Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, shocking I know.
Luna Lovegood had a perfectly serviceable room in the castle. It had a poster bed with pale blue curtains. The mattress allowed you to sink in enough to be held gently and not like you were sinking into an abyss. Beside the bed was a small desk for writing that even had a built-in shelf for books. She had named her desk 'Her Raven'. No one else got the joke. On the other side of the bed was a window that overlooked both the Forbidden Forest and the Black Lake. The window was large enough, or perhaps she was small enough, that with the aid of a cushion, she could use it as a cozy reading nook. The frequent rainstorms of Scotland made it a lovely place for this Lovegood to be and read to her heart's content.
She was not, however, going to her room. Someone, either her classmates or a particularly mischievous wrackspurt, had charmed the tower guardian not to allow her in. Luna wasn't upset by this. Rarely had she wanted to spend much time there. Serviceable as the room was, it had a few problems.
Those problems were her roommates.
To begin with, they had deplorable hygiene habits and used the readily available showers rather infrequently. When Luna had mentioned that she wasn't fond of their malodorous and pungent bouquet, they brushed her off and called her mad. While this wasn't untrue, it also did nothing for the smell.
Sadly, that was the least of the problems she had with them. They seemed to despise her, beyond the indifference most showed. They were the likely culprits behind her banishment this night. Other times, they would steal her clothes or cover her sheets with itching powder. On one particularly notable night, they had charmed her pillow to shriek randomly, but only so she could hear. Ingenuity aside, the blonde still had nightmares about her pillow.
Such were the reasons why Luna was not going to her room. Instead, she left the castle for the Forbidden Forest. Cool, crisp night air wrapped around her like a cloak. Grass and leaves felt so much better beneath her bare feet than the hard castle stone. The night sky above was absent from its moon. Something about the stars above seemed odd, like one was out of joint. Luna decided she would think upon it later.
Luna did not fear the forest like everyone else did. They knew the place was full of hidden dangers and secrets, some no longer contained in the memory of Men. They were correct to be wary of it. She, on the other hand, knew the safe paths they could not see. She walked through the trees with an easy grace, fingertips brushing one here and there. The weaving path no doubt seemed random to an outsider observer, but there she knew exactly where to step.
A niffler raised its nose towards her, taking a curious sniff. No doubt it smelled the silver necklace she wore. Only a few people realized their preference for metal crafted by an artist's touch. The more care that went into its creation, the better. Luna couldn't part from the necklace, but she could not let the sweet thing go off empty-handed. She stooped and pulled a sickle from a pocket. The niffler ebulliently snatched the coin and ran off into the dark.
As she neared her place, Cailleach Oíche, her owl, gave two soft hoots to let her know everything was safe. The long-eared owl then gave a lower, mournful note. Luna looked towards her familiar, but the bird only shook its head and repeated the note. Something heavy settled in the bottom of the girl's stomach. There was sorrow, but no danger ahead. Her father? No, he should be thousands of miles away.
The path turned, and Luna saw her little homely home. In a small clearing, four oaks rose alone. Their branches arched and curved together, forming a domed roof. Other branches grew out to the side as walls, letting the light shine through. The leaves were not green, but a soft golden color, much like her hair. She could hear the bowtruckles chirping as they saw her.
Luna entered the dwelling, and on her bed saw herself. Or not herself. The woman on the bed looked very much like Luna, but not exactly. She was taller, but not as tall, or curvy, as Luna had hoped to be one day. Her blonde hair was dirty and faded. An old burn poked out of one sleeve, followed by more than a few scars. Dark purple bruises and crusty dried blood marred her pale face. Most surprising, this Luna was allowing her heritage to show.
The other Luna sat up and opened her eyes. Those crystal blue eyes were tired, worn, and in so much pain. Young Luna thought the elder reminded her of a rag doll, once well loved, but now abused, abandoned, and with stitches about to rip and burst. Tears came unbidden to her eyes, and she ran to hug herself, her future self.
The older woman wrapped her arms weakly around the younger girl. "Hello, Luna," she said.
"Hello, Luna," Luna said.
The other Luna smiled, and a small spark returned to her eyes.
"I suppose things have gone rather wrong, if you would be willing to risk the long-term effects of time travel."
"Yes, all wrong."
"I can't imagine our people allowing you to take such a risk. How did you do it without them?"
The older Luna's face twisted in pain. "Gone, they are all gone."
Luna's normally large eyes widened even more. "Dead? That can't be possible…"
Older Luna shook her head, "Not dead. Gone. Cut off from this world. The paths have been severed. Magic bleeds from my world."
The younger girl was glad was already sitting, otherwise she would have fallen.
Her older self hugged her again, a little firmer this time. "Peace, child. I would not have come if these shadows could not be altered."
Luna sniffed, "How, what can I do?"
A hand gently lifted her chin. "Far more than you think, especially with his help."
Something giddy flopped in her belly, "Do… Do we… I… become more than friends with him?"
Tinkling laughter echoed off the leaves. "Far more than that."
Luna felt her cheeks grow quite warm indeed.
Older Luna looked off in the distance, some memory running before her eyes. "It was actually tomorrow when he first asked me to Hogsmeade."
The younger girl gasped.
"We turned him down."
The younger girl deflated.
"Why?" she asked, more than a little petulantly.
The elder smiled at her. "You know why. I was too ashamed, too afraid of what would he think," she said, shaking her head. "It wasn't until years later and many adventures that I was finally brave enough to ask him."
"You asked him!"
"Oh yes, the look on his face…"
Both women giggled, one lost in memory and the other lost in imagining.
After their mirth had faded, Luna asked, "Did he really accept us? All of us?"
The older woman looked away. "I never told him."
She then grabbed the younger's hands and held them tight. "That is one of many things you must change." Her voice rung with conviction and need.
Shaking her head, the younger one asked, "Can we really prevent… this?"
"I don't know," said her elder self quietly. "I just know I had to try. "
The elder Luna pulled out a tattered leather journal and pushed it into her younger self's hands. "You must read this quickly and carefully. The words will fade soon. The Lady of Time will not allow as second attempt, no matter the consequences."
Luna's face fell. All the worry and fear came rushing back to her. The book felt heavy in her hands, heavier than paper should be. How many broken dreams and tears filled these pages to make it weigh so?
"I promise to try."
Calloused fingers held her cheek. "I am sorry, but there is more I must ask of you."
Luna looked up, curiosity in her eyes. What more could there be?
"There is something precious I cannot allow to be unwritten."
The following morning
Neville didn't walk into the Great Hall. No, what he did was something quieter, and far more subtle. You would notice someone walking by. You did not notice Neville. It was a balance of extremes, the download angle of his gaze, the slouch of his shoulders, the speed of his steps. If he tried to hide too much, he might as well not hide at all. Most impressive was how he managed to weave through the throng of hungry teenagers without brushing against any of them. He was more of a ghost than most of the actual phantoms around him.
Then again, he had a great deal of practice.
He made his way unseen to the Gryffindor table. When he saw an empty seat next to Hermione, he wasn't sure whether to be thrilled or anxious. He wanted to sit next to her, of course, but would that be too much, too soon? Neville didn't want to distract her either. The brunette was picking at a plate of scrambled eggs and bangers while reading a large tome. Heaven only knew what obscure subject she was getting lost into now.
The girl in question did not say a word or even turn her head towards him. And yet she patted the seat next to her. Nevile smiled and his heart leaped in his chest. Plopping down on the seat, he screwed up every ounce of lion courage he had. Then he pecked Hermione on the cheek. A rosy pink spreading across her face and a small upturning of her lips was his reward for his daring. He also received hoots, cat-calls, and other noises as rewards from their schoolmates. The couple wisely ignored them.
There was, however, one student at the table oblivious to the show. Harry Potter, his best mate. The boy in question was pushing a banger back and forth across the plate. His other hand supported his head at an uncomfortable-looking angle. Harry's intense contemplation caught Neville off guard. Granted, the boy was known to brood, but what was there to brood about? There was no quidditch game this week. Snape had managed to be almost polite this week, a feat that surely caused the potions professor great agony. The trio had trounced Draco and lackeys the day before, that usually left him in a good mood for a while.
Neville nudged the girl next to him and gestured with his chin towards the morose boy. Hermione frowned at first; she hated people interrupting her reading. Then she noticed Harry and smiled. She turned back to Neville, mischief in her eyes. She mouthed one .
Luna, of course.
What else could it be? Harry had been fretting over what to do about the pretty little Ravenclaw and the upcoming Hogsmeade trip for days. All the boys in their room were sick of repeating the same advice, "Just ask her already", over and over again. Well, Ron's advice was different, but he was a prat and didn't count. Harry had even helped Neville ask out Hermione to the previous Hogsmeade visit.
Neville shook his head. Throw the boy in a locked room with basilisks, dragons, hippogriffs, dementors, and he would battle fearlessly to his last breath. And probably win. Tell him to ask out a girl? Suddenly, his vaunted Gryffindor courage crumbled.
"So, Harry," Neville started.
Harry grunted.
"Since Hermione and I will be busy again for the weekend, maybe you could ask someone to go with you."
The fork stopped.
Hermione jumped into the fray, "Oh yes, that would be a wonderful idea! Do you have a girl in mind?"
The fork resumed.
Hermione tried a new attack, "Maybe you could take Romilda or Gin…"
This time, a growl from Harry interrupted, "Do not finish that sentence, Granger."
Neville and the girl exchanged looks. That may have been a bit much. Hermione had the grace to look chagrined.
"What about… Luna?" Neville asked.
The fork stopped, and Harry's ears were turning red.
"Oh, come off it, Harry," said Hermione, forceful as ever. "You know she will say yes."
Harry mumbled something.
Several of the nearby students were listening intently now. Parvati and Lavender looked like they were about to burst; this would be gossip fodder of the highest order. The Weasley twins were smiling and whispering to one another. Probably gambling. The three chasers were smiling eagerly. They had often acted like big sisters to the younger students, especially Harry.
After several tense moments of waiting, Hermione had had enough.
With a sudden jolt, she rose to her feet, and the resounding snap of her book shutting echoed through the air. "If you won't ask her, I will ask her myself."
"Why, Miss Granger! How could you do that to Neville!" exclaimed one voice.
"And to poor ickle Harry, you know how smitten he is over dear Luna. And you would steal her for yourself!" exclaimed another.
"For shame!" two voices said together.
The Weasley Twins. Of course.
Neville decided he might have to thank them later. It wasn't often he got to see his girlfriend all blushing and flustered. The girl in question jabbed a finger towards the miscreant twins, "You know that is not what I meant!"
She then pointed a finger towards her two best friends, "And you two, stop smiling!"
Harry, who seemed to have recovered from his mood, rose to his feet and brandished his wand. "I will not stand this for offense against my honor, nor allow you to play with the heart of a fair maiden! Wands at dawn!"
Neville now noticed that most of the students from all the tables were now watching the impromptu play, even some professors. Gryffindors did love to be dramatic at times…
Hermione huffed, rolled her eyes, and dropped into her chair. "Oh, sit down, you silly goose."
Harry gave her a roguish smile, which promptly fell from his face when she noticed how pale she had turned. Nearby, Katie gave out a cough that sounded a lot like "Luna".
Every fiber of the last Potter's being froze, as if he had come face to face with the petrifying gaze of Medusa herself. He turned slowly. Luna Lovegood stood there, her eyes shining like silver-blue gems, a small, shy smile playing on her lips, and her hands clasped behind her back.
"Harry Potter, were you about to fight a duel over me?"
"Ah…no?"
Luna pouted. "Oh, you wouldn't fight a duel over me?"
"What? No! I mean, yes, yes I would." Looking for a lifeline, he sought help from Hermione and Neville with a quick glance. They exchanged a glance and then shook their heads.
He scowled. They smiled.
For a long moment, he stared at the blonde. His lips moved as if trying to speak, but no sound came out. Then he grabbed the girl's hand and dragged her out of the Great Hall. With a lack of surprise, his two friends trailed behind him, maintaining a respectful distance.
Neville and Hermione peered around the entryway. They both thought the scene before them was adorable. Harry, clearly flustered and with a face flushed red, cradled Luna's hands in his own. In response, she looked up at him with a patient gaze. The boy-who-lived took a deep breath and asked, "Luna Lovegood, will you go to Hogsmeade with me?"
He hadn't finished speaking when the petite girl had thrown herself at him, her arms wrapping around his neck. She kissed him on the cheek and said, "I would love to, Harry James Potter."
Harry laughed, spinning her around before putting her down. He glanced over at his friends, a goofy smile plastered on his face. They smiled back, and Neville gave him a thumbs up.
Luna giggled, then she appeared to remember something. She said, "Oh yes. I must go to the hospital wing before classes start. Will go come with me, Harry?"
Brow furrowing, a puzzled Harry asked, "What?"
"I need Madam Pomfrey to check on our unborn child." With this being said, the blonde girl pranced off, humming a cheery tune.
Harry repeated his previous question, with a bit more emphasis. "WHAT?"
He stood there for a few moments, his mouth hanging open and eyes wide, before he sprinted after her.
When Harry was out of sight, Neville turned to his girlfriend. "You know, if anyone else had said that I would have said they having were us on. But with Luna, and Harry, I can't rule it out."
Hermione could only nod.
A/N: I am trying to get back into writing so any feedback would be very much appreciated. That being said, I do not currently have any plans to continue this story. But perhaps some reviews could convince me, wink wink nudge nudge. Or Luna.