Luna stirs up everything
Padma wandered the train for several minutes looking for Draco but after two trips the whole length of the train she gave up and sat down with Harriet, Hermione, and Blaise, or at least his things. No doubt Draco would show up eventually. Except Blaise was gone now, probably off to find Draco also. Good luck to him.
Luna showed up next. She greeted Padma as 'Princess' as she did sometimes, which had always been disconcerting, given that she'd never told her to, and from time to time told her not to. But Luna often knew things that no one else bothered to understand. What startled Padma though was that she greeted Harriet with a vague curtsy that could have been mistaken as a stumble and murmured, "Lord Potter,"
Harriet responded with, "Hello, Lord Potter, I'm Harriet Matirni," and an almost respectful enough nod whose effect was totally ruined because she didn't bother to look up from her book.
Luna sniffed and turned away.
Hermione giggled, though it wasn't obvious if she was giggling at their exchange or about something in her book.
Wait a second, exactly a year ago on this very train, the discussion had been about Harriet holding an object of power that had been 'loaned' to her from 'Harry Potter' and which had gone along with the loan in spite of apparently having some way of determining when it was in friendly hands. Because it identified Harriet Matirni as Harry Potter.
And Luna Lovegood, who also knew things she shouldn't, and randomly identified Padma as 'Princess' even though she hardly ever advertised her connections, had identified Harriet Matirni, as 'Lord Potter,'
"Hermione," said Padma, "I know this is extremely rude to ask but could you give Matirni and I a moment."
Hermione stared at her, then at Harriet shaking, possibly with laughter. Then at Luna Lovegood who seemed to have returned to obliviousness of the fact that she'd been snubbed possibly for giving away interesting but probably secret information, and gotten out a garish magazine of her usual variety. Today she seemed to be in the mood to read it sideways.
"Give her hell," muttered Hermione and stood, "should I take Luna with me?"
Time seemed to stand still. As if the moment had a terrible significance. What was wrong with Harriet and what would she say when confronted, and … did Draco know? And was it the secret that they'd told her they'd be able to tell her after Christmas or during the summer hols or whenever she learned Occlumency? (Which seemed was the discipline she should have mastered before she attempted to use the diadem, and should definitely master before she attempted to build her own.)
"It might be better," agreed Padma, she turned to Luna, "Luna, please go with Hermione, I'll explain why later."
"I already know why," sniffed Luna, "It will be alright," and she turned the page and made no indication of intending to get up.
Of course that would be Luna's response, and Padma had no control over her, and never had, and she already knew whatever the secret was, so it didn't matter where she was and what she overheard. The only sane thing was to let her stay and hope that there would be some way to convince her try to act somewhat discreet.
"Alright," sighed Padma, "stay if you want."
Hermione left and closed the door.
Before Padma could move Harriet hit it with a locking charm and swept the room with a silencing charm.
Which was a relief actually, why didn't they do that all the time. Actually if she didn't miss her guess the prefects and some of the upper years did silence out a large portion of the train noises in their compartments.
"Spill," said Padma.
"I am Lord Potter," said Harriet Matirni.
"Spill the rest."
Matirni sat still for several seconds.
"We traded places at the Malfoy's," said Matirni.
That was entirely possible, and implied all sorts of interesting things, such as: "You're both metamorphmagi?" said Padma.
"Yes," said Matirni, "and registered."
"And Draco knows, which is why he as much as said … you were interchangeable parts?"
Matirni or was it Potter, shivered. And nodded.
"How long have you been pulling that trick?"
"A very long time," Matirni admitted.
It was a funny thing for circus kids to try, especially two with an acting background. Padma had tried it with Parvati a time or two but no one thought they could be told apart enough to be surprised to have them confused. That ended when Padma started paying more attention to books than to horses and started dressing differently. Which was also about when Parvati stopped being able to act like Padma, and Padma stopped being able to do Parvati's more intricate tricks.
Trading places didn't really become awkward until Padma thought about puberty and boarding schools and dorms and…
"Are you going to stop when you get married?"
Matirni shivered, "I'm not sure to what extent we can stop, there was something of an oath and a ritual that started it."
"That's at least as disturbing as …"
"We didn't know better at the time," said Matirni and hit the compartment window with a colour change charm rendering it an opaque turquoise. Then she morphed and was the same young man Padma had danced with at Draco's party. "And we very much wish to become … normal enough to not scare away potential suitors." He might be the same boy she had seen dancing with Luna the night Luna brought her father after hours to see the circus. (the 'tribe' not the performance, very odd. Though apparently her father was amenable to the oddity.)
Padma nodded.
"In fact," said Potter, "the whole thing started with the intent of giving us each turns feeling normal without people bothering us about being the Boy-Who-Lived or about being the second heir apparent to the circus. Both of those went away, eventually what with Mum shipping the male one of us to Slovenia and Uncle Dran having another pair of kids.
"But we'd already started, and we'd already gotten in the habit of sharing memories so that we could show each other around our new homes on opposite ends of the continent, switching places of course meant, sharing friends too and making friends meant, …" he clenched his teeth twice.
Padma suddenly realised he was suppressing tears, "having friends in both places meant we really really don't want to stop."
"So what are you going to do?"
"I have duties here in England," said Potter, "I have to be Lord, Matirni doesn't and she's better at being me than I am at being her, I expect she'll eventually stay in Slovenia and I'll take up more and more of my duties here. But…"
"But what?"
"But it's perhaps equally likely that we'll both move here, or we'll do something else and just share a summer house in Slovenia, it's normal for English nobles to have summer houses weird places, right?"
That's not the way I'd describe it. But he seems really fragile right now. "I suppose that's one way to put it," Padma said.
But Padma's thoughts were elsewhere, if he changed gender back and forth as much as he said, it wouldn't be sane in any stretch of the term to throw him out of the girls' dorm for 'being a boy' any more than it would have been to throw him out of the boys' dorm for 'being a girl' the only safe thing to do by standard chaperonage laws was to stick him in a bedroom alone, and so far as she knew Draco had the only such room in slytherin, or maybe he was just the only student in his year with one. Draco could handle himself and probably Matirni too, so that was alright. But Padma couldn't exactly advocate such a change, not without explaining to the whole of slytherin why such a change might be necessary. To say nothing of the fact that taking such a stance would freak out both Draco and Matirni after everything Padma had said about them spending too much time together unsupervised.
And just because he identified as the one born to the name Potter, though it might not necessarily be the name he went by most of the time… it might be completely out of touch to consider a metamorph to be either gender in particular.
Not unless they established a preference. Like that hufflepuff who'd tutored in defence that first year, Tonks.
It might just be easier to accept Matirni and/or Potter as magical creatures, like Blaise or Luna, and accept them on their own terms, not as witches or wizards, just as themselves.
But even that didn't work, because they traded places, for Merlin's sake. Shiva's sake?
Luna stood up and moved right in front of Potter.
Potter looked up and blinked tears out of his eyes, "What?"
She climbed into his lap and hugged him.
Luna, Luna, Luna?
Potter didn't know Luna.
Luna looked over her shoulder at Padma, "Lord Harry Potter-Matirni is my magical creature, you and Draco can't have h— them."
"What?" said Potter.
Luna didn't turn to him, "Stop worrying," she yelled at Padma, "I saw him first, besides you don't need him, you have Draco."
Suddenly Padma was jealous, which was stupid, she wanted Matirni to stay a respectable distance away from Draco. And here she was with emotions as if she actually wanted Luna to stop assuming she had the right to order her, Padma, to stay a respectable distance away from Potter or Matirni, whichever happened to be playing at being 'Matirni' today.
To make matters more complex she … had a proprietary feeling toward Luna and seeing her that close to …
Potter morphed back to Matirni and patted Luna on the back in a very tentative manner.
Which annoyed Padma in a whole different direction, If Potter was going to be taking care of Luna for her, Padma wanted him/her/them to be Great Prospero not … not Olivia or Rosalind.
"Alright," said Luna, "I might share, but … not very often," she turned back to Matirni and without pausing to notice the change of face, kissed her full on the lips.
After several seconds of startled immobility Matirni moved her hands to Luna's cheeks and pushed her gently away, "Thank you Luna, but … what in Merlin's name was that about?"
"You've been praying for a magical creature who doesn't mind you being Harry and Harriet," said Luna, "I think both of you are pretty."
That was rather straightforward for Luna, Padma wondered if Potter knew how lucky he was to get that much explanation.
Of course it didn't last, Luna felt compelled to greater honesty, "Padma likes you both too, so does Draco, but they both are afraid of how much the other likes you, and anyways they like each other better. And you just like them because you don't mind them knowing your secrets so you don't have to worry about accidentally telling them by mistake."
"Hmm," said Matirni (Potter?), her face turning to Arsène Lupin for a fraction of a second before taking on the shape of a well known detective in his French disguise. "That isn't the only thing I like about either of them," said Shearlaw Combs.
A part that Padma knew Matirni had never played.
"You also like both their advice and Draco's hugs," said Luna, "And Draco likes to hug you, but not Matirni so maybe he can tell you apart, but … You can hug me any time, alright? You're going to end up marrying me anyway," Luna sighed in exasperation, "so I guess we should get used to it."
Shearlaw Combs raised an eyebrow exactly like Petunia Matirni. Luna was looking at his mouth, perhaps contemplating another kiss.
"You don't like the idea?" he prompted.
"You haven't figured out that I already know all your secrets, so you don't have to be afraid of accidentally letting me figure them out."
"Prove it," he said.
"With Padma here?" she said.
"Sure why not," he said.
"Alright," said Luna and wispered something in his ear. He chewed his lip for a moment. She seemed to take that as an indication that her revelation wasn't impressive enough and said, "Riddle and you hurt when you touch each other the same way you and Quirrell and you and the diary. If Padma had let you hold the diadem like I suggested he'd have bled out of it too before he could hurt her."
"What has Riddle got to do with it?" said Matirni instantly switching back to her normal form and looked very serious indeed.
"Riddle was, who had become, he who must not be named, who made the bleeding diary, and lost just enough of himself in the diadem to do what he did to Padma, and who had hurt your cousin Bellatrix, and who killed your parents."
"I … don't know what he did to Padma," said Matirni, and after a split second searching Luna's face looked up at Padma.
"It's not her story to tell," said Padma, "I didn't know it had anything to do with you, otherwise Parvati and I would have told you sooner."
Matirni nodded.
"Worry about that later," said Luna, "kiss me now."
Matirni stared at Luna. After several seconds, she smirked and kissed Luna.
They snogged for much longer than Padma had stomach to watch them. Then Matirni pulled away, "I'll kiss you again after you tell me about Riddle being Voldemort."
"He's not Voldemort, he is who was who became Voldemort," said Luna, "now he is who will become someone else. You and Draco are helping him. So are Professor Snape and Parvati and Lady Malfoy.
"Who will he become then?" said Matirni.
"I don't know exactly," said Luna, "I haven't see him very often yet, and he changes who he will be so much faster than anyone else. Besides I wont seer on him for you until I am your seer."
"Meaning what?" said Matirni.
Even Padma understood that "seer on him," meant either tattle or spy, but future oriented.
"You say, 'I Harry, accept Luna as my seer, and trusting her sight to be clear, I now plan to marry her in August, 1997, as she has foretold.' We will have three children, Chiron, Dorea, and Newt."
"I'm not saying all that," said Matirni.
"Good," said Luna, "it's still not certain if the last one will be Newt or Hobart or Severus."
"But … it will be a boy?"
"Yes."
"Hmm," said Matirni.
"Dorea will turn out to be a metamorphmagus and might go by Hobart or Severus or Orion, which will make us choose a different name for the next one."
"Sounds reasonable," said Matirni, "Tell me about our marriage."
"Oh," said Luna, "sorry, I will marry Lord Potter, and Harriet will live with us, and everyone will know that she is our first dalliance, which is why neither of us will mind about her being around to keep the other of us satisfied as well."
"Is that how it is?" said Matirni… well Potter probably, if anything else Luna had said was to be trusted.
Matirni smirked, actually it was more of a leer, and kissed Luna again.
It didn't last nearly as long this time, Matirni pushed Luna away and sat up, "how old are you, and do you have family?"
"I'm twelve," said Luna, "my Da prints The Quibbler, my Mum died in a charms accident, when I was very small."
Padma winced, now knowing enough to history to understand that in those last two years of the war and about the first year or two afterwards, "charms accident," very possibly was a euphemism for, the collapse or malfunction of an illegal set of amateur wards.
Which would have made Luna less than three, probably less than one.
"What will your Da think of me?" said Matirni.
"I already told him we would marry," Luna said, "he said he'd think about it and wanted to know what you thought, I told him I hadn't told you yet, just noticed that you were beginning to worry about who would make a good Lady Potter."
"Hmm," said Matirni, "why did you wait until now anyway?"
"I didn't want to sound like the fan club girls, and I didn't want to pretend not to know because then when you found out you'd have thought I'd been hiding or tricking you or something, but I didn't want to worry you. But I also wanted to tell you so that you could stop worrying and… and anyway when I saw you just before the last train ride and it was only a third of our futures, after the train ride it had changed to almost all of our futures but Da was there so I went and I didn't have time to decide what to tell you."
"And now?" said Matirni.
"Now in all the futures where we live to 1997, we get married."
Matirni held still for several seconds.
"Who are my other options if you don't make it?" said Matirni. What a morbid thing to ask.
"Tonks, Riddle, or either or both of a pair of muggle twins named David and Margret Dersley."
"Hmm," said Matirni, "any recommendations?"
"If you go with Riddle make sure he knows early that you know he killed me, and that you're choosing to be with him anyway. It will set him straight and the relationship will be a lot less abusive. Or abusive differently, or something, it's hard enough to understand let alone describe, if you end up with the twins, let them know you're magical beforehand then let them insist on letting them see magic, then do metamorph tricks, then let them come up with the idea of sharing you. If you want to be shared. If you suggest the idea they'll be creeped out and never forgive you for being magical, and probably tag team abusing your kids."
"Oh, my, any warnings about Tonks?"
"No," said Luna, "except … well you know how you feel when she asks you to change your face to show her someone."
"Yeah."
"Well people ask her that all the time, but not for informational purposes like she asks for, they ask her to be celebrities and say things in their voices or make their gestures while in their shapes, it makes her mad."
"That makes sense," said Matirni, "I'm sort of glad that only a few of my friends know."
"It will make her even more mad when they start asking her to be celebrities so they can sleep with them."
"Oh ew," said Matirni.
Luna nodded, "don't ask her for celebrities, don't ask her to give up morphing long enough to carry a baby until you've contemplated the same thing."
Matirni shivered, "I hadn't even thought about that."
Luna nodded.
"What about you?" said Matirni, "if I die who will you end up with?"
"Neville, or either of the Scamander boys."
Padma felt a twinge of … something, she'd thought Parvati and Neville were … seeing each other.
On the other hand, how many years in advance could Luna see. And how violent was this fractional future where Potter died.
"I don't know the Scamander boys," said Harry.
"You wouldn't yet. They go to Beauxbatons."
"What about me?" said Padma. And instantly felt guilty for interrupting their … first date or whatever it was. Job interview?
As Luna turned to look at her and her grin froze and melted into horror. "I shouldn't tell you."
"What? Why not?"
"If I tell you now, no matter what I tell you, Riddle kills me or has me killed."
"But why?"
Luna closed her eyes and set her jaw before opening her eyes again, "if you ever seriously contemplate leaving Draco, ask me again, we'll talk then."
"Hmm," said Padma, "alright, I suppose that's sufficient." Padma was desperately disappointed, but … she'd been happy this morning without knowledge of the future, perhaps she could continue to be, it wasn't like she wanted to know, 'do this, don't do that, or Riddle will kill you,' or kill Luna."
"In fact," said Luna, "Don't tell anyone, especially not Riddle, that I'm a seer."
"Ah," said Padma.
Luna relaxed into one of her more normal thoughtful frowns, "at least not this week."
"Alright," said Padma.
Luna relaxed farther, and several seconds later, she and Matirni were kissing again.
…
Someone knocked. Without breaking the kiss Matirni threw the counter charms at the door to clear the window and unlock the door.
Wordless? Hmm, Harriet had been holding out on her… Or Lord Potter was a bit more advanced than anyone advertised.
Hermione came in, already changed into robes. That was a good idea, It's what Padma would have done if she'd been locked out of her compartment for so long.
Hermione saw Luna in Matirni's lap and almost tripped. When she was safely in her own seat she turned to Padma, "what is the story there, dare I ask?"
"Harry Potter traded places with Matirni for the week, needed to have a meeting with Draco, meanwhile Luna can see through his disguise and…" Padma shrugged and waved an indicative hand.
Hermione glanced at them then quickly looked away, "something else, almost adding up but not quite."
"Both Harry and Matirni are metamorphmagi."
"Apparently! Something else… does it run in families?"
"Tonks and Potter are both Blacks, Potter and Matirni are both Evenses. I'd bet, yes."
Hermione nodded, "Thanks, I think that was it. Why are they kissing again?"
"Luna said she could see them getting married, shortly after his seventeenth," explained Padma, "he … stopped trying to fight her off."
"I see," said Hermione and made a strange face, "they have … six minutes to stop that before I tell them to find a different compartment."
"Something else doesn't add up," said Padma, "Why his seventeenth, not her seventeenth, she's the younger one."
Draco's face appeared in the window, and a moment later the door opened and he came in and sat down, in his normal spot: by the outside window facing backward. In this case next to Matirni.
If Padma had been smart she'd have picked the spot that Matirni was in, or the spot across from him that Hermione was now in. But that was Hermione's normal spot so…
"So what's the topic of conversation these days?" said Draco.
He was amazing at ignoring the elephant in the room.
No one spoke.
"So Hermione," he said, "what did you do for Christmas?"
Hermione told him, it sounded rather tame compared to dancing in terribly elegant robes with several Lords and Heirs in front of the assembled hosts of slytherin and rumoured previous death-eaters. Padma wondered if Buddhism could help these people simplify their lives drastically enough to fix anything. She didn't think they'd be able to handle Hinduism, and would probably go about using it for an excuse to make things more complicated.
Which just went to show that Hermione's family was the sane one among her English friends.
"How about you Miss Lovegood," said Draco still without seeming to notice that her mouth was otherwise occupied.
Luna sat back and looked at him without getting off of Matirni's lap.
"After Da got the Yule issue out, He and I hunted snorkacks, though mostly we found burrowing spiny shrubhogs and roasted them for food."
They stared at each other for several seconds. Draco said, "you ate chestnuts that you gathered and roasted yourself," he nodded to himself, "that sounds nice."
Wait … Padma remembered … so that really was Luna and her father sneaking into the circus' Christmas party and then snuck out again with all the little ones to teach them to poach nuts in the neighbouring grove. Maybe Luna and Potter snogging wasn't as sudden a development as she'd believed.
Luna nodded back, "It was nice, you should have been there, you'd have enjoyed it."
"I probably would have," Draco agreed.
"Did you really have him who was whom became Voldemort at your Yule party?"
Draco blinked, "Not that I'm aware of."
Luna shrugged, "you need to become more aware."
"Probably so," agreed Draco, "Where did you hear that such a person was at such a place at such a time?"
"I didn't hear," said Luna, "I saw."
"Would you recognise him again?"
"Yes," said Luna, "And so will you, anything that turns to flaming blood when Matirni touches it, and anyone who won't hold her hand when he dances with her."
Draco shivered, "that is quite an accusation, where did you hear that?"
"I didn't hear it," said Luna, "I saw."
Draco shuddered, "How bad is the damage?"
Luna got up and pulled out the magazine she'd been reading earlier and handed it to Draco. Draco thanked her and sat back to read with an air of concerned calm.
When Padma again looked up from her book Luna was curled up on the bench, between Matirni and the door, with her head in Matirni's lap. Matirni was reading her own book and running her fingers through Luna's hair.
Padma wasn't sure if Luna was asleep or not, she was that relaxed. Padma suddenly remembered how tense and fragile Matirni had been just before holidays, and how much a hug had loosened her up, for a day or two at least. And Luna always showed signs of being homesick, but couldn't identify it as such. Padma had guessed that she wasn't getting enough hugs at home either, but to see her relaxed enough to close her eyes was when there was both light and company. Yes, Luna needed human contact, and apparently Potter as Matirni was good enough, for the moment at least.
.
Half an hour later Draco was no longer looking concerned, just smiling wryly and turning pages at random intervals. "Huh!" he said, Padma looked up to from her book in time to see him stick his finger in for a marker, and glance at each of the other members of the compartment, then at the page again, "It says here—" he announced and frowned, then looked at the magazine cover then back at the text under his finger.
"Matirni, What day is today?"
Matirni marked her place and cast the time telling charm with enough power for the day and date to show clearly and for all of them. "Second of January," she said, "1993"
"You needed the time telling charm for that?" said Hermione.
"When someone wants to be absolutely sure," said Matirni, "I don't work from memory."
Draco nodded as if everything was as it should be, "This magazine is dated four days ago," he said, "yet it claims to have information for events happening … all this week. Luna is this normal for this magazine?"
"Yes," said Luna without opening her eyes, "which section are you on?"
"Gossip," said Draco, "though it's titled something a bit more emphatic, and the items are long and convoluted enough that I wouldn't expect any but a Ravenclaw would work out what most of them mean before they happen."
"Give us an example," said Padma with the sensation of just having intentionally stepped on a rake because her hands happen to be full and she didn't have any other way to get it out of the grass.
"Here's today's: Sunday the second: the one who was to be sacrificed to bring a dark lord back to life offers a concubine to the one who was to be sacrificed to keep that dark lord in power. The boy-who-lives determines all honour debts to him by House Black to be paid in full. The wedding is tentatively planned for his seventeenth birthday. Parenthesis: Editor expects letters of apology and explanation from all three!"
"I already wrote mine," said Luna, "do you two want to see it for reference."
Draco put the magazine down, "Potter, are you really betrothed to that … creature."
"Sort of," said Matirni, "Don't call her 'creature'."
Draco cleared his throat but looked like it would take awhile to put his thoughts into words.
"You can't be 'sort of' engaged," said Hermione, "either you are or you're not… Unless you mean it was a betrothal contract instead of a proper engagement."
"No," said Matirni and morphed into Potter, "I mean she didn't ask me to marry her, she declared her vision of my future includes her, and the month if not the day of our wedding, Oh and before that she snogged me."
"That sounds rather heavy handed," said Hermione.
Potter nodded.
"Are you accepting that?" said Hermione.
"Not exactly," said Potter, "well I've sort of accepted her as a snogging friend even though that's not what I was hoping for."
"What were you hoping for?" said Hermione.
"Another hugging friend," said Potter, "so far the only people at Hogwarts I feel safe hugging are Draco and Padma, and now Luna."
"Why don't you hug all the girls?" said Hermione, "a lot of the girls… Oh."
Potter nodded, "except the slytherin girls, and not metamorphs who might turn male in the middle of a hug just to mess with you, and definitely not matamorphs who can't be trusted not to randomly trade places with their male cousin on the holidays."
"Why would you do that?" said Hermione.
"We've been trading places every time we visit each other for most of our lives," said Potter, "Shortly after we were extras together in a production of the Prince and the Pauper, in fact. We both thought the other was the pauper and was under less pressure to conform to various inexplicable and arbitrary modes of behaviour insisted upon by the surrounding adults.
Padma had accidentally been watching Draco when Potter said that last and realised that Draco believed him to be half lying. Which didn't mean he was, just meant that someone had told Draco an alternate explanation and Draco preferred it to … 'trading out every holiday.'
"So … I'm not sure I'm actually male, just … the name I was born with is… and anyway," Potter blinked for a second, "to answer your and Draco's previous question, I have tentatively accepted, depending on the results when I do find the time to do a thorough background check on, he tilted his head sideways.
Padma understood him to mean Luna.
"She's twelve," said Hermione, "what do you think a background check will turn up? Her name and birthday?"
Luna didn't open her eyes, just recited in a bored voice, "Name: Luna Lovegood AKA Loony AKA Lovegood's poor crazy daughter, AKA Lovegood's crazy seer, AKA Padma's little pet, and some other things," Luna's wooden voice cracked on the middle alias. "Born," she continued, "May 2nd, 1981 2:17 am. Lost her mother August 8th 1983, 4:34pm, said her first sentence October 30, 1981, 'Ma'er 'I'i'in 'oma'ow,' Da still doesn't know what I meant, but he recorded all my early statements if he could determine at least one word was a real word."
"Master visiting tomorrow?" said Draco, "you predicted the Dark Lord's attack on the Potters?"
"No," said Luna, and hugged Potter indicatively, "I predicted Harriet Matirni."
Everyone blinked.
"Anyway I didn't start speaking clearly for another year or so after that, like normal children. And it took Da several months after to realise that I was a seer," Luna shrugged, "He still checks up on my predictions and docks my allowance a sickle whenever I'm wrong."
"How often are you wrong?" said Hermione.
"About twice a month," said Luna.
Internally Padma scoffed, but restrained herself from saying anything cutting, Hermione seemed about to agree with her, and then said, "wait a moment, twice a month out of how many predictions per month?"
"I usually only give him one or two interesting ones for each day, that way I can choose the surer ones. Otherwise I'd be closer to only right a third of the time, It's not like people don't change their minds several times per day. Explaining predictions a week and a half in advance is difficult, once it's pinned down with words and dates the way Da likes them they turn into flies and buzz away. Not like Potter noticing me and understanding that we are each other's optimal choice for life partners. Which he still hasn't done. But there are fewer and fewer futures where he does not eventually." She turned back to Potter and they engaged in a glaring contest, which Luna broke with a shrug, "You usually think much faster than this." And she kissed him again.
"Wait a bleeding second," said Hermione.
To Padma's surprise, Luna did.
"What?" said Luna.
"You're twelve," said Hermione.
Luna shrugged, "Yes."
"And you … you're … you're kissing him."
"When you live an additional seventy to a hundred and seventy years every time you meet someone new, do you think it really matters how old you look on the outside."
Silence.
And into it Hermione whispered, "Abomination I name thee, Alia Atreides of Arrakis."
Padma looked at her, no one else seemed to notice.
"Oh," coughed Draco, "does that include their time in the shower?"
"Why wouldn't it?" said Luna.
"No wonder you don't care that Potter's gender is only skin deep," said Draco, "No wonder that your father intends to let you marry at his seventeenth rather than yours, no wonder that…"
"You may say it," said Luna.
"I lost my train of thought," said Draco. Padma doubted that, but she respected him for keeping whatever it was out of the general conversation.
Luna shrugged, "anyway, Da would let him marry me this summer, if we asked. Matirni won't let us. Neither would you or Padma or your Mother if we needed to ask for your advice out loud when we can see each answer in all the futures where we ask for it. Neither would Mrs. Matirni, if we asked her to come, which we will, but she won't, usually she won't like Da until several years after the second baby is born."
"Speaking of wise friends advising us to pander to public opinion," said Potter, "I think it would also be wise for us to not snog in public. Even I can see that listening to you explain to many many close-minded or otherwise uninformed people why your wisdom is based on thousands of years of their possible experience could get tedious very quickly. Even if most aren't as prone to violence as a certain transfer student."
Luna turned to stare at him for several seconds, "I see what you mean, I forget how tedious other people find living through the same thing over and over, you'll probably need to keep reminding me of that several times a year."
Potter frowned, "am I to take that prediction as permission to do so when it seems necessary?"
"Yes," said Luna, "or whenever it seems optimal."
"Alright," Potter frowned.
"Yes," said Luna, "I await your time and/or lease."
Potter frowned harder then smirked "how about tonight, after the feast," his hand pulled something from his pocket.
"Thank you, mi'lord," she said taking it from him and shoving it in her pocket, "I'll be careful. And make sure Da never prints about it."
"I would appreciate that," said Potter.
Luna nodded seriously.
"Was that the Death Cloak," said Padma.
Luna nodded and looked the most solemn Padma had ever seen her, like they were speaking of the holy grail.
"Potter," said Draco, "Merlin! Potter."
"Huh?" said Potter.
"Luna, could you … leave us for a minute?"
Luna stared at him for a second, then sniffed and made her way out of the compartment and paused a moment outside the door.
Padma had been ready to interpret the sniff as disdain until she saw the look on Luna's face. 'About to cry' was a more likely option. Padma almost went after her.
"Thanks, I think," said Luna and closed the door.
Potter and Draco hit the door with simultaneous locking and silencing charms.
"What's up?" said Potter.
"You gave her your cloak?" said Draco.
"I lent it to her."
"It amounts to the same thing if she doesn't give it back," said Draco.
"It will come back," said Potter, "it always does, even if it passes through five hands and two generations first, when its true master appears, its current bearer returns it, even when they don't know why. ."
"Oh," said Draco, "but you wouldn't lend it to me."
Potter's eyebrows twitched, and he cleared his throat, "Of course, Matirni wouldn't have lent it to you, it wasn't hers to lend."
Draco gaped, then narrowed his eyes and made a gesture Padma had seen before but never determined the significance of. It didn't quite mean, 'wait, I'm thinking,' she was beginning to think it meant something more nuanced, like, 'that's convoluted, let me go over that again and satisfy myself that the reasoning is sound.'
Potter didn't seem to understand even that much and filled the silence, "I'm partly glad she didn't given that it led to her … seeing and passing on the Disillusionment and Fouryear charms."
"Fuur-iay?" suggested Hermione, making it obviously French, "What's it do?"
Potter huffed and explained about charms that made sound, absorbed sound, contained sound and did several other things to it. And how even in absolute darkness none of those were satisfactory for sneaking past well trained dogs or snakes or dolphins or even blind people so you needed basically an invisibility bubble but for sound, and how that was basically impossible without a spell complicated enough to basically listen and repeat what it heard. Which needed very complex arithmancy but it had finally been perfected during the Greek war for Independence in the 1830s or maybe 1820s.
Hermione looked by turns surprised, interested, and bored. Padma and Draco shared several amused glances.
Finally Draco said, "Never mind all that Potter, no one cares whether the name of the dead arithmancer that a charm was named after was originally French or not or originally muggle or not."
Hermione, looked like she wanted to object.
"And I have a French last name," said Draco, "we're talking about Lovegood,"
Hermione and Potter stiffened and sat back, "Ok," said Potter.
"Do you like her?" said Draco.
Potter frowned, "I can't say my feelings for her have crossed the threshold into 'like' yet but she's definitely growing on me very rapidly."
Draco nodded, "And yet you loan her your cloak on nothing but the promise of a kiss?" he shook his head, "it doesn't scan, Potter, what's come over you?"
Potter shrugged, "Matirni is paranoid for my secrets and to keep track of my things. Luna proved she already knows my secrets, I guess you weren't here for that, she's made several testable predictions that I intend to pay attention to, though perhaps less than she claims her father does, since I don't have money riding on it. Or not yet."
Draco shook his head, "You have your entire fortune riding on her if you marry her, or your entire reputation riding on it, if you let her go around telling people that you're betrothed and then don't marry her."
Potter nodded, "Point taken. I've lent her my cloak which is the only thing of mine I can trust to come back on its own, not counting Matirni I suppose, but she's not mine in the same sense."
"So you're still being paranoid, just differently…" said Draco, "because she's weird enough to need a different method?"
"Partly," said Potter, "also she offers herself as a solution to a problem that's been bugging Harriet and I since the week your Mum became headmistress."
"Which is?"
"Who I could marry who wouldn't mind the rumours of Matirni hanging around," said Potter, "Speaking of, not that I care, but the Wizengamot will: what's her blood status?"
"Pureblood," said Draco, "and half the other pureblood girls this generation who were raised on your life story would welcome an arranged marriage with you, even if it meant having Matirni hanging around, especially if she came as a loyal retainer they could send on errands like a house elf. You could have your pick of them, just let it be known that Matirni is authorised to negotiate such a contract and see who shows up."
Potter shook his head, "When Harriet finally got around to admitting she was a metamorphmagus, no one showed up and asked to see him, she and I have both said multiple times that she was authorised by me to negotiate anything in my name, no one has shown up, no adults have written."
Draco frowned, "First of all Matirni presented it as if the ability was the bane of her existence and all frivolous requests would be mocked and ignored. Also didn't Mum say something about an increase in the number of letters that were showing up for you?"
Potter blinked, and rubbed his forehead, "Merlin's seaweed-draped hat, I'm emancipated. I'd better arrange with your Mum to have the oversight of that ongoing little fiasco turned over to Harriet and I."
Draco grimaced, "Yeah, you probably should."
Potter took out Matirni's appointment book and scribbled in it for a while, finally he looked up, "you were telling me about her father."
"I was?" said Draco.
"Or rather I asked about her blood status, and you said 'pureblood' in a tone that implied that there is a reputation for dark magic associated with the family."
Draco cleared his throat, "reputation yes, dark magic no, her mother dabbled in charms and runes, it was widely expected she'd be an important spell inventor someday, and then she got married and pregnant instead. The uncertainty of the war probably had a lot to do with that, not enough money in spell crafting except illicit ward building."
Potter nodded.
"Her father is a follower of a sect that … hmm … is very caught up in the idea of the search for the deathly hallows, among other items of power."
Potter snorted, "does no one else know how to use a second year searching spell? I mean we… and your Dad…"
"With all due respect," said Draco, "the Houses of Malfoy and Black have been breeding for magical power for generations, most adults can't cast the four points charm and have it find anything more than a half league away. And have similar range and ownership restrictions with other charms like …" he shrugged, "the summoning charm for instance. Never mind that, Also Mr. Lovegood is a bit hung up on the printed word, even for a ravenclaw." Draco nodded to Padma and Hermione, "No disrespect meant, but there are people who end up in ravenclaw because they are book-happy, not because the actually learn anything from them. Anyway, Mr. Lovegood follows a philosophy about the meaning of the journey and the search, he doesn't actually want to find them all, just figure out from the pages of history who probably has each of them at the moment. He'd probably be appalled to have someone write in with a list, but even if someone did, he'd just go on searching for other important objects of power throughout history and legend. Or take the information as a series of hints in order to complete his own history of the owners each has had."
"Who does have them at the moment?" said Padma.
"Dumbledore, Mr. Crabbe, Luna, in that order," said Draco, "Don't tell Luna it would ruin the surprise."
Padma nodded, "you think she doesn't already know?"
Draco blinked, "now that you mention it, … no I don't know. In fact, maybe she would keep it from her father. What an odd thought."
Padma nodded, "when I had the diadem she didn't try to take it, she just … told Parvati enough that I didn't die from my foolishness."
Draco sat up straight and stared at Padma, "do you feel yourself to owe her a life debt?"
Padma frowned, "No, if she'd taken Parvati in hand and led her down to rescue me months earlier, then her actions might could be construed as honourable and heroic, but then I wouldn't have construed them that way, but as interference and theft."
Padma struggled with her thoughts for almost a minute more, "Living in her head must be very strange."
Draco nodded, and looked at Potter, "are you sure you want to be dealing with that?"
"I might need to figure out how to say something to her such that she knows I'll try to accept her advice even if it is months ahead of schedule. Assuming I can even remember it that far out of context."
Padma shook her head, "I think that she gives people advice that way. And the only reason she didn't for me, is because she knew I wouldn't listen and understand, and because it would ruin our friendship. Now that I realise that she could have kept me totally out of danger, I feel very strange about trusting her anymore. But… looking back the other way, she seems to have taken sufficient precautions to ensure my survival, and conversely to not alienate me as a friend. Which … coming back to my point of view seems to indicate that she values me not just as a life but as a friend."
"Are you people allergic to the word 'love' or something?" said Hermione.
"No," said Potter, "but talking about loving Lovegood feels like saying you love sunlight and breakfast cereal, or like stating one's awe for Shiva or rainbows, either it feels trite like you're stating your preferences, or it feels like you're stating something about her, not about your emotions regarding her."
"Calling her a force of nature," tisked Draco, "Potter you've got it bad."
"Ach shut up," said Potter, "You've told me about her parents, what about her family lines and or their magics?"
"They've been breeding for animal magnetism, seers, and idealists, all of which are generally thought to be impractical in the extreme, well animal magnetism can be useful. Anyway no one has seriously considered any of them for the Wizengamot in generations."
"I think I've seen her animal magnetism active in riding club, and her seer abilities today, tell me what you mean by idealists."
"Alright," said Draco, "they're considered one of the lightest of the light families, they advocate the next best thing to absolute authority for aurors, absolute perfection in the laws that those aurors are meant to enforce, and perfect honour in the politicians and bureaucrats who oversea it all. With no allowance for mistakes, and no expectation of the corruption that follows, all too often, with power that has no check or balance."
"I understand and disapprove of giving too much power to aurors or politicians, what is the problem with expecting laws to be perfect?"
Draco sat back and rubbed his cheek, "alright, the classic example, in the Jewish and Christian scriptures, God commands Moses to proclaim several laws, one of which is 'you should never murder.' Simple and straightforward, no? But in the annotations there are exceptions made for revenge on murderers, there are exceptions made for self-defence but only in one's own home, at night, when the weapon of availability is an improvised club. And that exception doesn't give the killer the right to go on with their life as if nothing has happened, instead it gives them the right to choose self-imprisonment in a city of sanctuary. Now, we can all agree (I hope) that 'thou shalt not murder' is an excellent statement of the value of human life, but as a law it leaves something to be desired. So we wish to add exceptions, the exception for executions is the most obvious, it allows us to say murder is so wrong that we wish to be able to punish it above and beyond most other crimes, next is of course exceptions for self-defence, but how big or small should those exceptions be, what should they cover?"
Draco shrugged, "if you make the tree of exceptions too great you need full time lawyers to follow you around explaining what is and is not an exception to the rule, if you make the exception tree too small or non-existent then you have to trust the judge to look at each case and decide if this case of revenge or self-defence is sufficient to be allowed. So perfection in simplicity means trusting the judge to interpret well after the fact, perfection in annotation means trusting the lawyer to explain it all to you before the fact, the sensible ideal seems to me to be the middle road, but there are idealists who advocate of all three varieties and probably more that I'm not aware of, and others who are dissatisfied no matter which of the three choices you offer them."
"If I pass muster with both Luna and her father," said Potter, "is Dumbledore less likely to cause problems trying to overturn my emancipation."
Draco blinked, "probably,"
Potter grimaced, "something to keep in mind, though not something to base a romance on."
Draco nodded, "But it makes sense to … make sure to present everything as above board, whenever you do go public."
"As soon as I'm sure, I'll come to you to help me plan that time line," said Potter, "Meanwhile… besides not kissing in public, what should I make sure to accomplish or avoid."
"I've been meaning to re-read all those books," said Draco, "but it's been a while and I've been busy re-reading to stay ahead of you about occlumency."
Potter nodded and relaxed, "am I right in assuming after the Yule ball that if I follow the style set forth in 'Family First' to the exclusion of that of 'Pureblood Way' it will be somewhat overlooked now?"
"Maybe?" said Draco, "in what regard?"
"I'd just rather re-read one tome, not two or four, for details that I didn't expect to need for several more years. That's all."
"Oh," said Draco, "I can't guarantee that would be sufficient, but if you're most worried about Mum and Lady Longbottom, it should be more than sufficient for the moment. Mr. Lovegood sounds more than accommodating at this point, as long as you write him that letter, and as long as everything is in the proper order, engagement, contract, marriage, heirs, etc. Not all mixed up like… like…" Draco shivered.
"I get it," said Potter, "What else do we need to cover and/or plan?"
"I have… one more observation," said Draco, "I don't want you to interpret it as your old friend being jealous of your new friend, because I'm not, in the sense that I want you to have as many friends and/or allies as possible. Especially to the extent that you share the power or influence your friends give you with me and mine, to the extent that any or all of us have congruent goals, etc. Instead I want you to interpret this as one of your several political advisers being extra paranoid, in the off chance that it is useful advice."
"I understand," said Potter.
"Does she act too much like … like you're winning her over even faster than she's winning you over?"
"If she can experience several iterations of our entire possible futures together in the time it takes me to be as many degrees more won over by her, that is what is to be expected."
"That's not what I'm getting at," Draco frowned, "if she has all that inside information, couldn't she just act exactly how she knows you will best respond to, without feeling a speck of the emotions she is portraying from a future she could steer both of you down, even though she's choosing a different one, such as one where you give her your cloak and then she returns to her father for a pat on the head and several sickles worth of candy."
Potter appeared to consider it for several seconds, Padma was about ready to come to Luna's defence but Potter held up his hand, "First of all," he said, "she's twelve not six, second of all she's made several missteps that inform me she's watching the whole time line and responding to all the people we each could become, not to who I am now and how to best convince me to respond the way she wishes. If she were playing me, which she no doubt could be doing if she wished, she could hardly be doing a more clumsy job. If she was in the habit of playing people the way you're suggesting, I think she'd have a huge collection of people who'd think they were her friends, and … very few people would know that she is at all out of the ordinary. Instead she sees what she sees and responds to the total, not saying one or two things here or there to steer people how she wishes them to go."
Draco nodded, "that's fine, and is a lovely scenario, but … that's not what Padma claims to have experienced."
"Maybe it is," said Padma, "Maybe it isn't. She … I think she's learning how to play people and scenarios the way you're suggesting, but hasn't mastered it yet. I think only fear of death pushes her to work that hard, and very possibly the prospect of my death was the first time she had to try."
"Ah," said Draco, "that puts things in a new light."
"Not to butt in," said Hermione, "but what is this 'close call' that Padma keeps referring to?"
Draco looked at Padma, "do you mind her knowing?"
"I believe that it is dangerous for certain wizards to know what happened, and is happening, but she's … a friend and I'd rather she be prepared and alert for what could come."
"Alright," said Draco, "do you want to tell her or would you prefer I do it."
"Go ahead," said Padma, "I'll correct you if you're being inaccurate by too great an amount."
"Alright," said Draco, "There was a half-blood orphan, possibly bastard, it's not clear, by the name of Tom Riddle Jr. He came to Hogwarts about fifty years ago, and before he left was already taking steps to become the next most powerful wizard after Dumbledore. Including constructing soul boxes, to keep him alive if his body should die. He is known to have done this to his own diary, a family ring from his mother's side, and Ravenclaw's diadem, though there is evidence that doing so to Ravenclaw's diadem may have been an accident. Eventually he became known as … as the dark lord Voldemort. He began to work to take over the country, he eventually he set a taboo on the name so that when people gathered to work against him, he would know where they were and could raid as quickly and as hard as possible, by the time people figured out what was triggering the raids, most opposition had already been dealt with or been cowed into frightened neutrality. It is for this reason he is more generally known as 'you-know-who' or 'he-who-must-not-be-named.' If you use the V word it may trigger flashbacks, at any rate you'll look disrespectful to those who lived through that war, and learned the hard way not to say it out loud. When he attacked the Potter's for an as yet unknown reason, he vanished, various theories include that he died, (as much as his soul jars would let him) or that he learned what he came to find out, perhaps about an interesting ritual or technique to increase his power. And left the country to pursue it without telling anyone of his intent, or warning his allies that in the process he would be releasing the imperious curse from many enemies, leaving them exposed to investigation, etc.
"Once he was gone the moping up took several months."
"That is a very different picture of the war than what you told last time," said Hermione.
"Last time I told it from my family's perspective, this time I'm telling it as background so that you understand who was in Ravenclaw's diadem when Padma put it on and started figuring out how to use it."
Hermione's mouth dropped open.
"Long story short," said Draco, "as Padma was learning to use the diadem, and was speed reading the library, He was learning how to use Padma. When he had enough control he took her to a secret place where he thought no one could interrupt him, and he began a ritual to sacrifice Padma's magic and perhaps life to recreate for himself a body to house the soul fragment that he'd earlier left behind in the diadem."
Draco looked at Padma for confirmation, she didn't want to talk about this part with anyone other than Draco or Da, but she also didn't want to lie by omission, "that leaves out all the types of control he tested or used, but it is accurate. Parvati and Neville found me by following advice from Luna. Parvati somehow convinced him to let me live and steal magic from Salizar's monster instead. For some reason he went along with it."
There was silence.
"Alright," said Hermione, "thank you for telling me, who are we keeping this a secret from?"
"From known or suspected death eaters or sympathisers, for fear that they will restart the war," said Draco, "and … we generally don't mention it to Tom Riddle himself, because we don't want him to suspect how many people are alert to his existence and will stop at nothing to keep him from becoming a Dark Lord again."
"Wait," said Hermione, "This ritual worked, and he did re-create his body?"
Padma nodded, "and he left me alive, and he complemented Parvati for thinking rationally and helping him to improve his ritual, rather than just being morally uptight which would have only succeeded in making him kill her to keep her from interrupting, in which case I'd have died anyway. Draco's Mum said the same thing only differently. And enrolled him in fifth year, and is pretending he is his own grandson."
"OK, but why?" said Hermione, "Why leave him alive?"
"I'm not exactly sure," said Draco, "Mum tried to explain something about how murder and soul boxes worked, and it almost sounded believable, except it was based on how regular soul boxes worked, and we know a lot less about how the diadem mimics a soul box, or why it did. So we're sure, neither that he committed murder to create that soul fragment, nor that he even meant to leave it behind in the diadem."
"He did both, and meant both, I'm sure," said Padma, "at any rate he was willing to sacrifice me to come back."
"Ah," said Draco as if he had only just understood that point.
"What difference does it make?" said Hermione.
"The normal process of making a soul box requires the soul to be split by an act so much against one's values that a portion of the soul completely refuses to participate, separating and being left behind rather than continuing to be part of the whole. In a normal person such a fragment would be the part of the original soul most incapable of murder. Padma's point is that the fragment in the diadem was not so particularly against murder to have avoided sacrificing her long enough to think up the snake solution by itself or chosen to implement it. Which implies that… however many soul boxes he made, the diadem wasn't his first, and it's fragment wasn't the most 'pure' so to speak.
"I also was pointing out the converse" said Padma, "that once the snake solution was pointed out to him, he rushed to use it, not because he optimised against killing me, but because he optimised away from the ritual failing because I might not have be a sufficient sacrifice to have it succeed as perfectly as possible."
"Alright," said Hermione, "so … we're suddenly alright with the idea of killing him?"
"If that's what it takes, maybe," said Draco, "but better if there's another way. We just established what murder does to one's soul, even if one doesn't separate the parts before they can re-combine."
"Has it been documented," said Hermione, "what choosing not to act does to one's soul if one knows that the result of not-acting will also cause death?"
Draco flinched and sat back after a brief minute, "I don't believe it has, but I think it depends on how thoroughly one believes one knows about this cause and effect scenario, and how thoroughly one is convinced of one's responsibility to be the one who acts in the particular case."
Hermione nodded like she'd just won an argument.
"The only one I'd trust to advise me in such a case might be Luna," murmured Padma.
They all nodded.
"And I think she'd do her best to engineer her solution so that no one needed to die, not just the innocents postulated."
"All the more reason for Riddle not to know what she can do, or that we might remotely consider following her lead if she did order his death," said Potter, "I … I need to consult Harriet about all this," he went in his trunk for a magic mirror.
"I need to consult my mother," said Draco.
"I want to consult Luna," said Hermione, "does anyone mind if I let her back in?"
"No," said Potter and sent cancelling and unlocking charms at the door.
Draco followed suit as needed and Hermione went out. Padma went out too. Luna wasn't nearby so they started down the train.
Padma found her sister first, who she wanted to talk to a bit more anyway. Mostly she wanted to let her brain rest from keeping up with two slitherins (and Hermione) trying to pit Luna's very confusing ability against itself or against Riddle's very confusing moral value and possible unawakened malice.
{End Chapter 13}
A/N: I know this was long and late. I apologise for both, but I decided I didn't want it to be any later. Though I might come back and tighten it up some more. The next one will also be long. You have been warned.
Also, as advertised, welcome to the T rated portion of the story.
As always, thanks for the reviews and the favorites.
~Bregalad
P.S.:
Yes, I know that children who are continually forced to experience the future don't act like Luna, or like jedi, but rather are often very difficult to differentiate from autistics. Which is not at all the symptoms Luna generally desplays either in cannon or here.
P.P.S:
I also wrote this chapter as 2 cinderella types trying to see each other at incidental seasonal occasions, it was cute but not the right type for this story. But then, neither, quite is this, so maybe I'll rewrite it yet again. In the mean time, enjoy the angst and drama as written.