Luna's year

Dumbledore quietly closed the door to the hospital wing before placing his hand on Harry's shoulder and ushering him to the far end of the deserted hall, where they couldn't be overheard. Although it was well past midnight by now, Harry noticed that the Headmaster was still clad in his day robes, a resplendent sky blue silk frock complete with the stellar representations of Sol's nine planetary satellites.

"I must ask you, Harry," said Dumbledore quietly, a look of concern etched on his lined face, a sharp contrast to the reassuring aura he'd manifested at Tonks' bedside only minutes before, "Not to utilise a portkey without knowing where it may lead; the consequences of your actions this night might have been...severe."

Harry stood dumbfounded. It was the closest thing to a reprimand he'd ever received from the Headmaster. His stomach felt as though it were being dragged down with weights; he'd already felt responsible enough for dragging his friends into danger, without having to be reminded of it by Dumbledore. His shoulders sagged, feeling utterly despondent. He hadn't wanted any of this to happen...all he did was touch a stupid book...how was he to know?

The old Headmaster smiled slightly, as if sensing his mood. "That said...you may have provided an important clue as to Lord Voldemort's recent inactivity, Harry."

Harry looked up into the venerable wizards's twinkling blue eyes. "I did?"

Dumbledore nodded sagely. "Lord Voldemort and his minions have been unusually placid since the events of last semester," he said quietly. "So much so, in fact, that the Order has experienced considerable difficulty getting any insight into his activities. Only Nymphadora Tonks," he looked back towards the hospital wing, where the young Auror was now resting, "Was able to provide any tidbits of useful information. At least, that is, until she was discovered."

Harry's morale dipped again. He hadn't a clue as to how Tonks might have been discovered, yet couldn't help but get the feeling that he'd been responsible, somehow.

"You see, Harry," continued Dumbledore, "She had recently discovered that members of Lord Voldemort's inner circle were using several of the Dark Wizard Grindelwald's artifacts, some of which were portkeys. Unfortunately, she hadn't been able to ascertain their plans before her disappearance. This, however, has been rectified through your discoveries tonight."

Harry's head was swimming...he was dead tired, still aching from the various cuts and bruises he'd suffered after falling out of the second story window at the Shrieking Shack...so many unanswered questions...

"You mean...that prison? Luna did say it was Grindelwald's..." he said cautiously. "There was a ring of green flame all around - "

"Oh yes," Dumbledore said. "I created it, Harry, many years ago. Those flames you saw will stop any who would wish to breach them; hence, I'd crafted certain wards to avoid any possible disruption of the barrier."

"So...it really is Grindelwald's prison, then?" Harry ventured, his curiosity slowly growing.

"Well...not so much a prison, Harry," said Dumbledore, "More of a gateway of sorts, an ingress without egress, if you will..."

"And...Voldemort's trying to...get Grindelwald out?"

"Oh, no. Not to worry, Harry," said Dumbledore reassuringly, "Grindelwald can never return to this world, even were the barrier somehow breached. However, I believe that Lord Voldemort may be attempting to communicate with him in some way."

Harry swallowed. If one could communicate with those beyond the Veil...

"Is that possible?" asked Harry carefully, recalling the strange, disembodied, whispered voices he'd heard from behind the mysterious veil at the Department of Mysteries the previous year. He recalled vividly how he'd felt strangely drawn to them...

"That is an unknown, Harry," said the Headmaster in answer to his question. "Death is a subject in which Lord Voldemort is well versed. He has devoted his entire existence into avoiding it, turning it, essentially, into his greatest nemesis...and, as in all things, it is wise to learn as much about your enemy as possible. Indeed, it is the one area in which Voldemort's knowledge undoubtedly outstrips my own."

Harry gaped at him. It hardly seemed possible; Dumbledore's knowledge was stuff of legend. Harry had always been greatly reassured by the Headmaster's seemingly limitless capabilities, but now, to hear him say something like this, it was as though someone had deprived him of a crutch.

Dumbledore seemed to sense Harry's disbelief, as he raised his eyebrows in turn. "It is quite true, you know. Death has never really been a matter to hold my interest, Harry. During my youth, I seem to recall having to write an essay on the subject; needless to say, it was one of my more spectacular failures," he said furtively.

Harry couldn't help but allow himself a smile. Try as he might, he couldn't quite manage to picture Dumbledore as a 'youth'. He got the distinct impression that the young Dumbledore might have been quite a handful for the teachers of the time.

"In any event," the Headmaster continued, "Exactly why Lord Voldemort is attempting to breach the barrier, I cannot say. Grindelwald's knowledge of ancient magic was considerable, and accessing that knowledge may be a possibility; but now, at least, we have an idea of what he has been up to these last months, which may aid us in ultimately determining his plan."

Harry nodded. He immediately regretted not having brought Lestrange back with them, unconscious as she was...but then, his mind at the time had been rather...preoccupied.

For some reason Dumbledore had not seemed at all perturbed by this error in judgement. Perhaps it was the realization that, given her history at Azkaban, it was highly unlikely that she would have volunteered any information.

"Now then," said Dumbledore, "I must confess to some surprise, Harry."

"Professor?" asked Harry, seeing the old Headmaster mulling something over thoughtfully.

"Your friend, Miss Lovegood," he said quietly. "Upon realizing she was Annabelle Lovegood's daughter, I became of course aware she had in her possession her mother's wand. However, what is disturbing is that Lord Voldemort also seems to be aware of that same fact."

Harry felt his anxiety increase sharply. Was Luna in some danger?

"It...was the only one of our wands that worked in that place," he said.

"Yes," affirmed Dumbledore, "Indeed, it would be the only wand capable of doing so. No doubt that is why Lord Voldemort wished to obtain it."

"But...why is it so important? Why wasn't it affected like the others..." Harry trailed off, nonplussed.

"The wards I placed some fifty years ago had the effect of negating a wand's material component, Harry," replied Dumbledore, "Rendering any such item, of course, useless. However, in ancient times, there was a single, very powerful wizard who experimented with combining divergent components together in one wand. As you've no doubt learned in Transfiguration class, every component has certain strengths and weaknesses. His goal was to combine two such components of very contrasting properties, thereby creating an extremely powerful wand."

"So...because it had two..." ventured Harry.

"Exactly," said Dumbledore. "Only one component was negated. The other continued to work quite normally, from what you described."

Harry frowned. "But...why doesn't Voldemort make another wand with two components? Why does he need Luna's?"

Dumbledore smiled at him. "Well...the combining of two components in a single wand is quite beyond him, and myself, for that matter. Indeed, all who have tried have found the results to be impossibly chaotic, quite useless as a conduit of magical energy. All, that is, except one. And, until approximately forty years ago, I believed that wand had been lost to the ages. That is, until a certain young child began her studies at Hogwarts."

"Luna's mum," Harry realized.

"Quite so," said Dumbledore. "Needless to say, I was quite surprised to discover the wand still existed, more than a millennium after its creation. I of course knew that it could potentially be used in Bodwin Moor, though I never informed young Miss Lovegood of this."

He looked at Harry with a look of concern that did little to alleviate Harry's anxiety. "I must confess, I am at something of a loss to explain how Lord Voldemort became aware of its existence. Though he cannot bring Grindelwald back into this realm, his potential attempts at communicating with him is a matter of concern, if that is indeed what he has been up to these last few months."

Harry wondered what possible advantage Voldemort would gain by speaking to the infamous Dark Wizard; he now wished he'd listened carefully to Professor Binns' lecture about Grindelwald the previous year. But then, it had been no more exciting than any of his other discourses, and he'd only paid fleeting attention.

His thoughts had fixated on the possibility of communicating with those beyond the Veil...though, judging from the Headmaster, it seemed to be beyond even Dumbledore's capability.

"Are you...is Luna going to lose her wand?" he asked finally.

Dumbledore smiled. "No, Harry. If Miss Lovegood is anything at all like her mother, I needn't worry."

Harry blinked. "Um...Professor?"

"Annabelle Lovegood was a supremely gifted witch, Harry," he said quietly, "Her heritage gave her a certain...connection, shall we say, to ancient magic that the wizarding world has all but forgotten through the ages. In fact, it was one of her goals to research these forms of magic and incorporate them into modern spellcasting. As I recall, it was one of her major projects at the Ministry, however I fear that pressure from her superiors for results may have contributed in part to her most unfortunate end."

"Err...what sort of connection?" asked Harry, shifting his weight to his other foot, his curiosity piqued.

"Well, Harry, perhaps I'd best leave that to - "

"Harry! Professor!"

Harry jumped at the sound of Ron's voice echoing down the long hall. He was running towards them, a black, leather-clad book in his hands.

"Blimey, couldn't believe it was still there," he said upon reaching them, handing the tome to Dumbledore, "It was still right on the table where we'd left it."

The Headmaster gazed at the book with interest. "Well done, Mr. Weasley," he said at last. "This is definitely an artifact of Grindelwald's..his fortress has always eluded those who have searched for it, it would be interesting to discover how this was obtained."

"Malfoy's going to get expelled, right?" asked Ron excitedly, pointing at the book. "It's illegal to have an unauthorized portkey isn't it?"

"Quite correct, Mr. Weasley," replied Dumbledore. "However, Mr. Malfoy may become most useful to us exactly where he is, therefore I must ask you not to confront him with your knowledge of any of this."

Ron gaped at the old Headmaster. "Professor, you can't be serious!" he said, "He's practically a Death-Eater! He's in cahoots! He's been spying on the school, he's been - "

Dumbledore put up his hands. "Relax, Mr. Weasley," he said calmly. "I am aware of his activities, as you all have been very fervent in keeping an eye on him ever since last Hogsmeade weekend. However, as tonight's events have demonstrated, having him here may actually present Lord Voldemort with more of a problem than would otherwise be the case."

Ron's mouth opened, but evidently decided arguing would be of no avail, especially as Harry didn't seem to be pressing the issue himself.

Dumbledore smiled. "Well then," he said quietly, "Off you go."

* * *

"I must impress upon you the gravity of your actions tonight, Miss Granger," said Professor McGonagall, who, unlike Dumbledore, had been obviously roused from bed, her head still covered in a sleeping bonnet. "The violation of curfew, sneaking into the Slytherin Common Room, the theft of personal property - "

"Theft?! But we never took - " protested Hermione.

McGonagall waved her hand abruptly, clearly indicating she was not to be interrupted. " - the illegal use of a portkey - "

"But we didn't know it was - "

"Miss Granger!" said McGonagall sharply, her face stern and unyielding, "If I may beg your indulgence? What has gotten into you?"

Hermione's face became flushed; she couldn't bring herself to believe that she was being lectured about school rules considering the circumstances...out of the corner of her eye she saw Luna rise up from Tonks' bedside, drifting over to stand next to her.

Unlike Hermione, who was not bothering to conceal her frustration, Luna seemed dreamy and detached, but the young Gryffindor was nevertheless grateful for her show of support.

McGonagall looked down at Hermione, her severe expression softening somewhat. "I am aware of the significance of what you have uncovered this night; it is precisely because of that mitigating fact that I am refraining from deducting any points from Gryffindor, seeing as they would be simply counterbalanced by your achievements. And, it would be best that word of these events not become general knowledge. But I must emphasize to you, the seriousness of what you have done."

"I...I know, Professor," whispered Hermione in resignation, crossing her arms and turning her gaze to one of the unoccupied beds next to her.

"I would have thought that you, of all people, would have shown better judgement, Miss Granger. This recklessness is quite out of character!" she glanced at Luna, who was gazing up at her serenely, hands clasped together behind her back, slowly rocking back and forth on her feet, as though observing an interesting store window display.

"And what do you have to say for yourself in all of this, Miss Lovegood?"

"Well, it was quite interesting, actually," answered Luna serenely. "I can't wait to tell Daddy about the Heliopaths, he's going to be so happy; he got lots of mail, you know, when he published - "

McGonagall frowned. "Well, so long as you found it educational!" she snapped, clearly flustered by her apparent inability to convey her meaning to the girl. "I was referring to - your attention, please, Miss Lovegood," she said, as Luna had taken to gazing up at the ornate carvings on the trestles overhead, "I was referring to your reasons for participating in this mockery of school rules!"

Luna stared at her for several moments, absent-mindedly twisting a long stray strand of dirty blonde hair between her fingers. "Well, the Hat said we ought to, didn't it?"

"The hat? What pray tell are you prattling on about?"

"Last year," said Luna dreamily, "At the start of term, the Sorting Hat told us the Houses should stand united, remember? I think it's a wonderful idea, actually; I never really liked the concept of different hou - "

McGonagall cut her off with an abrupt wave of her hand. "Be that as it may, Miss Lovegood, that is not the issue here. Blatant rule breaking cannot be tolerated, as it promotes - "

"But it is the issue," interrupted Luna in turn, drawing a hushed gasp from Hermione. Never had she seen any student argue with the head of Gryffindor House before, who was now ogling the young Ravenclaw with a admittedly shocked expression. "If there's no school left, then rules won't matter much, really," continued Luna, showing no sign whatsoever of having committed a terrible faux-pas. "The Hat warned us, it said 'Our Hogwarts is in danger From external, deadly foes, And we must unite inside her, Or crumble from within'."

She gazed at McGonagall, her silvery eyes not so dreamy or misty as before. The Transfiguration teacher was staring back at her, the shocked expression having given way to one of sternness. "I don't know how you were raised, Miss Lovegood, but in civilized society it is considered impolite to interrupt someone while they are speaking," she said coldly.

"Yes, I know," said Luna dreamily, "You've interrupted me twice already."

McGonagall looked at Luna circumspectly, the faintest hint of a smile twitching at the corners of her mouth as she slowly shook her head. "Well...you do beat all, child," she said. "Very well...get back to your dormitories, the both of you. You still have classes tomorrow as usual."

"Yes, Professor," said Hermione with visible relief, as she and Luna left the hospital wing behind them, emerging into the hall.

"I still can't believe she criticized us for using a portkey," said Hermione in frustration after she'd closed the door behind them. "How were we supposed to know? It's not as though it was labelled 'Caution: Portkey' was it?? Ron told me he used one once that was an old boot!"

"Well, Professor McGonagall has always been stricter with students from her own House, hasn't she?" said Luna. "I'm glad I have Professor Flitwick."

"And notice how she never said a word about Malfoy," said Hermione acrimoniously, her hands balled into fists at her sides as she stomped angrily down the hall. "Oh, he'd better not get off again after all this, I swear..."

She felt a tug at her sleeve, making her come to a stop.

"What's wrong?" asked Luna, her head titled slightly to one side, as it often did whenever she seemed curious or concerned. "You sound rather upset..."

"Oh, I'm...I'm just blowing off some steam. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to take it out on you."

"You didn't," said Luna, "I'm just wondering where the steam is coming from, actually."

Hermione looked at her, seeing a pair of large, silvery eyes staring back expectantly. She sighed.

"I'm really upset about what happened to Tonks," she finally admitted, her voice edgy. "Voldemort used her, Luna! She was under the Imperius Curse, who knows how that's going to affect her? And to think, she'll still have all the memories of everything that happened...and all the teachers can think about are school rules and House points!"

"That's true, I suppose," said Luna serenely. "She's not under his control anymore, though..."

"No, but - "

"Well, I think she'll be happy about that, won't she?" said Luna. "And Madam Pomfrey did say she'd like to keep her here for a few days, so we'll get a chance to talk to her, if you like. I'll bake her a batch of chocolate Snorkacks too, I'm getting rather good at it. You really shouldn't worry so much..."

Hermione felt her anger lessen slightly. "I guess that's one way of looking at it," she said heavily. She rubbed her fists into her stinging eyes, "Maybe I'm just too tired to be thinking of this right now...I think I'll just try and catch whatever sleep I can before morning."

"Good thinking," nodded Luna. "Well, I'll see you in the morning, then. Goodnight!" she said happily as she started to leave.

"Oh, wait, Luna!" said Hermione as she caught up with her. "I'd better escort you to Ravenclaw tower, just in case Filch - "

"Oh, no, that's all right," said Luna, smiling. "I often go for walks at night, you know. I hardly ever get caught."

"Well...are you sure?" asked Hermione. She knew she really should go with her, being a Prefect and all. But exhausted as she was, her pillow was beckoning loudly.

"Oh yes," said Luna. "You're a prefect though, so best look the other way, so you don't see me breaking more school rules," she said merrily as she strolled off.

Hermione laughed, her spirits rising slightly. "Okay, Luna, you win." she said as she turned around and headed down the hall towards her own dormitory.

* * *

Harry was startled by a shrill hissing sound, at very same instant he saw the grey form of Mrs. Norris jumping violently in the air in front of him, fangs bared fiercely and claws extended.

He quickly took a step back, only then realizing he'd inadvertently stepped on her tail in his early morning daze.

"Er...sorry..." he said, as she hissed irately at him before bolting down the corridor towards the lower levels, headed, presumably, for Filch's office.

Great, thought Harry, just what I need in the morning.

He'd hardly slept in the last few hours left to him since his conversation with the Headmaster, having tossed and turned so much that he'd finally given up on getting any worthwhile slumber in favour of getting some early breakfast. Although, as his encounter with Mrs. Norris had proven, he was still a virtual somnambulist.

He walked groggily down the centre aisle in the nearly deserted Great Hall to the High Table, barely feeling the warmth of the flames as he passed the great fireplace, and piled himself a few toast and jams onto his plate before making his way back down to the Gryffindor table.

He squinted his still blurry eyes at someone waving at him at the far end. He ambled closer, finally recognizing Luna, who'd obviously had breakfast some time before and was now in the process of stuffing what looked like tiny woolen socks with an assortment of acorns and butternuts.

"Good morning," she said, gazing at him earnestly as he dropped onto the seat opposite her. "Were you in a fight? You don't look at all well."

"Eh?" said Harry, "Oh, I didn't get much sleep..."

"Oh...well, that would explain it..." Luna took the polished pewter plate that had once held her cupcake and swept off the crumbs, holding it up before him.

Harry blinked. That couldn't be himself staring back, could it? His eyes were half shut, underlined by dark circles, his usually messy hair sticking out wildly in all directions as though he'd been victimized by a rogue bolt of lightning.

"Ack!" he said, trying to smooth down his disastrously wild hair, with little success. "Well, I've got to take a shower later anyway," he said, finally giving up.

Luna put the plate down. "Sleep is food for the brain, Harry. You really shouldn't starve it, you know, it's not good for the imagination. There's still a couple of hours before classes start, why don't - "

"It won't do any good," said Harry, dazedly buttering a piece of toast with some jam, using his fork as he'd left his knife back at the High Table. "Anyway, what's that you're making?" he asked as he took a half-hearted bite.

Luna glanced down at the little woolen socks. "Oh, these are little presents I've been making..."

"Oh, for the House Elves, I guess?" asked Harry, discovering his bread had the flavour of cardboard.

"Well...no," said Luna, looking back at Harry uncertainly. "I'm not supposed to say, really. I promised."

"That's all right," said Harry quickly, not wanting to put her on the spot. "They just looked to be about the right size, that's all."

Luna picked up an empty sock and considered it carefully. "You know, they are, aren't they?" she said. "I made way too many, actually. Maybe Hermione would like the extra ones for the elves..."

Harry continued eating for a while, watching Luna as she continued filling the remainder of her little socks until she'd used up all her acorns and butternuts. Though neither had spoken the whole time, the ensuing silence didn't feel at all awkward somehow. Luna's unique quirkiness was such that Harry felt very much at ease with the young Ravenclaw, the inherent social pressures when dealing with most people being noticeably absent here.

"Well, I'm done," she said at last with satisfaction, carefully filling her bag with the small pile of packed socks. "I've got to go deliver these...I'll see you later, Harry," she said, smiling dreamily as she stood from her seat to gather her things.

"Um - " said Harry, making Luna hesitate. Harry dropped the remainder of his muffin onto his plate. "Luna, could I ask you something...if you're not in a hurry, I mean?"

"Sure, Harry," she said serenely, sitting back down. "This is my quiet day. I don't have classes till this afternoon."

"Um...I've been wondering...about what you said..." he trailed off, wondering if he should have brought it up after all; perhaps it was best if he tried to just forget what happened instead...

Luna tilted her head slightly, her silvery eyes staring into his. He couldn't stop now, he decided, after making her stay to hear him out -

He took a deep breath. "What you said about you hearing it too..."

"Oh, that...well...I could tell you really wanted to go in there, Harry," she said quietly. "I could hear the voices too...you were thinking about your Godfather, weren't you?"

"Yeah," said Harry, "I was...you know, this is going to sound terrible, but I never really knew my parents, I was just a year old when...but Sirius...I never got to say goodbye..."

Luna was staring at him intently now. "Well...I know how that is," she said quietly. "Neither did I...but Harry, you will see him again, one day. Your folks, too...but you shouldn't go walking through Veils to do it, you know."

"Yeah, I know," said Harry, "It just...seems to pull me in, somehow. It's like I can't think straight around it."

"I know," she nodded sagely. "I saw how you reacted to it that time at the Ministry too...it's the voices, isn't it?"

"I don't know," he admitted, running his hands through his mussed up hair, "I'm just so tired with this whole thing...it's..."

"Harry?"

"I've had it," he said. "This war with Voldemort, the Prophecy, almost getting my friends killed, it's all because of me...I'm so sick of it all..."

Luna bit her lip, looking at him sadly. They both sat there in silence for awhile, until the young Ravenclaw suddenly brightened. "I know!" she said earnestly, startling him. "Harry, why don't you come with me?"

"Huh? Uh, where?" asked Harry, taken aback by her suddenly energetic demeanor.

"I have to go deliver these," she said, holding up her bag in front of him, "Why don't you come?"

"Er..." said Harry, his fogged-up brain experiencing difficult keeping up with Luna's surprise meanderings, "I can't, I have a double History of Magic class this morning..."

"Oh, come on," said Luna, "It will do you good, Harry. Besides, Hermione told me how you and Ronald just copy her notes after class anyway."

Harry stared at her. Luna Lovegood was asking him to go with her to...well to who-knows-where, he thought. It was doubly surprising as she'd simply brushed aside his initial declination...her apparent insistence was so atypical of her that his curiosity was piqued.

"Well...yeah, okay," he said. "Um...where are we going, though?"

Luna closed her eyes. Harry saw her lips moving slightly, as though mumbling something to herself, a few moments later her large silver eyes popping open once more. "Nope...I just thought back to my promise, Harry, so I can't tell you...but I can show you," she said.

Harry gaped at her. The last time he'd heard those words, they'd been uttered by Tom Riddle...

But no, he chastised himself, it was mere coincidence; there was absolutely no connection between the two. In fact Luna was just about as diametrically opposite to Riddle as anyone could possibly be...and even though he had no idea where she would lead him, he knew he would trust her.

"Okay," he said at last, rising from the table, "I'm just going to stop at the tower, to let them know I won't be in class...and I'll grab my coat while I'm at it."

Luna stood up with him, putting on her winter coat and reaching down under the table, grabbing what appeared to be a black, wide-brimmed witches' hat. Though this one was rather unique, sprouting a pair of large reindeer antlers extending from either side.

She carefully placed it atop her head, wrapped her long Ravenclaw scarf around her neck and throwing the trailing ends behind her back. She grabbed her bag and looked at Harry. He was looking back at her, trying hard not to stare at the preposterous hat.

"Well, come on," she said, grabbing his hand and leading him towards the large doors, which were open awaiting the influx of morning students.

As they reached the outer hall they nearly ran into Parvati and Lavender, who were on their way down for breakfast. They both ogled Luna's hat and burst out laughing, walking around them into the Great Hall.

"Go ahead and laugh!" Luna called back hotly after them. "Your hair would look like that too if you hadn't slept all night!" she cast them a withering look as they kept glancing back and giggling.

"Uh..." said Harry, "You know, I think they were really laugh - "

Luna turned around, staring at him innocently, seemingly oblivious to the fact that she'd been the subject of their ridicule, instead of Harry's mussed hair.

The sight of her wide, childlike silver eyes made him think better of it. "Um...nothing...anyway, wait right here, I'll be right back." He ran down the hall to the Gryffindor tower, returning a few minutes later with his coat (and slightly less mussed hair) to find Luna waiting for him patiently, dreamily twisting a long lock of sandy-coloured hair between her fingers.

"Okay," said Harry, "Lead the way."

She led them out into the courtyard, Harry noting with relief that it wasn't a particularly cold day, especially considering it was so early in the morning. He quickly decided that was fortunate, as he had no idea how far Luna was likely taking him. He was starting to get very curious as to what she was taking him to see...it can't be Snorkacks, he thought, she'd be telling everybody in the school by now.

They exited the main gatehouse, Harry spying a trail of smoke rising lazily from the chimney of Hagrid's snow-covered hut. The gamekeeper himself wasn't outside, saving Harry from having to explain why he was going for a stroll in the Forbidden Forest, as it now seemed that was where Luna was heading.

He glanced around, hoping no one was watching them, as Luna's reindeer hat would be a dead giveaway even at a considerable distance.

"Er, Luna," he said as she turned to look at him, keeping her pace steady, "Are you sure it's safe? I mean the last time we came in here - "

"Yes," she said simply. "Oh don't worry, the spiders don't come out in winter, you know."

Harry noticed that the snow cover was very light in the forest, the mass of twisting branches overhead sufficing to reduce the amount of snow that reached the ground. The woods were strangely silent, though Harry supposed that was because most of its natural denizens had either migrated for the winder or were in quiet hibernation.

They walked on for about half an hour, Harry managing to step on seemingly every broken twig and branch on the forest floor, while Luna somehow managed to glide through it all virtually silently, her footsteps barely audible. Harry wondered how she could remember this route, as there was no trail here to follow, with no obvious landmarks to help guide them. But she strolled on resolutely, showing no signs of uncertainty or hesitation. Indeed, she had a spring in her step that filled him with confidence.

They continued on for a while longer, until they came to the trailing edge of a small valley that was almost totally devoid of snow. Indeed, even the temperature here seemed noticeably warmer.

Luna came to a sudden halt. Harry tensed, thinking she'd seen something.

She turned to him. "Okay, Harry, close your eyes," she whispered. "It won't be much further."

Harry hesitated. "Uh..."

She shook her head briskly, her long mane of dirty blonde hair whipping about, though somehow her hat kept steady. "I promised them I'd never show anyone how to get here," she whispered. "This way I keep my word."

Harry nodded, hesitating a few moments before finally closing his eyes. He wondered who it was she'd promised, but figured it was useless to ask ; he'd find out soon enough for himself anyway. He felt Luna hand take his hand in hers, slowly guiding him down the gently sloping ground.

The ground here was mossy in places, making it slightly slippery but also helped to quiet his footsteps. They continued walking for several minutes more, Harry sensing the slope of the ground levelling out, informing him they were at the bottom of the shallow valley.

They continued for a short time, walking very slowly, until he felt Luna stop. He felt her crouch down beside him, tugging on his hand, which he took to mean he was to do the same. He dropped quietly down next to her, feeling his knees rub up against what he assumed was a large fallen tree in front of him.

"Okay, Harry," she whispered very quietly in his ear, "Open your eyes..."

Harry did, blinking a few times to get them adjusted to the brightness. Then he saw them, right ahead.

"Oh my God..."