Chapter Five.

Contrary to what Harry'd thought, nothing felt forced about the feast that awaited him in the Great Hall. In just a few hours, the Hall had been completely restored to its former glory. Hundreds of burning candles floated above dozens of smiling, wounded faces. Most students stood spinning on the cleared floor, talking, singing, and laughing excitedly. Some others, like Neville, had positioned themselves by the long tables against either wall, which held an abundance of snacks and drinks. A set of huge instruments at the other end of the Hall played a fast-paced, upbeat melody that echoed across the castle. If Harry hadn't still felt the ache and stinging of wounds, he might have been able to convince himself that he'd dreamt the whole battle.

A group of Hufflepuffs stood laughing in one corner, gesturing wildly as they exchanged stories. On the other side of the room, Luna stood swaying with Angelina Johnson and Cho, all three of them with genuine smiles on their battered faces. Seamus and Dean had wrapped their arms together as they danced in circles, faster and faster, goblets of berry-wine glittering in their free hands. Nearly Headless Nick spun around the Hall, exchanging excited greetings with this person and that, cheering alongside a group of Ravenclaws as Seamus tried to lift a much taller Dean from the floor. Then Harry spotted Hagrid, and Professors Flitwick and McGonagall, and Slughorn and Sprout, sipping from their drinks and talking cheerfully. Filch stood swaying amongst them, completely off rhythm.

Harry must have looked stunned, because he suddenly heard Hermione laughing beside him.

'Didn't expect this, did you?'

'Not at all', Harry admitted, looking amusedly at Seamus and Dean, who were now falling to the floor.

'Well', Hermione said, stepping forward. 'It's real.'

Hermione offered her hand, and Harry took it, and she pulled him into the dancing crowd, twirling under his arm as they joined their friends.

'THERE YOU ARE!', Seamus yelled, spreading his arms in warm welcome.

'Harry!', Neville smiled, slurring slightly. 'We've missed you!'

Harry laughed and opened his mouth to say that he'd missed Neville, too, but he found himself pulled into a dance with Seamus, who spun Harry round and round until he felt dizzy, and then forced a cup of berry-wine into his hands. Harry drank as the boys cheered him on and soon, he felt light in the head, and his belly was shaking with laughter. The Hall felt hot from the heat of dancing bodies and alcohol. It roared with laughter and echoed with song, and Harry swayed from this person's arms to that person's arms until he stumbled into Hermione, who was shaking with laughter the same way he was.

Harry felt a rush of warmth come over him at the sight of her laughing face.

'Oh, hey!', she yelled, as if surprised to see him.

Harry simply smiled, downed his last gulps of wine, tossed the goblet over his shoulder in drunken carelessness, and pulled Hermione into his dance. They danced wildly at first, twirling and jumping, until Harry finally pulled her closer and slowed them down. Then, they swayed for what felt like hours, a blur of black and burgundy, their hearts racing in close proximity, their breath tainted with the smell of berries. When the Hall finally started to quiet down, Harry tried desperately to cling onto the last minutes, and he wished he'd come sooner. He swayed even slower, now, his one hand wrapped around Hermione's, the other on her waist. Her chin rested lightly on his shoulder. Harry tried hard to remember the last time he had felt this… blissful, and he couldn't be certain whether it was the fault of time or alcohol, but he didn't know.

'Hermione?', Harry whispered.

Hermione's heart skipped a beat, and she desperately hoped he hadn't felt it. 'Yes?'

'What are you going to do, now that everything's… normal.'

Hermione breathed deeply and adjusted the position of her face towards Harry's neck. He smelt intoxicating, like berries and wood and wet forest floors.

'I think I'll just continue', she whispered. 'The way I'd planned.'

Harry nodded, slowly, and wrapped his arm a little tighter around her.

'So you'll go back, then. To school?'

'I think I will.'

Harry hadn't yet properly thought about his own plans. The thought of going back to Hogwarts, to resume classes, to walk the castle and its grounds another year – it seemed comfortable. At the same time, Harry felt that an indescribable force had shifted, and that life was truly changed, now. He wasn't quite sure if he belonged here any more.

Suddenly a different thought occurred to him. He'd been meaning to ask it all day.

'Where were you today?', Harry asked, slowing their pace to a mere shuffle.

'Oh', Hermione said, feeling slightly drowsy. 'I can't tell you yet.'

'I thought- Wait… yet?'

Hermione pulled away slowly and smiled at Harry apologetically. For a moment, Harry thought she'd explain, but then her eyes locked with something behind him, and she sighed in relief. 'I think Luna wants to speak to you.'

Harry wanted desperately to know what she was up to, but suddenly there was Luna, and Hermione wandered off.

'Hi there', Luna said, smiling dreamily.

'Hi, Luna.' Harry recovered quickly. 'How are you?'

'Quite good, thank you.'

They stood in silence for a while and watched another group of students leave. The music had slowed and quieted to a soft hymn.

'Seems rather strange to have a feast now, doesn't it?', Luna asked.

'A little', Harry admitted.

'Then again, everything seems particularly strange these days.'

Harry, noting the unusually extra singsong tone of her voice, looked at her and saw her staring intently at something across the room. When he followed her gaze he spotted Neville, struggling desperately with a Sticky Apple that had attached itself to his vest.

'Are you…'

Luna turned to Harry and raised her eyebrows. 'Only a little', she smiled.

'Should you go help him?', Harry tried.

Luna regarded Neville as he pulled on the apple's stick. The stick came off, but the Sticky Apple stayed firmly stuck. 'No', Luna said confidently. 'He'll be fine.'

Harry sincerely doubted it.

'You wanted to talk to me?', he started, feeling rather anxious to go find Hermione.

Luna nodded. 'I have a gift for you, actually.'

'You do?'

'It's from my dad and I', Luna said, searching the fluffy pink bag hanging from her hip.

Harry felt a little worried. He imagined what a Nargle with a bow-tie would look like, and wondered what it would need to eat, but from the fluffy bag came a small, dark purple box.

'Just something small… as a thank you. And a good luck charm, if you will.'

She put the box in Harry's hand and he weighed it for a moment, still slightly concerned about what Xenophilius Lovegood and his daughter had cooked up for him. When he opened the box, however, there was only a harmless, deep purple stone, cut in the shape of a long, slender rhombus.

'A stone', Harry said stupidly, before catching himself and saying: 'A stone!'

Luna smiled warmly.

'It was my mother's, before she died', she explained. 'My dad made it for her on their first anniversary.'

Harry felt very confused.

'Does your dad deal in gemstones?', he asked, not quite knowing what else to say.

'Oh no', Luna said, waving her hand at the seemingly ridiculous insinuation. 'No, this is dragon's blood. It attracts luck, you see.'

Luna mistook Harry's confusion for shock.

'Don't worry', she said quickly. 'She wasn't wearing it when she died. It works.'

'No- I mean, yes, all right', Harry stuttered, shaking his head in an attempt to clear his intoxicated brain. 'But Luna… are you saying your father killed a dragon?'

'No, silly', Luna smiled. 'He borrowed it, really.'

Harry frowned.

'He promised he'd give it back if the dragon came looking.'

Harry opened his mouth, closed it again, nodded, and smiled. 'Wouldn't you want to have this?', he asked.

Luna shook her head immediately.

'No. It sings to me, you see, and I don't quite like its tune. Besides… you seem more in need of luck than I do.'

Harry looked at the stone again. The dark purple shone brilliantly, reflecting the candles above their heads and emitting a strange, coppery glow. He didn't quite know what to do, or say, or what use he would have for it, but he understood the importance of this charm for Luna and her father, and he felt honoured to have been chosen to keep it.

'Thank you, Luna', he said finally, sincerely. 'And thank your dad for me, too, please.'

Luna nodded happily. 'For luck, Harry.'

The look in her eyes seemed, just for a second, to be even stranger than usual, but Harry simply nodded, and soon Luna had turned around and started skipping towards Neville, who waited drunkenly for her by the bowl of Sticky Apples. Harry noticed two new Apples had gotten stuck to his vest, and as he watched Luna peel them off, he wondered for a moment whether Neville'd stuck the Apples to himself on purpose. Then he laughed quietly at the thought of it, shook his head, and put the dark purple box back into his pocket.

His eyes caught McGonagall's right before he left the Hall. She smiled warmly, raised her goblet at him only slightly, and then turned again to Professor Sprout.

'You too, Professor', Harry smiled, taking the stairs to the common room two steps at a time. 'You too.'