Author's Note: Hi everyone! I'm terribly sorry for the very long wait, my pals, but as you most probably know, highschool can be very demanding at times... Anyway, as now things are quite better, and with holidays approaching- yay!- I hope I'll finish with this story- it's only a 7-chapter one.

I would like to thank everyone for the support and I would appreciate some more reviews; that would be just spectacular...

Well, anyway, I'll just let you read now... Enjoy! :)

Love And War Don't Discriminate Between Nations

~Incidents During Day And Night~

She heard Luna's giggles from afar- it was adorable. It would make her day up so easily, even though she wasn't fully able to understand the power of this unknown charm.

Hermione smiled softly to herself as the melodic giggles were still lingering in her ears- giggles that were faithfully followed by a deep, melancholic, so gentle chuckle. Hermione's heartbeats started to increase; she was quite sure that her ears had found their drug only in this so pure sound. She sighed absentmindedly and she looked at her surroundings calmly, her mind actually wandering miles away from that lonely scenery.

Over a week had been passed in the forest along with Ron and Luna, only moving every now and then to a more secured place, but always near the river, this vital factor for their survival. Ron would always be absent for a couple of hours, so he could examine the area closely and then he would either bring them a bit more amounts of food or he would lead them to a slightly better place.

She sighed again, as in her mind flowed images of the one man that so abruptly entered her life. She couldn't wholly realize the warmth in her chest whenever she would see him or think of him, neither could she comprehend the so small smile that came to her lips so easily every time she would turn in and reminisce of the so mere moments between them, but she had entirely accepted it- she knew that there was a really good reason for such newborn sentiments to be existent in her soul, even though she couldn't name them. They couldn't harm her even in the slightest…

Things between the three of them were gradually progressing; she and Luna had no problem at all spending time with each other, as Hermione already adored her, while the girl, on the other hand, seemed to enjoy the woman's company, even though she was quite hesitant due to lack of perfect communication. Of course, Hermione was quite unsure herself, as well, only because of what Ron would might think and if he would find it appropriate of her to spend as much time with the child; however, Ron seemed fine with it, as he was staring at the two of them every time they were spending time together, watching them with somewhat piercing eyes, yet totally calm, from afar. She felt that it was sort of weird, but she didn't mind it.

At the moment, she was near the river, looking closely at the quiet surface of the water, making herself as calm as the liquid substance was, making herself one with the environment around her. For a so brief moment, the bright, shiny colour of the water reminded her of the colour of his eyes and her breath, for once again, got caught, as her pulse started a bit quicker pace of its own. This kind of reactions every time she was thinking about him, even for a millisecond, were now always evident, yet they also surprised her and got her awed and rather fascinated- all the things this redhead man was causing to her were strange, slightly breathtaking and absolutely new-born. She couldn't live without them now, though.

She was ready to take a bath in the river, while Ron and Luna can't have been there. She went behind some trees that were grown the one really close the other and she started to undress herself slowly, her mind wandering elsewhere like always. She remained with all but a tank top and her underwear and she considered for a moment if she would do just with her bra and underwear or if she would wear the thin, cotton article of clothing as well. She decided against the later and she took it off, but only a second later, her eyes saw movement and a tall figure appeared before her…

Two loud yells full of surprise could be clearly heard a moment later and Hermione instinctively covered her half-naked body with her thin arms, her wide eyes glued on the embarrassed figure in front of her. Ron had become red and his eyes were wide as well, until he gasped once more and he then covered his eyes with his hand, turning his head a bit to the left.

"Sono così spiacente!" ("I'm so sorry!") Hermione heard him saying with a quite pleading, apologetic tone in his deep voice- she got lost for a moment, just from the smoothness of his perfect, deep voice.

"It's alright…" she whispered, still a bit breathless of this sudden shock, but now able to look at him without much shyness or something. She heard him take one deep breath before taking slowly his hand from his eyes and then he turned his head towards her form, his eyes coyly and still a bit apologetically looking at her own ones.

"It's alright" she repeated to him, letting a small, reassuring smile to appear on her lips so he could understand she wasn't furious with him- she really was alright with it. She noticed then that the tips of his ears got a bit pinker and he shifted his eyes from hers for a moment, before gradually making them to rest on hers once more, making her as a result calm, yet restless.

They remained silent for a couple of short moments, the woman staying still with her eyes gazing at him faithfully, while the Italian man seemed more nervous, his eyes resting on hers and then looking at the ground, then at her neglected clothes on the soil, then once again on her face- but never on her half-naked body. His lips parted a bit and he took another deep, shaky breath, his eyes gazing at her face absentmindedly, making her suddenly nervous, thus, she sifted under his hypnotized gaze. This barely visible motion made him 'wake up' and took a tiny step backwards. For some unexplainable reason, his eyes widened a bit and his lips parted slightly, like something made him feel somewhat edgy. Hermione looked at him with a calm look, trying to make feel a bit relieved through this sudden… silent outburst (?)- she couldn't quite place it with words-, but he seemed at a slight loss; he looked with gazing eyes at the ground as his hands were shaking a bit, but he seemed a bit more content a moment later. He glanced deeply into her eyes for a moment, making her spine shudder a little, and then he was gone, leaving her once again alone in the minute clearing.

Her breath belatedly managed to come back to normal- the effect he seemed to have on her greater that the one she had thought. In her mind, the piercing colour of his irises drowned her thoughts like it was a welcoming sea that pulled her inside, and it was astonishing.

She inhaled deeply and let the tank top meet the ground, as her feet were heading towards the water. As the skin made contact with the smooth, liquid substance, she felt like tomorrow wasn't important, nothing else mattered except from the embrace of nature itself, which was inviting her warmly.

She just decided to get lost in the senses; thinking was pushed aside at the moment.

…

She was right there, a part of the silent, resting environment. Almost darkness engulfed her but without bringing fear or doubt along with it- it was mere tranquility that was apparent in her soul, even if that was possible. The moon above her was waxing like always, not caring about the lethal events it was facing in the surface of the planet Earth; really, very few people seemed to care about the indescribable crimes taking place in that wounded soil.

Her mind strangely was still, not thinking about a thing. She heard her steady breathing while her pupils were taking in the scenery before her- the body was at a welcoming ease for which she was grateful; she was merely glad she wasn't a contrast to her surroundings.

She must have been there for some hour, doing actually nothing, when she finally heard soft steps during the tangible silence- still she didn't gave too much of thought to the fact. It was only a few minutes later, when she finally realized that a shadow was covering her, that a figure was near her, standing still, staring at her own sitting form. She looked up with some expectancy and her eyes rested on Ron; suddenly her eyes were quite unable to look elsewhere.

His tall, lean body was standing on the ground proudly, like a beautiful sculpture. His pale skin seemed to glow under the silver moonbeams brilliantly, making her feel utterly lucky for laying her eyes on such a sight. His dark blue eyes were on her, a serene look in them. They stayed like this for a moment or two, till the man hesitantly kneeled next to her, his unsure stare showed her that he was quite afraid of her reaction to his quite forward motion. Hermione just let a tiny smile appear in her mouth so he would feel easier with her and then her head leaned backwards, her eyes gazing at the zillions of silver spots on the dark blue velvet above them. Her arms hugged her bended legs and brought them closer to her chest as she let a small sigh to escape from her sealed lips; those content, starry nights always made her think of her childhood- careless, innocent times back then…

The mere sound of hers must have caught the man's attention, as Hermione felt those round eyes be glued on her. She gradually took her eyes away from the glittery map over them so her eyes would meet his own; immediately, a lively spark appeared deep in his dark pupils while his form a mirror of hers- with his long arms snaked around his also long legs, his skinny feet bare. They stayed like this for centuries- time seemed to have lost its value here, during the still of the night.

"Z-Zorree…" he whispered after a while, his handsome characteristics stained with some shame. Hermione tried to understand his word for a bit, but his face seemed to be more specific that the poor verbal communication between them; she smiled reassuringly and nodded her head once softly- Ron seemed to be too shy with her, especially after the little incident in the morning. They stayed once again in comfortable, curing silence, their lives and spirits still needed the mending after the blowing of a war that was still hunting them. Words that couldn't be spoken, anyway, weren't said, as both people stared up at the sky, gazing at the numerous stars and the moon, as minds were traveling faraway, to stratosphere and back there, always restless and in worry.

"Il Luna è il mio bambino" the woman suddenly listened to his rich voice breaking the silence and she turned her head towards him, gazing his face rather curiously. A tiny smile flickered on his full lips as he was still looking up to the skies, his expression a bit more carefree. Hermione tried to comprehend the foreign words without thinking much about the lingering of his perfect accent in her ears. She also glanced up to the Prussian-blue sky, her eyes fixing on the almost round satellite; then, she looked back to him.

"Yes… Luna is the Moon" she said lowly, thinking that he was talking about that. Ron looked down to her gently, his eyes holding the innocence of the entire world as he was actually looking into her soul. Hermione tried to ignore her wild heart and crazy pulsation and she just showed the source of light above them with her index finger, helping him understand. He peered at her face curiously for a moment, then up to the sky with some expectancy. He examined the moon for a couple of seconds and then his eyes returned to their former sight, nodding softly, even though a bit unsurely.

"Si, luna…" he whispered kindly, even though he seemed at a slight loss with their conversation. He peered at her face for one more moment and then a quite bigger smile cracked on his handsome, pale face and a soft snicker could be heard, making the brunette to forget all about silly things such as breathing; his plain, melodic laugh, his entire existence seemed to me much more important. Her eyes focused on his face faithfully, not really understanding what was going on and made him laugh so gently. She let her face get a confusing expression until the Italian man could see it. When Ron seemed to catch her look, he stopped and looked at her with slightly brighter eyes.

"Luna…" he told her slowly and clearly with his low, soothing voice as his finger weakly pointed backwards them, where a huge, old tree was, its quite enormous cavity their temporary home. Hermione stared at the pitch black spot with her mind quite not so co-operative at the moment. Belatedly she understood that he was talking about the baby Luna.

Ron must have seen the realization lit her face, as his lips twitched a bit upwards for a second. When he was sure he had her entire attention, he repeated his words, more slowly and clearly this time: "Luna… mio bambino…" he whispered softly. Hermione was observing his face closely under the starlight and the words of his were sinking in her mind…

Her breath was slight caught as the meaning of the mere words reached their plain target… Sure, Hermione didn't know Italian, but she could understand some very simple things… as this one…

Luna was his baby… as in child… as in daughter…

The fact seemed quite impossible and Hermione turned her head swiftly towards him once again, her eyes wide and her mouth a bit open… The look in this serene face before her told her that her assumptions were absolutely true.

She couldn't quite realize why the fact was such a shock to her, but well, this… this young boy couldn't just be a father! Yes, he looked tired and worn out, but almost everyone looked like this nowadays…

She heard the young man next to her clearing his throat softly and her head jerked so she could meet his huge eyes. His head was titled a bit on the right and he was looking her with huge, innocent eyes that were holding some child-like interest; how could she believe that such a human would be able to be a father right now?

He must have noticed her surprise somehow, because he gradually straightened his back and his finger rested on his left thigh. Hermione looked curiously at it as it slowly moved over the fabric of the beige trousers, as if writing something. The woman examined the almost imperceptible wrinkles he was making:

26.

Her head shot up for the second time in a matter of a minute or two, so she could examine the angelic face of his, where a small, peaceful smile was now apparent. This man surely didn't look like he was in his mid-twenties, not at all, but he strangely was so… Probably it all had to do with this pureness and naivety that he possessed. She let herself get lost in those brilliant pools of cobalt blue for a minute, as he didn't seem to be bothered by that; his face seemed oddly more relaxed at that moment.

Then, a thought occurred to her: as they were 'living' together for now, she thought that she should tell him some things about herself, as well; he started it and she should also participate in this introduction of sorts.

Mirroring his previous movements, she let her own finger to travel on her loose, worn-out trousers, writing herself her age: 26. Her eyes stayed for a moment on the shabby fabric of her clothing and then she shyly let her eyes rest on his face for the millionth time that night- not that she had a problem over that, but quite the opposite if she wanted to be frank with herself. His eyes were shining radiantly and she vividly thought for a moment why stars were still up to the sky, staring at them so cockily; shouldn't they be embarrassed for lighting so dimly while the definitive source of light was right there, before her weak, yet lucky eyes: this perfect set of angelic eyes that were smiling gently down to her at the moment… she felt herself in a whirl of light emotions and life- it was refreshing and reassuring during such dark and dreadful times… a real savior…

Like they were in each other's minds, like a powerful bond they couldn't fully comprehend yet was between them, the couple gradually leaned to the soft grass under them, lying under the look of the moon unprotected, yet tranquil, the thought that they would be very easy targets of a probably oncoming enemy- despite the some security the place provided- never passing in their heads; a restless mind needs its mere peace after the burn-out, after years of unstoppable storm. The two sets of eyes were glued up at the endless veil above them, as two souls were slightly starting to feel safer during such uncertainty in the world- it was the company of the other that kept them whole instead of wounded.

It was actually that night that made those desperate hearts to unconsciously understand that their entire world, their total existence was their company- the other anxious spirit that was lying next to them…

Hermione felt the slightly cool air stroking her face inevitably as her eyes were looking at the stars, in her mind stories from the mythology took their place as her pupils were observing the Dipper, the Orion, the Centaur. But then, she felt warmth on her right hand, as something small was hesitantly caressing her knuckle…

With the trail of her eye, she saw his little finger touching unsurely her own one- her skin there as in fire. He ever so slowly let another long finger to join the lonely one, her knuckles and palm like a temple that's been praised by a faith man. Gradually and shyly, his big palm covered hers like warm blanket, making her heart feel a trace of bliss inside it, as her blood found a truly good motivation for keep traveling in her petite body now- it was unprecedented but completely welcoming.

She let her head turn a bit around on the ground, meeting his eyes, which were already looking at her uncertainly, yet still calmly. They stayed like this for a while, words downright worthless at the time- silence told everything once more. From under his palm, she let her own one shift a bit, and she slowly spread her little fingers, unhurriedly intertwining them with his, making their hearts, as a result, crazier, meanwhile their souls calmer…

Everything was welcoming- every little thing of his was welcoming, despite the fact she wasn't able to grasp them fully just then… she was still grateful. Because life has its good moments, as well, she soon realized, actually relieving a poor existence from all this intolerable chaos that prevailed all over.

Yeah, life has its good moments as well….

-Well, I know this one is quite smaller compared to the first one, but I hope it's still good to read... :)

-And I hope you know that the thing I want right now is your awesome REVIEWS! It would just make my day up...!

-And of course, I'll try to update as soon as possible. Until then... :) xxx