The Serpents Above and Below
or
When Harry Met Luna
Set up:
It is a dark and stormy afternoon at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft & Wizardry. Harry Potter is sitting alone at a table in the library. He is flipping through a dusty, old book in search of information for his History of Magic class. That is when Luna Lovegood, with her soft steps and gentle humming, virtually floated up to him unnoticed. Her eyes were wandering toward the ceiling as though she could see something no one else could.
Scene 1: The First Meeting
"Do you ever wonder if clouds feel lonely?" said a voice floating through the air and into Harry's ear like a tiny ghost. He looked up from his book to see a bundle of dirty blonde hair and big, silvery-blue eyes that were twinkling at him. He recognized her as Ginny's quirky friend, Luna Lovegood—-the girl many of the other students called Loony.
Harry gave her a confused look as he politely responded, saying, "Clouds? Lonely? No—uh—why?"
Luna tilted her head and said in her dreamy, lilting voice, "They never stay in one place. They are always drifting—sometimes slowly—sometimes quickly—but always searching. I wonder if the rain is really their tears of joy or sadness? I guess it could be both. Maybe thunder and lightning only happen when they are upset."
"I—uh—-uh—suppose I've never thought about it like that," said Harry after a moment. He was silently impressed with the level of thought and effort put into the answer to what he was ready to dismiss as a frivolous question.
They were both students at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft & Wizardry located somewhere in the Scottish Highlands near the magical village of Hogsmeade. It was a secret place, findable only by members of the Magical World. Young witches and wizards spent seven years learning to harness and use the magical force that flowed through their world.
Harry was a proud member of Gryffindor House—a house known for its bravery, chivalry, and adventurous souls. He was immersed in his fifth year of studies.
Luna was a fourth-year student who was sorted into Ravenclaw house—a house full of the most intelligent, most creative, wisest, and wittiest of minds.
The seed of this moment germinated into the growth of an unusual friendship between them. Harry, always serious and methodical, found himself drawn to Luna's ofttimes whimsical view of the world that masked her wisdom. And Luna, with her wide-eyed wonder, found a comfortable grounding in Harry's steady presence. She was now more than Ginny's quirky friend, she was also his.
Scene 2: The Adventure Begins
One crisp autumn day, Harry and Luna were exploring the edge of the forest beyond the village. It was a perfect activity for the Friday afternoon ahead of a three-day weekend celebrating Hogwarts Founders Day.
"This is an excellent place to look for Nargle nests," remarked Luna as if such a thing was as mainstream as bee hives or rabbit burrows. "My roommate Honey and I found one just the other day while we were gathering mistletoe berries for potions class not far from here. She was holding a sprig of mistletoe over her head like she was trying to get me to kiss her. That's when we saw them."
"Them?"
"The nargles. Honey was almost stepping on them. They were running away."
"Did you catch one? Harry asked. What do they look like?
"No. They are quite elusive," Luna replied. "But we saw them scurrying into the bushes. They are furry and I think they have a tail."
"I see," said Harry with a smile as he considered the notion that what they had seen was some mice or rats.
Honey said the nargles near her family hometown in Norway are much bigger than the ones here—almost as big as garden gnomes.
"Maybe," said Harry trying to suppress a chuckle, "today will be the day you catch one."
"I hope so. My father will be exceptionally delighted if I bring one home. Honey's family laughs at her and thinks she is daft to believe in them. They said that trolls would have already eaten them if they existed. She would be proud to prove them wrong."
Harry and Luna continued their search without any success. They were just about to head back to the school when they came upon an ancient door hidden by moss and leaves within the roots of a massive oak tree.
"That is a peculiar place for a door," observed Luna.
"Definitely," agreed Harry. "The Whomping Willow has a tunnel under it but no door."
They slowly moved forward, trying to get a closer look. It was not every day that you stumbled across something like this—not even in their world of magic. As they got close, the door creaked open. It revealed a shimmering pathway that appeared to lead downward, deep into the earth.
Luna started to step toward the threshold, apparently ready to investigate the tunnel. Harry put his hand on her shoulder, urging her to stop. "We should tell someone, maybe a professor, before going into it," said Harry as he glanced nervously into the strange passage. "They might be aware of it. They might warn us of an unknown threat."
"Harry, giggled Luna. "I am surprised at you. Where would be the fun in that? You're a Gryffindor. Gryffindors are supposed to be adventurous people. And this is an adventure."
Before Harry could protest, she grabbed his hand. Seconds later, they were descending into the unknown.
The tunnel wound deeper and deeper into the ground lit by the multispectral light of the crystal-covered walls. The floor was covered with a thick moss that silenced their steps and dampened their voices. Unlike the passages out of the castle, there were no spider webs and creepy, crawly creatures.
"Where do the crystals on the walls get the power to light up like this?" asked Harry.
"I suspect it is magic," replied Luna.
"Magic? What sort of magic?" said Harry as they kept moving deeper downward.
"Magical magic, of course," came the answer in typical Luna fashion.
"Magical magic," Harry responded. "What sort of magical magic?"
"My roommate, Tori, believes we should not question the actual magic too deeply."
"Tori Haley? I know her from Care of Magical Creatures class. She's quite nice. All of the creatures like her."
"Yes, Tori is particularly brilliant. She says questioning magic too much will diminish it. She believes that is where muggles came from."
"Muggles descended from us—not the other way around?"
"Yes," said Luna as they came to a sharp bend in the tunnel.
"Then, how does she account for muggle-borns—uh—people like Hermione?" asked Harry in a voice expressing skepticism in the theory.
"She says muggle-borns are witches and wizards who have rediscovered magic. It is like recovering from a malady."
"Fascinating," chuckled Harry, still on the fence about all of this.
The light in front of them was intensifying.
"The crystals are glowing brighter," remarked Luna.
"Do you think they glow all of the time, or just when someone is nearby?" Harry continued. My aunt and uncle have a refrigerator in their home to keep food cold. It has a light inside it. I have always wondered the same thing about it."
"That's a curious thing to wonder about, Harry," said Luna as she took his hand.
Just then path opened up into an enormous room. They found themselves standing atop a cliff overlooking a huge, underground city. Its streets and buildings were lit with the same crystalline light as the walls of the tunnel.
After a moment, they found a path that led them to a street entering the city. As they surveyed the well-lit stores lining their way, Harry said, "Where is everyone? A place like this should be full of people and activity."
"That is curious," said Luna in a very Luna way as she took Harry by the hand. "I think we have to go looking for them."
"Uh—" started Harry but it was too late. Luna was pulling him down the street.
They passed every kind of store—restaurants, clothing, apothecary, hardware. There were bookstores, music stores, and sporting goods. All of them were empty—no customers or workers. However, the strangest thing about the stores was the carvings. All of them were covered with strange symbols, rune-like markings, and words of old magic.
They both started to get a strange feeling as they continued toward the center of the city. Even though they had not seen a single person, not even a bug, animal, or passing bird, they both felt they were not alone.
Suddenly, they found themselves in a plaza at what appeared to be the core of the city. Slumbering atop a huge, central pedestal was a giant serpent. Inscribed around the pedestal was an ancient prophecy that threatened to unravel their world above, as it had this one, according to Luna's interpretation. It said: 'Only a union of heart and magic can save the world from the serpent's wrath'.
"Luna," said Harry in a hushed but concerned and urgent tone. "We need to leave this place. That—that thing could be a basilisk, or something even more dangerous."
"Don't you feel it, Harry?" said Luna with her big eyes, her voice was soft, almost soothing. "We are supposed to be here."
"Supposed to be here?" replied Harry, shocked by the very notion. We—we—uh—we don't even know where we are."
"That's why it is an adventure," said Luna.
Before long, their adventure became a battle against time as they wrestled with realizing the prophecy. What did it mean by a union of heart and magic, and how could such a thing be accomplished?
3: The Realization
Before long, their adventure became a trial reminding Harry of the maze in the Third Challenge of the Triwizard Tournament. They were fighting countless, unknown dangers—the winds from the frequent storms that whispered forgotten spells, trees that could uproot themselves and move in ways making a mockery of the Whomping Willow, and creatures that materialized from fog and mist. Harry and Luna survived by relying on each other's strength, courage, wisdom, and creativity. In these moments of fear and danger, their bond solidified and deepened until it was practically invincible.
One evening, they were resting by the quiet pink waters of a small lake. Harry was staring into the still water. His mind was filled with thoughts of the still looming danger and their uncertain future.
"I never asked for this. Any of this," he sighed
"Neither did I—but I wouldn't change it," said Luna in her soft, delicate voice.
"Huh," replied Harry, not certain he was hearing correctly. "Why would you say something like that?"
"Because I met you."
Her words hung in the air, suspended in front of his eyes like a hare-shaped puff of smoke from an unseen churchwarden pipe. For the first time, Harry realized just how much she meant to him.
This was no longer a simple case of her being his partner, comrade in arms on a dangerous adventure. It was far more personal than that. It was her—her strange, wonderful way of seeing the world, and the way she made him feel like he belonged here, perhaps everywhere with her.
Scene 4: The Battle
If they lived long enough, if they made it past all of the other adversaries, the prophecy made it clear that the day would come when they had to face the serpent. Today was that day. And they were armed no better than they were at the beginning. All they had were their wands, courage, and unspoken love.
They stood, hand-in-hand watching as the serpent awakened. It stretched and coiled as it prepared to face Harry and Luna. Its eyes glowed with ancient magic. Its bifurcated tongue flicked and lashed at the air.
"Who are you that you dare to face me," hissed the contemptuous serpent, its head several feet above the pedestal. "I have beaten all who have dared challenge me. You are mere children. You should flee and hope I do not decide to hunt you down."
"We're not afraid of you," hissed Harry in perfect parseltongue.
The serpent recoiled. He had never faced an opponent who spoke his natural tongue. What other secrets might this pair be hiding?
"Who taught you my language?" demanded the serpent.
"It is of no importance to you. We do not need it to defeat you."
"Arrogant child," hissed the serpent as it rose up higher with its fangs bared. Its yellow eyes were like a pair of fiery suns.
Luna smiled as she entwined her arm with Harry's. Remember the prophecy. 'Only a union of heart and magic can save the world from the serpent's wrath.' We have to do this together, Harry. We have to become one."
They embraced each other as they pointed their wands at the serpent as it prepared to strike. Their magic fused. Harry's strength and Luna's boundless wonder created a radiant, purple light that emanated from them. The serpent, overwhelmed by the power of their combined magic. It let out a deafening roar before disappearing into the aether.
Scene 5: A New Life
With the serpent defeated, the people of the underworld came out of hiding. The empty city returned to its bustling, former self. Harry and Luna were feted as heroes. The leaders of the city commissioned a statue of them to stand on the pedestal where the serpent had rested for countless years. When they said it was time to return to their world above the sky, the people begged them to stay.
A peace it did not know was missing filled their above world. While the residents of Hogsmeade and Hogwarts knew nothing of the world below, and of Harry and Luna's heroism, it did not matter. Harry and Luna returned to the village and school as unsung heroes on the same day they had left. The days below were absorbed into the timeline. While countless, to those above, they amounted to Harry and Luna being gone for an afternoon.
The bond they brought back with them from their adventure was now unbreakable, But it was also more than that—they returned as partners. The power of their commitment to each other was proven one afternoon when they fell prey to the nefarious desires of a couple of Slytherin girls.
Harry and Luna were sitting alone, holding hands as they were finishing lunch, the girls started moving their way from the Slytherin table. One of them cast a subtle confundus charm that struck Luna. In response, she stood up and said, "I need to go to the loo. I will be back in a few moments."
Pansy Parkinson and her cohort, a girl who everyone called Anna, the crazy Greek girl, slipped quietly into the vacuum created by Luna's leaving.
"Confundus," whispered Pansy. Her spell hit Harry just as he was turning around to see who was behind him.
"Have a fresh pumpkin pastie," said the crazy Greek girl. "I know they're your favourite."
"Yes. Of course," said Harry as he picked it up and took a big bite. "They are my favourite."
A strange euphoria washed over him as he finished his treat. He smiled as the girls sat down on either side of him.
"I knew you'd like it," she said as she leaned over and kissed his cheek. He responded by turning to her and kissing her on the lips.
"We can get you all of them you want," cooed Pansy as she kissed Harry on the neck. Harry turned and pressed his lips to her.
The mutual kissing continued until Luna returned and approached them. The crazy Greek girl looked at her and said, "Harry doesn't love you anymore. He never really loved you. He loves us now.
"Yes. You should just leave," added Pansy. "Go search for your Crinkle-head Snortass—or whatever it is you call those things."
Luna was concerned by Harry's distant gaze as the two girls shared his lips. Her Ravenclaw mind started spinning like she was solving the password to the door to her dormitories.
"Harry," stated Luna in an assertive voice that caused the lips and tongues of the threesome to separate. He looked at Luna as the girls scowled.
"Are you still here?" asked the crazy Greek girl in a sarcastic snarl.
"Go—now!" snapped Pansy.
"Harry," continued Luna, ignoring the two interlopers trying to break up their relationship. "Do you remember how we defeated the serpent in the underworld?"
"Yes," he said as the girls gave Luna increasingly angry scowls.
Luna looked Harry directly in the eyes and said in a very insistent voice, "Pull out your wand. We need to show this pair of serpents how we did it."
In the highly suggestible state Harry was in due to the pair of confundus charms and the powerful love potion in the pastie, he complied without question or hesitation. Luna stepped forward and touched their wand tips together.
Pansy and the crazy Greek girl's faces turned from anger to shock to edging on fear as Luna's wand tip started to emit a purple light. Harry's wand glowed a dim purple.
"What are you up to, you—you—you—Loony?"
"What is th—th—this magic?" stuttered the crazy Greek girl.
"Use your strength, Harry," said Luna in the sweet voice that carried the love she held for him. The light from his wand flickered and grew brighter. The girls looked at him, then at Luna. Then the light from Harry's ignited and combined with Luna's.
A dome of purple light formed and enveloped Harry and Luna. Pansy and the crazy Greek girl toppled over and fell rolling onto the floor. They quickly regained their feet and started running. The spell was broken. Pansy and the crazy Greek girl were defeated. Harry and Luna hugged, their love reaffirmed.
Scene 6: The Affirmation
One afternoon early in the days after the big battle at the school where heroes were born and lives were lost, Harry was walking hand-in-hand with Luna along the path between the Hogsmeade and the rebuilding of the castle. "You know—I never thought I'd feel this way," he mused as the breeze ruffled Luna's long, blonde hair as the sun sparkled in her eyes.
"About magic? Or me?" said Luna in a very Luna way that made it difficult to tell if she was serious or teasing.
Harry laughed softly. "About you, silly. You're the only person who's ever been able to make me see the world differently—even during the darkest days before the battle."
Their love continued to grow, and not long after, they were married in a quiet ceremony under the same oak tree where their adventure had begun. It was a simple wedding, attended by friends, extended family, and the many creatures of the forest who had watched them over the years. A new leg of their adventure was set in motion.
Scene 7: The Family
Years passed, and Harry and Luna settled into a peaceful life among the trees, streams, and mountains of the West. They were blessed with two children—James, who had Harry's quiet strength and courage, and Pandora Lily, who had inherited Luna's free spirit, curiosity, and sense of wonder.
One evening, as the family sat beneath the heavens in hopes of seeing the Aurora, a little hand tugged at her mother's sleeve.
Pandora said, her eyes looking so much like her mother's, "Mommy, do you think the stars have names?"
"Oh, they all have names, darling," replied Luna with a smile as she remembered how she would ask her mother questions just like this. "We just have to learn how to listen closely enough to hear them."
"Do you think we will ever be able to travel to them?" asked James.
"As long as we dream and believe, anything is possible," said his Mom.
Harry's heart swelled as he watched his family. Even though their journey had been filled with strange situations and danger, they had built a life together that was filled with joy, love, and magic.
The Final Scene:
In their later years, Harry and Luna paid occasional visits to the ancient oak. It was now the symbol of their incredible life journey. They loved sitting beneath its branches, cuddling and relaxing, staring at the sky—occasionally wondering about the city below them. They were content in the knowledge they had faced the strangeness of the world together, and woven a beautiful life from the threads and patches of everything they encountered.
One sunny day, Luna leaned over and placed her head on Harry's shoulder. "Do you ever wonder if we'll drift like clouds one day?" she whispered in his ear.
Harry smiled and tightened his embrace. "Maybe. But as long as we drift together, I won't mind."
—THE END—