Disclaimer: Usual disclaimers apply. Expression: mine. Everything else: not so much.

Protection From Nargles

Part 3 - Photographs

January, 1996.

Harry Potter hadn't really talked with Luna Lovegood in the week since the evening shared ten bowls of pudding in the Room of Requirement. He would see her in the Great Hall at dinner most evenings, and they would always wave and smile broadly at one another across the hall, but other than her saying a warm "Hello" when they passed one another, they hadn't spoken at all.

Harry aimed to change that. He didn't quite know when it happened, but a week without Luna had become a long time indeed for the young wizard. One that needed to be cut short.

That was why he found himself walking down a nearly forgotten hallway in the upper levels of Hogwarts. He saw a long cascade of sandy-blonde hair atop a short girl at the other end of the hallway, facing the wall, and moved quietly up to her.

"Hello Harry," she said in more subdued voice than he was used to hearing from her. She wasn't looking at him. "I didn't expect anyone to find me up here."

Harry blushed. "I used my father's map," he said sheepishly.

Luna sighed. "I'm never going to be able to hide from you ever again, am I?" she asked quietly.

Harry was taken aback. This was not going as he had hoped. "I'm sorry, Luna, I didn't mean to bother you. I'll just leave you be." He began to turn away from her, when a small hand reached out to stop him.

"You don't have to go. I'm not hiding from you," she said sadly.

"Then what..." Harry stopped. He looked at her right hand, still holding his arm. There was a bandage around it. His heart sank. "Umbridge," he said, his voice cold and full of loathing.

She nodded, still not looking at him. A small sob escaped her lips.

"Come here," he said, and wrapped his arms around her in what he hoped was a comforting hug. She cried softly into his shoulder, as he softly told her, "You did nothing wrong. That horrid woman..."

Luna sniffed some more, and let Harry hold her for a few minutes more. He'd never seen her cry before, and it nearly broke his heart. Fortunately, no one came by to taunt her. He probably would have hexed with extreme prejudice anyone who dared be cruel to her at this moment.

He took the opportunity to smell her hair again. Less vanilla and lilac than last time, more essence of Luna. It must have happened the night before, and she must have been too distraught this morning to do much with it.

Her crying slowly waned, and he said into her ear, "Do you want to talk about it?"

She pulled away from him, and wiped her nose with a small pink handkerchief. Her large silver eyes were puffy from the crying, and her cheeks were streaked with tears. "I really don't at the moment, Harry. Maybe another time."

"I'll be here whenever you want to talk about it," he said.

"I know." She gave him a small smile and turned back to the wall.

He must have been down this hallway before, in one of his nocturnal wanderings, but he had no specific memory of it. Lining the walls were pictures of Hogwarts graduates past. They moved as he watched them, as most photographs in the wizarding world did. His eyes naturally went to Gryffindor '78, and saw his parents smiling at him. Harry couldn't help but smile back.

Luna looked at him, and saw where his eyes had gone. "That's why I come here when things are bad. It's the only place where I can see my mother at Hogwarts."

She pointed to the Ravenclaw '74 frame. Astrid Beauchamp. The woman in the picture looked a lot like what Harry imagined Luna would look like at age 18, although she had golden blonde hair as opposed to Luna's sandy blonde hair. Her eyes were the same silver colour as Luna's, and she had a wide smile.

"Your mother was really pretty, Luna."

Luna nodded. "She was beautiful, Harry. I miss her so much." She sniffed. "I had brought a picture of her and me together, when I came here in first year. It disappeared. I never got it back. Thankfully it was only a copy. I didn't want to lose any more photos of her, so..." Luna did not continue, but sniffed again.

Harry reached out and held her right hand gently, being careful not to squeeze, or apply pressure to the bandages. Not for the first time, he vowed that he would do what he could to stop the cruelty to his young friend, or at least to mitigate it.

He didn't let go of her hand. She didn't let go of his. With her left one, she pointed to Hufflepuff '69. "That's Dad."

Xenophilius Lovegood, or at least the version of him from twenty-seven years previously, was a serious looking young man, with short dirty-blonde hair. His picture smiled a tight smile at Harry. Harry had a hard time reconciling the young man in the photo with the mental image he had of the editor of The Quibbler.

Harry pointed to Gryffindor '78. "Those are my parents. Lily Evans and James Potter."

Luna looked at them. "Your father looks like you, although I've never seen you look quite as smug as that photo. Your mother looks very pretty and kind. She looks a little like Ginny."

Harry did not expect that.

Luna must have picked up on his shock. "Come on, Harry, you must be able to see it. They have almost the same shade of hair. Similar shaped faces. Ooooh!" she exclaimed brightly. "Maybe you're related! Wouldn't that be wonderful?"

Harry raised an eyebrow. "How so?"

"Well, you have no family except for the Dursleys." She said their name like he had said Umbridge before. "If you're related, you'd have a large loving family, even if only distantly. You could be cousins with Ginny and Ron!" Luna seemed very pleased at this prospect.

"Mom's parents were Muggles. The Weasleys are purebloods. I doubt we're related."

"Well, it could be very distant. You should research that, Harry."

Harry looked back at the picture of his mother, smiling and waving. Maybe there was a bit of a resemblance.

Now he couldn't unsee it.

"I wonder if they knew each other?" he asked.

Luna looked at him questioningly. "Oh, I'm sure they must have, Harry, otherwise how would you have been born?"

Harry's eyes got wide, and he burst out laughing. He couldn't see Luna's reaction, as his eyes were full of tears, so he wasn't quite sure if she was joking or not. Either way, he was grateful for the laugh – this was one of the things he'd missed most this past week.

Wiping the tears from his eyes, he saw Luna smiling at him. Smiling back, he said, "I meant your parents and mine."

"I know. I asked Mummy once, when I was little." She must have seen his raised eyebrow, as she explained, "You have to remember, you were the most famous child in Wizarding Britain. Everyone had heard of you." Harry nodded at that. "Mummy never met your mother, but she remembered docking Gryffindor thirty-five points because your father and his friends wouldn't stop tormenting some poor boy. Mummy was a prefect," she said by way of explanation.

Harry looked a little embarrassed at that. "Dad and his friends were pranksters. I guess they crossed the line into bullying sometimes."

She said gently, "I'm glad you're not like that, Harry."

He sighed. "I was bullied as a child, too. I know what that's like."

"That doesn't stop some people, though," she said sadly.

He merely nodded.

She pointed to Slytherin '78. "There's Professor Snape," she said.

Harry looked at his number one nemesis on the Hogwarts staff. Number two, now, he thought, light running his thumb over the exposed skin of Luna's bandaged hand, which he still held. Did she just shudder? He looked back at Luna. No, she can't have. She's smiling.

1978 vintage Severus Snape was a thin boy, same hair as now, same sneer, but didn't look quite as haunted as the 1996 version. Harry then look back at his father's smug (yes, Luna was right, Dad did look smug in that photo) smile. Snape had never had a kind thing to say about Harry's father. Arrogant. Entitled. Bully.

Harry needed to talk to Sirius about that. Harry had heard many wonderful things about his father, but it seemed he had a cruel side.

Luna brought him back to reality. "I was almost hoping instead of that," she nodded at the future Potions Master's photo, "we'd see Disco Snape instead."

Harry found himself bursting into laughter for the second time in a few minutes. Collecting himself, he questioned, "Disco?"

Luna smiled. "One of my roommates, Morgana Dempster, did a project for Muggle Studies last term on Disco. She showed us a picture of some Muggle actor in a white suit pointing to the sky in a ridiculous pose. She said it was from some Muggle film – Saturday Night Cholera, or something like that – from about that time."

Harry nodded in acknowledgement. He hadn't seen the film, but he had seen the picture of the actor.

"Can't you see Professor Snape in that outfit, Harry?"

He laughed again. That was an image he would have a hard time getting out of his head next Potions class.

"You're incorrigible, Luna."

She smiled broadly at him. "You're so sweet, Harry."

"Morgana," he said to Luna. He thought he could picture the girl. Small. A little pudgy. Short dark hair. Didn't smile much. "Is she one of the ones who..." he trailed off.

Luna shook her head. "No, she's all right. She calls me 'Loony', of course, nearly everyone does, but there's no malice in it."

They looked at the photos on the wall for a while in silence. Luna pointed to Hufflepuff '61. "Look, there's Professor Umbridge."

Two things struck Harry. One, Dolores Bloody Umbridge, tyrant, sadist, sycophant of Cornelius Fudge, was a Hufflepuff. Two, the girl in the photograph, while still as unattractive (if more fresh-faced) as the Defence Against the Dark Arts professor, was smiling and looking happy. She looked like a pleasant girl who wouldn't have a mean thing to say about anyone. Someone who would have been fun to know.

"What happened to her?" he asked in bewilderment.

"Life, probably," Luna said resignedly. She looked at her bandaged hand, which Harry was still holding.

Harry blushed. He began to let go, but she squeezed. He stayed where he was.

"I'm glad you found me today," she said softly.

"So am I." He grinned at her. "Plus, I don't remember when I've laughed so much."

Harry continued. "I was actually looking for you for a reason. I was hoping..." he trailed off. She looked expectantly at him. "Are you... doing anything tomorrow night?" She shook her head. "Want to go for a walk with me? I'll bring my cloak."

She smiled at him and said, "Yes, I do."

Harry felt relieved. "Good. I'll pick you up eight outside the Ravenclaw common room. Wear your jacket and boots, o.k.?"

She nodded, and pulled him in for another hug.

He closed his eyes, and concentrated on the feeling.

"Thank you again," she whispered in his ear, and kissed his cheek.

He smiled at her again, and reluctantly let go of Luna's hand. "I have to go now. I wish I didn't, but I told Hermione I'd study with her. I'll see you tomorrow?"

"Eight o'clock", she said, smiling.

Studying with Hermione had been difficult for Harry. Not due to the company, of course – Hermione could be a pushy witch, but there was virtually no one he trusted as much to have his back. No, the difficulty was in Potions, which was not Harry's favourite subject by far. The fact that Professor Snape loathed him didn't help. But Harry was determined to improve his grade in Potions this year. He wanted to become an Auror, and so he needed an 'O' on his N.E.W.T.s. Which meant he needed an 'O' on his O.W.L.s. He wanted to stay on Snape's good side so that Snape wouldn't stop teaching him Occlumency. And quite frankly, for all that Snape thought Harry was an arrogant, entitled rule-breaker who got by solely on his fame and a certain amount of luck, at least Snape didn't think he was delusional, and at least Snape agreed that Voldemort was back. That had to count for something.

But Potions was something he had to work at, and work hard. Hermione Granger, the so-called 'Smartest Witch of Her Age', was a valuable ally to have when trying to make sense of the subject. So they spent the evening library studying diligently, being the good students they (sometimes, in Harry's case) were. When Madame Price kicked them out at closing time, she seemed surprised Harry was there, but almost pleased.

Harry had a nice chat with Hermione on the way back to the Gryffindor dormitories. She was talking about some reading she was doing on discoveries that Yugoslavian wizards had made in the late '80s on magical properties of medieval Glagolitic runes. "Of course," she said, "they'd be Croatian wizards now. Or Bosnian ones. And nothing much has been done since then, because of the wars..."

Hermione noticed the look on Harry's face. "You have no idea what I'm talking about, do you?"

Harry looked somewhat ashamed and shook his head.

"Don't you pay attention to the news, Harry?"

Harry sighed. "At home, Dudley always wanted to watch action movies, so we didn't watch the news, and Uncle Vernon didn't let me read the paper. And it's not like we get the Guardian or the Daily Telegraph here in the castle. I refuse on principle to read the Daily Prophet. And The Quibbler doesn't have a strong international news section."

"You read that rubbish now?" Hermione looked horrified.

"Luna gives me copies," he said.

Hermione rolled her eyes. "Of course. You realize it's complete poppycock."

Harry sighed. "I'll admit that some of their stories are a little out there."

"Goblin pies, Harry?"

"O.K. A lot out there. But it's no less fictional that what the Daily Prophet has been printing for years. And until Hogwarts starts subscribing to the King's Lynn Magical Shoppers Weekly, it's no worse than any other source of information."

Hermione had to concede that point.

"Plus it's got a good section on runes, its editorial cartoons are funny, and it's consistently supported me since You-Know-Who returned. So, odd as The Quibbler is, I'll continue to support a magazine that has supported me, and one that matters a lot to a friend of mine."

"All right, you don't need to rant at me, Harry," she said in what she hoped was a mollifying tone.

"Sorry. Just don't call it rubbish around Luna, o.k.? She doesn't need to hear that."

"O.K.," his brunette friend said. She then just looked at him as they walked in silence for a few minutes. "King's Lynn Magical Shoppers Weekly?"

Harry smiled. "Shut up," he said teasingly. "It's better than 'Glagolitic'..."

"Glagolitic is a real alphabet, Harry!" Hermione then went on to explain exactly what it was in exhaustive detail.

Harry smiled. It was a good change of topic, and his friend was always happiest when explaining things.

Later that night, Harry was sitting in the common room vaguely watching Ron Weasley play Wizard's Chess with Neville Longbottom, but not paying much attention. He was off in his own world, thinking about Potions, Glagolitic Runes, Luna, Quidditch, his lifetime ban from Quidditch, Luna, Umbridge, detention, blood quills, Luna, his parents, young Snape, Luna, mistletoe, Luna...

As he was thinking about these multiple topics, and one topic more than others, he found himself idly rolling the butterbeer cork charm he got from Luna in his left hand as if it were a pair of Chinese worry balls. He found that rolling it around in his hand helped him focus his thoughts, although his mind seemed to focus more on the girl who gave him the charm than anything else.

Ron looked over at Harry, seeing his friend lost in thought, and saw what he was playing with. "Bloody hell, Harry, you still have that thing?"

Harry blushed as Neville looked over at him. "What thing?"

Before Harry could respond, Ron answered. "Loony Lovegood gave him one of her nutty cork charms for Christmas. To 'keep away the Nooglers'," Ron laughed.

"Nargles," Harry said automatically, "and would you please stop calling her 'Loony'?"

Ron just smirked at him, "Sorry, Luna." He looked back at Neville, and moved a piece. "Check."

Neville frowned and moved one of his own pieces. He spoke to Harry, "Does it work?"

Harry knew Neville was teasing him, but not cruelly, so he played along. "Well, I haven't seen any Nargles lately."

Ron snorted and said to Harry, "Have you had that thing on you for two weeks?" He then put Neville into check again.

"Not all the time," Harry answered embarrassedly.

Neville moved as Ron laughed, "Yeah, you probably put it down when you go into the shower, eh Harry?"

"Shut up, Ron," Harry said exasperatedly but good-naturedly.

Ron's knight took Neville's bishop. Neville moved a piece. While Ron was contemplating his next move, Neville asked, "So did you get her anything?"

Ron turned to Harry, his smirk not leaving his face and said, "Yes, Harry, did you get her anything? A can of Kacky Snorgle repellent, maybe?" He laughed at his own joke.

"I did not get her Snorkack repellent," Harry said evenly, as Ron laughed again at Harry's clarification. Harry could tell Ron was really enjoying this game. "I got her pudding."

Ron nodded his head, "Good gift, Harry. Tastes great, everyone loves it, costs you nothing, you just give her a bowl in the Great Hall and you're done. Smart. She got the better of the deal too."

Leave it to Ron to think one bowl of pudding was a better gift than a homemade charm. Harry didn't feel the need to tell Ron about the full extent of his pudding night with Luna.

Ron made his next move in the game, and shouted, "Checkmate! That's three-and-oh, Neville. You owe me a butterbeer next Hogsmeade weekend." Ron turned to Harry. "I'm hitting the showers and turning in. See you boys tomorrow." The redhead bounded upstairs.

"Want to play, Harry?" Neville asked.

"Sure," he said, taking over Ron's chair. They made a few opening moves in silence. When it was time for Harry's fourth move, Neville asked, "So you and Luna?"

Harry groaned. "Not you too. We're just friends," he said, which had the virtue of being true. Sort of. Harry made his move.

Neville contemplated his turn, moved, and then when Harry was concentrating, Neville asked, "Still, she's protecting you from Nargles, you're giving her pudding... just friends?"

Harry said nothing.

Neville continued, "Hey, I think it's great either way. Luna's nice. You could do a hell of a lot worse."

Harry moved. Neville smiled and responded almost immediately by taking one of Harry's pawns. Harry said, "She's a good friend. I like hanging out with her. She makes me laugh."

Neville looked at him seriously. "You're not laughing at her, are you?"

"No!" Harry answered hurriedly. "I think she has a wicked sense of humour." Harry moved a bishop.

"Good. I spar with her a lot in the D.A. She doesn't deserve to be laughed at. I didn't think you would, but I had to ask." Neville made a move.

Harry considered the board. "I'd never laugh at her." Neville nodded.

After a few more moves, Neville waited for Harry to be deep in concentration, before he said his next comment. "I think I know why she gave you that charm."

Harry moved. "Other than saving me from the Nargles?"

Neville made his move. "She's marking you."

Harry sputtered. "What?"

"She's showing the world you're hers. Like giving you a hickey." Neville looked at Harry and gave him a wicked grin. "Or peeing on you."

"Neville!"

The other boy laughed. "Well, maybe not like that. But I'd bet galleons to sickles she's marking you."

"I'm not taking that bet," Harry said. Because I hadn't thought of that, he thought.

Neville laughed again. "I'm right. You'll see. After all, you're keeping it on you. I'll bet it keeps more than just Nargles away. Make your move, Harry."

"What?"

"In the game, Harry! What did you think I meant?" Neville grinned at him.

Harry turned red again, which was happening all too frequently these days. He didn't say anything, but moved another pawn.

Neville laughed at Harry. "Anyway, as I said, whether I'm right or wrong, I think it's great. Luna's fun. Weird, yeah, but doesn't that make her more interesting?"

Harry thought about this. "Neville, would keep all this under your hat for me? Especially your marking theory?"

"Mum's the word," Neville said seriously.

"Thanks. I appreciate it and Luna doesn't need the extra teasing."

"Right." Neville took another pawn of Harry's.

"So enough about me, Neville. You got your eye on any girls?"

Now it was Neville's turn to blush. "Yeah, there are a couple. There's one I really like, but she's younger than us. And taken."

"Who?"

Neville looked at Harry seriously. "If I said 'Luna', you'd deck me, right?"

Harry's eyes widened, and his smile disappeared.

Neville laughed. "You should see your face. No, not her." Harry relaxed as Neville moved forward and whispered. "Ginny. You cannot tell Ron."

Harry said, "You're keeping my secret, I'll keep yours."

"Good. I had a lot of fun with her at the Yule Ball last year, although I don't think she liked my dancing," Neville said, the tone of his voice dropping.

"She enjoyed the evening, although she did say you kept stepping on her feet."

Neville frowned. "I mentioned that to my Grandmother. She made me take dancing lessons all summer long."

"How was that?"

Neville sighed. "Not bad. I got quite good at it by the end of the summer. I was hoping to get to use my skills this year but..."

Harry dropped his voice. "Our Glorious Inquisitor..."

"Right. Dancing's actually a lot of fun once you get good at it. Too bad my instructor was fifty-eight."

Harry laughed at that.

"Anyway, I like Ginny a lot. She's really pretty, and smart, and she treats me better than most girls do, but..."

Harry picked up Neville's train of thought. "She's seeing Michael Corner."

"Right." Neville sighed. "So I won't be tangoing her off her feet anytime soon."

The thought of Neville Longbottom doing the steamy Argentine dance with some girl brought an amused smile to Harry's lips.

"You never know when things will change. Anybody else catching your eye, Neville?"

Neville made another move. "Hannah Abbott's cute."

Harry considered the blonde Hufflepuff. "Yeah, I guess. I didn't know you knew her."

"We've talked after meetings. She's nice."

Harry smiled at his friend. "Well, use that Gryffindor courage, with either of them. You'll have to tell me how it goes."

"Same to you, Harry. I mean it, Luna's a great girl. Even if you are just friends" (and Harry thought by Neville's tone that he didn't believe that in the slightest) "you should think about it. After all," Neville smirked now, "she's marked you."

"Neville..."

The taller boy laughed. "I'm right. You'll see."

They played the rest of the game quickly. Harry lost badly, but didn't mind.