Okay. A note on Luna.

While it is Luna, it's also not Luna. It's Amestrian!Luna, and on this side of the Gate her name is Leanne and she probably technically counts as an OC.

That said, she's not particularly important to the plot in and of itself. Her importance lies more in the fact that, because she's Luna she has a tendency to know things, to a rather eerie degree, and in the fact that she's a minor plot device. "She's Luna" really should be enough to explain anything, honestly. Otherwise, she isn't that vital to the story.

So yes. Luna.

Harry spends the next few days after his birthday just relaxing. Choosing to forgo his studying for the moment, he instead spends his time reading one of the books he's received, and studying the map of Central from Havoc, circling places he recognizes. The two hours a week usually set aside for Roy to tutor him are instead spent playing chess (Ron used to play wizards' chess with him, but he'd never managed to beat Ron. Roy, he realizes quickly, is a master strategist and he has to wonder who would win in a game between the two. Ron is a genius at chess in his own right, but Roy can drop and form new plays in the seconds between one move and the next) in the library with Roy. He and Roy make small talk as they play, Harry telling Roy about Hogwarts (what he could, without mentioning magic, at least), and Roy telling Harry about some of his own 'adventures'.

This new routine only lasts three weeks before Harry and Roy slip back into the previous one, of work and study and Harry's explorations.

xoxox

It's on one such exploration that Harry runs into Luna.

Or at least, she looks exactly like Luna and it's jarring in so many ways and he stops breathing for a few precious seconds as the girl—no woman—just smiles dreamily at him.

"Hello. You're rather lost, aren't you?"

"I—Luna?" he chokes out, astonished.

Her smile widens a fraction, and she shakes her head. "Leanne," she corrects. "Leanne Kentwood."

"Oh—I'm sorry. You just…you look exactly like someone I used to know—Harry Potter."

"Pleasure, Mr. Potter," is the dreamy reply as she turns to pick up a stack of books. "These are for you."

"What? No, I don't—"

"No, go on. They've been waiting for someone. I think it's you they were waiting for. Goodbye."

"But payment—"

"Oh, no no. You don't pay for these ones. That'd offend them. Goodbye."

He finds himself outside the shop after this, with an armful of books he hadn't planned for and barely able to breathe through his shock. Luna—she's here! But how? And—Leanne, she said. I don't understand, how could she be here and yet be someone else entirely—I don't understand!

He jerks himself back to reality, and heads back to the house in a daze. Perhaps a cup of tea for his nerves…

xoxox

"Harry? Are you alright?" Roy asks, feeling mildly alarmed when he comes home to find Harry sitting at the kitchen table with a mug of tea and a stack of books, just staring into space blankly. This is not normal Harry behavior.

Harry glances up, and Roy's relieved to see that he's aware even if he's acting oddly.

"I'm fine. I just…ran into someone today, that's all. It was rather odd, I suppose."

"Oh?"

"A Leanne Kentwood—"

"Oh, Miss Kentwood? She's rather odd. Owns the bookshop, Mad Hatter, right? She's harmless though, so nothing to worry about—Harry?"

Harry laughs, an odd choking sound.

"I knew her, Roy. Or at least, she looks identical to someone I knew back home. Except that the person I know can't be here, so it was…a shock, I suppose. I'm fine, though, really. I just wasn't expecting to run into a Luna-twin here in Amestris."

Roy frowns. "Luna?"

"One of my friends from home."

There's a pause, and Roy yanks his jacket back on. "Get your jacket on. We're going to eat out."

"What?" Harry looks up, startled. "Why?"

"Because we always eat in and it's boring. We're eating out for once. I know a little place that serves actual Xingese instead of the stuff we usually order."

"Take out's not authentic Xingese?" Harry asks, and there's a hint of teasing in his tone, a return to a more normal Harry behavior, instead of the mildly alarming blank stare of before. Roy snorts, tossing him the coat and snatching up his keys from the counter.

"About as real as a Snabberflocky, whatever the hell those are."

"A…what?"

"I don't even know. Miss Kentwood once gave me a fake gold earring when I was browsing the shelves and told me it would keep the Snabberflockys away. I decided it was in my interest not to question it."

Harry's laugh is strangled. "Oh. Yes, that…that sounds like Luna. Or Miss Kentwood, I suppose. How odd that she's exactly the same, no matter where she is…" he adds under his breath, following Roy to the car as he yanks his jacket closer to himself. It's summer, but the nights in Central are cool all the same and he appreciates the light coat.

The drive is quiet, with only intermittent conversation about what Harry's been up to all day and what Roy's doing at work, (what isn't classified, at least) and how his team is doing.

Harry takes note that Roy was serious when he said he knows a 'little place', as the restaurant is one of those tiny hole in the wall places. It's located directly between an alley and an abandoned building, covered in peeling paint and a sign that's only half lit. The door's open, and Harry can smell the food as he gets out of the car.

"You weren't kidding about little…though it looks ready to fall apart."

"It's better inside, trust me," Roy says over his shoulder. He steps inside, and Harry follows.

Also, sorry it took so long to post this chapter. It was finished, before Christmas, but chapter nine took me much longer. First Christmas stuff, then I got sidetracked by Tumblr and RP/crack RPs on Tumblr (I've made friends with a Roy RPer and from there a bunch of other FMA blog RPers, and well. Things got rather insane awful quick.) So sorry about that.

Speaking of tumblr...http: / / serpentdevourstail. tumblr. com/ This is a link to this story's official tumblr. I post snippets of the chapters I'm currently working on there, for those who want sneak peeks, as well as each chapter in full, and random snippets of other fanfictions that I find and enjoy. You're welcome to flip through it if you like. Just remove all the spaces.