"Luna!" Hermione emerged from behind her desk to walk over and hug the woman who had entered with no warning. "It has been a while."

"Yes, it has." Luna smiled at her gently. "And you recently were speaking of me with someone, weren't you?"

After a few seconds, the brunette witch managed to close her mouth. "How did you know that? No," she held up one hand, "don't answer. Tea?"

"That sounds lovely."

"Char calidus," she said as she waved her wand to fill two cups from her mother's china pattern. "How did the snorkack hunt go?"

Her friend sighed wistfully. "Once more they were clever and eluded me. Do you think they were tipped off that I was coming their way?"

"Anything is possible," Hermione assured her. "After all, they are magical beasts."

"Indeed."

"Now," she handed over the steaming drink, "what brings you to the Ministry today?"

"It's a bit convoluted," she said as she dreamily sipped.

Morgana! the other witch thought. I don't have time for this. "Then," she smiled with an effort, "why don't you start at the beginning? Wait, wait," she took a deep breath, "never mind."

"That's your way, Hermione," Luna spoke gently. "Although I noticed that you have taken the circuitous route in your love life."

"Stop right there."

"If I must. Now, where was I?"

"Your trip. Did you collect any rare ingredients during your hunt?" Despite Luna's predilection for vagueness, the former Ravenclaw owned a small potions shop noted for the excellent quality of its products.

"That's a trade secret, you know." Luna leaned over the front of the desk and whispered, "The groobietwinks singing outside my window this morning flew away in the shape of an 'H'."

"...Um?"

"I took that as a sign that I should visit you."

"Really?" Hermione asked, silently thinking that the letter could also mean Harry or Hagrid or any number of other 'H' names, not to mention nouns, verbs, and adjectives.

"Yes." Luna fingered her butterbeer cork necklace. "I had an interesting conversation with some merpeople before I left for Sweden."

Aloud, she inquired, "What did you speak about?"

"Oh!" She pointed to an old photograph of Hermione with Harry and Ron during their school days. "The blibbering humdingers are circling around Ron."

"Is that bad?" she asked, curiosity aroused despite herself.

"A most unlucky sign." She nodded solemnly. "They are known to laugh at people, often when they are extremely foolish. But there are none around you."

"Then that proves that I was right to dump the unfaithful bastard. Oh, pardon my language." For some reason, despite all that she had endured during the war, Luna still appeared to her as an innocent child.

"I'm not certain if that is correlation or causation."

Hermione blinked and tried to gently move the conversation back on topic, whatever that happened to be. "What about the merpeople, Luna?"

"Oh! While I was swimming with them in Loch Curuisk, they shared with me an interesting story from some traveling grindylows."

Shivering at the thought of even putting a toe in Northern water in winter, she searched for a sane response. "Can grindylows even talk?"

"Oh, yes," Luna smiled, "but it's more mind-to-mind, unlike the merpeople, who have their own language."

Luna doesn't have a train of thought, she mused, but a roller coaster. "Do you speak Mermish?"

"Not exactly speaking," she blinked, "but more like singing and screeching. And yes, I can...converse."

Finally! "Okay, okay, so what was the story?"

"That the pussy-furs were taken by the Budelli Banshee."

"What?" The roller coaster had just made an unexpected barrel roll.

"Do you not believe them?" Luna's eyes were mildly inquisitive.

"It's not a matter of not believing them, more like this seems a job for the aurors."

"That was my original thought, but I feared that they would not take me seriously. Except for Harry, but he is busy with some cerebi crepiti." Her eyes glazed over. "Two of them, as a matter of fact."

"Luna, focus!" Hermione pleaded.

"And that is why I waited for a sign," she explained. "You are so prudent and logical that it was easy to follow the path of the fleeing wrackspurts to you."

"Thanks, I think." Hermione frowned. "I don't believe I have ever heard of that particular type of Banshee or," she blushed, "a pussy-fur."

Her blonde friend beamed. "But you enjoy a mystery, don't you?"

"Yes," she replied grumpily, "but I prefer a few more details." She shook her head and what was left of her professional hairstyle disintegrated. "So the pussy-furs were kidnapped by a new super-villain?"

"They said 'taken' but I don't know about any ransom demand."

"Just as well, as I barely have enough funding as it is." Hermione sagged in her chair. "Are grindylows a reliable source?"

"Yes." Luna's eyes dropped. "At the end of fifth year, some told me to beware of trains, but I never thought they meant the Hogwarts Express."

Hermione knew well that she referred to her capture by Death Eaters en route to her sixth year of school. "Then, I'll keep the Bordello Banshee in mind," she assured her.

"Budelli," she corrected. "I believe the name is important. Oh!" she pointed above Hermione's head, "Cornish pixies."

"Yes," she sighed. "A smuggler captured them only to, in turn, be caught by Aurors. I have been trying to determine their origin so I can return them, but they are too skittish to allow me too close. They appear frightened and haven't caused too much ruckus so I let them stay here."

Luna's head tilted. "They are young ones, doubtless snatched away from their parents most cruelly. It is a kind thing you are doing, letting them bond with you."

"Bond with me?" She shot a harried glance over her shoulder. "Don't tell me that they imprinted?"

"Not quite to that extent, but they are fond of you." Luna nodded decisively.

"Great! That's all I need," she grumbled. "Now, was that all? I hate to rush you out but..." She indicated the stacks of parchment on her desk.

"Ah, departure is at hand," she rose, "and remember what the grindylows said."

"Budelli Banshee, yes, yes."

"This must be my week for visitors," Hermione commented as Draco sauntered into her office two days later. "Luna," she added when he raised an inquisitive eyebrow.

"So has she found her notional creature?" he idly inquired.

"Unfortunately, they remain elusive." She laughed. "Can you imagine the upheaval that would occur if she actually produced one?"

"Magical zoology books would all have to be rewritten." Draco's mouth quirked. "That half-giant would practically have an orgasm in delight."

"I didn't need that thought in my head, Malfoy," she protested. "Especially right before lunch."

"Ah, lunch." He turned from a framed parchment of appreciation. "I happened to have business in the area and wondered if you would care to join me at the Leaky. It's on me," he added.

"Don't see enough of me as it is?" she joked.

"Not at all," he replied politely.

"Well, I'm not too proud to turn down a free meal, especially one that Hannah has had a hand in. Lead on," she ordered as she summoned her winter cloak.

"Hermione Granger, as I live and breathe!"

She closed her eyes when she recognized the shrill tones of Lavender Brown. "Oh, crap," she muttered, "what did I do to deserve this?"

The table was engulfed by a miasma of perfume as her former roommate made herself welcome. "There I was, on a tour of New York fashion houses, when who do I see gracing the front page of Witch Weekly but my old friend." She batted eyelashes at Draco. "And with one of the sexiest men to set foot in the hallways of Hogwarts."

He raised his glass at the compliment but had no opportunity to reply as the young woman chattered on.

"Hermione," she gushed, "I thought you and Ronald were all set up to tie the knot. You know, hearts and flowers and violin music."

Pinning a stiff smile on her face, she replied, "So did I. However, Mr. Weasley had differing views on fidelity and honesty, so it was best we parted ways."

"I knew you wouldn't last." Her eyes showed a hint of vindictiveness.

"Well, Lavender, if we had a halfway reliable Divination teacher at school, she might have warned me and saved me wasting several years of my life."

"Do not speak so of Dear Professor Trelawney!" she gasped indignantly. "Just because you are not sensitive to your third eye is no reason to be dismissive of others' talents."

"I have great respect for those who truly have the gift," Hermione leaned towards her. "Such as Luna Lovegood."

"Don't make me laugh! Loony may be fey, but who can tell what she's talking about?"

"Cauldron, kettle." Hermione shot her a look. "Now that you've ascertained that Ron Weasley is romantically unfettered, please feel free to reignite your earlier relationship. I wish you luck, for you'll need it."

Lavender's chair clattered as she stood abruptly. "Well, I never!"

"Yes, you have," she snapped, "so don't lie. Now, go do your best. If you can snare him, maybe the press and his team's lawyers will let me alone."

"You are cold, Hermione Granger." She shook an index finger at her. "I will find my Won-Won and we will be a happy couple once more. So there!"

Draco stared after her flouncing figure. "What a bizarre encounter."

Hermione sighed. "Actually, that's pretty standard for Lavender. Thanks for your help, by the way."

He deftly waved his wand in an air freshening spell. "Oh, a Slytherin knows better than to get between two females spitting insults."

"Of course," she replied drily. "It's just as well she arrived at the end of the meal, or I wouldn't have been able to do it justice. Especially being put in the position of a floor show for the entire pub."

"Yes, I do believe it is time to bow out before the audience clamours for an encore." He rose and walked around to pull out her chair. "I may have stayed out of the fight," he whispered, "but my galleons were on you."

She shook her head. "There was no fight, just a reiteration that we have détente, not peace." She lifted her cloak off the back of her chair and was startled when the wrap fought back; it was anchored to the floor by the nearby chair relocated during Lavender's abrupt departure. Her balance faltered until Draco grasped her firmly under the armpits. "Malfoy!" She hissed in embarrassment, not only from her public clumsiness but because of where his hands were.

"Come on," he pulled her upright, "how long do we have to be roomies before we call each other by first names?"

"Sorry," she shrugged the cloak on with his assistance. "I'm not going to lie, I've thought of you as 'Malfoy' for years. But you're right; this is a new start, a new century. Thank you for lunch and good company, up until the interruption. Draco."

"You're welcome, Hermione." He enunciated her name slowly. "Much prettier than Granger."

"But more syllables," she groused.

"And famous in Greek legend." He led her to the street. "The daughter of Helen of Troy."

"Don't remind me. At least most people at Hogwarts weren't that conversant with mythology or else they would really have made fun of my looks."

"What's wrong with your appearance?"

She stared at him. "You remember what I looked like when I entered school."

He snorted. "Don't you recall me? The prince of hair gel?"

"Yeah. I guess we both had our awkward phases, but I'll never be a classic beauty. Like Helen of Troy," she pointed out.

"That sort of beauty is overrated, and we have no need for you to start another war." He gestured for her to use the apparation point first. "Until later, Hermione."

She shivered as she spun into the spell. His tongue had drawled the syllables as if he were licking chocolate off his lips.