Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot and the kids.
Summary: Sometimes finding peace is learning to let go, especially to the ones you love and want to stay with you forever.
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Peace
Boy-Who-Lived Buries WifeBy Robert Creevey
It was a sad day for the Potter family today. The man who saved the wizarding world from the Dark Lord, the man who'd suffered so many losses so young in his life laid to rest his wife and the mother of his children. Harry Potter, along with his two children, James and Julia, attended the memorial today of Luna Lovegood Potter, spreading her ashes across the grounds of the Potter estate.
The ceremony, which reportedly included poetry readings and a eulogy from Mr. Potter, was very brief and attended only by close friends.
Potter, as many will recall, defeated He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named shortly after finishing his seventh year at Hogwarts, where the late Mrs. Potter was still a student.
The two married six years later, following passage of the unpopular Marriage Law. Mr. and Mrs. Potter both worked as Unspeakables in the Ministry's Department of Mysteries until the birth of their first child, James. Following his birth, Mrs. Potter remained at home with her child.
Mrs. Potter's life was not void of its own tragedy. Her mother was killed by her own experimental spell when Mrs. Potter was nine years old, and her father, Lawrence, died unexpectedly seven years ago. Mrs. Potter was mortally cursed while searching the Ural Mountains for the mysterious White-winged Salabat. She had been in the "Place Between" for the last seven years.
Mr. Potter continues to work in the Department of Mysteries with his son, James. Julia Potter, recent graduate of Hogwarts, is said to be engaged to Scott Thomas, son of noted financier Dean Thomas who owns both Puddlemere United Quidditch Team and the Muggle West Ham Soccer Team. Mr. Thomas, a schoolmate of Mr. Potter's, was also in attendance.
The Potter family declined comment on today's ceremony.
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Julia was the second child and only daughter of Harry and Luna Potter. She was born when their oldest, James, was in his first year at Hogwarts. In all honesty, Luna preferred having her children spaced this far apart. In his eleven years before he went off to school, James had his mother's undivided attention. Now, Julia had the same devotedness.
After James finished Hogwarts, the Potters had a four-year reprieve from school. During that time, James joined Harry in doing research in the Department of Mysteries. Luna had taken up proofreading articles for her father, so she could remain at home with Julia.
The summer before Julia started at Hogwarts, Luna's father died after suffering a massive heart attack. Luna was devastated, but she resolved to remain strong, knowing that he had lived a full life and was now reunited with her mother.
Shortly after the funeral, Harry and Luna went to her father's office at The Quibbler to go through his things. They had boxed up just about everything in the office when Luna found an unfinished article. She rolled up the parchment and tucked it into her robes to read later.
Before bed that night, Luna unrolled the parchment and read her father's notes. Her eyes widened at the words. Apparently, her father had been searching for a mysterious creature, said to live in the mountains of Russia. His notes explained that he'd scheduled an expedition to look for it. The trip was set for the next month.
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"I'm going Harry," she said casually in the breezy voice he loved.
"Luna, please don't go, not yet," Harry insisted. "Can't you wait until later, when I can go with you?"
Luna shook her head, her dark blonde hair shaking back and forth. "If I wait until then, it will be too cold. Besides, my father had already set everything up. Please, Harry, I have to do this…for my father and my mother. I know they're together now, and I need to honor their memory."
Harry sighed, defeated. He knew arguing with her was pointless. Once Luna made her mind up about something, it was set. He first learned this many years ago, when she insisted on going with him to save his godfather.
"Please take someone with you," he pleaded, taking her hand.
She squeezed his hand affectionately. "Once I Apparate to Russia, a guide will meet me and take me into the mountains. I promise I won't be alone, and I'll be careful." She allowed him to pull her closer into a warm embrace. "I love you, Harry."
"I love you, too, Luna," he said before kissing her softly.
She pulled away from him, giving him a sad smile, before she picked up her bag and Apparated out of their house.
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Though it was July, it was still cold in the dark caves of the Ural Mountains. The high-pitched screeching heard when they first entered the cave had spooked her guide. He promised to wait outside for her, though he tried to convince her not to go in.
Luna tightened her cloak around her and kept her wand at the ready. If this creature was anything close to her father's notes, she needed to be prepared. The light from her wand's tip was only enough to see five feet in front of her, so she moved slowly, making sure each step was one to be taken on firm ground.
Suddenly, she heard the screeching again, and she resisted the urge to cover her ears. She was getting closer, and she knew it. She palmed her camera in her pocket and kept moving forward.
As she inched further, she began to hear very shallow, very scratchy breathing coming from just above her. She slowly raised her wand and gasped at the sight.
The thing handing from the cave's ceiling was a truly gruesome creature. It was small, slimy and winged. Luna could only think of it as a salamander with bat wings. The most disturbing thing about it, though, was that it was entirely white, and its wings were slightly furry.
She deftly removed her camera and raised it to her eye, snapping a quick picture. At the sound of the shutter snapping, the creature wrenched its eyes open, and Luna screamed. Its eyes were small, beady and blood red. The creature let out a loud screech as it released itself from the ceiling of the cave.
Before she knew what was happening, it darted towards her. She raised her hands, thinking it was physically attacking her, but instead, it let out a long, shallow breath as it flew over her, showering the blonde witch in a white frost.
As if she'd been cast with a "Petrificus Totalus," Luna's arms and legs snapped together and she fell to the ground in a frozen faint.
The guide, completely forgetting his own fears, shot red sparks from his wand into the air and ran into the cave, searching for the witch.
Other guides immediately Apparated to the scene, just as Luna's guide was bringing her lifeless body out, her hand still clutching the camera.
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"She's not dead?" Harry asked. He touched Luna's cheek and shivered at the coldness of it. He glanced around the bare Russian hospital room and shuddered.
"No, sir," the Healer replied in a thick Russian accent. "But she's not alive either. To be honest, I'm not sure what to think. This creature in the picture she took… I've never seen it before."
James stood behind his father and sighed. "She's at the Place Between, Dad."
The Healer looked at the two Unspeakables with a puzzled look. "What's the 'Place Between'?"
Not turning to look at him, Harry continued caressing Luna's face and said, "It's the space between living and dead. She's in neither place completely, yet parts of her and in both. There's nothing that can be done. All we can do is hope." He sighed and leaned down to whisper in his wife's ear.
After several moments, he stood fully erect again and brushed a tear away from his eye. He looked to his son and smiled slightly. "Let's take her home, James."
The younger man nodded and watched as his father gathered his mother close to him and Disapparated. He thanked the Healer and followed.
They laid Luna out in the first floor spare bedroom, right next to hers and Harry's room. There was nothing to do about the coldness of her body, but Harry felt better wrapping blankets around her. He stayed with her day and night for several months. Finally, though, he couldn't do it anymore.
Harry summoned a medi-witch from St. Mungo's to stay with her during the day. At night, he would read to her and talk to her, hoping that somewhere Luna could hear him.
He made sure there were fresh flowers in her room every day, and he read the Daily Prophet and even The Quibbler to her every night.
When Julia left for Hogwarts two weeks later, James had to take her to the Station. Harry had broken down that morning; heartbroken that Luna wouldn't be able to see her daughter off to school.
Years passed with Luna in her perpetually frozen state, caught in the Place Between, but life in the land of the living went on without her.
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"Julia, I'm so proud of you," Harry said, hugging his daughter.
Julia had just finished her last year at Hogwarts, and the three Potters were having a celebratory dinner.
"Thanks, Dad," Julia replied. "You, too, James." Her brother beamed at her.
"So, is there anything special you want for graduating?" Harry asked, taking a sip of wine.
Julia smiled and glanced toward the door of the room where her mother lay, where her mother had been for the last seven years.
The first year had been extremely difficult for the family. Julia had been sad and withdrawn at Hogwarts; James had been depressed and angry. But Harry was the worst. He'd returned to Russia to seek the creature that claimed Luna. He found it and killed it with a powerful blasting curse. After that, he began with the experiments.
Harry worked tirelessly on various spells and charms, hoping to free Luna from the Place Between, to bring her back to the living, but he had been unsuccessful with every attempt.
"Yes, Dad, there is something I want to do," Julia said, turning back to her father and brother. "It's something we all need to do."
"What's that, love?" he asked.
"I want to let Mum go," she said quietly. "It's been seven years. I think it's time."
The Potter house was completely silent for several minutes before James finally spoke. "She's right, Dad," he said. "Mum wouldn't want to be stuck in the middle. She'd want to be free. You need to move on. We all do."
Harry looked at his children and smiled a wry smile. "I guess I have been selfish, haven't I?" he asked. "Keeping her alive like this. When I finally realized a year ago that nothing would free her of this spell, I should have let her go then, but I guess I just wasn't ready." He paused, removed his glasses and rubbed his eyes wearily. "You're right, James. She wouldn't want this."
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"Mr. Potter, unfortunately, there are only two ways to release the spell. One is the Killing Curse-" the Healer said, but was interrupted.
"I'm not going to Avada Kedavra my wife!" Harry hissed.
"Then I'm afraid your only other option is to burn the body. Due to the frozen nature of the spell, that is the only other way," the Healer sighed sadly.
"Fine," Harry said tersely. "Get her ready."
An hour later, Harry, James and Julia stood in the garden of their home, staring at the pyre. Julia cried silently while James held her.
Harry bowed his head for several moments before softly kissing Luna's lips one last time. "Be free my love," he whispered.
Stepping back to his children, he pointed his wand at the pyre, and the three remaining Potters said, "Incendio!"
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Harry fell into a fitful sleep that night. He tossed and turned, trying to get comfortable. Though he'd slept alone for seven years, the emptiness seemed so much heavier now, so final.
After several hours, sleep finally took him over, and his dreams crept to the forefront of his mind.
"Harry?" Luna beckoned.
"Luna?" he replied, sitting up in bed. He reached for his glasses and put them on. He turned towards the voice and grinned. "Luna, you're here!"
He leapt from the bed and ran to her, engulfing her in his arms. She felt alive and warm. Harry cried into her hair for several moments before he pulled back to look at her.
"You're more beautiful than ever," he said, softly stroking her cheek.
"I love you, Harry," Luna said, running her hands over his salt and pepper hair. "You were my everything."
"Luna…" he said before lowering his head to kiss her. Her lips were soft under his, and he poured his every emotion in the kiss.
"Harry," she said when he pulled back, "thank you for letting me go. You've given me peace." She reached up to kiss him again.
"Now you can have yours," she said softly before pulling out of his embrace and backing away.
"Where are you going?" Harry asked. "Stay with me!"
"I can't," she said simply. "My place is no longer here. Yours is. I will always love you. Live long, my love, and live well." She pressed her hand over her heart and disappeared.
In his bed, Harry smiled and turned over once again before falling into the deepest sleep he'd had in seven years.