Chapter 7
Luna Lovegood Lestrange
September 1st, 2003, Lestrange Manor
After midday Luna's morning sickness finally abated. Feigning sleepiness she'd managed to send her over-protective husband out into his beloved garden two hours before. She dressed in her favourite summerdress – it was a balmy day – and went into the library for one of Rod's Muggle crime fiction books, planning to spend her afternoon reading and watching her husband putter around in the vegetable garden. Watching could lead to ogling if he chose to get rid of his shirt. And this could lead to more. The young witch was determined to show Rabastan that their sex-life absolutely need not change because she was pregnant. If what she'd read about hormones it might even get more intense.
In the library Luna found her brother-in-law, bent over old "Daily Prophet" issues with a furrowed brow. He looked up.
"Oh, Luna, I am glad you are feeling better. Might I have a bit of your time?"
"Certainly. I sense wrackspurts flocking around your mind."
"Indeed. What do you know about Hermione Granger? According to this rubbish here she's a femme fatale, breaking hearts left and right from an early age on."
Luna, whose mood had darkened at the topic, laughed.
"It's the `Prophet´, what did you expect?"
"I've read the `Quibbler´ first, naturally. You've done a piece about her efforts in knitting. I am sorry to say but that does not tell me a lot and I do not care that she drops a lot of stitches."
"The interesting part there is why she started to knit. Hermione is driven by her brain. She does not relish in doing things with one's hands, she draws no joy from it like Rab with his plants or you with your woodwork. Herbology and Potions were her worst subjects. Of course she had an O grade there as well, but with 97% instead of 112% like in other subjects. But still she forced herself to learn to knit because she wanted to have clothes to give to the Hogwarts elves."
"Why ever would she do such a cruel thing?"
"She thought it cruel that the house-elves were doing unpaid labour. The year before Harry Potter had freed Dobby, a Malfoy elf, who had been mistreated by Abraxas. With her Muggle upbringing Hermione saw the elves as slaves rather than family members. And of course, her being thirteen then, she did not talk to any of the Hogwarts elves before leaving misshapen little hats all over the castle. She's learned to research properly since."
"So overall she's kind and compassionate?"
Luna hesitated. Before that day in Diagon Alley she would have answered in the affirmative without a second thought. And deep in her heart she was quite sure that Hermione considered her a friend and did not think of her her as looney. The other witch on one hand was socially akward and insecure and on the other hand had a tendency to self-righteousness that bordered on arrogance. During their Hogwarts years she had never bothered to learn where the then other side had come from. As compassionate she was towards house-elves she had no empathy left to consider how shaken and frightened the Purebloods were by the advance of Muggle technology. Luna was sure that Hermione had found her feet in that regard, as surrounded by Purebloods and Half-bloods she was at the Ministry. Rodolphus cleared his throat.
"She is certainly compassionate. But she has a tendency to get stuck in her believes, to trust the written word above all, that lets her make the wrong decisions sometimes. I haven't seen her a lot in recent years and I am quite sure that she no longer views the world as black and white like teenagers are wont to do, but she is more of a warrior for what she thinks is right than a nurturing, kind person. Why do you want to know about her?"
Suddenly it dawned on Luna. Today was the day the Ministry matches would arrive. Rod and Hermione? Her brother-in-law looked a bit sheepish and thrust a letter at her. There it was, in ink and with a Ministry signature. Hermione Jean Granger and Rodolphus Reynard Lestrange were a 94% match. The short explanation the scroll gave was that apparently their mutual magical strenghts and interests – how the Ministry would know about those was anyone's guess – was the reason for the high match.
"Well, it makes a weird sort of sense."
"I would not want to tease you, my dear sister-in-law, but that coming from you is concerning. If you think we are weird, how can this work?"
"Do not be deliberately obtuse. You are both very loyal, hard-working to the point of exhaustion, courageous and really strong magically. You've both been through war and have come out of it not unscathed but with your head held high. I sense some tempestous fights in your future but I truly think you can make it work."
"If you say so. I'll write her, then."
"That seems a sensible course of action. If she agrees to let you arrange the first meeting I would recommend the Muggle world. You do not need Rita Skeeter as a third wheel."
Rod was already turning towards the writing table so Luna made her way to the garden, deep in thought. She vowed to herself to give Hermione a chance to explain herself. If she was to marry her brother-in-law they should clear the air between themselves.