Madame Pomfrey was reading over the changes to the standard ceremony that Luna had requested. The school nurse was trying to hide her worries about the girl that had won her precious son’s heart. After all, Luna had still been a student at Hogwarts when Albus had her told about meeting a most beguiling girl named Luna Lovegood. Loony Lovegood would have been the last girl she’d ever thought her level headed, hard working son to have fallen for.

“I found the final lines to be quite touching dear,” divulged Luna’s future mother-in-law. “I’ve not heard them used in any wedding that I’ve ever attended. Where did you get them from?” she asked.

“Oh, I’ve used them in all of my weddings,” smiled Luna.

Moody looked down at the map that lay on the wooden dining room table; hunger filled his true eye while the magical eye one spun around the room. “If the spy’s information is right, your plan might just work. As long as we are all of one purpose and ever vigilant to the probability that this could be a trap,” Moody exclaimed.

Luna, who was looking between Neville and Ginny down at the upside down map, saw Harry smile next to Moody. Harry took a deep breath and looked quickly at her end of the table. Luna knew what was coming, and she readied herself for the coming explosion.

“Good work you three, with this information we can truly bring this to an end for good,” proclaimed Harry.

At the ‘for good’ of Harry’s statement, Luna saw Ron and Hermione whose hands were lightly touching on the table top both smile. The smiles made it obvious that they knew something about You-Know-Who that Luna did not.

The Trio had been gone so many months. The months that the they had disappeared on their mysterious quest had been some of the hardest in Ginny’s life. They were also hard months for her two best friends who had seen her through the moments of doubt and fear.

“So Neville, when are the three of you going back to Hogwarts?” rushed Harry trying to get the words out before the eruption. He barely made it.

“What do you mean, back to Hogwarts? We’re not going anywhere!” shouted Ginny across the table.

“Yes, you are!” answered Harry.

“You’re not my boss, nor my father, so you’ve no right to tell me anything,” Ginny fired back.

Luna noticed Arthur Weasley striking what he must have thought to be a very paternal pose before saying, “Well Ginny, I am you father and I agree with Harry.” Ginny turned her head to her father, and Luna saw all of the red-headed men in the room take a step back. Ginny was giving them her best angry Molly look.

“You’re not staying, you’re going back to school where it’s safe,” reiterated an impassive Harry

Luna sighed. She pulled the wand from behind her left ear and used it to tap Neville on the shoulder. Neville turned around, somewhat annoyed to have someone interrupt what promised to be the fight of the century. She motioned him to follow her out the kitchen door.

As the door closed behind them she explained, “That will go on for hours, until they either start cursing each other or kissing each other. And I don’t think I have the stomach to watch them do either.”

Neville smiled that half-a-smile he uses when he had yet to catch up to what was happening in the world. He began to slowly climb the stairs up to the bedrooms. Neville didn’t even notice Luna’s absence until he’d reached the landing and she’d reached the portrait of Mrs. Black. Luna, as was her practice, pulled back the curtain and asked Mrs. Black for permission to leave her beautiful home. Mrs. Black thanked Luna for being a pureblood child with pureblood manners and gave Luna permission to go. Luna looked up to the stairs, dropped the curtain, and waggled her fingers at Neville as she left the headquarters into London’s evening twilight.

As Luna’s fingers absorbed the aura of the room and residual traces of healing magic, she slowly turned with her eyes closed in concentration. She was almost finished with her task when the young man in his early twenties she had noticed earlier finally spoke to her from the back of the room.

“May we help you?” inquired the young man. “Do you need medical assistance?” he added.

“Are you the only Healer who uses this emergency room?” inquired Luna.

“I have been for the last two weeks. I’m being trained this month in emergency medical wizardry. Why?” he answered the strange young woman who was still slowing spinning in his emergency room.

“A lot of healing has been done here lately. Very good magic,” Luna related as she finishing her orbits and opened her eyes. She was looking at a handsome young man and an older woman standing to his right. They were both staring at her. “Are you here every day?” she asked.

“I’m here two days and then off for one day. I’m off tomorrow.” he answered, intrigued in spite of himself. “Why?” he again added.

“Well, one should know where one’s going before they need to go there don’t you think?” she answered, moving some blond hair out of her eyes to get a good look at who was speaking to her. “I hope to never see you again,” Luna added, waggling her fingers in a wave as she walked out of the room.

As the door was closing, Luna heard the older woman speak, “Albi, was she wearing radishes?”

Luna lay in her bed trying to get to sleep. Moaning Myrtle had delivered the final message from the spy around noon. Lord Voldemort and the Death Eaters would step in their trap tomorrow. Members of the Order had spent the whole afternoon trying not to think about what might happen and avoiding Harry and Ginny’s running battle about who was going and who was staying. Luna was alone in the bedroom with neither Hermione nor Ginny present. Yet, she could not go to sleep; she kept running over what her part would be. She had seen a small role in the plan that no one was filling. So no matter what Ginny decided; Luna would be there tomorrow to fill it.

The roar of the argument came up the stairs and down the hallway toward the bedroom, and it brought her back to the present. The night before Ginny had ended the fight by simply slamming the heavy oak bedroom door in Harry’s face. Tonight, Ginny tried the same tactic. Tonight, Harry would not let a mere door stop him. Harry opened the door and the argument continued on without missing a beat.

Luna watched their faces and couldn’t understand how two people could say so much so loudly at such a close distance and not hear each other.

What Harry meant but was not saying was, “Ginny, I love you. Please, you must go back to Hogwarts. If you are here, I will worry, I will try and protect you. What if I saw you get hurt? I’m not certain I could take it. Ginny, please go back to Hogwarts.”

What Ginny meant but was not saying was, “Harry, I love you. Don’t you know if you fail, nowhere is safe. Don’t you know if we win but you are hurt or killed I will spend the rest of my life blaming myself? You need every wand by your side. Harry, I would rather die with you than live without you.”

“ Luna watched, feeling helpless. She wished they had another day, like Bill and Fleur had. If only Harry and Ginny could have some time together, a time full of love-and-hope and not of fear-and-dread. Suddenly, she shot straight up in bed. Was it really that simple? She reached over, took her wand off the nightstand and spoke the memory charm that her mother had created to help the staff of The Quibbler. She would start about five minutes early to give them time to realize what she was doing. Luna began speaking softly at first, but growing louder with each sentence.

When Harry and Ginny first realized they were not alone in the room they stopped the argument. The two of them turned toward Luna probably getting ready to apologize to her or to ask her to leave, but they suddenly realized that she was not speaking in random Luna-isms. She kept on speaking in a deliberate and steady cadence up to the moment that Bill had first spoken. Luna was mentally crossing her fingers.

Harry started speaking on cue. His words were different than Bill’s, but they were no less a declaration of love. As Harry looked in Ginny’s eyes, he poured out his heart to her. Luna slipped her pillow and comforter off the bed and headed for the door. On cue again, Ginny began speaking her own declaration of love to Harry. As Luna moved around the room she saw that a single tear slipped down Ginny’s cheek and somewhere along the way the two of them had clasped hands. When Ginny finished, both she and Harry turned to where Luna had been when she’d started talking. Luna, who had already walked past them, cleared her throat.

Harry and Ginny turned hand-in-hand to face Luna. She added her own benediction, “Harry and Ginny, you have spoken the depth of your love to those present living, and to those not-present living and to all that ever were and to all that will ever be. I ask you to accept the declaration of love from the other by kissing the lips that spoke them.”

As Harry and Ginny kissed, she slipped out of the door. She decided to go up into the belfry where Neville was keeping watch and sleep up there. About half way down the hall, Hermione stepped out of the bathroom dressed in her nightclothes. Luna panicked; Hermione could not interrupt Harry and Ginny. Luna nearly shouted, “You can’t go in there!”

Hermione flushed and lashed back, “Why?”

Luna explained what had just happened in their bedroom. Hermione’s expression went from anger to a smirk. “It’s not legally binding you know,” she asserted, in her famous know-it-all voice.

“Perhaps,” answered Luna in her best flat monotone. “But there are thousands of couples with paperwork moldering in the Ministry of Magic that are less married than those two are,” Luna pronounced as if the point was moot. As she finished the statement, she noticed from the angle of Hermione’s body that Hermione had not been heading for the girl’s bedroom after all, but toward Neville, Harry and Ron’s room. Luna, in spite of herself, let a smile escape.

Hermione blushed as she realized Luna had guessed her true destination.

“Maybe we could try the same thing with Ron,” added Luna, “even though it’s not legally binding.”

“No, I don’t think Ron’s ready for that yet,” spoke Hermione very softly.

“Oh, you and Harry are always speaking for Ron. Let him say what he’s ready for,” pressed Luna.

“No! Actually, it’s more me than Ronald that’s not ready yet,” admitted Hermione as her face turned red from the touch of embarrassment. After the confession both young women stood in the hall waiting for the other to speak. The seconds grew to a long minute.

“I’m going up to the belfry so I can keep Neville company. I’m sure you’ll find someplace to pass the night,” Luna finally said, relieving Hermione of any more embarrassment. Hermione impulsively hugged Luna and quietly slipped into Ron’s room.