A/N: I know, I put this story on hiatus. I had already finished this chapter a while ago, but I didn't like it and didn't have the time to rewrite it. Then over the past couple of months I reworded this and rearranged some and finally had completed it.

Since its finished, I might as well share it. I will however mainly continue writing Keeper of Life.

Disclaimer: It belongs to J.K. Rowling. All but the plot and John.

Harry had trouble with John's request, a lot of trouble. Their new DADA teacher, Harry silently called her the Umbitch, was every inch the ministry lackey she portrayed herself to be. She made it very clear that she was teaching on Fudge's orders. That the minister himself had sent her to Hogwarts. A lot of her comments throughout the lesson were either geared towards Harry himself or targeted people he liked and considered family. Like Remus Lupin, whom she called a dangerous half breed.

She called Harry out on his 'lies', as she called the truth about Voldemort's return. Umbridge also criticized their DADA curriculum so far. While she was right about that, with the exception of Remus, she herself intended to teach them even less. She didn't even intend to let them try the defensive spells practically.

It took a lot of tongue and cheek biting to get through the lesson without a scathing reply, once Harry even bit his tongue so hard he drew blood. After two hours of gritted teeth and reading the worst book on defense he had ever read, Harry left the classroom in a foul mood. Hermione touched his shoulder and he spun to face her. After one look into her eyes, his shoulders relaxed and most of his anger evaporated. She gave him a small kiss and he even smiled a bit.

"I...hate...that...woman." He was biting out the words.

Hermione gave him a compassionate look. "I...understand, Harry, but you can't let her get to you. That's exactly what she's trying to do. If you start to react to her snide comments, she will just have a reason to punish you for. We can't let that happen, she's from the ministry and after the pile of dung, they heaped on you over the summer….Well, let's just not give her a reason to punish you."

They entered the Great Hall and found Luna and John sitting at the Ravenclaw table. They joined them and John asked Harry how his afternoon had gone. Harry and Hermione quickly told him about the verbal abuse the 'Umbitch' had tried on Harry.

"I'm proud of you Harry, not a lot of people could have kept their cool under these circumstances. From now on, every time you want to be angry and beat something up, take three deep breaths and smile. Now I know how difficult it can be to smile when all you want is to break stuff. It will, however, serve two purposes. One it will relax your mind, disengage your emotions from conscious thought. Two, it will unnerve whoever it is that's trying to get a rise out of you. And it's kind of difficult to punish someone for smiling." John grinned at Harry.

The younger boy was still angry though. "But how do I get rid of these pent up emotions? It's still trying to get out. I feel like going to the head table and punch that bitches lights out."

John looked at Harry, who was still bristling with emotions and magic. "Let's eat, then you and I will go outside and I'll show you, how I deal with stuff like that."

Later Harry followed John to the lake, to the spot they had met in the morning to train.

"Run." John indicated the trail he had used in the morning.

"Excuse me!?" Harry was indignant.

Running? He could hardly lift his legs. At the same moment, he noticed that that wasn't true anymore. Ever since the anger had started flowing through him, his body had forgotten the pain and strain. Harry had even stopped noticing the weights.

John simply nodded at the trail again. "Run!"

Shaking his head, Harry started running around the lake and fueled his body with his anger. The further he ran, the more of his anger drained out of him. By the time he had completed the first lap, he felt better already.

John stopped him and pointed to the ground. "Twenty push-ups, twenty sit-ups, twenty squats, if you're still angry then do it again."

Harry got down and started his exercises. The push-ups were okay, the sit-ups were hard and the squats finished him. He lay on his back, panting. His body felt battered and abused, but he felt happier than a few minutes ago.

"Still angry?" John was smiling down at him. It was a genuine smile, lacking any malice.

Shaking his head, Harry was still trying to catch his breath. John reached a hand down to him and pulled him back to his feet. Once Harry was standing, he grinned at John.

"Why does it feel so good, but hurt so much?"

John chuckled a bit as he replied. "The pain goes away after a while. A week maybe, two if you get it really bad. Then only the nice feeling remains and only a little discomfort the next day."

Harry just nodded. 'Okay, I can live with that.'

They turned back to the school and found Luna standing there. She smiled at them and at John in particular. Her big gray eyes were curious.

"What are you doing out here?"

John laughed and gestured toward Harry. "Anger management."

She just smiled a bit broader. "John, I wanted to ask you something. Since Hermione told me about your training together. I'd like to join in, well the running at least. The weight stuff sounds a bit harsh to me."

Luna looked a bit nervous, surely John couldn't be bothered to have a little girl like her tagging along. She completely ignored the fact, that he was only two years older than her.

The boys smiled at her. John nodded. "Of course you can. Just be here tomorrow morning at dawn."

She nodded enthusiastically. Luna felt very special once more, never before in her life had anyone been happy about her joining in on an activity. Once more she reveled in the warm feeling she got when she was with her friends.

They made their way up to the school and picked up Hermione on the way, who was sitting on a bench reading in a book. When she was asked by Luna to join them in the morning as well, she told the younger girl that she would think about it. To Harry, however, she confided that she didn't think it would be a good idea.

Later that evening, when they sat together in the common room, Harry talked to Hermione about the physical training again. After mentioning that John said it helped with magic as well, Hermione very reluctantly agreed to try it.

The next morning was hard on the trio of friends. Harry and Hermione met up with Luna in the entrance hall and made their way down to the lake together. Harry felt like he had been hit with a sledgehammer repeatedly and the girls had trouble not to fall asleep standing up.

John was already waiting for them. He handed Harry another of the 'steroid' potions and had them running around the lake while he went in for a swim. Harry himself felt pretty weak in the beginning, but soon his muscles felt almost fine.

The girls managed two laps before they collapsed on the ground, Harry matched his ten from the day before. They waited for John to complete his exercises. When he left the lake, he couldn't help but chuckle, as he came face to face with two beat girls and a completely exhausted boy.

"Very well done you three. Girls that wasn't bad for your first time. Harry, I've to admit, I'm amazed. You managed quite well, even considering the potion."

The girls perked up a little and smiled, but Harry stood straighter immediately and puffed his chest out a little.

"I've noticed, however, that all of you lack core strength, that's why I want to introduce you to a different form of exercise. It's called yoga."

John gave them a quick introduction and the friends tried their hardest to copy him doing the forms. Harry noticed the effect the weights were having on his limbs even more now. The girls kept on getting cramps in their leg muscles.

"That...was horrible." John was chuckling at their death glares. "But as with everything, practice makes perfect. Before your morning run, you will do the forms I have shown you today. Once the forms are ingrained in your muscle memory, it should take you about 10 minutes to do them. Then you run. Girls you aim for 5 laps, Harry you aim for 15."

Harry looked like he wanted to complain, or faint, for a moment, then he swallowed and nodded. It was hard, and from the looks of it would only get harder, but this was what he needed. Real training, the one thing Dumbledore had, for whatever reason, denied him so far. He had often asked himself, why the headmaster had not arranged for him to be trained. They could have started in his childhood and he would maybe have been ready and prepared once he met Voldemort.

They met up in the Great Hall again, freshly showered and ready to face the day. Their muscles felt pretty sore, but their minds were highly alert. John gave them a few pointers over breakfast and some tips, so they could stack up on snacks for in between classes.

Harry, Hermione, and John only had classes in the morning and went to the library after lunch, while Luna had her first DADA lesson of the year. A while later she joined them in their corner of the library.

"That woman is the worst type of person. How can they allow her to teach in a school."

Luna had whispered, but her feelings were clearly visible on her face. To see the usually serene girl have a look of hatred in her eyes, was surreal.

"She gave me a detention for giving my opinion, which she asked from me. Now I can spend my evening with her." She heaved a quiet sigh and her face relaxed a bit. "Well I can't change it and I'll go to her after dinner."

John was immediately alarmed. "Luna, Hermione for you two, the same rules apply. Don't rise to her attempts to irritate you. Keep calm and collected, and if you're really mad...smile." He smiled. "It will drive her nuts. She knows that you are friends with Harry and will try to get to you if she can't get to Harry."

Luna smiled at him. "Don't worry, I kept calm, but I also was honest. She didn't like that I'm not that fond of the ministry."

John placed his big hand on her slender one. "Okay, just be careful and don't give her too many chances to be alone with her. I think she might try every trick in the book just to discredit Harry."

Harry and Hermione looked at each other and smiled. Harry was glad that Hermione hadn't wanted to bet him on it, it looked like she would have won.

After dinner, Luna had to go to her detention. Her friends waited for her in the Great Hall to accompany her to Ravenclaw tower. It was two hours before they saw their friend again.

"That fucking bitch is the worst piece of human waste, EVER!"

All three of them were so taken aback by Luna's outburst, they didn't even know what to say.

"She made me write lines with a damn blood quill." John and Hermione gasped, Harry was confused.

"What's a blood quill?"

Hermione filled him in quickly. "It's a quill that writes in the user's blood. To do so, it cuts the words you write into the back of the hand you are not using it with. It heals the cuts afterward, but if you use it for so long, frequently, it would leave you with quite a bit of scaring."

"I think that is what she is trying to do here. Carve the sins onto the sinner. Using a quill like that on children in a school, that constitutes torture." John was livid. "Show me your hand."

Luna lifted her hand and John looked at the red and swollen skin. It was quite a bit of her hand that was inflamed.

"What did she have you write?"

"'I will not slander my ministry and I will respect its employees.' I don't know how often, she just told me to keep going until she stopped me."

"At least a hundred times," John mumbled more to himself than anything. "Do you feel dizzy or drowsy? Any other side effects, aside from pain I mean."

"No, I feel fine, just tired. It's not really hurting, it's more like a deep itch. One you can't scratch."

John was once again sifting through his ever-present bag. "I got some blood replenishing potion in here and a bit of murtlap essence." He placed two bottles on the table and got some bandages out. "Here I'll put it on. First, drink this, it should help you feel better by tomorrow."

He handed her the blood replenishing potion. Luna downed the small bottle and then John began to soak some bandages in the murtlap, placed the wet piece on her hand and wrapped the rest of them around her hand and wrist.

Luna sighed and smiled. "At least the itching stops. Thank you." She then kissed John's cheek, too tired to care about anything else than her bed. John just smiled at her.

"You're welcome."

Harry and Hermione shared some very expressive glances at the byplay.

All four of them accompanied Luna to Ravenclaw, then they split up and John headed down to the Dungeons. Harry and Hermione took their time to walk up to the Gryffindor tower.

"John didn't show it just now, but he is beyond mad at that Umbitch." Hermione surprised Harry by using his nickname for their least favorite teacher.

"I was surprised he didn't tear her head clean off and put it on a pike declaring war on humanity." He smiled a little but knew that it was very serious.

Hermione wasn't smiling. "Me too, he has grown very attached to Luna in the short time we all know each other."

"I know what you mean, but I also have a feeling that we can trust him." Harry frowned a little. "Even though I'm not the most trusting of people."

"Neither am I, but John…yes, I trust him." Hermione was frowning as well. "He's the only one that seems willing to train you. To give you the tools to survive this upcoming war." Hermione wiped a stray tear from her eye. "I'm okay with anything as long as you live to see the end of it."

Harry hugged her and held her close. "I'll do my best to survive, I promise."

She smiled at him and they shared a chaste kiss. Harry wanted to pull away afterward, but Hermione threw her arms around his neck and pulled him close again. They kissed again and this time it was much more heated. Suction was applied to bottom lips and it lasted for over a minute when the sound of someone clearing their throat made them jump apart.

They swiveled around and … were surprised to see Professor McGonagall standing there. She had one of her rare smiles directed towards her favorite students.

"I thought I would inform you, that it's five minutes past curfew. It wouldn't do to have you two accosted by someone a few steps from the entrance to your common room."

Harry and Hermione were blushing deeply and resumed walking towards the entrance, the professor following them. It was a silent affair and, after they had reached the portrait hole, they both tried to apologize to the professor.

"Don't worry about it, I know it's hard to believe, but I was young at one point in my life." She gave them another small smile and left them without another word.

The teens entered the common room and turned to each other. "That was odd!" They both said at the same time.

The pair looked surprised for a moment and then broke out into laughter at the surreal scene they had just witnessed. They were laughing so hard, they had to lean onto each other for support.

Everybody around them looked up in confusion, saw Harry Potter, and went right back to what they had been doing. That boy was insane, it was in the prophet so it must be true. And now he just stood there laughing like a maniac. Needless to say that Harry's reputation didn't get an upgrade in Gryffindor that night.

When they finally stopped laughing long enough to breathe properly, they saw the red hair and face of Ron Weasley.

"What's going on here, what's so funny?" He asked them indignantly.

Under much snorting and the odd giggle, Harry managed to answer him. "Just…something Professor…McGonagall… said to us." Both of them broke down laughing again.

Ron's complexion got even worse and his face was glowing like the inside of a volcano.

"Don't you make fun of me, I'm a prefect after all."

Hermione calmed down enough for a reply. "So am I Ronald, lighten up."

Now that elicited quite a few chuckles from the surrounding people. Hermione Granger, THE boss witch, telling Ronald 'the goofball' Weasley to lighten up, wasn't something you heard every day.

"What's wrong with you two, hanging out with Ravenclaws and Slytherins of all people. You completely ignore me, we've been friends for the past four years."

Harry's snort contained a lot less humor this time. "John and Luna are friends as well. You're the one who chose to not spend time with us. We're not ignoring you, you were a complete dick these past few days and we still asked you to the library this afternoon. You chose again to not come. I can't do more than to invite you. I'm pretty sure Luna isn't even the problem, it's John. Just because he's in Slytherin. In your way, you're just as bigoted as all of the death eaters."

"That's not true, I'm not bigoted. Everyone knows that Slytherins are pure evil. He'll rat out all your secrets to the wrong people and then you'll come crying to me." Ron turned on his heel and stomped up the stairs to their dorm.

"Does he even listen to himself sometimes? Or is his mouth on automatic again." Harry asked Hermione.

"I don't know what got his knickers in a twist this time. He'll probably need time to adjust like he always does and then he'll come around. It's always been like that."

Harry nodded, he hoped it would be like that. He didn't want to lose Ron as a friend, but training for the inevitable had a higher priority right now. Ron would have to accept the fact that he would be friends with John and Luna until they gave him a reason not to be. So far they both had been wonderful friends and John had been a great help whenever he was needed. Harry saw the way he treated Luna and he felt no ulterior motives behind it, just kindness.

John was not a bad person. Ron had tried to bask in Harry's fame for most of the time they had known each other and had abandoned him last year when he needed him most. John had never looked at his scar twice and, while he seemed to know about everything, never treated Harry any differently because of his celebrity status.

The more Harry thought about it, he noticed that Ron had been a major influence on his way of thinking and doing things. He had known since primary school that he was anything but stupid. His grades had been really good until he started to hide it. He had started doing so because his uncle always beat him extra hard when his grades were better than Dudley's.

After he had come to Hogwarts, Ron's behavior had copied to him and he had begun to slack off. Since he had basically spent all his time around Hermione this year, a sort of competition had started between them and so far he could hold up. They would now try to turn in a better essay than the other. It was even fun to do so and Hermione definitely enjoyed being challenged mentally.

Hermione and Harry stayed in the common room for a while and occupied a love seat. They shared a few kisses and stayed in an embrace for most of the time, but the heat that had grabbed them earlier was gone for now. After roughly an hour they decided to turn in for the night.

"I can't believe you're failing this simple spell." Hermione shook her head while looking at John. It had been about two weeks since the beginning of term.

He scowled at her. "I told you, I don't like transfiguration. If I could just use runes for it, I'd be fine."

Harry tuned out Hermione's fifth try at teaching John the spell he needed for his next transfiguration lesson, instead, he watched Luna for a while. She had her nose in a book and moved her wand about and mouthed words. If he read her lips correctly it was a spell from their current curriculum. He looked to his girlfriend still trying to teach John and quietly turned to her.

"Hey Luna, what spell are you trying there?"

The blonde witch was a bit startled by Harry interrupting her and then blushed a little and stuttered.

"I know that you gleaned it from my textbook in front of you, so why are you trying a fifth-year spell?"

"I don't want to be left behind, you all know more spells than me and I'd like to keep up with all of you."

Harry was pensive for a moment. "I don't think this is how it works. I mean yeah we might know different spells better than you do, but that extends to you as well. You know obscure spells that I've never heard of before. That I wouldn't even know how to defend against. Maybe we should just exchange spells every now and then and teach each other what we know."

Luna thought this was a great idea and after informing their other friends of their plan, they agreed enthusiastically.

It was after one of their morning sessions, that Harry and John were in the prefect's bathroom, undressing to wash up. It had been Hermoine's idea to use the bath much closer to the ground floor to save some time in the mornings.

The girls and boys could even use the bathroom at the same time, as there existed a version of the room for each gender.

On their first time, Harry had enviously eyed John's physique. Now after almost three weeks, he looked into the full-length mirror, that he saw some of the changes the training had brought on. He looked noticeably more 'buff', his body no longer just sinew and bones, but muscle. Of course, it wasn't quite a transformation yet, but he could definitely see where the journey would take him.

In the girl's bath, Hermione had similar thoughts to Harry. The first time she had entered the bath with Luna, she had been envious of petite blondes slender frame. Now she looked at the mirror and saw that the padding she had held onto over the past two years, had gotten considerably smaller.

Turning she jumped into the tub, with a lot fewer inhibitions than she had the first time.

That day, after lunch, John found himself alone with Luna.

"Luna?"

She looked up from her mug of tea, only to find John looking intently at her.

"Yes?"

"You know that there will be a Hogsmeade weekend coming up soon?"

"Yes, I know."

"Have you made plans for that weekend yet?"

Luna looked at him confusedly. "No, nothing."

"I actually wanted to ask you, if you would like to go there and grab a cup of coffee?"

Luna shrugged. "Sure, will Harry and Hermione join us?"

John grimaced slightly. "I actually thought, we would go alone, you know just the two of us."

She shrugged again and smiled. "Okay."

John quickly released a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding. Asking Luna on a date was actually a lot harder than he had thought. Especially since she didn't seem to realize that he was asking her on a date. He would have to ask Hermione to talk to her soon.

Little did he know, that Luna was thinking along the same lines.

'What does he want to go to Hogsmeade for? They have coffee in the castle and we have breakfast together every morning, so why does this seem to be special for him? Better ask Hermione later.'

Luna had to quickly leave for her next class and John was left in the Great Hall, trying to order his thoughts. Luna was a fun and outgoing girl. Sure she had been treated horribly at the hands of her classmates, but surely someone had asked her on a date before. Or not? Was this the first time? He shook his head to clear it and decided to turn in early as well.

After there last class of the day, the Gryffindor couple found Luna waiting for them and asked Hermione if she could talk to her for a moment. Harry got the hint and hurried along, so the girls could talk in private.

"Hermione...earlier John asked me to go to Hogsmeade...for coffee of all things. We've had breakfast together every morning so far, he should be able to tell, that I prefer tea." She looked at the older girl with a confused stare in her round eyes.

Hermione meanwhile was losing to the laughter that tried to fight its way out of her. She burst out and missed the look of hurt that crossed her friends face. Luna tried to hide the tears that threatened to spill by forging ahead. Hermione caught the look on her face and instantly became serious.

She caught Luna by the arm and apologized.

"I'm sorry Luna, I wasn't laughing about you. It's just so surreal. Have you never been asked on a date before?"

Luna stopped dead in her tracks and spun around to face her. "Now you're mocking me!" The first tears rolled down her face.

"No, I'm not, I know for a fact, that John wanted to ask you on a date. Look into my eyes and tell me I'm lying."

She tilted the younger girls face up and Luna's watery stare met her own level one. After a moment, Luna looked away and to the ground.

"No, you're not lying. Why couldn't he just say that he wanted to take me on a date?"

Hermione chuckled a bit. "He just assumed that you knew 'going for a coffee' was the universal code for 'going on a date'. Get used to that, boys assume a lot." She sighed a bit at the end.

Luna wiped away her tears and smiled a bit. "At least now, I have had an invite to a date. Maybe I'll know the next time he asks."

Hermione smiled a little, remembering, that she had felt similar to her friend. She also didn't miss, that Luna had said 'the next time HE asks'. Not someone, but he. Apparently, she already planned on the next date with John. While she had never agreed to the bet, Hermione definitely seemed to be in the lead.

When they had finally reached the Great Hall, where the boys were waiting on them, Luna went over to John, hugged him and told him that she gladly would go on a date with him. John then mouth a silent thank you in Hermione's direction. This cracked her up again, leaving Harry confused to no end.

"I'll explain later..." She managed to stutter out for the benefit of her bewildered boyfriend.

After Hermione had calmed down again and Luna had released John, the group joined their friends at the Hufflepuff table for dinner.

The Hogsmeade weekend finally rolled around and the friends had agreed on pause their training on the weekends so that they could all get a bit of extra sleep and rest. And so John found himself waiting for Luna in front of the Ravenclaw common room.

Up inside the otherwise empty dorm room, Luna and Hermione chatted while trying to select an outfit for the blonde.

"How about this one?" Luna pulled a tie-dyed summer dress from her closet.

"Well, Luna, your wardrobe is certainly colorful. I think that dress will look lovely on you."

"The more colors, the better and I agree I like this dress a lot."

Without giving her brunette friend any amount of warning, Luna took off her nightgown and Hermoine was surprised by some early morning nudity.

"Luna! You're naked!"

"So?" The blonde sounded confused. "You see me naked almost every morning."

"Yeah, well, that's in the bathroom… it's sort of expected."

Sounding pensive, Luna replied to her embarrassed friend.

"Bathroom, Bedroom, what does it matter? I'm the same Luna, my body looks exactly the same here as it does in the bath."

Finding no flaw in that logic, Hermione slowly turned around. Luna had already put on her underwear, but what had been said, made her think that her blonde friend might have a point.

Luna always seemed a bit weird, hell, even bloody insane at times, but she made a lot more sense than everybody gave her credit for.

Finally, Luna joined John, before they turned to leave, John asked Hermione what she and Harry had planned for the day.

"Nothing really, we want to spend some time outside by the lake. Maybe a picnic and going for a walk. Then we wanted to spend some time on homework."

She blushed a bit while she talked and looked neither of her friends in the eye.

'And probably snog each other senseless.' John chuckled in his mind.

The town of Hogsmeade was bustling with students and some teachers, all intermingling and going in and out of shops. John, who had never been there before, asked Luna about the things they could do there.

"Well there is the Three Broomsticks the main inn of the town, there is also the Hogshead, which is smaller and serves a more diverse crowd. There is Madame Puddifoot's, a small tea shop. There are also several shops that sell everything from stationary to sweets."

"So, should we head to that Puddifoot place? It sure sounds like it's made for 'grabbing a coffee'."

"Actually, I'd rather go for the Hogshead. The patrons there are much more interesting."

Following Luna, they reached the small, decrepit looking Inn, that was located in a side alley.

Upon entering, all conversations ceased. As all the dark clothed, ale drinking patrons stared at the colorfully dressed girl and her tall friend.

Luna, not even sparing a glance for the people that eyed their every move, skipped to a table in a corner of the inn. She sat down, while John asked her what she wanted to drink.

"A cup of green tea."

John turned around to face the bar and promptly sighed. The Barkeeper didn't look like the type that would serve any kind of tea.

Hermione smiled at Harry, they had settled on a particularly nice spot of the lake's shore. They had gotten a nice basket from the kitchen and had enjoyed a nice late Breakfast/ early Lunch on a soft blanket.

Dobby had, despite all of Hermione's protestations, kept them supplied with warm tea and even fried eggs and sausage. Whenever they had voiced anything that would make the day even more perfect, a small pop had sounded and the food, drink or other, had been delivered to their blanket or basket.

Finally, Harry had specifically called Dobby and the little guy had smiled from ear to ear. Harry had told him, that while he appreciated the effort on the elf's part, he didn't want the small creature to tax itself too much.

Of course, Dobby had been adamant about bringing them any items they wished for, saying it was no problem, as the kitchens didn't need as many hands right now. Harry had then thanked him and told him that it was very nice of him, but he needn't jump to their every wish and should think of himself first and foremost.

The elf had disappeared, crying and mumbling what 'a great wizard, the great master Harry Potter' was. He had just gone, as Harry found himself attacked by Hermione, who proceeded to snog him senseless.

All in all, life was good, as Hermione laid back on the blanket, her head on Harry's chest, his fingers weaving in and out of her curls.

In a manor house, in a different part of Britain, the Dark Lord had retired to his private chambers. It had begun again. For a few weeks now, he had had these strange feelings. They started in his stomach and snaked upwards to constrict his heart. All the diagnostic spells he had tried, came up negative. His new body was working perfectly. Then why did he have to feel this way?

Gasping he had to sit down, as his heart constricted once more.

John had gotten Luna's tea, much to his own surprise. They spent their time talking about anything and nothing at all.

Soon they abandoned the inn for the outsides and a walk on the path that led to the shrieking shack. Then Luna asked about John's family.

"Well, like so many from that time, they're dead. I was raised by my gran for the first few years of my life. She too passed away, I was eight at the time. Then the people of my village took care of me after I returned there." He sighed. "How about your folks?"

"Oh my mom, she is dead as well. A spell backfired on her, she always liked to experiment with magic. Dad is great if a bit absent-minded after mum's death. Despite that, he always took great care of me and we traveled a lot when I was younger."

A moment of silence fell between them. They reached the locked gate that barred them from getting closer to the shack.

It was at this moment that Luna felt a small pang of jealousy, something she wasn't accustomed to. In this case, it was Hermione that flitted through her thoughts. She was taller than her and her frame was quite womanly with her curves and chest. Luna's petite figure and her less developed chest made her feel self-conscious standing beside John.

He was a 'real man', tall, muscled, strong. She knew that such preconceived notions were ridiculous, but still felt confused that he had asked her out. Of all the girls he could have asked at the castle, Luna was sure that not many would have turned him down. And…

"A knut for your thoughts? What are you thinking about so hard moonchild?"

The levity in his voice and his use of her mother's nickname untied the knot that had been resting in her stomach. Strange how she only noticed it had been there after it disappeared.

Deciding honesty was probably the best way to go, Luna answered John.

"I was wondering why you chose me out of all the girls in the castle. Why ask me on a date?"

John smiled as he answered her. It was a soft smile, devoid of the malice she still anticipated on a subconscious level.

"Because none of the other girls are like you. You look past everything else and see people for who they are. You're willing to believe when everybody else has lost their faith. You are special. I like you because you're you and that's not going to change."

This laid to rest the last of Luna's worries, for the time being, she stood on her tip toes and pressed a chaste kiss on John's lips. Words weren't needed, as John placed his arm around Luna's shoulders and they both looked at the shack.

They enjoyed the rest of their afternoon in the small village, browsing the shops and holding hands.

The Gryffindor couple had retired to the common room after it had gotten darker outside. Now they were reading while sharing a love seat. Slowly almost the entire house passed them by as they returned to the castle.

Suddenly a commotion by the portrait hole got their attention. Neville returned and had Luna, as well as John, in tow. A couple of Gryffindors stood in their way, Ron in the lead.

"This is the Gryffindor common room. I think you should retire to your own rooms." He said while looking pointedly at John.

The other students that Ron had rallied against them nodded.

Hermione and Harry stood and stopped the argument before anyone would start casting spells. It had been such a pleasant day, that it shouldn't be sullied by casualties on the Gryffindor side.

"John, Luna how nice you are back." Hermione walked by Ron, completely ignoring the redhead.

Harry spotted their linked hands. "Hey, is there something you two would like to tell us?"

Their friends shared a look, then Luna turned to them. "It's too early yet for that, but I'd say it was a terrific first date."

"I for my part definitely want to repeat it," John said smiling.

During the byplay between the friends, the Gryffindor mob stood there confused, unsure of what to do now. Their leader, however, had skipped the red colored face to settle on a lovely shade of puce. Quite honestly, Vernon would have been so proud.

Then Mount Weasley erupted.