Harry Potter cracked open his eyes with a low groan, but smiled when he saw a pair of startling, grey orbs staring lovingly at him. "Good morning."
He raised his hand and stroked her smooth cheek, causing her to gently nuzzle his fingers. "Good morning Luna." He wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her closer so his side, closing his eyes happily when he felt her fingers intertwine with his and her back come to rest on his chest. "Did you sleep well?"
She nodded dreamily, and her soft voice was like music to Harry's ears. "I always sleep well when I'm with you."
He could feel her warmth seep through his t-shirt and slowly slid his palm under her silky night-gown before running his hand lightly over the scar that ran up her back. She relaxed fully into his embrace and sighed as his fingers gently massaged the damaged tissue – trusting him implicitly. After about half an hour, she turned over and pressed a kiss to Harry's lips – smiling softly. "We should get up, I'm sure that the Umgubular Slashkilters are already driving Daddy mad."
Harry nodded and stroked her cheek once more before sitting up in the bed and swinging his feet off the side. They got dressed in the presence of each other – both trusting the other to respect their privacy. When they were finished, Harry walked over to Luna and conjured a small white flower which he tucked gently behind her ear – making his bonded smile brightly up at him. They left the room together and walked down to the kitchen to find Luna's father sitting at the table writing furiously in a small notebook. As soon as he noticed their presence he slammed the cover of the small volume shut and motioned to two chairs on the opposite side of the table. Harry apprehensively sat down, and was only calmed by Luna's gentle hold on his hand.
Nobody spoke for quite some time, but in the end it was Xenophilius who broke the silence with a sigh. Harry and Luna looked over at the man and noticed that he looked as if he had been up all night. "I've thought very hard about what you told me last night, and I hope you can understand just how hard it is for me to take everything I now know at onc-" He was interrupted by a bright flash of flame on the other side of the room, and he looked nearly ready to faint when he caught sight of Fawkes. After a moment of collecting himself he continued. "Er, as I was saying, it's all very hard for me to take in at once. First I find out that Dumbledore is not only a traitor, but is more dark than light. I then get told that my daughter is bonded to her soul mate – which turns out to be you Harry, and then you drop the full story of how you are perhaps the most powerful Wizard on the planet with my daughter at a close second – and that the future resides on both your shoulders."
Harry nodded in understanding, as did Luna. "We understand Dad; but you have to believe us."
"I do Luna, I do – but even so…it'll take me some time to fully come to terms with what you have brought to my attention." He turned to Harry. "Finding out my daughter had a boyfriend was a little hard, finding out she was in love, and was loved back even harder, but finding out she was bonded…you must understand just how hard that is for me."
Harry nodded seriously. "I do, but I assure you Mr Lovegood that we are taking our relationship slowly – and are developing it emotionally before we start advancing in other ways." A slight blush covered the two teens' faces, but Xeno appreciated and respected the two of them for trusting him enough to tell him.
He sat back for a few moments and nodded to himself, as if settling the matter in his mind. "Well then, we've already established that you'll be staying for the holidays Harry, and although I'm a little apprehensive about you sharing a room with my little girl, I respect that you love her enough to be granted the privilege. What are you two planning on doing today?"
Luna thought for a moment, and her eyes lit up after a few seconds. She turned excitedly to Harry. "Harry, I have to show you our springs!"
The older Lovegood smiled approvingly at his daughter, and saw them both off with towels and swimming trunks. Harry's holidays were the best time he had ever had in his entire life, and within the first week their relationship had developed to such a point that they barely had to speak – either verbally or telepathically – to know what the other wanted or was thinking. Xenophilius had watched proudly as his daughter turned into a young woman in front of his very eyes, and by the end of the second week he had virtually accepted Harry as a part of the family – considering him the son he had never had. Fawkes had also joined Harry on his holiday, and loved having the freedom of the forest and clear skies; returning only for meals before rushing out to feel the wind in his feathers once again.
It was during the last week of the holidays that Harry decided to finally begin healing one of Luna's deepest scars – a scar that was both mental and physical. On the Tuesday, Harry had quietly told Luna that they would be going into Ottery St Catchpole to have a look at the village. She nodded, and informed him that she would wait for him to come back to the house. Harry caught her arm and she turned, surprised. "What is it Harry?"
He looked her directly in the eye. "I said that we are going to the village – not just me Luna." Her eyes flashed darkly, and she twisted from his grip – her hair hiding her face from view. She began walking away from Harry, and he hurried to catch up before falling into step with her. "Luna, you have to face this!" She violently shook her head, and he rushed in front, placing his hands on her shoulders to stop her. "Luna, you must."
She flicked her head upwards, and he nearly flinched at the terrified look in her eyes and the tears running down her cheeks. "I can't Harry – isn't that I won't; I can't!"
He shook his head passionately. "You can Luna, you are strong enough to face this – and you won't be alone. I'll be by your side the entire time – I'll won't let anything happen to you." Her eyes searched his, and he never broke her gaze. "I promise you Luna – I'll be standing next to you the entire time."
Her voice was heart-breaking. "Why are you making me do this Harry, do you want me to hurt?"
Harry decided to dispel that notion right there and then, and pulled her firmly to him – squeezing her tightly and scrunching his eyes shut to stop his own tears from leaking down his own cheeks – but to no avail. "I would never Luna; I would rather die than hurt you – but we need to do this. I can see it every day; when I look into your eyes in the morning; when I kiss you; when I talk to you; when you think nobody is looking; it's always there in your eyes. I can see the pain lingering there, never letting you fully trust someone – even me."
She looked up, amazed as she felt his tears drop onto her hair – but cried at his next words. "It hurts me as much as it hurts you Luna – we're soul mates, and I feel your pain whenever you do." He swiped at his eyes, and then looked into hers. "It's wearing you away, bit by bit, and I don't want to lose you." She felt a rush of emotion roll over her; love, pain, and comfort all balled into one, and she knew it had come from the man standing in front of her. She buried her head into his chest after a moment and nodded – causing Harry to almost sob in relief. "Thank you Luna, thank you."
When the couple entered the house and told Mr Lovegood about their decision, he had looked at Luna in absolute astonishment – but had calmed when he saw the determined look on her face, and the caring expression in Harry's. The pair had gone upstairs in the odd house and had changed into something more appropriate for their destination – and had both decided on a pair of jeans and warm jerseys; Harry chuckling in amusement at the Crumple-Horned Snorkack embroidered into the material of Luna's. Hand in hand, the couple walked silently towards the village which held such terror for the young woman – and Harry noticed her tense up frequently as they neared. Every time she had, he had stopped walking and pulled her into a comforting embrace – assuring her that he was going to 'do the boyfriend thing', and that he wouldn't let anybody hurt her.
Every time, she smiled thankfully up at him – and intertwined her fingers once again with his; a new spark of courage and hope in her eyes. At the edge of the forest, Harry concentrated on his appearance and turned his hair a mousy brown, and faded his scar until it was no longer visible on his forehead. Luna smiled up at him – happy that he had kept himself much the same, and he smiled warmly back before leading her into the village. No matter how much comfort he had given Luna on the way there however, he hadn't expected her fear to disappear, and noticed that she kept very close to his side the entire way. When they arrived at the busier part of town, Harry immediately noticed the looks that both him and Luna were receiving – and didn't like it one bit. Unconsciously he pulled her closer; shielding her from the smirks and glares with his own body. Eventually he understood the need to let Luna face it herself, and nudged her gently with his elbow. He pointed to a Quidditch shop. "I'm just going to take a look in there for a minute – would you mind waiting here for me?"
The expected fear flashed in her eyes, and he almost worried that he had pushed too hard too soon, but smiled at her when she replied. "Yeah, no problem; I'll wait over by the Florist – they have some orchids that I've been meaning to order for a while."
Harry nodded and handed her a handful of Galleons – laughing lightly at the shocked look on her face. "I'm doing the 'boyfriend thing', remember?" He leant down to her ear and whispered secretively in her ear, a smile dancing across his lips. "And anyway – everything I have is yours; I love you too much to have it any other way."
He pulled back from her golden hair and felt his heart leap at the joyous smile covering her face. A single tear ran down her cheek, and she swiped it quickly away. "Thank you Harry."
Harry nodded, and then turned on his heel before moving to the Quidditch shop and peering in the window. What he saw inside made his jaw drop, and he slammed his hands wantonly against the window. There, mere centimetres away from his face, was the Firebolt Mk. II. He looked in awe at the gold that had been etched into the handle of the sleek broom, and the new Slickstreem stabilizers on the tail – but jolted when he felt a flicker of surprise over his bond. He turned quickly around and took careful note of who the casters of the spell were, before walking calmly over to Luna who had her head encased in a sphere of water. He wondered why she hadn't simply dispelled the curse herself – but realized when he saw her loving look in his direction; she trusted him to save her – she trusted his earlier words that he would look over her, and make sure that she wasn't hurt.
When he reached her, he saw her chest move to take in a breath of air – and without hesitation he thrust his head through the sphere of water and pressed his lips to hers; giving her the air she needed. At first she was surprised – but happily wrapped her hands around his back when she realized what he was doing. When the need for air became an issue for the both of them – Harry blasted the sphere of water apart with a thought, and immediately cast a drying charm over both himself and his girlfriend.
She smiled beautifully up at him – not for the first time making his stomach flutter – and asked him if he had found anything interesting at the Quidditch shop. He carefully intertwined his fingers with hers and smiled proudly at her before filling her in on the magnificent new broom. As they walked, Harry unconsciously shielded both of them from the barrage of curses that were being cast at their backs. Luna had tensed when she felt his shields bolster against the increased attacks, but soon calmed when he smiled down at her and whispered four words that only she would understand. "I'm not even whispering."
They were nearing Harry's next destination in the village when a yell came from behind them, and Harry instinctively pulled Luna behind him before turning around to face the voice. The owner of the yell stood twenty meters away from Harry, a vile scowl on his features as he approached. "Filth!" He pointed at Luna who was shaking slightly behind Harry's back. "You dare to come back here?"
Harry gave her hand a gentle squeeze and stepped forward himself – well aware of the people who were approaching from behind as well – and he cast a strong shield behind Luna to protect her. "Well good morning Jerk."
The approaching man faltered in his step before fixing Harry with a furious glare. "What did you just call me?"
Harry looked nonchalantly around himself, calculating the angles and various scenarios for his defences and attacks as he answered. "Well I simply assumed it was a local custom to greet people with insulting names – you did call Luna here Filth, and I know for a fact that's not her name." He turned back to the furious teen – probably two years his senior – and smiled friendly. "Just wanted to follow local traditions is all."
Harry caught a movement out the corner of his eye, and turned his head to see a young man leap from the roof of one of the shops and fly towards him; his wand pointing directly at his head. Harry swiped the spell aside, stepped backwards slightly, grabbed the Wizard's arm, snapped his wand with a small blasting hex, and then slammed him face first into the paved road with a sickening crunch. Harry wiped his hands on his pants and then stepped back to where he had been standing previously – a blank look on his face. "Whoops."
"You bastard!" The leader of the group pointed furiously at Harry – his hand shaking in anger. "That was my brother!"
Harry's eyes sharpened and the man took an unconscious step backwards. Harry kicked the unconscious Wizard at his feet and rolled him over before looking at his bloodied face. With a flick of his wand, the young boy's bones mended, and the blood disappeared off his face. Harry turned back to the furious black-haired youth with a deadly glint in his eye. "Anybody who attacks me, or my girlfriend Luna, will be dealt with by any force I deem necessary."
Luther stood stock still for a moment, before a slight smile tWitched at his features. "You – you actually like that freak?"
Harry's eye tWitched at the word that the Dursleys so frequently used, and he felt his anger swell slightly. "No, I don't like her." He saw a look of triumph in the leader's face, but quickly dispelled it with his next words. "I love her."
It was as if a laughter sWitch had been thrown. The entire group of hateful youths burst into mirthful chuckles – with the leader being the loudest of the entire lot. Harry noticed with a start that there were no adults around, and that all of the shops seemed to have simultaneously closed since the beginning of the attack. Harry turned slightly. "Luna, how are those Orchids doing?"
When her voice came back, strong and confident, Harry grinned. "Fine thank you Harry – I think that they might get a little bit ruffled in the next five minutes though.
Harry forced a mock frown. "That's a shame – I'll tell you what; I'll buy you a new bouquet of them afterwards." She nodded happily, and Harry conjured her a comfortable chair to sit on. "Feel free to blast a couple of them away if you feel like it; I've keyed your magical signature to the shields." She nodded happily and pulled her wand from her sleeve, humming one of Peeves' rude Christmas carols.
Luther and his goons had stopped laughing when they saw the lack of amusement on their 'victims' faces about halfway through Harry's and Luna's exchange – and the leader stepped forward angrily. "Do you have any idea who I am?"
Harry expertly twirled his wand between his fingers, cocking his head slightly to one side at the question. "Nope."
"I am Luther Goldstein, and my father is Lord Henry Goldstein-"
"Never heard of him sorry," Harry calmly replied, "And quite frankly even if you were Merlin's great grandson I wouldn't care – anybody, and I mean anybody who attacks Luna receives the exact same treatment."
Harry watched as Luther wrangled with his anger, and then calmed himself after a few minutes. He gave his rather large gang a small nod, and it all began. Harry had decided to severely restrict himself during the fight – the last thing he wanted was to cause a scene by using any powerful, wandless magic, and so he sunk himself into a fighting stance and brought his wand to the ready. It seemed that the ring of thugs had some sort of hierarchy, and the first waves of combatants were clearly a sacrifice to gauge the strength of their opponents. Harry watched the young, charging teens and slipped his wand back into his arm holster – he wouldn't need it for this fight. The first attacker was flipped liberally over Harry's shoulder while the second had all the wind forced out of his chest by a vicious punch to his gut. The ten following teens received much the same treatment; Harry hurt them just enough to eliminate the threat, but nothing more.
The last boy received a completely non-lethal blow; a mere knuckle to his sternum caused the young man to hear a loud echo in his lungs – a sound which stopped him dead in his tracks. One look into Harry's cold eyes and the small Wizard scampered over the nearest fence before sprinting away as fast as he could. Harry turned around to see how Luna was doing, and smiled warmly at her when he saw the small pile of unconscious fighters in front of her. He turned back around, and saw the brutal looks in the remaining attackers' eyes. He assumed that a number of the boys he and Luna had just fought were the siblings of the left over Wizards.
With an almost simultaneous roar, the entire group charged. Harry flicked his wand into his hand and tensed before running towards the oncoming force. He felt a curse fly past his ear and carve a small cut into his cheek before clashing with the first Wizard. With Harry's restriction, the fight was difficult, and he found himself subject to quite a few brutal punches and the odd slicing hex. He ducked and weaved through the small crowd of fighters, delivering scarily accurate punches and curses at their vital points, often causing them to curse before spluttering and collapsing to the ground. One of the attackers raced past him, and Harry was forced to blow him into a nearby wall with his free hand – Luna being unshielded directly behind him. After several minutes of unrelenting combat, the final attacker fell to the ground, unconscious. Harry had used a total of ten spells when combatting the strong force of thirty, and was gasping heavily for air – his muscles aching at their brutal treatment. After a couple of minutes recovering, he stood up straight, repaired his sliced and ruined clothes, and then proceeded to walk towards the shaking leader of the gang that had fought against him – sitting fearfully on the ground.
Harry knelt down to his height and stared him directly in the eye. "I warned you Luther Goldstein; anybody that tries to hurt Luna will face the consequences." He turned his head slightly, and smiled at the blonde-haired woman who was still sitting comfortably on her chair in the middle of the road – the pile of her attackers having grown considerably. "Although it looks like she didn't need very much help from me."
Harry turned back to the horrified blonde, and his eyes turned from cold to angry in a split second. "Four years ago, somebody attacked Luna. Her clothes were banished, she was soaked in ice-cold water, and somebody cast a life-threatening slicing hex at her. She nearly died." He saw Luther's eyes widen in comprehension and his anger deepened. "I know it was you that cast that last hex. The love of my life has to live with that scar for the rest of her life, and you got nothing – not even a slap on the back of your hand. You disgust me." Forcing all the remaining power into his arm, Harry let loose with a savage punch that connected with the ringleader's jaw. The horrible crunch of pulverising bone followed, and the young Goldstein moaned in agony – but even Harry knew that such an injury would heal with not even a scar.
After the young man scampered away, clutching at his broken jaw and screaming, Harry returned to Luna's chair – and the young woman immediately crouched by his side, worry in her eyes when she saw all the bruises and cuts on his body. Harry winked up at her through the pain. "Couldn't go all out, could I?" She tutted in frustration and straightaway began healing his wounds and occasional fractured bone. When she was finished, Harry pulled her down onto the paved footpath and leant his back against the window of one of the shops – kissing her tenderly on the cheek.
She looked up at him with a look in her eyes that he couldn't quite place – but begun to get an idea when she tipped her head upwards and pressed her lips against his in an expressive kiss. When she pulled away she smiled lovingly up at him, and he wiped an unshed tear from her eye. "Thank you Harry – I – I think I can start healing now."
He nodded, and gently stroked her hair. "We can heal together."
What the pair hadn't noticed until that point was the immense audience that had been watching the entire exchange, and they smiled nervously at one another when they felt the auras surrounding them. Harry stood up, helping Luna to her feet while he did so, and clasped her hand in hers before continuing to walk down the empty street. The young Ravenclaw frowned at Harry, when they stopped outside an old shop, but quickly gasped when she saw the sign above its entrance. It was covered in rust, but it clearly stated "Bumpkin's Bakery." Harry smiled at her surprised look, and watched as middle-aged man walked through the derelict shop before unlocking the door and ushering the couple inside.
After the man had locked the door after himself, he turned to Harry with a raised eyebrow. "Mr Potter?" Harry nodded and dropped the glamour charm he had been covering himself with for most of the morning, and the man smiled warmly before shaking his hand. "It's an honour Mr Potter!"
Harry shook his head and smiled in return. "Trust me Mr Burke, the pleasure is all mine."
Looking confused, the man gave Harry a perplexed smile before turning to the very shocked Luna with a small frown on his face. "I know you from somewhere…" He tapped his head, frustrated for a few moments before his eyes cleared, and he looked her over once again, an appalled expression on his face. "Miss Lovegood, is that really you?" Still wide-eyed, Luna slowly nodded, and the man – without any warning whatsoever – engulfed the young woman in an embrace. "It's very good to see you again Miss Lovegood!" He pulled back and rested his hands on her shoulders. "Are you well?"
Luna nodded, and looked at Harry uncertainly before answering. "I- I'm fine thank you."
The man looked flustered for a moment before slapping his head in frustration. "How rude of me; come in, both of you – we'll have a cup of tea." He led the two teens out the back of the shop and into a comfortable but slightly run-down lounge.
The two sat on the couch and Luna waited until the man had disappeared into the kitchen before turning to the Wizard beside her. "How did you organize this Harry? How did you know it was him?"
"I had Fawkes fly through the village and find the bakery with the male baker – and I got him to deliver a message."
"But why does he know your name?"
Harry smiled. "You'll find out soon enough." The baker bustled back into the room holding a teapot with a delicious aroma wafting from it, and sat opposite the couple before pouring their drinks and sparking up a conversation. He mostly talked to Luna, asking her how she had been, how long it took for her to recover, and how her life had been since he last saw her. With a slight glance at Harry, and receiving a small nod in return, she answered his questions honestly; showing the man her scar; telling him about her recovery; and her recent life with Harry – a fact which made the man smile warmly at the famous young Wizard.
After an hour of talking, and numerous cups of tea, the man sat back in his chair and turned his attention to Harry. "So Mr Potter, what brings you here?"
"In all honesty Mr Burke, it is because of my girlfriend, and I wished to show the man who saved her life the courtesy of knowing who I really was." The man nodded appreciatively at Harry, and he continued with a frown. "But while I was walking through the village and after we were attacked by Mr Goldstein's son-"
"You were attacked?"
Harry nodded, and noted the concern in the Wizard's eyes. "I assure you sir that we are perfectly fine, and that the gang will not be bothering with us any time soon." The baker looked at Harry, amazed, as he continued. "But I realized that the town seems to be slightly under the thumb of Luther's father. Could you tell me why?"
The man looked around nervously, as if he were afraid of being heard, and Harry quickly performed a series of ridiculously powered privacy wards around the room. The man felt the comforting tingle of the shields and nodded his thanks at Harry before explaining. "Lord Goldstein came to this village twenty years ago, and had a plan to take over. He slowly used his private guards to stop visitors from entering the town, and our economy faltered. A lot of shops were on the verge of having to close down, but then he jumped in like the big hero; offering us loans to keep us on our feet." He sighed sadly. "Most of the people's families in this village have been here for generations – and we were desperate to stay that way. We took the atrocious loans with even more abominable interest rates without a second thought, and it was fourteen years later that the Lord gifted us with the presence of his son in the town. He had been brought up in the Goldstein household with the bigotry that such a family always holds; but none of us had the courage to stand up to his delinquent behaviour for fear of out shops being forced to shut."
He looked out into the decrepit bakery show room with a look of immense sadness. "I was unpacking grain from out supplier's truck when I saw a trail of blood leading away from the village. At first I thought that it might've been a wounded animal, but there was far too much blood, and after about half an hour of walking I came across Miss Lovegood. I immediately apparated her to St Mungo's Hospital and she was taken out of my arms straight away.
"Once I had met her father and pointed him in the direction of his daughter I returned to the village, and I found Lord Goldstein waiting for me. He knew that I had saved Luna, and because I went against his son's wishes he took all my earnings and left me with nothing." Luna gasped, realizing it was because of her that the poor baker had lost his dreams, but he held up his hand to stop her apology, a friendly twinkle in his eyes. "I wouldn't take back what I did then for anything in the world Miss Lovegood – it was repayment enough that I knew I had saved your life."
If Harry already hadn't decided on the action he was going to take, those words would have swayed him in a moment. He sat forward in his chair, a rebellious glint in his eye. "Mr Burke, Luna tells me that you used to make the most delicious caramel tarts."
John's eyes lit up at the high praise, but they soon dulled. "Yes. I'm sorry I can't offer you one; I'm afraid they took all of my equipment."
Harry nodded and smiled warmly at the man. "Mr Burke, I love this place. I want to be able to live here when I've defeated Voldemort; I want to return here after every day at work to Luna and the beautiful meadows; I want to stare at the clear stars; I want the Lovegood's house to be where our children grow up," he blushed slightly, and caught Luna reddening a bit as well. He fixed the man across from him with a confident stare. "I want Luna to be able to make friends with the Florist and walk through this village with no risk. I want to start with you Mr Burke."
"Start what Mr Potter?"
"A sanctuary Mr Burke. I want this village to be free of the clutches of Voldemort and Dumbledore-"
"Dumbledore? But he's-"
"A traitor Mr Burke – he plans to kill me once I have defeated Voldemort, and then take control of the Wizarding world bit by bit."
The middle-aged man looked as if he had been hit in the stomach with a hammer, and when he next spoke it was in a whisper. "I wondered… I wondered what it meant when Fawkes delivered your message…" Harry nodded, and after only a moment to recover from the monumental shock, he sat back in his chair – a determined look in his eyes. "I'll do whatever you need Mr Potter; I want to help fight the darkness."
Harry smiled proudly at the man and nodded before reaching into his pocket and producing a piece of parchment and a quill, placing both on the table. "I want you, Mr Burke, to begin making your wonderful caramel tarts again."
