Bonded Over Losses

by Michael in Arizona

At the start of fifth year, Harry sits with Luna and Susan on the Hogwarts Express. When Ron and Hermione never turn up after the prefects meeting like they said they would, Harry cuts ties with them and Luna and Susan become his best friends. Having Susan and Luna as best friends leads to several different outcomes in fifth year.

3. Puffapods for Pandora

With September 1st having fallen on a Friday in 1995, Hogwarts students had the weekend to relax before classes started.

Harry was glad to ease into the new semester and he, Susan, and Luna spent the weekend together.

They spent most of the weekend either swimming naked in the Black Lake or sunbathing naked on the Sloping Lawns.

They spent a few hours on Sunday night having a naked water balloon fight on said Sloping Lawns with orange and purple water balloons, colors that were specifically chosen because they were not associated with any particular Hogwarts house. Once the water balloons were gone, Luna asked Harry and Susan to meet her in Classroom Eleven and around 11 P.M. Hogwarts time the trio made their way to the famously unused classroom.

When Harry, Susan, and Luna were all inside of classroom eleven with the door shut and locked, Luna spoke up.

"So, " said Luna somberly, "I know a big part of the relationship between the three of us is that we are going to be Bonded Over Losses. Well, tomorrow, September 4th, is the five year anniversary of my mom's death."

There was a minute and a nanosecond of piercing silence that followed this.

"So," continued Luna solemnly, "I wish to pay tribute to my mom on the anniversary of her passing and I'd like you two to do the tribute with me."

"We will," promised Harry and Susan together.

"My mom was a flower junkie," explained Luna, "Her favorite flowers were Puffapods. That makes sense as her two favorite colors were pink and purple."

"I remember seeing Puffapods in Herbology in third year," remembered Susan, "They are very pretty flowers."

"Did your mom specifically seek out Puffapods while shopping?" Harry asked Luna quietly.

"No," said Luna matter of matter of factly, "She didn't even know they were called Puffapods. If she saw flowers that she liked, she just bought them and never mind what the hell they might be called."

"Are you planning on incorporating Puffapods in your tribute to your mom tomorrow then?" guessed Harry.

"Yes," said Luna seriously, "I am known at Hogwarts for my unusual accessories. Tomorrow, I plan on eschewing my butterbeer cork necklace and to instead wear a necklace that I made out two Puffapods, one each of pink and purple. I would appreciate it if you two would also wear such Puffapod necklaces tomorrow in solidarity with me. If you two are willing to do this, I will go fetch them now. I made three in the hope that this would be a tribute to my mom that we would undertake as a trio."

"I will absolutely wear the Puffapod necklace," piped up Susan instantly, "If it matters to you, then it matters to me. "

"We're in this together," declared Harry fiercely, "Not a solo, not a duo, a trio. What is important to one of us is important to all of us. Of course, I'll wear the Puffapod necklace tomorrow."

"I am very touched, Harry and Susan, " said Luna emotionally, feeling a few tears flowing down her cheeks, "I need to go to my dorm room to retrieve them from my trunk. I'll be back in five minutes and five nanoseconds."

When Luna made it to her dorm room and opened her trunk, she was relieved to see all three Puffapod necklaces still there as her housemates had made a habit of stealing and hiding her things over the years. She quietly and carefully withdrew the Puffapod necklaces from her trunk and returned to classroom eleven.

"I'd like us to put these on for the first time now," requested Luna.

Harry and Susan both nodded and said, "We will."

Luna put the first Puffapod necklace around her own neck before then putting one around Harry's neck and one around Susan's neck.

At that moment, Harry, Susan, and Luna all felt a kinship with each other. Bonded Over Losses was quickly becoming a very real thing.

Harry, Susan, and Luna all intentionally stepped on each other's feet and engaged in a group hug.

Continuing to hug each other while stepping on each other's feet, Harry, Susan, and Luna all felt themselves within each other.

"September 4th is always a brutally emotional day for me," acknowledged Luna bluntly, "The pain of losing mom always hits me hard on that day. But there's also that aspect of wanting to pay tribute to her."

"Luna?" inquired Harry gently, "Since the time of your mom's death, have you ever been triggered by seeing Puffapods?"

"That actually happened when I had my Puffapod lesson in Herbology last year. While I hadn't known that the flowers my mom was so fond of were called Puffapods and my emotions about losing mom swelled up when they bloomed. Colin and Ginny both comforted me, but I knew I needed to let some emotion out and I requested that Ginny sing a sad song for me. She obliged by singing Somewhere Over the Rainbow to me. I released all of my emotion as Ginny sang Somewhere Over the Rainbow to me and I felt a lot better afterward," explained Luna.

"Luna," said Harry seriously, "If anything, Susan and I can relate more to each other than to you as we were both orphaned as babies, lost both parents, and were victims of Lord Voldemort and the First Wizarding War. The common thread between the three of us is missing important people from our lives, but if anything, your situation was harder because you lost your mom after having become extremely close with her."

"That's what makes the loss of mom especially painful for me," replied Luna in a low voice, "But I like to think that in wearing this Puffapod necklace that I am carrying mom's spirit with me. Mom loved Puffapods with all her heart and in wearing a Puffapod necklace, I feel like I'm wearing a part of her on me."

"We will absolutely wear these Puffapod necklaces tomorrow, " spoke Susan softly., "I admire how much love you still have for your mom. Even her death couldn't break the bond between you and her."

"Wearing these Puffapod necklaces is the least we can do," nodded Harry, "But, I can't believe I haven't already asked you this, but what was your mom's name?"

" Pandora," piped up Luna proudly, puffing out her chest, "It is cruel that I got to spend so little time with her and that she died in such a sudden and brutal way. But I know this: The ones that love us never truly leave us and you can always find them in here."

Luna now pointed directly at her heart with right hand and then placed her right hand directly upon her heart.

This gesture was followed by a poignant silence before Luna finally said, "Tomorrow's going to be a very emotional day. I think we should go to our respective dorms and get some sleep. Harry, Susan, I can't thank the two of you enough for agreeing to do this tribute with me tomorrow and being with me in solidarity."

Harry, Susan, and Luna all exchanged quiet nods with each other before going to their dorms to sleep for the night.

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Much love from Arizona for all the support. Love you all -Michael.