We used to love this sort of thing, he thought ruefully as he tossed another armload of spell books into his trunk, then knelt down to check for stray items that might have rolled under his bed. Nicholas Flamel, the Chamber of Secrets, how to get Ron out of the lake without drowning... It seemed like half his time at Hogwarts had been spent solving mysteries, and come to find out, the Ministry of Magic had a whole department dedicated to more mad oddities than he could understand in a lifetime. But as of late, coming to terms with Sirius' death, Dumbledore's explanation, and the changes that swept the Wizarding world overnight at the news of Voldemort's return had kept him unbearably occupied.

The last few days of term passed in a fog. As Harry went through the motions of saying goodbye and packing his trunk, Luna's thoughts on the Veil resurfaced in his mind, and the idea of being alone at the Dursleys with nothing but painful memories was gently nudged aside by images of strange rooms filled with secrets. He found that pondering the mysterious archway nursed a spark of curiosity that had been growing inside him from the moment he set foot in the Department of Mysteries.

He got to his feet, dropped a dusty pair of socks into his trunk, then sat down on the edge of the bed. His brow furrowed, Harry lay back and, for the first time, allowed himself to wonder...

Harry made his decision as he and the other students prepared to board the Hogwarts express on the last day of term. Scanning the crowd, he saw a blond head bobbing a few yards ahead. Before he could talk himself out of it, Harry darted forward and tugged on her sleeve. When wide gray eyes met his, he took a deep breath and plunged ahead.

"D'you think that archway was built for the Department of Mysteries, or did they discover it ages ago and build the whole Ministry around it?" She stared at him, and he began to feel uneasy as the other students walked around them, casting them odd looks. Harry was about ready to give up and make a run for it when Luna finally spoke.

"I shall have to think on it," she said, then turned on her heel and strode toward the train. Harry stood there a moment more before realizing Ron was calling his name, and stumbled back through the crowd in search of his friends.

He had known it would hurt, but had not realized the pain he would feel every time he spotted the distant form of an owl gliding toward his window. During his summers with the Dursleys, receiving mail had always been a comfort, a reminder that no matter how hidden away from the Wizarding World he was, there were people out there who cared about him and kept him informed. Now, each new letter was a reminder of how eagerly he had once awaited word from Sirius, and how no such message would ever come again.

Harry had been languishing at the Dursleys' for nearly a week. Although he had been pleased to get messages from Ron and Hermione right off, now that he was all alone and even owl post had become a painful reminder of what he had lost, he had nothing to distract him from the painful memories of the events at the Ministry, and reality had quickly set in.

He gazed despondently out his window, as he did every night, and wished that things could have been different, that any second now, he would spot an owl winging its way toward him in the moonlight, Sirius' latest letter clutched in its beak. It was a moment before Harry realized that the spot in the distance was not his imagination, but an actual owl heading in his direction. A regal barn owl made its way gracefully toward Harry's window and landed gently on the sill, a small scroll tied to its leg. The owl stood stock still as Harry stared into its white, heart-shaped face, before slowly reaching out a hand to untie his message. Its task complete, the owl pondered Harry a moment more before spreading its wings and taking flight. Harry watched, dumbstruck, as the owl sailed over the neighbors' rooftops and out of sight, before remembering the scroll he held tightly in his hand.

Harry wandered over to his desk, breaking the scroll's funny blue seal as he went. Holding the message up to the light of his lamp, Harry saw the scroll bore a short message in unfamiliar handwriting:

Dear Harry,

Such a powerful magical spot may have been what drew wizards to Britain in the first place. All of London may have been built around it. Perhaps there are portals all over the world, in other places where civilizations started, like Rome or Tokyo. What do you think?

Yours Sincerely,

Luna

Harry stared at the message, his brain struggling between confusion and surprise as he considered Luna's proposal.

I can't believe she remembered, he thought, digging out a quill and a piece of parchment from his desk drawer. He paused, quill in hand, and thought back to the huge chamber with its crumbling archway. Willing away the image of Sirius falling through it, Harry pulled his parchment closer and began to write.

Luna,

It's hard to believe that a magical portal just appeared one day. It seems like that archway was built for a reason...

Hello all! Thanks for reading! A brief explanation: I am harkening back to the summer of 2005, when my younger self was incredibly frustrated with the set up of Book 6 and still wondering about all of those amazing things Harry and his friends came across during their adventure in the Department of Mysteries. To me, Harry's curiosity is one of his most interesting traits, and who better to ponder such mysteries with our favorite hero than Luna?

Just to be clear, I have nothing against Harry/Ginny, Neville/Luna, or anyone who truly loves Book 6. This is just for fun, stemming from my love of Book 5 and all of the mysteries in the Ministry's basement. Enjoy!