Two months later…

Together with three other unspeakables, Hermione swished her wand, up and down, towards the centre of their circle. Through her enchanted glasses, amidst a darkness that seeped from every space of the room, she saw a spark of light swirl and fly towards the unknown, away from them.

Hermione frowned and then bit her lower lip. Questions. So many questions and no answers. Yet.

–That was… unexpected… –said one of the unspeakables, lowering his wand–. Fancy some tea? I don't think I can stay here working any longer.

–We'll catch you up later –replied Luna, smiling.

The others shrugged and left.

As soon as they were alone in the Space Room, Luna conjured a bench and seated down, followed by Hermione. Both of them remained silent, observing the vastness of the universe presented to them.

"You were right. It's the same force," accepted Luna with a curious note in her voice.

"I imagine the team in the atom room will find the same energy as well. Fascinating!" Hermione agreed, almost chuckling with bubbling nerves, barely containing herself. "As above, so below. Remember? One of the principles from alchemy class. If our love threads and the silvery one that comes out from our bellybutton are made of the same energy… "

Hermione felt fortunate to have the opportunity to discuss her findings with Luna, as the secrecy surrounding her work could be overwhelming. She couldn't help but wonder what Cormac would think about all of her discoveries and how he would react to them. Of course, IF they got married.

"It's truly fascinating, indeed," accepted Luna. "Oh, this opens new areas of research! What is death then? What is fate? Is this simple silvery thread what brings to life ghosts and spirits? And why do they get lost somewhere in space? They have to be connected somewhere. But where? Divination, and the role of seers too, will evolve. Truly fascinating. I can't wait to start planning our new research!"

Hermione smiled. She thought so as well.

Was there another mysterious reason why some threads were stronger than others? Why some decayed over time and others bloomed? What was the purpose of living? These were truly important questions that had haunted hundreds of humans across time.

"Thank you," said Luna.

"What for?"

"For this moment. I felt like telling you that and, look, our thread is sparkling! It's getting stronger! Oh, the little thing!"

Hermione chuckled. Their friendship thread was indeed getting more substantial, shining in a bright and beautiful pink colour.

"The colour of friendship is beautiful," Luna nodded. "If I told my younger self that I would find a true friend in you years later, she would have said I was delusional and had a wracksput infestation."

"You know, you still need to prove their existence," Hermione shook her head, amused.

"Oh,Hermione! But they are real!"

A meteor flying past them briefly caught their attention, before Hermione heard Luna's voice again.

"So, what did Kingsley say?"

Hermione tiredly exhaled.

"He was, of course, quite miffed. His team had already prepared my career path for the following year, including two new Statutes to update…"

"You can't blame our poor Minister for trying, Hermione, after the Commission's success. You two made history when the statute was successfully approved."

"Guess you're right." Hermione paused, "Do you… think I'm making a mistake, Luna? It was, after all, my original dream to help change the magical world through beneficial reforms. What if I mistake my path?"

"You don't need me to answer that, Hermione," she calmly replied in a sweet voice. "You know, you're feeling this way because of your Gryffindor loyalty. But remember, loyalty shouldn't be a sacrifice."

"You're right… of course you are."

"That's what best friends, like me, are for," Luna said proudly, pushing up her glasses.

"Right! Let's head to our office after grabbing a cuppa. We've got whole new theories to think about."

After emerging from the floo later that day, Hermione found Cormac in her kitchen. He was waiting for her and taking up most of the space with his tall build. Cormac had just taken a shower, and Hermione could see that his hair was still wet from the quidditch match he had played with Ron and Harry. Hermione found the friendship that had blossomed between them intriguing. Who would have guessed?

With his back to her, Cormac was opening a bottle of elf wine that he had brought along, since, Hermione accepted, she hadn't been able to buy food in the last few days. Suddenly, a breeze from a possible summer rain came into the kitchen through the open window.

Her heart fluttered with happiness and went straight to hug him.

Daily actions were crucial for the well-being of their love thread, and she wanted to ensure that it was healthy and strong enough to last forever. As such, Hermione hugged him from behind, taking in his scent and feeling her heart at ease. She rested her head on his back, right between his shoulder blades, savouring the comforting and familiar scents of musk, summer rain, and... soap.

Taken aback, Hermione took another deep breath.

"Pray tell, dearest, why are you sniffing me?" Cormac chuckled.

Hermione felt a joyful tear roll down her cheek as she came to a realization. Everything suddenly fell into place. How could she have missed it? The timing and the patience required until the scents merged perfectly in a moment of pure love. It all made sense now. Love requires time and dedication to grow into something powerful. It wasn't given nor freely bestowed.

"You smell like musk, summer rain and… soap," she murmured as her heart pounded happily in her chest.

"And you smell like oranges, strawberries, and soap as well… since our first night when you arrived to Logan freshly showered."

He turned and hugged her as well, giving a kiss on the top of her head before exhaling comfortably, enveloping her in his arms and then stroking her back.

But then, Cormac was suddenly filled with doubt and a cruel panic rose in his chest. How could Hermione ever love him and stay beside him? He was often passionate and full of himself and could be short-tempered when he felt that someone he cared for was being treated unfairly. How could she accept him with all his shortcomings? But then he heard her voice, and the panic disappeared.

"I love you," Hermione bravely whispered in his arms.

It was the first time she had said it. Three simple but powerful words reassured him that he could trust her. Hermione was, above all, honest. The words acted like a balm and Cormac relaxed, with all his panic and doubts disappearing. He knew, however, that he still had mental work to do, but with courage, trust, and honesty, he was sure he would be fine with time.

"I love you too," Cormac whispered as well, embracing her tightly. "I know it's difficult not being with me all the time, darling."

Hermione looked up and saw the love and admiration in Cormac's eyes. She knew from the tone of his voice that he had missed her just as much as she had, even though they had seen each other that same morning.

She sensed a bright pulse of light from their red thread, confident it would grow stronger over the years.

A/N:

Hello there! I just wanted to say thank you for taking the time to read "What is Love" and for sticking with me until this point. This chapter may be a tad shorter than the previous one, but I hope you still enjoyed it nonetheless. I am sorry for the delay in updating this story - I spent some time editing the previous chapters and tying up any loose ends. I also wanted to express my gratitude for your kind reviews, they truly mean a lot to me. I wish you all the very best!

Best regards,

Aniara27