Chapter 43: Wherein there are presents.
Summary: It is high time we saw the world from Luna's perspective.
Luna watched with fascination, standing just to Hermione's right, all three of her standard but personally augmented dictoquills all scribing discreetly around her. Ostensibly, this was to record what Hermione received so people could be properly thanked later. It would also help Luna's interviews later on, however, and Hermione had accepted that.
The first dictoquill wrote what people said, but it would also annotate who said it, and from which position they were speaking. Was it Hermione, the queen who spoke? Or Hermione, the new bride? Was it Draco, the vintner or Draco, the grieving son? This was invaluable in understanding people's motives, though it didn't always make it into her articles. It did often keep her from misunderstanding others. Mostly she could see it herself, but every now and again the dictoquill would catch what she would miss, and that was always instructive, too.
The second dictoquill wrote what people meant, also annotated as the first. This one was charmed to write a great deal faster, just in order to keep up. People could think at light speed, and often much meaning was crammed into a simple, "Oh."
The second dictoquill was, of course, quite sensitive and Luna was very careful not to abuse the position she had of being insightful. She never, for instance, wrote down what people didn't say, for that would be unfair. If they weren't willing to say it, why should she have an opportunity to publish it? No, quite unfair.
The third dictoquill gave a running analysis of the person's metaphysical state, which naturally included how their emotions were interacting with their aura, not to mention any dreadful infestations or embeddiments, which was Luna's personal word for something embedded which served as an impediment, though there was the odd and rare case of people being surrounded by light alone, with light pouring out from them. And if there were figures in the light being helpful, they could be only imagined by her, not truly seen.
Usually rare. There was only one Hogwarts student like that, aside from Luna herself. And she had met only three other people in her travels this past summer like that, illuminated, and they had all been muggle. An older married couple, and elsewhere, an athletic instructor. It had been wonderful to talk with them, and they hadn't minded at all having a random conversation with a complete stranger on the nature of love. But they were rare, so rare.
Except for tonight.
Tonight everyone was illuminated.
It was fascinating, and Luna was so intensely curious to see how long it would last.
Tonight, too, everyone was saying what they meant, and that was also quite unusual.
The illumination had started with Hermione, when Elizabeth put the crown on her head. It was so beautiful, so radiant, but then it always was. Luna had been a little bit surprised, as she had privately wondered which way Hermione would go, given great power. But quite clearly Hermione had made the best choice, and Luna hoped that would continue.
But then Gelwyn began to sing, and the light started to grow in almost everyone, all at once. In general, when the merfolk sang, people had fewer embeddiments, Luna had noticed, but this was something on a different scale entirely. Luna almost didn't hear what Gelwyn was saying because she was so fascinated by the changes in the thousands of folk all around her. Even the grindylows in the lake and the redcaps in the forest were being affected and were feeling uncharacteristically less murderous. When the ley lines finally shifted, it was like a dam bursting open and flooding an entire valley, but in a good way. It was instructive light, rather than destructive water.
Luna laughed and cried along with everyone around her because it was just so beautiful!
So this is concordia on a mass scale. I wonder how far beyond this event it has extended. I wonder how far it will extend.
An hour later, it was still going strong. Luna stood just behind and to the side of Hermione as she sat next to Viktor on a stone bench in the courtyard of the newly christened Concordia. Neville was on the other side, working with a team of ten house elves running errands and accepting gifts as the dignitaries and honored guests were presented one by one to Hermione and Viktor, the master of ceremonies introducing each one, aided by Narcissa and Augusta.
There were one hundred and fifty groups of people in line, and the line was not moving very quickly. And yet, no one seemed to care. There was chatter and laughter and conversation in line and the Pendragon elves were carrying trays of food and drink to those in line, and removing it from the hands of the people who were nearly at the head of the line. Though it was, in many respects, extremely formal, there was also no false dignity, just kindness and mutual affection.
It was just the sort of party Luna enjoyed.
The Chinese delegation was presented first and they certainly set the tone for approaching Hermione and Viktor, though no one else did a full prostration on the ground, three times. It was really quite something. They gave her a proclamation and a comb of jade and gold that was meant to go in a topknot she did not currently have, but it was clear that though Hermione, the queen, received the gifts with pleasure, she had no idea what they meant when they presented her with the Mandate of Heaven. Luna just smiled to herself. She'd figure it out soon enough.
The Australian delegation was next in line, and they presented her with four juvenile koalas and a small eucalyptus grove which was probably going to end up living here in the courtyard. They bowed quite graciously and exclaimed about how wonderful it was to be here, and to meet her, but there were no triple full prostrations, and no ancient Chinese ancestral crown, alas. Still, it was wonderful to see Hermione, the teenager, cuddle a not-yet-full grown koala and she was glad that her photographer was as dedicated as she was. That might be one to be framed.
The Cambodian delegation was next, and they presented her with a set of inlaid prayer rattles, which shimmered in the low light. Luna wondered if other people could see the silvery shimmer, or if it was just her.
Then the Mexican delegation, who presented Hermione and Viktor with a juvenile pair of quetzalcoatls, and Luna peered at them intensely. They were said to cause the world to spin, and keep spinning. Another competing theory said they were behind tornadoes, hurricanes, and cyclones, and of course they looked like a hybrid between a big cat and a feathered serpent. Luna wondered if they spoke Parseltongue. How utterly fascinating.
Then the Americans were next, and not to be outdone they had brought a pair of wampus kittens. At about eighteen inches long, they looked a little like lion cubs, but with six legs each. Luna watched as Hermione, the cat-lover's heart melted at the sight of the kittens, and she immediately named the black one Midnight and the golden one Morning. Luna heard the special instructions Viktor quietly gave Neville as he took the kittens one at a time from Hermione, and they made her smile. She knew Viktor was partial to dogs - one look at Hermione's patronus could make that clear - but everyone knew Hermione was a cat person. It was an interesting move, politically, however. It was the President of MACUSA who presented the cats, and said President had been notoriously against funding their sanctuaries. Luna privately wondered if this was her attempt to get a breeding pair out of the country. As sincere and happy as the delegation was now, they would be one to watch.
The Icelandic delegation brought Hermione eighteen crates of fish eggs in stasis, for the restocking of her lake.
The Peruvian delegation brought Hermione - of course - a clutch of dragon eggs. Arguably the most dangerous dragon in the world, the Vipertooth. Beautiful hide, though. Fulgin. Hermione, the polite daughter, was wonderfully gracious, and she mostly even meant her words of gratitude. Luna heard Neville's instructions to the next house elf in line to get the cauldron of eggs into a hot fireplace somewhere and find Charlie Weasley and tell him where they were.
The Tibetan delegation brought a clutch of Chinese Fireball eggs, likewise the Norwegians a clutch of Ridgebacks, and the Romanians, who really should have known better, a clutch of the rare Welsh Drake, which given its tiny size might be the only one who didn't get shipped off to a dragon sanctuary. Maybe.
Luna wondered if Hermione knew the rules of the sanctuaries. If you paid for the upkeep of the dragon which fell accidentally into your care, when it died they would cure the hide and send it back, with a portion of the bones and the blood if any remained, which were very, very pricey potions ingredients. She had had a long conversation with Hagrid ages ago, and apparently the school had agreed to pay on Hagrid's behalf and when Norberta died, the bones and blood would go to the potions department, and Hagrid would get half of the skin, a single tooth, and a single claw, the other half skin becoming boots and gloves for various department heads.
Luna was interested to note that the Swedish delegation did not bring a clutch of Short Snouts. They brought her a glowing crystal the size of Luna's forearm, set in gold, which shone as bright as the day, and which would, apparently, as long as the days were short. Tiny versions were common among Swedish wizardry to keep the depression of darkness at bay, and when she was ten, her father had gotten her one set as a pendant. She still had it, though she had to cover it at night in order to sleep.
The South Africans brought a small casket full of diamonds and the delegation from Zanzibar brought baby elephants.
Clearly part of the forest would need to have some significant environmental charms put on it. Or very possibly Hermione would need to start a zoo here or elsewhere.
The Bulgarian delegation pointed out that Hermione had already received the greatest gift they could give her, a comment which brought laughs from all around, despite the rampant objectification of Viktor it entailed, but they presented her with another, all the same. A case of attar of roses, which they were known for.
The Russian delegation gave a cerberus pup which promptly fell asleep in Viktor's lap and stayed there for another ninety minutes. The Indian delegation brought Hermione three trunks full of silk fabrics, and the Mongolian delegation brought a small herd of horses as a gift. The New Zealanders brought five herds of deer to repopulate the woods and three flocks of merino sheep, of which only one of each was brought in and the sheep, in Luna's opinion, looked remarkably clean. The Italian delegation brought an olive grove with them and were full of compliments concerning the Concordia in particular, and Hermione, the gracious hostess, gave them special permission to explore the entire structure that evening.
And so it went on and on. Monkeys from Japan and coffee plants from Java, a small vineyard of pinot (grigio and noir) vines from France, a trunk of chocolate from Belgium, a stunning set of mantel clocks from Switzerland, fourteen racing brooms from Germany which was known for them. And then there were prize beef cows from Argentina, the tropical birds from the Bahamas, a set of whistles from Brazil that enhanced the mood, and a set of pipes from Uruguay that induced catharsis. The Irish gave a kelpie and whether or not they did that with their tongues firmly in their cheeks was anyone's guess. Not even Luna could tell with the Irish, but then, everyone had a blind spot.
As everyone took exactly two minutes to present, they were done in a little less than five hours. At two different intervals, a house elf had fed Hermione and Viktor a single bite at a time in between presentations. This gave Hermione and Viktor exactly thirty minutes to mingle as they wished to before they were due to retire with a firm deadline at 10:30 in the evening, to allow time for winding down before they possibly had to wind themselves back up again and consummate the marriage before midnight. The party, of course, might wind down around dawn, Luna thought, but her night was just beginning.
Breakfast was served starting at six in the morning, laid out in a buffet along a side table in the Great Hall of The Curtain. Still, Luna knew that Hermione would be down at eight in the morning, and so she waited until then to drift down, dictoquills in tow. The front door was open allowing the dim strains of the Fiddly-on-Stoke Philharmonic Orchestra to filter in from the stage half a mile away. They were playing Bolero, if she wasn't mistaken, which meant things were about to get very interesting. Really, Ravel's Bolero was an apt metaphor for life, in many ways.
Luna made up a bowl of muesli and yogurt and began with that, though likely she would go back and see what tempted her after the initial hunger was gone. It had been a very long night.
Viktor and Hermione came down not long after, two six-legged cubs and a three-headed puppy in tow, all with collars on though no leashes at present, and they were remarkably chipper for a couple who had a very long day and likely a much longer night afterwards. Still, Luna refused to look too deeply. They deserved their privacy. At least for today.
There were a pile of presents sitting at one end of the table, and some stacked on the floor and that end was obviously Hermione's. Today's would be people Hermione knew personally and somewhat closely. Tomorrow's would be from any people Hermione knew only vaguely, or not at all. Luna was ready with her dictoquills, and as soon as Hermione had a plate of breakfast loveliness in front of her, five elves and a tea service arrived. Luna watched as Hermione took a long drink of tea and ate some toast before she took up the first envelope on the pile.
"Hmm. This one is from Queen Elizabeth the second," she said, then she gasped. "She's dedicated a box for the Pendragons at all Royal Shakespeare Company productions, anywhere they perform, in perpetuity. Eeeek! I only have to show the signet ring. The box will easily fit ten people. Ohmigodthisisawesome."
That, Luna noted, was Hermione, the Shakespeare nerd. How fascinating.
"Okay, also she says that the rest of her gift is on the occasion of our wedding, a sample included in the box, and that there is a crate with ninety-nine more, likely with the elves by now. Okay, oh my goodness. Right. Thank you Luna. Out loud, got it. Um, it seems to be a place setting of silverware, and the handles all have a dragon rampant on them. Hm. More forks than I know how to use, honestly," said Hermione, Elizabeth's mentee.
"This one is from Charles, Prince of Wales. Oh, he's such a kind man. Right, anyway, he says the two boxes also represent larger crates they will have brought with them, so let me see here. Oh, goodness, what is…? Oh. My. Um, it seems to be an entire dinner service of china plate with my crest on. The new one, black field, crossed white roses, pot in hand, dragon rampant. And in this box… Oh, wow. Crystal goblets. Let's see, water, white wine, red wine, champagne, and brandy, I think. And one I can't identify."
Hermione, the Hogwarts student, looked over at Luna, shell shock written all over her face. Perhaps some part of all this was beginning to sink in? Possibly not the best part, as Hermione's glow began to momentarily dim, but then she ate a bit more and it brightened. She ate a bit more even still, drank some tea, and greeted Kingsley as he came in.
"This one is from the Potters. Its for me and Viktor. Oh, dear god in heaven. I think, yup. Viktor, this is a black dragon leather coat I'm sure you'll look amazing in. Eeek! I have a Fireball coat. I like this so much it's ridiculous. Am I getting shallow, Luna?" Hermione, the lover of pretty things, asked.
"No, dear," Luna confirmed easily. Hermione was still radiant, inside and out.
"You are my fireball," said Viktor, the lover, candidly and quite poetically, Luna thought. "I have known this for some time."
Hermione grinned at him and ate some of her breakfast after handing off the gifts to the next elf in line to be put away.
"Okay, next from Charlie and Percy Weasley, oh my goodness, I think it's dragon's blood. Yup. It's a vial of dragon's blood. Wow. Thank you," said Hermione, the potioneer.
"Next from ...Draco and Luna? Are we going in on presents with Draco, now?" Hermione, the nosey friend, asked in an amusingly rhetorical manner, because she obviously was. Luna just smiled. Draco walked in just then, wished his hostess a lovely morning and gave Luna the rather special smile she had come to know in the very early hours of the morning after partying all night, interviewing everyone she could and being on the receiving end of three non-penetrative orgasms.
It was quite a smile.
"It's an index of wines. Not sure…"
"It's a wine cellar. We decided you needed one," Luna clarified.
Hermione was momentarily speechless. "Thank you," Hermione, the sister, finally replied.
"I'm sure in time your own pinot will be excellent," Draco, the vintner, added, "but it may be a few years before you get the environmental charms just right. It'll have to be elf wine, here, because of the weather, but I would be happy to consult with your elves if you don't have any viticulture experts among the group. Luna said you hadn't, but Merlin only knows what you've gotten as gifts by now."
"Merlin, and Luna," Viktor, the smartarse, pointed out gamely, cutting his steak and taking a bit with some egg.
"Thank you, Luna. Thank you, Draco. That is incredibly thoughtful. I will check and get back to you," Hermione, the sister, said. She handed the list to the next elf with instructions, and then ate some more of her breakfast and had more tea.
"Next from Ron, chocolates, I'm sure they'll be delicious," said Hermione, the betrayed best friend. "And from Molly and Arthur, oh my goodness, I think she made me one of those clocks, have you seen the clock she has at home, Luna?" asked Hermione, the enthusiastic academic. "That clock is a work of charmed art. Viktor, it tracks all of your loved ones and tells you roughly where they are. For the last year or so everyone just stayed in mortal peril. Oh, and there are instructions on how to bind each spoon to different people. Fascinating, fascinating. Tibby, put this in the workroom on the third floor, won't you?"
Another pause for more breakfast, and a hello to Negash, his little sister Elsbet, and his parents, Dr. and Mrs. Berhe.
"Oh, this one's from Mum and Dad," said Hermione, the repentant daughter. "It's a charm bracelet. It's a muggle thing. They mentioned they might do this, as it might be more convenient sometimes to wear the locket around my wrist. It's, oh, my, it's heavy. Oh dear, I think they sprung for platinum. I might have to charm this weightless. Good grief. It already has three charms, well muggle charms, pendants, you know, on it, one is a sword, one is a crown with some diamonds in it, the other is a claddagh. Oh, it's lovely."
Another few bites, another pause, another greeting, this one to Ron and his plus one, Hannah Abbot.
"This one is from Hagrid. Oh, dear. I'm rather afraid to open it," said Hermione, the cautious student. "Oh, dear the box has holes in. Please not a baby hippogriff, please not a baby hippogriff, please not a baby hippogriff. The card only says it took him ages to find it. It's an egg. It's a large egg. It's a large unidentified egg. Oh, God. Tippy, do you know Hagrid, the keeper of keys at Hogwarts? Right. I need you to go, find him, with the rest of the Hogwarts contingent and get him to tell you exactly what kind of egg he gave me and then report back immediately."
A deep breath. An entire other croissant. Two more eggs.
"Mmm, Viktor this is from your parents," Hermione, the dutiful daughter-in-law, said. "Oh my. Well. The apple doesn't fall far from the tree. It's beautiful. Oh, right, yes. Um, sapphires. Earrings, a ring, a tennis bracelet. Why do they call them that, do you know? I'm so curious. Tims, these go on my dressing table."
"One was lost during a tennis match, once," Luna replied. "Can't imagine why she was wearing it at the time, though. Rather silly. Rough game, tennis, at least at the professional level."
"Huh," Hermione, the pragmatist replied, getting up for another two croissants and some eggs.
"Okay, this one is from Narcissa," said Hermione, the daughter. "Oh, what a beautiful stole. I think it might be pashmina. Ooh, a dress, oh how lovely. I wonder. Yup! Color at will," Hermione said, putting the now blue stole and dress back in the box and handing it to the next elf with instructions.
A nibble, then she continued. "Hmm, this is from the Longbottoms. Oh, my goodness, I think it's a shrunken down orchard. Let's see, the card says peaches, apricots, nectarines, and dirigible pears. Gibby, later on talk to the head of farming, and Viktor and Neville about the possibility of planting these in the forest where both we and the centaurs can access them," said Hermione, the estate-avoidant.
More breakfast, more tea. Tippy returned, hands wringing.
"Hagrid says it is a surprise for Mistress Pendragon. A good fun surprise."
"Oh, God, that means it's so dangerous it could kill us all," said Hermione, the friend of Hagrid. "No, no, I'm not upset at you, Tippy. Minerva? Tippy, would you take Minerva to go see Hagrid once she's finished with her breakfast? Thank you, dear."
More tea. Much more tea.
"This one is from Granmere, heavens it's heavy." Hermione, the beloved granddaughter, laughed. "It's a round of cheese. Oof. Down to the kitchens with this, but put a bit on a plate up here for the buffet, and bring me back a small wedge, would you?"
More breakfast. More hellos, these to Andromeda, Ted, and little Teddy as they came down.
"This one is from Bill & Fleur, ooh, it's a little statue of Bast, oh my goodness it was from Tut-enkh-amen's tomb. Fiffs, yes thank you for the cheese, put this very, very carefully on my desk on the third floor." Hermione took a deep breath and a draught of tea.
"This one is from George and to be entirely honest, I'm a bit afraid to open it," said Hermione, the staid.
"Don't be," Luna encouraged her. "His pranks haven't been over the top since Fred died."
Hermione nodded somberly as more people trickled into breakfast. She hello'd Narcissa, Ms. Pembroke, and some of Viktor's friends as well as her cousin from Harry's side, Dudley.
She opened the box and smiled, but it was a bit of a sad smile, Luna thought. "It's a case of single use packets of Peruvian Darkness Powder, and the card says it's so we can escape any meeting or clutch of reporters that Viktor and I need to," said Hermione, the friend of Fred.
A bite, some tea, and a pause to greet the Potters and thank them for the beautiful coats. Harry gave her a hug from behind and a kiss on the top of her head while Ginny fussed over Midnight in an adorable way, and brought him another piece of steak.
"This one is from the Tonks'," said Hermione, the Black Scion. "Let's see. Oh, how lovely. Thank you so much. It's a beautiful watercolor of Gelwyn, Firenze, and Mory. Tibby, why don't you hang that over the mantle of the center fireplace, won't you? Here, Midnight. You finished your steak like a good boy. Now have a ribbon to play with. This is excellent cheese, Viktor. Would you like a bite?"
More breakfast, more tea.
"Hm, this one is from Cousin Dudley and Aunt Petunia," said Hermione, defender of Harry Potter. "Oh, my, how lovely. Yes it's a set of Waterford crystal. A large low bowl - Viktor, what do you think about this for a centerpiece on this table here, or on a side table, perhaps filled with concordias? And two three-branch crystal candelabras. How beautiful. Thank you Dudley, that was very kind. Please give my regards to your mother." She gave some directions about filling the bowl with water and setting it on one of the side tables and getting some of the beeswax candles for the candelabra to go near it, and her cousin Gregor offered to arrange some flowers in it later.
A bite, some tea.
"Oh, Viktor, your friends went in on a case of aged whiskey. Very nice. And now we have a wine cellar to put it in. How convenient. Thank you so much. Mmm, this one is from Cousin Gregor. Oh, my. Lovely. The card says they're the Bulgarian Ever-Blooming Concordia Rose, and the Bulgarian Ever-Climbing Concordia Rose and that he received official permission to have it leave the country. It's white. Thank you, Gregor. I can't wait to see what Viktor will do with them."
A bite, some tea, and a pause to greet the Windsors and thank them profusely for the Pendragon box, and not forgetting making her table an elegant one.
"This one is from Father Michael." Hermione, the muggle-born, burst out laughing. "Oh, excellent. Let me see. Yes. It's a home video set up. TV. VCR. Speakers. Ooh, a DVD player. Fancy. Thank you Father Michael."
More breakfast, more tea, a hello to the most recent arrivals.
"This one is from Minerva. Let's see, the card says that the real gift she's offering is to keep the Pendragon Suite at my disposal whenever I should need it for either ease of travel to and from Hogwarts, or should I wish to consult the Hogwarts Library, or for a minor retreat. She says the ridiculous gift, which will surely be one of many, is the following gadget. It was one of Albus' collection. She is assured it will be helpful in advanced arithmancy calculations, and beyond that she has no idea what it is or what it does. Enjoy. Heh. Thank you very much, Minerva," said Hermione, the Gryffindor.
Minerva acknowledged her with a wordless nod and continued her breakfast before she went off to intimidate Hagrid.
A bite, some tea, and a pause to greet her in-laws and thank them for the beautiful jewelry.
"This one is from Kingsley, it's oh, goodness. Thank you, Kings. He says it's the last intact time turner the Ministry is aware of, and he would just as well I be the keeper of both. Gracious. Tilly, put this in on my desk on the third floor, very carefully."
A bite, some tea, a pause to kiss her parents, thank them for the bracelet, and recommend the croissants.
"This one is from everyone at Gryffindor House. Hah! They gave me the Most Likely To Succeed Award. Not sure if that's a stretch or not. This one is from Hufflepuff and it's got air holes in it. Oh, goodness, they're kneazle kittens. My goodness, we'll be covered in cats. Midnight! Morning! Come meet your little brothers and sisters. Ginny, would you like to share in our bounty? Have a kneazle kitten. Which one? Excellent. Negash, do you need a kitten? Take one for Tommy, too. Okay, no, wait, don't go anywhere you little things, I haven't named you yet. Viktor, what do you think? Oh! Says the man who is going to raise a three-headed dog. Well, all the same. Alright, you're Trouble, and you're Dangerous, and I bet if you're good, Viktor will share some of his steak with you. Now, this one's from Ravenclaw. The card says they are gifts from the tower library, my goodness. Three books. One entitled, The Secret History of Hogwarts, one entitled Maria Pendragon the Squib, and one entitled The Unbearable Secret of Being, oh my, they're all authored by Rowena Ravenclaw. This one's from Slytherin and I hope it's not snakes. It's snakes. Harry, please do something. I think this is the last one for today. Oh, it's from Tommy and Negash, and their families. How very sweet you are. Heh. They bought me two pots of rainbow colored ink, one from each family, because they know I love everyone, regardless of who they are. I love it. I think I will write all my thank you notes in it. Tibbs, to my desk on the third floor. Thank you, friends.
"Well. That must be Riot Noise," said Hermione, the classical music snob, noticing the change from Ravel and Rachmaninoff off in the distance.
Luna cancelled her dictaquills as the now full table sat laughing and chatting happily with Hermione on one end, Elizabeth on the other, and such a variety of thirty-odd different people in between, each one still a beacon of light, sixteen hours later.