Harry Potter and the Year that Changed Everything

Harry Potter and the Year That Changed Everything (6)

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Chapter Six: Three Little Words

"Well, that was eventful"

Hermione and Harry still had one hand on the cake plate/Portkey and the other arm around each other. They had arrived back in Ron's room as they had left it about four hours earlier, except for one noticeable difference.

"Harry, where are Ron and Neville?"

Harry put the plate on Ron's desk and turned around to take in the entirety of the room. Hermione was right, there was no sign of any sleeping boys here.

"I don't know. Damn, do you think they discovered we were missing and panicked? I was hoping we could get back without anyone noticing we were gone, but so much for that idea. I wonder where...?"

Before Harry could finish his sentence, the door to the room opened and Ginny walked in. Upon seeing them, she first looked greatly relieved, but then put her hands on her hips in an amazing likeness of her mother.

"Where in the name of Severus Sylvester Snape have you two been? My lord, you've had us all scared out of our bleeding minds. I've had Neville running around outside for two hours with me. I just came back in here thinking you might have taken your invisibility cloak with you. I mean, I'm glad you're both fine, but I am going to have to kill you for scaring is like this. Phew. Let me sit down for a bit before I tell Neville he can stop looking for you. I'm about knackered from running around like this. You're both just lucky we haven't told mum and dad yet, or the whole Order would be scouring the Whole of England for you."

Ginny was very red in the face and fidgeting, so Hermione helped her to a seat while Harry took a seat on the end of his bed. Once they had given Ginny a moment to compose herself, Harry gave her tiny hand a squeeze and gave her an apologetic smile.

"We're sorry, Ginny. It's kind of a long story, but it was Dumbledore who wanted to see the two of us and he didn't give us any warning or we would have told you all. What happened when it was found out we were missing?"

Hermione poured Ginny a glass of water from the pitcher next to Ron's bed and the still anxious redhead downed it in one.

"Thanks, I needed that. Well, it was Luna that noticed it first. She came in here at about two in the morning to see if you wanted to take a walk. Something about two in the morning being some kind of significance to some Muggle song you both like. Anyway, when she came in she found that you weren't in bed. Apparently she thought you might be outside already so she went back to our room to get her dressing gown and that's when she must have noticed that Hermione was out of bed as well. That's when she woke me up and told me you were both missing and asked if I had any idea where the two of you might be. I told her, hell, I don't know. You know how I hate being woke up early in the morning. She wasn't going to let up though, so I got up and we both went back here. Naturally, my ever alert prat of a brother and Neville were still sound asleep, but we soon fixed that."

Hermione gasped.

"Ginny, you didn't use magic, did you? You're still underage!"

Ginny shook her head but smiled slightly at the memory.

"Nah, we just yelled in their ears. Once they came down off the ceiling we asked them if they knew where the two of you were, but they were as lost as we were. Ron wanted to wake mum and dad up right away, but I told him that if we did it would bring out the whole of the Order and the Ministry would get involved and there would be mass panic, and that would have looked really stupid is all you were doing was out picking apples or something. However, we did agree that if we hadn't found you both by dawn we would say something, but we really did feel you were both pretty safe here as long as you stayed on the property where you could be protected by the wards That were set up after the end of last year. Neville and I took the outside while Ron and Luna looked around inside. Luna was acting kind of funny, but I think she was just scared.

Meanwhile

"Hey, Luna, can I ask you something?"

"You just did, Ronald."

"Huh? Oh, Yeah, I guess I did. I'll have to use that on Fred and George. No, what I meant was, do you mind if I ask you something kind of, you know, personal."

"Ah, you mean something I might not want to answer."

"Exactly."

"Of course you can. I trust you."

Ron nodded his head as the two of them paced around the attic rooms in their search for Harry and Hermione. Ron was fairly positive that they wouldn't be up here for any reason, but Luna was set on looking in every place possible.

"Good. I trust you too, Luna. Anyway, I know you've been carrying a torch the size of a redwood for Harry for a while now and I was wondering, do you ever, you know, feel like it's just never going to happen, no matter how much you want it to?"

Luna paused as she thought she had seen something that turned out to just be the Weasley family ghoul darning some socks.

"Well, 'never' is a very dangerous word, Ronald. Just as dangerous as the term 'always.' If you believe something will never happen, you take away hope. If you believe something will always happen, you take it for granted. Both of those are bad things. No, the question you are really wanting to ask is, "do I ever feel the same way about Harry a you do about Hermione?' Am I right?"

Ron felt his face warm up as the rest of his subtle line of questioning went completely out of his head.

"Yeah, I guess so. I really care about Hermione, you know? I know I act like an idiot most of the time when I try to tell her, and I know that I'm smart like she is, but I can't help the way I feel. I know that other blokes have started to notice how she's...um," Ron halted his sentence as he realized that Luna was, after all, a female. She merely smiled and finished the thought for him.

"Filled out?"

Ron's face colored even more.

"Yeah, that's it. But, I've liked her since before then. I liked her back in fourth year when she had about as much curvature as Ginny and the rest of the blokes were all slobbering over Fleur and Cho. Well, ok, I slobbered a bit over Fleur as well, but that's not the point. I like Hermione not just because she's beautiful, but because of the way she is, the way she treats all people as equals, the say she cares about things. She's saved my neck more times than I can count and I want her more than anything else in the world, but all I can be is her 'friend'. God, I hate that word. And that bastard Krum doesn't even deserve her. I thought she was set on Harry at one time, but now I know it's that Bulgarian git. I guess what I'm getting at is; how do you keep hope alive that maybe, someday, they'll come around? It tears my heart out to think that one day Hermione will be married to someone and no longer a part of my life. Don't you ever worry about that happening with Harry?"

Luna continued to smile her dreamy smile as they descended the stairs to look around on the first floor.

"If you love Hermione, truly love her, then you don't need to worry about keeping hope alive. Do you truly love Hermione, Ronald?"

Ron's face reached a level of pink that would have even made Umbridge cringe.

"Uh, well, you know..."

"DO YOU LOVE HER?"

"YES, I LOVE HER!"

Ron stood stock-still has the realization hit him of what he'd just said, well, yelled. Luna had caught him off guard by yelling at him and he'd blurted it out without thinking. He gained a new appreciation for Harry's resolve for being able to resist her will. Luna's smile widened.

"See, that wasn't so hard. It's just three little words, but it's the feeling behind them that makes them so powerful. I love Harry with all my heart and have for over a year now. I've told him that I love him, so he knows that I do. Have you told Hermione you love her?"

Ron's face would have gotten pinker, but it wasn't possible.

"Well, yeah, I have. Last year I told her. It was that time when Harry locked us in the room of requirement and forced us to talk to one another. I always get distracted and nervous when I talk to Hermione, especially when I try to talk to her about my feelings for her. I usually end up making her mad by saying something stupid. I finally managed to tell her how I felt about her and what did she do? She legged it. Since then I haven't been able to get up the nerve to talk about it again, especially since I know she'll just act the same way she did before. I wish I could talk to her the way that Harry does. They can talk to one another about anything. She was the only one who could talk him out of hiding back during Christmas of fifth year. They've always seemed to have some kind of deeper connection you know what I mean? I used to be really jealous of him because of that. I still am a little bit to be honest. What about you? Don't you ever get a bit jealous when the two of them are off in their own little world, even though we're right there with them?"

Luna merely chuckled.

"Ronald, you silly-billy! Why would I be jealous? It's Harry! He'd never do anything immoral. He is not subject to temptation like most people."

Ron scoffed.

"Wake up and smell the butterbeer, Luna! I've been his best mate now for seven years, and believe me; he's no different than anyone else. I mean, come on, he's Harry Potter! He's the most famous wizard in England, if not the entire world. And if I had a galleon for every witch I've heard say how handsome he is, well, I'd have almost as much money as he does. And that's another thing, he's got the most money on account at Gringotts! There's a giant portrait of him over their bleeding mantle! I'm amazed sometimes that he still associates with the rest of us. I know that Cho would still love to have him, and I think Fleur was pushing her own sister on him for a while. Harry's never pursued any of it, though. A lot of the girls blamed it on Hermione. Cho said once that Hermione must have been giving it up to keep Harry with her, since nobody like him would stay with a plain girl like her otherwise."

Luna suddenly stopped in her tracks.

"I remember Cho saying something like that once in the Ravenclaw common room, but I thought she was just venting to Marietta. Did anyone else say anything like that?"

"Draco and his group of thugs said they must have been doing it, but I think they were just mad that Harry kept beating then at Quidditch, and the fact that Hermione was top of the class. A few other girls may have said it, but that was probably because they were frustrated that Harry wouldn't go out with them. They all said Hermione had to be giving herself to Harry to keep him since she wasn't good enough looking to keep him any other way."

Luna's face had now become strained, but she did manage to retain a partial smile.

"Those girls are just jealous. Harry likes Hermione because of her intelligence and loyalty to him and her friends. They make a good team. Harry doesn't need the most beautiful girl on his arm; even though he could get her I'm sure. No, he looks for more than that. He cares about me, I now he does, and I don't need to 'give it up' to keep him with me. They're all just talking silly about things that they don't know anything about. Besides, they've been friends since their first year. Do they think they've been having sex since then? I didn't even know that a boy looked like at that age. Of course, I'd never seen one before then, either. Daddy home schooled me, and everyone thought we were nutters, so there wasn't much social interaction before I came here to Hogwarts."

Ron hadn't been paying much attention to Luna, so he hadn't seen the brief strained look that had come over her. By the time he looked at her again, she was back to her usual dreamy looking self.

"We've looked everywhere in the house now. Let's give one more look in my room to see if they left a note or something and then we'll have to wake up mum and dad. I told Ginny we should have told them right away, but she's got a head hard as iron on her. No idea where she got that from."

Ron and Luna climbed the stairs to his room and stopped in front of the door. Ron sighed and shook his head.

"I just hope the two of them are all right. I know that the two of them can take care of themselves, but I always feel better when it's the three of us together, you know? Wherever they are, I just hope that they're...safe."

Ron opened his bedroom door to reveal Harry and Hermione hugging each other closely, completely unaware that he and Luna were now in the room with them. Ron was shocked enough at the sight to not notice Luna spin around and hurry back down the stairs. Ginny noticed Ron had appeared and was about to say something but wasn't fast enough to act before Ron did. His slamming of the door caused the hugging teens to break apart as if they had been electrocuted.

"Where the bloody hell have you two been? And what's with the hugging? Have you two been off snogging while the rest of us have been scared to death, thinking that you've been kidnapped by Death Eaters? What, did you just come back here and decide to have another quick one while the rest of us were out hunting for you? I can't believe you two, after all this time you really are sneaking around."

While Ron was in full rant mode, Ginny slipped out behind him unnoticed. Harry was keeping an eye on Ron's wand hand and stepped in front of Hermione to shield her.

"Ron, mate, listen, it's not what you think. Hermione and I found something out about us, we're..."

Ron made a disgusted face and covered his ears with his hands.

"Oh, I'm sure you've found out a lot about each other in the FOUR HOURS you've been out doing god knows what! I swear to god, Harry, I'm going to give you a damn good hiding, and then..."

"You stupid prat! Harry and I found out that we're brother and sister!"

Hermione's exclamation seemed to stop time all together. Harry had envisioned a much calmer conversation about what they had been told, but he was glad in a way that it seemed to have defused Ron. For his part, their flame-haired best friend looked like he had been replaced with a waxwork replica. A few long moments passed before a vigorous shake of his head brought Ron out of his stupor. Harry was dismayed to see that he still looked angry.

"That's the lamest excuse I've ever heard! How stupid do you two think I am?"

Hermione stepped around Harry and stood toe to toe with Ron. Even though she was a good foot shorter then he was, the look on her face was as fierce to look upon as someone of Hagrid's size.

"I'd say you're pretty damn stupid if you still haven't got it through that wind tunnel that you call a head that nothing is going on between Harry and I! Do you really want to know where we've been? All right then, sit down, shut up, and we will tell you!"

Ron continued to look unhappy, but sat down on his bed without hesitation. Hermione pulled up a chair and sat directly in front of him, while Harry sat back down on his own bed. Hermione gave a great sigh and looked directly in Ron's eyes, forcing him to look back into hers, whether he wanted to or not.

"Dumbledore brought over a cake for Harry's birthday. He also left instructions that I was to present it to him a few minutes before midnight. I thought that was a little odd at the time, but when you consider its Dumbledore, well, he's always been a little...eclectic."

Ron nodded. This much he knew.

"Yeah, mum mentioned that. I noticed it was gone when we were looking for the two of you.

Harry reached over to the desk and held up the now empty cake plate.

"The plate was a Portkey that Dumbledore had set up to take us both to his office at the stroke of midnight. He wanted to talk to the two of us in private."

Ron's eyes narrowed again.

"Why just the two of you? Why wasn't I invited?"

Hermione growled in frustration. She swore sometimes it would be easier to explain things to Ron using sock puppets.

"Because, it didn't have anything to do with you, Ron! He told us there was a second prophecy, one that he had placed a memory lock on to that he wouldn't remember it until Harry came of age. Well, the prophecy itself dealt with a lot of things, but the most important and amazing part is that it made certain the fact that Harry was the one the original prophecy talked about because he was 'born alongside another', and that other happens to be me. Harry and I are twins, Ron. That's what Dumbledore wanted to tell us. He said we could tell our closest friends, but not to spread it around. That's the truth, Ron. I swear to it upon my life. I would never lie to you about anything this important. You know I wouldn't."

Ron never looked away from Hermione while she was talking. His quick-tempered fury seemed to dissolve into nothingness. The next emotion that flooded in was confusion.

"So, if you two are supposed to be twins, why don't you look like one another more, like Fred and George? And what about the first prophesy? I thought it got smashed at the Ministry battle."

Hermione turned to Harry who had a resigned look on his face. The time to tell his other best friend about what fate had in store for him had come. Taking a deep breath and blowing it out his mouth, he spent the next half hour telling Ron all about the first prophecy and what it meant. When he had finished, Ron and Hermione both looked at one another in shared anguish for their mutual best friend. The sound of Harry's laughter caused them to look back to him in amazement.

"And as for why Hermione and I not looking alike, wouldn't it be a bit strange if Hermione and I looked identical, her being a girl and I being a boy?"

Ron thought about this and began to laugh himself, causing Hermione to smile in relief as well as amusement.

"Yeah, I guess that would be a bit odd. Mind you, it would make changing after Quidditch practice more entertaining."

Harry laughed again as Hermione gave Ron a good-natured swat on the arm. They all ended up laughing together before Ron suddenly sobered.

"I'm sorry I jumped to conclusions again and got carried away...again. One good thing, at least I won't have to worry about the two of you ever again, eh?"

Harry laughed, but Hermione became serious.

"You shouldn't have thought about us that way to begin with, Ron. We've never given you any cause to think that way."

Ron's face pinked up again.

"I know, I know. I'm really sorry for being stupid and letting my jealousy problem wind me up. Wow, the two of you as brother and sister, I can hardly believe it. I bet the Quibbler wouldn't have even thought of that one, eh, Luna?"

Ron looked towards the door to where he believed Luna to be and instead saw empty space. Harry and Hermione looked at one another briefly before turning questioning looks back at Ron who was now turning from pink to sickly white.

"Damn."

Harry got up and stood in front of Ron.

"What happened?"

Ron looked extremely uncomfortable.

"Well, uh, you know, while Luna and I were looking around the house for you two we got to talking about you both. I might have let a few things slip about my being jealous of Harry, and how the two of you seem to have this deeper connection with one another. Well, at the time I didn't know it was because you were brother and sister, did I? She was with me when I came in here, so she must have ran off when we saw the two of you hugging each other. You have to admit, it was kind of a shock to not only find you both, but to also find you hugging each other like you were."

Hermione let out another growl.

"We were telling Ginny about us when you came in! She said she was really happy for us and that she wouldn't tell anyone. We were so happy to have told someone that we hugged. Yet again your impeccable timing and stupid temper made a mess of things."

Just then, Ginny stuck her head tentatively in the door and knocked.

"I hate to interrupt anyone trying to straighten out my daft git of a brother, but I think we have a problem."

The three of them all looked at one another before Harry moved forward.

"What is it? Where's Luna? Is she hurt?"

Ginny stepped back into the hallway to let them all step out of the room before explaining.

"She's locked herself in our room. I've tried talking to her, but she doesn't answer. All I can hear is her crying. Somebody needs to go and talk to her."

"I'll go."

**********

Luna was very confused. She was not at all accustomed to being upset, and even less so with being jealous of someone. She had always contented herself that being happy was of utmost importance, and that being jealous and petty was related to ignorance. She didn't want believe any of what Ronald had told her, but when some of it touched upon her own deepest fears and apprehensions, she was unable to brush it off like she usually did when someone said something hurtful to her. The worst part of it all was that Harry was all of the things Ronald had mentioned. He was extremely wealthy now, very famous, and very handsome. She knew every witch would love to have him, so how could she logically think that he could ever be content with her? And what would she have to do to keep him interested in her, if she could? She had been raised to see sex as a natural and beautiful thing between two people that loved one another, was it something to be used in this manner? If he were getting it from Hermione, would he also expect it from her? Would she have to share him with her? A loud knock on the door brought her back to her current reality of self-imposed exile. She had expected him to come eventually, but she was far too upset to talk to him right now.

"Go away, Harry!"

She wasn't entirely sure whether she really wanted him to go away or not, but this became a moot point when she heard a voice not at all like the one she had expected.

"Luna, it's me, Hermione. I'm coming in. ALOHOMORA!"

And then, with a faint clink, the locking charm Luna had cast dissipated and Hermione entered the room. Luna, who had been curled up on her bed crying into her pillow, wiped quickly at her eyes and sat up.

"I locked that door for a reason, Hermione! I'm very glad that you are safe and everything, but I'm just not very happy with you and Harry at the moment. Where did the two of you take off to, Gretna Green? Ronald told me..."

Hermione was across the room and in front of Luna in three long strides that caused the blonde girl to stop in her accusation.

"Oh, I'm sure 'Ronald' told you a lot of things, almost all of it rubbish. Luna, Harry told me once that you never lie, and that you know whenever others are lying, is that true?"

Luna's anger lessened slightly at the idea that Harry would know that about her. She must have told him at some point and he remembered. If she wasn't so mad she would have thought it was quite sweet of him.

"Yes, that's true. I got that gift from my mother. It used to drive my father crazy. Now he says he can walk there."

Hermione couldn't help but grin while Luna just continued to stare back at her.

"Ok, good. Now, I'm going to sit down right in front of you and tell you exactly what happened this evening. Some of it I can't tell you, but that doesn't matter. When I'm done, if you don't believe me, you can hex me as much as you want. What do you say to that?"

Luna pondered this a moment and nodded. She had always trusted Hermione before, even if they didn't see eye to eye on a lot of things.

"All right, I'll listen. All I need is to see into your eyes, they'll tell me if you're lying or not. Go ahead and tell me what happened."

Hermione then spent the next twenty minutes telling Luna everything that she could tell her about their meeting with Dumbledore. Apart from Luna widening her already saucer-like eyes at the news that she and Harry were brother and sister, she kept her steady and unflinching gaze on Hermione's chocolate brown eyes the whole time she spoke. When Hermione stopped at the point of knocking on the bedroom door, Luna finally blinked and adopted her much more familiar dreamy look.

"Hermione, I must apologize. I can tell that you speak only the truth, and I can also tell you how relieved I feel. I have never been jealous or resentful of anything or anyone in my life before, and I didn't like feeling that way. I guess I was just having some self-doubts and when Ronald started talking about you and Harry, well, it got too much for me."

Hermione gave the girl a friendly smile and a one-arm hug.

"It's ok, Luna. Everyone has a moment of weakness now and then. Or, like Ron, lots of them. We are all just human after all, and I know how much you love Harry."

Luna blushed deeply causing her alabaster skin to virtually glow.

"I just wish he could love me back. I know that he's trying to protect me, but what he's really doing if hurting me. I just wish so much that I could get him to love me."

Hermione's kind smile turned into a mischievous smirk.

"Luna, Harry and I had a talk while we were with Dumbledore. I want him to be the one to say it first to you, but trust me, he feels the same way about you as you do about him."

Luna's face became child-like in its hopefulness. It reminded Hermione of a four-year-old asking her parents for a pony.

"Does he really? Did he really say that? I've been hoping for so long now to hear him tell me he loves me. It would be like a dream come true for me, I've never wanted anything more in my life. So, what are you going to do now?"

Hermione thought about this. She had been so caught up in the excitement of her best friend also being her brother that her thoughts beyond that were few.

"Well, I've decided that I'm not going to say anything to my Muggle parents. I mean, they were the ones that raised me, they're just as much my parents as Harry's are."

Luna was now sporting a mischievous grin of her own.

"Oh, I didn't mean that. I meant what are you going to do about Ronald? He may get a bit...juvenile, at times, but he does genuinely care about you, and I know that you care about him. Now that you know that Harry is your brother, you don't have to worry about hard feelings, right? I think we both owe it to ourselves to go after what we want, don't you?"

Hermione beamed at her.

"You're absolutely right, Luna. We do deserve to be happy and get what we want. What do you say I help you with Harry, and you can help me with Ron? We don't want to scare them off with big proclamations of love right away, but if we give them a nudge in the right direction, I think we can get them to figure it out. What do you think, partner?"

Luna beamed back at her. Hermione had to agree with Harry, the girl did have a beautiful smile.

"Well, we are the two brightest students in the whole school. Those boys won't know what hit them when we get through with them. Now, here's what I was thinking..."

**********

Harry was nervous. Scratch that, he was very nervous. Hermione had gone to talk to Luna nearly half an hour ago and still hadn't returned. Had they gotten into an argument? Had Luna hexed Hermione before she could explain? Would she be hexing him next? Did he have enough galleons on him to catch the Knight Bus? Then, just as he was wishing he could apparate away, Hermione came back into the room with an unreadable look on her face. This did not reassure Harry at all.

"She wants to talk to you, Harry."

Harry gulped loudly.

"She wants to talk to both of us, you mean?" Harry asked hopefully, not sure he wanted to face Luna by himself right now.

"No, just you. Now."

Harry suddenly found that there was a bowling ball in his stomach and a desert in his mouth.

"Ok, I'm going. Did you explain to her what happened? Did you tell her that we're brother and sister? Did she seem upset at all? You know I'm no good at crying girls!"

Hermione wanted to laugh at Harry's growing anxiety but, keeping with the plan, she remained stone faced.

"You'll have to take it up with her, Harry. She has some things she wants to say to you, and I think she's looking for some answers from you as well. I wouldn't keep her waiting, either."

Harry's heart dropped down to his stomach to join the bowling ball. What was it Luna wanted to say to him? He tried to get some indication of whether it was good or bad from Hermione's expression, but she didn't seem to have one at the moment. Could that itself be a bad omen? Knowing that standing there analyzing it would only make him more and more nervous, Harry then squared his shoulders the way he did before a Quidditch match and walked up the stairs to face Luna. As soon as his back was turned, Hermione allowed herself to grin as she pictured in her mind her brother's face when Luna was done with him.

Harry's hand was shaking slightly when he knocked tentatively on the door to the girl's bedroom, which at the moment felt to him more like a lion's den.

"You can come in, Harry."

Slowly, carefully, Harry opened the door and shuffled inside. Fearing what might happen, he closed the door completely behind himself in hopes that it would muffle any yelling that Luna might do...or that she would be causing him to do. He then turned to look at her and gazed directly into her multi-colored eyes, the eyes that he had always gave him a feeling of inner peace. Even now, the sight of them relaxed him slightly.

"Luna, I'm sorry to have scared you tonight. You have to believe that I had no idea what was going to happen. Dumbledore wanted to talk to Hermione and I as soon as I came of age, so he made a Portkey that sent us to him at the stroke of midnight. He told us that Hermione and I are brother and sister, and I know that sounds crazy, but it's true, and..."

Luna, who had adopted the same stone faced look that Hermione had, didn't have as much luck as her in keeping up the façade and suddenly burst out into a fit of giggles as Harry continued to ramble on about the things she already knew were true. Her sudden laughter caused Harry to stop in his explanations, as he now looked at Luna in a stunned silence.

"Harry, Hermione already told me everything that happened. I knew she was telling the truth, and that's why I wanted to talk to you. I must admit that I put Hermione up to making you sweat a bit. I just couldn't pass up the opportunity. I don't get to make jokes very often, you know. I also admit that I was jealous of Hermione for being off somewhere with you, alone. I shouldn't have been, of course, especially since I've known for nearly two years now that the two of us are destined for one another."

Harry, who was now feeling much less anxious than when he had entered the room, sat down beside Luna on her bed and continued to look into her mesmerizing eyes. Because of this distraction, it took him a while to process what she had said to him.

"What do you mean, 'destined for one another'?"

Luna beamed at him.

"I've known that since the night at the Department of Mysteries."

Memories of that night came back to haunt Harry, and he could not understand what could have happened on that horrible night that could convince Luna that the two of them were destined for one another.

"Luna, I don't understand what you mean. What happened that night that caused you to believe that about us?"

Luna continued to look positively elated.

"Do you remember hearing the voices behind the veil, the ones that sounded as if they were coming from directly behind it?"

Harry frowned at the memory of the veil that had claimed his godfather.

"Yes, I remember it. How could I forget it? It pops up in my worst nightmares."

"Do you remember everyone wondering what you were hearing, as if they couldn't?"

"Yes, I remember that. I figured it was just because they were paying more attention to trying to find a way out of there. I remember you telling me that you could hear them too, so I didn't feel quite as crazy."

"Exactly, Harry! And have you had any dreams since then where people that have passed on have talked to you and given you advice?"

Harry's frown became a more contemplative look.

"Yeah, quite a few times. Sirius has come into my dreams from time to time to tell me things. The last time we talked I told him how I felt about you, and he said I should go for it. I told him I didn't want to see you get hurt because of me, but he said I should follow my heart. I guess I should have listened to him, huh? If I had, I wouldn't have screwed everything up."

Luna took Harry's hand in hers and rubbed her thumb along the back of it.

"Oh yes, you should always take advice from the people you care about, especially when they've died. I always do what my mother tells me. She's the one that told me not to give up on you, and that you'd come around eventually. She also agreed with me that you've got the most beautiful green eyes. Oh, and the cutest little tushy."

Harry's face went fire engine red while Luna merely broke out into more child-like giggles.

"Anyway, what I wanted to say is, we both can talk to those beyond the veil. We usually communicate with them in our dream state, but when we were there at the veil itself, we were able to hear more of them. This is a gift that very few witches or wizards have and is handed down from the mother to her child. I've never heard about more than one child inheriting it, so it's unlikely that Hermione has the gift, since I don't recall her saying she heard the voices herself. In any case, when I realized that you could hear them just as I could, well, I knew that we shared a bond, even if I hadn't yet completely fallen in love with you. But, now that I have, I think that fate has brought us together so that we can use our abilities to help win this war against Voldemort. When we get back to school, we should tell Professor Dumbledore, maybe he could help us further develop our abilities."

Harry's brain was currently attempting to process the information Luna had told him. He had been absorbing a lot of things lately. He had to admit, he had thought it odd as well that he and Luna had been the only ones to hear the voices behind the veil. And he did have several dreams in the past where Sirius had entered it and given him advice. He had never really thought anything of these dreams before, but he did recall Sirius telling him in one of the dreams that not many people had the ability to do what he was doing. Did this mean that he could communicate with the dead? How could that help them against Voldemort? Before he could ponder this much further, Luna's voice brought him back into reality.

"Hermione and I talked about other matters besides you two being brother and sister, Harry. She said that she knew that I loved you, and that you loved me, too. What do you have to say to that?"

Harry pinked up again slightly as Luna looked at him once again with those eyes he could stare into forever.

"Well, Hermione is pretty smart, and she's hardly ever wrong about anything."

Luna gave Harry the most beautiful smile he had ever seen. It made his heart speed up dramatically, as if he had just caught the snitch for the house cup. Her next words made it speed up even more.

"I love you, Harry. And not just as your friend. I'm in love with you. And even if you don't feel the same way right now, I'm still going to feel this way."

Harry's breath caught in his chest. He had gone all his life wanting to hear someone tell him this, and here was this beautiful, intelligent, and truly one of a kind girl saying it to him. All of his resolve crumbled at that very moment. He would find it humorous later that he could dispel the most powerful dark wizard of all time from his mind, and yet this sixteen-year-old waif of a witch broke through every barrier he had set up. Taking a deep breath, he steadied himself to say what he knew would change both of their lives.

"Luna, I...I feel the same way. I have for a long time, but I was afraid of getting you hurt, or worse. I can't help myself anymore. I can't guarantee much, but I can guarantee how I feel about you. I love you, Luna. I love you, and, if you'll have me, I'd like to ask you if you'd want to be my girlfriend. Please?"

Luna blushed, giggled, and choked back a sob all at the same time. Harry thought again how he loved her laugh, her eyes, her smile, the feel of her hand in his, as well as just about everything else about her he could think of.

"Harry, I would like nothing more in this world than to be your girlfriend. I've wanted that now for over a year. Actually, I think that if you would have asked me to go out with you that first time we met on the train, I'm pretty sure I would have said yes even then. I had a very good feeling about you from the start, even before I found out just how truly brave, and caring, and lovely you truly are. Ooh, I can't wait to tell daddy, I have my first boyfriend! He'll want to meet you, of course, and I can't wait to walk around Hogwarts holding you hand in mine. Well, that is if you don't mind being seen holding my hand in public. I know that most people think I'm a bit odd."

Harry laughed. 'Odd' was an understatement.

"Luna, it will be an honor to walk around school holding your hand. And since when did we care what people thought about us? As nicknames go, 'Potty' and 'Loony' aren't that bad, right?"

Luna blushed slightly.

"No, they aren't bad at all. I'd like to come up with better names to call each other, though. We'll have to work on that later. Oh, I almost forgot, I owe Hermione a favor now."

Harry gave his new girlfriend a questioning look.

"What do you mean?"

The smile that Luna had on her face now told Harry that something was definitely up.

"Well, you see, Hermione agreed to help me with getting you, as long as I helped her get Ron. So, we have some work to do."

Harry smiled at the unexpected cunningness that Luna was showing. He then let his mind wander to how she would look in Slytherin robes...only. He quickly chased that idea out of his head before he did something stupid.

"Well, since Hermione helped us, I guess I could help you help her. I just hope Ron doesn't mess things up. I do have one condition, though."

Luna gave him a questioning look.

"What is it, Harry?"

Harry gave her a mischievous grin of his own.

"Tell me again how Hermione helped you 'get me'. I like the sound of that."

Luna's smile now was not at all the innocent one she usually wore. It was actually, dare he think it, wicked.

"Oh, I've got you, Harry. Just. Where. I. Want. You."

And, for the next few minutes at least, there was very little need for words. When they would both later think back their first kiss, they would both agree that, even with the countless amount that followed it, that first one was the best of their lives.

**********

Luna and Harry arrived downstairs to the kitchen where they "happened" to meet up with Ron and Hermione. A knowing glance passed between the two females as they all sat down around the kitchen table. Despite the lateness of the hour, none of them particularly felt like going to bed. Ron still appeared to be a bit dazed.

"I still can't believe it, my two best friends are brother and sister."

All three of the others looked at one another and nodded. Harry then started the plan in motion as he had been asked to do.

"Yeah, it's amazing. I've always wanted a real family, and now I have one. And, on top of that, I've got my first girlfriend as well. I couldn't have asked for two better birthday presents."

Ron's mouth dropped open as he glanced between Harry and Luna, noticing that she was leaning against Harry's shoulder with his arm around her. He had to admit, they did look cute together. Not that he would ever say such a thing, of course.

"You two really are together now? Wow, that's...great. Man, there sure have been a lot of changes since yesterday, haven't there? Harry and Hermione found out they're brother and sister, Harry and Luna are an official couple now; it's like a dream. I guess the only person who hasn't had some life altering thing happen to them tonight is me."

Hermione smiled at Harry and Luna, this was going to be easier than she thought with an opening like that.

"Yes, Ron, there have been a lot of changes tonight, and there's one more to come. Ron, I know I've been giving you mixed signals for a while now, and I know I haven't always acted like it, but I've always..."

Just as Hermione was about to open her heart for the first time in her life, there was a strange sound from the living room. It sounded a little like a moan, or perhaps a gasp. Ron got up from the table and arrived at the doorway just as Harry did behind him. While Harry merely hung his head and groaned, Ron's face blazed red suddenly.

"Ginny! Neville! What in the hell do you think you are doing?"

Ron actually knew very well what Ginny and Neville were doing; he just didn't want to see them doing it on the living room couch. Ginny quickly hopped off Neville as they both tried to pull their jumpers down and pat down their mussed hair at the same time. Knowing that her 'plan' had been sufficiently derailed, at least for the time being, Hermione could only give an exasperated sigh. Luna went to stand behind Harry and looked at the scene before her as if it were a mildly interesting television program. Taking the opportunity that presented itself; she also gave Harry's bum a squeeze, causing him to yelp in surprise. Ron didn't notice. His eyes were locked on to the boy in front of him.

"I told mum something like this would happen. I could handle the lovey-dovey looks. I could even handle the handholding. But now you lie there on the couch, the same couch we were all sitting on only a couple hours ago, and you...you...take advantage of my own sister, in my own house! Neville, I am going to use your balls for gobstones, I swear to god."

Ron had taken only one step towards the target of his wrath when Ginny stepped between them, her eyes blazing in fury.

"Ron, you had better just turn around and go back into the kitchen before you get hurt. What Neville and I do with one another has nothing to do with you."

Ron towered over his sister and kept his eyes leveled at Neville over her head.

"Stay out of it, Ginny. I'll deal with you later. This is between him and me. Neville, I challenge you do a wizard's duel of honor."

Neville opened his mouth to speak but Ginny cut him off.

"Nobody is gong to duel anyone. Although, if you keep acting like an ass, I may challenge you myself."

Ron lowered his gaze from Neville to his sister.

"Ginny, just stay the hell out of it. I have to duel Neville to restore honor to our family. We invite him to stay here, we feed him, trust him, and how does he repay us, by taking advantage of an innocent girl. I wonder how long someone gets in Azkaban for attempted rape on an underage witch?"

Neville once again made to speak but was again beaten to it by his flame haired female companion.

"Ron, you need to just shut your big mouth! For your information, even if it certainly isn't any of your business, I am hardly innocent in any of this, and the only person who was trying to get anyone to do anything was I, not him. Neville is scared to death to do anything, knowing that you'd react just like you are now. I've tried being patient, tried to just be happy with the two of us spending time together, but my patience is wearing thin. So, what do you think of that, huh? I'm the one that wanted to fool around, me; your little baby sister has needs like everyone else. Maybe if you'd get someone to snog with, you'd be less obsessed with my love life for a change!

Ron turned a sickly grey color and narrowed his eyes even more at his sister.

"You don't know what you're talking about! You're too young to be dealing with this stuff. Maybe you could stand being shipped off to Saint Mary's Magical Nunnery before it's too late! What bloke is going to have you when you're older if you..."

Ginny growled in an extremely ferocious manner, especially for someone of her petite size, and grabbed hold of the neck of Ron's shirt with both hands.

"Ron, if you don't shut up, I swear that I'm going to..."

Ron cut her off.

"You get your hands off me, Ginny! After I get done with Neville I'll deal with you, believe me."

Ron pulled Ginny's small but mighty fists off of him, only to be seized again by a larger and stronger grip this time. Later, Ron would wonder where Neville's arm strength had come from. At the present time, however, he was more concerned with the sight now before him. It was one he had never seen before, and the rest of the assembled teens all shared in his shock, having never seen it either. The iron grip belonged to Neville, and the look he was giving to Ron was as foreign on the usually docile boy's face as it would have been if Voldemort himself would have burst through the front door and began juggling chainsaws. It wasn't until he actually started talking that anything in the room moved as much as an inch.

"Ron, I like you, and I respect you and your family for being so kind to me. I know you're only acting out of concern for your sister, and I realize you feel you are doing the right thing here...but," at this, Neville tightened his grip even further on Ron, causing the taller boy to stoop down to his level in order to breathe. "Ginny and I are not just messing about. We've tried to be low key about it because we knew how you felt about everyone that has tried to date her, but I'm sick and tired of censoring myself with her because of you. I love Ginny, Ron. I love her more than life itself. If you can't deal with that, I'm sorry. But, I am not going to hide it anymore. I won't hide how I feel from you, or anyone else. Not anymore."

Ron's eyes were wide as saucers, just as everyone else's were. One pair of eyes also had tears in them, and it was her gasp that caused the attention in the room to shift to her. Ginny had one hand over her mouth and the other over her heart, both of them shaking slightly.

"Neville, that's...that's the first time...the first time you've said that. Oh my god, do you...do you really love me?"

Neville released Ron from his grip to look at his teary eyed heart's desire. For his part, Ron also turned to look at her, completely forgetting his earlier desire to hex him into little pieces. A beaming smile came across Neville's face, another rare sight for the usually very self-conscious boy.

"Of course I do, Ginny. I've loved you since you agreed to go to the Yule Ball with me. I know you were still hung up on Harry, and I know you'd much rather have been there with him, but for me, it was the greatest night of my life. I love you, Ginny. I love you, and I don't want to hide it anymore. I want us to be proper boyfriend and girlfriend from now on. Well, if it's ok with you, of course."

Ginny made a sound somewhere between a laugh and a sob and launched herself at Neville so that he suddenly found himself being kissed all over his face while she wrapped her legs around his waist tightly. Because of her slight build, the action barely caused him to take a step back. Once she had covered every square inch of his face she pulled back and gave him a smile that had much more of an impact on him than even her launching herself onto him had.

"Nevy, my sweet, gentle, perfect man. I love you, too. I admit, back in third year, I did still have a huge crush on Harry...well, in the fourth year too. But the way you acted so brave at the Department of Mysteries, and how you always treat me like I'm someone special, like I'm the only girl in the world, how could I not love you? You're absolutely right; we shouldn't hide how we feel about each other anymore. I'd love to be your girlfriend, Nevy. I love you so much."

The two of them then went back to snogging with renewed vigor. This time a stunned Ron could only look on with the same gobsmacked expression he'd had on his face since Neville had first grabbed hold of him. In fact, it was doubtful if he had yet realized that he was no longer being held onto. Neville had said he loved his baby sister, and she had said she loved him back. Did this mean that she no longer needed her big brother to look after her? He didn't like to think of his "baby" sister being a grown up. All the while he was thinking this, Hermione was banging her head lightly against the kitchen doorframe. She had pictured herself and Ron having this moment, not Ginny and Neville. Even Luna had gotten her man. And speaking of her brother, why was he suddenly looking quite pale?

Ron finally snapped out of his stupor when he heard a low rumbling sound come from beside him. He turned to see Harry wearing a pained look on his face with his teeth set tightly. A last flicker of hope sprang into his mind.

"What is it, Harry? Has the sight of Ginny snogging someone else inexplicably awoken some inner demon deep inside you that loves her with all your heart and soul?"

Hermione had stopped banging her head on the doorframe when she had first noticed Harry seize up. She couldn't help but wonder if Harry was feeling some left over angst at seeing Ginny with someone else. Even Luna looked frightened, wondering if Harry was reconsidering the words he had said to her earlier. As the three of them looked at Harry in suspense, they saw him rub his stomach a few times before doing the last thing any of them expected him to do.

"BURRRRP! Oh, excuse me. I knew I shouldn't have had so much cake this late at night. What are you talking about, Ron? The only inner demon I have to worry about is Voldemort, and he hasn't dared trying to invade my mind since I threw him out of mind last time. Besides, I think Neville and Ginny are perfect together. He could use a little livening up, and she could use a little settling down. Even Draco would be pleased with them being together. I mean they are both purebloods, right? I wonder what their kid will look like. I can assume red hair, of course."

Ron went pale again.

"Harry! I'm still trying to get used to the idea of the two of them going out together, and you have to mention them having a kid? Blimey, I never will get o sleep now!"

"Well, in that case, you can help me start breakfast."

Everyone, except for those that were still busy snogging, turned to see Mrs. Weasley coming down the stairs in her familiar flannel robe. Once she got to the bottom of the stairs she gave a little start at seeing all of them standing there.

"What in heaven's name if going on here? What are you all doing up at this hour? Have you even been to bed? And please, Ginny, Neville, could you wait and do that later? Seeing my baby girl snogging someone isn't what I need to see first thing in the morning."

Ginny and Neville's faces both went bright red as she loosened herself from her boyfriend and stood upon wobbly knees. They both expected to be given a lecture by the mother hen of the Weasley family, but instead they dared to look up to see Mrs. Weasley beaming at the both of them. She had been supportive of her daughter's relationship with Neville from the moment she noticed the two of them giving each other sly looks when they thought the other wasn't looking. She had of course hoped early on that Ginny would latch onto Harry, since she felt as close to him as she did to any of her own actual children, but she had taken a great liking to the sweet and polite Longbottom boy. In fact, the boy reminded her a bit of Arthur when he was that age. A little bumbling, a little unsure of himself, but very polite, and very genuine. On top of that, Ginny was very much like she had been at her age. This thought caused her eyes to widen slightly, as she remembered how she felt about Arthur when they had started dating at the same age Ginny was now. She quickly decided not to think about that anymore, for her own sake. In order to get the troublesome thoughts out of her mind, she went back into 'mother mode.'

"Right, well, since you are all up anyway, you can all pitch in to make breakfast this morning. Oh, and once that's out of the way, we can start getting things set up for Harry's birthday party! I can believe you're turning seventeen, Harry. It seems like only yesterday that you were asking me how to get onto platform 9 ¾. You were such a cute little boy."

Harry blushed as Luna ran her hand through his extra mussed hair.

"Oh, I'd say he's still quite cute. He's certainly not a 'little boy' anymore, though. No, he's grown up nicely since them."

Harry blushed even deeper as the rest of the group laughed at his obvious discomfort. Luna giggled at him and stood up on her toes slightly in order to give him a warm and loving kiss on the lips. The calm feeling she always seemed to inspire in him made Harry feel better immediately. He was very much looking forward to working on perfecting the art of kissing Luna, his girlfriend. He loved calling her that. Yes, once again, things were shaping up to make it yet another eventful birthday.