Luna's Love is for good

Chapter 8: She knows

"My lord ..."

"So, you and Avery were successful," said a cold voice, full of soft malice as the red eyes looked down upon his servant, Narcissa Malfoy.

"Indeed, we were, my lord. The old fool left a pattern for us to trace after he and the boy disapparated. We did not go there straight away, but we can tell you that he is currently in Devon. A muggle village among which some wizards live, called Ottery St. Catchpole."

"Good," hissed Voldemort. "You shall go there, Narcissa, go there and find out where Potter is located. It appears that he nearly slipped from your grasp, you have proved yourself, I note. Make no haste."

Narcissa Malfoy did not stand.

"My lord, there was something else ..."

"Of course," Voldemort seemed bemused. "You are unhappy about the current position of your son, Draco, and the plan that I have set in store for him."

"My lord, please, he is only a boy ..."

"If he has accepted our ways then he must attempt to prove himself." There was no sympathy in his harsh tone. "In any case, perhaps you should consider this penance for the failings of your husband. Lucius, I am sure, would be happy to see his son enter my service with such an important task."

Narcissa knew the battle was lost. She rose to her feet, lip trembling, and left the room.

---

"Yeah, so, their keeper, that's Rorington, nearly falls off his broom but just manages to swing on at the last second and hit it, odds of one in thirty-two-thousand apparently, seriously spectacular -"

"Oh, Ron, can you please stop?" Hermione snapped. Ever since yesterday, she had been extremely tetchy, Ron had not been sure why until he had heard that their results for their Ordinary Wizarding Levels would be arriving soon. Ever since, she had been pacing up and down all over the house, interrogating Mrs. Weasley every morning as to whether any owls had arrived. Mrs. Weasley continued to patiently reiterate "I'm afraid not, Hermione, it can't be long."

Hermione's agitation didn't seem to be able to douse the spirits in the house. Harry and Luna were continually happy in each other's presence, and he joined in with Ron in anticipation of going to a Quidditch match the Monday after Luna left. Ron was especially excited seeing as his supported team, the Chudley Cannons, would be playing. Ginny, Fred, George and Bill continued to play Quidditch in the orchard with Harry and Ron, but only Luna watched, Hermione was always to be found pacing anxiously and talking hurriedly to herself within the house. Ginny, it turned out, was extremely pleased with something herself, but whatever it was, she wasn't going to share it.

"Sorry," said Ron with an exaggerated sarcasm, but then noticing the stressed look on Hermione's face, dropped the air of irritation. "Are you alright? We all know you can't have got more than one E ..."

"No, I'm sure I got a D in Ancient Runes, I did really badly in that ..."

"Hermione, calm down, you're just trying to make yourself feel worse. You didn't get a D in anything, I'll bet you all the money I've got," Ron rest his hand on Hermione's back.

For Hermione, the strain wasn't just to do with the exams. Harry and Luna's relationship had affected her in some way, and while her prediction that she would be alienated from the rest had been wrong, she still felt separate from Harry. It was something else that was tugging at her neck, something she couldn't quite place her finger on. Everybody had been comforting to her, seeing the state she was in. She felt grateful to them, but at the same time, confused, not understanding of her own emotions. Silently, she got up and left the room, tear tracks clear upon her cheek. She decided to go out into the front garden, there would be some release in the open air. To his surprise, she found Harry there, standing atop the hill, looking out in the direction of the Willow Tree that he and Luna had spent time under. He turned around, and smiled at her.

"Hey," he said, walking down towards her. "Is everything alright?" He noted the look in her eyes with a brotherly concern.

"No ... I suppose ... it's just ... the exam results getting to me," said Hermione. Harry looked at her sympathetically.

"You don't have to worry every living moment of the day," Harry remarked.

"I know, but ... oh, it's all too much."

Harry pulled Hermione into a hug. As he did so, he saw Luna watching from a window. He dearly hoped she wouldn't jump to the wrong conclusion, but then, she knew Harry and Hermione were friends. When Harry drew away, he saw that Hermione was crying again. Harry had as little an idea of what was happening to Hermione as she did herself. Luna had disappeared from the window, moments later, she came out front to join Harry and Hermione.

"Hermione, I just saw ... is everything alright?" Luna's concern echoed that of Harry's.

"Exam results," Harry said in an undertone to Luna. Luna looked toward her friend with sympathy, and Hermione felt a little better.

"They will come soon, then it will all be over, and you don't have to worry," said Luna soothingly, she too hugged Hermione.

"Oh, Luna, Harry, I really appreciate how supportive you're being. Actually ..." as she looked at the two of them, her tone changed. Holding back the tears, she said, "Actually, I was wondering if I could talk to you both, now that you two're here?" Harry nodded, Luna did likewise.

"Well, this might just be me going a little, well, falling under the strain but, it seemed to me like you two -"

Luna was horrorstruck. Harry had been right, Hermione knew. The latter took a look at their expressions of startled shock, and was unsure what to make of it. For a while, nobody spoke, Harry and Luna looked at each other as if exchanging a silent conversation. Luna was the first to break the silence.

"Well, yes, I suppose."

"You two are ..."

"Harry and I are going out, if that's what you meant," she replied wearily. "How did you know?"

Hermione did not want to tell them that she had followed them to the Willow Tree, but instead told them of the hints she had picked up, this warranted nods of approval from Harry and Luna.

"I - I'm happy for you both," she finished. Luna beamed at her, Harry said "Thanks." Luna hugged Hermione again, Harry joined in, the three friends embraced, and Hermione was starting to see things clearly.

She cast her mind back to the day she and Luna had watched them all playing Quidditch. As she had mistaken Luna to be watching Ginny and suspected her of being a lesbian, it had never occurred to her that this exactly was the source of her problems. Despite the affection that she had felt for Viktor Krum, she was growing in certainty of what she was and how she felt.

Hermione was beginning to fall in love with Luna Lovegood. But Harry had got to her first.

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I had to have at least one lesbian in this story ;). Read and review pl0x :P \/ \/ \/