Chapter Four – A Beautiful Garden

The answer to Harry's letter came surprisingly early, specifically the next day. The manner in which it came astounded Harry the most.

Ron still wasn't speaking to him, so he had resorted to spend the day playing Quidditch with Ginny, Fred, and George. It wasn't as fun with four people and Harry had the feeling that everyone's minds were still on Hermione, especially since Harry was there. Things might have seemed calm and cheerful at the Burrow, but everyone was like a soda can waiting to explode. Mrs.Weasley looked cracked under the pressure of having to raise seven kids and a Harry on the side, and Harry knew that she wouldn't make it if she ever learned that one of her children were dead. He had heard that Hermione's parents had come to visit the Weasleys while Harry had been at St.Mungo's and had immediately started to cry. Who could blame them? Their only daughter was dead, killed by evil. Harry still debated the day with himself. Why couldn't it have been him instead of her? She hadn't deserved it, whereas he thwarted Voldemort and his Death Eaters on a regular basis. If only he hadn't wandered off after that Death Eater, he could have protected her…

When they took a break and fetched something to eat, an unexpected visitor dropped by. It was Harry who went to open the door when the bell ran, and his mouth opened in shock as he saw the person in front of him. Luna stood there aloft, sporting Muggle clothes, a red t-shirt and shorts, with her hair tied back in a short ponytail. What was she doing here?

"Hey Harry."

"Er-hi…Did you come alone?"

"Yep. I passed my Apparition test months ago. Can I come in?"

Harry stepped aside to let her in, blushing a little since she had to ask to be escorted in. She put her bag down on the chair next to her and sat down on it.

"How did you know I was here?" Harry asked.

"Ginny told me. We keep in touch over the summer."

"I see. Let me get the others."

"Wait Harry. Before you do, we need to talk about your letter."

He knew she was going to bring it up, and he felt himself blushing even harder than before.

"Er-right." He brought himself down on the couch and waited for her to say something.

"Well?" Luna hinted, shaking her legs slightly.

"Well what?" Harry said densely.

"Don't you have something to ask me?"

"I already did."

"Wouldn't it be better if you did it again in person?"

"Uh…alright. Would you go to Bill's wedding with me?"

Luna raised her eyes.

"You don't have to. It's just that we need dance partners for the reception and I don't have on, but that doesn't mean it's the only reason I'm asking you, you know we've been friends for a while now so-"

"Hary!" She interrupted.

"Yes?"

"I would love to go with you. Now stop babbling." She smiled, "It'll be nice to spend some time with people my age again."

It was another one of those awkward things that Luna always said. He went to get the others and bring them into the living room. Mrs.Weasley was particularly nice to Luna, knowing that she didn't have a mother and all.

Harry felt triumphant after his little encounter with Luna. He had successfully asked out a girl without getting rejected, even though he had appeared nervous through the process. Anyone who was talking to Luna would. He wasn't even sure why he had thought of her first. Maybe it was because they had gone to Slughorn's Christmas Party together last year and they could do it again. However, this time it felt more awkward to him. They both had grown up over the year and he knew there would always be this tension between them. He had a different connection with her that he couldn't compare with Ron or Hermoine. It was special. He thought that Luna could understand him more since they had a lot in common.

…

"So, what do you think I should wear, Harry?" Luna asked him. They were sitting alone in his temporary room just talking. Everyone else was outside preparing some sort of surprise and had told Harry to say inside.

How should I know, Harry thought, "I don't know. Maybe you should ask Fleur."

"Fleur…the name does sound familiar and I think I've seen her somewhere before."

"You have. At Hogwarts. She was one of the Triwizard champions from Beauxbatons."

"Ah yes, of course." Luna said, as if she'd known it all along.

They sat in silence for a few minutes, and Harry went to the window and peeked out from it. All the Weasleys were crowded together near the new patch of grass Ginny and Mrs.Weasley had just fixed. They were blocking everything from view, and Harry thought it probably was on purpose. What in the world were they up to?

"What are they doing out there?"

"I have no idea. They won't let me out of the house."

"Nice loving family." Luna commented.

"Yes they are, especially Mrs.Weasley."

"Did you come straight here from the hospital?"

"Yeah."

"So you don't have to live with those Muggles anymore, true?"

"Yeah-wait, how do you know about them?"

Luna grinned, "Everyone knows that, even the Slytherins. Word sure does travel along fast. Some people even know that you beat a hundred dementors at once but then fainted."

"What? How do they know that?"

"Who knows? Maybe Fudge knows about it, told his colleagues, they told their kids, and the kids told their friends."

Harry thought about this for a moment and then shook his head, "Nah. I don't think so. Fudge never knew I was the on to do that. It was probably one of the DA members."

They looked at each other for a second and both said, "Zacharias Smith."

Both cackled with intense laughter. It was exactly the kind of thing he would do after he found out all the juicy secrets about Harry.

"You can come out now Harry!" Mrs. Weasley yelled from below. Harry went to the window and saw them all waving to him (except for Ron, who was standing to one side with his arms stubbornly folded).

"Come on." He led Luna downstairs and opened the back door. There they were, standing in front of something. Harry motioned them to move aside and once they did, he saw what the fuss was all about. There lay the most beautiful garden Harry had ever seen in his entire life. All types of flowers were decorated around the miniature tombstones, from roses, lilies, petunias, to others that Harry had never seen before. Magic sparkles surrounded the flowers and tombstones, flying freely in the air like tiny fireworks.

"What is that?"

"A kind of commemoration spot you would call it." said Mrs.Weasley, pointing to the garden, "And the tombstones are dedicated to all the people we've lost in the war. Come and look."

Harry closed in on the garden and squinted his eyes. The first name he saw was Hermione's. There was Sirius, Dumbledore, Ernie, and the rest of the people who had sacrificed their lives…

He hated it. It was like combining all the deaths and making them happen at one time. A person could have a stroke from it. What had they been thinking? Harry looked from face to face, waiting for his reaction, and before he knew it, he was running back inside the house. He never wanted to see it again.