Chapter Eleven: Luna Lovegood
Harry sat in the pressroom at Potter Corporation, his eyes shut as he meditated to steady the restless energy swirling inside his body. While he meditated, he let everything go and relaxed. Time meant nothing. How long he sat in the chair, he didn't know, but Harry only became aware of his surroundings once he felt Sensei's magical core and knew the man approached. Curious, he watched the energy surrounding Sensei solidify into an arm and reach out to shake his shoulder. Opening his eyes, he felt relaxed and ready to face his press secretary who entered the room with several reporters. Harry became more comfortable about the idea of making his life public, when Mr. Lovegood walked in with a teenaged girl. The girl, who he assumed was Luna, wore bright, yellow robes. Those robes would've made anyone but her look like a bumblebee, but they looked oddly appropriate on Luna. Once you actually looked at her, you realized she would've looked strange wearing the generic robes everyone favored.
"Lord Potter, this is Jessica Abrams with the London Times, her sister is a witch." Harry looked at her curiously wondering if she had felt jealous like Aunt Petunia upon learning her sister was a witch and going off to a special school for most of the year. He wondered how the relatives of other muggleborns felt about their sibling's magic. Maybe he'd ask Sherry. "Mike Braum from the Daily Prophet," his press agent continued unaware of his wandering thoughts. "Grace Cast from Witches Weekly, and Xenophilius Lovegood and his daughter Luna from the Quibbler."
"It's nice to meet you, thank you for coming."
They sat around the conference table and after the Press Agent went over the rules, they asked their questions. The reporters expertly prodded him into giving an overview of his life up to this summer. He clarified points when they asked. Harry could tell those clarifying questions were geared towards their specific readership, but he didn't mind. The press agent was right, the more publicity the better. Since he'd never given an interview before, people came up with their own opinions of his life, and their opinions were far from the truth. This would make people realize his life had been different from what they expected. So, Harry didn't flinch when Mr. Lovegood asked questions that made him speak of the isolation he felt in the muggle world. How he'd grown up knowing he was different but not knowing why and how confusing it made his life. Ms. Abrams ask him how he learned he was a wizard. He explained how he didn't get a visit like most muggleborns and how confusing it was to receive the letter, how the letter had been taken by his caretakers, who disapproved of magic and him. He explained how he met Hagrid and how unfortunately things didn't get better once he learned he was a wizard, because he also learned he was famous for an incident he only relived in his nightmares. He spoke of his eagerness of finally being around kids like himself, only to become frustrated once he got to Hogwarts. Harry had felt under a microscope, because all most people were interested in was his fame. They either loved him for being famous or hated him. The worst for him was when people asked him if he remembered how he got his famous scar. A scar that for him, only served as a reminder that he was an orphan, but people never remembered that.
Ms. Cast, from Witch's Weekly, noticed how uncomfortable he was getting and asked about his relationship with Ron and Hermione and if he was interested in anyone romantically.
Harry laughed. "I'm thirteen. I'm uncomfortable thinking about anyone romantically. But, I would never have feelings for Ron and Hermione in that way. They were the first people who accepted me as just Harry and not as Harry Potter the Boy-Who-Lived. To me, they are my brother and sister, and more special than any romantic interest. I don't think of them that way and I doubt I ever will."
"You are about to start your third year at Hogwarts. What electives have you decided to take?" Mr. Braum asked.
"I'm not returning to Hogwarts. I'm hiring tutors to complete my magical education."
You could've heard a pin drop. It was so quiet Harry laughed.
"May I ask why?" the non-magical from the Times asked shell-shocked.
"Hogwarts isn't what it's cracked up to be," Harry began seriously. He explained about his first two years beginning with the bullying that was either ignored or perpetrated by teachers. Mr. Lovegood asked for specific incidents, which he gave. They then discussed the blood prejudice he and others experienced, which Harry believed came down to ignorance of the other's culture.
"It's a shame that classes in wizard and muggle culture are not mandatory at least for first years. I was thrown into a new world without receiving the inadequate packet muggleborns got. I knew nothing of the rules and customs of the world I was entering and I made many mistakes. Mistakes, I made out of sheer ignorance. Mistakes I never would've made if I had been given lessons on how to comport myself, lessons most purebloods received when they're in diapers. No wonder the purebloods are disgusted with muggleborns who come into this new world without preparation. But it is also ridiculous that purebloods ignore muggleborns until their eleventh birthday. And what about kids like me whose eleventh birthday is only a month before Hogwarts starts? Something needs to change. A month isn't adequate preparation to learn about a new culture that you are not even sure you want to enter."
"Do you regret entering the wizarding world?" Mrs. Abrams asked intrigued as she leaned forward in her seat.
"No. I needed to learn how to control my magic. The magic inside of us isn't something we can ignore and it's dangerous if we don't get it under control. I do regret entering wizarding Britain and Hogwarts, though."
"What would you change?" Mr. Lovegood asked.
Harry snorted. "I'm thirteen, it's not up to me to make those changes, but if wizarding Britain doesn't want another Dark Lord cropping up or be obliterated by the non-magical world and their technology, they're going to have to stop burying their heads in the sand. Most witches and wizards think non-magicals are stupid and backwards when it's the reverse. Especially when you think of the advances non-magicals have made in the last twenty years in weapons, science, and technology. With one swipe of a button, Hogwarts could be obliterated, and we'd be none the wiser on how to combat their technology. Yes, we need separation from non-magical society for our protection, but wizarding Britain is not being smart about how they're going about that separation. It's my understanding that wizards in other countries look at things differently. I suggest the British Ministry see how other countries, preferably countries outside Europe, handle things and see what they could do to modify their policies if not adopt them outright."
Mr. Braum asked him which classes he had problems with at Hogwarts.
"The same classes every student has had problems with over the past few years, History of Magic, Potions, and Defense Against the Dark Arts. A ghost who should've stopped teaching generations ago teaches History of Magic. Professor Binns is no longer relevant to the needs of today's students. Does he get paid? Where is his salary going?"
Harry snorted when everyone stared at him spellbound as if they've never thought about that before.
"Sheep," he said borrowing Mr. D's scathing retort. "No wonder Tom Riddle was able to come in and nearly destroy Britain. You guys never question anything."
"Tom Riddle?" Mr. Lovegood asked and Harry could see how his eyes gleamed.
Grinning, Harry flicked his wand and repeated the gesture the young Tom Riddle did for him inside the Chamber of Secrets and watched the reporters eyes widen in horror as the letters rearranged themselves.
"Thomas Marvolo Riddle was the son of a squib and a non-magical who grew up in a non-magical orphanage. Learning he was the descendant of Salazar Slytherin, he remade himself as Lord Voldemort, a pureblood. I mean really, did no one ever look into what his real name was? Where he came from? Did you really think that was his real name? I mean who names their kid Lord Voldemort. But we're getting off the subject, maybe use that for the next edition or something. I mean you're reporters look into Riddle's history. Isn't that your job?"
Feeling that he shocked them enough, he talked about Snape.
"Professor Snape is a bully who should not be around children. In any other school, he would've been fired. He bullies and harasses not only me, but other students as well and makes everyone nervous and unable to focus in his classes."
Harry talked about how Snape had even sabotaged some of his work when he saw he did something correctly, and how he'd been looking forward to potions until he first walked into the room and met Snape.
"I recently learned that Snape bullies me worse than others, because my father had been a jerk to him while they were at Hogwarts. That was said to me as if it gave the man the right to treat others and me as bad or worse as he'd been treated. But, there is never a good reason to be a bully. And since I know Dumbledore doesn't care about the safety of his students, I feel I don't have to stay around and put up with that behavior any longer, especially when I am lucky enough to have the means to hire tutors for myself."
Ms. Abrams asked him what he felt needed to change at Hogwarts. He told her Hogwarts needed a zero bullying policy, more teachers, and someone to go in and discover why the Defense Against the Dark Arts position was jinxed. Hogwarts also needed a more diverse education since none of the classes he'd taken or could take at Hogwarts would help him manage the company he inherited, since he needed a strong foundation in muggle subjects like business and finance.
"So it is important for you to have a presence in both worlds despite saying that the magical world needed to be separate from non-magicals." Ms. Abrams probed, intrigued.
"Of course. I hope to live a separate but equal life. It's not as if I'm going to stand in front of the Kingsway Tunnel and start waving my wand in the middle of rush hour. It's a difficult balancing at, but it can be done. And, I'm just following in the footsteps of my parents and grandparents who did the same. It would be remise of me not to have a presence in both worlds."
"I see you have already made a splash, your confrontation with Maggie Hamming went viral around the world."
Harry shrugged. "I will not tolerate anyone disrespecting my staff. They work hard, are loyal to me, and are the backbone of my success."
At the other reporters' confused looks, Harry explained what happened to their amusement comparing the model to the most famous Quidditch player in the world. The reporters laughed.
"You appear to be very hands on as a CEO. Can you tell me what plans you have for Potter Corporation?"
Harry excitedly spoke of the permanent exhibits he had planned for the Castle and ideas that he had brought forward but couldn't discuss for business purposes to expand the company's marketplace in the wizarding world.
The Witch Weekly reporter asked about the party and what made him arrange it. He shrugged.
"I'm not going back to Hogwarts so it was the perfect way to hang out with friends and get to know more people who had intrigued me and I wanted to get to know better but because of the house dynamics at Hogwarts and my somewhat infamous status I hadn't gotten the chance to know."
"You disagree with Hogwarts house system?" Mr. Lovegood asked with a grin.
"I respect the founders and the history but I don't think the system works in today's world. A two-minute personality test given to an eleven-year-old affects the rest of your life, and really why should the thoughts or choices we made when we were eleven affect us to that extent? I was supposed to go into Slytherin but because of the rumors I had heard about that house, I begged to go somewhere else. I have a friend that should've gone into Hufflepuff, but because of family pressure begged the hat to place him elsewhere. I have another friend that should have gone into Ravenclaw, but also because of preconceived notions was placed elsewhere. Because of a two-minute test a person is automatically labeled, a reckless idiot, a stuck-up know it all, a self-absorbed schemer, or a loyal follower. That's stupid. People are so much more than that."
"What would you suggest, getting rid of the house system?"
Harry shrugged. "I don't have all the answers. Maybe get rid of it or wait until students third year to sort them. By then you know your classmates without the preconceived notions of what house you're in."
The questions morphed into current events, Sirius Black, and Dumbledore. Harry said he couldn't talk about Dumbledore without giving an unflattering, biased opinion because of the man's extreme manipulations to control his life and destiny. He was looking forward to meeting his godfather and thought Madame Bones was moving in the right direction to root out corruption in the government so all citizens had equal protection despite their blood status.
He loved Quidditch but never seen a professional game since he had spent all his non-school time in the muggle world and didn't yet get a chance to watch one. He was interested in muggle sports like skateboarding, dirt bike riding, and bicycle riding.
"Is there anything else you'd like people to know about you?"
"That the Boy-Who-Lived is just a title made up to boost the morale of the wizarding world after a long and trying war. People can speculate all they want but the only people who truly know what happened that night are my parents who died, Voldemort or Thomas Riddle, Jr., who's a shade at the moment, and me who was too young to remember. While I appreciate everyone's fascination with me, please be aware that your fascination comes from a speculated event that made me an orphan. Speaking of fascination, I recently became aware that all mail addressed to me had been diverted. I've never received a piece of fan mail, nor any other correspondence until a few days ago. All my misdirected mail has been found and I'm slowly going through it. If it appeared I ignored your letters, I apologize. It was not my intention; the redirection ward was done without my knowledge or consent. I am attempting to rectify the situation. Also, please understand that I'm one person. There is twelve years of backlogged mail and mail continues to come in daily. I have to consider my studies and other areas of my life as well. So, I request that whoever has sent me mail over the years to be patient."
"Excuse me, Lord Potter," Mr. Lovegood began with a wicked grin on his face, "rumors have been going around that Albus Dumbledore was the one who had stolen your mail, is that true?"
"Yes. So as you can see that is one reason why I find it hard to speak his name without bias. He has taken his role as wizarding world leader a little too far, in my opinion."
"It can be said that this could've been done to protect your privacy."
"Maybe, but no one has the right to take away my right to choose. Maybe when I was a baby but to neglect to inform me after I began attending Hogwarts, is inexcusable. I still don't know if there is mail he withheld or destroyed. Maybe I was even invited to other magical schools besides Hogwarts. I don't know. You must remember I received no letters or packages, not even from my attorneys, Potter Corporation, or Gringotts. After my parents murder, Albus Dumbledore ignored my parents will and hidden me away in the muggle world with people my parents never wanted me to live with, people who kept me away from my heritage. When I returned to the wizarding world, my every move was orchestrated by Albus Dumbledore to keep me ignorant. He was even in possession of my vault key."
"Was anything missing from your vault?"
"Yes. There were also attempts to access my family vault that were unsuccessful."
"Will you press charges?"
"Gringotts barred Albus Dumbledore from their bank and I made the DMLE aware of what had been done to me, but Dumbledore is a powerful man, because of his power and popularity, people forget he's a man just as accountable for his actions as we all not believing he's some mythical hero."
"You have a lot of power as well, Lord Potter."
Harry laughed. "And people forget I am just a thirteen year old boy. I didn't ask for any of this, all I can do is try to be the best Harrison that I can be."
With that they wrapped up the interview, with the reporter from the Times asking him questions to expand on his statements or new questions to make his interview muggle friendly. Soon everyone was milling about talking to the press agent and he went up to Luna who was aimlessly wandering about the room.
"Hello Luna."
"Hello Harry Potter." Luna's voice fit just like the clothes she wore. Her voice was melodic. It ebbed and flowed between deep and light, innocent and mysterious. Harry was intrigued. Although he couldn't tell you why or how, he immediately knew Luna Lovegood would be a good friend.
"I'm going to lunch, want to come?" he said impulsively. "We can get something to eat and hang out."
Luna stared at him as if he were an interesting potion experiment that had unexpected results. "Okay Harry Potter. I'd love to go to lunch and hang out with you. It'll be like having friends."
Harry blinked. Okay so Luna said whatever was on her mind no matter how others took it.
"I hope we can be friends. Do you think your father will let you leave?"
"Of course Harry Potter," Luna took Harry's hand and dragged him behind her as she skipped out the room. "Bye Daddy, I'm leaving with Harry and his Invisible Men."
Harry choked and Mr. Lovegood waved them off. Harry waited until they were outside Potter Corporation before questioning Luna.
"You can see them?"
"Mr. Invisible Blue and Mr. Invisible Red? Of course, I see them Harry Potter, they're standing right next to us after all. Are there wrackspurts in your ears, Harry Potter? I didn't see any around, but you're acting like it. Maybe there hiding from me?"
"What are wrackspurts?"
"Invisible beings who float through your ears and make your brain fuzzy."
Harry heard Sensei guffaw and his partner snort. Harry suspected that was Luna's way of calling him an idiot. Talking with Luna Lovegood was like working out the Sudoku puzzles Sensei was addicted too. It sounded complicated up front but once you fit everything in the right box, it made perfect sense.
Luna dragged him to a café called the Happy Cow, a vegetarian restaurant. Like most magical restaurants, a menu was on the plate, you ordered, and the food appeared seconds later. Harry ordered a grilled Portobello sandwich. Luna ordered smoked humus with grilled bread, and something called a falafel sandwich. Harry was pleasantly surprised by his sandwich, the Portobello was topped with grilled courgette, avocado, red onions, and garlic aioli. It was delicious. Luna took her humus on dark bread to the corner where Sensei and his other guard stationed themselves and fed them while she talked. To anyone else, it looked as if she were talking to herself. Finished, she came back to the table and sat down.
"You own a holiday park next to a lake?"
Harry looked surprised at the random topic. "Yeah, how did you know?"
"Sean smells like fish, he said he and his wife live in a home at your holiday park and went fishing before his shift started."
"Sean?"
"Sean Naff, your bodyguard."
"I haven't met him yet."
"You should, he's nice and excited to have a stable assignment so he can be around when his wife has their baby."
She's right. He sent a message to May asking her to set up a casual dinner in his bowling alley at Castle Potter with a buffet of food for his guards, their spouses and kids if applicable. Afterwards, Harry asked Luna about herself, her father, and their life. He learned more about magical creatures than he ever wanted to know. Once they finished lunch, they window-shopped. Luna occasionally dragged him into a store when she saw something interesting. Whatever she saw always turned out to be interesting, so Harry didn't complain about being dragged behind the skipping girl. Harry stopped in a stationary store and ordered a stack of thick, heavy parchment with his family crest, name, title, and castle address embossed across the top of the paper. As he waited for his order, he saw a roll of rainbow colored parchment that looked as if it had been tie-dyed. The parchment just screamed Luna to Harry so he placed an order for her with her name and the symbol of a butterfly etched in the corner. When they left the shop, Luna smiled and thrust a package in his face.
"Switch," she beamed happily.
Harry laughed, he should've known. He handed Luna her gift, opened Luna's, and gasped.
"Luna, this is too much."
She shrugged. "You're hanging on. You need it to move forward."
Harry gaped, wondering what box he should fit Luna's statement in for it to make sense. While he figured it out, he looked at the beautiful ebony desk set inlaid with Ivory. It had two inkwell jars, a blotter, little compartments, a place for quills, and a drawer to hold his parchment and envelopes. Perfect to sit atop a desk, but it didn't fit with the ornate walnut and iron Louis the XV roll top secretary in the office decorated by his mother. He held the box to his chest and smiled.
"You're amazing Luna," Harry said sincerely. "So do you want to go look in my vault and help me pick out a desk?"
"I know the perfect one."
In what was becoming a familiar sight, Harry found himself being dragged behind Luna as she made her way to Gringotts. When they got to his vault, Luna skipped around as if she'd been coming and going for years. She stopped in front of an oval partner's desk with a dark stain that matched the box Luna had bought him. Harry had to admit, he loved the desk. There were drawers on each side and on the curved end; there was a circular insert of ivory. There was a matching credenza. Harry made a mental note to contact Sherry, his designer to ask her to redo his office, bedroom, and living room just enough so it felt like a home to him instead of a fancy hotel.
"Thanks for hanging out with me Luna," he told her later as they sat at the ice cream parlor sharing a large sundae. "I had fun."
"I can see why so many people are attracted to you, you're so nice. Too bad you're gay. Ginny is going to be so disappointed. She made up this game called Harry Potter she'd always make me play. I would pretend to be you and marry her. She'd never pretend to be Harry Potter and let me marry her. I think she likes you, and wants to marry you in real life."
Harry gaped at her. "I'm gay." He said numbly, not daring to touch on her statement about Ginny Weasley and her obsession with him. He was seeing more and more that Neville was always right.
Luna's already large eyes bulged. "You didn't know? It's obvious Harry Potter. Are you sure your head isn't full of wrackspurts? Maybe your husband will clear them out. You'll be very happy, you know. You and he will be the best of friends. He'll keep you grounded. You can be so silly sometimes Harry Potter, like now. But, don't worry, you'll love and be loved. You just have to defeat Voldemort first."
"Just?" Harry said faintly.
Luna shrugged. "Study hard."
Harry bit back a smile. Harry loved Luna Lovegood, crazy and all.
"Too bad I'm apparently gay because I think you're awesome."
"So are we friends? That's nice. I don't think I had a friend before."
Harry nodded. "Yes, were friends Luna. You'll write me won't you? You have the parchment for it now."
"Of course Harry Potter. See, you are so silly sometimes. You really need to take care of those wrackspurts."
Author's Note:
*Thank you for all your support and understanding. I was relaxed this week since I knew I had a set time to post my updates and wasn't worried about disappointing people and rushing my editing to get something out. I was even able to get writing on the sequel and much to my shock I even got an idea for an original story. So this past week, in my spare time I would alternate; one day editing a chapter, one day writing long hand on the fanfiction sequel, and one day writing long hand on my original work.
*Based upon the pool it seems that Monday one out on the day you would prefer for me to post. It is Sunday night so I'm a couple hours early, but I figure it would be Monday by the time most of you see this. I hope you like it. Luna Lovegood is my favorite character in Harry Potter and even though I knew Harry would end up with Ginny from day one in canon, I was always annoyed that he didn't see what a better match Luna was for him. So this was my little homage to that pairing. I hope you like it, it made me smile at least. LOL!
*As a teaser, the next chapter is tentatively titled The Grim and the Moon. LOL!
*As always I do not own Harry Potter nor Ouran High School Host Club.
*As always, I do not have a beta and I am editing this on my own as a learning experience, so all mistakes are my own.
Have a great week! See you next Monday!