Chapter 13: Triangles
"Wait a minute, what do you mean by 'our' bedroom?!"
Ron hollered in hopes of stopping the inevitable "let's-pretend-no-one-else-is-here" conversation that his two best friends had become infamous for. Sure enough, both Harry and Hermione's heads jerked in his direction at his sudden outburst, their imaginary bubble of privacy, which had been starting to form bursting before it had enveloped them in their own world.
He also noticed that they both wore the same surprised look, but even he could tell that it was much more intense than the fear of an unexpected sound. Rather, their pale faces clearly showed that they were feeling something more than just shock. It seemed as if they had just seen Death itself.
"Well..." Harry started, stumbling over his words as his dread was slowly replaced with anxiety. The circumstances surrounding their communal sleeping conditions were farfetched and ridiculous at best and utterly unbelievable at worst. To be truthful, he himself had not become entirely comfortable with their arrangement, but the fact that Hermione and he had come to a mutual understanding helped him ignore the awkwardness of it all. At least she was in the same situation that he was in. And, due to this convenient truth, nobody ever had to know about their secret.
Especially Ron.
Ron was now staring at him, eyebrows raised and awaiting an answer. For one of the first times he could recall, Harry was unable to read what his friend was thinking. His heart raced, trying to formulate an answer which didn't start with "I've been sleeping with your girlfriend, mate!"
It was times like this, times of intense stress, where he would turn to Hermione. Hermione was always there with an answer to every problem, and if not an answer at least some advice. So naturally, Harry craned his gaze towards his other best friend. She was still staring at Ron, biting her lower lip in thought. Harry could tell that she was nervous by the way he felt her body shaking lightly against his own, her heart coordinating with his own as percussionists, pounding a ceaseless cadence against his chest.
It was only after realizing this that he decided that talking to Ron and Luna about this matter would be much easier, and a lot more appropriate, if Hermione wasn't laying on top of him.
"Ron, I will answer your question, but first…uh, Hermione?"
"Huh?" Hermione said as her head snapped back to face Harry. She started to blush as she immediately realized their present positioning. She had been holding down Harry with her elbows, but when Ron had shouted she must have shifted unexpectedly, falling so that her chest was now aligned with Harry's.
Harry took a breath as he nodded slightly to her. "Yeah..."
Hermione rolled off Harry slowly and stood up for the first time since they had found her comatose in her bed. She turned her back to the other three, trying to calm her nerves down and wishing she could disappear and pretend Ron and Luna had never seen what they had just witnessed.
Harry took the opportunity to try to delay yet another explanatory conversation. He would be perfectly fine if he never had to explain anything ever again to anybody. Standing up and picking up the sword, he walked towards Ron and Luna. The former of the two was still glaring at Harry, a multitude of emotions held behind his stoic figure.
"Look," Harry started quietly, looking Ron directly in the eye but showing no signs of hostility. "It's a very long story, and I promise to tell you everything…"
"What exactly has been going on here?" asked Ron, accusation accenting each word. Luna watched the two carefully, concerned.
"Nothing, I swear! It's just…" Harry paused. He was not a very good liar, but he was even worse at making up excuses. "Like I said Ron, I will tell you everything, but you know, with Hermione…um…well, she's been through a lot today and I don't think it would be a good idea to pressure her into talking about this right…"
"No Harry, it's alright. We might as well tell them now that it's out there," Hermione said, causing Harry to turn around. The color had returned to her face, which made him feel grateful, but on the other hand he did not like the fact that Hermione was tossing both of them directly into the fire. He hoped that Ron and Luna could not see the fear that was beginning to spread through his body.
"But Hermione---"
"Are you feeling better, Hermione?" asked Luna, interrupting Harry's plea.
"Yes, thank you Luna, but I would like a glass of water before we continue," she answered. The fact that Ron was shooting both her and Harry dirty, piercing looks was not past her, but she tried to avoid eye contact as she led the group back into the living room.
Harry watched as Hermione disappeared into the kitchen, himself and his other two companions taking their former seats around the table. After carefully positioning Gryffindor's sword so that it was leaning against his chair, Harry slammed his head down so that it was resting on his outstretched hands. The day seemed to drag on forever. For every extra second that he was conscious, the more things seemed to go from horrible to worse. A part of him wished Ron had just left him to freeze to death in that field. He wanted nothing more at the moment than to just give into his exhaustion, and the fact that he could still feel the intensity of Ron's gaze attempting to wither a hole into the back of his head helped to affirm his decision to fall asleep right then and there.
Unfortunately, his plan was interrupted as he heard the screech of the chair next to him grind across the floor, indicating that Hermione had returned. He reluctantly picked up his head and put on what he hoped was a convincing look of passivity. If Hermione could be confident about this, the least he could do was feign the same.
Fatigued and apprehensive, Harry opened his eyes to a now obviously angry Ron. His eyes were mere slits on his face, his expression scrunched as he continued to glare at his two friends wearily. A part of Harry wanted to take his gaze off of Ron, but his memory told him that he had seen this demeanor before. It was the same look he gave Krum at the Yule Ball, the same exact face he made when he saw Hermione with McLaggen at Slughorn's party, and most recently, it was the same expression he was wearing when he had stormed out of the tent and abandoned them.
Was Ron…jealous?
Harry was snapped back into reality as he heard the distinct noise of ceramic hitting wood. Hermione had drained her glass of water in one large gulp that could give Ron's hasty eating habits a run for its money. She hurriedly poured herself another draught from the plastic pitcher she had brought from the kitchen, her hand shaking as she tried with all her might to maintain a collected countenance. Harry was oddly calmed by the fact that Hermione was panicking also. Under different circumstances, he would have been amused by Hermione not knowing how to solve such a trivial matter.
"If only this were a trivial matter," Harry thought to himself, pouring and consequently downing his own cup of water.
"Drink anyone?" asked Hermione shakily as she poured herself a third glass. "I must say, for a makeshift tent the water supply is quite…"
"Stop stalling and bloody tell us what is GOING ON HERE!" yelled Ron. The severity of his tone caused Hermione to drop the pitcher she had been holding, the container bouncing off the table and onto the floor, leaving a puddle by her feet which stained the rough ground an even darker shade of brown. Luna muttered a swift cleaning spell as Harry reached down to pick up the now empty pitcher.
"Well, I'll just go fill this up…"
"NO!" Ron shouted, standing despite his injuries and pointing his wand at Harry. Sensing danger, Harry immediately discarded everything he was holding and brandished his own wand, the soft thump of the pitcher lost amidst the amounting intensity of the room.
"You better watch where you are pointing that thing, Ron," Harry spat back coldly, anger flowing through his veins.
"Not until I get the answers I deserve! All you two are doing is stalling…if this wasn't a big thing, why wouldn't you just tell me out right, huh?" Ron retorted, jabbing his wand a tad bit more on to Harry's side of the table.
"And since when did you get to come along and start demanding things from us!" Harry shouted, slamming his left hand on to the table and leaning over, his nose inches away from the red head's. "If I recall correctly, you should be lucky you are even here right now!"
"BOTH OF YOU STOP IT, RIGHT NOW!"
Hermione's voice boomed as she stood up and moved to the head of the table, her wand threatening to jinx either of the two boys. But neither moved, both of her best friends fuming at one another.
"Stay out of this, Hermione," Harry said out of the side of his mouth. He spun his wand between his two fingers, every muscle in his body ready to respond if Ron tried to pull anything on him.
"I will not stay out of this! People are dying outside and all you two can do is bicker over something so irrelevant…"
"Irrelevant my arse!" interrupted Ron in disgust. "I see how it is, I leave and you just can't wait to jump into his bed…"
"What did you just say?!" Hermione cried, all rationality leaving her brain. She walked toward Ron until her wand was snug securely into his throat. "How dare you, after what you did…HOW DARE YOU!"
"Well if that isn't it then why are you two acting so guilty?" Ron snorted, not backing down despite Hermione's threats. "Something is going on between you two and I don't like not knowing what it is!"
"How many times do I have to tell you until it gets through that thick skull of yours? There is absolutely nothing going on between Harry and me!" Hermione shouted, shifting her body into a more offensive stance.
"I JUST WANT ANSWERS!"
"YOU DON'T DESERVE THEM!"
"BACKSTABBER!"
"YOU'RE ONE TO TALK!"
"WHY YOU---"
"Expelliarmus!"
An aura of bright lights engulfed the trio as their wands flew out of their hands, the surprise barely countering the flurry of jinxes which were about to leave their mouths. As both Harry and Ron forced themselves to reach for their now disarmed weapons, a powerful pressure threw each of them back into their chairs, magical ropes tying them down roughly. A muffled yelp escaped Hermione's lips as she too was thrown back and bonded to her seat, her eyes squinting in an attempt to see where the sudden attack had come from.
"I think you all need to calm down a bit before you can get these back," said Luna in her signature voice, although her usual lackadaisical expression was now replaced with a serious face much more akin to Hermione's personality than her own.
"Luna! What the bloody hell?" Ron exclaimed as he attempted to stand up, attached chair and all. "This has nothing to do with you, so just stay out of..."
Ron's remark was silenced as Luna swirled her wand in the air, an increase in gravity causing the redheaded boy's seat to plummet back to the ground. A very audible zipping noise followed as his lips became magically sealed, not even a hole for breathing left where his mouth had used to be.
"Especially you, Ronald. We need to work on your anger management," frowned Luna as she laid down their wands on the table, well out of the reach of any of the three other wizards. Ron gave her a death glare before resigning to his new fate as a manikin. She turned her attention to Harry and Hermione sitting across from her, disappointment still painted across her face as she shook her head. Harry was staring daggers at his captor, switching quick glances between his now disarmed weapon and its supposed target. Hermione too sat silently, her gaze aimed away from Luna in a blend of anger and frustration.
Luna sighed and took a deep breath, closing her eyes. She could still hear the sound of Ron struggling to escape from his ropes, the soft clanging of the wooden seat legs intermingling with the cackling of charring wood in the fire. Harry and Hermione remained expectantly resolute in their internal brooding. A few hours ago she was afraid that intruding on the three friends would hinder their progress in vanquishing Voldemort for good, but now for the first time she could begin to understand the immense stress that the burden of their quest was taking on all of them, both as individuals and as friends.
In school, Luna was always teased for her eccentric personality. She was taunted for being gullible, her open-mindedness for the most extraordinarily unheard of things an easy target for those who held social beliefs more in line with the status quo. The oddity of her behavior was blatant to all around her, even to herself. But despite the insults of her peers...the pranks they played on her, the nicknames they gave her...Luna sincerely did not mind. If there was one thing she learned from her mother and father, it was that the entire notion of normality blinded society from possibility. Although no one truly understood her, Luna's free spirit allowed her to see more than anyone else ever could.
Despite her nonchalant disposition, Luna had become exquisitely proficient at observing the world around her. Her statuesque nature, taken by others as boredom or weirdness, served to hide the fact that she watched the world with sentinel-like attention. While her classmates thought she was staring off into space, she was carefully analyzing every detail of her surrounding environment.
Like the rest of the Wizarding universe, Luna had grown up knowing of the mystique and legend behind the Boy Who Lived. The stories of how Harry had subdued Voldemort had become convoluted with the passing of time and through the natural ways of oral tradition, but Luna took in every tale as if they were fact. She too, admittedly, was ignorant to the emotional turmoil that such a wretched event must have had on the young boy's heart, but like everyone else, she was raised to look up to Harry Potter as some sort of heroic celebrity.
That was, until she actually met him.
It became apparent quickly that Harry did not want any of what destiny had given to him. Although she had never been as close to him as some of the others, Luna found it easy to draw parallels between her and the older wizard. They were both orphans to an extent, having lost parents at a devastatingly young age, and although for quite different reasons, they both had qualities which made them distinct from others their age. However, whereas Luna had a father who loved her very much and the self-confidence to not care about how others perceived her, Harry seemed to carry with him the angst and insecurity of a child who grew up alone. She had never learned completely about Harry's life before Hogwarts, but she could tell from the way he looked longingly upon the Weasleys with a painted-on smile when he thought no one was watching, the way his temper would build up and burst despite his efforts to maintain composure, and from his reluctance for any help which would put his friend in jeopardy that underneath his strong exterior was a soul bruised from an uncontrollable fate, suffering from a universe which was slowly taking what little he had in life away from him.
It was a chilling discovery which made Luna sympathize with his plight, although in all honesty she could not say she could begin to fully understand the immense weight on his shoulders. Even she had to admit that her usual preference for making the best out of whatever life gave her would not work in Harry's case, and because of this she respected him for carrying on despite the prospect of dooming the world following Harry wherever he went. But although he knew that death and failure was not only a possibility but a probability, and despite the depression such an uphill battle must have invoked within him, the Boy Who Lived managed to walk ever closer to his final meeting with destiny.
However, despite the stress brought on by his unwanted celebrity, Luna noticed several instances where Harry allowed himself to temporarily disregard his status, whether consciously or not. These were the times Luna could tell Harry wanted to last forever, and they always seemed to revolve around his two closest friends.
At first Luna did not like Ron Weasley as much as everyone else seemed to. Although he was lighthearted and quick to lighten up a situation with his sense of humor, he suffered from terrible fits of restlessness and was easily overcome with self-loathing. His lack of patience, tact, and most of all, his jealous personality and ill temper (which, unfortunately, he never seemed to have learned to control, even now...Luna took a moment to tighten the magical bindings surrounding his body as he attempted to angrily escape from his chair) at first made Luna unable to see why he was Harry's best friend, besides convenience and proximity. Even being close friends with Ginny did nothing to change her judgment of Ron's character, as Ginny seemed to complain about the very qualities Luna had come to associate with her brother. To be fair, it did not help that Ron seemed to see her the way everyone else did: As a weird girl that was not worth much more than the occasional raised eyebrow.
Luna opened her eyes and looked at Ron with a blank expression. He was focused on trying to break free, his face turning redder in frustration as every attempt was met with tighter restraints. Luna sighed as she increased the intensity of the spell holding Ron's chair to the ground, causing him to cringe. Despite his present mood, over the few years Luna had known Ron personally she had softened up to him, and he to her. In truth, deep down Ron was a loyal friend, but flawed in his humanity. Many would find his faults as negatives, but to Luna it made him better-rounded. He cared for his loved ones just as much as Harry, and as of late it seemed as if he was trying to become a better person. At the very least, Luna tried to keep an eye on his character development. It kept her entertained.
Ron's personality improvement was undoubtedly caused by his attempted courtship of their other friend, Hermione. Of the entire trio, Luna was most confrontational with the bushy haired teen. Perhaps it was because they were, at least in her opinion, foils of one another. Hermione based everything in her life on facts and logic. If it was not proven by some scholar from hundreds of years ago nor had several published works on the topic, there was no way it could be true. Her narrow mindedness frustrated Luna at times. Despite their clashes of view, Luna still respected Hermione as one of her closest friends. Sure, her rejection of Crumple-Horned Snorcacks and apathy for anything printed in the Quibbler annoyed Luna, but she was as loyal as any person could be, and thankfully for Ron and Harry, cautious. She was fairly certain both of the boys would have died years ago if it was not for Hermione's careful guidance. If not that, they would have most certainly flunked out of Hogwarts if not for her. That she was certain of.
Together the three classmates embodied the strength of unity that could tackle any task thrown at them. And indeed, over their years together at school they seemed to face an ever increasing amount of unusual, oftentimes deadly situations which, together, they managed to get through. This outstanding showing of friendship, cooperation, and action had earned them the nickname of "The Trio" at school, as they were rarely seen apart. However, Luna, being the perceptive young witch she was, did not regard them as everyone else did. While everyone else outside their circle of friends saw them as one entity, Luna saw the power in their relationships with one another. She noticed that others seemed to see Harry at the center of the group, with Ron and Hermione being satellites revolving around him. Of course Luna found this summation to be quite odd and borderline humorous. Rather, she saw the trio as a triangle, each line linking one of them to the other two.
The weakest of these links, in Luna's opinions, was the bond between Hermione and Ron. Although still quite durable, it lacked the volume of the sides of her imaginary triangle which were connected to Harry. Perhaps it was the fact the two were each too proud to let their bond come to full fruition. Maybe their side would be stronger if they were not constantly bickering over trivial matters. Or, as a part in the far back of Luna's mind seemed to chime in, it may have been the fact that they were trying to become closer that was weakening their relationship. Luna frowned, scolding herself internally for thinking such things. She was not close enough to either of the two to ever tell them face to face, but deep down she would never accept Ron and Hermione as a couple. It just did not work nor make any sense! They were excellent friends, and no one could deny the fact that loved each other very much, but as romantic interests? Whenever one of her female classmates would babble about how cute and "perfect" they were for one another, Luna zoned out, finding the conversation pointless and thus not worth her attention. Why listen to idle conversation when there were possibilities to be discovered, her father always said! Admittedly, even Luna did not know what that meant exactly, but it was better than having to listen to talk about Ron and Hermione.
She wasn't the only who seemed to be bothered by Ron and Hermione's foray into the world of love. Luna smirked and looked at Harry, who was still glaring at her, obviously still eyeing his wand with his peripheral vision. At least somebody, to some extent, could see that their relationship was not heading in the right direction, especially at such a crucial time where the triangle had to remain intact for Harry to succeed. Hermione's reaction to his arrival back at the tent, while understandable, did nothing to change Luna's mind about their coupling. Besides, Luna did not believe the cliché argument that opposites attract and thus their fighting was merely an expression of unexpressed longing. After all, that's how the Sickled-Eye Krocotias became extinct after the Ministry moved them all to Bellowsnout Horkender breeding grounds! Her father had always been angry with the action, saying that they could never co-exist. That's all the proof she needed.
Ron needed someone who would balance him out. Someone who saw him for what he was and liked him for it. Someone who could withstand his personality but also keep it in check. Someone who he would not fight with or make cry because in truth he would have no reason to.
Someone like...
Luna shook the idea from her head. She was wandering on a tangent.
Her eyes glazed over as she lost herself in her thoughts again. At least the side of the triangle which connected Ron and Harry seemed to be intact. If it wasn't for their differences in appearance, Luna would have sworn they were brothers. Ron was Harry's guide to the wizarding world, teaching him the basics which children surrounded by magic their whole lives seemed to take for granted. It was plain to see that they loved each other very much, and that they held their kinship very close to their hearts. Although they clashed from time to time, usually from Ron's envy or Harry's temper, it only was skin deep. They were too similar to let such petty arguments get the best of them, and indeed Harry had (eventually) welcomed Ron back into his quest after he had lost hope. Their strength seemed to come from the fact that they were so similar, and Luna acknowledged that they must have an abundant amount of trust with one another for them to be so cheeky with each other so soon after their arrival.
Well, at least until this little blunder occurred. Maybe the trust was much more internal than either of them realized.
Luna snapped back to the present at a sudden noise and a wind of movement came rushing towards her.
"Descendo!"
Harry growled as his attempt to grab his wand was foiled by Luna's quick spell casting. For the first time, Harry regretted heading the DA, where she undoubtedly was trained by him to be so swift in her reactionary sorcery. Luna frowned at Harry as she tucked her wand behind her ear once again, which caused her cowbell earring to jingle as it swayed from side to side.
Perhaps they were too similar.
Hermione looked at Harry in disappointment, shaking her head at his futile attempt. When he finally met her gaze, he shrunk his eyes in annoyance. Luna watched as he returned her stare of contempt with what she could only assume was a shrug, the ropes restraining the muscles which were required for a proper version of the motion.
Although Ron was an important piece of Luna's metaphorical triangle, by far the side which was holding the entire shape together was shared between Harry and Hermione. She glanced at the two, sitting next to one another and tied to their chairs, neither of them looking too happy in their present situation. She had never noticed before that they always seemed to sit to next to one another. Luna tilted her head and made a mental note of the fact.
It was easy, at least for Luna, to see why everybody thought they were dating. Truth be told, their relationship seemed years beyond any bond held by two people around their age. Luna found herself watching over their interactions more than anything else. She was fascinated and awed. The way they cared for one another...the way they would do anything for each other without ever consciously acknowledging it...it made them seem like they needed no one else. And perhaps this was true. Although she presumed, and as Ron had constantly told her in the cave, that they would be bitter at first about Ron's return, him having abandoned them and all, she could tell from the way they looked at him and the subtle undertones of their words that they were not complete without him. She had even heard Harry say that they were not the same without him there, and that may be true, but somehow they had managed to get by for weeks by themselves. Instead of giving up, they persevered, relying only on one another. The trust and faith that must have taken was brilliant...
"No," Luna corrected herself. "It's beautiful."
It was like they had come to some deep understanding of one another, some unspoken bond which allowed them to feed off one another's existence.
It almost seemed that if the world disappeared neither of them would care as long as the other was safe. That was all they needed to move on.
It seemed almost as if they were in...
"So are we just going to stare at each other all bloody day or will you let us breathe already, Luna?!"
Hermione's sudden outburst caught Luna off guard. She had totally forgotten where she was, but now she could not remember what she was even thinking of either. She felt she was on the verge of some revelation, but now it did not matter. For now, she had to deal with more immediate concerns.
"Yes," she responded lightheartedly, "But I think you should all stay restrained for now. None of you seem to be entirely sane at the moment."
Ron rolled his eyes, the irony of "Looney" Luna calling anybody less than normal not lost on him. He would have guffawed if he still had the privilege of having a mouth on his face.
"Well with the way Ron is acting, I don't think we have to tell him anything," Harry said coldly. He turned to Hermione to affirm his decision to shun their friend, but to his surprise she seemed to be pondering something. She sat quietly, her pupils vibrating from side to side as she bit her lip. Harry knew that look. It meant that Hermione was about to disagree with him.
Luna opened her mouth, but it was Hermione who was first to speak.
"Well, I don't think that's best, Harry," Hermione said as she wiggled in her chair, trying to find a comfortable position amongst the ropes that bound her. Harry sighed. He knew Hermione too well. For once couldn't he just be mad at somebody without her trying to bring him to back his senses? Ron stopped struggling in his seat long enough to see where Hermione was going, but dared not to look either her or Harry in the eye.
"As much as I absolutely loathe the arse," she turned her head to send Ron a sneer, which he returned with a roll of the eyes. Harry thought Hermione looked ready to spit at him in contempt. Instead, she just shook her head and rubbed her temple. "I can tell that he isn't going to leave us anymore."
For a split second Harry wanted to argue with Hermione. He wanted to disregard her view and distrust the man who had abandoned them so very recently. However, he could not bring himself to do it. As hard as it was for Harry to put aside his temper, he knew that Hermione was right. Wasn't it just a few hours ago that he was ecstatic that Ron was back, ensuring him that Hermione would come to agree with him? He could hear Hermione's voice in his mind telling him repeatedly that he wasn't being rational. Harry gave up.
"So what does that mean?"
"It means," Hermione paused to swallow the lump in her throat. "It means we tell him..."
"Everything! Right then, let's get started," Luna cut in happily. Hermione managed to smirk half-heartedly as she resigned herself to an explanation she knew in her heart that Ron would never accept.
"Fine," Harry grunted after a moment. "But before we start, do you mind getting us out of these, Luna?"
Luna looked at Harry and smile, grinning. "Do you promise to behave yourself?"
"Yes, now away with these!" Hermione answered for him.
Luna nodded as she waved her wand, their bindings disappearing into the nothing they had come from. They all took a deep breath, their lungs now able to take in as much precious oxygen as they needed. With another swing of her wand, Luna resummoned Ron's mouth. He opened and closed his jaw several times, trying to remember the necessary motor skills needed to communicate verbally.
"Thanks, Luna," Ron muttered, now stretching out his arms. "Now, how about my damn
explana---"
"I think, Ronald," Luna interjected. He looked at her in surprise, not expecting the wide-eyed, serious glare
she was giving him. "That you should hear their story before you say something you might regret."
He gulped. She still looked like the Luna he had known for several years, but her face made her seem as if she was possessed by a demon. The juxtaposition of such an otherworldly expression on such a cherubic body was enough to subdue Ron's aggression. He relaxed, leaning his body on the back of the chair as he sat wondering when he had become so afraid of girls.
Harry waited until Luna seemed content with Ron's attitude before leaning over to whisper into Hermione's ear.
"You sure this is for the best?" he asked her nervously.
"It's better than having him think we've been sleeping with each other for the past couple of weeks behind his back, especially when we need him to find the rest of the Horcruxes," she whispered back quickly.
"Are you ready?" Luna asked, twirling her wand. Ron looked at the two intently, his face blank and anxious.
Harry glanced at Hermione, then at Luna and Ron. He knew that this was a necessity, but it did not mean he had to like what was about to happen. As if on cue, Hermione placed her hand on his leg under the table, tapping it lightly in reassurance. At least he didn't have to do this alone.
The four of them sat around the creaky dining table, occasionally casting stray looks at one another, as finally Hermione opened her mouth to explain how she had ended up sleeping in Harry Potter's bed.
A/N: I'm not dead! Hurray! Anyway, so this chapter realistically had nothing in the way of plot progression, yet it is one of the longest chapters to date. Funny how that happens, but I felt it very important to develop Luna's character as I felt she deserved more depth. Sorry about the wait, but stay tuned for the next chapter where (hopefully) I can end this bloody arc!