This was really hard folks….I had to reread whole sections of OotP and HBP to get a feel for the dynamic between these two. I'm still not convinced its any good, but I did my best. I can't seem to channel Luna very well. Also, I am totally sick of writing deflowering scenes. No more virgins! Whoo-hoo….Oops…well, there's Ixchel isn't there…but I think Draco ends up suffering more than her. Tee-hee…you'll see soon enough, in later chapters!

This took me a long time to write this, as I've been suffering from an odd ailment, labyrinthitis, which involves the inner ear and makes me very, very dizzy. Therefore, it is a bit more difficult to write then usual. Hopefully, I will get better soon, and I'll be able to update faster. Thanks for your support!

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Neville Longbottom had a headache. Not a terribly bad headache, but a headache. He should probably go to Madame Pomfrey for some willow bark, but he had too many other things he was supposed to be doing. He sat in his room in the Head's dorm, and stared at the schedule in front of him, trying to figure out how to coordinate prefect patrols, DA meetings and research in the Room of Requirement, and this new task McGonagall had given him, helping Professor Sprout protect some of the more potent herbs in the greenhouse from someone who kept trying to snatch them.

Unfortunately, he was not really able to concentrate on his task, because his mind kept drifting to something completely different. Something much more pleasant than grades or patrols or DADA or defeating You-Know-Who or worrying about his parents. Luna Lovegood.

He smiled for a moment and leaned back in his chair, giving in to the urge to fill his mind with her image for a few minutes. He shook his head at the memory of getting on the train fifth year, and not wanting to share a compartment with her. He had thought that he could avoid some of the incessant teasing he was subjected to if he wasn't around any odd people, but he was stupid and immature then. What he would have missed had Ginny not been so insistent, or if there had been another compartment open on the train?

"Wit beyond measure is man's greatest treasure."

He remembered her alto voice saying those words at their official introduction, and thought that she spoke of her house, Ravenclaw. But now he knew her. It had been a salute to him of sorts, that he had not understood for a long time. She didn't think he was a lackwit. And now, he knew she wasn't crazy. Well, at least not terribly crazy. A bit odd, and a bit clairvoyant, but she was amazing really. She was brave, and she was lovely, growing into her wide round eyes, her hair lightening into a curtain of honey-blond hair. He swallowed, repressing the urge to visit some of his more vivid fantasies of her. She deserved better than to be the object of lust. Still, memories of that train ride inevitably brought to mind a dream he had repeatedly had ever since, where the Mimbulus mimbletonia was not the thing prodded into releasing sticky goo, but he was, thanks to Luna's diligent efforts.

Argh. He focused on the schedule again. I shouldn't be doing this. It should by all rights be Ron, or really Harry. I'm just not cut out to be a leader like them. He'd always been plagued by failure. He'd dropped the damn prophesy. He'd tried to stop the Trio from protecting the Sorcerer's Stone. He'd barely survived the attack of Hogwarts, even with the Felix's help. He rubbed his eyes.

Thud, thud, thuddy, thud. Luna. Only Luna knocked like that. He flushed, embarrassed by the images that had filled his mind so recently.

"Come in Luna." She entered, an odd combination of grace and distraction, as always. Neville opened his mouth to speak, but Luna answered before words came out of his mouth.

"I gave the assignments to Hermione. How was the meeting with McGonagall?"

"Thanks…it was fine. More work, that's all." He sighed.

"You are doing a fine job, you know. Your grandmother must be proud. I know I am." She walked over to his bookcase, examining the titles as she always did.

How does she always know exactly what to say to make me feel better? She bent over, looking at the bottom shelf, her hair brushing the floor as she read upside down. His mouth went dry, presented with the alluring sight of her bottom sticking up at a provocative angle. Suddenly, his headache didn't seem so bad.

"So," his voice was a bit cracked with agitation, though it had deepened into a bass over the last year and a half. "What brings you back here on a Saturday morning? I thought we were meeting later for the DA meeting at three."

She straightened, and gave him one of those looks that seemed to shoot right through him, her huge eyes seeming to penetrate into his very soul. "I had a question."

"Yes?" He swallowed again, suddenly very nervous.

She cocked her head slightly. "Would you like to have intercourse?"

"Pardon?" His eyes bugged out, and his breath stopped. He must have misheard.

"Intercourse. Sex. Shagging. Making love. Fu…"

"Yes, I know what it means. But…well…yes, of course, but…" Had Luna been about to say what he thought she was?

"Excellent." She sat on the edge of the bed, and began unbuttoning the buttons on her shirt.

"What! Now?" He stared at her fingers as they worked the buttons through the button holes.

She stopped her hands, and looked up at him. "Well, it is Saturday. And I doubt anyone will interrupt us. And we've got hours until the meeting."

"But…I mean…I…" Godric, what should he do? What if he was terrible? What if he hurt her? He quite liked having a girlfriend. Actually, he quite liked having Luna as his girlfriend. In fact, he rather thought he loved Luna, and really couldn't image his first time being with anyone else. Still….

"You're not sure. Why?" He saw a brief flash of pain in her eyes. "I mean, I thought at one time that you might not like girls…"

He stood up straighter, instantly on the defensive. "I like girls! Most definitely! Exclusively!"

She smiled again. "Well, I rather thought from your reaction when we've been kissing…you're really quite a good kisser, you know. Not that I've had a great deal of experience. Still, you make me feel good."

A bemused and happy smile found its way on to his face. "Really?"

She started on the buttons again, and he could see the edge of a blue lacy bra. "Really." She stopped again, with only one button to go, and Neville still standing absolutely still not five feet away. "Oh, I almost forgot!" She dug in the pocket of her long skirt, pulling out a little vial with a clear liquid in it. She uncorked it, and swallow half, and held the rest out to him. "Here, take this. Hermione and Ginny said it will help."

He walked closer, uncomfortably aware of the gaping shirt and the enticing view she presented. "Hermione? Ginny? You asked them for advice?" He took the vial, and looked at it warily. Still, if Hermione said it was all right. He downed the contents.

"No, they were offering it."

He choked slightly. Harry and Ginny, and Ron and Hermione must be… "Er…"

"They wanted us to try that potion. Apparently, they discovered that if you use it and you are in love, it will increase your magical powers, and allow you to feel your partner's sensations." She stood up, and removed her gray shirt, revealing the bra beneath. "They said it worked very well for them. They seemed to think it might be quite important for the war effort." She shimmied slightly, hooking her thumbs in the waistband of her long skirt, and pulling it down, revealing a matching pair of blue panties, leaving her in nothing but her underthings and a butterbeer cap necklace.

He blinked rapidly, trying to process this uncharacteristically clear speech while under the influence of raw lust at the sight of so much of her milky skin. "Love?" That was all he could manage to squeak out when he finally managed to talk. He realized how very close he was to simply pushing her back on the bed and ravishing her, talk and potions and everything be damned. He always hated potions anyway.

She tilted her head again, while kicking off the skirt and her shoes. "I love you, Neville Longbottom. At first I thought I had a case of Nibbling Nighblys when my stomach would flutter when you came in a room, but now I'm quite sure I'm in love."

His stomach dropped, and he felt dizzy for a moment. But then, of course, he had to try and ruin it. "It's not just for the war effort then?"

She stepped closer, and pulled his face to hers. "It wouldn't work anyway if we don't love each other." She kissed him, and he felt his knees go weak. This kiss was so intense, so amazing, he thought he would go insane if he could touch her. He brought a hand up to her waist, safe territory that his hands had wandered to before. Her skin was so soft, like the petals of a flower.

She broke the kiss, "See," she looked down at the bulge in his pants. "You are definitely interested in having intercourse."

"I'm more than interested, Luna. It's just…."

"I haven't done this either, you know. But I've read some books in the Restricted Section..." She started working on his buttons with diligent attention, and he couldn't stop her, no matter how embarrassed he might be.

He had read the same books. And Dean's magazine. But, still…."I don't want to hurt you."

"I'll be fine. I'm really quite sturdy." She tugged at the loose waistband of his pants suddenly, looking down into his boxers with interest. "You do seem pretty big though."

Pleased at the unintended complement, he still couldn't relax, and worries crept into his mind, freezing him as stiff as Petrificus curse. Could she get pregnant? Could he get her off? Would he come in five seconds?

"Goodness, you are as stiff as a Snorkback's crest." Did she mean…? No…she was rubbing his shoulders, his shirt having been pushed off on to the floor. "Why don't you lie face down on the bed?"

He complied, grateful that she'd allowed him to keep on his pants, and watched as she opened a drawer on the bedstand, looking for something. "I don't…I don't have any…" What was the word….those Muggle things…cod-noms?

"Oh, I'm taking something for that, don't worry." She muttered, almost as though she had read this thoughts. He relaxed a bit. She did have an uncanny knack for reading him. He wondered if she was keeping up with Divination classes. She probably could outdo Trelawney on any given day.

"Ah ha!" Her hand emerged with a bottle of lotion, and he blushed, wondering if she released what its purpose was in his drawer. She bounded back, and he felt her climb on top of him, planting her knees of either side of his hips. Godric, he was hard, and the feel of her scantily clad bum on the backs of his thighs, even through his pants, was not helping.

"We'll get to that bit later…right now, you need to relax. I ache too." He jumped a bit, as the cold lotion hit the skin of his back, but the warm touch of her hands smoothing it over his tense muscles soon overcame him, and he couldn't help but relax, his mouth open against the comforter of the bed, practically drooling with pleasure as she rubbed his shoulders, his neck, his back.

"That feels good, I can tell. I think the potion is working. Fascinating."

And it was. He could feel pressure on his hands when she pushed against a knot in under his shoulder bone, almost as though he was rubbing something. He also began to realize that the subtle motion of her pelvis pressed against his rear was causing her to be nearly as aroused as he was. His eyes widened with the knowledge that he was feeling what she felt, and that she really wanted him. Neville Longbottom, hopeless, bumbling Neville.

"You aren't you know. Hopeless. You're really quite brave. Every bit as brave as Harry or Ron or…"

He flipped under her, almost causing her to fall, and he clutched her to him suddenly, crushing her mouth in a heated kiss. He loved her, he loved her so much.

"Your turn, my dear." He nodded at the bed, and she moved off of him, lying down on the bed. As he grabbed the lotion, she undid the back clasp of her bra, leaving her back bare from neck to waist. He acted braver than he felt, and pushed his pants down, leaving him in nothing but his boxers, tented out in front of him with the sight of her lying on his bed, waiting for him to touch her.

He mimicked her actions, straddling her thighs, and gasping slightly at the sensation of his cock rubbing her derriere. His eyes glazed a bit, as he realized she had felt him against her and had been quite as excited as he was at the contact. Determined to give her pleasure, he rubbed lotion on his hands, and massaged away the light red mark from the elastic of her brassiere, and bit his lip as she squirmed against him in pleasure.

"Oh, that's nice, Neville. I really do hate those things. A wizard could make a pretty penny if they came up with a charm to replace them." He loved the feel of his hands on her, the unrestricted access to such an expanse of her skin. He could feel a gently push along his own back, and was amazed again at whatever this potion was that Hermione and Ginny had discovered. To know for certain that she was enjoying his touch gave him a confidence that he had lacked up until now whenever he had wanted to go farther than kissing her.

He forged ahead, and leaned into her, pressing his hardness more firmly against her bum, and letting his hands inside the loose fabric of her unclasped bra, touching the sides of her breasts. Her shoulders came off the bed in encouragement, and he reached around her full, massaging her small breasts in his hands, touching her hardened nipples and gasping at the electricity that pulsed through him with her response to his touch there.

She squirmed again, panting, pushing back against his cock, and suddenly he was aware of how very wet she was, her panties soaked with her arousal at his touch. He scooted back, and pulled the fabric with him, revealing her lovely bum and the patch of golden hair hidden beneath the blue panties. She flipped over and threw off the rest of her bra, and opened her arms to him.

"Please?" She asked, her voice small and unsure, so unlike her normally blunt and certain self.

He lay down beside her, and ran a hand over her, touching her nakedness lightly, over shoulders, breasts, stomach, hips and thighs, appreciation glowing in his eyes. Her skin felt like it was on fire, and he could trace the sensations she experienced through progress of that fire over his one body. She arched against his hand as he lightly covered her swollen labia, bringing his fingers into contact with a slick wetness that made him so excited her could barely breathe.

Trying desperately to recall anything he had read, he stroked against her folds, and swore lightly as he felt his cock throb with pleasure, and Luna emit a breathy, "Oh!" He didn't think he would be able to hold out for more than a moment inside her, if this was how good he felt just from touching her. His finger brushed a hardened nub, and he grunted in response to her mewling cry of pleasure.

Don't worry, Neville. I'll be fine. I want this too. He was going mad. He was hearing voices. But he looked into her eyes, and realized that she had been speaking to him in his thoughts.

"Accio boxers." Luna whispered. And Neville was shocked as his underwear was whisked off his legs and flew up to Luna's outstretched hand.

"Much better." She nodded, dropping the shorts. Before he could form a thought to question how she had managed that bit of magic without her want, she had stroked the tip of his cock with her fingers, and all thought left him for a moment.

"Luna, you're going to drive me crazy." His fingers were still touching her, and he began to explore, strumming against her clit, and relishing the jerk of her hips against his hand. She continued to stroke him, and he forced himself to focus on her, curiously driving him to run and finger deeper, seeking the entrance that must be there.

She shook beneath him, and he knew that it was not pain, but awed delight that filled her as his finger sank into her vagina. Her hand fell away from him, and she gripped the comforter in her hands, arching against him. She was hot, and wet, and….holy Merlin, he wanted to be inside her.

She brought a leg up, opening wider, the gleaming pink tissue incredibly alluring as he stared down between their bodies. She wrapped her leg around his thighs, bring him closer to her, and he could not longer resist the demands of his body, however noble he tried to be. He settled between her thighs, and removed his fingers from her. Rolling back his foreskin, he held himself against her folds, and slowly sank his cock into her, and she gripped his hips, her fingers digging into his skin in eagerness.

Yes. It felt so, so good. He wasn't sure if it was his own thoughts or hers that he felt, but he was swamped with the dual feeling of her warm walls sliding against him and the sensation of being slowly filled. His toes curled as he forced himself to go slowly, and when he ran into a hard barrier, he swallowed nervously, knowing that there was no way not to cause pain.

Now. He thrust, and they both cried out, the sharp tearing pain filling both their minds for a moment. He gritted his teeth, and bent over her, holding her to him in comfort, just as much for himself as for her. His lips brushed her ear. "I love you, Luna Lovegood."

"I know." He could feel her smile. "That was not as bad as I had feared. You can move now, if you want to. I don't mind."

The urgency that had driven him had been somewhat lessened by the bout of pain, so though he was still caught within her tightness, he was able to fight against his instinct to move. He pushed up on to his hands, and winced at the pleasure-pain of sensation radiated from where they joined. He looked down into Luna's wide eyes, and bent to kiss her, to stir the passion that he'd seen in her eyes just minutes ago. The kiss was lush, overpowering, with the onslaught of being kisser and kissed all at once.

She jerked her hips in response, and they both groaned, this time in pleasure. More. He moved his hips, and it was better, more pleasure, less pain. His control came from her discomfort, her pleasure from his pleasure. Soon discomfort was forgotten as they were both swept up in the relentless driving motion that made up the physical act of love. Climax burst upon them together, white hot in its power to fragment the senses and fill the soul.

Afterward, Neville caressed the side of Luna's face, still awestruck that she had given him such a gift. He felt he could never he parted from this woman, and he kicked himself that he could have ever imagined himself with another woman from the moment he first saw her.

She smiled her dreamy smile, "That's all right, Neville. I know you used to fancy Ginny." He shook his head, but she went on. "I fancied Ron at one point. Don't know what I ever saw in him. Used to chase him around like a lovesick nurgle. Quite ridiculous. I'm much happier with you." She lay her head on his chest, and he stroked her hair, contentment filling him. Her earrings, little enchanted flutterby bush flowers that he had given her for her birthday a month previously, shook lightly where they brushed his skin.

I like being here, it's quite comfortable actually. He smiled in response to her thoughts.

And I hope you'll visit more often.

Then, when he was almost asleep, an odd filmy mist seemed to seep into his eyes, and he no longer saw the Gryffindor red canopy of his bed, but a dimly lit kitchen table, surrounded by members of the Order. Harry, and Lupin and Tonks, and…there was a bird carrying a package, and then a vial of potion, and Harry pulled out his wand, and destroyed the thing with a Reducto curse. A sense of dread filled him, that this was a very, very bad idea. He heard the unearthly laughter of his nemesis, Bellatrix Lestrange, and he knew he had to do something.

Luna rolled off of him, and stared into his eyes. "We've got to warn them! Or it will be too late…"

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"Thank you, Molly, but I think we'd prefer speed above anything else. Especially in the middle of a war. You and Madame Delacour achieved a fantastic event, really, but I think we'd like something simple. At least, until my Mum finds out about it…" Tonks bit her lip, and Remus Lupin gave a little smile at that familiar gesture on the part of the woman he loved.

He really didn't want to interrupt the discussion. Molly had been so pleased for them, and Tonks had glowed with happiness, but, it needed to be said. He cleared his throat. "Umm…ladies…I…I hate to be a spoilsport, but I doubt we can obtain a license anyway. I…I wasn't really thinking clearly I suppose."

Tonks looked a bit dumbstruck, and the look of sadness that followed nearly broke his heart.

"Nonsense. That is a whole lot of nonsense, Remus. We'll simply do a Lifebond Test. They can't argue then. The Ministry can't really do a thing about it."

Remus blinked, amazed that he had not thought of such a thing himself. He opened his mouth to say something, but was cut off.

"Oh, Mrs. Weasley, I would really like to see that. Can anyone do a Lifebond Test? I thought it could only happen at certain ceremonies? It's only in that one wedding planner book that Phlegm…I mean Fleur had lying about." Hermione Granger, carrying a stack of books, had walked in, followed by Ron, carrying even more books, Harry, and Ginny.

"Ginny! Oh Ginny!" Mrs. Weasley descended in a rush, and hugged her youngest tightly.

"Mum, mum, let me breath!" Ginny said jokingly.

"It's just so good to see you, Ginny. I've been so worried. I…I thought that you had some way of getting between school and Grimmauld, but I wasn't sure."

Ginny flushed slightly, and Remus observed Harry running a nervous hand through his hair. He wondered just how much Molly had guess about the activities of her youngest children and their chosen partners.

"It's good I've made enough lunch for everyone then. I should whip up something special though. Nymphadora…"

"Tonks!"

"Tonks and Remus have just announced they are getting married! Isn't that wonderful!"

Hermione and Ginny proceeded to squeal, and Harry and Ron looked slightly nervous, and then proceeded to congratulate him with manly pats on the back.

"Excellent, Moony, I'm sure you'll be very happy." Harry smiled, and stole a glance at Ginny, who was looked at him with a slightly wistful expression.

"Yeah, we thought that the potion would work out well. You look much better than usual mate. Ow!" Hermione had elbowed Ron in the ribs, and mouthed "No potion" while gesturing toward Molly, who fortunately was still busy sizing up Harry and Ginny.

Hermione was still angling for an answer to her question, and asked Remus instead. "So, would a Lifebond allow you to get married, despite the Ministry laws on werewolfs?"

"Yes, I think. But it's really quite rare you know. Bill and Fleur were quite lucky really."

Harry had wandered over, picking up a roll from the table. "Was that the little bit in the wedding with the blue light? I..I wasn't paying attention much."

Remus chuckled. In truth, every time he'd looked at Harry, Harry was staring with sad, longing eyes at Ginny, who had been lovely in a gold bridesmaid dress, and managed to not look at him throughout the whole ceremony. At least, not when Harry would notice. Tonks answered Harry. "Yes, before almost any wizarding wedding, the couple is tested for a Lifebond. They are really pretty rare, what with there being so few wizards. It's a sign of a lasting…umm…fruitful bond. It's so strong, that the Ministry really couldn't try and object, since they can't really prevent it. It's like the couple have been married since they were born."

"Arthur and I have one." Molly smiled. "And we've had more children than any wizarding couple in generations." Remus had a sudden flash of Tonks heavily pregnant, and was filled with a longing he hadn't even realized he had. If he was free of his horrible transformations, if he now had a hope for a normal lifespan, and the ability to control the wolf….he could really have a family. She flashed him a huge smile, obviously reading his mind, and his heart jumped a bit. If we both make it through this war, we'll have a dozen, I swear.

She winked at him. A lovely brood of multicolor werewolf cubs (A.N. sorry, but I had to work that lovely phrase in here somewhere!) Tonks then turned to Hermione. "I don't think we'll need to have a big fancy ceremony for a Lifebond Trial, though I'm sure my mother would love to do something…."

Remus let his thoughts drift away from the conversation. He really didn't want to think of what Andromeda Tonks was going to think of her lovely young daughter Lifebonded to a destitute werewolf a decade her senior. He flinched as Tonks kicked him under the table, no doubt catching a whiff of his self-deprecating thoughts. Remus had once had dinner with Andromeda and her family, and he remembered Tonks when she was a young child, and he was in the later years of Hogwarts. Sirius had long abandoned his family, and Andromeda had been the only relative who would still talk to the Black who was in Gryffindor.

His thoughts drifted sadly to Sirius, and how much he wished Sirius might stand up with him at his wedding or bonding ceremony or whatever it was to be, as he and Sirius had done for James and Lily. He glanced at the full table, which Sirius should have headed, and which Hermione and Harry were setting for lunch. Ginny was asking more questions of Tonks and Molly, and Ron…Ron was doing something very odd. He was reading….well, maybe he was just trying to avoid a conversation about something dangerously close to weddings, but his brilliant red hair was buried in a book, Merlin and a Journey Through Time. In fact, most of the stack that Hermione and Ron had been lugging about seemed to have something to do with Merlin. A Life of Merlin, Merlin and the Power UnRevealed, Merlin Mysterious….

What did Merlin have to do with finding a Horcrux? He asked a question in a low tone, unsure how much Molly was aware of what the young people were doing. "Ron, that's an interesting book you have there….have you found anything interesting about Merlin that might relate to…to our present situation."

Ron looked up suddenly, his face stained with a slight blush. He looked pleased to have something to focus on instead of emotional topics. "Umm…right. Well, not so much about the Hor…" he looked at his mother, "…about those things we were looking for, but maybe about…the abilities that we seem to have acquired lately. There was a mention in one of Hermione's books that Merlin may have experimented with something similar. There was even a mention that he traveled through a Veil of some sort…."

"What!" Water splashed the table as Harry dropped his wand in the midst of filling water glasses. Everyone's attention turned to him. "Merlin managed to pass through a Veil?"

"Oh, Harry, we never got to tell you….Ron found something really interesting about Merlin using some power linked to love in order to cross through a Veil…"

"Then, you mean, we could bring back Sirius? Dumbledore?" Harry asked, his eyes suddenly eager. Ginny went to grip his hand, an action that Molly noted. Remus felt his stomach clench, and a tiny hope rise that perhaps his best friend, and even his mentor, were not lost to them completely.

Hermione bit her lip. "Well, the one book said that it was the Veil of Time…and that it went terribly wrong, and Merlin started aging backward after he tried."

"But he lived, didn't he?" Harry was insistent, clutching at some progress, at something good.

Ron answered. "Yes…and, and he said that the spell hadn't worked right anyway. That he hadn't harnessed the full extent of the power of…of love."

"It's not the Veil of Time in the Department of Mysteries." Remus interjected, his heart heavy. "It's the Veil of Death. Dumbledore named it on the night that Sirius…passed through."

There was a deafening silence to this statement. Ginny was the one to break it. "Could we at least talk to someone in it? Harry and Luna said they heard voices. Maybe we could talk to Sirius, or Dumbledore…."

"And he wants to get out!" Harry spoke up again, "I dreamt it last night. Dumbledore was trying to tell me something…and Sirius was there, saying that he was coming, that he was almost there."

Everyone at the table stared open-mouthed at Harry. The Boy-Who-Lived had had too many dreams that turned out to have significance for them to immediately discount his dream as wishful thinking. They all started to talk at once.

"What was Dumbledore trying…" said Hermione.

"Do you think it was You-Know-Who again?" said Mrs. Weasley.

"Are you sure, Harry? Are you sure?" Remus whispered, though it seemed to be the loudest statement in the room. "Are you sure he's still there, he hasn't moved on?"

Silence reigned again. But it didn't last, there was a loud tapping at the tiny kitchen window up toward the ceiling of the basement kitchen.

"An owl? At this hour?" Molly bustled over to the window, sliding the catch. In flew a giant bird, bright blue and iridescent green, from some far off exotic land. It was just like the birds Sirius had used to send when he was first in hiding, wherever Dumbledore had sent him. When it passed through the window, a sound like the pealing of over a hundred klaxons, filled the room, and everyone stood up, dishes clattering to the floor as seven wands were raised and pointed at the invading creature.

The bird fluttered over the kitchen table, obviously in distress and the deafening sound of alarms, but it did nothing particularly evil, other than hover, holding in its claws a package with a note tied to it.

Remus muttered an incantation, and the alarms died down. Dobby appeared, in obvious distress at the noise, "What be the matter? What has happened!"

"Snape." Said Remus, his voice icy cold. "Something from this bird has been touched by Severus Snape.

Harry raised his wand, ready to blast a hex at the exotic creature that was surely something evil, when the kitchen fireplace turned green, and Neville Longbottom stuck his head through. "Don't touch it! Don't do anything, we'll get there as soon as we can. It's very important." With a pop, he was gone, leaving everyone in the kitchen thoroughly confused. The bird fluttered down on to the table, obviously exhausted, and plunked its beak into a goblet of water, drinking with relish and oblivious to the seven wizards surrounding it with death on their minds.