"That's it for today. Pour your results into a vial and clean your cauldrons," Severus Snape commanded as the clock tower bell tolled four times. He turned and waved his wand, whereupon the recipe that had been covered in the double lesson disappeared from the blackboard. "Creevy! You call that a clean cauldron? If that happens again this week, you'll be scrubbing your cauldron by hand for the rest of the year!" He put on his stern look when the blonde Gryffindor looked at him with an apologetic expression and rolled his eyes when the boy's second cleansing charm didn't remove all the residue from the cauldron either. "Get out of here before I keep you here for detention! I want to see a flawless cleansing charm in the next lesson," he said, turning round in annoyance when he saw the frightened look on the blond Gryffindor's face. He was tidying the vials that most of the third years had messily put in their trays and exhaled theatrically in annoyance when someone cleared their throat behind him.
"Professor?" he heard a timid voice and raised his eyebrows before he veiled his features again with his usual mask of the annoyed Potions professor and turned round.
"Miss Lovegood, what can I do for you?" he asked after recognising the blonde third-year, and his eyes flitted around the room briefly. He furrowed his brow as she drew her wand and pointed it at the dungeon door. She waved it, but nothing happened. Severus resisted the urge to scratch his head in perplexity and watched Hermione's best friend wave her wand two more times with a crimson face until she seemed to admit defeat and softly whispered, "Colloportus," after which the door closed with a loud click. "Would you mind practising nonverbal spells elsewhere..."
"I'm sorry, I was just a little nervous," she said, averting her gaze with a red face as their eyes met briefly. "I wanted to talk to you. I know I'm not supposed to, but I'm worried about Hermione," she said, looking into his eyes again. Again, he was barely able to keep his mask on with great effort, but he finally managed to put on a confused look that wasn't far from what he was actually feeling.
"What do you mean?" he asked as if he hadn't understood her. What did that mean? Why had Hermione's friend come to him? Had she told her their secret?
"Oh, she didn't tell you about it?" Luna interrupted his thoughts.
"If I could ask you not to speak in riddles, Miss Lovegood," he replied with a furrowed brow and some feigned anger in his voice. What had she been thinking? No, Hermione would never take that risk.
"I know about you and Hermione. She didn't tell me if that's what you're thinking. I have an ability that lets me see people's relationships. I knew it even before you and Hermione realised," Luna said with a shy smile and sheepishly brushed a strand of blonde hair behind her ear. "I thought Hermione would have told you about it," she said, and he could see her tension as he frowned again, trying to mask his panic as shivers ran down his spine. "Please, have you got word from her? I'm seriously worried. She hasn't come out of her room for three days, and Dobby says the house elves are getting distressed because she won't touch anything they bring her."
"I..." he began, but he didn't know what to say. It stabbed him in the heart when he saw the look on her friend's face that reflected his own worry, and he could no longer maintain his façade. "I didn't hear anything either," he said quietly, looking at the large blue eyes that were now scrutinising him intently. Hermione was supposed to have had a private lesson with him the night before, but he hadn't heard from her since she had left Dumbledore's office on her return. He knew how she felt. He could sense her pain, but he saw no way to help her if she didn't come to him. What little Dumbledore had learnt, especially from Tonks, he knew, but it had been worse than a Cruciatus to stare at the parchment for hours without so much as a word in reply.
"We have to do something. I've tried to unlock the door and even blow it open, but she's put protective charms on it that I can't break. I want to help her, but I don't know how," she said, looking at him in confusion as he snorted softly.
"Sometimes it's really exhausting that she's such a gifted witch," he said, and Luna nodded with her lips pressed together. "I'm sorry, but I have to digest the fact that you know about this first," he said, barely moving his wand. His eyes widened as his memory charm bounced off her mental barrier, which was nowhere near as strong as his or Hermione's, but it had been enough to resist his spell on the first try.
"Please don't try to make me forget, it's pointless. I know it's a big risk, but I would see it again every time I lay eyes on you and Hermione in the Great Hall," she said, and Severus conjured himself an armchair after a few seconds of silence, dropping into it to recover from the shock. He looked up when he heard a soft giggle. Luna smiled shyly at him but seemed to think of Hermione again a moment later, as the worry returned to her face and her eyes glazed over.
"I don't know what I can do except write to her and hope she reads it. As you can imagine, my options of contacting Hermione are limited," he said, sighing as a tear rolled down Luna Lovegood's cheek.
"I want to be there for her. We all do, but she won't let us. When my mum died, I really could have used some friends," she said in a husky voice, and Severus felt a lump form in his throat. He hadn't realised that the at times rather peculiar Ravenclaw had lost her mother. He opened his mouth, but he didn't know what to say.
"I..." he began, clearing his throat to lose the lump. "I can't sit here idly any longer and tell myself it's too risky. I have to think of something. Thank you for coming to see me," he finally said and looked into Luna's big blue eyes again. He briefly returned her warm smile, which seemed to surprise her because she shyly averted her eyes. Severus snorted in amusement. "I know," he said, aware that no one at Hogwarts had ever seen him smile except Hermione. He finally put on his mask of the grim Slytherin teacher again, which made Luna giggle.
"I wish you could show your smile more often. Hermione told me a bit about you after she realised there was no point in hiding it from me. Not too much, but..." she said, turning deep red in the face as their eyes met. Severus raised an eyebrow, and Luna looked down at her hands again shyly. "I hope you can find a way to talk to Hermione."
"I'll do everything in my power," he said, rising from the conjured armchair again and making it disappear with a wave of his wand.
"Thank you. I'd better go then. Hagrid won't be angry, but I better not be too late for his lesson," Luna said, and Severus nodded.
"You almost had it, you know?" he said, smiling again when Luna looked at him questioningly. "Your nonverbal spell. Try not to focus too much on the words in your mind, but what you feel when the magic flows through your hand into the wand," he explained, and Luna looked at him with shining eyes. Then she raised the wand and pointed it at the door. On the second attempt, the lock clicked, and the door opened a crack.
"Twenty points to Ravenclaw," Severus said, but put on his usual bad-tempered mask again now that the door was no longer locked. It was hard not to return the beaming smile that Luna Lovegood gave him, but he finally bid her a formal farewell. He was about to turn back around to organise the vials and figure out how to get Hermione out of her cocoon when Luna cleared her throat shyly.
"I um... I don't know if you want to, but... If you ever need someone to talk to... Besides Hermione," Luna said with a red face and pulled a sheet of parchment out of her shoulder bag, which Severus recognised immediately since it was pitch black. He was perplexed for a moment but held out his hand when Luna tried to turn away with a shy look. He nodded and once again resisted the urge to return her smile.
"Potter is lucky to have you by his side," he said after thinking for a moment about whether he should voice his thoughts. Luna, who had been halfway to the door, turned to him once more and gave him a heartwarming smile. Severus didn't know what to think about the situation, but he could feel how much warmth this positive encounter with Luna Lovegood had left in him.
"So it could have always been like this," he thought and sighed. It wasn't too often that Lily was so present to him anymore, but at that moment, the deep-rooted grief struck a nerve again.
Hermione shivered from a slight bout of chills as she awoke from the trance she had put herself in. She pulled her knees to her chest after sitting up in her bed, and her eyes fell on Lancelot, who was sitting on the large wall clock, silently watching her. He spread his wings slightly and paused for a few seconds as he continued to gaze at her. Hermione, who had understood, nodded and forced herself to smile slightly as her raven landed on one of her knees and sat down, cooing as he continued to scrutinise her with one eye, winking trustingly. Lancelot had been the only one she had let in, which was mainly because she didn't want to talk to anyone. Her animal companion had immediately understood that she needed time to herself. Time to deal with her feelings of guilt. It was her fault. There was no doubt about that. After she had returned to Hogwarts, she had had to use all her remaining energy to discuss the most important points with Kingsley and Dumbledore. She had simply functioned as if she had been put on autopilot and had shoved all her emotions into a corner of her mind, from which they had finally erupted and rolled over her when she had arrived in her dormitory.
For a brief moment, she felt the need to say something to Lancelot, but it vanished immediately as she looked down at her hand, which still had dried blood on it. She hadn't been able to stop her tears, had cried more than she probably had in her entire life and even when her tears had turned blood red from the overuse of her tear ducts, the tons of guilt had continued to press down on her chest. She looked from Lancelot to the window that stood open so he could get outside. The sun had already set, and a reddish crescent moon was rising over the treetops of the Forbidden Forest. She was glad that none of her friends had taken the opportunity to get to her through her open window. They seemed to have finally understood that she had to be alone when Luna had been unable to get through her door, even with brute force. She screwed up her face as her stomach cramped with hunger, but she hadn't been able to get a bite down for days as the thought of food made her feel nauseous instead of appealing to her appetite. She hadn't been able to down more than a few sips of tea in the last few days.
"You..." she began, but she had to cough heavily as little more than a croak escaped her throat. Her lungs ached as she finally conquered the urge to cough, and she finally realised that her body couldn't take much more water and food deprivation. Weakly, she reached out for one of the many bottles of water the uninvited house elves had brought her. She had been unable to stop them, despite her protective spells, and so her only refuge had been her own mind, in which she had felt trapped, with her knowledge and memories standing crushingly close in her mind at all times, screaming at her to be relived.
The sip of water that moistened her throat seemed to be absorbed so quickly by her body, thirsting after the long trance, that it felt like it didn't even reach her stomach. The next sip made Hermione feel like she was being reborn. However, there didn't seem to be anything positive worth being reborn into this world for. Her mind wandered to Fawkes as she took more small sips to give her body what it was begging for. Was Fawkes happy? Doomed to spend his many lives in Albus Dumbledore's office. What did it mean to live if your life never ended? Hermione coughed as she finished the bottle. Her stomach cramped under the sudden strain, and Hermione only just managed to stop herself from throwing up.
"Fuck," she moaned and looked at Lancelot, who had continued to sit silently on her knee and watch her. It still felt as if her chest was constricted by invisible ropes that tightened the more she thought back to what had happened a few days ago. "It's all my fault, Lancelot," she sobbed, burying her face in her hands. "Why was I so stupid? How could I have put them in such danger? I should have listened to Dumbledore," she said, interrupted again and again by sobs, looking blearily at her animal companion, who understood that he was giving her the most comfort by listening to her. "What happened in Egypt is irrelevant. I've had enough time since Christmas to look for an alternative for the Fidelius. But I had to do an internship and have drama with Viktor Krum," she said, noticing the tears finding their way down her cheeks, to which Lancelot crooned softly. "It's true, Lancelot. I could have prevented all this. Malik left me no choice in the end, but he would never have had such a hold on me if my parents had been safe."
Lancelot crowed again and shook his head. Hermione was about to give him more arguments for her own guilt but inhaled sharply when the room was suddenly flooded with a dazzling light. It was so strong that she had to raise her arm protectively in front of her eyes. She was about to take up a defensive position when an incredible warmth flooded through her. She wiped the tears from her eyes and looked towards the source of the silvery light that had come from the direction of her window. She inhaled with a sigh as she looked into the silver eyes of the doe, who shyly lowered her head, which she had stuck through the wall. With every inch that the doe slowly and carefully approached her, the weight was lifted a little more from Hermione's chest. The doe blurred before her gaze again as her tears returned, but this time they were tears of release. The graceful Patronus stopped just short of her face, and Hermione was overwhelmed by the feeling of being embraced by Severus, amplified a thousandfold.
She wanted to say something, but she was shaken by sobs so violent that no words would pass her lips, so she let her tears run free once more while Severus' Patronus sat silently on the floor in front of her. Hermione somehow knew it would stay as long as she wanted, warming her heart from the inside and taking on some of her pain to prevent her from breaking under it.
"Thank you," she whispered after what felt like an eternity.
"Hermione!" cried Luna, getting up immediately. She had been lingering opposite Hermione's room door, writing her essay for Transfiguration on the floor so she could be there for her best friend as soon as she was ready to leave her room. She stormed the few metres towards Hermione, but stopped before she got to her and looked Hermione in the eye, silently asking her permission for a hug. She could see Hermione's eyes becoming moist, and hugged her tightly. A few long moments passed as the two silently embraced outside Hermione's dormitory, and Luna pulled her close.
"Thank you for waiting," Hermione whispered against Luna's shoulder and pulled her into her dormitory with her after a few curious housemates poked their heads into the corridor after Luna's outcry. Hermione sat down on her bed and stared at her hands folded in her lap for a few moments.
"Hermione, I'm so sorry," Luna said, sitting down cross-legged on the bed with her friend and offering her hand. Hermione nodded mutely and avoided her gaze, but took Luna's hand and stroked the back of it gently with her thumb. Luna, who thought she knew what Hermione needed, said nothing more but scooted closer to her and hugged her tightly from the side. The two of them stayed like that for almost fifteen minutes until Hermione sighed heavily.
"Thank you."
"When my mum died, I hid in my room too, I didn't want to have nothing to do with anyone, but at the same time I wanted someone to hold me," Luna told her, and Hermione nodded silently. "Did the Patronus help?"
"Yes," Hermione breathed, and Luna was glad to see a slight smile forming on her lips. "Wait a minute!" she said after a few seconds of silence, and her head jerked up. "How could you know that? That was the patronus of..."
"I have a new penfriend! Accio," Luna said with a smile and waved her wand, which Hermione didn't seem to have noticed until now. A black parchment flew out of Luna's pocket into her hand, and Hermione raised her eyebrows in astonishment. "I know it was risky."
"How did he react? Did he have a heart attack?" Hermione asked, smiling more broadly, and Luna, happy about the positive reaction, beamed from ear to ear and nodded.
"He was really nice, completely different from usual," Luna said, remembering her conversation with the other side of her Potions teacher. "I almost didn't dare, but he accepted the parchment and wrote to me as soon as he had the idea of the patronus."
"So that's how he knew where my dormitory was. And you just approached him?"
"After potions. I locked the door first. I was just so worried. And so was he."
"I'm sorry," Hermione said, sadness returning to her face as she averted her eyes. Luna shook her head as she clasped her hand in hers and squeezed it tightly. "I won't let anything happen to anyone again," Luna heard the whispered words and felt goose bumps spread across her body as their eyes met. She didn't know what to respond, and the grimly determined look on Hermione's darkened face seemed to penetrate her soul. She managed to withstand the penetrating gaze until she saw the Black Mail parchment glow green out of the corner of her eye. Hermione also eyed the parchment, and Luna was glad to see the corners of her mouth lift.
"He asks me almost every hour if you've given any sign of life," Luna said carefully, and Hermione seemed to understand what she was trying to imply.
"Then you should answer him," she said, whereupon Luna pulled her quill out of her pocket, beaming, and replied not only to Severus, but immediately wrote to all her friends and Sirius. "I know I should have written to you sooner."
"You don't owe us anything. You just needed time for yourself. None of us are angry with you for that! We're all just relieved that you're okay. Given the circumstances."
"Thank you," Hermione whispered, and Luna hugged her friend as thick tears rolled down her cheeks. Luna gently stroked Hermione's tousled hair and enveloped her with her whole body as she wept silently into Luna's shoulder. She thought of her own mum, wanting to tell Hermione that it got easier with time, but the pain that hit her heart at that moment constricted her throat like a thick rope. The two of them remained tightly embraced for a while, and Luna realised how Hermione's warmth eased her own pain. She hoped that her warmth had the same effect on Hermione and believed their friendship was a magical bond that no one could ever break.
Nymphadora Tonks took a shaky breath before she grabbed a handful of floo powder from the bowl next to her chimney and threw it into the barely burning embers in front of her. She stepped into the green flames, which immediately flared up, and spoke her destination loud and clear. For a few moments of silence, countless chimneys of Britain's floo network flew past her at breakneck speed. She held her breath to avoid inhaling ash as she arrived, and before she could even glance around Dumbledore's office, she heard Hermione's voice and a sinking feeling spread through her stomach.
Tonks, like the rest of her friends, had been sitting in front of a piece of Black Mail parchment for the past few days, begging for a sign of life from Hermione. Her guilt had grown stronger and stronger with each passing hour without a reply until eventually she couldn't take it anymore and had numbed her guilt with whiskey. She had hated herself the next morning, not because she continued to blame herself for what had happened to Hermione and her parents, but because she had lost control. All her life, the colour of her hair had reflected her well-being when she wasn't actively changing it, and that morning, for the first time, her hair had been pitch black.
When her eyes made momentary contact with Hermione's hazel eyes, she was struck by a mixture of relief, sadness and worry that made her freeze for a moment until Albus Dumbledore greeted her. Tonks raised a hand and glanced briefly at Kingsley and Alastor Moody, who were sitting in chintz armchairs next to Hermione, just as they had in her first meeting with the Core of the Order. Tonks thanked Dumbledore and sat down when he had summoned an armchair for her as well, glancing again fleetingly at Hermione, who was looking down at her hands folded in her lap.
"Now that we are complete, I would like to begin this extraordinary meeting by offering our condolences to you Hermione. At your request, I was able to persuade the Minister of Magic and Rufus to give me the authority to settle some important matters with you. I hate to push you into anything, but Kingsley and Tonks are waiting for your report on what happened before the blood ritual where Kingsley and Tonks found you," Dumbledore said. Tonks was surprised that Dumbledore got to the point so quickly, but she didn't know what she would have said or done in his place. There was no way around the truth or the legal guidelines that had to be followed when a minor witch lost her parents or guardians.
"All right," Hermione said curtly, gripping one of her wide braids to keep her fingers busy as she recounted how she and Dawlish had suddenly bumped into a wall in the hieroglyph-covered corridor of the obelisk that had clearly been of magical origin. Tonks had to concentrate on suppressing her own flashbacks and emotions to follow Hermione's narrative in her role of an Auror.
"When I turned around, Dawlish had also disappeared, and I was standing in the huge altar room. A few servants dressed in white robes stood on either side of the room. The wizard in front of the altar... greeted me. He introduced himself as Malik. My parents stood to his left and right. Their eyes..." Hermione said and paused, taking an almost inaudible breath. "Their eyes were snow-white as if they were twisted backwards. He offered not to spill any more blood with feigned generosity, and I told him that I didn't want any of this to happen," Hermione said, pausing to catch her breath. Tonks repeatedly felt the need to get up and embrace Hermione. It was becoming increasingly difficult to listen with concentration and treat Hermione's report as testimony. "He assured me that he would keep his word and that my parents would survive if I agreed of my own free will and placed my right hand on the prism stone that lay in the centre of the altar. Ever since I had read the letter, I had wanted to fight and face Malik, rescue my parents and punish him. But when I saw them standing there next to him like puppets, I simply couldn't. I think I sensed deep down that it was already too late when I first saw them, but I didn't want to admit it. So I put my hand on the prism stone."
"Excuse me for interrupting, but can you describe the stone in more detail?" Dumbledore asked, and Tonks couldn't stop a grim look from spreading across her face. There was still time for such questions later.
"It was a gleaming stone, like the one we found in the workshop in London. It wasn't as high quality though. It looked more like a shard of a larger stone. My hand started to shake as I extended it forward. It felt like strong ropes were pulling on my arm. That's all I can remember before I woke up."
There was silence in Dumbledore's office for a few seconds as everyone present knew what Hermione had found after Tonks had interrupted the ritual. Tonks was glad that Dumbledore didn't ask any more detailed questions about her parents and clenched her fist. Malik would pay for this. Even though Hermione insisted that she alone was to blame for all of this, Tonks felt as though she had failed and let Hermione down. Since Kingsley had already discussed with Dumbledore what had happened in London before Hermione's parents had been taken when she returned to Hogwarts, there were few questions left about what had happened in Egypt.
"Thank you, Hermione. I know how hard it is to lose beloved family members too soon, and once again express our united condolences to you. If it's all right with you, I'd like to discuss the legal matters concerning your future next. Or would you prefer to do so in private..."
"It's fine. I'm not that familiar with magical law anyway," Hermione interrupted Dumbledore, to which he nodded and continued.
"First of all, probably the most unpleasant decision is how your parents' deaths should be portrayed in the Muggle world. Kingsley and Rufus have suggested the best way is to make it look like a car crash. The question now is..." Dumbledore explained, looking over his half-moon spectacles at Hermione.
"Whether I should take the opportunity to break away from the Muggle world. I've thought about that, too. I think that would be easier."
"I can't make that decision for you, but I would like to say that I also think it makes more sense. Is that your decision?"
"Yes," Hermione said tonelessly, and once again, Tonks felt the urge to hug her.
"I'll arrange for your parents' estate to be transferred to your vault."
"No, donate it. I can't sit on a pile of Muggle money I can't do anything with in the future. Donate it to a charity or an orphanage."
"All right. However, it would be advisable to keep at least a small portion for emergencies in the Muggle world. If the procedures applied to such cases at the Ministry are being followed normally, there should be a funeral in the Muggle world, conducted with empty coffins. It's up to you to decide how and if you want to bury your parents once the Ministry's investigation is complete."
"Do I have to decide that now?"
"Not necessarily," Dumbledore replied, opening his mouth but closing it again. "Take as much time as you need."
"Okay, I'll get back to you when I've decided," Hermione said, and Dumbledore nodded.
"That leaves the question of who will take over your guardianship at the end of the school year until you are of age for your immediate future in the wizarding world. You will, of course, be under my guardianship during the school year, but you must have a guardian by law. Sirius has already approached me about this."
"No," Hermione replied firmly, and Dumbledore nodded in understanding. "I appreciate his offer, but Harry's safety cannot be endangered by me. If someone wants to get to him through his inner circle, they have enough opportunities as it is. I can't let the same thing happen to him."
"You could protect him well by being close to him, though," Dumbledore interjected. Tonks had a feeling that Dumbledore saw Sirius as the best candidate but wanted to respect Hermione's decision.
"I can't protect Harry while there is an unknown spell or enchantment on my hand that a dark wizard is willing to kidnap and sacrifice my parents for," Hermione said, and Tonks closed her eyes. It wasn't fair how much suffering Hermione had already had to endure in her life. How much more could she take?
"I'll do it," she heard Mad-Eye's rasping voice say and raised her eyebrows in surprise. Hermione and Dumbledore seemed to have been taken by surprise as well, both looking silently at Moody, whose magical eye darted back and forth between them. "Did I stutter? I'm going to be your guardian. Two years? I can just about manage that. We'll build a house. We'll practice. We'll catch that ugly bastard. And if we have time in between, maybe we can destroy a Horcrux or two. Provided I survive the school year. From what I've learnt after I've been employed, there's been a bit of a trend over the last few years..."
Tonks could tell Hermione was struggling with an amused snort as she was, but she couldn't think of anyone better to support Hermione in her time away from Hogwarts in the future.
"Alastor..."
"Come on, Albus. We all know what really matters now. Hermione needs rest and someone who knows who she really is. Not a Sirius."
"You're right," Hermione said, looking from Moody to Dumbledore, who was running a hand through his beard and looking piercingly at Alastor.
"It's your decision, Hermione. If you want Alastor to be your guardian..."
"Yes."
"I won't be too strict about bedtimes either," Moody said, which actually elicited a smile from Hermione.
"Thank you, Alastor."
Tonks could tell Hermione hadn't expected it but was genuinely pleased at this surprising turn of events. Dumbledore and Hermione discussed the remaining, less emotional and more bureaucratic questions in quick succession and so they next came to the question of how to proceed with the Moon Tear case. Dumbledore declared the case to be a matter for the Order of the Phoenix with immediate effect and asked Tonks and Kingsley for their memories of what had happened so far. Hermione volunteered her memories, and Dumbledore, with Tonks' and Kingsley's consent, ordered to be approached with new information about the case whenever it occurred. Tonks reported that Nephtys had already made some initial enquiries in the obelisk, but to her frustration, she had discovered on her first visit after the ritual that the magic in the building had vanished from one moment to the next, just as it had with the artefacts in the workshop. Nephtys and the Egyptian Aurors had done their best to hide the building from the Muggles after the protective spells had vanished in one fell swoop.
"Kingsley and I will support Nephtys and the Aurors on site as soon as we can," she said in conclusion and exchanged a glance with Kingsley, who gave her a barely perceptible nod. Dumbledore then reported the little news about the events at the Lestrange manor that Severus Snape had picked up.
Tonks felt drained as she climbed out of the fireplace in her flat after the meeting. She sighed and flopped down on her couch in the living room after changing into more comfortable clothes. Hermione had been distant again, even though she had hugged Tonks goodbye. She knew that Hermione couldn't say goodbye to her affectionately in front of the Order members, but she had sensed an invisible wall that had stood between them, at least in this situation.
"If only I could see inside her head the way she can," she thought in frustration, waving her wand to summon a Coke from her fridge. She actively stopped herself from going over to her bar. Alcohol would only worsen her mood. "Fuck!" she shouted into the silence, rubbing her tired eyes. She looked up as her doorbell rang. Had she been too loud? Bullshit, the flat was sealed off from the rest of the flats in the house by magic. Tonks stood up, hid her wand in the sleeve of her hoodie and opened the door.
"Hey," she said in surprise as she looked into the hazel eyes she had last seen less than ten minutes ago.
"Hey," Hermione replied, stepping inside after Tonks had invited her in.
"Do you want something to drink?"
"Not right now, thanks," Hermione replied, and Tonks nodded with her lips pressed together. "Can we talk?"
"Sure, sit down," Tonks said, having to use her metamorphic abilities to stop the sudden stinging in her nose from bringing tears to her eyes. She swallowed and settled down on the couch opposite Hermione. She looked at her hands for a few seconds as she prepared herself for the worst. It was her fault. She should have realised earlier that Hermione's parents had been in danger. It was only fair that Hermione felt the same way. Her eyes flew up as Hermione took a shaky breath and the stinging in her nose intensified when she saw Hermione's tears. She wanted to apologise, to say that she was sorry, that it was her fault but as she started to speak she realised that Hermione had put a Silencio on her.
"It's not your fault. Please listen to me," Hermione said, and Tonks nodded after a pause. "I'm not here to blame you. I..." she said, taking another shaky breath. "I'm here because I'm desperate. I really care about you, Tonks. I... Every time I think of you, see you, hug you... I see them. I don't know what to do. I've tried everything. I don't know if it's the next disgusting curse that Malik has put on me or a nightmare like Voldemort haunting me since the diadem when I fall asleep without a trance. I can't get rid of it, and I don't know if this is the right decision, but... I think it would be better if we didn't see each other for a while," Hermione said, sobbing, and Tonks couldn't stop the tears from finding their way into her eyes. "I don't want to lose this. I don't want to lose you. I have to deal with everything that's happened myself first, and I genuinely hope this doesn't destroy everything. I really don't want to do this, but my gut tells me that there's no other way at the moment. I don't expect you to understand. I just hope you don't hate me," Hermione said, cupping her hands over her face. Tonks took a deep breath and ran a hand through her hair, which was shoulder length today. She saw out of the corner of her eye that it had gone black again and closed her eyes before she slid forward on the couch and hugged Hermione tightly.
"Please don't hate me," Hermione sobbed softly, and Tonks clutched her tightly to her chest as she gently stroked her back. She felt her heart pounding in her chest, felt the pain, the sadness and disappointment, but she would never hate Hermione. She pulled her wand from her sleeve behind Hermione's back and terminated the Silencio after using her muteness to take another silent deep breath.
"I will never hate you, Hermione. I can't tell you what to do. All I can do is accept it and hope," she said, closing her eyes as Hermione hugged her tightly. It took a while for her to calm down, and Tonks was glad that Hermione didn't shy away from her touch.
"I'm so sorry. I think I'd better go now," Hermione finally said with a hiccup and stood up.
"Take care, Hermione."
"I'll try," Hermione said, swallowing before closing her eyes and disapparating with a sad expression on her face. Tonks felt the silence that followed press heavily on her chest. The tears returned, and she pulled her knees to her chest, sobbing.
"Hey, how is she?" asked Luna, looking up from her Black Mail conversation with Tonks as Harry stepped through the door into the Room of Requirement, which vanished into thin air behind him.
"Okay, I suppose. She was relatively pleased with my progress, considering we had to take such a long break."
"I guess it was worth you teaching me Occlumency then," Luna said with a grin and giggled when Harry snorted. He had been having a lot of trouble for some time, asking her if she could understand a word of Sigmund Freud's book that Hermione had used to learn Occlumency. The two of them had invested a lot of time in strengthening Harry's mental barrier, and Luna had at least learnt enough to resist a memory charm two weeks earlier. Luna felt her heart begin to beat faster as Harry hugged her and gave her a gentle kiss on the forehead.
"Fancy a bit of fresh air? I didn't see a cloud in the sky through the windows," Harry asked, grinning when Luna gave him a frowning look.
"It's ten minutes before curfew."
"That hasn't stopped you from coming here the last few weeks," Harry said, and Luna laughed as he made her do a pirouette with his hand. She nodded and followed Harry, who pulled out his invisibility cloak as he made his way to the reappearing exit. Luna felt goose bumps spread across her body as Harry pressed himself close to her from behind under the cloak. She let herself be guided by his gentle pressure and realised after a while that he wasn't heading for the Entrance Hall but for the Astronomy Tower. As the two of them turned into the corridor that led to the large spiral staircase of the Astronomy Tower, they were just able to catch their breath as a dark figure walked past them with almost silent steps just over half a metre away. Professor McGonagall paused for a moment, looked round with a furrowed brow, and Luna's eyes widened as the stern Head of Gryffindor opened her mouth.
"Good evening," Professor McGonagall said, and Luna had to resist the urge to take a deep breath after the initial shock as the portrait she and Harry were standing in front of under the invisibility cloak replied. Luna closed her eyes and tried to get her rapid heartbeat under control while the portrait and the usually grumpy teacher had a surprisingly cheerful conversation about the coming spring and Quidditch. "I'm afraid I have to go, Aelfric. Duty calls," she said after what felt like an eternity to the portrait of the young wizard, who bid her farewell with a compliment that made Professor McGonagall's cheeks glow pink in the moonlight. Harry and Luna let out a snort after tiptoeing away from the portrait and snickered the rest of the way until they finally stepped out onto the Astronomy Tower into the night, brightly lit by the full moon.
"That was really close," Luna said, pulling Harry into a kiss after they both threw off the invisibility cloak. As always, all thoughts were sucked out of her head when she kissed Harry, and she felt the butterflies dancing wildly in her stomach, just like at the Yule Ball. "Thanks for talking me into it. It's really nice tonight. And it's a full moon!"
"Now you see the great ideas I have!" said Harry sarcastically, and Luna rolled her eyes. She looked down at the Black Lake, on whose smooth surface the moon and the few stars that were still visible were reflected. She smiled as Harry took her hand and gazed silently beside her at the breathtaking scenery beyond the Forbidden Forest. "I hope Remus took the potion in time," Harry finally broke the silence, and Luna looked into his green eyes, which also reflected the moon.
"Sirius will have made sure he's okay," Luna said, gently squeezing Harry's hand, who smiled and nodded after a few seconds. "You're sweet."
"Because I'm worried about a family friend?" asked Harry after a sideways glance at Luna, who nodded. "Even when he takes the potion, the transformation is still painful. Can you remember how battered he looked sometimes last year?"
"Mhm. But it's also really fascinating! Do you think he'd be angry with me if I asked him if I could be there when he transforms?" asked Luna, smiling when Harry gave her a bewildered look and then shook his head with a grin.
"You're probably the only witch in Britain who would approach a werewolf out of interest," he said, and Luna nodded with a grin.
"Don't you think it's fascinating that people can change their entire body?" asked Luna, watching a fat bug that landed buzzing on the wide stone balustrade in front of them. "Imagine if you could turn into an animal, not like Sirius, but like Remus."
"I'd rather not," Harry said with a grin, watching the beetle for a few seconds as it rubbed its antennae like a fly as if planning something. "Your passion for magical creatures is admirable, really."
"Thank you," Luna said, pressing a kiss to Harry's cheek. "My mum always said that if something really interests you, don't let anyone discourage you."
"You've been missing her lately, haven't you?" asked Harry, hugging Luna from the side, who nodded silently and looked up at the full moon. "I miss my parents sometimes, too. Even if that's different."
"Why would that be different?"
"Well, I don't remember them, but you and Hermione do."
"That sounds like you aren't allowed to miss your parents because they died so young. Please don't believe that Harry," Luna said, pulling away from Harry's side hug to look him in the eye. "They're both in here," she said, placing a hand on his chest. Harry's mouth twisted into an appreciative smile, and Luna felt the butterflies in her stomach again as he pulled her tightly against him. She flinched as the cawing of two ravens suddenly sounded from the roof of the Astronomy Tower, and the two of them instinctively jumped backwards as a dark shadow hovered towards them the next moment, missing them by a hair's breadth.
"What the..." Harry gasped, and Luna looked in astonishment at the balustrade, where a raven was now sitting where they had just been standing, pecking at the dark stone with its beak. Luna wasn't one hundred per cent sure but thought she recognised Lancelot and was about to greet him when her words caught in her throat at the spectacle unfolding before them.
Lancelot had flown straight at the bug that had been sitting quietly on the balustrade the whole time. He had missed it at first, but a moment later, the fat bug was wriggling helplessly in his beak, and Luna's eyes widened as the bug suddenly inflated like a balloon. Lancelot just managed to drop the ever-expanding bug before his beak was torn in two. Harry and Luna gasped as the beetle's fingers, then hands, arms and legs sprouted until finally, the rest of the beetle's body took on a human shape that Luna and Harry were very familiar with. Luna was one second quicker than Harry and shouted 'Expelliarmus' just as Rita Skeeter swung her wand. Luna caught the wand with a pounding heart and stared at the gossip reporter for a few seconds, who glared at her with a face contorted in rage.
"Bloody bitch!" shouted Rita Skeeter, who would probably have added more insults if her mouth hadn't just moved silently the next moment after Harry had muted her with a spell. He had snapped out of his initial stupor and was now kneeling over the cowering Skeeter, his wand pointed at her face.
"You're the only bitch here, you ugly hag. But the fun's over now. If I remember correctly, there are five years of Azkaban waiting for unregistered Animagi," Harry hissed, and Luna could see that he had to control himself not to put a curse on her. Her eyes widened as she fully realised the situation for the first time.
"Harry," she whispered, kneeling beside him to whisper in his ear. "If she ends up in Azkaban, the next reporter might just come along and write the same rubbish. Wouldn't it be better to keep that as a trump card up our sleeve?"
"True, but we can't let her go. If she can disguise herself as a bug, she can cast a memory charm on us at the next opportunity... Wait!" he thought aloud, turning his head towards Luna for the first time since Skeeter's grotesque transformation. "Can you conjure a vial for me?"
Luna nodded and waved her wand without even thinking about the conjuration spell momentarily.
"Gosh, I love you so much!" Harry said and immediately raised his wand to his temple with his eyes closed when the vial appeared in his hand. Luna, feeling the blood rush to her head, exchanged a quick glance with Rita Skeeter. Her thoughts had been sucked out of her head by Harry's words as if by a cleansing charm, and she watched, heart, pounding in her throat, as a silver thread formed at the tip of his wand, which he seemed to be slowly pulling out of his head. Had she misheard him? She blinked rapidly to get rid of the impending tears before they could find their way into her eyes. The feeling of being light as a feather disappeared a moment later as her self-doubt brought her back to earth like an anchor. Had he just said it like that? She felt a sinking feeling rise in her stomach. She had to check. She had been suppressing her seer ability in Harry's presence since December, out of an underlying, irrational fear that he might have been faking it. She'd been on the verge of using her abilities several times but had stopped at the last second because she knew she couldn't handle him pretending. Everything was just too good to be true and so different from her life before she met Hermione. It was all a perfect breeding ground for the fear of not being good enough for Harry that had taken deep root in her. But there was no way out. Wasting no more time, she closed her eyes and drew a breath before opening them again.
Her breath caught when she saw the fiery red ribbon of light hovering between Harry and herself. Once again, she had to blink away her tears of joy, but she only did so to avoid crying in front of Rita Skeeter. Harry, who seemed oblivious to Luna's rollercoaster ride of emotions, corked the vial and turned his gaze back to Skeeter lying on the stone floor.
"Listen carefully. This is how it's going to be. I have the memory of your transformation as proof. That was the last time you set foot on Hogwarts grounds. You will not write any more articles about me, my friends or relatives, or harass them in any other way with your lies. You will also make sure that no one else spreads lies about us either. If I overhear anything, you'll end up in Azkaban for five years. I'm sure the Dementors will be looking forward to meeting you," Harry said slowly and deliberately, while Rita Skeeter's gaze was fixed on the vial. Luna could see that the reporter was feverishly thinking about how she could get out of this situation and had an idea.
"Harry, please give me the vial," she said, gently placing her hand on Harry's shoulder so as not to startle him. He looked at her questioningly for a moment but seemed to realise that she had a plan and handed her the vial. "Hey, Lancelot. Are you okay? I hope you didn't hurt yourself," she greeted Hermione's animal companion, who had been watching the spectacle from the balustrade. Luna giggled as Lancelot stretched out his wings one after the other, checked them and then nodded eagerly with his beak. "Can you take this vial to Sirius at Black Manor?" she asked, beaming as Lancelot bobbed up and down in delight and crowed happily. She let the vial float in the air in front of him so that he could easily grab it with his claws. "Thank you," she whispered and looked after him after he had immediately flown off silently in the direction of the Black Lake. From the roof of the astronomy tower, she suddenly heard the beating of another pair of wings and in the next moment saw another shadow gliding overhead, but one that looked much larger than Lancelot against the starry sky. She followed the large raven with her gaze and smiled when she recognised in the distance over the illuminated lake that the second raven was accompanying Lancelot.
"You're the best!" exclaimed Harry, snapping Luna out of her thoughts. "That was really brilliant! But what do we do now?"
"I'll write to Sirius, and we'll..."
"Mr Potter!" a sharp voice suddenly sounded from the shadows, making Luna and Harry flinch. "Well, this is just typical! What do you think..." Professor McGonagall began one of her dreaded rants as her breath caught in her throat at the sight of the miserable-looking Rita Skeeter on the floor. "What... What in Merlin's beard! What's going on here?"
"Excuse me, Professor! We were on our way to our dormitories when we noticed a movement in the shadows. Harry thought Malfoy was ambushing us and fired a stunner into the corner. We only just realised it was Skeeter, who was probably gathering material for her next article again, so we woke her up again and tried to question her," Luna forestalled Harry. Professor McGonagall had listened to her explanation with a stern look and then cast another disbelieving glance at Rita Skeeter. "Here's her wand. Isn't Miss Skeeter actually banned from the castle?" asked Luna, putting on the most innocent face she could muster given her current emotional state.
"Of course! I'll hand her over to Professor Dumbledore at once! Stupor!" shouted Harry's head of house to Luna's surprise, and her expression relaxed slightly as she looked at Skeeter lying motionless on the floor. "I can't stand that horrible woman," she added and smirked when Luna giggled out loud. Professor McGonagall watched her for a moment, and then her eyes wandered to Harry and back to Luna. "You have done Hogwarts and me a great favour. Therefore, I award 50 points to Gryffindor and Ravenclaw. However, you were both out of your common rooms well after midnight! 30 points off for Gryffindor and Ravenclaw. Potter, you will escort Miss Lovegood safely to her common room."
Luna looked at Professor McGonagall in surprise for a moment, because when she had sent Lancelot off, she had seen on the large clock tower that it was just before 11 o'clock. The usually stern Head of Gryffindor gave Luna a knowing, impish look, twitched her eyebrows and turned round without another word with the motionless Rita Skeeter hovering beside her. Luna and Harry looked after the two of them, puzzled.
"What was that all about?" Harry asked helplessly, and Luna shrugged her shoulders with a smile as if she hadn't understood the meaning of Professor McGonagall's behaviour either. Her heart started beating again, and she felt all the blood in her body make its way to her face. She had to overcome her own anxiety to hold Harry's hand, who had already taken the invisibility cloak out of his bag, and look deep into his eyes.
"Harry, wait. I... I love you too," she said, her heart beating fast, unable to stop the tears this time. Harry, whose eyes began to shine, looked at her a moment later with a horrified expression as he seemed to realise what he had said earlier. Luna laughed through her tears of joy and playfully put her hand over his mouth. "I don't care how you said it. What matters is how you feel. And I know it's true. And I love you so much!" she sobbed at the last words and threw her arms around Harry's neck.
"I'm such an idiot. I'm sorry," Harry whispered in her ear, and Luna shook her head, giggling. She looked into his eyes with a blurred expression, and the two of them melted into an intimate kiss a moment later. Luna shivered slightly as his hand, which had first stroked her hair, now travelled to her back and let his fingers move in circular motions. She placed her hands on his cheeks and had to suppress a giggle when he began to tremble slightly as she gently stroked his cheeks with her thumbs. "I love you," he whispered in her ear after they had separated, which gave Luna goosebumps again. She looked up into his bright green eyes and let the sight sink in for a few wonderful seconds.
"I want to go back to the Room of Requirement, snuggle up by the fire for a bit," she whispered, still caught in the gaze of his green eyes.
"But Professor McGonagall..."
"Said she'd deduct points for being on the Astronomy Tower way past midnight. Look at the clock tower! Either she's forgotten how to read the clock, or she's given us some extra time for us," said Luna, giggling as Harry stared at her in amazement.
"You really think so?" he asked, and Luna nodded with a smile. He still didn't seem convinced, so Luna unceremoniously took the invisibility cloak from his hand, snuggled up close to him and wrapped them both in the cloak. Harry's muscles relaxed as Luna pressed a soft kiss on his lips under the cloak.
"Let's go, I'm getting cold."
On the way back to the Room of Requirement on the seventh floor, the two stopped again and again to exchange kisses, sometimes gentle, sometimes passionate. Luna felt the butterflies in her stomach slowly spread throughout her body.
"I need a room where I can spend a romantic night by the fire with Harry," Luna repeated three times in her mind as the two of them walked up and down in front of the hidden entrance door to the Room of Requirement. "Wow, this is really nice," she said aloud as they entered the room, which had really gone all out this time.
"You thought of all this when you wished for the room?" asked Harry as he glanced around the large room with an open fireplace that, much like the ceiling of the Great Hall and Harry's bed in Black Manor, featured a stunning night sky, making the illusion of an outdoor fireplace almost perfect.
"Where's the full moon? That's not our night sky!" said Harry, looking at the perfectly visible Milky Way on the enchanted ceiling, and Luna punched him on the shoulder, giggling.
"Shut up! This is beautiful. Shall we sit by the fire?"
Harry nodded and let Luna lead him by the hand to the large, round fire, in front of which lay a huge fur rug. It was surprisingly comfortable, and Luna let herself fall back against Harry's chest with a sigh, as he settled behind her and hugged her from behind. She savoured the cosy heat of the fire and Harry's warmth, whose hands, as always in this position, found her breasts as if drawn by a magnet. Luna closed her eyes as he brushed her hair aside and gently kissed her neck, causing goose bumps to spread all over her body.
"This is amazing," she whispered as he let his lips roam and now covered the side of her neck with gentle kisses. She let herself fall completely into his loving touch and felt the desire inside her grow stronger and stronger. Deep sighs escaped her again and again as his hands massaged her breasts through the cape and travelled down to caress her stomach. "I want to try again," she finally said as the tingling in her legs grew stronger and stronger.
"Are you sure? I don't want to hurt you again," he asked in a worried voice, whereupon Luna sat up and turned to face him.
"I'm sure," she said, looking him in the eye as she began to remove his clothes. The conversation with Penelope after their first attempt, which Harry had stopped immediately after realising that Luna was in pain, had freed her from her initial uncertainty, and she was sure that it would work this time. She liked the strong pull her eyes had on his, because every time she looked into his eyes, she had the feeling that he had a hard time breaking away from her gaze. "I love you. And I want you," she whispered and had to suppress a giggle when he gasped lustfully after she bit her lower lip while still maintaining eye contact.
"Your eyes are so beautiful," he said softly, pausing for another moment, where he seemed to gaze even deeper into her blue eyes before kissing her passionately and rolling her over backwards. Luna sighed as she felt his hands on her skin, caressing every inch they exposed. Smiling, she lifted her arms over her head so that he could slip her robe over her head and let herself fall into the soft fur and tender touch.
"Come close to me," Luna breathed and pulled him towards her. She savoured the pressure on her body, his warmth and his soft skin. She stroked his cheeks as they kissed passionately and moaned softly into his mouth as she felt him come closer and closer to her pelvis. She could feel his uncertainty and lifted her legs over his bum to gently push him in the right direction. Luna sighed as he slid into her smoothly and increased the pressure on his pelvis when she felt that everything was okay. Harry moaned loudly as his pelvis met hers, and Luna gripped him even tighter with her legs to intensify this wonderful feeling of connection.
Guided by her legs, he moved faster and faster and covered her neck with kisses while Luna moaned lustfully. Every touch on her breasts, every kiss on her cheeks and lips intensified the tingling sensation that spread through her lower body, and she never wanted this moment to end.
"That feels incredible," she whispered lustfully in his ear as she supported him more firmly with her legs, intensifying the feeling deep inside her. "Don't hold back," she said with a moan when she realised that he wanted to slow down and crossed her legs even tighter behind his bum to savour the moment to the full. Harry's whole body trembled as his breath caught, and Luna felt a wonderful warmth spreading through her. She sighed as Harry looked deep into her eyes and trembled all over again as he gently caressed her breasts. "That was beautiful," Luna said, smiling when she saw the relieved grin on Harry's face as he nodded, breathing heavily.
"Did you..." he asked a moment later, and Luna closed her eyes with a smile and shook her head. She was just opening her mouth to tell him that it had been wonderful as it was when she felt a cleansing charm roll over her body and sighed loudly as she felt his tongue between her legs. It took a moment before she was able to let herself fall completely into the intense sensation, but she felt her orgasm coming closer and closer, although it felt different than before. She trembled again and again when he paused for a moment and gently covered the insides of her thighs with kisses. She came closer and closer to the edge, and a loud moan escaped her when he suddenly picked up the pace and carried her over the edge at breakneck speed. She lost control of her legs, which held Harry in a tight grip as she trembled uncontrollably. The tingling in her lower body spread like a tidal wave throughout her entire body and left her face numb, intensifying the sensation. After what felt like an eternity, she realised that she still had Harry trapped between her legs and anxiously loosened her thighs. She giggled when she saw the euphoric look on his face and immediately pulled him into an intimate kiss, causing her still-numb lips to tingle with pleasure. Luna sighed as Harry began to cover her upper body with kisses again and caressed his back.
"Fuck, I don't want to stop," she said softly, as she felt the lust return from his kisses and applied gentle pressure to Harry's stomach with her knee to turn him onto his back. She felt her nipples stiffen at the sight of his upper body, trained by almost daily Quidditch, and bit her lower lip as her gaze fell on his pelvis. "There's someone else who wants more, I believe," she said, smiling as his stiffening cock twitched slightly. "Maybe I should say hello," she said with a playful tone in her voice as she gazed into Harry's green eyes, which grew wide a moment later as she covered his pelvis with kisses. She still maintained eye contact as she moved closer and closer to his hard cock, finally enveloping it with her lips. She knew Harry was enjoying looking into her eyes as she did so and sighed softly when she could see in his eyes how much he was enjoying it.
"I love you so much," he said with wide eyes, and Luna felt goosebumps spread all over her body again at the words. "Come to me."
Luna accepted the invitation and closed her eyes as his hands massaged her breasts while she positioned herself above him and, a moment later, slid down on top of him, moaning. The electrifying sensation she had felt in her pelvis in the lying position intensified as she slid her lower body back and forth on him. Harry gripped her pelvis and supported her movements as he looked deep into her eyes again.
"You're perfect," he said with a groan, and Luna could feel his words intensify the feeling in her lower body. She felt the sensation of being on the edge return as Harry pushed faster and faster from below, cheering her on. Her legs ached from the unaccustomed movement, but her pleasure wouldn't let her stop. She could tell from Harry's rapid breathing that he was about to come too. She moaned loudly as her pelvis shook violently, and it felt like a bomb was about to explode inside her. Her pelvis vibrated, and she moaned again as she felt Harry being carried over the edge, too. Her legs shook uncontrollably, and she felt Harry catch her as she collapsed on top of him, shaking violently. "Are you okay?" he asked worriedly, to which she could only reply with an exhausted nod of her head, as electrifying waves were still pulsing through her body, making her breath catch in her throat.
"That was unbelievable," she said, exhausted, after savouring Harry's warmth for a few minutes and slowly recovering. "I love you, Harry," she whispered as tears of happiness streamed down her cheeks, and she clung to him tightly.
"I love you too, Luna."
Author's Notes: Moving on isn't easy. I struggled more than I'd anticipated with this chapter, but I hope you enjoyed the read of this rollercoaster of emotions.
As always, I'd be delighted to read what you think about this chapter, and thank you to everyone who has already left comments and kudos! I hope you still enjoy the read =)
See you next time!
Kasing