29

Harriet and Luna arrived outside the office of the headmistress and Luna spoke to the stone gargoyle waiting out front. "Good afternoon Gregory. May we see the headmistress please?" After a few seconds the stone work turned revealing the hidden entrance. "Thank you," she said with a smile. Harriet could swear the gargoyle smiled back at her but she was used to unusual things happening around both her and Luna that she didn't give it a second thought. They reached the top of the stairs, held hands, took a deep breath, and knocked on the door.

"Come in," came the voice from inside the office. As they opened the door, they found the headmistress sitting behind her desk doing some paperwork. She set down her quill and looked up as the door open. "Ah Miss Potter, Miss Lovegood. Good evening. What can I help you with," the headmistress inquired.

As they took their seats in front of the desk Harriet spoke up first. "As you are probably aware headmistress, I had to go down to Gringotts today to attend the will reading of both my parents and Sirius Black. Long story short in order to claim my inheritance and both family names I have to be married within a year of my 17th birthday which is 6 months away. Earlier today I asked Luna to marry me and she accepted. We not only wanted to make you aware of this but had a couple requests as well. First off we would like to hold the wedding here at Hogwarts since this has been our home for the past 7 years and it's where we met. We were wondering if it would be alright to do it the day after finals and before we have to leave here. Secondly, we were wondering if you would do the honor of officiating the ceremony. There's nobody we would rather have. You've been with us since we got here and are as close as family to me. Finally, we were wondering if you would allow us permission to floo Luna's father and inform him of the news. I'm sure he would want to hear it."

The girls both sat there quietly for a moment while the headmistress just absorbed everything in one go. It was quite a lot to take in. Finally she looked at the two girls and spoke, "Marriage is a serious business you know. It's not to be taken lightly, not even for the sake of one's family name. Are you sure this is what you both want?" Both girls nodded in agreement. "Very well then. I must first congratulate you two on your engagement. You two work so well together and I'm sure your lives will be filled of much the same. Second, I would be honored to officiate your wedding. You may also hold the ceremony here and the day you have chosen will work out well."

"Thank you headmistress," both girls said as they stood up and hugged her. The headmistress hugged her two favorite students back but she would never admit that to anyone. As headmistress she wasn't supposed to play favorites.

"You're very welcome. You may use the floo but please remember to be back before curfew."

"Yes headmistress," both girls replied as they stood and walked towards the fireplace. Luna was excited to go see her father and tell her the good news. Harriet on the other hand was still a bit nervous. She didn't really have anyone left that fit in the parent category of her life other than the headmistress.

The two girls stepped in to the fireplace and threw the floo powder down. "LOVEGOOD HOUSE!"

With a FWOOSH and a spout of flames they appeared inside the Lovegood House startling Xeno who was working on the Quibbler and hadn't been expecting visitors. He spun around wand in hand to see his daughter and Harriet Potter emerging from the fireplace.

"Moonchild! I wasn't expecting you tonight," he said excitedly and then switched to concern. She wouldn't just show up unless something was wrong. "Is everything ok?"

"Everything is fine Daddy," Luna exclaimed running up and giving her father a hug. "Sit down please. Harriet and I need to talk to you. It's important."

Xeno took a seat on the couch after making a quick cup of tea for everyone and anxiously awaited the reason for their trip here tonight. For the third time that day, and hopefully the last, Harriet launched into her tale of the mornings adventures and about the will readings, once again leaving the important bits for last.

"I'm sorry to hear that my dear. It must have been rough. I knew your parents. They were good people. I'm sorry I didn't get a chance to meet Sirius though outside of what the Prophet said about him," Xeno said sincerely. "I'm still not sure what this has to do with myself or Luna though," he asked confused.

"Well..um..," Harriet began, slightly blushing at this. She was uncertain how he was going to react to the news. "He'll be happy! He likes you despite what happened. He still feels bad about that," came Luna's voice in her head, bolstering her confidence. "The thing is that the wills require me to be married by my 18th birthday in order to claim my inheritance, titles and everything," Harriet explained, "In short, I asked Luna to marry me…"

"AND I SAID YES! Oh Daddy! It was so romantic and unplanned! I love Harriet so much," Luna exploded, "she loves me too. I know it! I know how she feels and I want to be with her forever and ever."

Xeno's eyes grew wide as he processed this information. His little girl was going to be married before she was even out of school. This was a lot to take in for the single father but he went with his first reaction. He stood up and hugged his daughter. "Oh Luna that's fantastic! I'm so happy for you! Congratulations!"

Harriet stood off to the side not wanting to interrupt the family moment, although at this time next year she would be part of this family. Xeno moved over to where Harriet stood and hugged her, which was truthfully a bit strange for Harriet. Most people didn't hug her but then again her soon to be father-in-law wasn't most people. "Congratulations my dear! Welcome to the family," Xeno exclaimed as her hugged her.

"Thank you," Harriet replied, "I was originally planning to talk to you about this beforehand but today's events have kind of put things in a different perspective."

"I understand completely," Xeno stated, "it's the thought that counts. I do have a favor to ask of you both though. The new issue of the Quibbler comes out the day after tomorrow and I'd like to have this be front page! The Girl who Lived Marries Daughter of the Quibbler! Or something like that. Oh I need to get a photo!" By now Xeno was all excited at the prospect of such an exciting cover article for his magazine and had rushed off to get his camera so that he could get his picture.

Harriet stood kind of blankly, not knowing what to say as Luna came over to comfort her. "Sorry. Daddy gets excited about the Quibbler. It's his life's work. It's ok though right? If we get our picture taken for the article. It's big news to not just our friends but to the wizarding community as a whole. It's a big deal. The heroine of the wizarding world is getting married….to me! I must be the luckiest girl on the planet," Luna exclaimed turning to Harriet and smiling.

"No I'm the luckiest girl because you said yes," Harriet responded leaning in and passionately kissing Luna.

*FLASH* "That's perfect! Natural photos are always the best," Xeno interrupted as he stood there holding his camera. Neither girl had known how long he'd been there or if he had just walked in. Both blushed at being caught in the act. The girls then proceeded to freshen up before modeling a few different poses for Xeno's article, including a replication of the proposal with Harriet down on one knee in front of Luna, which Xeno commented would make for an excellent cover photo. After all the pictures were taken the girls sat down and told Xeno everything they had planned so far, most importantly the date. Xeno thought that having the wedding at Hogwarts was a fantastic idea. It had been a very important place to them. It was where they had met and spent a good part of their lives. With that the girls had to leave, promising to keep Xeno informed on the progress and updates of the wedding. They didn't want to take advantage of the Professor McGonagall's trust by staying out to late.

After saying their goodbyes the flooed back to Hogwarts with a FWOOSH, stopping to dust off as to not track dirt across the office. Both girls thanked the headmistress once more and headed for the door. When they had gotten about halfway to the door, Professor McGonagall's voice came from behind them. "So when does the next issue of the Quibbler come out?"

The girls turned around to see the headmistress smiling. "The day after tomorrow," Luna replied with a grin.

"I look forward to it very much."


A/N: NEXT TIME...THE BIG CHAPTER 30! The Quibbler comes out! How will the Wizarding World react? How will Draco and Ginny take the news? Tune in next time! Same wizarding time. Same Wizarding Channel!

P.S. As Always feel free to like, favorite and please review!