Legal Disclaimer: I own my stuff, but not the original source material. That belongs to whoever. Also, the opinions and interpretations I use here may not reflect the same in said whoever that owns the source material. Look, I'm just a poor college librarian. Suing me isn't going to get you anything but tears.

Warning: This work may be offensive to some readers. Feel free to back out if need be.

Author's Note: I got all the best prompts for Day 4. It rocks.

Submitting Info:
Stacked with: Hogwarts (Term 13); MC4A
Individual Challenges: Beauty of the Abstract; True Colours; Shadow HP Bribery (Y); Gryffindor MC; Ravenclaw MC; Slytherin MC; Magical MC (x4); Shifter MC; Professor MC; Neurodivergent; Rowl in Her Grave; Rian-Russo Inversion (x3); Ethnic & Present (x2); Tiny Terror; Lovely Triangle; Claimed; Ship Sails; Setting Sail; Hold the Mayo; Gender Bender; Zed Era; Old Shoes (Y); Performance Art; Gwen's HP Checklist [Lunar Lion]; Skittles [Aromantic]; Short Jog; Bucket Listing; Two Cakes (Y); Eating Cake (Y); Green Ribbon; Greatest Gift
House: Slytherin
Assignment No.: Term 13 – Assignment 02
Subject (Task No.): n/a
Other Hogwarts Challenges: Insane Prompt Challenge [956](Hidden in the Shadows); 365 [320](Unconditional); Herbology Club [IP](Harry Potter); Auction [4-2](Blaise/Luna/Harry); Ferragosto [10](A Character Proven Wrong)(Y)
Other MC4A Challenges: Su Bingo [4B](Moon); AU [5B](Tattoo Parlor); Hunt [Su Con](Sweets/Candies); Chim [Limu](Sharing; Ceramic Mug); Ship (Heroic Shadow)[Sp Med 1](Parent/Teacher); TWT (Agender Luna; Post-War/Next Gen)[Task 2](Rosebush); Fire [Hard](Cutlasses); Garden [HPverse](Slytherin N/PR)
Representation(s): Agender Luna; Established Luna/Harry with Blaise joining; Harry raises Teddy; Ace Harry
Primary & Secondary Bonus Challenges: Lyre Liar; Abandoned Ship; Surprise!; Second Verse (Ladylike; Not a Lamp; Persistence Still; Found Family; Nontraditional; Zucchini Bread; Spinning Plates; Unwanted Advice; Car in a Tutu; Lock & Key; Three's Company; For the Vine; Lovely Coconuts; Trickster's Union); Chorus (Endless Wonder; Odd Feathers; Pocky Pockets; Wabi Sabi; Bee Haven; Fizzy Lemonade; Machismo; Peddling Pots; Mouth of Babes; Tomorrow's Shade; Larger than Life; Unicorn)
Tertiary & Generic Bonus Challenges: T3 (Thimble); SN (Rail; Ameliorate); LiCK (n/a); FR (Satisfaction; Evolution); O3 (Olivine); TY (Enfant)
Word Count: 1206

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Hidden in the Shadows
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At first, Harry and Luna did not even realize that there was a new teacher at Teddy's school that was from the magical world. This wasn't because they were uninvolved either. Nor was it because Teddy didn't talk about him.

Which he certainly did.

A lot.

One might even use the word constantly.

Mr. Damon had a starring role in all of Teddy's stories since the start of the school year. This was absolutely shocking given how the teacher taught Art and not one of the core subjects like English or History. Teddy had always been interested in the arts, which had been expected given what Harry and Luna did for a living, but it had never been to this extent. Teddy was now drawing just as much as he talked about his teacher.

It made the days when they had to both be in the shop easier.

It also made them both curious about the person their child had so clearly fallen in love with.

Unfortunately, it was nearly Halloween before they got a chance to meet the man. The school was having a sort of trunk-and-treat event. Instead of it giving out sweets and things from the boot of the school staff's cars, the teachers were all stationed around the school building with their stashes and the students were free to go door to door just like they would in the neighborhood. Since trick-or-treating was not something either Harry or Luna had done as children, they both were just as excited by the prospect now as Teddy was.

Trying to convince the little Metamorph that he couldn't just transform for his costume was still a chore, though.

Teddy rushed them past the first few corridors. His eagerness had the plastic pirate sword on his hip wagging like a puppy's tail. They arrived at the protected center quad of classrooms in short order. The school had their library, computer lab, music classroom, and art classroom in the exact center of the school like a treasured pearl in the mouth of an oyster.

An ominous fog spilled out of the art room before dissipating just inches beyond the door. Inside the classroom was dimly lit with a pale purple light. Large swathes of realistic cobwebs hung down the walls like curtains. Harry shuddered at the memory of seeing similar swathes in the acromantula nest in the Forbidden Forest. Luna plucked at a nearby bunch and rubbed it between their finger and thumb.

"If I didn't know better," they said, "I would think this was the real deal."

"Lovegood?" came a voice from the back of the classroom. A dark figure came out of the shadows. He was dressed a dramatic black-on-black suit with a white cravat that appeared violet in the light. The shock of seeing the quiet Slytherin in what was essentially a Muggle school made both Harry and Luna struggle to recognize Blaise Zabini. "Potter? What the devil are you both doing here?"

"That's Zither and Papa," Teddy said just as excitedly as he always did about talking about his favorite teacher. He grabbed both their hands to tug them towards Zabini. "Zither, Papa, meet Mr. Damon. He's the bestest artist ever!"

"Oh, is he now?" Luna asked. They had recovered from their surprise and now looked like they were struggling not to laugh at Teddy's antics. "I suppose your Papa and I are just second rate hacks, then?"

"Oh, no!" Teddy cried. He looked stricken at the idea that anyone could think that of his guardians. The child's unconditional loyalty in them always made Harry choke up just a bit. It was something that he hadn't even known might be possible. Dudley hadn't even looked at Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia that way, and they both treated Dudley like he was perfect beyond all reason. "You're the bestest, too!"

"So, Mr. Damon, huh?" Harry commented as Teddy dragged Luna off to show them the art supplies. Zabini shrugged with deliberate casualness.

"It never hurt to be cautious," he replied flatly. "Too many people assume one's beliefs when they hear the most basic of facts about my mother and me. Retreating to the Continent felt too much like admitting defeat to an unworthy opponent. So you and Lovegood finally got together?"

"Why do you say it like that?" Harry asked, genuinely interested in the answer.

All of their friends had seemed shocked when they had moved into together to raise Teddy. Ron and Hermione both had mentioned their expectation that he would get back with Ginny after the War. Yet this Slytherin who Harry had only met a handful of times, and all of them through Slughorn's little club events, was acting like Harry and Luna had always been the expected outcome.

"Because I have eyes?" Zabini answered as if confused why it would be questionable. His dark eyes glittered in the strange light decorating the classroom. "You two have a fluidity to your interactions. Ever since you met, you've been circling each other like water in a whirlpool or like waves caught between the moon and the beach. Even when you were dating Ginny Weasley, there was a sense of inevitability like you were just marking time. Seeing her by your side at Slughorn's party just showcased that. Who else would you end up with?"

"Maybe you," Luna said as they suddenly appeared beside them. The light just made them look even more ethereal than they normally did, and Harry's heart swelled with his love for them. Then his mind stuttered to a startled halt as he processed their words.

"What?" Harry said in unison with Zabini. Luna beamed at them both. Harry turned to blink at Zabini who was watching them both with the same intensity he had once used on Slughorn for asking invasive questions about his mother. "No, seriously, Luna, I know that we've talked about expanding our relationship if we found the right person, but Zab—Dam—bollocks, Blaise has gone to great lengths to disappear. Don't you think it's a little counterintuitive to suggest dragging him back into the spotlight?"

"That's an absolutely fascinating argument," Blaise commented before Luna could say anything. Harry opened his mouth only to close it when Blaise pressed a single finger against his lips. Their magic sparked slightly at the contact, sending a tantalizing tingle through Harry. He was close enough now that Harry could smell his sandalwood cologne. "Your argument is about my desires and goals, not your own lack of interest. I wonder what that means for said interest."

"I…" Harry breathed against that finger. Luna pressed against his back. He could hear Teddy's delight chatter in the background as he colored a picture under the surreal purple light.

"You know that the moon always comes out at night," Luna whispered in his ear. Harry's breath caught at the familiar words only to leave him in a rush as Blaise tilted his chin upwards so that Harry had no choice but to look him in the eyes. "But do you realize what else comes out, love?"

"Shadows," Blaise answered as he pressed their lips together.

And Harry knew then that he was just as trapped as the sea.

He didn't mind.