Harry Potter and the House of Meditation

Chapter Eleven: Life Force

When Harry opened his eyes at last, he saw curtains. They were very familiar curtains. He was in the hospital wing at Hogwarts. He sat up, wincing.

"Be careful, Harry. You are still very weak."

"Professor Dumbledore!" Harry fixed his eyes on the tired looking figure beside his bed. "How did I get here? Where's Voldemort, and where's Luna?"

Dumbledore held up his hand. "I brought you here. I didn't want to take you to St. Mungo's, for various reasons."

"But Voldemort..."

"He is dead."

"Dead? How can that be? I was supposed to kill him, but he cursed me before I could even try."

"Miss Lovegood has destroyed him."

"Luna?" Harry's head swam. "Luna could not have killed him! The prophecy said..."

"Life force and love can be very powerful weapons, Harry, as you should know by now. Miss Lovegood apparently sensed this as well." Dumbledore hesitated. "It surprised me, too. Miss Lovegood is one of the most powerful witches for her age that I have ever seen. Her manner is deceiving. However, she apparently had help. I am only guessing, but I assume your relationship with Miss Lovegood, is, shall we say, an intimate one?"

Harry looked down at the bedcovers, embarrassed, then slowly nodded.

"Forgive me for prying, Harry. It is not my place to judge you. I would not even mention it, but I believe it matters a great deal."

"Why?" asked Harry in a small voice.

"Because that is the reason for everything. You gave freely of yourself, and Miss Lovegood freely accepted what you gave. It was that part of you inside her that gave her the power to defeat the Dark Lord, combined with her lack of fear and her faith in justice. He didn't expect it. None of us could have expected it, but it seems to be so."

Harry groaned. "Wait until the Prophet gets a hold of this story!"

Dumbledore smiled slightly. "Oh, I don't think it needs to go that far, Harry. This can remain a secret, at least for awhile. The important thing is that Voldemort has gone and you have vanquished him."

"But I didn't do it! Luna did. I'm not the hero here. She is." Harry paused then as cold dark fear enveloped him. "Where is she? Is she..."

"She is here. And she is quite alive. In very good shape actually, considering her condition."

"Her condition?"

"That is why I think it best not to push the truth, Harry. You know what it was like to be the boy who lived. Do you really want that for your own child?"

"My child?" It dawned on Harry what Dumbeldore had really been saying. "Luna's going to have a baby? But it was just...how can you possibly know that?"

"Because nothing else could have defeated Voldemort but a Potter. All you and Luna had was your faith in each other. Even with love to shield you, that would not have been enough. As I said before, you created your own help, so to speak."

Harry was stunned for a moment. When he could finally speak, he said, "That is what you meant by life force?"

"Yes. It was only a spark, but it burned him, none the less."

"Does she know?"

"Not yet, unless she somehow sensed it. I wonder about that, but I have certainly not told her. She will find out soon enough, or you may choose to tell her. It's up to you, Harry."

Harry reached for his clothes at the foot of the bed. "I've got to, Professor Dumbledore."

"Very well, Harry. The teachers will have to be told the truth. We are still responsible for her welfare, after all, but anything else is up to the two of you." He hesitated, then said gently, "I think you've made the right choice, Harry."

Harry slipped around the curtain that was blocking Luna's bed from the rest of the ward. The sun was coming through the window, and seeing it light up her face, Harry was reminded of the morning before. It seemed as if an age had passed. He sat on the chair beside her bed and took her hand.

She opened her eyes. "Harry?"

"Hi."

"We did it."

"I guess we did."

"I don't know how I ever managed it. I never dreamed I'd ever be able to do that, but when he threatened to hurt you, I just somehow knew it would be all right, and when I saw you in pain, nothing else mattered to me so much as ending it all for you. I don't know how I did it. It almost broke me."

Quietly, Harry told her about the prophecy. Luna looked at him, confused. "But Harry, that doesn't make sense."

"Yes, it does. You told me to love you, and I did. That's what gave you the power."

"Making love made us one?"

"Yes, but it's not just that. Luna, Dumbledore says...that is, he thinks..." Harry's voice trailed off.

"Thinks what, Harry?"

"He thinks you're pregnant."

She stared at him, her eyes wide, then she shut them tightly, but Harry saw a tear running down her cheek. "Then," she whispered, "that's how I did it? A baby we didn't even know existed gave me the power to defeat the most evil wizard who ever lived?"

"It seems like it," said Harry gently.

"But what will become of me now?"

"I think," said Harry, "that we'll just go on the way we started. The three of us just destroyed Voldemort. I'm sure we can handle anything else that comes along." And pointing his wand out the window, he aimed it across the courtyard at Gryffindor tower.

"Accio, engagement ring!"

Chapter Twelve: Deciding What's Important

A small purple box came sailing across the courtyard. Opening the window, Harry caught it, and drew it in.

"Will you marry me?" Harry said, simply.

Luna opened the box, looked at the ring, and gulped hard. "Oh, Harry!" She shook her head. "I don't know."

"What do you mean, you don't know?" Harry was unnerved.

"If you're doing this just because..." Luna stopped, embarrassed.

Suddenly understanding, Harry laughed. "Oh, Lu, I bought that ring in February, at the same time I bought your earrings!"

"Harry Potter! It was you in the Daily Prophet! High profile, indeed!"

"Yes, that's me."

Her face clouded. "But you didn't give it to me then."

"I was just waiting for the right time."

"You're sure this is the right time?"

"Dead sure," Harry answered, leaning in to kiss her. "We're free."

"Hmmph!" said a voice behind them. Harry and Luna sprang apart, to stare at a neatly dressed, gray-haired wizard standing beside the bed curtains.

"Dad!" Luna cried.

"Mr. Lovegood?" Harry yelped, blushing profusely.

"Don't mind me, kids," Mr. Lovegood said, nonchalantly. "You're only young once, and everyone else is celebrating. You may as well celebrate, too. I haven't seen so many people party in almost seventeen years. Speaking of which, you ARE Harry Potter, aren't you?"

He offered his hand to Harry, and Harry shook it nervously.

"Yes, sir."

"So, you've done it again, boy, and Luna, dear, you're a witness? Well done, both of you! I don't suppose I could get an exclusive for the magazine, could I?"

Harry looked at Luna helplessly, and she grinned at him mischievously. "Well, of course, Dad, but there's something else we want you to print first."

Mr. Lovegood looked from one of them to the other. "What could be more important than beating you-know-who?"

"Our engagement notice." Luna extended her hand, where Harry saw the diamond ring now glittered.

Mr. Lovegood took one look at the ring and collapsed on the bedside chair, stammering. "Now, Luna, really! You can't be serious! Nothing against you, Harry," he said quickly. "Nothing at all, but you're both just so young!"

"We've been through an awful lot for our age, Dad," said Luna calmly.

"Yes, but, well...oh, all right. If you're sure you know what you're doing. Harry Potter! My word!'

"We're sure," said Harry, giving Luna a wink.

They had a pleasant talk. Emmitt Lovegood's graying hair and lined face reminded Harry of Remus Lupin. They both had obviously lived hard lives, but retained an inner core of sweetness. To his great relief, Harry found himself drawn to Mr. Lovegood, and liking him very much.

When he had gone, Luna gave Harry a sharp look. "Are you sure we shouldn't have told him about the baby?"

"Luna," said Harry solemnly, "have you ever known anyone who found out he was going to be a granddad when his daughter was two days pregnant?"

"Good point."

"School's out in five weeks. We'll tell him then. I really want to graduate, since I'm so close, but we can get married right after that, if you want. How do wizards and witches get married anyway?"

"There's a registry office in Hogsmeade," said Luna.

"Thank goodness for Hogsmeade," said Harry, shaking his head.