Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author.

Thanks to AmyLouise for beta-ing this chapter for me.

Allusion, defined as a figure of speech that makes reference to, or presentation of people, places, events, literary work, myths, or works of art, either directly or by implication.

The Aurors' office was quiet that afternoon, with nary a noise save for the scratching of quill against parchment. That afternoon, rather than practical exercises and fieldwork, the training for the new Aurors consisted of a theory unit. In keeping with the tradition of most who joined the training program, Harry Potter did not like to study theory, and rather preferred the practical application of his knowledge of Defence against the Dark Arts. However, as with most occupations, he knew there would be a time when he would be forced to submit to tedious essays and Ministry-mandated paperwork.

He looked up from his work to look around the room for a moment, spotting Ron a few desks away. His head was down, but he appeared to be picking at his nails rather than doing any actual work. Harry knew Ron hated theory work even more than he did. He glanced around further and saw that most of everyone else was busy focussing on their own work. Resigned, he turned his focus back to his own essay, resolved to finish it as soon as possible, so that he could submit it and leave for the day.

Head down, he flipped through his textbook and finally came upon the page he was searching for.

With a sigh, and a slight frown marring his brow, he picked up his quill and pulled a blank sheet of parchment towards him and began to write. Two hours passed before he finally put down his quill and stretched out his cramped fingers. Satisfied that it was unlikely to get any better than that, Harry rolled up the essay and packed his things up for the day. He stopped at the supervisor's desk on the way out and submitted his work. He paused briefly at the exit and looked over to where Ron was still struggling away with his essay and got his attention, waving at him before taking off. Ron would understand if he didn't wait around for him, he assured himself.

Making his way to the elevator, he caught it up to the lobby and made his way over to the fireplaces to use the Floo network.

He emerged at Grimmauld Place, which he currently called home, having renovated and cleaned it after the war. He no longer needed it to play host as the Order of the Phoenix headquarters, and after he, along with a large band of his friends, had managed to remove the portrait of Mrs Black and the Black family tapestry from the walls, the place was almost homey. Ron had moved in over time, and Luna also made a home there with him. And anyone who wanted a bed to sleep in after a night out in London was similarly accommodated there.

Harry took off his Apprentice robes and went out to the front hall to hang it on one of the hooks by the front door. From there he made his way down to the kitchen to grab himself a drink. When he opened the refrigerator all that he found were vegetables, milk, butter, eggs, and a six-pack of Ron's favourite lager. He grabbed the beer and popped the cap off, taking a generous slug of the bitter liquid. He would have to make a trip to the Three Broomsticks to pick up a case of butterbeer and some of Rosmerta's house-made wine for Luna to drink.

He wandered back up the stairs, picking up his bag from the front hall and taking it up to the library. He had more theory exams to revise for, and the sooner he got started, the more prepared he would be. If there was one thing he had picked up from Hermione eventually, it was, surprisingly, getting ahead on schoolwork. He pulled out a few textbooks, along with a parchment and quill to make notes.

About an hour later, he heard the Floo activate downstairs and assumed that Ron had returned from the Ministry. He got up and stretched before making his way down to greet his friend. When he arrived however, he saw that it was Luna, and she was brushing soot from her bright blue robes.

'Hey, Luna,' he greeted her, walking over and planting a soft kiss on her cheek.

'Harry!' she exclaimed in surprise, throwing her arms around him in a tight hug. 'I didn't expect you to be home. Da' said you'd be busy today.'

'How did your dad know I was going to be busy today, Luna?' he asked, confused.

'I don't really know. I think he's been spending too much time smoking his pipe with the garden gnomes again,' she replied with a smile.

Harry shook his head in wonder. Luna, while having shed some of her dreaminess over the years since the war, was still very much a dreamer at heart. Harry was certain that this was one of the qualities he most admired about her. Her father, however, was a completely different story. Xenophilius Lovegood was eccentric at best. Luna, however, was just different enough to be perfect for him. She liked him for who he was as a person, rather than because he was the Boy-who-lived. She placed a small kiss on his mouth, bringing him out of his musings.

'How was your day?' he asked her as she released him from her grip.

'It was exceptionally ordinary,' she answered, shrugging out of her robes.

Harry took her robes for her and hung them up on the hook beside his before returning to sit with her in the sitting room. On his return however, he was more than a little bit surprised to find Severus Snape's face in the green flames in his sitting room fireplace, with Luna sitting on the rug before it with a small smile on her face.

'Ah, Mr Potter, just the person I was looking for,' the Potions master said formally.

Harry cleared his throat. 'Ummm, what can I do for you, Professor?' he asked politely, surprising himself.

'I was wondering if I could have a moment of your time,' the dark-haired wizard replied. 'I have a matter of important to discuss with you.'

Harry almost sighed, but stopped himself just in time. He looked to Luna, who nodded at him encouragingly.

'All right, sir,' he said. 'Come right on through.'

Snape looked covertly around the room he was in from beneath his dark lashes. The sitting room in Grimmauld Place looked very different from the way it had only a few short years before. It looked as though all of the varnish had been stripped from the wood in every room, and had been varnished again in a lighter colour. All of the furniture had been altered or replaced, and the curtains too. It simply felt like an altogether different place to him.

He returned his gaze to the couple across from him. Lune Lovegood had been a surprising choice of partner for Potter. He remembered the girl had been a rather curious person at Hogwarts, and she looked rather as though very little had changed over the years. Everyone had been so convinced that Potter would marry Ginny Weasley straight after the two left Hogwarts, breed a small Quidditch team, and become an official member of the Weasley family. Snape was glad the boy seemed to have more sense than that.

Potter cleared his throat somewhat nervously. 'Can we offer you something to drink, Professor?' he asked a tad formally.

Snape shook his head slightly. 'No, thank you, Potter,' he answered. 'I don't see much point in beating around the bush. I am here to speak with you about your friend.'

'Ron?' Potter blurted out without thinking.

Snape snorted at the thought. What could he possibly have to say about Weasley? The idea was absurd at best. He opened his mouth to reply, but the Lovegood girl beat him to it.

'I think the Professor was talking about Hermione,' she piped, placing her hand on Potter's.

'Hermione? What about her?' Potter exclaimed.

'I'm sure that two weeks ago you noticed Miss Granger was looking rather… unwell… so to speak,' Snape said seriously. 'I've come to speak to you about her current state.'

Potter's brain seemed to switch on, and Snape could almost hear the cogs turning in his head.

'You know something about what is wrong with Hermione, don't you?' the younger man asked.

'I do,' Snape replied. 'To put it simply, Mr Potter, Miss Granger was suffering from the early signs of drug withdrawal. I believe she is addicted to a drug or potion, what I have yet to discover, but it has gotten to a destructive point.'

Potter's lips became a thin line. 'How do you know that is what it is?' he demanded.

'I know, because I once experienced the same symptoms myself when I was a lot younger. Miss Granger is going through withdrawal because she is trying to attempt to break her addiction,' he answered honestly. 'It will not work for her. She is probably back to using again now, having failed at her attempt.'

Lovegood chose that moment to pipe up. 'If Hermione is having problems, why hasn't she come to one of her friends for help?' she asked.

Snape was about to reply, but Potter forestalled him with a hand.

'Because she is ashamed of her condition. She doesn't want to be a burden to any of us, so she thinks that dealing with it on her own is the only way,' Potter said sadly. 'Dammit, the silly woman is always trying to be so selfless.'

'Yes, well that may be the case, but Granger needs your help. I did not report her to the Ministry because, despite all evidence that suggests otherwise, I admire Miss Granger's intellect. I would not want to have her expelled from her studies if anyone were to discover her problem,' Snape admitted.

Potter looked at him in surprise. 'Why did you come to me?' he asked. 'I know you have no such admiration for me, so why?'

'Because I believe I can help Miss Granger, but I cannot do this thing alone. As her family is out of the question at this time, you are the next best thing. I do not, however, want every Tom, Dick, and more specifically, Weasley, involved in this. You and Miss Lovegood must swear not to say anything or involve anyone else.'

Harry Potter gave him a long look before finally nodding in agreement. 'All right, it's a deal. Luna and I will help Hermione,' he said firmly.

'You are placing an awful lot of trust in a person you do not event like, Potter,' Snape said, surprise still coursing through him at the boys easy acceptance of the issue and his rules.

'Hermione is one of the closest people to me. If I had a sister, I should like to think that she'd be just like her,' Potter replied. 'If this is the only way to get her better, then I will accept your conditions. Besides, Ron is terrible at keeping secrets, and as you well know, that is very much a Weasley family trait.'

Snape snorted at that. 'Well, at least you are not as easily fooled as I once believed,' he said with a hint of sarcasm. 'Your friend will be very hard to convince that she needs help. How best would you suggest we approach her?'

Potter smiled and gave Lovegood's hand a squeeze. 'That is where Luna comes in. I think she'll manage to find a way to get Hermione to open up to her,' he said with a grin. 'And when she does, do we send her to you?'

Snape paused for a moment to consider. This was his final chance to decide whether he wanted any more part in this. He looked at Potter to see that he was waiting for an answer. Sighing, he rubbed a hand over his weary eyes.

'Yes, Potter. As soon as Miss Lovegood gets Miss Granger to open up about her problem, you send her to me.'

To be continued.