Chapter 8:

When getting to the platform 9 ¾ I made sure that Harry Potter got through the barrier. I went to a car with the Patil sisters, Michael Corner, Terry Boot, Anthony Goldstein, all members in the both the new "Advanced Study Group" and canon Dumbledore's Army. All except for Parvati Patil were in Ravenclaw. Harry Potter went to a car with Hermione Granger, Nelville Longbottom, Fred, George, and Ron Weasley.

We practiced the silencing charms, and talked about how the entire "Advanced Study Group" should practice defending each other from attacks and bullying. When I mentioned that we'd be inviting the Weasley twins, Terry Boot mentioned that we should not have to defend them if someone retaliated against a prank they did. I agreed, and said we'd have to come up with a careful rules of engagement to deal with that, and maybe talk to them about toning down the types of pranks that could cause retaliation, unless the group agreed, in advance, that the target deserved it.

The sorting happened the same way I remembered from canon. Luna Lovegood was sorted into Ravenclaw, and Ginny Weasley to Griffendor. A couple of nights later, in the Ravenclaw common room, Luna Lovegood came up to me and said, "If you want the Star Trek world to converge timelines, Renee will need to be born." I had the silencing charm up between the words "Star" and "Trek" and was more than a little off balance. I asked "Are you Q?" Luna replied, "No, but I did talk with uncle Q after I saw that timeline." I said, "Lets talk also with Dumbledore at a later time, and not mention this without more privacy." I noticed when I was talking, using the silencing charm, with Luna, that Padma Patil looked a little upset.

I sent a note to Dumbledore, in the method we practiced, that could only be read by him, "Must meet. You, me, Luna Lovegood, ASAP. She should be read in to all agreements. Imperative noone else finds out she is a seer."

We got our invitations, mine for a few minutes before hers. I said, "Luna talked to me about the Star Trek timeline. She said that she saw it, then Q talked to her. I used the silencing charm, but she has to be told about secure communications." Then she was let in by the gargoyle. She ran up to Dumbedore's phoenix, Fawkes. They trilled at each other, and then Luna said, "I'm sorry that two of your feathers are fighting each other."

Dumbledore asked jovially, and with twinkling eyes, "Miss Lovegood, how do you like Hogwarts and Ravenclaw, so far?" She said, "It is a wonderful place, but that isn't why you asked to see me." Dumbledore said, "Quite right, Mr. Picard, and apparently you, have information that must remain safe. I would like us to sign some magical contracts to ensure the security of this information. I would also like to invite you to join an advanced study group, which again must remain secret and has its own contracts."

Luna's demeanor instantly changed from dreamy to very businesslike. "Let me see the full set of contracts please." Dumbledore handed them over. Luna read them very carefully, comparing clauses in the different contracts. Then she handed over a sheet of parchment to each of us, and said, "I'll need to send the contracts to my lawyer. He'll make sure that my and my father's interests are protected, but will not disclose anything, even the existence of the contract to anyone but us 3, or your lawyers. My father's interests will be protected, but he won't be told anything. This contract, I'd like us to sign now, that states that these contracts under negotiation will only be disclosed to us three, and our lawyers that are under suitable non-disclosure agreements. That means that even Mr. Picard's parents cannot be told of them.

If an agreement is made, those will supersede this agreement. If not, noone will know even that we were considering enacting contracts with each other. My lawyer's contact information is on the parchment. Please sign these so that we can move forward."

Both Dumbledore and I were more than a little surprised, but we both read the contract Luna presented and agreed that we could sign it. Then we did so, and so did Luna. Then she duplicated one copy, wrote a quick note, then sealed it into an envelope, and put it into a hidden bag. She said she'll go directly to the owlery to send it to her lawyer, and Dumbledore will get a response.

Again, Dumbledore and I were amazed at her apparent adeptness at wandless, silent, magic. She noticed, and looked up and said, "Those were pre-existing charms, not something I cast."

Dumbledore said, "When we finally agree on the contracts, I would be very curious as to how you were so prepared with these contracts." Luna replied, "I can tell you that now. I'm a reporter for the Quibbler, which is owned by my father. We have a procedure in place, if a source wants me to keep a secret."

There were 3 or 4 sets of revisions of the contracts. The agreement ended up similar to what Dumbledore had originally, but with a provision that for anything that becomes public knowledge, or is about to be deliberately made public knowledge, the Quibbler would have first rights of publication. Also, it clarified what types of secret information does not encumber Luna, or publication in the Quibbler.

With the agreements finally agreed to and enacted, I was able to speak to Luna again about Q.

She said, "Yes I saw the Star Trek timelines, plural, not singular. Uncle Q saw that I saw, and asked what he should do about me. He finally decided to give me the same mind arts he gave you, so I can mess with this timeline, as he phrased it."

I asked "What is the significance of Renee Picard?" Luna said, "Q hinted it to you when he sent you here. She can start the process of creating a timeline that ends up very much like Star Trek in the 23rd and later centuries. The time up to 2024 will look a lot like your original timeline." I asked, "Am I Renee's father?" Luna said "Yes." I asked "Who is her mother?" Luna blushed, but didn't say anything. Then I remembered that everyone in this timeline looks like their representation in movies and TV programs. Luna was played by Evanna Lynch and Renee was played by Penelope Mitchell, and they look quite a bit alike.

Meanwhile, there was still the year 2 issues to deal with. There had been no warning by Dobby. Dumbledore, with the help of McGonagall in her cat form, couldn't find any sign that Ginny Weasley had the cursed diary of Tom Riddle. We discussed guiding Harry Potter to open the Chamber pre-emptively. The long range plan, still requires the eventual recovery and destruction of that diary.

The Weasley twins were read in to the group. They agreed to the toning down of pranks that could cause retaliation, and also to share the Marauder's Map.

"You are son of"

"Prongs? And your step-"

"father is Padfoot? And his"

"friend is Moony? And our family"

"rat was Wormtail?"

They said to Harry in alternation between Fred and George, or was it George and Fred, or Forge and Gred.

"You are certainly entitled"

"to a quarter share of the map."

"We too, since"

"we harbored Wormtail. I read"

"it in the Daily Prophet."

"It is the least"

"he could do for us"

"to repay our hospitality."

Luna and I found that we both liked long distance running. We ran every morning, and kept varying our route. Luna said, "Prey animals follow routines, predators use that to their advantage." We started suddenly changing our direction, taking turns who would make the changes. The other had to anticipate and keep up. I learned to notice small signs that preceded a course change. I showed Luna how to do that without using her seer ability.

At a meeting with Dumbledore, I said, "Lockhart came entirely too close to oblivating Harry Potter and Ron in canon. I don't think we should take the chance, instead Luna and I should bait him while you are hidden. Both of us are invulnerable to mind attacks, but of course not to actual attacks. However, I don't think he can blast his way out of a paper bag. Also, I have an idea for detecting mind alteration in Harry Potter using non-magical means, which I'll describe in the next Advanced Study Group lecture."

During our next run, I asked Luna, "Purely theoretical, this is not a request or statement. What do you think about magical inheritance traditions when two only children, of heads of houses, marry?" Luna smiled and said, "Renee will be first, then heir Picard. He'll become a master curse breaker, so he can claim his inheritance of Picard manor without spending more than it is worth on professional curse breakers. I and his younger sister will use our seer abilities to guide him past the dangers. She will have my abilities. Then heir Lovegood. He'll divide the Quibbler into two publications, one for xenozooligy and little known magical creatures, the other for news, for which he'll hire a professional staff. I won't agree with his choice, but he will be the owner, and it will be a successful enterprise. Heir Picard will have two sons, the older will run the vineyard and manor, the younger will become an archaeologist."

I asked, "Is that the ancestor of Jean-Luc?" Luna nodded. Then she said, "I only see possible timelines, and I don't make prophesies. You still have a choice to make. For Padma's sake, or mine, depending on who you choose, or both if you choose neither, you should decide by Valentine's day at the absolute latest. You will still not be locked into your choice. Doing something for Valentine's day is not a betrothal."