Disclaimer: The Harry Potter universe belongs to the proverbial Duchess of Magic, JK Rowling, Scholastic, Bloomsbury, Warner Bros and some other high falutin' companies. No matter how much I whine about not owning anything related to the HP universe, other than a few fanfic plots, I do not profess to own - and would never dream of making any money off - JKR's wonderful world... Damn it!
Chapter Seven - Luna Moves In
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―==(oIo)==―
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When they flooed back to Grimmauld, Sirius was already waiting for them and clearly worried. He quickly said, "Luna knows Longbottom is not the Chosen One!"
"Sirius knows Harry Lives!"
Harry just snorted. "You know you can set the floo up to recognise magical signatures, right?"
"It already is," Sirius scowled. "The password phrases are just an added security. What kept you? I expected you back some time ago."
So Harry and Luna explained Harry's meeting with Dumbledore and members of the Order, then buying new robes from Malkin's and, finally, Harry's interview by Skeeter.
As they explained, Sirius calmed down again. At the end he said, "Skeeter's a dangerous woman, pup. That quill of hers..."
"The quill is mightier than the wand?" asked Harry, deliberately misquoting a famous muggle quote.
Sirius gave a slight snort of amusement and wryly replied, "That's one way of putting it."
"I'm very aware of what Skeeter is like," Harry scowled. "She spent all of both my fourth and fifth years slandering the shit out of me, remember?"
"Ah," muttered Sirius. "I forgot about that."
"Trust me; I haven't," scowled Harry. "However, at the moment, I'm quite comfortable feeding her titbits of information. Tomorrow's Daily Prophet will see just how trustworthy she can be."
"It'll be fine," said Luna, with such a sense of finality they knew her Seer ability had come into play.
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―==(oIo)==―
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It was about an hour later both Remus and Tonks turned up, together.
As soon as Tonks saw Harry, she grabbed him by a double fistful of his lapels and dragged him close enough to softly growl, "If you ever call me Nymphie again... I'll―"
Harry just leaned forward the two inches of separation and kissed her, right on the lips.
Startled, she released him and jumped back a pace.
In shock, she looked back at a smirking Harry and said, "You... you..."
"Kissed you, yes," he grinned.
A moment later he added, "Don't worry about it, Tonksie! I kissed you to get you to stop with the empty threats. And I called you Nymphie, back in the Alley, to help you with your secret mission and me with keeping my true identity a secret."
She thought about that for a moment before her hair relaxed back to her standard baby pink and said, "So long as that was all it was..."
He nodded and said, "I kind of like the idea Dumbledore thinks my name is Hardwin Peverell. That's why I used that name with Skeeter."
"Skeeter?" asked Remus, not being there for when Harry and Luna explained the interview for Sirius.
Harry gave a firm nod back and said, "Unlike the rest of you, Skeeter... very soon after what happened in the Alley... found me in Madam Malkin's getting fitted for new robes. As soon as I stepped out, she grabbed me and... asked... for an interview. I gave her one."
While Tonks frowned, Remus also frowned and carefully asked, "Was that wise?"
"Yes," he firmly replied. "From now on everyone will believe my name is Hardwin Peverell. After all, if it was in the Prophet, it must be true... right?"
Remus gave a snort of amusement. "Nice prank."
"It's not a prank," Harry returned. "It's... camouflage. Having been outed as Hardwin Peverell people will no longer, or not start to wonder, who I am. They'll now 'know' who I am."
"They'll also think you're dark," he shot back.
Harry grinned and replied, "Good. All the better to have them think I'm not Harry Potter returned from the dead, I'm not one of Dumbledore's minions and it's best not to annoy me."
Tonks scoffed and said, "I think word of you taking us down, especially Dumbledore and Longbottom, in the Alley will quickly spread and see to that."
"As will the interview," said Luna, speaking up. "Which was part of the whole point."
"So, from this point on," said Sirius, smoothly cutting in, "Harry is now to be known as 'Hardwin Peverell', Lord of the Noble and Most Ancient House of Peverell."
"And rightful Heir... now Lord... of the Noble and Ancient House of Potter by right of primogenitor," grinned Harry.
"How do you slip that in?" asked a confused Tonks.
"Simple," said Sirius. "It is not well known, but Hardwin Potter married Iolanthe Peverell back centuries ago. Iolanthe was Ignotus Peverell's granddaughter. That's how Harry ended up with the invisibility cloak.
"The Potter line, as far as anyone knows, is now dead. As Harry didn't leave a Will, the goblins traced the line backwards until they hit a Peverell. Then they traced the line down that line."
"And that leads down to Hardwin Peverell," said Remus, nodding. "It makes perfect sense and, as you said, is a simple explanation."
Sirius added, "And I'll let it be known tomorrow that, while I'm not happy about it, the goblins have proven to me that Hardwin Peverell is the rightful inheritor of the Potter fortune. I've then, reluctantly, handed over control of it to him."
Tonks snickered and said, "Dumbledore's going to go spare!"
Grinning, Sirius firmly replied, "Good!"
To Sirius, Remus asked, "You do know he's going to demand a conversation with you, don't you?"
"Of course," nodded a still grinning Sirius. "It should be fun!"
"Don't talk to him," said Luna. "Send him an owl when he tries to contact you. In that letter, let him know that your hands were tied and there's nothing you can do. Also write that he has no right to interfere in, or even question, rightful inheritances."
Sirius looked eager to do so.
"Now that that's out of the way," said Tonks, staring with intensity at Harry, "I want to know how it is you got so bloody fast and capable."
"One moment, Tonks," said Harry. "Dumbledore turned up and already knew a couple of things. One, that I was 'Lord Peverell'; and two, that I had access to the Potter fortune.
"That means one of those nasty little goblin buggers alerted the old man I was there. That also means I'm going to have to go into Gringotts, tomorrow, to demand an investigation."
"No you're not, Harry," said Luna. "Axe Lord Ragnok's already started that. He was inside the doors, paying attention to what was going on between you and Dumbledore.
"He's furious! Not with you, though; with whichever goblin or goblins have been slipping Dumbledore information.
"When next you go in he's going to be all-apologetic. Just you wait. Try to be a little magnanimous, but also firm in your threats to take your wealth out of his bank and have the gnomes of Zürich look after it all if it happens again.
"That way, it won't."
Harry grinned back and said, "That's a damned fine idea. I'll do that." Before turning back to Tonks.
"Sorry, Tonks," he apologised. "You wanted to know how I got, as you put it, 'so bloody fast and capable', right?"
She nodded.
He turned to Sirius and asked, "You have a duelling room in here, right?"
"Oh, yes," replied his godfather. "It's down in the basement. Come on!" Then led the way.
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―==(oIo)==―
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Down in the Townhouse's magically expanded and severely warded duelling room, thankfully without an International level standard duelling platform, Harry had Sirius set up all the duelling mannequins he had available. There were only four.
"Well, it's nowhere near enough," sighed Harry. "But, it'll have to do."
After Sirius instructed him on how to use them Harry stood twenty five feet from them, drew his wand and barked "Level Five! Activate!"
The others, except Luna, all gave a start in shock. They were standing outside the warded area in which Harry and the mannequins stood. Level 5 was the highest setting and included the mannequins casting lethal curses.
However, before Sirius or either of the other two could call out the 'stop' command to stop things - Deactivate! - the mannequins were already casting.
Harry then moved... fast. He was simply dancing out of the way of every curse sent flying at him, but didn't seem to have to move that far to avoid being hit. For some, he merely leaned out of the way at the hips. For others it was a simple step to the side.
For the first ten seconds he didn't even raise his wand or activate his kara kesh. He just spent the time dodging. However, as Tonks had said upstairs, he was incredibly fast, without looking like he was.
After ten seconds he then laughed and activated his kara kesh and stood still. Not even looking at the mannequins now, he turned to others and said, "That's dodging. And this is how a kara kesh works as a shield."
All bar Luna just stood gawking at him as curses of all sorts of lethal intensity just hit the golden barrier and fizzled out.
"Now for going offensive," he said, before turning back to his 'opponents', who were still casting.
A quick step to the right as he dropped the kara kesh shield and his wand came up. Then it was a blur.
Again, all sorts of hexes flew from his wand tip, or where what had to be his wand tip if their eyes could keep up with watching it. However, he wasn't casting anywhere as lethal as the mannequins were casting at him. By the time each hex hit one of the mannequins it looked like two more were already on their way. The effect of the coloured light from the spells he cast was almost strobe-like.
Then they 'saw' Harry suddenly change his stance; he became more focused. Three seconds later all four mannequins were down.
"Deactivate!" he barked, as the last one fell.
Turning to the four he said, "That's how fast I now am."
"Sweet... suffering... Merlin!" breathed Tonks. "It's true, then. You really are the Chosen One."
"Apparently," Harry calmly replied.
"Teach me!" she beg-demanded.
Harry grinned back.
"I think he'll be teaching all of us," breathed Sirius.
Harry nodded and replied, "I can do that. However, it's going to require you to be open to accepting that a lot about what you know of magic... is a lie."
"A... lie?" asked Remus.
Harry nodded. "You're going to need to unlearn a lot of what you've learned about magic. For instance, wand gestures... incantations... even having a wand in your hand... doesn't really matter."
"Sorry?" asked Remus.
Harry thought about how to clarify it before he hit on an idea. Turning to Tonks he said, "Tonks, come in here and give me your wand."
Warily, Tonks did precisely that.
"Now," he said to her. "As an auror you've been taught how to summon your wand to your hand, right?"
"Yes..." she carefully replied.
With another nod he instructed, "Go stand in front of the mannequins and turn to face me."
When she did, he held her wand in his hand. His own wand was back in its holster. "Now, summon it from my hand."
"Ummm... We're only taught how to summon it from the ground."
He frowned back and said, "What does where it is located have to do with anything? Summon it."
She thrust her right hand out an he heard her firmly incant, "Accio my wand!"
He felt it give a little pull, but that was it.
He then glared at her and said, "I thought I told you to summon it. Now, summon it."
Again, she tried; this time with a firm bark of, "ACCIO my wand!"
This time the wand gave a definite pull, but easily countered by simply gripping the wand tighter.
"You know, Nymph-a-dora!" he sneered at her. "I thought you wanted your wand. Clearly you don't!"
Again thrusting her hand forward and getting a little annoyed, she yelled, "ACCIO MY WAND!"
Still with the same pull, but again easily countered.
Harry then raised the wand horizontal and across his body and said, "Well, it seems you don't really want a wand, after all. I think I'll just have to snap it, then."
As she looked back, horrified, Harry raised his off-hand and gripped it near the wand tip while still holding it by its contoured grip. Then, looking back at her terror-stricken face and with both hands, he began to bend it.
"No!" she screamed, jutting her wand hand forward as if to reach for it.
The wand ripped out of Harry's hands, shot across the intervening distance and slapped, wand grip first, into her own. It had even yanked him forward one and a half steps as he stumbled forward from the sharp and sudden pull.
With his hands still up before him, Harry slowly lowered them while grinning at her.
In shock, she looked between the wand in her hand and Harry.
More calmly, he asked, "Do you understand what you did differently?"
Her facing morphing into confusion she finally replied, "I... tried harder?"
"No," he replied. "Think about what differed between the first three times and that time."
"You were going to snap my wand," she replied.
"Yes, but think about what that meant to you," he pressed.
"Terror... fear..." she said.
"Then?" he pressed again.
"I had to get it off you," she replied.
"Yes," he nodded, slowly grinning. "You employed will. You didn't do that the first three times.
"The first three times you incanted. You didn't the last time, you just barked, 'No!'. You still gestured, but it wasn't the gesture you're taught to wandlessly cast for the Accio Charm. And you didn't actively attempt to cast your magic; instead, you cast your emotion... your will.
"As such, you did not use incantation, gesture or conditioned pumped magic. And yet, you accomplished what you wanted to accomplish whereas you couldn't when you used those three.
"In other words, magic is not about incantation, gesture, wand or pumped magic... is it?"
Looking down at her wand resting in her now opened hand she suddenly closed her fist, lowered her arm and marched up to where Harry stood.
"Move aside," she snarled.
As Harry calmly stepped to the side, she went into an auror combat stance and looked at the inert mannequins in hate. Suddenly her wand snapped up and she snarled, "Die!" An orange blasting hex leapt from her wand, flew the distance between her and them and slammed into one of the middle mannequins, blasting it apart.
Other than Harry and Luna, the latter who giggled and clapped, the other three stared at the mannequin in shock; that included Tonks. Harry was simply grinning.
He gave it a moment for what just happened to sink in before he calmly said, "Now. Think about what it was you wanted to happen; not the incantation you used, but the intent you wanted. What was it?"
Slowly lowering her wand again, it was a moment for Tonks to reply. "I wanted it to blow up."
"And what happened?" asked Harry.
"It blew up!" she firmly replied.
"In other words, it wasn't the incantation, because 'Die' is not the incantation for the blasting hex, it's 'Confringo'. It wasn't the wand gesture because, while you still had a wand in your hand, you only used it to point at your chosen target. It was simply your intent that shaped your magic and your will that drove it to happen," he explained. "Understand, now, what I meant by you need to... unlearn what you've learned?"
When she just nodded, still staring at the mannequin, he turned to both 'retired' Marauders and Luna and asked, "And what about you three? Do you understand?"
"Hell, yes!" Sirius emphatically replied, as Remus simply nodded. Luna merely smirked.
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―==(oIo)==―
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Harry spent time instructing the others, including Luna, on how to use their will rather than 'trained' magical forms to cast magic. Once he had all three up to the same point as Tonks, it was past dinner time and Dobby was down there to remind them of that.
Checking his mechanical watch, Remus said, "He's right. Besides, this new way of casting magic has already tired me out."
"You'll quickly get used to it," said Harry. "We'll come back to it tomorrow afternoon. Luna and I are going shopping in the muggle world tomorrow morning and I'm looking forward to picking up some more 'normal' clothes.
After dinner, Remus and Tonks left, with Tonks saying she'd needed to head right for home as she had an early shift with the aurors the next morning.
After a look between she and Remus, he also left. As they did, Sirius was grinning at his best mate; who blushed, but refused to respond.
Once Tonks and Remus had gone, Harry asked, "Okay, what am I missing?"
Overly innocent, Sirius asked right back, "What do you mean?"
Luna saw it as her responsibility to answer and replied, "They're sleeping together."
"Sorry? What?" asked Harry.
As Sirius snickered, Luna calmly replied, "Remus and Tonks are sleeping together."
"After they've first had hot monkey sex and tired themselves out enough," snickered Sirius.
Harry blushed and quietly said, "Oh. I didn't know."
Beginning to stop snickering and trying to be more logical, his godfather said, "It's called being discreet, Harry."
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―==(oIo)==―
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After dinner, Harry was being caught up on a lot of what had happened that Luna didn't think important enough to go into the scrapbooks. To do that, Sirius had to read the scrapbooks, himself. It wasn't something he'd done until then.
After Sirius told Harry about Pomfrey, Harry asked, "So, Pomfrey's no longer at Hogwarts?"
"No," replied Sirius. "As I said, the Healers' Collegiate came damned close to stripping her of her medi-witch's credentials. The only way they'd allow her to keep them was if she gave up the post at Hogwarts and went to work at Saint Mungo's, where they could keep an eye on her and she had to answer directly to qualified Healers."
"I bet that pissed off Dumbledore," snorted Harry.
"It did," replied Luna.
Sirius added, "Dumbledore tried to have the 'Mot... the Wizengamot... overrule the Collegiate, but the 'Mot laughed at him. They weren't that stupid they'd go against the Collegiate on a decision that was solely the Collegiate's bailiwick.
"Dumbledore had no choice, but to accept the new medi-witch Saint Mungo's offered. At first, he refused her even access to the school. It took the School Board, stepping in and ordering him to accept her or they'd publicly announce he was trying to block her, before he did."
"So, what's she like?" asked Harry.
"She was nicer than Pomfrey," replied Luna. "Better yet, she would instantly throw Dumbledore back out of the infirmary if he went in and tried to boss her around.
"Dumbledore wanted confidential medical information on 'his' students - something he could get away with, with Madam Pomfrey when she was there - but Madam Mirfield would flat out refuse him.
"She then once caught him going through her patient notes. She complained directly to the School Board, the DMLE and the Healers' Collegiate. He never tried that again, but he did try other things."
Harry nodded and said, "Good. It used to really piss me off how Dumbledore would immediately know what Madam Pomfrey found when she examined me. I always thought she was in the wrong for doing that."
"She was," said Sirius. "And, yes, it was a breach of patient confidentiality for her to tell him. That's one of the reasons she was removed from Hogwarts."
"Since then," said Luna, continuing, "Madam Mirfield quit, another took her place and finally there's the one that's there now. The Collegiate have figured out Dumbledore keeps engineering situations where the medi-healer feels they have no choice but to quit, then quits. He then immediately demands back Pomfrey, but is refused. Instead, they send another.
"Dumbledore doesn't know it, or simply refuses to accept it, but he's never going to get Pomfrey back. She's been practically forced to give a Magical Vow she will, never again, be the Hogwarts medi-witch. If the Collegiate run out of capable medi-witches and -wizards to send, they'll start sending Healers.
"At the rate they're currently turning over, they might run out of capable medical staff who aren't Poppy Pomfrey sometime around the year 2230. In other words, about twenty times well beyond Dumbledore's expected remaining life span."
Harry gave a snort of amusement before he asked, "What else?" He was ready to move on.
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―==(oIo)==―
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Wanting an early night for a 'big day' the next day, Harry bid Sirius and Luna a good night and headed for his room.
Once he'd gone upstairs, Luna turned to Sirius and calmly said, "I'm going to join Harry in his room."
When Sirius looked back in surprise and started to slowly grin, she said, "You are not to tease your godson about it. You are not to tease me about it in his presence or hearing. You are to otherwise ignore it. Am I clear?"
With a pained expression Sirius sighed and replied, "Alright. But, just so you know, I'd always planned to give him a lot of curry about his first time. You're being a spoilsport."
"I know," she said. "But, Harry needs his wits about him. If you tease him it will bother him. His thoughts about it will distract him. I can't have you doing that."
With a wince, Sirius nodded and said, "Just... don't hurt him. And, please, put up silencing wards."
"I would never do the first and fully intended to do the second," she replied.
Sirius nodded back and said, "In that case, have fun. And please make sure Harry does, too."
"Of course," she smiled back. Then rose and headed up stairs.
Sirius watched her go and thought, 'I wonder what Rosmerta is up to tonight?'
He headed for the floo.
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―==(oIo)==―
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Harry had only just climbed into bed and was sitting up reading a book on combat curses from the Black library he'd not heard of before when he heard a soft knock on the door.
"Come in," he called.
When the door opened and Luna stepped in, he asked, "Need something, Luna?"
She closed the door and drew her wand, making Harry instantly tense, ready to dive aside.
However, she was already into the casting of silencing wards and the like before he could even properly react.
Looking at her in confusion he asked, "Luna?"
"Yes," she replied, turning back to him. "I do need something."
Then she walked over to the other side of the bed and placed her wand and a small vial of bright pink potion on top of the bedside table on that side of the bed. It was the side on the other side of where Harry lay.
Wondering what she was up to, Harry was then surprised when she kicked her shoes off and began to disrobe.
"Errr... Luna?"
"In a moment, Love," she said, not hesitating in disrobing.
When her dress suddenly dropped to puddle at her feet, leaving her in dainty bra, matching panties and stockings, Harry goggled in shock.
"Ummm..." he stuttered.
As she reached around behind her back with both hands, she said, "I need to be open with you about something, Harry."
"Umm... oh?" he distractedly asked, his eyes fixed on her breasts.
"When I said I saw children in your future?" she asked. "That's because I also know who the mother of those children will be."
Then the bra dropped and she let it slide down her arms to one hand. Then let it drop to the floor.
Harry could feel himself physically reacting to the sight of bare Luna-breasts not five feet from his eyes and 'aimed' right at him. He was close enough to see the marks in the skin the tightness of the bra straps left behind.
As he lay propped up with pillows, frozen in place, his eyes took in a lot of other detail in a very short few seconds. Her tan lines were very indistinct, showing she either rarely uncovered or sunbathed topless. Her areolae and nipples were a lot paler than he thought they'd be, being closer to pink than brown, with both also being a little smaller than he thought they 'should' be.
"Do you like what you see, Love?" she asked.
"Hunh?" he reflexively replied-asked, his eyes snapping up to hers.
He could see the slight worry in her now serious face.
"Y-you're beautiful!" he exclaimed.
He only just caught the radiant smile her face suddenly bloomed into as he couldn't help letting his eyes drop back down to stare at her chest.
As she then hooked her thumbs into the waistband of her panties and stockings, she asked, "Do you want to know who the mother of your children are going to be, Love?"
"Ah-hmm?" he asked.
She then bent forward and slid her panties and stockings down to her ankles.
Harry caught a half-second of public hair before her chest, then the crown of her head, blocked his view.
However, just two seconds later, she was standing back up straight again.
His eyes now focused on her bush - showing her to be what is known as a 'true' blonde - he saw that it appeared far more sparse than his own. He could even see through it to the vertical lips of her sex. So focussed was he, it didn't even enter his mind she picked up the pink potion and downed it one gulp.
"Me," she said, putting the potion vial back on the bedside table.
"S-sorry? Me?" he stuttered, as she flipped the bedding on her side back, before climbing in.
"Me, Love," she said, settling into bed and calmly pulling the bedding into place.
As she then rolled to face him, she said, "My visions show me that it's me who will be the mother of your children."
"O-oh!" he exclaimed.
"That's why I'm now quite willing to do this with you." Then her hand reached forward to his lap.
As her hand reached him he suddenly took a deep shocked breath and exclaimed, "O-OOOHhhh!"
A little while later and with the bed-covers kicked down, Luna lifted her head from his lap and, while licking her lips, said, "It's a little saltier and pastier than I thought. But, altogether not too distasteful."
Harry was lying with a dopey grin on his face and a vacant expression in his eyes. He didn't respond.
Not waiting for one, she then swung her upper leg over his waist before following it with her body and sat down on his upper thighs.
That snapped him out of his stupor. Looking into her eyes he asked, "Ummm... are you sure?"
She smiled back and said, "I am."
"I... don't want to hurt you."
"You won't," she calmly replied. "You won't, because I know you never willingly would. And you won't, because I've just taken a certain potion."
"I-it's my―" he tried.
"First time. Mine too," she said. "That's why I took the potion."
Then she reached down to the junction of where she sat to fondle a bit more. He didn't see her other hand was in between her own legs, because his eyes were closed and he was groaning again.
In less than a minute she was rising up slightly to slide forward a little.
_‗_
―==(oIo)==―
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The next morning, after more of what they enjoyed the previous night, Harry had just walked into the en-suite to shower when Luna quickly hopped out of bed, donned a housecoat quickly brought to her by a Dobby with his eyes closed and hurried down to the kitchen. Sirius was already there and waiting while sipping on a cup of coffee.
With a first look of surprise he was just to about to say something. However, with a vertical finger being waggled back and forth to emphasise her point, Luna got in first and said to him, "Remember, Black... Not. One. Word."
Then, before he could say anything back, she hurried back upstairs to be in the room when Harry came out of the shower. Once inside and with the door quietly re-shut she immediately stripped the housecoat off and jumped back into bed. She was settled only one to two seconds before Harry stepped back out and into the room.
Then she calmly rose, 'still' naked and walked by him and into the en-suite. She wore nothing but a smirk for him, as if to say she knew what he was thinking.
As she passed, what he was thinking was to give her a swat on her backside. It didn't help that she wiggled it back at him, as if inviting him to do so, as she stepped into the bathroom and closed the door.
With a sigh at the door in remembrance of what they 'got up to' together, he moved to get dressed.
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―==(oIo)==―
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With Harry waiting for Luna to come out of the shower and dress before they headed down to the kitchen together, once she came out of the bathroom he was disappointed to learn she actually had to go back to her own room to get dressed.
"I didn't bring a change of clothing in with me last night, Love," she explained. "Go down and keep your godfather company. I won't be long.
Then she donned her housecoat - which she apparently to Harry did bring in with her, though he didn't remember seeing it - and hurried out of the room to her own. Dobby had already collected all the discarded dirty laundry.
He, now dressed back in his combat boots, olive green combat pants and black T-shirt, headed down to the kitchen.
_‗_
―==(oIo)==―
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When Luna walked in a few minutes later, Harry was wolfing into an eggs, bacon, baked beans on toast and hash browns breakfast while his godfather just watched him with a pleased grin on his face. However said godfather, as promised, hadn't said a word about Harry and Luna sleeping together. He'd also hardly said any other word, either, beyond 'Good morning'.
As Harry looked up and beamed her a radiant smile, not saying anything because his mouth was full, she said, "Good morning Sirius, Harry."
Sirius replied, "Good morning, Luna." As Harry nodded.
With Harry not looking at him, after a glance at the boy, Sirius turned back to her with a wide grin, waggled his eyebrows at her and winked.
After first checking Harry wasn't paying attention again for herself, he was again focused on his breakfast, she scowled back at Sirius; which just had him grin even wider back.
He might have been 'ordered' not to say a word, but that didn't mean he couldn't make facial expressions - did it?
With thoughts in her head of later having a talk with the older man about propriety, Luna sat at the table and Dobby placed a breakfast before her.
Luna now often preferred a small egg-white omelette on wholemeal toast, no butter or margarine, and trimmed bacon on the side. It wouldn't be an 'English' breakfast without bacon. And she also had both a glass of fresh unsweetened orange juice, which she preferred to pumpkin juice; and the makings for a cup of tea.
That's when Harry finally cleared his mouth enough to wish her a good morning; though he was doing it for show, as he'd already wished her one in his room before their 'morning sex'.
She was barely halfway through her breakfast when, near-simultaneously, Harry finished the food part of his breakfast and moved to his tea and the owl from the Daily Prophet showed up. Harry, quicker in his reflexes, managed to snag the Prophet before his godfather could.
Opening it out he ignored everything bar the headlines, looking for the two stories from Skeeter. However they were the second and third articles, the ones on the front page directly below the lead, anyway.
As he quickly read through them, especially the third which covered the interview, his slight expression of worry just as quickly changed to one with a wide and pleased grin. Then he simply closed and folded the newsparchment up before sliding it down the length of the table to his godfather. Luna, sitting to Harry's side and eating, just watched it slide by.
After Sirius quickly unfolded it, he found the articles right away. Then moved onto the article that covered the attack in the Alley on Harry as he stepped out of the bank. Both, of course, were written by Skeeter.
There was even a wizarding photo of Harry, from activating the kara kesh - which, thankfully, did not show up in the photograph - to when he'd dropped Moody, before jumping back to the start and repeating. All up, that only took about ten seconds. Harry was standing there, appearing quite calm and relaxed until he started to move after deactivating the kara kesh. Then even the photo looked like it blurred him before returning to a stationary Harry after stunning an off-picture Moody.
"That... looks... awesome!" declared Sirius, staring at the photo.
Harry just smiled and shrugged. That sort of battle was nothing compared to the crap he had to go through while fighting Jaffa.
'Try it with a dozen blasting staffs pointing at you and see what it looks like,' he thought. 'Even with that added speed I've still been clipped a couple times. It doesn't make you curse-proof.'
It was after those 'couple times' he was thankful for the hajar alshifa' he'd taken off Imhotep the first time he'd captured him; when he put him under the Imperius.
After Sirius finished reading what he wanted of the Prophet, he slid it back to Harry to read while he waited on Luna.
"I didn't see any article about you having to hand the reins of the Potter fortune over to the now infamous Hardwin Peverell, Sirius," said Harry.
"Hedwig left with the letter late last night," replied Sirius. "Considering the distance between here and the Daily Prophet offices, it would have taken her about twenty minutes to fly there. Then they had to read it, figure out what they were going to do with the information within it, write and edit an article or two based on it and only then would it be ready for inclusion to print.
"I deliberately sent it late enough it wouldn't get into today's edition. However, I'm quite confident it'll be in tomorrow's. I didn't want what I've included to take any impact away from your battle and interview with Skeeter."
"Hunh!" said Harry. "Clever. Got any ideas for the next day's edition?"
"Not yet," he smirked.
_‗_
―==(oIo)==―
ˇ
Someone else who soon received 'his' copy of that morning's edition of the Daily Prophet, was Tom Riddle, aka Lord Voldemort, aka the Dark Lord, aka He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, aka You-Know-Who. The copy was actually subscribed by one of his minions and faithfully immediately delivered to his hands. At the time, he was sitting on his throne within his throne room in his secret lair - otherwise known as Malfoy Manor, but more properly known as Black Manor - under a strong and often recast Fidelius Charm.
As he sat on his throne reading it, he was very interested in what had happened in the Alley the previous morning. He had been alerted to the non-specifics of what had happened, but the article described it in better - and, surprisingly, more accurate - detail. That then led him straight onto the article that covered the interview of Harry by Skeeter.
When he was finished he called his Lieutenants, his Inner Circle, to him by way of jabbing his wand into the dark mark of one of the few of his Death Eaters currently kneeling before him. They arrived in 'dribs and drabs' within the minute and over the next five. The last one, Gregory Goyle Senior, suffered under the Cruciatus Curse from him for five seconds for being last.
Standing and after warning them all not to be so tardy in future, he got to the point of why he summoned them. He began pacing before his throne as he spoke.
"My faithful brought me news yesterday of a man who had gone to Gringotts and claimed the Peverell fortune. Not only that, but he also claimed the Potter fortune while he was at it," he said.
That had a few, who had not read the newsparchment, mutter in surprise between themselves.
"Then, as reported in this morning's Daily Prophet, he was accosted by the old fool, Dumbledore, and some of the members of his Order as he stepped out of the bank.
"The fool that he is, Dumbledore moved too early and the man had not yet cleared goblin so-called sovereign soil. And Dumbledore, coward that he is, was not willing to allow the man to be attacked until he stepped off the steps of the bank. That gave the man a golden opportunity to use the situation to laugh at the old fool and his minions and bring to light a great many of Dumbledore's secrets of which even I, Lord Voldemort, was unaware."
More murmurs of surprise and shock.
"This man later identified himself as Hardwin Peverell of the great... and infamous... House of Peverell. He also identified himself as no fan of that meddling old fool, Dumbledore. He clearly does not worship the old man, as many other foolish wizards and witches do."
As Voldemort allowed that to percolate through the brains of his faithful all kneeling before him, he then commanded, "It is my order that this Hardwin Peverell is not to be harmed. Instead, I want our spies in Diagon Alley, Knockturn Alley and even Godric's Hollow... where the Peverells were once reported to live... gathering information. I want more information on the man.
"Secondly, even while more information about him is being quickly sought, I want you all to be on the lookout for him. If you see him, I want him carefully approached. I want him willingly brought before me, not dragged unwillingly. I want to see if he is willing to join us.
"I believe it will go some way towards destroying the meddling old fool, Dumbledore, to learn that the once Potter fortune, together with the believed Peverell fortune, will be used against him.
"Remember, however, my first order for my faithful not to go anywhere near the Longbottom boy... remains in force. It takes precedence over the order to approach Peverell. If you would need to break the first to obey the second, then you are not to break the first."
Giving that another moment to sink in, he snapped out, "Go! Go about your day-to-day lives so you may maintain your covers. However, you are to answer my call with greater alacrity in future!"
As the faithful rose and made their way out, Riddle returned to sitting on his throne; before returning to reading his newsparchment.
_‗_
―==(oIo)==―
ˇ
Once Luna had eaten her breakfast and finished her tea - she'd drunk her juice while eating her omelette - they gave it about half an hour for their food to settle before heading for The Leaky Cauldron. It was the smartest way to get via floo and into the muggle world.
Like Harry, Luna had already dressed muggle. It was a similar outfit to what she wore when she came down to the south coast to pick him up; dress, cardigan, sheer stockings and mid heel shoes. She was also carrying her ever-present clutch-purse. She actually looked far better dressed than he did.
Stepping out of the floo in the Leaky Cauldron the two did not hang about in the dingy pub. They directly went to the 'front' door and stepped out onto Charing Cross Road.
A busy road, they only needed to walk down about a hundred yards before they came to one of the many cab rank pick up and drop off points. And, lo and behold, a vacant cab was idling away, waiting for a fare.
Hopping in, before Harry had a chance to give a destination and before the cabbie could even ask 'Where to, Guv?' Luna said, "Harrods Department Store, please."
"No worries, Luv," said the cabbie, already moving to pull out into traffic as soon as he had the gap to do so.
_‗_
―==(oIo)==―
ˇ
Another to receive their copy of the Daily Prophet that morning, but much later than at the Black Townhouse or the hidden Malfoy Manor, was Dumbledore. His was delivered in the Great Hall of Hogwarts as the mail-owls streamed in through the high and disguised owl windows in the rafters.
Having already finished his breakfast and while sipping on a cup of tea while he listened to the chatter going on around him, the old man quickly had the owl delivering his copy of the Prophet, the only item of mail he 'permitted' delivered to him in the Great Hall, magically divested of its load and sent on its way. Setting his cup and saucer aside, he flicked the newsparchment open so he could read the front page.
With a start of shock he could see that two of the main three articles, the other article was on an attack on a half blood's home two nights ago and where a wizard and his witch wife were murdered, was concerning the Peverell man. However, the first of the two covered in great detail how he, Albus Dumbledore, was thoroughly embarrassed by the man before the man then handily trounced him in a magical battle.
Dumbledore scowled at his newsparchment as he read. He was not a happy breakfaster. The newsparchment article even covered how the Peverell man had told one and all about his, Dumbledore's, involvement with Gellert back at the turn of the century.
_‗_
―==(oIo)==―
ˇ
Twenty minutes later, due to heavier than normal traffic, the cab was approaching another cab rank and pulled in. Harry already had a twenty pound note out and was offering it to the cabbie as he turned around to tell them the charge.
A quick exchange of cash and the two magicals were out and running inside the store.
Before Harry even had a chance to really look around, Luna had already slipped her right hand into his left elbow and was marching him towards where he could see the escalators over the many, many racks of perfumes and such that were just inside the doors of the store.
"In a hurry, love?" he asked, turning a smirk on her.
"No, but these... scents are quite unpleasant," she replied with a gesture to the racks of perfumes. "There are far too many synthetic, I think is the term, mixed in with the few real ones. I don't like them."
Harry nodded, understanding. The powerful intermingled perfumes were a bit much for him, too. It annoyed him that most department stores also put their perfume ranges right at the main doors of their stores.
Once on the escalator, Luna firmly said, "Menswear first. We also have to get your proper muggle sizes for everything, while we do so."
Harry just physically and verbally nodded, still looking around at everything as he followed her.
_‗_
―==(oIo)==―
ˇ
Dumbledore hadn't long returned to his office when his floo 'whoomphed' and chimed to let him know he had a floo-call.
Turning to the fireplace he saw the head of Connie Hammer in the green flames.
"Constance, my dear― Errr..." he started before he saw the mighty scowl then cross the face of the Head of the DMLE.
With a sigh he said, "What can I do for you, Director?"
He'd already been hauled over the coals on more than one occasion by the witch for addressing him, as she'd said, so familiarly. For at least a month afterwards, the witch would then flatly and bluntly ignore him, immediately palming him off to an underling when Dumbledore tried to speak with her.
"Step through, Dumbledore," said Hammer. "We need to talk."
Then, before Dumbledore could ask why, she withdrew her head from the flames.
With a second sigh, Dumbledore sent off a messenger Patronus to McGonagall, as his deputy, to inform her he needed to speak with Director Hammer of the DMLE 'most urgently' and would return as soon as he could. As always, he made it seem as if he was initiating things without actually stating such.
Then he was through the floo to what he thought would be the woman's office since her predecessor, Rufus Scrimgeour, had been killed in a late night attack on his home by Tom's 'boys and girls' less than a year after he took the job. Instead, it was the auror bullpen floo, where two Master Aurors were waiting for him.
"Oh," he said, surprised where he'd ended up.
"This way," said the lead Master Auror, Stebbings, before turning about and beginning to walk towards the back of the large office. The other auror, Master Auror Vance, then simply gestured for Dumbledore to follow the first.
As Dumbledore did so, Vance then fell in behind him.
Annoyed by his treatment and the lack of trust and respect, Dumbledore had to clamp down on his Occlumency for any sign of that annoyance showing in his expression. Instead, he maintained an expression of calm peacefulness as he walked.
Instead of being shown into the Director's office, Dumbledore was taken through the door to the Interrogation rooms.
As he hesitated and was about to turn to Vance, he felt the tip of a wand pressed into his kidney area. "Don't make me do this, Dumbledore," said Vance. "You're just going to an Interrogation Room to answer questions, one way or another."
With a sigh, Dumbledore returned to walking and said, "I find myself disappointed in you, Emmaline."
Vance didn't reply; not even to correct him to address her as 'Master Auror Vance'.
_‗_
―==(oIo)==―
ˇ
Just like at Madam Malkin's, Harry was forced to stand still while someone wrapped a tape measure around different parts of his body. This time it was a man who spoke with a bit of a high class accent and the tape measure wasn't taking those measurements on its own.
He was quite condescending until Harry introduced himself as Lord Hardwin Peverell. Then that condescension flew out the window as if the man had physically thrown it.
Since then it had been, "I need you to hold your arms out horizontal, my Lord; as if on a cross." And, "Feet a bit further apart, my Lord." That sort of thing.
Once the measurements had been taken Harry was properly fitted for a bespoke business suit, as Sirius said it was important to have at least one so as to do business in the muggle world as and when necessary.
With sizes in hand, Luna began looking through the racks for far simpler muggle wear, for everyday muggle world use, while Harry was having material hung over him. She was building him up a wardrobe from underwear out, from head-wear to shoes. And she would also be adding accessories and body care once she and Harry had the rest chosen.
Harry came away from the fitting section of Menswear with a three-piece suit being custom made for him - charcoal grey with a lighter grey pinstripe; no hat; a suitable-sized charcoal grey business umbrella with a wooden hook handle - 'No true gentleman would go outside without his matching brolly, my Lord'; black Oxfords, not brogues, with a pre-applied high polish; a couple of plain 'pure' white business shirts to wear with it; and matching black belt, with plain silver buckle. All that was set aside to be picked up at the same time as the suit.
Luna then dragged him to the rest of the menswear, where she'd already had set aside a pile of clothes she wanted him to try on and near the change rooms. For the next few hours he played 'dress-up doll' for her and tried them each on with little fuss other than the occasional pained look. Somewhere along the line she'd also managed to corral a shopper's assistant to help, who had taken one three-sixty degree look at him and promptly began adding to the pile - to Luna's delight and Harry's mild chagrin.
Once they'd finished only Harry's shopping, with many many bags set aside to be picked up later, it was already past 'elevenses'. Luna then dragged him up to the food court area and they took a half hour break eating a morning tea.
As soon as Harry finished his tea, Luna then dragged him down to Ladieswear. She wanted to buy more muggle outfits as she'd determined she hadn't enough to match his, Harry's.
This time Luna played 'dress up doll' for Harry, but had a lot more fun doing it than Harry did for her.
After picking out a good dozen outfits from a lady's business suit down to jeans and plain blouses; plus, to Harry's delight, sexy underwear; they were done.
A quick trip back to the Menswear section and they were picking everything up there, minus the still-to-be-made suit and its accessories. Then, loaded with bags, they headed off to an out of the way place to shrink it all before dropping it in Harry's pocket. Then it was back out to the cab rank.
They were back in Grimmauld Place less than forty minutes later.
However, where all Harry wanted to do was go relax and meditate for a while, Luna had him hand all the bags over to Dobby for Dobby to 'de-tag' it all before putting it all away for them.
A quick lunch and then Luna said, "Love, Dobby will have got all that clothing ready to wear by now―"
"Yes, Mistress Luna," said Dobby, from the kitchen work bench. "Dobby has!"
She gave the elf a nod and turned back to Harry. "So, go get out of what you're wearing and dress into something less..." and wiggle her fingers at him, "... 'Combatty'"
"Combatty?" he asked, amused.
"You know what I mean," she grinned back.
"I do," he said, standing up. "I'll go do that now... buu-uut... only because you asked nicely.
"I also want to get in some meditation before Remus and Tonks turn up and I give you more lessons on using your magic in a different way."
She smiled and returned, "Sounds like a good idea."
As he was about to leave, he smiled at her and honestly said, "I like that you don't refer to those fanciful creatures when you speak to me."
She grinned back and said, "You know almost all of them I made up. And I like how you, back when we were at Hogwarts together, knew that and didn't say anything."
With a wider grin, he walked over, bent over to where she sat and kissed her on the cheek. "Thank you for trusting me, even back then."
As she lightly blushed he left the kitchen and headed upstairs.
From where he was quietly watching, Sirius turned a grin on her and waggled his eyebrows.
She just rolled her eyes back at him.
_‗_
―==(oIo)==―
ˇ
An hour later she went up to his room and quietly let herself in.
Harry was sitting on the floor in a folded-legs, almost full lotus, position with his wrists resting on his knees.
As soon as she stepped in, he opened his closed eyes and looked to her. "Luna? Are they here, already?"
Not immediately answering she walked over to the chair he had at the desk Sirius provided for him in his room, spun it about, sat on it and looked to him. Clearly a little worried, she finally asked, "What do you think of the idea of me moving into here, permanently?"
A little confused, he replied, "I thought Sirius has already given you a permanent room here."
A little amused by her Harry's naïveté she smirked and gave a huff as if a smothered chuckle. "No, silly," she said. "I mean, move in... here." And gestured to the bed.
Finally understanding, he grinned back and asked, "I think I would love it. However, it has to be something you want."
She didn't miss the almost pleading at the end. "I want," she grinned.
Happily, he scrambled to his feet, quickly closed the distance between them, dragged her out of the chair and laid a massive hug on her, before then spinning her around with a joyous shout for a moment.
As they both laughed and he put her down, she said, "I'll have Dobby move my things in here, straight away."
As he rapidly nodded his head with a big excited grin on his face, she more calmly said, "Just so you know, Love; I prefer to sleep naked."
"Then I will, too!" he declared.
She grinned back at his clear happiness.
_‗_
―==(oIo)==―
ˇ