Author's Note: Hi everyone! I cannot believe I'm back here again; it's totally crazy! :D

Whatever, now I want to tell you some things about this fic, 'cause it's an AU: it takes place during World War 2, most probably at its end. I'm not quite sure, to be honest, about where it's located, as in England there weren't any invasions by Nazis- or as far as I know-, so it may take place at France, but I'm not sure yet. Whatever, I'm just sorry for any flaws that there might be as regards historical references or something...

As for the story: Hermione tries to escape from the town she is in, and during the process, she meets a foreigner man and a little girl, who later proved to be Italians. Hermione helps them to escape as well, and the man- guess who...- helps her too. So, here's their story!

Moreover, if anyone knows Italian or is from Italy, I'm terribly sorry for any kind of mistakes; I've just used translators for the Italian phrases... Most of the times there is and the English version of them next to. As for Luna's (you'll see who Luna is) parts, I put 'l's where 'r's supposed to be, so it could fix in a way...

I know, I know, I'm writing incessantly, so I'll stop now and I'll let you read... Enjoy! :)

Love And War Don't Discriminate Between Nations

~The War, The Man And The Moon~

BANG! BANG! BANG!

'Help- please, help us!'

'RUN!'

'No! No my Steve, no…!'

The town was deep through a chaos, something that no one could measure or even comprehend. People were screaming while dust was constantly into the air, poisoning the oxygen that people breathed and making the vision a torture that you couldn't possibly break loose from. For the people in the town, the only so intact thing was their hearing, forcing them to listen to the others' screams, cries, yells, to the unstoppable bang that were producing by the insane firing of guns, to the death that was so very existent in the atmosphere… War was so very deep into people's skin, and there was nothing to do to escape from its madness.

Hermione Granger ran without stopping through the numerous packs of people there were around her, trying madly to find a way out of the crowd, a way to mere, fragile freedom. She ran and ran and ran toward east, exerted herself to reach the bounds of the town, where people were fewer and escaping would be easier and painless- because she had to do this, she had to escape.

Passing across the crowd gradually became slightly easier and Hermione glanced around swiftly, attempting to find an exit, a minute path, a road to rebirth. Her eardrums were throbbing as painful sounds were stabbing them mercilessly, making her feel dizzy and nauseous, but she still kept on her unstoppable tries, her freedom only mattered at the time; but that only until she heard some cries stemming from nearby her- cries of a baby. Her heart stopped for a second and she looked around frantically, not wanting to leave a probably ditched child on their own.

She suddenly saw a little girl standing on her own between what it seemed to be total strangers to her, as she was crying hopelessly. She must have been three or four years old only, with wavy, long, sandy hair and wearing a teal-coloured dress- despite her pure prettiness, she looked so lost…

"Papa!" she heard the little girl crying desperately and Hermione immediately went near her- she couldn't just leave her there, unprotected and alone, it would be just like a murder. She kneeled in front of the girl, who was still calling for her father, and she bravely took her tiny, slightly dirty face in her hands, trying to sooth her even for a tiny bit, even though she deep down knew that her mere efforts would be so fruitless…

"Ssh, my little, everything's alright…" she tried to say with her rather cracked voice; the girl only cried more and started to shake quite violently.

"Papa, papa!" she only cried out through her hiccups, sobs and cries, her fearful, blue-grey eyes drown in tears and fright, as they glued on Hermione. "Papa!"

"We'll find your dad, baby; I'll help you, but can you please tell me your name?" Hermione asked gently and cautiously glanced around, afraid of anything unexpected or dangerous attacking them, as they weren't in alarm. When she looked back at the little girl before her, she was only still crying. "Papa, papa, papa" she only repeated without answering the elder's question. Hermione's mind suddenly went to dreadful prospects and possibilities; possibilities of the girl's father being lost, or even worse, been killed- it was something so sickly usual there… Hermione was desperate and quite unsure about what to do- how was she supposed to treat this little, lost child who was desperately asking for her father's warmth?

She was about to take the girl and search for the father of hers or escape along with her, but she suddenly saw a tall figure coming from the crowd fast towards them, and kneeling in front of the girl, as well.

"Luna!" Hermione heard the voice from the figure- which Hermione recognized as a male's one-, which was somewhat shaky and deep, yet light as well. "Mio Dio, Io trovato è, Luna!" the man kept going as he hugged tightly the girl, who hugged him back and closed her eyes tightly. Hermione observed the sight in front of her and she didn't know what to make out of it- she just felt a tiny bit relieved that the child had found someone that she obviously felt well with. She saw the girl burying her face in the man's chest and he bended his head near to hers and kissed it with his eyes firmly close; then he whispered something while his lips were against her head and then he finally opened his eyes again and swiftly turned his gaze from the little girl to her, making her feel a bit nervous as she was looking at this strange, huge and so beautiful pair of eyes.

"Grazie." he said hoarsely towards her and then Hermione was confirmed that both of them were foreigners- she instantly shook her head.

"I don't speak… Italian?" she said quite unsurely and looked at him a bit expectantly, waiting for some sort of answer. The man nodded with his head at once.

"Si, si, Io sono Italiano- Io… no… Inglese" he said hurriedly and he looked at Hermione with his glassy eyes full of fright and despair, almost like the little girl's. Hermione thought for a moment what he said to her: he was from Italy… Even the mere thought made her shiver a bit, and she observed both of them for a moment. Her experience, her knowledge, her logic told her firmly not to trust him- there wasn't room for guessing and trusting people who could possibly be with the enemy. But on the other hand, her intuition, her instincts, her heart told her that he wouldn't hurt her- he was as a sufferer as she was, and that could be proved by the horror and lost that were evident in both their faces; she knew that they felt like she did.

"Come with me." she said slowly and gestured with her hand towards herself, then showing him the way out of the living hell they were in. The young man stared at her with goggled eyes full of anguish, but a moment later, he nodded once numbly. He stood up instantly, never letting the girl from his arms- Hermione assumed they must have been some sort of family, siblings or something, maybe- and after kissing reassuringly her sandy hair, he said something in Italian, his voice underlying his worry, but he seemed to try to be strong for the little child, who buried herself deeper into his chest and arms.

"Follow me!" Hermione shouted to him, showing him with her index finger at herself, then at the narrow path they'd follow. The man looked at her with his enormous, so strangely innocent eyes, and then he nodded, staying as much as he could close to her. Hermione resumed her way away from the torture and suffering, every now and then making sure that the man with the baby was still following her. They reached the bounds of the city quite fast, even though the squeezing and the awareness to be protected, and Hermione instantly searched around the high walls for an exit, but the only gate existent seemed sealed. She started to get more and more anxious as the seconds were flowing, as the hope started to fade away… She was lost… And this baby, this man… They hadn't done anything in their life- at least she was sure about the girl-, they were also lost…

"Signorina!" she heard the man's voice from behind her, all of a sudden, and she turned her head to him, seeing him with a fretful, yet rather anticipated expression on his face.

"What is it?" she asked urgently, but he shook his head vividly as a response- he seemed like he couldn't understand.

"Signorina, una uscita laggiù!" he exclaimed hurriedly with his perfect Italian; when he finally realized that Hermione couldn't understand him, he thought about it for a moment before he stammered an unsure "F-Follow…" he most probably mimicked from her words before. When he was certain she knew, he guided her to the west side of the wall, until they reached a rather shadowy part of it, where there was a beige door on the stone wall- one that was almost unlikely to notice. He glanced at her before gesturing with his head, and after looking around warily, he opened the door with a bit of difficulty, letting Hermione to enter and then doing the same as well, and then closing it hurriedly behind them.

They now were to an almost pitch-black, very narrow corridor, full of humidity on its stone walls, with only a dim light or two every five or so meters. The two of them looked before them for a moment or two, before he looked at her rather worriedly.

"Io… err… no Nazi… no a… s-spy… Pr-Promize" he whispered with his so Italian voice, which was so light, even though its depth, and full of emotion; Hermione instantly adored his so unusual voice and after that, she felt a kind of minute relief inside her with his words, even though she knew that sometimes promises were something that could easily break. She nodded, so he could understand.

"I… n-name Ron" the man said then softly and she nodded again. Ron…

"I'm Hermione" she said kindly and strangely so, she felt safe with him, even though he was a complete stranger and an Italian. A moment later, she heard the muffled, almost inaudible voice of the girl and Ron bended his head nearer to hers, listening to her carefully. Afterward, he answered back and quickly looked back at the woman, while he was cooing softly the little girl in his arms.

"… Go" he whispered almost inaudibly to her and they slowly and hesitantly started to walk on the so narrow corridor, which made the people to almost squeeze with each other. Cold air was embracing them, making them shiver slight violently, as high levels of worry, of anxiety, of new-born horror were overwhelming in their souls and hearts. They carried on with their unsure steps towards the other end of this dark path, of this catacomb-like shortcut. The passageway started to have some declivity and their pace unconsciously became only a bit brisker. Hermione was glancing every now and then at the tall, lean, young man next to her, noticing his care towards the little girl, as he was trying to ensure her momentary tranquility, to have her safe in his arms, while he was adjusting the weight of a big sack on his back. A second later, he glanced back at her hesitantly, and when he saw her eyes on him, he lowered his head a bit, probably in slight shame. Hermione wanted him not to feel like that- there wasn't a need to be so awkward with each other, even though they actually didn't know each other at all.

"Where does this shortcut lead us to?" she asked gently and his head shot up in a second, as he looked at her confusingly- then Hermione remembered a bit late that he couldn't understand an utter word of hers. She saw him knitting his eyebrows and he let a soft noise, which showed his big puzzlement, to escape from his mouth.

"Where the road goes." Hermione said as simply and slowly as she could think of, while she was gesturing forward; Ron examined her face a second more and then he nodded, showing his understanding.

"O-Out… err…" he said with his almost non-existent English, perplexing her and probably himself as well; Hermione tried to help him.

"Out of town?" she suggested kindly and the young man seemed to think about it for a moment before nodding once unsurely. Then he opened his mouth once again. "La foresta…" he whispered hesitantly and Hermione finally understood what he actually wanted to say.

"It leads near to the forest!" she exclaimed softly, mostly to herself, before half-smiling to him as a thanking gesture; he seemed to realize it and he nodded in response, his eyes a bit wary and restless. They resumed their walking in silence, every now and then the silence only would be broken by drops of moisture that hit the ground or by some soft cooing from the man, as he was continually trying to keep the child calm and secured.

Half an hour or so later, the light slightly became a bit brighter and they finally saw an iron ladder nailed on the stone wall, leading upstairs. They looked upwards uncertainly and then at each other, not knowing what actually to do. Was it safe for them to follow this way? What if there were people on the other side, waiting for people just like them, who all they ever wanted was to savour the simplest form of freedom?

Hermione let her eyes stay on that invisible spot for a moment longer, before she lowered her eyes a bit, only for them to rest on the man's face, taking in his immeasurable trouble. They stared at each other for a moment, while ambiguous silence engulfed them, making the atmosphere so inexplicable… He nodded softly after a few moments, showing her that he, at least, was going to take that risk. She nodded back as a response and inhaled deeply, while she heard Ron shifting the girl in his arms, and kissing her head softly.

"Mia Luna, è possibile fare me un piccolo favore?" ("My Luna, can you do me a little favour?") Hermione heard him say to the little girl.

"Si" she then listened to the slightly sleepy voice of the infant and she looked with the tail of her eye at the two of them, seeing Ron caressing the girl's face tenderly.

"Il mio angelo, dobbiamo salire la scaletta laggiù - vedete la scaletta, familiare?" ("My angel, we have to climb this ladder over there- do you see the ladder, sweetie?") he spoke gently in Italian and then Hermione saw the girl stirring in his arms and looking worriedly at the wall opposite them; when she nodded, Ron smiled a little at her before continuing: "Naturalmente verrà aiutarti, ma è possibile fare questo, il mio bambino? Noi non possiamo salire insieme… Prometto che verrà a dormire dopo, aggettivo?" ("Of course I'll help you, but can you do this, my baby? We can't climb together… I promise you you'll sleep afterwards, alright?")

The woman glanced at the girl and saw her nodding once again at the man's, unknown to her, words. The tall, Italian man smiled softly once more and kissed the girl's cheek before putting her down. The girl shivered a little and looked at the man for a moment before she gazed curiously up to her and then smiled a little bit unsurely, before saying with her so girly, sweet voice: "Ciao." Hermione smiled reassuringly down to her and then glanced hesitantly at the man, wanting to know if such things were ok by him- he was looking at her, too and he half-smiled thankfully; her insides warmed a bit.

"I go… and y-you…" Ron whispered with difficulty and stared at her somewhat piercingly, trying probably to show her his point, if not by words, by his so expressive eyes. Hermione knitted her eyebrows a bit, as her mind was trying to translate his mere words and identify his stare, and after a moment, she nodded in agreement, finally comprehending his words. He half-nodded back and then his eyes travelled to the girl, staying faithfully at this sight for a bit, before Ron inhaled deeply and took the child in his arms, then helping her to climb the ladder slowly until she was fully enable to do this by herself- even if the man was keeping a wary eye on her. The woman heard him say something quick with his slightly husky, worried voice a moment later, and he instantly put his hands on the girl's petite waist, pulling her in his broad chest and hugging her tightly while whispering something in her ear hurriedly. He straightened his body, which was covered on its back by his large sack and now on its front from the girl, who had clung on him. Hermione saw him extremely concerned, but he just glanced at her and then inhaled before starting to climb up the ladder, obviously having great difficulty because of the added weight on him. He climbed it very slowly, making sure to secure his stability, while every now and then, he would glance down at her with the tail of his eye. She, for some odd reason, felt herself blush a bit from under his glances, from under those emotional, by any way, eyes. She stared at his rather lanky form, which was trying so hard to climb the ladder- the breaths were coming out a bit as gasps, but he kept on. After a minute, she started to climb as well, not wanting to stay too far behind them- for some reason she quite needed to stay with them, with him.

They kept on climbing for some minutes probably, Hermione having been able to hear the little girl whimpering in his chest, while Ron was desperately trying to sooth her and at the same time, keep his stability ensured. Another couple of minutes passed on the ladder, until small traces of more light were suddenly evident from above them, making them slightly more eager to keep going on with this sickening process. After some moments, Ron stopped moving, and with great effort he opened the trap door above him a bit. Hermione's heartbeats started to increase and quicken, as fearful prospects of them getting caught inserted in her mind, making breathing hard for her. She looked up to the man, who was still peeking at the outside, and then he opened the door fully, putting his one arm around the girl's body tightly and then he pushed himself up, so his body hit the ground. Hermione instantly started to climb up the few steps of the rusty ladder and then used her one arm to push herself up, but then she felt a strong hand on her forearm, as Ron was helping her to exit from the small trap door. When she was fully out, Ron immediately closed the door and covered it with some soil and stones. Hermione was then able to feel anything from the environment around her.

Cool air was caressing her face rather disgracefully, as now the sky was darker because of the course of the sunset. The skies were painted at the moment with orange and crimson tints, beautifully combined with the rich blue colour; Hermione's thoughts went a moment later at the crowd that was still entrapped in the town, wondering suddenly if nature knew how much blood had been shed for the nation, for thirst of freedom, thus appearing with such vivid, shiver-making colours. She shivered herself and blinked back the tears that wetted her eyes.

She turned her head around slowly, searching with her eyes for Ron and the girl. He was kneeling beside her at the moment, still covering the trap door with trembling hands and wide, rather shocked eyes, while the girl was sobbing softly and clinging on his chest fearfully. Ron was whispering hurriedly under his breath various, incomprehensible things as his body started to shake a bit, fear overwhelming him and making its appearance to show this just now. He, all of a sudden, turned his head towards her and looked at her with eyes full of pain.

"You… a-and I… Luna… go… no find…" he stammered with his slightly cracked voice and with toil, he stood up, his eyes never leaving hers from their sight. She wasn't quite sure what he was saying but her heart, with some unknown to her power, discerned that he wouldn't ever harm her, and all he wanted was for all of them to be safe, even if that was quite strange for two people of different nations who didn't know each other almost at all. She stood up as well and tried to show him with her eyes that she would be with them, she would follow him, making sure to help him and the girl and- if that was possible- vise versa. He must have seen it, because his characteristics seemed to held more sureness and a second later, he took her hand with the only free of his and started to guide her towards the thick forest before them, his pace brisk and alarmed, just like hers.

It took them half an hour, more or less, to reach the woods, now being even more difficult to see because of the faint twilight and because of the leafage that avoided the light to reach them- Hermione felt her body shaking but she didn't give a second thought to it. Ron kept on with his swift, agonizing pace, his one arm around the baby while the palm of his other one was tightly holding one of hers, never letting it go as if he was afraid of doing so. Hermione glanced worriedly at his face, seeing the agony, the hurry, the feeling of protection he needed to give, and she recognized her feelings in his own ones, that making her feeling surer for some unexplainable reason. She ran more, hearing her heartbeats in her ears, feeling her pulse producing a crazy, brisk rhythm while her breath couldn't quite catch her anymore, but she kept going, all she was needing at the moment was some fragile, worthy freedom, nothing more than that- could she have it?

Unconsciously, she squeezed back his large palm, and he briefly looked at her seriously, and then he kept running faster, even though the weight on him and her own one, as well, was slowing him down a bit- something made him even more urged to keep going on with this, so he, too, would be able to savour the taste of liberty people of their times weren't able to even realize…

They ran and ran and ran for an hour or so, until they were deep into the forest; the night had finally come and besides the crescent moon's silver light, there wasn't any other source of glow. Ron finally stopped near a big, old tree and he rested his forehead on its rough surface, let his body to finally adjust after such cruel running. His breathing was coming out as heavy, deep gasps which didn't slow down until many minutes had finally passed. Hermione tried even harder to slow down her breaths and wet her so dry throat, while she felt her some sweat to become cooler on her hot skin. She wanted to rest her body on the trunk of the tree, but the man's shaky, sweaty hand was clinging on hers, never letting it go. She glanced at him, but all she was able to make out was the outline of his body and a bit of his, now uncovered from the sack, back.

Both Ron and Hermione seemed to come back to reality when sobs were easily heard. Ron instantly broke free from their bond and he kneeled on the ground with force in his body, like gravity was suddenly increased and forced him to be one with the ground. He put both of his arms around the girl, more loosely this time, and whispered something in her ear, while she was crying softly. Ron caressed her long hair reassuringly and kissed the top of her head every now and then, until she was calmed down. Hermione, for all this time, had just stood still, just looking at them rather sadly, thinking of the fear this little girl surely felt and of the hopelessness and the desperation that obviously tortured the man before her eyes- it was rather heartbreaking.

Ron let the girl rest with her back on the tree after taking off his woolen jacket and covered her little body with it. He stood up quickly and after a moment of looking at the child, he looked at her. Hermione saw his face glowing under the faint, silver moonlight and she felt warm inside her.

"C'è un piccolo fiume, non lontano da qui …" ("There is a small river, not far from here…") he said with his quite cracked voice, like he was on the verge of tears. Hermione heard the words coming out from his lips, but she couldn't understand a thing from them. He exhaled loudly and clapped his forehead with his palm, seeming somewhat annoyed that he couldn't communicate with her, that he couldn't make her understand. Hermione looked at him gently, even though he wasn't looking at her now, and waited patiently for him to try again.

"…err…acqua… fo-rrest… err… I no say, no…" he was trying hopelessly and then he exhaled once more and let his head hung; he seemed to feel useless and Hermione felt sad for him. She stepped closer to him and after looking at his shadowed, still bended face, she suddenly cupped his cheek, surprising even herself, but she didn't mind. He immediately looked at her surprisingly and swallowed rather audibly, but staying still, just looking down at her with wide eyes (oh, he was so tall…).

"Tell me…" she whispered slowly with a reassuring tone in her voice, her eyes never leaving his and the opposite- this kind of bond felt weird, nicely weird… He stared at her for a couple of short moments before he inhaled from his mouth and spoke.

"A-Acqua…" he only managed to say and his eyes closed firmly afterwards, him seemed in such pain only because of his feelings of uselessness. Her palm remained on his cheek as she thought to help him a bit if she was able to do so.

"Acqua." she repeated softly and Ron gradually opened his eyes, looking at her unsurely this time. "Acqua is water." she continued as slowly as she could, so he would understand if he could. He peered at her eyes, trying to realize what she wanted him to, but he seemed to be at loss; Hermione then came up with an idea.

She bended and took from her small bag a bottle of water she had, before standing up again and showing it to him. "Water" she said slowly so he could understand what water is. He looked at it for a second before nodding once, a trace of new hope in his motion.

"Do you want to drink some?" she said then gently and stretched her arm towards him, showing him that he could have it. Ron stared at it sadly for a moment before his eyes traveled back on hers and he shook his head slowly. Her hand dropped at her side, feeling quite disappointed herself by the lack of verbal connection.

"Don't you want water?" she said rather sadly, even though she knew that words were in disuse. She looked at him after some moments, noticing that his eyes were still gazing into hers, making her, as a result, feel weird. Then she observed a hint of what should be a smile on his lips.

"S-See" he said uncomfortably to her and then he kneeled on the ground, his eyes expectantly staring at hers as if he wanted her to do the same. She followed suit a moment later and then Ron took a small branch from nearby and started drawing on the ground. Hermione, despite the so faint light, managed to make out some trees he was hurriedly sketching, and then, between them, he made on the ground long, tortuous lines, one so close to the other, actually looking like waves…

"There's a river somewhere nearby!" she exclaimed and she looked at his face, seeing there some mere satisfaction. "Is that what you wanted to tell me?"

Ron just stared at her face with so strangely innocent eyes, just titling his head only a bit. After a couple of moments, he sighed lightly and stood up, holding his hand out for her to take. She took it instantly, sensing this same, even though outlandish, feeling of security and balm in her soul. She stood up as well and then Ron showed her towards the east, probably a short path that leaded them to the river. She nodded once and she took her bag from behind her, while the man was talking softly to the girl, before taking her in his arms once again. When they were all set, he guided her towards the stream, this time slowly walking, adjusting their every step, their every movement, their every decision. The almost invisible surroundings were making it difficult for the man to keep a steady pace that would let them soon reach their new destination, thus he stopped quite often, murmuring to himself while turning his head around, trying to identify something familiar to the almost pitch-black environment. Hermione kept following him patiently, her instincts still relaxed around his presence, not at all alarmed or even suspicious. Her so uptight and restless mind couldn't understand what made her be so reckless all of the sudden, but she kept going, feeling strangely safe- at least with him. Even she couldn't quite grasp this phenomenon, but her soul was queerly able to do so; it was something in his huge eyes, something so… harmless and naïve, something she couldn't remember to have ever seen in an adult's eyes, not even in hers.

She could trust him.

…

She woke up quite easily as the gentle sunbeams were caressing her face warmly. She opened her eyes and looked around rather warily, her fears always alarmed after the some mere moments of meager rest. The sights didn't actually disappoint her, as everything was as peaceful as it was every day.

They have been near the banks of the small river for two days now, actually momentarily living into a very small cave the small, full of trees hill made with the ground. Ron had managed to found it after they found the river, silently deciding to stay there for some unspecified time.

As she thought about that night, her mind travelled to the one person that led them there- Ron. Even though their communication was still almost inexistent and due to some unknown fact- probably mere hesitation and shyness because of lack of proper acquaintance- they didn't actually dare for more communication than the indispensable one. The man was actually stuck with the little girl, watching her and making sure she was alright, while he- Hermione was rather sure of it just because of the facts- was looking at her from afar, ensuring that she was alright, as well. She was quite thankful for that.

She stood up and after stretching her arms and arching her back (sleeping on hard rocks and cold, slightly wet soil was rather painful), she searched with her eyes for Ron or for the girl, but all she was able to see were their belongings on the far corner of the little cave. She unconsciously made her way out and her eyes instantly narrowed, as the sunlight came with rather force into her still a bit sleepy eyes. After a second or two of adjusting the light, she took a step outside, trying to find with her pupils the two people that had entered into her life. She couldn't see them anywhere, but after a minute, she finally heard faint, gentle voices, and as being sure it was them, she followed the sound of them, which guided her towards the riverbank.

She didn't fully reach the river when she finally took a glimpse of two forms sitting under a huge, old oak. She decided to stay in the background for some unexplainable reason, and after she hid behind another tree, she looked at the two people. She saw Ron sitting on the ground, his back resting on the trunk, while the girl was sitting between his opened, bended legs. Hermione observed her small, cute face, which was now beaming- a rather wide, innocent smile was on her face. Then she saw the man behind the child; he was occupied at the moment, slowly braiding the girl's long her almost perfectly, while a small- and she dared to say also melancholic- smile was on his own lips. Hermione's eyes rested on his face for a bit longer.

As the first day she met him she wasn't actually able to observe him, the next days she noticed the characteristics of his form: he was really tall and extremely thin, only some lean muscles covering these probably strong bones. His face was very handsome and rather expressive, even though he seemed to try to avoid that. His hair had a sandy colour, with it getting darker as it was nearer the skull, reaching tints of auburn. His skin must have been very pale, as she could observe by his sometimes bare feet, by his face was rather tanned by the exhaustingly hot sun of the summer. Moreover, his lips were full and crimson red, while his eyes were huge, almost round-shaped and had the most amazing colour of sky blue- probably the most beautiful part on his face…

Hermione lost in slight daydream for a couple of minutes without realizing; when she went back to reality, she watched the two people before her, who started talking casually to each other as the man was keeping on braiding the girl's shining hair.

"Le piace qui, Luna?" ("Do you like it here, Luna?") she heard him say with his soft voice that actually made her shiver just a bit. She saw the child nodding somewhat vividly and Ron's smile widened only for a millisecond before returning back to its rather meager state.

"Quando andlemo a casa?" ("When will we go home?") the girl then said with cheerfulness lacking of her melodic voice; Hermione saw then Ron's smile disappearing by something and his fingers stayed on the spot for a moment before he resumed with his soothing motions.

"Non possiamo per ora, ma un giorno saremo…" ("We cannot for now, but sometime we will…") Hermione heard him say some words with his so Italian voice, full of emotion. She saw the girl looking a bit less carefree while the man was doing his job with his hands less eagerly, like something was torturing him inside. The two of them stayed there in silence for some moments during which Hermione didn't dare to make her appearance known, believing that she would destroy some precious moment between family members- if she was right with her guesses and they were siblings like they seemed to be (he looked so young…). Then the woman heard the girl's voice once again.

"Dove è il mama?" ("Where's mum?") she heard her and then she saw Ron froze where he was, his eyes widened scarily much while his lips parted a bit, his lower one trembling slightly; Hermione thought that whatever the girl told him must have shook him too much.

"Mamma… Mamma è in un viaggio… lontano da qui… Ma lei ci vede da dove ella è, e lei ama molto… ("Mum… Mum is on a trip… far away from here… But she sees us from where she is and she loves you so much…") Hermione listened then to his suddenly shaky voice, his body still frozen and probably stiff, for some reason only he could know; the woman looked at them with interest, even though she couldn't understand a thing from what they were saying.

"E pelché non andiamo con mamma?" ("And why didn't we go with mum?") she heard the rather plaintive tone of the girl, her face showing a bit of hurt and confusion. Ron seemed uneasy with the whole situation and Hermione, with some confusion yet with also an uncomfortable clench in her stomach, saw his bright eyes welling with shiny liquid. She heard him inhaling too deeply, like he was demanding on himself not to shatter to pieces that would never be a whole part again… It broke her heart a bit, even though she couldn't understand why this was happening now to him, just from a dialogue with a little girl.

"Lei è un posto dove che possiamo andare, Luna, ma… ma prometto che ella non dimentica lei ci saranno amore è eterno, bambina…" ("She is somewhere we cannot go, Luna, but… but I promise she won't forget us- she will love you forever, baby…") the woman listened to his somewhat hoarse tone as from his lips were escaping foreign for her words. Both of them stood still for a couple of moments, while Hermione was holding her breath, her eyes glued on the seemed-to-be-so-vulnerable face of his, his eyes holding unexpectedly weakness and… was that pain? Hermione felt shocked, with the sad meaning of it.

"Potlemo vedele nuovamente mamma?" ("Will we see mum again?") Hermione suddenly took notice of the child's voice and saw Ron's state getting worse for some reason- he seemed to be in a torture no one seemed to understand, only he. He opened his mouth slowly, thinking for a bit before letting his Italian words to spread in the suddenly stuffy, heavy air.

"Qualche… qualche giorno la vedremo… Pregate appena affinchè lei siate fini dove è… Preghi e sorriderà a voi… Preghi e noi volontà in grado di vederla un giorno…" ("Someday… someday we will see her… You just pray for her to be alright where she is… Pray and she will smile to you… Pray and we will be able to see her one day…") the woman heard the man's voice almost cracked, his tears staying with difficulty hooked on his eyelids as he was surely trying to stay calm just for the girl before him. Hermione looked at the girl and saw her nodding rather seriously, before looking hesitantly at him from above her shoulder, and the woman saw him instantly putting a small, probably reassuring smile on his lips, while his eyes were shining awfully from the unshed tears. Hermione felt so sorry for him, even though she couldn't know the reasons behind all these, but she just did so, seeing the immeasurable strength he showed just to protect this child. He probably wasn't a hero that had been found in the blood-stained fields of battle, but he was another kind of hero, one of those nameless, really brave heroes that history couldn't ever record; her heart broke a bit.

She saw him taking deep breaths just to composure himself before he talked once again, this time his tone pretending to be much lighter: "Lo desiderate rifinire con la vostra treccia?" ("Do you want me to finish with your braid?") With his words, Hermione saw the girl nodding vigorously, a cute smile immediately brightening her face. Ron half-smiled to himself at the so beautiful sight and he braided the last hair of hers until it was a beautiful plait. When he was finished, he made the girl to hold its end, while he untied the shoelaces of his one boot and cut some of its ends. Then he took the braid in his fingers and tied its end with the cut laces, then looking at it rather satisfied.

"Qui è…" ("Here it is…") Ron said then with his deep, smooth voice and the girl turned around happily, hugging the man tightly as saying something muffled in his chest. Hermione took in the so beautiful image of them, making her feel slightly better after staring for minutes at his unknown-why heartbreaking image, and she decided that she had seen too many things that supposed to be entirely theirs. She didn't let the guilt to sink in her completely as she took an inaudible, deep breath and she went back to the cave soundlessly, her mind full of various things.

Once she was outside the cave, she started to eat some unripe berries she found the day before, her eyes every once in a while looking around for a sign of them. A couple of minutes mustn't have passed, when Ron came, the little girl in his arms playing happily with some reddish locks of his hair. Hermione stood unconsciously as she saw him approaching, and when he was in front of her, he gently put the girl on the ground, then looking at her for the first time that day. Hermione held with difficulty a soft grasp to escape from her mouth.

His face seemed too painful, his eyes very wet, even though there wasn't any hint showing that tears had been shed, while his lower lip was trembling uncontrollably- he seemed unable to keep calm anymore.

He looked at her with eyes full of unexplainable to her pain and complaint; he seemed really lost. Hermione was ready to ask him if he was alright and if he wanted some kind of help, but he spoke first.

"Per favore… I… I g-go… y-you e Luna… I…" he stammered with his so cracked, soft voice, trying desperately to make her understand him. His index finger pointed firstly at him, then behind him, towards the river and then at her, then to the child. Hermione's brain found a tiny difficulty for a moment, but then she caught his point and nodding immediately.

"I'll look after her, don't worry…" she said lowly, her too pointing her finger towards the girl, then at herself. Ron's eyes held a small, thankful feeling while the hard feelings were still there and he nodded once before he kneeled in front of the girl and after saying her something quick, he once glanced at Hermione and went towards the river once again, his pace showed hurry and slight urgency. Hermione looked at the spot he was before disappearing, for a moment and then she turned around, so she could see the girl looking at her with her curious, shiny eyes. The woman approached her and sat next to her on the ground, half-smiling at her, trying to make her feel more comfortable around her. The girl smiled brightly.

"Il mio nome è Luna" the girl said with her melodic voice, making Hermione smile unconsciously. She, even though she couldn't understand almost a thing from their Italian, she was fairly sure that the girl was telling her name.

"Hermione" she said a bit slowly and pointed with her index finger at herself, so Luna could understand her. Luna giggled happily for a couple of seconds.

"Hel-mimi!" she exclaimed happily and giggled once again, making Hermione laugh softly with her cuteness. She observed her face, having many similarities with Ron's: the shiny, angelic eyes, the full lips, the pale skin, the colour of hair, even though hers was a bit blonder. On the bridge of her nose there were some light brown freckles, making her looking even cuter. Hermione smiled softly at the sight and as a result, Luna smiled widely in return.

"Are you hungry?" Hermione asked softly and she pointed at her stomach, rubbing it for a second so the child could understand. Luna titled her head and looked at her with her huge, bright blue-grey eyes that held confusion and innocence; for some reason, the picture of Ron having the same expression in his eyes because of his confusion at her words, flashed on her mind- she felt her cheeks suddenly getting warmer.

"Look" she said then and she showed to Luna the few berries and acorns she had found. Luna's eyes grew slightly wider and she squealed rather happily. Hermione laughed softly 'cause of her so cute reaction and she pulled the food closer to the girl, so she could eat if she wanted to. Luna glanced up to her hesitantly before taking one berry in her hand and after observing it for a brief moment she ate it, a smile across her face as she was munching it. Hermione felt lighter as she was watching the girl eating the meager amount of food, and she ever so slowly let her palm to rest on the girl's head, caressing the so soft hair reassuringly. Luna unconsciously leaned her head closer to her, and while eating, she drew closer to the woman until she was resting on her side. Hermione smiled softly at her and kept stroking her long plait, until the girl was finally finished with her food, so she looked up to her with a wide smile, which was covered by fruit's juice. Hermione laughed merrily for a moment before cleaning her mouth gently and then she saw Luna turning around, now facing her. It was obvious that the girl wanted to do or tell something, so Hermione waited in anticipation of the girl's next move.

"Glazie!" Luna exclaimed and that brought once again, a smile on Hermione's lips; what a sweet, sweet little girl… Luna then stared at her face for a moment and then at her hair. Immediately, her little hand made its way towards her crazy curls and played with them, making her giggle once more. "Hel-mimi!" she exclaimed once again and Hermione laughed, thinking that this child was like a little angel, like a tangible relief that was so much needed during such torturous times. Instantly, Hermione felt sorry for the girl, having to endure such cruelty and difficulties even though she couldn't understand it; it was brutal, just like everything else seemed to be at those hateful times of war.

An hour or so must have passed like this, Hermione and Luna spending time together and having a bit of fun however they could, until soft steps, which were stemming from the path that led to the river, could be heard, and a couple of moments later, Ron was in their visibility range, making as a result Luna to squeal happily and ran immediately towards him, while Hermione's breath was somewhat caught. When the man saw the girl coming to him, he kneeled and opened his arms widely, waiting for her to fell into his hug. Luna hugged him tightly and he instantly hugged her back, kissing tenderly the top of her head; then Hermione was quite able to examine his face.

The skin of his face was paler than usual, as his lips had some droplets of scarlet liquid on them, as if they'd been bit hard. As for his eyes, they seemed very tired in their now puffy and slightly red sockets, but now more content than earlier, making her feel somewhat more relaxed. She then noticed that the eyes she had been thinking about were now looking at her, thankfulness still shining in them.

"Grazie" she heard his rather hoarse voice and she nodded in response, a half smile appearing on her lips. Then both of them heard Luna's melodic voice, as the girl was turning a bit around to face both Ron and Hermione.

"Hel-mimi!" she exclaimed cheerfully to Ron as her little index finger showed him her sitting form some meters away. Ron looked down at the girl in his arms for a moment before looking with his animated eyes at her, unexplainably making her heartbeat brisker. She saw him smiling beamingly and a soft, deep laugh tickled her ears gently; his laugh…

"Hermione" she heard him saying very slowly to Luna, who was looking back at him with pure interest. Hermione's eyes widened a bit unconsciously as she heard her name coming out from his lips for the very first time. Her ears itched to listen to this wonderful sound again, as her eyes were gazing into a set of crystal blue eyes that were staring back at hers calmly.

She couldn't remember feeling this way before, even though this kind of sentiment wasn't telling her its name so she could know. But she liked it, nonetheless…

- Oof, quite a long chapter, isn't it? Well, there are others on their way, too...

- And yeah, I really, really, REALLY want to know your opinion by some very worthy REVIEWS!!! It would be just wonderful!

- And to be honest, I don't know when exactly I'm going to update, but I'll try to do so as soon as possible... Until then... :) xxx