A/N: I don't own Harry Potter
This is for the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry
Word count: 827
Luna pressed her fingertips to the ground, the dry dirt starting to crumble beneath her touch. A smile spread across her face. They had been here, she was certain of it. These tracks proved it. She grabbed her camera from the pouch around her waist and snapped a few photographs. She had a feeling they'd say these prints were nothing more than some random depressions in the sand, but Luna knew the truth. She rose to her feet, shading her eyes with her hand. The sky was a brilliant shade of blue, not marred by a single cloud.
The watch around her wrist chirped, reminding her that it was Valentine's Day. That fact knocked the smile from her face for a moment. She'd planned on spending the day with Lucius, planned on having dinner with him, then using one of the many bedrooms of their manor. The whole expedition had gone off the rails around mid January.
Luna'd written Lucius and he'd told her to keep at it, that he'd see her when she got back. He always was so good about letting her have this part of her life. Shaking her head, she tucked her camera back away and started walking towards the temporary shelter she'd set up. The rest of her team had headed back on the first, leaving her here for now. She knew she was close and didn't want to give up, not yet.
She reached the tan tent, pushed open the door and set her pack on the plastic white table she'd bought at a muggle store. It was made to be semi-portable and easy to clean. Grabbing a bottle of water from the ice chest, Luna took a long drink thinking about her next move. She could follow the tracks until they disappeared completely into the desert.
She could hope there was some new sign, a new trail to follow, or she could finally give in and head back home. She'd gathered enough to proof to prove the Banded Cats existed. That would be enough for the article, but if she could just see one, that would make all the trouble feel worth it. Luna leaned on her elbows, reviewing the photographs in the camera when the sound of buzzing outside the tent caught her attention.
Putting the camera back down, she stepped out and looked around. The blue sky was filled with black specks. She squinted, looking up at them. At first, she thought they might be vultures or some other sort of bird, but they didn't move like birds. She blinked, wondering if it as a trick of the light that one of them was coming closer, getting larger until Luna realized it was a person on a broom. The person landed and pulled off the leather helmet. Luna burst out laughing when she saw the girl's long red hair.
"Ginny! What are you doing out here?" Luna asked, hugging her friend tightly.
"Delivering a message, look up," Ginny said. Luna's eyes turned back to the sky. The other fliers, the rest of the Holyhead Harpies, were spelling out words in the sky.
"I love you, Luna," Luna read, her eyes filling with tears of joy.
"Lucius sent us, well, he paid us to come out here so you'd know he hadn't forgotten about Valentine's Day. He also gave me this to give you,"Ginny said, pulling a heart shaped box from her pocket. She handed it to Luna.
"He said to tell you that it's a portkey, straight to the master suite of the manor. All you have to do to activate it is say his nickname. I do not want to know what it is. He also said he'd return you to this exact spot tomorrow morning," Ginny added, rolling her eyes as Luna burst out laughing.
"Thank you, Ginny. I have no idea how I could ever repay you for doing this for us."
"You're my best friend, Luna. I'd do this for nothing. We've got to get going, but happy Valentine's Day," Ginny said, sliding her helmet back on and taking to the skies again. Luna waved until Ginny and the rest of the Harpies were out of sight. She smiled, looking at the box. Lucius certainly had a way to make a girl feel loved.
"Lulu," she whispered, causing the box to start to glow. She smiled as she felt the tugging on her navel as the portkey activated. As she was pulled from the campsite, a movement caught the corner of her eye. There on the edge of the ridge, a Banded Cat was slinking out of the shadows chasing a mouse. Luna's smile widened realizing she now knew exactly where to find the cat tomorrow, after she'd spent the night with the man she loved.
"Definitely the best Valentine's Day ever," she whispered as the manor came into focus around her, Lucius laying across the bed holding a red rose between his teeth.