A/N: Just a reminder, since it's coming up... Ron demonstrated in DH that you can learn the snake language. The basis for Voldemort and the DEs being unable to come within a hundred yards of Thelema is from DH, where it was demonstrated that the Tonks home was Voldemort-proof. Long time members of HP Fandom will recognize the homage to Makani, one of the best, and funniest, artists the Fandom has produced. And yes, I'm playing up the "Snakes are sexy" trope to the hilt, because it's fun. :)
Chapter Fifteen
Saturn
I really liked the snake that breaks out of the cage in the beginning of the movie. I saw it in real life, and it was really cool. Really big and fat. The owls are cool as well, but you can't really pet them.
-Tom Felton
July 6, 1996, the Rook, Devon, England, UK
Saturday was named for Saturn, the Roman God of Time.
As Harry awakened in Luna's bed, which was not in it's usual place in Luna's bedroom, but outside in the clearing behind the Rook, he had one question.
"What time is it, anyway?"
"Around 9-ish," Luna, snuggling against him, replied.
"How do you know?"
"The sun's position."
They stayed there, for a bit, holding each other. Harry liked where he was, at the moment, and felt no motivation to move... That is, until a head poked up from beside the bed. Harry was startled, as it was a large snake. Luna wasn't, though. She seemed to be familiar with it.
"Good morning," Luna greeted the snake, smiling.
On the bed's headboard shelf, Harry found his glasses, their wands, and phones. Putting his glasses on, he could see the snake better. He recognized the species as a boa, like the one he freed at the zoo, years before. This wasn't that boa. For one thing, this one had pink markings. But there was something familiar about her... Somehow, he knew it was a her. And, she was looking at him with what was somehow an amused expression, something he was fairly certain boas couldn't do.
"Wotcher, Harry," she said in the snake language.
"Dora?" he answered, automatically using the snake language when speaking with them. Yes, he recognized, it was definitely Dora.
Dora, who was now a nice sized, and very pretty, boa constrictor, climbed in the bed and cuddled between him and Luna. Luna began stroking her, affectionately. Since Dora seemed to enjoy that, Harry did, too. He mused that people assume, because of their shiny scales, snakes feel slimy to the touch. They're always surprised at how they feel when they're brave enough to pet one. Just be careful it's a safe one to pet.
"So," Harry said, "you're an Animagus."
"Among other things," Dora answered. "I was conceived and born in the Fairylands..."
"Really? Wouldn't that make you...?"
"Yeah, that's my big secret. Fae are often shape-shifters, and I inherited being a Metamorphmagus from Mum, so learning to be an Animagus was a lot easier and more natural for me than it is for most."
"How'd you wind up with a boa as your form?"
"You recognize it?"
"I befriended one a few years back."
"Ah, well, Mum always had a thing for boas... She wanted one when she was a kid."
"Why a boa and not, y'know, something from this hemisphere?"
"They make better friends than pythons. Pythons sometimes turn on people. Anyway, Mum identified with snakes, so the boa ended up being her Animagus form. Between her and Seth... He's her Naga..."
"Her what?"
"I'll explain what a Naga is, later... Anyway, between them, I ended up as a boa, too. Which works, since boas are big enough not to be eaten by eagles," she said, looking at Luna.
Luna said, "I'd never eat you, Dora... Not that definition of 'eat,' at any rate. How my mother used to eat your mother, on the other hand..."
A surprised Harry asked Luna, "You're a Parselmouth?"
"No, but one can learn the language. I like to understand the boas in my life," she said, grinning at Dora.
"I didn't know you could learn that. Why don't they teach it at... Never mind, I know... There are things the Ministry doesn't want us to know. Oh, and Dora? You're the cutest, most adorable, snake I've ever met."
"Thanks!" Dora replied, with a grin, leaving Harry wondering how she was doing that. "Anyway, time to get up, you two..."
Harry looked around the bed for his clothes. The pixies had just made them disappear, the night before.
"Um, where are our clothes?" he asked.
Luna answered, "They'll turn up. You don't need them, right now. When I'm at home, I often don't bother dressing."
"Um," he said, trying to figure out what to do with his wand and phone, "is this how you got into the habit of putting your wand behind your ear?"
"As a matter of fact, yes," she said as she put her wand behind her ear. Harry decided to, as well. "See? Now you can carry Dora back to the house with us."
"But, I'm still holding my phone... I only have one hand free."
"Harry," said Dora, "I'm a boa! I have a great grip, right now." With that, she wrapped herself around his body, her head on his shoulder. "I like this."
"I'm... finding it strangely stimulating, myself."
As they walked to the house, he said, "Something I've always wondered about Animagi... Where do your clothes go? You're wearing them, then you transform and you're not wearing them, then you turn back human and you're fully dressed, again."
"It's something they worked out somewhere along the way, when magi started getting really modest. Not that it matters to me, at the moment. I transformed right after I'd dried off from my shower, so I wasn't wearing anything."
"Ah... Well..."
Dora laughed, and said, "What, it makes a difference whether the boa wrapped around you was wearing clothes or not before she transformed?" She added, flirtatiously, "It's still my naked, smooth, scales wrapped around your bare skin..."
An amused Luna said, "And they say Animagus transformations don't alter the way a person behaves in their animal form..."
"Oh, and another thing," said Harry, "wotcher isn't a word in the snake language."
"Yeah, I speak Snakelish. It's like Spanglish only with the snake language instead of Spanish."
After they were inside, Dora unwrapped herself from Harry, and said, "You two take a shower. Breakfast should be here by the time you're done, which I expect will be quite a while, since you'll be shagging some more."
Dora was right. Harry and Luna were all over each other as soon as they had the water at the right temperature. Harry discovered that Luna, while not a snake Animagus, could do a great job of wrapping her body around him, herself. Instead of the gentle love making of the night before, this was pure passion and intensity. He lifted her as her limbs coiled around him, and pressed her against the tiles, thrusting inside her as he grunted and she moaned with pleasure.
After they were spent, then clean, they toweled off and went downstairs, as Harry's clothes were still missing, and Luna didn't bother with them. Dora was waiting in the dining room, with scones, fruit, milk, and juices on the table.
"Jeeves brought us breakfast, and put Luna's bed back in her room," said Dora.
"That's very nice of him," said Luna.
Dora then transformed back to human. As pretty a boa as she was, that was nothing compared to the beautiful nude human woman standing before him, Harry thought.
"Hungry?" she asked with the same smile as before.
Hermione had cursed him... Or blessed him... Whichever... And now he could honestly tell Hermione that yes, her nude form still impressed him.
Seth slipped into the master bedroom at Thelema. It was time to wake Andromeda.
Most misunderstood Seth's relationship with Andy, thinking him a pet. Other thought him her Familiar, which was closer to the truth.
Seth, like others of his kind who developed relationships with magi, was a Naga. Like Andromeda, he was descended from Ananta Shesha, the cosmic snake that is said to be an Avatar of the Supreme God. It is said that when Ananta Shesta uncoils, time moves forward and Creation takes place. When he coils back, the universe ceases to exist. He will remain. He was said to have had human forms and incarnations, including Patanjali, who compiled the Yoga Sutras.
The Greeks knew the cosmic snake as Ophion, thinking him one of the Titans. With the water goddess Danu, he fathered the Tuatha de Danaan, the people who would eventually become the Fae.
The Nagas are lower level deities associated with rebirth, immortality, and fertility. They are the guardians of wells, rivers, and springs. They are associated with the Elixir of Life and the Cintamani, the jewel known in the West as the Philosopher's Stone.
In olden times, the Naga had the ability to assume human form, often marrying human princes and princesses. The Naga King Mucalinda protected the Buddha from the elements while he was under the lotus tree achieving enlightenment.
In China, the Naga is quite large, known as the Chinese Dragon. The Chinese also spoke of the Snake Goddess Nuwa, who, when a dispute among gods almost brought about the destruction of the Earth, used her own body to hold back the destructive forces, thus keeping the world in existence. It is also said that she, and her husband, Fuxi, are the parents of Humankind.
Australia has the Rainbow Serpent, who controls oils and waters, created the ridges, mountains, and gorges, and is associated with land, water, life, and fertility.
In the Middle East, the Naga became the Jinn, known for granting wishes. In Egypt, there was Wadget. In Africa, there's Mami Wata, associated with water, sex, fertility, healing, and fidelity.
In Spain and Portugal there are the Mouras, women who can be either snake or human, who guard wells and treasures.
In the Americas, there was Quetzalcoatl, the feathered serpent god of the Aztecs, who some Mormon scholars believe was Christ visiting the Americas following the Resurrection. North American tribes revered the rattlesnake. The rattlesnake would become significant in the history of the United States as the symbol of the rebelling colonies during the American Revolution, depicted on their flag with the words, "Don't tread on me."
Ben Franklin wrote of the rattlesnake, "She never begins an attack, nor, once engaged, ever surrenders: She is therefore an emblem of magnanimity and true courage... she never wounds 'till she has generously given notice, even to her enemy, and cautioned him against the danger of treading on her."
The sworn enemies of the Nagas had been their cousins, the Garadas, the eagle people that ruled the birds. Neither side could claim to not be partially at fault for the conflict, but the Garada King, Syena, was especially vindictive, having once been enslaved to the Naga, and slaughtered them at every opportunity. Matali, the charioteer of Indra, sought the handsome young Naga, Sumukha, to marry his daughter Gunakesi, only to learn that Syena had announced his intent to devour the young Naga, just as he had previously murdered his father. Matali went to Indra and Vishnu and persuaded them to give Sumukha the Elixir of Life. The youth drank it, and was rendered impervious to any attack by the Lord of the Birds. The young lovers were then happily married.
At another time, there was an attempted full scale genocide of the serpents in a ritual sacrifice by King Janamejaya, who would call the snakes by name and force them into the fire. The Naga King Vasuki foresaw this, and knew his people would need a hero to deliver him. He proposed that his sister, Manasa, marry the renowned ascetic Jaratkaru, producing "a son of the splendor of a celestial child." The boy was named Astika, and he would be the savior of the snakes.
As the sacrifice was prepared, and Janamejaya was calling the snakes, Astika came up to him and praised the sacrifice was such beautiful words that the King offered to grant him any boon of his choosing. Astika immediately requested that the sacrifices be stopped. Janamejaya regretted having made the offer, but was true to his word, and the sacrifices ended.
Eventually, the Buddha forged a truce between the Nagas and Garadas. But, that wasn't the only conflict among the divinities of India. The enemies of the Devas were the Asuras. The Hindus had a hostile view of the Asuras, but the Persians, descendants of Perseus and Andromeda, did not, as the conflict between the groups was primarily political. The Persian Zoroastrians came to view the Devas the same way the Hindus viewed the Asuras, whom the Zoroastrians supported. Among the Asuras were the Children of Danu.
The Children of Danu had lost a war with the Devas, the Hindu gods, resulting in them being driven to the sea. They eventually landed in what is now Ireland, where they ruled for centuries until being driven into the Otherworld by the Milesians, where they became the Fae. While King Syena of the Garadas was firmly loyal to the Devi, some of his people intermarried with the Children of Danu, as evidenced by the Morrigan and some of her descendants such as Morgan le Fay and the Ravenclaw, who could transform into great birds of prey, and could command them. The Ravenclaw would one day join three other great Magi, including a descendant of the Mouras known as Slytherin, to build a great school for the magical arts.
All the various magical beings would find themselves victims of another force at the end of the 17th Century. European magi used the Statutes of Secrecy as an excuse to persecute other magical species. The brownies on this plane were enslaved, the centaurs taken from their homeland. And the Nagas and Garadas?
Their ability to shift into their human forms was taken away from them. They were trapped in their animal forms. This made marrying humans impossible, and even communicating with them quite difficult, as few humans spoke their languages, and the animal forms weren't equipped to form human words. The Naga and Garadas were let with only their own races to breed with, which, over time, weakened them, further. No Naga or Garada born since would likely be able to assume a human form even if the enchantments were broken. The owls among the Garadas were enslaved as messengers for the magi. They actually had the gall to use the Trojan War as justification, saying that is what happens when you let deities go around taking animal forms. As if the circumstances of Helen's conception and birth had anything to do with it, or Helen, herself. The Trojan War was caused by the vanity of Olympian goddesses and the ambition and easily wounded pride of mortal men. Helen had no control over the situation, yet these magi blamed her.
The Asian magi protested this being done without their consent, but they would learn, in the ensuing decades, just how much their opinions mattered to the European wizards.
One day, one of the oldest, most respected, and most powerful of the Fae, Glinda the Good, traveled to India to make peace between the Asuras and the Devas. She then brought the ancient knowledge of the East back to her American Fairyland of Oz. From there, she set events into motion, events Seth had become a part of.
Seth met Andy in Rio, where she, Ted, Morgan, Xeno, and a very young Dora were in town for Carnival. He'd first thought her a Naga that had somehow been able to achieve her human form. She and Morgan explained to him what she actually was. Andy said there was some Naga ancestors in the Black family, and she theorized that the shape shifting gift from the Rosier family brought her inner serpent closer to the surface. Her daughter would later add credence to that theory.
Andy was sleeping between Ted and Xeno. Seth remembered, and missed, their fourth. How he enjoyed waking her in the morning was inspired by how other species sometimes awakened their humans. He slipped under the covers from the foot of the bed, moved upwards, and licked her face, happily. She was a very pretty human, but that was nothing compared to her boa form, Seth thought.
"Mmm... I'm awake, Seth," said Andy.
This apparently woke Ted and Xeno, as well.
Xeno said, looking at her and Seth, "There's a lot of mythic symbolism in what I'm seeing, now... I'll understand it more, after coffee."
Andy slipped out of bed and she and Seth headed down to the workout room, where she did her morning yoga exercises.
"Jeeves said to tell you your mother called," Seth said in the snake language, "Severus has agreed to be at Eden at the time you requested."
"Good," she replied, also in the snake language, even though Seth, being a Naga, could understand English.
"Jeeves is at the Rook, but should be back by the time you finish your exercises and shower. Nymphadora had called to leave a message that Luna got lucky."
"Good for her. Jeeves decided they needed one of his breakfasts, I presume?"
"Of course. Nymphadora thinks they'll be ready to move to the next step, today."
"Hope they're not rushing things."
"I trust Nymphadora's judgment, now that she's freed from Dumbledore's control... Deep breaths... I know mentioning him makes you angry."
"I'm fine, Seth. I take no pleasure in the old man's impending demise. Nick and Perri wouldn't want that. Neither would Morgan. It's a pity, really... He has done many great things."
At breakfast, she discussed her impending meeting with her sister, Narcissa, and Severus Snape at Eden, as well as what everyone was getting up to at the Rook.
She said to Xeno, "I know you're not comfortable with your daughter being sexually active."
He replied, "Every father of a Fairy Maiden knows the time will come when she'll be a Fairy Lover. It's part of their job description. I can only hope she's chosen wisely."
"Well, from what we were told, the world needs this boy to achieve his potential."
"That's another thing... No father wants his daughter to be a target."
"She was going to be involved, regardless. We just have to make certain the odds are in their favor."
Ted said, "Speaking of which... are you sure it's a good idea to invite Severus Snape to your meeting with Cissy? He'll just report everything back to Dumbledore."
"Yes, but, aside from the benefits of having Severus assisting Cissy, not only do I have the opportunity to open his mind about a few things, but I can provide Dumbledore with a little misdirection. His game is chess, not poker. I'll reveal enough cards to where he'll think it's my entire hand. I also have the advantage that he sees everything in such absolute terms. Anything that does not agree completely with him, he places in a box, and labels it. As long as what I show him conforms with how he's labeled me, he won't consider anything else."
Dora was pouring some liquid and a powder in a blender. It seemed Jeeves had brought them with their breakfast.
"You seem," Harry said to her, "very relaxed about all the sex going on around you. People in the Wizarding world have always seemed..."
"Victorian? I'm not the Weasleys, Harry," said Dora.
Luna added, "Her mother is Britain's leading authority on Sex Magic."
"Sex Magic?" asked Harry. His curiosity was, needless to say, aroused.
"Yeah," said Dora. "A lot of mums give their daughters sex education, but not like mine did."
"But, isn't your mother Europe's leading Alchemist? What's that got to do with Sex Magic?"
"A lot, believe it or not. Most modern Sex Magic is based on Tantra, and Alchemy draws heavily on Tantra, as well."
"Sounds interesting."
"Glad you think so, because you're going to be doing it, today."
"Huh?"
Luna said, "Remember when we were discussing a way to remove those blocks on your magic, but we'd have to work our way up to it?"
Dora blended the ingredients, then poured her concoction into three glasses, handing one each to Harry and Luna.
"What is this?" asked Harry.
"It's a protein shake," said Dora. "I use a vanilla flavored soy powder and apple juice."
Luna asked, "Natural vanilla?"
"Of course. Now, drink up, you two. You're gonna need it. I'll get everything set up in Luna's room, so you two find something to do in the meantime, except shagging."
While Dora was preparing Luna's room for the ritual... Harry was still processing that they were about to perform Sex Magic... Harry and Luna cuddled on the couch to watch Aladdin. It was such a nice feeling, Luna's naked skin against his, just comfortably watching a movie.
He was noticing a pattern with these films. The young heroes in all of them were flawed. They made costly mistakes. They learned from them and matured, then saved the day. Harry could relate. He could relate to Aladdin even more because of his snake-like enemy. Fortunately, Voldemort couldn't actually turn into a giant snake, at least as far as Harry knew.
Probably never helps, anyway...
He mentioned that to Luna, who replied, "Yes, so you keep that in mind if you consider learning to be an Animagus."
"Why? You think my Animagus form would be a snake?"
"Harry, you speak the snake language without having to actually learn it like the rest of us."
"Good point. Still, it would annoy the hell out of the Slytherins, a snake Animagus in Gryffindor..."
"Yes, but an awful lot of trouble just to annoy them."
"True..."
"Though snakes are sexy..."
"You think so?"
"You seemed to think so, this morning."
"But, that was Dora..."
Druella Black was a woman with many regrets, the main one being not recognizing Tom Riddle for what he was. If she'd known...
Well, there was nothing she could do about that. He'd fooled many of his old classmates, after all. It wasn't as though he was presenting himself as a raving madman, at the time, not like that Rotfang fellow.
No, all she could do was save what was left of her family, though she'd long ago accepted that there was no saving Bella. She still had her remaining daughters and her grandchildren, and she was determined that they would live to provide her with great-grandchildren. She also intended to have more grandchildren, if her daughters could manage it.
"Mum!" said Andy, "I keep saying when the time is right! It's not like I don't have plenty of years of fertility left. But... if everything goes well, that time will be soon."
"Good. I need more grandchildren to dote on, and Cissy had a difficult enough pregnancy with Draco, so I'm counting on you."
Druella didn't approve of Ted when Andy told her she was marrying him, but helped her elope when the time came, to protect her from Riddle and his people, including Bella. Once all was said and done, with her oldest in prison and her youngest barely staying out of there, Druella and Cygnus concluded that their middle daughter had made the right choices, after all.
Druella had retained much of her beauty despite her age, one of the advantages of being a Metamorphmagus. Cygnus had died, years ago, and she still missed him, dearly. She never remarried, though she currently had a young couple as her lovers.
Severus would be arriving in a couple of hours, but Andy and Druella wanted to spend time with Cissy, first. When she arrived... She was beautiful, and dressed impeccably, as always, but she was a wreck.
She'd not slept well for weeks. Her movements made it clear the stress had reached a point where her muscles had tensed, leaving her in physical pain to match her emotional trauma. Druella had warned Andy of this, which was why she scheduled Cissy to arrive earlier than Snape. The girl needed some serious massage.
So, Cissy was undressed, laid out, and Andy worked on her shoulders and back. She was surprised by how much it helped. As her body became less tense, so did the rest of her. She'd forgotten what relaxation felt like.
"Thank you," she said. "Not just for this, but for coming. I wasn't sure..."
"We'll work it out, Cissy. But, we're not done. Next is a dip in the pond."
"I haven't been in that pond, since..."
Druella said, "You'll find it different than you remember, dear. It has healing properties, now."
"Seriously?"
It turned out, it did. Maybe, swimming with her mother and sister again brought her back to her childhood, when she was innocent, but there was something more. She felt... renewed. She didn't want to leave the pond, but she knew that they had to. Severus was coming.
They dressed, and the house elf announced Severus Snape had arrived. Andy had another surprise, Cissy discovered, when she shifted into her boa form.
"Show off," said Cissy.
"What's wrong with showing a little Slytherin pride?" asked Andy.
"How is it you're able to speak English like that, anyway?"
"Metamorphmagus, remember? I can make the necessary adjustments to my snake form to be able to talk more or less like a human."
"A husky, raspy, voiced human... which works very nicely with that look."
"Thanks."
"So very few people can pull that look off, though..."
"Yeah, you just have to have it in you."
Severus Snape had a pretty good idea why he was being summoned to Eden. He'd almost been expecting Narcissa to just turn up at his house.
He wasn't really enjoying his home at Spinner's End. The Dark Lord had assigned Pettigrew to "assist" him. Did the Dark Lord not realize how much he hated the traitorous Marauder? Not only had the rat been one of the gang that had bullied him at school, but he betrayed Lily. And now, he was having to restrain himself from taking the revenge he wanted more than anything in the world.
At least, at Eden, he wouldn't be concerned about Wormtail trying to listen in on their conversation. The surprise was that Andromeda would be there. So this now was a mission assigned by Dumbledore.
"Time is of the essence, Severus," Dumbledore had told him. "We have less than a year to deal with her. We need to know everything we can. Oh, and keep an eye on Filius."
"Very well..."
"And Pomona, as well."
"You're worried about Pomona, now?"
"She's the Head of Hufflepuff, Severus."
"And since when did we worry about Hufflepuffs?"
Dumbledore looked towards the Forbidden Forest, gravely, and said, "Helga Hufflepuff had many secrets. Can you feel it, Severus, the magic emanating from the forest?"
While Severus wasn't the most sensitive to ambient magics, he did notice a change in recent weeks.
"What does this have to do with Helga Hufflepuff?" he asked.
"She placed something there, a thousand years ago, something very powerful, and, unlike Salazar Slytherin's basilisk, practically indestructible. It's been waiting."
"For what?"
"For something I had reason to think would never come. But, with the Seelie Court's recent actions..."
"Are you going to tell me anything more? It might help if I know exactly what information you want me to get from Andromeda."
"She won't tell you anything about this. Keep things to the subject of why you've been called there. Just observe her, and report back everything to me."
Severus had never been to Eden, though he had an idea of what to expect, having been to Malfoy Manor and Lestrange Place, the home Bellatrix had built, modeled on her childhood home. He'd not been to Thelema, either, but knew that Andromeda's home, too, was modeled on Eden. He'd never understood why Cygnus Black insisted on building this sort of country estate long after this style was out of fashion. He wasn't surprised Bella continued the tradition, but didn't expect Andy to continue with such pretenses. He concluded that the apple didn't fall far from the tree, in her case. What he understood, and Dumbledore and Sirius Black didn't, was that it wasn't a tree that was rotten to the core.
Druella's house elf brought him to the parlour, and then served refreshments. Cissy and Druella were sitting, as well as a large snake.
"Thanks for coming, Severus," the snake spoke in a familiar voice. "Have a seat. We have a lot to talk about."
Andy had always moved gracefully, and had a cool, dispassionate, gaze, since Severus had known her. Being a snake suited her. There was something familiar about how she was coiled, but he couldn't remember where he had seen it. Well, this was going to make reading her expressions and body language difficult.
"So," he said, "I trust we're here for more reasons than for you to show you're more Slytherin than the rest of us?"
She stuck her tongue out at him and answered, "Yes, though I am. It's my understanding that the Dark Lord has given Draco an impossible mission, as punishment for Lucius."
"I know of it, and Cissy shouldn't speak of it."
"She hasn't told me what the mission is, but I've made a few observations, and drawn a few conclusions, including that you can be trusted not to betray her to the Dark Lord."
"Indeed?" He kept his face impassive.
"As Draco will be in school, the mission must involve Hogwarts. There are only two people Lord Voldemort would be concerned about eliminating, there, and we know he has a thing about killing Harry Potter, himself. That leaves Dumbledore. Draco is supposed to assassinate him. But, you know all this."
"Yes..."
"Here's the strange thing... I saw Dumbledore a couple of days ago, at the Ministry. He's having more trouble getting around than he used to... Oh, he's covering it well. But, you might want to suggest he cover his hands, wear gloves, something like that. One of his hands is blackened, shriveled... looks dead. Nasty curse. Someone who sees that and knows their dark curses can draw some conclusions. A curse like that spreads. It has to be taking constant healing arts and potions to keep it at bay, but they won't hold it, forever. I give him a year to live, at most. Now, you'd think a loyal spy for the Dark Lord, who happens to be supplying the potions, no less, would inform his master of this. But, as Draco's mission is still to proceed, the spy obviously hasn't."
Cissy looked at him, shocked. Severus sighed.
Andy continued, "Therefore, the spy in question is loyal to Dumbledore. He's told his true master everything. Dumbledore's orchestrating his own death, for some sort of dramatic effect, making himself a martyr. I do hope he doesn't plan on making my nephew a murderer."
"Both he and the Dark Lord intend for me to do it. It's just important that Draco try. To the Dark Lord, that is."
"So, now to assure you that Cissy won't betray you. Cissy, how does our old mentor make you feel, these days?"
Cissy answered, "Terrified... Disgusted..."
"And, you know that you, your son, and your husband will never be safe while he lives. He'll never be satisfied."
"No... he won't."
"Even if he releases Draco from this, there'll be another, and another... with torture or death as the price for failure."
"Yes..."
"All you'd ever have to look forward to is exactly as your life is, now."
"Yes."
"This is a difficult question, but knowing the Dark Lord, I have to ask... Is Bella... molesting Draco?"
Cissy looked down for a moment, then lifted her head, and said, with as much control as she could muster, "In the Left-Hand Path, the initiate must be confronted with and reject all taboos."
Now it was Severus's turn to look shocked, before he recomposed himself, looked at Cissy sympathetically, and said, "The Dark Lord could have demanded something worse, something even more... taboo."
"I'm... very aware of that..."
Druella, her eyes filled with rage, said, "We'll abduct Bella. I will then take her form, seduce Tom, then kill him in his sleep."
Andy replied, "That wouldn't work. He'd know you weren't Bella. Otherwise, I'd have done it."
"We need to do something Greek, then... Does he have any children? We can make him eat his offspring."
"Not as far as I know, Mother."
"Damn..."
"We all have three things in common. We are Slytherins, we want to keep my fool of a nephew alive, and we want to remove the Dark Lord, once and for all. Cissy, we'll have to arrange some way for you to keep me informed of what the Dark Lord is doing. Severus, I don't expect you to betray your master..."
Severus growled, "Dumbledore is not my master."
"If you say so... But, you must make certain that Draco doesn't harm any innocents. He'll be frightened, and may try something desperate that could harm other students. You must keep him focused entirely on only harming Dumbledore."
"Do you not consider Dumbledore an innocent?"
"No, Severus. He is far from innocent. One day you will understand this. But, for now, consider this... I don't demand blind, unquestioning, obedience from people, nor would I use mind magics or potions to achieve it."
"That's a serious accusation you're making against him."
"All I ask is that you observe things objectively. And, if he offers you some sort of food or drink during a private conversation, be wary of it."
"You're sounding like Moody."
"If you say so... Do you know what the word 'warlock' means? It means 'oath breaker' or 'deceiver.' So, no, I'm not inclined to trust Britain's Chief Deceiver."
"It's simply a title that dates back to the founding of the Wizengamot. Dumbledore didn't choose the name of the office."
"He didn't suggest changing it, either. He knows that names are incantations, shaping magi just as much as any other incantation does. You'll notice, throughout history, every man who has held the position has had some corruption or scandal by the end of his term. Some start very honest, but they all, invariably, become secretive and dishonest."
Druella said, "You should hear what Dumbledore's brother calls him, 'the master of secrets and lies.'"
"You'll also notice that when we've had a Chief Witch in the position, we've tended towards less corruption."
Cissy smirked, and said, "So, you're saying women should be in charge, because men can't be trusted?"
"Not at all," Andy answered. "But, perhaps we'd have less corruption if it was a Chief Wizard instead of a Chief Deceiver. Our whole legal system, for centuries, has been built on lies, deception, and corruption. Is it any wonder, then, that there has been so much injustice and abuse from it?"
"Nevertheless," said Severus, "you've tasked me with making sure Draco doesn't accidentally harm other students while he's targeting the Headmaster. Do you not think Dumbledore has considered that, and will take steps to protect the students?"
"You mean, like he did when the basilisk was set loose on the school? The only reason you wound up with petrified students instead of several dead ones is sheer luck. His biggest worry seemed to be that the school would be evacuated and closed until the life threatening situation was dealt with. Who eventually figured out it was a basilisk, out of curiosity?"
Severus gritted his teeth, then answered, "A second year student."
"A second year is smarter than the Headmaster? I find that... difficult to believe. Why didn't you figure it out?"
Severus tried not to look startled by the question, but it was a good one. He should have, he realized. It shouldn't have taken Hermione Granger's research to figure out a basilisk was roaming around the school."
He finally answered, "I... don't know, honestly."
"Anything about that year you just... can't remember? But then, I also find it difficult to believe that the Dark Lord could spend an entire school year on the back of a teacher's head without the Headmaster suspecting anything, especially since he knew who was after the Philosopher's Stone and was killing unicorns in the forest. Not to mention that teacher suddenly wearing a turban at all times."
"He told me to keep an eye on Quirrell."
"So, he knew, or at least strongly suspected, that one of his staff was an immediate danger to students, and did nothing to protect them. He supposedly placed the Philosopher's Stone, which he was going to destroy anyway, I might add, in Hogwarts because it was the most secure place in Britain... Well, I happen to know a place that the Dark Lord and his Death Eaters can't come within a hundred yards of. I live there. Cissy, what happened to Bella and Roddy when they had the clever idea of using a house elf to get into my home?"
Cissy answered, "All I know is that I found them on the grounds of Malfoy Manor, wandering around my gardens delirious and naked, chatting with the peacocks, with no memory of the previous few hours. Well, Bella was chatting with the peacocks... Roddy was talking to some floating pineapples that I couldn't see. They never found the house elf."
"Ah," said Severus. "I'd always wondered why no one ever talked about that incident."
Andy said, "There were safer places to hide the Stone, so therefore Dumbledore went out of his way to put his students in danger, for a Stone that, again, he was going to destroy, anyway. So, no, I don't think he'll worry about students being caught in the crossfire, this year. I guarantee, if you don't keep Draco from reckless behavior, students will be hurt, or worse. To Dumbledore, they're just collateral damage. Oh, and Severus? Regarding me and my friends, if you would please tell Dumbledore this... We will not initiate the use of force against others. But, if we are met with force, we will respond, accordingly. I think it only proper to give him notice, to warn him not to tread on me."
Cissy snickered, and Severus allowed himself to smile, finally remembering where he saw that particular pose.
"You," he said, "have conducted this entire meeting in that form... just so you could say that. Andy, you're not even American."
"But, I am a rebel," she said, smiling.
Severus had been sarcastic, earlier, but he now had to conclude that Andy really was the most Slytherin person in the room. In as few short minutes she had won Cissy into her service. Further, she had placed doubts in Severus's own mind about Dumbledore. Or, were the doubts always there, deep down? He'd only be able to tell Dumbledore parts of this conversation, nothing that would make Dumbledore think he needed to do something about him.
He had a lot to think about.
"Now," said Druella, "let me get my camera, so I can take a picture of my two youngest. Andy is such a cute snake..."
"Mum!"
Harry and Luna went to her bedroom, to discover a pole had been added. They sat on the bed, as Dora began today's lesson.
"Today, students, you will be learning Sex Magic. We'll start with the concept of Yin and Yang."
Dora took her wand and did something like what he'd once seen Tom Riddle do, though instead of fiery letters appearing in the air, it was a circular symbol that Harry had seen in things relating to Martial Arts. The circle was divided by something of a reverse "s" line, one half white, the other black. Within each half was a small circle of the other color.
"This is the Tao," said Dora. "It represents opposites existing in harmony, Light and Dark. As you see, there's a little Dark in the Light, and Light in the Dark. They're in perfect balance, and are moving in a circle. That represents... You just saw The Lion King, right?"
"The Circle of Life," said Harry.
"Right! It's also in Pocahontas, by the way..."
Luna said, "We'll get to that one."
"Good, 'cause it's a great movie. Anyway, Yin and Yang are bound together. They are Shadow and Light, Night and Day, Water and Fire, Passive and Aggressive, Female and Male, Moon and Sun."
Harry glanced at Luna with the mention of "Moon and Sun." She smiled and waved.
Dora continued, "In Tantric tradition, the universe is a manifestation of pure consciousness. In manifesting the universe, the consciousness was divided into two poles, two aspects, neither of which could exist without the other. The Male aspect is Shiva, who has all those Yang qualities I mentioned. He's Consciousness, and has the power to be but not the power to become or change. The Female aspect is Shakti, and she has all those Yin qualities. She's creative and the Great Mother."
Dora made some motions with her wand, again, this time towards the pole. An outline of a human figure in a lotus position appeared directly in front of it. There were seven glowing lights on the pole directly behind the figure, starting from the top of the head and following a straight line to the bottom.
"We as human beings are miniature universes, so everything that applies to the universe as a whole applies to ourselves, individually."
She waved her wand, again, and removed the images she'd created, except for the glowing lights on the pole. She then transformed into her snake form, and coiled around the bottom of the pole, and the light that was there, before continuing.
"In humans, Shakti is called Kundalini and rests in the base of the spinal cord, coiled as a serpent." She then started spiraling up the pole. "The object of Tantra is to awaken that energy and spiral her up the spine through these seven psychic centers called chakras until she unites above the crown of the head with Shiva, the pure consciousness, resolving duality into unity, again."
By the time she had finished saying that, she was wrapped around the pole, creating an image Harry found familiar.
Luna asked him, "What does that look like?"
He answered, "It's the medical symbol."
Dora answered, "Correct. It's the Rod of Asclepius, the Greek God of Medicine. The snake sheds her skin, which represents renewal and restoration of vitality. There are three kinds of Tantra: White, Red, and Black. White doesn't involve sexual intercourse. Red and Black do. Which brings us to Sex Magic...
"How magic works is we take energy and transform it, shaping it into our desired result. The chakra at the very bottom, the Base Chakra, is related to instinct, security, survival, and basic human potential. It's where the 'fight or flight' reaction comes from. As you can guess from where it's located, it also involves sexuality, lust, and obsession."
"So..." Harry said, "the way I tend to do things... Fight or flight, going by my instincts... is related to my sexual energy?"
"Yep, that's what you've been drawing from in every crisis. But, Luna's been working with you to awaken and develop your other energy centers, get you beyond just your basic potential."
"She's been doing that since I met her, really."
"Yeah, that's our Luna. So, Sex Magic is about using Tantra for magical purposes, drawing on that sexual energy and transforming it. And you two have a lot of sexual energy to draw from. Magi of the Left-Hand Path who use Black Tantra focus on lust and obsession, and use it as a method of controlling people. I have it on very good authority that Voldemort uses a lot of Black Tantra based Sex Magic. Love Potions are all about lust and obsession, as well. They're Black Tantra Sex Magic in liquid form, especially Amortentia. That one is to the Left-Hand Path what the Elixir of Life is to the Right-Hand Path. And that's one you especially need to watch out for, Harry. There's a lot of girls who'd love to land the rich and famous Boy Who Lived. The main symptoms are smell... You'll be smelling a scent you especially like, so if it's where you shouldn't be smelling it... and a sudden, out of the blue, obsession, totally lust driven. It ain't love."
"Yeah, I'm understanding the difference, lately."
"Good, 'cause what we're about to do wouldn't work without a real love between you. You connected with your minds and souls before you did with your bodies. You'll be using the meditation exercises you've been doing with Luna, and you two have already established a mental link. That usually doesn't happen until during the Red Tantra Sex Magic, so you're already ahead of the game. Now, the White Tantra practitioners consider theirs the only true Tantra. While most of them don't think us Red Tantra people are as bad as the Black Tantra ones, they have a lot of contempt for us because of the sex. They're pretty pissed off that in the West, the Red Tantra is what most people think of when they hear the word Tantra. They look at it as just being hedonistic. But... you're a teen boy with raging hormones..."
"Everyone keeps saying that..."
"Well, it's true, so embrace it. Luna's embraced your teen boyhood and raging hormones..."
"With great enthusiasm," Luna added.
"They're part of your charm, Harry. So, while Luna could probably manage White Tantra, it's Red Tantra all the way for you, at least for a few years."
"I really don't mind," said Luna.
"That's because Harry has made you into a horny little minx."
"True... I probably couldn't manage White Tantra with him, right now, even if he could."
"Then, it's settled. So, Harry, up for learning a little Sex Magic with Luna? Ah, I see you're very up for it."
When Harry had thought of the potential weapons at his disposal and skills he'd learn to defeat Voldemort, he never thought this would be among them.
Dora slithered down from the pole and joined them on the bed.
She said, "This isn't gonna be about getting your rocks off. This is about love. It's a sacred act. You're gonna connect to the Masculine and Feminine aspects of the Divine, here. That's why it's best to have the teacher... that would be me... involved when you're starting out. If you both decide you want to explore other methods of Sex Magic in the future, I'll have to be very hands on when teaching some of it, but with what we're doing, today, I won't have to directly handle the Potter Wand or the Lovegood Cup."
Harry said, "I don't think I'd mind that, really."
"Didn't think you would. Now, the first thing is you both need to be very clear with what your will is. It's like how, in Transfiguration, you have to have it very clear in your mind and concentrate on what you want to transform something into. So, Harry, what are we wanting to do?"
"My magic has been bound because of a lifetime of abuse. We're going to unbind it."
"Concentrate on that. Luna's going to be doing most of the work when we get to that stage, since she's the more experienced in mind magics. But, you're going to have to trust her, completely."
"I do."
"Now, Luna... I'm sure you've already decided on an archetype for your role."
"Ishtar, the Queen of Night" Luna answered.
"Wow... That's gonna be intense... You sure you don't want to make it Aphrodite?"
"I can take it. I will take it. Harry's imprisoned. I'm freeing him. The Ishtar archetype is the only one that really works for this scenario. We're freeing a Gryffindor, and lions are sacred to Ishtar. She was Godric's ancestor, you know. And, I know he'd do the same for me."
Harry wished he knew more Mythology. Whatever they were going to do was clearly going to be very rough for Luna. He didn't want her to suffer, not for him.
"Luna..." he said, "I don't know what this... Ishtar thing involves, but I can't ask you to do it..."
"Trust me, Harry. Have faith. We're not exactly going to recreate a Myth, here... You're going to create your own. But, there are some things that have to happen. And when they do, don't break contact, don't pull out. Face it like you would Voldemort. Promise me this, Harry..."
"I... promise."
Dora said, "Another thing you'll need to know... Time will pass differently in your head. What will be days there will be no time at all, here. And Harry... Things are gonna happen, and they'll be really heavy, but remember, throughout this, you're both still physically right here. You've made a promise to Luna to face what will happen, and you're gonna be very tempted to break it. Don't."
So, under Dora's direction, they began. It was much like the exercises they'd done in previous days, facing each other, the breathing, establishing a mental and spiritual sync. But, they were much physically closer, now. Soon, Luna was in his lap, her legs around him, as he entered her. They continued their breathing, their eyes locked on one another's.
As it was days before, he found himself somewhere else. This wasn't nearly as pleasant as Luna's Zen place. He was chained, naked, to a stone wall in what looked like a cross between the Slytherin dungeons and the Dursley house.
He knew this was all in his head, but that didn't make it feel any less real.
Three figures approached him: The Dursleys, or demonic versions of them. Vernon had walrus-like tusks. Dudley looked more like a hog, also with tusks. Petunia's demon form looked less menacing and more comical, with an even longer neck than the real Petunia had, and horse-like features, including large teeth.
"BOY!" the demon Vernon bellowed, "IF YOU WON'T STOP YOUR FREAKISHNESS, WE'LL JUST HAVE TO BEAT IT OUT OF YOU!"
"Vernon!" the demon Petunia screeched, motioning to a demon that looked like Marge's favorite bulldog. "The guard says someone is coming!"
Regally, a nude Luna entered the dungeon.
"Hello," she said. "I'm here to rescue your prisoner."
"Is that so?" the Petunia demon said. "I don't think you'll be taking him. You won't be leaving here, either."
At her signal, the other demons attacked. Harry struggled against his chains, but they wouldn't budge. Luna was helpless. They began beating her.
"Harry," she called, "remember, don't break the connection, no matter what!"
They administered every beating on her that they had ever done to him. He could now remember every one. While they did this, they shouted every insult at her that he had ever heard from them.
When they were done, her body bruised and bleeding, the Vernon demon yanked her hair back, forcing her to face the Petunia demon.
"What do you have to say now, freak?" asked the Petunia demon.
Luna spit blood in the demon's face, and said, "You're a very sad and small person. I suppose you need to hurt others because you feel inadequate. Is that the best you can do?"
Before the Petunia demon could respond, a chill entered the room, and Harry heard an all too familiar voice.
Voldemort said, "Of course it is, child. They are merely muggles. I, on the other hand..."
Voldemort didn't look like he did in the present day. He looked much like the boy Harry remembered from the Chamber of Secrets, only older. With him was a demonic version of Wormtail, who looked like he'd been stuck somewhere between his human and rat forms.
Voldemort waved his wand, and Luna was lifted into the air, then her wrists and ankles bound in magical chains, her arms and legs pulled to where her limbs formed an "x" shape.
She said, perfectly calm, "I knew you'd be here."
"Where else would I be? And unlike these phantoms of Harry's mind, this is the real me."
"I know."
Harry realized this, too, and tried to will the Dark Lord away, to no avail.
"Wormtail," Voldemort said, handing his lackey a whip.
Luna said, "Harry, remember your promise..."
Voldemort turned Luna around to where her back was to Harry. Wormtail began lashing her.
"You know, Harry," the Dark Lord said, "you can spare her the pain and suffering... You know all you have to do..."
Harry wanted to do nothing but that. But, he remembered his promise. She wouldn't have had him make it if it wasn't important. But, maybe she didn't know how much it would hurt?
After the lashing, Voldemort turned Luna to face them, again.
"Is this really worth it?" he asked her.
"Some things..." she said, her voice ragged, "are beyond your understanding..."
"Or perhaps we just haven't found your pain threshold."
He produced a blade, and began using her skin as a canvas, the blade his brush.
"Harry," he said as he worked, "while this is all in your head, she is feeling every bit of it... Hmm, she seems to be blocking the pain, somehow, or moving beyond it. How to get her attention... Ah... Wormtail, bring me the poker from the fireplace."
After it was handed to him, the tip red hot, he said, "Let's see her ignore this..." and inserted it.
She screamed. Bleeding, tears streaming, she said, "Harry, have faith..."
"Enough of this," the Dark Lord said, holding the blade, again. "Any last words for your beloved?"
"Harry... everything I have... everything I am... I give to you..."
Voldemort slashed the blade across her throat.
"Well, if she's going to be Ishtar, let's do this right."
He released her magical chains, carrying her body to a hook on the wall opposite Harry, where he hung it. He then waved his wand and muttered some incantations.
"I've placed a preservation charm on her. We don't want her rotting while she's keeping you company, do we, Harry? I'll be by again in a few days, see how you're holding up..."
With that, he and his party left the dungeon.
Harry was broken. He made periodic attempts to break his chains, but they still wouldn't budge. All he could do was wait. He'd promised Luna, so all he could do was keep faith.
Time passed. He lost track of it. How long had he been down here?
"It's been three days," he heard Luna whisper in his head.
"Luna?" Was she alive? Harry looked... and she was still the same mutilated corpse hanging on the hook...
"While I've enjoyed seeing my mother again, and she told me something very important, I've been dead long enough. It's time for me to return. I could really use the Water of Life, right now..."
"I haven't been able to break these chains..."
"You couldn't, earlier, while I was alive. My death released all of my energy, which I gave to you. Now, be a dear and resurrect me."
He struggled again against the chains, but to no avail.
"Harry, remember our exercises. Deep breaths... Calm... Focus on your goal..."
Harry did so. He took deep breaths, calmed his emotions, and focused his will on releasing himself from the chains, for he had to release himself from these chains. It wasn't about himself, any more. Luna needed him.
The chains unlocked.
"Very good, Harry. You'll find the Water of Life on the table. First, though, you should remove my body from that hook. I see it hasn't started spoiling..."
"Yeah... Voldemort put a charm on it..."
"Ah... That makes this so much easier... We're especially fortunate they didn't dismember me. You'd have to find all the pieces and put them back together, like Isis did for Osiris."
Near where Luna's body was hung, there was a table that Harry hadn't seen there, before. On it was a golden cup which, he knew, must contain the Water of Life. He then looked at the body of the girl he loved, so pale and... empty, her eyes closed... and hesitated.
"Now, Harry... It was very painful, yes... Not the actual being dead part, that's been fine. I didn't even realize how much damage they'd inflicted... After a while, I'd become numb to it, until the poker. Then... Well, let's just focus on making my body inhabitable, again. You'll first need to bathe my wounds with the Water of Life... I know it doesn't look like it can possibly have enough for so many wounds, but it won't empty. It's the Water of Life, you know... Then, you'll pour some in my mouth and awaken me with a kiss."
"If the cup doesn't empty, it's too bad we don't have a tub. I could fill the tub and submerge you in it."
"Ah! That's a very good idea, Harry. Make us a tub... A big enough one to submerge my body."
"How? Oh yeah, focus on my goal..."
He did, and a very nice size bathtub, which he noticed was like the one at the Lovegood home that he'd showered and made love to Luna in, appeared.
"Oh! Very good, Harry."
"Thanks."
He then began to pour the Water of Life into the tub. True to Luna's word, it didn't run out. It took some time, but the tub filled. He then carefully removed Luna's body from the hook... It was so cold... This had to work, he told himself... and gently put her body in the tub, letting it go beneath the water's surface. He did a Levitation spell where the body remained submerged, but didn't touch the bottom of the tub. Then, he watched, and waited.
Her wounds began disappearing. The worst ones took longer to heal, but they slowly did. The color returned to her skin.
"How will I know when to..."
"Examine me, first. Turn me over, and check the back, because that hook was one of the two worst."
He did, and her back was healed, completely. Further, she felt warm, again.
"Now, lift my upper body up with one arm, because I'll need you to check on something before we finish."
He lifted her upper body into a reclining position.
"Now, I'll need you to use your free hand to check the other worst wound... I just realized, it's traditionally the Fisher King and not the Grail Maiden that has the wound there that needs to be healed... Anyway, check and make sure everything feels the way you remember it. Right when you're completely certain it does, kiss me."
"I'm going to finger you back to life?"
"I really want that to be in perfect working order when I wake up."
So, he did. When he had confirmed that was completely healed, he kissed her.
And she responded by returning the kiss, then throwing her arms around him. He broke the kiss, because he had to see her.
She was as good as new. If anything, she was better than new. He looked in wonder... until he heard that hated voice.
"I must say I'm very impressed with both of you," said Voldemort.
"Get out," said Harry, angrily.
"Now, Harry, we so rarely have time for polite conversation, mainly because we're usually too busy trying to kill each other, so let us maintain a little civility, especially since I'm telling you how much you've impressed me, today. Luna, to willingly put yourself through that, you must not only think very highly of him, but have complete faith in him."
"I do," she said, serenely.
"And you, Harry... When every 'fight or flight' instinct was telling you to end it, especially after I reminded you that she was feeling everything being done to her, you kept your promise to her and maintained faith in her. I can't say I understand it, but I can't deny the results. And, since you've released yourself from those chains that bound your power, I have, once again, made you a stronger adversary. I really need to stop doing that. Well played, Luna, using my basest instincts against me."
"Thank you. I knew you wouldn't be able to resist indulging yourself."
"Was that cup there the whole time?"
"Yes."
"How did I not notice it?"
"You were too focused on torturing me to death."
"Is it," the Dark Lord asked with a reverence Harry would never have expected, "what I think it is?"
"Yes."
Tom Riddle approached the table, and reached for the cup... only for it to vanish before he could grasp it.
Luna asked, "Did you expect anything else?"
Tom looked thoughtful for a moment. And, for just a second, Harry saw something he never thought he'd see in the Dark Lord. It was regret. The moment passed, and Tom's expression shifted to something Harry found unreadable before he answered.
"No... But, at least I have seen something Albus Dumbledore never has, and never will. And you, Harry..." Tom shook his head in amusement. "You held it, you used it, your lover is bathing in it's holy waters, and you have no idea what it is... I swear, our educational system gets worse, every year... Oh well... Until we meet again..."
And with that, he vanished into the darkness.
Luna looked to Harry and said, "Why don't you join me?"
So, he climbed into the tub.
"I think it's time we returned, don't you?" she asked.
She sat in his lap just as she did when they started this magic. He knew what to do, from there. He pulled her into position so he could enter her comfortably, and gazed into her eyes, seeing his own reflection in them just as he did when they first met on the journey to Hogwarts. They were still, but everything changed around them...
And they were back on the bed in Luna's room.
"So," Dora asked, still in her snake form, "How'd it go?"
"Let's see," Luna answered. "Harry, summon your wand. Just reach out for it, and will it to come to you."
Harry turned to the dresser where his wand was sitting, and held his hand out to it, willing the wand to come. It flew off the dresser into his waiting hand.
"Success!" said Dora. "I'd applaud, but I don't have hands! Wait a sec..." She transformed back to human and applauded.
After Harry learned that it was still Saturday on this plane, they told Dora of their experience.
Harry said to Luna, "You... let yourself be put through all that... for me."
"You're worth it, Harry," she answered. "And I know you'd do the same for me."
Dora was still amazed by one thing. "You were in the Afterlife?" she asked Luna.
"Yes. Mum and I talked about a lot, but we can get to that, tomorrow... Right now, I just want to stay right here and bask in Harry's warmth and light for a while."
"I don't want to do anything else right now, either," said Harry.