Returning to Hogwarts was full of mixed emotions for Luna. When she'd accepted Neville's invitation to dinner, she'd been excited to see the school again. But now that she was walking the halls again, the last year melted away, and all she could see were the battle scars. She had never been happier to reach the greenhouses than she was that day.
"Luna!" Neville greeted her, voice higher than normal. He was covered in dirt, but his smile was bigger than she'd ever seen it at school before. She couldn't help planting a kiss on his cheek. They'd only really started dating at the end of their last term, and were rarely apart over the following summer months. Now that the school year had started, however, Luna was the first to make the trek between London and Scotland.
"Are you ready to go?" she asked tentatively, knowing the answer.
"Ah," his smile drooped, "Not quite. I've got a bit more work to do for Professor Sprout, do you mind waiting a bit?"
"Oh, of course I don't mind." She nibbled her lip. "Maybe I'll go visit Hagrid, say hello."
Neville sighed with relief. "Thanks Luna. I'll meet you there soon, I shouldn't be more than an hour." He ducked down to give her a swift peck before rushing back to his work. Luna sighed, and began the journey to the groundskeeper's hut.
Upon reaching her destination, she was surprised to see that Hagrid already had a visitor.
"Rolf?" She recognized his outline in the dimming sunlight.
His brow furrowed. "Lovegood? What on earth are you doing here?"
"I'm visiting my…friend, but he's busy, so I thought I'd say hello to Hagrid while I wait. What about you?" She surprised even herself when she stumbled over calling Neville her boyfriend. It wasn't that the term was unfamiliar - in fact, in the last three months it could be argued that she rarely said anything else besides 'boyfriend.' But there was something about the intensity of Rolf's stare that made the word curdle in the pit of her stomach, far before it reached her lips.
"Running an errand for my father," he sighed, refocusing his glare on Hagrid's circular hut. "But it looks like he's not here, so I'll just come back later. I'll see you on Monday."
In spite of her better instincts, Luna followed him as he made his way back to the castle. "Wait! I'm sure he's close by. Why don't we look for him together?"
He mulled it over for a moment, and Luna almost wanted him to say no. Hadn't she learned by now that he didn't want her around, didn't know her worth? She could almost hear her friends reprimanding her for even giving him the time of day.
Finally, he shrugged. "Yeah, why not?"
She hid her cautious smile by pretending to examine the edge of the forest.
"He's probably in the Dark Forest somewhere. I know there's a few creatures in there that he's taking care of at the moment." Rolf's awkward nod gave her permission to take the lead, and they were off.
The two of them walked in silence for a few minutes, until Luna's curiosity got the better of her.
"What's you errand?"
"Hmm?" His head snapped to her, shaking him out of his thoughts. "Oh, I just need to drop off a couple of books he asked to borrow from dad's library."
Luna smile crept up on her, almost unnoticed. "You came all this way to deliver a couple books? I would have thought you had more exciting things to do on your week off."
"Yeah, normally I would, but I'm…" He took a moment to take in their surroundings. "I'm trying something new this week. Besides, you're not the only one who enjoys visiting with Hagrid."
"Well, whatever you're trying, I think it's working. You're much nicer today than you usually are." They were now walking side by side, and his hand brushed hers accidentally. Their eyes met only momentarily, but it was enough to confirm - he'd felt it too.
"I just can't believe that Rolf Scamander just admitted we have something in common." Luna didn't deliver the teasing with as much gusto as Ginny would have, and it wasn't as smartly worded as it would have been if it had come from Hermione, but she thought her friends would have been proud all the same. Luna Lovegood had made a joke, and one that made the handsome, gloomy man beside her chuckle, even! Would wonders never cease?
"I suppose I have been a bit tough on you, haven't I?," his face screwed up as a blush crept into his cheeks. "I…I'm sorry, I just…I never wanted an assistant. That first day, when you asked me what your job was, I had no idea. I've been making it up as I go, to be honest with you."
"You know, I had a feeling that owling you wake up calls every day wasn't exactly part of my job description," she giggled. Their eyes met, and the thought occurred to her that she'd never seen him smile genuinely before. And it wasn't a half-bad smile, after all. And if she thought the smile was good…
Rolf laughed, a real, deep belly laugh. It was rain on a tin roof, when you're cozy inside by the fire. Her pulse suddenly sped up, faster than was strictly necessary for a walk in the forest.
She cleared her throat. Don't get distracted, she chastised herself. Don't waste the chance to get a straight answer out of him. "Rolf, when you said you hate magical creatures, did you really mean it?"
He was quiet for a moment, and she almost regretted asking the question that had been tugging him back into her thoughts for the past couple of days. But in her experience, it was the questions you didn't ask that you regretted the most.
"I don't hate animals, not really. I just…I don't love them like I used to, I guess. I never had an overwhelming passion for them to begin with, but my parents…" he got lost for a moment. "I'm a Scamander. What else could I do?" He smiled, but it didn't reach his eyes.
"I'm sorry, Rolf." She reached for his hand, but before they met, there was a large crunch to their left.
"Rolf! Luna! What're you two doin' here?" Hagrid loomed large in the dying sunlight. Fang ran from his side to jump on Luna.
"Hello my darling puppy!" she greeted him as his large paws landed on her shoulders. Hagrid just shook his head at his dog's behavior.
"We were looking for you, actually, Hagrid. I have those books you asked Dad for." Rolf reached into his cloak and procured the books from his leather messenger bag.
"Thank you, Rolf! I bet he's regrettin' sayin' he'd be happy ter lend me whatever I wanted," Hagrid's booming laugh scared more than a few birds from the trees around them. "What about you, Luna, decided ter come back for an eighth year?"
Luna looked up from her seat on the ground, where she was giving Fang a belly rub. "No, silly, I came up to see Neville, but he's a bit busy at the moment. I thought I'd come by and see you while I wait."
"Oh yes, yer date!" Hagrid chortled. Rolf raised his eyebrows as Luna blushed and returned her attention to Fang's stomach. "Come on Fang, ye great softie." Fang whimpered and followed as Hagrid made his way back to the hut. Luna hoped that would be the end of that conversation as she and Rolf brought up the rear behind Fang, but it seemed her luck had run out.
"He's been looking forward to seein' you all week. I'll admit, I didn't see the two o' you gettin' together, but I've never seen 'im happier. You've done quite a number on 'im, Luna." She smiled tightly as he turned back to grin at her.
"Neville…Neville Longbottom? The one who killed the snake at the battle?" Rolf asked her haughtily. It seemed that his change in demeanor was gone just as suddenly as Hagrid had appeared.
"Yes, that's him. He's my boyfriend," Luna said, feeling like she was walking into a trap.
"Hmm," he stopped to consider her. "Interesting." With a sudden sneaky grin, he jogged to catch up with Hagrid.
Cheeks flushed and brow furrowed, she followed him. "What's that supposed to mean?"
He shrugged. "Isn't it a little clichéd? Dating your fellow war hero?"
"We were friends for years before the war. That's not why we're dating." All at once, the conversation they'd just had seemed like a dream. How had she even considered…? Never mind. Nothing happened. He was still the same rude, foul-tempered Rolf Scamander.
"But were you dating then? Before the war?" His condescending tone made her run through the list of hexes in her head, considering which would be most painful, but least noticeable.
He smirked at her silence, eyes glittering with triumph. "Seems I've hit a nerve. I'd better get going, I've got dinner plans." They had reached Hagrid's hut, and Luna thought that she'd never been happier to see the odd little house.
Luna had never visited Madame Puddifoot's during her seven years at Hogwarts, and it turns out she hadn't been missing much. She didn't mind the old-fashioned decor - in fact, it made her feel rather at home - but the food took forever to be delivered, and the prices strained her budget to its limits. Still, she and Neville had a lovely dinner together. They walked arm in arm through Hogsmeade, just like they had the day before graduation, and she could almost forget the strange encounter with Rolf earlier that day. In fact, she hadn't thought about it for a while when Neville brought him up on the walk back to the castle.
"Any idea whether or not they'll keep Scamander on at the Prophet?" She tripped, surprised at the mention of his name, and Neville caught her before she met the ground. "Careful, Luna!"
"Sorry, thanks, Neville," she replied shakily, squeezing his arm in appreciation.
"Well, what do you think? Is my girlfriend getting a well-deserved promotion, or what?" He smiled sweetly at her, and a cherry pit sized knot of guilt dropped in her stomach. Was that normal?, she wondered to herself. Should I be feeling guilty for sharing a nice moment with someone other than Neville? Before she came to a conclusion, she realized he was still waiting for an answer.
"I don't know, to be honest. I have a feeling we're going to be stuck together for quite a while."
Neville frowned slightly. "Maybe I should talk to him."
She spun around to look at him. "What?"
"You know, man to man," he said, a determined look in his eye. Luna couldn't help but giggle.
"That's alright, Neville. I can handle him on my own. But thank you, that's very sweet of you to offer."
"Oh trust me, I know you can take care of yourself." Neville smiled at her and tugged her hand, "Come on, I want to show you how things are coming along in the greenhouse."
Luna just shook her head, and followed along.
As she stepped out of the roaring green flames a couple days later on Monday, Luna couldn't help but notice that the office was nowhere near as crowded as it was the last time she was there. On the day of the layoffs, it had been packed to the gills with staff members and contributors. Today, only a handful remained. Of the handful she only recognized Terry Boot and, unfortunately, Rolf.
"Loon-uh, Luna!" Terry greeted her with surprise. "I didn't realize they were hiring new people yet."
Ignoring his almost-use of her old nickname, she smiled at him warmly. "I'm not new, Terry, I've been here for three months. I work under Rolf - I mean, Mr. Scamander." She did her best to ignore the heat in her cheeks as Kingsley entered the room.
"Wonderful, I see we have just about everyone. Has anyone seen Brian?" he questioned the group.
"Mr. Shacklebolt?" The speaker was a mousy woman, tall and willowy. Luna vaguely recognized her from previous trips to the office. "I think there's a game today, so he probably won't be in."
"Damn," Kingsley tutted. "Well, I suppose he'll find out eventually. Welcome to the new, improved Daily Prophet. From here on out, this is your team. I'm sure most of you are familiar with each other, but let's go around and have some formal introductions."
"This is it?!" Rolf exploded. "How the hell are we supposed to put together the largest wizarding newspaper in the world with a couple stupid kids and Brian fucking Sutherland?"
"I think it's rather exciting," Luna interjected as Kingsley sighed, weight of the world on his shoulders. "It reminds me of working with Daddy on the Quibbler. Writing articles is fun, but putting together the entire magazine…that's the best part. It really feels like you've created something."
"Nicely put Luna. And a great segue, actually. As you've probably noticed, Mr. Cuffe isn't with us today. After meeting with the Board, it was decided that it would be best for everyone if he retired. As such, the position of Editor is vacant."
Rolf perked up considerably. "Surely you're only considering internal candidates? Bringing in an outsider now could be…" He raised his eyebrows conspiratorially, "dare I say, disastrous?"
Kingsley gave Rolf a sad smile. "We came to a similar conclusion, although I'm sure for different reasons than your own, Rolf. I was going to wait until we had all gotten better acquainted, but why keep you waiting. It is with great happiness I introduce you all to the newest Editor in Chief of the Daily Prophet: Luna Aletheia Lovegood!"
Luna felt as if all the air had been sucked from the room. No one said a word, not that she would have heard if they had. Her mind whirred, completely blank as she stared at Kingsley.
"Me?" She whispered. Rolf erupted at the same moment.
"HER?"
The grimace on Kingsley's face was confirmation that he had seen this coming. "Now, Rolf-"
"Don't you try and talk your way out of this one, Uncle Kingsley. You know that job should be mine. I've been here for years, I've put in the time. It's been my dream to be editor, ever since I knew what the job was. You and I both know this is wrong, SHE'S wrong. The girl's deranged, completely divorced from reality, and you want to put her in charge of the most important publication in the world?"
"Rolf, stop it. You're behaving like a spoiled brat. I didn't make the decision just to spite you. The Board voted, and Ms. Lovegood was the obvious choice. She has strong morals, good work ethic, she's a talented writer, and she years worth of experience publishing a widely circulated magazine. Not to mention the fact that she is reliable, a creative problem solver, and above all, kind to everyone she comes in contact with. Can you honestly say the same about yourself, Mr. Scamander?" Kingsley held his gaze steadily until Rolf finally broke away. Silence fell upon the room once more.
"Thank you, Mr. Shacklebolt," Luna finally whispered, "I am truly honored. But I can't accept. Even though he said it in a cruel way, Rolf is right. I'm not qualified, not really."
"Miss Lovegood, I know this seems impossible right now, but you've actually just proved me right. You stick to facts, regardless of how you feel about the source. I'd argue that alone makes you much more qualified than other candidates. The Board of Governors believes in you, Luna. I believe in you. This could work if you give it the chance."
As Luna ruminated on this new information, Rolf was pacing angrily behind her. Finally, he exploded at Kingsley. "And what about the rest of us? Are we expected to follow this fetus down the road to hell and never question her? All because the great Kingsley Shacklebolt believes in her? What will the readers think when they see her name - a child's name - in place of an experienced writer's? What will they think-"
"That's quite enough!," Kingsley roared. He flung out his hand, and suddenly only air left Rolf's mouth. Rolf attempted a rebuttal, but, finding that no noise came out, settled for resuming his pacing. "Does anyone else have an opinion they'd like to share?," Kingsley uttered menacingly.
Terry finally spoke up. "Seems worth a try to me. Luna's smart, and we'll work together to make sure you don't embarrass yourself." The younger women standing next to him nodded their agreement.
"Thank you, Terry. I didn't expect you to say that," Luna said, a surprised smile spreading across her face.
"No problem," he grunted, and continued with a grudging smile. "The DA's gotta stick together."
"What about you, Clarice?" Kingsley addressed the woman who'd spoken up about Brian's schedule earlier.
"I'm happy to help any way that I can, M-Minister," she stammered back.
"Well, there we have it, Rolf. The vote's four to one, in Miss Lovegood's favor," Kingsley stared down his nephew, venom creeping into his voice. "So you'd better grow up, and quickly. Because right now, the only one giving the paper a bad name is you." His steely gaze met Rolf's flaming eyes for a moment longer before he turned back to face the larger group.
"Fantastic. I'd like to thank you all for your willingness to accommodate. We'll be holding a press conference tomorrow morning at 6am, and we ask that you are all in attendance. Hopefully today can be a day to discuss redistribution of roles. Before I leave, Miss Lovegood, may I have a moment alone with you?"
"Of course, Minister," she replied unsteadily, hesitation before leading him to the editor's office (which she supposed was now her office). Closing the door behind them, Luna guessed she'd had stranger days in the past - but for the life of her, she couldn't think of a single one.