AN: Finally a new chapter for you all! RL has been nuts for me and I finally found some free time to focus on my writing again. Hope you all enjoy! Thanks as always to Alixx33 and Erbkaiser for looking over everything and keeping my screw ups to a bare minimum! Anything I missed is my fault entirely!

Disclaimer: I don't own the copyrights to HP, and never will. No money has or will be made, I do this for the fun and love of the fandom, not for the Benjamins!

Recommendation: The Accidental Bond, By kb0. Honestly I recommend any kb0 fics, as he is a great writer. Accidental Bond is a Harry/Hermione/Ginny/Gabrielle fic and follows canon up until about year 4 where things drastically change. Well worth the read!


Chapter 7: The First Fall of the Great White Ferret!

Harry woke slowly, the nearby sounds of birds echoing through the forest in the early morning air. Cracking his eyes Harry groaned against the harsh sun streaming down into his eyes. Normally he would panic, but knowing they had the time turners and could go back to whenever they wanted, Harry just shook his head slightly, trying to clear his thoughts.

"Morning," Luna yawned blinking owlishly from Harry's shoulder. Harry smiled and looked down only to freeze as his eyes took in the face looking up at him. Luna had always been beautiful in her own pixie-like way, but something had clearly changed. Her silver eyes sparkled gently and her blonde hair waved smoothly in the breeze, reflecting the light in a dazzling symphony of color.

If the surprised look on her face was any indication Harry had changed as well. Both coming to the same conclusion they shifted their eyes to Hermione who was staring at both of them dumbstruck. Hermione's eyes glistened in the light, showcasing a hint of green hidden in the deep chocolate brown orbs. Her hair, which had been largely tamed by judicious potion use, fell in soft curls now, not even a hint of frizziness or bushiness in it. Like Luna's it sparkled slightly as the light caught it and the breeze stirred the strands around.

"Was this supposed…" Harry said looking between the girls.

"No!" Hermione said looking around. "It was a simple power sharing and boosting ritual. You should have received a boost equal to one-third of each of our cores while we each received a boost of one-third of yours after the fact. Roughly we all should have gotten somewhere around a fifty percent total boost depending on where our cores were to begin with, considering how much larger your core is compared to ours. Nothing in the ritual should have affected our physical appearances."

Luna nodded, "It was just a normal druidic ritual based on threes, Harry. A third from each of the three of us added to each of us in the end."

Harry shook his head in confusion, "That's what I thought, but clearly something went very wrong."

Luna cocked her head, trailing a finger along Harry's chest, "Or very right."

"Harry, you need to break the circle so we can get back and try to understand this," Hermione said, standing and brushing the grass from her side. Her hair wasn't the only thing that seemed to change as Harry caught sight of her whole body for the first time. Hermione was the softest out of all three of them, but now her whole body had a more defined and toned physique. It wasn't quite trained athlete level, but it was definitely more fit than before.

Harry stood and looked at his own body. Muscles were clearly defined and many of his scars had disappeared as well, giving him a much healthier look. Luna nodded, seemingly mirroring his own thoughts, "We look… amazing."

Hermione looked down and blushed as she ran a hand over her flatter, toner stomach, "Merlin…"

Harry nodded and walked to the western rune first. Working in reverse order Harry thanked the guardians for watching over the ritual. When he worked his way all the back around, Harry finished by thanking Cerridwen for her blessings. The dome of magic faded slowly and withdrew down into the circle which glowed brightly before fading away entirely. Summoning their wands from the tree they'd left them next to they set about removing all traces of the ritual.

Harry walked to the tree where their packs were waiting and frowned down at his glasses laying there. He hadn't put thought to it before, but seeing them laying there he immediately realized he had seen everything as clearly as he ever had, regardless of the lack of his glasses. Picking them up and looking at the girls Harry shrugged and pushed them down into his pack.

When the group finally got dressed again and looked over the clearing the only evidence they had been here was a faint ring of slightly darker grass growing where the circle had been. Nodding they shifted and faded back to the castle, reappearing in their rooms.

"We can't forget to turn later and redo the day in class," Harry said, clearing a desk with a sweep of his arm. Hermione nodded, pulling a large parchment from her book bag and spreading it out on the tale. Luna and Hermione crowded around the drawing, identical to the clearing from last night, and looked over the numbers scribbled all over it.

Harry raided the snack cabinet bringing the girls each a Danish to snack on as they chatted. Flicking his wand Harry read the tempus carefully and shook his head.

"Well the day is a bust for this time around. Either of you feel up to eating in the muggle world?"

Hermione looked up long enough to nod her head before returning to the drawing. Luna pointed at something, but Hermione shook her head, mumbling. Finally they each sat back and looked at each other carefully.

"We did everything correctly," Luna said with a small frown.

Hermione nodded her agreement, "Let's test our magic?"

Harry flicked his wand towards the center of the room, "Expecto Patronum!"

Hermione walked over to the stag Patronus, inspecting it carefully. Running a finger through it Hermione cocked her head to the side, "It's definitely stronger, Harry. Before it felt like running my hand through a very thick mist, now it's like thick muddy water."

Harry nodded, "It feels stronger."

Flicking their own wands the girls cast their own Patronus charms. Hermione let out a small chuckle as her eager Doe danced around with Luna's before moving to stand beside Harry's stag. Running their fingers through their own Patronuses the girls looked curious.

"That, however, is unexpected…" Hermione mused.

Luna nodded, alternating between her Doe and Harry's Stag, "It feels like his."

"Ours should feel like his used to since ours were thinner to begin with. The ritual should have brought us close to his original power while boosting his above and beyond what it was. Now it's more like we're equal and on level with him after his boosts from us."

Luna nodded, allowing her Patronus to fade, "It's almost like a true trinity."

Hermione nodded thoughtfully, "But we didn't try for that. A true trinity ritual would have evened our magic out to the same level. It would have boosted ours some but lowered Harry's, something we adamantly wanted to avoid. Not to mention it wouldn't have been a blood ritual, and would have basically wasted our virginities."

Harry groaned, "Enough shop talk. We got more than we bargained for and then some. Maybe the powers that be were feeling generous or something."

"Or maybe they demanded more than we willingly gave!" Hermione snapped, looking annoyed.

"Sorry. You're right, but what's done is done, Love. There's no taking it back and until we figure out what, if anything, has changed then we simply move forward," Harry said, pulling Hermione into his arms.

Hermione nodded sadly, "You're right. I just don't like not knowing things."

Luna smiled happily, "Hermione, we are more beautiful than we've ever been. I think I even gained about half a cup if this ill-fitting demon device is any indication. We're more powerful than we planned and there is no outward appearance of anything negative. Tonight we'll offer a prayer of thanks to Cerridwen and be done with it."

Hermione chuckled at Luna's nickname for her bra, "Okay, okay, quit taking Harry's side here. Come on, I'm hungry."

Harry grinned happily, "I could really go for some pizza."

Hermione shook her head, "No way am I ruining the new body already!"


Ginny smiled happily as Harry walked into the Great Hall with his girls. Yesterday had gone a bit better than expected for her, and she felt very hopeful that her plans would be successful. She'd been very afraid that Ron's idiocy would have turned Harry off to all of her family, but so far Harry seemed more than willing to talk to her.

Picking up her Arithmancy book Ginny settled into the spot on Hermione's other side, "Hermione, can I ask you something?"

Hermione frowned for a moment but quickly forced a smile, "Of course, Gin, what do you need?"

Ginny smiled broadly and placed her book on the table, "I was wondering about Gamp's Law of Elemental Transfiguration. It says that while one cannot create food, one can multiply food if they already have it. Isn't that the same thing?"

Hermione smiled and shook her head politely, "Not exactly. While you can technically multiply the food it doesn't actually do what it appears. Food equals energy, calories as the Muggles call it, and when you multiply the food the energy is split between the items. It's useful to fill an empty stomach, but only on a psychological level. A full belly makes you feel better, but in the end the nutrition or energy just isn't there."

"Soooo… It's kind of like eating soil or something?" Ginny asked, looking down at her book with a frown.

"More like solidified air. Even soil has some nutritional value. It's actually dangerous in many ways especially in a survival situation. Say you and a friend are lost in the woods and only have one loaf of bread. You double it, and both get a full belly, but you only get the energy from eating half a loaf. Feeling full means you will no doubt waste more energy than you would if you still felt hungry."

Ginny nodded and gave Hermione a warm hug, "Thank you so much!"

Hermione grinned patting the girl on the back, "You're welcome. I am curious though, I don't recall getting to Gamp's Law until near the end of the year."

Ginny smiled brightly and shrugged, "I like to read ahead a bit. I'll never be as smart as you, but I do try to keep ahead. After getting so far behind my first year… well you know."

Hermione nodded then turned back to Harry, "Something we all need to do from time to time."

Harry grinned, shooting Ginny a wink, "Don't let our Hermione fool you, Gin, she spends more time chasing me around the Lord's Quarters than she does reading."

Hermione blushed slightly trying to ignore Ginny's girlish giggle, "Can't say I blame her, or any of you for that matter. Get you out of those basic robes and you dress up nice, Harry. Not to mention being in your care seems to have done wonders for Hermione and Luna."

"We're very lucky to have him," Luna said, smiling warmly, "and semen has its uses in beauty care."

Harry coughed around a bite of food, causing him to choke. Luna thumped his back as all the girls around alternated between blushes and giggles.

"Merlin, if that's the secret where do I sign up?" Lavender asked, winking at Harry coyly. Harry's face went pink as all the girls nodded, wanting to know the same. Ginny's smile was the brightest of all though. She hadn't even needed to plant the seed, Lavender did a great job of that herself.


"She's up to something," Harry said, pacing through the library.

"Of course she is," Hermione agreed, rolling her eyes. "She's trying to worm her way into our group. First offering to help Luna in runes, and then asking me for help in transfiguration. Mark my words, next she'll find some way to make herself useful to us; even if it means degrading herself to being a gopher or something. The girl should have been a Slytherin."

Harry chuckled, turning to Luna, "What do you think?"

Luna frowned, "I'd rather not say…"

Hermione's head perked up curiously, "Luna?"

Luna shrugged, pushing away from the book she was perusing, "I've been watching her more carefully this time around. She wasn't lying about the reading ahead thing, she's doing everything she can to get ahead. This was even before we came back. I didn't have any reason to pay close attention, but looking back she always was one of the smartest in our year."

Harry frowned, sitting down heavily in a chair, "So?"

Luna shook her head sadly, "Before Mum died she used to visit me fairly often, you know? She has always had an infatuation with you Harry, long before she ever met you. Then you pop up and rescue her in a blaze of glory. You're her very own white knight, maybe she isn't doing this to get to your money. Maybe she genuinely loves you."

"No," Hermione said with a frown. "Even if you're right she doesn't love Harry. She loves the Boy-Who-Lived."

"Besides she betrayed us to Voldemort," Harry said, nodding to Hermione.

"According to Ron," Luna said in little more than a whisper.

Harry frowned, staring down at the desk, lost deep in thought.

Harry peeked into the bedroom, his eyes narrowing at the view. Lucius Malfoy was being 'serviced' by some unwitting slave or another. The man's eyes were closed and his head leaned back as the poor red-haired girl was bobbing her head up and down on his lap.

"Reducto!" Harry yelled busting into the room, grinning as the spell caught Lucius square in the face, his head popping like a watermelon. Lucius' body flew back against the wall, a sick ripping sound accompanying it. Pulling the cloak off of the trio Harry ran forward to help the unfortunate girl who was currently staring down at the dismembered member from Lucius.

"Are you okay?" Harry asked, turning the girl to look at him. Harry fell back in shock, scrambling back as recognition sank into his mind.

"H-Harry?" the thin redhead asked her eyes growing wide.

"Ginny? W-what the?" Harry asked, backing all the way to the wall. Luna ran past them, checking to ensure Lucius was dead. Nodding to Harry Luna took a post by the window watching outside carefully.

"Harry! I knew you would come, I knew it!" Ginny yelled, crawling towards him with tears in her eyes. Hermione stepped between them, looking down at Ginny.

"Stay the hell away from him!" Hermione yelled, lifting her wand. Ginny stopped dead in her tracks, looking up at the wand a scant inch from her nose.

"H-Hermione?" Ginny asked, looking confused.

"Don't you 'Hermione' me! We know what you did! We know you betrayed us!" Hermione yelled, shaking her wand threateningly.

"No! I-I never. No I swear!" Ginny pleaded.

"SHUT UP!" Hermione yelled, throwing her leg out and kicking Ginny in the chest, knocking her back.

Harry shook his head, standing and resting a hand on Hermione's shoulder, "Hermione, wait…"

"NO!" Hermione yelled, rounding on Harry. "I won't stand here and let her deny it. You heard what Ron said, she sold you out just to have your baby! All she cares about is your money, Harry!"

"But maybe…"

*CRACK*

Harry stepped back, holding a hand to his jaw, his eyes looking at Hermione who stood there shaking in rage.

"Harry James Potter! Seven years I've been by your side. I've watched you knock on Death's door so many times I lost count. I've got down on my knees and begged, prayed, and pleaded to every deity I can find that he never answers for you! I've stood beside you when everyone else turned their back and ridiculed you!" Hermione yelled, stalking forward with each step.

"I know, but…"

"NO BUTS! Gods why do I even bother? Do you need me to spell it out for you? I can, you know? In at least ten different languages even! Je t'aime, ta gra agam ort, ich liebe dich, ti amo, fucking hell Harry. I LOVE YOU!"

"You…"

"YES!" Hermione yelled, stepping forward and pulling Harry into a searing kiss. Harry hesitated for a moment before returning the kiss, wrapping has arms around her gently.

"About time," Luna said, rolling her eyes. "But we need to go; we did what we came here for."

"What about her?" Harry asked, looking over at Ginny who was watching them with tears streaming down her face. "We can't just leave her."

"Yes. We can," Hermione said grabbing Harry's hand. "She made her bed, let her lie in it."

Harry sighed, shaking his head and the memory from his mind, "I don't know. No matter what, though, I don't trust her."

Luna nodded, ignoring the dark look from Hermione, "I'm not disagreeing with you, Hermione. I love you, and I love Harry. As far as I'm concerned Ginny is not important. I'm only saying we don't have all the facts. I agree she probably used potions on Harry; all the signs are there. But her betraying him? Something about that always rubbed me the wrong way."

"I still don't like her," Hermione said, keeping a wary eye on Harry. Harry understood why Hermione felt like she did, but Luna definitely made a valid point. Ron wasn't exactly the most credible of sources, and would have said anything to hurt Harry, even an outright lie about his own sister. Hermione had been so incensed about the whole idea, though, and with evidence of potions, her mind would not be easily swayed. Worse yet perhaps is that they would never know the truth, because the events would not be allowed to unfold in the same manner again.

"Hermione ,what do I have to do to make you believe me, love? 'Cause this jealousy is getting a little old now. We know how you feel, but I'm not going anywhere, and neither is Luna. Ginny could be innocent, could be guilty. Does it matter? No, because she doesn't matter. If she tries something then we'll smack her down and put her in her place. We know Ron betrayed us, beyond a doubt, so we'll make him suffer, but until we have some form of proof on Ginny she gets a pass. I won't trust any food she touches and Dobby won't let any of the other elves slip us anything either. What more can you ask?" Harry said, reaching over and moving a stray lock from Hermione's face.

Hermione smiled, reaching up and trapping Harry's hand against her face, "I know. It's just… I blame her for us not getting together sooner before. I mean with her around why would you ever look at me?"

Harry leaned over and gave Hermione a small gentle kiss, "So that's what this is really about, Love?"

Hermione nodded nervously, her eyes downturned, "It's just…"

Shooting a look at Madam Pince who was beginning to wander a bit too closely Harry gave Hermione's hand a gentle squeeze, "Hermione, you just have to trust me. I love you two and no one else. Ginny means nothing to me and she always will."

Hermione sighed deeply, "I know."

Luna hid a small smile behind her Runes book. She knew the disagreement was far from finished, and likely never would be, but at least Harry knew well enough that Hermione needed placating from time to time. Sighing, Luna pushed her thoughts away and tried to focus, not that she was really reading the Runes book. Revenge was a much more interesting topic anyway.


Cho looked nervously into her room, her friend Marietta holding tightly onto her hand in support. This was the first time she'd stepped into the room since the odd occurrences a few night before, even with Professor Flitwick's assurances that he had warded the room against any ghostly apparitions for her.

"Come on, Cho, everything is fine now, I promise," Marietta said, giving her hand a squeeze. Cho nodded, stepping into the room cautiously. Marietta smiled warmly, patting Cho's back gently.

"See? Nothing at all to worry about. It was probably just Peeves or something anyway, he's always up to nonsense like that and you did report him for throwing those Dungbombs into the suits of armor. Him going on about a new ghost is probably just his way of covering his own tracks."

Cho nodded, "I know, Marie, but I was just doing my job. Prefects are supposed to report all the mischief like that you know. It's not my fault the Baron got pissy with him. You're probably right, just revenge for me reporting him."

Marietta nodded, releasing Cho's hand, "You'll be fine, Cho. If you like we can go find Loony and push her around a bit. That always makes you feel better."

"But… Well she's with Potter now," Cho said inspecting her bed carefully before slowly sitting on the edge of it. The pressure caused the powder lined crotch of her knickers to send a cold burst through her core resulting in a small shiver.

"So? She's still Loony. The only reason Potter's with her no doubt is because she gave him a little something. Something I'm sure he'd forget all about if one of us was to offer the same, you know."

Cho nodded, a small grin flashing across her lips, "Could be fun actually. Potter is a fairly strong wizard and you know what they say."

Marietta nodded, "I wouldn't pass up a roll in the sack with him, that's for sure. He's finally grown out of that awkward skinny stage. Still, with Granger around we'll have to get him alone, I think, if we want to try. Luna would probably just wet herself and run off, but Granger is another matter."

Cho nodded, looking thoughtful, "He's been giving me some curious looks all year, well up until he got with Loony at least. I was kind of hoping he'd ask me to the ball."

"Didn't Cedric ask you?" Marietta asked, sitting down on the bed across from Cho.

Cho nodded, turning to her friend, "I haven't answered yet, but he said he'd give me a few days to decide before asking anyone else."

"Loony hasn't got a prayer against you, Granger neither for that matter. All we gotta do is get Potter to himself."

Cho grinned, finally relaxing a little, "All right, here's what we'll do."


Luna hummed quietly to herself as she flew down to a small white house that she'd only been to once in the previous timeline. It had made a great bolt hole one night when they had some Death Eaters trying to track them down, sort of one of those hiding under their noses kind of things. Sometimes being in the obvious place was a good way to make sure you were overlooked.

Number Four Privet Drive was almost a taboo subject with the trio, something they rarely ever discussed. Truth be told it was damn near impossible to get Harry to say the words without a copious amount of alcohol involved. Nevertheless Luna and Hermione had drawn straws for tonight, and Luna won the right to begin their campaign of mischief and terror.

Landing on a window ledge Luna peeked in the house where a horse-necked woman was scrubbing on a counter top wearing bright yellow rubber gloves. Luna faded herself into the home, flying into a small house plant that would give her a perfect view.

Closing her eyes and concentrating on the image she wanted to create Luna flicked her tiny hand towards the infamous cupboard. A small click and slow low creaking announced the opening of the door.

In the kitchen Petunia froze in place as she heard the creaking of the hinges coming down the hall. Taking the gloves off slowly Petunia strained to hear before taking a few uneasy steps toward the hall.

"Hello?" Petunia asked as she came to the hall before freezing again at the open cupboard. Petunia looked around nervously before walking forward with a frown. Shrugging, Petunia reached into the small room clicking on the light and studying it curiously for a moment.

Luna grinned and released a burst of magic, her hands moving about in small jerky movements as she weaved a brief illusion.

Petunia leaned back out of the small room and her eyes caught a flash of familiar red. Turning quickly towards it Petunia frowned again, seeing nothing but the empty hall leading towards the front door. "Foolishness," Petunia muttered, turning back towards the kitchen. Petunia froze, every muscle in her body locked in primordial fear as her eyes locked onto an all too familiar pair of emerald green eyes. Lily Potter stood in the frame of the kitchen watching Petunia with a disapproving dark look on her face. Lily took one step towards Petunia causing her to let out a few stammered words before the illusion faltered and disappeared, leaving only the shell-shocked Petunia staring on in confusion.

"L-Lily…" Petunia muttered, falling to her knees. "I-I-I… Lily?"

Nodding to herself Luna flew off up the stairs towards Dudley's room. Harry had given them a quick tour the night they spent here, so she knew the exact room to fly to. Dudley was away at Smeltings and would be for some time but that didn't mean he would be allowed any leeway. Eyeing the cluttered mess Luna shifted back to her Human form, silencing the room with a quick spell.

"Accio Porn," Luna whispered, flicking her wrist. A small thumping sound later and Luna released the spell going to the dresser. Pulling it open Luna pulled out a small lockbox. Flicking her wand again the lock popped and Luna pulled out a dozen or so magazines. Flicking through them quickly Luna nodded to herself.

Spreading them out on the bed Luna took a deep breath, exhaling slowly and chanting as she waved her wand. The pictures on the magazines flickered for a moment before altering and reforming, all the women becoming men and the titles changing to reflect it. Nodding to herself Luna put the magazines back in the unlocked lockbox, leaving one of the magazines hanging out clearly showing the title 'Men on Fire'. Luna slid the box under the corner of the bed where it would easily be spotted and shifted back to her fairy form.

Flying back down the stairs Luna saw that Petunia was back in the kitchen, but the woman was noticeably paler and kept fidgeting nervously. The umbrella stand was now standing in front of the cupboard under the stairs, an obvious attempt at keeping the door closed. Grinning Luna shifted back to her Human form flicking her wand at the stand, jinxing it with the same jinx that was on the umbrella stand in Grimmauld place. However while the troll-leg one was attuned only to Tonks this one was un-attuned, meaning it would attempt to trip anyone who walked by it.

Shifting back one final time Luna darted into the kitchen, being careful to remain unseen as she flew to the top of the fridge. Petunia was muttering under her breath, clearly rattled and unsettled by the illusion earlier. Taking another slow breath Luna sent a burst of magic towards the counter, altering the colors on it slightly giving it a permanently stained appearance. Petunia seemed not to notice as she fought to scrub the counters even harder.

Nodding Luna faded back to their Hogwarts quarters smiling happily. Hermione grinned, looking at her partner in crime as she retook her Human form, "Well?"

"Petunia was home like we thought she would be. Gave her a brief look at her dead sister and changed Dudley's porn to gay porn. Also I set-up a tripping jinx on the umbrella stand and made Petunia's precious counter tops look stained," Luna answered with a small smile.

Hermione nodded, marking a few items off a list she had created, "Good. Just a few minor things then and they can be explained away without jumping to the conclusion of magic. Well except for Dudley, he'll know something is up with all his porn changed, but that's months away and Petunia and Vernon will just assume he is a poofter and ignore his complaints of magic."

"Where's Harry?" Luna asked, looking around the room.

"Swimming," Hermione said absently, "wanted to prepare for the second task."

"He planning on pissing all over the competition then?" Luna asked, looking over Hermione's prank list carefully.

"Of course. If he's going to use his fame in the future he might as well get as much as he can. He was damn close to pissing all over it last time and he was just fourteen. Well he's fourteen now technically, but has more than twice the magical knowledge and a much larger amount of power on his hands."

Luna nodded, "Should be fun, then. We should go to Madam Malkin's and get new dresses for the ball. It's only a few weeks away now."

Hermione nodded happily, "I want you to have the first dance, Luna."

Luna blinked, looking up into Hermione's eyes, "But-"

"No Buts. I've been there, done that. You deserve it, Luna. Right now, some people are more or less dismissing you as a follower or tagalong. We need to provide a united front with the three of us and putting you in a place of honor will do just that. Harry agrees, by the way, you know he loves you just as much as he loves me," Hermione said, leaning forward and giving Luna a small kiss.

Luna blushed slightly, "But I'll never be as pretty as you are, Hermione."

Hermione chuckled, pulling Luna down into her lap, "Now hush that. We both love you, very much, and we both think you are beautiful."

Luna blushed again sighing deeply, "I know, but you'd look so much better on his arm than me."

Hermione shook her head, "Not at all. Harry and I both want you to do this, I'll have plenty of chances to dance with him. Besides if he doesn't officially take you then we'd have to find someone to invite you considering you are not a fourth year yet, and frankly I don't think Harry will let anyone else touch either of us."

Luna nodded, curling up into Hermione's lap, "I don't want anyone else to touch me either. I guess that's a good reason for him to take me, though."

"Luna love, that isn't why and you know it. I went with Krum last time, so I've already had the experience. While it's true I'd much rather have gone with Harry, well he hadn't quite gotten a clue about girls back then. You deserve this and I promise you'll be the belle of the ball by the time we're done with you," Hermione promised, giving Luna a tight squeeze. "Nobody will dare to accuse you of being a tagalong after the ball."

Luna smiled happily, her eyes staring into nothingness as she imagined the night, "Just as long as you don't insist on me wearing yellow."


Harry shuddered as he crawled from the icy lake. Flicking his wand, his clothes and skin dried instantly, but it did little to warm him. Casting a few more small charms Harry collected his satchel and turned to make his way back towards the castle. The trip hadn't really done much to help as the Merpeople's village seemed to be hidden under some barrier or something. He'd only planned two hours to search, hoping to get the position narrowed down but he hadn't seen hide nor hair of them.

Wrapping his robes a little tighter Harry pushed the doors open and rolled his eyes as Draco and his goons seemed to be waiting for him. Pointedly ignoring them, Harry walked towards the Great Hall in search of something warm to drink.

"Potter!" Draco called out before Harry could slip away. Harry palmed his wand as he turned, careful to keep it hidden from view as he turned to the Slytherins.

"Hello Draco, to what do I owe the honor of your presence?" Harry asked dryly.

"Don't take that tone with me Potter!" Draco said, puffing his chest out.

"That's Lord Potter to you. Honestly, Draco, how long is this going to go on? You come up to me, pop your mouth off, I embarrass you, and you leave with your tail tucked between your legs. I'm sure Salazar himself is beaming at you from the afterlife with how successful you've been in defacing and humiliating me. Oh… right… the best you could come up with are some childish badges, so excuse me for not taking you seriously," Harry said, rolling his eyes.

"Screw you, Potter," Draco said, narrowing his eyes.

"Not on your best day. Now please, continue with whatever epic comment you came over here to say so I can embarrass you and we can both go on our merry way. See, unlike you, I have a few lovely ladies to prepare for, so hurry it up, please," Harry said with a dismissive wave of his hand.

Draco's face reddened slightly, but he miraculously kept his temper, "Just wanted you to know my father has taken quite the interest into finding out how you managed to cheat your way into the tournament. I don't know how you managed, but it won't be a secret for much longer. When your ladies find out what a cheat you are then they'll be clamoring to get away from you."

Harry chuckled lightly, "Here's the amazing part. If he proves that I did cheat, then it only shows that I'm more conniving and sneakier than the embodiment of Slytherin that you claim to be. If he can't prove it then it proves either that I'm the innocent Gryffindor I claim to be, or that I'm even more cunning than you ever realized. So tell me exactly why this is supposed to bother me? Either way I come out looking like twice the man you are."

Draco's face reddened and even Crabbe and Goyle looked like they understood what was being said, something that nearly caused Harry to faint in disbelief. Draco puffed his chest out again, obviously trying to look impressive, "Whatever Potter. You just wait and see, when my father finds out the truth everyone will know you for the liar you are."

Harry shook his head slightly, "Are you done now? Feel like you've been impressively impressive enough? Run along then, and when Daddy finds out the truth tell him I'd like to be the first to know."

Ignoring whatever retort Draco was thinking up Harry turned and walked into the sparsely inhabited hall. Taking a seat at the Gryffindor table Harry smiled as a hot cup of chocolate materialized in front of him.

"Thanks, Dobby," Harry murmured, knowing that no other elf would have been able to anticipate his needs like that. Harry smiled at the giggling pair of Lavender and Parvati who kept shooting him curious glances. Seeming to make up their minds they moved across from him after a few minutes.

"Hello girls, to what do I owe the pleasure?" Harry asked, taking another sip of the hot ambrosia of the gods that was slowly thawing him out.

"We miss Hermione," Lavender said with a forced frown, pouting her lip out.

"Yeah," Parvati agreed. "She finally starts acting like a girl and she goes and moves out of the dorm."

Harry chuckled around another sip, "You know you can just go and visit her at any time, don't you? It's not like she left the castle or anything."

"Really?" Lavender asked with a smile. "I thought you might not want visitors in your quarters."

Harry shook his head, "I don't mind, and I doubt Luna and Hermione would either. Just don't bring Ron around and we're good."

Lavender scrunched her nose like she was smelling something horrid, "Why would I bring him?"

Harry snorted, "Dunno, but he's about the only company I would mind having around."

"Are they there now?" Parvati asked, glancing to the doors.

"As far as I know yeah. I was just outside getting ready for the second task and decided to drop in here for a cup of something warm before heading back," Harry answered. "Want to come see them?"

Lavender nodded turning to Parvati, "We'd love to if you really don't mind."

Harry nodded, downing the last of his cup, "Come on, I'm sure she will be thrilled knowing you miss her."

Lavender and Parvati hopped up excitedly with huge grins, "Okay."

Harry led the girls through the hall ignoring the few curious glances from some of the other occupants. Chuckling Harry mused over the headlines he envisioned he could be tacked with later, 'Boy-Who-Lives builds a harem'. Shaking the thoughts away, Harry turned to Lavender and smiled slightly, "I wanna thank you two, by the way. Hermione has felt a lot better ever since you helped her with her hair."

Lavender smiled in return, "She looks amazing. It's a wonder how such a little thing can affect so much, isn't it? Like you and your glasses."

Harry nodded, more than willing to let them believe that the improvements were all cosmetic in nature, "I've always thought she was beautiful, but even I have to admit the last few months have changed her a lot. The change with her hair seems to have made the most difference though. As for my glasses, Hermione talked me into getting contacts; said she liked seeing my eyes without them."

Harry smiled, pulling a key from his pocket and nodding to the old oak door, "Here we are. Obviously you can't get in without the key, but if you knock and we're in, I promise we won't ignore it." Unlocking the door Harry pushed it open and stuck his head in the room making sure the girls were decent.

"Hermione, somebody insisted that I bring them here to hang out with you," Harry said, winking at Luna who was eyeing him over her copy of the week's Quibbler.

Hermione's head shot up and a huge grin spread across her face, "Hey girls!"

Harry stepped aside to let Lavender and Parvati run over to Hermione where they broke into quick rapid chatter. Luna placed her magazine on the desk and walked over to join them and Harry smiled as Lavender moved to give the younger girl some room. He'd been worried that they might try to exclude Luna but now they were looking at her hair carefully and discussing colors and other things that meant little to Harry.

Harry watched Luna carefully over the edge of a book he was pretending to read. Luna had exactly four people she had ever trusted in her entire life; her mother Selene, her father Xeno, Hermione and him. When they had come back it had been under the entire pretense of stopping the war, something they had every intention of doing. But none of them had considered the idea of actually taking any time to just BE kids again. Lavender gave a small squeal after hearing something Hermione said and the conversation went into overdrive. If Harry was honest with himself he couldn't honestly say they were even speaking English anymore.

Luna seemed to be doing okay with all the attention, but a few times he caught her eyes and saw the hints of fear that she often had when dealing with other people. Harry shot her a soft smile and her eyes instantly lit up and some of the anxiety bled away. Placing the book back on the edge of the table Harry stood and stretched noisily, throwing out a loud yawn as he made his way over to the group that finally seemed to be winding down.

"What's all the excitement?" Harry asked, moving next to Hermione.

"Talking about how we're going to doll Luna up for the ball," Hermione answered, leaning into Harry. Harry smiled at Luna again who seemed to finally relax completely, her silver eyes softening and losing their coldness. Hermione noticed as well, giving Harry a soft peck on the cheek. "She'll be amazing."

Harry winked at Luna, "She already is."

Lavender and Parvati 'Awwed' at Harry's words before standing up and walking circles around him appraisingly.

"Now we just have to make sure you complement her," Parvati said, running her hand through his hair and tutting.

Lavender nodded, taking Harry's head in hand turning it this way and that, "I think that'll be the harder job."

"Hey, I'm the champion here. Isn't she supposed to, you know, match with me?" Harry asked, jerking his head back from Lavender's touch.

"Boys," Parvati mumbled rolling her eyes. "If you really want to think that then go ahead. But any real fashionista knows that the man dresses to match the girl. You'll make a much grander entrance if she draws all the eyes after all, because everyone will be jealous that you are her date not the other way around. Think about it, everyone knows you are the Boy-Who-Lived and could have brought anyone you wanted, so the trick is making everyone forget your fame and look at her as the one being willing to bring you along for the night."

Harry's eyes crossed at the almost circular logic before he shook his head to clear it, "Whatever you girls say. As long as she is happy I don't care if we go dressed in our pajamas."

"Merlin, it's worse than we thought," Lavender said with a giggle. "You're going to have to teach us how you trained him, Hermione."

"Three years and a lot of patience," Hermione said, grinning as Harry sputtered.


"Why are we doing this again?" Hermione asked, leaning against Harry's fairy form.

"Because he annoyed me," Harry answered honestly.

"Because we're fairies and this is the kind of stuff we do," Luna said, smiling brightly. "Besides at least you get to help this time."

Harry frowned, looking at the girls, "What are you talking about?"

"Nothing!" Hermione said a little too quickly.

Harry shook his head, "It's been long enough. If they aren't deep asleep yet then they never will be."

Luna nodded, flying down into the bed alongside the sleeping Slytherin Ponce. Pulling a small vial from her pocket she tipped it into the boy's lips. To Draco it was little more than a few drops of liquid, but it was more than enough of the potent sleeping potion to ensure he didn't wake until she could transform and give him a full dose.

Outside of the curtains Hermione was silencing the room as Harry drew his wand and started muttering spells one after another. The bed floated a few inches off the ground and Harry turned to Hermione who nodded and withdrew the Marauder's map from her robes. Glancing it over she nodded to Harry who flicked his wand again, causing the bed to move towards the door. Hermione slashed her wand and the door magically widened to let the bed out into the hall.

Slowly the group made their way out of the Slytherin dorms unnoticed even by the heavily sleeping portrait and up to the Great Hall. Positioning the bed carefully Harry nodded to Hermione who took over the hovering charm for a moment.

Taking a deep breath Harry raised his wand again aiming at the bed, "Leviosa Maxima!"

The bed shuddered one final time before floating silently and in place. Leviosa Maxima was a sixth year charm that had a few differences from its cousin Wingardium Leviosa. Wingardium Leviosa was a handy charm to move objects around and make them float, but it required one to be actively casting. Leviosa Maxima was a charm technically classified as an enchantment, which meant it was permanent. The only other difference however is that once the object was in place it couldn't be moved again without actively canceling the enchantment.

Hearing the spell Luna checked the time before measuring out a perfect dose of the sleeping potion and forcing Draco to swallow it. Nodding at her work Luna hopped down from the bed with a small grin on her face.

"What are you grinning about?" Hermione asked, looking up from the map again.

Luna shrugged, "Nothing."

Harry rolled his eyes taking a small sip from the pepper up potion Dobby had brought him earlier. Shaking away the steam Harry raised his wand again casting a strong Disillusionment spell on the bed. Walking around the Hall quickly the trio made sure the bed couldn't be detected by the naked eye. They were a little concerned that Dumbledore might detect it, but if everything worked to perfection then it would be too late by the time the Headmaster came down for his breakfast.

Shifting back to their fairy forms the group faded back to their rooms and settled in for bed, content that breakfast tomorrow would be quite entertaining.


The trio made their way into the hall at exactly five minutes after seven, settling into their seats. If everything went correctly then the fun would begin in a few minutes and Dumbledore didn't usually arrive until a quarter of an hour after, so everything so far was working out perfectly. Harry handed a note to a tired looking Fred who glanced it over and smirked before handing it to his brother. George read it and laid it on the table before aiming his wand at it causing it to burn quickly into nothing more than ash. The Twins gave Harry a small nod before settling back into their food, keeping an eye on the spot that the note told them to watch.

At exactly nine minutes and fifty seconds after the hour a bed suddenly appeared, floating above the teachers' table perilously. Because it was nearly fifteen feet above their heads none of the teachers took immediate notice, the rest of the room broke out into hushed whispers as eyes shot up in its direction however.

At exactly ten minutes after the hour the curtains gave the first signs of life and a pale leg appeared over the edge of the bed, dangling in the open air. Grasping the curtains and throwing them aside a sleepy eyed and very nearly naked Draco made to stand in one fluid motion.

A few people gasped loudly as Draco plummeted down onto the teachers' table, landing directly in front of his head of house with a loud thud. Snape stared in horror as the fair skinned boy upended several platters of food in his attempt to get to his feet, covering the greasy haired professor in various bits of breakfast.

"MALFOY!" Snape yelled, standing and pushing his chair back in an attempt to escape the splatter. The entire event had taken less than three seconds, from the time the pale leg had appeared to the time Snape stood, his wand in his hand. Draco finally got his feet under him and stood, his bright pink boxers showing off a monogrammed message saying 'I Love Gilderoy Lockhart'. Seeing Snape's enraged face Draco turned only to see nearly the entire student body and the guests from the other schools staring at him in silent amusement. It took nearly an entire second longer for laughter to start breaking out across the hall, the Weasley Twins beating their fists into the table to emphasize their amusement.

Draco paled even more looking back and forth between the students' tables and Snape. Finally his brain kicked in and he ran for the lesser of the two evils. Running past the student tables heads snapped around as he passed, none of them wanting to miss so much as the briefest moment of Draco's humiliation.

Snape flicked his wand, quickly cleaning away the various bits of food from his robes. Stalking off, the man ignored the chittering laughter as he made his own way from the room, intent on having a very deep conversation with Malfoy. Professor McGonagall stood slowly, fighting a smirk at Snape's predicament.

Holding her wand to her throat the Deputy Headmistress called out across the room trying to calm the students. It took several minutes for the outrageous laughter to turn slowly to the occasionally broken chuckle. Deciding that was the best she could hope for McGonagall turned to Professor Flitwick who seemed to be analyzing the charms on the floating bed, his wand twitching as he muttered several spells.

Professor Dumbledore walked in just as Professor Flitwick was gently lowering the bed to the ground after breaking the enchantment that was keeping it afloat. Eyes twinkling madly, the Headmaster joined the teachers who were surrounding the bed, talking about it curiously.

"Had to be a seventh year, or maybe a really powerful sixth year. My first thought was the Weasley twins, but I highly doubt either of them have the power to use the enchantment on such a large object," Professor Flitwick said, looking up at Professor McGonagall.

"What has happened here?" Dumbledore asked as he eyed the bed.

"It would appear to be a rather large… Prank?" McGonagall answered in a very unsure voice.

Dumbledore frowned, eyeing the bed, "Whose bed is this?"

"I would wager Mister Malfoy's as he was the one who fell from it," Professor Sprout answered, eyeing the green and silver curtains.

Professor McGonagall nodded her agreement, "I would say the same. Filius said the bed was enchanted to float above us and to remain disillusioned for a specific amount of time. It certain wasn't visible when I sat down to my breakfast, nor did I detect any of the telltale shimmer of disillusionment. Whoever did this was not only powerful enough to cast the hovering enchantment flawlessly, but also to disillusion it just as impeccably. If either charm was cast with less than perfection then the shimmer would have given it away."

Dumbledore nodded thoughtfully, "Your suggestion, Filius?"

Professor Flitwick tweaked his mustache as he thought it over, "Honestly, Headmaster I have no clue who could have done this. Whoever it was either has unknown talent with charms or enough power to force the flawlessness. None of my NEWT level students come to mind."

Dumbledore frowned, but nodded his agreement, "I'll trust your opinion on the matter, then. I'll ask you to keep your eyes open, however, specifically on your Slytherin students. It is unlikely, though not impossible, that this prank was facilitated from outside of their house."

Drawing his wand Dumbledore tapped the bed and muttered a spell. The bed glowed a bright neon blue before disappearing a moment later in a swirl of color.

"Was the boy harmed?" Dumbledore asked, turning to McGonagall.

"Not that I could tell. He fell about fifteen feet, but he was rather half asleep still. He landed on the table in front of Professor Snape, making quite a mess all over the man. He fled the hall moments later and Snape went after him, I'm sure that if he was seriously injured Severus would send him to Poppy."

Dumbledore nodded, looking out over the hall where most of the students were still hiding smirks and the occasional chuckle. "We will consider the matter closed for the moment, then, so long as he came to no lasting harm."

Across the hall the Weasley Twins each gave Harry a tiny nod of their heads, clearly impressed with the prank.

Hermione turned and eyed Luna carefully, "Really? Lockhart?"

"I wasn't the one with the crush on him," Luna answered innocently.

Harry grinned at Hermione's blush, "At least she left him some clothes on"

Hermione's blush turned a faded red as she suddenly paled, "Thank Merlin for small blessings."

"It was small all right, but I wouldn't call it a blessing," Luna deadpanned.

Harry would spend many years wondering if she was serious or not.


AN: Hope you all enjoyed! Comment, Favorite, Follow, all that good stuff. Bit of action in the next chapter for those who have been waiting for it. This wraps up a lot of loose ends, and also leaves a lot more questions to be asked. Let me know what you think!

AN2: Thanks to David305 for pointing out a few mistakes I made as well. Edited to fix them.