A/N: The song quoted later in the chapter was written by Bart Howard.
Chapter Ten
The Moon
O, then, I see Queen Mab hath been with you.
She is the fairies' midwife, and she comes
In shape no bigger than an agate-stone
On the fore-finger of an alderman,
Drawn with a team of little atomies
Athwart men's noses as they lie asleep
William Shakespeare, Romeo and Juliet
July 1, 1996, Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Scotland, UK
Professor Firenze taught Divination with Professor Trelawney. He was an unusual Hogwarts teacher, even by Hogwarts standards. You see, he was a centaur.
Centaurs generally didn't like humans a great deal, due to the actions of many Magi. They had taken his people from their homeland where they were once free and respected, and contained them in the Forbidden Forest. Further, they took every opportunity to tell the centaurs how gracious they were to allow them to live there instead of exterminating them, outright. What they seemed to have forgotten was that they, themselves, had been allowed use of the Forest and the surrounding land that housed the school and nearby village by the Lordly Ones. But then, most Magi seemed to have forgotten the Lordly Ones, themselves. Firenze didn't know what had surprised him more: One of the Lordly Ones walking into his class as a student, or the lack of awareness of her classmates of what she clearly was.
Firenze, though, didn't judge all humans, even Magi, by the worst of them. He was even rather protective of their children, which made him very unpopular with the leaders of the Herd. His agreeing to help the school during a situation where they suddenly needed a Divination Professor got him banished. He now had to make his home in the castle. He thought he'd have to remain there the rest of his life.
Now, he wasn't so sure.
He knew something had changed, something unexpected, the day before Midsummer. The Forbidden Forest was full of old magic from long before his people were placed there. Most of the British Magi, so blinkered and fettered by the limitations of their kind, weren't sensitive to the ebb and flow of the Forest's magic, but centaurs were. So, it came as no real surprise to Firenze when his people, even though they had banished him, contacted him, telling him to look beyond the wandering stars.
The Centaur forms of Divination were different from those of the Magi. They didn't attempt to forecast day to day happenings. They took a larger view, only concerned with the larger events. They could take up to a decade deciding what the omens and portents meant. Like the Magi, they used Astrology, but not the modern methods developed in recent centuries.
Centaurs used a much older method, only using the planets that could be seen with the naked eye. Of course, the definition of "planet" was different to the Ancients. They noticed that some stars weren't fixed in their positions, but moved from place to place. They called them asteres planetai, or wandering stars. The Greeks named these wandering stars for Gods, and tied them to their seven day week. When the Romans switched to a seven day week, they adapted the Greek names for the days, using their Roman counterpart Gods. The wandering stars were the Sun, the Moon, Mars, Mercury, Jupiter, Venus, and Saturn.
Sometimes, though, they needed a little more detail with their predictions. So, Firenze was burning the necessary herbs to learn what the Herd had obviously discovered, seeking forms and patterns in the smoke.
Humans wouldn't notice anything, but to any centaur, the images were clear. Firenze now knew why the Herd had decided to contact him again so soon after they'd threatened to kill him.
She was coming.
While Sunday is officially the first day of the week in the Jewish, Christian, and Islamic calendars, people have come to think of Monday as the week's beginning, as it's the first day of the work week. It means, literally, Day of the Moon. In most Indic languages, it's called Somavara, after the Hindu God of the Moon. It's also called Chandravara, Chandra being Sanskrit for Moon. In Thailand, it's called Wan Jan, meaning Day of Chandra.
On this particular Monday, in his bedroom in the house he lived in... a house because he really didn't think of it as a home... on Privet Drive, Harry Potter was engaging in one of his most common activities, brooding. While brooding isn't an unusual activity for teenagers, Harry had more to brood about than most.
His Godfather, Sirius Black, was dead. Sirius was dead because Voldemort had taken advantage of his mental link with Harry, making Harry think Sirius was being tortured in the Department of Mysteries. Harry led five of his friends on a rescue mission, that turned out to be a trap set by Voldemort, who was seeking a prophecy. Dumbledore, Sirius, and the Order of the Phoenix arrived to rescue them. Voldemort and his Death Eaters were beaten, with many captured, but at the cost of Sirius's life.
And then Dumbledore told him the Prophecy.
It was a tremendous burden. Only he could put an end to Voldemort. Everyone was depending on him. Other than that...
It didn't change anything, really.
Voldemort wasn't going to just stop hurting people, and Harry wasn't going to just stop trying to protect people, regardless. Hermione called it his saving people thing, and she was right. That was who he was. But then, she knew him better than anyone. Her couldn't get anything by her.
Of course, it's hard to get something by someone not only as smart as Hermione, but who is always very careful to think through everything before acting, which, Harry admitted, he didn't do nearly enough of. Her sense of acting on what was right, her sense of justice, was unwavering, as was her loyalty to him.
But, her intellect didn't make her any less loving and affectionate. The very first hug Harry received in his life was from her. And so many, since. She threw herself as completely into a hug as she did a book. It seemed Hermione was determined to make up for every hug Harry never got as a child.
She did nag him, a bit, especially about his study habits... well, his lack of them... But, she was right, he needed to be more disciplined about it, not only for his future career plans but for the more immediate concern about Voldemort wanting to kill him on his way to killing a whole lot of other people. If Harry being momentarily annoyed with her was the cost for Hermione to push him where he needed to be pushed, it was more than a price worth paying.
And, she wasn't just smart and brave, but beautiful. Only she didn't seem to realize it.
And speaking of brains, beauty, and bravery...
Luna was a strange girl, no question. But, Harry found himself drawn to her. They'd formed a bond. She had a way of understanding him that no one else did. Her insights, her opinions, her knowledge, were very helpful. She was able to comfort him and give him hope when no one else could after Sirius died. Harry still didn't have the deep faith she clearly did, but... She was right. He did hear the voices beyond the Veil, and he knew what that was. There was life after death, beyond being one of those ghosts floating around Hogwarts.
And, well, Harry had to admit he wasn't the most normal guy in the world, himself. People were calling him crazy or a freak all his life. What was normal, anyway? The Dursleys? If that was the case, he could live without normal. When he first saw the thestrals, and his friends, even Hermione, were treating him like he was crazy, Luna told him she saw them, too, that they'd always pulled the carriages, and he was just as sane as she was. Not everything in the world could be explained by textbooks, and there were so many things you needed more than logic to understand.
Luna never let insults bother her. Harry had thought, at first, that she couldn't stand up for herself, but that wasn't it, at all. When it was something really important, she fought, and fought well. She stood up for him when only Hermione and Ron would. She put her life on the line joining him in the Department of Mysteries raid when she had nothing personal at stake. She didn't know Sirius. She just did it because it was the right thing to do.
Petty insults meant nothing to her. Draco Malfoy never insulted her, even when he was insulting the rest of them. Harry supposed it would have been pointless for Malfoy to try. He wasn't going to get a rise out of her. Such things, and people, weren't worthy of her time and energy to respond to. She was very secure in who she was, and that was all that mattered.
Harry considered his own concerns, his attempts to fit in, his desire to be normal. Maybe, he thought, that was the result of all those years of living in this house, the beatings, the starving, all the punishments for being, in the Dursleys' eyes, a freak.
That's how they made him feel for that decade between being left on their doorstep and Hagrid arriving with the letter telling of him of his acceptance to Hogwarts. And Dumbledore knew! He told Harry he knew what he was condemning him to.
It's a wonder he had any will or capacity for love left, at all.
Dumbledore explained that it was the only way to insure Harry's survival. Harry simply had to accept that. It didn't mean he had to like it.
But, he'd proven the Dursleys wrong about him. Not that it was just the Dursleys, mind you. The Wizarding world tended to turn on him at the drop of a hat. And he kept trying to please these idiots. What would Luna do, under the circumstances, he wondered. What would she say?
She'd say the same thing Hermione would: Screw that.
Well, they wouldn't use those exact words, but that would be the general meaning.
Luna had the right idea. They could take him or leave him for who he was.
Her voice, her ethereal way of speaking, Harry found soothing. Thinking about her just made him feel a bit lighter. And, she was a cutie, too. Hermione was right about Luna's wood nymph thing. That smile... Nice legs... And her large, silver, eyes... He once saw his reflection in them.
And speaking of girls who didn't care about what people thought of them...
The Order had told him to contact them every three days. Nymphadora Tonks had given him her phone number, the first time he'd gotten a girl's phone number, he thought with amusement, and a hot one, at that. Not only that, but she was the first girl he'd ever had in his bedroom. Too bad she was so much older than he was... Well, not that much older, no older than Ron's brother Bill was than Fleur Delacour. But, Fleur was out of school and officially a grown-up. Harry found himself wondering what the age of consent was in Wizarding Britain... Not that he'd have any kind of chance with Tonks, but, as Hermione had pointed out to his embarrassment, he was a teenage boy. He was going to think about it.
Harry admired Tonks. She was an Auror, one of the elite unit of specialists at the Department of Magical Law Enforcement trained to be experts in investigating crimes related to the Dark Arts, and to fight and apprehend those using them to commit crimes. Just qualifying for the training program was difficult, as Harry learned from Professor McGonagall. You needed a minimum of five NEWTs with nothing lower than Exceeds Expectations, in subjects including Transfiguration, Charms, Defence Against the Dark Arts, and Potions. To make it more difficut, these days, Snape wouldn't accept any students in his NEWT level Potions class if they hadn't achieved an Outstanding in their OWLs. Harry had decided he wanted to be an Auror because of Tonks, but was concerned about his Potions OWL.
But, Tonks was more than a smart witch fighting the forces of Darkness. She was charming, vivacious, fun. Even with all the darkness and death in her line of work, she stayed light and full of life. She was a Metamorphmagus, a shape shifter, which was likely very useful in her chosen occupation. An interesting and notorious family, too. Her mom, Andromeda, was Sirius's favorite cousin who rebelled against her family's pureblood prejudices and married a muggleborn wizard, Tonks's dad. Andromeda's sisters were the notorious Bellatrix Lestrange, and Draco Malfoy's mother, Narcissa. He wondered how the woman turned out so different than her sisters. He'd have to meet her, sometime.
He left his room... The Dursleys had eventually been pressured to give him one instead of stuffing him into the cupboard under the stairs as they had for so many years... and went downstairs to use the phone. It was Monday, and he had a call to make. And speaking of wondering how sisters could turn out so different, there was his Aunt Petunia, his mother's sister. Petunia hated both Harry and his late mother, Lily. It was because of the magic, as she never failed to let Harry know, though Harry suspected it may have also had a little to do with his mother having a much prettier name.
"And what do you think you're doing, boy?" she asked in her usual nasty manner.
"I was told to contact the Order every three days, remember? This is the third day."
"And you're using the phone? Instead of... those owls?"
"Tonks gave me her phone number and told me to call her... You remember her, the one with the pink hair?"
Petunia shuddered, showing she remembered.
The phone rang just as he was reaching for it. Petunia rushed to answer it before he could.
"Hello? What? Who are you and why do you want to speak to him? Oh, you're her. Yes, I remember you. How can you go around in public... As I understand it, he is to call you and give you a quick message that he's not being mistreated... That does not mean that you freaks can just call my house any time you... The nerve! She just hung up on me like..."
"Was it the pink haired girl you met at the station?" Harry asked.
"Listen, boy... That freak friend of yours had better learn her..."
Whatever Petunia was going to say the freak friend in question needed to learn was interrupted by the doorbell ringing.
Petunia froze, her eyes widening.
Harry prompted, "That's probably her."
Petunia didn't move a muscle. The doorbell rang, again.
"So..." Harry continued, "you don't mind the neighbors seeing a pink haired freak at your door?"
"OI!" the familiar voice yelled from outside. "Don't make me force my way in!"
"I'll..." Petunia yelled back, "I'll call the police!"
"I am the police, you twit!"
"She is," Harry confirmed. "Shall I open the door?"
Still wide eyed and frozen to the spot, Petunia nodded.
When Harry opened the door, he had a pleasant surprise. Tonks didn't come alone.
"Hello, Harry," said Luna.
She was wearing a sleeveless gold top with black trim, a black mini-skirt showing lots of lovely leg, and a black fedora. Being Luna, it worked on her. Tonks was wearing a red, sleeveless, and very low cut, sundress. Her hair wasn't pink, today, but a more subdued light brown. Between the two ladies, Harry's Summer holiday had just improved, immensely.
"Tonks! Luna! Come in."
"You have a very lovely garden."
"Thanks."
"You did that? I'm impressed, Harry. You've made something beautiful. I knew you had hidden depths."
"I can cook, too."
Well... Cooks, gardens, and fights to defend the innocent... You could spoil a girl, Harry," Luna said with her adorable smile.
Harry felt himself blushing.
"Um," he said, "have a seat."
Luna sat on the couch, but Tonks remained standing.
"So," Harry asked, "what are you two up to, today?"
"Two things," Tonks answered, with the Patented Black Smirk. "One, check on you to see if you're being mistreated, and two, get you out of the house for a bit."
Luna added, "We thought you were probably getting bored stuck here, so we decided to take you out for some fun."
"Um," Harry said, "are you allowed to do that?"
"By who? If you mean Daddy, he thinks it's a splendid idea."
"I meant Dumbledore."
"Oh, well no, we haven't gotten his permission. I don't really see how we need it, though."
Tonks said, "We just won't tell 'im."
"It's really none of his business, you know."
"Well..." Should he tell them the reason he was stuck here?
"But," said Tonks, "first things first... How have they been treatin' ya?"
"They've been doing their best to ignore me, so no complaints."
"Of course, as an Auror, with accusations of years of child abuse brought to my attention, it's my duty to investigate."
"You don't have to..."
"Yes, I do. Not just as an officer of the law, but as a friend. Don't worry... I don't need to ask you anything painful. I just have to have a chat with your auntie," she said, gently.
"Now, you listen here..." Petunia protested.
"Maybe you didn't hear me, clearly... I'm an officer of the law investigating allegations of child abuse. You, therefore, will cooperate with my investigation," Tonks said, coldly.
Petunia's mouth snapped shut, realizing her situation.
Luna patted a spot on the couch next to her, and said, "Sit, Harry. This won't take long. Then, we can do more pleasant things."
So, Harry took a seat.
"Now," Tonks began, "I don't even have to ask you any questions. Just look me in the eye."
Petunia turned her head, quickly, to avoid doing so.
Tonks sighed, and said, "Look... We can do this the easy way or the hard way. But, I'm gonna find out what I want to know. I can restrain you, I can force you to look me in the eye... May as well just make it easier on yourself."
Noticeably worried, Petunia complied. Tonks gazed into the woman's eyes. Then, she gasped.
"A frying pan? You tried to hit him with a fucking frying pan?"
Harry felt it. The temperature in the room had actually lowered a bit. Luna put her hand on his, comfortingly. Strangely enough, that reduced his tension. Harry could feel a flash of energy from Tonks, before she stood perfectly still, but keeping Petunia's gaze. Petunia looked frightened at whatever she was seeing in the young Auror's eyes.
Coldly, Tonks spoke. "Let's see what else you have to hide... Locking him in a cupboard when you had two extra bedrooms... Starving him... Treating him like your personal slave... Beatings... Lots of beatings... 'Beat the freakishness out of him?' 'Harry hunting?' You actually made a game out of it?"
"Y-You have no right to tell us what we can do in our own home..."
"Y'know, there are pretty stiff laws against child abuse. Oh, I know what you're thinking... Literally, I know what you're thinking... I can't prove anything... But, remember, I'm magic. Now, there are a lot of laws about what we can and can't do, but you know what? I'm an Auror! I'm authorized to do whatever I need to do to protect the innocent! Isn't that great? I even have the authority to torture people! Hell, I have a dungeon available where I can do it! Not that I'd need to, in this case. You see, I have the ability to make you confess to everything you've ever done to Harry, everything your husband has ever done, everything your son has ever done... Am I missing any rotten relatives, Harry?"
"There's Marge..."
"Thanks. Everything this Marge bitch has ever done... Get the picture?"
"D-Dumbledore would never..."
"Is Dumbledore here? No, you're dealing with me, now. You're dealing with Nymphadora Perenelle Rosier Tonks."
"Ooo..." Luna whispered to Harry, "she used the full name..."
"Is that bad?" Harry whispered back.
"It means she really means business."
"Now," Tonks said, "what happens, next... Obviously, you're losing custody..."
"Y-you can't remove him from here!" said Petunia.
"And why is that?"
Now there was no way around it. So, Harry explained why Dumbledore had placed him with his abusive relatives. He told Tonks of how his mother had sacrificed her life for his, and how her sister, his Aunt Petunia, sharing the same blood insured he was protected here as long as he called this house home. Luna listened with a thoughtful expression. Looking in her eyes, he knew her well enough by now to recognize she was carefully processing the information she was just given.
Finally, she spoke.
"I see a potential flaw in Professor Dumbledore's reasoning. Harry, do you really call this home?"
"It's... where I live during the Summer..."
"That's not what I asked. Is it home? What do you consider home?"
"I was just thinking about that, actually... I never really knew what home really meant until I started spending time at the Burrow... I guess I think of Hogwarts as home, more than anywhere. No, this has never been home..."
"Then staying here is rather useless if you don't call it home."
Tonks looked exasperated, and asked Harry, "Does Dumbledore even know what's been going on around here?"
"Good question," said Luna. She looked in Harry's eyes and said, "Harry, I need you to answer this honestly... Does Professor Dumbledore know about the abuse?"
"He... said he knew when he left me on the doorstep that night, that he was condemning me to ten... dark and difficult years, in his exact words."
Tonks's anger was back. "He didn't even take you inside the house? He left you outside on a fucking doorstep, overnight, in fucking November? What, did he leave you in a basket with a little note?"
Petunia answered, "Yes, he did... I thought at the time that was careless... He could have caught his death of cold... Stray dogs about..."
"And that would have really bothered you, right? Well... This complicated things, a bit... What to do, what to do... Ah... Harry, I need to have a private talk with your aunt, so if you and Luna could go to your room and grab your moneybag and Gringotts key... You've got an appointment with the Goblin Queen..."
"Don't worry," Luna told him. "She's very nice."
"Yeah, you'll like her... And then if you and Luna could wait there for me, we'll be ready to go in a jif. Oh, and here..." She reached in her bag and handed Luna some sort of wand-like object.
Harry and Luna quickly went to his room where he grabbed his moneybag and Gringotts key, wondering what warranted a meeting with the Goblin Queen. He was also, he had to admit, nervous, despite Luna's and Tonks's assurances. Goblins were unpleasant at best in his experience, so what must their Queen be like?
He decided the best strategy would be to follow Tonks's and Luna's lead. They obviously knew her, so they'd know best how to deal with her. Harry didn't even know the goblins had monarchs.
And, he now had the second girl to be in his bedroom. He felt thankful he'd made the bed and kept the room straightened. Luna causally sat on his bed... therefore being the first girl to ever be there.
"Thanks for coming by," he said to Luna. "It's... I was just sitting in here brooding the last few days. This is a lot better."
"Being with friends is good. Oh, if I could see your wand, please? Nymphadora just happened to hand me this useful little device that our dads invented that can, among other things, remove the Ministry's tracer from your wand so they won't know you're using it out of school."
"Um, OK..." He handed her his wand, and the... whatever it was made strange sounds as Luna began her work. "Yeah... I never had a lot of friends... Never had any until I met Ron and Hermione. Having more is taking some getting used to."
"I know how you feel," she said, handing him back his wand.
Harry realized, she did. She knew exactly how he felt.
"It's not that I never had friends," she said, "but I hardly got to see them since I started Hogwarts. We're there ten months of the year, you know. I didn't have any friends at Hogwarts."
"You do, now."
"Yes... I guess I do. Thank you."
"Thank you. I thought you and your dad were going to Sweden for the Summer."
"We were, but plans changed... Recent events, you know. I have friends, there... If Pippi had been your next door neighbor, your years here would have been a lot more fun. Your aunt, and from what I gather, your uncle, are just the sort of people she delights in making fools of."
"My cousin didn't allow me to make any friends... He and his gang would have put a stop to it. They would have threatened her and bullied her..."
Luna smiled, amused by something. "Oh, she's handled a lot worse than neighborhood bullies... They would be afraid of her, very quickly. She's the strangest girl you'll ever meet, but once you get to know her, you realize she's one of the best friends you'll ever have. I find her very inspirational in her approach to life."
Harry had to wonder about someone that Luna would consider the strangest girl he could ever meet. But yes, he knew first hand how inspirational and good a friend a strange girl could be.
The bedroom door opened and Tonks entered, with a smile.
"That's done," she said.
Luna handed the metal looking device back to her and said, "And I've done nothing illegal with it such as make it so Harry can violate underage magic laws."
"Good to hear, because as an Auror, I couldn't allow that. Now we can go take care of business, then have some fun."
"What happened downstairs?" asked Harry.
"I made her an offer she couldn't refuse. You won't have to live here much longer."
"Thank you... I mean it... Tonks..."
"We're friends, now, so call me Dora."
"OK... There has to be something I can do to repay you for everything you're doing."
"Sure... Buy us lunch."
"I can do that... So, this Goblin Queen..."
Luna said, "Her name's Sarah."
"Sarah? That doesn't sound like a goblin name."
"She's a Fae, so it wouldn't."
"The goblins have a... fairy as their Queen?"
"Yes. They have always had the Fae as their monarchs."
"I've never met a... Fae, before."
"I'm half Fae, on my mother's side."
"Wow."
"Does that bother you?"
"Are you kidding? I have a friend who's a half giant and another that's part Veela. You fit right in."
"The Veela are East European Fae, you know."
"No, I didn't know that, actually."
"They're Seelie Court, like I am."
"Seelie Court?"
"A long time ago, the Fae divided into two rival Courts, Seelie and Unseelie. It's from the Seelie Court that we have our pixies, brownies, mermaids, crumple-horned snorkacks, and other beings. The goblins are from the Unseelie Court."
"My part Veela friend, Fleur, works for Gringotts."
"Yes... The Courts have put aside their differences, recently... The Goblin King married one of Queen Alice of Wonderland's Goddaughters..."
"Wait, did you say..."
Before he could finish, Dora responded, "Yes, Queen Alice and Wonderland are real. I've met her. She's really cool, but she would be, y'know? I mean, she's Alice."
"OK... Why aren't we taught any of this at Hogwarts? Or was I just tuning out during one of Binns's lectures, because that does happen..."
Luna said, "I told you there was a conspiracy, Harry. But, it's about time for your appointment. We don't want to keep the Goblin Queen waiting, you know. I'll meet you there." With that, she took her wand from it's usual place behind her ear, and Disapparated.
"Um, can she do that?"
"Looks like it."
"I mean legally."
"If anyone asks, as far as I know she used a portkey that neither of us happened to see."
"OK..."
"Oh, and it would be best if a certain Headmaster never hears about any of this."
"Sounds good to me."
"Take my hand."
Apparation, Harry discovered, was pretty unpleasant the first time around. He found himself in a part of Gringott's he'd never been in, before. He knew it had to be Gringotts because of the goblins running around.
Goblins, Harry expected. What he didn't expect was what looked like a fox terrier, dressed like a medieval nobleman, with a patch over one eye, walking towards them on his hind legs. That, Harry was certain, wasn't something commonly found in the Wizarding world. The fox terrier stopped before them and bowed.
"Greeting, Milady and Sir," he said. "I am Her Majesty's Knight, Sir Didymus. Queen Sarah awaits in her office. This way, please..."
He led them through a pair of ornate doors into a luxurious office, where waited Luna, and, behind a desk, what could only be Queen Sarah.
The Goblin Queen was nothing like Harry would have expected a ruler of the goblins to be. Of course, he'd been told before he came that she was Fae, so he wasn't really surprised at her beauty. Harry was trying not to stare at her impressive chest, as he felt that would be disrespectful towards Royalty. No, what surprised him was how informal, and American she was.
"Hi," she said, extending her hand. "I'm Sarah."
"I'm Harry Potter," he replied, shaking her hand.
"Wotcher, Sarah," said Dora.
"Hey, Dora. Good to see you, again. Now, Harry, I suppose you're wondering why you were summoned to Gringotts for a meeting, with the Goblin Queen, no less. So, we'll get right to it... No, I normally don't get involved with individual clients' business. But, there are exceptions, which you happen to be."
An attending goblin handed her several folders, which she placed on the desk.
She explained that Gringotts has more responsibilities than most banks, as the British magical society didn't have lawyers. So, anything involving financial contracts was handled by Gringotts, including wills. Sirius had left all his money and property to Harry, including the home he hated at 12 Grimmauld Place.
She said, "The neighborhood is pretty run down, though, so it's probably not the best place to raise a family. I'd suggest your own family's estate in Kensington for that... And, I'm guessing from your expression, you don't know about your house in Kensington."
"No," Harry answered.
"OK... Who was supposed to tell him about his heritage, and didn't?"
Dora answered, "The Chief Warlock. He's taken pretty much complete control of Harry's life, up to this point."
"Figures..."
Harry asked, "Why wouldn't Dumbledore tell me about property I own?"
"Because he's a control freak bastard who likes to keep people in the dark? Sorry... My dealings with the man have never been fun. I'm two things he hates... an Unseelie Court Fae and an American."
Luna said, "Oh, he doesn't like us in the Seelie Court, either." She turned to Harry and added, "He wouldn't approve of you spending time with me. He thinks I'm a bad influence on you."
Harry was shocked. How could anyone think Luna could be a bad influence on anybody?
"Yeah," Dora said, "you might start thinking for yourself. Can't have that..."
"Why," Harry asked, "would he think that was a problem?"
Luna answered, "You might start asking inconvenient questions. Take your Godfather, for example... If he hadn't been thrown into Azkaban, you'd have been raised by him instead of your aunt and uncle. You're aware he didn't receive a trial... That's been a major sticking point with Daddy..."
"Yeah, Crouch just threw him in prison..."
"But did he have the power to do so? What is the Chief Warlock's job?"
"He's in charge of the Wizengamot... which is in charge of the trials."
Dora said, "Whatever you're accused of, you're supposed to get a trial. Even my Aunt Bella got one."
"So he... just let Sirius get thrown into Azkaban... But why?"
"Think about it," said Luna. "What was the end result, for you?"
"Ten horrible years with the Dursleys... He threw Sirius in Azkaban just so he could put me there?"
"And that, Harry, is part of why Professor Dumbledore considers me a bad influence on you."
"The... bastard!"
"I'm fairly certain his parents were married at the time of his birth."
"You know what I mean! That son of a bitch!"
"From what I understand of his mother, that's an accurate description."
Dora said, "Of course, Sirius was the son of an even bigger bitch. His initials were even S.O.B. He told me my Mum used to call him by his initials... 'Hey! S.O.B! Get over here!' Drove him nuts."
"So," said Harry, the tension lessened, a little, "I guess that makes me a nephew of a bitch."
"Anyway," Sarah said, bringing them back to business, "We've been keeping your Kensington property maintained... Don't worry, you can well afford our services... We can set up an appointment for a tour of the house and grounds... Wednesday good for you? I'll have some free time, then, and would love to give you the tour, myself..."
"That would be great. Thanks."
"We'll set up an appointment, then. You're very close to Kensington Gardens, which I'm sure you know is a Seelie Court place..."
"No, I... didn't know that, either."
"What do they teach you about magical history in that school, anyway?"
"The Goblin Rebellions, mainly... Like, year after year."
"And a very slanted account, at that, I'd guess... Well, you've heard of Wendy Darling and Peter Pan..."
"I know the names... I don't know the story... My aunt and uncle kept everything related to magic out of the house, including books and movies."
"Ah," Sarah said, looking sadly at a boy who was deprived of a magic that had touched so many generations.
Luna said, "I'll introduce him to what he's missed... if he wants me to."
"I'd... like that, very much," said Harry.
"Well," said Sarah, "just so you don't have any shocks when you visit it, Kensington Gardens has been a haven for pixies for centuries."
"And," said Luna, with that enigmatic smile she gets when discussing something... enigmatic, "these aren't those common Cornish pixies you saw in Defence Against the Dark Arts. These are the High Pixies, the ones that glow, very powerful, and very mischievous. They're far more dangerous and beautiful and wonderful than the Cornish ones."
Harry thought the Cornish pixies were more than dangerous enough. But, they weren't beautiful and wonderful.
Sarah continued, "A long time ago a baby boy named Peter escaped his pram, and was found by the pixies in Kensington Gardens. Their Queen, Mab, took him to her Fairyland. Over time, others were brought there, including a very special girl named Wendy that Peter had fallen in love with. Queen Mab has made Kensington Gardens her home."
"So," said Luna, "you'll have a very powerful friend in the neighborhood."
"The Gardens used to be part of Hyde Park, but were separated from it in the 1700s. While Hyde Park is open to the public until midnight, Kensington Gardens is only open during daylight hours. Because at night, they are out. You have nothing to fear from them or Wendy, though. I can't say the same for a lot of other wizards. Most Magi stay out of there, even during the day."
"Hmm," said Harry. "Wonder if my dad avoided it, even though he lived nearby?"
Dora snorted, and said, "He and Sirius spent a lot of time, there, as kids, from what Mum told me. When I asked Sirius about it, though... He regretted it. Said Dumbledore impressed on them why they had to stay away from what he called such dark forces..."
"The Seelie Court?" Sarah scoffed. "If it were my subjects, I'd understand, given the history. but Peter Pan?"
Luna said, "That's the other reason Professor Dumbledore doesn't want you to associate with me. I'm a dark magical being, in his eyes."
Harry replied, "OK... The man who threw Sirius in Azkaban without a trial calls you, of all people, dark? You're the most... un-dark person I've ever met!"
"Thank you. He... has different standards of good and bad than I do."
"His standards are screwed up, then. I'll decide my own standards."
"He won't like that."
"Then he can go suck one of his lemon drops. So, the house has been maintained?"
"Yep," Sarah answered, "though you might want to upgrade it. Your mother had it wired for electricity, but it's currently at late-1970s standards."
"Electrical appliances can work in a magical house? We were told none of that stuff could work around magic."
"Doesn't surprise me, but yeah, with the right shielding, you can have all the modern conveniences."
Dora said, "My parents have a company that does that, sets up magical households to keep up with the times."
Luna added, "They did my house. It's very nice having a VCR, stereo, computer..."
Harry said, "It sounds like you had more of a muggle upbringing than I did..."
"Well then, I'll just have to introduce you to muggle culture. Though, I really don't like the term 'muggle.'"
Sarah said, "Sounds racist, to me."
"Would you like to come visit me, tomorrow? We can watch one of those movies you've missed. I think you'd like The Lion King, being a Gryffindor."
"I'd love to." He hadn't seen the movie, but watching it with Luna... That was something that sounded fun.
From there, discussion turned to how much money he wanted to withdraw and exchange for muggle currency, as it was decided it was best that they spend the rest of their afternoon in places that magi weren't likely to see them. Dora had suggested he get a mobile phone, plus, well, Harry decided he wanted a hat like what Luna was wearing. Sarah decided she should come along, as he'd need the right clothes to go with the fedora. She mentioned Frank Sinatra as what would inspire her suggestions. Sarah also suggested something he didn't know Gringotts offered, a debit card, so he wouldn't have to stop by the bank all the time when he was shopping in non-magical places. A goblin was called in and everything was set up.
"And," said the goblin, "your card will arrive at your address in seven to ten business days..."
Sarah said, "I think we can speed that up a bit."
"Yes... Your card would normally arrive in seven to ten business days, but for such a valued client as yourself, Mr. Potter, it will arrive in two."
Harry had to admit it was good to have friends in high places.
"So," Sarah asked, "ready for lunch, then shopping?"
"Sounds good," said Harry.
"And I'm guessing you'll be wanting to use the back door?"
"Yep," said Dora. "The less magi know Harry's out and about, the better."
"There's a back door?" Harry asked.
"Oh yes," Luna answered. "The goblins wouldn't just want one way in and out of here, you know. They have ones they use, exclusively, but there are certain clients..."
"Such as yourself..." said Sarah.
"...that require a certain discretion in their movements."
"We take a lift down to the lower levels..."
Dora said, "I thought you Yanks called them elevators."
"We do, but I try not to speak too much American when I'm in this country. Then, we take a transport car, which is much smoother than the ones that take you to the vaults, to a secret entrance to the Tottenham Court Road subway station..."
"Tube," Dora told Harry.
"And from there, we're in St. Giles Circus."
They found a nice spot for lunch, that played a lot of jazz music. Luna's eyes lit up as a particular song began playing.
"I love this song," she said.
"Sinatra," said Sarah.
Fly me to the moon
Let me swing among those stars
Let me see what spring is like
On Jupiter and Mars
In other words, hold my hand
In other words, baby, kiss me
Fill my heart with song
Let me sing forever more
You are all I long for
All I worship and adore
In other words, please be true
In other words, I love you
Why don't you fill my heart with song?
Let me swing forever more
Because you are all I long for
All I worship and adore
In other words, please be true
In other words
In other words, I love you
Harry had spent weeks in Diagon Alley just before his third year at Hogwarts. Now, he regretted not exploring what was just outside of it. Or, maybe it was the company that was making the West End so special.
Luna told him, "When you see Dumbledore again, you'll need to be careful not to let him know you know what you now know, you know."
"I know." He considered trying to match Luna's wordplay, but decided he'd get tripped up. "I'll just play dumb, which he thinks I am."
Sarah said, "Dumbledore hates my people so much, but he doesn't mind the fact that that wand he has was made by my husband, Jareth."
"Really?"
"Yeah... He was annoyed at these three wizard brothers who were trespassing somewhere they shouldn't have been. They were pretty arrogant about it, too, from what he tells me. So, he gave them each the gift they most wanted... What they did with those gifts was up to them."
Luna said, "Magi tell the story differently, of course. They say the brothers encountered Death, so Dumbledore probably doesn't actually know who made his wand."
"Great, like Jareth doesn't have a big enough ego... The first wanted a wand that couldn't be beaten in a duel, which is now in Dumbledore's hands."
"So," said Harry, "all those duels he won, he was cheating?"
"All's fair in love and war. The wand is more potent than any wand the Magi have. It's on the level of a Fairy Wand, but not more powerful than one. The second brother wanted a stone to bring back the dead... Maybe they thought Jareth was Death."
"Well," said Luna, "he is a Lord of an Otherworld, an underground one, at that, so the confusion is understandable."
"Come on... British wizards, of all people, should know what it means when you encounter a mysterious, powerful, figure at twilight. Anyway, the stone Jareth gave him could recall a soul without the body, or re-animate a body without the soul. The third wanted to be able to hide from everyone, so Jareth gave him an Invisibility Cloak. You inherited that, by the way."
"My Invisibility Cloak? Wow... So, what happened to the stone?"
At that very moment, in a shack just outside of Little Hangleton, Albus Dumbledore was contemplating a ring.
He had come here looking for one of Lord Voldemort's Horcruxes, containing a piece of the Dark Lord's soul. He found it, but immediately recognized it was far more.
It was the Resurrection Stone, one of the fabled Deathly Hallows that had so obsessed him in his youth. He and Gellert had dreamed of uniting all three Deathly Hallows, and...
Best not to think of that. What a fool he'd been. It was his desire for Gellert that led him down that path. It had to have been. Oh, people told him there was nothing wrong or unnatural about his desires, but he knew better. He conditioned himself, a long time ago, so he'd never feel such sinful temptations of the flesh, again.
The Resurrection Stone...
He could call back his sister, who'd died because of his own recklessness with Gellert, and apologize, seek her forgiveness...
Without thinking of the possible consequences, forgetting that this was a Horcrux, and therefore given protective curses, he put the ring on his finger.
And Albus Dumbledore screamed.