It's Only Natural
C2: Welcome to the Jungle
Standard Disclaimer: I don't own any of the recognizable characters
Their arrival at the Brazilian Ministry was hectic to say the least, but thankfully Olivia had managed to explain everything to them in a succinct manner and had given them everything she knew about the elusive creature, which all in all wasn't much, as well as the most likely location they would find more information, which was deep in the Rainforest.
Olivia had also given us a prepared Portkey that led us to the spot they had had now agreed on to be our base camp. It was close to a source of fresh water and the clearing they had claimed would be fairly easy to ward, since neither of them had any inclination of having a predator over to make them its next snack.
"I have to say that I did not expect there to be so little information available. It's going to be a fun expedition to say the least." Luna said cheerily.
Hermione smiled at her. "You also forgot lengthy. With what we have so far we have our work cut out for us."
Luna nodded, but that dreamy smile did not waver a bit. "That is true, but think of everything that we could learn from this expedition. We've truly got a unique opportunity here to learn about a previously unknown species of Magical Beast, although I'll be honest and say that I could do without the mosquitoes."
Hermione smiled and nodded at her. "You're right of course. This is something we'll probably never going to experience again, and as for the mosquitoes, we should probably get the tent up, both so that we can unpack and get away from the mosquitoes. It is warded to keep them out."
The blonde nodded and smiled at her secret crush as they did exactly that. "I have to say Hermione, you made an excellent choice in camping equipment. I've never seen such luxury in a tent."
"I figured that I'd for once use the Galleons the Ministry gave me after the war for something useful. My usual spending habits don't put even a dent in those, and since we'll be living in this tent for quite a while, I wanted us to have all the possible comforts." Hermione said with a soft smile.
Luna smiled at that. "I know that feeling, which is why I also went a little bit overboard on my preparations. I would dare say we have enough provisions to last us at least half a year." She said as she laid out the contents of her bag as Hermione did the same so they could take proper inventory of everything they had available for the next couple of months, as well as to make putting everything in its proper place easier, and given the amount of space they had to work with, that would be the least of their effort today.
As they got to work on putting everything away, Hermione was glad that Luna seemed to enjoy the tent so far, which if she was honest looked even bigger now then when she had first bought it. It had a decent sized kitchen and sitting area, as well as a separate area for work and study, which she now was glad she they had access too, because with as little information as they had, there would be a lot of time spend doing exactly that.
Their bedrooms were just as lavish, complete with en-suite bathrooms as well as plenty of closet space for them and a little nook in both of their rooms to have some privacy should they need it, and all throughout the tent there was comfortable carpeting so that wouldn't have to feel coarse wood under their feet for so many months, or even worse the forest floor where Merlin knows what kind of insects could crawl up into their tent, wards or not.
They worked together to get everything sorted, taking a moment to appreciate their new home away from home. "I didn't think we'd have this much space when I bought the tent. With a bit of imagination this could be like home." Hermione said with a soft smile as they took a seat.
Luna smiled and nodded at that. "It'll make the next couple of months a whole lot more bearable, shall I make us a cup of tea to celebrate?"
Hermione nodded and smiled at the blonde. "That would be lovely Luna. I brought something special to celebrate the start of our assignment. I reckon you still like pastries?"
"I love pastries, I thought you knew that, especially if you make them." Luna said with a soft smile.
Hermione blushed a little as she summoned the small pouch she had left on the counter, while Luna made some herbal tea for them, knowing the brunette preferred that over regular tea.
While they enjoyed the tea and variety of scones Hermione had brought, they both dove into the limited information they had on the creature they were going to investigate. "It really is the bare minimum of information we've gotten. We know it's a winged creature, that it is native to this area and that its color patterns vary according to the seasons. It is not a lot to work with."
Luna nodded at that. "From what I gather it is also quite shy and possibly nocturnal. I have a feeling that we'll be doing quite a few nightly observations, although it might be a while before we actually get a sighting. For now it'll see us as intruders and won't show itself until it feels we are not a threat to it or its habitat."
Hermione smiled and nodded. "That was my thought too, and while our wards will protect us from predators and mosquitoes, I doubt any magical creatures in the area will be comfortable with the magic we used in it."
"If we give it a few weeks, I am sure any magical creatures will be used to our presence. It might give us the opportunity to see a few rare species too." Luna said with a dreamy smile.
Hermione merely smiled at the blonde as they continued to read the information they had while also enjoying their tea and scones.
…
After their break, both women retreated to change into clothes a bit more suited for the climate, since both of them were sweating bullets in their stuffy robes.
Hermione, ever the practical one, had kept to the time honored tradition of shorts, a blouse and a sturdy pair of shoes should they need to trek into the jungle, which given their assignment was not an unrealistic possibility.
Luna on her turn had chosen a similar outfit, albeit with in a blue and white color pattern rather then Hermione's beige and white combination.
"This feels a lot better than to having to wear those stuffy robes. I honestly wonder how Ministry workers here handle this type of climate in those." Luna said with a soft smile as she sat down at her desk.
Hermione smiled at her as she also had trouble averting her eyes from the blonde. Luna was gorgeous in this type of outfit and knowing that this would be what she would get to look at for so long filled her heart with even more joy, and now more than ever she hoped that the blonde would return her feelings when she found the courage to confess her feelings.
Luna at the same time had quite similar thoughts about the brunette, who looked absolutely stunning in her outfit, especially since it showed off those toned legs she had many a dream about over the last three years, ever since she had admitted to herself that what she felt for Hermione was a bit more than a crush, and she hoped that this couple of months spent alone with the brunette would help her confess her feelings.
Both girls had to giggle at the similarities in their outfits. "I see we had similar thoughts about our outfits for this assignment. I have to admit it looks gorgeous on you." Luna admitted softly.
Hermione blushed a little at that. "Thank you Luna. It certainly looks good on you too, and I honestly think that this is the only sensible choice for the environment we're in, and since I know we had quite similar thoughts about this expedition, it was kind of inevitable that we prepared mostly for the same things."
Luna smiled at that. "I've noticed in the past couple of years that we're a lot alike in some of those aspects, and I doubt it is just in our way of preparing for big things, which I think these couple of months will help us discover more about each other's similarities."
The brunette nodded and smiled at her. "I think so too, and nothing against our friends, but you're one of the few people I can have an intelligent conversation with, without having to explain everything at every step. Harry usually follows things well enough, but as you know his interests aren't really academic. The only one who I can really talk to is you and Fleur."
"I know, but Harry has different qualities, because I think you know as well as I do that he is a great listener and usually has good advice to give." Luna said with a soft smile.
"That I know all too well. I can't remember all of the times Harry helped me through a bad day at the Ministry or when I had a nightmare that I couldn't deal with. I don't think I would've had the strength to stay in the Wizarding World if he hadn't been there." Hermione said softly.
Luna smiled sympathetically at her. "Are your nightmares still frequent, Hermione?"
Hermione shook her head at that. "Not as frequent as they were even a year ago, and I now have much better ways to deal with them when they do happen, although I honestly hope that being away from Britain for a while will help with that too."
Luna smiled at that. "If there is ever anything I can do to help, please don't hesitate to ask, for anything at all."
Hermione nodded and smiled at the blonde. "I will, and the same goes for you too, if there is ever anything you need from me, I'll always be happy to help." She said with a kind smile.
The blonde nodded at her. "I will, I can easily admit that I sometimes have nightmares about the war too, although I doubt they are as severe as yours, given what you and Harry lived through, and that is without accounting for what Ronald did to you after the war."
Hermione nodded at that. "Don't remind me. Ron still has it in his head that because he forced a kiss on me in the Chamber of Secrets we should be together like his mother wants. I'm honestly surprised that she feeds that so much because any sane person can see that he and I would never work, in any universe, and that is for convenience sake ignoring the fact that I am a lesbian."
Luna smiled at that, hope flaring to life in her heart. "Anyone with half a brain can see that you two could never be together, since he represents the one thing I know you despise in someone, being inherent laziness and the inability to do his own work. Didn't you get him through most of his school years?"
Hermione smiled and nodded. "Yes, and it is still my biggest regret to this day. I should've let him stew in his failures from the moment he turned on me and Harry at the Tri-Wizard."
Luna nodded at that. "If I'm very honest I never really understood how you two became friends. I get the part where opposites attract, but that too has a limit, and you and Ron couldn't be more opposed."
"I know, and now that I've had time to reflect on everything, I believe that Dumbledore might've had a hand in that, which is a whole new can of worms I am not ready to dive into just yet." Hermione said softly.
Luna gave her a sympathetic smile. "I've had my suspicions about Dumbledore's intentions with you and Harry, I honestly think he only involved Ron in that to ensure the Weasley's loyalty to him."
Hermione only nodded at that, not wanting to get into this particular topic right now, needing more time to think and investigate this topic.
…
That evening, after they had set up everything they needed to help them in their assignment, and a well deserved dinner, both women retired to their respective bedrooms, since while they hadn't had to deal with jetlag, it had been a very tiring day for both of them.
Hermione had just changed into her nightwear after checking her mosquito nets were securely in place, and after settling in her little nook in the window with her book, she couldn't help but think about everything that this expedition might bring her, and for once not just in the academical sense.
Most of her life, both before and after the war had been about her academical achievements and left her little time for romance or similar pursuits of a personal nature, and for the first time in her life she could look forward to combining the two.
Not only would this expedition help her get to know the blonde better, but they could both dive into research about a something they both enjoyed to varying degrees, but they would also be able to do so together, and hopefully her heart and mind would for once be in sync with each other and let her find her Gryffindor courage to help her confess her feelings to the peppy blonde.
She couldn't help but smile at the thought of that possible future. She had known for years that she and Luna were very compatible both mentally and academically and that over the years she had seen definitive proof that not all of the blonde's previously thought imaginary creatures were indeed very real.
That was one of the reasons she had been so keen on accepting Kingsley's offer of this assignment, since she still had somewhat of that lone wolf mentality left that usually made her want to work on things alone, but she also knew that out of everyone Luna would be the one who would understand her desire to learn as much as she could, and would probably would teach her plenty of things too.
That thought made her blush, because she was sure that Luna could teach her plenty of things not at all related to anything she could find in a book, at least not one found in a conventional library.
Figuring that reading wasn't going to happen tonight, she gently put it back on her nightstand and rested her head on her knees, contemplating silently about her possible future. Now looking back on it, she had always felt something more than friendship towards Luna, ever since they became friends in during Dumbledore's Army.
She vividly remembered the fun they had helping each other master the Patronus Charm, and now knowing the intricacies of the Charm, that had been the first sign of something more brewing between them because from the first moment her otter and Luna's bunny had been playing around with each other, chasing each other through the Room of Requirement and more often than not Luna's bunny would ride along on her otter's stomach as it floated through the air.
That memory still made her smile, since that had been the catalyst for her accepting the fact that she liked the blonde more than just as a friend, and that was putting it very lightly. The more she thought about it the more she knew that she wanted to try and build a true relationship with the blonde, and hope that their friendship would survive it.
She had good hopes though, since the blonde was so incredibly perceptive that she probably already knew of the crush and was merely waiting for her to get her head and her heart in line with each other, or at least that was her hope.
She had also seen the looks the blonde had been given her and of course Harry telling her that Luna at least felt somewhat the same for her, and that she just talk to the blonde and confess her feelings, even though she suspected that he had given Luna the same advice.
Figuring that it wouldn't do her any good to keep worrying about it right now, she got off the window sill and crawled into bed, hoping that tonight wouldn't be one of those nights where she would be plagued by nightmares, and unbeknownst to her on the other side of the tent, Luna had a very similar thoughts about the brunette.
She knew that she would have to confess her feelings soon before the worries of potentially losing their friendship if she kept over-analyzing her feelings like she had been doing for almost three years now, not that she hadn't been attracted to the brunette before that, but it had evolved from a simple crush to full blown attraction over the course of the last three years.
She had of course confided in her mother about her attraction to the brunette and her mother had of course told her that she had to trust in her heart, because that would never lead her astray, and while she usually had no problems in doing exactly that, this time it filled her with worry, because she really didn't want to lose this friendship.
It also worried her that she still had trouble reading the brunette at times, which had been another first for her, because with most people she had met in her life, it usually didn't take long for her to find out what they were about, but since Hermione had such broad interests and mostly kept to herself, devoting time to study and experiment, even back in school, and on top of that kept a lot to herself, it had been a journey to get to know the brunette properly.
Over the course of the time they had been working together both at school and afterwards, she had learned more than she would ever have thought about the brunette and that had been the spark of hope that had been lit in her heart that a future relationship with the brunette was possible.
Figuring that it wouldn't help to keep wracking her brain about this, she crawled into bed, hoping that her dreams would take her to what could be.
…
The following morning Hermione woke up for the first time in a very long time to the sound of birds whistling outside, and for a moment she thought she was back on holiday in France, when she had been invited by Fleur as a means to escape from Ron and Molly Weasley and their threats and expectations of her.
As she sat up and stretched she remembered where she was, and she couldn't help but smile as she got out of bed to do her morning business and freshen up before getting dressed, making her way into the main area of their tent afterwards, and since Luna seemingly wasn't awake yet, she decided to make herself useful by getting them water and ensuring that they would have tea or coffee with their breakfast.
After getting their water for the day and purifying it, she heard shuffling coming from Luna's side of the tent, so she figured she might as well put the kettle on so that tea and coffee would be ready by the time they'd be ready for breakfast, since she had a feeling that there would be some conversations about the plan going forward before that happened.
When the blonde emerged from her room, Hermione couldn't help but stare for just a second at how gorgeous she looked this early in the morning. "Good morning Hermione. Did you sleep okay?"
She nodded at her. "I did, thank you for asking Luna. I hope you slept okay too?"
The blonde nodded as she too took a seat. "I did, although I'll admit it was a bit of a fitful sleep. It's been a long time since I've been camping so it took some getting used to."
"I can imagine that. It also brought back memories for me, ones that did not involve fighting with a certain Weasley." Hermione said softly.
Luna smiled at her. "I've heard some things from Harry about the times it was just the two of you. Despite your forced assignment, without Ron there he made it seem you two had fun together."
Hermione smiled and nodded. "Despite the circumstances, we did. It was a moment of peace and serenity in those chaotic times. They remain fond memories."
Luna nodded and smiled at the brunette. "Moments spent with the ones we love usually are the fondest memories."
Hermione smiled at that, knowing that there was a double meaning to it that she knew they had to explore at some point in the very near future, and she figured that there was no time like the present to do that under the enjoyment of a cup of tea. "How about I pour us some tea and we can talk about that some more, because I have a feeling that we have something more than just our assignment here to talk about and that we've both been wracking our minds on how exactly we should approach this."
Luna nodded and smiled at her, knowing that this would be the moment of truth where they'd both lay to bare all of their feelings and the things she suspected they had both been bottling up.
As Hermione handed her a cup of herbal tea and retook her seat, she smiled at the blonde. "I have a feeling we both have a lot to say, so if you're okay with it, I'd like to start."
"I have a feeling that we both have similar things to say, so I'm more than okay with you going first." Luna said with a soft smile.
Hermione smiled at her. "I think so too, and rather than have both of us continue to keep this bottled up, and for once I will be straight forward instead of over analyzing things again. I like you Luna, more than just as a friend and while I hope that your feelings are mutual, I can't go another day without expressing my feelings for you."
Luna smiled sweetly at her, resisting the urge to hug her. "I can tell you without any form of hesitation that I feel the same for you, and have done for a very long time. Like you I was also wracking my brain for the best timing to tell you how I feel and then hope you felt the same."
Hermione smiled at that. "We're truly more alike then we both thought then, because I've been wracking my brain about how you were going to react to this. I can also admit that I honestly don't know how to move forward now."
Luna nodded at that. "Honestly, I have no idea either, but I do know that I am very much willing to try, because I haven't spent the better part of a decade pining for you only to not see what we can be. And perhaps the best part is that we have literal months of daily close contact so that we can explore every facet of our relationship in peace while also doing something we both enjoy."
Hermione smiled and went to take a seat next to the blonde and took her hands. "You're right of course, and I do honestly want to do everything in my power to try and build a relationship with you."
"We have plenty of time to do that Hermione, and if anything we'll get a first hand experience of living together to see if we're compatible in that way, we could even treat that as an experiment, although I have a feeling that we'll fall into a routine for that pretty quickly." Luna said sweetly.
Hermione smiled at that. "I could never see what we are to share as an experiment. I've done enough of those in those last five years to know that only a handful ever succeed. I want to treat this as what it is, two young people in love who navigate the intricacies of a relationship together through communication and mutual understanding."
Luna nodded at that. "That we will, and I can't wait to see what we can be, although I have a feeling it is going to be absolutely amazing. I cannot imagine sharing a life with you in such close proximity could be anything else."
Hermione merely smiled at the blonde as they continued their talk through another cup of tea followed by breakfast, during which the two witches had trouble not sharing shy smiles with each other.
…
After breakfast the two women made a schedule on how to divide all tasks related to their assignment, which was at this point was little else then a schedule for the night watches they would have to do in order to perhaps catch a glimpse of the creature, as well as reading up on information of other Magical Creatures that called this environment home in order to establish somewhat of a hierarchy and where their mystery Beast might sit in there.
Luna was currently looking through her books of rare Magical Beasts for anything that might help them narrow down what their mystery creature could be given the information they had while Hermione set up a space where they could properly organize all of their findings. "I think we're as prepared as we can be. Have you been able to find anything so far Luna?"
The blonde smiled at her girlfriend. "I think I have actually. From what I've been able to find in my books, I think we're dealing with a species of dragon thought to be extinct centuries ago, and while it is a bit strange to think about all of the information we have with that in my books points to an Elemental Dragon."
Hermione's eyes widened at that as she summoned one of her own books where dragons were described. "I've read a lot about those in the last couple of years, and it would actually make sense if some are still alive and in hiding here. The Rainforest is so vast no one would ever find them."
Luna nodded and smiled at that. "That is my guess too, and given our environment I'm inclined to think this may be a green Elemental Dragon, because even if they all retreated to this area, they would still prefer to come as close as possible to their own habitats."
"I figured as much, but in favor of not getting our hopes up one way or another, I think we should wait with pinpointing anything until we have more information, because while I would love for it to be a dragon, we just have too little information to know for sure." Hermione said softly.
Luna smiled at her girlfriend. "I know 'Mione, I was merely stating one of the many possibilities."
Hermione smiled and pulled the blonde into her arms. "I know Lu, I just didn't want to get your hopes up this early, although I will admit I could get used to this."
Luna blushed a little at that. "So could I to be honest, although I honestly didn't expect this so soon."
"Honestly, I didn't either, but it feels natural, and I know it's a bit odd just hours after getting together, but I just feel this need to hold you." Hermione said softly.
Luna smiled at that. "It feels very comforting to be held by you, and of course I am not going to complain about finally having you this close after dreaming about it for so long."
Hermione smiled at her. "I've been dreaming about this for a long time too, but being able to live them is far better then I ever could have imagined."
Luna smiled and relaxed in the brunette's embrace. "I'm glad to have so far lived up to your expectations 'Mione."
Hermione smiled at that. "I'm sure that one thing you will never have to worry about is that you won't live up to my expectations, if anything I worry not living up to yours. My life is a bit boring outside of work."
Luna smiled sweetly at her girlfriend. "My life is also not that exciting outside of work to be honest, so at the very least we get to be boring together."
Hermione laughed lightly at that as they took a seat in the comfortable couch that stood in their living area. "I'm sure that together we'll have anything but boring days, Luna. Think of everything we get to learn from each other and the things we can discover together, perhaps even get sent on more of these types of expeditions together."
Luna smiled at that. "That would be amazing, and give us an excuse to use this tent more often. It could almost be a home onto its own."
Hermione nodded at that. "Yes, although I have a feeling that it does not nearly have enough shelf space for our combined book collection, but it is a wonderful home away from home. I could even be convinced to more private expeditions in the future if you'd want that."
"That is certainly something we can discuss at a later point, when we're a bit further into our current assignment, but I am certainly not opposed to the idea. We might actually get approval from the Ministry if we do this the right way." Luna said with a soft smile.
Hermione smiled at her. "I'm sure we'd be able to make that happen if it is for research. Kingsley kind of gave us his implicit trust and I know neither of us would abuse that trust, and I am sure that with a few modifications our tent could serve a lot of purposes."
Luna nodded at that. "With both of our interests being as broad as they are, it might not be a bad idea to look into those modifications anyway. I'm sure we'll find a use for them at some point."
"Of course we will, I've found we are plenty inventive when we put our minds together. We've completed many a research project this way in the past couple of years, and I am sure it is how we will bring this to a good end too." Hermione said with a soft smile.
"That we will, and at the same time learn a lot of things about each other. I'd say we have unique opportunity to explore every aspect of our relationship and everything we can be at the same time." Luna said softly.
The brunette merely nodded at that as she pulled the blonde close to her, content to stay like this until it was time for one of them to make lunch.