Chapter 20 - Dragon Sneeze

At first light George scurried down to the lab. He worked feverishly for hours then sat back and studied his results with a self satisfied smile.

He gathered his goggles, a fireproof apron and gloves and sprinted up to the roof. He cleared a space by the chimney and sat a small object on the potting bench. He produced his wand, whispered an incantation, tapped the item three times and took a step back.

Nothing happened.

He frowned and was leaning forward to check the device when suddenly there was an tremendous explosion accompanied by a massive plume of multicolored smoke.

Seconds later the door flew open and Luna burst into the garden.

"George! Are you okay?" She waved her hands in an effort to dissipate the bright cloud hanging in the air.

"I'm fine," George coughed. "I was experimenting with a new mixture. It would seem that combining fire seed with the shrivelfig and wartcap makes the timing mechanism a bit...unpredictable."

"Of course it would," Luna said, using her wand to help clear the smoke. "You'd need to add a bit of Wiggentree bark or a few drops of Flobberworm Mucus to act as a stabilizing agent if using those ingredients then make sure you stir it anti-clockwise at least seven times."

"Huh. I think you're right," he said, lifting his goggles. "I'll remember that for the next go."

He turned around as the last bit of smoke evaporated and it was then she caught her first clear glimpse of him. His hair was disheveled and slightly singed at the ends and his entire body, with the exception of the area that had been protected by his lab goggles, was now entirely coated in rainbow glitter.

She stood very still, staring at the sight in front of her. Slowly her lips began to twitch and her shoulders began to quiver. It was if she was fighting a bad case of the hiccups but what bubbled out instead was a giggle that soon burst into the most beautiful sound George Weasley had ever heard.

The unbridled laughter of Luna Lovegood.

It wasn't a soft, delicate laugh or a forced, polite laugh. It originated somewhere deep inside of her, the kind of hearty, spontaneous, unrestrained laughter that cannot be faked or even adequately described. The kind of laughter that must be experienced to be understood.

To George it was the most glorious sound in the world.

As overjoyed as he was at his success, however, his pride forced him to say, "Come on, now. It's not that funny!"

Her eyes swam with tears as she clutched her sides. "Oh, you couldn't be more wrong, George Weasley. This is incredibly funny!" She summoned a mirror so he could get a good look at himself and before long he was laughing every bit as hard as she was.

Soon they were both on the ground, rocking back and forth, laughing harder than either had in a very, very long time.

When they were finally able to catch their breaths and bring themselves under some semblance of control, George leaned against her and considered the shattered remains of his experiment.

"Looks like it's back to the drawing board for the Dragon Sneeze."

"Dragon Sneeze?"

"Yeah. It's a small firework concealed in what appears to be a dragon's egg. You set a timer and it 'hatches' by erupting in a shower of multi-colored glitter. Eventually hoping to have a smoke dragon fly around afterwards but haven't got that far yet."

"How clever! When did you think of that?"

"Last night. It was supposed to be a surprise for you."

"For me? Why?"

"No special reason. Just thought it might make you happy."

She covered her mouth as a tear came to her eye. He worried he'd said the wrong thing until she threw her arms around him and kissed both his cheeks.

"George Weasley, that may just be nicest thing anyone has ever done for me."

He hoped the glitter masked the flush he could feel rising up his neck and across his face. He quickly produced a mostly intact handkerchief from his back pocket and wiped a bit of glitter off her nose. She smiled as she stood and offered her hand.

"Come on. Let's get you cleaned up." She gestured towards his hair. "You've burnt the ends a bit here. I'll give you a trim, okay?"

It took a shower as well as a rather aggressive scourge charm, but soon George was clean enough for Luna to tend to his hair. She draped a towel around his shoulders and began tidying up the ends, taking care not to make it too short. He closed his eyes and basked in the feeling of her fingers running through his hair and along his neck.

He was more than a little disappointed when she stepped back and asked, "Well? What do you think?"

George peered in the mirror and gave an approving nod. "I think I've found a new barber. You're much better than the folks at Weeoanwhisker's."

He spun around in the chair. "So - now you've got me looking a bit more respectable, I feel like we should do something to celebrate the laugh. What do you say?"

"What do you have in mind?"

"Not sure. What strikes your fancy?"

Luna grinned playfully. "I have an idea but I'd need to apparate us there. Do you trust me?"

George winked. "Absolutely."

"Wait here." She dashed from the room, returning moments later with a small bag. She wrapped her arms around his waist. "Ready?"

"Ready."

Seconds later they were standing in a large, open field near the edge of a dense wood.

"Where are we?" George asked.

"The back of the Forbidden Forest. The side furthest from Hogwarts."

"Okay. Why here?"

"Care for a bit of flying?"

"Love to, except we didn't bring our brooms."

"Oh, we don't need brooms." She reached into her bag and produced a small, silver whistle. She held it to her lips and blew three short blasts yet George didn't hear any noise. She waited a moment then pointed off to their right.

"See? That's all we need."

A herd of thestrals was striding across the field in their direction. The largest of the bat like horses made straight for Luna, dipping it's skeletal black head and nuzzling her neck. Luna giggled and reached into her bag again, this time pulling out a bit of raw meat to feed the mare.

"I took this from your kitchen. Hope you don't mind," Luna said.

George stood with his mouth open, unable to produce any response other than a nod.

"Have you ridden a thestral before?" she asked.

George tugged at his shirt collar and swallowed hard. "No. Can't say that I have. Never even been this close to one - at least not that I knew of. Couldn't see them until after the war."

"Don't worry. Nothing to it. Here, I'll show you." She took his hand and placed it on the creature's muzzle which was softer than George would've imagined. "See? They're quite friendly. Just misunderstood, that's all."

She let him get accustomed to the animal then tutted softly, causing the thestral to bend its front legs in such a way as to almost kneel in front of her. She clambered up and motioned for George.

"Come on. You can ride as passenger til you get the hang of it."

With Luna's help, George managed to swing himself up and settle in behind her. She demonstrated how to properly hold the creature's mane and how to keep his balance on its slick back. She emphasized the need for him to hold tightly to both her and the thestral, especially during takeoff. Once she was sure he had the basics down, she leaned forward and whispered something into the animal's ear.

The creature gave its head a mighty shake and crouched down. George was glad of Luna's instruction because a split second later they rocketed off the ground at such an incredibly steep angle that even with the warning he had to clench his legs tightly to avoid sliding off.

George had never moved so fast in his life. At first he had to shut his eyes and turn his head against the wind and it wasn't until Luna slowed their flight a bit that he was able to hear anything as the sheer velocity caused a temporary deafness.

Once he got used to the sensations, however, he found the experience breath taking. Luna confidently maneuvered them over the trees, showing him how to get the creature to change speed, altitude and direction.

He found the nearness of her as exhilarating as the ride itself and felt her absence keenly when she landed so he could choose a thestral of his own. It took a while for him to master the technique but soon they were racing side by side through the skies at speeds he had only dreamed of, even daring a ride past the Hogwarts astronomy tower, startling several owls and a group of wayward fifth years in the process. George loved the fact that she seemed to enjoy the freedom of flying as much as he did.

They remained airborne until dark and the experience was all George talked about until he retired for the night and dreamt of soaring through the air with Luna in his arms.

xoxox

The next day he recruited her to assist him on a trip to Hogsmeade to gather supplies for the store.

They had a grand time. After purchasing the necessary rare herbs at Dogweed and Deathcap's, they visited Gladrags to peruse their massive sock inventory and speak with the manager about the possibility of placing a display of Sleepwalk Socks in their store as well.

Next they stopped at Zonko's Joke Shop, as George did each time he was in the area. He chatted with the elderly owner, who assured the young man that when he did eventually retire he would make certain George had first dibs on buying him out.

George and Luna had fun trying out the different products on offer including Sneakoscopes, Chinese Fortune Sticks and Screaming Yo-Yos and Luna couldn't stop laughing as George attempted to demonstrate the proper technique for both throwing and catching a particularly aggressive Fanged Flyer.

It was then on to Honeydukes, where George watched as Luna carefully considered the seemingly endless shelves of succulent sweets, surprising her with a mixed box of chocolate frogs and a bag of sugar quills when they left.

Back on the street he grabbed her hand and tugged her in the direction of the Three Broomsticks. "Come on. Let's get something to eat. My treat."

He found a secluded table in the back and ordered them each a butter beer. They chatted with Madame Rosmerta, who seemed delighted at how well Luna was recovering from her accident.

When the innkeeper left to get their drinks George said, "I didn't know you and Rosmerta were friends."

"She was always nice to me when I'd stop by during our school visits. We'd sit at the bar and talk about her pets and she made sure no one bothered me." Luna smiled at the memory. "She also visited Daddy quite often."

"She knew your Dad as well?"

"She started coming round when he was in hospital. Felt a kinship with him I suppose. Both got treated rather badly by some people after the war, you see. Daddy for trying to free me by turning Harry in and Rosmerta for what she'd done while under the Imperius. She brought food to the house from time to time. She and your Mum always made sure we had enough to eat, which was a big help."

George felt the now familiar urge to wrap Luna protectively in his arms and was about to indulge himself when a loud voice cried out, "George! Luna! There you are!"

They looked up to see Ginny waving at them while calling over her shoulder. "I found them! Over here!"

Suddenly the pair were surrounded by an eager group of friends. Harry, Hermione, Ron, Percy and Fleur joined Ginny in trying to shove in around them. It took everything George had to not slip off the bench onto the floor.

"Oi! Careful now!" George said, pushing his sister over a bit to give Luna some breathing space. "She's just recovered. Don't crush her again!"

"Oh, hush! Don't be a spoil sport. I've just got back and want to visit with my friend." Ginny hugged Luna warmly. "We've got a lot to catch up on. I hear you're an inventor now! Tell me all about these special socks you and my brother came up with."

As the pair dived into an animated conversation, Harry caught George's eye and shook his head. "They're off now, mate."

"I can see that," laughed George. "What are all of you doing together in Hogsmeade anyway?"

"Happy accident, really," answered Hermione. "While I was browsing at Tomes and Scrolls, Ron popped over to Sprintwitches to check out the new Quidditch line and ran into Gin and Harry. As we were leaving we spotted Fleur out dress shopping. We'd all decided to grab a bite to eat when we saw Percy leaving the Cauldron Shop and invited him to join us."

"But how did you know to look for us?" asked George.

"Zat was me," said Fleur. "I saw you leaving ze Joke Shop earlier but was unable to gain your attention and lost you in ze crowd. I zen ran into ze others who rightly assumed you would be 'ere."

The group chatted away and everyone commented on how happy Luna looked. Just as Rosmerta was bringing out the food a large barn owl fluttered in and landed on the table. It fluffed its feathers primly before depositing a scroll in front of Luna.

"Whose owl is that?" asked Percy.

"I don't know," said Luna. "Never seen it before. Lovely though." She gave the bird's beak an appreciative scratch before opening the message.

She sat quietly and seemed to read the note several times until Ron could take the suspense no longer. "Come on! Don't leave us wondering. Who's it from and what's it say?"

Hermione jabbed him in the ribs. "Ron! That's not polite." She blushed slightly. "Although I will admit to being more than a bit curious myself."

"Leave her be. She'll tell us when she's ready," said George craning his neck to try and catch a glimpse of the writing.

"It's a message from a Mister Rolf Scamander," Luna said finally.

"Scamander? Why does that name sound familiar?" asked Harry.

Hermione rolled her eyes. "Because his grandfather wrote one of our textbooks. Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them?"

"That's right! His grandson is some sort of explorer bloke!" exclaimed Ron. "Read about him in Mum's Spellbound magazine." Seeing the looks from the others he sat back and grumbled, "Oh. Like you lot never pick one up in the shops."

"I, for one, do not care about your reading 'abits, Ronald," said Fleur. "What I would like to know ees what does ze esteemed Monsieur Scamander want with our Luna?"

George was pondering that same question but tried to appear uninterested.

"It seems he heard about me from some of the keepers at the Dragon Preserve and then tracked down a few of my articles. He must have liked them because he's offering me a spot on his next expedition to Slovakia. Wants me to come to Dorset and discuss the particulars."

"May I see that please, Luna?" asked Percy. She handed it over and he read it carefully. "This is a very generous offer. Says they're leaving in the next couple of days though. What do you think?"

"I don't know," Luna admitted, retrieving the note from him. "It's all very sudden."

"It sounds like a wonderful opportunity to me," said Rosmerta as she passed around the food. "You and your father talked about that sort of thing and with the house gone, you don't have really have anything tying you down at the moment. Seems like the perfect time to try something new."

"I suppose." Luna chewed her lip thoughtfully then turned to George. "What do you think, George?"

George's brain suddenly seemed incapable of functioning and it took a moment to register that he'd been asked a question. He looked at all the expectant faces staring at him and stammered, "R-Rosmerta's right. Wonderful opportunity. Perfect timing. Nothing to keep you here."

He glanced at his watch and leapt to his feet. "Wow. Look at the time. Need to get back to the shop with this stuff and check on Verity." He fumbled in his pocket and dropped far too many galleons on the table. "This ought to cover the bill. See you all later."

Before anyone could stop him he was out the door, missing his friends' shocked expressions and the swirl of emotions on Luna's face.