DISCLAIMER: That part of this world and those characters you've seen before belong to their Creator: JKR. The rest is mine - although I cannot quit my day job as I make no $$$ from this…
A/N: Again, sorry for the delay getting this one up. More notes at end of chapter…
Thanks for the reviews.
CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE: THE AUTUMNAL BIRTHDAYS
MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 18, 1988 - POTTER HOUSE, LONDON, U.K.
"Wake up, Hermione!" Clarice squealed at the girl in the bed across from hers.
"Wha…" the girl moaned.
"Wake up!"
"Why?" Hermione asked.
"It's your birthday, silly."
"Birthday?"
"September 19th! That's today!"
"I totally forgot that," Hermione said with a yawn. She crawled out of her bed and sat on it facing her "sister" Clarice. "With all that's happened and how busy we've been…"
She was not kidding for they had been busy practically since they had returned from Disney World weeks ago. True, they were not in school. But their days were full. Saturdays and Sundays were spent practicing magic with their large group of friends. Monday through Friday they were busy too. In the mornings they swam in the pool and practiced their martial arts. Two afternoons were spent away. One day a week they visited Neville, often coming home after dinner. The other day they went to the Weasleys to play and fly their brooms. The other three days they spent on Sensei's final project for this year.
They spend the afternoons at the Ministry for Magic and specifically in the Hall of Records. There were recorded all births, deaths, marriages and such dating back well over a thousand years to the days of Merlin. They were piecing together the lineages, both legal and magical, of seven families beginning with the lines of the founders: Godric Gryffindor, Salazar Slytherin, Helga Hufflepuff and Rowen Ravenclaw. But they were also tracing the lines of House Potter, Black and Longbottom.
It was odd. There in that vast archive were all the records of every magical person in Britain, yet they were the only people there who were not employees of that Department. They were welcomed by the archivists and were even on friendly terms with all of them. Nobody ever bothered to visit this important resource, so the few who worked there loved the fact that three children thought what they did was important. With all the Pureblood stuff that they had been told about, one would think that the Hall of Records would be a very well used place, but it was not for some reason. Still, the three children were still trying to figure out what would be the easiest way to track the various family lines. Do you starts at the distant ancestor and work towards the present or do you start from the present and work back? The kids only recently decided that for the founders they would work from the past forward but for the Blacks and Potters, as they were legal and magical heirs, they would work back.
Hermione thought about this as she got dressed for the day. It was almost like they were back at school in Japan they seemed so busy. But if was different too. Her parents were here with them, not just her Mum, as was Sirius. Remus was not around nearly as much as he had started his training with Office W. Minerva was usually around on Saturday or Sunday, but the rest of the time she had to be up at Hogwarts. Still, they were training hard, making friends and learning.
How her life had changed since her last birthday. When she turned eight, her party was just her, her Mum and Dad. There was no one else. Although she really wanted to have friends, for some reason Hermione had never made any at school. Oh there were children who were nice to her, but none she could really call friends. There really was no point in inviting them to her birthday. She had spent most of that school year the same as she spent the first two, alone. She did not think she minded. Kids left her alone and for that she was slightly grateful as she had seen how mean kids could be. Still, it would have been nice to have a friend.
That day her Daddy almost ran Harry over with the car had changed her life in so many ways it was impossible to believe she could have ever been the girl she was before. She remembered those days sitting by Harry's hospital bed waiting and hoping he would wake up and dreading that day in a way. She was worried he might not want to be her friend. And yet, when they first truly met each other, they were best friends from that moment forward. Then Clarice came into her life as well. Harry was her best friend. Clarice was their little sister. The three were close and could tell each other anything, something Hermione had never really been able to do with her parents. There were just some things that were too hard to talk to with any adult. They had moved to this huge, magical house in the heart of London that had more rooms than there could ever be need for, yet even though she could have had her own room again, she and Clarice decided to remain roommates, just has they had been back in her old home and in Japan.
Japan! She learned about magic not far from where she stood brushing her teeth. She learned magic in Japan. She and her best friends made friends there and learned so much it was scary. Finding out she was adopted was not as bad as she would have thought, for in learning that truth she had also learned her "Aunt Minnie" was really her Great-grandmother. Her relationship with her mother, while never bad, was so much better now. Her adoptive mother had spent the time in Japan as their non-magical minder and was on the school medical staff as a dentist. Her mother had been very busy with that but she still saw far more of her than she ever had before. Only about a quarter of the students at the school stayed the full summer. Three quarters were only there for one of the five levels. That meant that her Mum had over 6000 patients over the four years and forty days.
Hermione was the biological daughter of David Puckle and Erin Ryan, both long dead. She knew this now. But to her she was and always would be the daughter of Rose and Robert Granger. In a way she was grateful for that because she really did not like the name Puckle. The time in Japan had really been a moment for her and her real Mum, the one who raised her. They had always been close, but that time brought them even closer. Hermione marveled at her Mum. Rose had three children at the school if you included Harry and Clarice. That time had made them a family. And yet as Rose was building her bonds with her three children, she was also watching over twenty-two others. By the time they returned from Japan, Harry and Clarice were calling Rose Granger "Mum" unless they were upset at her, in which case she was Rose again. Hermione found the whole thing both amazing and kind of funny too.
She marveled at how much her life hand changed and knew who to thank for it. Sensei and barely done anything, but it had already changed so much. In reality, all Sensei had done was delay Harry for a little while, which resulted in his collapsing in front of her and her parents. That one act set everything else in motion. Her becoming Harry's first friend had allowed her to see Sensei and learn that she and Harry were magical. Harry being sent to the hospital in London brought Clarice into their lives. While Sensei and his Hermione eventually became friends, they never knew their Clarice at all. What really puzzled Hermione was learning that Ron Weasley had been their best friends in Sensei's time. Hermione could not see that at all, certainly not right now. Maybe he grew up in that time by the time Sensei and his Hermione met him, but Hermione doubted that very much. That boy needed to grow up a lot if he ever hoped to have any real friends, Hermione thought. Every kid she knew about their age was not nearly as annoying.
After that fateful day that had brought Harry and Hermione together, all Sensei did was provide them with information. What they did with that information was entirely up to them. In addition to learning that they were magical, Sensei had also provided information that led to both the release and exoneration of Sirius Black. That was an even that had not occurred in the prior timeline. They had learned about the evil horcruxes years in advance. Harry had been freed of a vile soul fragment, even though he never was a horcrux and one of the foul things was already locked away in a vault in the house.
Sensei told them of some of the things from his life. Most of what he told them were events that were no longer possible. He told them of the first time he had met his Hermione and of some of the adventures they had together during their first few years at Hogwarts. Hermione knew he was not telling them everything yet, for while many things had changed, she knew some events would still come to pass at least to some extent and as these events could not be stopped completely and were years in the future, she could understand why Sensei was somewhat reticent at this time. After all, if one included the time they would be spending at the Watanabe School, Hogwarts was about seventeen years away for them.
Yet another change, she thought. In the past timeline, Hermione would enter a struggle well before she was trained in the necessary magic. By accepting her status as a witch, she would abandon any possibility of furthering her non-magical education. This time around, she would be able to pursue both. She wondered what was in store for them this time. By the time they would be old enough for Hogwarts, they would have their Magical Masters and non-magical degrees as well. There was a reason why they might have to attend that school anyway. Sensei had certainly given them hints, not in the least of which was the fact that Harry and Hermione were Founders' Heirs. Still, it would be weird to say the least.
Still, all that was in a distant future. For now, they would learn, train and be kids for once. She knew they were already powerful for their ages, but that was entirely due to the training they received at school and continued since they returned. Magic was like muscles. If you exercise, you can achieve your fullest potential for any given age. Still, like muscle, as children their maximum potential was far below what it would be as an adult. But they would certainly be a surprise for any magical adult who assumed they were just kids. She remembered from Defense Class that they had to read Sun Tsu's The Art of War. Among the many lessons from that book were that one should never underestimate an opponent and always strive to let said opponent underestimate you.
Dressed and ready for the day, Hermione left the room and headed for the kitchens where they usually ate breakfast.
"HAPPY BIRTHDAY, HERMIONE!" several voices called out as she entered the kitchen. Hermione saw her mother, Harry, Clarice and Sirius all waiting for her to arrive.
"Daddy sends his love and all the best," Rose Granger said. "He had to head out to the Surgery."
Remus was in training and left even earlier than her father, Hermione knew.
"Thanks," she said with a smile as she took her seat next to Harry.
"Feel any older?" Harry asked.
Hermione rolled her eyes at the silly question. "No, not really."
"But you are. You're now officially the oldest across the board."
"I'm always the oldest across the board, Harry," Hermione said. "I just have a number to go with it now."
Harry leaned over and kissed her cheek getting the desired flush. "Eat up. Made this special for you, Hermione."
"Y-you did?"
Harry nodded. "I hope I out did myself for you."
"Th-thanks," she replied. She could not help herself. Harry had done something special for her. He often did, and usually got the same reaction from her. She hugged him, kissed him and thanked him profusely getting him to blush bright red and earning a comment from Sirius.
"Oi! Get a room, you two!"
"What's that mean?" Clarice asked. She knew what it meant in theory, but loved seeing the older man's reaction. He blushed as well.
"Er, when you're older," Sirius said.
"Says Mister Can't Help But Kiss Spohie All The Time," Clarice chided.
Sirius looked at Rose for help.
"Don't look at me," she said. "It is true and you have been a corrupting influence on the young ones," she added with a laugh.
"What do you mean?" Sirius asked in feigned innocence.
"Between you and Robert, you've turned three perfectly decent young people into budding pranksters!"
"I beg to differ, Rose," Sirius said. "They were right pranksters before I came along. I merely hone their skills."
"Fine. Now eat up before they get any ideas of how to continue to hone their skills!"
"Yes Ma'am," Sirius said. Breakfast managed to proceed without a single prank much to the relief of Rose and to some extent Sirius.
It was shortly after breakfast that Hermione was told of that day's plans. The "Weekend Warriors," less those who had school, would be arriving by lunchtime for a birthday party. The "Weekend Warriors" was a name the kids and chosen for their weekend practice group. "Weekend," because that was when they met and "Warriors" because it sounded cool. Hermione was somewhat surprised. She knew that there had probably been a lot of effort in arranging this birthday and somehow everyone had kept it a secret. She was also touched. She really had not expected all that much, having never had friends over for her real birthday before.
After an afternoon of fun and a dinner at a nice restaurant, the family would give Hermione their presents. Minerva would be there from Hogwarts, which Hermione considered an added treat. Sophie was going to be there as well, but this was no longer a real surprise and she and Sirius were seriously dating. Hermione was certain she spent at least a few nights a week nights here, but at her age had no idea what that meant. Still, the evidence was somewhat obvious as she would be there for dinner and again at breakfast the next morning. Hermione had overheard a bit of a conversation her parents had regarding this development each wondering when the two would get married. A wedding sounded like fun.
At around eleven, the first of the guests showed up. To both Hermione's delight and surprise it was their newest friend Neville Longbottom. He had arrived by Floo and brought a wrapped gift with him. He smiled when he saw Hermione and his other two friends.
"Happy Birthday, Hermione," he said as he handed her his gift. "This is for you."
"Thanks," Hermione said still somewhat surprised. "What is it?"
"Not telling," Neville replied.
"You'll just have to wait," Clarice added with a laugh. Hermione hated waiting to open presents. She gave the younger witch a false pout and placed the gift on a table in the Entry Parlor.
"H-how many are coming?" Neville asked nervously.
"Twenty," Harry answered.
"Really?" Hermione and Neville asked.
"Well, we invited twenty others," Harry said. "Might be more if the Greengrasses little sisters come too."
"You think they will?" Hermione asked.
Harry shrugged.
"If it was Harry's birthday, you can bet they would want to come," Clarice said. "Those two think Harry is super cool."
It was not long before the other guests arrived: Susan Bones, Terry Boot, Millie Bulstrode, Reggie Darcy, Aaron, Billy and Cynthia Evans, Daphne, Astoria, Renee and Jessie Greengrass, Andrew Kirke, Ernie McMillan, Megan Meeks, Padma and Parvati Patil, Roger Sluvey, Alicia Spinet, Lisa Turpin and Fred, George and Ginny Weasley. All were carrying a present for Hermione and were introduced to Neville. It was obvious that Neville had never been around so many children before, but he seemed to take it in stride. The kids pretty much divided up into two large groups. One was the boys and the other the girls, although Renee and Jessie Greengrass seemed to prefer to hang out with Harry. There were exception. Harry and to Hermione's surprise Neville were two boys who did not seem to mind crossing the invisible barrier. She could understand Harry, as his best friends happened to be girls. She guessed it was the same for Neville, although Neville crossed the line with Harry.
Hermione remembered what Sensei had said about the young Neville in his timeline. Sensei had first met Neville at Hogwarts as they waited for the sorting, although they really were not introduced until afterwards. Neville was quite and shy most of the time. One might think he was out of place in Gryffindor, a House that favored bravery. But even at age eleven, Neville had moments that foreshadowed the wizard he would become in a few years time. Smoldering just beneath what appeared to be a shy and clumsy exterior there was indeed a lion. Sensei's Neville had stood toe to toe with the most vicious dark wizards before he was even sixteen. At seventeen, he had faced down Voldemort himself. An ounce of self-confidence was all the boy had needed to become the Lion of Gryffindor as he was known later in life.
Hermione knew a lot about Neville. He was practically an orphan as his parents were legally incompetent and stuck in St. Mungo's since he was a baby. He lived with a domineering grandmother. Deep down, she loved the boy, but she was also not an emotionally demonstrative person and had been concerned about his magical ability, all of which probably accounted for the boy's retiring nature.
The Neville Hermione was now watching had already departed from Sensei's Neville. He had told them about his parents the second day they met. Sensei's Neville never told, at least not until Sensei and his friends found out. Neville was immensely proud of his parents, but had kept their condition to himself. He did not want the pity of others for something he had no control over. The Neville Hermione knew was also proud of his parents, yet sad that they were the way they were. He told his new friends about them because they were orphans and thus would not make fun or take pity on his for his situation.
While Neville was still uncertain about how to act with all the other children, he was not hiding away neither. The magic he had found with their help over the past few weeks had made him more confident. This, of course, gave him something to talk about with the others as he was learning many of the same skills they were from Harry, Hermione and Clarice. Hermione was happy to see their new friend was having a wonderful time.
Eventually, with lunch and cake in their bellies, it was finally time for presents. Most of the boys and a few of the girls had bought her books. Many were works of fiction, mostly magical and she was actually touched in a way by the book that Terry Boot had brought. It was a collection of magical fairy tales. Hermione had not even thought about such a possibility, so it was another way she could learn about her new world. Ginny's gift really surprised her. It was a collection of "Harry Potter: Boy Hero" books. Hermione had heard that Ginny had the full set and was amazed. The Weasleys, while not truly poor, were frugal people and did not buy things without reason.
"Ginny?" she asked. "This isn't your collection is it?"
"Erm - my brother Ron's to be exact," Ginny said blushing.
"You stole it?"
"Don't be silly," George said defending his "favorite sister."
"Only sister," Ginny shot back.
"Which is why you're my favorite," George added.
"Ickleronniekins had his own collection," Fred said.
"Which he cannot read," George added.
"So when he got grounded, he binned them."
"And Ginny un-binned them."
"Why?" Hermione asked.
"'Cause they are funny," Ginny said. "The real Harry is so much cooler. The fake Harry is a bit - well - fake. Thought you might like a good laugh."
"Thanks," Hermione said with a smile.
The girls who did not give her books had noted her doll collection and collectively felt it was lacking. There was not a single witch among them, a glaring omission they seemed to have collectively decided to fix. She now had a collection of witch dolls depicting Wizarding attire from many of the same countries her non-magical dolls represented. Her version of her own "It's A Small World After All" - her favorite ride at Disney as it resembled her own collection - was now that much more complete.
"This is too much," she complained at one point. "I don't - you didn't have to …"
"Your collection needed them," Daphne Greengrass said.
"But these are - well they cannot be - er - cheap," Hermione protested.
"They're not," Cynthia Evan added. "We all pitched in what we could and Harry provided the rest."
"Harry?"
"I thought they had a point," he shrugged. "They picked them out and I gave them what they needed to buy them."
"Daphne and I picked out the dolls from Renee and Jessie," Astoria added.
"Why Harry?" Hermione asked.
"'Cause you're my best friend. It was Daphne's idea and I thought it was brilliant because anything that puts a smile on your face is worth its weight in Galleons."
Harry was promptly rewarded with a smile, a crushing hug from Hermione and a kiss on the cheek. "You really are a great friend," Hermione whispered to him as their friends tried to tease them about being boyfriend and girlfriend. Harry's gift would earn him an even bigger hug and kiss and of course more teasing. He bought her a charmed necklace. If she ever felt sad or lonely, it would remind her about the people who loved her. It was, in Hermione's opinion, the best birthday of her entire life.
WENDESDAY, SEPTEMBER 21, 1988 - THE ROOKERY, OTTERY ST. CATCHPOLE, DEVON, U.K.
A blonde haired girl with pale blue eyes stared at the stream before her. She had told her parents she was heading into the wood near their home to try and catch some Freshwater Plimpies. Odd that, she thought. While her Daddy claimed they existed, she had never even seen one. Nargles? Sure, on occasion. But never a Plimpie. Today was her eighth birthday and what she really was doing was finding a nice quiet place to cry.
Luna Lovegood was the only daughter of Xenophelous and Jasmine Lovegood. Her Daddy was a self proclaimed Naturalist and owner and editor of The Quibbler, an alternative paper or magazine that in addition to publishing his searches for mythical or even imagined magical creatures, was filled with stories that were probably fake. Luna knew this. Her Daddy never denied this. He was independently wealthy and never even charged a Knut for his work. He had, however, quite the loyal following of readers who enjoyed his take on things. Luna's Mum was the sole money maker in the family, not that they needed any. The Lovegoods could never earn a Knut and still get by quite nicely. Mum was an amateur yet talented spell crafter and held a Potions Masters. She would actually sell her discoveries from time to time, although truth be told for only a fraction of what they were truly worth.
It was Luna's eight birthday. For her second birthday in a row, her best friend was not there. She did not understand what had happened not quite two years ago. She and her neighbor - magically speaking as they lived three miles apart - had been friends as long as she could remember. Then one day, Ginny did not come over. Something happened. Luna still did not know what. But Ginny never came over again and she was not allowed to go over to her friend's house like she used to do. While she loved her parents dearly, she missed having a friend. So here she was at her special place not having a birthday and crying for the friendship she had once had and that had been taken away from her for reasons no one could tell her. Luna sat there and cried for her second "Unhappy Birthday."
"Why are you sad?" a voice asked from behind Luna. She practically jumped hearing it. She had not heard anything. Luna turned around and through her tear blurred eyes saw three beings that looked a lot like children looking at her. Based upon the way they were dressed, Luna could only conclude that it was a boy and two girls. The boy had black hair and glasses. One of the girls had matching hair and the other's was brown and apparently very busy.
"Why are you sad?" the black haired girl asked.
Luna could only blink in reply, trying to get the tears out of her eyes.
"Why are you sad?" the girl asked again.
"It's your birthday," the boy stated. "Surely that's not a reason to be sad, Luna."
"Y-you … you know my name?" Luna asked.
The three beings before her nodded.
Luna closed her eyes and muttered "Wrackspurts!" a few times.
"What are Wrackspurts?" a voice asked.
"Why are you sad, Luna?" the boy asked again.
"Are - are you fairies?" Luna asked.
"Nope," the boy said, "just kids like you."
"What are Wrackspurts?" one of the girls asked.
"Th-they … Daddy says they're invisible magical fairies that confuse your mind," Luna said.
"We're not them," the boy said. "We're just kids."
"Then how did you know my name and stuff?"
"Magic," the boy replied.
"Oh. Are you magical?"
The three nodded.
"Why are you sad?" the dark haired girl asked.
"I have no friends," Luna finally admitted. "It's my birthday and I'm all alone."
"Have you ever had friends?"
"Once. Ginny was my friend. Something happened. I don't know what and she stopped being my friend."
"Ginny? Ginny Weasley?"
Luna nodded. "Y-you know her?"
The three nodded.
"You know why she stopped being my friend?"
The three shook their heads.
"Do you?" the dark haired girl asked.
Luna shook her hear. She really had no idea why Ginny had stopped being her friend. "Why are you here?" Luna asked.
"We are here because we went for a walk," the bushy haired girl said. "We stopped because you're sad and look like you need friends."
"My only friend left me," Luna cried. "I don't need that again."
"We don't leave our friends," the boy said.
"That's so wrong," the dark haired girl added. "We would like to be your friend, if you like."
"I don't know," Luna said. "My last friend…"
"We never had friends," the bushy haired girl said. "Never! Not until recently. We somehow found each other and we are now friends and have found others as well. We know how you feel, Luna. We want to be your friends."
"Wh-why?"
"Because we know what kind of friend you can be," the boy said. "Because you deserve friends."
"You're not fairies?"
"No, Luna. We are not. We just like having friends."
"And," the bushy haired girl added, "you should have friends with you on your birthday."
"How - how did you know?"
"Magic," was once again the only response she received.
"I'm Harry," the boy said. "Until a few months ago I had no friends. I knew nothing about magic and stuff. I had no real family. Now I have a great friend and a sister and …"
"I'm Hermione," the bushy haired girl continued. "Until I met Harry, I never had a friend. Now, he's my best friend in the whole world."
"I'm Clarice," the dark haired girl said. "I'm Harry's younger sister. We were separated when we were still babies and we finally met each other a few months ago. If you must know, until the three of us met, none of us ever had a real friend. Now we have each other, but others as well."
"Why didn't you have friends?" Luna asked.
"Don't know," Hermione said. "I think it was because I am smart and magical and until recently lived in the Muggle world. The kids I knew thought I was strange."
Clarice nodded. "Think it was the same for me," she said.
Luna looked at Harry with a questioning look.
"Clarice and I are brother and sister. When we were babies our Mum and Dad were killed by an evil wizard…"
"You-Know-Who?" Luna asked.
Harry nodded. "Clarice was adopted by a loving Muggle couple. I was sent to live with our Aunt and Uncle - Muggles - our Mum's sister and her husband. They knew about magic and hated it and were very mean to me because I was magical. They made sure I never had friends."
"What changed?" Luna asked.
"It's kind of a sad story," Harry warned.
"It's okay," Luna said. "Does it have a happy ending?"
Harry nodded. "I like to think so."
"Okay then."
"My Aunt did not like me at all," Harry said. "My Uncle hated me as did my Cousin Dudley. They were quite mean to me and hurt me because … well, I don't really know why. One day when they were away and I was really hurt, I feel down in the street. Turns out it was right in front of Hermione and the Granger's car."
"Who are the Grangers?" Luna asked.
"The Muggle couple who adopted me when I was a few days old," Hermione said. "My real parents were magical but too young to keep me."
"And you never met them?"
"I did, but I was too young to remember, Luna. They were killed in that war too."
"That's …" Luna eyes swam with unshed tears.
"I woke up in hospital about a week later," Harry said. "Hermione was there when I did…"
"Not at first," Hermione started.
"The next day," Harry replied. "The nurses told me I had a special friend which I did not understand 'cause until then I never had any friends. But there she was, my special friend."
"My adoptive Daddy got sick and died a while ago," Clarice said. "It was a couple of weeks after Harry was hurt and sent to hospital that I woke up there as well. My adoptive Mum was driving me to school when we got in an accident. Mummy died right there. I was an orphan again, but I met my brother at the hospital and we became a family again."
"How?" Luna asked.
"The Grangers took us in," Harry said. "My Aunt and Uncle and Cousin died in a fire. I was an orphan again too. Hermione's folks took us in and we all learned we were magical and … well, the three of us have been friends ever since."
"Are you sad?" Luna asked.
"About what?" Harry responded.
"Your Aunt and Uncle."
"Not really," Harry said. "They were not nice people at all. Not to me anyway. My Uncle was the worst, but still… The Grangers have been everything I wanted in adults and having Hermione and Clarice there as well has been brilliant."
"So the three of you are orphans?" Luna asked.
They nodded.
"And you've lived with Muggles this whole time?"
They nodded again.
"Yet you know about magic? You are magical?"
They nodded again.
"We only learned about magic a few months ago," Harry said.
"Do they know about magic too?"
Harry nodded. "They do. They knew about magic for a long time."
"But I thought Muggles didn't know."
"Most do not," Hermione said. "But many do. Far more than most witches and wizards would believe."
"And they don't hate us?" Luna asked.
"Some do," Harry replied. "Then again, there are witches and wizards who hate Muggles. Most Muggles who know about us - at least the ones that I have met other than my Aunt and Uncle - most do not hate us at all."
"Then why do we hide?"
"Some do hate us," Harry said. "They can be scary."
"Oh. That's a sad story. Where's the happy ending?"
"We three met," Harry said. "We became friends and now have other friends as well. That's a happy ending, don't you think?"
Luna nodded.
"Would you like to be our friend too?" Clarice asked.
Luna nodded. "I'd like that."
"Good."
"Why?"
"Cause we brought you some birthday presents," Clarice said. "Would seem a waste if you weren't our friend."
"P-presents?"
The three nodded.
"Are you sure you're not fairies?" Luna asked.
"Pretty sure," Harry replied. "I know I can't fly without a broom."
"Neither of them have wings," Hermione added.
"How do you know?" Luna asked. "I mean you'd have to see them naked as fairies can hide their wings."
Hermione blushed.
"Ohhh!" Luna giggled comprehending. "So you've seen…"
"Yes she has," Harry said somewhat sharply. "Not something I planned. And no, I won't strip down to prove it to you."
"I wasn't going to ask for that," Luna said with a shy smile. "And you've seen them that way?"
"Hermione, once - by accident."
"I see," Luna said in a disbelieving voice. "I'm sure you're scarred for life…"
"I wouldn't say that…" Harry began.
"Perv!" Clarice exclaimed in jest.
Hermione was blushing furiously even though the incident in question happened four years ago in her time.
Luna just smiled for a moment at the obvious discomfort before changing the subject.
"How did you find me?" she asked. "Not even my parents can find me here."
"Magic," Harry said with a smirk.
"You keep saying that," Luna said.
"Cause it's true," Harry replied. "We actually know some magic."
"You do?"
Harry nodded.
"I mean," Luna continued, "you mean you can do magic?"
Harry nodded.
"Really?"
Harry nodded again. "You want to see? We can show you. We can even show you how, but…"
"But what?" Luna asked eagerly.
"You have to be our friend," Harry said.
"I …"
"We want you to have a good birthday, Luna," Clarice said. "You could use one."
"I …"
"We want you to be our friend, Luna."
"Okay," she said after a long pause. "But will you leave me like Ginny did?"
"No Luna," Harry said.
"Not by our choice," Hermione added.
"And if we have to, we'll tell you first and tell you why," Clarice added.
"Why would you do that?" Luna asked.
"Cause as our friend, you would deserve to know," Harry said. "Although as our friend we would never do that to you, Luna. Do you want to be our friend?"
Luna nodded. "I'd like that."
"You want to show us where you live?" Hermione asked. "That way we can find you easy."
Luna nodded and stood up. She led the three through the woods and into a clearing. Before them stood a tall stone tower that Luna explained may once have been a watch towers used by the Normans in a bygone age but was now her home. In front was a white picket fence and what looked like a herb garden.
"That's my home," Luna said. "Daddy calls it the Rookery 'cause it looks like the Rook on a chess board."
"It's brilliant," Harry remarked. "Okay, Luna. Let's go there and have a Happy Birthday for you."
"It already is," Luna commented.
For Luna Lovegood it was the best birthday ever. She got some nice gifts from the three. None of them mattered nearly as much as finally having new friends.
A/N: I always saw the "Looney Lovegood" persona as a defense mechanism. She had suffered too much pain too early in life and threw it up to keep from being hurt again. In this fic, Harry & Co. got to her before Looney came into being. (She still believes in the possibility of make believe creatures, though.)