A Cord of Three Strands

A Cord of Three Strands

By Cindale

Chapter 12

"Celebration and Council"

"Though one may be overpowered,

two can defend themselves.

A cord of three strands is not quickly broken."

Ecclesiastes 4:12

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The next three weeks passed in a flurry of classes, extra lessons, homework, and rain. Care of Magical Creatures class was miserable, and their hour in Herbology was never long enough for them to dry out before they had to step back into yet another shower.

As if on cue, on December first, the rain changed to sleet. Ron finally gave up on Quidditch practice and they slipped and slid their way back to the castle, shivering violently. Harry knew Ron was getting frantic about their first game, which was scheduled for the following weekend. Their practices should have been intensifying, but most of them had been worthless because of the vision-impairing downpours. Harry's only comfort was that the Ravenclaw team probably hadn't fared any better.

After warming showers, Harry and Ron went down to the common room to meet Hermione for lunch. A crowd was gathered around the bulletin board and the room was full of excited tittering. "What's going on?" Harry asked Hermione, who was waiting for them by the portrait hole.

"On the last night of term, there's going to be a feast, with a concert afterwards," Hermione explained with an enthusiastic smile. "They're calling it the Christmas Celebration. They're going to let us sit at small tables instead of the house tables."

"I don't see what the big deal is," Ron said, nodding his head toward the excited crowd as he climbed through the portrait hole.

Hermione made a noise of annoyance and rolled her eyes. "They're trying to give us a chance to have dates, Ron. Honestly!"

Harry's heart sank as they descended the stairs to lunch. Not this again! The thought of lunch was suddenly unappetizing as panic filled his stomach and he wondered frantically who to ask.

"Well, Harry," said Ron with a philosophical air, "at least you don't have to ask anyone this time - no pressure."

"That's right," Harry said with a relieved grin, feeling a bit silly. There was no Triwizard Tournament, no champions. He was suddenly ravenous.

"And as for me," Ron continued, "I've already got a date." He smirked at Hermione, but apparently failed to notice the annoyed expression that briefly crossed her face.

"Really?" she asked him, her eyes widening in mock surprise. "Who are you taking, Ron?"

Ron's face reddened, and he stammered, "Y-you?"

"Me?" Hermione said in an innocent tone with a sickly sweet smile. "I don't have a date yet - no one has asked me."

Harry had to suppress a laugh as Ron continued to stammer uncertainly.

Over the next week, Harry began to feel nervous about the Christmas Celebration. He couldn't escape discussions and speculation about it; his girl-crazy dorm mates talked of little else. Ron had finally managed to properly ask Hermione, and the other three had found dates straight away. They all kept trying to bully him into asking someone, especially Seamus and Dean, but he honestly couldn't think of anyone he liked enough.

"I really don't want a date," Harry insisted for what seemed like the hundredth time. "I'll just sit with Ron and Hermione."

However, he was beginning to feel awkward about planning to hang around his friends when they were on their first significant date. Even though he didn't have any desire to talk to Seamus and Dean about it, he was increasingly thinking he should ask someone just so he wouldn't be the odd man out.

As the others moved toward the door to leave for breakfast one morning, Harry shot Ron a significant glance, telling him without words that he needed to talk to him privately. Ron hung back and gave Harry a questioning look as Neville, Seamus, and Dean left the dormitory.

"Do you think Ginny might go with me to the celebration?" Harry asked, feeling ill at ease asking Ron about his sister. "You know, just so I would have someone to sit with - so we won't be an odd number?"

"Sorry, Harry," Ron said with a sigh. "Ginny's going with Summerby - the Hufflepuff Quidditch Captain. Hermione told me yesterday." Ron looked disappointed, but Harry couldn't imagine why; Summerby seemed like a decent fellow.

"Well, thanks," Harry said, feeling even more uncomfortable. "I would have felt really stupid if I had asked her."

Ron gave him an odd look, as if he wanted to say something more, but only shrugged and turned to leave.

By Thursday evening, worries about the upcoming Quidditch match had forced the Christmas Celebration from Harry's mind. The sleet had given way to snow, which was coming down lightly enough so that visibility, although limited, was the best they'd had in weeks. The three Chasers, however, still weren't working as a team. It seemed they didn't trust each other enough to risk passing, and Andrew, when he would pass, was still throwing the Quaffle as violently as if he were hitting a Bludger. The two Beaters kept targeting the same person instead of splitting the field, apparently having no confidence in each other. Harry was starting to realize the advantages of having three Chasers who were best friends and Beaters who were twins.

Ron tended to get aggravated with everyone and miss blocking easy shots, which only served to fluster him even more. All in all, Harry thought their best strategy would be for him to catch the Golden Snitch as quickly as possible so they wouldn't be horribly embarrassed.

Although the ground was piled knee deep with snow on the morning of the match against Ravenclaw, the sky was cloudless and blue. Harry was a little heartened by the weather; at least he should be able to easily spot the Snitch. He hadn't been able to eat breakfast; there wasn't any room with whatever was wiggling around in his stomach.

As he hovered in the air waiting for Madam Hooch to release the Quaffle, he looked over the Ravenclaw team, and an icy hand clutched at his chest. He had been trying not to think about it, but now he couldn't deny the fact that Cho should have been hovering opposite him. Instead, the Seeker was Orla Quirke. She looked up, caught his eye, and started to nod, but her face clouded, and she suddenly appeared close to tears. Harry wondered what in his expression could have upset her and tried to force a smile to reassure her.

The whistle to signal the beginning of the game tore his attention away from Orla. It was surprisingly easy to force the incident from his mind since his team started playing badly straightaway.

Harry didn't think it was possible for the team to be worse than in practice, but he was wrong. Ginny and Katie refused to pass to Andrew, who was positioned in the middle. This resulted in the three Chasers being bunched together, making an easy target for the Ravenclaw Beaters. Twenty minutes into the game, Andrew was hit in the head with a Bludger. Ron called a time-out, and Andrew recovered after a few moments, but the Chaser's already miniscule confidence was shaken considerably, and he attempted nothing beyond keeping up with the other Chasers for the remainder of the game. Two Chasers, even when working fairly well together, were no match for the Ravenclaw Beaters and Keeper.

Ron had been doing fairly well up until Andrew's injury, but began missing easy blocks after that. It seemed he could never be at the right hoop at the right time, and Ravenclaw scored goal after goal. Jack and Stacey had the potential to be very good Beaters, but they kept up their practice of going after the same player, which allowed the other two Ravenclaw Chasers the freedom to score.

After almost an hour had passed, Ravenclaw was ahead by 110 points and Harry was beginning to panic. If the other team was allowed to draw ahead by more than 150 points, Gryffindor would lose, even if Harry caught the Snitch.

He concentrated on searching for the Snitch and ignoring the game below, which wasn't very difficult since the match was painful to watch. Finally, he saw the familiar glimmer of gold behind one of the goalposts Ron was guarding. The Ravenclaw Seeker joined him as he raced toward it, but he easily reached it ahead of her and closed his hand around it. Harry felt a pang in his stomach as he realized that Cho would have given him more of a challenge.

He didn't realize Gryffindor had managed to win by ten points until he reached the ground and the celebration of his team mates. Ron slapped him on the back and murmured, "Thanks for rescuing us, mate." Harry nodded and grinned, euphoria at winning quickly replacing all the negative feelings he'd had earlier.

Harry turned away as Hermione rushed up to Ron and gave him a congratulatory kiss. Ginny, Katie, and even Stacey gave Harry brief hugs, and Jack's slap on the back almost knocked him over. He turned to make his way to the changing rooms and found himself face to face with Draco Malfoy.

"Good catch," said the Slytherin with a smirk.

Harry was surprised but grinned and said, "Cheers. You too - I mean, in your game a few weeks ago." Malfoy nodded and moved on.

Harry was suddenly famished, so he showered quickly and rushed to the castle, leaving his broom in the dormitory before hurrying down to lunch with Ron and Hermione. Ron's excitement about winning had evaporated to be replaced by his disappointment in their dismal performance, and he and Harry talked in low tones about the specific problems the team was having as they ate.

After lunch, Hermione said she was going to the library to study, apparently tired of all the Quidditch talk. Ron barely acknowledged her, still deep in discussion with Harry. The two of them left the Great Hall together, almost running into Luna at the door.

"Congratulations Ron, Harry," she said, nodding to them. "I would say good game, but it was actually awful, wasn't it? It was really rather lucky you caught the Snitch, wasn't it Harry?"

"Th-thanks, Luna," Harry stammered, feeling annoyed. He tried to move on since Ron was very sensitive about Quidditch and was sure to get angry.

"You know, Ron," Luna continued, "there's a quiz in the Quibbler this month that might help your team. It helps you identify your true astrological sign, not the one you were born under. The whole team should take it."

The colour of Ron's face deepened, and he opened his mouth to speak, but Harry elbowed him in the ribs. "Thanks, Luna," he said again. "We'll keep that in mind."

"I'll owl it to you," she said with a nod, and turned to walk away.

"Astrological signs," Ron spat. "What is she on about?"

Harry gave a small laugh as his annoyance gave way to amusement. "Who knows - maybe it would help," he suggested. He knew most of the school was likely blaming Gryffindor's dismal performance on the new captain, and he was relieved that at least the outspoken Ravenclaw had not made a comment along that vein.

"Astrological signs," Ron repeated in a disparaging voice as they started up the stairs. "Hermione said something one time about our signs being compatible, but likely to be tumultuous together. That stuff is so stupid."

Harry choked back a laugh, but his amusement faded quickly; Ron's mention of his relationship with Hermione reminded him that he still didn't have a date to the Christmas Celebration, now less than a week away. He suddenly realized he hadn't heard Luna's name paired with a boy's in the gossip about the celebration, even though all the other girls he knew seemed to have dates. "Ron, you go on up," he said. "I need to do something."

Ron gave him a puzzled look, but complied, and Harry caught up with Luna before she reached the stairs to Ravenclaw Tower, calling her name to get her attention.

"Would you go with me to the Christmas Celebration?" he asked, a little breathless from hurrying.

Her eyes immediately lost their normal dreaminess, and she gave him a calculating look. "Hmmm. You're a Leo, but that might work. Do you know your real sign?"

He shook his head, suddenly becoming nervous, and wondering what had possessed him to follow this impulse. He wished he had thought it through first.

She gazed at him intently for a few moments and then seemed to come to a decision. "Well, I'd rather go with Ronald, but he's in love with Hermione, so I guess it would be okay to go with you."

Harry wasn't sure whether to be annoyed that she told him she preferred Ron or to be glad that she accepted, so he settled for forcing a smile, saying, "Great - well - I'll see you around," and turning to hurry back to Gryffindor Tower.

Ron was building a house with Exploding Snap cards when Harry reached the common room. He hurried over to his friend, pulled up a chair beside him, and said, "Well, I've got a date for the Celebration."

"Well done!" Ron said, his eyes lighting up. Then his face clouded and he frowned. "Harry, mate, please tell me you didn't ask Luna."

"I did," Harry said defiantly. "At least she won't constantly pump me for information like ..." he lowered his voice and leaned toward Ron, "... like Lavender."

Ron shrugged and rolled his eyes. "No, she'll just talk crazy all night. What possessed you, Harry?"

Harry shrugged. "She's a friend, and I didn't want to go alone. You don't have to sit with us, you know."

"No, it's okay Harry," Ron said quickly with an expression of slight remorse. He smiled, but Harry could see it was forced. "It might be fun."

Harry shrugged again and picked up a card to add to the house. He was beginning to regret the whim that had compelled him to ask Luna. It occurred to him that he really didn't want to sit with Ron and Hermione at the Celebration since Luna had made it obvious that she had a crush on Ron. He suddenly remembered why he hated dating and wondered why he had bothered.

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The butterflies in Harry's stomach beat their wings frantically as he and Remus rode up the spiral staircase to Dumbledore's office. His guardian gave him a reassuring smile as he opened the door and moved aside to let Harry enter ahead of him.

It appeared the office had been elongated to allow for a long conference table. Harry confirmed this by looking up at the walls, which were normally full of portraits; now there were a few large spaces, as if some had disappeared. Dumbledore's desk was nowhere to be seen.

Harry looked around nervously at the people seated around the table, most of whom he knew. Arthur and Bill Weasley were there, as well as Professors McGonagall and Shacklebolt. There was a stately-looking witch sitting next to Shacklebolt that Harry recognized, but couldn't place. Mad-Eye Moody occupied the seat at one end, presumably the foot, since Dumbledore himself was seated at the head.

Harry could feel all the eyes in the room upon him as he and Remus took two of the remaining chairs. He nodded to acknowledge those he knew and realized most were looking at him curiously, as if wondering why he was there. Mr. Weasley gave him a huge grin, even though his eyes showed confusion, and Harry felt slightly less frightened.

Dumbledore cleared his throat, causing everyone at the table to look at him expectantly. Harry was relieved at the shift in attention, even though he knew it was only temporary.

Before Dumbledore could speak, the door opened silently and Snape glided in, taking the only empty chair, which was, unfortunately, right across from Harry. With his angry black eyes fixed on Harry, he said, "I apologize for my tardiness, Headmaster, but I must ask you - why is this child present?"

"He is here on my invitation, Severus. I daresay your curiosity will be satisfied momentarily, but first we have other matters to attend to. Your report, for instance."

Snape's eyes lost none of their unpleasantness as he turned his attention to the headmaster. "He is planning an attack during the Christmas holidays, but I have been unable to get any details. As you know, his current modus operandi is to only give details to the Death Eaters who will be directly involved, and then not until the last possible moment."

Harry couldn't help wondering, as he had before, if Snape was only pretending to spy for Dumbledore and was really loyal to Voldemort. How could they really know if Snape was telling the truth about how much information he had? It seemed to Harry that the Potions Master could easily be feeding Dumbledore just enough intelligence to keep his trust.

Before the headmaster could answer, Harry broke in. "Why don't we just storm into his headquarters during a Death Eater meeting and kill them all? Wouldn't that end this quickly?"

Snape gave Harry a look that made him grateful for the table between them. "If you insist on being present, you could at least hold your infernal tongue!"

"Harry's question is a logical one," Dumbledore protested, holding up a hand and causing Snape to turn his livid eyes to him. "Severus, as well as most of the other Death Eaters, has no idea where Voldemort is hiding, nor the location of the meetings. The Dark Mark allows them to Apparate directly to his side without knowing where they are going."

Harry nodded, but was only slightly reassured that Snape was loyal to the Order.

"I don't really know what we can do about Christmas," said Moody. "We don't know the exact day or time of the attack - we don't even know where."

"If I were to venture a guess," Snape said, "I would expect it on Christmas Day. The Dark Lord will certainly not respect a holiday, and that is when it will be least expected."

"Moody has gone back to the Ministry as Head of the Auror Division," Remus whispered to Harry as Moody briefly discussed cancelling time off for Aurors.

When Moody was finished, Dumbledore nodded his appreciation to him and turned to Mr. Weasley. "You had something to report about Death Eater activity in the Ministry?"

For some reason, Mr. Weasley looked very uncomfortable at being called on to speak; he shifted uncomfortably in his seat and avoided everyone's eyes. "Yes. It has come to my attention that the Death Eaters are having some success in recruiting, especially among the younger employees. They present their arguments in an idealistic manner to these ambitious, impressionable young people, and the recruits apparently have no idea they're really working for You-Know-Who. I believe ..." Mr. Weasley's hands began shaking, but he swallowed, blinked his eyes slowly, and continued. "I believe my son Percy was a part of this group."

Harry stifled a gasp; thankfully only Remus noticed, and searched his face quizzically, but Harry glued his eyes to the wall. He sincerely hoped Percy had been one of these recruits, and hadn't known he was working for Voldemort. It occurred to him that this information might help Ron get past his anger at Percy, and he resolved to tell Ron and Ginny as soon as he returned to the common room.

He came out of his reverie as Dumbledore gently turned the subject to the goblins and recognized Bill, who seemed to be relieved at the change in topic.

"They're still holding out to see who offers them the best deal," Bill reported in a subdued voice, "but Fudge isn't helping my negotiations. He's reluctant to give them any additional rights, and Voldemort seems to be promising them the world."

"If we lose the support of the goblins, we could lose Gringotts," remarked Professor McGonagall.

"What about the centaurs and mermaids?" asked Remus in his quiet manner.

"Emmeline?" Dumbledore prompted, nodding at the stately-looking witch. Harry suddenly remembered why she looked familiar; she was one of his "advance guard" when he was transported to Order Headquarters during the summer before his fifth year.

"We have the full support of the all the mermaid colonies in Britain, and I understand the Azkaban project is going well?" The witch shot Moody a questioning look.

"Yes," he drawled, focusing his good eye on her while his magical eye took in the other faces at the table. "In fact, the mermaids are doing such a fine job guarding Azkaban that we should soon be able to decrease the number of Aurors stationed there." His magical eye roved suspiciously around the room. "You're sure this room is secure, Dumbledore? I wish you had let me check it out."

Dumbledore merely gave the Auror an indulgent smile and nodded. "And the centaurs, Emmeline?"

"The centaurs are loyal only to themselves," she replied with a sigh. "We're still negotiating with them, if you can call it negotiating. The good news is that they aren't likely to help the Death Eaters, either, and if someone tries to invade the forest on Hogwarts grounds, they will defend their territory."

"Well, that is something," Dumbledore commented, nodding. "We have been largely unsuccessful with the giants, unfortunately, but Voldemort has not fared much better. We do have one giant living close by who will defend Hagrid at all costs." Apparently this was news to almost everyone in the room; Harry heard several gasps of surprise. He knew the headmaster must be talking about Grawp, Hagrid's half-brother. "I understand that the giant might also defend Harry and Hermione."

All eyes in the room focused on Harry in stunned disbelief except Dumbledore's, which instead were giving Harry a questioning look. "W-well," he managed, "maybe ... we-we've met ... and he remembered Hermione's name ... and he helped us once ... but I'm not sure if he was defending us ... I think it was more that he distracted the centaurs ..." He broke off, looking at the faces around him. Snape looked furious, Bill looked impressed, but Remus and Mr. Weasley both looked as if they wanted to question Harry further. The expression on Remus's face was disturbingly similar to Snape's. "It was last year," he tried to explain. "We were trying to get away from Umbridge and ... it's a long story," he said, giving Dumbledore a pleading look.

"Yes," said the headmaster, "I believe that's a tale for another time. But that brings our attention to the main topic of this meeting.

"I have called together today the most trusted members of the Order to ask for your advice and help in a particular matter. I must, of course, ask you not to share the following information with anyone else." Dumbledore looked around the table, catching the eyes of each of them in turn. His gaze rested a little longer on Harry than the others, and Harry understood that he was not to tell even Ron and Hermione what he was about to hear.

"As many of you know, Voldemort is determined to kill Harry because of a prophecy made before he was born that implies that Harry has the power to defeat him. What some of you might not be aware of is that the prophecy also implies that Harry is the only one who can defeat him, and that Harry must either kill Voldemort or be killed by him."

Harry swallowed as all eyes in the room again turned to him and he heard several gasps. Mr. Weasley and Bill had both gone pale, and everyone had a mixture of pity and fear in their expressions, which made Harry feel a bit impatient.

Dumbledore opened his mouth to continue, but Mr. Weasley spoke first. "You said the prophecy implies these things. Couldn't it be talking about someone else?"

"No," Dumbledore said, shaking his head. "The prophecy also says that Voldemort will mark the person. Harry has clearly been marked."

Mr. Weasley nodded once and bowed his head, looking close to tears. Oddly, Harry's heart gave a little leap at the realization that Mr. Weasley cared so much about him.

"As you can see, Harry's protection and training are of the utmost importance in winning this war. We are doing everything we can to prepare Harry. He is taking private lessons to learn to defend both his mind and his body. At this point in time, the safest place for him is Hogwarts, but I am becoming concerned about Hogwarts' security. The wards around the castle and grounds are weakening. I fear we have a traitor among the staff."

No one spoke for a moment, apparently shocked beyond speech. Moody recovered first.

"When do you want me to question them?" he asked. "One at a time - I'll find out who it is if it's the last thing I do, Dumbledore."

"No, Alastor," said the headmaster. "The conspirator is unaware that we know. It might prove more useful to use stealth, in this instance."

"So you think the attack at Christmas will be here?" asked Mr. Weasley, looking back and forth between Dumbledore and Snape.

Dumbledore and Snape seemed to be waiting for each other to speak; finally the headmaster said, "No. I don't think the defences are weak enough for an attack."

"But how do you know the wards are weakening?" asked Bill.

The headmaster gave a heavy sigh and looked older than ever. "Because they are tied to my physical health. I have been feeling the wards deteriorating for months now, but it was confirmed in October when Harry was able to get through them to travel to Hogsmeade during the battle. It is an ancient blood magic - a bond that is only broken upon my death."

There was another pause in the conversation, broken after a moment by Professor McGonagall. "What do you want us to do, Albus?"

Dumbledore gazed at her with an unreadable expression for a few moments before answering. "Trust no one except each other." He gave Mr. Weasley a small smile. "And Molly, of course. Those of you who live here at Hogwarts need to be my extended eyes and ears. Take unexpected walks on the grounds, roam the castle during the night on occasion. Of course," his eyes suddenly pierced into Harry's, "that doesn't apply to you, Harry. I know you are weary of hearing it, but it bears repeating - your safety is vital to our success against Voldemort."

Harry nodded and looked at his lap, barely hearing the closing remarks as Dumbledore dismissed the meeting. He was a little startled when he felt a hand on his shoulder, and he looked up into the drawn, pale face of Mr. Weasley.

"No boy your age should have such a burden," he said in a quiet, but heavy voice.

Harry shrugged with his free shoulder. "I found out about it last spring - I've had six months to get used to the idea."

"If you ever need anything - anything at all - even just to talk - you know Molly and I will be here faster than you can say 'Apparate'..."

"That goes for me, too," said Bill, standing behind his father.

"You're part of our family, you know," said Mr. Weasley.

Harry tried to swallow a lump in his throat as he looked into Mr. Weasley's eyes, so full of love and concern. He was only able to nod and murmur, "Thanks," and was grateful when Mr. Weasley squeezed his shoulder and left the office.

*****************************************

It took all of Harry's will to force himself to walk down the stairs to the Gryffindor common room the night of the Christmas Celebration. He actually envied Ron's confidence, and couldn't help thinking how nice it would be to have a girlfriend at times like this. Hermione and Ginny were waiting near the portrait hole. Ron walked boldly up to Hermione and told her she looked beautiful. She blushed slightly, but then turned deep red when Ron leaned over and whispered an additional comment and kissed her on the neck just below the ear.

"I'm meeting Matthew downstairs," Ginny explained as she and Harry followed Ron and Hermione out of the portrait hole. She gave a little giggle. "Don't look so terrified, Harry. I've seen Luna's dress robes - I think you'll be pleased."

Harry gave her a grateful look; he had wondered if a girl who had been known to wear a hat topped with a lion's head and turnips for earrings could wear something normal to a party.

When they reached the entrance hall, Ginny hurried off to find Summerby, and Harry began searching the crowd for Luna. He had almost given up when a girl he had never seen before came up to him and said, "Are you ready to go in? We're sitting with Ginny and Matthew."

Harry stared dumbly at the girl for a moment before recognizing the characteristic dreamy expression in her eyes. Luna's normally stringy blonde hair was swept back into an elegant knot with a curly tendril dangling from each side. Her normally pale cheeks had an uncharacteristic blush and her large eyes were accented with blue, making them appear even larger.

His eyes travelled downward and froze. Because of the bulky school robes, he had never noticed Luna's body before, and certain parts were rather advanced for her age. He finally managed to tear his eyes away from her chest, only to catch his breath as he noticed how her robes accentuated her tiny waist and allowed a generous glimpse of her legs.

"Harry?" her voice prodded, and he forced his eyes back to her concerned face. "Are you okay?"

"S-sorry," Harry managed to stammer. "Y-you l-look b-b-beautiful."

"Oh, good," she said with a sigh of relief. "My roommates heard I was going with you, and they insisted on dressing me up like this. I think I look rather stupid, but I'm glad you seem to like it. Honestly," she said, shaking her head, "they act like you're some kind of celebrity." Harry stared at her in stunned disbelief for a moment. Finally she grabbed his arm and steered him into the Great Hall.

They joined Ginny and Summerby at a small table for four. Harry was a bit relieved when Luna immediately struck up a conversation with Ginny, and he spent the dinner chatting about Quidditch with Summerby. They carefully avoided discussing the Gryffindor and Hufflepuff teams, but had a good time analysing the strengths and weaknesses of the Ravenclaw and Slytherin squads. Summerby was also knowledgeable about a number of professional teams and kept Harry entertained with amusing stories from games he had attended.

After dinner, the students shifted their chairs around to face the stage that had been set up at one end of the hall. Harry watched as Summerby pushed his chair as close as possible to Ginny's and draped his arm around her shoulders. Harry felt a burning sensation in his lower chest that almost felt like anger; he was concerned that Summerby was two years older than Ginny and might take advantage of her. She was like a sister to him, after all.

Then Luna pushed her chair around the corner of the table, positioning it next to Harry's, and sat close enough that Harry could smell her perfume, which, almost surprisingly, wasn't unpleasant. This effectively drove all thoughts of Ginny from his mind, and he wondered if he should put his arm around her, but decided he probably shouldn't on their first date. However, when he looked at her, his gaze travelling below her dreamy expression, his arm seemed to have a mind of its own and snaked around her shoulders.

Harry was surprised when Lee Jordan walked onto the stage, apparently the Master of Ceremonies for the evening. Then he remembered Ron mentioning something about Lee getting a job as an announcer on the Wizard Wireless Network. Lee told several jokes, a couple of them slightly off-colour, and then announced the first act, a band called "Wand Polish" who were new and trying to make a name for themselves.

The music had a good beat, and Harry found himself tapping his foot and enjoying it. About halfway through the second song, a slower one, he was surprised to hear a quiet giggle from Luna. "That tickles," she whispered, and Harry was a bit embarrassed to realize he had been unconsciously stroking her bare upper arm with his hand. He jerked his arm away, mumbling an apology, and put his hands firmly in his lap, then stared in amazement as Luna said, "I didn't say I didn't like it," and grabbed his hand, holding it lightly.

The warmth that had flooded Harry's face when he was embarrassed stayed with him. The fingers that were interlaced with hers tingled, not because he was holding her hand but because he was remembering the soft feel of the skin on her arm.

The first band finished their set, and the next band started setting up to play. Lee used the time in between to tell a few more jokes, this time at the expense of several of the Hogwarts staff. Harry looked at the faculty in alarm. Most were wearing forced smiles, but Dumbledore was laughing appreciatively.

The next band wasn't nearly as good as the first, and Harry's mind began to wander. Oddly, he found himself wondering what it would be like to kiss Luna. His face grew even warmer, and he pulled impatiently at his collar.

"Are you hot?" Luna whispered over the noise of the band.

"Yeah," Harry admitted. He wanted to leave the Great Hall to get some fresh air, but didn't want to seem rude.

Luna solved the dilemma by suggesting, "Want to go for a walk? I don't think anyone will notice if we slip out."

Harry looked around furtively and nodded at Luna. On the way out of the Great Hall, he noticed that Ron and Hermione had disappeared from their table. In fact, it appeared that several couples had had the same idea.

Harry desperately wanted to go outside, but he was sure Luna would get cold without her cloak. It helped tremendously, however, just to get out of the Great Hall, and he soon found himself enjoying wandering the dark corridors of the castle hand in hand with Luna.

She stopped suddenly and pulled him to a window. "Look! We can see Venus tonight!" She pointed out the window with her free hand, and Harry followed her finger to what looked like a very bright star. He thought about asking her why she was so excited about Venus, but it occurred to him that he might not like the answer. Besides, it felt much better to put his arm around her shoulder and pull her close, letting his fingers trail on the soft skin of her arm once again.

Luna continued to gaze at the sky and said, "The moon will be full next week. The full moon always makes me think of Professor Lupin. Remember him? He was my favourite teacher." Harry stiffened when Luna first mentioned Remus, but relaxed when she spoke well of him. "I wish he could have stayed," she continued. "I don't think anyone really cared that he was a werewolf. I wonder how he's doing sometimes. You know ..." she suddenly turned to face Harry. "... he was in the Department of Mysteries when we went last year, wasn't he? I thought I saw him."

"Yeah," Harry said. He paused for a moment and then decided to say, "He's my legal guardian. And he's doing well." He didn't think he should tell her that Remus was staying at the castle.

"Really?" she said, her eyes brightening with joy. "That's brilliant. Wow! You're so lucky - having a werewolf for a guardian. Sometimes I envy them a bit - not the painful transformation, but getting to run wild and free." That comment caused Harry to think of Remus running wild in the Forbidden Forest with his father and Sirius, and a warm, happy feeling filled his stomach and seeped upward into his chest.

He looked into Luna's eyes, and his hand reached out to touch her face, seemingly of its own accord. The skin on her cheek was even softer than her arm, and he couldn't help wondering how her lips felt. As he started to lean toward her, Luna said, "You're going to kiss me, aren't you?"

He stopped and searched her eyes. "I-is that okay?"

In response, she put her arms around his neck, pulled him closer, brushed her lips against his, and smiled. Harry wrapped his arms around her and kissed her again.

They stood in their embrace for what seemed like a very long time. The rational part of Harry's brain completely shut down and he succumbed to the sensations he was experiencing: the silky texture of her robes, the gentle curve of her spine, the feel of her hands caressing his back and intertwining with his hair. Oddly, when her tongue began to gently explore his mouth, all sensations suddenly centred on his groin, and he pulled her closer, desperately wanting more of the intoxicating feeling. Her hands drifted down his back, and then lower, pulling his hips snug against hers.

The friction of her hips against his felt good, too good, and his brain suddenly reengaged. He broke off and took a step backward with his hands in the air. "I-I-I th-think ... i-it's time ... I'll walk you back to the tower. I mean your tower. Ravenclaw."

She looked into his eyes for a moment, as if searching for something, but then the familiar dreaminess returned, and she said, "I went too far, didn't I? Dad warned me - it's the seventh year of the vulmak's mating cycle, and their pheromones are particularly potent to humans."

Harry barely heard what she said; he was too desperate to get back to dormitory and find out whether a cold shower was as effective as he had heard from his roommates. He was surprised when Luna stopped in front of a painting after only walking for a few minutes; he hadn't realized they were so close to Ravenclaw Tower.

"I'm glad you asked me to the celebration," she said, her huge eyes giving him an oddly calculating look. "I really had fun. Did you?"

"Yeah," he said, surprising himself a little. "I did."

She continued to eye him, as if waiting for something. Harry wondered if he should just head back to Gryffindor Tower, but finally, she spoke. "I think it's customary to kiss goodnight. It's okay - I think I can control myself now."

Harry couldn't help a silly grin, and he leaned over and lightly brushed her lips with his. "Goodnight, Luna," he said and headed quickly to Gryffindor Tower.