Disclaimer- This is a work of fan fiction using characters from the Harry Potter world, which is trademarked by J. K. Rowling. I do not claim any ownership over any characters or the world of Harry Potter. The story I tell here is not part of J.K. Rowling's story canon (which is far better than anything I could write). I'm only borrowing some of her characters to practice fiction writing. The fanfiction story of Luna's Good Feeling and the Rise of Dark Lady Hermione is for entertainment only, I will make no money off of it, and is not part of the official story line.
Premise: Luna Lovegood has a rare magical talent that she puts to use to pair up certain characters, resulting in the eventual defeat of Voldemort and the rise of Dark Lady Hermione. The first chapter is an effort at romance/humor which starts a couple of days after the battle at the DoM. Luna Lovegood is the primary character in the first chapter. Starting the second chapter it becomes a bit more of an action/romance (with a bit of humor) and Luna becomes more of a background character.
Rating: PG13. No graphic sex. Some violence and bad language (British slang).
Pairings: H/Hr, RW/LB, GW/DM, LL/NL
Photo: Flora by Evelyn De Morgan (1894)
This effort is dedicated to my wonderful daughter who apparently likes romance. Proof that I failed her as a father somewhere along the way. I should have been reading Chinese kung fu novels to her as a child.
RDLH RDLH RDLH
Luna Lovegood was exhausted as she sat down for breakfast in the Great Hall despite spending nearly two days in bed. She had come out relatively unscathed from the battle at the Department of Mysteries but was still battered and bruised. If it weren't for her hunger, she'd still be sleeping.
As usual, no one took notice of her as she sat quietly at the Ravenclaw table. She took her customary spot at the end closest to the Gryffindor's. She hummed as she buttered her toast and poured some milk into a goblet, careful to keep her head down and eyes unfocused.
Many people thought Luna was a bit looney if they were being nice and seriously disturbed if they weren't. They were wrong.
A smaller number thought she was a seer, possessing the power to see into the future. They were also wrong.
A very few people, numbering more than two but less than five, knew that Luna really had two gifts. First, she was exceptionally perceptive. Her ability to read body language was akin to a true empath. This was a very useful talent, even if entirely non-magical.
Her father was convinced that they would win a fortune at the poker tables of Las Vegas. Luna had that vacation on her to-do list once she turned twenty-one.
Second, Luna could read a person's aura. This was a very inconvenient gift, even if it was magical, mostly as she could not turn it off.
Everyone had an aura and everyone's aura was a riot of color. It made looking directly at people very difficult. This was especially true in places like the Great Hall, where hundreds would congregate. If she focused her eyes too long, she'd get a massive headache which was not very nice.
To avoid this, Luna had adopted a dreamy, detached persona. This allowed her to keep her gaze unfocused, which muted the impact of the colors that surrounded her teachers and classmates.
Sometimes, on really bad days, she had to wear glasses specially charmed to filter out the auras around her. She thought her glasses were very pretty, though her dorm mates made fun of them.
She hoped her glasses would turn up soon. There were only a few days left until the end of the year and she worried that daddy might have to make another pair. They were quite expensive.
Luna was determined to be optimistic. The nargles could be cruel when they took her things, but they were always kind enough to return them eventually.
So wrapped up was she in her musings, she didn't notice Ron Weasley making his way over to her table. She was quite surprised when he sat down.
"Good morning, Ron," she said dreamily, keeping her gaze averted. "Did you sleep well?"
Ron grunted as he reached for the platter of bacon and eggs. Luna decided to try again.
"It's nice to see you up and about," she said airily. "I was worried those cannibal brains might have taken too large a bite. Did you know you're sitting at the Ravenclaw table?"
Someone snorted a few seats down from Luna. With a skill acquired from long practice, she ignored them.
Ron finally lifted his gaze. His eyes were haggard and haunted.
"I just wanted a bit of breakfast and some peace and quiet," he replied glumly. "Everyone has gone mental since the battle. Harry's not speaking to anyone and is kicking the walls. Ginny's scowling and hexing anyone who says two words. Neville is all weepy eyed and has turtled up with his herbology books. And," at this his voice broke as he almost sobbed, "Hermione is in the hospital wing. Dolohov really did a number on her."
Luna reached out and put her hand on Ron's. "It's not your fault," Luna said gently. "Our friends just need time to recover. They'll be there for you in a few days."
Ron sobbed as she continued to pat his hand. She noticed that the people around them were looking away. A small part of her, one she did not like very much, was glad to see their ashamed faces. Their behavior towards Harry and his friends had been atrocious this last year, just like the prior year and her first year.
It was difficult to keep a happy face sometimes, but she decided to try harder. She wouldn't let the wrackspurts nibble on her ears. She double checked to make sure her radish earrings were in place. They were. So far, so good.
She took a quick peek at Ron's aura. He was a friend. If she could help, she would. Even if it meant a bit of a headache.
Grey, green and orange light danced around his body, flickering in and out in constant motion. This wasn't good. Sometimes orange meant a sense of boldness, of adventure. Sometimes it meant fear and uncertainty. Grey could mean stress and anxiety. It could also mean security or stability.
What any particular color meant was highly variable. It took her years to detect the subtle differences. A color's shade, intensity, movement, constancy, and a half dozen other factors all played a role.
Being able to read body language also helped quite a lot.
Ron's green was ever present but there was only a faint hint of it today. Luna liked Ron, they'd grown up together, but his green was always the green of jealousy and envy. She really hoped some day he'd mature and his green would turn to one of fertility and hope like his parents.
Her ability to read people was sending a strong message. Ron's aura was currently attuned to the negative, not the positive. She wished she could do something to bring back the bold, brash, confident Ron, who was only sometimes jealous of his friends. She liked him better that way.
Strangely, his aura was bending in the direction of the Gryffindor table, as if reaching out for something. Taking a breath, she chanced a look at the Lions who were seated for breakfast. She was careful to keep her eyes focused on the fifth and fourth year segment of their table. Trying to take in too many people at once would hurt her eyes.
As always, she first sought out Harry. He was sitting alone, morosely pushing eggs from one end of his plate to the other. He was obviously in a foul mood.
Harry's aura was almost always some combination of red, blue and gold. Today it was almost entirely red, with only the occasional streak of gold or blue. His red was one of anger, not the red of love which had initially encouraged her to seek out his company.
Still, the gold and blue reassured her. Even if there was only a sliver or two here and there, it was still, as always with Harry, the gold and blue indicating a noble and loyal soul.
Harry Potter would never admit it, never believe it, and would get angry if anyone brought it up, but he really was a hero. His aura, whether full of rage or love, proved it as far as Luna was concerned.
She would usually have next sought out Neville. His aura was almost as intoxicating as Harry's, but was far gentler on her eyes. She thought she could gaze on it for hours without it hurting. Sometimes she thought Neville's aura was actually comforting, though she never took the risk of soaking it in.
This time her eyes were not attracted to Neville. Instead, and to her great surprise, Lavender Brown captured her attention.
She was weeping, surrounded by her girlfriends who ineffectually attempted to comfort her. They were all shooting Dean Thomas spiteful angry glares. He was studiously ignoring them as he chatted with Seamus Finnigan.
Luna's heart went out to Lavender, even though they did not travel in the same circles. The pretty Gryffindor was usually heavily infested with nargles, which sadly sometimes made her unpleasant company.
What was surprising, though, was that Lavender's aura was reacting to Ron's. Like his, it was flickering wildly as it reached out trying to connect with her redheaded friend's. Unlike his, her aura was colored the black of hurt, the blue of sorrow, and the white of confusion.
Luna detached her gaze and let her eyes go out of focus. It took her a few moments to process this information. When she did, she had a really good feeling.
"Ron," she asked quietly. "Do you trust me?"
Ron froze, his fork half way to his mouth. As usual, his mouth was hanging open filled with barely chewed food. Luna pretended not to notice, though she decided she was no longer hungry.
Ron swallowed hurriedly. "Err, yes?" He replied with some hesitation.
"Go over to the Gryffindor table. Invite Lavender for a walk around Black Lake."
Ron glanced at his House's table. His face paled as he took in Lavender's weeping and the gaggle of girls surrounding her.
"Blimey, Luna! Are you trying to get me murdered?"
"No, Ron. I just have a really good feeling about this." She made sure to keep her tone light and dreamy. People always seemed to take her feelings a bit more seriously if she appeared distracted, which she thought was silly.
Ron paused. He and Ginny had grown up with Luna. They knew about her good feelings. Good things happened when they trusted her good feelings.
He took a shuddering breath as he closed his eyes. He took several deep, calming breaths as he gathered his Gryffindor courage.
He'd rather be exchanging curses with Malfoy right now. Lavender and her friends were truly mental. Who knows what they'd do to a bloke. Malfoy would just kill you.
"What would we talk about?" he asked, desperate to buy some time.
"I think she likes beauty products. Shampoos. Face creams. Things like that." Luna's voice was placid and detached as she stared off into the distance.
Ron's face flushed. "I don't know anything about those things," he protested. He felt offended. He knew chess and quidditch. And pie. But anyone with any sense knew good pies from bad pies.
"Silly boy," Luna giggled. "You don't have to. Just bring it up and then let her do the talking. She'll go on for hours. All you'll have to do is nod or make a sound every now and then."
"Why would I want to?" His voice was ready to crack.
"She's very pretty," Luna responded matter of factly. "And I have a good feeling for you if you do this."
Ron took a peek at Lavender again. Maybe Luna was on to something. Lavender was very pretty. She'd definitely filled out her robes in all the right places. And Luna was never wrong about her good feelings.
He took one last breath and stood.
"I'll do it," he announced as if volunteering for a suicide mission. "If I don't make it back, tell my mum I love her."
Squaring his shoulders he marched toward Lavender. Luna thought he looked very military and brave.
The blonde Gryffindor's friends closed ranks around her as they saw a hated enemy, a boy, approach their hurt friend. He was too far away for her to hear what he said, but after a few minutes the defensive wall of teenage girls parted. Lavender stood and took Ron's offered arm as she wiped away some tears.
She did hear him ask a question about what shampoo she used. He thought her hair smelled nice.
Luna was pleased to see Lavender give a small smile as they exited the Great Hall. She was even more pleased to see their auras start to caress each other almost immediately. As the colors became tangled, they were quickly changing to a more positive attunement.
Yes, she had a very good feeling about Lavender and Ron.
Feeling good, she changed her mind about not being hungry anymore. She sipped her milk and nibbled on her toast. The blackberry jam was delicious.
She heard a collective gasp from the Gryffindor table and looked up. Hermione had entered the Great Hall. She was very pale and walked hesitantly, as if not trusting her legs.
Neville immediately jumped up and assisted her with taking a seat close to the Great Hall doors. Luna smiled fondly. Neville really was a sweet gentleman.
Harry looked up and then down again. He stabbed his already thoroughly mushed eggs as if they were his mortal enemies.
Luna frowned as Harry's angry red aura became confused. It alternated chaotically between an even darker red of rage and a brilliant red of love. And like Ron's to Lavender's, it was reaching out to Hermione.
It took her a bit to make sense of it. Then it struck her. Harry was angry with himself and in love with Hermione. It made perfect sense.
And she had another really good feeling.
She took another nibble of blackberry covered toast before moving to sit down next to her moody, dark haired friend. He ignored her so she reached across and stole his glass of milk.
She didn't mind. She was used to it, though not from Harry. But these were special circumstances and he could be forgiven.
Since Harry was momentarily ignoring her, she took a glance at Hermione. Hermione's aura was almost the same as always. Unlike Harry, her moods were fairly constant. She had the blue of loyalty (identical to Harry's, which Luna thought meant something important, though she wasn't sure what), a yellow of bright, energetic intellect, the pink of compassion, and a hint of light brown, indicating a dogmatic respect for authority, but that had been fading over the years.
Now there was also more than a bit of black indicating physical pain, but Luna was certain that would quickly fade. Hermione was too strong and too positive to stay down for long.
Hermione's aura was reacting to Harry's. Unlike Lavender's, it was not reaching out unrestrainedly. Instead, it would flare, as if trying to capture all of Harry's, and then quickly recede as if embarrassed by its behavior. Luna thought it quite adorable.
"She's in pain, you know," Luna said conversationally to her wild haired friend. He didn't respond, instead preferring to glare at his plate.
She looked at him out of the corner of her eye. He really was very handsome, she thought longingly. Even when he was being a foul, moody git. Unfortunately, she had long since resigned herself to the knowledge that he was not for her.
She was undeterred. "She blames herself. She thinks she was weak and you're disappointed in her."
This got Harry's attention. "What!?" He exclaimed. "I could never be disappointed in her. She's brilliant."
Luna shrugged. "Yes, she is. But I spent some time with her in the medical wing yesterday. She thinks she failed you by not learning better when you taught the DA. She also thinks she's ugly, even more so because of the scar."
Luna took another sip of Harry's milk and snatched a piece of bacon from his plate. Daddy was right. Stolen food really did taste better.
Harry snorted. "No one learns better than Hermione. And she's beautiful." He frowned. "What scar?"
Luna turned to face Harry, careful to keep her eyes out of focus. His aura was far too bright and tantalizing sitting this close to him.
"You didn't know? I thought she would have told you, considering the time you spent with her. Dolohov's curse cut her from her shoulder down to the opposite hip. It left a scar. She thinks it's ugly and now no one will ever want to see her naked." Luna's voice was detached and clinical.
Harry and Luna both snuck a quick look at Hermione. She was smiling wanly at Neville as he cut up some strawberries for her oatmeal.
Harry might be a hero, Luna thought fondly, but Neville was a prince.
"That's the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard," Harry growled. He sounded personally offended. "Hermione is brilliant and beautiful and kind and …," his voice tapered off as he ran out of words. "Any bloke would be lucky to have her," he finished quietly, looking down at his plate.
Luna placed her hand on his arm. "Can you do me a favor, Harry? For Hermione?" She was gazing at him intently, trying to avoid being hypnotized by his aura. I won't last long, she thought. I hope he trusts me.
He looked quizzically at her. "Yes. Of course, Luna. Anything."
She smiled at him. "Go over there and kiss Hermione. Don't say a word. No pecks on the cheek. Give her a real, honest to goodness kiss. She needs it."
Harry was shocked. "I can't do that. She's a friend! And we're in public. She'd hate that."
Luna shook her head as she took her eyes off Harry. She couldn't look at him any longer. "That's why you have to do it, Harry. She needs that kiss and needs it in public so she knows that at least one person in this school thinks she's beautiful and isn't afraid to show it. You are the only friend that has the courage to do it. If you won't do it, no one will. Hermione will think she's ugly, unwanted and unloved."
"Ron would do it," he disagreed.
"Ron is snogging Lavender senseless right about now," she replied dismissively.
Harry's eyes widened before dropping his head. "She'll hate me after." He sounded distressed as he repeated himself.
"She might, but she'll forgive you. Isn't it better that she hates you for a bit but thinks she's still kissable? Or would you rather she like you at the expense of thinking she's an unattractive hag?"
Harry swallowed. Luna was both happy and sad to see a hint of a tear forming in his eye.
"I'm the reason she's hurt. If I had listened to her, if I wasn't so stupid, she wouldn't be scarred."
"Yes," Luna agreed, ruthlessly crushing her inclination to shake some sense into him. "And you owe it to her to give her the chance to slap you in public. She's a friend and we talk. She needs this."
Luna didn't feel the slightest bit of guilt for misleading Harry about her conversations with Hermione, which mostly centered around Runes and Arithmancy. He'd thank her for the deception later, she was sure. She had a good feeling about this.
Harry was apparently made of sterner stuff than Ron. She could see him visibly make up his mind. Once that was done, he stood smoothly and walked around the table towards Hermione without another word.
Unlike Ron, who acted as if he was marching to his death, Harry moved with the easy grace of a dancer. Luna thought this hilarious considering his performance at last year's Yule Ball.
Harry sat next to Hermione and placed his hand on her shoulder. "Hermione," Harry said hesitantly.
Luna felt a moment of panic. Harry would definitely mess this up if he started talking. He was better at being the strong silent type; he needed to leave the thinking and speaking to Hermione.
The bushy haired witch turned and looked at Harry with a brilliant smile. "Harry," she replied in greeting to her best friend.
Her smile turned to shock when Harry reached across and pulled her towards him. Hands on her shoulders, he planted a desperate and fearful kiss directly on her lips.
Everyone in the Great Hall froze. Even Slytherin House noticed and held their collective breath.
In what seemed an eternity to Luna but which was in reality at most two heartbeats, Hermione's shock turned to something completely different. Her arms snaked around Harry's neck and she pulled him even closer, returning his kiss with a fear and desperation greater even than Harry's.
Luna smiled in smug satisfaction as Hermione's aura completely enveloped Harry's. This time it did not pull back.
Neville blinked owlishly at his two friends. Then he blushed and looked away in a futile effort to give them some privacy in this very public place. He was the only one to do so.
Everyone else in the Great Hall, with only a few exceptions, were clapping and cheering. Even the Slytherin Ice Queen, Daphne Greengrass, was smiling approvingly.
Two obvious exceptions were Draco Malfoy and Ginny Weasley. Draco was glaring at everyone applauding the two amourous Gryffindors while Ginny looked ready to burst into tears.
Luna felt badly for her friend. Growing up for years it had been a daily occurrence for them to play "Marry Harry Potter." Ginny was always the bride, Luna the priest, and whatever stuffed animal was close at hand served as the Harry Potter substitute.
Occasionally, they'd get Ron to serve as the villain who tried to interrupt the ceremony, but he was always defeated. Ron had always been happy to play the villain, if they paid for his time with candy.
Ginny's aura was flaring erratically, flashing a rainbow of colors, as it tried to launch itself across the room to disrupt her housemates. A jealous green and an angry red vied for dominance, streaked with a sad and distressed bluish black. Luna was happy to see that there was also a loyal blue and a pure intentioned white mixed throughout, though these positive colors were being overwhelmed by the negative.
Draco's aura was tight and compact, like a coiled snake. Draco always surprised Luna. His aura was always predominantly silver, arrogant and condescending, with trace amounts of an ambitious purple. Exactly like he acted in public. What was surprising was that there was always a hint that the silver could be one of grace and elegance, if given the right push.
Luna had an idea. One that she had a good feeling about.
She grabbed what was left of Harry's bacon and moved to sit down next to her redheaded friend.
"Can you believe this," she whispered conspiratorially.
Ginny blinked, tears streaming down her face. "No." She sounded heavily distressed. "Hermione promised me she'd help me with Harry. Instead she's sitting on his lap like some scarlet woman!"
Luna took a quick look at her two friends. Once her mission was accomplished, she had put them out of her mind. To her surprise and delight, she saw that Hermione had repositioned herself so that she was straddling Harry, their bodies pressed together. Both appeared to be oblivious to their surroundings. Neither looked as if they were coming up for air anytime soon.
Luna noticed that quite a few girls were now noticing that Harry was a very good kisser, if properly motivated. Cho was obviously shocked and Parvati had a longing wistful look in her eye.
Even Daphne was looking somewhat envious and she never had any interest in boys. Sitting next to her was Pansy, who was actually moving her lips as if she were Hermione, somehow kissing Harry from across the room. She was oblivious to Draco's glare.
"This calls for desperate measures," she mused, without bothering to define what she meant by her use of 'this'.
Ginny nodded decisively, wiping her tears away. She pulled out her wand. "You're right," she growled, raising her wand. "Someone needs to do something."
Luna was alarmed. She hurriedly grabbed her friend's arm and forced it down before she did something that would get her sent to Azkaban.
"No curses!" She hissed, momentarily dropping her dreamy persona. Once she was assured her hand was firmly attached to Ginny's wrist, she hurriedly restored her 'looney' mask. "I meant that you had to do something to get his attention." Luna did not feel the need to inform her friend what she meant by 'his'.
She was confident that her small deceptions were for the greater good. She'd bet money she had a better track record than Professor Dumbledore on the issue.
Ginny averted her face from the Boy Who Lived To Break Her Heart and buried her face in Luna's shoulder. She was weeping. "I don't know what to do! I want to die," she wailed.
Fortunately Harry and Hermione's marathon snogfest was providing enough of a distraction that no one was paying attention. Otherwise Luna was very sure Ginny would be dying of embarrassment, not of a broken heart.
"Not all is lost," Luna murmured comfortingly. "You need to do something dramatic, something Harry can't ignore."
Ginny pulled away. She was wiping away tears with her sleeve. "What can I do?" She moaned in despair. "You already stopped me from using the cutting curse on that slag, Granger!"
Luna was suddenly very glad she grabbed her friend's arm.
"Who does Harry most despise in this school? Who does he hate the most?" Luna asked calmly, keeping her eye on Ginny's wand.
"Snape?"
Luna sighed. "Among the students," she replied patiently.
"Malfoy," Ginny sneered. Her tone left no doubt she shared Harry's opinion of the blond ponce. The Weasley and Malfoy families had a centuries-long feud which showed no signs of abating.
Luna had a sudden premonition that this might be an opportunity to bring that feud to an end. She felt good just thinking about it.
"Exactly," Luna said approvingly. "You have to make Harry think that you're interested in Malfoy. That's guaranteed to get his attention."
The youngest Weasley looked scandalized. "I'm not dating Malfoy to get Harry jealous. Dean and Michael were bad enough!"
Luna noticed that Snape and his billowing cloak were making their way towards Harry and Hermione, with Professor MacGonagall following closely in his wake.
Luna thought this a good thing. If her friends kept doing what they were doing, Hermione would soon be needing a maternity gown.
"I didn't say date Malfoy," Luna calmly disputed. "I said make him think that."
Ginny looked intrigued. "How would I go about it?"
She smiled dreamily. She found this look particularly effective in making people think she saw the future.
"Challenge Malfoy to a duel in the trophy room. Right now, no delays. No seconds. Mock him if he declines. His arrogance will change his mind. Use his glaring at your two best friends, Harry and Hermione, as an excuse. Harry will see you leave with Malfoy. You can make him jealous. Later, Harry will find out what you did to Malfoy and why. This will make him love you."
Luna again didn't bother clarifying which him she was referring to. Sometimes explaining details got in the way of a perfectly good plan. She was pretty sure this was one of those times.
"That's brilliant," Ginny whispered in awe. "I get to hex Malfoy and I get Harry!" She threw her arms around her blonde friend. "Thank you, Luna!"
Luna patted Ginny on the arm. "Live your dreams," she said encouragingly.
Ginny was braver than even Harry. With no further encouragement, she stood and marched over to Malfoy. Like brother, like sister, Luna mused, watching her friend's martial stride.
It took a few minutes of wildly gesticulating arms, some loud words being said that Luna could not quite make out, and a great number of sneers, but finally Luna saw Draco and Ginny leave the Great Hall headed for the trophy room. No one followed them, though both would-be duellists had their wands in hand.
Luna sighed contentedly. She had a really good feeling about them. It would be a character building experience for Draco and Ginny could release some of her negative energy.
MacGonagall looked thunderous while Snape looked pleased, Luna noticed when she turned her attention back to the Gryffindor table. Neither Harry nor Hermione were in the Great Hall any longer. Neville looked lost and alone.
Her heart went out to him. She thought it would be nice to visit him.
She sat down next to Neville. "Hello, Neville," she said shyly.
Neville blushed. "Hello," he replied, looking everywhere but at her.
"Was Professor Snape especially mean?" She asked sympathetically.
"He docked Gryffindor a hundred points for an excessive public display of affection," Neville responded. "Each. We're out of the Cup for sure," he said sounding forlorn.
Luna was happy with Neville's use of 'we'. Her friend often forgot that she wasn't a Gryffindor. She liked that about him.
Luna allowed her eyes to regain a bit of focus. Neville's aura was still the loyal blue, the honest white, and the brave orange it always was. She was pleased to see it was gently brushing against her's, while the her's did the same to his.
This was far more lady-like behavior than either Hermione's or Lavender's. Madam Longbottom would approve.
"I don't think so," Luna disagreed optimistically. "You're forgetting tomorrow's year end feast. Dumbledore always gives Gryffindor the benefit of a massive number of late points. You'll make up the points and win the Cup."
Neville seemed to brighten at the thought. "You're right!" He was beaming at Luna. He didn't even notice she had taken hold of his hand.
"Of course, I am," she responded contently. "Take a walk with me, Neville. I hear the top of the astronomy tower is simply lovely in the morning."
She didn't mention that the astronomy tower was a popular destination for those couples who wanted to snog. She was sure Neville knew that, though she doubted she'd get more than a peck on the cheek from him today. He really was very shy. But that was alright. Baby steps, she thought to herself encouragingly.
Neville looked at her stunned but didn't resist as she pulled him to his feet. Luna half walked, half skipped, which Neville's long strides easily matched. Luna had a really good feeling about this as she gently squeezed Neville's hand. She thought it the best morning ever when he returned her gentle squeeze.