Author's Note: I've taken a few… creative liberties with Hermione's injury. According to OOTP, there was no mark, no scar, just a lot of pain and a regimen of ten different potions to heal it. A lot of stories I've read say that it's given her a scar, and I've always kind of imagined it to be true. So, in short, we're working from my headcanon and not actual canon. Sorry if that disappoints you!
Also, just a heads up, this has a pretty heavy Harmony/Pumpkin Pie/HHr/whatever-you-want-to-call-it component. If that doesn't float your boat, I won't be offended if you pass this chapter by. I can promise the next installment will be far more focused on our lovely Luna and Ginny. That said, I hope you enjoy this one all the same!
Warning: discussion of canon battle and the aftermath thereof; strong emotional content
Ginny was walking her client out—Merlin, it was the fifth pair of little girl ears she'd done this week, which is not what she'd expected when they'd opened the shop—when she heard voices coming from the consultation area. She glanced at the clock on the wall. She'd had the last client on the books for today, and they were set to close in twenty minutes. Surely Luna wouldn't want to stay late tonight. Maybe someone just wanted to talk for a minute about an idea…
After dropping the money in the till, Ginny sidled up to the curtain. Inside, she heard a familiar voice ask about her, and she shoved back the strands of beads without another thought.
"Hermione! What are you doing here? I thought we weren't doing dinner with you and Harry until next week," Ginny exclaimed. She glanced down at her jumper and jeans—definitely not appropriate for the restaurant they had picked out.
"Breathe, Gin," Hermione said with a chuckle. "I'm just here for a chat with you and Luna."
She raised an eyebrow. "You don't usually come into the consultation space to chat."
Hermione rolled her eyes. "I've been mulling over getting a particular tattoo for years, and after seeing the one Luna did for Harry, I've decided it's time. I'm just a bit… nervous. I wanted to learn everything I could about the process beforehand, and I really don't want the entire world to know about it because it's not something I'm comfortable bringing up with just anyone. Luna has so graciously agreed to stay late to talk me through the process and help me decide on a final design. I'm hoping she can start on the actual tattoo tomorrow."
"That sounds about right," Ginny said with a wide smile. "Well, I'll leave you to it while I clean up." She had already pushed back the beaded strands when Hermione's voice stopped her.
"Would you mind coming back when you're done? I'd like your opinion, too."
Ginny turned to look at her. Hermione's eyes steady, but there was something in her expression that piqued Ginny's curiosity.
"Of course. I'll only be a minute."
Ginny bustled about the shop, casting the appropriate cleaning charms on what she could and setting the brooms, rags, and mops in motion to take care of the rest. She locked the front door with a flick of her wrist, and her routine was finished.
When she made it back to the consultation area, Hermione was chatting lightly with Luna about some article in last quarter's edition of Journal of Runic Enchantment. She took a seat in the empty client chair and waited for them to finish their conversation.
"Well, I guess we can get on with what I came here for." Hermione sighed. "I want a tattoo around the scar I got in the Department of Mysteries."
Ginny's memory of that night was still incredibly vivid. Hermione hadn't looked hurt when Dolohov's curse hit her, and it hadn't left any immediate mark. It was only after Hermione started taking the litany of healing potions that a mark even began to appear. The more of those healing potions she took—the more she internally recovered—the more the curse marked her externally. When she was finished, she was left with an angry red mark that initially caused her a lot of pain. Ginny remembered seeing it a few times when Hermione stayed at the Burrow. The wound, which ran from her right hip to below her left breast, had made the redhead shudder back then.
Luna looked at her friend warily. "I don't know that I've seen it since it healed and became a scar. Let me have a look at what I'd be working with."
Hermione stood and removed her shirt.
At the sight of it, Ginny felt herself flinch, and Luna sucked in a breath.
The scar wasn't red or angry anymore. Instead, the long, jagged streak was a pinkish white, with defined edges that didn't feather or branch off from the main line. It was better than Ginny remembered, but it still looked months rather than over a decade old.
"Yeah, Harry still has a similar reaction whenever he sees it," the brunette said with a humorless laugh. "The curse was quite dark, which means this is probably as much as it will ever heal. It doesn't hurt anymore, but it's still rather jarring to see, especially for Harry. I'm hoping this will assuage some of his guilt, or at least make him realize I'm not ashamed of it. I want to show him I've never regretted standing with him."
Luna looked at her canvas for another long moment before her shoulders sagged. "I hate to tell you this, Hermione, but I don't think I can tattoo over it. I've tried to ink over a few scars from dark magic, and not only is it incredibly painful, oftentimes the ink doesn't take well the first time. With a scar that large… I'm sorry, I don't think it's a good idea."
Hermione shook her head. "You're misunderstanding. I don't want to cover it up. I want to work around it and incorporate it into the design."
A grin stretched across Luna's face as she considered the idea. "Now that is an interesting concept. What did you have in mind?"
"I brought some pictures and a few rough sketches." Hermione pulled a stack of paper out of her bag. "Just don't judge me for my lack of drawing ability, okay? I never claimed to be an artist."
Luna took the sketches from her and shared them with Ginny. She'd drawn a few crude, pinkish flowers branching off her scar, like blooms on a tree limb. When Luna flipped to the photos, Ginny recognized them immediately.
"They're cherry blossoms," Hermione explained. "They're symbols of—"
"Beauty and strength and the brevity of human life," Ginny quoted.
When the other two brilliant witches shot her surprised looks, she smirked. "Neville was talking about them the other day. I do pick up on things, you know."
"I think this is a wonderful idea," Luna said. "I love that by using your scar as the tree branch, you aren't hiding it. The juxtaposition with the tattoo will simply highlight the love and personal strength it took to receive and bear the scar. A daily reminder of life's fleeting nature and the need to take it by the horns."
"My thoughts precisely," Hermione replied.
One side of Ginny's mouth quirked up. "Plus, it's going to look beautiful and badass."
Hermione arrived the next day just as Ginny was flipping the paper sign to Closed.
"No Harry?" she asked, leading her friend down the hallway.
Hermione chewed her lip. "I actually haven't told him about any of this. I want it to be a surprise."
Luna met them at the door to her workspace and gave Hermione a big hug. "Are you excited? Or nervous?"
"I think both would apply here," she replied with an anxious chuckle.
Ginny stayed and held Hermione's hand through the process, which took quite a bit longer than they'd initially planned. But it was all worth it for the joy on Hermione's face when she saw her tattoo.
"I can't believe I actually did that!" Hermione laughed as Luna wrapped her mid-section with plastic. "I love it! Thank you so much, Luna."
The blonde hugged her shoulder. "I'm so glad I could do this for you. Just remember what we talked about last night—"
"Keep it moisturized, don't pick off the scabs, no magic applied directly to it, come back for a follow up in two weeks," Hermione recited.
"Exactly!"
At that moment, they heard the Floo chime.
Ginny's brow furrowed. "What the—"
"Gin? Luna?" Harry's voice bellowed through the shop. "Have you seen Hermione?"
"We're back here!" Luna called.
"Sweet Merlin," Hermione muttered, tugging her shirt back on. "I thought I'd have some time to warm him up to the idea before I just showed it to him."
Ginny smirked. "Seems there's no time like the present."
Harry barreled into the small room. "Hermione, what the hell? You said you'd be home hours ago. I was afraid something had happened to you."
"Relax, Harry. My visit just took a little longer than planned."
He scrubbed a hand down his face. "And none of you could have sent a Patronus or Flooed to let me know?"
The three ladies had the good grace to look a bit abashed.
"I'm sorry, we were just in the middle of something," Hermione said. "I didn't think of how it would look to you."
"It's alright," Harry said. "I probably overreacted a bit. Work's got me a bit on edge lately. But what were you doing over here so late? Ginny and Luna could easily have just come over to ours."
Hermione visibly steeled herself and then lifted her shirt. "This."
Harry stared at the tattoo for a long moment before falling to his knees at Hermione's feet. When he pressed his forehead into her stomach, just below the scar, she slowly ran a hand through his hair. Ginny felt as though she was intruding on a terribly intimate moment, but she couldn't pull herself away.
"What do you think?" Hermione whispered.
"I think it's beautiful," he breathed. "I think you're beautiful, and I love you. I hate that you're saddled with this because of me, but I love that you've gotten Luna to turn it into something so amazing."
She harrumphed. "I'm proud of this scar and what it represents. When you went through hell, I stood with you, and I'd do it a hundred times over."
Harry pressed a light kiss into one of the blossoms. "The flower that blooms in adversity is the most rare and beautiful of all."
"I thought you fell asleep when we watched that film!"
"How could I?" Harry said, standing and taking her hand. "That girl reminded me so much of you."
They shared a look so intense that it almost knocked Ginny back.
"As lovely as this has been, why don't you two love birds head on home?" Luna asked dryly.
For the first time since he'd seen the tattoo, Harry seemed to remember they had an audience. "Oh, uh, hi, Luna, Gin. Yeah, we'll just do that. Lovely to, um, see you both."
As he tugged Hermione out of the room, she laughed heartily. "We'll see you two next week?"
"Of course." Ginny smirked. "That is, of course, if Harry lets you out of bed."
"Shut up, Gin!" Harry yelled.
As Ginny and Luna shared a giggle, they heard their friends Floo home.
"Never a dull moment around here, eh?" Ginny said as they cleaned up before leaving.
Luna nodded. "I suppose. I really enjoy those kinds of surprises, though."
"Well, I've got one more for you." Ginny pulled a Muggle cooler from beneath the front counter and opened it to reveal a bag of ripe, juicy cherries. She held one up and said, "I had these on the brain all night after talking with Hermione, so I popped out to get them earlier today. Want one?"
Luna plucked it out of her hand and popped it in her mouth. "Don't mind if I do."
After they'd both eaten a handful, Ginny leaned over and kissed her girlfriend. It was slow and sweet and tasted of cherries and something innately Luna. In other words, absolutely perfect.
Stacked with: FPC; BAON; STL; Star; SF; ER; Shipping War; Summer Bingo
Individual Challenges: Short Jog; The 3rd Rule (Y); Lovely Triangle; Gryffindor MC (x3); Ravenclaw MC; Red Moon Quindrabble; Seeds; Witches Coven 2; Flags and Ribbons (Y); Inks & Stinks (Y); Times to Come (Y); Shipmas (Y); Themes & Things A—Love (Y); Themes & Things B—Guilt (Y); Themes & Things C—Flowers (Y)
Representations: Luna Lovegood x Ginny Weasley; Hermione Granger; Harry Potter; First Tattoo; Working Through Things
Bonus Challenges: Second Verse (Ladylike; Not a Lamp; Nontraditional; Clio's Conclusion); Chorus (Endless Wonder; Odd Feathers; Wabi Sabi; Fizzy Lemonade; A Long Dog; Unicorn)
Tertiary Bonus Challenges: O3 (Orator; Oath); T3 (Thimble); FR (Satisfaction)
Word Count: 1910
Shipping War
Ship (Team): Luna Lovegood/Ginny Weasley (Dreamy Redhead)
List (Prompt): Summer Micro 2 (Fruit/Berries)
Summer Bingo
Space Address (Prompt): 2A (Red)