Luna Lovegood, stretching over the far side of the squat table upon which the Quibbler's printing press sat, slid four cast iron tiles into the headline row of the forthcoming issue.
"The large letters are for headlines, and these —" She looked up, paused, and noticed that Harry's expression had changed dramatically. His jaw had dropped slightly, his eyes wide, pupils dilated.
She recognized at that moment that Harry could see her chest, the curve of her breasts. The thin laces of her bra. Time slowed as she watched him enjoy her.
He blinked, flushed, and turned his face away. "I'm Sorry, Luna. I—"
"No." She interrupted him, because she didn't want him to stop. Melodically, softly, she whispered. "It's okay… I like the way you look at me, Harry."
She waited, her pulse quickening. She wanted his attention, longed for that captivated gaze to return to her body. He turned, caught her gaze. Her heart leapt as Harry's green eyes met her own. She watched. She waited.
His eyes traced her lips, her jaw.
Her heart raced. Her lips parted. She breathed, slowly. She felt a shiver run up her spine, and then a slow, pleasant tension in her chest, her lower body.
His gaze fell to her breasts. She shifted to the left, just slightly, to give him a broader glimpse. He exhaled slowly.
She bit her lip, smirked. "Shall I show you the rest of the house, Harry Potter?"
Luna closed the printing press, took Harry's hand into her own, and led him out of the study to the adjacent room. It was a large library, whose walls were covered floor to ceiling in shelves bearing leather tomes of every size, shape, and color. At the center of the room sat a single worn leather chair, and a side table upon which sat a large magnifying glass, and a lamp of emerald green glass. A long, narrow window stretched the length of the far wall.
Unlike the rest of the home, the room was empty of clutter.
"This is where my daddy reads. He prefers to read in silence, and alone. I have my own library upstairs, and it's much more comfortable."
Next to the library was a potions lab. Harry hadn't ever enjoyed potions, likely because it was so closely associated with Snape, but he couldn't contain his curiosity.
Like the library and the study, the nearest wall was lined with shelves, but in this case the shelves were tightly arranged, bearing thousands of magical ingredients. Small plaques of etched copper identified each item. Within the room, seven tables were evenly placed throughout, each bearing a cauldron. Five of these were lit, nurturing potions in various states of preparation. Directly in the center of the wall to his far right was a thin, rectangular door.
"This is our potions lab. My father is a Potions Master. As our family has never charged a fee for copies of the Quibbler, the sale of potions represents the bulk of his income."
Luna led him through the thin door into a greenhouse, the last room on the first floor of the tower. The room was humid, and the stone walls had been magically altered to translucence, allowing a healthy bath of natural light to fall on what must have been fifty large pots, anchored to the stone ceiling, bearing magical plants at various heights. The room was full of movement, as clippers of various sizes hovered about the room, and as a watering can tipped itself here and there.
Luna continued the tour in her distant, melodic voice. "Many of the ingredients necessary for daddy's potions are grown here. He also sells ingredients directly. Professor Snape and Headmaster Dumbledore are among his most frequent customers."
They exited the greenhouse through the front, ruby red round door, and Harry found they were at the foot of the great spiral staircase that circled the diameter of the tower. Luna trailed her hand behind her, grasping Harry's fingers loosely as she led him up the stairs.
"The Lovegood House was once home to three generations simultaneously, so many of these rooms are now guestrooms." She stopped at what may have been the fifth or sixth door. "Here we are. I think you'll like this one, Harry."
Luna ran her right index finger over the golden rune above the center knob, then opened the door. Harry entered a large expanse, so wide that he supposed it actually wrapped around the full diameter of the tower like a broad hall. A long weapons rack was affixed to the near wall, next to which hung protective headgear and vests. A narrow window punctuated the far wall about every three meters. Between these windows were hung framed sketches of dark magical creatures, annotated to indicate vulnerabilities. In the center of the room, at twenty meter intervals, suits of armor stood upon which were painted red targets.
"This floor is dedicated to Defense Against the Dark Arts. The violence of dark witches and wizards often gravitates toward my family, and has for many generations. It is a Lovegood tradition to prioritize the mastery of defensive spells at a young age, and to encourage a development of offensive spellcraft as well. The room is enchanted to dampen the strength of offensive spells, so that even a powerful spell, successfully landed, won't cause physical harm. The weapons, likewise, won't pierce skin or break bones. It's really a lovely training environment."
Harry was elated. "Luna, I could kiss you."
She blushed. Harry smirked, bashful, turned away. "It really is brilliant! And the ministry's magical restrictions are warded here, right? So you can spend your summers strengthening your spell work. Unbelievable."
Luna smiled, and then sighed distantly. "I often wonder whether dark wizards would have so much success if defense were more highly prioritized. My Defense Against the Dark Arts classes have been spotty at best since I arrived at Hogwarts."
"Mine, too." Harry nodded, surveying the room. "You know, I'd love to spar with you, Luna. If you've grown up developing these skills, I could learn a lot."
They spend the remainder of the morning dodging and casting. They first alternated between protego and rictusempra — the tickling charm. Luna and Harry both landed the spells twice, giggling hysterically. They shifted their attention to expelliarmus, then stupefy. By noon they were exhausted.
Luna's final "stupefy" landed perfectly, lightly stunning Harry. She pocketed her wand, closed the gap between him, and offered him her hand with a flirtatious smirk.
"Nicely done!" And he meant it. He'd never enjoyed training so much in his life, and Luna was truly impressive. She cast a spell to reset the room. He watched a bead of sweat trickle slowly down her neck from just behind her ear, and something inside him stirred.
God, she was amazing.
Luna turned, noticed his attention, winked flirtatiously. "Hungry?"
They shared a light meal, chunks of crusty bread with a variety of cheeses, some fruit and olives, and cool glasses of lemonade. Between bites, Luna asked Harry questions about Gryffindor House, and about his friends.
"It feels like an extended family, really." Harry looked off, reflective. "There are some students I don't know all that well. Neville's brilliant. Ginny's quiet but fierce. Dean and Seamus are rowdy. Good for a laugh, but I wouldn't consider them close friends. Fred and George are a bit like older brothers, I suppose. Ron is my best mate, or at least it's always felt that way. He's like a twin, I guess. We drive eachother nuts sometimes, and I think we're slowly growing apart, but it seems he'll always feel like a brother."
"And…" Luna hesitated, "...what about Hermoine?"
Hermoine had been on Luna's mind. It was clear that Harry and she were close. And as her feelings for Harry rapidly developed, Luna couldn't help but fear that Harry's affection for Hermoine transcended friendship.
"Hermoine is a lot like Ron, really. We spend a lot of time together. But we're at odds frequently, and she's a bit bossy. But she's been there for me countless times, and I'll always care about her." Harry looked up, held her gaze for a moment. "She's like a sister to me."
Luna nodded, attempting to mask the relief she felt.
"They seem nice. And I'm glad you have them. It's cruel, what you've been through. I can't imagine facing such cruelty alone."
Harry stood, began to wash up. "I've never felt less alone." Harry replied, almost in passing.
Luna paused, struck by the significance of those words.
"What about Hufflepuff?" Harry asked, still scrubbing. "Aside from the pranks, have you enjoyed the community?"
"Most of my housemates are polite, though I wouldn't consider them friends. I can see that I make them uncomfortable." Luna replied, matter of factly. "Witches and wizards aren't terribly fond of what they don't understand."
She reflected melodically, frowned. "And I think that's sad, really, because the most brilliant and powerful magic is rooted outside of the boundaries of our everyday experience. I think I make them uncomfortable because I want to find that magic." She paused, shifted. "The Hufflepuff common room, though, is quite nice."
Wiping the table, she added, "There's a pocket, in the northernmost corner, that's been cleverly charmed to remain a sound vacuum. There's really no place in the castle like it, and it's perfect for meditation."
Luna turned, smiled broadly. "Come, Harry Potter, I want to show you my library."
She laced her fingers through his and led him to what must have been the tenth door on the spiral staircase. The ruby red door opened to a vast library, twice as broad at least as the one below. Rather than traditional shelving, throughout Luna's library floated rows of shelves, a variety of lengths, some holding perhaps two or three hundred volumes each, others twenty or thirty. They floated mid-air around shoulder height, drifting. Shifting shapes of magical creatures, like copper ore threaded within the stone itself, animated the walls. Hundreds of distinctly shaped and sized shadow boxes seemed to grow directly from the rock, containing magical artifacts, cunningly crafted tools, and other mysterious objects.
At the center of the room was a vast, overstuffed green sofa, upon which at least thirty pillows were thrown. Three soft, gray blankets were lightly tossed about the couch. A long, narrow table stood before the sitting area. There had to be at least one hundred lit candlesticks in the room, sat upon every surface, casting a pleasant warm light in every corner.
"Would you like to read with me, Harry Potter?"
She grinned broadly, bursting with pride. "Here's how it works. The library sorts itself topically. And as it senses what you're thinking about, it makes recommendations accordingly."
She pulled him with her to stand in front of the long sofa.
"For instance." She paused for a moment, reflected distantly. Just then, three shelves, each holding about sixty volumes, drifted from various locations in the library to stack directly in front of them. The first row hovered about waist height, the second around their shoulders, and the third just above their heads.
Luna grabbed a volume entitled, "Reflections on River Fairies" and from the first shelf, "Speculations on the Fairie Plane" from the second shelf.
The volumes on the third shelf, though, were just out of her reach. When a title caught her eye, she stretched her lean form to grab it, standing on her toes. Suddenly Harry noticed her body. His gaze traced her adorable toes, the subtle lift of her calves, the soft curves of her thighs, the tight swell of her bottom. Just above her jean's waistline, her tee lifted to reveal the soft contours of her hips.
Just then, a fourth shelf arrived, directly in front of Harry, holding around twenty volumes. Confused, he scanned the titles.
"Beauty and the Feminine Form"
"Sexual Intimacy: A Beginner's Guide"
"Sensual Touch: The Ecstacy of Exploration"
Harry blinked, suddenly comprehending, flushed. "Uh, I don't… I mean, I'm not sure that…" He scratched the back of his head and tried desperately to stop thinking.
Luna, blushing wildly, rolled her eyes playfully, sat down on the overstuffed couch, and patted the seat just beside her.
Harry smirked, utterly embarrassed. "Maybe I can read one of your books?"