You and me, Luna

by Shadream

Hermione and Luna have a rare gift within magic. A gift that doesn't come without problems. Follow the girls through their journey in life as they try to balance friendship, school and love from the dangers that constantly lurk in the surrounding shadows. Can they save the magical world from itself? Or maybe it's more right to ask if they even want to save the world at all?

2. Chapter 2

The outskirts of Ottery St Catchpole, afternoon, Wednesday, 18th July. 1990.

"I'm sure I saw one."

"Mhm."

"The Emerald Water Fairies are often hard to find when they're sitting still on the Water lilies."

"Mhm."

"The main reason for this is their green skin, which is almost of the same colour as the leaves on the Water lilies."

"Mhm."

The blonde girl looked up from the pond and stared into the tall grass behind her. Half a foot away, a second girl lay on her back, occupied with a leather-bound, grey book. The girl's brown, long and bushy hair lay scattered around her head. She didn't move, except when she turned a page in the book.

"These Fairies build their nest on rocks next to ponds and calm rivers," the blonde girl continued.

"Mhm," the brunette repeated for who knows what time now.

This time, the blonde girl snatched the book away from the other girl.

"Luna?" cried Hermione out. She sat up and looked confused at the blonde girl.

Luna studied the book back and forth before she swiftly looked through the pages. "Weird, I thought a Leshy was hiding in your book."

"A Leshy what?" said Hermione.

"They're a woodland spirit who can shapeshift into any form they want," said Luna. "They can sometimes be very mischievous towards humans. Since you were so distant in your replies, I believed one of them was trying to control you. Luckily, they often have trouble with those of us with magic." Luna handed the book back to the brunette who now stared suspiciously at it.

Hermione looked at her only friend in life and released a deep sigh. She knew it wasn't a Leshy who had made Hermione so absent. "I'm sorry, but my interest in magical creatures isn't the greatest. Not that they aren't fascinating at times, by all means. But how you manage to remember them all is a mystery to me. I even struggle with even the more general of those creatures."

"But you remember all the spells you read about?" said Luna.

"Spells are usually based on words and numbers, something I have always been good at," said Hermione. "Despite this, I should at least try to learn more about magical creatures. It's not fair of me to trust in your knowledge all the time either."

"I don't mind sharing my knowledge with you. We're friends, and friends do share with each other," said Luna with a smile.

"Yes, but you're smart enough to handle the other magic without my help, so there hasn't been much for me to share with you."

"Not true. When Mrs Ansley teaches us the Muggle subjects, you often explain them better for me than what she can."

Hermione couldn't deny this. When the Granger family had moved from London, then Eleanor made one thing clear for her daughter. Despite Hermione's magical abilities, she was still a Muggle girl. Magic or not, she should learn the same things any other Muggle child would at school. The only issue was to find someone who could teach Hermione these subjects. Thanks to Pandora, they did find the perfect teacher.

Cecilie Ansley was an elderly lady who recently had retired from her job as a teacher in the Muggle world. She came from the magical community, born without any abilities at all within magic. Mrs Ansley was a squib. After some persuasion, the woman had accepted to teach one last time. Since Pandora did like this idea, she made sure that Luna also would take part in this education. So when Hermione and Luna reached an age of five, they both started to study Muggle subjects with Mrs Ansley. For the coming years, subjects such as maths, literacy and geography became a part of the girls' life. Both Hermione and Luna did it well most of the time. But, there were times when Mrs Ansley had problems explaining things for Luna. Not that the blonde girl was stupid or slow in her understanding. The reason was Luna's rather unique mindset, something Mrs Ansley often struggled with. When this happened, Hermione had explained things differently so that Luna understood.

"You're smiling," said Luna.

"I only thought about what you said. It's true that I'm helping you, but Mrs Ansley isn't exactly teaching us magic."

"Help is help. It doesn't matter why or how you do it. Especially when it's between friends." Then Luna looked towards the dark clouds in the sky. "I believe it will soon rain. Maybe that's why we don't see the Emerald Water Fairies."

"They live by the water, but don't like rain?" asked Hermione.

"Their wings are fragile and heavy rain can damage them," said Luna. "On days like this, it wouldn't be safe for them to leave their nests."

Hermione pushed her book down into the brown shoulder bag she was always carrying with her. "If it begins to rain soon, then we should go back to the town. We don't have the raincoats with us, and my mother won't be happy if we stay outside." She stood up and brushed off the grass and soil from her blue tunic and black pants. Then she pulled out two pairs of brown leather moccasins from her bag. After watching Luna also brushing of her green tunic, Hermione gave one of the pairs over to the blonde girl. "I know you don't like to use them, but it's not healthy for your feet's to walk on the tarmac."

"Hermione always thinks about my health," said Luna and accepted the shoes. "Ah, you're blushing again."

There had been a time when Hermione would have hid her blushing from Luna, but there wasn't any point doing so. Luna always knew when this happened. It was as if the blonde girl understood Hermione's feelings better than what she herself did. Was this a part of their magic which Hermione didn't understand yet?

The girls laid the big pond behind them and followed a path between two large fields. As the wind started to increase, the wheat axes swung in a soothing rhythm beside the girls. They soon reached a paved road which they followed towards Ottery St Catchpole. It didn't take long before they passed several houses, tall hedges and walls in the old part of the town. It was here where most of the people in the magical community had been living for almost 300 years now. The girls went off the main road and into one of the small alleys. About fifty yards into the alley, they saw a white, two-storey brick house with a black roof. Above the buildings red door, a green sign with black letters hung.

"Dreaming Dragon's bookstore." was a store which Eleanor and Pandora had started together a few years back. Finding a dentist job in the area had proven difficult, so Eleanor was in need of a different job. Pandora had suggested a bookstore since the two women had a common interest in books. Only a year later, they could at last open the store in one of Ottery St Catchpole's alleys.

Hermione and Luna went straight in where the sound of a bell announced their arrival. The store was filled to the brim with books of all sizes and thicknesses, organised by subject and origin. Every one of books was about magic, either from the magical world itself or the Muggle world. At the back of the room, behind a solid counter in reddish-brown wood, stood a dark-haired woman. She was wearing a long, black skirt and a yellow blouse with the name of the store on one of the breast pockets.

"Hey, Mum. Has it been a busy day?" said Hermione and gave the woman behind the counter a warm smile.

The woman smiled back to the girls. "It hasn't been too bad, but I'll be glad when Pandora comes back on Friday. There were a few customers who were looking for some unique books today, but I couldn't give them any answer. They will come back after the weekend when Pandora is here."

"Oh, did Mum finally find what she looked for?" asked Luna.

Eleanor nodded towards the balcony above the store counter.

"Ariel!" said Luna with a massive smile. Sitting on a perch was the Lovegood's peregrine, who greeted them with two short screeches.

"She came in for an hour ago with a letter from your mother. Pandora and Xenophilius are coming home, early on Friday afternoon. They're only waiting for the permission to bring the books here," said Eleanor.

"The Ministry of Magic in Japan is rather strict with the export of old books," said Luna.

"Yes, she told me that before she left. But Pandora knows the rules well and shouldn't have much trouble," said Eleanor. "It's still an hour until I close, so you two should go up on the balcony and wait there. And Hermione, don't touch any books without asking me first. Remember that the books here are for sale, not your private library. There are plenty of books at home you can read."

Hermione just rolled her eyes and walked up the stairs with Luna right behind. On the balcony, Hermione pulled out her book from the bag and sat down on the floor to read. Luna lifted up Ariel and started to play with the falcon. For the next half hour, none of them said much, except for a few words when a customer came into the shop. All the customers were people from the magical community, so the girls knew most of them. The bookstore was shielded to prevent Muggles from seeing and entering the store. Hermione's mother was the only exception since she owned it together with Pandora.

Hermione had read through the same chapter in the book three times now, but she wasn't sure why. It was as if she was looking for something, but without knowing what it was. While her mind tried to find the answer, Hermione suddenly heard a weird sound. She looked around in an attempt to locate this sound, but nothing of what she saw could be the source of it.

"Hermione, is something wrong?" asked Luna.

"You don't hear it?" answered Hermione.

"Hear what?" Luna put the falcon back on the perch and looked around the store as well. "Oh!" blurted Luna out.

"You hear it now? The sound of flowing water that's coming closer?" asked Hermione.

Luna nodded and added, "It's not water, but a disturbance in the magical energy."

"Disturbance?"

"Yes," said Luna.

"How do you know?"

"Three years ago, in the fall, Dumbledore came on a short visit in the evening to deliver some books to my mother. It was quite late, so Dumbledore probably thought I had gone to bed," said Luna and stood up. Both of the girls could now hear the sound clearly. "I sat on the top of the stairs down to the kitchen and listen to their conversation. They talked about magical disturbance, but because they did move around, I couldn't hear it all. After Dumbledore had left the house, I went down and asked my mother about this. She told me that people with strong magic could create a disturbance in the magical energy."

"Like us?"

"Yes. We're so sensitive to this energy that we will be able to feel others who also have strong magic. The sound of water we hear isn't actually a sound, but a feeling."

"Strong magic?" asked Hermione herself. Then she realised what this meant. "Luna," said Hermione in a whisper so her mother couldn't hear her. "Are you saying that we can sense others with wild magic?"

"I'm not sure. My mother never mentioned our kind of magic when I asked her."

"It sounds like we can, but we would have to ask your mother if..."

As the bell above the door rang, Hermione stopped talking and stared at the customers who entered. It was a small group of four people, most likely a family since they had some similar features. In front of the group, a woman in her forties walked with a flowered dress and shoulder-length red hair. Behind her came two boys and a girl with the same red hair.

"Welcome back, Molly," said Eleanor when the group approached the counter. "What can I help you with today?"

"Hello, Eleanor," replied the red-haired woman. "Percy need some books for Hogwarts. We were in Diagon Alley yesterday to look for them, but they were very pricey there. Don't you have discount on school books the last months before the school begin?"

"Yes, we give discount to the local people every year. What books are you looking for?" asked Eleanor.

Molly gave a sheet to Hermione's mother. "It's the last two on the list here. Do you have them?"

"I think so," said Eleanor. "Wait here for a moment. They should be in the storage room."

"Of course," said Molly.

On the balcony, the girls sat half hidden behind the railing and observed the new customers. The family stood close to each other, making it difficult to find out who was the source to the disturbance.

Luna leaned over to the brunette and whispered into her ear. "It's the girl."

"Are you sure?" whispered Hermione back.

"Look at how she behaves compared to the others."

Hermione carefully watched all four down there, and at last, she saw the same as Luna had seen. The boys walked among the bookshelves and read the books there. Their mother didn't like this much and went between the boys to make them behave. While this happened, the girl just stood there, glancing towards the same books. Even Hermione did recognise the look in the girl's eyes.

"She want to look into the books just as much as her brothers, but..."

"...she's scared to touch them," finished Hermione. "Like the first time when we were with our mothers to a store. It was shortly after we had been told about the dangers with our magic, do you remember?"

Luna nodded.

"We believed things would catch fire if we did touch them," said Hermione with a smile. She knew why it had been Luna who discovered the difference in the family's behaviour. Human behaviour was in many areas not much different from other creatures. After Luna had learnt to read, she began studying magical creatures with her mother. Many thought Pandora would be the next great Magizoologist after Newton Scamander. Then she got Luna and decided to retire from the public life to take care of her daughter. For many people was this a sad moment since they felt it was a huge loss for the magical community. What they didn't know was how much better Luna already was at this subject than her mother. Unless the blonde girl's wild magic got in the way, then Luna would one day have a bright future. "Hmm, I wonder."

"On what?" asked Luna.

"If the girl is aware of her wild magic? Maybe she has had accidents with her magic earlier and don't know why?"

"And because of this, she doesn't trust herself," said Luna with a sigh.

"Luna, have you seen this girl before?"

"Not what I can remember. But still...it's like I know her somehow."

"I have the same feeling as you and are pretty sure this is the first time I see her," said Hermione. She scratched her head for an answer, but Hermione couldn't shake off the feeling she knew this girl.

"Here, Molly," said Eleanor when she came back with two thick books. "I'm sorry it took so much time, but we've received many new books recently which I haven't had a chance to unpack yet. The storage room is a bit chaotic for the moment."

"It's fine, Eleanor. Pandora isn't here today?" asked Molly.

"No, she's in Tokyo on a search for some rare books," replied Eleanor.

"Ah, I understand." Molly paid for the books and quickly pushed her children out of the building.

"They were in a hurry to get out," said Hermione. It wasn't unusual that the customers spend some time talking to her mother. Many of them were quite fascinated over that a Muggle owned a bookstore in the magical world. So it was rare to see people rushing out like the redheaded family. "Come, I've become curious now." Hermione stood up and stormed down the stairs.

"Hey, what did I tell you about running in here?" said Eleanor strictly.

"Mum, who was that family?" asked Hermione.

Eleanor folded her arms and looked at her daughter even stricter. "When we started this bookstore, it wasn't for feeding you with all kinds of gossip. That family were customers. Not a subject for curiosity and other follies."

"Eleanor," said Luna, who had followed the brunette far more calmly down the stairs. "Hermione aren't asking because we're looking for gossip. She ask because we think the girl in that family is like Hermione and me."

"Ginevra? Why do you think that?" asked Eleanor, but she then raised her arms up in the air. "No, wait with the answer until we get home. I don't have the time for this right now. Beside, we shouldn't talk about that subject here where people can come at any time. You two can in the meanwhile help me carry the books from the storage room and out to the counter. I need to begin sorting them tomorrow." And without saying anything more, Eleanor continued on her regular routines.

Hermione just shrugged her shoulders and pulled Luna after her into the storage room.

Half an hour later, an yellow Ford Escort station wagon rolled up in front of a house outside the town. It was here Hermione lived with her mother, but also a temporary home for Luna until her parents came home. The house was two floors high, with white painted brick walls and a thatched roof. The property itself was only a stone's throw from the southbound main road out of Ottery St Catchpole. A six-foot-high hedge prevented any insight into the area, while Pandora had added some magical protection. Even if people climbed on top of the hedge, they would only see an empty yard. The only way to bypass the protection was to receive an personal invitation from Eleanor. The enchantments wasn't as extensive as the ones around the Lovegood house, but it was good enough for the Granger's.

The inside of the house was looking mostly modern, not unlike the other Muggle homes in the area. When the Granger's moved in, they had to renovate the entire house since it was quite worn. Thanks to some magical help from the Lovegood's, it hadn't taken long time to do this. Only the dark beams on the ceiling was left to tell about the real age of the house.

They walked into the light blue kitchen where Eleanor delegated out tasks to the girls. Neither of them said anything more than necessary while they made a simple dinner. Pandora had been gone for almost two weeks now, which meant far more tiring days for Eleanor at work. So she didn't want to hang over the pots too much, even when the two girls gave a helping hand. Not that she felt any reason to complain. When Eleanor had worked as a dentist in London, long and stressful days was a weekly experience for her. Eleanor's work at the store was like a vacation in comparison, even without the help of Pandora. It didn't take long before the dinner was done and stood on the table. Today it was spaghetti with homemade meatballs and sauce. The food was consumed in peaceful circumstances without a word.

A bit later, after finishing the dishes, Eleanor put three bowls with vanilla ice cream on the table. "So Ginevra could have wild magic?" asked Eleanor after a few spoons of the ice cream. "Do you have any evidence for this?"

The girls first explained what Luna's mother had said about magical disturbances. Then they told about their experience inside the bookstore with the family. The only thing the two girls kept secret was the feeling of having seen the girl before.

"Flowing water?" said Eleanor. Even after almost nine years in the magical world, there were still things that amazed her.

Luna nodded. "Many believe our magic comes from an endless ocean of energy. Each time we use magic, we draw energy from this ocean. Most have limits on how much they can use, but for those like Hermione and me...it's different."

"Yes, I remember the evening when your mother told me about the dangers of wild magic. Without the right training and a good control of your emotions, you can..." Eleanor stopped for a moment and looked at the girls.

"Mum? We know what you wanted to say and we understand," said Hermione. "Our magic can be strong, but if we don't have control, it can kill us."

"Sorry, but it's not a thought I like to think about. So, back to the water," said Eleanor.

Hermione smiled at her mother. "We talked about it when we carried the books today. I don't know it anyone have researched this, but we have a theory. Luna told me it's not actually water we hear, but a feeling. Our senses can't understand its true form, so instead, they use the closest one they can find."

"But flowing water?" said Eleanor.

"Well, if the belief about the endless ocean is true, then there is a logical answer to this," replied Hermione. "After you have taken a bath in the bathtub, you empty out the water afterwards, right?"

"Yes, of course," answered Eleanor.

"What do you hear then?"

"The water which...flows...through the drain?" said Eleanor.

Hermione knew her mother wasn't dumb, but magic wasn't easy for her to understand. So Hermione preferred using Muggle terminology to explain things for her mother. "Yes. Like Luna said, most people have a limit on how much energy they can use. If the water in the bathtub was magical energy, it would be like if they used spoons to empty it. But for those like Luna and me, we would pull the plug. When the water flows out, it create a vortex over the drain. It's the same thing when someone with wild magic use their abilities above the limits of others. The amount of magical energy we can use from the endless ocean creates a vortex."

"Those with wild magic are so sensitive to this energy that we can feel this vortex if we're close enough," said Luna.

"Okay, I understand," said Eleanor with a sigh.

"This is the reason why most of our training are meditation exercises," said Hermione. "They teach us control over our emotions. It makes it easier to not use too much magical energy and create those disturbances. Which again makes it difficult for others with wild magic to find us."

"Yes, Pandora told me more or less the same when I asked her about this," said Eleanor. She ate the last of her ice cream and put the bowl aside. "She also told me of another reason why Dumbledore want you to focus on your emotions first. It's all about your age."

"Our age?" said Hermione confused.

Eleanor nodded. "So you can avoid problems later, it's important to learn control over your emotions early. When reaching your puberty, then hormones and constant mood swings will make these exercises harder. Right now, you have a reasonable control over your emotions, but it will soon change. Persuading children in their puberty to sit still and meditate is like trying to herd a flock of cats. Both end up as an exercise in frustration with many new grey hairs as a result," concluded Eleanor with a grin.

"I thought our puberty already had begun? And I don't see any problems with it?" said Hermione.

"Maybe not yet, but you're only at the beginning of it. Wait a year or two, then you'll be like the other teenagers," said Eleanor.

"Bah!" was Hermione's answer.

"Eleanor, do you think Dumbledore is aware of Ginevra?" asked Luna.

"I don't know. Dumbledore never say anything about the others he are training," said Eleanor.

"Mum, how old is Ginevra?" asked Hermione.

"Well, I don't know the Weasley family so well. Molly has visited our bookstore a few times over the years. Mostly when one of their children need books for Hogwarts and they can't afford to buy them in Diagon Alley." Eleanor picked up the empty bowls from the table and washed them clean in the sink. Afterwards, she turned back towards the table. "The Weasley's aren't a wealthy family, which makes it difficult with seven children's. School equipment isn't cheap, and when you add in the cost of clothing and food, your money don't last long. Especially when you don't have much of it to begin with. Ginevra is the youngest of the seven children and the only girl. I think she's about 7-8 years old by now."

"I'm not sure if Ginevra have had any training at all," said Luna. "If she had, then we wouldn't have felt a so loud disturbance from her."

"There could be other reasons why Ginevra's disturbance was so strong," said Hermione. "Your mother have often said we're lucky who can train together. Many of our exercises have been hard enough for the two of us, but we got through them because we have helped each other. If Ginevra is training alone, she could struggle more than us with the exercises."

"Hermione could be right, but only if Ginevra have wild magic. We don't know," said Eleanor. "But if she do have it, then it can't be easy for her to train. You two have each other as well as Pandora and me. With seven children, jobs and a house, it can't be easy for Ginevra's parents to find time to help the girl."

"Hmm, I suddenly remember that my mum once mentioned a Weasley family. They don't live so far away from here, do they?" asked Luna.

"I think they live somewhere outside the town. Their house should be to the southeast of us. For a summer or two ago, I saw them leaving the town in that direction," said Eleanor. "Why do you ask?"

"Hermione, did you notice any disharmony from Ginevra?" asked Luna.

"No," replied Hermione while shaking her head.

"Neither did I. It wouldn't be right of us to sit here and do nothing. We could visit the Weasleys and talk with Ginevra and ask if she need help?"

"No!" said Eleanor determined. "I need to talk with Pandora and Dumbledore first before any of you contact Ginevra about this. If she doesn't get training or maybe aren't aware of her wild magic, it could do more harm than I wish to think about."

"If Ginevra have wild magic, she's aware of it," said Hermione. "Her behaviour in the store wasn't unlike how Luna and me was in the beginning."

"Her two brothers looked at several books while they waited for you. Ginevra only glanced at the books, scared of touching them," said Luna.

"It doesn't matter. I forbid you from mentioning wild magic to Ginevra until we're sure. Understood?" said Eleanor.

"Yes, mother," answered Hermione.

"Of course, Eleanor," said Luna.

"Mum, can we go out for a while?"

Eleanor peered out the window towards the dark clouds. "Okay, but take your raincoats with you. The clouds seem to be heavy with rain."

With those words, Hermione jumped down from her chair and pulled Luna to the front door. They picked up the raincoats from the hooks and opened the door.

"Come home before 10 o'clock. Vacation or not, you both need sleep," was the last Eleanor managed to say before the door closed behind the girls. She looked out the window and saw the girls run across the courtyard and out the gate. For the next ten minutes or so, she stood there staring at the ever darker clouds in the sky. An uncomfortable feeling grew in her every second now. There had been something special in her daughter's eyes when Hermione had asked if they could go out. Eleanor had perhaps no magic, but she had become very good at reading other people in the recent years. It was a necessary trait when Hermione's magic was so linked to her emotional status.

Up on the perch beside the window, Ariel gave off a small screech to comfort the woman.

"You noticed it too?" asked Eleanor. "That something has changed?"

The falcon screeched again.

"I thought so," replied Eleanor with a sigh. From one of the drawers, she pulled out a writing block and a pen. "I'm afraid that you've to deliver a message for me."

-XXXXXXX-

"Hermione, why are we going back to the town?" asked Luna.

"Because I want to check on something and the library is the best place for that," said Hermione as she briskly was heading towards Ottery St Catchpole.

"What do you want to check?"

Hermione halted and pulled up the inch thick book she had been reading on throughout the day. "Chapter 14," she said and stuck the book into Luna's hand.

"Inheritance through magical blood?" could Luna read on the front. "Not something you're usually reading. What's so special about this book?"

"Leonard Craven wrote that book in 1572. He was a wizard who researched how magic has been inherited between generations. It contain several of Craven's theories from his research. All of them have since been disproved by others," said Hermione. She had again begin wandering towards the town.

Luna did her best to keep up with the other girl while she turned the pages to chapter 14. "Magic and soul?"

"I'll explain when we get to the library," said Hermione as the girls reached the town.

"Which of them?"

"Our own, of course," said Hermione. She looked around and whispered, "I need to find some copies of magical research."

Luna closed the book and followed quietly after the brunette.

The magical community's library was in the same street as their mothers bookstore. On a brick wall, between two Muggle stores, there was a door with carvings of magical creatures. This was the hidden entrance to the library. Like Eleanor and Pandora's bookstore, it was hidden from Muggle eyes with magic. Hermione pushed on one of the carved creatures wings while she twisted the door handle. The door opened itself inwards without a sound.

They came into a medium sized room with panel wall in oak, light birch floors and a white painted roof with thick oak beams across. Along the walls, there were several round tables with chairs in the same birch as the floor. This evening was all the tables empty, which wasn't uncommon in the summer. In one corner of the room, a desk stood in front of a tall, lit fireplace of black stone. Behind the desk, a wizard in his early fifties sat with short, grey hair and horn-rimmed glasses. The librarian was reading on a book, but when the girls approached, he lifted his eyes towards them.

"Good evening, Miss Granger and Miss Lovegood," said the librarian.

"Good evening, Tobias," said Hermione and Luna almost unanimous.

"What can I help the two of you with today?"

"I'm looking for research on a theory which Leonard Craven wrote in his book from 1572," said Hermione.

"Okay," replied Tobias with a tiny smile. "Could you be a little more specific? This person is unknown to me, so I'll need some help."

"Give the book to Tobias."

Luna did as she was told and handed the book to the librarian.

"In chapter 14, Craven describes a theory that magic isn't inherited through the blood. Instead, he believed our magic were separated out as its own part after our death. Craven wasn't sure how this worked, but he guessed it could be in a form of a soul. This magical soul wanders around, like a ghost, but invisible to any normal eyes. When they find a worthy host, they will give their magic to the chosen person."

"Phew, it's never boring when you two comes here," said Tobias. He wrote down this information on a card, looked through the book and wrote some more on the card. Then he returned the book and said, "I'll send the request to the central library in London. They should have a better knowledge if there's been some research on this subject. Do you wish to wait? The library is open for a few more hours."

"Is it okay for you to wait, Luna?" asked Hermione.

"We can wait a little while at least," answered Luna.

Tobias turned around and threw the card into the lit fireplace. The flames changed shortly into emerald green before they returned to the usual colours. "I'm not sure how long this will take. It's low season for the libraries at the summer, but your request is so unusual it could take some time."

"We have vacation, so time isn't a problem for us. Thank you, Tobias," said Hermione. Then she brought Luna to the table the furthest away from Tobias' desk.

When they sat at the table, didn't Luna take her eyes away from the brunette. "Tobias is so kind. He never ask why we wish to know everything we ask about."

"Tobias has been working here since he finished Hogwarts. I would guess he's accustomed to strange requests by now," said Hermione.

"Perhaps. Now, why are you so interested in this theory?"

"I found that book in the storage room of the store for a couple of days ago. Like you said, its not the kind of book I usually read," said Hermione. "To be honest, I don't even know why I began reading it. I just...did it."

"Sometimes we do things today, which we won't understand before tomorrow," said Luna with a smile.

Hermione raised her eyebrows a little and smiled back. The logic in Luna's answer was absent, at least for Hermione, but she didn't say anything. The two girls had perhaps the same kind of magic, but it was one of the few things they had in common. Hermione's mind and actions had always been bound by the need for control and knowledge before she did anything. Luna was more carefree in her choices and took each day as they came. Despite this huge difference, the girls had become inseparable over the years. "Well, I've read all the chapters several times, but chapter 14 is the one I can't get out of my head. Which is weird since it's the one I have the least belief in. The other theories in the book seemed much more realistic."

"But?" said Luna with an anticipating smile.

"I looked through many of the books in the store, to my mother's annoyance, and found some confusing answers. All of Craven's theories have been rejected by later research, except the one in chapter 14."

"So the theory could be true?"

"I don't know," said Hermione with a sigh. "I couldn't find a single book which mention this theory at all. That's why I wanted to come here and see if they could find something for me in London."

"What if they don't find anything? Maybe people have shared your belief in that theory and haven't seen a reason to research it?"

"I think someone have done it, but for unknown reasons it's hard to find the information on this. There are 21 theories in the book, but only 20 of them have been looked into? From a scientific view, it doesn't make any sense."

"Why is this chapter so important for you?" asked Luna.

"Because when we were down by the pond today, I looked through the chapter again. This time I read everything and found something that made me wonder."

"That's nothing new since you always wonder about something," said Luna with a teasing smile.

"Anyway," replied Hermione blushing. "Craven had talked with several witches and wizards who lived in his time. These people had told about events where they had met other people who at the time where unknown to them. But they also told that these unknown people gave them an intense feeling of having seen them before. Sounds familiar?"

"It's like the feeling we had for Ginevra," said Luna.

"Exactly the same. While we helped my mother with the books, I couldn't avoid thinking about some of the names in Craven's book. It was as if I had seen them before, but I wasn't sure where. It wasn't until we drove home that I remembered. So while you helped my mum with the dinner, I...snuck away for a few minutes."

"I know. You told me you needed to visit the bathroom, but you spent a lot more time than usual." said Luna.

"Sorry for that lie. In fact, I wasn't at the bathroom at all, but upstairs in my room where I read one of the books Dumbledore gave us. The one with the names of the former us."

"Oh?"

Hermione nodded. "As you know, the names in that book goes all the way back to when they built Hogwarts. They come from the archive which Rowena Ravenclaw maintained for as long as she lived. Rowena created it because she wanted to see if the school's education was effective. The names of each student who have attended Hogwarts is in that archive. It not only contains information about how they did it at school, but also about their lives after Hogwarts. After her death, Godric Gryffindor took over the responsibility for the archive. Since then, the school's Headmaster has continued to update it every year. Because of the archive's accuracy, Dumbledore could find every former students in the schools' history with our kind of magic."

"I don't remember that Dumbledore told us how he found the names, so how do you know?"

"You're not the only one who has overheard Dumbledore," said Hermione satisfied. "While you were reading the book in my room the day we got it, I went down to the kitchen to find something to drink. There I heard Dumbledore arguing with our mothers in the living room. I'm not sure how their discussion started, but they talked about the archive and Rowena."

Luna sighed. "My mother have had a lot of arguments with Dumbledore lately. I'm wondering if he's doing it on purpose." The blonde girl looked absent into the ceiling.

"Do you mean he starts arguments on purpose?"

"No. I thought about how he always seems to talk about something important when we're nearby," said Luna. "If we can sense others like us, wouldn't Dumbledore be able to detect when we're close to him?"

"Yes, but part of our training is to prevent this from happening," said Hermione. "But on the other side, Dumbledore is considered to be the strongest wizard in the world. He is also the most experienced in our kind of magic, so maybe...? But why would he do something like this?"

"Because of our mothers. The most common reasons for my mum's arguments with Dumbledore is how much he tells us about our magic. She believe he's going too fast forwards despite our young age. That we should be allowed to behave more like ordinary children and don't spend all our time on magic alone."

"But we're not normal children. No matter how we look at it, we will always be different from everyone else," said Hermione with a sigh.

"I know that, but maybe...maybe we could..." Luna stopped and stared down at the table.

"Our lives are already decided because of our magic. Yes, we're children, but only on the outside. If other people knew the truth about us, then our age wouldn't affect how they did see us. They would either begin running for their life or hate us as if we were monsters. Our magic is feared because only the negative events in the last centuries are known to people. I don't see a reason why this mindset will change in our time." Hermione looked towards Tobias, but the librarian was occupied with a book on his desk. "But I guess you're right. It wouldn't be unlike Dumbledore to do such a thing."

Although it was clear that this thought still bothered her, Luna decided to change the theme. "Did you find what you were looking for in the book?"

"Yes," replied Hermione with a nod. "The names I had seen in Craven's book was, except from one, also in Dumbledore's book."

"They all had…"

"…our magic," said Hermione with another nod. "That's why I'm hoping someone has researched the theory in chapter 14 as well. Maybe we will find more names that match those in Dumbledore's book."

"Hush, Tobias is coming," said Luna.

Soon after, Tobias came to the girls table with a positive smile. "I've received a crate from the main library which contains what they could find around your request. It's quite heavy, so I've put on a temporary Charm to reduce its weight for you. Could you come over to my desk for a moment?"

The girls followed after the librarian. On his desk, they could see the wooden crate, 5-6 inches tall and nearly double that in length and width.

"I'm somewhat surprised they found so much about this subject," said Tobias and put a parchment on top of the crate. "Could one of you sign this to confirm that you've received the crate and its content?"

Hermione picked up the feather pen and wrote her name on the bottom line of the parchment.

"Thank you. Here is the key to open the crate," said Tobias and handed over a small key. "Everything inside is copies, so you don't need to return any of them. I would however not wait too long before taking the crate home as my Charm doesn't last longer than an hour."

"Thanks again for the help," said Hermione. She grabbed the handle on the side of the crate and lifted it with ease.

"It's me who should thank you. Most people only ask after the more ordinary things when they come here and most of it are quite boring. That's why I'm glad when I see you coming here," said Tobias smiling. "Your requests are always so much more interesting and it makes my day less dull."

They said their goodbyes to the librarian and walked out on the street.

Hermione lifted the crate up and down a few times. "I've to agree with Tobias about how unexpected much they could find. What I found about the other theories was mostly in thin books, or small parts from within larger ones."

"You seem a bit disappointed because of this. I thought it would make you happy?" said Luna.

"So would I, but why do I then have this bad feeling?" replied Hermione and shrugged on her shoulders. "Let's go home and open it."

-XXXXXXX-

A while later they came storming into the hallway of the Granger house. The expected rain was pouring down outside and had made the girls soaked from top to toe.

"Why didn't you use your raincoats?" asked Eleanor from the doorway into the kitchen.

"There were only a few raindrops to begin with, so we hoped to get home before it got worse," said Luna.

"But when we stood at the gate, all off the rain came at once. At that moment we were already wet, so we ran over the courtyard," continued Hermione.

Eleanor sighed and took a sip of the tea she held in her hand. "Well, get upstairs and change into some dry clothes. No reason for you to become sick. What's in the crate?"

"Books. From the library," replied Hermione.

"Don't you have enough of them in your room already?" said Eleanor, but shrugged on her shoulders and went back into the kitchen again.

"Come, let us go up before she comes back," whispered Hermione and went up the stairs to the second floor.

The girls dried their hair and switched to dry clothes, before they sat on the floor inside Hermione's bedroom. At the first impression of the room, few would have guessed that an almost 11-year-old girl lived here. There was a wide bed under the window in one corner, a large desk below the other window and a wooden wardrobe against the wall. But this was all that reminded of a bedroom. The room had blue walls, but you couldn't see them because they were all covered with bookshelves. Books in every size and shape filled the shelves to the brim. Everything of course arranged in alphabetical order and after theme. Most of them was about magic in one form or another, but there was also books from the Muggle world there.

Eleanor often complained about all the books in the room, but she didn't do it too loud. Particularly because Eleanor knew she had given her daughter most of the books in here. The bookstore was doing well, but some books didn't sell, or came in too large quantities. Instead of putting them in a storage, these books often ended up on Hermione's shelves. This was to the girl's immense delight, but Eleanor had never thought her daughter would keep them all.

"How much do you think the crate contains?" asked Hermione, sitting on the floor with the crate between herself and Luna.

Luna knocked lightly on several sides of the crate. "Quite a lot. It's like a massive lump of wood."

"Let's find out," said Hermione. She stuck the little key into the hole on top of the crate and twisted the key around. A small click followed, and the lid lifted itself enough so she could push it aside. "Wow!" said Hermione when she saw the content inside.

"I was right," said Luna with a grin.

The crate was so filled with parchments, books and folders that there wasn't even room for a single sheet of paper between them. The two girls picked out all the content and sorted it on the floor by date. When the crate finally was empty, there were 17 smaller piles around them. Some of them contained only a thin folder while a few others had both books and parchments.

"Where do we begin?" asked Luna.

"When I studied the research on the other theories, not everyone was doing a proper job. Sometimes I came across those who only wanted to ridiculed Craven's theories. Let's make sure there isn't anyone of them here," said Hermione. She stretched out after the closest of the piles and begun reading one of the files there.

It took them almost an hour to go through everything, but the result was quite disappointing. Out of the 17 heaps from the beginning, only four of them were left in front of the girls. The 13 others had been placed back in the crate. They had been either an attempt to make the theory look like a joke or turned out to have nothing to do with it at all.

"Hermione, I don't think people liked Craven," said Luna. "I've often read research on magic creatures together with my mother. There are of course some who don't agree on everything there also, but not in such amounts like this."

"It's a sore subject for many witches and wizards. Going against the general perception of how magic is inherited is risky. Even in our days, there is a chance that people will laugh of you."

"Many of the old families believe their blood status gives them more rights than others. My mother thinks they are prejudiced and ignorant," said Luna.

"I've heard about that," said Hermione while she looked through a book. "This was written by Brangwen Griffin in 1832. She writes about much of the same as Craven, but none of the names stands here. The other remaining books aren't any better, but I assumed the chance of finding more names would be tiny." She stretched herself out on the floor and looked up at the ceiling.

"Oh, why?" asked Luna as she lay down next to the other girl.

Hermione rolled over on the side so she could see Luna's face. "Craven wrote the book in 1572. That year, the witch hunts in Europe was in one of its worst periods, especially in Germany."

"The beginning at the end where the Muggles and we could live together."

"Yes. It wasn't a good time for anyone, not for Muggles or those with real magic. Most of the true witches who were sentenced to death, escaped using their magic, but not everyone. Many innocent Muggles were also wrongly tortured and executed because people feared magic"

"My mother told me about that time," said Luna. "Muggles and wizards who had lived together in peace, started to fear each other. Both sides accused the other part to be the cause of their problems. Mother said that many of our people stopped caring about what the Muggles did to each other. She described it as; Better them than us mentality."

"Not everyone from the magical community followed that mentality."

"Perhaps it's true. I know that some of our people did what they could to save some of the Muggles, but there were few of those."

"Even so, it don't explain why those who looked into Craven's research, aren't mentioning the names of the people they talked with. After all, it wasn't as if the Muggles would have a chance to read it anyway," said Hermione. "It only confirms what Dumbledore told me then." When she saw the confusion in Luna's face, Hermione sighed. "I didn't mean to say those last words out loud."

"Why not?" asked Luna.

"Because...because what Dumbledore told me isn't particularly pleasant knowledge. It's a rather grim and dark part of the magical history, something very few knows about. Are you sure you want to know?"

"It's weird to hear you asking like that," said Luna with a smile. "Secrets is something you're very fond of, so hearing you offer one of them so quickly is rare."

Hermione raised her eyebrows. "It's not a secret. I only haven't had a reason to tell you about it before now. I don't keep anything secret from you. You know that?"

Luna nodded.

"I read a lot and not everything seem to be important to others, so I forget to tell about it," said Hermione. She hesitated for a moment, before she whispered, "but you're right this time. Maybe I haven't told you because I didn't wish to."

"You don't have to say anything."

"I wish it was that easy, but what's the point. If I'm not telling you about it today, you'll find out later, and then it could be too late."

"Is it that bad?"

"Yes, it's very depressing," said Hermione. "When you did read the book Dumbledore gave us, did you notice anything special about the names there?"

"Nothing I remember right now. Why?" said Luna.

"Most of the names are from before the 16th century. After that, there are fewer names and the time between them are much further than before. I found this strange and illogical. Should it not be easier for Dumbledore to find traces after other like us the closer we come to our own time? One evening when Dumbledore was visiting, I asked him about this," said Hermione.

"Did he answer you?"

"Not until my mother left the room to sort the laundry. Then Dumbledore told me about an event in the magical world from around the same time as the witch hunts. I sort of promised to not tell others about it, so you have to keep it for yourself, okay?"

"I promise," said Luna.

Hermione took a deep breath and started telling. "While the Muggles was looking for witches, a similar thing happened inside the magical community. A group of people meant that those with our kind of magic was the reason for the Muggles witch hunt. They claimed that wild magic users hadn't 'suppressed' their abilities well enough. Because of this, even Muggles who had lived among people with magic, begun to fear them."

"But that's not true! My mum told me both sides has the blame for the witch hunts. Most of the Muggles didn't try to understand magic, while very few of our people made attempts on explaining it." Luna sighed. "Even today you still see this attitude among our people. Witches and wizards who believe magic is too hard for Muggles to understand and that it's safer to keep it hidden."

"Unfortunately, yes," replied Hermione. "Dumbledore said almost the same thing to me. The sad thing is that this group did know about this view and used it to their advantage. This faction had always hated us, but had been ignored by most people until the end of the 16th century. As the wizarding worlds relationship to the Muggles became worse, this group found ways to convert people to their crazy ideas. Wild magic has never had a good reputation, but what happened around that time, made it worse. Soon, a 'hunt' after those with wild magic had begun, where they used the Muggles witch hunt to cover their tracks. The Wizards' Council tried to stop this, but most of the population at this time didn't listen to them."

Luna gripped Hermione's hand and squeezed it lightly. The blond girl's eyes showed an understanding that it wasn't easy for Hermione to talk about this.

With a reassuring smile, Hermione continued the explanation. "Not that the Council's stance on the matter had much to say since this group wasn't afraid of them. It wasn't until the establishment of the Ministry of Magic that these 'hunts' was stopped, but by then it was too late. Peoples belief in wild magic had been damaged too much and its reputation was worse than ever. The few who survived the hunt were hiding, while rarely appearing among other people. Nothing was done for those who had suffered during these events. Instead, the Ministry of Magic hid everything in a secret archive for eternal time. Over time, most of the population forgot about wild magic."

"And since then, the few who remember wild magic, look at it as something unnatural and feared without knowing why," said Luna almost in tears. "A fear we must live with the rest of our lives. When not even the mighty Dumbledore dares to change people's view, what chance do we have?"

"Luna, do not despair. We have each other and every problem we come across, we'll handle them together. I'll never leave you. You and me, Luna," said Hermione. Most believed that the blond girl never had any worries, but it was only a mask she wore to keep her fear under control. Hermione carried the same fear, except she had chosen to hide it with knowledge instead.

"I know, but…" said Luna, but stopped when they heard someone coming up the stairs.

After a brief knock on the door, it was opened by Eleanor. "It's time for supper, girls." She looked at the four remaining piles on the floor and the open crate. "I see you have been busy. Clean up on the floor and come down to eat. It's almost bedtime. You can continue tomorrow." With that, Eleanor disappeared down the stairs again.

Hermione and Luna put the other books back in the crate and locked it.

"What shall we do tomorrow? Look for more information?" asked Luna.

"In a way. I think we should find Ginevra and talk with her, but we have to wait until my mother has gone to work."

"But we promised not to say anything to her?"

"True, but we can still visit her without saying anything about wild magic," said Hermione with a smile.

"What will you say to her then?" said Luna as she followed Hermione out of the room.

"We'll find something," said Hermione.

-XXXXXXX-

Close to The Burrow, morning, Thursday, 19th July. 1990.

"I'm not sure if this is wise," said Luna.

"Admit it. You're as curious about this as me," replied Hermione.

"Yes, I would like to know more about Ginevra, but that's not the point. We gave your mother a promise and we should keep that."

Despite Luna's protests, the two girls had left the Granger house just after breakfast. None of them knew where the Weasley family lived, but the girls had walked in a southeast direction since Eleanor believed the house could be there. Within a short time, they had come across a narrow dirt road which they chose to follow further. At the end of the road, the girls had found a rather odd building next to a large pond. The whole house was a patchwork of several floors, shaped like a strange S from the side. The top floors were perhaps the weirdest of all there they seemed to ignore the law of gravity. They teasingly clung to a fragile support, which under normal circumstances shouldn't have been able to hold up such weight.

The two girls hid under some large bushes that separated the house from a nearby meadow. From there, they could see what had to be the house entrance with a fenced garden right outside. Now they had to wait for a sign on who lived here.

"Have you thought about what you will say to Ginevra if this is where she lives?" asked Luna.

"To be honest, no," answered Hermione.

"Then we must, as you say, improvise?"

"Improvised plans aren't exactly what I'm good at," said Hermione. "I was hoping you would have an idea on how we get in contact with her? Your understanding of other people are better than my own, so perhaps you could..." When she realised what she was saying, her words faded. "Sorry, Luna. You were right. This isn't so wise of us. It's childish and selfish of me to force this on you, only to satisfy my curiosity. Shall we go home and find another way?"

"We could make a try," said Luna, pointing towards the house.

Hermione turned her eyes towards the house again and saw Ginevra standing outside. The redheaded girl looked around before she walked in the direction of the pond. From there, she followed the edge of the pond a little before she disappeared behind the house.

"I wonder where she's going?" asked Hermione.

"She didn't seem to be happy."

"Let's follow and see what she's doing," said Hermione. "And I owe you a big favour now."

"Yes, you do."

The girls walked along the bushes while they tried to stay in the shadow. They could soon see the back of the house, but Ginevra wasn't there.

"Where did she go?" asked Hermione.

"There she is!" said Luna. "At the southern end of the pond. Do you see her?"

Hermione looked closely and could soon see Ginevra's red hair among the grass on the other side of the pond. "What's she doing so far from the house?"

"Maybe she enjoy walks in the morning. Like we do?" said Luna with a smile.

"Maybe," said Hermione with a giggle. The days when Luna was staying with the Granger's, the two girls had regular walks, early in the morning every day. If anyone else had tried to drag Hermione out that early, they would have received a firm no from the girl. Unless it was Luna who asked. As long as Hermione could remember, she always have had this feeling that she had to keep watch over the blond girl and make sure she was safe. So Hermione walked with Luna each time, even when the brunette would rather sleep.

"Shall we leave her alone?" asked Luna.

"If we want to talk with her, then this could be our best chance," said Hermione. "We can follow the bushes until they reach the tall grass. From there, it would be easy for us to follow her without being seen from the house." Without waiting for an answer, she walked down along the bushes with Luna right behind.

They reached the grass in a short time and carefully stepped into it. It didn't take long for the girls to find out where Ginevra had walked, but what they saw was a bit surprising. Instead of fresh tracks, they stood on a well-used trail.

"It seems like it's not her first time here," whispered Luna.

"How do you know?" asked Hermione astonished.

Luna pointed towards an unclear pattern in the moist soil. "There is only one footprint here from the same shoe. Since Ginevra is the youngest of the family, her tracks are small and shallow. If anyone else had walked after her, their greater weight would have left behind a much clearer trace."

"I didn't know you could interpret footprints like that?" said Hermione. "I've seen how you can find even the slightest of traces from magical creatures and other animals, but humans?"

"I learned the basic techniques from my mother the last time we were in Brazil. We were looking for a rare lizard, the Flying Pearl Iguana. Its skin is made of small pearls that can be used in certain potions. It's illegal to hunt it, but the poachers does it anyway since the black market pays a lot for the skin." For a moment, Luna seemed to be lost in her own world. "It's dangerous to encounter these poachers, so my mother wanted me to be able to find them before they did. She taught me how to track footprints and how to interpret the behaviour of that person. Ginevra isn't a poacher, but the technique works for her tracks as well."

"It seems to be a useful trait. I regret now that I didn't say yes when your mother invited me to come with you," said Hermione.

"If you have the patience for it, I could teach you," said Luna with a huge smile.

"I would love to learn and I always have patience for you," replied Hermione.

"Always?" said Luna.

Hermione sighed. "Well, maybe not so much when it comes to magical creatures, but I'm trying."

"Close enough. Shall we find Ginevra?" said Luna.

The girls followed the trail around the pond, but when they reached the other side, there were no sign of Ginevra.

"Where now? The trail splits here," whispered Hermione. She looked across the pond towards the Weasley house. "One of them seems to continue around and back to the house, but she hasn't gone home. We would have seen her then if that was the case."

"What about the trail which goes into the forest?"

Hermione studied the dense forest in front of them and didn't like what she saw. The trail stopped right where the forest began, and the terrain was rough with a lot of dry scrub. "Will you be able to track her in there?"

"I'm not sure. I haven't learned to find tracks in tough terrain yet. If the ground is dry, it will be too difficult for me," said Luna.

"SHUT…UP!" cried a voice suddenly from within the forest.

"Was that her?" asked Luna.

"It could be. Let us find out," answered Hermione.

Both girls went towards where they had heard the shout. The ground inside the forest was dry, just as Luna had feared. If the one who had shouted weren't Ginevra, the girls would then have reached a dead end in their pursuit of the girl. They had to watch where they placed their feet to not step on any dead branches and avoid getting stuck in a scrub. None of them wanted to make any sounds which could scare away whoever had shouted.

After a few minutes of careful walking, Hermione spotted a small clearing ahead of them. She immediately gave Luna a sign that they should hide behind the nearest tree. "It was Ginevra who shouted and she's only a few yards away from us. I also know why she was so angry," whispered Hermione, while she pointed around the tree.

Luna leaned forward and cautiously looked around the tree. There she saw Ginevra, sitting with her back towards them on a large, flat stone. Around her head, 14 shining bells was floating around in a unpredictable pattern.

"Aren't those the same bells we struggled with for nearly two years?" asked Luna when she again sat behind the tree. "Those who hovered around us, triggering negative emotions in our heads while we tried to meditate?"

"It looks like them. So it seems that Ginevra also are receiving training from Dumbledore," whispered Hermione.

"I didn't like those bells," whispered Luna back. "They were rude."

"Well, that was what they were build for. The whole point of the exercise was to maintain a strong focus and not allow the negative emotions to affect us. It did take us some time, but we found the answer in the end," said Hermione. She looked at Luna, pushing away some strands of hair from the girls eyes. "Or more correctly, it was you who found the solution."

"Just luck," said Luna while her cheeks got a slight pink colour.

"Hogwash. You understood it because you're better at this than me," said Hermione. "I know that my logical thinking makes me emotionally clueless at times. If we had been waiting for me to figure it out, we would still be sitting there today and complained. You're different. Even in my wildest dreams, I wouldn't be able to see things the way you do."

"You would have found them also if you had been less impatient. My mother said you have a brilliant mind and I agree. But you don't trust your own instinct enough," said Luna with a glance towards the top of the tree. "Not all answers comes from a book. Remember what Dumbledore told us before the exercise? Negative thoughts are not a friend, but others might be. Others, like you and me?"

"I know. We began thinking about each other and the memories we had together. In the end, the negative emotions in the bells couldn't reach us any longer. We had found a strength in each other which protected us," said Hermione. She sighed and looked into the ground. "I can't think like that. Despite all my knowledge, I get lost in my logic when it comes to those things."

"Come closer, and I'll tell you a truth or two, you…you," said Ginevra from the other side of the tree. One of the bells had apparently said something it shouldn't have.

"And I'm not alone with this problem," whispered Hermione while she glanced around the tree.

"What shall we do?" asked Luna. "We can't go over to her now."

Hermione tapped her fingers on the knee for a moment while she pondered on what would be the best solution. "We could go home and try later, but like I said, I'm not sure if we will get another chance." She took a deep breath and listen to the wind blowing through the trees. "A part of me wants to go and talk with Ginevra now. That it's important and I should not wait. Would you say it's my instinct telling me this?"

"It could be," replied Luna, but she didn't seem to be sure.

"So what are we going to do then? Follow my logic or my 'instinct'?"

"I want to help Ginevra as much as you, but doing so would break my promise to your mother. As a guest in your house, it's not wise to make her angry and…"

"Luna, you won't be thrown out of the house," interrupted Hermione. "You've stayed so often in our house by now that my mother thinks of you as her second daughter. She'll of course not be happy, but she has always said I should help those who need it. Right now, it's Ginevra who needs our help, but I'll only do it if you agree. You and me, Luna. You remember?"

"Yes, I remember. You're telling me that often," replied Luna. She looked again around the tree at the still struggling Ginevra. "How sure are you on that it's Dumbledore's exercise and not something similar?"

"Totally sure. Dumbledore said he had personally developed that training."

For a while, Luna seemed to be drawn between what she should choose. "If we help her now, I go against my promise to your mother. If we don't help her, then I go against my own advice to you about trusting more on your instinct. Either way, my words lose their value for some."

"Never!" said Hermione nearly shouting. Then she clapped her hands in front of her mouth and looked towards where Ginevra sat. Fortunately, the girl seemed too focused on her own problems to have heard Hermione. "I can be a bit slow at times to understand, but I will always trust your words," whispered Hermione.

"You're too kind, but..."

"Luna, stop!" said Hermione a bit stricter than she had intended. "Since the first time we met, I have always trusted you without a doubt. You would have to do a lot of crazy things for this to change, but even then I would still trust you. What should I do without your wise words?"

"Thanks," was all Luna managed to say in response.

"Now, go home and wait for me," said Hermione.

"Why? What are you going to do?"

"If you leave now, then you won't be breaking your promise to my mother," said Hermione. "She can't say anything if you're not here when I talk with Ginevra." Hermione waited for the Luna to leave, but the girl instead grabbed Hermione's hand.

"No, I'm coming with you."

Hermione was about to ask if Luna was sure, but the blond girl's eyes made this question unnecessary. "Okay, let's see if we can't share our so-called wisdom with Ginevra."

Luna nodded back as an answer.

The girls walked out from behind the tree and towards the still unsuspecting redheaded girl.

"Don't waste your energy with yelling at them, Ginevra. They don't care," said Hermione. Ginevra turned her head so fast around that Hermione for a moment was afraid the girl's neck would break.

"What…who are you?" said Ginevra.

"Someone who wish to help you," said Luna.

"Help me? With what? I don't need help," said Ginevra. She stood up and began picking up the bells which had fallen on the ground.

Hermione took one of the bells which had rolled over to her and looked at it. "It's Dumbledore's bells, no doubt," she said and showed it to Luna. "It have an engraved Scottish thistle on it with a hidden D inside the engraving. The same as it was on ours."

"Yours?" asked Ginevra with her hand full of bells. "You know Dumbledore? In person?"

"Dumbledore gave you these bells to learn control of your emotions, right?" said Hermione and handed over the last bell to Ginevra. "So when you start with the practical training at Hogwarts, you'll be able to focus better on your magic."

"We saw you in the bookstore. You have the same magic like us," said Luna.

"You're like me?" said Ginevra hushed. "Why should I believe you? Do you've any evidence for this?"

"They speak the truth, Miss Weasley," said a voice suddenly from behind Hermione and Luna.

The girls turned around and saw Dumbledore walking with ease through the woods.

"I wasn't expecting to see you here," said Hermione.

"Perhaps not, Miss Granger, but it doesn't change the fact that I'm here," replied Dumbledore with a smile. "Your mother guessed you would seek out Miss Weasley. An honourable idea I would say, but also quite foolish of you both. Miss Weasley's hesitation should be proof enough for this. This is why I've recommended you not to search for others with wild magic."

"It wouldn't have been necessary if you had introduced us to her earlier," said Hermione. "She obviously need help. Luna and I are only waiting to get old enough for Hogwarts. We could have helped Ginevra instead of wasting our time."

"Wasting your time, you say? Are you the same Miss Granger I've met before? The girl who always complains about that she never have enough time to read all the books she would like?" said Dumbledore with a poorly concealed grin.

"It's true that there are many books I wish to read, but it wouldn't be fair to Luna," said Hermione and looked with a gentle smile on the blond. "Her friendship is more valuable than any book I've come across." It didn't take long before Luna's reaction to these words appeared. Hermione couldn't avoid thinking that the girls' blush made Luna so adorable. Maybe it was wrong by Hermione to look at her friend in this way, but lately, she hadn't managed to stop it.

"If Dumbledore didn't tell you about me, then who did?" asked Ginevra.

"By chance, Miss Weasley," answered Dumbledore. "This two has discovered an ability which is unique to those with wild magic. You see, all creatures with magical abilities get their energy from the same source. Most believe it to be a myth, but we know better. Unlike so many others, we can feel and hear this energy. You would however need much training before you can do this."

"But how could we hear Ginevra without training?" said Hermione.

"Like I said, by chance," said Dumbledore. "You and Miss Lovegood have exceeded my expectations with your training. You are therefore ahead of the expected schedule." He turned towards Ginevra. "Miss Weasley is however behind the schedule. This difference between you three was what made it possible to hear the disturbance from her lack of control."

"Ginevra, how old are you?" asked Luna.

Ginevra sighed heavily. "I'll be 9 in August. Why do you want to know?"

"The exercise you did today, it doesn't go so well for you?" asked Luna.

"Not really," said Ginevra while she repeatedly kicked a tree root. "I'm screwed, right?"

"Not necessarily, Miss Weasley," said Dumbledore. "These two completed your exercise for four years ago, when they were around seven years old. Of course, they had the advantage of helping each other under the training."

"Lucky me then, but is nothing new for me to lag behind schedule," muttered Ginevra. "My parents are doing what they can to help me, but their time is limited. My father works long days and is thus too tired most of the time to help me. And my mother are taking care of the house and my four brothers who still live at home. So I'm mostly alone under my training."

"I'm sorry your family's situation hasn't made things easy for you," said Dumbledore. "That's why I've found a solution which should help you with your lost time. Would you be so kind to accompany me back to your house? I need to talk with your parents about your further training." Then the Headmaster turned to the other two girls. "Miss Granger and Miss Lovegood, I talked with your mothers this morning. If I were to find you here, then I should tell you both to come home at once."

"Uh-oh!" said Hermione.

-XXXXXXX-

It did take Hermione and Luna over twenty minutes to get home. They hadn't said a single word on the way. Their minds was too busy with considering what would be waiting for them. But when they saw Eleanor's car outside the house, they realised how serious their problem was.

"Mum is home?" said Hermione. She turned to Luna. "No matter what happens in there, I'll take all the blame. It was my idea to seek out Ginevra despite what you said."

"You don't have to do that for me. I didn't protest too hard," said Luna with a reassuring smile. "Perhaps I was just as curious as you."

"Hermione! Luna! Get inside now!" said Eleanor from the open front door.

The girls crossed the courtyard and entered the house.

Inside the hallway, Hermione turned to her mother who closed the door behind them. "Mum, I'm sorry. You've always said I should help people when I could, and I felt that Ginevra needed my help. Don't punish Luna for what was my idea all along."

"None of you will be punished…this time," said Pandora as she came out of the kitchen.

"Mum? Are you here? But I thought you wouldn't come home before tomorrow?" said Luna and threw herself around her mother in joy.

"It was the original plan, but Dumbledore contacted some friends at the Ministry in Japan. They got the paperwork done within an hour," said Pandora and hugged her daughter back. "Your father is at the house and already planning the next issue of The Quibbler. He was everywhere during our time in Japan and often forgot why we were there."

"So if we aren't punished, why did we've to come home then?" asked Hermione gently.

Before anyone could answer, the doorbell rang. Eleanor opened the door and found Dumbledore standing outside.

"I see that your daughters have arrived. Excellent," he said and entered. "Have you told them anything yet?"

"No, they arrived shortly before you," answered Pandora. She turned to the girls. "We've talked about solving an important problem, and the two of you are part of the solution."

"We?" said Hermione.

Eleanor nodded to her daughter. "Since you're so worried about Ginevra, I've agreed to let her stay with us the rest of the summer if Molly agrees."

"I've talked to her and Mr Weasley. Both have given their consent to this," said Dumbledore.

"Luna, it means you also are staying here the rest of summer. You have both completed most of the training already. Helping Ginevra in overcoming her problems should be easy for you," said Pandora.

"And to make things clear, this doesn't mean you can lie in the grass and talk away the time. You have one year to ensure Ginevra is ready for Hogwarts," said Eleanor.

The two girls looked at each other, puzzled over this sudden change. There was only one problem Hermione saw with this. "Luna and I have already promised to help Ginevra, so that's not an issue. The question is, what about when we start at Hogwarts next year? Ginevra is younger than us and will begin a year later."

"Leave it to us," replied Pandora. "If we could teach the two of you at the same time, Ginevra will be…what do you usually say…like going for a walk in the park?"

Not even Luna managed to avoid rolling with her eyes. "Mum, be yourself. You're not a good Muggle."

The only thing preventing everyone from laughing right now, was the bell above the door who rang.

"It must be Mrs Weasley with her daughter," said Dumbledore. "Mrs Granger, they'll need your official invitation to enter the property."

"Of course," replied Eleanor and opened the door out.

"Miss Granger and Miss Lovegood, it would be good for Miss Weasley if you welcome her," said Dumbledore.

Hermione looked suspiciously at him before she was pulled out through the door by Luna.

"What do you want to say?" said Pandora to Dumbledore when the girls were out of reach.

"I couldn't avoid seeing your concern and wondered if everything were in order?" said Dumbledore.

"It this a part of your plan? Isn't it a bit early for them?"

"My plan is constantly changing, and only time will tell if this is too early," answered Dumbledore.

"Cryptic as always. Is there nothing we can do to slow it?" asked Pandora.

"I'm afraid it's no longer possible. Miss Granger has already found traces of the truth." Dumbledore smiled to himself. "She is an incredibly smart girl, but it was likely the reason she was chosen."

"How does Hermione know what she's looking for?"

"I believe she's awake again. She's likely not strong enough yet to make direct contact. Instead, she puts out crumbs which Miss Granger apparently doesn't mind following."

"Could you, for once be a little more understandable?" said Pandora annoyed.

"Last night, the central library in London received a request from Miss Granger. Nothing unusual since they both often send such requests," said Dumbledore. He glanced at the gate where Eleanor now completed the official invitation. "This time however, the subject was very unusual, even for these girls. I can only conclude that Miss Granger has been 'recommended' to take a closer look at this...'subject'."

"Wait, are you checking what the girls borrow from there? Don't tell me you censor them also?"

"No, I'll not make any attempt to control their search for knowledge. My job this time is to help them as much as possible to correct my old sins."

Pandora sighed. She saw the others were now heading back to the house, so she asked quickly, "How long must we keep this hidden from Eleanor? Does she not deserve to hear the same as me?"

"No!" said Dumbledore harshly. "Mrs Granger has adapted herself to the life in our world in a remarkable way. However, without magic, she'll never be able to understand the importance of what we do."

"Okay, we'll do it your way, but I warn you again," said Pandora. "If I find out you've deliberately put the life of my daughter in danger, there's nothing which will save you. Wild magic or not." With these words, Pandora forced herself to smile and walked out on the stairs to greet the Weasleys welcome.