Epilogue

My beloved Luna:

I cannot say I am sorry for I am not. What I did has no excuses, but I simply could not let them hurt you, you and the boys. I am, however, sorry I hurt you and I sorely wish that pain has lessened some in these months.

As I'm writing this letter the chimes on my clock tell me I'm officially an adult. Time flies by, isn't it? I guess felicitations are in order, you turned fourteen not too long ago, so, even when it's a couple of months late, let me tell you: HAPPY BIRTHDAY! As you can see the envelope also contains your present, guard it well it is special not only for me, but for someone I love and long to meet again after I've live a long, and hopefully, happy life. The music box is still in my house in Lewisham, but as soon as I can I'll be owling it to you, it may take me a couple of months at least, but it's yours, keep that well too, okay?

I… I still love you, Luna, so very much, and I pray to the stars that maybe one day, when we both have learn more and live more, I'll be able to see you again. But in the meantime, know that my heart will beat for you and my mind will always soar to you. Even if we are not to meet again, I'll always love you and I'll miss you, all these miles away. May love will always reach you, though time and space.

Stay Forever True, Luna, for the only thing we truly have is ourselves and we need to cherish that. And, then, then, no matter what choices we make, my Love, they will always be the right ones.

Until we met again,
Hermione Capella Black

XxXxX

"Hey, what are you doing?"

"Reading a love letter."

"Uh?"

Luna smiled sadly as her partner sat beside her on the couch. "Here, read this." She passed the worn piece of parchment as she cuddled into the warm body next to her. Even after all these years she was as sensitive to the cold as she was when she was thirteen.

Her partner scoffed. "This thing is years old!"

Luna hummed. "Eleven years, Sweetie." Eleven years had passed, eleven years filled with tribulations and battles. Eleven years filled with so many sad and happy moments, with days of joy and days of utter agony. And yet, those eleven years would be some she would never ask to change.

"Really?!" Her partner asked rather shocked. "Wow. We are old."

The blonde witch giggled. "I'm not. You, on the other hand, are reaching the third decade fairly fast." She yelped when she was pinched on the side. "Although you still act like a five years-old most of the time."

"And for that you are not getting any ice-cream tonight."

Luna pouted. "Aw, come on! I was joking!"

Her partner smirked. "So was I, there's no ice-cream." The once Ravenclaw's glare was more than enough to freeze hell over, yet it did nothing to erase the smirk on the other witch's face. Her glare did disappear when the other woman gently cupped her cheek. "Let it go, Love. Everything is in the past."

Luna whimpered when she was kissed her with the tenderest care she ever experienced, as she was always kissed when she knew Luna was upset about something. The kiss lasted for a good while, in which Luna could not help but think of the years past.

It had taken them five years to find each other. Her time at Hogwarts after Hermione left her was passed studying and readying herself to be a witch her Neenie could be proud of. She found her animamus form and had spent many evenings flying around the Black Lake. She never joined any House, preferring to remain Houseless even when Headmistress McGonagall offered her to be re-sorted more than once, and she was somewhat happy. Yes, she made some friends, especially with the younger years, but they could never be as close as Draco and Harry were with her, but they helped.

It took her a while to stop hurting every day, but the guilt never left her. She knew she had been the one to drive Hermione away, thanks to her Harry and Draco decided to study in Durmstrang instead of staying at Hogwarts. It was her fault she was left behind and both her and her Neenie had to be alone. She had been stubborn and childish, not letting Hermione explain anything and not letting themselves have a chance to fix things.

So, after five years of learning and growing, she was out of school and moving to America to work on her potion's Mastery under Master Whitlock who had apprenticeship under her mother the infamous Selene Nightingale. He was, amazingly enough, the last wizard that became a Master under her mother before the old witch died in that terrible accident. So, she moved to a little commune off Ohio to study and train. Nothing would really prepare her for what was awaiting for her.

"Hey, come back to me, Love." Her partner called to her, her deep brown eyes, with just a little blue on the edges, were filled with concern. "What are you thinking about?"

Luna could not help it. Her own grey eyes started filling with tears, still carrying a burden so great she sometimes wondered how she was able to move. "Us." And with that, she crumbled onto the taller woman's chest, her sobs wrenching her lithe body and breaking her lover's heart.

Fate loved them, she had decided a long time ago. In the little commune she met her again. Her Neenie had just moved in too, and was looking forward to learn a thing or two with her Master, even if the older witch was not really looking to gain her Mastery. Dropping out school meant nothing to the brunette, a year after she left Hogwarts she sat her American NEWT's and managed to break the records of most O's obtained at the same time. A year after that, she became the youngest Master of both Arithmancy and Runes in the New World. She then proceeded to merge her Muggle background with her magic and create a company which excelled in adapting Muggle technology to the everyday wizard's life. By the time they met again she was as rich as she could get and was looking to return to the student life, starting with potions and, amazingly enough, divination, hence her move to the commune.

The first meeting they had had been awkward and painful, but, little by little, in the three years it cost Luna gain her Mastery, they had mended the bridges that had been burned all those years ago when they had both been too stubborn to budge from what they believed was the true. After five years they had both matured more, enough to understand the reasoning of the other and agreeing to disagree could be the answer for many things… they had put the past in the past and leave it there, for the rest of their lives.

The dating phase of their life began anew then, and no one could be happier than Draco and Harry, both which were already in committed relationships, Harry engaged to Padma Patil, nobody knew when that relationship started, and Draco married to an expecting Daphne Greengrass, who later gave birth to Hermione's goddaughter, little Elara Callisto Malfoy… better known as Mini-Ella as she was a little Hermione in all but appearances.

Two years of serious dating later, Master Luna Lovegood became Master Luna Black. Hermione had officially changed her name as soon as she turned seventeen, embracing the name it had been given to her by her loving father, but opting to keep the Hermione her mother had chosen for her when she saved her life at the age of two. So, naturally, Luna had been more than happy to accept her lover's name that very same day, that very same day all these memories were coming back, the day they were married in both the magical and Muggle world.

It had been a lovely ceremony, small and private with only a handful of guests. Draco, Harry, Narcissa, Minerva, who still was Hermione's Mama on Earth, Xeno, Remus, Tamsin and Sirius were there of course. Friends from their past and present were all standing with them in the second most special day of their lives. The most special day was when they met again, after all.

"Neenie?" The blonde witch asked her brand new wife.

"Yes, my Little Moon?"

"Never let go?"

Hermione's eyes turned tender, her own tears threatening to fall at any minute now. "I want to show you something." She got up from the couch on their presidential suite, the one Harry had gifted them to spend the first two weeks of their Honeymoon before they left to enjoy Draco's gift, a month-long cruise around the Mediterrean Islands.

"Neenie?" Luna whimpered when the older witch left the room in order to search something in their bedroom. As it was now her habit, and habit she developed when she was first left alone at Hogwarts, she started playing with the circular medallion that once had been Hermione's and that had been passed to her as her fourteen birthday's present. The music box it opened had arrived that December and she had gotten used to listen to it every night before sleep claimed her, something that Hermione had too gotten used to and now they could not leave their house for the night without it.

"I'm here, Little Moon, I'm here." And with the ease she never really lost in those eleven years, she swiftly sat and pulled the smaller witch in her lap. "Easy now, Love, I'm here."

Luna could not help but marvel at how, no matter how many years had passed, their roles still stayed the same. Hermione would care for her and look out for her wellbeing, comforting her and loving her as only she could, while Luna would challenge the older witch, would help her temper, her anger, and would be there to catch her if she fell. "I know." She sniffed. "I'm sorry I'm spoiling our wedding night."

Hermione smirked again and wiggled her eyebrows. Luna would never tire of that smirk. "I'm not. I'm still sore after last night. A woman my age needs a little recovery time."

Luna chuckled and slapped her on the arm. "Prat."

The brunette also chuckled. "No, really, I wanted to show you this." She presented the younger witch with a piece of parchment that had seen better days. "So, what do you think?"

Luna looked at her Neenie with trepidation, she was way too eager for her to see that piece of parchment, and when Hermione was eager she either had a brilliant idea or a stupid idea… which most of the cases were the same, really. Shaking her head at the silliness of her wife, she loved how that word sounded, she looked at the drawing and froze.

It was a Family Crest, of that she was sure… but other than that, the rest made no sense. Or it did, but it should not, not really.

She could easily identify a moon and, even when the drawing was black and white, she could tell that the moon was new, not full. It was placed on the top half of the shield, a shield that had no divisions, and it hung back alone, in a black background, so the moon looked even more impressive and regal. A lone black bird soared over it, too small to disturb the lonely moon, but big enough that she immediately recognized that the bird was a black raven, swooping down towards the second part of the shield.

In the bottom part was what could only be described as a frozen forest, sitting against the same deep blackness. I was obviously home to another animal, which, in this case, was flying up to meet the raven and had just reached above the top of the trees. Luna did not need to look too closely to know that was an elegant, small, swan.

The shield lacked a helm, coroner, order and a crest, but was supported on either side by a black rattle snake and a white fox, while bellow the shield a long ribbon showed the Family motto: Per Sempre Vero.

"Wha-" Luna could not really comprehend what she was being showed. Being born into an old wizarding family she had to study most, if not all, the Family crests that were out there. This one she had never seen.

"Sirius is giving me the Head of House when I turn thirty." Hermione told her younger wife. "I've talk to him and he agrees that the Black family needs a change of crest… and motto."

The blonde witch blinked at that, stunned. To change an Ancient and Noble House's crest was not only unheard of, it was unimaginable. Those crests were almost sacred, yet, she could easily believe the love of her life would be one witch to change one of them. It was a brilliant and a stupid idea alright. The meaning behind all the symbols was not lost to her and she had to smile thinking on them.

The frozen forest was obviously Hermione as the moon was simply Luna. Their animagus were no secret to any either. She loved to transform into her raven form and fly for hours with her beloved swan. That those two really had not enjoyed flying at school was not lost to them and was something that always made their friends laugh. And that Harry, who once swore Draco was a snake animagus, was the one who became a serpent was also fire to their laughter. Nobody was really sure, though, how it was that the proud Malfoy became a fox. "Really?"

"I told you this would be our motto when we married… at that time I hadn't planned on being a Black, but, even if we have to wait another year, this will become our family crest. Really, Love."

Luna smiled and cuddled back to her wife. "I love it." She kissed her woman gently on the lips. "And I love you, Neenie."

"No more that I you."

"Neenie?"

"Mmm?"

"Make love to me?"

Hermione grinned and gently cradled her wife in her arms as she made her way to their bedroom, using the featherlight spell almost without thinking after all these years. She did not need to answer her wife's question, no. She would let her hands and lips do the talking, she would let them show her Little Moon how much she was loved. A love that had started to grow almost thirteen years ago and only grew stronger as each day had passed.

Because, no matter what troubles they ran into, what fights they had or how they clashed, both of them had chosen to be true to themselves, and, thanks to that, be true to each other.

Forever.