She Likes Me for Me - a gift for ayane_tsurugi
Disclaimer: Harry Potter belongs to JK Rowling and Warner Bros. All fics posted at this community were written entirely for fun, not for profit, and no copyright infringement is intended.
Title: She Likes Me for Me
Author: vipersweb
Recipient: ayane_tsurugi
Rating: PG
Word Count: 5000
Pairing: Harry/Luna, Hermione/Ron
Warnings: None
Summary: After the war, Wizarding traditions are brought back to Hogwarts. Lucky Harry, he gets to star front and center in one.
Author’s Note: Betaed by M.S. ayane_tsurugi asked for Harry/Luna and gave me the prompts of: Hogwarts, a coin and wacky wizarding traditions. The tradition is loosely based on a Welsh tradition, called a Wren Hunt, though I’ve changed it to some extent. Hope you enjoy! Title taken from a song, that has been covered by a zillion bands.
There are footnotes in this fic. My best suggestion when reading is to click on the footnote, read it and then hit the back button to be brought back to the main text.
‘This,’ Harry thought to himself as he stumbled his way through the Forbidden Forest, wand held at the ready in case of danger, ‘is ridiculous.’ He paused, running fingers through his hair and huffed in frustration.
“It’s an honor, Harry,” he mimicked his best friend’s words to him when he discovered the thrice-be damned coin in his treacle tart - his treacle tart damn it! 1 “It’s for good luck,” he continued before snorting. “Right. Some honor.” He closed his eyes and sighed. He hated the Forbidden Forest. Had, in fact, avoided it assiduously since he had returned to Hogwarts for his last year. Too bad he couldn’t continue to do so.
“Alright, Harry,” he told himself. “Let’s try and find this damn bird so you can get back to Hogwarts before it gets too late.” And no, he didn’t want to think what it might mean that he spoke to himself in the third person. Instead, he focused on his task at hand: finding the elusive snidget.
***
”I’m so jealous!” Hermione groused. “You get to participate in such a wonderful tradition!” He looked at her in disbelief and then at Ron, who shrugged and grimaced in solidarity with Harry’s discomfort.
“Right, Hermione,” Harry replied, his tone dripping with sarcasm, “because traipsing through the Forbidden Forest to find one of the most elusive birds in existence, all for a tradition that fell out of use centuries ago, is my idea of a lot of fun.”
“But,” Hermione blinked at him in confusion. “I though you agreed that Headmistress McGonagall’s decision to reinstate a number of old wizarding traditions was a good idea.” Her lips pursed as if she wanted to deliver a lecture to him and he raised his hands to stop her.
“It’s not that. I agree it’s important to bring them back. It’s just…” and here, he trailed off, not sure how to exactly explain his reluctance to enter the Forbidden Forest.
Fortunately, Ron interjected. “Hermione, no one wants to trudge through the Forest, looking for something as rare as the snidget. We don’t even know if they still live there! And besides, it’s February - still winter.”
A point to which Hermione had to concede.
“But still,” she began, belaboring her point and frustrating Harry to no end. “It’s such an honor.” And she got that far away look she always did when thinking about some academic issue.
Fortunately, it was at this point that Luna interrupted their conversation. Harry latched onto her with a surprising amount of relief that he knew he would have to examine more closely at some point. “Luna!” he greeted, pulling her closer tot hem, something she actually acceded to. “What do you think of the Snidget Hunt?”
She blinked her slightly bulbous eyes and smirked. “Oh, it will be great fun, Harry Potter,” and he shivered at her tone, hearing all the unspoken layer to her words, even if he didn’t quite know what he wanted to do with her.
“Er, right,” he stammered.
“You shouldn’t let the Nargles infest you,” she continued, ignoring Hermione’s huff of disbelief. “After all, snidgets hide from Nargles.”
Harry ignored the voice in his head that said snidgets avoided everyone if they could help it. “How do I get rid of them?”
Luna grinned brilliantly, grabbed his hand and dragged him to a nearly supply cupboard, where she proceeded to snog the brains out of him.
“I think I like your method,” he commented when they finally stumbled out. She merely patted him on the cheek and skipped away.
***
Harry still didn’t know what they had, only that it was fun and had grown out of their friendship. Also, of all his friends, Luna had been the only one to give him practical advice for finding - and capturing without killing - the snidget.
“Come on, Harry,” he lectured himself. “Let’s get started. Sooner you find the damned bird, sooner the damn tradition can be finished.” So saying, he straightened up and prepared the spell Luna had sworn would help him at his task. Hermione, of course, hadn’t believe it would work, mostly because she couldn’t find the spell in any book, but Harry was willing to believe Luna. Next to Hagrid, she knew the most about magical creatures. And besides, she was a Ravenclaw and that meant something. Besides, Harry liked her quirkiness; it made her a very interesting person. She also didn’t seem to care that he had saved the wizarding world, a rare thing for Harry. 2
He put his thoughts to action and spoke the spell Luna had given to him and waited.
And waited. And waited some more. ‘Maybe Hermione was right,’ he thought. ‘Maybe this was all just a bit of nonsense.’ He shook his head, feeling guilty for even thinking it. He didn’t know why it hadn’t yet worked but it would. He had faith in Luna. So he tried it again, this time putting more feeling into it. He grinned as he said the spell, Luna’s smiling visage fixed firmly in his mind as tried it again.
This time, he felt a rush of magic leave him, a rush that reminded him of the blonde Ravencaw who, of all his friends, had helped him adjust to his life post-Voldemort the bed. Mostly, by not forcing him to talk about what had happened ad nauseum, unlike everyone else in his life.
A soft smile remained on his lips as he waited with more patience than before, certain it had worked this time.
Not even ten minutes later, he heard the chirp of a bird. He opened his ages and an awed grin crossed his face before he slowly reached into his pocket and removed a handful of sesame seeds. According to Luna, the snidget should like them.
“Hello little one,” he whispered, keeping his voice low and trying to appear non-threatening. “I don’t want to hurt you.” The snidget fluttered in the air, it’s wings beating so fast that it appeared a blur. He could understand why such they were used in Quidditch before they were replaced by the Snitch. Something as beautiful as this bird shouldn’t have to die for a game. “You’re a beautiful one,” he crooned. “I bet you’ll bring us lots of luck. I think we could use some of that.” Luck sorely needed to help the fractured wizarding world heal from the war.
The snidget tilted its head before moving closer to Harry. He took it as a good sign and carefully and slowly removed the cage Luna had helped him to prepare. He opened the door to it and presented it to the snidget, holding his breath as he waited for the small bird to make its decision. After several long moments, moments in which Harry continued to project his desire to show off the bird and not to kill or maim it, the snidget chirped and flitted into the cage.
“Thank you,” Harry sighed, bowing his head towards the bird that had consented to take part in this tradition. The golden bird fluffed its feathers and made itself comfortable as Harry locked the cage and began to make his way back to the castle.
***
”So what do I need to do?” Harry asked once he had exhausted all possibilities of placing this so-called ‘honor’ on someone else’s shoulders. 3
Hermione grinned widely and pulled out a sheaf of papers for reference. “Well,” she began, “you have to capture a snidget. After you do that, you must bring it back to your home - in this case, Hogwarts - and present it to the head of the house. For Hogwarts, that’s Headmistress McGonagall.”
“Is that it?” Harry hoped so, but somehow thought he wouldn’t be so lucky.
“Of course no!” Hermione scolded. “Honestly, Harry! Haven’t you even looked at this tradition?” She frowned at him.
He stared at her in disbelief. “Hermione, I have no desire to even participate. Why would I pay attention to what it consists of? I’ve been busy trying to foist it off on someone else.”
She shook her head and huffed. “Pay attention then. After you present the snidget to the Headmistress, she will gift you with coins, food or cloth to show her acceptance of your offering. Then, she’ll lead throughout the school, to bring luck to the whole of building. Once that has happened, you and the others selected to join you, will go to Hogsmeade and bring the snidget to each of the residences for luck. You’ll get gifts in thanks for the luck. Once you’ve visited each home, you can return to Hogwarts and present the offerings you’ve received to either your, uh… chosen partner or um, McGonagall.” Hermione stuttered and looked uncomfortable as she finished, mostly because of the implications to that.
“Great,” Harry mumbled before heading to the library to try and figure out just how one went about capturing a snidget. Or finding Luna to see what she thought of the whole thing. Maybe he had some Nargles she needed to get rid of for him.
***
His return trip to Hogwarts did not take nearly as long as his trip into it to find the snidget. Fortunately for his sanity, he emerged from the Forest nowhere near the path his death walk had taken all those months ago. No one waited for him - part of the tradition apparently - and he hurried inside the castle to present the caged snidget to McGonagall. Given the time of day, he knew she was in the Great Hall for lunch.
He would have snickered at the looks of astonishment that his entrance caused. Few had expected him to return so early. Harry liked spoiling expectations the wizarding world had towards him. 4
“Mr. Potter,” Headmistress McGonagall intoned as he neared the head table, “have you succeeded in your quest?”
“Yes, Headmistress, I have,” he replied and with a small flourish that resembled something his father might have done, presented the caged bird to her.
She graced him with a small smile. “Very good, Mr. Potter,” she said with the solemnity due the occasion. She reached towards her robes and withdrew a galleon. “Please accept this token in thanks and partake of the meal before we continue.”
He nodded, leaving the cage on the table in front of her for display. He made sure the snidget had enough food and water before heading to the Gryffindor table to grab lunch. He wanted to make sure he had enough energy to complete his task for the day.
***
”Who gets to come with me to Hogsmeade?” Harry asked Headmistress McGonagall as he lounged in a chair before her desk. Hermione would have scolded him for his posture and apparent lack of respect.
McGonagall could care less. Of all his professors, she perhaps understood him best. 5 She knew he respected her so merely answered his question rather than lecture him on how he sat.
“The Sorting Hat will announce the names of the students who will accompany you,” she informed him.
“No coins in their pudding,” he grumbled.
She hid a smile and dismissed him after some more chit chat, leaving him to return to his research. Or, as was more likely, go and find Luna to see what she had to say.
***
The Sorting Hat chose a mixture of students from all Houses and years. Once lunch ended, the small group of twenty joined Harry and the Headmistress in the walk through the school. After they had made their way to each of the cardinal points, Harry led the group to Hogsmeade, where the various merchants and residents waited for the procession to arrive. Of course, some of this enthusiasm was likely due to Harry - their Savior! - having the luck to lead this strange parade. Giving his reclusive nature since the last funeral he had attended that summer, most of those willing to participate in this tradition did so in the hope of seeing and speaking to Harry.
One more reason for him to hate having to take part in this.
To his surprise, they managed to visit each business and home before dinner was due to begin. It meant they didn’t miss - or have to interrupt - the feast planned to cap off the day’s event.
“Alright there?” a young Hufflepuff asked. Harry vaguely remembered meeting her once upon a time and thought her name was Rose.
“Just want this over with,” he confessed. “Bit knackered from all the talking and walking.”
“Not much longer,” she urged. “Just the presentation and then you can release the snidget.”
Harry snorted. “The little guy certainly had an easy day of it.” She giggled in response as he peered at the bird, which currently slept, its head under a wing. “Let’s get this over with,” he muttered as they reached the doors of the Great Hall. His twenty companions lined up behind him as he opened the doors. He held the cage before him, proof that the snidget had not escaped during the afternoon’s activities. In the pack on his back, he had some of the gifts given to him in Hogsmeade. The rest were carried by his companions.
He now needed to present the gifts to either the Head of Hogwarts or his ‘partner’ as Hermione had so delicately put it.
If he were smart, he would give the gifts to McGonagall. Most of the students probably expected him to do so, since, as far as they knew, he wasn’t dating anyone since he and Ginny had had that last screaming fight that ended any chance of a romance between them. 6
Unfortunately for the part of him that wanted to remain out of the spotlight, he was about to dash the perception of being single. Squaring his shoulders, he strode forward, reminiscent of a conquering hero and made his way to the Ravenclaw table. He ignored the excited chatter as he knelt in front of his chosen lady.
“Harry Potter,” she greeted with a lilt in her voice, as if it weren’t out of character for him to kneel before her. And perhaps it wasn’t, not after these last months doing whatever they’d been doing.
“My lady Lovegood.” He bowed his head and presented to her the cage, which she accepted with a graveness most did not associate with her. She rose from her seat and allowed him to escort her to the front of the Hall to complete the ritual. He swung his bag off his shoulder and began to unload the gifts given to him. Coins, cheeses and cured meats, cloth - even some potion ingredients - appeared before her. His companions presented their burdens as well before lining up behind him.
“I present to you the gifts of the season,” he intoned with a sweeping gesture to the offerings.
She gazed at them for a while, giving them their due, before nodding her head in a regal manner. “You have done well,” she agreed and clapped her hands, the signal for the House Elves to come and gather the donations. He bowed to Headmistress McGonagall and then to Luna. She curtseyed in return and accepted the arm Harry offered her. They led the procession - this time the whole school joined them - to the edge of the Forest.
“Thank you, little one,” Harry said as Luna opened the cage. The snidget chirped before hopping off the perch in the cage and peering towards the darkened Forest. A moment later, the snidget flew away. Harry gave the cage to the Headmistress for future use and once again offered his arm to Luna for the return trip to the Great Hall.
As the main participant in the tradition, Harry and his chosen lady got to sit at a table especially prepared for everyone involved in the Snidget Hunt. Personally, he couldn’t wait until he could leave the spotlight, but couldn’t begrudge the attention those who had accompanied him to Hogsmeade received. They deserved it, if only because they had to put up with the fawning and gushing of the townsfolk all afternoon.
“Soon enough,” Luna whispered in his ear as if reading his thoughts. He squeezed her hand and smiled.
“Good. Glad this is almost over,” he whispered back. “I don’t think I could have managed without your help.”
“You would have figured something out,” she insisted.
He shook his head in denial. “I think you overestimate my abilities.” Just as she trivialized her own.
“And you underestimate yourself,” she countered. She captured his gaze with her own and he caught his breath at the serious look in her eyes. “You are more than your title.”
“You’re one of the few who sees that.” He had become resigned to the wizarding world’s perception of him since June. It wasn’t like he had much of choice, no matter how much he disliked it.
“You’ll just have to demonstrate that to others.” As if it were that easy.
“Your faith in me is astounding,” Harry shook his head in awe. She simply smiled in response and turned her attention to her meal. 7
***
“I didn’t know you and Luna were dating!” Hermione exclaimed.
“Yeah, mate. What about Ginny?” Ron frowned.
“What about Ginny?” Harry asked. “We stopped dating a while ago.”
“Yeah but…” Ron trailed off and scuffed his foot. “We always thought you’d get back together at some point. Mum really thought so at least.” Next to him, Hermione nodded her head in agreement.
He looked at his best friends in astonishment. “I hate to tell you this, but there’s no chance that’ll happen. Not after that last fight.” They had said way too many hurtful things to each other for Harry to ever consider getting back together with her. As it was, they still had a strained friendship.
Ron still looked unconvinced but quieted after Hermione nudged him. Maybe she got it.
“Really though, Luna?” she asked, a dubious expression on her face.
“Why is that so surprising?” Harry wanted to know.
“She’s, well… you know!” Hermione gestured. Harry frowned in response.
“Not really, no,” he told her. “She makes me happy.”
Neither Ron nor Hermione really seemed to know how to respond to that. Ron considered Luna a nutter and Hermione believed she lived in a fantasy world that only tangentially resembled the ‘real world,’ a condition not helped by her forced imprisonment in Malfoy Manor. He had given up on trying to convince them otherwise.
“She’s good for me,” he finally said, hoping that would be enough - after all, friends were supposed to be happy for each other. They exchanged another look and he sighed. “I’m going to go and find Luna,” he announced and left the common room.
***
After Harry attended the last funeral he retreated to Grimmauld Place to lick his metaphorical wounds. School began in little over a month and he wanted to take advantage of his free time to relax and maybe start to recover from the war and well, dying. Despite Molly’s insistence, he had refused her offer of staying at the Burrow. He didn’t really want to be around other people, no matter how close he was to them.
Sometime in that period, he remembered Luna. Not that he had really forgotten her, but he hadn’t really thought of her since he had said a distracted ‘hello’ to her at Fred’s funeral. It made him feel guilty, especially when he remembered how she had decorated her bedroom. So it was after he and Kreacher had finished re-decorating Grimmauld Place, that he decided to see how Luna was handling her post-war life.
Luna had clearly not expected him and had stared at him in surprise when she answered the door. Several uncomfortable moments followed and Harry had made move to leave when she recovered and ushered him inside. There, he had spent a few minutes in an awkward and stilted conversation with Mr. Lovegood before Luna dragged him outside for a walk.
“How is your father? Is he recovering?” he inquired. Mr. Lovegood had looked pretty awful and seemed quite jittery.
“You’re not angry?” she asked, astonished that he didn’t hold a grudge against her father for his actions during the war.
“How can I?” Harry responded. “He was only trying to protect you. I can understand that. Besides, it’s not like I suffered from it. We got away before that happened.”
For Harry, that was the end of it. Luna grabbed his hand and turned him to meet his gaze.
“Thank you,” she said simply and brought him into a hug. He stiffened in her embrace, uncomfortable with physical affection. She didn’t release him until he tentatively returned it.
It was the first time he realized he didn’t mind her hugging him.
***
Harry liked Hogsmeade weekends, if only because he didn’t have to stay on the grounds of Hogwarts, and got to see his godson. It wasn’t that he didn’t like the school; it just held far too many memories for him so that he sometimes felt overwhelmed.
Besides, Andromeda always let him have Teddy for the afternoon, something he appreciated. Sure, Teddy was still an infant and didn’t do much more than drool on him, but he wanted to give to Teddy what he hadn’t had: a sense of family. And to his luck, his girlfriend didn’t seem to mind that their Hogsmeade visits meant babysitting his godson.
Luna appeared to enjoy Teddy’s visits almost as much as Harry did, something he considered a good sign. Not that he wanted to get too far ahead of himself when it came to relationships. He had no idea where he and Luna would end up after they graduated and was determined to enjoy the time he spent with her without looking to the future. Still, it was a comfort to know she liked Teddy and didn’t mind that he joined them on the weekends.
That Saturday, Teddy strapped to his chest, he accompanied Luna as she picked up a couple of new quills and some chocolates. Having gotten all that she needed (or wanted), they headed back to Hogwarts, intent on enjoying the sunny spring afternoon. Teddy gazed with bright eyes around him, while Luna chattered about all the rare animals she and her father planned to look for this summer.
“Are you planning on spending all summer away from here?” Harry asked as they slowed to a temporary halt before the War Memorial. It was well-visited judging by the small offerings left to honor those that had fallen.
“Perhaps,” she replied, circling the memorial and leaving some posies she had picked. Harry neared the memorial, searching for something. With a trembling finger, he traced the letters of Remus and Tonks’ names.
“See, Teddy. This is your mum and dad,” he whispered.
Teddy gurgled.
He smiled sadly and left his own offering.
“Will you join the Aurors?” Luna asked as they left the memorial and headed elsewhere.
“No,” he replied with a grimace. “I’m tired of fighting. Besides, I have this little guy to care for.”
“You could join Daddy and me,” she offered.
“I don’t know if your father would like that,” he replied cautiously. “I thought the trips were a chance for you and him to bond.”
“He won’t mind,” she insisted.
“Then maybe for a couple of weeks,” he agreed.
She seemed satisfied by that and hummed a happy tune while skipping ahead a bit. She paused at the edge of the Forest and looked back at him. Tilting her head, she seemed to examine him for some reason only she knew.
“Did you ever think the war would end?”
Not exactly what he was expecting. He blinked in surprised and then in thought. “I knew it would end. Just wasn’t sure I would make it,” he told her.
“You died,” she stated.
“Yes,” he confirmed.
“But you came back.”
“Well, yeah…” he shrugged, feeing uncomfortable. “I couldn’t let anyone else kill Voldemort. He was my destiny.”
She snorted and he grinned, despite the topic, because yes, he did sound pretentious at that moment.
“You’re a good man, Harry Potter,” she announced and slipped close to him to give him a kiss. “You do what is right, not what is easy. And not many others would do the same.”
He didn’t know how to respond but apparently Luna didn’t require one as she grabbed his hand and dragged him back to the Black Lake. “Come. We should show Teddy how to skip stones.”
He couldn’t complain about that. Harry let the afternoon sun wash over him and followed his Luna. He was happy and that was all that mattered.
All was well… at least for now.
/fin
(1) None of those present at the Great Treacle Tart Disaster of ‘93 really understood how it began but everyone agreed afterwards that it was all the fault of the Weasley Twins. The Disaster capped the Great Treacle Tart Disasters of ‘75 (when the Marauders charmed the Treacle Tart to taste like vomit), and ‘04 (when the future Mrs. Augusta Longbottom got into a fight over the last bit of the sticky pudding with Aberforth Dumbledore which necessitated the reattachment of several limbs and several blood replenishment potions) in sheer destruction and mayhem. For some reason the Twins decided to keep Harry from the treacle tart and managed to enlist all of Gryffindor in their quest. Already stressed from having the mass-murderer Sirius Black after him and Oliver’s insane Quidditch practices and the Dementors, Harry did not take well this deprivation and lashed out with his accidental magic when the last of the treacle tart disappeared from the table. Most of those present still shuddered in fear from what he did and refused to speak of it but everyone knew that you didn’t mess with Harry Potter’s treacle tart without paying the consequences. Luna’s courageous actions earned her honorary membership in Gryffindor and the awarding of several points for completely random things, such as getting to class on time.
(2) In direct contrast to everyone else who greeted him after the Final Battle, Luna had simply given him a hug and then asked him whether he thought she might have luck finding a Crumpled-horned Snorkack that summer.
(3) Apparently the only way to determine who led the hunt was by leaving it to chance, hence the use of the coin. It was also considered extremely bad luck for someone other than the person chosen to lead the hunt. No one wanted to risk that, so all had refused his increasingly desperate pleas.
(4) After the war, Harry had blithely informed one reporter who had gone on and on about how evil Slytherin was that the Sorting Hat had considered the much-maligned House for him. He had then asked the reporter if he was evil, only for the reporter to splutter in a panic. The wizarding world as a whole had expected him to forgo his last year of schooling and help the Aurors find the last of the Death Eaters. Fortunately, Kingsley had backed him up on his refusal.
(5) Professor McGonagall had apologized when everything was over and done for not helping him to prepare more. Like Harry, she had lost many loved ones in both this war and the first one and even in the war against Grindlewald. She never made him try and speak about all that had happened to him, but listened to him when he needed it. More than that, she would sometimes come to him in her animagus form, curl up in his lap and let him stroke her while he tried to figure out his life. They never spoke about it, but it helped him a lot.
(6) The fight would go into the annals of Gryffindor House as an example of why not annoy a Weasley. At the same time it cemented Harry’s hero status, since everyone knew he could have ended the fight by simply stunning her. Instead, he dodged the curses Ginny threw at him and did his best not to hurt her or the others in the room. Everyone agreed that he had taken more from her than he should… especially since they had broken up at the end of his sixth year, no matter what other promises or hopes she might have had.
(7) Luna believed in Harry in ways he didn’t understand, but it made him feel good to know that no matter what he did she would support him. It made him think that this was what love was like.
Title: She Likes Me for Me
Author: vipersweb
Recipient: ayane_tsurugi
Rating: PG
Word Count: 5000
Pairing: Harry/Luna, Hermione/Ron
Warnings: None
Summary: After the war, Wizarding traditions are brought back to Hogwarts. Lucky Harry, he gets to star front and center in one.
Author’s Note: Betaed by M.S. ayane_tsurugi asked for Harry/Luna and gave me the prompts of: Hogwarts, a coin and wacky wizarding traditions. The tradition is loosely based on a Welsh tradition, called a Wren Hunt, though I’ve changed it to some extent. Hope you enjoy! Title taken from a song, that has been covered by a zillion bands.
There are footnotes in this fic. My best suggestion when reading is to click on the footnote, read it and then hit the back button to be brought back to the main text.
‘This,’ Harry thought to himself as he stumbled his way through the Forbidden Forest, wand held at the ready in case of danger, ‘is ridiculous.’ He paused, running fingers through his hair and huffed in frustration.
“It’s an honor, Harry,” he mimicked his best friend’s words to him when he discovered the thrice-be damned coin in his treacle tart - his treacle tart damn it! 1 “It’s for good luck,” he continued before snorting. “Right. Some honor.” He closed his eyes and sighed. He hated the Forbidden Forest. Had, in fact, avoided it assiduously since he had returned to Hogwarts for his last year. Too bad he couldn’t continue to do so.
“Alright, Harry,” he told himself. “Let’s try and find this damn bird so you can get back to Hogwarts before it gets too late.” And no, he didn’t want to think what it might mean that he spoke to himself in the third person. Instead, he focused on his task at hand: finding the elusive snidget.
***
”I’m so jealous!” Hermione groused. “You get to participate in such a wonderful tradition!” He looked at her in disbelief and then at Ron, who shrugged and grimaced in solidarity with Harry’s discomfort.
“Right, Hermione,” Harry replied, his tone dripping with sarcasm, “because traipsing through the Forbidden Forest to find one of the most elusive birds in existence, all for a tradition that fell out of use centuries ago, is my idea of a lot of fun.”
“But,” Hermione blinked at him in confusion. “I though you agreed that Headmistress McGonagall’s decision to reinstate a number of old wizarding traditions was a good idea.” Her lips pursed as if she wanted to deliver a lecture to him and he raised his hands to stop her.
“It’s not that. I agree it’s important to bring them back. It’s just…” and here, he trailed off, not sure how to exactly explain his reluctance to enter the Forbidden Forest.
Fortunately, Ron interjected. “Hermione, no one wants to trudge through the Forest, looking for something as rare as the snidget. We don’t even know if they still live there! And besides, it’s February - still winter.”
A point to which Hermione had to concede.
“But still,” she began, belaboring her point and frustrating Harry to no end. “It’s such an honor.” And she got that far away look she always did when thinking about some academic issue.
Fortunately, it was at this point that Luna interrupted their conversation. Harry latched onto her with a surprising amount of relief that he knew he would have to examine more closely at some point. “Luna!” he greeted, pulling her closer tot hem, something she actually acceded to. “What do you think of the Snidget Hunt?”
She blinked her slightly bulbous eyes and smirked. “Oh, it will be great fun, Harry Potter,” and he shivered at her tone, hearing all the unspoken layer to her words, even if he didn’t quite know what he wanted to do with her.
“Er, right,” he stammered.
“You shouldn’t let the Nargles infest you,” she continued, ignoring Hermione’s huff of disbelief. “After all, snidgets hide from Nargles.”
Harry ignored the voice in his head that said snidgets avoided everyone if they could help it. “How do I get rid of them?”
Luna grinned brilliantly, grabbed his hand and dragged him to a nearly supply cupboard, where she proceeded to snog the brains out of him.
“I think I like your method,” he commented when they finally stumbled out. She merely patted him on the cheek and skipped away.
***
Harry still didn’t know what they had, only that it was fun and had grown out of their friendship. Also, of all his friends, Luna had been the only one to give him practical advice for finding - and capturing without killing - the snidget.
“Come on, Harry,” he lectured himself. “Let’s get started. Sooner you find the damned bird, sooner the damn tradition can be finished.” So saying, he straightened up and prepared the spell Luna had sworn would help him at his task. Hermione, of course, hadn’t believe it would work, mostly because she couldn’t find the spell in any book, but Harry was willing to believe Luna. Next to Hagrid, she knew the most about magical creatures. And besides, she was a Ravenclaw and that meant something. Besides, Harry liked her quirkiness; it made her a very interesting person. She also didn’t seem to care that he had saved the wizarding world, a rare thing for Harry. 2
He put his thoughts to action and spoke the spell Luna had given to him and waited.
And waited. And waited some more. ‘Maybe Hermione was right,’ he thought. ‘Maybe this was all just a bit of nonsense.’ He shook his head, feeling guilty for even thinking it. He didn’t know why it hadn’t yet worked but it would. He had faith in Luna. So he tried it again, this time putting more feeling into it. He grinned as he said the spell, Luna’s smiling visage fixed firmly in his mind as tried it again.
This time, he felt a rush of magic leave him, a rush that reminded him of the blonde Ravencaw who, of all his friends, had helped him adjust to his life post-Voldemort the bed. Mostly, by not forcing him to talk about what had happened ad nauseum, unlike everyone else in his life.
A soft smile remained on his lips as he waited with more patience than before, certain it had worked this time.
Not even ten minutes later, he heard the chirp of a bird. He opened his ages and an awed grin crossed his face before he slowly reached into his pocket and removed a handful of sesame seeds. According to Luna, the snidget should like them.
“Hello little one,” he whispered, keeping his voice low and trying to appear non-threatening. “I don’t want to hurt you.” The snidget fluttered in the air, it’s wings beating so fast that it appeared a blur. He could understand why such they were used in Quidditch before they were replaced by the Snitch. Something as beautiful as this bird shouldn’t have to die for a game. “You’re a beautiful one,” he crooned. “I bet you’ll bring us lots of luck. I think we could use some of that.” Luck sorely needed to help the fractured wizarding world heal from the war.
The snidget tilted its head before moving closer to Harry. He took it as a good sign and carefully and slowly removed the cage Luna had helped him to prepare. He opened the door to it and presented it to the snidget, holding his breath as he waited for the small bird to make its decision. After several long moments, moments in which Harry continued to project his desire to show off the bird and not to kill or maim it, the snidget chirped and flitted into the cage.
“Thank you,” Harry sighed, bowing his head towards the bird that had consented to take part in this tradition. The golden bird fluffed its feathers and made itself comfortable as Harry locked the cage and began to make his way back to the castle.
***
”So what do I need to do?” Harry asked once he had exhausted all possibilities of placing this so-called ‘honor’ on someone else’s shoulders. 3
Hermione grinned widely and pulled out a sheaf of papers for reference. “Well,” she began, “you have to capture a snidget. After you do that, you must bring it back to your home - in this case, Hogwarts - and present it to the head of the house. For Hogwarts, that’s Headmistress McGonagall.”
“Is that it?” Harry hoped so, but somehow thought he wouldn’t be so lucky.
“Of course no!” Hermione scolded. “Honestly, Harry! Haven’t you even looked at this tradition?” She frowned at him.
He stared at her in disbelief. “Hermione, I have no desire to even participate. Why would I pay attention to what it consists of? I’ve been busy trying to foist it off on someone else.”
She shook her head and huffed. “Pay attention then. After you present the snidget to the Headmistress, she will gift you with coins, food or cloth to show her acceptance of your offering. Then, she’ll lead throughout the school, to bring luck to the whole of building. Once that has happened, you and the others selected to join you, will go to Hogsmeade and bring the snidget to each of the residences for luck. You’ll get gifts in thanks for the luck. Once you’ve visited each home, you can return to Hogwarts and present the offerings you’ve received to either your, uh… chosen partner or um, McGonagall.” Hermione stuttered and looked uncomfortable as she finished, mostly because of the implications to that.
“Great,” Harry mumbled before heading to the library to try and figure out just how one went about capturing a snidget. Or finding Luna to see what she thought of the whole thing. Maybe he had some Nargles she needed to get rid of for him.
***
His return trip to Hogwarts did not take nearly as long as his trip into it to find the snidget. Fortunately for his sanity, he emerged from the Forest nowhere near the path his death walk had taken all those months ago. No one waited for him - part of the tradition apparently - and he hurried inside the castle to present the caged snidget to McGonagall. Given the time of day, he knew she was in the Great Hall for lunch.
He would have snickered at the looks of astonishment that his entrance caused. Few had expected him to return so early. Harry liked spoiling expectations the wizarding world had towards him. 4
“Mr. Potter,” Headmistress McGonagall intoned as he neared the head table, “have you succeeded in your quest?”
“Yes, Headmistress, I have,” he replied and with a small flourish that resembled something his father might have done, presented the caged bird to her.
She graced him with a small smile. “Very good, Mr. Potter,” she said with the solemnity due the occasion. She reached towards her robes and withdrew a galleon. “Please accept this token in thanks and partake of the meal before we continue.”
He nodded, leaving the cage on the table in front of her for display. He made sure the snidget had enough food and water before heading to the Gryffindor table to grab lunch. He wanted to make sure he had enough energy to complete his task for the day.
***
”Who gets to come with me to Hogsmeade?” Harry asked Headmistress McGonagall as he lounged in a chair before her desk. Hermione would have scolded him for his posture and apparent lack of respect.
McGonagall could care less. Of all his professors, she perhaps understood him best. 5 She knew he respected her so merely answered his question rather than lecture him on how he sat.
“The Sorting Hat will announce the names of the students who will accompany you,” she informed him.
“No coins in their pudding,” he grumbled.
She hid a smile and dismissed him after some more chit chat, leaving him to return to his research. Or, as was more likely, go and find Luna to see what she had to say.
***
The Sorting Hat chose a mixture of students from all Houses and years. Once lunch ended, the small group of twenty joined Harry and the Headmistress in the walk through the school. After they had made their way to each of the cardinal points, Harry led the group to Hogsmeade, where the various merchants and residents waited for the procession to arrive. Of course, some of this enthusiasm was likely due to Harry - their Savior! - having the luck to lead this strange parade. Giving his reclusive nature since the last funeral he had attended that summer, most of those willing to participate in this tradition did so in the hope of seeing and speaking to Harry.
One more reason for him to hate having to take part in this.
To his surprise, they managed to visit each business and home before dinner was due to begin. It meant they didn’t miss - or have to interrupt - the feast planned to cap off the day’s event.
“Alright there?” a young Hufflepuff asked. Harry vaguely remembered meeting her once upon a time and thought her name was Rose.
“Just want this over with,” he confessed. “Bit knackered from all the talking and walking.”
“Not much longer,” she urged. “Just the presentation and then you can release the snidget.”
Harry snorted. “The little guy certainly had an easy day of it.” She giggled in response as he peered at the bird, which currently slept, its head under a wing. “Let’s get this over with,” he muttered as they reached the doors of the Great Hall. His twenty companions lined up behind him as he opened the doors. He held the cage before him, proof that the snidget had not escaped during the afternoon’s activities. In the pack on his back, he had some of the gifts given to him in Hogsmeade. The rest were carried by his companions.
He now needed to present the gifts to either the Head of Hogwarts or his ‘partner’ as Hermione had so delicately put it.
If he were smart, he would give the gifts to McGonagall. Most of the students probably expected him to do so, since, as far as they knew, he wasn’t dating anyone since he and Ginny had had that last screaming fight that ended any chance of a romance between them. 6
Unfortunately for the part of him that wanted to remain out of the spotlight, he was about to dash the perception of being single. Squaring his shoulders, he strode forward, reminiscent of a conquering hero and made his way to the Ravenclaw table. He ignored the excited chatter as he knelt in front of his chosen lady.
“Harry Potter,” she greeted with a lilt in her voice, as if it weren’t out of character for him to kneel before her. And perhaps it wasn’t, not after these last months doing whatever they’d been doing.
“My lady Lovegood.” He bowed his head and presented to her the cage, which she accepted with a graveness most did not associate with her. She rose from her seat and allowed him to escort her to the front of the Hall to complete the ritual. He swung his bag off his shoulder and began to unload the gifts given to him. Coins, cheeses and cured meats, cloth - even some potion ingredients - appeared before her. His companions presented their burdens as well before lining up behind him.
“I present to you the gifts of the season,” he intoned with a sweeping gesture to the offerings.
She gazed at them for a while, giving them their due, before nodding her head in a regal manner. “You have done well,” she agreed and clapped her hands, the signal for the House Elves to come and gather the donations. He bowed to Headmistress McGonagall and then to Luna. She curtseyed in return and accepted the arm Harry offered her. They led the procession - this time the whole school joined them - to the edge of the Forest.
“Thank you, little one,” Harry said as Luna opened the cage. The snidget chirped before hopping off the perch in the cage and peering towards the darkened Forest. A moment later, the snidget flew away. Harry gave the cage to the Headmistress for future use and once again offered his arm to Luna for the return trip to the Great Hall.
As the main participant in the tradition, Harry and his chosen lady got to sit at a table especially prepared for everyone involved in the Snidget Hunt. Personally, he couldn’t wait until he could leave the spotlight, but couldn’t begrudge the attention those who had accompanied him to Hogsmeade received. They deserved it, if only because they had to put up with the fawning and gushing of the townsfolk all afternoon.
“Soon enough,” Luna whispered in his ear as if reading his thoughts. He squeezed her hand and smiled.
“Good. Glad this is almost over,” he whispered back. “I don’t think I could have managed without your help.”
“You would have figured something out,” she insisted.
He shook his head in denial. “I think you overestimate my abilities.” Just as she trivialized her own.
“And you underestimate yourself,” she countered. She captured his gaze with her own and he caught his breath at the serious look in her eyes. “You are more than your title.”
“You’re one of the few who sees that.” He had become resigned to the wizarding world’s perception of him since June. It wasn’t like he had much of choice, no matter how much he disliked it.
“You’ll just have to demonstrate that to others.” As if it were that easy.
“Your faith in me is astounding,” Harry shook his head in awe. She simply smiled in response and turned her attention to her meal. 7
***
“I didn’t know you and Luna were dating!” Hermione exclaimed.
“Yeah, mate. What about Ginny?” Ron frowned.
“What about Ginny?” Harry asked. “We stopped dating a while ago.”
“Yeah but…” Ron trailed off and scuffed his foot. “We always thought you’d get back together at some point. Mum really thought so at least.” Next to him, Hermione nodded her head in agreement.
He looked at his best friends in astonishment. “I hate to tell you this, but there’s no chance that’ll happen. Not after that last fight.” They had said way too many hurtful things to each other for Harry to ever consider getting back together with her. As it was, they still had a strained friendship.
Ron still looked unconvinced but quieted after Hermione nudged him. Maybe she got it.
“Really though, Luna?” she asked, a dubious expression on her face.
“Why is that so surprising?” Harry wanted to know.
“She’s, well… you know!” Hermione gestured. Harry frowned in response.
“Not really, no,” he told her. “She makes me happy.”
Neither Ron nor Hermione really seemed to know how to respond to that. Ron considered Luna a nutter and Hermione believed she lived in a fantasy world that only tangentially resembled the ‘real world,’ a condition not helped by her forced imprisonment in Malfoy Manor. He had given up on trying to convince them otherwise.
“She’s good for me,” he finally said, hoping that would be enough - after all, friends were supposed to be happy for each other. They exchanged another look and he sighed. “I’m going to go and find Luna,” he announced and left the common room.
***
After Harry attended the last funeral he retreated to Grimmauld Place to lick his metaphorical wounds. School began in little over a month and he wanted to take advantage of his free time to relax and maybe start to recover from the war and well, dying. Despite Molly’s insistence, he had refused her offer of staying at the Burrow. He didn’t really want to be around other people, no matter how close he was to them.
Sometime in that period, he remembered Luna. Not that he had really forgotten her, but he hadn’t really thought of her since he had said a distracted ‘hello’ to her at Fred’s funeral. It made him feel guilty, especially when he remembered how she had decorated her bedroom. So it was after he and Kreacher had finished re-decorating Grimmauld Place, that he decided to see how Luna was handling her post-war life.
Luna had clearly not expected him and had stared at him in surprise when she answered the door. Several uncomfortable moments followed and Harry had made move to leave when she recovered and ushered him inside. There, he had spent a few minutes in an awkward and stilted conversation with Mr. Lovegood before Luna dragged him outside for a walk.
“How is your father? Is he recovering?” he inquired. Mr. Lovegood had looked pretty awful and seemed quite jittery.
“You’re not angry?” she asked, astonished that he didn’t hold a grudge against her father for his actions during the war.
“How can I?” Harry responded. “He was only trying to protect you. I can understand that. Besides, it’s not like I suffered from it. We got away before that happened.”
For Harry, that was the end of it. Luna grabbed his hand and turned him to meet his gaze.
“Thank you,” she said simply and brought him into a hug. He stiffened in her embrace, uncomfortable with physical affection. She didn’t release him until he tentatively returned it.
It was the first time he realized he didn’t mind her hugging him.
***
Harry liked Hogsmeade weekends, if only because he didn’t have to stay on the grounds of Hogwarts, and got to see his godson. It wasn’t that he didn’t like the school; it just held far too many memories for him so that he sometimes felt overwhelmed.
Besides, Andromeda always let him have Teddy for the afternoon, something he appreciated. Sure, Teddy was still an infant and didn’t do much more than drool on him, but he wanted to give to Teddy what he hadn’t had: a sense of family. And to his luck, his girlfriend didn’t seem to mind that their Hogsmeade visits meant babysitting his godson.
Luna appeared to enjoy Teddy’s visits almost as much as Harry did, something he considered a good sign. Not that he wanted to get too far ahead of himself when it came to relationships. He had no idea where he and Luna would end up after they graduated and was determined to enjoy the time he spent with her without looking to the future. Still, it was a comfort to know she liked Teddy and didn’t mind that he joined them on the weekends.
That Saturday, Teddy strapped to his chest, he accompanied Luna as she picked up a couple of new quills and some chocolates. Having gotten all that she needed (or wanted), they headed back to Hogwarts, intent on enjoying the sunny spring afternoon. Teddy gazed with bright eyes around him, while Luna chattered about all the rare animals she and her father planned to look for this summer.
“Are you planning on spending all summer away from here?” Harry asked as they slowed to a temporary halt before the War Memorial. It was well-visited judging by the small offerings left to honor those that had fallen.
“Perhaps,” she replied, circling the memorial and leaving some posies she had picked. Harry neared the memorial, searching for something. With a trembling finger, he traced the letters of Remus and Tonks’ names.
“See, Teddy. This is your mum and dad,” he whispered.
Teddy gurgled.
He smiled sadly and left his own offering.
“Will you join the Aurors?” Luna asked as they left the memorial and headed elsewhere.
“No,” he replied with a grimace. “I’m tired of fighting. Besides, I have this little guy to care for.”
“You could join Daddy and me,” she offered.
“I don’t know if your father would like that,” he replied cautiously. “I thought the trips were a chance for you and him to bond.”
“He won’t mind,” she insisted.
“Then maybe for a couple of weeks,” he agreed.
She seemed satisfied by that and hummed a happy tune while skipping ahead a bit. She paused at the edge of the Forest and looked back at him. Tilting her head, she seemed to examine him for some reason only she knew.
“Did you ever think the war would end?”
Not exactly what he was expecting. He blinked in surprised and then in thought. “I knew it would end. Just wasn’t sure I would make it,” he told her.
“You died,” she stated.
“Yes,” he confirmed.
“But you came back.”
“Well, yeah…” he shrugged, feeing uncomfortable. “I couldn’t let anyone else kill Voldemort. He was my destiny.”
She snorted and he grinned, despite the topic, because yes, he did sound pretentious at that moment.
“You’re a good man, Harry Potter,” she announced and slipped close to him to give him a kiss. “You do what is right, not what is easy. And not many others would do the same.”
He didn’t know how to respond but apparently Luna didn’t require one as she grabbed his hand and dragged him back to the Black Lake. “Come. We should show Teddy how to skip stones.”
He couldn’t complain about that. Harry let the afternoon sun wash over him and followed his Luna. He was happy and that was all that mattered.
All was well… at least for now.
/fin
(1) None of those present at the Great Treacle Tart Disaster of ‘93 really understood how it began but everyone agreed afterwards that it was all the fault of the Weasley Twins. The Disaster capped the Great Treacle Tart Disasters of ‘75 (when the Marauders charmed the Treacle Tart to taste like vomit), and ‘04 (when the future Mrs. Augusta Longbottom got into a fight over the last bit of the sticky pudding with Aberforth Dumbledore which necessitated the reattachment of several limbs and several blood replenishment potions) in sheer destruction and mayhem. For some reason the Twins decided to keep Harry from the treacle tart and managed to enlist all of Gryffindor in their quest. Already stressed from having the mass-murderer Sirius Black after him and Oliver’s insane Quidditch practices and the Dementors, Harry did not take well this deprivation and lashed out with his accidental magic when the last of the treacle tart disappeared from the table. Most of those present still shuddered in fear from what he did and refused to speak of it but everyone knew that you didn’t mess with Harry Potter’s treacle tart without paying the consequences. Luna’s courageous actions earned her honorary membership in Gryffindor and the awarding of several points for completely random things, such as getting to class on time.
(2) In direct contrast to everyone else who greeted him after the Final Battle, Luna had simply given him a hug and then asked him whether he thought she might have luck finding a Crumpled-horned Snorkack that summer.
(3) Apparently the only way to determine who led the hunt was by leaving it to chance, hence the use of the coin. It was also considered extremely bad luck for someone other than the person chosen to lead the hunt. No one wanted to risk that, so all had refused his increasingly desperate pleas.
(4) After the war, Harry had blithely informed one reporter who had gone on and on about how evil Slytherin was that the Sorting Hat had considered the much-maligned House for him. He had then asked the reporter if he was evil, only for the reporter to splutter in a panic. The wizarding world as a whole had expected him to forgo his last year of schooling and help the Aurors find the last of the Death Eaters. Fortunately, Kingsley had backed him up on his refusal.
(5) Professor McGonagall had apologized when everything was over and done for not helping him to prepare more. Like Harry, she had lost many loved ones in both this war and the first one and even in the war against Grindlewald. She never made him try and speak about all that had happened to him, but listened to him when he needed it. More than that, she would sometimes come to him in her animagus form, curl up in his lap and let him stroke her while he tried to figure out his life. They never spoke about it, but it helped him a lot.
(6) The fight would go into the annals of Gryffindor House as an example of why not annoy a Weasley. At the same time it cemented Harry’s hero status, since everyone knew he could have ended the fight by simply stunning her. Instead, he dodged the curses Ginny threw at him and did his best not to hurt her or the others in the room. Everyone agreed that he had taken more from her than he should… especially since they had broken up at the end of his sixth year, no matter what other promises or hopes she might have had.
(7) Luna believed in Harry in ways he didn’t understand, but it made him feel good to know that no matter what he did she would support him. It made him think that this was what love was like.