Hermione started to drift off to sleep, listening to the wind whistling outside the tent, Luna's warmth at her back. Warming charms were off-limits, as they could interfere with the blooming of the Purpurea Esque plant, the Purple Knight. So they had to resort to the old-fashioned Muggle methods of huddling under thick blankets and sharing body warmth. It was nice, comforting. Hermione hadn't really shared a bed very often. Like Luna, she hadn't been invited to many sleepovers as a kid. And not many adult sleepovers either. She and Draco had never done any actual sleeping together. Ron had an awful snore and a habit of kicking in his sleep, so she had usually retreated to her own bed. She would have slept better when she was on the run with the boys if she had someone sleeping at her back, but the undercurrents of jealousy and bitterness would have been colder than the night air. Luna, as usual, had broken through any qualms Hermione might have had by snuggling in next to her without any fanfare.

'Hermione,' Luna whispered, 'are you awake?'

She had been so close to sleep that it hurt to retreat back to her waking state. 'Yes,' she grumbled.

'Thank you for coming with me,' she said. 'Dr. Morgan's a nice man and a brilliant scientist, but I make him feel uncomfortable. He thinks I'm a little mad. He opened up more for the article with you around. He was excited to meet the smart one of the Golden Trio.'

Hermione had thought the scientist was affable, maybe a little condescending. She hadn't realised he was a fan, but she trusted Luna's judgement. She could be oblivious to some things, but much less than people thought, and if she made an observation out loud she meant it. She supposed she should be a little upset that Luna was using her for her fame, but Luna had gained her entry to the site of a big scientific discovery, so she guessed they were even. And if she could smooth things over for Luna with the scientist, she was glad to do so.

'A scientist without the imagination to keep up with you can't be that brilliant, no matter how charming he is. This plant is fascinating though. It's so temperamental and blooms for so short a window, but it could really revolutionise burn treatment. Thanks for inviting me. And for bringing such a fluffy blanket.'

'It was my mother's,' Luna explained. 'Daddy worried about it getting dirty out here, but I know mother would be happy for it to shine with the stars.'

The blanket was very shiny, a beautiful silver colour. They would bring it with them later when they waited for the plant to bloom. Dr. Morgan theorised that it would bloom an hour before dawn and only last for an hour or two before closing up again. They had a timer set for 1am, just to be on the safe side. Hermione couldn't resist checking, so she peeked out the tent flap. No blooming yet. Dr. Morgan's intern was keeping watch over the plant. If this were Hermione's experiment, she would never give up that honour to someone else. But when Dr. Morgan headed off to bed, it would have been rude not to do the same.

Luna rolled over to face Hermione. 'I've been writing letters to Draco.'

'Oh?'

'He's been trying to learn how to cook risotto. He really liked the risotto you used to bring over, but he couldn't remember the name of the restaurant.'

'It was called Michel's,' she whispered.

'Well, I won't tell him that. Learning new things expands the aura.'

'Mm,' Hermione replied.

'I'm going to save him, you know,' Luna said casually.

'Is that what you're doing with Theodore too? By having him move in to Longbottom Manor?'

Luna shook her head emphatically. 'No. Theodore was lonely, and he's happier living with us, but he would have survived on his own. He didn't need saving.'

Hermione considered that and decided that Luna was right. Theodore had some scars, but he was still whole. 'But Draco does?'

'Yes. Before you came along, he was floating away. He thought his demons were too big to face, that he couldn't make anything of his life, so he just gave up. He had no plans for the future, only to drown in his misery. You helped set him on the right path, and now I'll finish it. I'll save him. And then your happily ever after will be there when you want it.'

Hermione had been nodding along until that last line. 'Luna!' she shouted, throwing one of her pillows at her head. 'Draco isn't my happily ever after. He isn't my anything. He walked away.'

'We'll see,' Luna said with an arched eyebrow.

Hermione just rolled over and faced the tent wall. She was just starting to drift towards sleep again when Luna spoke.

'Harry saved me,' Luna said. 'I was floating away too, before I met him. The world was grey and cold and it made no sense. I couldn't hold on much longer. He was like a ray of sunlight, and then he led me to you, to all of my friends. The colours I see now are so beautiful it almost hurts, but I love them. Draco should experience that too.'

Hermione squeezed Luna's hand under the blanket as if to keep her anchored. She had no idea. Luna had always just been Luna to her. From the moment they met, Hermione had sensed a steel core behind her dreaminess. She had never thought much about where it had come from, what horrors had made such a gentle girl erect such a strong barrier. Now she remembered Harry's vague mention of hazing from the other Ravenclaws, and she was glad they weren't at Hogwarts any longer, because she felt a burning desire to hurt anyone who had ever hurt Luna, even herself.

'Of course you can save him,' Hermione said. 'Thank you.'

Hermione was jerked out of sleep by the beeping of her alarm. She quickly jumped out of bed and dashed out into the night, eyes searching for the plant. It was still closed. Her eyes met those of Alex, Dr. Morgan's intern.

'Nothing yet,' Alex said with a yawn. His eyes were bleary, but he had a firm grip on his pen and notebook, and he turned back to the plant right after acknowledging Hermione.

She was suddenly enveloped in warmth.

'Here,' Luna said, covering Hermione's shoulders with her mother's blanket, keeping the other side wrapped loosely around herself. 'You'll catch a cold. The snufflers are out in force tonight, and they're attracted to shivers.'

The girls moved forward towards the plant, but kept a metre back so that they didn't distract the intern.

'Do you think he's right about the bloom?' Hermione asked Luna. 'Might be disappointing, if nothing happens except us freezing out here all morning.'

'I think it will bloom,' Luna said. 'I have a good feeling about it. It's waking up.'

Luna and Dr. Morgan were right. After two hours of shivering, and watching every tiny movement of the plant in the breeze, the Purple Knight finally bloomed. Dr. Morgan only emerged from his tent ten minutes before the big event. Either he was incredibly lucky, or he had narrowed down the blooming timeframe a lot more than he had shared with them.

Hermione had been mid-yawn when Luna pointed towards the plant, practically vibrating with excitement. 'It's happening!' she whispered.

They had watched as the stem quivered more and more forcefully, and then as a ray of light broke through the trees and shone directly on the plant, its petals opened gracefully, as though in slow motion. Silky leaves of a brilliant shade of purple were revealed, and a musky scent invaded the air. It was the most beautiful thing Hermione had ever seen. And this delicate plant would perform miracles for magical burn victims throughout the world. The Purple Knight. Hermione had thought the name was a little melodramatic, but looking at the beautiful flower she felt the name was earned.

Hermione looked at Dr. Morgan, and saw him standing straight as a rod, tears streaming silently down his cheeks. She decided to forgive him for his sleep-in and early morning peppiness.

For the next twenty minutes Dr. Morgan was focused like a laser, recording every detail of the plant's blooming, and then harvesting it with great care. When it was safely tucked away in his special containment box, he was eager to return to his laboratory. Yesterday, he had chattered away at full speed, telling Luna in flowery detail about his heroic mission and the magnificent brainwave that had led him to the plant. Now, he waved her off and told her to write whatever she wanted for the article, as long as his name was somewhere on the page. Alex the intern was marginally more friendly, giving an awkward wave goodbye as the portkey swept them away.

When they were alone Luna laid her blanket on the ground and leaned with her back against a tree, notebook and pen in hand. Hermione watched, bemused, as Luna sprinkled a handful of dirt over the page and then started scribbling.

After ten minutes of trying to appreciate nature, Hermione became restless. She started pacing back and forth across the clearing, pretending to take in the beauty of the forest.

Hermione was startled by Luna's voice suddenly breaking out of the silence. 'If you want to talk, talk. I can listen to you and the Purple Knight at the same time.'

Hermione swivelled around to face Luna. 'I think this is it. This is what I want to do. Well, not exactly this, there are so many things I would do differently, no press and no sleeping in, I would have set up a Muggle video camera…'

'That's great,' Luna said, interrupting her rambling. 'It can be easier to see when the nargles are sleeping.'

Hermione went back to her pacing, and Luna scribbled out a few more words. Eventually, Luna put down her notebook and stretched out like a cat, before leaping to her feet gracefully.

'I bet Snape felt it calling too,' Luna said. 'But he couldn't answer it any more, and it made him bitter. Maybe it was his Death Eater reputation blocking him, or maybe it was self-punishment for what happened to Lily. Slytherins might have hard scales, but they still have soft insides. Almost everything does.'

'But what is it, Luna? What's calling me?'

'The truth,' Luna said. 'There are different paths and ways to travel them, but it's really about the truth. For me, for you, for Snape. The truth that is hidden from us. You want to set it free. To do good with it. You should start with his truth.'

'The journals,' Hermione said. 'How did you know about them?'

Luna smiled cryptically. 'Theodore has the drive to be sneaky and hide things, but he doesn't have a talent for it.'

Hermione just shook her head. Luna was scary sometimes.

'They could have used the journals, you know. Theodore and Draco. It would have been a good story. The tragic war hero's godson or former student brings his secret research to light, saves orphans and puppies. The journals could have been their redemption, in perception and in truth. But they gave it up. They really love you.'

Hermione chose to busy herself with packing up.

As they hovered over their portkey, Hermione had an interesting thought. 'Luna, how would you feel about stealing the Prophet's thunder? I need to run it by Theodore, but I have an idea.'

Hermione stepped out of the Floo to a big shout of 'Welcome Home!' It seemed that all of her friends were crowded into the Grimmauld Place kitchen. It was almost unrecognisable, covered in red and gold crepe paper. She even spied a slightly crooked chocolate cake on the counter. She searched the room for a certain head of messy black hair.

'Harry!' she shouted, hitting him on the arm as he tried to cower behind Ginny. 'I was only gone for one night!' She heard the swoosh of the Floo and saw Luna pop out. Luna was soon danced around the kitchen by George, bursting into a fit of giggles.

'I figured we all needed a celebration after finishing our N.E. . And I don't get that many chances to surprise you. Were you surprised?'

'Yes!' she said, hitting him again. 'Here, since you love surprises, here's a present for you. You can get rid of all this luggage.' She shoved her bags into his arms, surreptitiously removing the lightweight charm from them as she did so.

'Yes Mam.' And he actually took the bags upstairs with a smile.

'Theodore's here,' Ginny told her.

'Oh?' Hermione said, following Ginny's gaze to see him chatting with Neville by the oven.

'I invited him. It was time to let him into the club properly, and I knew you needed a push.' She gave Hermione a gentle push in Theodore's direction as she said the word. 'Now you don't have to agonise over it. You're welcome.'

Hermione rolled her eyes, but she could admit to herself that Ginny was right. Theodore was her brother, and she could feel that as more than just a technical fact now. He was a friend, a part of her family. He was welcome in their home, in their safe house. But it would have taken a much longer time to convince her head of that.

As Hermione started to walk in his direction, Ginny stopped her with a hand on her shoulder. 'He and Harry had it out earlier, squabbling like children. I had a hex at the ready, but I didn't need to use it. I think they're cool now.'

Hermione stood next to Theodore. 'Hey, fancy seeing you here,' she said. Neville left discreetly, giving them some privacy.

'Ginny invited me,' he said. 'It's a spacious house.' She could see from the curl of his lip that he found Grimmauld Place distasteful. She did too, but still.

'It's home,' she said defensively.

'It's a ray of sunshine,' he said. 'Cozy.'

'Yes, it is,' she said with a straight face.

He dropped the sarcasm. 'Are you mad about the journals?'

'No,' she said honestly. 'Thank you for thinking of me.' There was an awkward pause. 'You should read The Quibbler tomorrow. Luna plans to bury a reference in the Purple Knight article to my biological heritage, then write a small exclusive about it in the middle of the paper, no headline on the front page. The news should leak out to the public slowly. The Prophet will be furious.'

'Well, that should be fun.' He tried to keep his tone light, but she could see the grin trying to break through. 'Potter and I had a nice talk earlier. We've come to an understanding.'

'What kind of understanding?' she asked.

'The usual, the trading of livestock was involved. He gets to walk you down the aisle at your wedding, I get to be godfather of your first child. It's all settled.'

'Well, I was planning to give those jobs to George, but you're both welcome to duel him for them.'

'Did I hear my name?' George asked, as he came up from behind her. Soon he was twirling her around the kitchen until she was dizzy, and as she caught her breath they plotted to dump cake on Ron and Percy's heads.

Later that night she lay down on her bed, and picked up a black leather book. As she sipped her cup of coffee, she turned the first page.