Disclaimer: Hogwarts is ruled by J.K. Rowling.
The waves are ruled by Alexander Grin.
This chapter includes slightly modified quote from Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets.
. . .
It was 1 year and 1 day after the final battle at Hogwarts.
. . .
Professor Hagrid was giving his usual lesson, when a grey bird flew over him and dropped - not what some of you would think - a letter.
"Look," exclaimed some student, "a post gull! I thought only owls deliver mail."
Hagrid picked the letter and said "Merpeople don't use owls. Don't like water, see? Uh, I mean owls don't like water. Now, let's see... aha, that's for headmistress, must be important stuff. Not from merpeople, though; from Luna. Great girl, she is; all creatures love her.
Buckbeak, come here!"
And a little bit later very unusual thing happened - a hippogriff flew to headmaster's tower and pounded at the window until headmistress McGonagall opened the window and took the letter from his beak. And inside the envelope she found another envelope, addressed to four people, well known to her.
. . .
Later in the afternoon our four friends met again in headmistress' office.
By mutual agreement it was Harry, who got to read the letter:
"Hello, Ginny, Hermione, Harry and Ron.
Sorry we did not come in person to say goodbye. Neville is too tired after his first Run. It was really amazing to Run together, even the waves were somehow different; I think they looked like smiling faces.
I have three things to say to you.
First - thank you all for being such wonderful friends. If I knew, I would ask Sorting Hat to place me in Gryffindor this time - to spend more time with you (last time I was in Ravenclaw, like now). Please don't feel sad about us never seeing each other again. If we remember each other, then we are not really parted, right?
Second - don't think that we forgot about my dad and Neville's grandma; we sent them separate letters. If you could visit them time by time it would be kind.
Third - when you see Fleur and Bill, please remind them to keep Dobby's grave in order.
Be happy.
Love you all.
Luna.
And Neville says hi too."
. . .
After a while the portrait of old wizard, wearing half-moon glasses, sighed and said dreamily:
"Ah, the young love, the beautiful thing."
"Young?" Ron started mockingly, but then continued in surprised tone: "Actually, yes, I just cannot think of her as old or even grown-up; does it make any sense?"
"It does make perfect sense," replied the portrait.
"Sir," said Harry: "I understand that you mean that Luna's soul is young, but why she still looks 18 years old? She did live more years than you."
"Deep magic, Harry. It is our choices that make us what we truly are, far more than number of years, passed since our birthdays."
Everybody kept silent for a while.
Finally McGonagall addressed the portrait: "Albus, do you think Luna and Neville will be ..."
she quickly glanced at teenagers present and finished her question: "like, you know, real family?"
Ginny said confidently: "Oh, I'm sure they already kissed."
Then she looked at Harry and added two more words: "At least."
Harry looked back at her and whispered: "Ginny, why did you say that?"
"Because you look really cute when you blush." she answered with teasing smile.
. . .
"Ahem" the painted Dumbledore cleared his painted throat, "Back to our eloped youngsters."
"Will they be like 'real family'? That's an interesting question. It reminds me of a certain muggle fairy tale (incidentally, it was Severus, who told me it). It's called 'Sleeping Beauty'.
Ginny and Ron looked at each other, shrugged, looked at Hermione and Ginny asked: "OK, Hermione, tell us briefly about the tale."
Hermione explained: "Basically it's about a young girl, who was put to enchanted eternal sleep. And only the kiss from a prince, who truly loved her, could break the enchantment and wake her up. So, sir, why this tale is relevant?"
"A good and succinct summary" remarked the portrait, "So, you see, while the girl was sleeping, e-r-r-r, for a hundred years, I believe, while she was sleeping she did not age. The time has stopped for her."
"Actually," supplied Hermione: "The time has stopped for the whole castle where the girl lived."
"Yes" agreed the portrait, "So, the girl stayed forever young, do you follow my idea? And when she was kissed by her true love, the time resumed its flow; the whole castle woke up and everybody, including the girl, started aging again."
The portrait inhaled deeply, his eyes twinkled and he continued: "Now, imagine, what if the prince never came to the girl? What if the true love's kiss never happened?"
An uncomfortable silence followed.
"You want to say, that the girl would not get old and would not die," said Harry, thinking aloud. "She would sleep forever, but she would have eternal life and youth, like from philosopher's stone."
"Yes, that's what I mean." spoke the portrait, "Now, back to Ms. Lovegood and Mr. Longbottom.
I have a feeling that if their love proceeds e-r-r-r, let's say, the usual way, then, figuratively speaking, the enchantment would be broken and they would grow old as normal people."
"And" he added thoughtfully "I think Ms. Lovegood understands this."
For a few seconds there was silence, everybody pondering the same question.
. . .
"I remember Ms. Grant" suddenly spoke the portrait with blue sideburns,
"She was always intelligent, a true Ravenclaw. But she was also very independent, to the point of being naughty. Nobody could be sure whether she will follow conventional road. And as it turned out, the road she chose is anything, but conventional."
And with benevolent smile the portrait concluded: "Let us not double-guess her. Let's just remember her and live our own lives."
. . .
. . . . . THE END . . . . .
(open-but-happy end)
. . .
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