I do not own Harry Potter or gain anything from writing this other than the opportunity of expanding on an already brilliant universe for my own entertainment, and hopefully yours.

CHAPTER 3 - NATURE

Other than his interactions with Tracey and Sue, Harry made sure to meet with some of his other prospects. He sat with Susan and Hannah at the Hufflepuff table occasionally during meals, and with Luna at the Ravenclaw table at other times. Luna was becoming especially affectionate, usually attempting to slide into his lap whenever he sat with her. This unfortunately made his attempts to flirt with Lisa Turpin and Mandy Brocklehurst somewhat difficult. Especially when it became obvious what Lisa and Mandy thought of Luna.

Most of the Ravenclaws seemed a little put out at Harry being friendly with Luna Lovegood actually. This made him rather sour toward the lot of them and just increased his affections for his favourite Ravenclaw. Apparently Harry Potter making out with Luna Lovegood in the middle of dinner became the talk of Hogwarts.

'Can I ask you something, Harry?' Luna asked Friday evening as walked her to Ravenclaw tower after supper.

'Sure, anything Luna,' Harry said easily.

'Do you like me?' Luna whispered.

'What?' Harry said in surprise. 'Of course I like you, Luna.'

'Then why do you flirt with other girls,' Luna sounded suddenly nervous. 'I thought maybe you wanted to be my - my boyfriend.'

Harry took the girl's hand and turned her towards him. He knew this was potentially going to be the hardest part of his plan. He didn't want to hurt anyone during this process but it seemed inevitable. Contrary to what he said to Hermione on the Hogwarts Express, he was using Luna, and he felt terrible for doing it. Making a quick decision, he pulled on Luna's hand and changed directions from where they were headed.

'I have something I need to tell you.'

Luna didn't respond but let Harry drag her along until they reached the seventh floor corridor with the tapestry of Barnabas the Barmy where he walked three times along the wall. When they entered the room there was only a simple two person loveseat with a table and fireplace.

Harry sat Luna down beside him and pulled the book about souls from the Black library out of his bag.

'Luna,' he began with a sigh, 'what I'm about to tell you can't leave this room, alright? You can't tell anyone, not even Hermione and Ron.'

Luna's usual dreamy expression took on more of a sombre tone.

'I promise, Harry,' she said with a slow nod.

So he opened the book and explained what he'd learned; about soul types, Horcruxes, the piece of Voldemort's soul in his scar and about the ritual he was planning on attempting. Luna sat silently through the entire explanation, waiting patiently for Harry to finish his piece before she asked any questions.

'So you need seven different witches of different soul types?' Luna asked curiously.

'Yes. I'm hoping you'll be my Nature soul.'

Luna scanned the diagram of the body marked with seven soul names in the book.

'Do you have any soul names yet?' she queried, eyeing his chest.

'Yes,' he said again, taking off his shirt.

Luna traced a finger along the letters of Tonks' soul name on his chest. Harry felt a pleasant shiver run through his body at her touch.

'Who's Pokiehl?'

'Nymphadora Tonks,' he said a little breathily as the girl moved her fingers down underneath his navel. 'Er, she's an Auror and a good friend.'

'I'd like to meet her one day,' Luna said, her finger running along the line of his pants.

'If you do the ritual,' she added. 'Will you die?'

'I don't know,' Harry said honestly, 'probably.'

Luna nodded sadly and moved her hand away from him, turning around. 'If you don't do the ritual,' she said after a long silence. 'If you destroy the piece of soul in your head, will you die?'

Harry wrapped his arms around her and held her close. He felt a wet tear fall onto his bare arm and held her tighter.

'Almost definitely,' he said sadly.

Suddenly, beside the loveseat where they were sitting, a bed appeared.

'I'll help you, Harry,' she said, stepping out of his arms and pulling him to the bed, 'but I want you right now.'

Harry moved close to her at the edge of the bed and looked into her eyes. 'You're sure?' he asked. 'If this is just about the ritual that's one thing, but I honestly do really like you, Luna. I'd want to do this with you regardless. If you're not ready or anything, we can wait.'

'I don't want to wait though,' she said, leaning into his face. 'I want to be yours tonight.'

She kissed him passionately, her hands returning to his naked chest, rubbing along his muscles and coaxing him onto the bed with her. Harry didn't argue; he wanted this just as much as Luna seemed to. She was eager, urgent; she rushed to get the rest of his clothes off, only taking breaks when she found something that required time to satisfy her curiosity.

She wasn't shy when she stripped her own clothes, she didn't try to hide. She reciprocated Harry's curiosity, wanting to show off her body to him, wanting him to see her in a way no one else ever had. He appreciated every inch of her.

At the moment of penetration, Luna hissed in pain as he pushed past her wall of resistance and Harry tried to pull back, but Luna quickly held him where he was with her legs and hands and Harry stayed put. They spent a long time like that, waiting for her to be ready, Harry kissing her and touching her body to distract her from the pain.

Eventually Luna's legs provided more pressure against him and Harry began moving within her. She was amazing, Harry had only known Luna for a year but he was sure no one had ever seen her make the face she was making now. All hints of distracted dreaming gone, all it showed was pleasure and desire and a brilliant happiness. She truly was beautiful.

They made love when Harry was in control but once Luna got him on his back she rode him hard and fast, giggling at the noises and curses Harry's mouth was making. When Luna finished she cried out that she loved him in the heat of passion. Harry followed behind her with his own climax a few minutes later, the green glow of the tattoo appearing on his chest.

Rosiotti.

'That was nice,' Luna said in her usual dreamy voice once they had caught their breath.

Harry couldn't help but laugh out loud at her casual statement, Luna joining in with her musical laughter a moment later. She leaned up onto his chest and traced her own soul's name the same way she did Tonks' earlier.

'We can do this again, can't we?' Luna asked hopefully.

'Right now?' Harry said sleepily.

'No, I'm too sore right now,' Luna said airily, 'but soon?'

Harry reached down and grabbed her butt, pulling her right against him.

'You're damn right we can,' he said fiercely, capturing her lips. 'I'm not sure if you realize, but I'm quite fond of you, Miss Lovegood.'

Luna curled up against his side and closed her eyes.

'Are we spending the night here?' Harry asked through a yawn. 'Curfew's soon and I don't want you getting in trouble.'

'What element is Hermione's soul?' Luna queried suddenly.

'What?' Harry's sleepy mind boggled at the sudden change in subject. 'She's an Earth soul, why?'

'You should tell her, Harry,' Luna said sternly. 'You know she would help you.'

Harry sighed into her hair, wishing they had just fallen asleep.

'I'm afraid of what she'll say or who she'll tell,' he said in a defeated voice. 'I can just see her bringing this to Dumbledore and I can see him putting a stop to this, this is old and dangerous magic. I know this is the right path though, I can feel it.'

Luna pushed back from him to arm's length and looked at him seriously.

'Tell her, Harry,' she pleaded. 'She'll go along with it, I know she will. You should trust your best friend.'

Harry snorted. 'Should I tell Ron too then?' he teased.

'No,' she answered, a smile playing on her lips. 'That might not be such a good idea.'

Harry rolled out of bed and fished his wand and the Marauders Map from his discarded robes before returning to the bed.

'You're saying I should tell her right away.' It was not a question, but Luna nodded in answer. 'She's in the library … huh … in the restricted section.'

'Researching about you, I suspect,' Luna pointed out, back to her dreamy voice.

She got out of bed and started getting dressed while Harry contented himself with watching her. Apparently Luna liked the attention because she seemed to be taking far longer than necessary, lingering whenever picking something up off the floor.

Finally when she was dressed, gave Harry a lingering kiss, then an airy, 'Thank you for shagging me so well,' she went on her way.

By the time Harry arrived at the restricted section it was already past curfew, but Hermione was still there. He snuck through the stacks quietly under his Invisibility Cloak to where her name was on the Map. When he found her she was silently sobbing, apparently under a silencing charm of some sort, a large black tome opened on her lap. She had a start when Harry removed the Cloak but returned Harry's hug when he gave it, her voice breaking through once he touched her.

'Oh, Harry,' she cried into his shoulder.

'How many nights have you come down here?' he asked quietly.

'Every night since we got back, of course. There has to be something.'

Harry pulled away from her and handed her the book from the Black library.

'There is,' he said, 'but I'm not sure you're going to like it.'

Hermione took the book and turned it over in her hands, her face turning from anguished to stern.

'Tell me what you've been hiding from me,' she told him fiercely, the ghost of her tears already drying on her cheeks.

'I can't believe you didn't tell me as soon as you found this,' Hermione said angrily for the twenty-seventh time.

They were in Harry's dorm the following day, Harry on his bed with a bemused expression as he watched his best friend pacing in front of him with the book from the Black library.

'I'm sorry, you're right, I should have told you immediately,' he said again.

'You found this out almost a year ago! And I'm just finding out now?' she repeated.

'Hermione!' he finally cut in. 'What do you think of it? The ritual specifically.'

Hermione threw the book down on the floor in anger then immediately picked it back up looking remorseful.

'I think you're mad,' she said finally. 'You're basically shagging people to your death. You don't even know for sure if you are a Horcrux, or that - that he even made any.'

'I know he did, Hermione,' he pointed out. 'The diary is the best evidence. The lessons with Dumbledore are leading toward more, I can already tell. Why he's taking his sweet time with it will hopefully become clear eventually but I know I'm right. It fits, it all fits.

'Plus I saw his soul at the Ministry. It's the same.' He pointed his wand at Hermione's eyes and cast the Soul-Seeing spell.

Hermione blinked in surprise then looked at Harry, her eyes widening.

'Two souls, Hermione,' he said, gesturing to himself. 'One Light, one Dark.'

She stepped forward and touched Harry's scar, grimacing.

'You said Dumbledore told you,' she accused again, the heat gone from her voice.

'I lied,' Harry admitted.

Hermione's eyes dropped to his chest and she knelt in front of him to get a better look.

'What are these?' she said, touching where the tattoo marks were under his shirt.

'You can see them?' Harry asked, casting the spell on his own eyes.

They weren't as bright as an ordinary soul, just shadows of a soul. One green for Luna and a Light separate from Harry's own for Tonks.

'They're links,' he explained, 'Light and Nature.'

She looked up at him sharply, eyebrows high on her face.

'You work quickly,' she mumbled. 'Who?'

'Tonks is the Light, Luna the Nature.'

'Tonks?!' Hermione shrieked then dropped her voice to a whisperer. 'You shagged Tonks?'

'At The Burrow,' Harry chuckled. 'Don't tell anyone though; it's supposed to be a secret.'

Hermione turned to look at herself in the mirror and Harry knew she was looking at her own soul.

'So I'm Earth then,' she determined quickly, 'and you have Light and Nature already. All that's left is Wind, Fire, Water and Dark. Any ideas who?'

'Really?' Harry said, jumping to his feet. 'You mean you'll help? And you'll -'

'Of course I'll bloody help!' she snapped. 'When have I ever let you down?'

'And the other thing?' Harry asked, raising his eyebrows.

'Yes,' she said primly through a deep blush, 'I'll even let you shag me. But don't read anything into that, I'm doing it to help you, not because your damned flirting has had any effect on me.'

Harry smirked at her and stepped in close, moving a strand of hair off her face. He could hear her breath hitch as his hand rubbed along her cheek, tilting her face up to meet his. He leaned forward and very lightly brushed his lips against hers.

'Then I'll just have to improve my efforts, Hermione.' As his lips moved the ghost of their movement tingled Hermione's.

Just then the door opened and Hermione leapt backwards about a foot.

'Uh, sorry,' Neville mumbled awkwardly as he moved into the room. 'Just grabbing something.'

Harry winked at a red faced Hermione as they silently waited for Neville to get what he needed and move on. After he mumbled an awkward goodbye and left the dorm, Hermione rushed straight at Harry in the heat of passion and promptly smacked him in the back side of the head.

'Right,' Harry sighed. 'Suppose I deserved that.'

'Yes, you did,' Hermione said evenly. 'Now tell me your prospective shags, as it were.'

Harry nodded and pulled a piece of parchment from his robes pocket, handing it over.

'Right,' she said, scanning the names, 'Lavender shouldn't be too hard, but she might have a better use in another way.'

'How's that?' Harry asked curiously.

Hermione's smirk was the closest thing to evil he'd ever seen on her face.

'The Hogwarts rumour mill of course.'