Obliviate

Obliviate - Chapter Eight

"Someone looks a little too happy today."

Harry wiped the sweat off his brow and smiled to himself as he heaved a box onto a skid. He looked up over the tower of packages at Sam.

"So what if I am?" he responded.

Sam held his hands up and raised his eyebrows. "Hey, no need to get defensive; I was just noticing you seem a little less grouchy today."

He narrowed his eyes. "You calling me grouchy?"

The older man idly tapped his fingers along a box and then he nodded after a moment. "Yeah, just a little bit."

Harry couldn't resist a chuckle. Ever since day one (at least from when he could remember working there at least), Sam had gone out of his way to make him feel welcome. While Sam was nearly ten years his elder, the two of them got along famously and the long work day seemed to pass by quickly when they were together. Usually he would insult Harry in some way and then they would both share a good laugh afterwards.

"So, are you gonna tell me who she was?"

"What?" Harry asked, caught off guard by the question.

"You know, your lady friend," he said, folding his arms across his chest. "I'm an old man, James, I know these things."

"You're twenty-nine, Sam," Harry shot back. "That's not very old."

His partner snorted indignantly and waggled his eyebrows. "I'm old enough to know a few things about life, that's all." He paused for a moment and then a smirk appeared on his face. "I don't even get a name?"

Harry sighed and lifted another box onto the pile. "Her name's Nora," he said.

"Aha!" Sam cried out, raising a triumphant fist in the air. "But I'm afraid I have one more question to ask of you."

He rolled his eyes and turned to face his friend. "Yes?"

"This one's a little more serious than the last question I asked you, James. You sure you won't mind if I ask?"

Harry studied the older man's face. He appeared to be sincere so he nodded, curious to know what he was going to ask him.

"Was it a one night stand?"

He had opened his mouth to say something but he stopped himself, unsure of what his answer would be. Had their time together only been a single night of unrestrained lust? Had it truly been so shallow?

No. He clamped his jaw shut, recalling not just the passion but also the tenderness and the easy familiarity they had shared with one another that night. Slowly he shook his head.

"No, it wasn't a one night stand, Sam."

The other man appeared to perk up at the news. "What, is she your girlfriend or something?"

This time Harry smiled faintly, staring past Sam, thinking about how he felt about Nora.

"No," he said, feeling his cheeks flush slightly. "I think I've found someone much more permanent than a girlfriend."

* * *

The rest of the day passed by rather quickly - Nate announced to them at half two that they could leave early. So it was at about three o'clock that Harry found himself back at home, standing by his front door, fumbling around in his pockets for the key to his house.

"Dammit," he muttered to himself. "Why don't I keep this thing with my car keys...."

Suddenly there was a soft click from the door and it swung open with a quiet creak. Harry looked up, startled by the movement, and he did a double take. Standing in his doorway smiling serenely at him was Luna.

"Hello, Harry," she said amiably. She turned her head to the door and looked at it curiously. "You seemed to be having trouble unlocking this so I took the liberty of opening it for you."

"Luna?" he asked, feeling lightheaded by her unexpected appearance at his flat.

"Hello, Harry," she repeated. Luna gazed at him concernedly. "Are you feeling well? Maybe you should come inside and have a seat."

"Yes," he murmured weakly, fiddling with the keys in his hand that he no longer needed. "Perhaps I should."

"All right then." She spun around and walked down the hall to the kitchen. "I made some tea for us, Harry...."

Why did the women in his life enjoy showing up at his house uninvited? He shuffled down the hall in a daze and Luna smiled as he entered the kitchen and took a seat at the table. She carried over a tray and set it down in front of them. Humming to herself, she poured herself a cup and started sipping on it contentedly.

"Um," Harry mumbled.

Luna looked up over her cup at him. "What was that, Harry?"

He took a breath and ran a hand through his dark hair. "Luna, what are you doing here?"

"Why, I'm sitting here, having tea with you. I thought that was rather obvious," she added calmly, smiling at him again before taking another sip from her cup.

"Er, no - no, that's not what I meant," he blurted out. "Uh, I meant...." Harry stared at her, feeling hopelessly lost in his own home. Finally he settled on asking her, "Why are you here, Luna?"

She delicately set her cup on the table and folded her hands together as she peered at him intently. "I felt like you needed some cheering up." He smiled at her gratefully and he relaxed into his seat. "So," she continued, "I made plans for us tonight and you can forget all about remembering that you forgot."

"I - what?" he asked dumbly. "Plans? What plans?"

"Harry," she said cheerily, "we're going to a Quidditch game tonight!"

* * *

It was an evening match, pitting (as Luna informed Harry) the absolutely hopeless Chudley Cannons versus the Falmouth Falcons, who were expected to win. When they arrived at Chudley, Luna happily informed Harry that the seats she had bought were perfectly placed towards the middle of the pitch and at average height, which would allow them an excellent view of the upcoming game. As they settled in, a crisp breeze swept over them as the sun retreated over the horizon, half hidden by a bank of clouds. Everywhere Harry looked, there were people of all ages decked out in either orange or dark gray, already cheering wildly even though the match had not yet begun.

Curious, he peered over the railing at the dizzying hundred foot drop and then he suddenly jumped back as seven fiery blurs zipped past his head.

From behind him he heard someone shout, "It's the Cannons!"

As the Cannons soared through the air, looping and performing barrel rolls to impress the crowd, Harry heard scattered cheers of, "Go Cannons!" and a child walking up the aisle next to him smiled and said, "Let's all just keep our fingers crossed and hope for the best, eh?"

He quickly turned his head as he heard boos and hisses coming from somewhere, and on the opposite side of the pitch from where they were sitting, the Falcons blasted off into the air, flying in tight formation. To Harry, they all appeared very rough and rowdy; their Beaters had arms that looked as wide as his neck and even though there was a sharp chill in the air, they had torn off the sleeves of their robes to show off their massive biceps.

"Those two are supposed to be the best Beaters Falmouth's had since the Broadmoor brothers," Luna explained, pointing to the two of them. Then she added dryly, "If you couldn't already tell, they've got a reputation for being a bit chippy."

"Yes," he murmured, studying the moves of the professional players with awe. They all moved so quickly and fluidly on their brooms - even though the Chudley Cannons were supposed to be the worst team in the league, he still thought they looked like a well-oiled machine, primed and ready to go.

The shrill cry of a magically amplified whistle rang throughout the stadium, interrupting his thoughts, and he saw the referee motioning for the team captains to land so they could do the traditional handshake.

"That's Galvin Gudgeon," Luna said, nodding her head towards a thin wiry man standing alongside the rest of his orange-clad teammates. "He's the seeker for the Cannons," she went on. Then, lowering her voice so people around her couldn't listen in, she added, "and if you ask me, he's the reason why Chudley's so hopeless right now. He actually fell off his broom chasing a butterfly once."

"What?" Harry asked jokingly, "did he think it was the Snitch?"

"Yes," Luna replied sincerely, staring at him unblinkingly.

Without warning, the Snitch was released and the opposing teams kicked off. Two professional announcer's voices echoed throughout the stands, offering play by play announcements and color commentary, but Harry barely heard a word because Luna kept up a constant commentary of her own, filling him in on little known facts about each player and discussing their strengths and weaknesses and such.

"It actually got so bad," she went on knowledgeably, "that Ragmar Dorkins, the team manager, had to publicly plead with the fans to not curse poor Galvin for playing so poorly."

Harry glanced away from the game to study Luna. "You sure know an awful lot about the Chudley Cannons."

Her eyes flickered for an instant to him and then back to the play. "Oh - an old friend of mine was a great Cannons fan," she said. "I became a Cannons fan because of... my friend."

Harry could have sworn he saw a pink tinge on her cheeks but he kept his lips shut and resumed watching the game.

After about forty-five minutes of lopsided play (Falmouth was leading Chudley ninety to zero), the cries and cheering suddenly grew in intensity and people rose out of their seats, shouting and calling out wildly. Harry decided to listen to the slick voice of the Chudley announcer and he paid attention just in time to hear, "GUDGEON SEES THE SNITCH! And Drevis Birch goes tearing down the wing - they're neck and neck-"

He watched, captivated by the two Seekers, and then a flash of gray caught his eye. Harry felt completely helpless as a Falmouth Beater lazily moved into position above the two Seekers, casually waiting for them to come into range so he could launch a Bludger at Galvin. Then, with a feral grin on his face, the Beater wound up and took a mighty swing at the iron ball, sending it hurdling towards the Seeker.

Without thinking, Harry jumped up and screamed, "GALVIN, LOOK OUT!"

However, Galvin suddenly seemed to lose balance on his broom and he nearly slipped off, righting himself just before he completely lost his grip - allowing the Bludger to sail harmlessly past him and collide instead with the Falmouth Seeker, who wasn't as fortunate and was knocked clean off his broom. Finally unhindered, Galvin zipped forward with one extra burst of speed and plucked the Golden Snitch from in front of him.

The stadium exploded with exuberant Cannons fans and great magical cannon lined up around the perimeter of the pitch started blasting magical fireworks in the air as the last Quidditch players descended. In the center of the field, a mob of enthusiastic Chudley fans ran over to the team and Harry saw them hoist Galvin up onto their shoulders and begin to carry him away. Over the deafening roar, he heard the announcer shouting, "I DON'T BELIEVE IT! GUDGEON HAS CAUGHT THE SNITCH! THE CANNONS WIN!" From over to his right, Luna leapt to her feet and she wrapped Harry up in a fierce hug.

"We did it! We did it!" she burst out as she released him, beaming merrily and clapping her hands together. "It's our first win of the season!"

"That's great!" he exclaimed, allowing himself to get swept up in the cheering and good feeling surrounding him.

"Harry, Harry," she called out excitedly, "We have to go celebrate!"

He leaned in closer so he could hear her over the thunderous din. "What did you have in mind?"

Her eyes lit up. "I know just the place," she said before winding an arm through his, whisking him away with a spin, leaving nothing behind except the distinct crack of Disapparation.

* * *

They Apparated moments later into a small, dimly lit room. Dozens of coats hung on racks and lined the walls. A single hovering candle was the sole provider of light in the sad little closet and the air was motionless and smelled like a mixture of all sorts of deodorants, perfumes, and colognes. Harry resisted the urge to cough since he was standing very close to Luna, for there wasn't very much space to move around. She twisted around, trying to disentangle herself from his arm and he could see she had a look of mild dismay on her face.

"Hmph," she muttered. "This was supposed to be the designated Apparition point." She swiveled her head from side to side, taking in her surroundings. "I guess it's a coat room now."

Harry grimaced. Luna was unwittingly pressing her body against him in a variety of ways due to the way she was moving around trying to get free; he could feel her body heat rolling off of her and onto him and he could smell the faint scent of her shampoo since he was almost an entire foot taller than her and his nose was nearly buried in her hair.

"Uhhh," he stuttered, trying his best to back away from her. "Maybe you should look for the door, Luna."

"Oh," she muttered, and he could feel her hot breath on his neck as she looked up at him and said, "I think it's right behind you, if you could just-"

"Yeah, I'll turn around here-"

"Ow!"

"Oh, sorry, I didn't see-"

"Here, let me reach past you-"

"No, I can get it-"

"It's only a few more inches-"

"GOT IT!"

The door swung open, depositing them in a heap on the floor, with Luna lying on top of Harry, both of them momentarily stunned by the fall. They both stared at each other, at a loss for words. Luna opened her mouth to say something but ahead of them, a smiling, uncoordinated-looking boy stepped forward, extending a hand to them.

"Hullo there," he said loudly. Then he added matter-of-factly, "The Apparition point's changed, just so you know."

Luna graciously accepted his hand and he helped to lift her to her feet. Harry stiffly sat up (his back was sore from the fall) and stood up, wincing slightly as he straightened his shoulders out. He blinked once and then he looked at the young man who had helped them. There was something he recognized about him....

"Stan?" he asked. "Stan Shunpike?"

The young man perked up. "Oh, you know my brother? Yes, he works on the Knight Bus, he does, I suppose everyone knows him...." Then he stood up taller and puffed his chest out. "I'm Daniel Shunpike. Stan's my older brother."

"It's nice to meet you," said Luna, nodding at him.

"So, er - if you don't mind me asking, what do you do here, Dan?"

He raised a brow. "Why, I help people like you to situate themselves after they fall out of the coat closet! 'Tis a very important job, yes!"

Harry stared at him. "You couldn't just expand that room and make it a little easier to get out of?"

"Good heavens, no! And ruin a perfectly good coat closet?" Dan snorted as he motioned for them to follow him through a doorway.

Harry cast an anxious sidelong glance at Luna, trying to study her expression, to see if she felt as awkward as he did, but she simply hummed to herself and followed Dan on down the short corridor. He shook his head, trying to cast off these strange new feelings.

Think about Nora. Nora, Nora, Nora....

"Let me take you to the main room. This," he said before he opened the door, "is the new and improved Three Broomsticks, it is."

With a grand flourish, he pushed the door open and bowed, waving them in. In stark contrast to the cramped, dark coat closet, the main room was a wide open, bright area. Their feet clicked on the old fashioned floorboards beneath them as they wound their way through the many tables and chairs further into the room. There were several other patrons in the store who casually glanced up at their entrance and Harry noticed house elves running around, carrying trays of food to the customers, polishing the tables, and sweeping the floors.

At the back of the room, there was a bar. He was pleased to note that it appeared significantly cleaner than the one at the Leaky Cauldron. Luna eased herself into a barstool and patted the one next to her.

"Come on," she said conversationally, "don't be shy."

A comely-looking older lady stepped behind the counter and her face lit up at the couple before her.

"Luna!" she cried out enthusiastically. "I haven't seen you in ages!"

The two women embraced over the bar and Harry looked on, feeling slightly bemused before he finally recognized who he was looking at: Madam Rosmerta. She didn't look very different from how he remembered her from his Hogwarts days - the lines on her face had gotten a little deeper and there were a few more strands of gray hair on top of her head, but she still seemed full of life and good humor. The bartender's eyes came to rest on Harry and a sly grin spread out across her face.

"So this is who you show up with," she said more to herself than to either one of them. "After months of not seeing you, Luna, and years of missing young Mister Potter here, I finally get to see both of you at once!"

Luna beamed at the other woman. "The Cannons won their first match of the season," she said. "So we're here to celebrate, if you know what I mean," she added with a wink.

"I'm sure I do," Rosmerta replied sagely, nodding as she went off to prepare their drinks.

Harry rested his chin in his hands and he stared around the newly renovated tavern, savoring the sight of it all and the delicious aroma of food being prepared in the kitchen. "I don't remember the Three Broomsticks being like this," he remarked.

"It was ransacked during the occupation," Luna told him. "Fortunately Madam Rosmerta was able to leave Hogsmeade before that happened, though. She only reopened last month since the damage took so long to fix!"

"The occupation...?" he asked, but he was cut off by the return of Rosmerta.

She set two mugs down in front of them filled with a foamy, sweet smelling, light blue liquid. Harry warily observed his drink.

"These aren't Screaming Banshees, are they?"

"I assume Tom's been serving you drinks at the Leaky Cauldron?" Rosmerta's grin grew even wider as Harry nodded rather sheepishly, still eyeing his drink with caution, half expecting it to burst into song and dance at any moment. "Don't you worry, dear, it's just a drink. No screaming from these ones."

With another wink she turned and vanished back into the kitchen, leaving Harry and Luna alone at the bar. She raised her mug in the air.

"I propose a toast," she said, speaking as if she was at a formal event.

"Very well then," he answered, raising his own mug in return. "To the Cannons!"

Before the glass touched his lips Luna cried out, "No, no!" and he paused to stare at her. Luna gave him a pleased look and then she said levelly, "To your timely return to the wizarding world, Harry."

For a second he didn't say or do anything, he just sat there looking at her. Luna's earnest smile didn't falter under his gaze, however, so he inclined his head and they touched their glasses together with a soft clink. After a long moment, he lowered his half-empty glass to the bar. Luna, he noticed, was still gulping down her drink and he watched in astonishment as the blue liquid vanished from her glass until it was all gone. With gusto, she slammed it onto the counter.

"Rosie!" she called out. "I'll have another one!"

Harry gaped at her, glancing back and forth between her and the empty mug. He hadn't known Luna could do that. She saw him doing this and a very un-Luna like giggle escaped her lips.

"Surprised, Harry?"

"Er, yeah, a little," he muttered in return, watching her with amusement. Just then, a house elf appeared by her side with another drink for her and he sidled away after she took it from him.

"Another toast!" she called out, raising her new mug in the air too quickly. A little bit of the liquid sloshed over the sides and splashed out on the counter.

"Um-"

"Not to the Cannons," she said, her words slurring themselves. "Or to your return...."

"Then to what...?"

"Just to you, Harry frickin' Potter! A toast to you, Harry!" she cheered sloppily. A few curious heads from around the room turned to watch the drunk girl at the bar and then, just as she had done mere moments before, she gulped down the drink all at once.

When she was finished, she leaned over the counter and rested her cheek on the cool surface as she tilted her head to look at Harry. He cast a few timid glances around the bar and was grateful to see that nobody was paying them very much attention anymore. Luna beamed at him as he reached over to her, to help her to sit up straight again.

"Oh, give me a hug!" She lurched towards him, throwing her arms at him.

"I'd rather-" he said lamely as she hung onto him, humming contentedly.

"I'm so glad you came with me tonight," she mumbled into his chest.

"Er, yeah, me too," he replied quickly. His mind was racing. What should he do? Luna was drunk!

Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed Madam Rosmerta step behind the bar again.

"Madam Rosmerta!" he called out, holding Luna up in her seat so she wouldn't spill out onto the floor. "Could you come here, please?"

"Why certainly-" she halted in mid sentence and put a hand to her chest when she saw how clearly inebriated Luna was.

"How much alcohol was in those drinks?"

"Not very much," she answered, watching Luna with a hint of a smile dancing across her lips. "There was less than a shot of firewhisky in each one...."

Harry grunted as he shifted Luna around in his arms, struggling to keep her sitting up. She flashed him a dreamy grin.

"I'd better get her home-"

"No-" Luna interrupted him lazily, blinking a few times and squirming in his grip.

"-she seems to be bit of a lightweight," he finished as he stood up, pulling Luna to her feet next to him.

Madam Rosmerta nodded as she took a cloth out and idly began to polish the bar top where Luna had spilled her drink. "If you want, you can Disapparate directly from here. Take her home, Harry." Then with a knowing smile on her face she added, "And take good care of her."

"Of course I will," he responded, moving gracelessly as he held Luna upright.

"No," she repeated quietly, shaking her head. "The war...."

Harry squinted at her, trying to decipher what she was telling him. The war? Wasn't the war with Voldemort over now?

"Luna, what are you talking about?" he asked her as he leaned in closer to her so he could hear her better.

"The, w-wards-" she said again. Then comprehension dawned on Harry and he realized what she was saying. Of course he couldn't Apparate into her house, she'd needed to do something special with her wand to get them past the wards... and judging by the somewhat less than coherent state of mind she was in now, Luna didn't appear to be in any condition to be performing complicated wandwork anytime soon.

"Well, we can't stay here," he pointed out. "Looks like you're coming home with me."

"Mmm," was all she said as he closed his eyes and focused on the spell.

An instant later they were gone.

* * *

As soon as they Apparated into his flat, Harry gently guided Luna over to his living room where he eased her onto the sofa; slowly, carefully, he laid her down so she was in a comfortable reclining position. He unfolded the blanket he kept on the arm of the couch and covered her body with it, making sure to tuck it in under her chin. With a faint smile tugging at his lips, he stepped back and admired his handiwork. Luna's eyes were closed and her breathing was even - she had passed out soon after she'd lied down - and Harry couldn't help but think of how fragile she looked just lying there all by herself, so small against the thick blanket and the overstuffed cushions.

He felt an impulsive urge to stay in the room with her, to sleep on the floor beside her, to watch her to make sure she remained safe all night. Harry gritted his teeth together and scratched the back of his neck as he watched her, hesitating in the doorway, unsure of whether he should stay or if he should go.

"You can stay," came Luna's soft voice. Her pale eyes were open, observing him. "If you'd like, that is."

His decision had been made for him. He quietly tiptoed over to her and sat down, leaning his back against the couch, so their heads were at the same end.

"Thanks again, Luna," he quietly said to her. "Tonight was a really great night. I - I think I needed it."

"You deserved it," she replied plainly, giving him a nudge on the shoulder.

Something deep inside of him cried out in joy as she said those words, followed by the unexpected sensation of tears beginning to form in his eyes. There was a feeling he got from being around her, a feeling of trust, of camaraderie, of affection - it was a feeling that brought with it the knowledge that he had a true friend in Luna, someone who cared for him and who would stick by him in the face of adversity. He turned around to thank her, to hold her hand and tell her how good of a friend she was to him, but he never got the chance.

He had opened his mouth to say something along the lines of, "Thanks, Luna, you're such a great person and I'm so grateful to have you as my friend," except her lips intercepted his in midair, not giving him a chance to say thank you or even react at all. Luna's hand was caressing his cheek and her other hand was roaming around in small circles on his chest - and Harry was lost in the moment. He was lost in the kiss, lost in the blissful haze of Luna, temporarily putting his woes aside and escaping from the gray, narrow confines of his life.

And like so many good things in the world, it was over much too soon, leaving the two breathless and lightheaded in a dark living room.

"Merlin," moaned Luna, letting her head fall back onto the sofa, "I've wanted to do that for years, Harry."

"You've what?" he asked, startled by what she'd just told him. But she didn't answer him. A quick glance over at her showed him that her eyes were shut again and she was breathing deeply.

As he rose from where he was sitting and exited the living room, the pleasurable fog began to dissipate in his head and another one of life's cruel miseries trickled back into his consciousness: guilt. What had he just done? Snogging Nora was okay, it was fine, it was safe, it was in bounds, but Luna? Harry felt like he had just crossed over some invisible line and the Romance Police were coming to arrest him. Luna was a friend, wasn't she? Yet when he thought about it, the kiss had been astonishingly mind blowing... and she had been the one to start it....

What was he thinking? It didn't matter how good it had been, he'd just cheated on Nora! While Harry was still relatively young and inexperienced in romantic matters, he was sharp enough to know that this was a very bad situation indeed.

"Oh, Harry Potter," he groaned to himself, "what are you going to do with yourself now?"

A/N 9/23/06:

Coming in Chapter 9: Luna seduces, Harry confesses, Nora takes a stand, and Dumbledore, well, he does his Dumbledore thing. Things start to fall apart... the end is near!