Disclaimer: This story is based on the characters and world created by JK Rowling. Anything you do not recognise is my own creation. No money is being made and no copyright infringement is intended.

– CHAPTER SEVENTEEN –

William and Luna

Neville found himself in a Victorian street awash with sunlight. Along one side of the road was a row of tall, cramped identical terraced houses. The brickwork had been exposed over time by the elements and light danced across newly-scrubbed windows. The road spoke of people pulling themselves up by the boot-straps.

A boy, unmistakably William Sayer, and his mother emerged from the house closest to Neville. Unlike their neighbours' porches, fallen spring blossom covered the ground and the little patch of grass they had been afforded was wild and unkempt. But not quite as unkempt as the mother.

William's mother looked like a china doll gone wrong: her curly black hair was tied in three uneven, unwieldy pigtails; her bright red lipstick smudged into her cheek; and her wide, darting eyes had bright purple eyeliner circling them, making them look like targets. Neville was reminded strongly of his own mother. Her blue summer dress, at least, had a certain simple grace.

William had sleek, black hair and a fierce face. Though he looked no older than seven, the way William was holding his mother's hand suggested he was leading her, rather than the other way around.

William looked for traffic before coaxing his mother across the street and through an alley between two houses. Every now and again, his mother would stop and look around wildly. William would whisper to her and she calmed immediately, casting him adoring looks.

Neville followed them across a green and into a small playground. The only other occupants were a blonde girl, not much older than William, who was being pushed on the swings by her mother. William gently guided his mother to a bench, not far from the family.

'Higher, mummy, higher!'

As the girl knocked her head back and laughed, Neville saw her face clearly for the first time. He recognised that blonde, straggly hair and those wide, protuberant eyes. It was Luna. But this girl was nothing like the Luna Neville had known. There was no dreamy expression or careless air about her. She was bright and energetic.

Luna's mother greatly resembled her daughter. She wore a crown of daisies around her golden hair, a blouse of purest white and a long, flowing dress of autumn brown. She took almost as much delight from pushing Luna as Luna did.

'Higher!'

Mrs Lovegood gave a great push and, against the laws of gravity, Luna arced gracefully over the top of swing. At the top of the swing's circuit, she leapt off her seat and, rather than plummeting to the ground, drifted slowly into her mother's open arms.

William gaped at the pendulum-like movements of the now-empty swing. His mother was gazing aimlessly at a nearby squirrel, quite unaware of the miracle that had just occurred.

Mrs Lovegood seemed to feel William's eyes on her and, startled, dropped her daughter.

'How did you do that?' demanded William.

'Do what?' said Mrs Lovegood serenely, recovering quickly.

'She flew,' said William, pointing an accusatory finger at William.

Luna fearlessly stalked up to William. 'Want to try it?'

'Luna, darling –'

'It's ok, mum, I've seen him do magic.'

'Luna!'

'You've been spying on me?' demanded William.

'I was just curious,' said Luna, with a nonchalant shrug. 'We don't get many new families. Is that your mum?'

Mrs Lovegood seemed to notice William's mother for the first time. She was busy examining a ladybird that was crawling across her nail varnish-stained fingers. Mrs Lovegood betrayed a flicker of pity.

'Don't you dare!' snapped William. He was breathing heavily and glaring defiantly at Mrs Lovegood.

Luna seemed to have made her mind up about something. She stuck her hand out with an almost regal air that made Neville suspect that she considered shaking hands to be a very adult pursuit.

'I'm Luna,' she said.

William considered the proffered hand for a moment before shaking. 'I'm William.'

'I like you, Will,' she said. 'Now come on!'

As Luna grabbed William's hand and dragged him off to the swings, the scene dissolved and reformed around Neville …

He found himself in an eerily familiar room. It was identical to Harry and Luna's living room at Godric's Hollow. Cosy, plant-embroidered sofas surrounded a small coffee table on three sides; they faced a gilded fireplace, where small flames danced merrily. Great green vines snaked their way around the walls and bloomed with a vibrant panoply of flowers. The only difference between this room and the one Neville knew so well was that the photo on the mantelpiece was not of Harry and Luna's wedding, but instead showed a man with shoulder-length, candy floss hair hand in hand with his wife, and his daughter was sitting on his shoulders.

Luna and William, a little older now, were on one of the couches, cross-legged. Luna was explaining something to him; she was so excited she was practically bouncing on the chair. William was stoic, but looked considerably happier than in the previous memory.

'What are you kids talking about?'

A tray carrying two mugs of hot chocolate floated into the room followed closely by Mrs Lovegood. She looked radiant as ever with her simple red dress and flowery apron.

'I'm telling Will all about Hogwarts!' Luna jumped up and grabbed her mug from the tray, almost spilling it over William in the process.

'And what do you know of Hogwarts?' said Mrs Lovegood, stroking her daughter's hair fondly.

'Loads! Daddy told me all about it! I bet I'm in Gryffindor, like my grandma; all the best wizards go there!'

'Not all the best wizards, my dear.' She turned to William, who was sipping his hot chocolate in silence. 'You'll be a Ravenclaw, I bet; my old House.'

William mumbled something Neville did not quite catch.

'Of course you'll get a letter,' said Luna, affronted at the mere suggestion. 'He will, won't he, mum?'

'Quite right,' said Mrs Lovegood. She gracefully took a seat on one of the couches. 'How is your mother doing, dear?'

William gave a half-shrug. 'The same,' he mumbled.

'At least your father's come back to look after you both,' said Mrs Lovegood kindly. William gave another shrug but the hand not holding the hot chocolate balled into a little fist.

'Can't we take her to St Mungo's?' piped Luna.

Mrs Lovegood gave a reproachful look. 'St Mungo's doesn't admit Muggles, Luna.' She turned to William. 'I did ask, my dear, but they just don't have the expertise to heal your mother's ailment.'

''S ok,' said William.

Luna downed her hot chocolate and jumped to her feet. 'We're going upstairs,' she declared, tossing her hair adorably. She discarded William's half-drunk cup and dragged him upstairs, leaving her mother shaking her head in bemusement.

Neville had to take the stairs two at a time to keep up with Luna and William.

He found them in a brightly coloured room that could only be Luna's. The theme was unashamedly yellow; it infected the curtains, the walls, even the bedsheets. William and Luna were standing inches apart by an arched window, hand in hand.

'– But can't we get the lurgies from it, or something?' William was saying.

'I heard there's no such thing as lurgies,' said Luna, with the air of a professor revealing her greatest discovery. 'And, besides, adults do it all the time.'

'But –' began William, but Luna leant in and kissed him. They stayed there, lips touching, unmoving, for a minute.

Finally, Luna pulled away. 'Well, that wasn't as fun as I thought it was going to be,' said Luna matter-of-factly.

'Yeah …' said William breathlessly; for the first time, he had lost his composure …

Luna's bedroom vanished and Neville found himself in a small, shabby living room that reeked of neglect. A stern man that greatly resembled William was sitting on a moth-eaten armchair reading the paper. William nose was in a book that looked very complex for a nine year-old.

Boom!

The ground shook as though an earthquake had hit. Books flew off shelves, light bulbs burst and windows shattered. William, who had been thrown across the floor, scrambled to his feet.

'What the fuck was that?' barked William's father, who was miraculously still glued to his armchair.

'I – I think it came from the Lovegoods!' gasped William.

'Don't you dare leave this house!'

But William's father's remonstrations fell on deaf ears. William vaulted over a stack of books and darted though the hole in the wall that had seconds before been a window.

Neville followed him out and down the road. The sight that awaited them stopped both Neville and William in their tracks.

The entire front face of the Lovegoods' house had been blown clean away. Burst pipes sprayed water in every direction and thick, red smoke poured out of what had once been the Lovegoods' living room.

William lifted the front of his t-shirt to cover his nose and proceeded into the rubble, Neville hot on his heels.

Nothing could have prepared Neville for what he saw next.

There was blood everywhere; dripping from the ceiling, running down the vines along the walls and forming a pool around Luna, who was clutching a sodden, red-stained dress. It was all that remained of her mother.

William rushed forward and dropped to his knees beside Luna. Tears had begun to form in his eyes.

Luna stared ahead, her eyes wide, unfocused and unblinking.

'L – Luna,' rasped William.

He put his arms around her, but Luna did not respond; she continued to stare into the middle distance.

'We need to get out of here, Luna!'

But Luna did not move.

'The house could collapse any minute!'

And still Luna did not move.

His eyes narrowing with resolve, William hauled Luna to her feet and shakily carried her out in his arms. Luna's protuberant eyes remained fixed on the spot she had last seen her mother …

And the scene shifted and Neville found himself on the top of a grassy mound. The meadow below was peppered with the oranges and browns of autumn. Luna was huddled over something that had her complete, undivided attention.

It was not long before Neville spotted William marching up the hill. He was carrying a coat in his hands. When William caught sight of Luna, his pale face flooded with relief.

'There you are,' said William. 'I've been looking all over for you.'

Luna looked up at him with the dreamy, far-away expression Neville knew so well.

'I think I've found a new species,' she said, smiling.

'Here, take this coat before you catch a cold,' said William. He delicately draped the coat across her shoulders.

Luna brought her finger up to eye level and examined it carefully.

'Err, what are you looking at?' asked William. The pained expression on his face told the whole story.

'I think I'm going to call it a Blimpie,' she said dreamily, tilting her head to one side.

William sighed. 'There isn't anything there, Luna.'

'Oh, but there is. They're quite shy, I think; they rarely show themselves. I wonder what magical properties they have? I bet daddy will know …'

The scene dissolved and reformed in a place Neville instantly recognised: Florean Fortescue's.

William and Luna were seated near the counter. Luna ladled an enormous sundae, smiling serenely all the while. William's sundae was untouched; instead, he was eyeing Luna intently.

'I've got some news,' said William. He paused, as though waiting for some reaction, but Luna merely smiled. 'I'm – I'm going to move to France, to live with my mum's family.'

If this was life-changing news, Luna showed no signs of it. She simply said, 'Oh?'

William's face betrayed a flicker of disappointment. Neville imagined the boy had rehearsed this conversation over and over, and in each rendition, Luna's response had been more substantive than 'oh'.

'Yes,' continued William. 'Father's finally gambled away all the money so I'm being sent away. I know we always talked about Hog –'

At that moment, William was cut off by a group of rowdy boys. They threw a Quaffle around and, when one boy failed to catch it, it landed unceremoniously on Luna's sundae. Ice cream went flying everywhere; both Luna, who showed only mild surprise, and William, who was fuming, were covered. The boy who was at fault had the grace to look abashed, while his friends roared with laughter.

The boy retrieved the Quaffle and muttered his apologies. One of his friends yelled, 'Don't worry, it's only Loony Loveg –'

The friend was cut off as William, snarling and cat-like, pounced on him. The wrestling boys went crashing into an empty table.

'Don't – you – dare!' hissed William, punctuating each word with a furious punch. Luna, with surprising grace for someone covered in ice cream, got up from her seat and edged past the boy's friends to where the brawl was in full swing.

William had raised his arm for another punch, one that would likely knock the boy unconscious, but he was stopped in his tracks by Luna's touch.

'Please don't,' said Luna. Her voice had lost some of its dream-like quality. William gave her a look of disbelief but dropped his raised fist.

Florean himself bustled into his shop and purveyed the destruction. After hearing both sides of the story, he banished the offending boys, cleaned up the mess with a flick of his wand and handed William and Luna a free ice cream each.

William, whose pale face was still flecked with tinges of red from the fight, said, 'Luna, do you really want to go to school with that lot?' He nodded towards the shop door, which was still swinging backwards and forwards. Luna merely licked her ice cream.

'Come with me to Beauxbatons,' blurted William. He composed himself and continued. 'I was speaking to one of the professors there. He says it's much bigger than Hogwarts, it's got really cool grounds where we'd be free to play when we don't have lessons, and –'

'No,' said Luna simply.

William brushed off her rejection. 'Seriously, think about it. You and your dad could make a fresh start, it'll be as though –'

'I'm going to Hogwarts,' said Luna firmly. She resembled, fleetingly, the girl that had grabbed William's hand and dragged him to the swings years earlier.

'But Luna –'

Luna reached out and gently held William's hands in hers.

'I have to go, Will,' she said, barely above a whisper. Pain shimmered in her eyes. 'I'll be in Ravenclaw, just – just like she was.'

William bowed his head. 'I wish I could come with you,' he muttered.

Luna retracted her hands and the misty, dreamy expression returned 'This isn't the end,' she said, smiling. 'You'll come visit me on my birthdays.'

'Every year,' said William, 'forever.' His hands were still extended, rooted to the spot Luna had last touched them …

The ice cream parlour dissolved and Neville found himself in front of the Shrieking Shack. William was pacing furiously, leaving footsteps in the autumn leaves. His fear and anxiety was palpable, though it seemed to have no effect on Luna, who was lying on her back, gazing at the setting sun. They were both much older. The bruises on Luna's face told Neville it was the year of Voldemort's defeat, mere weeks before the Death Eaters would take Luna.

'You have to come with me,' begged William. He seemed unable to look upon the damage the Carrows had inflicted on Luna.

'And then what?' said Luna serenely. 'Hide away and hope that He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named doesn't know how to cross water?'

'I can protect you and your father,' said William fiercely.

'They think they can get to Harry through me,' said Luna.

'You shouldn't be caught up in his mess in the first place!' snapped William, stamping his foot and sending leaves flying.

'You don't understand,' said Luna, smiling. 'My place is here. We're going to beat him.'

'Happy birthday,' said William bitterly, turning his back …

The scene took much longer to reform this time. A rush of colours and smells swept past and then, finally, Neville found himself in a playground. The swings were broken, the benches caked in graffiti, but it was unquestionably the same playground where Luna and William had first met.

William, now identical to the man Neville had seen at Luna's funeral, was sitting in the exact spot his mother had occupied years before. He tapped his feet anxiously and checked his watch every few seconds. Neville looked from William to the brown leaves that carpeted the ground and put two-and-two together. It was Luna's birthday.

A man with jet black hair and his red-headed, heavily pregnant wife walked past. William nodded curtly in recognition but turned back to his watch.

'She's not coming,' he muttered …

The scene shifted, and Neville found himself outside Harry and Luna's cottage at Godric's Hollow. The candles were lit, and the contents of the living room were clearly illuminated against the pitch black night. Harry and Luna were curled up on the flowery couch in front of the fire with Alice fast asleep beside them. The vines along the wall glowed ethereally in the flickering light of the fire.

William stood just outside the gate, most of his face hidden underneath a dark hood. Neville could only make out Harry and Luna reflected in his glasses, and pearly tears running slowly down his cheeks …

Now William was face to face with Hermione in an immaculately tidy office Neville recognised as hers. Hermione's face was, for the first time, blank and unconcerned.

'You will go to Luna's cottage,' muttered William, 'and suggest that they move home and refurnish. It will help Harry move on from his tragic past. This is your idea, and the healthiest thing for everyone. Understood?'

'Yes,' said Hermione, her voice robotic, her eyes unfocused …

Now Neville was back at Godric's Hollow; the sun was disappearing behind Harry and Luna's cottage. The sky was streaked with red. The man with jet black hair William had greeted at the playground was carefully carrying a large box through the open door of Harry and Luna's cottage. Moments later, he re-emerged and came to stand by William, whose face was set, determined.

'You checked nobody was at home, Jack?' said William.

'Yes,' said Jack. There was a very slight robotic element to his voice: he was under the Imperius Curse.

William raised his wand and muttered, 'Homenum Revelio!'

When nothing happened, William nodded at Jack.

As Jack pressed a button on the Muggle gadget he was holding, the fireplace flashed green and Luna stepped out.

'NO!' screamed William.

Luna had a split second to lock eyes with William. Her protuberant eyes widened a fraction and then –

BOOM!

Neville was sent flying by a wave of brutal, searing heat …

And landed in a small bathroom. Empty bottles of Firewhiskey were strewn across the floor; some had cracked or smashed altogether, and glass glittered in the mizzled light of the dying candles.

With a bang, the bathroom door burst open with such force, it nearly swung clean off its hinges. Neville barely recognised the man who stumbled into the room. William's eyes were blood-shot red and unfocused; his hair was wild and unkempt; there were small black holes across his chest where he had clearly self-harmed. He veered towards the bathtub, paying no heed to the gashes forming on his feet as he stepped on broken glass.

William climbed into the bathroom and lay still; he was beyond tears, beyond mere grief. Neville notice for the first time that he had a small, silver dagger in his hand.

William turned his eyes to the ceiling and whispered, 'I'm sorry.'

He brought the knife down across his wrist … but nothing happened. He tried again. And again. And again.

'No!' he howled, more animal than human …

William was in his office delicately leafing through a photo album. Tears ran freely down his cheeks as he examined each picture in turn. Neville edged closer and saw the photos more clearly: William and Luna in the park, William and Luna at the seaside, every picture was of William and Luna. William appeared in better shape than during his attempted suicide, but the dark rings under his eyes spoke of a lack of sleep.

A knock came on the door; William hid the photo album and brushed away the tears. Harry entered, looking just as restless and sleep-deprived as his Healer. They exchanged words about how Harry met Luna met, and what they had seen in each other. The conversation became heated and William, clearly at the end of his nerve, accused Harry of trying to resurrect Luna. In a flash, they were nose to nose, and Harry looked as though he wanted to kill William.

William, to his credit, did not flinch. Instead, he gave Harry the same fierce look he had given Luna's mother when she had pitied William's mother. 'Don't you dare!' William shouted. 'Don't you dare befoul her memory!'

'These sessions are over,' whispered Harry, who promptly stormed out.

Harry had barely left the room when William began destroying his office in a flying rage. Patient files went flying, the desk was ripped apart and the grandfather clock hurtled through the window. William had realised he could not help Luna through Harry, Neville knew; he had failed in his one purpose in life.

Alone amongst the wreckage, William sank to his knees and cast his eyes to the ceiling. 'I tried Luna!' he cried. 'I tried … but there's only one way he'll understand … I know that now … he'll be where you rest … I'll do it there …'

And with that, Neville rose out of the Pensieve and lay face down in the exact spot William had made that last pronouncement.