The Rising of a Dark Moon

The war was over. Voldemort lay dead in the great hall and the castle was filled with celebrations. Magical fireworks began to sparkle and explode in the sky. Luna sat on a piece of stone watching the reflections in the water as she felt a strange sense of unease.

Neville came running towards her, "Luna. Have you seen Harry or Hermione?"

"They went into the woods to talk about something alone they said." she felt safe telling Neville as he held the other half of her heart.

"Well we need to warn them. I just over heard Ron and Ginny laughing about how they were going to wind up with the two of them as their spouses." He cried out angrily.

Luna looked at him crossly, "Are you certain they were not just letting off steam?"

"No they were comparing notes. Dumbledore and their mother had made arrangements to put some kind of delayed action compulsion curse on Harry and Hermione to make them fall in love with Ron and Ginny after we won." Neville shook his head.

"Go keep track of them please. I will tell harry and Hermione." she said in a dark tone.

Neville nodded, moving quickly towards the castle. Luna frowned then took the path into the dark woods that Harry and Hermione had staggered in pain down only a half hour ago.

She soon came to a brackish backwater of the Black Lake. She could smell lingering in the air the aroma of roast pork and sulfur as she approached a small island she had discovered Harry and Hermione sitting on last year before they went home for summer.

The island was a blasted and charred. The two trees on it had been twisted into a heart with Harry and Hermione's burned skeletal remains kneeling together in the middle.

She froze as she stared with stinging eyes as the wind rose taking the ashy remains and scattering them over the lake. Leaving behind a stone that still had the glowing words, "We knew of the curse. We would rather rise like the phoenix than tie our lives to them. Bless the one who finds this. We would rather die in love than live in pain."

She took a deep breath before saying a prayer to the old gods. She mad a vow that those who caused this, who hurt the friends she loved would suffer. As she turned she saw a pair of bright flaming birds circling overhead that gave her some solace before she began her task.