Harry Potter and the Fateful Afternoon

**

It's hard to explain sometimes why things happen the way they do. If you asked Harry Potter, even years later, to explain exactly how the most fateful day of his life had unfolded, he would not have been able to do so.

Maybe it was because his sixth year at Hogwart's was almost over and Voldemort, who was still lying low, had not attacked him once. Relief, after all, is a powerful emotion.

Curiosity might have played a part. Hardly a day went by that year that Harry hadn't either walked in on Ron and Hermione snogging, or if not them, Ginny and Dean.

He had tried to blame it on the bottle of wine Dobby had tucked into the sumptuous assortment of goodies in his picnic basket, although Harry knew that was being rather unfair.

It could have been the fact that it was such a beautiful day. The sun was shining. The sky was blue and cloudless. The grass on the hill above the lake was lush and green, and Harry having just passed his apparition test was in high spirits.

Luna Lovegood herself had certainly been a major factor. Luna was, after all, his best friend. She was the one Harry could talk to about anything. Luna, who saw thestrals, heard the voices beyond the veil, and had suffered a loss Harry could understand better than anyone, had been the most important person in his life for so long. She'd taught him about being true to himself, and how to deal gracefully with being unique. And she had looked so lovely that day. The sun had been streaming through her fair hair, and her eyes and smile had been as bright as the sun.

Above all, though, Harry had never stopped to think that there might really BE a point of no return.

It was a combination of things, culminating in an ending he had never planned for. Afterwards, he felt more awkward than he had ever felt in his life. Only the shattered expression on Luna's face had kept Harry from disappearing on the spot. He'd held her close, awkwardly kissing away her tears.

"Lu, I'm so sorry. I never meant to hurt you. It was that damned wine that Dobby slipped into the picnic basket. I swear I didn't mean to hurt you."

"I'm not crying about THAT. And it wasn't the wine, Harry. It's not that simple for me. It was the way you made me feel. I love you, Harry Potter, but even then I felt so alone. Do you know what it's like to literally be part of someone else and still know you can never really have him? I wish I knew what it is that we do have"

"I do love you, Lu. I love you as much as I'm capable of loving anyone. If I could promise anyone the future, I'd give that promise to you. But I can't promise anyone anything. You know everything I've got hanging over my head. You know that everyone I've ever loved before has died because of that love. That's not the kind of future I want for you. You deserve better."

"What about now, Harry? What happens now?"

"I don't think this should happen again. Can we go back to the way things were? At least for awhile. There have been so many changes that I can't deal anymore. I'm so confused."

They had tried. Luna had been as supportive a friend as anyone could have wished for, and for the rest of the term, Harry had treated her as tenderly as he could without getting too close. There are some things, however, that you can't take back.

Harry didn't hear from Luna that summer, and he was worried. He started a hundred letters, but no letter did Luna justice. When I see her, he thought, everything will be the saem as it always was. It'll be just like it is every year on the train. We'll talk and we'll laugh, and we'll see all our friends, and everything will be fine.

But when he boarded the Hogwart's Express, he couldn't find Luna. No one could tell him anything about her, until he ran into one of the Fawcett girls. Harry knew they lived near Luna, but he didn't know any of them well. The girl stopped Harry and asked him if he was going to do any more DA meeting his last year at school.

"I've heard so much about them. I'd like to join."

"I haven't decided anything yet," said Harry. "If I do, I'll contact the other members first before we take in anyone new. By the way, speaking of DA members, have you seen Luna Lovegood?"

The girl giggled. "I saw her in the village at home a few weeks ago, but you won't be seeing her at Hogwart's anymore."

"What? Why?"

Pleased to have the full attention of famous Harry Potter for the first time in her life, the girl dropped her voice to a conspiratorial whisper. "She can't come back to school. She's pregnant!"

Harry went numb with shock, and mistaking his expression for curiosity, the girl continued. "She's just starting to show. It's unbelievable. I heard she wouldn't tell her father who did it, and they had a huge row. He's moved into an apartment in Diagon Alley, over the Quibbler offices. He won't have anything to do with her. I don't know how long she'll be able to stay in that cottage alone. She can't possibly have two sickles to her name. Isn't the whole thing bizarre?"

Harry turned on his heel without saying a word and stumbled away, leaving the Fawcett girl insulted. What the hell, she thought, is wrong with him?

Harry found an empty compartment, and threw himself down on the seat. Why didn't she tell me, he asked himself, as guilt and worry overwhelmed him. Maybe she hates me for getting her in such a mess. Harry pictured Luna alone, deserted and carrying his child. She didn't tell her father it was me, Harry mused, his throat starting to constrict with pain. She must be trying to protect me, but at what cost? I can't let her do this alone. I just can't. I've got to be there for her.

He was still numb with shock when he got to school, and he sat through the sorting ceremony without seeing any of it. He saw Luna so clearly in his mind, her face suffused with love, then filled with pain and bitterness as he'd backed away from her. When the feast appeared on the table, and he wasn't eating a bite, Ron poked him in the side.

"Harry, what's wrong?"

"I've got to see Dumbledore right away. As soon as I can."

Frightened by his flat expression, Hermione asked him, "Harry what is it? What's the matter? You can tell us."

"No. No, I can't."

As the other students left the dining hall, Harry went up to the teacher's table, where Dumbledore was deep in conversation with Professor McGonagall.

"Professor, I need to speak to you."

"What's the matter, Potter? You look positively ill," asked Professor McGonagall, concerned.

"I can't tell you, here," said Harry dully, looking at the departing crowd.

Dumbledore looked carefully at Harry before leading him to the same small room where Harry had gone after his name had come out of the Goblet of Fire. It seemed like a hundred years ago. The fire roared in the handsome fireplace just as it had that night, and the witches and wizards in the portraits looked at them with interest.

"Now, Harry, what is it?' said the headmaster, shutting the door behind them with a wave of his hand. "What's troubling you?"

"I have to leave Hogwart's as soon as possible. It's an emergency."

"For how long?"

"Maybe forever."

"I beg your pardon?" Professor McGonagall said, shocked.

"I have to go to the Lovegood's. Luna's in trouble and it's my fault. She's having a baby, and it's mine."

Every witch in every portrait disappeared out of their portraits at this news, and if nothing else, Harry had the small satisfaction of knowing he had simultaneously stunned both the headmaster and his head of house speechless for what might well have been the first time of their lives.

Harry looked around the yard the next morning, blinking in the bright light. The coordinates Dumbledore had given him had been correct. Luna appeared in the doorway of the small cottage before him.

He looked first at her belly. She was wearing a plain, straight, sleeveless dress and he could see the slightly rounding curve of her abdomen. He raised his eyes to her face. He had expected her to look like hell, but she looked quite beautiful really. Her face was a little fuller, and her pale skin was very creamy.

"Harry! What are you doing here?"

"Oh, I just thought there might be something you wanted to tell me."

Luna flushed slightly. "Well, come in then. Sit down."

Harry sat.

"You know, Luna, for a Ravenclaw, you weren't being very smart. Did you think I'd never find out? That I'd never notice you were gone?"

"No, I didn't think that, you dunce! I was giving you an OUT!"

"Who said I wanted out?"

"You did! You said we had no future!" Luna snapped.

"Luna, all I ever wanted to do was protect you. I admit, I made royal mess of it, but I honestly thought you'd be safer without me. That' s not true anymore."

"So, you're not devoting every single minute of your whole life to fighting Voldemort anymore?" asked Luna angrily. "Why?"

"Voldemort is why I tried to let you go in the place. Now he's the reason I've got to stay. He and I are connected, Luna. Do you honestly think he's not going to figure out that there's another Potter out here? What were you trying to do...get yourself killed? Did you really think that would help me? Finding out after the fact that you had gotten yourself, and our baby, murdered out here because of your stubbornness? That would really have made my day!" asked Harry furiously.

"So you backed away from me out of fear, and now you're returning out of duty. Well, that's not good enough, Harry Potter. What about love? Where do we stand on love?"

"Luna, you drive me mad. You're punk music, ancient runes, snorkacks, and monsters in the mistletoe. You thrill me, and amaze me, and worry me out of my mind. And I love you for it. I love you more than I will ever love anything in my life! When you weren't on that train, I felt completely empty inside. You broke my heart."

Luna, smiled slightly, her eyes turning bright with unshed tears. "I could make you a present of mine."

"You've already given me the present," said Harry. "I was so wrapped up in the past and the future, that I almost let the present go to waste. Can you forgive me?

"There's nothing to forgive," said Luna, as she slid onto his lap.

They were kissing then, kissing and hugging and laughing like two people who had gone completely insane. Or two people who at least had fallen totally in love.