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Hermione stared blankly at the girl, her jaw slack with surprise. Whatever she was expecting, it hadn't been that.

"What exactly do you think it is that I can do to help you?" Hermione asked archly, fearing the answer.

"Well," Astoria gulped and repositioned herself on the cushioned chair. "I need to disappear. Into the muggle world."

Preparing to be asked to help Astoria terminate her pregnancy, Hermione was shocked into silence.

It took a few tries of opening and closing her mouth as she thought through the request. "Why?"

Astoria raised one perfect eyebrow, as though the answer should be obvious. "Perhaps because it's the only place no one that knows me or would ever find me?"

"That makes sense, I guess," Hermione allowed, her shoulders finally dropping in agreement. "Does Neville know?"

Astoria looked exceptionally pained by her question, her lips twisting into a frown.

"I take it that's a no. Why?"

"Until we can be together, there's too much risk; he isn't good with Occlumency."

"And you think there's a real possibility that there's someone who wants to hurt you and would?" Hermione asked, hardly able to believe it was a likely scenario.

The Slytherin studied the Gryffindor's face very carefully, measuring her potential ally. "The war may be over, but you and I both know that the aftermath is far from."

Hermione rubbed her hands across her face, suddenly weary, feeling far older than she was, burdened with first-hand knowledge of just how deeply prejudices ran in their world. "Fair."

"So, you'll help me?" the girl asked, the tiniest of sparkles returning to her eyes; it was hope.

Hermione turned her gaze back to the smooth, wooden table, her brain already trying to consider the best course of action. "Yes," she agreed quietly and reached to tug on her hair in thought. "Do you have any sort of plan laid out at all?"

Hermione returned to her room, automatically checking to see if her wards had been broached. Pleased to find she was alone, the witch passed through the solid stone wall and set her books, notes, and beaded bag onto one of her desks and sat down to work.

The rain slapping against the window was too loud, then the sound dampening charm too strong and her room too quiet. She was too hot, too cold. Her ability to focus was simply not with her.

Hermione heaved a frustrated sigh while she worked through the feelings that were nagging at her brain, and eventually determined the problem.

It's time to confront Luna.

She grabbed a fresh sheet of parchment and quill, opened her ink and placed it to the paper.

L,

I can't believe you didn't

How could you lie about something like

I know we haven't always been close but I thought we were

Would a warning have been too much to ask? I mean, this is just so much

I think it's clear exactly what I'm referring to and how I'm feeling about it. Is there any chance you could reserve a room in Hogsmeade so we can discuss things?

M

She performed a drying charm to the ink, folded the stiff parchment, and slipped it into an envelope before sealing it with wax and a seal of her own design. Old habits dying hard, Hermione couldn't resist adding anti-tampering charms that, on top of wiping her parchment clean, would render anyone other than Luna with a wicked case of slug-vomit.

Thanks, Draco for inciting Ron's anger, I suppose.

She paused, pondering her line of thinking; since when did Hermione Granger aim her gratitude at Draco over one of her own friends?

Curious.

Deciding it was better to not dwell on thoughts better left alone, she shifted her focus back to the tomes on wizarding pregnancies, the titles of which included classics like "What to Expect When You're Expecting a Magical Baby", and the much less kind, "From Forgetting Your Conception Charm to Cuddling Your Crying Child".

"Could you not stare at her like that?" Draco asked his dark, lean friend acidly.

"Listen, mate," Blaise nudged his easiest target, "I don't get what the big deal is, I mean, she's single, and she's fit as fuck. I know it's hard to understand how I might feel, but just think about it for a minute," he goaded Draco evilly, knowing full well Draco had indeed thought about it.

"Pulling her nose out of those books," Theo drawled slowly, twirling his glasses in thought. "Shaking loose her grip on control, unraveling the mystery that is Hermione Granger."

"You are so absolutely disgusting," Draco snapped quickly. "I mean, really, as if you would-."

"Oh, I would," Blaise breathed slowly. "Over and over."

"Second," Theo chimed in before crushing a grape in his mouth and swallowing it down. "I mean, can you imagine? The tightly wound truly shatter the most beautifully."

"For the love of-"

"Draco, mate, if you can't get beyond the silly pure-blood nonsense, there really is no hope for you, is there?" Blaise pressed him with a grin.

"I mean," Theo cut in before their friend could respond. "You know as well as I that the muggleborn eradication agenda was merely a means for V to gain power and money; a foothold among the prejudiced elite. Well, that, and he hated himself."

"Granted," Blaise continued, his tone actually saddened, "what happened is an absolute travesty; point is, you know as well as we just how deluded pure-blood purity really is."

"Obviously," Draco snarled, beginning to become truly worked up, pink spreading across his porcelain complexion. "I just-, it's Granger, after all. The very thought is just so disgus-."

"So help me, Draco," Astoria spun in her seat to face long-time friend. "If you finish that thought, I will blast that smug smirk permanently off your face."

"Touchy," Blaise cooed condescendingly. "Don't tell us you would enjoy Granger as well– I'd be happy to share but didn't think you were the type."

"I'm the type," Theo cut in with a grin.

"You have no idea how touchy I am," the girl answered through gritted teeth, rage reaching her eyes.

Realising what dangerous territory they were treading in, Theo decided to advise his friends. "Ease up. Tori's been through a lot."

"No shit," Draco muttered darkly and turned back to his plate of food.

"Sorry, Tor," Blaise offered quickly. "I know things have been hard since Daphne."

Draco flicked his eyes to her face and almost imperceptibly, shook her head in the negative.

Without another word, Draco left his seat in the Great Hall and headed to the library. He holed up in Astoria's favorite study room: it had been enchanted to be reminiscent of a forest in autumn, leaves on the trees falling occasionally, the later evening bringing with it a few owls, ever watchful.

She joined him about a half-hour later with an apologetic smile. "Sorry, I needed to finish eating. After that, I had to shake Blaise and Theo off of apologizing for the Daph thing, and then, you know, it actually brought it all back and–" she explained, tears filling her eyes at the mention of her sister.

Draco jumped up to wrap his arms around the girl he had come to view as a little sister. "I know, Tori, I know," he murmured quietly, running one hand down her back soothingly. "And don't be sorry for needing to eat; you need to keep that baby fed, too."

List of books and information she would need to be retrieved from the muggle world tucked safely inside her pockets, Hermione minced along a secret pathway through the grounds to Hogsmeade. While students weren't exactly allowed to leave the grounds at night, Hermione didn't exactly follow the rules anymore. She had the sense, however, to cast a few charms she had picked up while on the run; absolutely no one would be able to see or hear her, not unless she wanted them to.

She pushed open the door to the Hogshead Inn, a gust of wind and swirl of snow accompanying her. Aside from a few seemingly unsavory characters, the inn's dining room and bar was nearly empty of patrons, and those that were left weren't in any way concerned by the fact that the door had opened and closed on its own.

Up two flights of stairs and three doors down on the left, Hermione felt a subtle shift in the air, indicating the room on the other side had been warded extensively. She blew softly against the wood grain and the magical threads that composed the wards glittered like dew-covered spiderwebs, alerting Luna that she had arrived.

It took only a few moments for her to break them and slip inside before warding them in once more.

"Mia!" Luna breathed dreamily, tucking a loose wave of her silver locks behind her ear and squinted at her friend. "You seem to have rid yourself of the wrackspurts!"

"How, lovely," Hermione indulged her briefly with a smile. "Now," she readjusted her robes and took a roll of parchment from inside. "This is everything I'll need you to find me. Considering it's almost holidays you can owl them without raising suspicions."

"How thorough," the girl observed, her lips curving into a smile. "Or breezing through our reunion because you're still upset with me."

Hermione sat in the rickety chair at the too-short desk without being asked and turned a petulant face toward her friend. "You know full well it can be both."

A tinkling laugh burst through Luna's lips, sounding of windchimes and the gentle bubbling of a moonlit brook. It broke through the tension that had been hanging around them and Hermione was able to realize that her irritation may not be well placed.

"I'm sorry, Luna," Hermione whispered and smoothed her robes once more. "I just don't like being surprised."

"Oh, sweet Mia," Luna addressed her kindly. "I know, and for that I am sorry."

"But until Astoria knew what she wanted to do, it wasn't any of my business," Hermione pieced together quickly.

"Precisely."

Hermione nibbled on her lips and tapped the rolled parchment against her hand in thought. "You're a skilled Occlumens, then?"

"Natural defense," Luna answered mischievously.

Well, that's a nice bonus. Hermione thought with a mental roll of her eyes.

"It isn't all fun and laughs though, you know," Luna intuited her thoughts. "Prejudice. Never was able to take Ancient Runes."

"That elitist cunt," Hermione muttered darkly, wishing desperately the professor was still employed at Hogwarts. She had a few choice words saved up for her.

"Mia!" Luna chided her, but the look on her face was far from annoyance. The girl was positively gleeful to have found such loyalty in Hermione.

"I never thought about it," Hermione answered regretfully. "About the doors, I mean."

"Yeah, well, the ruin stones were placed as excavated relics; no one thought anything of it."

"Except Sirius and James," Hermione countered. "They went to Dumbledore, you know. Told him it was speciesism, aimed at Remus."

"Which of course led to absolutely no action at all."

The two witches shared a silent exchange; acknowledging each other's pain and anger, wrought by the hands of a man who thought himself so much larger than life itself.

Always above it all, unable to see he was right in the middle of it.

"Anyway," Hermione pressed on, hoping to divert herself from that line of thinking, "here's the list of supplies I'll need. The house elves will see that they are delivered to my private room."

Luna took the parchment from her and answered, "It was very thoughtful of McGonagall set that up."

"She knew I wanted to come back and did everything she could to make it as easy a transition as possible."

"And has it helped? The privacy?"

Hermione fidgeted with the hems of her sleeves in thought before answering, her eyes roaming to the ratty velvet hangings on the window. "A little."

"Not much," Luna clarified.

"I thought you were the optimist," Hermione answered dryly, meeting her friend's gaze.

The flickering candle lights warmed girl's silver eyes. It was there Hermione saw that some of her light, her glow, had left her. The orbs glued to hers shared her partial loss of conviction that regardless of circumstance, the world was a beautiful place and worth saving.

"I'm trying to be," the girl answered flatly.

"Is there…anything that can help with your specific issues?"

"Fae issues?" Luna considered for a few moments. "There aren't enough of us for me to know for certain; full-fae that are taken by darkness would simply become Shades. I don't know if or what I'll become."

Hermione shivered at the thought and was grateful her friend was still here.

"When a fae starts to change, we are to take to the enchanted ponds and streams where new, half, and full moon rituals can be performed."

"Have you been doing them?"

"Oh, yes," Luna answered quickly. "And I'm relatively certain it's the only thing keep the darkness at bay."

Hermione glanced at a gap in the draperies, the waning crescent hanging in the sky looked back at her.

Luna noticed her gaze and gave a sad smile. "Full to new is the longest stretch between them, hence my disposition."

Hermione thought for a few moments while the half-fae read through the list she had made.

"Luna," she started gently. "Have you considered therapy? For your witch half, I mean."

Luna studied her friend thoughtfully, a look of hope spreading across her face. "That's a wonderful idea, Mia! I've never considered it."

"Well, I'm glad I can do some good."

"You've done plenty good," Luna shot back automatically. "Are you feeling like you have to be doing, still?"

Hermione didn't answer her, her thoughts drifting to the cursed knives she kept stashed under the far pillow on her bed, along with the various spells and potions for battle magic kept on her at all times. She thought of how she still woke up in the night, a decorative jar filled with Peruvian Instant Darkness Powder clutched in her clammy hand, sweat dampening her thick curls. Even in sleep, where she was unable to escape her own mind, she was ready to make her exit.

Always ready.

Deciding she couldn't risk answering her friend without losing her grip on the present, Hermione shifted her focus back to Astoria's problem.

Suppose I do have to be doing things, then, she thought grimly and sighed.

"Astoria?"

"Right," Luna took the hint and returned to the list. "I'll be able to get all of these in muggle London?" she asked skeptically.

"Yes," Hermione answered with a grin. "I know you haven't been often, but the names and addresses of shops will be able to get you where you need to go. Let me know what day you plan on going and I'll arrange for a muggle driver to pick you up a short distance from The Leaky Cauldron."

Hermione reached into her robes once more and pulled out a wallet containing muggle money and a black credit card. "Use the card," she lifted it out of the wallet to show the girl, "on all purchases if you can. The clerks may tell you they don't accept cards." Hermione slid the card back in and fished out the notes. "These are pound notes. The different numbers indicate the value," she explained. "If a purchase comes to between twenty and twenty-five pounds, for example, you would pass the clerk both a twenty and a five-pound note."

"Just math, then," Luna answered her with a smile. "If I get confused?"

"There are no shops I'm sending you to that would short-change you, so if you need help, tell them you aren't from England."

Luna nodded happily, apparently excited about her shopping mission.

"Oh, and please feel free to get whatever you fancy as well," Hermione continued with a smile. "There's far more than enough muggle money and it isn't like you can use wizarding money- your day or days out are on me." She reached into her robes one final time and withdrew a pouch full of galleons.

"That's way too much, Mia," Luna breathed delicately, trying not to offend.

"You're risking a lot," Hermione countered with a frown. "I don't know that any amount would be enough- do you have Polyjuice on hand?"

"I do," Luna answered happily. "And hair. I got it from the sweetest-"

"Don't tell me how or whose," Hermione cut her off. "Best to go about this as quietly as possible."

The girl nodded with a grin. "I can be stealthy."

"I know you can," Hermione answered with a quirk of her lips, grateful to have the half-fae on their team.

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