was just picking some flowers. I want to make an arrangement to send over to Mr. Lovegood's funeral tomorrow. Did you hear about him?"

"Yes," Harry answered, helping Molly pick up the fresh, sweetly scented blossoms that had fallen on the ground. "That's why I'm here. I want to go, of course."

"We had a message from one of the Quibbler people, a Mr. Hunnicutt. The office staff is helping Luna organize it. The funeral is in the morning, and there's going to be a luncheon afterwards at the Quibbler offices. Mr. Hunnicutt told us everyone is supposedly bringing something. I'm going to send over the flowers, and I'm baking a few cakes." She straightened the basket on her arm, and sighed. "I hope this is the last of the funerals for awhile. I declare I've seen enough of them to last me a lifetime. Why don't you go in the house, Dear? Ron and Hermione are there. They'll be glad to see you."

Ron and Hermione were there, sitting on the sofa in the parlor.

"Oh, Harry, I'm so glad you came," Hermione said, getting up to throw her arms around his neck for a hug.

"Me, too, mate," Ron said, coming over for a quick cuff on the shoulder. "How did you hear? Was Luna with you at Grimmauld Place when she got the news?"

Harry winced. That would have been horrible. " No, I was at Hogwarts. Nearly Headless Nick told me, got it from Flitwick," Harry answered, letting Hermione go. He knew Hermione loved him, always had, and always would, in that special way a female best friend does, but it still felt a little funny to hug her in front of Ron, now that the two of them were engaged. They all went and sat down together, as they used to do when they were children,

"Poor Luna," Hermione said. "I don't know what to say to her. I can't imagine being without parents."

"I can," said Harry, "but I don't know what to say, either."

"Oh, Harry," Hermione said, throwing a hand over her mouth. "I'm sorry! That was totally tactless of me!"

"Maybe Harry can help," Ron said quickly. "You always were able to talk to her about the big things. God knows I never could. It took me awhile to get used to her, and I do love her to death now, but I've never been able to have a serious conversation with her."

"You've been awfully good to her, letting her use the house to be close to the hospital. And you were her first date, weren't you, Harry?" Hermione said, reminiscing. "You took her to Slughorn's party."

"That was ages, ago," said Ron sulkily. "When you were going out with that McClaggan. I wanted to knock his teeth out, after he messed up our Quiddich record. If I could have gotten my hands on him…"

"You would have had to beat me to him," Harry said with a grin. "Luna did the commentating for that game, didn't she? I think that was the game."

They talked about happier times, until Ginny stalked into the room, and asked Hermione to help her ice cakes. "Mum is taking enough food to this funeral luncheon to feed an entire village. I don't know who she thinks will be there, though. Half the wizarding world thought the Lovegoods were completely mad."

"Luna wasn't mad when she helped carry you out of the Department of Mysteries that time you broke you ankle," Ron pointed out.

"Oh, shut up, Ron. It's not like you were much help that day," Ginny said in a huff. She looked at Harry. "At least you won't have her for a house guest anymore. She'll have to find herself a flat or something. Honestly, Harry, I don't know how you put up with it. She's a dear, but she gets difficult at times."

"Don't we all?" Harry said slyly. "I didn't mind helping her. I wasn't there that much anyway, and it gave Winky someone to cook for."

"Is Winky still drinking a lot?" Hermione asked, worried.

"No," said Harry. She's been better." Ginny diplomatically led Hermione back to the kitchen before she could start lecturing them about the lack of progress in elf rights.

Having gone through several wizarding funerals by now, Harry knew what to expect. The luncheon afterwards was more like the muggles did, but it was nice to see so many people stopping by to give Luna encouragement. Harry had brought several bottles of elf-made wine that he had found in the cellar of Grimmauld Place, knowing someone at some point would probably need a drink. Several people who had worked on the Quibbler with Mr. Lovegood were talking with Mr. Hunnicutt about how to carry it on, and that seemed to make Luna happy.

The Weasleys and Hermione drifted off late in the afternoon, but Harry stayed, not being particularly eager to return to Grimmauld Place, and not wanting to go back to the Burrow, either. It was dark when the last guests were saying their goodbyes, and Harry noticed the last remaining members of the Quibble staff looking uncomfortable as he prepared to say his own.

"You look like you could use some sleep," he said, as he helped Luna pick up the remains of the luncheon debris from around the office.

"I don't know if I will ever get a good night's sleep again. I see so many things in my sleep," Luna said honestly.

"I know what that's like." Harry looked around. "Where are you going to go. Luna? You can't sleep here."

"Maybe if I don't look, all of this will go away."

Something in her voice touched Harry's heart. "Let's go back to Grimmauld Place. That might help."

She closed her eyes for a moment, then nodded. "All right. I'll just tell Dad's friends where I'll be, and go get my cloak. Thank you Harry. Thank you for everything."

He continued to clear away glasses and plates for a few minutes. As he walked near a doorway, he heard some of the Quibbler people whispering to Mr.Hunnicutt.

"Should she be living with him? It looks terrible."

"Oh, you can trust him anywhere," the tall wizard said. "They've known each other since they were children, and he's always been there for people who needed help. Besides, do you want her with you?"

Harry felt himself getting angry, but smoothed out his face when Luna appeared at his side, carrying a worn black cloak that was a bit too short for her. Harry felt sorry for her again, realizing she must not have saved many clothes from the fire, and probably hadn't bought any since her father had been hurt. He had never noticed before.

He took her elbow and they aparrated to the front door of Grimmauld Place. Harry told Luna to go on up to her room, and went to ask Winky for a pot of tea. She put the tea, some cream and sugar, and two cups with spoons on a tray.

"Harry Potter will take the tray to Miss Luna? Winky does not know what to say to her right now. Winky was sad when the message came that Mr. Lovegood was gone at last. Harry Potter will have a cup of tea with Miss Luna, and sit with her until she is ready to sleep?" The elf looked hopeful and Harry nodded.

"Then Winky will go to bed, as well. Dobby and Kreacher have already gone to sleep."

"That's fine, Winky. Don't worry about the tray. You can get it in the morning."

Harry sighed as he carried the tray up the stairs. He headed down the hall, and to his embarrassment, found Luna sitting on the edge of her borrowed bed, wearing a long white nightgown and looking very forlorn.

Harry sat down beside her awkwardly and set the tray down next to the bed. He poured two cups of tea. "Let's drink…to absent friends."

Luna took the cup and smiled. "Daddy would have loved to have you as a friend."

They clinked the tea cups as if they were the finest champagne, and sipped the hot, sweet tea.

"That does help me, Harry. It's warm inside, and I have been feeling so cold. It's dementor cold, from the inside out, like I'll never be cheerful again. Daddy and I had such good times together."

Harry stared into his tea. "Luna, there may still be some good times to be had"

"Will I ever really feel anything again? I just feel so alone. Harry, I'm going to be alone now. What will I do?"

He put his arm around her. "You're not alone…not really. Weren't you the one who told me that it was all right to be sad sometimes, but that if we have faith, we'll see the ones we love again?"

She laid her head wearily on his shoulder. "Yes, I said that, but it's harder now. It's hard to believe that I will always have people to love me."

"Luna, you will." He pressed his lips to her forehead. He hadn't planned to do it, but it happened, and it happened very naturally. They were two lonely people, who had always been there for each other, when no one else understood.

"Harry, always be my friend." She tilted her chin up, and then her mouth was on his, and she was not cold inside. She was warm, and the warmth spread through him.

"I will," he said slowly, and closing his eyes, he let himself stop thinking and just feel.

They kept kissing, each kiss getting longer and deeper, and she slid back down onto the bed, and he went with her. She looked up at him, and smiled crookedly, and said, in that blunt way of hers, "I'm not stupid, you know."

"I'm not either," Harry breathed, seeking out her mouth again. He knew exactly what she meant. This wasn't anything they had planned, and neither of them knew what it meant, but in this very moment it seemed right. This was a strange, wonderful, wild feeling for Harry, a feeling of being swept away and yet knowing exactly where he was. They were a mortar and pestle, waves striking the shore, a whirlwind picking up speed.

He had one horrible moment, when she gasped in pain, but before the familiar guilt could take control of him, she hissed one word into his ear. The word was yes, and as soon as he heard it, the waves picked him up and carried him away.

Afterwards, he lay stock still, his face buried in her hair, afraid to move. She stroked his hair tentatively, as if she were trying to smooth away his shock from his mind. Finally he had to say something, so he raised his head and said, stupidly, "Are you all right?"

"Of course I am. You just gave me the gift of connection to another human being. That's a rare gift, Harry, and I will never regret it."

"Oh," Harry said, not knowing what else to say, as he stared into her shining silver eyes.

"It's just…" Luna bit her lip and looked troubled.

"What?" he asked, terrified all of a sudden, wondering what she would possibly think of saying next.

"Could you do that again?"

"Mmmm, yes, I think I can," he said, smiling with relief. "I just need, umm, a few minutes to get ready."

She giggled, for the first time in days, and looped her thin arms around his neck. "Can I help you get ready?" she murmured, and he found himself kissing her laughing mouth.

When he woke up, it was just before dawn. Harry didn't know where he was for a moment. There was unusual warmth around him, and the half-light in the room revealed Luna, curled up against him. She had one leg thrown over his and one arm draped across his chest. Harry had never woken up in a bed with another human being in his life, and didn't know how he should feel about that.

She yawned and raised herself up, so that she was lying on his chest, looking into his eyes.

"Hi, Harry."

"Hi, Luna," he answered. What else could he say?

She kissed him. "It's nice not being alone," she said.

"Well, yeah, I guess it is, but Luna, I don't really understand any of this. I mean, don't get me wrong, it was great, but I don't know what it means."

"Does it have to mean anything?"

"Nothing," Harry said firmly, "seems to happen to me without a reason."

"Then if you need a reason, let it be this. Let it be that I needed you, and you needed me. We both know that nothing lasts forever, but we both know how important it is to enjoy what we have when we have it."

Harry thought about this, and absently stroked her back at the same time. "You're right. I couldn't feel anything, either, there for awhile. It was as if my life was frozen, not by one loss, but by all of them. I guess I needed someone to shake me up and prove to me that I was still alive. What we did…made me feel alive. I learned something last night, something that I've come close to many times, but never quite completely gotten. I think it was what Dumbledore was always trying to tell me, when he talked about what was in my heart. I learned that if somebody needs you, if you have something to give, you should give it and not be afraid. I always knew it, but I was always a little bit afraid. I was afraid of really giving myself, and I'm not talking about, you know, exactly what we did. I'm talking about in general. Does that make sense?"

She looked at him thoughtfully. "To me it does, but I'm not exactly like everyone else, am I?"

"No, it's different with you, and I'm glad. I'm really glad," Harry said with a laugh.

She drew herself up over him. "Speaking of different, can we do it this way?"

"Anyway you like," Harry answered, and he found that she liked it that way very much, but then so did he.

When he next woke up, it was because a fully dressed Luna was pulling open the curtains, letting the morning sun pour into his eyes.

"I made one concession to the elves. I made the bed you didn't sleep in look as if it had, but you better go back to your own room now. I think Winky is already making breakfast."

"Oh, right. I'll do that."

"It's such a beautiful morning, Harry." She turned and picked up the tea tray, which was still sitting on the floor. "I'll see you downstairs."

Harry hastily gathered up his clothes, and, feeling incredibly stupid for having to do so, sneaked down his own hallway to his own bedroom, where he tried to pull himself together. He then went to the kitchen, where Winky was serving Luna orange juice. It looked like she had already had a bit of breakfast.

"Hello, Harry. I'm afraid I ate all of your bacon."

Harry sat down hastily, smoothing his napkin over his lap. "That's okay."

"Winky can make more bacon," the elf said firmly. "Winky has plenty for the both of you."

"Never mind, Winky. I don't want any," said Harry, "but would you mind doing the dishes?" He watched as Winky bowed herself away from the table, then turned to Luna.

"I will be going soon," Luna said. " I have to go meet with some of the Quibbler people. They need me to sign some papers right away so they can get started on rearranging the staff. They didn't do anything while Daddy was alive, but they really can't wait anymore to make any of the appointments official. They've waited long enough." She stood up, and called to Winky, who was busy at the sink, to thank her for everything she had done over the last few months. The elf almost cried from happiness.

"You're leaving? Now? Just like that? But when will I see you again? I mean, am I going to see you again?" Harry was completely tongue-tied.

"Well, certainly if you wish. I think they are going to have an empty flat over the office soon, and I'll be able to live there, above the Quibbler from now on. I'll send word to Dobby later about where he can bring my things, if you think he won't mind.."

"I'm sure he won't mind, but WHEN will I see you?"

"When you need to see me, I'll be there. When I need to see you, you'll be there. Isn't that always the way of it?" She smiled at him, and waved as she walked out the door, and Harry stood dumbfounded, listening to her steps going down the hall, and the sound of the front door slamming.

Oh, well, he thought. That's Luna. It had been delightful interlude, and he'd gotten both pleasure and understanding out of it. What else did he have a right to expect? He was alive, and he knew how much more living he wanted to do. He was going to get his life back together…right after he ate the breakfast that was left, of course. He looked at the table, and saw eggs, toast and a mug of sweetened tea, along with a large spot of grease on a plate, where, if he was not mistaken, at one time there had been bacon.

Everything tasted marvelous. After he ate, Harry climbed back upstairs, and went into the bathroom, where he took a long hot shower using the green tea shower soap and shampoo that Luna had left there. He got dressed in clean clothes, thinking all the time about Luna, and breathing in the fresh scent that always followed her, that he now understood.

Harry said, impulsively to himself, "Luna, I will always be your friend." He owed Luna a great debt. She had shown him that there were still people who cared about him, who were willing to trust him with their lives, in spite of his being at the center of the war for all of those years.

Then he walked out of the house. The whole world looked different, even the dingy street in front of the Black house. He walked the streets of London, thinking. Harry passed through the city, looking at everything with new eyes, instead of keeping his head down as he usually did. There were all of these people, going on with their lives who had never heard of Voldemort, and never paid any attention to the young man with the scar who had often passed their way. He felt a sudden fondness for his muggle neighbors, and decided to put a tentative hand into whatever new scheme Hermione was working on at the moment.

He decided to apparate to the Burrow to try to catch Ron and Hermione, who usually had breakfast there together before going to work. The breeze smelled clean in Ottery St. Catchpole. The flowers were in bloom. The grass was soft. The wispy white clouds in the sky drifted past, but did not block out the sun. It was a marvelous day.

When he got to the cottage, the family was just finishing breakfast, and Hermione was there. It touched Harry to see how she was already considered part of the family. Molly immediately offered to fix Harry something to eat as well.

"No thanks. I already ate. Maybe just some coffee, if you've got it."

"Where did you eat?" Molly asked, running a hand through his hair as she had done when he was twelve.

"Luna and I ate at Grimmauld Place. She stayed there last night."

Ginny dropped her fork with a clatter. "So that's what I smell! It's that green tea shampoo Luna uses. Honestly, Harry, you have to stop feeling responsible for everyone who needs help. She's got to learn to stand on her own two feet." Her voice was casual enough, but also just forced enough that Harry knew she suspected something, and he winced.

What had happened between him and Luna had nothing to do with Ginny, and he felt it should be something private, a secret they would always keep together. Even though Ginny and Harry had not dated in two years, he still felt odd about her long-term feelings for him, and knew that she would have never been able to understand if she found what had happened. She would never have understood the common thread of loss and neediness that had caused Harry and Luna to connect as they had for that one night. But how could he tell the truth without making her even more curious? He decided to act indignant.

"Oh, Ginny, for God's sake," he snapped. "I stayed after everyone else left to help her straighten up the office, and she was feeling really down She didn't want to be alone. So she spent the night at my place So what? I've got plenty of room. I woke up this morning as she was leaving to go to a Quibbler meeting. What's the big deal?"

"Oh, dear," Molly said. "I never thought of that. She was grieving, and must have been exhausted, and we left the place a mess. I should have offered to help her."

"I should have," said Hermione, stricken. "Poor Luna!"

"Oh, I think she'll be okay," Harry said to Molly. "She's going to be with her father's coworkers all day, deciding what to do about the magazine, and they're going to arrange for her to live over the offices. That will keep her busy. That's what she needs." He turned to Hermione. "I've been thinking about what you said, about the muggle relations committee, by the way. I've decided that I would like to help, if I can. What happened to Mr. Lovegood made me realize I need to start doing something with the rest of my life."

"Oh, Harry, that's wonderful!" Hermione said, "and you'd be wonderful at it. I don't know if they'd be able to pay much at first, but…"

"I don't want money," Harry said. "I have more than I can ever spend, between what I got from my parents and what I got for Sirius. I just want to do something with myself that's useful. It's time I got busier, too."

Arthur looked delighted, "Harry, I think I know just where we can use you. You can be on the committee to improve communication between the magical and muggle media. They'll love having you. They need someone young who has experience living in a muggle environment."

"I do have that," Harry said. "Bring it on."

"Well," said Hermione, "I'm giving a report at the Ministry next week about how muggle newspapers, radio and television work. Could you say a few words about the importance of communication with the muggle world?"

Harry almost choked on his coffee. "Next week?"

"Oh, Harry, that would be wonderful!" Mr. Weasley said enthusiastically. "Everyone will listen to us if you're with us!"

"Next week?" Harry repeated. "Well, I guess I could. If you're going to do most of the explaining."

"I've got my speech all prepared," said Hermione, jumping up. "I'll go get it, and duplicate it, so you can read it, and then you can think today about what you want to say.'

"I have mine nearly done. I'm not as methodical as Hermione, " Arthur Weasley added, giving his future daughter-in-law a fond look. "I'll give you a copy of my rough draft. That might help you think of what you want to say. Then we'll all meet at the Ministry at ten on Tuesday."

Harry took the speeches, and after Hermione and Ron went to work with Mr. Weasley, he went back to Grimmauld Place to read it and to decide what he wanted to say to go along with it. He scratched away at the kitchen table, as Dobby and Kreacher, who were still living in an uneasy peace, slipped in and out of the room, stopping every so often to ask if there was anything Harry needed. He soon grew impatient with them, as he often did, but there was no chance he would ever be able to get rid of either of them.

Dobby had been so crushed by the death of Albus Dumbledore that Harry had been forced to keep him close to prevent him harming himself. Kreacher still could not be freed, in case there were any surviving supporters of the Dark Lord who might find him useful, so Harry put up with him, keeping him quiet by giving him the run of the house.

Late in the afternoon, Harry had finished a rough draft of what he wanted to say. He allowed Dobby to make him some soup and a sandwich, and Dobby did so gladly. Harry then rewrote his speech. He sent Hedwig to Hermione with a copy. She soon sent back word that he had done a very good job and that she wouldn't change a thing, which was saying a lot for her.

Harry went to bed after that, quite tired, from thinking, and from writing, and from the night before when he hadn't gotten much sleep at all. He blushed thinking about it, about Luna, who was now his lover. Correction: his first lover. He fell into a deep, dreamless sleep, but as he drifted off, he could almost remember the feel of her long, fine hair draped across his arm.

He got up early on the Tuesday of the conference, ate a bit of toast and drank some tea. He was too nervous for anything else. This was his first test of his new plan to become more active in society again, and he wanted it to go well. He dressed very carefully, and was waiting in the Atrium by a quarter to ten.

The statues that had been destroyed the night Harry had been possessed by Voldemort had been removed long ago. A contest had been held to replace them, and Dean Thomas had won. Harry looked at the new statue grouping, which was much more realistic than the old one had been, and thought about Dean.

Dean had been his friend, until Ginny had come between them. Nothing had ever been the same in Gryffindor tower after that, and Harry had been glad when he had not had to room with Dean anymore. Now it all seemed so petty and childish. He wondered where Dean was, and if he was doing well.

Hermione and Ron appeared with Mr. Weasley, and they headed off to the meeting, which Hermione explained further as they walked along. Apparently several wizarding journalists were pressing the Ministry to change how information could be shared with their muggle counterparts. The large room where they were to speak held about a hundred, some Ministry officials, and the rest from the various wizarding mediums.

Hermione gave a well-crafted speech about muggle communications, covering the basics of the Internet, television, magazines, radio and newspapers. Mr. Weasley then gave a speech giving examples of how the Ministry had been forced to communicate with muggles over the years, and where it had gone well, and where it had gone badly. Harry concentrated on them, not on the crowd, to try to keep from getting too nervous.

When Harry stood up to speak, he suddenly realized Luna Lovegood was in the audience, sitting with some of the people who had been at her father's funeral, including Mr. Hunnicutt. When Harry was introduced, a familiar buzz filled the room that reminded Harry of other stressful times. Luna looked up, straight into his eyes and smiled, and that small smile calmed him. Harry concentrated on her face as he spoke.

"I grew up in the muggle world, and knew nothing of the wizarding world until I got my Hogwarts letter. After I came back to the magical world, I was told that the less communication between the two worlds the better. I was told that if the muggles knew too much about us, they would want magical solutions to their problems. That was not true, in my opinion.

"We have a lot of the same problems anyway. We have poverty, racism, war, terrorism, and many other problems that we use as excuses to look down on the muggle world, and on top of that, we have caused them more problems by not communicating swiftly when faced with mutual dangers. I realize we can not fully expose our world, but when we have reason to believe that the events in the wizarding world are going to connect with the muggle world, we need to act, and act swiftly, to seek out appropriate channels of communication.

"More and more muggles are becoming aware of us anyway, as there are less and less Pureblood families left. Every muggle family who marries into our world, or has a child with magical skill can be used to process information if need be.

"We have just fought a terrible war, where muggle lives were lost as well as wizarding lives. We could not have won that war without the muggle born, the mixed bloods, and the other magical creatures that united to face a common threat. Let us continue to try to bridge our two worlds with understanding and openness."

There was polite applause when Harry finished speaking, and he took his seat feeling he had done the best he could on short notice. After the meeting, when everyone began to mingle, he found himself looking into Luna's silvery eyes.

"Oh, Harry, it's so nice to see you taking an interest in life again!"

"You, too," he said, smiling, "but I really owe it to you." He hesitated. "I kind of want to talk to you. I don't have to hang around her anymore. Do you want to go get a drink or go to lunch or something?"

"Or something," Luna said, smiling back. When he blushed, she laughed. "I just said that to make you smile. Lunch will be fine."

They went to the Leaky Cauldron, and Tom gave them a table in a quiet corner. After he had taken their order, Harry sat fiddling nervously with the salt cellar.

"That was a marvelous program," Luna said serenely. "I totally agree with all of you. We get the muggle world in an awful lot of trouble sometimes. Daddy used to talk about how much trouble the poor muggles at the gas company got into when they got blamed for that big explosion right after the first war."

Harry, thinking of Sirius, winced. "I never even thought about that."

"Well, don't worry about it now. You're not the only one who never did." She sipped her tea, then continued. "What did you want to talk to me about?"

"You're not angry with me about the other night are you? Harry asked in a low tone. "I never did anything like that, before, I swear."

"I didn't think so. I never had, either," Luna said earnestly. "But why should I be angry about that?"

"I didn't mean it exactly like that," Harry answered, embarrassed. "I mean, I did, never do that before, I mean, but I also meant…oh, damn! Luna, I kind of feel like I took advantage of you when you were down."

Luna set down her cup. "Harry, it was my choice, too. It was something we did together, and it was nice. It was really nice. I mean, it's not like we don't care about each other. You do care, don't you? You're a very caring person."

He was shocked. "Of course I care! I have for a long time and I always will."

Luna picked up her fork. "What did you tell Ginny when you got back to the Burrow?"

"How did you know I went to the Burrow? And what's Ginny got to do with it anyway?" Harry asked defensively.

"Well, you were in love with her once, weren't you? And she's still in love with you," Luna offered.

"What makes you say that?" He really wanted to know.

Luna just shrugged. "Isn't it true?"

"I never did anything like that with Ginny. I told you. I never told Ginny I loved her, not once." Harry was surprised as he said this. It had never dawned on him that he had never said those words to anyone.

"No, you aren't the kind of person who goes around saying that lightly," Luna said firmly, digging her fork into her salad. Harry did not know what to say to that, so he just ate as well.

After he had paid the check, Harry looked at Luna. "I want to keep seeing you. I like being with you, but I don't think we should let things get so out of hand again. I think we should just let it go as if it never happened, at least for now."

Luna shrugged. "If you say so, but I don't know if relationships can go backwards. Or stand still. We'll have to see."

"Ooooh, what have we here?" a familiar and altogether unwelcome voice chimed in. "Harry Potter and Luna Lovegood! How interesting! I had heard you were living together, but I thought you'd split up."

"Sod off, Rita," Harry said, standing up and holding out his hand to Luna, who obediently rose.

"Manners, Mr. Potter," Rita said, looking at him through shrewd eyes, as her photographer stood by, as usual. "Why so defensive? You don't want to see me get curious do you?"

"I'm not being defensive, and no, I don't want to see you get curious. I just plain don't want to see you."

"I think it's nice to see you again, Miss Skeeter," Luna offered. "Your nails look lovely today. How do you keep them so long? Mine used to break when I did the gardening."

"Still involved with that rag magazine?" Rita asked, ignoring Harry's mulish look.

"Certainly," Luna said with a smile. "What else?"

She and Harry left together, and Rita watched them go. "We've got to do some checking," she told the photographer. "There's something going on. Potter's hardly been seen since the end of the war, and now he's out in public making speeches, and squiring about that Lovegood brat, when her father's hardly cold."

Outside the pub, Harry took a deep breath. "I just can't stand that woman!" he said fiercely.

"You still worry about what people think of you, don't you?" Luna asked. "You shouldn't. Would you like to come see the flat I fixed up over the Quibbler office? It's small, but it's not too bad."

Harry, who was used to the way Luna could quickly change the subject by now, went with her. Her flat was small, and Harry thought it was pretty awful. There were only two rooms, and a very tiny bath. The living area and the kitchen and dining area were one room in the shape of an L, and the bedroom opened off the long end, which was the living room. The furniture was obviously left over from a "bring and buy" sale, but he had to admit it was clean and comfortable. He stayed for a butterbeer, and then, giving her a quick kiss on the cheek, left, and spent the rest of the evening wishing he could think of some way to help her.

Luna thought often of Harry, as well. She had always been good at observing people, and Harry was one of the people she had spent the most time observing. Her first year at Hogwarts, she had seen him walking around miserable, because so many people had believed him the heir of Slytherin. Luna had felt for him then. In her second year of school, a lot of the girls in the dorm had complained about him being the cause of all of those Dementors floating around. Luna had defended him, which had not endeared her to her housemates, but then, not many of then had liked her to start with anyway. In her third year, she had seen him suffer because so many people thought he had cheated the goblet of Fire. Ravenclaw had firmly sided with Hufflepuff, but Luna had refused to wear a "Potter stinks!" badge.

In her fourth year, Luna had finally met Harry Potter, and he was not what she expected. She had expected a more outgoing boy, or at least a boy who had learned to deal with his burden. The fact that he still seemed to suffer so much abuse, and still took it so much to heart touched her own heart. She vowed to be his friend, and always to help and comfort him in any way she could. In her fifth year, she had gone on a date with him as a friend, and responded to Hermione's call to help him, even though the DA no longer existed.

She liked being Harry's friend most of all, because she admired his persistence. He was hurt by a lot of things that went on around him, but he never gave out and he never gave in, no matter how hard things got. That was an admirable quality to have in a friend, as far as Luna could see.

Now she and Harry had gone farther than friends ever should, and she soon learned there is always a price to be paid for stepping over the line. At first she pretended she'd gotten her dates mixed up, but that only lasted a few weeks. Wishful thinking can be very powerful when it's all that is standing between you and utter disaster, but one can only pretend so long.

Luna was sitting in her threadbare flat one day when she got scared. She knew she was truly frightened, because she had been truly frightened before, twice, in fact. Once when she had watched her mother die and once when she had looked back at her burning house and realized her father had not made it out. So she knew this feeling, and knew how valid it was. She had a reason to be scared, however, one of the best reasons there could ever be.

She went to St. Mungo's and just picked a healer off of the list next to the front desk, making sure not to pick one who already knew her. The healer she asked to see turned out to be a heart specialist, which Luna took to be rudimentary justice. But he knew a few facts of life besides.

"You're not married, are you?"

"No," she replied.

"Do you know who the father is?"

"Yes."

"Do you know where he is?"

"Yes."

"Then my advice to you is to go straight home and tell your parents, then go see your boyfriend and tell him the truth. I've got a daughter about your age, and that's what I'd want her to do. Don't waste any time."

"Thank you," said Luna simply. She didn't have the heart to tell the poor man that it wasn't going to be that simple in her case. She had no parents and this wasn't just a boyfriend/girlfriend situation. This was just a friend, who happened to be the most famous young man in the wizarding world.

She then vomited in the healer's sink, as he thoughtfully held back her hair. He handed her a cloth to wipe her face afterwards, and the names of a couple of healers who would be able to be more useful to her. She thanked him again, and walked out of the hospital, to head back to her flat, just missing Harry, who was walking in, having finally agreed to help with the big benefit being planned for the hospital fund.

Being at St. Mungo's reminded Harry of Luna, though, and after he discussed the donation he was making to the hospital, agreed to attend the benefit ball, and stopped in for a quick visit with the Longbottoms, he decided to also stop by Luna's flat and say hello.

Luna had gotten home just in time to rush in the door and be sick in her own bathroom. When that was done, she collapsed on the bathroom floor, closed her eyes, and concentrated on how cool and nice the tile felt against her hot face.

Harry whistled cheerfully as he walked up to the building where Luna was living. He was curious as to how she was doing. Maybe he would ask her if she wanted to go to the benefit ball for St. Mungo's, as friends, of course. That might cheer her up, if she was still down. He thought about the night they had gone to Slughorn's party as friends. That had been fun, and she had looked quite nice. He still grinned whenever he thought about the look on Romilda Vane's face.

When he got to the door, though, it was standing ajar. Puzzled, he pushed on it. It swung open with a creak. Harry looked through it, but he didn't see Luna. Her cloak was lying on the floor, though, in the middle of the room, and there were some papers scattered about. Something was wrong…very wrong. He cautiously drew his wand and stepped inside the flat. When he got near the bathroom door, he saw Luna's feet, and rushed forward. She was still lying on the floor, her face pressed against the tile, pale and clammy.

"Oh, my God!" Harry snatched a towel, and stood there for a moment, not knowing what to do with it.

Luna's eyes fluttered open. "Harry? Oh, Harry you came to me! You came to me!" she muttered.

Quite relieved to find her alive, and capable of speech, Harry stepped into the room and wet the towel. He then eased himself down beside her and gently wiped her sweaty face. Luna felt strong hands carefully raising her head, and found herself on a lap that was warm and comforting.

"Luna, you scared me. Hang on a minute. I'm going to take you to the hospital."

"NO!" She struggled to sit up and he held her tight.

"Luna, you're ill. You can't just lie here on the floor. You need a healer."

"No. I'm not ill. Not really."

"Then what the hell is wrong with you?" Harry asked, exasperated.

She told him. She didn't know what else to do. He didn't faint, or cry, or scream, as she'd been afraid he would do. He just sat there on the floor speechless, for what seemed an age, then said, stunned, "Are you sure? Why didn't you tell me, for Merlin's sake?"

" I just found out." She closed her eyes again, and lay still in his arms, afraid to look at him, afraid to move. "I didn't know how to tell you, and I didn't know what to do. I wasn't sure if you'd want to help or not."

His arm tightened around her. "What's that supposed to mean? You think I'd run out on my own kid?" Harry looked off into space, and seemed to be talking to himself. "I've been rushing around like mad, trying to find something to do with my life. I've been trying to find a purpose, something that would matter, something that would last. Maybe this is it. If things always happen for a reason, maybe this is it. This baby is a Potter. It's mine. I've never had a family. I can have that now. I don't have to worry about what I'll be any more. I can just be what I am, as I used to do. It's done."

It felt a bit odd to have him thinking out loud above her, as if she weren't even there, but the words were comforting. Luna opened her eyes, and Harry looked down at her, his own eyes flashing with determination.

"There's only one thing for it, Luna. We'll have to get married."

"Harry, you don't really want to marry me, do you?" She did sit up, then, and looked at him sadly.

"What the hell else? You need me, Luna. Admit it, you do, and this is my child we're talking about. I have to be here for it. I need to be needed, just as much" He looked around. "You can't have it here, anyway. The first time it walked, it would fall down those stairs. This is no place for a baby. We can fix up a nice nursery at Grimmauld Place. The elves would love that. Or we can get a new place, but you can't do this on your own. You just can't."

She looked at him steadily. "I won't marry you for your name, or for your money, or for your house. I won't marry you because I need you to feel responsible for me. I will marry you because you're a good man, and I'd like to be your wife. I trust you with my life, and I trust you to be a good father. This is our child, Harry. I know what family means to you, I will try my best to make sure you'll never be sorry, in spite of what everyone else will say."

"What do you mean?"

"Harry, you're famous. When this gets out, everyone in the wizarding world will feel sorry for you, getting struck with the Quibbler editor's loony daughter. Rita Skeeter will probably have a coronary."

"That might be a good thing," Harry said, smiling slightly, "but you're right. We had better do this quietly. Luna, what about going to a muggle registry office? A muggle wedding is valid in the wizarding world, isn't it? And we could probably manage it with less fuss."

She considered this. "What would we have to do?"

Harry thought for a moment. "We'd need muggle birth certificates, to get a license. Did your parents get you one when they got your wizarding one?"

"Yes. It's in that trunk in the closet, with the rest of the papers Daddy had in his desk."

"We'd have to have witnesses." Harry hesitated. "I 'd like to have someone we know there, instead of just anyone that happens to be standing around the office. Would you mind terribly if I asked Ron?"

"No, that would be very nice. Tell him to bring Hermione, too," Luna answered, knowing what this would mean to him. The trio wasn't the same as it used to be, but if Harry were going to get through this, he would need his two best friends.

Harry brightened. "I'll go ask them, first thing in the morning. You need to rest. I'll stay with you tonight and make sure you're okay, then tomorrow I'll go see about it, and I'll let you know." He helped her up, stood by as she washed her face and hands, and got her a glass of water. Harry put Luna to bed very carefully, fluffing her pillows before stretching out beside her. "Get some sleep, Luna, and I'll think about how to wrap this up." She went to sleep at once, curled up at his side, but Harry stayed awake for hours thinking about what this was going to mean to him.

I'm going to be a father, he thought. I'm going to have a child of my own, my very own family. I wonder if it will be a boy or a girl? I wonder if it will look as much like me as I looked like my father? I wonder if it will be a Ravenclaw or a Gryffindor? Perhaps Ron and Hermione will be the godparents, or maybe Remus and Tonks. It has to be a magical child, doesn't it? God, I hope so, but if it's a squib, I will take care of it just as well as if it were a little witch or wizard.

He looked at Luna as she slept. Luna Lovegood, he thought. Who would ever have expected this? But it will be okay. It had to be. He remembered Luna, coming out of the greenhouse at Hogwarts, with her pale hair piled up high and a smudge of dirt on her nose, to tell him she believed him about fighting Voldemort. Luna had always believed in him.

He shuddered as he thought about the awful night Sirius had died. If Luna hadn't thought of riding thestrals, would they have ever gotten to the Ministry? Would Sirius still be alive? But that was not her fault. That was his. Luna was smart. The image of her riding a thestral sidesaddle made him smile.

He remembered the way Romilda Vane and her friends had made fun of Luna on the train, and how shocked they had been when he called her and Neville his friends. Luna was a real friend, not someone devious like Romilda. Luna was always honest.

He thought of her at his side at Slughorns's party, of her hand in his, trusting him as he pulled her about. She had always trusted him. She had made him laugh. She had been so happy to be with him, that her happiness had made her as beautiful as he had ever seen her.

Luna and Neville had been the only ones from the DA to answer Hermione's call for help the night Dumbledore had died. Luna was faithful. She would go on being faithful to him. Harry was sure of that. Things could be worse. And she had certainly been completely uninhibited when they had made love. That had been wonderful. He could certainly put up with their marital relations.

"Just my luck…one shot in the dark, and she winds up pregnant," Harry said to himself, shaking his head. Well, not one, actually. Three times, and he'd never know which one it was. It didn't make any difference. He drifted off to sleep, thinking about how to pull off a very simple wedding, with no fanfare. He didn't need the press nosing in right now. There'd be time to deal with all of that later. When he woke up, she was looking into his eyes, as if she were trying to memorize his face.

"Hi," he said. "Do you feel better?"

"Much," she replied. "I think it was the stress or the shock that made me sick."

"Or the baby," he answered.

"It's not a baby yet. It's an embryo."

"Whatever. If you feel better," he said, "I think there's more to us getting together than stress and shock." He leaned over and started kissing her mouth, and neither of them thought about any of the problems they were facing for a little while.

They were married two weeks later. It was an eventful two weeks. After leaving Luna's flat, Harry went straight to the Hermione's flat, knowing that she and Ron usually had a quiet dinner alone together on Wednesdays, and then spent the night together.

When Hermione's bright brown eye appeared in the security hole, Harry got an attack of nerves. Ron and Hermione's opinion mattered to him. He respected them more than any other two people he knew, and if they were disappointed in him, he would never feel the same about himself, but he had to do what he had to do. Luna was having his baby, and he was going to be there for it, no matter what.

Hermione opened the door, tugging the belt of her dressing gown around her tightly. "Harry! What are you doing here?" Ron came loping into the hall in a T-shirt and baggy pants, looking sheepish about being caught there at that hour of the morning. He looked concerned at the same time.

"I need to talk to you both. It's important." They all went into the small living room, and Ron and Hermione sat down expectantly, on the edge of the sofa. Harry dropped into the chair across from them, and leaned forward, looking at his knuckles. After an awkward silence, Harry began to speak very fast. "I'm going to get married, and I have to do it quickly, and without a lot of fuss, so I'm not inviting a lot of people to come, but I'd like the two of you to be the witnesses, but you can't tell anyone before hand."

"Whaaaa?" Ron said, stunned. "What do you mean married?"

"I'm going to marry Luna Lovegood, as quickly as I can."

"Luna?" Ron said incredulously, but Hermione simply let out a small cry as he continued. "You're having us on, right, mate?"

"No," Harry said, "I'm not."

"Oh, Harry!" Hermione wailed, leaning back into the cushions, and curling her feet up under her, as if she were suddenly cold. Harry knew then that she knew. He looked at Ron, who still looked astounded. Was it possible that Ron hadn't guessed? Ron should have known at once that Harry would never do something like this without a reason.

"Why would you want to marry Luna?" Ron began, but Hermione gave him a withering look.

"Is Luna in trouble, Harry?" Hermione asked sternly.

He looked her straight in the eye. "She was, Hermione. She's not any more."

"What do you mean not anymore? What did she do with it?" Hermione asked, wide-eyed.

"Don't talk about it that way," Harry said firmly. "Don't make it sound like it's something sordid, because it's not. It's going to be okay."

Ron always slow to piece things together, caught on. "Luna…you and Luna…you and Luna did…that?"

"God, Ron, build a bridge and get over it!" Harry looked exasperated. "Look, will you come or not? I want you to be there. I want someone there who cares about us, but this is going to be a great piece of gossip. I have to keep it low-key. I want to go to a muggle registry, and do it as quickly as I can."

"In two weeks," Hermione said swiftly. "Bill and Fleur are coming for a visit from France. It's their first time back since they moved there. Molly is having a big dinner party for them. She's going to invite you, and Remus and Tonks, too. Everyone that matters will be there." She spoke in a decisive tone, and Harry marveled at Hermione's ability to digest the indigestible, and without even a hiccup proceed to come up with the right plan.

"If you get married in the morning the day of the party," she continued, "then you can come to the party with Luna, and tell everyone at once. You have to tell them right away, Harry. Do you want them to read about it in the papers the next day? And the papers are going to find out, even if they don't break in on the ceremony. They have people who watch those muggle licenses, because so many wizards and witches marry muggles nowadays."

Harry winced. He did not want the people closest to him to find out in such a cold way. Hermione was right. He had to tell them in person. "All right. That's what we'll do."

"It may be all to the good," Ron said. "No one will be able to go ballistic in front of a crowd, but I bet Mum and Ginny cry for a solid week. Gin's going to be furious."

"Ginny and I broke up, ages ago," Harry said. "What happened between me and Luna had nothing to do with Ginny."

"It's still going to be a shock," Ron argued. "No one thought you and Luna were this serious. How long has this been going on, anyway?"

"Since her dad died. Since his funeral. When she came home with me that night, that's when it happened. I was trying to comfort her, and it kind of got out of hand."

"You only did it once, and you're going to marry her?" Ron asked, shocked.

"It was more than once, It was three times, well, then anyway, and then once since then." Harry blushed at Ron and Hermione gave him horrified looks.

"Too much information!" Ron said, clapping his hands over his ears.

"Well, if you don't want to know, don't ask," Harry said irritably.

When he got home, Errol was there, with Mrs. Weasley's invitation to the party. Harry decided to go and see her the next day. He wanted to at least ask her if he could bring Luna along. He thought it might lessen the shock a little, and give the Weasleys something to look back on, so they would not think he had totally deceived them.

When Harry got to the Burrow. Molly was in the kitchen fixing lunch, and Harry suddenly realized he'd had no breakfast.

"Have a sandwich, Harry dear," she said, dealing bread out onto the counter. " I didn't expect to see you today." She piled some ham on the bread, and handed it to him.

"Thanks, Mrs. Weasley. I just came by to tell you I got the invitation to your party." As Harry bit into his sandwich, Molly sighed.

"It will be so nice to see Bill and Fleur here again. I so wish they hadn't gone back to France to live after the war. I miss them. I want this to be a very memorable occasion." She poured Harry a glass of milk as if he were six.

"I'm sure it will be," Harry said, wincing.

"Fred and George are coming, of course, and Remus and Tonks. You'll come, won't you?" Mrs. Weasley glanced up at him, as she dumped some dishes into the sink.

Harry swallowed hard. The sandwich was sitting in his throat like a rock. He drank some of the milk. "I want to, but I was wondering something. Could I bring Luna Lovegood? I've been spending a lot of time with her since her father died, and I would really like to bring her along."

Molly, who had just waved her wand to start the dishes washing, stopped short and stared at him. "Why, yes, dear, of course. Luna Lovegood…why didn't I think of it? The poor child! She's probably been very lonely since her father died. How sweet of you to check in on her! I don't see why we can't be more involved with Luna. Do you want me to ask her?"

"I can just bring her with me," Harry said casually, adding his plate and glass to the ones in the sink. "Thanks, Mrs. Weasley. He gave her a quick kiss on the cheek, a Judas kiss, and went to tell Luna the plan.

She agreed, not knowing what else to do, and spent the next few days going through her meager things, looking for something to wear at the wedding, and trying to decide what she would move to Harry's first, and what could wait. Two days before the wedding, Mr. Hunnicutt came upstairs, looking harried.

"Luna, I need your help. A man named Rory Mayer is downstairs. He wants to give us a big advertising contract."

"It sounds like you're doing fine without my help, if it's a big one," she said, smiling.

"Yes, but it is going to take awhile to work out. This man has his nephew visiting from America and brought him along. Could you take the nephew off somewhere while we hammer out the details?"

Luna didn't know what else to do so she went downstairs. The nephew turned out to be a very handsome young man, with curly blonde hair and sapphire blue eyes. His name was Nicholas Mayer, and he had a lovely smile and a breezy manner. After the introductions were made, and the adults had gone, Luna stood staring at him helplessly. What on earth was she to do with this boy?

"I heard your father recently died. I'm sorry," he said kindly. His voice had an odd twang to it, but it was not unpleasant.

"Yes, it was very sad. How are you enjoying your visit to England?"

"I was born in Scotland. I've been here many times before. I wonder why I never met you before? But I've lived in Chicago since I was ten."

"Chicago," laughed Luna. "What an interesting place! Daddy took me to Chicago once. We rode up and down Archer Avenue for three nights, trying to meet Resurrection Mary, the hitchhiking ghost."

Nicholas' face brightened. "Did you go to the Melody Lounge?"

"Yes, to warm up once in awhile. Those were very cold nights."

"It's not cold now. It's much warmer than I expected. I think it's the first time I've been to London that it hasn't rained. Is there anyplace around here we could get an ice cream?"

She took him to Florean Fortescue's ice cream parlor, which was now doing good business again. They found out that they both adored chocolate sundaes with lots of whipped cream. He seemed surprised that she was just eighteen. He was twenty-one. "You looked older than that, or should I say wiser. Do you work on the Quibbler full-time?"

"Oh, no, I just left Hogwarts. I'm not working anywhere yet full-time," Luna said, and suddenly realized she would probably never work anywhere for the rest of her life. She had totally forgotten about becoming a mother, and marrying Harry. She supposed Harry would want her to concentrate completely on the child they were having, or their children, full-time. She would probably have many children, she realized suddenly, considering how easily she had gotten caught with this first one.

Nicholas began to talk about the school he had gone to in America, and Luna got back into the conversation. When it seemed that enough time had passed, she suggested going back to the Quibbler office. Nicholas was looking at her fondly, in a way that surprised her.

"Will you write to me?" he said as they reached the building.

She looked at him blankly.

"I'll write to you, of course," he grinned.

"I'll try." Luna said stupidly.

"What do you mean, you'll try?" He took out a quill and copied the address off the building. Luna wondered why he would want to do that, but put it out of her mind.

When Harry picked Luna up the morning of the wedding, it was a bright sunny day. She had been ready for an hour, her and all of the butterflies in her stomach. She was wearing the only white dress she owned, white with a yellow rose at the neck, and yellow flat shoes.

"You look very nice. Are you okay?" Harry asked gently, as they walked quickly up Diagon Alley and through the Leaky Cauldron to the muggle street beyond.

"I'm okay. You look nice, too, " Luna said, looking at Harry's neat navy blue blazer and tie, and black trousers. His shoes were polished like glass, and his pale blue shirt was neatly pressed. "Why are we going so early? I thought Hermione and Ron were going to meet us at eleven."

"We have something we have to do first," Harry said. He took her elbow and the feel of his hand, strong and firm, guiding her along was reassuring. She glanced up at him.

"I had hoped you might come to see me last night," she said softly.

"I was at Gringotts in the afternoon, taking care of some business. This is part of it," he said firmly, reaching into his pocket and pulling out a key. "Once we marry, you will be able to get into my vault. His key is for you. I had a copy made, so it would be ready for you."

Luna shrank back, coming to a halt on the sidewalk. "Harry, I told you, I don't want your money."

"You have to be able to get at it, if anything happens," Harry argued. "I cleaned my closet last night, so you will have room for your clothes when we live together."

"Did you say anything to the elves?" Luna asked, twining her fingers through his.

"Not yet. We'll have time after. Speaking of money again, I had some wizarding gold changed into muggle money. Here's where we have to go now." He opened a large glass door, and steered her into a large muggle department store. They went up to a jewelry counter.

"Can I help you?" asked a clerk.

"I'd like a set of wedding rings, please," Harry said firmly.

The clerk showed them several types of rings, and Luna tried to pick the plainest one, but Harry insisted on getting her a diamond eternity ring, with a plain gold band for himself. Luna tried to argue.

"Harry, that costs too much."

"I can get this one," Harry assured her. "I have enough. Now let's get going. We have to meet Hermione and Ron at the registry office in twenty minutes." He paid for the rings in cash, counting out the bills carefully. As he and Luna left the counter, their clerk looked across at another clerk.

"Registry office, huh? They look pretty young, don't they? Well, at least he has money. Another premature baby on the way, I suppose."

Her friend shrugged. "Come on, aren't most first babies premature?"

When Harry and Luna got to the registry office, Hermione and Ron were waiting. Hermione was carrying a bouquet of white roses, which she handed to Luna. "Here. We got you these."

"Thank you," Luna said softly, taking them. "They're lovely."

Luna held onto her bouquet tightly, as she and Harry were married. She tried to concentrate on the clerk's voice, saying warmly, "We are gathered here…" and not on Harry who was looking determined, not happy, or on Ron, whose ears got very red during the ceremony, something that always happened when he was deeply upset. The ring felt cold as it slid onto her finger, and her hand trembled as she put the ring on Harry's finger. The shining gold looked odd there. She had never seen Harry wear any jewelry. He hadn't even had a watch that worked for years.

When the clerk said, "You may kiss the bride," Harry looked startled, then embarrassed. He gave Luna a kiss on the cheek. They all signed the necessary papers, the clerk stamped the license to make it legal, and the group found themselves out on the sidewalk.

"We'll see you later, I suppose," said Hermione awkwardly. "We have to get back to the Burrow to help Molly prepare for the party."

"Yes, we'll be along later," said Harry. He took Luna's hand and led her away. "We need to go to Grimmauld Place. I've got some explaining to do there, too." Luna didn't answer.

Ron and Hermione watched them go and then looked at each other.

"This is not going to last," Ron said, shaking his head. "I love Luna to bits, but I can not picture her being married to Harry. I do not think this is going to last."

"I do," said Hermione. "Harry is not the type to do anything halfway. Even if he thinks he did the wrong thing, he'll never tell anyone, and he has never wanted anything as much as he's wanted a family of his own."

"He's part of my family!" Ron yelped, insulted. "He's a part of my family, like you're part of my family."

"Yes, but it's not the same thing, Ron," Hermione said gently.

"Oh, well, at least he got out of having to plan a big wedding, and they won't have any in-law problems. There's something to be said for that."

"There is," said Hermione mischievously, " but we certainly can't say it." She leaned toward Ron, and grinning, he gave her a long kiss.

When Luna and Harry got into the hallway of Grimmauld place, Harry stood in front of the portrait of Mrs. Black, and called for the house elves. Dobby and Winky hurried up to him. Kreacher took longer, slinking in as usual. The elves all stared confused at Luna, who stood holding her flowers tightly.

"Luna and I were married this morning," Harry told them firmly. "She is your mistress now, and I expect you to continue to make her feel at home, as you have always done."

Kreacher gave a small snort of disgust, and Mrs. Black rolled her eyes. "I knew it! I just knew it! I knew something was going on with you two, right from the start. I suppose you're going to have a baby," she said snidely, and Harry gave her a withering look, but Winky let out a glad cry, and threw her small arms around Harry's middle.

"Oh, Harry Potter! Winky is so happy! Winky has a house, and a family now, and there will be baby to take care of, and Winky will work hard for you, like she did in the old days."

Dobby came and hugged Harry, too, to his intense embarrassment. "Dobby is happy, too, for Harry Potter, and Miss Luna. It is very exciting. Dobby hopes Harry Potter and Miss Luna will be very happy." He looked at Luna. "What can Dobby do first for Harry Potter's new wife?"

"Well, I have some things packed at my flat, that need to be brought over here," she said slowly. "They're standing in the middle of the floor, just as you walk into the place."

"Okay, Dobby, you and Kreacher go do that," Harry said. "Bring them here, and put them in my bedroom. Luna and I are going to be rearranging things there for awhile." He led Luna up the stairs, into his room. She looked around.

"This is a nice room. What do we have to rearrange?"

Harry walked over to the closet. "I cleared this side for your clothes," he said awkwardly, and I emptied the bottom two shelves of the wardrobe. You can have the bottom drawer in the desk for your papers. We can start with this." He put the marriage license into the empty drawer.

"I don't have that many clothes," Luna said, looking into the closet.

"You can go get whatever you need, now that you have a proper home," Harry said, but Luna shook her head.

"It's no use buying much now. Anything I get now won't fit me in another couple of months." She looked down at her belly sadly. "The baby will start showing soon, and then everyone will know you had to marry me."

"I didn't have to," Harry corrected her. He ran his hand through his untidy black hair, as he always did when he was thinking hard, and Luna saw the flash of gold that was his wedding ring. It startled her. "I wanted to marry you," he continued. "Do you really think anyone could force me to do anything I didn't want to do? You know me better than that. I'm very stubborn, you know. Do you really care what people say? You never have in the past."

"I care because you care. You know you do. It hurts to have to care what people think, because I never have before, but I never wanted to cause you any trouble. I wouldn't have stayed in heaven with you, if I thought it would cause you pain, and this frightens me. I know you're stubborn. That's why you did this, but it's going to be hard at times, Harry. It's going to be hard tonight. "

"We'll manage," said Harry shrugging. "Go freshen up, pin on a smile, and let's get to it."