Harry Potter and The Force of Magic Chapter 14 (Luna Lovegood)

Three Days Later

As the days passed, the students continued to slumber in the hall, their bodies draped across the cold, hard floor like discarded blankets. The dim light of the flickering torches cast eerie shadows on the walls, adding to the ominous atmosphere that pervaded the once-bustling school. Despite the professor's tireless efforts to scour every inch of the building, there seemed to be no sign of Sirius anywhere. Dumbledore had ensured them that the third night would be the last one, and they would soon return back to their own rooms.

As Harry approached Tonks, he couldn't help but notice the way her vibrant hair caught the sunlight and seemed to dance around her face. She was in the midst of a conversation with two other girls who, based on their confident demeanor and matching robes, were likely fellow Aurors.

Despite the group's serious tone, Harry's presence brought a sense of ease and familiarity to the conversation as he greeted Tonks with a warm smile and a casual "Hey, Tonks." Without a moment's hesitation, she jumped up from her spot, enveloping Harry in a tight hug that filled him with a sense of comfort and belonging.

"Harry!" she exclaimed, her voice filled with joy. "How are you?" she inquired, her eyes scanning his face for any signs of weariness or concern.

"I'm okay. I just came over to see how you were doing?" Harry said before he noticed the two other girls with Tonks. His eyes scanned the room, taking in the new faces and surroundings.

It was then that he heard the high-pitched squeals of the two other girls, and he couldn't help but smile at their enthusiasm. Harry paused for a moment, taking in the scene before him. Tonks was surrounded by two beautiful young women, one of whom was a stunning redhead with excitement in her eyes. The other girl had long blonde hair and a mischievous glint in her eye.

"Evening, ladies." Harry greeted them with a slight nod of his head.

"Oh my God, Tonksie, he is adorable. I can't believe you've been hiding him from us!" the stunning redhead exclaimed, her eyes sparkling with excitement. Harry's heart skipped a beat at the compliment, and he couldn't help but feel a little flattered.

"Meg..."

Meg had long, deep-burnished copper hair cascading down her back like a fiery waterfall. Her beautiful red eyes sparkled with an otherworldly intensity, and her pale, unblemished skin seemed to glow in the flickering candlelight. The witch was slender and graceful, standing taller than most men with an ethereal air about her. As she turned to face Harry, he couldn't help but notice her full breasts, narrow waist, and heart-shaped face. Her voice was deep but melodic, sending shivers down his spine. Harry had to admit that Meg was undeniably a beauty.

"No, no, no, no, no," Jennifer exclaimed, her voice playful yet insistent as she leaned towards the boy who was chatting with her friend. Her thick, softly curling brown hair cascaded down her shoulders, framing her large brown eyes that shone with excitement. As she reached out to touch his arm, a shy smile played across her lips, making the boy's face turn red.

"You should've introduced us long ago!" she said, sliding closer to him, her slender but womanly figure moving with grace and ease. Her smooth, unblemished pale skin seemed to glow in the dim light of the room, and her small breasts rose and fell gently with each breath. With her infectious energy and magnetic charm, Jennifer had captured Harry's attention.

"Oh, he's even cuter when he's blushing!" Meg stated with a small squeal, her eyes sparkling with excitement at the sight of Harry's flustered expression. Harry, feeling a mixture of embarrassment and amusement, couldn't help but duck his head to hide his blushing cheeks. Tonks, who had been observing the exchange with a small smile, spoke up.

"I'm so sorry about this, Harry," she said with a gentle tone, hoping to ease the young wizard's discomfort. Harry shook his head, a small grin tugging at the corners of his lips.

"It's fine, really," he replied, his cheeks still faintly pink. "I mean, I can't help it; I'm just so adorable," he added with a cheeky smile, earning a chuckle from Tonks, Meg and Jennifer.

"Sorry about them," she apologized to Harry, her tone laced with a hint of annoyance. "They're too childish for their own good sometimes. Honestly, you two, we're Aurors," she scolded them lightly, hoping to bring an end to their squabbling.

Turning her attention back to Harry, Tonks leaned in slightly, her expression growing more serious as she spoke. "But never mind about them," she said. "What about you? Sirius Black got into the castle. Does that make you nervous at all?" Her eyes searched his face, looking for any signs of worry or fear. Harry's response was nonchalant, but Tonks could sense a hint of apprehension in his voice. "I mean, a bit," he admitted. "But he didn't get me, and Hermione's probably got a few ideas in that mind of hers." Tonks nodded in understanding.

"Don't worry, Harry. I'm here whenever you need help. I won't let anyone hurt you," Tonks reassured him, placing her hands gently on his shoulders. Harry grinned at her words, but Tonks had a feeling that he was going to say something that would make her regret her promise. And she was right.

Before she could react, Harry teased, "Ohhh, I didn't know you loved me so much. Who knew I could capture the heart of such a beautiful Aur- Ahhh," Tonks quickly gripped his ear playfully to shut him up, feeling her face turn red. To make matters worse, her friends, who had been watching the exchange with amusement, erupted in laughter at her expense. Despite the embarrassment, Tonks couldn't help but smile at Harry's cheeky wit and the playful banter between them.

Harry's grin was still plastered on his face as he moved away from Tonks, rubbing his red ear, which she had just playfully pinched. Despite the physical pain, Harry seemed to be thoroughly enjoying himself, as he couldn't help but tease Tonks. "You have changed so much, Tonks. You wound my heart," Harry said, his voice filled with a playful tone. He placed a hand dramatically over his heart and wiped away fake tears, causing Tonks to roll her eyes in amusement.

Tonks couldn't help but hear her friends squealing and cooing over how adorable Harry was being, but she was starting to get annoyed. "One more word and I will hex you," Tonks threatened, pointing her wand at Harry, even though she didn't actually mean it. She just hoped that Harry would stop his flirting before she ended up hexing him for real.

Harry's cheeky grin widened as he confessed to Tonks, "Hexed by an Auror like you! I wouldn't mind." Tonks rolled her eyes, ready to reprimand him for his inappropriate behavior, when he cleared his throat and announced, "Well, I'd better get going."

"Finally," Tonks thought to herself, not wanting to encourage Harry's flirtatious behavior any further. However, before he could leave, Tonks couldn't resist giving him a playful jab, "Okay, well, have a terrible Night," she said with a smile before leaning in and kissing him on the cheek.

Harry's face turned slightly pink as he stood up to leave. He waved goodbye to Jennifer and Meg, two of Tonks' close friends, before turning and leaving. Tonks watched him go, feeling a mixture of frustration and amusement.

Harry's charm had always been a double-edged sword - on one hand, he was incredibly likable, but on the other hand, his constant flirting was exhausting. As soon as Harry was out of earshot, Tonks heard Jennifer and Meg walking up to her with wide grins, ready to ask questions about Harry.

She rolled her eyes, knowing that they wouldn't let her live this down for a while. "What can I say?" Tonks thought to herself with a smile, "Harry always knows how to leave an impression."

Later

After Hermione was informed that he would study Runes soon, she wasted no time telling him how he could improve before he had even started and even introduced him to Padma, that according to Hermione, studied Runes too. They had met yesterday, and Harry and Padma had become fast friends. She told him of a few things he needed to know before he started learning Runes. Now, Harry was hoping to meet her again and hoping to get to know her better.

"Okay, I'm just going to say hi, that's all," he muttered to himself as he approached his target.

"Oh, Harry. Good evening."

"Padma, hey. I just came over to see you. I mean- to see if you were okay." he corrected quickly.

"I'm doing okay. Just a bit frightened," she answered with a smile.

"That makes sense," he replied with a small smile of his own.

"Oh, sorry, please." Padma motioned to the chair for Harry to sit.

As Harry sat down, he saw a bundle of pale blonde, and suddenly a girl sat beside Padma with an oddly vacant yet extremely critical look in her sky-blue eyes.

"Oh, uhm, Hi." Harry greeted, surprised.

"Oh Harry, this is my friend Luna, Luna Lovegood. Luna, this is Harry Potter." Padma introduced them with a smile.

"Oh, I know. It's nice to finally meet you, Harry." Luna replied dreamily.

Harry paused for a second, his brain recalling something from the past.

"It's you! You were by the treeline when we were at the Weasleys throwing those garden gnomes." Harry said, pointing an accusatory finger at the girl.

"Oh yes, that was me. I was surprised when yours didn't go very far. You're a lot weaker than I thought you were." Luna said easily.

"No, hold on! I had that game locked. You distracted me!" Harry said, defending himself.

"Luna, I thought you didn't know Harry?" Padma asked with a frown.

"Oh no, I don't. I just happened to be on my nature walk when I saw them at the Weasleys throwing those poor Gnomes." Luna replied easily.

"Nature walk?"

"Oh yes, I live a little a ways from the Weasleys and usually walk through the forest by our house in the underwear."

Harry felt his brain freeze.

"Luna!" Padma gasped, scandalized. "That isn't very sanitary."

"Oh, but it's needed to find the Nargle hive. They love the feel of human skin when they first hatch, you know." the tiny blonde replied as if it were the most common thing in the world. "Perhaps you'd like to join me? Maybe one human isn't enough," she asked Padma.

"Absolutely not!" Padma responded with a huff.

"Oh, okay, maybe Harry would like to accompany me next time?" she asked, turning to Harry, whose brain was still calculating what the girl had just revealed earlier.

"He will do no such thing!"

"I wouldn't mind, but as long as we are wearing our clothes," Harry said, seeing nothing wrong with it.

"Oh pooh, well, maybe a nature walk in our clothes could also work," Luna suggested with an unhappy pout.

"Yes, that seems like the smarter option." Padma agreed.

"I mean, technically, pajamas count as clothes," Harry muttered, his mind forgetting where he was.

Luna jumped on Harry's train of thought energetically.

"Ohh, yes, that could work! I haven't grown enough to require a brassiere yet, although Padma has, and her breasts are quite good to look at."

Unlike before, Harry's mind traveled faster than light as his brain tried to place an image to the statement. Padma's face burned a very bright red as she struggled to find the right words for her shock.

"Luna!"

"You seem upset?" Luna said with a tilt of her head.

"Of course I'm upset!" Padma said as she remembered her friend's antics. "You can't just go around telling people... that! About my..."

"Big breasts?"

"Big?" Harry squeaked.

"And you. Stop imagining!" Padma said, smacking the boy across the head. "Stop it! Luna, please stop. Please." the witch pleaded.

"Alright, if it makes you uncomfortable, I'll stop," Luna said with an understanding nod.

"Thank you." Padma sighed. Luna was a good friend until she decided to say crazy things!

"So I heard Chang mention something about a match tomorrow. Are you excited?" Padma asked the boy.

"Oh, yeah. I guess? The weather's been something horrible lately, so it'll definitely make things harder." Harry said with a sigh.

"Well, I'm going to be cheering for you," Luna said with a sweet smile which Harry returned.

"Thank you, Luna, and you?" he asked, turning to Padma.

"I already told you. I'm not a fan of the sport," she responded, all the while not making eye contact.

Luna seemed confused by something. "Wait, but you showed me that you had bought..." Padma soon covered the blonde's mouth.

"Nothing! I bought nothing!" Padma said quickly.

Harry looked confused for a bit before he let out a small chuckle and looked around to see most people had already started settling down for the night.

"Alright, well, I don't know what that was about, but I think it's time we get to bed," he said as he let out a stretch.

"If you'd like, we could share a bag. Mine seems to be big enough to fit two." Luna said innocently while Padma once again looked very shocked at her friend.

Harry blinked but fought the temptation to explore that image. "Not tonight. Maybe some other time." He responded with a smile before standing and saying his goodnight to the girls.

When he arrived by Ron and Hermione, he found that the latter had already settled in for the night, and Ron was just about to do the same.

"Everything goes well?" the redhead asked tiredly.

"Yeah. I should probably get some rest." Harry suggested.

The following day saw many stiff students rose from their sleeping bags. Harry stood and stretched, as did many of his schoolmates. Once the majority had woken, Dumbledore made his presence known by clearing his throat.

"Good morning. I hope you all had a lovely rest."

When he received no clear answer outside of the occasional glare and groan, he chuckled slightly and continued.

"Yes, well, I imagine not. However, that shall be changing; as of today, you may return to your houses. We have checked the school and the grounds, and all appear to be in order. As for the Quidditch game scheduled for this morning, I have spoken with both Professors McGonagall and Snape, and they have agreed that this game will be postponed until further notice."

At that announcement, many students, primarily from the Gryffindor house, voiced their unhappiness at the decisions. Dumbledore patiently waited for them to finish before he continued.

"Classes have been canceled for the day so that you may rest properly, and they will resume again tomorrow. You are dismissed."

Students were herded out of the Great Hall, many of them to sleep in the comfort of their beds, and the others like Harry, who was the first of the Gryffindors to rush out of the hall to have a fantastic shower before having a day to regain their senses.

Harry was excited to have a relaxing day, but the moment he arrived at the common room portrait, he froze and frowned in confusion. Obviously, The Fat Lady; he really had to learn her name. The usual portrait was too scared to return. He understood that, but who the hell was this joker?!

"Harry? What's wrong?"

Turning, Harry saw Hermione and a few others making their way up the staircase to his location.

"This," he said, pointing at the Portrait.

"Hazzah! Welcome, young travelers! I am Sir Cadogan! Should you wish to brave this path, you will have to provide me with the correct password!" the obnoxiously armored knight said, waving his sword around proudly.

"Oh," Hermione said, her brows furrowing in confusion.

"Yeah..."

"Oi! Hurry up!"

The two friends turned to see most, if not all, of Gryffindor house, waiting behind them. Blinking, they turned back to the painting and shrugged at each other slightly.

"Dedication," Hermione said clearly.

"Hmm... Acceptable!" The knight exclaimed, causing everyone to flinch in surprise.

The portrait moved, revealing the doorway to the common room, and immediately Harry grabbed Hermione's hand, pulling her in before the brash Gryffindor house tried forcing their way in.

"Thanks," she said with a smile.

"Not a problem. I'm going to go shower. I'll see you later?" he asked with a smile.

"Yeah, I really thought this year would go smoothly for us," she replied with a smile of her own.

"Yeah, it's been a... uhh crazy years so far."

"You can say that again. Meet back down here in about twenty minutes?" Hermione asked, giving him a side look.

"See you then," Harry replied before turning and heading upstairs to the 3rd year boys' room.

Later

Harry sat in the common room after fifteen minutes, reading a book he had found on one of the tables in the common room. Surprisingly it was a muggle book about a story about a powerful ring, apparently!

"Hey, are you ready to go?" Hermione asked from behind him.

"Oh, yeah. Alright." Harry stood and turned to see Hermione standing behind him, and something about her looked different. He couldn't place his finger on it, but there was definitely a change that happened.

"Everything okay?" she asked after she noticed that he was looking at her a little differently.

"I think so... what's different?" he asked her bluntly.

"Excuse me?"

"I feel like there's something different about you, but for the life of me..." Harry said, with his index finger on his chin.

"Oh, Lavender and Parvati insisted I put makeup on. They threatened to use a spell if I didn't let them apply it themselves," she said with a frustrated sigh.

"Hmm, okay."

"Is it bad?" she asked, her expression turning to one of worry.

"No, not bad... just different. I like it, but I think you look good without it too." Harry said with a shrug of his shoulders.

"Oh. Thank you."

Hermione smiled, and Harry felt his heartbeat rise and heat rise to his face where again he thanked God that she wasn't looking at him. Hermione was his best friend, so of course, he'd think she looked good. What friend wouldn't think that? And the make-up really did stand out now that he knew what he was looking at. Her skin looked smoother. Her face looked... more defined. Her cheekbones were more noticeable than usual, but what stood out to him the most were her eyes. Hermione's doe brown eyes were so prominent they actually looked like a deep rich honey color.

"You okay?" she asked, smiling at him. Harry blinked at how close she had gotten and again saw her eyes.

"What? Yeah. Sorry, just thinking. Let's go, yeah?"

Nodding in agreement, the two made their way to the portrait only to be blocked by none other than Oliver Wood, who looked... terrifying.

"Potter... where do you think you're going?" he growled out.

Harry turned to Hermione, and the girl looked slightly frightened. He couldn't blame her. He turned back to Wood, his shoulders sagging.

"I'll go change." He said dejectedly as he turned and headed towards the boys' dorm to get his broom. His clothes were in the Gryffindor Quidditch rooms.

Later

"Three hours! Three damn hours! Is Wood trying to kill them?!" Lavender asked from her seat on the stands next to Hermione.

Parvati and Lavender, in a huff, forced Hermione to go to the practices to watch the team. She would've gone anyway, but she'd usually have a book with her. This time around, the Gossip Divas had pulled her along before she could grab something, and now she was forced to listen to the two girls talk about any and everything.

"Honestly... and you two were going to have to have your second date today." Parvati sighed sadly.

"It wasn't a da-" Hermione didn't get a chance to finish her argument.

"Ooh, maybe they could go after they finish their practice!" Lavender suggested.

"Yeah! But where? I mean, it isn't raining, but the weather's horrid for a picnic."

"Hmm, they could just disappear somewhere in the castle."

"Oooh, empty classroom!" Hermione didn't like how Parvati squealed at that.

"Abandoned corridors!" Lavender added just as excitedly.

"Broom closets!" They squealed in simultaneous shrieks of excitement.

"There will be no broom closets or any of the other places you named! How many times do I have to tell you two? We. Are. Just. Friends! Nothing more, nothing less." Hermione stressed. "Besides, I think he likes someone else."

"You're kidding, right?" Parvati asked with a genuine look of surprise.

"You guys might be just friends, but you have more chemistry than most of the couples in the school," Lavender added. "And about him liking someone else, you just have to convince him that you're the one he wants to be with." Parvati nodded her head in agreement.

"Guys, I don't like him like that."

The two girls paused as they looked at the bushy-haired girl. "Mm-hmm, okay, you lie to yourself all you want, but you'll face the truth sooner than you think," Parvati said before turning back to the pitch. She started gushing about how she'd like to see Dean Thomas in the Quidditch uniform before Lavender joined the conversation excitedly, but she talked about Ron.

Hermione didn't want yet to admit that she and Tonks had made a deal to date Harry together once they reached their fourth year.

Later

Soon afterward, Wood allowed the team to shower and enjoy the rest of their day. Hermione said her goodbyes to Lavender and Parvati as Harry trudged out of the Quidditch rooms tiredly. She congratulated him on a fantastic practice, Ron came jogging out of the castle towards them, and it was then Hermione realized that she hadn't seen him all morning. She blushed at forgetting one of her friends.

"Hey, where have you been?" Harry asked with a raised brow.

"Sleeping, free day," Ron answered with a lazy shrug. "By the way, have any of you seen Scabbers?" he asked with a worried frown.

"You mean that ratty old... rat?" Hermione asked.

"Well, he's been in the family since, I think, Charlie," Ron said defensively.

"Jesus... just how old is that thing?"

Ignoring Hermione, Ron continued. "Hermione, you don't think your cat did anything to him, do you?"

Hermione felt herself bristle at the accusation.

"Crookshanks wouldn't hurt a fly! And besides, if he did, he is a cat, and Scabbers is a rat, so..." she answered with a shrug.

Ron started turning red before Harry stepped in.

"Ron, calm down. I'm sure Scabbers is just fine. He probably just disappeared somewhere."

"Yeah, probably." the redhead said, shooting Hermione a suspicious look.

"Anyway, Harry, want to hang out now that you're done with your practice?" the only female asked as she turned to her best friend.

"Oh, yeah, sur-"

"Excuse me." someone said, interrupting Harry. Turning, he saw a very familiar top of blonde hair.

"Luna! Hey, how are you?" he asked with a smile.

The other two looked at each other in confusion.

"Hello Harry, how was your practice?" she asked earnestly.

"It was tough like usual. Oh yeah, Luna, these are my friends; Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger. Guys, this is Luna, Ravenclaw 2nd year." he introduced with a smile.

Luna greeted Rob with a small handshake and a smile before she turned and stared at Hermione. Her eyes seemed blank. The older girl felt a bit uncomfortable before Luna smiled again, although this time, it didn't seem to reach her eyes as she shook the girl's hand. She gave her one last look before turning to Harry and smiled.

"So, what can I do for you?"

"Professor Flitwick seemed rather enthusiastic about me giving this to you," she said as she handed the boy a piece of parchment.

"Ah..." Harry said simply.

"Ooh, not good news?" she asked, looking around curiously.

"Something like that," Harry said, shooting Hermione a look.

"The amount of Nargles around you suddenly doubled. You should look into taking a break." Luna commented offhandedly.

The other two, once again, were confused as the odd girl caught them off guard.

"You know, one day, you should tell me about all the creatures in the world. It will be fun." Harry said, smiling.

Luna's face beamed upon hearing that, and even Hermione thought the girl was adorable. "Ooh! Okay! Well, I've got to go. I suspect Padma is looking for me." Luna said happily before she surprised everyone once again when she gave Harry a hug before turning and skipping away.

"You know her?" Hermione asked once she regained her thoughts.

"Nargles?" Ron asked with a frown.

"Yeah, it's a... long story. But before that, I think I should go see Flitwick," he said, turning to Hermione.

"Which reminds me, what could Flitwick want with you?" Hermione asked, forgetting her previous question.

"Maybe something to do with our work?" Harry suggested.

Hermione looked at him with a furrowed brow. "That's it?"

"Probably," Harry said. "Hey, let's hang out afterward, yeah?"

Hermione held back a sigh but nodded at him with a small smile. "Yeah. I'll see you then. Okay, Ron, let's go look for Scabbers." she said, patting the boy on the shoulder.