They decided to spend their morning in the Defense chambers. Harry had stumbled upon a threadbare, cloth-bound volume shelved high in the Potter Library, entitled Ancient, Rare and Powerful Spells. The front matter indicated it was a limited publication, funded by Gideon J. Potter, apparently Harry's great-great grandfather, in 1912.

Harry immediately realized that he'd not encountered any of these spells in his studies at Hogwarts. The book sorted the spells into broad categories, like Offense, Defense, and Utility, and detailed the pronunciation, execution, and effects of each, as well as some historical context of its creation when available. He couldn't wait to show Luna.

They decided to take turns attempting to cast each spell, while the other took notes. Luna sat leaning against the far wall on the floor, facing Harry who stood in the center of the room. She conjured her sketchbook and charcoal pencil, looked into Harry's eyes, and smirked.

"You've nothing to worry about, Harry Potter. This room is warded against nargles."

He smiled, opened the book, and turned to the first chapter.

—Chapter One—

Ancient, Rare, and Powerful Offensive Spells

decidere (deh-kee-DEH-reh) | wand arm outstretched at waist height, wave at half speed to the opposite waist, center wand arm at penultimate syllable, rapidly lift wand arm to shoulder height, finishing pronunciation with wand pointed directly at opponent.

Effect: The spell shifts the target's center of gravity to the nearest heavy object. When executed properly by a powerful witch or wizard, the shift may be rapid enough to physically stun opponent on impact

The first nine attempts yielded nothing. Luna watched carefully, noticed that Harry's wand arm wasn't fully extended, then coached him verbally on the half-speed movement from waist to waist. Four attempts later, the suit of arms shuttered visibly (they both shouted with glee at this). Finally, on his eighteenth attempt, after Luna noticed he was terminating the pronunciation of the curse prematurely, Harry executed a perfect dicedere. The suit of arms slammed violently into the wall to his right, crushing the left arm under the force of the spell.

They were struck silent at the powerful display. After a moment, the suit of arms was magically restored, and Harry's expression shifted to an awestruck smile.

"This is so cool."

Harry turned to Luna, cleared the distance between them, helped her up and gave her a quick peck on the cheek. "Your turn, Luna Lovegood."

She got it in two tries, the full left side of the armor crushed completely in a raw display of sweeping power. Harry's jaw dropped, impressed and more than a little embarrassed. Feigning offense, he shouted, "Just you remember I survived a dragon."

She turned, smirked flirtatiously, stepped toward him in a sexy, confident glide. She bent over full, kissed him on the nose, and whispered, "Beginner's luck, dragon-slayer."

tenebrae totales (teh-NEH-brae toh-TAH-lehs) | wand arm relaxed at the waist, twist wrist at first syllable, draw wand arm to opposite side at chest height by pronunciation of third syllable. Draw wand to center, twisting wrist to point wand directly above target, outstretch arm at final syllable.

Effect: The spell covers the target in impenetrable darkness. Executed perfectly by a powerful wizard, the field of darkness may spread thirty meters on every side.

The trick of it, as Harry discovered after a few dozen attempts, was the relaxed hold of his wand and the timing of the twists of his wrist. Around twenty minutes after his first attempt, he successfully cast a field of impenetrable darkness, surrounding the suit of armor wall-to-wall. Luna set down her sketchbook, stepped into the thick cloud.

"It's true, Harry Potter. I can see nothing at all." She emerged a moment later, bit her lip. "What a tremendously useful spell."

Just then, she raised her wand and, on her first attempt, cast a perfect tenebrae totales on Harry.

All the light in the world left him immediately. He was lost in it, utter darkness, without any sense of direction or his surroundings. He laughed at the brilliance of the spell and the genius of the witch who cast it. And just then, without warning, her lips met his in the darkness. He didn't see anything, but he felt everything.

He stood motionless as he felt her body glide softly into him. He felt her breasts, firm and full, press against his chest. He opened his mouth in a longing sigh, felt her tongue flit playfully against his lips. He felt her heated breath. He felt her body move, felt her palm explore his chest in shifting pressures. He felt her arm wrap around him, up his back, her fingertips lightly scratching the back of his neck, running through his hair.

She kissed him, slowly and carefully, shifting her body here and there. He stirred, his pulse ever quickening. She pulled him closer, pressed her body full against his, kissed his neck again and again, and he was hard against her. He felt her involuntary gasp. His pressing tension sensed every movement with radiating pleasure.

She paused, pulled away, slowly exhaled. "Harry…" She whispered, longing.

And then she was gone.

After a few moments to gather himself, Harry emerged, flushed with pleasant sensations, from the dissipating cloud of darkness. Luna was sitting against the far wall, face downcast.

She caught his gaze with vulnerable eyes. "Harry Potter, can we talk?"

"Of course." Sensing the gravity, he sat beside her, took her hand into his. "I'm here."

She hesitated. "Harry, I need to talk to you about us."

He halted, a bit concerned. "Okay. Is everything okay, Luna?"

She leaned into him, wrapped his arm around her. "Yes. It's so much better than okay. That's not it. It's just… oh, I don't really know where to start."

She seemed embarrassed. He kissed her forehead, waited patiently.

"Harry Potter, I need to tell you about my family."

He wasn't expecting that, and had no idea where this was going.

"I come from an ancient and powerful family, Harry." Her gaze went distant, her voice vaguely melodic. "We've been exploring the fringes of magic for centuries. And for ten generations, an extraordinary ward has been passed down, through my family, from female to female. It's a blood ward, Harry. A gift of protection, passed through the rite of marriage."

Harry was fascinated. Luna squeezed his hands, kissed his cheek, and continued.

"The ward, sealed with the self-sacrifice of my nine-times-great grandmother, protects the daughters of the House of Lovegood, and their children until they come of age, from the violence of darkness. It means that I'll never die at the hands of Voldemort. It means that my children will live and have an opportunity to flourish despite the violence of dark witches and wizards like him."

"Amazing." Harry was struck by the power of the idea. "That's amazing, Luna."

"Yes," she nodded, then hesitated. "Yes, but the ward was cast with a… condition,- of sorts. I mentioned that it's passed through the rite of marriage? The condition revolves around that rite."

She bit her lip, looked up at Harry with bashful eyes.

"The blood ward may only pass to a virgin daughter of the House of Lovegood, when she consummates her marriage on her wedding night." At this, she looked away, blushing wildly.

The implication washed over them simultaneously.

Harry spoke, stumbling. "So you can't… um… you and I can't…"

"We can't have sex, Harry, until the day we're married." At this, her eyes shot wide open, and she stumbled to recover. "That is, of course, if we were to ever, um, you know… I mean if we ever decided to, um… get married." If it was possible for her to blush a deeper crimson, she did.

He flushed, smiled kindly. "Luna, you know I never expected —"

"I know, Harry Potter." She cut him off, leaned her forehead into his. "I know. It's just that I've been a little… obsessive. I love the way you kiss me, I love the way you feel against me. I really like you Harry, and I want you." She paused, looked up longingly. "Physically." She took a breath, slowly exhaled. "But I realize all the time that this building interest, the advances I've made, aren't a great idea. You know, considering…"

Harry smirked playfully. "Considering we can't have sex?" His expression shifted to an affectionate smile. "I'm here, Luna Lovegood, for you. You're brilliant and kind and funny and compassionate. And when you smile there's more color and light in my world than I ever thought possible. And yes, I think you're gorgeous. And yes, I love every kiss, and every embrace, and every advance. And yes, I want you, too. Physically. But never for a moment would a boundary like that compromise what we have."

She looked into his eyes with a piercing gaze, vulnerable. "So you don't… you're okay with slowing down?"

He paused, kissed her cheek, spoke softly. "If you'll have me, I am yours, 'til Britain is bereft of ink and parchment."

She leaned into him, digging her head into his chest. "I really like you, Harry Potter."