Chapter 6

The sun was just setting on the eve on Neville and Hannah's wedding. It was a gorgeous night, the inky dark sky coated in a heavy, bright smattering of stars. The happy couple would be married in a unharvested field just outside the village where Hannah grew up. It was going to be a quiet ceremony, only a few family friends were invited. Neville had written out all the invitations by hand. He remembered his hand holding the small pale quill as it dripped gold ink onto elegantly designed sunny-coloured parchment. He had just touched it to the page when he paused. Hannah had invited him to invite whoever he wanted. He hadn't spoken with Luna for three years, ever since she had quit her job as Charms professor to care for her ageing father, which was really quite a job. Old Xenophilius always wanted to wander off, Neville had met him before. But three years ago now, he had really gone round the twist. Neville had expected Luna to return to her job as Charms teacher when her father found a place in the St. Mungo's ward for Elderly Wizards, but she hadn't. Luna had admitted to him before that teaching, although she enjoyed it, wasn't what she dreamt about for her life. Neville wondered what Luna wanted to be. He hadn't spoken to her in a long time. He wondered what had ever happened to Rolf Scamander. He had quite the odd bloke. Neville remembered the first time he had heard about Rolf, and closed his eyes, shaking his head and willing the memory to disappear from his head. He wished that week could just be erased from all time, all memory. He bet no one involved would object, either. Except maybe one certain Teddy Lupin. The Potters and Weasleys were coming to the wedding, too. Neville didn't know how it would remain a quiet affair if that whole lot showed up, but all he could do was hope. It wasn't like he couldn't not invite them, anyhow. But Neville didn't know how to invite Luna. Did he even want to? Neville shook his head softly and put the quill down. It would be a very bad idea to invite an old flame like that to his wedding. The wedding of his dreams, to the woman of his dreams. He and Luna wouldn't've worked anyway. But that was no reason he shouldn't talk to her. They'd been very good friends before. He picked up the quill and dipped it back into the golden ink, pulling a different sheet of parchment towards him, not an invitation, just a letter. Maybe three years was long enough.

The wedding was a quiet affair, almost. James, Roxy and Dominique, who were all starting Hogwarts that year, wouldn't be able to attend. Neville had gotten a different teacher to take over his classes for a week. Professor McGonagal had been really very understanding. Teddy Lupin was starting his seventh, and Victoire her sixth, so they wouldn't make it either. The rest were going to come, though, Albus and Lily and their parents, Ron, Hermione, Rose and Hugo were coming, too. Then they had Bill and Fleur with their youngest, Louie, and George and Angelina, who had promised to write Roxanna about it and were taking Fred. Percy and Audrey would be there as well. They had a newborn named Lucy and then three-year-old Molly. Arthur and Molly senior would be coming as well. Mrs. Weasley absolutely detested being called 'Molly senior.' She said it made her feel terrifyingly old. Even though her fiery red hair was streaked good quantities of grey, she absolutely refused to say that she was getting old. Most had lost track of her actual age. Neville had actually overheard Lily, who was now seven, trying to convince her younger cousin, Louie, that Mrs. Weasley was actually two hundred and eleven. That was far-fetched, even for Lily. Fred, who had started to take after both his father and his namesake, had let off a dozen dung bombs under the chairs in the wonderfully set up marquee, making it virtually inhabitable for hours afterward. The entire tent had been evacuated and Neville and Hannah had ended up becoming husband and wife in the middle of a field, under the stars and light of two dozen lit wands.

Luna had always wanted to go to America. And now she was here, the trip sprung on her by a perfectly ecstatic Rolf, who knew of her dream travel and had had the tickets for the trip sprung on him from his job at St. Mungos. There was a seminar he needed to attend, but that was still days away. And they had given him an extra ticket. Luna had absolutely glowed when Rolf told her. Luna was running The Quibbler now, and had noticed that it's reputation had changed majorly since she had taken it over. Now, if you were to walk down diagon alley and see wizards discussing Transfiguration Today, you were just as likely to see a gaggle of witches beside them with copies of The Quibbler open on their laps. The most recent story she had written, about the rising standards of simple defence against the dark arts, both in classes and in everyday life, had been a nice, neat piece. Now, she had Ginny Weasley writing in every three months for quidditch updates, even though she did most of her articles for the Daily Prophet, and found it very easy to find useful interviews. Everyone knew that Luna Lovegood, Editor of The Quibbler, was very well connected indeed. And now, she stood beside a large street side stand in New York City on Wizarding street hidden from Muggle eyes behind a tourist shop on main street that was selling copies of the Quibbler. Rolf used a charm to capture the image, drawing a silvery square around it. When his finished the spell, the square shrank to a piece of parchment with a copy of the real, moving Luna, grinning and waving beside her magazine. She laughed and squeezed Rolf around the side as he smiled and pulled her closer. They turned, face to face, and Luna reached up on her tiptoes and kissed him gently, his arms around her waist and hers on the back of his neck, tangled in his mane of messy hair. Rolf took out his wand and performed the picture-taking charm again, saying the incantation in his head as to not interrupt them, drawing the silvery outline. The picture fluttered to the ground as Rolf tucked his wand away again and Luna kissed him harder, letting his familiarity shove everything else away.

Rolf led Luna down a street in Muggle New York, dragging her behind him. She laughed merrily and chased him. They didn't bother with the Muggles casting them strange looks. He led her towards a large lookout point packed with Muggles. Out to sea was an enormous, emerald statue of a woman in something that looked like a stiff, crystal toga, wearing a heavy crown and holding up a huge torch. Luna stared at it, dumbfounded. Rolf leant against the protective railing as Luna shook off her awe and headed towards the sign "Our Lady Liberty" She read out loud. Luna read out the sign "-seen almost everything, from terrifying attacks, stunning sunsets to brutal battles to escapes convicts to proposing lovers…" Luna glanced over at Rolf. Who was in the process of kneeling. Down. On one knee. Proposing lovers… Rolf's hand slipped inside his muggle jacket and took out a small, black case. Luna screamed, her hand covering her mouth as he took opened the case. He shot her a sheepish smile as Muggles looked their way, their faces alarmed. Apparently, they saw more 'brutal attacks' then proposing lovers. He flipped open the case. The ring inside glimmered with the light of a thousand stars, diamond studded and laced with silver. It was beautiful. "Luna Lovegood." Rolf started. They had gathered a circle of observers since Luna's screech. "I've known you for three years now, and I've known that I loved you for a long time. You made me believe in love at first sight." Some of the people in the crowd swooned. Luna started to cry, tears leaking from her uncooperating eyes. She didn't want to seem sad. She would've said yes in the first few seconds, but Rolf wasn't naturally eloquent, and Luna was sure he stayed up late writing this speech. He had gotten a room with two beds for them. Even though they had been dating for the better part of three years, Luna had always told him no, waiting for a night in the future she knew would come. Not this night. "And I love you. I love you more than I've ever loved anyone." He paused, his voice catching. Rolf caught her eyes, and she saw deep, unsettling emotion there. "Luna Lovegood. Will you marry me?" Luna didn't know why, it wasn't shock, it wasn't terror or anything like that. But she felt herself swoon, her legs turning to jelly as if someone had transfigured them. Luna sank towards the ground, falling faster than she would've liked, faster than an elegant, movie-like swoon. She felt arms grasp her under her arms and pull her back up. Luna found her feet again and noticed that it was Rolf who had caught her. The ring case lay on the cracked pavement. The ring was no where in sight. When she asked, Rolf just shook his head and motioned over the rail. Luna peered over. Far below, she fantasized that she saw a flash of falling diamond, but it was just the sunlight, probably. It wasn't gone forever, but it looked like it. They were, in fact, wizards. Luna knew that Rolf would summon it as soon as the Muggles dispersed, but for now they had to look the part. "Yes, Rolf, I will!" Luna leapt around his neck and hugged him tightly. Screw looking the part, this was the part. Rolf cast his eyes forlornly over the side. "I had a ring" He stated, somewhat obviously. Luna shook her head. "That doesn't matter." and she kissed him hard on the lips. Out of the corner of her eye, Luna thought she might've seen a slight flash, and something that looked suspiciously like a wand. And an almost-silent whisper. When they broke apart, Luna saw a ferrety little wizard with an odd, wry smile on his face. "I think you might want this back." He was holding the ring! Luna could feel her face glowing. Rolf took the ring and thanked the man profusely. He took Luna's hand gently and slipped the ring on her finger. It looked amazing, glistening there like the diamond it was. As one, her and Rolf turned to look at the ferrety little man who was walking away, and Luna swore she could have seen a wand disappearing back inside his pocket. Evidentially, Rolf had seen it too. They burst into laughter together. In celebration, Luna shot bright yellow wand sparks into the air. The Muggles could go screw themselves, for all she cared.

The ferrety wizard grinned as he tucked his wand back into his pocket, glad that he had done something good. Those two lovers didn't deserve to have their happiness interrupted by a symbolic loss. Some people thought that losing an engagement ring was the worst thing in the world. He left the Statue of Liberty feeling glad that he had a part in two Muggles's happiness. From behind him, he heard laughter, then a bang. Surprised, he turned a corner then peered behind him. Yellow sparks had shot into the air. Wand sparks. The ferrety wizard chuckled loudly. Two Muggles indeed.