Anything for Harry: Chapter 6
Luna turned to her father and hugged him, "Thanks, dad."
"Welcome dear. I'll be back in an hour to see if you need a lift home and then an hour after that."
"Ok dad, but I'll find him."
He knelt and wrapped his muscular arms around her slight frame. "Just be careful, you're not used to the rules of the world you're walking into."
"He'll help, he was raised in it."
Her father nodded, "When you find him." His voice dropped to a more serious tone, "Read the signs dear."
She nodded and walked out of the apparition area and into Kings Cross Station. She went right, unlike her usual destination of Platform 9 ¾. Her quarry was not that way. He was close though, she knew it. She exited the station and stood there in the flow of muggles while she read the signs. Someone bumped into her and she nearly fell. A strange looking man in a suit and hat said, "Sorry," as he hurried away towards the edge of the walkway. He stopped near where the metal carriages, no cars, where the cars zoomed past in both directions narrowly missing one another. He pushed a button on one of the poles and moved to wait with a group by the poles.
She was mesmerized by the sounds and smells, it was almost too much. She always studied and absorbed everything around her but she couldn't keep up. The cars had stopped and the group with the man who had bumped her crossed while the cars waited impatiently. She didn't know which way to go to find him.
Two people stepped in front of her, one man and one woman. They were both dressed the same, in a crisp blue uniform, huge wands hung at their belts with lots of other things. The woman smiled at her and asked, "Are you lost, dear?"
These must be muggle Aurors, no, that wasn't the right name for them. Police - that was it. It said so on their sleeves and the crest on their shirts. She nodded. The woman guided her off to the side out of the bustle of people exiting the station. The man walked with them but turned his back to watch the other way while the woman talked to her.
"Are you trying to get home?"
She shook her head, "No. I need to find a friend of mine. He's near here. Mum said I could find him at the grim old place but I wouldn't be able to see it." Oops she had said too much.
The woman thought for a moment then turned and tapped the man on the shoulder. For a moment they talked but she couldn't hear what they said. The man glanced at Luna and smiled and nodded to something the woman had said. He picked up one of the boxes hanging at his waist, it had a floppy wand on it and he talked to it. When the box started talking back to him the woman turned to her again.
"There's a street called Grimmauld Place, that could be your grim old place. It's not a place for a young lady to be walking in alone though. We'll walk you there and help look for your friend. Is he in trouble?"
"He's always in some trouble." She had said too much again so she quickly added, "Oh, but it's not his fault."
The woman laughed, "Boys are like that sometimes."
The man stopped talking to the box and looked at the woman, "Let's go." He walked past Luna down the side of the street, opposite the way the man in the suit and hat had gone.
Luna followed directly behind him.
The woman walked beside her, on the side where the cars were. She asked, "What's your name dear? I'm Liz."
"I'm Luna, Luna Lovegood. Nice to meet you."
"Thank you Luna, can you tell me where you live?"
"Oh sure: Ottery St.Catchpole, with my father. He got me to the station here but had to go."
The woman nodded, "Ok Luna what's this boy look like that you need to find and is he lost as well?"
"No, I'm sure he knows where he is. He's got piercing green eyes and messy black hair. He's about a year older than me and has a lightning bolt shaped scar on his forehead. His name's Harry Potter."
"Sounds like a good description; do you know what he's wearing?"
She shook her head as they continued walking. "I haven't seen him in a few days."
The woman patted her on the shoulder, "That's ok dear; he'll know you though when he sees you right?"
Luna just nodded and looked around. What would he think when she found him? Mum probably hadn't told him that she was coming. Then again mum was dead and probably hadn't thought of that. They had walked for a quarter of an hour, there were fewer people here and the houses were looking run down.
A few minutes later the man turned around and said, "Ok, we're here." He pointed up at the street sign which read 'Grimmauld Place'.
Luna looked across to the other side of the street and there was Harry. She yelled his name and started running towards him. She saw him look at her then the man snatched her up into his arms. He and the woman were yelling at her to stop. She struggled for a minute before she realized they were not hurting her. She had done something stupid. She lay still in his arms softly repeating, "Sorry, sorry, sorry."
Then she heard a girl ask firmly, "Is there a problem, officers?" It was Hermione! She had found Harry already. Relief flashed through her.
The man was setting her back on her feet. He said, "Girl you can't go running in front of the cars. You could have been killed."
Luna realized her mistake at once; she hadn't hit the button to stop the cars. She looked at her shoes then back at the man. Two hands gently rested on her shoulders. Luna said, "Sorry I forgot, these are my friends; Harry and Hermione."
Liz stood beside Hermione and asked, "Well we're glad to find you. I hope you are alright; this isn't a place for a young couple to be strolling. May I ask what you were doing in this neighborhood?"
Harry said, "My fiancée and I were visiting my godfather's house. I lived here with him a while ago but he died. I had to come collect some of my things I had left here."
Hermione held his hand and said, "We'll take care of Luna from here Officers. We can get her home or get her a hotel room with us for the night."
Liz nodded, "Sorry to hear about your godfather."
The male officer asked, "Can you tell us where you're staying?"
Hermione answered, "The Hyde Park Hilton officer, we'll be there a few more days."
He nodded, "Enjoy your stay in London."
Luna joined in when Harry and Hermione said, "Thank you, officer."
They walked on either side of her and the three of them started walking back towards Kings Cross Station. Luna was just bursting to tell them things, but it would have to wait until they were away from the muggles. She grinned at Harry and then Hermione on her other side and walked on. She had found him.
*
Harry was still stunned as they walked away from the officers. His heart was beginning to slow; Luna had nearly run directly in front of an auto. Only the quick thinking of the officer had saved her life. What in Merlin's name was she doing here? He shared a glance with Hermione, over Luna's head. No help there, Hermione was just as confused about Luna's sudden appearance as he was. Luna seemed to be acting very differently from when they were in school. Her eyes were not as bugged out as they usually were and instead were focused on the world around her. She was obviously excited that she had found them. But, she had not been blurted things out in front of muggles as she would have back in school.
Hermione asked, "What brings you to London?"
Luna said, "I can't tell you much out here. Dad brought me to Kings Cross; the police brought me to Grimmauld Place. I have to stay with you." She shook her head and continued, "No, I don't know what it is you're doing but mum said I had to be with you."
Harry asked in a low voice, "You told me she was, umm, gone?"
Luna nodded, "Yes, I saw her die. I'll explain when we are away from…" She looked around at the people they were passing then continued, "I mean in private."
Well that explained a lot to them. Her dead mother told her she had to stay with them, now she was sounding more like Loony Lovegood. His head started to hurt and he briefly wondered if Occulmency would help with that. He shared another look with Hermione, she gave the slightest shrug, obviously, she was as confused as he was.
They reached Kings Cross Station and Hermione bought them passes back to their hotel. He found a clock on the wall, it was just turning eleven. They should probably grab some lunch before they talked to Luna. She would need something to eat though they had had a sandwich at Grimmauld Place. For some reason during the entire trip on the underground Luna kept saying the name of the line and the various stops on it. He put it down to her oddness and went back to enjoying holding Hermione close while the train shoved them around. Thirty minutes later they arrived at the underground terminal nearest their hotel. As they were climbing the stairs out of the station he said, "I think we should stop in a pub and grab some lunch. I have a feeling we won't want to go out for a few hours."
Hermione nodded, "I still want to take a nap but some more food sounds good. Luna?"
She grinned at them, "You guys are in charge, I'm just a follower. But, yes I'm getting hungry."
Harry decided not to try and suss this follower business out just yet. "I remember seeing a pub just across the street from the hotel. Let's try that one." Both girls nodded and they walked in silence. Harry and Hermione still kept Luna mostly between them as she did not yet understand how to cross roads properly and they did not want a repeat of the earlier incident. They reached the pub and found a mostly clean table in the back room. Hermione wiped the table down with some napkins while Harry perused the menu. Luna sat across from them and looked around muttering things to herself. Harry caught a few of the things she was saying and realized she was reading the words printed on the posters scattered about the room.
Hermione said, "Care to split a fish and chips Harry?"
He shrugged, "Sure. I was thinking about something from the kids menu actually." He grinned broadly at her.
Luna burst into loud laughter that made many of the patrons look at her. She quickly shut up and started reading the ticket stubs embedded in the table.
Merlin! Luna's outburst had made him nearly jump out of his chair. She was going to take some getting used to. He had been enjoying having Hermione to himself. "What do you feel like eating Luna? Should I just pick something for you to try?"
"Do they have any of that lamb's cake?"
Hermione blinked and asked, "Do you mean shepherd's pie?"
She shrugged, "If that's what they call it. Daddy said that was good."
"Ok. I'll be right back, going to place the orders. Oh, Harry come help me carry the drinks please."
"Sure. Luna, here study this." He pulled out their map of London and opened it up on the table facing her then stood and followed Hermione back to the bar.
While they were waiting for the bartender to take their order she asked him, "What are we going to do with her?"
"First we need to understand what she is talking about. We can send Dobby to let her father know she is safe."
The bartender finally came to them and Hermione placed the order. They carried the drinks back to the table where Luna was tracing one of the roads around the map reciting the names of all the streets it intersected. Harry put her drink off to the side of the table so it would not damage the map. She ignored it until she had finished following the road. She pulled the lemon slice out of the soda and ate it, then dropped the rind back into the glass before she drank some of the soda. She never looked up from the map though.
The rest of their meal was spent in relative silence. Harry and Hermione ate from the same plate and though Luna made no mention of it she was far too observant not to realize how close they had become in just a few days. While he was eating Harry was trying to suss out this new Luna. She was far more normal than when she was at school. He couldn't figure out how she could go from someone who wore radishes and bottle cap earrings to this nearly ordinary girl. He shared a few glances with Hermione who likely was trying to do the same thing.
As they headed back to the hotel Hermione asked, "Did you bring clothes?"
Luna nodded, "I'll need your help though. Dad did the first part, can you do the second?"
Hermione nodded, "Sure. Let's see if I can get you a room next to ours. Will that be ok?"
Luna shrugged, "I'm not trying to come between you guys. But…" she lapsed into silence before continuing with a different thought. "We'll talk about it in your room."
Harry said, "Thanks Luna. I think you're here to help us and we can probably use your help, on what I have no idea."
Hermione glared at him over Luna's head but it turned into a grin as he ended his sentence.
He did get a typical Luna response though. With no hint of offense in her tone she said, "Hermione is beyond me in nearly everything but esoterical creatures."
It took Hermione five minutes at the counter but she joined them at the fireplace with another key. "It's across the hall from ours, best they could do today. Tomorrow the room beside us empties for a week, so I reserved it for you."
Luna beamed at her, "Thanks, daddy gave me some money, I can help you pay."
Harry shook his head and went to hit the button on the elevator, "let's head upstairs."
Luna spent the ride in the elevator looking at her own reflection in the mirror across the back of the car.
Finally, locked in their own room, Hermione sat on the freshly made bed and asked, "Ok, Luna tell us what happened and why you need to be with us?"
Harry kicked his shoes off and dropped the backpack on the desk before he sat on the bed beside Hermione.
Luna sat nervously in the chair opposite them. "This will sound a bit odd." She stopped and looked at them with a shy smile. "I know I say an awful lot of odd things at school but honestly that's to keep them from hating me for my brains."
Harry held his hand up, "So your oddness at school is an act?"
She nodded, "This way I know anyone who is my friend likes me in spite of it, not because of it." Hermione was nodding as Luna continued. "I'm a seer. Not the traditional trance kind like Trelawney. I get, let's call them, visitations, that tell me things I need to do. Usually the visitor is my mother. It could be her shade or just the form that my seeing takes." She shrugged. "They started a week after my mother accidentally killed herself. For example; she told me I needed to join the DA or Ronald would die."
Hermione shook her head, "huh?"
Luna continued as though Hermione hadn't said anything. "The night we went to the Department of Mysteries I did save his life from at least one Death Eaters curse and then later from the brain thing. I never did find out the names for those, maybe they were… Nevermind." She took a deep breath, not looking at them before she started talking again. This time her voice was very subdued, "The last vision was that I had to be with Harry or he would lose to Voldemort."
They sat silently for nearly thirty seconds before Hermione leapt to her feet and said in an icy tone, "Are you saying you need to have sex with him?"
Harry was floored by this, he hadn't thought along those lines at all.
Luna cringed and went to her knees before Hermione. She wringed her hands together slowly and looked up to Hermione, "I don't know." Tears dripped down her cheeks but she forged ahead. "I know he's yours. Every girl at Hogwarts knows he's been yours for years. I swear I'm not trying to get him to love me." She angrily wiped her eyes dry and stood. She looked into Hermione's eyes, she didn't flinch away from them and there was no anger in her tone when she continued, only determination. "I won't let Voldemort win because I'm a coward though."
Harry felt a swell of pride for Luna. Not many could face Hermione like that. Damn this girl belonged in Gryffindor!
Hermione took a small step back. She had apparently conceded Luna's point, "Was that all your mother told you or is there more? I don't believe in divination you know."
Luna sat back on the chair and gestured wildly with her arms. She was avoiding looking at him he realized. "There's a little more but not much. It's not like I can owl her and ask for clarification though. 'Excuse me mum can you tell me if I just need to be in close proximity to Harry or do I need to share his bed?' Sorry, I know how this seems but I haven't had a false visitation before so I must conclude this is valid. The precise words were, 'Luna my child. You and Hermione Granger must be with Harry Potter or he will fail in his war with Tom Riddle. You will find him near the grim old place near Kings Cross early today but you won't be able to see it.' So, does that mean I have to bear you a child as Hermione will? Or could I just be needed to sacrifice my life so you can win?" She stood and looked directly at them both, "I just don't know. But I refuse to let you lose by not doing whatever I can."
Harry's mind was in total disarray. He looked at Hermione and grabbed her hand. She finally looked away from Luna and collapsed onto the bed beside him.
Luna stood there a moment, apparently decided they were incapable of speech so she continued. "I think the safest course would be for Harry to take my virginity. Then I need to stay with you two and see if there is something else I can help with. Look, I may not be as smart as you are Hermione but I am a certified genius. Harry, I relinquish you from any responsibilities. Should I become pregnant I will bear your child, it will be up to the two of you to decide if anyone will know it is Harry's. Hermione, I will swear any oath you choose." She sat there and watched them.
Harry felt his heart go out to her. Damn she was courageous. How could she be in Ravenclaw and not in Gryffindor? He had no idea. How could he be thinking about something as trivial as what house she was in when she had just offered her body to him? Again he had no idea. His arm went around Hermione and he gave her a one arm hug. She looked at him, confusion, anger, and concern all vying for his attention.
He looked back at Luna. His neck and face felt hot as he spoke, "Hermione and I just became, um, intimate this week. She is planning on having my child, in spite of the war. We are going to get married before she has the baby though."
Luna just nodded, still looking at him patiently.
He took another breath, "Being the subject of a prophecy myself I think they are indeed valid. I think the two of you need to discuss this. I don't want Hermione to think I don't love her; I have no desire to-. Oh, damn this isn't coming out right. Look, I honestly like you Luna. I think you just showed more courage than most Gryffindor's I know. That being said, I trust Hermione with my life and my heart."
Hermione finally looked at Luna. Her words had no emotional attachment to them, "Please go wait in your room. I will come talk to you in a few minutes. Don't touch any muggle devices, I won't be long I just have to talk to Harry alone for a bit." She pulled Luna's key from her pocket and held it towards her.
Luna nodded, "I should be able to manage. Listen, I do understand. This isn't some grand scheme to get Harry. I knew where to find you today, that part of the vision has already been proven." She stood and took the key, "I'll be across the hall I guess."
What the Hell was going on with his life? Was he some plaything for fate?
Hermione stood and looked at him. Concern had come to the fore; anger and confusion were gone. Her voice shook with repressed emotion, "I think… She's right Harry." She cleared her throat, "I swore to do anything to make sure you won. If I have to share you for that to happen then - I will."
He didn't have any idea what he should say so he just said, "But."
She continued, "I know you love me. I will bear your children and I will be your wife. I can't just scorn Luna for the sake of my pride though. She did know where to find us and we only told Bill, Fleur, and Ron where we would be. I know they wouldn't have told her."
He felt a knife twist in his gut.
"I said I would be strong for you Harry." She knelt and held his hands. "I know you don't love her and I know that won't change because you have sex with her. We are going to win Harry, whatever we have to do. We can sort our lives out after the bastard is dead."
He nodded, "If this is what you think I need to do then we'll do it." He pulled her to him and kissed her deeply. He refused to end the kiss and made her the one who finally pulled away. "I love you and trust you. I hope you feel the same."
She nodded and gave him another kiss, this one short and sweet. "I trust you and you know I love you." She stood and fished their shrunken trunks from the backpack then placed them in the open spot on the floor and expanded them. "This may take a while."
Harry nodded, "I'll be here, holler if you need me. Oh, make sure she knows how to use the AC and such in there before she hurts herself."
"I will, get your book out or something useful eh?"
"Yes dear."
"I'm going to find out just how truthful she is being. I don't trust anyone at this point."
He nodded as she walked from the room.