Tales of a Spiritual Warrior

Chapter Nineteen: The End of the Seventh Year

Madam Pomfrey herded Harry and Luna up to the hospital wing. She sent Luna to quickly clean up and looked Harry over first. "Hmmmm. Exhaustion and a bit of dehydration, but nothing serious." She threw Harry a pair of pajamas and pointed him to a bathroom. "Now you clean up. Change your clothes. Be back here as soon as possible."

When Harry was gone, she turned her attention to Luna. After a few moments, the nurse flinched, and rocked back on her heels. "Well, Miss," Madam Pomfrey said grimly, "has the baby moved yet?"

Luna looked up startled, her pale brows arched in surprise.

"Did you think you could hide it from me forever?"

"No, I think I've hidden it long enough," Luna said frankly.

"Does Mr. Potter know?"

"Oh, yes. He was rather upset at first, but I think he's gotten used to the idea."

"Lovely of him," Madam Pomfrey said, tartly.

"It wasn't Harry's fault," Luna replied firmly, for her.

Madam Pomfrey replied with a word that Luna wasn't aware the nurse had known, and had seldom heard herself.

"There was a prophecy," Luna tried to explain. "It said only a Potter could beat Voldemort, and I was afraid if Harry failed, we would all be lost. So, I decided to...improve the odds a little."

"I thought Ravenclaw students were supposed to be smart. Do you realize you could have been killed?"

"But I wasn't killed! I'm fine. Aren't I?"

Madam Pomfrey sighed in frustration. "You need a lot of liquids, a decent meal and about two days straight sleep, but other than that, yes, Miss Lovegood you appear to be fine. I'm warning you, I will have to inform the headmaster, though. Now get to bed, before all hell breaks loose."

When Harry returned to the hospital wing, Madam Pomfrey was gone and Luna was asleep, lying on her side, her head on her hand. Ignoring the bed that had been prepared for him, Harry crawled onto the narrow bed beside her very carefully, trying not to wake her. She sighed in her sleep and curled up beside him. In a few moments, Harry was also asleep.

When informed, however, Dumbledore took the news rather better than could have been expected. A few days later he called meeting with the staff to discuss the latest turn of events. Madam Pomfrey gave a moan of frustration that caused Fawkes to jump about on his perch. "But Albus, what are you going to DO about it?"

The headmaster sat back in his chair and looked up at the ceiling with a sigh. "What would you have me do? Act as if it were a great shock, or disaster? I've been expecting it, actually."

"You do not consider it a disaster?" Professor McGonagall asked cautiously.

"Not at all. They are both of age. They have been deeply committed to each other for some time. They have their magazine to look forward to, and they both are in need of a family of their own. I needn't remind you that Harry is well off. He'll be graduating soon. Things could be worse. Besides, we might as well admit it. If Harry had been killed, we'd be treating that girl like gold right now. She would have been our last, best hope."

Professor Flitwick shook his head. "It is Miss Lovegood that grieves me. I do understand her reasoning in this. Her thoughts were logical, but then, she has always had a good mind. I hate to see it wasted."

Dumbledore considered the tiny wizard for a moment. "Ravenclaw students generally take an extra class each term, so they not?"

"You know that they do," Flitwick replied.

Professor Dumbledore smiled. "She is certainly proficient in Defense Against the Dark Arts, and she knew more about Ancient Runes when she arrived here than most of our seventh year students do now. Aside from Miss Granger, she's the only student I know of who can consistently stay alert for Professor Binns. What if we let Miss Lovegood take the N.E.W.T.s with Harry's class? If she passes a majority of the subjects, we would be within our right to graduate her."

Professor Flitwick beamed at the headmaster, who looked around. "No objections, anyone?"

"Oh, I suppose not," said McGonagall, speaking for all. "When are they having the wedding, anyway?"

Professor Flitwick piped up. "I believe right after graduation, in Hogsmeade. I heard that they sent an owl to the Dragon Flagon this morning asking to book their largest room for a reception."

"Oh, good grief," Snape sighed. "How childish can you get? We'll be knee deep in chips and sauce bottles ten minutes after we get there."

'Now, Severus," said Dumbledore, "be gracious. What cannot be cured, must be endured."

"I'll acknowledge Harry Potter as a special case under the circumstances," Madam Sinistra said frostily, "but I do hope we're not setting a precedent here. I have no intention of enduring the students intertwining all over the place, whether they get engaged or not. I have my hands full keeping them off the astronomy tower as it is."

"You should see some of the things I've found in the greenhouses," Madam Sprout added.

"I've always thought we should add regular discussions about sex to our curriculum," Madam Hooch said thoughtfully

"I think most of them know too much about it now!" Minerva McGonagall sniffed.

"I MEANT about sex in the school!"

"Well, obviously no one here wants any of that," said Professor Lupin dryly.

"I think that we had better finish this year before we make any further plans concerning the future of Hogwarts," Dumbledore said hastily. "We achieved our inter-house unity, at least." He dismissed the staff from his office.

Harry was delighted when Flitwick told Luna that they were going to give her a chance to take the N.E.W.T. exams. "That's the one thing I felt the worst about," he told Luna. "I'm honestly relieved that you're going to get to graduate. A girl as smart as you are should definitely get to graduate."

"I don't need a piece of parchment to tell me I'm smart, Harry, as long as you really think so, but it IS rather nice of Professor Dumbledore, isn't it?"

Luna took the N.E.W.T exams, and did very well. She was now wearing a rather magnificent engagement ring, which most of the girls in the class envied more than her early graduation. Most of them did not know the whole story, and merely thought it extremely romantic, like a knight and his lady fair winding up together at the end of a fairy tale quest.

When Harry had given it to her, she had been shocked. They had gone to their favorite spot by the lake, and she'd had no idea that Harry had bought it. It was a large emerald cut diamond, flanked by two smaller diamonds.

"Oh, Harry, it's beautiful!"

"I'm glad you like it. The jeweler said you would. I had no idea of what I was looking at," Harry admitted sheepishly, "but I did think it was pretty."

"Hermione is afraid Ron is going to ask her to marry him," Luna said thoughtfully. "She adores him, but she doesn't want to wind up doing nothing with her life but be a Weasley. Hermione thinks Molly is a great mum, but she also thinks Molly could have been so much more. Hermione is so clever. I can see why she might want to wait a bit before settling down. Ginny thinks Neville is going to ask her to marry him, though, and she is very excited."

Harry looked at her, startled. "Neville hasn't said anything to any of us. Are you sure?"

"Ginny thinks so," Luna repeated stubbornly, "and Ginny has gotten much better at analyzing people over the last couple of years. Do you think that would be a good thing? I do. She would make a lovely hostess for that big house," Luna said with a smile. "She's so lively and pretty. She could bring so much to that family."

"They need a little cheering up," Harry agreed, thinking of all that the Longbottoms had suffered over the years. "I've never been to their house, though. I don't know what it's like. Speaking of houses, how would you like to have the shack fixed up? I mean really fixed up. Professor Lupin asked me if you'd like to have it as a wedding present."

"I think that's a good idea," said Luna, laying her head on Harry's shoulder. "That's another house that needs to be turned around now that the war is over. I always did think it would make a lovely home."

"It already is to me, even in the shape it's in," Harry said sincerely. "All the time you've been with me, I've felt at home, even there. The war IS over, Luna. I have found my peace with you."