Chapter Six - Operation Bad Chamberlain
As the hallway reappeared around her in a swirl of light, Luna looked around to make certain she was alone. Noticing Mrs. Norris sitting there, staring at her, she shook her head.
"We've had this discussion before. Go along and do whatever it is you do during the day. And stop following me. You can't catch the nargles anyway, so you might as well be useful and go down and haunt the Slytherin's hallway. They're always good for a few laughs."
Glaring at her balefully, the grizzled cat snorted once before moving slowly down the hallway, away from Luna.
Heading down the steps to the third floor, Luna fairly skipped as she made her way to the Hospital Wing. Coming up the hall, her face lit up with a grin as she saw Harry and Hermione exiting the double doors that separated the wing from the rest of the floor.
"Luna, didn't you just say you were going to visit Hagrid?" Looking only slightly puzzled, Hermione beamed as she saw her friend.
"Well, with Ginevra still feeling ill and all, I decided spending time with her trumped Humdinger's." Smiling at Harry, Luna nodded gravely at their joined hands. "That looks very natural, to my point of view."
"Natural and very long overdue." Harry chuckled, shaking his head. "I'm certain Ginny's feeling a bit better if you want to go in and check on her."
"I think I might do that. While I'm certain Poppy and Professor Slughorn will have her sorted out in no time, I think I remember a few things that might help her get through this." Nodding at Harry, Luna arched a delicate eyebrow at his knowing look.
"I just hope she's feeling better by dinner, I'd hate for her to spend the entire day in the infirmary." Seeming a bit too self- satisfied considering the fact that one of her friends was currently residing in the infirmary, Hermione smiled contentedly as she leaned her head against Harry's shoulder.
"There are much worse places she could spend the day, but I do know what you mean." Reaching for the door handle, Luna smiled as her two friends wandered up the hall, apparently lost in each other.
Entering the Hospital Wing, Luna stopped just inside the doorway and looked around. Seeing the youngest Weasley sitting forlornly on a bed in a far corner of the room, Luna unfocused her eyes slightly and nodded as the wards surrounding her friend's bed came into view. Shaking her head, the blonde Ravenclaw sighed and stepped lightly towards the matron's office door. Stopping just out of sight from the office, she listened briefly to the conversation between the three staff members before stepping into the door and making her presence known.
"Excuse me, Headmistress. Could I trouble you three for a second?" Standing in the doorway, Luna nodded to each of the three as she waited. The Matron had a harried look on her face that was at odds with the almost empty state of her ward. Professor Slughorn smiled at her and nodded encouragingly. Headmistress McGonagall, on the other hand, had a very stern look on her face and visibly tried not to glare at one of her prefects.
"Miss Lovegood, we're in the middle of a very serious matter here. Could this not wait until later? Perhaps you could stop by and see me after dinner if the Head Boy and Girl can't solve your problem for you?" Nodding towards the door to the outside, Professor McGonagall clearly expected Luna to take the hint and leave as soon as possible.
"Actually, I think I can shed some light on the current matters and offer a solution that doesn't involve either the aurors or the Wizengamot in Ginevra's future." Seeing the shocked look on all three faces, Luna nodded solemnly. "And I do believe the Head Girl and Boy are going to be very `occupied' until dinner, at least."
A brief glimmer of a smile ghosted across Minerva McGonagall's face as Luna mentioned the new status of her favorite student in passing. Schooling her features into her usual severe demeanor, she narrowed her gaze and studied the young Ravenclaw over the top of her glasses. "Just what, if anything, do you know about Miss Weasley's current predicament?"
"Other than the fact that she tried to dose Harry with Sylph's Blood?" Seeing the shocked look on all three adult's faces, she nodded. "The blue hair was a dead giveaway, even if I didn't know about what was going on."
Nodding sagely, Professor Slughorn turned to the Headmistress with a glint in his eye. "I told you that Miss Lovegood had inherited her mother's hand at potions. Both she and Mr. Potter are examples of how this ability runs in families."
"Yes Horace, you've said that numerous times. And Severus' mother couldn't brew tea; much less qualify for advanced potions work, so your theory is a bit thin." Turning back to Luna she nodded. "I fail to see how any of this keeps us from having to notify the Ministry. Of all the imbecilic things, the girl had to wait until she was an adult to do something quite so daft."
"At least her mother's idiocy manifested itself before she became of age." Turning her attention back to Luna, Poppy smiled encouragingly. "Do you know something about this situation?"
Glaring at the Matron, Minerva shook her head. "Poppy, I don't care to have this story bandied about the school. It's bad enough that I'm going to have to have Miss Weasley arrested by the aurors, but I don't need the sordid details of this incident spread around the school."
Blinking her eyes twice, Luna snorted in amusement. Turning upon her, the Headmistress glared at her. "You're Miss Weasley's friend. I didn't realize her spending time in Azkaban would amuse you."
"Actually, since no crime has been committed, this time, Ginevra won't be facing any sanctions from the Ministry, and other than with the `Golden Trio', I have no plans of ever discussing this matter, once I finish talking to Ginevra in a few minutes." Seeing the incredulous look on the Headmistress' face and the surprise on Poppy's Luna shrugged. Professor Slughorn was sitting back and giving her a very admiring look and shaking his head, as if anticipating part of what was coming next.
Trying to calm herself, the Headmistress swallowed twice and stared at Luna for almost a minute before speaking in a deceptively calm voice. "As far as I'm aware, dosing an individual with a `love potion' without their consent is an offense against the civil order. And, unless my distinguished colleague is about to contradict me, Sylph's Blood is most assuredly a controlled potion of the second degree."
"Of course Sylph's Blood is a controlled potion, Minerva. However, I believe our young prefect is about to enlighten us to extenuating circumstances in this manner." Turning a twinkling eye towards Luna, Professor Slughorn nodded amicably. "Isn't that correct?"
"Very true, Professor Slughorn. The part that you three aren't aware of, and even Ginevra isn't aware of, is that Harry knew that there was a potion in the pumpkin juice that Ginevra was offering him. Since his willing sip of the juice was consent, she really can't be charged."
"She wasn't aware that Harry knew?" Poppy looked from the Potion's Master to the Headmistress in confusion. "Why didn't Harry just admit that he knew she was going to try to dose him?" Turning to Luna, she eyed the Ravenclaw prefect with suspicion. "And just how did Harry know? For that matter, how do you know that Harry knew?"
A smile broke out on Professor McGonagall's face as she shook her head. "It was mercy, Poppy." Seeing the confused look on the Matron's face, she nodded. "You would be sorting out something much more serious than just reoccurring nausea if Hermione Granger had found out that Miss Weasley had tried to dose her newly minted boyfriend with a love potion as potent as Sylph's Blood." Looking at Luna with a degree of respect, she nodded. "And I think that your knowing has something to do with Mr. Potter knowing."
"Well yes, I did alert Harry to Ginevra's intentions." Smiling dreamily, Luna looked at each of the adults in turn. "I found out about her plan and decided to administer an appropriate counteragent to protect Harry and convince Ginevra that she shouldn't meddle in things that are much bigger than she is." Nodding, Luna took a quick glance over her shoulder to where Ginny was sitting, staring forlornly out the window. "If it would be possible, might I speak to Ginevra? I think I can add some perspective to this to ensure she doesn't do anything quite so foolish again."
"I'm not certain that that would be wise, Miss Lovegood. While it appears this isn't an official Ministry matter, it's still a matter of school discipline." Sitting back, the Headmistress lobbed the verbal quaffle into Luna's lap.
"True, and as the prefect who found out about the situation, with the consent of the Head Boy I might add, I think it would be perfectly appropriate for me to resolve this matter at the prefect level without making a Ministerial case out of it." Seeing the amused look in the Headmistress' eyes, she smiled dreamily. "Arthur and Molly have been through quite enough over the past couple of years, finding out that their daughter came within a hair's breadth of ending up in Azkaban would be the wand that broke the blibbering humdinger's back, so to speak."
"Headmistress, I would like to award eighty points to Ravenclaw in recognition of Miss Lovegood's exceptional skill and forethought." Seeing the surprised look on his colleague's face, he nodded. "Very few students would recognize that Amortentia would be an effective prophylactic in this circumstance, much less be able to properly brew that tricky potion." Nodding to Luna who was looking more surprised than usual, the Potions Master smiled broadly at her. "You're definitely your mother's daughter and I know she's very proud of you for looking out for your friends, even those that have gone out of their way to be quarrelsome."
"Professor, that really isn't necessary, I was only doing what needed to be done."
"Nonsense, I can't think of more than a handful of students I've had the pleasure of teaching that could have accomplished what you have." Turning towards Minerva, he beamed as he smiled. "Headmistress, I must insist. We won't be specific as to why, but I think `exceptional skill with potions' should cover it nicely if anyone was to ask about Ravenclaw's sudden upswing in points."
Looking over at the Matron, the Headmistress and the mediwitch shared a long look before she turned back to Luna. "Miss Lovegood, I do believe that we will take your suggestion and give you a chance at sorting out Miss Weasley's situation." Becoming grim she nodded. "However, you will impress upon Miss Weasley that if I ever even think she's considering a repeat performance, I'll pull every privilege she has, remove her from the Quidditch team and personally inform her parents of exactly what their daughter has gotten herself into. Do I make myself clear?"
"Yes Headmistress, completely clear." Nodding seriously, Luna's usual carefree expression was gone, replaced by a look of determination and resolve. "I do believe between the two of us, we can impress upon Ginevra exactly how close she's come to losing more than she ever considered possible."
As Minerva stood up, she looked over at her two colleagues. "Professor Slughorn, Matron Pomfrey, I'm going to impose upon both of you, you especially Poppy. I'm going to use the Hospital Wing office for a short conference with Miss Lovegood." Seeing the sharp looks that both staff members were giving her, she smiled. "It's nothing serious, just something I want to clear up with my prefect before she speaks to Miss Weasley."
Taking the nods from both her colleagues, she waited for them to leave and quietly close the office door before turning her attention back to Luna. Looking Luna up and down, the Headmistress waited for several seconds before making a decision.
"Miss Lovegood, are you aware that Dame Gladstone was a Headmistress of this institution just following the Second Goblin Rebellion?"
"She's mentioned it a couple of times. She made it sound ever so exciting, what with sieges of the school and the Ministry before things were resolved. Personally, I think it as probably more like the dreadful times we just went through, but Lady G seems to remember mostly the highpoints."
Staring in disbelief, Professor McGonagall shook her head and smiled. "Luna, I do believe you're correct. Wars are never something to glamorize, even when you're on the side of the Light. I imagine your friends would agree with you on that account. But that's not why I brought up Dame Gladstone."
"You're curious if my personal situation has anything to do with being involved in this mess, aren't you?"
"Well, yes. I can see how that would involve you in these matters." Peering at her prefect over her glasses, Professor McGonagall leaned back against the Matron's desk and crossed her arms in front of her. "I'm not here to chastise you over anything; I'd just like to be clear in my mind exactly why you're involved in these matters."
"May I?" Pointing to the chair recently vacated by Professor Slughorn, Luna waited patiently for the Headmistress' amused nod before she seated herself on the back of the chair. Settling in, Luna lost bit of her normally distracted air as she addressed the older witch.
"Harry and Hermione should have been together years ago." Seeing the knowing look on her Headmistress's face, she continued. "Unfortunately, due to the interference of Professor Dumbledore, for what he obviously thought were good reasons, and Ginevra, for obviously not so good reasons with my unknowing assistance, it didn't come to pass until today. I was given a chance to redress that issue, and I chose to take it. Other factors really didn't come into play; I would have done what I did regardless."
"Unknowing assistance?" Staring at her prefect, certain things that had always mystified her about the Trio's sixth year started to become clearer to the Headmistress.
"It never occurred to me that Ginevra would attempt to concoct Dryad's Kiss. I believed her when she said she was working on a potion to help her keep her seat in quidditch. It wasn't until things started going south between Harry and Hermione that I realized she had deceived me."
"And it never occurred to you to mention this to anyone?"
"Actually, I did go to Professor Dumbledore as soon as I realized their relationship was being destabilized by the potion." Seeing the disbelieving look in Professor McGonagall's eye, she nodded solemnly. "I'm prepared to take a Witches' Oath on that. He instructed me not to speak of it to anyone, especially you and Professor Flitwick. But most especially Hermione."
Closing her eyes, Professor McGonagall leaned back against the desk and shook her head. Luna waited patiently as she watched the Headmistress come to terms with her revelation. As the Headmistress looked up, Luna involuntarily flinched at the look on Professor McGonagall's face.
"Miss Lovegood, I realize that you did what you thought was best, and I'm in no way upset with you. I also realize that this experience might make you a bit leery of suggestions not to inform people about this situation, but I would ask that you refrain from informing either Harry or Hermione of Professor Dumbledore's dubious judgment in this manner. If you feel you can't, in good conscience, honor my request, I totally understand. In that case, all I ask is that you allow me to be present when you tell them so I can assure them that this was a unilateral decision on Professor Dumbledore's part."
Luna gazed at Professor McGonagall for several seconds, as if she were weighing this last bit of advice. Her eyes began to glow slightly as she nodded. "Professor, I don't think any good would be served by telling Harry and Hermione, at this time. There may come a time when it would be necessary to tell them, but that would only be because Professor Dumbledore has meddled in their lives again."
Nodding in agreement, the Headmistress studied her prefect intently. While the persona Luna Lovegood presented to the world was still there, Minerva could see the witch behind the façade. Seeing the look in the younger witches' eyes, she realized that she was being evaluated just as she was evaluating Luna.
"Miss Lovegood, I've never had a chance to mention this, but I was very fond of your mother when she was a student here." Seeing the look on Luna's face, she smiled. "I know people usually avoid mentioning Aranrhod around you, but your mother was an exceptional witch and student, and I was proud to have known her. She may not have been in my house, but I was very proud of the things she accomplished, both here at Hogwarts and after she left."
"Mum mentioned you when she was telling me about the school. I think she was very fond of you, also. She said that having been muggleborn she was a bit adrift when she arrived, but you went out of your way to make certain that she felt included."
"Miss Lovegood, I hope you can find the words to impress your rash young friend out there that I won't tolerate any further attempts to interfere with the personal affairs of Miss Granger and Mr. Potter. I'm sorely tempted to have Poppy give her a referral to St Mungo's, her behavior borders upon the obsessive." Shaking her head, the Headmistress closed her eyes. "I'm not looking forward to that conversation with her parents."
"Begging your pardon, but she's not the only one who seems to be a bit confused as to how things should be regarding Harry and Hermione." Seeing the rueful nod of the Headmistress' head, Luna continued. "While I'm certain he meant well, Professor Dumbledore both meddled between them and, I think, encouraged Ginevra in her pursuit of Harry."
"And that's something I never understood. The man wasn't senile; he could remember how James and Lily Potter were together, once they resolved their mutual first impressions. Almost from the start, that was the rapport that existed between Harry and Hermione."
"If I may be so bold, I think that Professor Dumbledore has had a run in with one to many wrackspurts, over the years." Seeing the skeptical look on the Headmistress' face, Luna continued quickly. "He was focused upon the sacrifice Harry's mum made, trying to instill in Harry a willingness to do the same."
"You do know that very few people know all of the particulars of what happened either of those nights?"
Nodding solemnly, Luna sighed. "And it's another of the things I won't speak of unnecessarily. Professor Dumbledore pushed Harry towards Ginevra because she resembled his mum, physically. A bit of a dodgy thing I think, but he was trying to keep Harry mindful of the sacrifice Lily Potter made. What he failed to realize was that while Harry would risk his life for Ginevra, it was for Hermione that he would willingly lay it down."
"I'm going to have to have a very long talk with Professor Dumbledore, and I'm going to use your insights as a major part of my argument with him." Looking at Luna shrewdly, she smiled. "I know that Professor Flitwick, as your head of house, has had several discussions with you regarding your future. I do hope you'll consider a path that will allow you to return here to Hogwarts, sometime in the future."
"I think that I'll have a chance to do that, in the future." Staring off into the distance, Luna's normally distracted air intensified, as she appeared to look at something only she could see. "It won't be soon, but there will come a day when I'll be back here at Hogwarts and we'll have a chance to talk again about these things." Blinking slowly, Luna shook herself a bit and focused on the older witch. "Where were we?"
"You were going to impress upon your young friend the need to end her meddling ways?" Watching the younger witch warily, the Headmistress sighed as she remembered those moments when Luna's mother had briefly `disconnected' with the world around her and extraordinary events had resulted.
"True, the time for appeasement and containment has past." Turning so she could see her friend, sitting forlornly staring out the window, Luna nodded sagely. "She has to choose between peace and destruction. I only hope she's willing to live in peace with her fate, because it will unmake her if she persists."
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