HARRY POTTER AND ICE CREAM DELIGHTS
Author: Luckner
Disclaimer: The characters and their world are the property of J.K. Rowling, various publishers and Warner Bros. No money is being made and no copyright infringement is intended.
CHAPTER 4: A PREMATURE CELEBRATION
Ron Weasley didn't like it, he didn't like it one bit; but as usual no one would listen to him. And as he sat in the living room of the Burrow, waiting for his sister to come down, he liked it even less. When they had first received the party invitation from Luna Lovegood he had tried to tell everyone that it was a bad idea, but they just wouldn't listen to him. He had a really bad feeling about what kind of party the strange girl was likely to come up with.
Ron shuddered as he thought about how weird she was. He simply couldn't understand his best mate's obvious attraction to her. Harry had half the girls at Hogwarts mooning over him, so why would he like the very strange Luna Lovegood? She certainly wasn't what might be described as pretty, not with that long stringy hair and those enormous silver eyes; it just didn't make any sense. And the more that he thought about it, the more he came back to the only reasonable solution possible, that Harry must be under the influence of some kind of a spell. But when he suggested that idea to his brothers and sister they simply laughed at him. He even thought that his brother Fred might be a bit attracted to the odd girl, and that idea gave him cold shivers.
From the first moment he first saw Harry and Luna together he had been worried; they seemed to positively glow around each other. Hermione and Ginny, being typical girls, had thought it all so sweet and romantic. But Ron had never seen his mate act like this; not even when he was dating Cho Chang, one of the prettiest girls in the school. It must be some kind of a love spell; and Ron wondered if somehow Draco Malfoy hadn't had something to do with it. His disturbing thoughts were interrupted at that moment when his sister entered the room with the twins; and Ron prepared to meet whatever destiny the Fates, and Luna Lovegood, had in store for them.
- o -
Later that night the Lovegood Cottage was the scene an unusual degree of joviality, as Luna Lovegood held her first party to celebrate the recent retraction printed by the Daily Prophet. Luna had decided to invite her new friends over for the evening; the guest list consisting of the four younger Weasleys, Hermione Granger, Neville Longbottom, and of course Harry.
Luna wasn't exactly sure what a teenage party should consist of, having never been invited to one, but she was determined to try nonetheless. Harry tried to assist wherever possible, but he too had missed this particular part of the teen experience, and was equally clueless. But a lack of experience would never stop Luna Lovegood from plunging forward into anything; and the event that resulted uniquely matched her rather offbeat personality.
After a supper which included such surprisingly tasty delicacies as Acorn and Pine Nut Bisque, Candied Chestnuts, Baked Tamarack Root with Goat Cheese and Wild Berry Compote cooked in honey, the eight teens settled themselves comfortably before the fireplace in the living room. Luna and Harry excused themselves to get what Luna described as a "special surprise;" and only Ron seemed to wince at her words They returned a few minutes later carrying two long-handled copper kettles and three wooden bowls containing what looked like hot rubber balls. Luna handed the copper kettles to Ron and Hermione, who had absolutely no idea what to do with them. Then she passed out the wooden bowls to the others, who were equally clueless.
"What do we do with this?" Neville asked a little dubiously, as Fred and George poked their ball carefully with their wands.
"Why you pull it, of course. Haven't you ever been to a Taffy Pull?" Luna asked in astonishment.
"Has anyone?" Ron asked, regarding the colorful balls as representing some kind of work.
"My Mum and I used to do it all the time," Luna said, her eyes misting a bit as the memories came flooding back.
"Well Luna is an excellent teacher," Harry declared, trying to be as supportive as possible. He remembered fondly how Luna had introduced him to the art of taffy pulling just a few nights previously, as a summer storm raged outside the old house. Harry reached an arm around Luna's back and gave her a reassuring hug; inhaling the sweet scent of the old-fashioned perfume that she wore. Then Harry picked up a ball of red- and blue-striped taffy, and he and Luna demonstrated the process of stretching and refolding required to complete the candy. The others soon joined in and quickly discovered that it was a surprising amount of fun, although the twins got a little carried away when they tried to use magic to accomplish the task, and ended up looking like colorful candied mummies.
Meanwhile Ron and Hermione were busy shaking their popcorn kettles over the open fire in the stone hearth. For Hermione the experience was a new one; as a muggle-born witch she had grown up using a microwave oven for this simple process. But for Ron it just represented unnecessary work, and he grumbled to himself continuously.
"I'm surprised you've never done this before," Luna said with surprise. "I thought all parties roasted popcorn and pulled taffy."
"Well they did a hundred years ago," Ron declared sarcastically. "What's next, bobbing for apples?"
Completely missing the sarcasm, Luna smiled at him brightly. "Do you like to do that too, I've always loved it? I don't know why I didn't think of it myself. There's a big tub right at the foot of the cellar stairs," she declared excitedly.
Ron was about to respond when Ginny caught his eye. She pulled a stack of rather embarrassing photos from her pocket and was waving them with an evil smile. The unspoken threat was all to clear.
"Err…bobbing for apples sounds great," Ron responded weakly.
Soon all the teens were having a wonderful time, and even Ron had to admit that it turned out to be a great party.
- o -
Xenophilius Lovegood apparated into the garden of his home near Ottery St. Catchpole later that same evening, glad that his Swedish trip was finally over. He inhaled the sweet fragrance of summer Jasmine and felt the warm breeze coming off the grasses of the meadow. How he loved the old house in the woods; from the first moment that his future wife had brought him home to meet her parents there could never be any other place in the world for him.
Light streamed out through the windows of the old house, lighting his way to the front door. Stepping inside the vestibule he heard happy voices coming from the living room and the sound of teenaged laughter. Staying in the shadows, he looked into the room and saw his daughter surrounded by her friends and laughing along with the others. It did a father's heart good to see his daughter so happy, as she buried her head in the shoulder of the raven-haired boy who sat at her side, and had his arm around her shoulders. Xenophilius loved his daughter, but he worried about her as well. She had always marched to her own drummer rather than follow the path taken by others; and her Father knew that could often be a very lonely road. But judging by the happy laughter coming from the room opposite, he would say that his daughter had found friends willing to accept her for who she was.
He edged into the room a bit more and prepared for the usual generational stress that accompanied the arrival of an adult in the midst of a group of teenagers. "It looks like quite a party," he said in what he hoped was a non-judgmental way.
"Daddy!" Luna exclaimed as she jumped up from the sofa and ran to her Father. She threw her arms around his back and hugged him tightly; everything else in world fading to the background in this moment of happy reunion. It was at that moment that she realized how much she had truly missed him, even with the company of Harry and her other new friends.
"Pumpkin," he responded lovingly, as he held his child close to him. He had missed his little girl terribly over the past few weeks; as well as her quirky personality which reminded him so much of his late wife. But he also appreciated how important it was that she aid her friend Harry Potter; and he believed that the young boy would benefit from the association as well.
Meanwhile the other teens in the room watched the two in a respectful silence. Seeing the father and daughter together, Harry understood that in one respect at least Luna was a very lucky girl.
Fred and George were the first to recover from the reverence of the moment, as Fred mouthed to George the questioning word "Pumpkin?" George responded by acting like he had been gagged and grabbed his throat. It was at that moment that Ginny Weasley, with tears in her eyes, reached over and whacked her brother sharply on the side of his head. But Luna and her Father were too wrapped up in their reunion to take any notice of this Weasley family comedy. And Harry, for his part, was delighted to see Luna so happy.
Completely forgetting the rest of her guests, Luna pulled her Father over to meet the boy who had become her special friend. "Daddy, this is my friend Harry," she said coloring slightly.
Her Father noticed the blush with a touch of amusement and extended his hand to the young man. "It's a pleasure to finally meet you, Harry."
"It's nice to meet you, Mr. Lovegood," the boy responded respectfully.
"Please Harry, call me Philius," Xenophilius Lovegood implored.
"Did you find anything?" Luna asked hopefully, unable to restrain her natural curiosity a moment longer.
Harry realized that Luna was asking about her Father's search for the legendary Crumple Horned Snorkack, of which she had spoken often; but the others were thoroughly confused by the change in subject.
"A few tracks and what might have been a nesting site, but nothing really concrete," he answered, disappointment evident in his voice.
"I made Byzantium Spiced Pudding for tonight," she responded, sensing her Father's disappointment.
The man's eyes brightened and the wrinkles seemed to leave his face immediately. "You always know how to make me feel better, Pumpkin. I'll just take some upstairs and talk to you in the morning."
"Won't you please stay and join us, Philius?" Harry asked boldly.
"Yes, please stay," the others urged.
"Alright, I'll stay for a bit," he said, and settled down in a comfortable overstuffed chair near the fire. The chance to get to know his daughters new friends was just too great for Philius Lovegood to resist.
"Would you like to try some spiced pudding, I made it fresh today? Luna asked the others in the room.
While the other teens hesitated a bit, Harry enthusiastically volunteered. He had been eating Luna's cooking for almost two weeks, and he thought she could probably give the Hogwarts House Elves some pointers. The rest took a cue from him and agreed to give it a try, even though the bright blue color of the pudding was a bit intimidating.
"Anything but apple pie," George declared with conviction, and his sister burst out laughing.
"You tried to visit on your own, didn't you?" Philus asked with a grin.
"Yes, but never again," Fred pledged. "We've never seen wards like those before…"
"One minute we were following a trail through the woods and the next minute we were sitting in our kitchen eating apple pie," George added in disbelief.
"Yes, the wards around this house are ancient and quite unique. My wife's family always had a remarkable talent for spell crafting and ward creation; talents that I'm proud to say Luna has inherited," Philus declared with pride.
"You know how to craft spells? I've always wanted to learn, but Professor McGonagall says I have to wait for my seventh-year Transfiguration class. Do you think you could show me the basics?" Hermione asked hopefully.
"I would be happy to show you, Hermione," Luna said a little shyly.
"This might be a good time to give Harry the spell you created for his birthday," Philus suggested to his daughter.
"You made me a spell for my birthday?" Harry asked in amazement.
"Yes, I thought it might help the next time you run into some Death Eaters," Luna responded sincerely."
"Can we see it Luna? Please!" Ginny begged.
"Well it's up to Harry; it is his present," she responded sincerely.
"I would love to see it," Harry answered, a little overwhelmed that anyone would give him such a unique gift.
Luna nodded shyly and withdrew her wand from her pocket. "Now no one should be alarmed when it gets dark, that's just part of the spell," she said reassuringly. Then she made a vertical slashing movement with her wand and said "Obscurous Opticus."
The room was immediately plunged into total darkness; darker even than the blackest night.
"Watch your hands!" Hermione squealed.
"Um, sorry about that, Hermione," Ron responded meekly.
At that moment the lights returned and nothing appeared to have changed. But then Hermione screamed loudly, using a particular word that no one had ever heard Hermione use before. She was staring down at her bare knees, and her eyes were wide with shock. Her scream was quickly followed by exclamations from the others seated in the room. Apparently the effect of Luna's spell was that a person would switch appearances with the person nearest them. The girlish scream and questionable expletive came not from Hermione Grainger; but from Ron Weasley who was now in uncomfortable possession of Hermione's body.
Harry Potter was shocked to discover that he was now wearing a plaid skirt and had long blond hair; and he was feeling extremely uncomfortable. He was holding the hand of…well, himself; and the person who looked like Harry Potter was wearing a very Luna-like smile. It was all just too weird, and he could tell that the others in the room were experiencing the same weirdness.
"It's a proximity change spell," Harry (err, Luna) explained in a very masculine voice. "I thought that Harry could use it if he was ever surrounded by Death Eaters. He could change his position in the darkness and then they would be shooting spells at one of their own."
"That's absolutely brilliant," Harry declared; and then almost choked to find himself speaking with Luna's soft, musical voice. Putting aside the weirdness of the situation Harry wondered how girls ever managed to deal with long hair, as he brushed the long, dirty-blond tresses out of his face yet again.
"Ron!" shouted Ron (Hermione) from across the room, attracting everyone's attention.
"What?" Hermione responded in confusion.
"Keep your hands to yourself," Ron declared angrily and pointed at Hermione's knee.
Hermione looked down and realized that she (he) was absently scratching her leg just above the knee. She turned bright red and pulled her hand away like it had been in fire.
I'm sorry, but I…err, you itch," Hermione stuttered out, turning redder still.
Ron turned white with anger and hit Hermione in the ribs. "That is none of your business!"
Meanwhile Ginny and Neville were doing little better. Both were red as beets with embarrassment and were avoiding each other's eyes while keeping their hands well away from their bodies.
"Luna, this is all very interesting, but could you please reverse this spell?" Ron asked, trying to be as patient as she could in the embarrassing circumstances.
"Well if you are certain that you're all ready," Harry answered sincerely, but there was a twinkle in his eyes.
"Definitely ready!" Neville declared, and Ginny nodded her head vigorously.
"Very well," Harry responded and made a quick, vertical slash with his wand and mumbled an incantation. The lights went out and when they came on again everyone had returned to their own bodies. There was a collective sigh of relief from most of the people in the room, but the twins seemed less than happy. Having changed bodies with each other they claimed that they had missed out on the whole experience.
"But we'll forgive you if you show us how to do that spell," Fred declared eagerly.
"Absolutely, that spell would be smashing for parties," George added, a noticeable gleam in his eyes.
"Well don't invite me to any of them," Hermione said flatly.
"Oh Hermione, you're no fun at all. You need to let your hair down," George declared.
"And exchange it for Ron's," Fred added with a grin.
"Is your knee still itching, Ronnikins?" George asked in glee, as Ron and Hermione both blushed red.
"Well, its Harry's spell, and he can share it with anyone he wants," Luna declared, interrupting the playful banter.
Two pairs of playful eyes zeroed in on Harry. "Alright, I know I'm probably going to regret this, but I'll tell you on the condition that you don't share it with anyone else until after the war is over. I don't want Voldemort finding out about it," Harry declared firmly.
The twins were as giddy as schoolgirls and readily accepted his terms, thinking about the mayhem they could cause with such a perfect spell.
"Harry, you can't! They'll be forever changing me with some girl or the other," Ron begged in fear.
"Never fear, Ronnikins, we have bigger fish to fry," Fred said with glee.
"Imagine switching the sex of all the Slytherins, and then not changing them back," George added with delight.
"Just think of Snapie and old McGonagall switching bodies," Fred suggested.
"No more, please. I won't be able to sleep tonight as it is," Harry begged, realizing that he had unleashed two monsters.
Philius Lovegood was taking a great deal of pleasure watching his daughter interact with her friends; he had always hoped that she would find people like these.
"This is a wonderful party, but what's the occasion?" he asked.
The room sobered noticeably as Luna handed her Father the issue of the Daily Prophet which contained the article about her and Harry. The room was completely silent as he carefully read the article.
"I'm sorry Harry, but I really couldn't allow Luna to marry before she turns seventeen," Philus Lovegood said with regret, but there was a twinkle in his eyes.
There was a collective gasp from the assembled teens at the thought that Luna's Father could possibly believe the lies printed in the Daily Prophet.
"But Daddy, Harry and I love each other and we want to get married as soon as possible!" Luna declared, urgency clearly evident in her voice. But as she spoke she looked at Harry and gave him a sly wink.
Harry could see Hermione starting to hyperventilate, and decided to play along with the obvious prank. "That's right Mr. Lovegood; I want to marry your daughter as soon as possible."
"No Harry, you can't!" Hermione positively screamed. "You're both too young for such an important step. You just can't be serious; it would be a mistake that would ruin your entire lives…."
As Hermione rambled on, her face turning from red to purple with emotion, Ron caught the smirk that Harry gave Luna and her Father; and he decided to get in on the fun.
"That's right Harry, you shouldn't even think about such a thing at your age. Last year I was seriously thinking about asking Hermione to marry me after graduation. Boy, would that have been a mistake," Ron declared with a grin.
Hermione spun about to face him like he had stabbed her in the back. "What do you mean a 'mistake'? How dare you. I wouldn't marry you if you were the last man in the world," Hermione declared, white with rage. It was at that moment she realized that everyone in the room was laughing, and putting two and two together she realized that she had been had. "Oh you, I'll get you for that," she said to Ron as she blushed in embarrassment.
"I'm sorry, Mione, it was just too good to pass up," Ron answered with a grin, as he put an arm around her shoulders. Everyone in the room took note of the fact that Hermione allowed Ron's arm to remain where it was.
"But what about the Prophet article?" Hermione asked, anxious to turn the spotlight away from herself.
"I do admit I'm impressed; Rita Skeeter managed to slander both Harry and my daughter in the same article. I didn't think she had the talent. As to the article, it's the typical mud that the Prophet's been throwing for years," Philius said grimly.
"Well we responded with this article in The Quibbler," Luna declared, handing her Father the most recent issue of The Quibbler.
As he read the article a smile came to Xenophilius Lovegood's face, and then a chuckle, and finally he set the article down with a sigh of satisfaction.
"Very well written I must say; may I ask who composed this article?" he asked.
"Harry did," Luna responded with pride.
"With a lot of help from Hermione," Harry promptly added.
"Well if either of you are interested in a career in journalism I would be happy to give you a start; after you graduate of course. So what response did your article get?" Philius asked.
"The Prophet printed a full retraction and fired Rita Skeeter and a senior editor," Hermione answered, barely able to contain her glee that her old nemesis was out of a job.
"Well getting Skeeter out of journalism is certainly a step in the right direction; that witch has twisted and distorted every story that she has ever touched. She's a blight on our profession," he said with distain. But Luna knew her Father too well, and she knew there was something that he wasn't saying.
"Daddy, you and I have always been completely honest with each other. What is it that you aren't saying?" Luna asked with concern.
The man smiled slightly. 'She's so like her mother, I was never able to get anything by her either,' he thought. And then after a moment's reflection he decided to be completely forthright with them.
"Getting rid of Rita Skeeter is a major accomplishment, and don't you doubt that for a moment. But I'm afraid that she is merely a pawn in all of this; the Daily Prophet still goes on."
"But they printed a retraction," Ginny Weasley declared, speaking up for the first time.
"Of course they did, the Daily Prophet is very careful in the way it operates. When public outrage is generated, as it was in your case, they simply print a retraction, select a scapegoat, and then lay low for a while. Once people forget the matter the Prophet returns to their old way of doing business. I'm afraid that your actions will only prove a minor inconvenience to them."
"I'm going to tell you all something that might be a bit dangerous to know, but you have a right to know it. Did you ever wonder why the Daily Prophet turned on you so viciously last year, Harry?"
"I always believed that it was orders from Fudge," Harry stated with a note of distaste.
"No, Harry. Minister Fudge is a pawn just like Rita Skeeter. He does what he's told, which is essentially to do nothing. He's controlled by certain pure blood families who have a great deal of wealth and influence in our society," Philius said with regret.
"Those families couldn't include the Malfoys, could they?" Harry asked with dawning awareness.
"Perceptive as always, Harry," Philius said smiling at the young man. "But back to the original question, the Daily Prophet attacked you so viciously because Voldemort told them to!"
A gasp sounded from those in the room, both at the mention of the Dark Lord's name and because of the charge that he apparently had control of the leading newspaper in the wizarding world. In spite of the shocking news, Harry was rather pleased that Mr. Lovegood could call Voldemort by his name without flinching.
"Do you know this to be true?" Harry asked.
"Yes, but I can't prove it. The Death Eaters are very careful to conceal their involvement. The Prophet is a publicly traded company, and its stock is held in the name of a family member with no known ties to Voldemort. For example the Daily Prophet stock held by the Malfoy family is in the name of Narcissa Malfoy, who has no known contacts with the Dark Lord. Nevertheless, Voldemort is in overall control. Voldemort is using the Prophet to subtlety undermine the morale of the wizarding population of Britain and keep it from forming a unified resistance.
"But the Daily Prophet has run numerous stories proclaiming Harry as a hero; why would they do that?" Neville asked, entering the conversation.
"A very good question, young man; I'm sorry, I don't believe that I know your name." Philius said.
"Neville…Neville Longbottom, Sir," Neville responded respectfully.
A genuine smile appeared on the man's face and a nostalgic look appeared in his eyes. "Of course, I knew your parents in school, Neville. They were good friends of mine, and I miss them very much. But to answer your question, the Daily Prophet uses a very carefully crafted strategy to destroy public morale. First they run a series of stories declaring that Harry as the only hope for the wizarding world, so that people will pin all of their hopes upon him. And then they run stories that Harry is unstable, a liar and a fraud. The people are left with no hope at all. They hope that when Voldemort finally steps in to take over there will be little resistance because people won't know who to trust. It's a strange thing about human nature, but people seem to want to believe the worst about their heroes; it's an element of human nature that's sad but true. People believe gossip, and Rita Skeeter was no doubt told to attack you in any way she could. You've chopped off the head of the snake, Harry, but it's already grown another," Philius Lovegood said sadly.
"Well then we will just have to kill the snake once and for all," Harry declared forcefully.
"Does Dumbledore know about the Voldemort's connection to the Prophet?" George asked soberly.
"I'm sure that he does; there's precious little that gets past Dumbledore," Philius said with certainty.
"Why didn't he tell me?" Harry asked in frustration.
"Harry, Professor Dumbledore is an old man who is long past his prime. He's carried a heavy burden for many years now, first in the fight against Grindelwald and now against Voldemort; and it has taken a terrible toll on him. I think he wanted to spare you the burden, and allow you to live as normal a life as possible. All men make mistakes, and it seems his worst mistakes have involved you. After all these years it's difficult for him to pass the torch on to someone else, even when he realizes that he must.
"Can't he close the Daily Prophet down?" asked Fred, hoping to redirect the conversation back to the central topic.
"Not without proof. The public would regard any attempt as interference with a free press, and perhaps as a prelude to a takeover by Dumbledore himself. The public always harbors a degree of distrust for anyone with a great deal of power; and the Prophet has attacked Dumbledore as much as it's attacked you. Any move by Dumbledore against the Prophet would shatter what little unity we have in our world.
"Well if Professor Dumbledore can't stop the Prophet we'll just have to do it ourselves," Luna declared determinedly, drawing the attention of everyone in the room.
"The only way to take down the Daily Prophet is if they do it to themselves, and so far they've been very careful not to leave any evidence. Edward Trunuffen, the editor of the newspaper, is an extremely clever and crafty individual." Philius declared.
"What if he confessed in front of witnesses?" George asked, glancing at his brother.
"Yah, we could use Veritaserum to get a confession," Ron declared in glee.
"And we can visit you in Askaban," Fred declared in mock delight.
"I'm afraid your brother is right. Minister Fudge pushed through legislation making Veritaserum a controlled substance for everyone but the aurors and courts. I think he was afraid that someone might slip him some," Philius said.
"I've heard that there are other truth potions available; wouldn't one of them work? Neville asked hopefully.
I'm afraid that the other potions aren't nearly as potent, and a strong willed person like Trunuffen could usually fight off their effects," Philius explained.
As Philius was speaking, Harry noticed that Fred and George were exchanging grins. Fred got up from the sofa and picked up the bowl of taffy on the table. He popped one piece in his mouth and began to pass the rest around the room. Harry had a strange feeling about this and politely declined, as did Luna. Ron, on the other hand, grabbed a fistful. After he had eaten several, Fred and George were ready with their announcement.
"Actually there is another truth potion that is every bit as effective at Veritaserum, but is not a controlled substance. It was recently developed by two brilliant wizards, who shall remain nameless, but they would be more than happy to make it available to such a worthy cause," George said with a smirk.
"It's as strong as Veritaserum?" Neville asked in amazement.
"Absolutely; but if you have any doubts our dear brother Ron will be happy to give us a demonstration," Fred said with a grin.
"Well, maybe not exactly 'happy'; but he'll do it," George added.
"I'm not taking anything from you two lunatics," Ron declared with a shudder.
"'Lunatics,' now I ask you, is that nice? Besides, Ronnikins, you already took it," Fred declared happily.
"To begin, dear brother, will you tell us all exactly how you feel about Hermione?" George asked sweetly.
"Don't you dare," Hermione declared fiercely, leveling her wand on the twins.
"But Hermione, this is necessary to prove the effectiveness of out potion and to fight the forces of evil," George said with sincerity.
"And you do want to know how Ron really feels, don't you? And you know he'll never get up the courage to tell you." Fred added with a leer.
"I'm leaving!" Ron declared, his face turning red. He stood up and turned towards the door.
"No I don't think so, dear brother. Please sit back down and answer the question. You see the potion also contains an ingredient that imposes obedience on the victim…err, subject."
Ron tried his best to resist, but finally dropped back into the chair in complete defeat; a look of absolute horror on his face. He looked pleadingly to Hermione for help, but was startled to see that she had lowered her wand and was looking at him expectantly.
"Answer the question, Ron. How do you really feel about our dear Hermione?" Fred asked gleefully.
"I swear I'll kill you two," he said through gritted teeth. But then the need to tell the truth became irresistible, and he knew he had to speak. "I like her, I like her a lot. There, are you satisfied?" Ron demanded, staring daggers at his brothers.
"Do you really, Ron?" Ginny asked sweetly. "Do you think she's just too, too pretty?"
"Very pretty," he choked out, his face turning from red to purple.
"I think we've proven our point," George said with a smile as his brother nodded in agreement.
"So I only need to get Trunuffen to meet me in front of witnesses, give him the potion and then ask about Death Eater involvement with his newspaper," Harry said with determination.
"We can do that when he makes the public apology he promised us," Luna said slyly.
"Not 'we,' just me. Voldemort already has me targeted; I don't want him coming after you. And this is going to make him furious." Harry declared.
"We are going together, Harry. He attacked me too, and I have the same right to fight back that you do," Luna said firmly.
"I just want you safe," he said tenderly as he took her hand in his, having completely forgotten about the others in the room.
"While the war goes on none of us are safe, but we have to keep fighting," Luna said forcefully.
Suddenly Ron, and everyone else in the room, knew why Harry Potter was so attracted to Luna Lovegood.
"I better give you fair warning, Harry. Luna is just like her mother, and if she says she's going to do something you had better get used to the idea," Philius Lovegood declared with a smile. But I do have a suggestion to make the meeting more public. I have a friend who has an afternoon talk show on Wizard Radio, and I believe that we could arrange to meet at the studio and broadcast the whole thing."
"That's a great idea, and then the whole country would hear his confession," Harry declared.
"All right, let's assume that we can get him into the radio station and he is willing to make his apology in front of the whole wizarding world, how do we get him to take the potion? We can't exactly walk up to him and say: 'Excuse me Mr. Trunuffen, but would you mind taking this potion that will force you to tell the absolute truth?'" Hermione said in her usual logical way.
There was silence for a moment as everyone considered her quite reasonable objection, how would they get him to take the potion?
"We could send him some of Luna's Chocolate Snorkacks," Harry suggested, not believing that anyone in the world could resist the delicious confections.
"But that wouldn't help. He might not eat them at all, or eat them so early that the effects would wear off. We need him to take the potion immediately before you meet with him so there's no chance for him to discover what the potion does," Hermione declared.
"He would take it if it was an order from his Master," Philius said mysteriously, as everyone in the room looked at him.
"What do you mean?" Hermione asked.
"If Trunuffen thought that the orders came from Voldemort he would do anything he was told," Philius said with more conviction. "We could send him a message from Lord Voldemort stating that the potion will allow him to read Harry's mind, and then he can embarrass him in front of all of wizarding Britain. We could tell him to take it immediately before the meeting. Trunuffen would be delighted to take it; he would think that he was going into the meeting with an unbeatable advantage," Philius said.
"But how do you convince him that the orders come from Voldemort?" Harry asked.
"By using the Death Eaters' own code."
"How did you find that out?" Harry asked in amazement.
"By being a good reporter and keeping my eyes open. I thought perhaps it would someday give me the opportunity to send false instructions to the Prophet that would cause them to be exposed, and I think that day has come." Philius then took out a sheet of parchment and a quill, wrote something on the parchment and rolled it up, and then tapped it with his wand while mumbling the spell. The parchment disappeared only to reappear moments later if front of Harry. It unrolled itself with a black flower floating in the air above it.
"A black Rose?" Ginny asked incredulously.
"A Narcissus actually," Luna said knowingly.
"That's right, all messages from Voldemort come with a black Narcissus as authentication," Philius declared.
"But why is that the symbol?" Hermione asked.
"Because the Malfoy family are the majority stock holders in the Daily Prophet, and have controlled the newspaper for several years. With Lucius in Askaban, all orders are funneled through his wife Narcissa, whose maiden name was Black. Her orders are carried to Trunuffen each week by the Malfoy Family's black Eagle Owl," Philius declared.
"So if we had a black Eagle Owl we could send false orders of our own," Harry said, his excitement growing.
"But where do you get an Eagle Owl, they are the rarest owl in the world," George declared.
"Wood has one," Ron volunteered, glad that he was finally able to contribute something. "I read about it in Pro Quidditch Magazine."
"I'll send him a note in the morning and see if we can borrow it," Harry said with confidence.
With the plan finally set the party broke up for the night, but not before all those present told Luna what a wonderful time they had had. No one at the time mentioned it, but this party was destined to be the first meeting of the group destined to be the New Marauders.
