Logic and Illogic
by: coolhacker1025
Standard Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters involved. Harry Potter belongs to J.K. Rowling, et. al Warnings: possibly Ron!bashing, femmeslash, eventual Hermione/Luna
Not in the same continuity as Chapter 1.
\\/
Hermione Granger had unusual friends. Her first friend at school was Harry Potter, a boy who'd somehow managed to defeat Voldemort as a baby, and then multiple times as a student. While he didn't have the best work ethic, he clearly was better than her at certain subjects, like when they had Defence Against the Dark Arts, as taught by a competent professor.
Her second friend, Ron Weasley, was from a large family. She noticed that this seemed to give him a very large inferiority complex. He was very lazy, and spent most of his time playing chess or talking about Quidditch (especially his favourite team, the Chudley Cannons). This year had gone even further: Ron had gained a spot on the Gryffindor Quidditch Team, and was not spending much time on homework or revising at all. It was only due to her hard work forcing him to revise for exams that allowed him to pass with a score better than "P".
He also had a bit of a complex about the fact that Harry was so rich, and that his eldest brothers were so successful.
Hermione's third friend was an enigma. She was an enigma by the name Luna Lovegood. She was a Ravenclaw fourth year, and one of the brightest students in the school. Hermione hadn't really noticed this until she started to encounter the girl more often, due to the DA and the fact that Luna's father owned a newspaper that was considered in opposition to the official Ministry story.
What caused Hermione to go crazy was the fact that Luna claimed to believe in so many creatures that Hermione was sure did not exist. Part of Luna's being was that she would believe something with very little proof, and then look for clues that it was true/did exist/whatever applied to the situation. This was completely in opposition to Hermione's need for facts.
Somehow, due to the increased contact with the girl, she'd become friends with her.
\\/ Present
"Umbridge let you out early tonight, mate?" asked Ron as his best friend Harry walked into the Common Room.
"Something to do with the Twins, I believe," said Harry. "Where's Hermione?"
"Dunno," said his friend. "She's been sneaking out almost every time you have detention with She-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named or a 'remedial potions' class with Snape. I thought she was keeping an eye on you."
"I don't think she is," said Harry. He really hoped that his best female friend wasn't doing something completely stupid, like collaborating with the Twins to overthrow the Toad-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named.
"Funny thing is, she always has her homework done, just like usual," said Ron. "Come to think of it, she usually arrives before you do most nights."
"This is Hermione we're talking about," said Harry. "She's probably just gone to the library."
He noticed her walking into the Common Room.
"You're back early," said Hermione. "Umbridge distracted by something?"
"The Twins, I think," said Harry. "Where were you?"
"The library," said Hermione, slightly flustered.
Even Harry could tell that she wasn't being completely truthful. Somehow, Ron didn't quite realise that fact.
\\/ Past
Hermione had seen Luna around the school many times over the years, but they didn't really meet until Hermione's fourth year. Hermione was in the library when the strange girl came over to her and started to correct her runes translation.
"How do you know so much about runes?" Hermione had asked the girl.
"Oh, Daddy does an article about them every so often," said the blond-haired girl in that airy voice of hers.
"I don't want to be rude," started Hermione. "But who exactly are you? I don't think that you are a fourth-year, as I've never seen you in class."
"I'm Luna Lovegood," said the girl. "Ravenclaw third year."
"Why exactly did you come over to see me?"
"The Nargles told me to," said the strange girl.
"The what?" asked Hermione.
"The Nargles," repeated Luna. "They are quite mysterious and mischievous creatures. They are known to infect Mistletoe."
"But why did you come here?"
"You needed it," said Luna. "Perhaps you need someone to talk to. Other than Harry Potter and Ronald Weasley."
Luna does have a point, thought Hermione.
\\/
The second time that Hermione met Luna was before the Second Task when Hermione was helping Harry to research ways to complete the task.
"You don't want that section," Luna told her. "Magical plants will help Harry Potter with his goal. I don't know which, but asking someone might help."
"Which what?" asked Hermione.
"You are a thoroughly confusing individual, Hermione Granger," said Luna. "I meant which plant. Although I suppose that I could have also meant which goal. The Wrackspurts interfered with my line of thought."
"I could say that you are also a thoroughly confusing individual, Luna," said Hermione. "I've never heard of these Nargles or Wrackspurts before."
\\/ Present
"If you let me look at your map, I can see what or who she is doing," suggested Ron one night after they went to their dormitory.
"Hermione can take care of herself, Ron," said Harry. "I believe in her."
"Fat load of good that'll do if she ends up dead," said Ron.
\\/ Past
Aside from a couple of meetings in the hall, Hermione didn't see Luna again until the next year. Hermione had become a prefect, and was on a carriage with Harry, Ron, Neville, and Ginny.
"Who's that?" asked Harry.
"Oh, her?" laughed Ginny. "That's Looney—I mean, Luna Lovegood. She's the same year as me, except Ravenclaw."
Hermione noticed the way that Luna held her copy of the Quibbler upside down, wearing those ridiculous glasses that were supposed to see Nargles or whatever.
She noticed the way that Luna put her wand behind her ear.
"She's actually quite brilliant," said Hermione. "She knows almost as much as I do."
Hermione blushed at her admission, but nobody, not even Luna, noticed.
\\/
Hermione didn't know how she and Luna became good friends, but it happened that year. They were together more often due to DA meetings, and had gradually become friends.
It was one of Hermione's stranger friendships, but it was a friendship.
Hermione found herself meeting Luna in the library much more often, as both boys were at Quidditch practise, and therefore didn't need her supervision. They would talk about all sorts of things, even things that weren't related to schoolwork. It was hard sometimes for Hermione to remember that Luna was a year (and some) younger than she was.
There was just something about the illogic.
\\/ Present
Harry acquiesced, and let Ron use the Marauders' Map. "She's in the library now, with Luna Lovegood," Ron chuckled. "What the hell is she doing there with Looney Lovegood?"
\\/
Luna was much more advanced than her age would indicate. She knew potions that Hermione was just learning about (and could correct Hermione's papers if need be), her Transfiguration skills were amazing, her charmswork was awesome.
Yet she kept talking about all of her creatures, and how the Minister was murdering Goblins, baking them into pies. And Hermione kept listening.
Is there an ounce of truth in Luna's statements? Hermione thought to herself. Luna's illogic was outstanding.
\\/
"Does this map show the whole of Hogwarts?" asked Ron.
"I think so," responded Harry. "Why?"
"She's just disappeared off the map," said Ron. "What the hell is she thinking—leaving Hogwarts at this time of night?"
"There is the possibility that there are places in Hogwarts not on the map," said Harry, noticing that his friend's worry about their friend was turning into an obsession. "Just lay off her, okay?"
"But she's supposed to be mine!"
"Women aren't possessions to be won, Ron," replied Harry. "That goes double for Hermione."
\\/
Somehow, friendship turned to love. The combination of logic and illogic was astounding, but it worked.
Their first kiss was a mistake. Rather, their first kiss on the lips was a mistake.
It was after a DA meeting, and Hermione and Luna were the only ones left in the Room. Even Harry had already left.
She only meant to kiss Luna's cheek, but Luna moved at just the right time. They kissed on the lips. Then, by some unspoken agreement, they continued to kiss for another minute.
Just because something is a mistake doesn't mean that it can't be good.
Hermione used her prefect status to escort Luna back to the Ravenclaw Common Room, where Hermione met the bronze door-knocker in the shape of an eagle.
"Which came first, the phoenix or the flame?" it asked.
"No password, just a riddle?" asked Hermione of Luna, who nodded before answering the riddle.
"A circle has no beginning," answered the younger witch, who turned to Hermione and kissed her again before going through the now-open door to the Common Room.
Hermione smiled as she went back to Gryffindor Tower. She almost wish she hadn't gone back to the Tower.
"Where have you been?" asked Ron. "You could have been attacked or caught!?"
"I was using my prefect status to escort a friend home," she replied. "Not that it's any of your business."
"He's back, Hermione," said Ron angrily. "He won't hesitate to curse you, maim you, rape you, just to get at Harry!"
"Come off it, Ronald," said Hermione, slapping Ron on the face. "I am more than capable of defending myself. If I choose to have company, then so be it. Also, I am a Big Girl. I don't need anyone telling me what to do."
She stormed off to the Girl's Dormitory.
Ron felt his face where she hit him. "What the hell was that for?"
"She doesn't need you to keep an annoyingly close eye on her, Ron," said Ginny. "If you ever try to do that to me, I'm cursing your arse off like Gwendolyn Morgan did back in 1953!"
Ron growled in response, but stalked up to the dormitory. It was obvious that he was not going to receive any support.
Perhaps it was time to change his priorities.
\\/
"What happened, Hermione?" asked Luna the next time they met. It was a couple of days later, in the library. Luna could tell that something was up.
"Ron's being an ass," said Hermione. "Just as usual, he's being an overbearing, overprotective, stalking ass."
"What's he doing?"
"He wants me to be near him at all times," said Hermione. "He's using a family heirloom of Harry's to track my location."
"An heirloom?" asked Luna.
"It's a map of Hogwarts, created by his father," said Hermione. "It shows everyone in the school and where they are. It's completely up to date. I've never expressed an interest in him."
"Ronald is infested with Wrackspurts, Hermione," said her partner. "He wants more than the friendly relationship you have. In his mind, you're abandoning him after all these years of friendship."
"I'm not abandoning him!" exclaimed Hermione, albeit quietly, as they were in the library. "I just lo...I'm just more fond of you at this point."
Luna held her hand up in a placating gesture. "I know that you aren't abandoning him," she said. "You're just using your time more efficiently. I give you excellent incentive to get your work done quicker."
"Luna!"
"You know that you love me," said the younger witch.
"I do, Luna," said Hermione, not wanting to actually repeat the sentence yet. She knew that she loved Luna, she just wasn't sure whether she could vocalise it yet.
The Twins came over. "Did we hear you say that the Map is a family heirloom of Harry's?" they asked in an excited, but quiet voice.
"Harry's father and his friends created the Map at Hogwarts," said Hermione. "James was Prongs. You actually were living with two this past summer, and had one as a teacher a few years ago."
The Lumos charm lit over their heads. "Professor Lupin?"
"Moony," replied Hermione. "The owner of the...place we were in is Padfoot."
"We were living with two Marauders?!" exclaimed the Twins in their chorused voices. "What about the other one?"
"And Wormtail is Scabbers," said Hermione. "Also known as the person who betrayed the Potters, Peter Pettigrew."
The Twins fanboyed for a minute before returning to their regularly scheduled mayhem.
\\/
Luna and Hermione continued meeting for the next couple of months, until the DA was found by Professor Umbridge. She and Luna managed to escape, only because they ducked into a nearby bathroom and cast a Disillusionment Charm on themselves, despite its relative difficulty. They still managed to locate each other and start to kiss.
Sometimes raw emotion overcomes everything else.
The next morning, Luna and Hermione passed each other on their way to classes. "I saw Marietta last night before they took her to the Hospital Wing," said Luna. "Very creative of you. Cho isn't quite as happy with you or Harry, but she's never liked me."
"Perhaps the Humdingers?"
Luna laughed, a sound that always brought joy to Hermione's ears.
"You have to watch out, though," said the Ravenclaw. "Umbridge certainly knows the perpetrators of that group now. She'll have it even more in for you than usual."
"I've thought of that, and I accept that," said Hermione. "There are some things worth getting expelled over."
"What about me?"
"I'd get expelled and then smuggle you out," said Hermione. "We'd have to lay low for a couple of years, as it would technically be kidnapping and a whole lot of other charges, but we'd get out. Together."
"Exactly what I wanted to hear," said Luna. "Except, try not to get expelled. Kidnapping charges are so hard to beat."
\\/
It was after another studying session when Ron confronted Hermione again.
"Why are you spending so much time with Looney Lovegood?" he asked angrily.
"She's a good friend," said Hermione. "And like I said at the beginning of the year, she's brilliant."
"She's a year younger than us," pointed out Ron, angrily.
"But her knowledge clearly exceeds yours, Weasley," said Hermione, getting annoyed, and using his last name for the first time in years. "If I could, I would confiscate the map, or give it to people you can't steal it back from. I have half a mind to show Harry some nasty runes that he can put on his trunk, so that nobody can steal from it again. If you act this way to me again, I'd write your mother."
"You wouldn't dare!"
"I would dare," said Hermione. "Something like, 'Dear Mrs Weasley, Ronald has been using an enchanted map of Hogwarts to monitor the movements of Ginny and I. He is threatening to take it to the Headmistress. Hope you are well, Hermione.' So, yes, I would. And her name is LUNA, not Looney."
The shouting match was even louder than usual. At one point, the Gryffindors were quite sure that Hermione called Ron an asshole.
"Shut up!" called Ron before stomping off to the dormitory.
"I don't think that they will be friends much longer," said Neville.
"I don't think Ron and I will be friends much longer, either," said Hermione after Ron had left auditory range.
"He might change," said Harry, trying to reassure her.
She shook her head.
"It's not him I have eyes for any longer," she said. "I thought that he could grow up."
She burst into tears and sat down on the couch. Harry came over and placed his arm around her. "You're dating Luna, aren't you?"
"Is that a problem?" asked Hermione. "She's a great girl. My best female friend, no offence Ginny."
Ginny waved it off. Hermione did notice that Ginny was giving loving looks to Neville, but that the boy hadn't noticed it yet.
Ginny thought that Neville looked rather good this year. Add to that the amount of power he was showing, due to his increased confidence, and that really caused a girl to go nuts. It didn't hurt Ginny's case that he was one of the nicer Gryffindors.
"Hell, no," said Harry. "Personally, I go both ways. I've had a crush on you, Luna, and a couple of guys for the longest time."
He paused for a minute, thinking about something.
"Sirius gave me something with which I could contact him," said Harry. "Want to borrow it and the Map?"
"If I weren't in love with Luna, I could kiss you," said Hermione. Harry ran back to the dormitories. A minute later, he came back down with the package and the Map.
"See: it says 'This is a two-way mirror, I've got the other one of the pair. If you need to speak to me, just say my name into it; you'll appear in my mirror and I'll be able to talk in yours. James and I used to use them when we were in separate detentions'."
"Thanks, Harry," said Hermione, before rushing off.
\\/
Hermione ran to the Room of Requirement where, curiously enough, Luna was waiting for her.
"What are you doing here?" asked Hermione.
"Oh, I felt that I was needed here," replied the other witch.
"You realise what I'm about to do is illegal?" asked Hermione. "And that I will be contacting a known, but innocent criminal?"
"Are you calling Stubby Boardman?" asked Luna, jokingly. "I never believed that either of them would do that."
They activated the room, and it turned into a nice sitting room. "Cozy," commented the younger witch, sitting down on the sofa. Hermione sat down next to her, took the mirror out, and called "Sirius Black."
"Huh?" came a voice from the mirror. A second later, the picture activated. "Hermione? What's wrong?"
"Can I rant to you about Ron Weasley?" asked Hermione.
"Of course, start from the beginning, please?" asked Sirius. "And who's your lovely friend?"
"My very much underage friend is Luna Lovegood," said Hermione. "Her dad publishes The Quibbler."
"I thought I recognised the name," said Sirius. He turned his head towards Luna. "You look a lot like your mother. I knew her in school. Great in bed."
"Sirius, shut up about Luna's mum!" said Hermione. "And listen to my story!"
Hermione started from the beginning all the way up until the events of the night.
"Ron and I shout every so often," said Hermione. "But it's never been this bad. I think that I even heard him use the «M» word as he was walking away."
Luna was hugging Hermione at this point.
"I don't suppose that you're asking me to do anything about this?" asked Sirius hopefully. "I could transform into Padfoot and take a dump in his bed. Or set up a convoluted series of traps that activate each other and then cause something embarrassing to happen to him."
"Sirius, you have to stay in the house," she said. "Besides, Ron already knows about your other form."
"Sometimes people grow apart," said Sirius. "Look what Wormtail did."
"Thanks, Sirius," said Hermione. "He's just been so different this year. By the way, the Twins know your true identity now."
"I liked those troublemakers of Molly's" responded Sirius. "They are truly heirs to the Marauders tradition. Oh, by the way, Luna, I love your father's articles. They've kept me going the last two years."
They closed the mirror, and went to their Common Rooms.
\\/
Luna and Hermione didn't have a lot of time together for a while, since exams were coming up, and this was Hermione's OWL year.
Ron's relationship with Hermione and Harry soured over the next couple of months, and he mysteriously was absent for part of the Easter holiday. At this point, Ron was acting more like Malfoy, and none of the Gryffindor Fifth-Years were talking to him.
The next time they really got to meet was after Harry had a vision of Sirius being tortured in the Department of Mysteries.
"Try and contact Sirius," said Hermione. Harry got the mirror out, and called Sirius, but he didn't answer. It was at that point that they were stunned in the back.
When they came to, they were in Umbridge's office, and she was questioning them.
"You were trying to contact Dumbledore or Sirius Black!" said Umbridge. "I have an informant who told me that you were trying to contact known criminals. Crucio!"
Harry bit back the scream from the pain. Honestly, she was not as good at Voldemort at this. Eventually, Hermione and Harry got her to believe that there was a weapon in the forest, so Umbridge forced them to lead her there.
It was there that they were ambushed by centaurs and Hagrid's 5-metre half-brother Grawp. Harry and Hermione managed to escape, leaving Umbridge to the mercy of the feuding races in the forest.
As they emerged from the forest, Ron, Ginny, Neville, and Luna came running after them.
"What's the plan, Harry?" asked Ginny.
"I go to the Ministry and save Sirius," said Harry.
"I think you mean that we go," said Ron. Neville, Ginny, Luna and Hermione all volunteered to go.
"Thank you," said Harry. "You're all nuts, but thank you."
They took thestrals to the Ministry of Magic, which was an odd experience for Hermione seeing as she couldn't actually see the damned things.
They got to the Department of Mysteries and got to the Prophesy Room, where Harry's vision showed Sirius to be. When they got there, it was deserted.
"There's a prophesy with your name on it," shouted Neville, so Harry went over to pick it up. As soon as he did, Death Eaters came out of the shadows.
"Give us the prophesy, Potter," said Lucius Malfoy.
It was at this point Harry realised that they had just walked into an ambush. What shocked Harry even more was when Ron went over and knelt before Bellatrix Lestrange.
"I serve my Master, my Lady," he said, reverentially. Bellatrix ordered him to stand, and Ron drew back his sleeve, showing the Dark Mark. "I serve the True Master. I have chosen the winning side."
Hermione could tell that Harry was smarting from the betrayal. "Why?"
"Now I am not in your shadow any longer," replied the Death Eater. "I serve the Dark Lord, and He will win!"
"You were supposed to be at my side, fighting the Death Eaters," cried Harry. "You argued that Hermione would be killed if they got their hands on her. You have betrayed us all!"
"You will die, Potter," said Ron.
"You will try," said Harry. "Your master's tried it often enough, and I'm still here."
Ron shot a spell at Harry, who managed to avoid it, and then all hell broke loose.
\\/
During the fighting, Hermione, Luna and Neville were separated from Harry and Ginny, who were fighting Lucius, Bellatrix, and Ron, and were fighting in another area of the Department of Mysteries.
Luna was knocked unconscious by a spell at one point, but Hermione was quickly able to revive her. Neville was fighting harder than they'd ever seen him fight before. They came across a room with a table in it, and were followed by a Death Eater. As soon as she saw the Death Eater, Luna cast the Silencing Charm on him.
The Death Eater looked shocked for a second, and then grinned insanely. It was almost as bad as Bellatrix's grins. He waved his wand, and a purple curse emerged, hitting Hermione. She fell to the ground.
"Not Hermione, no!" said Luna, as she started to cast high-powered curses that became increasingly violent and lethal. Bits of the room were falling all over, as the Death Eater dodged her spells. For a minute, he was lucky, but then moved half-a-second too late. Two extremely painful, extremely lethal curses hit him.
He collapsed to the ground, presumably dead.
Luna rushed over to Hermione. Neville was kneeling next to her. "She's got a pulse," he said. "She's still alive. How do you know those spells?"
"A lot of them were from the Lovegood Library," said Luna. "We're related to the Blacks, you know."
It was at this point she saw Harry running towards Bellatrix Lestrange, as Bella was taunting Harry. This cannot be good, thought Luna. She noticed that Harry tried to cast the Cruciatus Curse on Bellatrix but failed badly. Bellatrix taunted him even more about that.
Luna thought that she saw Ron still standing in the background. It was this distraction that allowed someone to cast a body-bind on her.
It was at this point that Dumbledore and Voldemort showed up. During the battle, Bellatrix and Ronald managed to escape, but only after the Minister of Magic saw them.
The Minister saw the battle between Dumbledore and Voldemort, which was truly a remarkable fight. It ended with Voldemort attempting to possess Harry, with Harry forcibly pushing the Dark Lord out. Luna was forced to watch helplessly as her friend fought off the attempted possession.
It was only after he was victorious that Luna could move again.
Luna rushed back to Hermione, where she collapsed, crying over her girlfriend's body. Thankfully, both Luna and Hermione were both breathing.
\\/
When Luna woke up, she was at St Mungo's hospital. A nurse came in to check on her.
"Where's Hermione?" asked Luna, desperately.
"She'll be just fine," said the nurse. "There will be a bit of a scar, perhaps forever, but we managed to stop it before it went too far."
"Why am I here?"
"You were clinging to Miss Granger and were magically exhausted," said the nurse. "You must have cast some powerful spells down there."
"I did," admitted Luna. "Quite a number of them. What happened to Dolohov?"
"Dolohov?" confirmed the nurse. "He's dead. Official report says he got caught in the crossfire."
"Good," said Luna. She usually wasn't this vindictive, but usually her girlfriend wasn't in this much danger.
"Am I free to visit Miss Granger?" asked Luna.
"Just as soon as I finish up here," said the nurse.
\\/
Despite what the nurse said, when Luna went to see Hermione, she still looked to be in bad shape. But everyone on the ward was very optimistic that she'd make a full recovery. She went over to Hermione's bedside.
"Pull through, Hermione," Luna said. "You're the most important thing in my life, except my father."
That's where the Weasleys found Luna a couple of hours later when they came to visit her. Molly forced Luna to eat, and Ginny was frequently hugging Luna. All of the Weasleys were in shock about Ron's betrayal.
"Get better, girls," said Mrs Weasley as the Weasleys left a while later.
It was a few days until Hermione woke up and was able to leave the hospital, and they were some of the longest days of Luna's life. Even longer than the days surrounding the funeral of her mum.
Then, all of a sudden, Luna heard the word she'd been waiting to hear for the last couple of days. It was her name. It wasn't her name that she wanted to hear, of course, but rather the person saying it.
"Luna" said Hermione from her bed.
"Hermione?" asked Luna excitedly. "You were nearly dead."
\\/
"What happened to Umbridge?" asked Hermione curiously after they were released back to Hogwarts. She, Luna, and Harry were sitting in the Gryffindor Common Room. "The last I saw, she was going into the Forest."
"She was recovered by the Headmaster, according to McGonagall," answered Harry. "When we left her, she was just getting started. According to the McGonagall, the centaurs were unamused by her usual statements, and badly wounded her. She was barely alive when Dumbledore retrieved her."
The conversation turned to even more uncomfortable topics, like Ron's betrayal of the Light Side.
"I can't believe he'd do that," said Harry. Hermione tried to comfort him as best she could. "He was my brother!"
"I know, Harry," said Hermione, patting him on the back. Luna didn't look quite as jealous as one would think she'd be. It was likely that Luna understood her and Harry's relationship—completely platonic.
It was after dinner that night that Luna led Hermione to an unused classroom, where she told Hermione of Dumbledore's great battle with Voldemort, and of everything that happened after Hermione went down.
"Can I tell you a secret?" asked Luna, leaning in to get as close as possible to Hermione.
From Luna's tone, Hermione could tell that it might not be a secret that she actually wanted to know, but said, "Yes," anyway.
"I killed Antonin Dolohov," said the younger girl in a low voice.
"Won't you get in trouble for that?" asked Hermione. "And how do you feel, knowing that you took a life?"
"The Aurors have determined that Dolohov died in the crossfire," said Luna. "The Lovegoods weren't always as crazy as we make ourselves out to be. We're closely related to the Black family, you know. I have theoretical knowledge of many curses that I'm not sure that you could find anywhere other than our house, and the Black's House, wherever that is."
"And you?"
"It is not something that I will make a habit of," said Luna. "If you were to genuinely die, I'd likely go out in a hail of spellfire, while trying to take as many of them with me as I could. My soul remains whole."
"But I want you to be happy, not get yourself killed in a suicide run," exclaimed Hermione.
"Then don't get yourself killed on the battlefield," said Luna, cutting off all attempts at a rebuttal by kissing the older witch.
The two girls talked a while longer before Hermione went back to the Common Room.
\\/
Ron did not return to Hogwarts for the rest of term. Hermione figured that he was wherever the Death Eaters were. While she shed a few tears over the fact that he'd changed sides, she considered him to be a traitor and would treat him as such.
When the school year was over, Hermione managed to convince her parents to allow Luna to come over for a week, and then allow her to visit Luna's house.
"How exactly do you feel about this girl?" asked Dan Granger, Hermione's father. He had been afraid that this day would come sooner or later. He just didn't think that 'that day' would also come with a girlfriend, instead of a boyfriend.
He couldn't be as threatening to a girl.
"She's my absolute best friend, and I love her," responded Hermione.
"You love her?"
"Yes, Dad, I do," said Hermione. "She is the sweetest, most brilliant, oddest, wonderful person I've ever known."
"What about that Harry bloke that you went on about for the past five years?"
"Harry is a good friend to both of us," said Hermione. "Purely platonic at this stage. Quite possibly forever."
Eventually, Dan agreed, but stated that 'the girls have to have separate bedrooms.'
"Of course, Dad, we're not ready for that yet," said Hermione. "In fact, we won't be ready for that until 13 February 1998."
"Luna's birthday?" asked Dan with no small bit of anxiety, knowing that was the most probable answer. Hermione nodded.
Luna came over a couple of days later, and got along quite well with the Grangers, especially Emma, who seemed to be an older version of Hermione.
Over the next couple of days, Hermione introduced Luna to all sorts of Muggle things, like London, theme parks, the Underground, clothing stores.
Hermione didn't like to go clothes shopping. She never had. She wished that there was a way to buy clothes on demand and not have to deal with the hassle of looking for her size. This time, however, she had someone else, her own age, with her. A someone who had never experienced the horrors of clothes shopping.
"Damn, it's too bad I'm still underage," complained Hermione. "I'd just buy a bag and cast Undetectable Extensions Charms and Featherweight Charms on it. That way, we wouldn't have to haul all this around."
Luna just looked on, thinking. Should I tell her that I could easily get around the charm at my place?
"If you were at my house," said Luna, "You would be able to. The Ministry can only detect Magic. They can't tell who's casting the magic. My house is a known Wizard Residence."
\\/
One thing that Hermione noticed about her girlfriend was Luna's ability to rile up Dan Granger, using some of the same tactics that she used with Hermione—talk about her strange creatures and go off on ridiculous tangents. She'd even prepared new material concerning the Prime Minister.
Sometimes logic and illogic come together. Their names were Hermione and Luna.
\\/
After a couple of weeks in the Muggle world, Hermione left her house and went to Luna's. There, she met Luna's father, a man who truly looked like an older, male, version of Luna. He seemed to be even more strange than his daughter.
"Mummy was always the sane one in the family," Luna said later that night. "Once she died, Daddy started to believe even more in all of the animals, the conspiracy theories, and everything he printed in the paper. It was all quite sad. I'm not sure whether he will ever be more sane again."
Hermione noticed that Luna had a mural of the two of them on her ceiling, liked by a chain that said 'Best Friends'. It was rather odd seeing her own face staring down at her.
"I wasn't sure how to do the animation charms, see," said Luna. "Otherwise, it would've been a fully moving portrait."
Hermione thought about Luna's mum, and how wonderful a woman she must have been.
Sometimes logic and illogic come together. Their names were Selene Pandora Lovegood and Xenophilius Lovegood.
\\/
The girls met Harry and the Weasleys in Diagon Alley a couple of days later. They had just gotten money from Gringotts when they heard explosions.
That is not a good sound, thought Hermione. Her thoughts were echoed by her two best friends. They drew their wands and rushed out onto the Alley.
"Our duel was cut short last time, Potter," called Ronald Weasley, wearing the robes of a Death Eater. "Are you prepared to die?"
"At your hands?" asked Harry sarcastically. "I think not."
Hermione and Luna aimed at Ron, who was joined by Bellatrix Lestrange. They started to fire spells at each other.
"Luna, use something more lethal!" shouted Harry. "I know what happened in the DoM!"
This got Luna in the right state of mind to use some of the higher-powered spells she knew. She also realised that no matter what happened, she was likely not going to leave the battlefield under her own power.
Neville showed up a few minutes later, and started to engage Bellatrix who, despite her extreme skill, was having a hard time fighting off three people of extraordinary skill.
It was then that Ron attacked Harry again. Harry ducked, causing the spell to fly over his head, raining down bricks from a nearby building. Harry banished the debris at Ron, and Ron flew back.
Harry saw that Ron hadn't died yet, so he cast Sectumsempra at the Death Eater, which caused Ron to die quite painfully.
"You tortured my parents, prepare to die," chanted Neville in between spells. Bellatrix was having a hard time evading very lethal spells from four different sources. Neville cast a Reductor to her chest, and she flew backwards.
He disarmed her, and stood over her. "I could kill you, you realise that," said Neville. "I just won't kill you. Not yet."
He turned to Harry. "Should I blow her limbs off or completely wipe her mind to start?"
"You know how to do that?" asked Harry.
"Well, no," said Neville. "But that doesn't exactly matter now does it?"
He then decided to blow off her limbs, and then used a nasty spell to remove all of her hair. She was almost orgasmically screaming in pain as he did this.
"I guess she gets off on pain," commented Neville. Harry started to cast a couple of spells that Hermione didn't even know that he knew, and was joined by Neville.
The two boys grasped hands and said, "Together!" before casting the spells that ended Bellatrix's life.
Harry and Neville were exhausted, but running on adrenaline, as were Hermione and Luna. "Let's go check the rest of the Alley!" called Harry, and they rushed through the Alley.
They could see bodies littering the streets, some of which were recognisable, like the Malfoys or Lupin. When they got near the Leaky Cauldron, they saw Voldemort facing off against Dumbledore again.
All of a sudden, a giant buffalo appeared over Voldemort's head and fell on him. The buffalo quickly disappeared and Harry rushed in to help Dumbledore. Together, they cast a cutting charm that removed Voldemort's head, killing him for good.
A great cheer came from the survivors as they saw what happened, just as Harry and the others collapsed from magical exhaustion.
\\/
It was later that day that the children woke up.
"You didn't have too many major injuries," said the Healer examining them. "You were just exhausted. You four cast a lot of magic. You cast more magic in a couple of minutes than I usually cast in a month. And your cores are recovering nicely, too."
Hermione looked around. They appeared to be in a mobile hospital unit. If she didn't know better, she'd say that they were on the Muggle side of the Cauldron, but that couldn't be the case.
"There are Muggle-repelling charms on this tent, Miss Granger," said the Healer, as if she was reading Hermione's mind.
The tent seemed to be an entire floor of a hospital. It was very much bigger-on-the-inside.
"Now, I'd like you four to take it easy for at least 24 hours," said the Healer. "Don't stress yourself for about another week, and you should be good, medically."
The Healer walked off, and Albus Dumbledore came over to their beds. "You brave children," he said lovingly.
"How many died, Headmaster?" asked Harry.
"Too many," said Dumbledore. "On both sides. So far, we've found Severus, the Malfoys, Lupin, and Tonks, and we're trying to sort out who each of the other dead are."
"I killed three people today, Headmaster," admitted Harry, sadly. "I killed my former best friend, I helped to kill Bellatrix Lestrange, and I helped to kill Tom."
"It is the fact that you feel sadness, remorse for those that have been killed that sets you apart from Tom and his Death Eaters," said Dumbledore wisely. "I once had to do battle with an old friend. He remains in prison for his crimes."
\\/
"You're thinking about Harry, aren't you," asked Luna a couple of days later.
"He is my best friend, my brother," explained Hermione. "I can't imagine what it's like for him, having to kill three people in one day, one of which was his former best friend."
"I just worry that you'll go back to him," said Luna.
"Don't you ever think that, Lu," said Hermione. "You are the most important person in my life. I would kill a Death Eater for you. I would never do that to you. Harry would never do that to you. He loves us both too much to interfere in our love life."
A few days after Voldemort's defeat, Hermione received two letters. One was from her parents, inviting her and Luna to join them in Paris. The other was from Gringotts for the Will Reading of Sirius Black, who had been the reason Harry had been so mad at Bellatrix. Curiously, Luna was invited to that one as well.
Hermione immediately accepted both offers.
"Paris will be fun," said Luna. "They have the second largest Magical Alley there."
"There's also the Eiffel Tower, and the museums, and all that stuff," said Hermione. "The Muggles call it the 'City of Love' as they find it romantic."
"Getting a little ahead of yourself, aren't you, 'Mione?" asked Luna.
\\/
Sirius' will gave Hermione and Luna both exorbitant amounts of money, along with their pick of books from the Black Library.
Harry received the title of Lord Black, Number 12, a ludicrous amount of money, and various possessions.
A couple of days later, Luna and Hermione were on their way to Paris. They ended up having quite a good time there, going to museums and the magical alley.
\\/
It was sad when Luna and Hermione had to go their separate ways after being within feet of each other nearly the entire summer. Luna was starting her OWL year, and Hermione was starting her sixth year. They wouldn't be able to have classes together at all.
After the meal, Dumbledore gave his announcements. "We are welcoming an old friend back to the castle: please welcome Professor Slughorn, who will be taking over potions and as Head of Slytherin House."
The roar of approval was overwhelming. Everyone had hated Snape.
"Due to the fact that our previous Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher was severely injured at the end of the year, she has decided not to join us," said Dumbledore to just as much applause. "Taking her place will be Professor Kingsley Shacklebolt on loan from the Aurors."
There was a polite applause for the Afro-Caribbean Auror. Hermione figured that his classes would be good—he'd assigned decent textbooks.
"This summer, Mr Potter and I defeated Lord Voldemort," said Dumbledore to shudders and roaring applause. "There were many casualties on both sides. I would like to have a moment of silence to remember those who were killed."
He looked at his watch, and after a minute, he concluded his speech. "Well, I should think that I've bored you quite long enough. You have classes in the morning to prepare for, so pip pip off to bed. Prefects and Head Students, please lead the first-years to their dormitories."
Hermione stood up, her prefect badge on her uniform. "Gryffindor First-Years, follow me!" she called. She looked at some of the First-Years. Ron had been right the previous year—they did seem smaller. It's probably all a relative size thing.
She waved to Luna, who was heading towards the doors. Luna waved back.
\\/
Back in the Common Room, Harry was talking to everyone. He was apologising to the Weasleys for the death of Ron, directly at his hand.
"He was a prat," said the twins. "It doesn't make it hurt less, but he wrote his warrant last year when he joined Snakeface."
"I completely forgive you, Harry," said Ginny. "It still doesn't mean that we'll ever have a relationship, though."
She gestured towards Neville. Hermione had the feeling they would get together by the end of the year.
\\/
That year was free of any distractions of tournaments or crazy dictatorial professors or threats from Voldemort, so Luna and Hermione spent a lot of time together. It was almost disconcerting for Hermione when her girlfriend, a year younger than her, was able to point out things in the texts that she hadn't noticed.
Or fix grammar that Hermione didn't even notice needed to be fixed.
And Hermione was able to quiz Luna on nearly everything she needed to know about the exams. Their relationship was quite strong, and Hermione intended on proposing the minute that Luna turned seventeen. It might not be completely legal, but it would be a nice thing for them.
Harry was also doing quite well with his schoolwork. Being an Auror was a secondary career choice for Harry now. He'd already killed too many people, and wasn't sure that he could do that again. That said, he was getting top grades in all of his classes, including potions, now that Snape was no longer teaching.
"Maybe I'll do Quidditch for a couple of years, and reevaluate from there," he told Hermione. He admitted that there were some times that he felt guilty, and that he had nightmares of the battles, but that he was still mostly fit mentally.
The next year, Hermione was made Head Girl, and proceeded to abuse the associated privileges quite often. The Head Girl had her own dormitory office, so Luna was often there. This was technically against the rules, but all of the professors turned a blind eye. Some of her Ravenclaw classmates complained that she spent as much time in Gryffindor Tower as she did in Ravenclaw Tower. They conveniently forgot that they'd been bullying her and trying to get her to leave for the past five years.
Hermione and Luna had advanced their relationship to sleeping in the same bed, just sleeping. Professor Flitwick knew of this behaviour, but did not complain, seeing as his Ravenclaws' abuse of Luna had been pointed out to him.
\\/
Luna's birthday was on a Friday that year, so Hermione wanted to make it a weekend long combined Luna's birthday and Valentine's Day celebration.
During the Christmas holidays, Hermione had gone to see Xenophilius Lovegood and ask for permission to ask Luna to marry her. Mr Lovegood was very pleased. He always wanted his little Moonbeam to be happy, and now she was about to be 17. Hermione had also sneaked away to get Luna a ring—for that she used some of the money that Sirius had given her.
Most of the money she'd invested in supposedly safe investments, but she had kept enough to pay for her daily needs, and a ring.
Early in the day of Luna's birthday, Hermione told her that her biggest present would come after dinner. In the meantime, Hermione gave Luna an enchanted razor for her legs and a watch, along with books about the Muggle world (mostly written by Muggle-borns, Muggle family members, or Squibs). Luna was excited for the gifts she already received that she couldn't imagine how Hermione could top this.
After dinner, Hermione encouraged Luna to just go to the Gryffindor Common Room. She had negotiated with Dobby so that a chocolate cake (Luna's favourite flavour) would be delivered to the room. Everyone in Gryffindor plus Luna could have a party.
As always, Dobby had gone a bit overboard. He'd provided a couple of cakes, drinks, and various other candy items, a large table with a nice tablecloth, and large stacks of plates and cups. Hermione made sure that everyone got back to the Common Room first, so that she could surprise Luna.
"SURPRISE!" screamed everybody as Luna walked in. She seemed to be happy that everyone liked her so much. In the middle of the party, Hermione pulled Luna off to the side a little bit, got down on one knee, and took a box out of her bigger-on-the-inside pockets.
"Luna Selene Lovegood, you are most important person in my life, and I would like to go Crumpled-Horn Snorkack hunting with you," Hermione said. "Luna Lovegood, will you make me the happiest woman on this planet by agreeing to marry me?"
"Oh, Hermione, you can't be the happiest woman on the planet, because that's me!" said the stranger witch. "But of course, I will allow you on a Hunt."
She laughed at the look on Hermione's face. "Of course I will marry you." Hermione put the ring on Luna's finger, and the room started to applaud. There were squeals and other various noises when the girls started to kiss.
That night, after the party was over, Luna and Hermione were in the Head Dormitory. "I really am going to miss this, you know," she said.
"What?"
"The room, being able to be with you all the time," replied Luna.
"Don't tell anyone, but Professor McGonagall has offered me an apprenticeship," said Hermione. "She and I would split the classes for a few years, and we would work together on an Advanced Transfiguration project. That means, you only have to leave if you want to."
"I'd like that," said Luna. "Would it be one of those deals where you have to stay here a certain amount of time?"
"No," said Hermione. "Either of us can end it when we want. It even comes with a small stipend, and quarters. Quarters that are not connected to the host teacher's quarters."
"Take it," said Luna. "This is one of the best things to happen to you."
"I know,"
\\/
A couple of months later, Hermione left the school for the last time as a student, and with some of the highest marks known to Wizardkind. Privately, Dumbledore had told her that her grades were likely to be just a few points behind his and that was saying something.
Harry had also gotten good marks, which were not quite as good as Hermione's.
Hermione met her parents at the train station. She had told them about her engagement, and her actions getting off the train confirmed it, as Hermione was holding her fiancée's hand. They kissed before going over to meet Hermione's parents.
"Mum, Dad, this is my fiancée, Luna Lovegood," introduced Hermione, even though they'd met last summer and a couple of summers ago.
"Congratulations," said Emma Granger. "You have to tell us all about it."
"And don't forget to tell them your other news, as well," mentioned Luna.
"What other news?" asked Dan Granger, in the tone that clearly stated that he would not be happy if certain words were the next ones out of her mouth.
"Professor McGonagall wants to take me on as an apprentice," said Hermione. "It is a great honour, and is a path to becoming a teacher at the school."
Both of the Granger parents hugged their daughter, telling her how proud they were of her.
That night, Luna and her father came over for dinner. "So, what is the magical world's view on...this?"
"On gay people?" asked Xeno. "There are spells available for female gay people to have children, and we believe that they are perfectly able to have a family and get married. It's really only a subset of the Muggle-borns that have a problem with that."
"Spells to have children?" asked Dan, intrigued.
"For women, there is a spell that mixes the magical essence of the two parents," said Xeno knowingly.
"Think mixing DNA, dad," said Hermione.
"What happens when two men fall in love?" followed up Dan. "I know that one of Hermione's friends likes another guy."
"There is a spell for men," said Xeno. "But it requires a host. The two men choose a carrier, generally a poor, uneducated girl, and use the spell to implant an embryo in the female. It pays rather a lot, but each girl can only go through the procedure once. All other pregnancies have to be done the normal way."
"So there's no such thing as male pregnancy?"
"Merlin's beard, no!" laughed Xeno. "Only in the tabloids that print material even more outrageous than my paper."
"Is there a limit with two girls?" asked Dan, wanting to know how many possible grandchildren he could have.
"Only a self-imposed one," said Xeno.
Hermione noticed that her future father-in-law was speaking more coherently than usual, making fewer references to the things his paper wrote, and generally a charming man. It seems some time out of the Rookery was doing him some good.
\\/ Epilogue: 19 years later
Luna and Hermione Lovegood-Granger had been married eighteen years. Their marriage had produced three children, the last of which was now entering Hogwarts.
They were on the platform, saying goodbye to their children, when Luna saw Draco, along with his wife (whom Luna didn't recognise), and their three children. She whispered to Rose, their youngest, "You beat them on every test, okay?"
"Don't go spoiling them against the Malfoys," said Hermione. "Astoria is a perfectly nice woman, and her children are nice as well."
"What if I'm in Slytherin or worse, Ravenclaw?" asked Rose timidly.
"Rose, you are smart enough for Ravenclaw," said Hermione. "If you keep your mind in this world, you won't face any problems. In any case, whichever House you get in to will receive a wonderful young woman. You can ask it for Gryffindor if you want. It doesn't mean that it will acquiesce to your request, but you can try."
"Okay, mummy," said Rose.
"Go find your brothers," said Luna. "Have a good time, learn a lot, and go Gryffindor!"
Rose laughed as she went to find her brothers Daniel and Sirius.
Daniel was a Gryffindor fifth year, and a prefect. He was good on a broom, but also loved to learn.
Sirius was a Hufflepuff third year. He was the star chaser for the Hufflepuff team the previous years. Sirius, however, was quite similar to the person he was named after, as he loved to create trouble.
Rose, of course, was entering into her first year at the school. Both of her mothers had a suspicion that Gryffindor was in her future. She was quiet and kind, and had read most of the library at least once. However, there was that spark of Gryffindor-ness in her that they hoped the Hat could find.
"I can't believe that they're all at Hogwarts now," said Hermione.
"I know," said Luna. "Time flies so quickly."
Hermione Granger had many friends, in many walks of life, from Herbologists to Quidditch Players to Aurors, but none of them was as strange and illogical as her wife, Luna. That said, none of her friends were as sweet as the crazy girl she married.
Omake or Second Epilogue (Harry's life and times)
Harry Potter, of Godric's Hollow, was very happy with his life. The guilt of having to kill his former best friend really took its toll, but Harry had been getting help for that. A Mind-Healer had diagnosed him with something the Muggles called "PTSD", but his treatments were quite effective.
Harry ended up playing Quidditch, just he said he would, playing for the Ballycastle Bats and the English National Team. Before he retired, and turned to sports broadcasting (including calling Scottish rugby matches on the Wireless), he made the national team three times.
Eventually, Harry met and married one of his fans, a woman by the name of Julia Ivanova, who was of Russian descent. Together, they had three children: James, Sirius, and Lily, who were the best friends of the Lovegood-Granger children.
His first two children were in Gryffindor, while Lily was entering her first year.
Julia and Harry lived a good life. As they were leaving King's Cross after dropping their children off, Harry glimpsed his scar in the mirror. It had not pained him in twenty years. All was well.
Omake or Third Epilogue (Clan Weasley):
The Weasley family was not quite the same after Ron's betrayal and death. The Weasleys did not hold Harry responsible at all for killing Ron, but Harry stayed away just the same.
Bill Weasley ended up meeting Fleur Delacour at Gringotts and, despite his mother's attempts to get him to marry someone else, married the part-Veela in a ceremony in France. Molly, who had insulted Fleur one too many times, did not attend the ceremony once she found out that it would not be held at the Burrow. The rest of the family attended. Eventually, they had four children, two boys and two girls.
Charlie Weasley met a fellow Dragonkeeper in Romania, and married her. Molly refused to attend that wedding as well, and Charlie never stepped foot on English soil again. Their children went to one of the American schools, where they had excellent grades on the MSAT (Magical SAT) and other standardised tests. He and his wife travelled the world with a grandson of Newt Scamander, attempting to find and study new/previously unknown magical creatures.
Percy Weasley was the most boring out of all his siblings. He married Daphne Greengrass, who worked at the Ministry, and together, they had three children, only because that was the closest whole number to the average. Percy continued to work at boring jobs in the Ministry until he died of a Muggle disease at the relatively young age of 75.
Fred and George Weasley continued their joke shop, and were tremendously successful. Within ten years of their shop opening, they were pulling in over ten-thousand Galleons a month. They married Angelina Johnson and Alicia Spinnett. Both women managed to have twins, born on the same day at the same exact time. Minerva McGonagall threatened to retire by the time they arrived at Hogwarts. A few years later, the women each had an additional set of twins.
Ginny married Neville, and the two were very happily married. Neville worked as a Herbologist, and Ginny played for the Holyhead Harpies. After her career, she also joined the staff of Sports Wireless, before joining the Hogwarts staff as a flying instructor. Neville was the top supplier of potions ingredients in Britain.
The Weasley family, as a whole, were satisfied with their lives, even though certain members of the family disapproved of most of the spouses. Arthur continued to work at the Ministry, until he was forced to retire at the age of 115. He then annoyed his wife by tinkering with Muggle objects in his shed for the rest of his life.
All was well.
A/N:
Luna is 513 days (1 year, 4 months and 25 days) younger than Hermione: 19 September 1979 and 13 February 1981
In a previous draft, the Common Room blowup was a lot bigger than it turned out to be, and Luna actually used the Killing Curse to defeat Dolohov and then mused how Harry wasn't able to get a revenge shot in (at Bellatrix)
Hermione turns 17 on 19 September 1996 (at the beginning of sixth year), Luna turns 17 on 13 February 1998 (Hermione's seventh year, Luna's sixth year)
