The Lovegood Way
Chapter 3: The man who serves ice cream
Thank you so much for reviewing the previous chapter! Here comes the next one, I hope you enjoy it!
Harry Potter's change of occupation was not an easy one. The Daily Prophet's headline blasted out the news two days before Harry officially handed in his letter of resignation to the minister of magic. The news that he had purchased the ice cream parlour and would run it himself spread like wildfire. Even though the ice cream parlour would not reopen right away the reporters flocked in front of it all day in hopes of catching a glimpse of Harry and get the scoop they all wanted to write.
But despite all the reporters who came, the windows remained boarded up and no official statements were released. The minister of magic had nothing to say aside from that it had been an honour to work with Harry Potter for so many years and that he wished him all the best. The reporters came diligently every day, some waiting for hours after hours until it became dark and they gave up for the day.
But it was one ordinary Wednesday, when the sun had set and the reporters gone home, that a particular person came.
Luna walked by the ice cream parlour every day on her way to the Quibbler's office. On some days the reporters would already be standing there in the morning but they were usually gone by the time she left the office. None of the Quibbler's staff, meaning her, Pansy and Nigel, reported on the news that Harry Potter was opening an ice cream parlour. Luna had seen the headlines of the Daily Prophet, some calling Harry a victim of middle age crisis, and she had no wish in lowering the Quibbler to that standard.
The sign "Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlour" was still up and the windows were still boarded. In a way the ice cream parlour looked no different from that night two weeks ago when she and Harry had met in the very same place she was standing in right now. The only thing that had changed was the ownership of the ice cream parlour.
Just as Luna turned to leave, the door to the ice cream parlour suddenly opened. She looked up and saw Harry, looking strange reminiscent of his younger self. The straight, dark robes he wore as the head of the Aurors department were gone and its stead was a pair of worn Muggle jeans and a grey sweatshirt. When Harry spotted Luna he smiled and ran his hand through his hair in an effort to tame it but it ended up standing up even more.
"I thought it was you standing here," he said. "The reporters usually don't stick around this late."
Luna turned to face him and returned his smile.
"You don't give them enough free ice cream to stay?"
Harry chuckled, suddenly looking more relaxed than Luna had seen ever since they had met again. His hand holding up the door, Harry stepped aside and kept the doorway open.
"Come on in," he invited. "You're not out of luck if you want ice cream this time."
Luna hesitated. It was getting late, she should be getting home. But then she saw the warm, happy look on Harry's face. He had never looked this carefree before for as long as Luna had known him. Seeing him like this made her feel warm inside and she was not eager to part with that feeling.
"Alright then."
She walked past Harry and into the ice cream parlour and he followed shortly after, the door closing behind them.
Just like the exterior, the ice cream parlour's interior had not changed much. The same sturdy, dark wooden tables and chairs were still there as well as the old wooden counter with the cash register. The old chandelier still shone in the middle of the parlour. But the fresh smell of paint lingered in the air and the walls were now painted in a champagne gold. Creamy white cloths had been laid across the tables recently and the cushions on the old wooden stools by the counter had been replaced.
Harry walked around the counter, taking his place there. Luna walked over to the counter as well, sitting down on one of the stools opposite him.
"What do you think?" Harry grinned, reminding Luna of a child who had just finished a task that he was immensely proud of.
"It looks good," Luna replied.
Harry raised an eyebrow.
"Just good?"
"I think it looks good but you need to put a little more you into it," she clarified. "It's your place now after all."
Harry's eyes wandered over the ice cream parlour. Luna could see how his eyes looked all over the place as if trying to study it all over again. She bit her bottom lip. It was not in her nature to keep silent when she had something to say but she hoped that she had not hurt Harry's feelings or brought down the enthusiasm he had just felt.
"Maybe I should get some pictures up on the wall," Harry mused after a while, rubbing his chin as if already trying to pick which photographs to put up.
Luna smiled, relieved.
"I think that would do the trick."
Nodding, Harry turned to Luna again.
"So what will it be?"
Luna looked to her right. The other side of the counter was protected by a glass cover. Underneath that cover lay an array of containers, each of them with different sorts of ice cream. Luna looked over the ice cream containers, there were so many of them. There were ice creams with all the colours of the rainbow, some mixed with pieces of fruits, nuts, chocolate, cookies and everything else that she could imagine. Aside from the ice cream there were also bottles with different toppings. Her mouth watered just by looking at everything, yet she could not pin down which one she wanted.
"I can't decide," she admitted.
"Sure you can," Harry assured. "You don't have to pick one, you can pick two or three if you want."
"No, it's still too difficult."
Luna slid off the stool and walked over the ice cream. She leaned her head so close to the glass clover that her nose almost touched it.
"Should I get chocolate frog and macadamia nuts? Or maybe the cookie dough and liquorice... oh, the Mayan chocolate one looks good..."
Shaking his head, Harry followed Luna. He tapped his finger on her head lightly to gain her attention.
"Luna," he started as Luna looked up at him. "You do know that you can come back as many times as you want after I open? You don't have to try everything at once?"
Upon hearing his words, Luna grinned.
"Then I'll have the chilli chocolate, liquorice and strawberry with maraschino cherries on top."
Shaking his again, but this time with a smile on his face, Harry picked up a bowl from behind the counter and began scooping up the ice cream. Luna's eyes followed him as he put on the cherries and then set the bowl on the counter where she had sat before. He presented Luna with a spoon just as she sat back on the stool.
"Enjoy."
Still grinning, Luna accepted the spoon and ate a spoonful of the ice cream. All the different flavours melted in her mouth.
"This is really good!"
Harry looked sceptically at the strange mix of ice cream. Luna had to admit that the dark grey colour of the liquorice ice cream did not look too good but the taste made up for it and more.
"So when do you open?" she asked.
Harry sighed.
"Tomorrow, I guess..." he answered, looking weary suddenly. "I've hired two people to help me out so the workload isn't really a problem. It's just all the reporters standing out there that I have a problem with. They just won't quit..."
Luna suddenly stopped eating and Harry's last words faded as he watched her. She suddenly picked up her bag and dug into it fervently.
"What are you doing?" he wondered.
He watched Luna as she started taking one thing after the other out her bag in her search. Scraps of parchment, quills, an African mask, books and a bunch of sticks with Chinese characters on them. Harry picked up the African mask and studied it just as Luna finally appeared to find what she was looking for.
"There!" she declared.
She grabbed Harry's hand and he felt something cold against his palm. When Luna released his hand he saw that he was holding a few sickles and knuts. He stared at them with a puzzled expression as Luna began to put everything else back into her bag.
"Why are you paying me?" he asked. "The ice cream is on me."
"I know," Luna replied, stuffing the African mask back into her bag. "And thank you, but it would be bad luck for the rest of your business if your first customer didn't pay wouldn't it?"
She finished packing up her bag and returned to her ice cream. Harry chuckled. He did not try to return the money to Luna but rather than putting it in the cash register he stuffed the coins inside his pocket for some reason.
The things Luna did made sense in her way and Harry thought to himself that he was starting to see why.
He heard a noise and looked up just as the door opened. There was a rush of cold air and a brown leaf blew into the ice cream parlour. Ginny Potter came through the door, her cheeks slightly flushed red from the cold. She stopped in the middle of the doorway as she gazed at the scene before her, her mouth a little open and her hand still holding the doorknob.
Upon hearing the door open Luna looked over her shoulder.
It could have been another tense moment, another moment frozen in shock. "Another disaster" was what Harry was thinking.
But Luna got up from her chair and around the same time Ginny quickly put a smile on her face and closed the door after herself.
"Hello Luna..." she began. "I didn't expect to see you here."
Ginny glanced towards Harry as she spoke the last few words but then turned to Luna again.
Looking very different from the woman who had previous just sat by the counter and eaten ice cream, Luna stood a little straighter and looked right into Ginny's eyes as she spoke.
"I was just passing by and Harry asked me if I wanted to see the place," she answered honestly. "I didn't mean to be a bother..."
"Nonsense." Ginny smiled. Harry could not put his finger on what it was but it was different from her usual smile. "So what do you think?"
"It looks good."
Harry found it somewhat disturbing how both Ginny and Luna were smiling at each other but neither of them looked particularly sincere. It was strange but something felt weird underneath all the friendliness. He wanted to open his mouth and say something but he didn't know what.
"I should get going," Luna said, picking up her bag. "I have to do some work for the Quibbler at home."
"That's a shame." Ginny stepped aside to make way for Luna. "But it's good seeing you again."
"Yeah, you too. Good night then."
Luna looked over her shoulder, casting a quick glance at Harry.
"Thanks for the ice cream."
"Um... you're welcome," Harry replied, feeling awkward for some reason.
Luna's lips twitched a little, as if wanting to smile for real. But the half smile was barely there and before Harry knew it Luna walked across the parlour, past Ginny and left. As the door closed behind Luna, Ginny walked over to the counter. She set down her bag and propped her elbows against the counter, leaning towards it slightly.
"So..." she began, looking at Harry. "You want to tell me what that was about?"
Ginny looked straight into Harry's eyes and waited for him to answer. Under her gaze Harry felt his cheeks become slightly warmer and he cursed himself for it. He felt like she was expecting him to say something that would eventually require him asking for her forgiveness.
"She was standing out there and I thought that she might want to see the place," Harry answered, taking the bowl away from the counter while avoiding Ginny's gaze. "She's our old friend, there's nothing weird about that."
Ginny bit her bottom lip.
"I guess not," she shrugged, pretending to look away. "It's just that she's been popping up a whole lot more often than she used to recently."
"Twice," Harry corrected, grabbing a dish rag and starting to wipe the counter. "You've bumped into her twice."
Ginny looked up at Harry again.
"And how many times have you seen her recently?"
Perhaps it was the way Ginny was looking at him but Harry did not particularly like the way this conversation was going. With a sigh, he put aside the dish rag and stood by the counter, right in front of Ginny and meeting her eyes.
"Ginny, how was your day?" he asked.
Ginny stared back at him blankly. Harry did not look away and remained standing just as he was. It was not that he was trying to deliberately change the subject but he would rather talk about something that wouldn't make Ginny feel insecure for no reason.
"My day?" Ginny repeated, her eyes wide.
"Yes, your day," Harry clarified.
A little taken back by his question, Ginny broke eye contact and her eyes seemed to wander all over the place as she pulled back from the counter. Instead she sat down on the same stool that Luna had occupied just a few minutes ago.
"Pretty good," Ginny admitted and Harry felt relief upon hearing her words. "Lily was so happy when I dropped her off at Percy's place. She's been looking forward to playing with Lucy."
Harry smiled upon the thought. Though Lily had no sisters, she had plenty of cousins to play with. Lucy was one of her favourites, especially since the two of them were close in age.
"She's spending the night there," Ginny went on.
Harry frowned.
"Why?" he questioned. "It's a weekday."
Ginny bit her bottom lip again. She took a paper napkin from the napkin holder next to the cash register and started to play with it, folding it randomly.
"I thought we could use some time to talk," she told. "You know about... this."
She looked up and her eyes wandered over the ice cream parlour. Ever since he had bought the place Ginny had been unable to call the ice cream parlour by any name, just referring to it as "this". Then again Harry had not exactly figured out a name for the place yet and Ginny referring to the ice cream parlour as "this" was probably the best that he could hope for. Considering the way she had reacted that night when he had told her anything else was good.
"I get asked a lot of questions at work," Ginny continued. "About this place, what you're planning to do with it, why you quit your job, what's going through your mind..."
"We've never cared about what people say about us," Harry cut off, his frown deepening. "Why should we start now? Who cares what people say?"
Ginny pursed her lips together and she looked intensely at the paper napkin she was still playing with.
"It's not about them, Harry," she muttered. "It's about us."
Harry took a deep breath. He knew what was coming. Ginny stopped playing with the napkin and sat up straight. Harry caught her gaze; her eyes were hard and looked like they had become a shade darker. He had been married long enough to Ginny to recognize this look and know that she was furious on the inside.
"You didn't even tell me that you were thinking about buying this place, much less quit your job! Never mind that people don't know what's going through your mind, I don't even know that and I'm your wife!"
"Ginny..." Harry placed both hands on the counter. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you but this is just something that I decided on. I made up my mind in two seconds or something like that."
"Quitting your job and buying an ice cream parlour isn't something normal people just decide on in two seconds!" Ginny retorted hotly. "You're going from the head of the Aurors department to selling ice cream! What on earth are you thinking?!"
Harry felt his heart beat faster and his breathing speed up. He pressed his hands against the counter, his fingernails digging into them.
"We both said that my work was taking too much time," he spoke through gritted teeth. "I was almost never home in time for dinner, I was always stressed and had too much to do... you used to say how much you wished that I could take some more time off to spend with the kids or just have more time for the two of us!"
"Yes, I did!" Ginny shouted, standing up so that she and Harry were at the same level. "But I'm your wife, Harry! You would think that you would at least run these things by me before making such a huge decision!"
"Because you would have welcomed the idea with open arms if I had told you before," Harry scoffed.
Ginny's eyes narrowed.
"I don't know what middle age crisis you are going through," she hissed. "But you better figure out what the hell is going on with you..."
Something inside Harry went cold.
"Middle age crisis?" Harry repeated, crossing his arms. "Been reading the Prophet much lately?"
Ginny suddenly went quiet.
The words felt recycled, Harry remembered using and hearing them the very same night that he had first told Ginny that he had bought the ice cream parlour. In fact, the whole conversation was starting to feel old with nothing new being contributed to it.
They stood there, staring at each other across the counter. Harry refused to back down, refused to look away. He could have handled this better; at some level he knew that Ginny had a right to be angry at him for that. But her resorting to calling his actions a part of a middle age crisis was not exactly an example of good character either.
Finally, something in Ginny's eyes softened. She let out a breath, Harry did not even know that she had been holding it, and ran her hand through her hair.
"Sorry, I didn't mean..." she began, closing her eyes for a moment.
Harry kept staring at her even when she did not finish the sentence.
"Didn't mean what?" he asked.
Ginny opened her eyes and sighed.
"Look, I'm sorry I said that," she apologized, sitting down on the stool again. "Let's just forget this for now. It's late, we're both tired and we should be getting home. We'll finish talking about this some other time."
The last part she had left out would have been really interesting to hear. But the Ginny that was sitting before him now looked tired and worn, very unlike the one who had just stood there and yelled at him. She had run her hand through her hair, it looked messed up. She had reached for the paper napkin again and was playing with it while avoiding Harry's gaze. Harry uncrossed his arms; seeing her like this made him calm down enough to realize that she was right.
The discussion was far from over but there was no use in continuing it now. If they did, it would only end badly.
"I'm just gonna finish up here and then we can go home," he mumbled.
Ginny nodded and Harry grabbed the dish rag and walked away from her. He began to wipe off the tables, one last detail before the ice cream parlour would open the next morning. Ginny stayed by the counter, not saying a word.
Though he occupied himself with his work, Harry felt uncomfortable with this kind of silence. The hurtful words exchanged before still lingered in the air. He figured that he should make some sort of attempt to reconcile with her. After all she had apologized for what she had said.
"Ginny?"
Harry turned to Ginny just as she looked up at him.
"Yes?"
"Um... do you want some ice cream or something?"
She stared at him for a while. There was silence and then she shook her head.
"No thanks... I don't really feel like having some right now."
Luna had barely time to reflect on the earlier encounter between her, Harry and Ginny before something else came up. The moment she appeared in the fireplace in her cottage and the flames of the Floo powder died down, two owls headed straight for her. Each of them dropped a letter in her hands, flew out the open kitchen window and into the night. Standing there covered in ashes with a letter in each hand, Luna released a sigh before stepping out of the fireplace.
One of the envelopes was addressed to "Mum".
Luna put the other letter on the coffee table and then plopped down on the couch. Her legs hanging over the armrest of the couch and her head using the other as a pillow, she eagerly opened the envelope and took out the letter inside.
Dear mum,
Tomorrow the duelling club, the one I signed up for, is having its first meeting. I am scared to death and am positively sure that nothing good can come out of this. If something happens, you can tell everyone that your daughter died honourably trying to gain the attentions of a boy will probably be too busy to notice.
Love, Lacus
Smiling to herself, Luna cast a summoning charm on a quill and a piece of parchment. Drawing her knees up and placing the parchment against it, she began to write her reply.
Dear honourable daughter,
I think you might be suffering from the hot balloon condition. One of its main symptoms is fear of being blasted through the air. There are two cures for it, be pricked quickly and take off soaring through the air or release the air slowly. The latter method is easier and less painful but then you would have never flown away at all. Do your best, you might even have fun.
Love, mum.
Finishing writing, Luna picked up the letter from Lacus again. Her thumb ran against the rough texture of the parchment and her eyes looked over the words over and over again.
Luna looked up and around the living room. The flames of the fireplace had died down and the embers started to fade. Nothing else moved. The sounds she could hear was her own breathing and the cuckoo clock ticking away. Strangely enough the sound of the clock made the cottage feel even quieter; it reminded her that it was the only thing besides her that made any sound. Everything else was still and silent. There was no Lacus to talk to, only her letters.
Her chest suddenly tightened as she tried to breathe and before Luna knew it she was holding her breath. Bringing her hand up, she touched her throat and swallowed a sob. She closed her eyes and tried to calm down.
Sitting here was so quiet, so lonely without Lacus. The travels had kept her from actually experiencing the silence and feeling like a part of her was gone. But nowadays it became so clear when she came home in the evenings to the silence and there was no one there waiting for her. All she had were the letters.
Upon thinking about the letters, she remembered that another letter had been delivered. Opening her eyes, Luna released the breath that she had been holding. She shook her head as if wanting to shake all the sad feelings off her and then reached for the unopened letter lying on the coffee table.
To Luna Lovegood,
I, Mrs. Augusta Longbottom,
request the pleasure of your company
at the Longbottom residence
on Saturday, September 16th,
at seven o'clock
Underneath the writing Augusta Longbottom had signed her name. Luna blinked, staring at the card and wondering for a moment if it had been delivered to the wrong person. But then again it was her name on it. But the writing sounded so formal and stiff, for a lack of a better word. Usually Augusta came over personally to invite her and Lacus to dinner or just sent a casual written note asking them to come over. The only time Luna could remember receiving a formal letter like this was on some sort of special occasion or celebration. This invitation did not reveal anything about what sort of occasion this was.
I guess I better go... Luna thought, giving the invitation one more look before setting it down on the coffee table. It looks as if it's something important.
Folding the letter from Luna, Lacus tucked it into her book bag as she raced down the stairs. Elaine was at her side, struggling to keep up with Lacus while tying a ribbon around her long, wild hair.
"As if signing up for the duelling club wasn't bad enough already, I'm also late to the first meeting," Lacus muttered, jumping down the last few steps and turning left to a long corridor.
"Relax!" Elaine encouraged, trying to tie the ribbon. "You're not late, you're just not ten minutes early like you usually are. And take it easy... it probably isn't as bad as you think."
Lacus sighed. Elaine's words reminded her of Luna's letter. Lacus had just received it that morning and carried it with her ever since. She found comfort in reading her mother's advice but at the same time there was that knot in her stomach that refused to disappear. She didn't have a talent for spells; much less the quick thinking that was required in duelling. She didn't finish last in Transfigurations or Defence against the Dark Arts but she certainly was no where near the first to master a spell.
Sighing, Elaine gave up trying to tame her hair into a ponytail. She shook her head and her banana blonde hair cascaded down her back.
"Cheer up, Nate is going to be there after all!"
Lacus swallowed. Like that was going to make her feel better.
The classroom where the duelling club was supposed to be came in sight. The door was half open and from where she was Lacus could see other students standing and talking amongst each other. Elaine patted Lacus on the shoulder.
"Good luck! See you at dinner!"
Just like that Elaine had turned around and gone in the opposite direction. Lacus hurried towards the classroom, the thought of coming to the meeting late was worse than just coming to the meeting. She pushed the door open and entered just as a voice called out:
"Alright everyone, let's have a seat!"
Two lines of chairs had been arranged, each on one side of the room. A quick look around the room told Lacus that there were about thirty students in the classroom who began to find a seat as the voice had instructed. Lacus quickly sat down on the closest chair, setting her book bag down on the floor.
Standing in the middle of the classroom was Neville and upon seeing him Lacus felt as if some of the weight had been lifted off her shoulders. Neville turned around and caught Lacus' gaze. He acknowledged her with a small nod and Lacus smiled in return. Neville was her favourite teacher, not just because he was "uncle Neville" outside of Hogwarts but Lacus could not count the times she had misunderstood something in Herbology and Neville had the patience to explain and show it as many times as it took for her to understand.
Once everyone had sat down and moved out of the way Lacus could see that Professor Flitwick was standing next to Neville.
"Welcome to the Hogwarts duelling club," Neville spoke, looking over the students sitting on their chairs. "While Professor Flitwick and I will be leading the club, it's due to the interest and the commitment of you, the students, that this club has been reformed."
Neville glanced to his left. Lacus followed the direction he was looking at and found that Nathan Montague was sitting opposite her on the other side of the classroom. Nathan looked up and caught Lacus' eyes. He smiled at her and despite feeling as if her whole body was frozen, Lacus managed to smile back at him.
"It's our pleasure to be teaching you in the art of duelling," Professor Flitwick spoke. "With that, let us begin by demonstrating..."
Lacus watched as Neville and Professor Flitwick turned to face each other. It felt a little strange seeing as Professor Flitwick was much shorter than Neville but the old professor showed his might when he fired a spell towards Neville. Lacus' heart skipped as she saw a blue jet of light fly towards Neville like a dart. But Neville raised his wand calmly and waved it. The blue dart seemed to bounce just two feet away from Neville before fading into nothing.
Lacus heard people sitting next to her gasp and saw some on the other side dropping their jaws. Neville was known as the mild mannered and fair Herbology teacher. But the easy and quick way he had deflected the curse reminded her, and probably all the others as well, that Neville was a war hero. Lacus had heard her mother and Mrs. Longbottom speak about Neville's brave acts in his youth more than once but watching him duel with Professor Flitwick made her truly realize it.
Like everyone else in the classroom, Lacus stared intensely as Professor Flitwick and Neville duelled. Once they finished the duel, the classroom seemed to roar with the sound of the applauses. Amidst the awe Lacus felt, the insecurity started grow inside her and she wondered if she even had the potential to be half as good as they were.
It took some time before the applauses died down but after that Professor Flitwick and Neville began to show the basics on duelling. Lacus watched as they went through the proper stances and the elementary spells, trying hard to memorize everything they said.
"Alright, everyone gather in pairs and practice!" Neville instructed once they were done.
The classroom was filled with a general buzz as people turned towards each other and got up from their chairs. Lacus rose from her seat reluctantly, watching as everyone else automatically seemed find someone to practice with. She usually did everything with Elaine in class but Elaine wasn't here now. Lacus bit her lip and looked around nervously.
What was she going to do? Who was she going to ask? She knew most of the people in there by their names but nothing more than that.
"Hello there."
Lacus looked up to see Neville walking up to here.
"It's great to see you here," Neville smiled. "I didn't think you were into duelling much."
"Oh, I'm not that..." Lacus began but stopped herself as she realized what she was about to say. She couldn't tell Neville that she really had no interest in duelling and only signed up because of a guy. "Um, I mean... I... thought I'd try something new. You never know if it might be fun right?"
Neville's smile widened.
"You're just like your mum that way," he complimented.
Lacus smiled in return although deep inside she could not help but to think that her mum would have just blurted out the truth no matter how uncomfortable it was.
"So who are you going to pair up with?" Neville asked, looking around to see if anyone was waiting for Lacus.
"Actually, I..." Lacus began.
"Hey!"
Both Lacus and Neville turned to see Nathan Montague approaching them. Much to her dismay, Lacus felt her cheeks become warmer. She had no doubt that both Neville and Nathan could see that they were also turning slightly red.
"Do you have anyone to practice with?" Nathan asked.
At first Lacus stared at him in disbelief. Was he asking her to be his partner? This could not really be happening. But Nathan kept looking at her, clearly waiting for some sort of answer. Remembering that she had to give him one, Lacus shook her head.
"Perfect," Neville commented, patting both Lacus and Nathan on their shoulders. "Good luck!"
With that, Neville walked away to observe the others. Lacus watched him go. In the corner of her eye she saw that Nathan was looking at her. Against her will, her cheeks grew slightly warmer and although she kept telling herself to look at Nathan, she could not bring herself to. After what felt like two hours Nathan stepped forward and placed himself in front of Lacus.
"Should we get started then?" he suggested.
Lacus slowly raised her eyes slightly. He was smiling. Just the sight of that made her knees feel weak.
"Um... yeah, sure, I would..." she began.
Her blush became deep red as she realized that she was trying to say three things at once and failing miserably to express a coherent sentence. But either Nathan was deaf to it or he did not mind because the repulsed look that Lacus had expected never came. Instead he smiled and led her to the corner of the classroom where there was enough space for them to practise.
"You will have to go easy on me," Nathan urged, still smiling as he backed away to get some distance between them. "According to Professor Longbottom my wand movements could use some work."
"Oh, I don't think I need to do that. I'm not much of a genius either."
Perhaps it was because he was a few steps further from her, but Lacus managed to return the smile and speak without stuttering. Now that she had calmed down, she felt her heart beat faster not because of nervousness but rather in joy. How lucky was she that Nathan had asked her to practise with him? And Elaine had said that he had looked really happy when Lacus had told him that she would join the duelling club. Perhaps it wasn't just because she had been the first to say yes? Perhaps she did have a chance?
She grinned widely as she raised her wand and suddenly felt like she could not be happier.
"Expelliarmus!"
The wand flew out of Nathan's hands easily and Lacus caught it as it zoomed towards her. She glanced at the wand, studying the dark wood until she heard a pair of hands clap. She looked up and met Nathan's eyes.
"You're a natural at this," he complimented.
Lacus blushed.
"Thanks."
She tucked her hair behind her ear as she walked over to Nathan and returned his wand. Though Nathan had told her to go easy on him, she found that she did not have to. It must have been due to his natural modesty that Nathan had said that because Lacus thought that he was just as good as everyone else, if not better.
When Neville and Professor Flitwick were to demonstrate a defensive spell and asked everyone to gather around them to watch, Lacus looked at Nathan. He was listening attentively to every word the professors said and his eyes were so focused as he watched them perform the charm. His entire being was just focused on taking it all in and noticing every single detail. Lacus wondered how anyone could be so perfect. Nathan was smart, good looking and nice to everyone, even to her who had a habit of saying weird things. He could have picked anyone in the room to practise with, he was friends with all the guys and all the girls would die to get the chance to practise with him. Yet he had chosen her, for some reason. Lacus felt her heart skip a little faster.
"Should we begin?"
Blinking, Lacus snapped out of her thoughts. The crowd gathered around Professor Flitwick and Neville had dispersed- Everyone had gone back to their places and started to practise the charm that had just been demonstrated. Nathan was looking at Lacus, waiting for her to answer his question.
"Yes, sure," Lacus answered quickly.
They returned to the corner where they had stood before and stood with a few feet distance from each other.
"Okay, I'm ready!" Nathan announced, getting into a defensive position with his wand raised.
Lacus suddenly froze. What was she supposed to do? Her mind was blank, she had been too busy looking at Nathan and being caught up in her own thoughts that she had forgotten to pay attention to the charm she was supposed to use.
I can't believe this!
Panic rising within her, Lacus bit her lip and tried to think. Professor Flitwick and Neville had wanted them to practise some defensive spell, which was probably what Nathan was waiting to cast. But what sort of spell was she supposed to catch then?
Her hands started to feel clammy and she gripped her wand tightly. They could not have told the others to use a spell that did real damage. Even Lacus would have snapped out of her thoughts if there had been some sort of explosion or if Professor Flitwick had flown across the room. It had to be something easy, something harmless...
T... something with a T... T...talle something...
Nathan was still standing there, his wand raised and waiting for Lacus to cast the spell.
Tera... talle... gra... or maybe it began with tara?
She couldn't afford to think anymore, she had already taken too much time. Hesitating, Lacus raised her wand and pointed it at Nathan.
"Tentacullgra!"
As soon as the word came out of her mouth, she knew that it was not exactly right. Her hand wavered, marred by her nervousness, as she moved the wand. But by then it was too late to change anything and she could only stand there and watch the consequences.
And they spoke for themselves.
At first she thought that Nathan would be able to just block it. But the spell she had cast was not what he had expected and therefore he was caught off guard and his defensive spell had no effect. He stumbled back when Lacus' hex reached him, as if he had been pushed by an invisible force. Lacus immediately stepped forward.
"Are you alright?" she asked.
Nathan found his balance again quickly and smiled at her.
"It's okay, I'm alright!"
He waved his hand in assurance. Lacus smiled and was just about to release a sigh of relief when she saw something.
The hand that Nathan was waving did not look quite right. Nathan had natural long and slender fingers but as Lacus watched him she saw that his fingers were growing longer and longer by the second. She started at the long fingers, which grew fast from being a few inches until they were at least a foot long. Something began to grow out on the skin of his fingers that looked like warts. Lacus could only stare in horror as more of them began to appear.
People started to gather around Nathan, who was too much in shock to do anything but stare with his mouth open. From the other side of the classroom, Professor Flitwick and Neville tried to get to Nathan.
"Excuse me! We need to get through!"
"Please make way!"
Nathan's fingers almost reached to the floor when his arms dropped limply. Lacus gasped loudly and covered her mouth as she realized what she had done. Those weren't warts on his fingers. They were suction cups.
Tentacles. I've given him tentacles.
With all the students gathered around Nathan and the two professors having just made their way through the crowd and taken in the scene, no one noticed Lacus turning around and running out of the classroom.
Seven o' clock, sharp.
As Luna walked up to the front door of Augusta Longbottom's house, she tried to remember when was the last time that she had been to one of Augusta's dinner on time. Lacus was always the one considered with getting to places on time; Luna was not too concerned about that. She did not mind being early or late and preferred doing things in her own pace. But when it came to arriving at Mrs. Longbottom's house, she had always been on time. There was a simple reason for that.
Lacus was always with her.
It did not occur to Luna until she was standing by the front door. Ever since she had first left the country when she was eighteen she had not been to Mrs. Longbottom by herself. The first few years Mrs. Longbottom invited her and Rolf under the pretence that Mrs. Longbottom wanted to get to know Rolf. When Lacus was born, it was because she wanted to see Lacus. Never before had Mrs. Longbottom invited Luna alone.
It had to be some sort of important occasion. Neville's birthday had already past but perhaps it was Hannah's? Or great uncle Algie?
Stepping forward, Luna rang the doorbell. While waiting for someone to open the door, she leaned a little to her left so that she could get a glance of the sitting room window. The lights were on as usual but from her angle Luna couldn't see anything except for a bookshelf and a painting of King Arthur.
The door open so suddenly that Luna jumped back into position. Mrs. Longbottom stood there, holding up the door.
"Good evening, Luna," she greeted. "Come in."
"Good evening, Mrs. Longbottom."
Luna returned the greeting as she stepped inside the house. Save for the sound of the door closing behind her, the house was quiet. There was no chatter, no sounds of anyone walking around or drinks being poured and passed around. It was all eerily quiet, in a way it reminded Luna of what her own house was like when she came home at the end of the day.
She took off her robe and hung it up on the coat rack. Mrs. Longbottom stood by her side, waiting for her. Once she was done, Mrs. Longbottom started to head towards the sitting room and Luna followed.
There was simple explanation for the silence in the house. There wasn't anyone in the living room, not even Neville who usually made very little noise as he walked around. Luna let her eyes wander across the sitting room just to be sure. She couldn't even find one of Neville's daughters hiding under a table or behind the old piano. Perhaps they were running late. It would not be a surprise, Saturdays were busy at The Leaky Cauldron and Hannah might have a difficult time getting away on time.
"I hope you did not have to rush to get here," Mrs. Longbottom said and made a gesture for Luna to sit. "I don't know what it's like with you young people anymore, you seem to be enjoying working on Saturdays."
"Oh no," Luna answered, sitting down on the sofa. "I just went to the office for a few hours today."
Mrs. Longbottom made a face, as if she did not quite approve of it, but said nothing. Instead she walked over a large, dark wooden cabinet in the corner. The doors of the cabinet opened with a squeak and revealed several bottles with liquids of varying colour.
"Would you like a drink before dinner?" she asked.
It was a question but Luna saw that Mrs. Longbottom was taking out two glasses and had reached for one of the bottles with a deep burgundy colour.
"Yes please," she answered and accepted the drink that Mrs. Longbottom had already poured for her.
Mrs. Longbottom poured a drink for herself and then sat down on the sofa opposite of Luna. She sipped her drink, closing her eyes as she swallowed and let out a satisfied sigh.
"I always enjoyed this brand," she told. "Neville first bought it for me when he and Hannah went to Portugal on their honeymoon. I make him buy one bottle for me every time they go there on holiday."
Luna smiled. She held the glass in her hand but was in no hurry to finish the drink. She did not particularly enjoy this kind of spirits, finding them rather heavy for some reason.
"So when are Neville and Hannah?" she asked casually.
Mrs. Longbottom took another sip of her drink and waved her hand.
"Oh no, they're not coming."
Luna stared at Mrs. Longbottom and blinked.
"They're not?" she repeated.
"Neville is too busy with work this week and Saturday is the busiest day at The Leaky Cauldron," Mrs. Longbottom explained.
Luna still stared at her.
"But if they're not coming and Lacus is at school, then why..." she began but stopped herself.
If there was one thing she had learned over the years, it was that there was a difference between speaking uncomfortable truths and speaking words that could hurt someone.
Mrs. Longbottom gave her a sharp look and Luna suddenly felt small and little where she was sitting.
It was a natural question. Neville was always there whenever Luna and Lacus came over for dinner. Hannah was there most of the time, but sometimes missed out because she had to work and when that happened Neville would bring over the girls as well. Luna could not think of one time when one of them had not been present at the dinners, much less a dinner where it was just her and Mrs. Longbottom. It was unexpected, not to mention a little strange having a dinner just the two of them.
However, she was not sure that Mrs. Longbottom saw it that way. That sharp look in her eyes stayed and when Luna opened her mouth to explain, Mrs. Longbottom raised her glass and emptied her drink in one swallow.
"I think the roast is ready now," she spoke, her voice suddenly cold. "Will you join me at the table?"
Finding that she had no other option, Luna nodded and tried to smile. Mrs. Longbottom, however, did not even acknowledge the smile as she rose and walked out of the sitting room. Luna set her glass aside and followed Mrs. Longbottom into the dining room that lay on the opposite side of the hallway.
Luna stopped there at the dining table when Mrs. Longbottom disappeared into the kitchen quickly. She stood behind the chair at the end of the dining table, resting her hands on the back of the chair and not knowing what to do. Should she go into the kitchen and help? Normally that would not be a problem for her, but what she had said had affected Mrs. Longbottom the wrong way. She might not even be welcome into the kitchen.
Lacking other options, Luna remained standing by the table and looked around. A crisp white cloth covered the table, which was already set for two. Mrs. Longbottom had set the table with her best silver and charmed three blue candles to float in the air around the centre. Luna looked at the two sets of silverware and porcelain one each side of the long, rectangular wooden table. She still wondered why Mrs. Longbottom had wanted to have a dinner with just the two of them. The table had seemed big enough when four people sat around it like last time and it seemed even bigger with just plates and glasses set on each end.
A bowl of salad came flying out of the kitchen and settled nicely on the table. Luna looked up to see Mrs. Longbottom stand in the doorway to the kitchen with her wand raised and directing a large plate of lamb roast to land on the dining table. Next up were two plates with potatoes and a gravy boat.
"Please sit down," Mrs. Longbottom said politely when everything was set.
She sat down at her end of the table and Luna at the other. With a wave of her wand, Mrs. Longbottom made their plates fly over to the dishes and returned with a generous serving of lamb roast, potatoes, vegetables and gravy. It wasn't often that Luna ate so much meat, but even she could admit that Mrs. Longbottom's roasts were always mouth-watering.
"This looks good," Luna complimented genuinely.
"Thank you."
They began eating in silence; the only time a sound was made was when the knives and forks scraped against the porcelain plates. Physically it was only about seven or eight feet between them but the distance between them felt endless.
Not knowing what to say, Luna looked up and sought Mrs. Longbottom's eyes. The older woman was eating slowly, one small bite at the time. To Luna she had hardly aged a day from when they first met but that had been almost twenty years ago. Twenty years was more than half of Luna's life and it was more than the time Luna had with her father.
Noticing that she was being stared at, Mrs. Longbottom looked up and faced her.
"What is it?" she asked.
Luna shrugged.
"Nothing... nothing in particular."
Shaking her head, Mrs. Longbottom cut up the potato on her plate.
"So how is Lacus doing at school?" she asked, perhaps just to get some conversation going. "Does she write often?"
"Every day," Luna answered, moving her fork around the plate but not feeling like eating. "Sometimes twice."
"She's a good girl," Mrs. Longbottom complimented. "Responsible and sensible, you don't know how lucky you are to have a child like that."
I do, Luna thought. And it makes me miss her more.
But she kept that thought to herself.
"It's just as difficult for a parent to be away from their child as it is for the child itself," Mrs. Longbottom went on, as if having read Luna's thoughts. "The difference is that we are not allowed to show it, we are to let our children spread our wings and only return whenever they feel like it. It does not matter how much we miss them, sometimes they are just too consumed and busy with everything else to remember that we are still here, that we miss them..."
As she spoke, Mrs. Longbottom seemed to channel all her strength into cutting up a tough part of the lamb chop. Luna had a distinct feeling that there was something going on beneath the surface.
"But Neville visits you quite often, doesn't he?" she wondered.
"Oh, he does!" Mrs. Longbottom replied proudly. "Comes over for dinner at least once a week and brings Hannah and the girls with him. Hannah is wonderful too, she comes over on Wednesdays with the girls and cooks supper for all of us."
Giving up on the tough piece of meat, Mrs. Longbottom put down her knife and fork with a sigh. Luna had stopped eating long ago and was staring at Mrs. Longbottom quietly. If all was well with Neville and Hannah, then what was wrong?
Luna had had enough of the constant guessing to herself.
"Is something wrong?" she asked plainly.
Leaning back in her chair, Mrs. Longbottom looked at Luna fiercely and crossed her arms.
"Neville comes over at least once a week and tells me what is going on in his life," she began. "You, I have to owl and invite to find out!"
Luna dropped her fork on the plate but did not even notice it. Her eyes were locked with Mrs. Longbottom's and her mind just trying to process what the latter had just said.
"You have been back for almost a month, you have been working at the Quibbler for at least a few weeks," Mrs. Longbottom went on. "Aside from that, I know nothing about what is going on in your life right now! Not how you are doing, how it goes with work... If I didn't invite you here I would probably never know! Is it too much to ask of an old lady like me with too much time on her hands to have some sort of involvement in your life?!"
Silence.
To some it might have been an uncomfortable silence. Being yelled at during supper could certainly be classified as uncomfortable. But to Luna, it was the opposite. The words Mrs. Longbottom had spoken, or yelled, stuck inside of her. Most of all, it was the way Mrs. Longbottom had compared Neville to her as if they were the same kind, as if they both were her grandchildren.
The thought of that made Luna feel warm on the inside.
"I met Harry Potter the other day."
Mrs. Longbottom raised an eyebrow.
"Really?"
Luna nodded.
"He was working on the ice cream parlour when I was on my way home from work."
"I read about that in the Prophet," Mrs. Longbottom said. "But apparently he refuses to release any statement about quitting his job and buying that ice cream parlour. The reporters have been hounding him day and night and he still refuses to speak."
"He asked me to take a look inside."
"Did he?"
Mrs. Longbottom's eyes were wide open. She leaned forward, propping her elbows up on the table.
"What did it look like?"
Luna's smile widened.
"Well, it was kind of the same as before... the old sign was still there. The only thing he did was repaint the walls but I thought that it was a little too much of old Florean Fortescue and not so much Harry Potter..."