AN: The living room is so encouraging. "I feel so alive in here!"
"What are you doing in there, man?"
"I'm livin', dude!"
Harry, Luna, and Lockhart arrived at the meeting place by car. It was a massive clearing in the middle of a forest, complete with flowers. The forest was young, made of spruce and oak, and smelled of old leaves and sap. Harry and Luna didn't know where they were because they hadn't paid any attention to where they were going. Harry sensed that he was surrounded by life and was currently bonding too much of it. In the middle of the clearing there was a massive campfire. The entire place seemed to be divided into several sections where there were aged wooden lunch tables set up, even though it was after dinner and there was no food. There were many people there. They seemed to be the only person to take a car, though there were several motorcycles and quite a few brooms.
When they got out, Lockhart said, "Ok, are you guys familiar with the packs?"
Harry said, "Greyback has a pack made entirely of witches and wizards who are almost as fanatical about the transformation as he is. Crescent pack, lead by John Crescent, is made up of various stragglers that don't belong to any other packs, and is effectively the largest. Trent pack is made up of a Muggle biker gang, and Malkovich pack, lead by Jason Malkovich, is made up of upper-class second generation or higher werewolves."
Lockhart said, "Yes, but there are three others without names, and they operate like groups with a representative instead of an actual Alpha. One has stragglers like Crescent pack, but is only made of magical folk, one has only muggles, and another has a bunch of different very small packs put into one."
Harry asked, "How are the smaller packs made?"
"A tight-knit group of friends get together. That's it. They don't necessarily have an Alpha."
"Interesting. Any pack allegiances or rivalries I need to know about?"
"Trent pack and Greyback pack get along fine, while no one gets along with the Malkovich pack, and the Crescent pack gets along with pretty much everyone Except the Grayback and Trent packs. While the Greyback and Malkovich packs don't get along, they both agree that they should join Voldemort when he gets back, but that hasn't been in discussions lately. Nowadays we have very little discussion, except the distribution of certain resources and other things. Your announcement will likely be a very exciting one."
"What about the general attitude towards Lycanthropy? Which groups love it? Which hate it?"
"Well, most of them just hate it and want to hide it, but the Trent, Greyback, and Malkovich packs all favor it in their own way. Trent pack, surprisingly, is just a hardcore werewolf biker club that likes killing other clubs on the full moon. They cause the ministry a lot of trouble and are hardly ever caught because of how understaffed the ministry is nowadays. Greyback pack is similar, but they hunt openly and in devastating numbers, aiming to infect rather than kill, and specially target wizarding towns, as they believe that they will one day outnumber the non-werewolves and then life for them will improve. Malkovich pack is much better behaved, caging themselves in luxurious cellars or rooms and keep to themselves, as they believe that the gift of Lycanthropy should only be given to a chosen few. Crescent Pack cages themselves to keep each other from infecting people as well, but only because they believe that it truly is a curse. All of the nameless packs believe the same."
Luna spoke up, "Are there any who would be against our cure?"
"Probably Fenrir Greyback and his clan by extension. They prefer a pure, wild experience. Everyone else is likely going to welcome your cure with open arms."
A voice very familiar came from an area that Harry guessed was the Malkovich pack, "Harry, is that you!" Harry looked to see Augusta.
Harry ran over and said, "Yes. How are you doing, Augusta?"
"How am I doing? I'm doing great, thank you. I heard you were bonded to a veela now."
Luna got there and said, "Yes, he is."
"Well, lucky you! What have you done together?"
Harry spoke at this, "She discovered a way to allow werewolves to completely control their Lycanthropy, and almost died doing so."
"Really? Well, what are the properties of said control?"
"I can now change when I want, the change comes faster, Full Moons only tempt me to change, and I am in control when I have changed. Also, the werewolf detection charm makes me blue rather than red."
"Interesting. A lot of people are going to want to get that cure. How did you do it, Luna?"
"I ripped out the part of the mind that keeps the wolf you from joining with the human you. After that, the human and wolf became one. I can only do this during the full moon."
"Hmm. What do I have to do to get that cure?"
Harry said, "I'll tell you at the meeting."
Since dinner had already been eaten by everyone before coming here, they started the meeting immediately. Greyback appeared to be the leader of meetings, as he spoke first.
"Welcome to the werewolf pack meeting of Europe. The purpose of these meetings is to improve the current state of living for all werewolves in Europe. The crowd present tonight is only a small portion of all werewolves in Europe. Are there any members here tonight who wish to make any announcements on the current state of affairs that surround and affect us that we do not already know about?"
He paused for a few moments and the silence drew on. Then, Harry stepped forward and said, "I am Harry Potter, and I have discovered a way to give you complete control over your wolf forms."
"Ah, yes, Potter. How's the-" and he brushed his left collarbone when he said this. Harry saw a burn mark on his neck leading to his back.
"Fine, thanks," he said, feeling mixed emotions about it. Fenrir smiled with a mouth full of pointed teeth. "Anyway, do any of you have any questions?"
At this, Malkovich, a Russian-looking man wearing clothes and boots made of bear fur and leather, asked a question, "Yes, what you mean by 'complete control?' Can you give us a demonstration?"
Harry simply smiled, then changed into a two and a half meter tall killing machine with piercing green eyes and bright white fur. Harry could sense their awe. Settling down on all fours, Harry thought to the entire gathering, "Is there anything you would like me to do?"
Greyback looked at him with wonder and amazement, "Move" he said in a whisper. Harry obliged, running into the forest, disappearing, reappearing on the other side wreathed in flames, and stopping again at the center of the gathering, standing on his hind legs, and howling to the near-full moon above him. Luna's eyes were wide as can be and the smile on her face went to her eyes. Many were awed, impressed, talking, and wanted more.
Trent spoke this time, "What can we do to receive this gift?"
Harry transformed back into human form and said, "Easy. All you have to do is vow to never have positive relations with Voldemort or his cause. Also, you must pledge to never purposely infect another human until I have determined that this gift will be transferred with the Lycanthropy. In order to ensure you will keep your word, you must sign this parchment." And at this Harry held the large scroll in the air. "When you sign this, you will also be knocked out tomorrow at the full moon until I can give you the gift, which guarantees that you won't run away before you receive it. Who wants to sign now?"
This seemed to infuriate Greyback, "And how quickly will you find out if the gift is transferred?"
Harry thought quickly to Luna, "Do you want to become a werewolf?"
"Yes." She thought back, Harry felt a slight thrill run through her.
"By tomorrow's meeting. Considering the fact that the werewolf detection charm has changed, I would have to guess that the infection has changed as well, meaning that the gift might transfer with the disease. If this is true, then you won't have the second condition put on you for any amount of time." Harry said. Greyback and his pack seemed to settle a little. Malkovich seemed to not care about the contract, but everyone, including Malkovich and his pack, seemed to be restraining an inner excitement. A cure to their affliction had been found at last, and it even allows them to keep their werewolf form!
Needless to say, everyone except for a few signed it. These few were Greyback and thirty or so of his closest werewolf fanatics. He wasn't upset, however, saying in a deep, growling tone
"My closest and I don't want to risk it, Potter. Will you show early to tomorrow's meeting with the scroll? We wish to sign it if circumstances permit."
"Of course, Greyback. I planned on showing early anyway." Harry said, nodding and walking off, Luna holding his hand. To Luna, Harry thought, "Considering how long it takes for the disease to take hold, I will have to bite you the moment we get to Hogwarts."
"Very well, Harry. I can't wait until we can run together. Limitless under the stars."
"We can explore the Forbidden Forest more together!"
"Do you have anything in mind?"
"They're very illusive, but I think there are intelligent wolves in there, rather than werewolves."
"Interesting. When should we explore?"
"Well, there's nothing happening Sunday."
"Sunday. I like sundaes. I heard one time that it was illegal to have a sundae on Sunday somewhere. I don't know if I believe it. Do you, Harry?" By this time they were leaving in the car. Luna was looking out the window. Their hands were held loosely, hers on his.
"No, I don't, but I wouldn't be surprised if I was proven wrong. Those lawmakers are strange characters."
"Harry, you know how you've been teaching me about Unaided Magic on your free time?"
"Yes."
"Well, Growth Magic seems pretty limited, as far as what you've taught me. There must be something other than heal and grow things."
"There is. The new books Dumbledore gave me showed me how to modify a living thing, even create a new species, within reason. It takes time, and can be sped up with energy and blood, but it is worthwhile. Are you familiar with the Lotus Flower?"
"Yes."
"That was created by ancient growth mages. It is one of the few flowers that can regulate its own temperature for this reason."
"Interesting. I wonder if we could create a house by growing it out of a tree or something."
"I bet we can. Do you want to?"
"Yes. Where to you want to grow it?"
"Perhaps the Hogwarts grounds? Forbidden Forest?"
"No. Well, we need a big clearing, so maybe. I would rather plant the tree there myself than just borrow a tree. We will also need to plan out the house before we actually plant the tree."
"Sounds good. When should we make it?" At this, Harry noticed the thinnest sliver of gold thread weave itself into the bond.
"We should begin the steps to making it now."
"We should also visit the Room of Requirement for more information on it."
"Agreed," said Luna. After that, they faded back to their own thoughts, contemplating the night.
Harry, remembering that he would need to heal a magical wound, asked Lockhart, "Lockhart, do you have anything that can seal a werewolf bite?"
"Yes. I always carry a flask with me, Harry. Just in case."
"Sounds good. Let's get to Hogwarts."
-oOoOo-
Dumbledore was pacing in his study, a letter from Remus Lupin clutched in his hand. It explained to him that Harry and Luna had come up with a cure to Lycanthropy and described it. Dumbledore was impressed. He had already sent Lupin a letter telling him to not take the cure, though Lupin had signed the parchment. Still in the first half of second year, a werewolf barely four months, and had cured the worst symptoms of Lycanthropy. In first year and risked her life to get it. He was, as said before, impressed by both of them. As a bonus, the werewolves can no longer join Voldemort when he comes back, and will no longer infect others (unless the gift is passed with the curse, of course). Not only that, but Dumbledore's goal to make Love Harry's greatest ally and Voldemort's worst enemy. It was rather amusing, almost poetic, how something as beautiful as Love will be instrumental in Voldemort's destruction. And, hopefully, the rebirth of Tom Riddle.
And Dumbledore knew, even now, that he would have to die, possibly by Voldemort's hand. What a grand adventure that would be, he thought to himself, or would it? To see, or not to see. That is the question, isn't it? After all, if everything living will eventually end in death, and everything of the living will crumble to dust, where then shall we look for true significance? But, he was getting ahead of himself. He needed to focus on this year and the next. Remus would be the next Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, to be sure, and wouldn't have the cure. That would hopefully give Harry an opening to bond with him by personally giving the cure to him after finding it out, giving him another layer of protection, should he need it. Other than that, Dumbledore hoped everything went well, trusting that Harry will know what to do when the time came.
-oOoOo-
Luna lay on her bed, pale and feverish. Harry was at her right side, holding her hot and sweaty hand, ignoring the uncomfortable sensations in favor of the beautiful ones. A scar made by Harry's massive teeth was now permanently imprinted upon her left shoulder, collarbone, and a very small portion of her chest. Lockhart had left a while ago and Luna had passed out, leaving Harry alone with his thoughts, which happened to be torturing him.
He was filled with worry. What if she doesn't get the gift? What if she is still shunned from society? Even if she does, What if the gift accidentally turns her brain to mush? At this, he feverishly searched her mind for damage and found none, and then he searched some more as his fear mounted again a few seconds later, coming up with the same result. Asmund, Thana, Fluffy, Cuddles, and Norberta were all trying to calm his mind by radiating their own calm feelings, which was strange, since 'calm' for Cuddles, Norberta, and Thana all hinted at having a full belly and resting in a cold den, and Asmund and Fluffy all hinted at dens as well, but it wasn't like a hibernation as it was with the other three. This combination of feelings ended up making him extremely drowsy, and within seconds he had passed out, slumping onto the bed.
By the time he woke up, Luna had already been awake. She was looking the same, but was smiling at him.
As Harry was trying to sluff the sleep off of his shoulders and rub it out of his eyes, Luna spoke
"You've been asleep for quite a while, Harry. About an hour and a half since I woke, and it's already morning time." And so it was. Harry looked across from her bed out the window to see a beautiful orange sunrise above the trees of the Forbidden Forest. Cuddles was coiled into a tight ball on Luna's chest, and Asmund was sleeping next to her on the spot Harry usually slept. Harry asked, worry flowing again,
"How do you feel? Have you experimented with the transformation yet?"
"Good and no. I figured I didn't need to if you could look into my mind now."
"How would I know if the gift was passed?"
"If you can't feel a barrier in my mind hiding something behind it."
"OK." Harry searched her mind slowly, hoping not to miss anything. It had changed since the bite. It was a little more passionate and wild, like his mind had been after bonding to Norberta. He couldn't find any barriers of any kind. "I can't find anything."
"Good. Looks like I won't need to get that cure." She said, smiling a little. "It also looks like Greyback and his pack members won't be following Voldemort if he comes back."
"When he comes back." Harry corrected.
"You really think he'll come back?"
"He tried once, and I was unable to destroy him that time, only his host. Dumbledore told me he'll try again and again until he does. I don't know how long I can hold him off. When I fail and he comes back, I have to stop as many people as possible from joining him. We can't have him back in power. So, I've decided to bond and form alliances and contracts with as many people as possible, especially the dangerous or powerful ones."
"Wow, so you're going to keep Voldemort from coming to power again by being nice to his followers?"
"Before he comes back, because we both know that when he does, his followers will go back to him in flocks."
"I agree. Do you suppose Dumbledore would dub this 'love?'
"Probably. It happens to be a thing of his."
Luna laughed a little at that. Eventually, extremely bloody meat, which Harry had identified as unbled pork loin, appeared on a platter next to the bed. Both Harry and Luna smelled it. Harry was able to control the now familiar flood of spit that came into his mouth every time he smelled blood, but Luna was unsuccessful, drooling on her blanket before realizing what was happening and re-taking control of her mouth. Her hunger was uncontrollable, however, and she almost immediately seized the meat from the plate and took a giant bite out of it, dripping a steady stream of blood onto the blanket as she ate. Harry could see that her teeth had changed into that of a wolf's and her eyes had as well. He tried to contact her with his mind, but found an impenetrable barrier there, though it was growing a little weaker each bite she swallowed.
It was quite scary to watch, actually. Not because Harry was scared of Luna (Watching her eat like a homicidal maniac was strangely adorable), but because he wondered if she knew what was happening to her and what she was doing as she ate. If she didn't, then he probably didn't either, which means that she probably sees him like this three times a day. Setting aside that Harry felt a little embarrassed, he felt curious as well, asking himself, "Is that why the nurse at St. Mungo's was so scared? Did she come in and see me eating like this without my knowledge?"
Now Harry was sure that they were going to be shunned and that he would be kicked out of his Aunt and Uncle's house again. All he had to do is eat in public or with his family once. What would Xenophilius think? Harry had a feeling that he would be furious. Then again, he was so eccentric he just might celebrate. Who knew?
Luna was almost done when she immediately began to slow down and her eyes and teeth returned to normal. That's when she noticed that she had dripped blood from the meat all over the white blanket on the bed. If Harry hadn't seen her eat, he would have thought she had been stabbed for how much blood there was.
"Did I just…?" She asked, looking slightly embarrassed.
"If you're asking me if you had just eaten that pork loin like a homicidal maniac, I would have to say yes. Your eyes and teeth also changed into wolf-like ones as well. It was strangely adorable to tell you the truth. Do I eat like that?"
"Yes. I didn't want to tell you because I thought you would be embarrassed, and I didn't want you to stop eating like that either."
"Well, I'm more worried than embarrassed. How will my Aunt and Uncle react? How will your father react?"
"Your Aunt and Uncle will likely flip the hell out, assuming they would be strange enough to give you bloody meat. My father could go either way. While he's protective of me, he is still open to welcoming strange and potentially dangerous things as gifts. I don't know if he'll be able to get around the eating thing without a scratch, but he'll understand eventually."
They finished cleaning the blanket, got dressed (Luna in a white with gold trim cloak and Harry in a black cloak with silver trim) and went into the common room. There they saw Dumbledore and Lockhart talking in low voices, seemingly anxious. Asmund and Cuddles moved to the common room and lay next to each other. Dumbledore noticed them first and stood, Lockhart doing the same. Dumbledore talked first,
"Harry, Luna, why didn't you consult me before doing this? I could have told you if the gift Lockhart has described to me was going to be passed on with the bite. I am very familiar with these things, you know."
Luna spoke now, "Yes, we know, but it doesn't matter. The reason why we tested it ourselves is because I wanted to become a werewolf with Harry, and if the gift wasn't passed on through the bite, it would be given to me tonight, at the full moon." Dumbledore seemed to approve of this explanation.
Harry changed the subject, "Dumbledore, I think living at my Aunt and Uncles is going to be a problem now."
"Why, Harry?" Said he, looking very concerned.
"Because of how I eat meat. I had no idea until today how violent I look when I eat. They'd probably kick me out of the house again."
Dumbledore nodded, "Yes that is problematic. Hmmm. We will have to put whatever home you live in under the most extreme protections, including the Fidelius charm with me as the secret keeper. We could have you live on the Hogwarts grounds, perhaps? Or, maybe at Neville's? I don't know, Harry. I'm sure we could make special arrangements for you, and we've got a whole year to do it, so don't worry. Although, we will need to tell your Aunt and Uncle that you won't be coming home. We can do that when Christmas is about to end. Speaking of which, what are you two doing for Christmas?"
Luna spoke, "Harry has already asked to come to my house for Christmas. We were also wondering if Norberta could come, too."
"Well, of course she can come; she just needs to stay at a high altitude until she gets there. She has been rated with near-human intelligence, after all, so she is allowed to do whatever she wants as long as it doesn't break the law."
Then Lockhart asked, "Back to our original topic, did the gift get passed to her, Harry?"
"Yes. There is no separation between wolf and human in her."
This seemed to make them relax, and Lockhart removed the second condition from the contract. They talked a little more on the matter and Dumbledore eventually left with Lockhart, both of them realizing that they had a meeting. Luna and Harry went down to the Forbidden Forest together to visit Norberta. Harry went to the werewolf's gathering later that night. He showed up quite early in order to let more people sign, and apparently many more people than Greyback and his folks had heard of it from friends. Many of them signed the parchment thinking 'Ha! Positive relations with Voldemort or any of his followers? Everyone's doing that anyway since he's dead! This is a steal!' but Harry knew differently. He was also glad to see that the amount of people that showed up was about three times as large as the original. He cured everyone there and was glad that the parchment made the others pass out, since he would have lost most of them as they ran off to hunt various things.
Later that month, the Christmas break came, and while Harry would have normally been staying at Hogwarts, sleeping under Norberta's wing, and spending many nights under the stars of her clearing, he was now heading back to whatever home Luna lived in. He hoped that it had wide open spaces and maybe some water and some complex plant life he could mess with, but he would rather be surprised than ask Luna. He considered riding Norberta to get there, but felt that he wanted to stay with Luna and knew that Norberta was barely strong enough to carry one at high altitude, let alone two, so he took the train.
When riding the train, Norberta paid a surprise visit with a joyous 'ROOAAR!' that battered the eardrums and struck fear into the hearts of everyone except Harry and Luna, who happened to be sitting next to Neville, Hermione, and Ron, all three of which covered their ears and looked out the window in panic. Luna spoke first,
"Do not be afraid. It is only a dragon, come to say hello."
Ron was to speak next, "Don't be afraid, it's only a dragon? That makes a lot of sense!" he said as Norberta 'ROOAAAAR!'ed again, making the windows vibrate. A shadow passed over their car and then was gone, replaced by Norberta herself, flying twenty or so feet above the ground. To most who weren't bonded to Harry and some who were, she must have looked like their doom, but to those in Harry's compartment, even Ron, she looked amazing and elegant, floating on the wind. Each one of her scales, though brown, reflected light like a jewel.
"Hello, little one." She said lovingly. Harry could barely make out her slitted left eye gazing at him from the distance. And with that she ascended, disappearing from view, taking with her the longing that they all felt in that compartment. An expansive longing to fly and be free, almost like a homesickness or obsession that made those who felt it feel as if there will never be sadness in the world ever again. An awestruck voice that sounded behind the five of them stated what they felt deep in their hearts in its most basic terms.
"Damn. I've gotta get a dragon." They looked behind them to see Draco Malfoy, who happened to have his guard down and his social mask off. For the first time ever, Harry saw the true Draco. The mask haphazardly came back on, but took a form Harry wasn't expecting. "Um, Harry? Do you guys mind if I join you?" Harry sensed a bond growing between them faster than most. He seemed, despite being a Slytherin member, truly wanting to join them for honest reasons. His buddies weren't there and he was acting differently. Perhaps this Slytherin wasn't meant to be in Slytherin, and was only there because his friends were, like Hermione going to Ravenclaw rather than Gryffindor. Despite this, Harry was still cautious, mentally asking Luna if it was OK. She practically told him to allow Draco into their group.
"Sounds good, Draco." He sat down awkwardly. There was a small silence between the six of them, not counting Asmund and Cuddles, who were also there, Cuddles resting on Harry's shoulder and arm, which was resting on the window seal in turn, and Asmund lying down, head on Luna's leg. Harry asked a question they were all wondering, "Why exactly do you want to hang out with us instead of your other friends?"
Draco looked into the distance for a second, thinking. Then he said, "I don't feel like myself around them, and I feel like I can be myself around you. Is that ridiculous?"
"No, it's actually the first sensible thing I've heard you say." Harry said. "Welcome, Draco. Do you want to learn what no other Slytherins know?"
"What would that be?"
"Unaided Magic."
His eyes widened, "Do you mean that magic that doesn't require a wand to use? People all around the school have been using it to do incredible things. Are the rumors true? Have you been teaching them?"
"Yes, but I exclude Slytherins because this magic has a great potential to harm. Unlike magic with a wand, Unaided Magic isn't limited to want movements and words. This type of magic is limited by your imagination, physical energy, and willingness to practice, all of which are readily available to most people. If I give you this gift, you must promise to never use it with evil intention."
"I promise. When do I begin learning?"
"You can practice with me every Sunday starting at 8 in the morning. Meet me at my common room at first. We can learn their for starters, then we will take things into the Room of Requirement for the more dangerous lessons."
"Where's that?"
Harry laughed a little at this, "In due time, Draco. In due time….In the meantime; do you want to hold Cuddles?"
At this, Draco looked slightly scared. "Um…"
"Don't worry; as long as you don't try to hurt her she won't hurt you."
"You don't think this is a little too fast?"
"What? Like I'm going to waste time dancing around, waiting for a sign that you are worthy of holding Cuddles? Draco, if you aren't deadly afraid of snakes, then you can hold her if you want, and she is OK with you holding her."
"How can you know that?"
"Spirit Magic, a form of Unaided Magic, allowed me to form a magical bond with her that lets us communicate using thoughts and feelings. I will teach you some basic concepts of Unaided Magic, of course, but other than that you will ultimately decide what kind of magic appeals to you the most and we will study it deeply, rather than have a superficial understanding of all branches of Unaided Magic."
"Wait, have they specialized as well?"
"Yes. Hermione favors the Fire and Energy Magics, preferring to deal precise explosive damage to an enemy, or provide distractions. Ron Favors Fire and mixes it with wind to stoke and carry his flames, and uses this to form an inferno that only I have ever matched, and with great difficulty. Neville favors the Growth and Soul Magics, preferring to take a less combative approach to Unaided Magic and focuses more on the beauty of life, but can also use the Shadow, Energy, and Water Magics with frightening skill in combat. Luna is highly talented in all forms of Unaided Magic as I have taught her through sharing our minds, but she seems particularly skilled in Light Magic. I myself deeply enjoy studying all forms of Unaided Magic and have invested most of my free time studying it, but over time I've naturally gravitated to Light Magic and Soul Magic, preferring their extreme potential to eliminate evil in every crevice of the mind, as well as show us the most beautiful parts of ourselves. You will learn to love your own type of Unaided Magic for your own reasons and you won't be able to use all of the types very effectively or even at all in most cases. What types of magic you can use well depends on your various passions. Do you have any passions?"
"Well, that dragon was amazing."
"Did you fear it?"
"Sort of. But, I wasn't really afraid of it, just awestruck. I felt like….I don't know. I've never felt like that before."
"I understand, Draco. I feel that way, too. So, you have great potential for Soul Magic. If you were to imagine something amazing about a dragon, what would happen?"
"It would likely be attacking something or flying."
"Potential for wind. How is the dragon attacking?"
"Ambush from above, taken by surprise."
"Yes. I sense a heavy focus of Spirit and Wind. If you study hard enough, you could be able to fly. It seems that your passions are based around dragons, which is understandable. I'll try to train you up on Spirit Magic so that you can eventually form a powerful bond with a hatching dragon, which is the only true bond you can form with them without a lot of training, especially with the aggressive ones, which are the type that someone like you will want. The only problem that I can see in this is getting a dragon egg from an aggressive dragon, but I'll make it work."
"You will?"
"Yes. It's not every day you run into someone with a passion for dragons to match your own. Most people just run screaming in the other direction, but people like me, and possibly you, stand awestruck in its giant shadow, afraid yet not afraid, away from home when we lay awake on our bed, feeling homesick for something that is not a place, but a living thing. Poetic, don't you think?"
"Yes." Draco said simply, staring off into space wearing a vacant expression. Harry had obviously aroused his inner passions, and he left him to his thoughts. Harry stared out the window and smiled. He knew Draco would work hard on Spirit Magic to get a dragon.
-oOoOo-
They eventually got to the station and left the compartment. Draco finally came out of his stupor after hours of thinking just to say, "I'm holding you to it, Harry." and walk off to his father, Lucius, who looked curiously at Harry before taking Draco home. Neville was greeted by Augusta, who also welcomed Harry to come home, and Harry explained that he would be going with Luna, and that he would explain everything else later. Ron was welcomed by his family and Hermione was welcomed by her's. They all said 'hi' to Harry but not Luna, as none of them knew Luna. They eventually met Xenophilius, who put his left fist over the center of his chest and bowed without taking his eyes off them. Harry quickly adapted to this new gesture, doing the same in return. Luna, however, bowed with an open right hand. Xenophilius smiled at Harry,
"I didn't know you knew our family traditions."
"I don't, I simply copied you."
"Oh, well, the closed hand means you are male, using the left hand means you are giving. The open hand means you are female and the right hand means you are taking. The giving and taking of the relationship is usually in the form of a statement of love, such as, 'I wish to give you great joy through my love.' and 'I appreciate and accept the joy you give and the love you have for me.'"
"Interesting. Shall we get home, then? Norberta is coming and she will want to land soon."
"Amazing. I've never had a dragon at the house. I wonder what she's like."
-oOoOo-
Luna's home was, to say the least, strange. It looked like a giant black rook. Outside there were all sorts of plants he had never heard of. Inside was even stranger. The rooms were round. It looked mostly clean. The first floor was perfectly circular and all of the furniture and appliances were curved. It seemed to be a kitchen and dining room. The second room was also perfectly circular and seemed to be a mixed living room and work space. Copies of a funny magazine called the Quibbler were being popped out of a printing press. Above that on the third floor seemed to be a living space for two. Luna's room was connected to Xenophilius room by a door that opened both ways. Luna's room was strange. It had old, flowery wall paper and a blue carpet. There was one picture in the whole room and it was beside Luna's bed. It was a picture of a younger-looking Luna and an older woman that looked a lot like her, Harry guessed that it was her mom before she died. He felt a stab of emotional pain for Luna, who appreciated his empathy, though she didn't reciprocate the pain, returning a peace instead. Apparently she was past it, and Harry was glad.
There was a big river surrounded by trees not far off from the house. It provided decent hunting grounds, but they weren't interested in that. The Room of Requirement wasn't able to provide life, so they had to use the Forbidden Forest to practice forming bonds with unfamiliar life, something that the two of them enjoyed greatly. At the river, Harry was able to bond with waterborne life for the first time. Luna and Harry sat side by side, her hand on top of his, which he was using to hold himself up. They just sat there and stared at the water, feeling the life around them with their minds, when Luna spoke up.
"Harry?"
"Yes?"
"You know those things you said that you frequently imagine when we bonded?"
"Does it have anything to do with us?"
"Yes."
"Then you must be talking about marriage, raising a family, and telling my spouse about my darkest secrets. Yes, I do know those things. Why do you ask?"
"Do you plan on living with me forever?"
"Whatever it takes. Despite the common phrase, I can imagine life without you. It just sucks a lot."
Luna laughed a little at this. Her veela aura was positively glowing, and had Harry been paying attention to her instead of the water, he may have been uncontrollably blushing and incapable of thinking of anything for the first time in his life. He did, however, feel Luna going through this and was slightly curious. He wondered why Luna's thoughts have stopped and why her mind was….fuzzy, Harry guessed was the term, and very nervous, though it was a strange sort of nervous that Harry had never felt, more like a barely controlled excitement, except it was purely chemical and the only thing that screamed 'nervous' to Harry was her shying away from these feelings and trying to control herself. Harry was utterly bewildered as to why she felt these things, but he did see one thing that made sense to him. More golden threads wove itself into the bond.
Luna spoke again, "Do you want to be my Husband?" She asked. Harry had to think about this.
"Luna, I do want to, but, considering that neither of us is capable of financially supporting each other and neither of us are even eighteen yet, I doubt that it would be a good idea to make it official. However, considering our current circumstances, I could ask you why you don't already think we are married, and I would if I didn't know better." said Harry slyly, smiling brilliantly at Luna. Luna smiled back and then several more golden threads wove themselves into the bond.
"You think we are married?"
"I know we are. There is nothing but death that can part us, Luna, and perhaps even that won't work." As he said this, the threads of their bond that were once blue now turned to gold. As if by instinct, Luna leaned towards Harry and Harry towards Luna, and, for the first time in both of their lives, they kissed.
By normal kissing standards, it wasn't exactly worthy of being called 'one of the best kisses ever', but the gentle, passionate nature of the kiss, the fact that it was their first kiss, and the feedback of emotion they felt over their bond made the lighthearted, floating afterglow of the kiss lasted in their memory until the day they died.
The kiss lasted about thirty seconds in which an outsider could have seen both of their faces turn a bright shade of red as each person's lips and tongue gently caressed and explored the others. What stopped that kiss from lasting longer was a 'ROOAAAAARRR!', then the eventual giant shadow covering everything in sight and the loud sound of a dragon impacting the ground beside them. This didn't frighten or even surprise them, however, only brought them back to Earth from that beautiful, isolated world suspended in time they felt they were in only moments before.
"Hello, Norberta." Harry said, staring, unfocused, at the sky as the red in his face got redder. Luna got up to hug Norberta, and then said,
"Harry, I just realized. We need to tell my father about my being a werewolf."
Harry hesitated a little, still trying to get himself out of the haze that had settled around his mind. "Yes, that would be wise. I can't wait to see how he reacts. Tell me, Luna. Have you ever slept under the wing of a dragon on a winter's night?"
"Um...no." Luna said, still hugging Norberta. "That was a funny way to say that."
"Do you want to with me?"
"Yes, but we need to tell my father first." She said, walking off to the house. Harry followed her after hugging Norberta. They were walking towards the house to see Xenophilius running out of it towards them. It took a while, but they finally met in the middle and Xenophilius didn't even acknowledge their presence, just ran on past with a happy grin on his face, then, when he had passed them for a few seconds he said,
"Hey, I just want to see your dragon." Harry and Luna quietly caught up to and ran beside him. Harry told Norberta that Xenophilius was coming to meet her and Norberta seemed happy to see him when he got there. She lowered her head to him and he stroked her snout and neck. Harry decided to take advantage of his good mood to tell him about Luna being a werewolf.
"Want to hear something crazy?"
"Yes." Xenophilius said calmly, smiling as he felt Norberta's scales.
"Well, Luna figured out a way to allow me to control my lycanthropy completely."
Xenophilius now lost interest in Norberta, only absently stroking her scales as he thought about what Harry just said. He asked Harry how this control presents itself and he showed him. Xenophilius was absolutely excited at this point, but only showed it by pacing back and forth in front of them. They could hear him whisper, "Amazing" very quietly to himself. They waited for a few seconds for his verbal reaction and all they got was, "Tell me more. Why do you think it necessary for me to know this?"
"Because after discovering the physical and mental changes lycanthropy brings when paired with the ability to control it completely, Luna wanted it."
"...and so you gave it to her?" He asked, growing pale for a second.
"Yes, as well as the ability to control it. Surprisingly the bite transmits both and all I had to do is to bite her." Harry said as Luna showed her Harry's bite marks on her shoulder. Xenophilius gasped.
"Did it hurt, Luna?" He said, coming closer to look at the scar.
"Yes, but it was a good pain." She replied calmly. Xenophilius turned towards Harry and left Luna to walk towards him now. Standing close to Harry, he said,
"At first I didn't know about you. You are so young; I didn't think you would be good enough for my Luna. I thought you would abandon her. But look now at how you treat her! You gifted her, before all others, with a free heart and a wild soul. And now look! You have accepted the bond wholeheartedly and turned it to gold! I thank you, Harry Potter, for being everything I wanted for her and more…..Now, I assume that her diet has drastically changed because she is a werewolf?"
"Yes, but I believe we can hunt for ourselves now." Luna and Harry said simultaneously. That came as a result of sustaining a deep mental connection during their conversation. They felt that they were one and acted as one, as only a very small amount of themselves was separate from the other at that moment. Xenophilius smiled widely at this.
"I see you two have been experimenting with your minds. What triggered this gold bond, anyway?"
Harry spoke now, "I think it happened because I admitted that I consider myself her husband." With that, the bond grew thicker. Xenophilius just smiled,
"Have you two begun to sleep together yet?"
They blushed and Luna said, "Yes, though nothing….like that has happened yet. We're way too young." Again, Harry was utterly confused. Luna felt this and then asked after a pause, "Harry….have you had….that conversation yet?"
"Um….how should I know?"
"Do you know where babies come from?" Xenophilius asked, almost embarrassed for Harry that he had to ask this question. Harry, yet again, was confused,
"Well, I asked Petunia and Vernon, and even Dudley, but none of them would give me a straight answer." Luna blushed and laughed a little while Xenophilius' palm met his face in a classic expression of the sentence, 'An unforgivable crime has been committed against the human race.'
"Why is it that this responsibility has landed on my shoulders?" He said.
Harry asked, "Hey, can someone tell me what's going on here?"
Norberta joined in, "If you live in the forest long enough and are observant, you figure out the entire deal early. Harry probably already knows what you're talking about on a subconscious level, but doesn't know the correct vocabulary. I don't know it either, but I have seen enough to guess." This is when Harry's face sort of 'lit up',
"Hey, I think I know what you're talking about." Xenophilius seemed overjoyed that he was relieved of having the almost physically-painful 'conversation' again. Harry tried to confirm what he was thinking in his mind with Luna. She blushed again and her thoughts fuzzed up once more, pushing Harry's mind away. He then said to Luna, "Yes, now I know what you guys are talking about, though I didn't know that it caused babies to be made. Now that I know this, I would like you to know that I have already decided that I don't want a child of mine to exist in a world that Voldemort is able to come back, as that would cause them to become as much a target as I am."
Xenophilius was almost rejoicing at this point, interrupting with, "Damn, I'm sure glad you are her Bondmate!"
Harry spoke again, "Now, back to the topic of sleeping together, I was wondering if she and I could sleep out here with Norberta, at least for tonight?"
Xenophilius asked him, "How will you stay warm?"
Norberta then thought directly to Xenophilius, "The fire inside me will stay the cold."
Xenophilius just shrugged, saying, "I don't see any problems with that."
Luna said, "Another thing, our eating can be a little….scary. The only thing we can digest now is meat, and when we smell blood we go into a feeding frenzy, which causes us to partially transform into our wolf forms to feed. When we do have our meals, it will be savage and messy."
Harry cut in, "Actually, I think we should just hunt and eat in wolf form while we're here for Christmas."
Luna said, "That works. Is that OK with you, father?"
"Yes, of course Luna."
AN: Please comment! How's the story going? What do you think about certain things going on? Is there anything that I could change or improve? Is there anything you absolutely love or think is intriguing? Blast me with it!
