"YES!"
"I guess I'm not the only glad the Dragons won," Luna said vaguely, smiling at her husband and their friends. Michael and Ron were not so much walking down the steps of the stands, but more a sort of dancing skip.
"That was brilliant!" Harry shouted, punching the air as he and Ron staggered down the metal steps, nearly running into the couple in front of them. Harry and Ron were, after all, almost seventeen now and had had a few drinks, just enough to put him in a mindset that caused more than a few giggles from Hermione and Sarah.
"I didn't know you lot could play Quidditch," Ron slurred. "But that was easily one of the best I've seen…"
"Luckiest you've seen," Jeff replied pretentiously, lifting his head away from the others, but eying Michael from an angle. Everyone in their group had been staunchly in support of the Red Dragons, simply because they had no particular allegiance and Michael did. Jeff however, applied this exact same reasoning to infuriate his best friend by cheering loudly for the opposition, yelling encouragement to the Chimera players anytime one flew near them.
It had seemed for a while that Jeff would earn bragging rights, almost totally due to the heroics of ace Chimeras Chaser Thunder Storm. Storm, formerly called Robert, was an exceptional player in his younger years who had legally changed his first name during a slump the previous season, hoping the stunt would at least return his popularity, if not his skill.
Jeff had boasted after Storm's fifth goal that "the Quidditch gods were smiling on him tonight" and "that they had graciously returned to them the old Storm." Ten minutes later, after Storm missed a shot by ten feet and collided with a teammate on the same play, Jeff was screaming that "The Quidditch gods were merely taunting them, and that they had destroyed the real Thunder Storm in a cataclysm of fire and water sixty-five million years ago, and that the man before them was only a cruel mockery the deities of the sport had crafted for base amusement and to punish them," before finally declaring that Storm had never really existed at all and was only a figment of his imagination.
Luna had cut off his alcohol intake shortly after this.
He simply sat down and crossed his arms when Josh Hetting captured the Snitch and the game. Michael had indeed been annoyed with him for several minutes, until Sarah "accidently" poured her drink all over Jeff. After that, Michael couldn't stop smiling.
"It was great match," Hermione agreed quickly. "But I think we should leave as soon as we can, I don't think another run-in with STRIKE would be a good way to end the night."
"I'm not afraid of them," Jeff snarled. "Let 'em come, I'll take 'em all!" A very buzzed Harry Potter put his hand on his shoulder and nodded solemnly.
"Only if they make us," Michael muttered quietly. "But I agree with Hermione, let's just get out of here…"
"What time is it?" Sarah yawned. They reached the bottom of the steps and turned right, heading back into the military base.
"A little after midnight, I think," Luna replied, with a bit of a yawn herself.
"Home then?" Ron suggested, seeming to come down from his excitement in a matter of seconds.
They all nodded wearily and separated themselves from the crowd, so that they could Disapparate. Jeff and Sarah vanished together, not as spectacularly last time. Ron and Hermione began to turn as well, but Harry said "Wait," very suddenly. The other four looked at him.
Michael wondered if Harry was about to throw up – he certainly looked sick.
"Yes Harry?" Luna asked, giving him a searching look Michael was sure he would find discomforting. "Are you sick? I can take you with Side-Along if you –"
"No, not that," Harry interrupted her. Michael smirked but Harry didn't look very embarrassed – or at least any more embarrassed.
"What is it then?" Ron asked, frowning. His friend's sudden state seemed to be sobering him.
Harry said nothing for a moment, looking down at his feet, kicking loose rocks.
"I want to go home," he said at last, finally looking back up at them. Michael didn't understand.
"Okay…let's go back home then," he said with a shrug. "We're all tired and I wouldn't mind seeing my bed."
"No, myhome," Harry corrected him. "I want to go to Godric's Hollow. I want to see my parent's graves."
"Oh."
Hermione gave Harry a sympathetic look Ron didn't see. Michael shrugged again.
"All right man, let's do it in the morning then," he told Harry. "After you sleep off your coming hangover. But I don't see any reason we can't all go."
Harry looked away from Michael.
"Actually…I think I just want to go with Ron and Hermione," he admitted, slurring only a little.
Michael rubbed the back of his neck. Harry was acting oddly, which was understandable. What Michael didn't understand was why Harry was bringing this up in front of him and Luna if he wasn't interested in them coming. He supposed the alcohol had only now empowered him to speak this desire, and Harry was taking advantage of it.
"It's a very hard thing to do, Harry."
Luna had spoken…extremely kindly. Michael looked over at her, but her attention was fully on Harry. She had a tiny, understanding smile on her face as she stared at Harry, but he didn't seem able to look at Luna. Luna went on undeterred; she probably would have if she was speaking to herself.
"When Michael and I first came back home, where my mother died, it was very hard," she said easily. "I hadn't been there in nine years and when I came back, it was just the same, as if we had never left. Time took care of my home. Seeing the spot where Mum passed on was very hard, Harry, but I'm also very glad I did." She moved a step closer to Harry and took his hand with both of hers, startling him. "Now that house is my home again," she finished brightly.
Harry just looked at her. He seemed grateful for her words and even returned her small smile, but he did tug his hand from hers, stuffing it in his jeans pocket. Unable to help himself, Michael audibly scoffed at that. Hermione looked at him disbelievingly.
Michael grinned. "Luna's a touchy feely person, Harry," Michael told him casually. "Hold her damn hand, I swear, I won't take it as an attempt to steal my wife."
Harry turned red, Michael laughed again, Ron shook his head with a smirk, and Luna wrapped her arms around Harry. Harry froze up again for a moment, but then squeezed Luna around her arms. Luna broke away, beaming.
"That was a very good hug, Harry."
Now it was Hermione who couldn't help but laugh. Michael bound forward and held his arms open wide. "No hug for me, Harry?" he asked playfully. When he didn't oblige, Michael simply turned and kissed Luna on the cheek.
Michael loved all his friends, but Harry, Harry was different. Truthfully, Ron and Jeff were far less mature than Harry, who despite being the youngest of them generally carried himself in a very adult manner. Yet…sometimes, Harry reminded Michael they were still teenagers, and Michael was incredibly grateful to him for it. In between battles with Death Eaters, lizard creatures, and dark artifacts, there was something deeply comforting in knowing not all moments of being eighteen years old were denied to him. He loved Luna more than any of them and was happier than he could say to be married to her, but sometimes even their marriage made him feel a little old. He had Quidditch, alcohol, and Harry's general ineptitude around members of the opposite sex to thank for pulling him back in and reminding him exactly who he was, always keeping him grounded.
"Harry?" Luna said dreamily. Harry raised his eyebrows at her. "I know you don't want us to be around you when you visit your parents –"
"Luna, that's not what I meant –"
"No, but it is a quicker way of saying it," Luna replied, not offended at all. "But the thing is, there was actually some mention in my mother's journals about Godric's Hollow."
Hermione started. "Really? Why didn't you tell us?"
"Well, it's only very vague mentions," Luna said unconcernedly. "I noticed the town kept popping up, and when I looked a little closer, I realized she wrote the name every month, for about a year, in 1980."
"What was she doing there?" Harry asked. Luna shook her head.
"I really have no idea. I don't think she wanted anyone to know. The notes all say 'checked Godric's Hollow.'" She lapsed into very deep thought, though Harry looked like he might have an idea. Before either of them could enlighten the rest of the group however –
"Something wrong with your loony wife Jacobs?"
Luna detached herself from her thoughts as they all turned to find the five young STRIKE agents from before standing very close behind them, two of the boys sneering nastily at them, the third too drunk to do so. Chris smirked.
"Aww, I'm sure it's nothing a little loving from her husb –"
He stopped talking immediately as Luna drew her wand so rapidly Michael nearly missed it and flicked it wordlessly in his direction. He flew ten feet from them into the crowd, slamming into a pair of angry looking men who forcibly shoved him back to the teens.
"Stupid bitch!" he growled, drawing his wand. "Screw it, let kick their arses!"
"Too late," Jessica said glumly, pointing forward, to the spot on the ground Michael and Luna had just vanished from, a scorched ring still visible on the pavement. Ron and Hermione had vanished as well, yet Harry lingered a moment to pay the group a disgusted look before he too Apparated away.
"Do you really think you could?" the girl named Rebecca asked timidly. "I mean, he was a Captain… and didn't her father say he was fine with it?"
"It doesn't matter," Chris said angrily. "It's the principle of the matter. He betrayed STRIKE and disobeyed orders! He attacked Hiro and the others when they tried to apprehend them!"
"It just doesn't feel right," Becca muttered quietly. "I hate this…."
The next morning, the group ate breakfast quickly, scattered here and there around the Jacobs' kitchen. Michael and Ron and Harry ate at the table, while Sarah and Hermione leaned over the counter, drinking pumpkin juice and finishing their eggs. Ron ate a little more slowly than usual – he hadn't quite gotten the hang of a hangover yet.
"Think we can just go?" Jeff asked from the den, where he lay stretched out on the sofa.
"Yeah, I don't figure it'll be too bad," Michael said unconcernedly. "We'll just go have a look around the town, see what we can find. It's an old place, I'm sure there's something there…"
"And of course, Harry will want to visit his parents' graves, won't you?" Luna said dreamily, addressing Harry. Harry put down his fork and looked at Luna, nodding. She was sitting near Jeff, on the edge of her seat, nibbling on a piece of toast and watching the television. Hermione had recommended them all a few television shows, but aside from occasionally watching the news, none of the others took much interest in the device – except Luna.
At first Luna had tried the old western cowboy movies her mother had liked, but had complained to Michael that they were too unrealistic for her tastes, leaving Michael questioning many things, including where Luna got her ideas of authenticity about the Muggle old west. After that she had tried a series following a man who was some nebulous mixture of a teacher and a treasure hunter, which she liked better, but again confided in Michael that she felt it was show much better suited to her mother's interests. But recently, Luna had discovered a new program that absolutely gripped her.
Michael wasn't entirely sure what the show was about despite Luna brightly sitting him down to watch a few episodes with her, but from what he gathered it featured a man and woman collecting files of some kind on all sorts of strange creatures and events. Michael had been slightly concerned when she assured him it was indeed real, going so far as to have Hermione show her the television guide clearly labeling it as fiction, but Luna easily dismissed this, claiming that was simply the show's way of covering its tracks.
"We'll leave you to what you need to do," Sarah smiled at Harry from across the kitchen.
"Unless Voldemort shows up," Jeff smirked. "Then we might need to call in the Auror with a Sixth Year education."
Everyone laughed at that, even Harry. Ron stopped the quickest.
"Do you think that's likely?" he asked the group at large. "You-Know – damn, Voldemort, showing up in Godric's Hollow?"
Michael rubbed the back of his neck. "I can't imagine he's especially fond of the place since Harry turned him inside out there –" a laugh from Sarah and Ron " – but he might have someone watching the place."
"I think we'll be fine," Luna put in, Silencing the TV with her wand rather than the remote. "I have a good feeling about today."
"The Oracle's spoken then," Hermione muttered under her breath. Michael chuckled, but still aimed his wand at her under the table, vanishing her last bit of ham as she reached down for it.
"Everyone ready then?" Michael asked, glancing around the table.
"Right now?" Hermione repeated incredulously, frowning at her unexpectedly empty plate.
"Why not?" Sarah said. "There's nothing to be scared off, Hermione! It's just Lord Voldemort out there!"
"What, am I the only one more scared of Malfoy then?" Ron said loudly and sarcastically. More laughter.
The last few days had been very good ones and though Harry was sure to have a painful experience coming, it seemed they all shared the same optimism for days to come.
"Okay, then. Jeff, Sarah, Luna, and I will leave right now and scout ahead at the village. Ron, Hermione, and Harry can follow whenever." There was really no reason to send four ahead as scouts, not safety wise at least, but Michael recognized Harry might need a little time before returning to the place his parents had died.
"All right, just let me –" Luna stood up and waved her Apple wand. All the empty plates on the table floated up and into the sink. "Right then. Let's go." Jeff and Sarah nodded and stood up too. Together Michael, Luna, Jeff, and Sarah turned on the spot, vanishing from the kitchen, leaving a dignified silence behind.
"Wow, chilly in Harry's hometown," was the first thing Sarah said as they touched icy pavement in Godric's Hollow. An unseasonable chill had left the small town snowy and frozen even in the latter part of May.
"Just a bit," Jeff remarked, tugging at his rather light jacket. "I've never been here before, have any of you?"
"I haven't," Michael said, rubbing his hands together and blowing into them. He and Luna both looked a little comical, as neither was wearing matching gloves; both had on one of the Gloves of Seven, plus another more mundane yet effective Shield Glove on their other hand, purchased by Harry from Ron's brothers using his exclusive 'saving the world' discount.
"Nor have I," Luna said, rubbing her hands on her thin legs for warmth.
"Well, if I had to guess at the most likely place for something to be happening or be hidden, my vote would be for the Potter house," Michael said, glancing around the village, hoping to see directions or something.
"I heard it's barely standing," Sarah said. "Do you think it would be safe to go inside? Do you think it's even right to go inside?"
"Harry said it was all right," Michael said, though he didn't feel one hundred percent comfortable either. "He'll be at the cemetery and we'll be..."
"Invading his dead parent's house," Sarah replied, shaking her head. Jeff put his arm around her.
"It's for a good cause," he muttered into her ear. "Maybe we can tidy up a bit when we're done for Harry. He probably doesn't come back because he'll have to admit he's totally incapable of any household magic." Sarah smiled at that and Michael rolled his eyes.
"And you are?"she asked with a wink.
"Better than you," Jeff replied a snort.
"So do we get a House Elf or do we just learn to tidy up after ourselves?" Sarah mused. Jeff shrugged.
"That just depends on if you'd rather be murdered by Hermione or just kill yourself with a backfiring charm. Not sure which is more embarrassing…."
Michael smiled. He had to admit, they made a good couple.
"So…onto the Potter house then?" he said after a moment.
The other three nodded and muttered agreement and they set off down the paved street, passing identical houses on either side of the road. The town was spectacularly unremarkable. It was comprised of nothing but a number of similar houses lining the roads, and in the town square a few standard public service buildings. The only uncommon feature was a memorial in the dead center of the town.
From a distance it merely looked like a typical war memorial, a tall slab of black stone with names of the fallen carved into it. But as the four teens approached it changed before their eyes into a stone monument of three people.
All four glanced up at the memorial as they passed, but Luna's eyes lingered longer than anyone else's on James, Lily, and Harry's persons. She stopped in her tracks and stared up at it. When Michael no longer heard her feet crunching snow behind him, he stopped too.
"Something wrong?" Michael asked. Jeff and Sarah skidded to a stop too; Sarah slipped a little on the ice and grabbed onto Jeff to keep herself up.
"No," Luna said. She was frowning at the statue, her eyebrows contacted. "Do you feel something?" she asked the other three.
All three shook their heads, but Michael did so a little more slowly than the other two. He had, for a few seconds, felt something pulling him like a magnet to the spot. The feeling quickly passed however and he did not make any mention of it.
"I guess it's just me then," Luna said with a shrug, "Oh well, I suppose it might just be the lingering sadness. I've always been surprised that this town hasn't been completely swallowed up by Madorphites yet. They must be strong people…."
"Madorphites?" Michael repeated, a smile tugging on his lips.
"Yes, they feed off sadness and despair. Very much like Dementors, except they can swallow whole places and people, not only your soul."
"I've never heard of them," Michael said, and he couldn't help glancing around the square. "And they can eat people? And places too?"
"Oh yes," Luna said matter-of-factly. "That is what happened to Atlantis after all."
"You sure about that?"
"Of course," Luna said dreamily. "Wouldn't you be unhappy living at the bottom of the ocean?"
They continued down the street, occasionally looking around, Hermione having assured them that they would be able to see the house now; that the protection would have vanished when James and Lily had died.
"I've been thinking…" Luna said after a bit of walking, "Michael, don't you think we should get jobs soon?"
"Jobs?" Michael repeated, as if this was incomprehensible.
"Well, we are on our own now," Luna said thoughtfully, "so we have to pay for bills and such. I think Mum might have discovered a spell to duplicate money, but I'm not sure she ever tested it. I'd prefer to avoid Azkaban too."
"Well, what would we do?" Michael asked. "What would you want to do?"
"I hadn't really given it much thought…" Luna said, scratching her chin, "I want to travel and I want to be around all the natural things in the world."
"Natural things?" Michael repeated.
"Animals, plants, and the magic of nature," Luna elaborated. "Everything has magic, even if it doesn't have sentience. A sunset can cast a spell on you, a blooming flower can enchant you as well as any Charm."
"That's…deep," Michael said encouragingly, blinking a few times. "I could definitely see you doing something like that, traveling and researching and discovering animals and stuff."
"What about you?" Luna inquired as they turned a corner. "What would you like to do?"
"I honestly have no clue," Michael admitted. "The only thing I've ever done is fight: STRIKE, the Aurors, and now our little merry band…I don't know what else I'm good at."
Was he good at anything else? Michael supposed he was still young, not even nineteen yet, but he couldn't help but feel his skillset clashed with his aspirations in life. Maybe he and Luna could just run off to a tropical island after the war. St. Lucia, maybe they could just live there, Luna could write and paint and study all the animals she wanted, and Michael…Michael would find something. He supposed the royalties from the inevitable biographies post war would give them all a decent cushion, assuming they all lived to sit through those sure-to-be tiresome interviews.
"I suppose we should start thinking about that too," Sarah said, a little sadly, to Jeff. "Except I'm the same. I haven't a clue what to do…turns out dropping out to go fight a war really doesn't leave you with a lot of options, especially when you're not being paid to fight that war anymore." She scratched her chin thoughtfully. "How much do you think we could extort from the Wizarding world if we got Harry to threaten to give up and stop fighting until they paid us?"
"He'd sooner just give us the gold in his vault," Michael said somewhat seriously while Jeff laughed loudly.
"Well, we could always just turn to outright evil then," Sarah suggested lightly. "There's a lot of money to be made in spreading chaos and despair."
"I don't know," Jeff said dubiously. "I don't think Voldemort's especially rich, he just mooches off Malfoy, and the only thing he ever spread was ignorance and – according to Ron – a bad case of Magical Mono in their fifth year."
"I think you should be a model, Sarah," Luna said vaguely. "You're very pretty, I'm sure you could find a job soon."
"Oh, well…thank you very much, Luna," Sarah said, clearly startled, but also pleased, "I could see myself doing that, I don't have a problem with that. I'd have some competition from you though!"
"Really?" Luna asked with excited interest. She pushed her chest out towards Sarah. "I think my breasts are too small."
"Fucking hell," Michael choked, making Luna turn her head at him with a look of concern. All he could do was wave his arms wildly to signal her to give him space while he recovered.
"Erm, no Luna I think you're…perfectly proportioned," Sarah stuttered, throwing together the best recovery she could. Jeff and Michael both laughed at that and Luna smiled blithely.
She and Sarah took the lead, chatting happily to each other. Behind them Michael and Jeff grinned wickedly at each other and exchanged a quick high five, silently questioning how they had gotten so lucky.
"That must be it," Luna said a little while later. She was staring straight ahead, pointing forward. Sure enough, at the end of the street was a house unlike the others around it. Part of its roof was blown out and it was in a state of extreme unkemptness.
All four teens hastened into a cautious run, occasionally slipping on the way. They slid into a stop a few feet before an iron gate. It seemed to have been blasted off its hinges. As they approached it, a wooden sign grew up out of the snow, causing Jeff and Sarah, who had been about to enter the yard, to jump.
Michael read it out loud to the rest of the group, along with some of the graffiti scribbled on the sign. Sarah's mouth was even as she read it, her face stricken with pity. Jeff simply nodded his approval as Michael read out the last few words. Luna however, drew out her wand and waved it quickly.
"What should we say?" she asked brightly, catching the marker that materialized above her hand.
"I don't know," Michael said, narrowing his eyes at the sign. "Is there really a point? I mean, he is living with us…"
"But we should still say something," Luna said patiently. "Here, how about this?" She bent forward and began writing on the sign. When she stood up and backed away it read,
"Death is not extinguishing the light; it is only putting out the lamp because the dawn has come."
"I think that's perfect," Michael said warmly, throwing an arm around Luna's waist and leading the other two into the yard. Jeff coughed and followed; Sarah quickly wiped her eyes and did the same.
Michael gingerly turned the doorknob and entered the house. All four Wizards and Witches had their wands drawn. Michael muttered, "Lumos!" and the other three did the same. The house was much less chaotic than Michael expected it to be.
It was still rather eerie, like it was frozen in time. Nothing had changed since Halloween night fifteen years ago. A few things were out of place, but mostly the house looked as though someone was still living there, except for the dust, mold, and cobwebs covering everything.
There was a squeak and a rapid scurrying noise. Sarah gasped and pointed her shaking wand into the corner, where a mouse froze and stared at her, like a deer in headlights. It squeaked again and hurried off, disappearing into the hole in the wall that had been its home for who knew how many years.
"This place is so creepy!" Sarah complained quietly.
In his own mind, Michael quite agreed with Sarah. Yes, it was nothing more than a dark house, but at the same time, there was a definite strangeness about the place. They picked their way through the living room, trying not to disturb the way things were placed; it should be left the Harry's parents had left it.
There had been no battle that night; Voldemort had quickly killed James Potter before advancing up the stairs, just like Michael and his friends were now doing. The door at the top of the stairs was still open, and they silently entered the room.
This was where it had happened. This is where Lily Potter had died to save her son, whom had lain in the crib that was still pushed into the corner. The piece of ceiling missing indicated where Voldemort's curse had rebounded off Harry and struck its caster. A little sunlight streamed in from the hole and illuminated the crib.
"What do we do now?" Jeff asked to everyone at large. "Luna, is anything catching your eye?"
"No, not really," Luna replied quietly. Michael too had placed his expectations on Luna – she was always the one to notice strange little things.
They looked half-heartedly around the upper room for a bit, then surveyed the rest of the house for anything suspicious, but found nothing. They stood in the entry room of the house, making final observations.
"Wonder if Harry and the others are in town yet?" Jeff said, though only to make conversation.
"You'd think they'd come here," Sarah said.
"Hey, what's this?" Michael said suddenly, gesturing at a sheet of paper lying atop an open book on the coffee table. He hurriedly snatched it up and began to read, Luna peeking over his shoulder.
Lily,
I fear you, James, and Harry may be in danger. I recently spoke to Elysina, and she believes that there may be a traitor in the Order. She thinks that someone close to you may be feeding Voldemort information, though I do not think your Fidelius Secret is in jeopardy. She was hesitant to reveal where her information came from, but assured me she had her own spy in Voldemort's organization, whom she trusted with her life.
My faith in Sirius remains absolute and so long as he remains your Secret Keeper, I do not think you have much to fear. Though Lord Voldemort is extremely crafty, and he wants to find you very badly. I urge you to remain vigilant.
As grateful as I am for Elysina's continued watch over your home, she has recently brought a request to my attention I am not convinced I should grant. She says that it is high time Harry met her daughter Luna, even if they are only one and two years old, and that during her next visit she would like to bring her daughter.
I would advise against this, but Elysina's judgment has always been good and I will defer to you and she to decide this matter for yourselves. I am afraid I sometimes forget you are no longer my students, though that time is not long past.
Please owl me your response as soon as possible.
Your friend,
Albus Dumbledore
"So your mum knew my parents then," came Harry's glum voice. He, Ron, and Hermione had entered the house silently and Harry had read the letter over Michael's other shoulder. He was speaking to Luna.
"My mother worked with the Order of the Phoenix, didn't she?" Luna said, nodding. "I didn't know they were friends though."
"Nor that we had met as kids," Harry added. His eyes were red, but other than that he seemed all right.
"Hmm…" Luna was twisting a bit of her hair, like her habit caused. "I might remember that, but yes, I was still very young, I barely remember anything that far back."
"So your mum was onto Pettigrew," Ron said darkly. "Or at least she knew something wasn't right."
"I wonder how she knew?" Hermione asked. "I've always been under the impression even the other Death Eaters didn't know he had turned spy."
"It doesn't matter," Harry said, waving a hand, "It doesn't matter, it's too late. They're all dead now…."
"Don't think like that," Michael said gruffly. "That's the last thing we need. Take this," he added, thrusting the letter into Harry's hand. "I don't know if it has any meaning to you, but keep it."
"Thanks," Harry muttered, stowing the note in his jacket. "Now let's get out of here, before it falls down on our heads."
"But don't you want this?" Luna asked brightly.
"Want what?"
"This." Luna picked up a framed picture off the table and held it up to Harry, keeping her wand light on it with her other hand. The photograph shook a little as Harry's hand trembled. Michael raised his eyebrows and Harry, once he had had his fill, showed the picture to the rest of the group.
The people in the photograph were all moving, it was obviously a Wizard's picture. From left to right, all smiling and looking much younger were James and Lily Potter, Lily holding Harry, and, Elysina Lovegood, and her daughter Luna, with her sundress and long blonde pigtails.
As touching as the photo was, Michael couldn't help but smirk at Luna's hair.
"That's two photographs of my mother I can't explain," Luna mused, studying the picture.
"I can," Harry replied. "My parents were in hiding because Voldemort wanted to kill me because of the prophecy…I think Dumbledore had your mum checking in on them to make sure they were safe."
Hermione frowned. "We've all heard stories about Luna's mother, but why didn't Professor Dumbledore just go himself?"
"Elysina possessed certain qualities I lack myself," said a deep voice. "Among them youth and the ability not to frustrate James Potter to his wits end."
All seven turned rapidly one hundred and eighty degrees to come face to face with their old Headmaster. Albus Dumbledore bowed greeting at them all, his high tipped hat brushing the ceiling as he brought his head back up.
"Professor Dumbledore?" Hermione said uncertainly. "What – how –?"
"In a moment, Miss Granger," Dumbledore said swiftly. He was watching Luna closely; she returned his gaze vaguely. "Before we get to anything else, I must speak to Harry and Miss Lovegood."
"Jacobs, actually," Luna corrected her old Headmaster with a smile. She, once again, held up the hand on which her wedding ring shone.
Dumbledore blinked once, and then his ancient face broke into a wide smile.
"Congratulations, both of you," he said happily to Michael and Luna, who nodded thanks. "Mrs. Jacobs, then. I know you now lead a very busy life, but I fear I must ask a favor of you."
"What do you need?" Luna asked politely.
"Well, I need you to return to Hogwarts, first of all."
"Why?" Michael couldn't help but ask.
"I have information for Harry," Dumbledore replied.
"And Luna?"
"The Sorting Hat has asked for her."