Wednesday, July 23
Theo's Day
*****
"I WILL FUCKING KILL YOU," Harry yelled the moment his feet touched the ground. He whipped around and had his knife to Theo's throat in record time. Theo saw him blink and process that it was Theo who kidnapped him, but he also saw the tick in his jaw that said he didn't much care.
"I thought you liked surprise apparation," Theo smirked with his hands held up by his shoulders. He wasn't wholly bothered by the knife at his throat, he doubted if Harry would actually kill him over it. "Don't kill me, it'll ruin our surprise."
"What fuckin surprise?" Harry growled, his knife still held firm.
"Your stag party, you dick," Theo snickered, his brown eyes glittering as they evenly held Harry's. "Drop the knife before Hermione gets here, I barely convinced her to come as it was."
Which was quite true.
Hermione wanted nothing to do with the gang's plan of having an eight day party extravaganza.
But… Hermione didn't know about Harry's horcrux and Hermione didn't notice Harry digging through his possessions and writing letters when he thought nobody was paying any attention.
So Theo and Susan, the only two who knew what was going on with their best friend, convinced Hermione and everyone to plan the greatest stag party ever. Which, of course, nobody could agree on what to do and everyone fought over.
Hence, eight days.
Everyone got to pick a day to plan something for them all to do.
Harry narrowed his eyes and the knife at Theo's throat dropped half an inch. "What's a stag party?"
Theo took a swift step backwards as the pops indicated their friends joining them. He automatically looked toward Hermione, smiling as he saw his the bulge of his daughters ever-growing body poking through Hermione's jumper.
It was odd, but Theo had never loved Hermione more than when she began to grow their daughter with her own body.
Women were insane, and bloody amazing.
But the next few days were about Harry.
"It's like a… like a party to celebrate your impending marriage," Theo said.
Draco must have guessed at what Harry's question had been, because he stepped forward swiftly and threw his arm over Harry's shoulders with a big grin. "It's a last hoorah before you become a married woman, Potter."
Harry still looked bemused, but he did pocket his knife and look around where they'd apparated to. "So… we're having a party, in an alley?" Harry's nose scrunched up distastefully.
"No," Susan said, interrupting Theo's own denial. "We're going to check into a hotel, a swanky muggle hotel where we got a giant suite—"
"Where Draco got us a giant suite," Ron grinned.
"—for the next eight days," Susan said, ignoring Ron's interruption.
Everyone was smiling, all rather smug and pleased with themselves, but Harry still looked rather bemused.
"We're going to party for eight days in a muggle hotel?" Harry asked. He looked around and seemed to mentally count everyone as he frequently did ever since they lost Trent. "Where's Fred and George?"
"Not invited," Neville grinned sheepishly. "We just…"
"We wanted it to just be us," Luna said with a sweet smile that Theo was beginning to see was just a bit manipulative when it came to using it against Harry. "The boys go back to Hogwarts in September, and you're getting married, and Theo and Hermione are going to be parents, so shouldn't we all just be silly teenagers while we still can?"
Theo hadn't asked Harry about Snape's mad plan to make him master of death, but, as Harry blinked at Luna slowly for a moment, Theo found he didn't have to.
His heart sank and his stomach felt suddenly hollow.
Snape must have failed.
"Yeah," Harry agreed. His voice was soft at first, then he cleared his throat and plastered a fake smile on his face. "Yeah, let's be silly teens for a while."
If Harry's smile was fake now, it wouldn't be soon.
Because day one was Theo's day.
They got checked into the hotel with the ID's that Hermione and Sirius somehow acquired for them with a little bit of paperwork and an exceptional amount of magic.
Hermione also used her credit card, to which Draco had put forward most of the galleons toward.
Theo felt a bit guilty every time he saw that credit card. Hermione wouldn't even have it had she not obliviated her parents on the first day of summer and sent them off to Australia.
She had sobbed her heart out that night while Theo admired the strength and selflessness that she possessed to do such a thing. An obliviation as strong as Hermione's could hardly be undone easily; she protected them knowing that she would likely never see them again.
Theo was a lucky man to have such a person in his life. Especially considering how horrid he had treated her when she told him about their daughter.
"I love you," Theo murmured to her as they all trooped up the hotel stairs to their top floor suite- Theo hadn't forgotten Harry's horrible claustrophobia. Hermione smiled at him, but Blaise pursed his lips and shook his head at them over his shoulder.
"No romance this week," he said firmly, causing the others to laugh. "This week is about fun."
"Romance is fun," Theo huffed. "We're literally celebrating Harry getting married."
Harry abruptly came to a halt at the front of the group and turned on the staircase to look them all over slowly. "Er…" he ran a hand through his hair. "I didn't bring clothes?"
"I brought you clothes," Draco assured him. He patted his bag and stuck his nose up a little haughtily. "It's an undetectable extension charm, Hermione put them on all our bags."
"No, just yours," Luna corrected him. "The rest of us didn't need one for our clothes."
Harry's lips twitched into a smile and the rest of them laughed and let Harry lead them to the room they were meant to be sharing.
And, holy Merlin and Morgana.
Theo had kind of expected something similar to the hotel they stayed in on holiday with Sirius, perhaps bigger.
"Fuuuuuck," Harry breathed after he unlocked their door and they all walked inside. "This is bloody posh, isn't it?"
Apparently, a suite was just a muggle term for an incredibly posh apartment.
One entire wall of the 'suite' was all glass windows, giving them an incredible view of the city. Then the 'suite' itself had two floors to it— a sitting room with a giant telly on one side, a kitchen with a dining room on the other side, a spacious bathroom, and a bloody hot tub.
Theo followed everyone as they moved up the spiral metal staircase to the upper floor and looked between the two giant beds for a moment.
"Girls and Harry in one bed, boys in the other," Susan announced as she tossed her bag on the closer bed.
Hermione grimaced as Luna immediately followed Susan's lead. "I'll sleep on the couch downstairs," she said. "I'm huge."
"That's ridiculous," Ron shook a finger at Hermione. "Us guys will take the couches, you and Theo can have the other bed."
Theo would have been fine with that, but Hermione argued against it until it was decided that Harry, Luna, and Susan would share one bed. Blaise, Draco, and Ron would take the other. And Neville, Theo, and Hermione would transfigure the downstairs furniture into beds to sleep on.
Everyone looked expectantly at Theo after sleeping arrangements were made.
"What do we need to wear?" Draco asked, an excited smile stretching his face.
They had decided that they would each plan a day, they never agreed on what they had to plan.
Rules and regulations were out the window.
Laws were out the window.
It was eight days of anything goes.
Theo was going to ensure that Harry had the greatest eight days of his entire life.
"Jeans, t-shirts, and jackets," Theo said. He thought about it for a moment before nodding decisively, "And boots, dragon-hide if you have them."
Hermione, the only one who knew what Theo planned, smirked while the others took off to dress.
"We're going to end up in jail or prison," Hermione murmured as she traded her sensible trainers for the boots Theo bought her last Christmas.
Theo watched Harry as he eagerly, and a bit manically if Theo felt like being objective, traded his favored Weasley jumper for a white t-shirt and the black leather jacket Sirius gave him.
"Maybe," he hummed quietly, just to Hermione. "I think Harry's worth risking it for though."
Hermione turned to watch Harry while he laughed at something Susan was saying to him and her eyes softened into a maternal sort of look. "You're right," she agreed. "Let's make this brilliant and avoid jail, okay?"
Theo laughed and kissed her cheek adoringly. "Of course, my love."
Theo was fairly certain they would only be breaking a few muggle laws that day and only two wizarding laws.
Maybe.
Theo didn't understand the muggle laws all that well. There were just so many of them- and some of them even contradicted each other. Who could keep them all straight?
"When are you going to tell us what we're doing?" Susan whined as the nine of them made a loud and rowdy group while they navigated the streets of London to the place Theo found.
They'd stopped at a pizza place for dinner, which had been a bit of a show on its own as Blaise and Ron both hit on the waitress who wound up giving a very confused Neville her phone number. And now everyone felt an air of anticipation for what Theo had planned.
"When we get there," Theo told Susan. He checked his watch then the address once more. "Aaaand, right up ahead."
Harry all but bounced as they approached the store Theo pointed at, then he stopped and turned to Theo with an incredulous look. "They're closed?" he said slowly, a spark of hope in his bright eyes.
Theo nodded very solemnly. "It is hard to rob them if they were open."
The spark of hope in Harry's eyes blossomed into full-fledged joy and Theo smirked to himself.
He'd like to see Susan top this day, as she swore she could.
Not that it was a contest.
Except, it was.
And Theo planned on winning.
"You're joking," Neville said nervously as he looked up at the sign. He twisted his head and if Harry's eyes were full of joy, then Neville's were full of skepticism. "You are joking, right?"
Theo raised a brow at him, causing Neville's forehead to begin sweating the slightest amount.
"You are my favorite brother ever," Harry breathed.
Theo saw the wince that followed his words, but he stepped up to the doors before Harry could drop into gloom. "Alohamora," he said with a subtle tap of his wand to the door handles. Hermione placed a Notice-Me-Not ward around them, but Theo checked for stray muggles once more before he pulled the door open and gave Harry a showy little bow. "Everyone pick one. If you don't know how to drive, pair up with someone who can."
"And get a bloody helmet!" Neville yelped as the others all took off inside the store.
Theo grinned at Hermione and grabbed her hand. "You'll drive us, right?"
"Right," Hermione agreed. "Come on, you sneaky Slytherin, let's go pick out a bike for our daughters first motorcycle ride."
When they left the store, it seemed as if less of them knew how to drive a motorcycle than Theo assumed.
They'd all spent time with Black, Theo thought he offered lessons on his motorcycle to everyone.
Hermione led the group on a pretty blue one with Theo on the back toward the next location on Theo's list. Blaise followed them on a slick black one with a terrified Neville clinging to him as he drove it. Susan, who apparently learned how to drive from Johnny, drove a white one with Luna laughing behind her. Ron, who Harry and Hermione gave a crash course in driving to, was holding his own towards the back of the group on a dark green one with Draco clinging to his back.
Harry, of course, was whooping and hollering as he swerved in and out of traffic on the flashiest and tackiest bright red street bike that Theo had ever seen.
Nobody wanted to ride with Harry.
They all loved him, but they've seen how he flies.
"He loves it already," Theo yelled in Hermione's ear.
Hermione laughed, "Of course he does. It's horribly dangerous!"
"Just wait until we get there!"
"Fuck Fred, marry Theo," Susan laughed when they stood outside the gates and temporarily dismounted their stolen rides.
Theo puffed up proudly when Harry gave him a wide-eyed look of utter adoration.
"If you weren't my brother, I think I'd kiss you," Harry grinned. "We can really go in?"
"Once I pop these locks," Theo smirked. He stuck his tongue out at Susan when Harry's back was turned.
He'd like to see Susan beat street bikes and racing on an official race track.
Especially once Draco and Neville worked a bit of literal magic and made the lights all kick on.
"Race you!" Harry yelled to them as he kicked his leg over his bike and immediately tore on to the track.
"Hurry!" Hermione snapped at Theo as she hastily adjusted her helmet. "I'm not letting him win, he's insufferable."
Insufferable as Harry may be, he was also reckless in a way that Hermione refused to be as he tore around the track and leaned his bike so far to the side that his boots trailed the pavement.
After a few hours of tearing around the track, and an hour or so spent teaching everyone who didn't know how to drive the insane contraptions how to drive, they were nearly all out of petrol.
Theo and Hermione had given up their bike to Harry, as he had been the first to run out and they were tired of racing.
Then Blaise and Neville joined them in the stands as they watched the others race.
Ron and Draco apparated from the far side of the track where they had abandoned their depleted bike.
Susan and Luna were still in a fierce race against Harry though. The six of them were having a grand time shouting encouragement to the three of them.
Personally, Theo hoped Harry won as it was his party, but Harry was also a smug bastard and sometimes it was good for his inflated ego to lose.
"COME ON, HARRY!" Theo shouted as the two bikes ripped around a corner and began flying down the long part of the track. "HARRY! HARRY!"
Hermione joined him in his chant while the boys, purely to be obstinate, Theo was certain, began chanting for Susan and Luna.
When the two bikes flew past them- it was a close call.
Aaaaand…
"FUCK!" Theo yelped. They had gotten lucky so far, without no accidents or injuries, but everyone jumped to their feet when the two bikes went around the curve and Harry finally leaned his bike too far to the side and fell off it as the bike slid down the track and hit the wall with a cloud of thick black smoke.
Theo apparated from the stands straight to where Harry fell. "Harry," he cried as he jogged the last bit to his brothers side. "Fuck, fuck, fuck."
Harry was laying on the grass in the middle of the track, staring up at the sky with a dazed look on his face.
"Harry, say something," Theo said desperately as he dropped to his knees and began carefully spelling a diagnostic charm.
Harry shook his head at the same time as a parchment popped up and Susan finally parked her bike and came running toward them.
"I'm fine," Harry said as he moved to sit up.
Theo put his hand on Harry's stomach and carefully pushed him back down. "You have a broken shoulder."
"Really?" Harry glanced down in surprise. "I don't feel broken."
"Maniac," Susan frowned. She plunked down beside Harry and obediently helped Theo roll him onto his uninjured side.
"It was a race, Sue," Harry said- Theo didn't have to see his face to know he was scowling. "I wanted to— aaah," he hissed when Theo tapped his shoulder and healed the broken bone. "That's my bad shoulder," he said factually.
"No…" Theo ran another diagnostic and nodded at the results. "It's healed now."
Harry sat up and grinned as he rotated his arm. "It's always sore when it rains, ever since the dragon."
Theo and Susan merely blinked at their moron of a best friend.
How could Theo have thought that street bikes and racing would be the most adrenaline pumping event of Harry's life?
Somehow, in all the madness that involved being brothers with a madman, Theo had forgotten the time that Harry fought a dragon with a sword.
Though, Theo was mollified when they made it back to their hotel incident free that night and Harry gave him a quick hug and a genuine thanks for the experience.
"You're a good brother," Hermione assured Theo softly when they were all laying down to sleep. "Harry's lucky to have you."
Theo kissed the crown of her head even while he knew she had it all backwards—
Theo was lucky to have Harry.
*****
Thursday, July 24
Susan's Day
*****
Susan stood up and coughed very loudly until everyone sat down their forks and drinks and gave her their complete attention.
"Good morning Stag Party 1997," she beamed at them all and added a wink for Harry. "As you all know, today is my day—"
"Harry's day," Blaise corrected her.
"My day to decide how we celebrate Harry's day," Susan rolled her eyes. She turned to Harry and gave him a small grin complete with a scrunched nose and glimmering eyes. "Do you remember what I said we would do on your seventeenth birthday?"
Harry furrowed his brows together and glanced around at the others, as if hoping for a hint. "No?" he said, uncertainly.
Which was totally fine and entirely fair. It had been a brief joke after their OWLS, before the battle when everything began spiraling out of control in their lives.
Also, Susan was pretty sure that Harry was still a bit manic, considering he'd kicked her and hummed a song more than he slept last night. Which, according to the many books she stole from Theo who stole them from Lupin, came with occasional lapses in memory.
All the better, Susan would rather it be a surprise.
"Excellent," she told Harry primly. She snatched Ron's baseball cap that she was borrowing off the counter behind her and presented it to Harry. "Pick a name, any name."
Harry quirked a very Snape-like brow before reaching in the hat and pulling out a slip of paper. "Blaise?" he read.
"Terrific," Susan said vaguely. She saw Blaise's smug smile and internally rolled her eyes.
Blaise was lucky that Harry was quite oblivious. He was also lucky that Fred was very confident about his relationship. Blaise was fierce and dangerous, but Fred could have his heart ripped from his chest and still fight for Harry.
It was the only reason Susan finally conceded Harry's romantic attachment to the annoying wanker.
Susan made a show of reaching in the hat as she silently summoned Harry Potter's name slip. "Oh, I got Harry," she said as she read the paper with mock-surprise. "Luna next."
Luna rolled her eyes at Susan knowingly as she reached in the hat and spent a long moment digging through the slips. "Draco," she said with a sweet little smile for Draco.
Those two were so damn adorable Susan couldn't stand it.
"Hermione?" Susan offered Hermione the hat.
"I don't suppose you'll tell us what the slips are for?" Hermione asked nervously.
"Of course I won't, not yet," Susan laughed. "Live a little, Miss Granger."
Hermione sighed and then clenched her eyes as she snatched the first paper her fingers touched. "Theo," she sighed, obviously relieved.
Which was hysterical because Susan offered Blaise the hat next and he pulled Hermione.
Neville plucked Ron's name.
Theo got Neville's.
Ron picked hers, which would be interesting, Susan was sure.
And Draco managed to get Luna's.
"Do not forget who's name you pulled, and no trading," Susan said firmly. "Everyone get dressed in your slaggiest clothing and be ready to go in one hour!"
"Slaggiest clothing?" Draco repeated. "What in Merlin's name is that supposed to mean?"
"Dress like you're trying to pull," Blaise said as he gave Susan a grin. "Like a slag, Draco."
"Uh…" Hermione sent a pointed look at her adorable little baby bump. "I don't think I have any 'slaggy clothes'."
"Oh but I do," Susan beamed, fully prepared to hear Hermione complain multiple times that day. "And, yes, I would be honored to help you get ready."
Hermione looked properly terrified.
But, an hour later, Susan and Draco transfigured part of the wall of windows to be mirrors for them and their group stood there and preened over themselves.
In Susan's, very biased, opinion- they were an exceedingly attractive group.
Luna looked like some sort of beautiful pixie in her white shorts, flowy pink sleeveless blouse, and her hair in two braids. Susan had added just a touch of mascara, framing Luna's silver eyes and making them look all the wider for it. Hermione had agreed to wear a pleated black skirt and a snug, v-cut, dark green blouse that showed both her curves (Susan would put up with a child for breasts like Hermione's) and made her tanned skin pop all the more for it.
Susan dressed to match Harry- he wore a black and red checkered flannel with a pair of black skinny jeans Draco lent him while Susan wore a black and red checkered skirt and her favorite black tank top that showed her mid-drift.
The rest of the boys looked fine— Susan didn't particularly care how they looked though as long as it was muggle and cute.
"Group photo!" Susan yelled. She summoned Harry's camera from her bag, sticking her tongue out when he made a scoff at her theft. She levitated the camera as they all squished together. "Say cheese!"
Susan felt her heart clench with nostalgia as they took a group photo. She insisted on a few more, specifically one of her and Harry together.
"I love you," Susan said as she hugged Harry and popped a foot up for their photo.
"I love you," Harry grinned.
Susan imagined that if love could save Harry- he would live forever.
She settled for kissing him on the cheek and then giving him her brightest smile. "Are you ready for truly the best day ever?"
"Yes," Harry said. He gave Susan a bright smile and pulled her into another tight hug. "You're my best friend in this world, Sue."
"Don't make me cry," Susan sniffled with a quivering smile as she pulled back and looked up at Harry's face. "My eyeliner isn't waterproof."
Harry grinned and Susan tried to memorize how he looked in that moment, photos be damned.
No camera could ever capture the twinkle of mischief in Harry's eyes, the same twinkle she'd noticed when he'd been eleven. And no camera could ever truly get Harry's smile right- it was so rarely seen as a genuine gesture.
"Let's go," Susan said. She linked her golden arm with Harry's arm in a move as coordinated as breathing was for her.
As she said, if love could save Harry, he would live forever.
"Brill," Harry said happily as they approached their first destination. He gave Susan a quick and nearly imperceptible look. "You sure?"
Susan looked over the sights, sounds, and smells of the carnival in front of them. It was very similar to the one they went to one summer with Auntie Amelia, and Susan imagined that her aunt was smiling somewhere to see Susan and Harry going together once more.
"Of course," Susan said. She wiggled her brows at the rest of their group. "Are you lot ready to ride rides, eat trash, and win cheap toys?"
"That doesn't sound particularly fun, no," Draco said.
"I think it sounds wicked!" Ron declared with a wide smile.
And it was wicked.
Susan, Hermione, and Harry shed out muggle pounds to the others after they purchased each of them a bracelet to let them ride rides as long as they wanted.
Their group split up for a while— Susan, Harry, Ron, and Blaise went to ride the thrill rides. Hermione, Draco, and Theo went to play games. And Luna and Neville were fascinated by the face painters and the hall of mirrors.
They all met up for lunch, where it seemed as if everyone made a game of getting the most unhealthy and ridiculous foods they could find, and Susan begged them to all ride the ferris wheel together.
"It's tradition," she pouted.
Draco and Theo looked hesitant at the squeaking contraption, and Susan and Harry's assurances of its safety did nothing to soothe them. But as soon as Hermione said that it was one of the only rides she could go on, Theo was in, and Draco wouldn't be left alone.
It was petty, but Susan truly loved when she got her way sometimes.
She certainly loved it when they reached the top and Harry's face was soft and happy as he looked out at the view.
"One more? For nostalgia?" Susan asked him while holding up his camera.
"For nostalgia," Harry agreed. He grinned when Susan smushed their faces together, just as they had done on a similar ride when they were only twelve, and the flash temporarily blinded them both. "At least we'll always have the pictures," he winked as they began descending back to the ground.
"Don't be silly," Susan giggled. She leaned close to Harry so she could whisper in his ear, "We'll also have the tattoos."
Harry's eyebrows shot straight up through his fringe and his smile somehow grew. "Sev is going to be piiiiiissed," he said gleefully.
"I know."
Worth it.
"Oh, darn," Hermione sighed when they stood outside the tattoo parlor that Susan booked for them. "Unfortunately, I'm afraid that I can't participate in this wonderful and super well thought out idea."
"Don't be ridiculous." Susan gave Hermione a Cheshire Cat level of smile before pulling a stack of muggle papers from her purse and presenting them to her. "There's positively no evidence stating that pregnant women cannot get a tattoo."
Hermione's face lost color while the others eyed each other warily.
"So, with these names…?" Ron asked slowly.
"Whoever's name you drew is whose tattoo you get to pick," Susan explained. "They all go on our right ankles, but the design is your choice."
Draco and Luna gave each other small smiles, undoubtedly relieved in their pick of the draw, but Blaise looked unreasonably nervous.
"And if we refuse?" he asked.
Susan gave Blaise and Hermione both a Professor Snape level of unimpressed look, complete with the raised eyebrow and hands on her hips. "If you chicken out then it is lifelong disgrace," she told them. "Also, you then forfeit the right to choose someone else's tattoo."
"Thank God I got you, eh, mate?" Ron muttered to Neville.
Neville nodded passively but had a wicked sparkle in his eye and Susan was curious what design he would pick for Ron.
"What if our person chooses a terrible tattoo?" Blaise pressed on, Hermione nodding behind him. "We're meant to be stuck with it forever?"
Susan walked over to Blaise and placed her hand softly on his face. "Blaise, darling, of course not." Susan patted his cheek, "You can cover it with a glamor, okay?"
"Do we get to approve ideas beforehand?" Neville asked with a sideways glance at Theo.
"Nope." Susan intertwined her hands behind her back and bounced on the balls of her feet eagerly. "Nobody gets to see their design until it's done."
Harry, Luna, Draco, Neville, and Theo looked fine.
Ron, Hermione, and Blaise looked uneasy.
But nobody complained anymore so Susan threw the doors open with a dramatic flourish.
And then pandemonium happened.
First, Susan hadn't expected them to have to do so much paperwork. Even with their handy muggle ID's, the shop made them sign more paperwork agreeing to not hold them liable for the designs chosen by their friends.
Then, Susan, Neville, Theo, Luna, Hermione, and Draco had their designs picked for their people almost immediately.
It took Susan a minute to try and explain the precise image she wanted to the artist, but they got it eventually.
But Harry, Ron, and Blaise seemed to struggle as they tried to pick designs.
"No pressure, but if you pick something purposefully terrible then it's open duels when we get back to the hotel," Susan whispered to the group quietly with a playful grin.
Harry threw his hands up in exasperation and stormed over to an artist to describe whatever design he finally settled on.
Ron frowned at Susan for a long moment before he too finally went to describe her design.
And Blaise sent a pointed look at Hermione. "Don't ever say I'm not nice to you, Granger," he drawled before he too told the artist her design.
And then Susan had to keep snapping at everyone not to peek until they were all done at the end. Even though she was wincing quite a bit as she tried to ignore the pains in her ankle.
Neither Charlie nor Johnny told her that tattoos were quite so bloody painful.
Everyone looked to be on a spectrum between uncomfortable ranging to 'miserable', though Draco had always been a bit dramatic… Except for Harry.
Harry was laughing and chatting with his tattoo artist as if they were old friends instead of a sadistic man with an evil buzzing machine attacking Harry's ankle.
Susan sometimes thought that Harry's pain tolerance would be incredibly handy. Then she recalled how he gained such a tolerance and felt anger boiling in her.
It was such bullshit that Timmy killed those muggles before Susan turned seventeen.
They were meant to be her birthday present to herself.
When they were all finally finished, they stood in a line with their covered ankles stuck out theatrically.
"Harry last!" Susan said with a grin.
"I'll go first then," Draco said, as he was on the opposite side of the line from Harry.
Everyone looked as Draco removed the wrapping over his ankle. "Oh, I love it," he told Luna with an adorably sappy smile after carefully examining his ankle. "It's perfect, Luna, thank you."
"What is it?" Ron asked curiously.
Susan studied it and realized it was a narcissus flower in a curve with stars finishing out the circle, making it appear as a half flower, half star, full moon.
It was perfect- if a bit boring.
Luna's was more intricate and cute, if not terribly romantic to the point that Susan and Blaise held back silent snickers.
Draco had chosen an intricate Celtic design; a dragon flying behind a moon.
No mystery behind the meaning there.
Luna looked thrilled though, so Susan kept her opinions to herself.
Neville went next, and they all nodded in understanding at the proud lion head he had on his ankle. "I think I'll see if they'll add a little MM next to it," he said quietly with an appreciative smile for Theo. "For McGonagall."
Neville was quite sentimental- it was perfect.
Susan went next and uncovered hers quickly. "Oh!" she exclaimed. "Ronald, I love it!!"
And she did.
Ron had chosen a brilliant design; it looked as if it were a feather quill made of fire. The perfect instrument to burn a pathway through the world.
"Good," Ron grinned. "Ready?"
They all watched as Ron uncovered his design that Neville chose before bursting into immediate laughter.
"Neville!" Ron cried, his blue eyes bulging as he stared at his ankle in horror. "Why?!"
Neville tried to speak solemnly, Susan could see him trying, but he still sounded like a mischievous little prat. "You said you were tired of people thinking just because you were a Slytherin it meant you weren't brave," he explained, almost sounding genuine. "Imagine how brave people will think you are with your worst fear tattooed on your ankle."
"Second worst," Draco laughed as he looked at the very realistic black spider permanently tattooed on Ron's ankle. "Harry was his first, wasn't he?"
"Not anymore," Ron said hotly.
"Hermione's turn," Susan said when the boys looked poised to begin arguing.
She thought Neville was hilarious and winked at him so he knew it too.
Hermione inhaled and exhaled very slowly before carefully peeling back the cover on her ankle. "This…" she blinked at her tattoo before smiling up at Blaise. "This is lovely, thank you."
Blaise gave Hermione a genuine smile. "Books for the bookworm, obviously. I do know how to be kind. Unlike Neville," he added, setting off another round of laughter.
"Wait!" Hermione stopped Theo from taking his cover off. She gave Harry a warm smile. "I wanted you to know, we've picked a name."
"Yeah?" Harry's face lit up with the same sort of joy that Susan sees in Sirius' features when Harry's around him. "What is it?"
"Susan Junior, I hope," Susan grinned.
"Luna Lovegood the second," Luna added seriously. "Since I knew about the baby first."
"Third," Hermione corrected her, in the way she simply couldn't resist, "after Madame Pomfrey and myself."
"Nope. First." Luna smiled at Hermione. "Our cycles are synced up, and you didn't have tea like you always do on our first day and I knew it was because you were pregnant."
Hermione looked shocked by Luna's actually rational answer. The boys took a minute to process her words and then seemed to all cringe simultaneously.
"Gross," Ron said, his nose scrunched up. "Moving on?"
"Moving on," Hermione rolled her eyes with Susan and Luna at the idiocy of their boys. "It is…" she peeled Theo's cover off for him. "Christina Rose Nott."
"Nott?" Susan asked abruptly. "I thought it would be Nott-Granger?"
Hermione's face pinched a little and Theo's eyes went soft and Susan realized she just stuck her foot in her mouth for some reason.
"No," Hermione said, with an admirable attempt at sounding casual. "Rose and I will both have Theo's last name… eventually."
Susan made a mental note to question Hermione on why she was cutting her connections to her parents when they weren't in the middle of a 'no angst allowed stag celebration'.
Harry didn't pick up on anything anyway. His face was so wistful and there was such a well of sudden sorrow in the depth of his eyes that Susan could have cried. He examined Theo's new red rose tattoo and nodded. "Rosie," he said softly. "It's a brill name, guys."
"Uh… just Rose," Hermione said hastily.
Susan and Blaise exchanged sly grins. Once Harry gave someone a nickname, that was the only name he ever used for them.
As 'Dick Face McGhee,' the boy in Ravenclaw that had been a sixth year in their first, found out for his last two years at Hogwarts.
Hermione had always been Mione.
Neville was Nev.
Luna was Lue.
Susan was Sue.
Christina Rose would be Rosie.
"Not to be dramatic, but I am dying from the anticipation," Blaise drawled when it seemed like Harry might be dipping low with his cloudy eyes focused on the rose tattoo.
Everyone finished their congratulations to Hermione and Theo before giving Blaise's ankle their rapt attention.
Susan had kind of wanted Harry to draw her name, but at the same time, Harry was insane so there was no telling what he would choose.
Blaise peeled the cover back and peeked at his tattoo before he let out a full and loud laugh and peeled it back for the rest of them to see.
"Oh no," Luna laughed. She shook her head at Blaise before grinning at Harry. "What's it mean?"
"What d'you mean 'what's it mean'?" Harry scowled. He gestured at the tattoo. "It's his patronus."
"In a fedora," Draco snickered while the others were still laughing. "Why??"
"I… er…"
Blaise groaned and then smirked over at Harry with tears of mirth pooling in his eyes. "You tried to make it more manly, didn't you?"
Susan wasn't sure how a fedora hat was meant to make a pink floral flamingo look more manly, but it was quite unique, she supposed.
Harry shrugged and looked a little nervous. "You hate it?"
Blaise stood up and pulled Harry in a quick and fierce hug. "I adore it," he told him.
"Harry's turn now!" Susan said eagerly when Blaise released Harry. She watched as Harry casually leaned down and ripped his cover off.
Everyone leaned forward as Harry's head temporarily blocked their views.
"Oh." Harry lifted his head, giving Susan the opportunity to see the tattoo properly. The artist got it exactly right, right down to the way the potion sparkled merrily in the vial.
"Liquid luck," Harry grinned, looking from the vial of Felix Felicis tattooed on his leg to Susan.
"Now we're both lucky," Susan said. She pulled on the chain of the necklace she always wore, the rabbit foot Harry gave her at the battle when she was unconscious and on deaths doorstep. "Forever."
"Forever," Harry agreed.
Susan didn't comment on it, as she didn't want to ruin their wonderful day, but she saw the tightening in the corners of Harry's eyes. It was the same tightening Harry got when he said things like:
'No, Susan, this won't be dangerous, you don't need to come.'
It meant Harry was lying.
He didn't think they would get a forever.
*****
Friday, July 25
Luna's Day
*****
"What should we wear?" Draco asked Luna after breakfast the next morning when it was her day to decide what to do.
"Whatever you want," Luna said thoughtfully. "You should be comfortable."
Layers, the nargles whispered.
"Oh, but wear layers," Luna told them all. "However many you want."
"Luna, you do know what we're doing today, right?" Hermione asked.
Luna didn't roll her eyes because she wasn't very rude. Instead, she smiled very sweetly at Hermione and nodded. "I do."
It was going to be beautiful and magical and super fun.
As soon as the nargles told her what they were doing today.
Everyone got dressed and followed Luna down the stairs and out on the street. She hummed as she swung her and Harry's intertwined hands and looked around thoughtfully.
"You don't have any plans, do you?" Harry whispered with a grin.
Luna winked and didn't answer. She had a plan- and the plan was to go with the flow and see what happened.
"This way!" Luna declared, taking a left since everyone knew that rights were unlucky.
They all walked for a while, bemused but following Luna's lead. She led them around London and they took in the sights of the few monuments and things they passed. Luna didn't plan on it, but it was nice when Harry started describing things to them all with bits of pieces of his past intermixed.
"I got beat up by the cops over there," he said at one point, gesturing toward a street filled with little convenience stores and stands filled with treats and trinkets. "I stole some milk and they broke my fuckin ankle over it then arrested me."
"That's bullshit!" Susan scowled. "You were really arrested for it?"
"Yeah, then I apparated out of the police station when they were calling social services," Harry said with a shrug. "Reckon there's still some cop somewhere wondering where the fuck I went in a locked and windowless room."
The boys chuckled, but Luna didn't think it was very funny.
"Dairy is important for growth," she told Harry. "It should be a free resource."
"Cheers, Lue," Harry grinned with a squeeze to her hand.
You're here.
Luna was surprised to see a park, but it was a beautiful day outside. "We're here," she told the others.
"A park?" Blaise asked skeptically.
Blaise had no imagination.
"Um…" Luna looked around and spotted a stand across the road that was selling food. "A picnic," she declared happily. "We're having a picnic in the park!"
"I love this park," Harry assured her while they ordered a whole bunch of food and carried it back to a place beneath a pretty weeping willow tree. Hermione conjured a blanket for them all to sit on and Luna thought it was a perfect day really.
"Do you?" Draco asked Harry. Draco looked around the park and Luna smiled to see his eyes soften. Draco appreciated nature so much, and, in Luna's opinion, Draco looked like the kind of person who could spend all his time in nature.
"Yeah." Harry leaned back on his forearms, looking around the park and looking a little lost in his thoughts.
A common place where Harry's been losing himself recently.
"I met Sev here, actually." Harry pointed off in the distance of the park, toward where the sun was shining on the families laughing and playing together. "He and M-McGonagall came to tell me I was a wizard."
Everyone politely ignored the way he tripped over Professor McGonagall's name; just as they all ignored the way they tripped over Trent's name and Amelia's name and Ron's dad's name and Barty's name and Luna's dad's name and all the names they would trip on in the future.
"How'd that go?" Ron laid on his stomach and propped his chin in his hand so he could smirk at Harry. "Pretty bloody well, I'm sure."
Harry laughed, and it was one of the best songs Luna heard. "Pretty damn bad," he said. "I imperio'd her and stunned him."
Everyone laughed and it seemed to encourage them all to share their stories of times they spent in parks.
Hermione used to go to a park near her parents house all the time. And it obviously made her sad to think about now.
Susan and her aunt went to a playground and her aunt always pretended to be a dragon for Susan to slay from the slide tower.
Ron's parents took him and his siblings to a park where there were lots of trees but no playground. Ron said it was okay though, because his dad made them all swings out of ropes.
Neville, Blaise, Theo, and Draco never went to parks.
Harry apparently lived in them off and on as a child. He said he liked seeing the happy families playing and he would sometimes play imagination games like imagining he was a part of those families.
This was a horrible idea, Luna thought to the treacherous nargles as her friends all looked rather sad now. I trusted you! This isn't fun at all!
Play a game, they whispered.
"Let's play a game," Luna said.
"What kind of game?" Draco asked Luna with a sweet smile.
Luna hummed. "Oh! I know! Hide and seek!"
"Hide and seek?" Hermione asked. She stretched out on the blanket and wiggled her toes through her sandals towards Luna. "Aren't we a little old for that?"
Luna hung her head for a moment, frustrated with her own poorly thought out ideas. She should have just found a pub where they had music and lights and they could have all been having fun. She was ruining it and couldn't figure out why the nargles would bring her here.
Trust us, they whispered.
Treacherous nargles were the worst kind of nargles to have.
"I've never gotten to play it before."
Luna tucked her hair behind her ear and peeked over to see Harry had a shy smile just for her. "Really?"
"Really," he told her. "I only ever played once, with my cousin and his friends, but it was just a trick to beat me up."
Luna frowned and traced a flower design on Harry's arm. "That's not how you play," she told him softly. "It's supposed to be fun."
"Let's make it fun then," Hermione declared. She got to her feet and offered Luna a hand up. "I'll even be it first."
Harry looked a little wary, but then he shrugged. Luna figured he was worried that they might beat him up and then he probably remembered that they would never hurt a single hair on his perfect head.
Or he didn't think the eight of them could take him.
Both were very true.
The nine of them actually seemed to have a wonderful time as they wasted hours playing hide and go seek in the park.
Luna and Harry were excellent hiders.
Ron and Susan were very bad at hiding.
Theo was very good at being it, and Hermione was very bad at it.
Honestly, Luna didn't want to rank them all on their hide and seek abilities, but she suspected that even without the help of the nargles, Luna was probably the better player. Harry was a good hider, but he was impatient when it came to seeking.
They had played a lot of rounds though, and even if Hermione thought it was a kids game at first, Luna thought they were all having fun now.
The sun was beginning to set when Neville was it (he wasn't a very good it either, Luna suspected he wasn't trying very hard to find everyone) and Luna was hiding inside a bush. She was mostly looking around the tiny patch of trees and flowers that she found herself in, but she couldn't be seen by the path that Neville was walking along, so technically she was also hiding.
She couldn't hum though, because then Neville would find her, so she wiggled her toes and sniffed the flowers.
Oh! They were roses!
Luna loved roses.
And so do they…
Oh!!
Luna saw a little fairy blink in and out of existence as it recognized her magic and her lack of being a threat to it. She smiled and waved at the little fairy and the fairy waved back. And then more fairies appeared.
And then Luna realized why the nargles led them to this park.
"Guys!" Luna had her hands hidden behind her back as she ran to the blanket not much later. Neville was still looking for Draco and Harry but the others were there. "Ollie ollie oxen free!"
"What's that mean?" Ron asked her.
"It means come out quick! Because I have a new game!"
Harry abruptly dropped from a tree only a few feet away from the blanket and smirked at the looks of surprise he got from Hermione and Blaise. "What's the new game?" he asked as he strolled over and plopped down on the ground.
Luna shook her head and kept her hands hidden behind her back. "Not until the others are here."
It was all the way dark when Draco and Neville arrived. Draco looked smug and Neville looked exasperated.
"I won," Draco smiled.
Luna shook her head at him. "You didn't win, I gave up because I have a new game."
Draco pouted so Luna gave him a quick kiss to quit pouting and he looked much more cheerful after that.
"We're all here now," Susan said as she lounged on the blanket with Harry's head in her lap and her fingers tangled in his hair. "What's the new game?"
Luna pulled her hands from behind her back to show them all what the fairies gave her. "Fairy Dust."
The nargles led them to the park with the fairy family in it.
Luna befriended the fairy family.
And the fairy family gifted her with all the dust they had.
Nobody, except Blaise and Theo, looked very knowledgeable about the fistfuls of sparkling golden dust in Luna's hands.
"How?" Blaise breathed, his pretty honey colored eyes reflecting the sparkles of the dust.
"Magic," Luna quipped, obviously.
"What's it…" Harry looked around at the others. "What's it for?"
"It's for getting high as a snitch," Theo grinned. He shook his head at Luna and made his hair flop across his forehead. "Have you ever tried it before?"
"Once," Luna admitted. "I was lost in the forest behind my house for what felt like months, but I guess it was only for a couple of hours."
"It's drugs?" Susan asked. She pushed Harry's head off her lap and crawled closer to examine the dust. "How do we do it?"
"You lick it," Luna explained.
"I'm not licking your fuckin hand," Harry laughed. "No offense, Lue, but that's gross."
"Suit yourself." Blaise scooted forward and winked at Luna, sent Draco a smirk over his shoulder, and then very slowly licked her pinky.
Luna blushed and Draco scowled.
"I want to try!" Susan also licked Luna's hand, causing Luna to blush much harder.
"How about we put the fairy dust on plates for everyone so you all stop licking my girlfriend?" Draco demanded.
"That's a good idea," Luna told him. She waited until he conjured some plates and then she carefully split the remaining dust between them. "Oh…" Luna counted the plates and frowned. "We needed seven, and you only made six."
Draco scooted over by Luna and gently grabbed her wrist. "I said they can't lick your hand," he whispered with a teasing glimmer in his smoldering silver eyes that Luna loved so much. He raised her hand up to his mouth and then very slowly licked her palm.
"Reneverate."
Luna blinked as she came to and found herself surrounded by her friends. "Was it poison?" she asked as she slowly sat up. "Did the fairies poison me?"
"Was that an option?!" Neville yelped as he looked at the empty plate in front of him.
"Draco…" Hermione and Susan were clinging to each other and giggling very hard about something. Hermione took a deep breath and tried again. "Draco licked your hand and you…"
"You fainted!" Susan shrieked before losing herself to another fit of giggles.
Luna peeked over at Draco and saw that he looked very happy with himself. "Is it a courting step to make me faint?" she asked him.
Draco smirked a little. "It is, step nine, I think."
"But it's meant for after the wedding," Ron snickered.
"Enough about Draco's licking abilities," Blaise said. "Luna, take your bit and let's see if it works."
Luna thought that sounded sensible and so she took the plate in front of her and licked it. The fairy dust simply tasted like magic, there was no real explanation besides that.
Everyone sat in a circle in the dark park on the blanket with the air practically crackling with eager anticipation.
Except for Hermione, who Luna noticed didn't take her portion. Which was probably smart, because babies shouldn't get high before they were at least three years old.
"I don't think it's working," Susan eventually sighed.
Luna watched the words float above Susan's head like a cute little caption and laughed softly. "It is," she assured her. "Your arm is sparkling."
In fact, Susan's sparkly arm was the only thing of any importance in the park. Probably in the entire world.
"Holy shit," Harry breathed, his words a smoky cursive coming from his lips. "Susan, you are sparkling."
Everyone gave Susan's arm the rapt attention it deserved.
"It's like a trophy," Neville whispered, his words more of a blunt red font. "First place for not dying."
Susan and Ron thought that was the funniest thing they ever heard and their laughter mixed together in the air above their heads like music notes all tangled up.
"You guys!" Theo looked around at them and his pupils were so big that it was like a black-eyed demon possessed his entire body. "I can read your minds!"
"No you can't," Draco said absently. He was very enraptured by a small white hand that he was inspecting in front of his face.
"That's my hand!" Luna said with a laugh. "Give it back!"
"Never!" Draco was grinning and clutched the stolen hand to his chest. "Finders keepers."
"I really can," Theo whined. He nudged Hermione with his elbow. "Tell them, love!"
"Susan, do you have Harry's camera?"
"Yes!" Susan pulled a camera from her jumper pocket like a magician pulling a bunny from a hat. "Tada!"
"Excellent." Hermione accepted the camera and sat back with it in her hands. "It takes video, and I think I'll need this."
"Theo, read my mind," Harry demanded. "What am I thinking?"
They all leaned forward as Theo and Harry got in a very intense staring contest.
"They're going to kiss," Neville whispered to Ron.
"I bet Harry would be a good kisser," Ron told Neville. "He's got kissy lips, that's what Fred said."
"Fred said rhymes," Blaise laughed as he gently ran his fingers up and down Susan's first place trophy.
"You're thinking…" Theo squinted at Harry. "You're very hungry and want a burger."
"Oh my God!" Harry clasped a hand to his mouth and looked around at them all with big eyes. "Theo can read minds!"
"Do me! Do me!" Susan begged Theo.
"No, let's go get burgers!" Harry said. He jumped to his feet then fell on his bottom and laughed. "Did you guys just feel the earth wiggle? It's not supposed to do that?"
"No," Ron told him, very seriously. "Mate, I think you're high."
He was.
"I'm not high, I'm hungry," Harry wailed. "Please, ghosts of the world, deliver us fooooood."
"No ghosts!" Susan yelled, waving her hands to ward them away in case they were listening to Harry. "We'll find food all on our own. Like hunters!"
"Like hunters!" Everyone agreed with a war cry.
Hermione just smiled and kept the camera rolling.
They were very loud with their words forming smiling and happy clouds over their heads while they all tried to link arms and skip to find food.
Luna wasn't skipping. Luna was enjoying being carried on Neville's back while he tried to skip. He was a bad skipper but a very good Luna carrier.
They were so close to a store with neon signs that talked about milkshakes that Luna got a bit distracted thinking about milkshakes and didn't hear it when another group of teenagers, these ones much less happy than Luna's group was, passed them and muttered something.
"The fuck did you say?"
Luna watched as Harry spun around to glare at the unhappy group.
He's going to start a fight…
Don't be silly, you're high.
The nargles were right though.
"I said 'I'd fuck her'," the boy in the other group said. He stepped away from his friends and got in Harry's face, which Luna knew was a very stupid thing to do. He curled his lip up and looked Harry over slowly. "You could probably join."
Harry smiled so prettily and then he pulled his arm back and hit the other guy right in the mouth. "Susan's not interested, and I'd shag fuckin Dumbledore's corpse before I did you, wouldn't I?"
Neville bent over because he was laughing so hard and Luna slid off his back to laugh too. She wasn't sure why it was so funny, just that it really was.
The other group didn't think it was very funny though and, before Luna could properly process it, there seemed to be a lot of fists flying and swears being yelled.
Someone yanked her backwards by her shirt collar and she looked over appreciatively at Hermione who was inching away with a hand protecting baby Rosie.
"You're very smart," Luna told her. She put her hand on Hermione's stomach and beamed at the little high-five Rosie gave her. "Rosie is going to be so very smart too, I think. Or she could be a very dumb baby, like other babies, but I think she'll be smart."
Hermione grinned, but she was also holding the camera up high and recording their friends as they fought with the other group.
"This is my favorite jacket!" Blaise howled before he jumped up and kicked someone in the head. Luna hoped it was one of the unhappy teenagers, because it was a really good kick.
Time to go.
"Time to go!" Luna yelled at her friends a moment before a very chirpy song or siren started playing not too far from where they were brawling.
"It's the cops!" Theo yelled. "Run!"
Luna laughed while she ran with her friends away from the unhappy group that went the other direction. This was like hide and seek but if they lose then they go to muggle jail and muggle jail was probably not much fun.
They made it to the diner, but Harry ushered them to hide behind a truck parked on the street while a muggle police car went singing it's song past them.
"We did it!" Harry high-fived everyone. "We defeated the bad guys and now we're getting food!"
"My hero," Susan batted her eyeslashes at Harry with a sly smile. "If you weren't so stuck on ancient labels regarding gender expression and masculinity then you'd be a fantastic feminist."
Harry grinned and wiggled his eyebrows like little worms as he shed his jacket. "Jokes on you, Suzie-Q, I don't know what any of that meant."
They were all still laughing as they entered the diner.
"This has been the best idea ever," Ron declared happily as he dipped his fries in his chocolate shake. "Luna is a genius."
"I've always thought so," Draco said with a sparkly smile that apparated sparkles straight to Luna's stomach.
"Did you?" Harry leaned forward and waved a fry at Draco. "Why do you love Luna?"
Everyone went quiet as they looked from Draco to Harry to Luna.
Luna just watched Draco patiently and waited.
Draco blushed a little, but he stuck his chin out and waved an airy hand. "Because she's perfect," he said. "It's really thanks to Barty that I realized it."
Even while everything sparkled and everyone was talking in bubbles above their heads, that didn't make sense.
"How?" Theo asked with a quizzical expression. "Oh no!" He looked at Luna and his mouth fell open. "Did Barty fall in love with you too?"
"I don't think so," Luna assured him.
"'Too'?" Neville asked Theo. "Who else did he love?"
"Harry, of course," Theo said knowingly. "They played the most horrid game together."
"Shhh," Harry flapped his hand at his brother. "I want to hear how Barty made Draco fall in love with Luna."
"Well I already knew she was beautiful, right?" Draco told Harry earnestly. "And then Barty put you in that insane tournament—"
"That he won," Blaise nodded. "First place, HARRY POTTER!"
The other diners didn't look very amused by their very loud conversation, but Harry winked at Blaise and Blaise winked back so Luna figured the other diners just didn't appreciate the love their group had for each other.
"Right," Draco agreed. "And then Dumbledore put Luna in a lake!"
"Like we did him," Susan giggled.
"And I was freaking out, Harry! So I wrote to my mother, and she said it's because I fancy Luna, AND SHE WAS RIGHT! And then you broke up with Fred and I just knew you were going to marry Luna and I was crushed."
Draco slumped in his seat and Luna thought maybe the fairy dust erased his memory so she laid her head on his shoulder and smiled.
"Harry's marrying Fred," she told him, trying to repair his broken memory. "And we're courting."
"Awwww," Susan cooed loudly. She wrapped her arm around Hermione's shoulders and pulled their heads close. "Luna loves Draco and I love youuuu."
Ron suddenly burst into very loud tears. "And I love you all," he said. He waved his hands around and cried. "You're all my best mates."
"We love you." Harry told him. He reached over to pat Ron on the head. "You're really not so bad. Oh my god, RON, WE'RE GOING TO BE BROTHERS IN A WEEK!"
"If I marry Charlie then I can be in the family too!" Susan squealed. "OH MY GOD YOU GUYS! WE SHOULD ALL MARRY THE WEASLEY BOYS!"
"Harry and Fred, Draco and Ron, Susan and Charlie, who else?" Neville asked everyone eagerly.
"Perky and Mione," Harry said.
"I want Bill," Blaise cried. "He's very fit and a Bill, Fleur, and Blaise threesome would be the second best sex of my life."
"What was the first best?" Theo asked him
Blaise shrugged and pushed a fry around in his ketchup. "Harry," he sighed, "but he's getting married soon."
Harry laughed and made music notes erupt all over the room. "I'm very bad at sex," he told Blaise. "I'd probably be the worst sex of your life."
"I could teach you," Blaise suggested with a lazy smirk. "I'm an excellent teacher."
Ron laughed and smacked Blaise in the head. "Fred will kill you, mate."
"Unless…" Draco leaned forward and lowered his voice. "A Blaise and Harry and Fred threesome!"
"Gross," Hermione laughed. "You guys are sex obsessed."
"Says the pregnant girl," Susan sniffed. "That baby wasn't made with magic."
"Oh, she was," Theo winked. "My magic co—"
Hermione slapped her hand over Theo's mouth and laughed again.
"Wait! How does a threesome even work?" Harry asked with round eyes full of curiosity that killed the cat.
"No, you guys, focus, who gets George and Ginny?" Luna asked, still thinking over Susan's idea of them all becoming a huge family together.
"Uh…" Ron looked around at Luna, Neville, Theo carefully. "Okay, Neville and George, and then Luna and Ginny."
"But Ginny's the worsttttt," Harry whined. "She's so, blegh. I just wish I'd let her die that one time."
"I think Luna could fix her," Ron insisted. "Plus, if Ginny is mean to Luna then Harry can kill her and Luna can still be a Weasley. And then Theo can marry Percy with Hermione and then we're all Weasley's!"
"But I don't want red hair," Neville moped sadly. "I'd look really, really, bad."
Hermione hummed while the camera she held never stopped recording.
"I wish I had a brother for you all to marry," Draco sighed. "Why couldn't I have lots and lots of brothers for everyone to marry? Then we could all be Malfoy's together."
"Malfoy is a terrible last name," Theo laughed. "Ugh, Theodore Malfoy? No."
Luna hummed and nuzzled her head on Draco's shoulder. "Luna Malfoy sounds good though."
Draco peeked down at Luna on his shoulder and his eyes were sparkly and pretty and Luna could just die right then and be so happy. "Luna Malfoy it is," he said. "Let's win the war and then we'll get married and run away together."
Luna laughed and swatted his leg with her hand. "Your mum would be very sad if we ran away," she told him. "She said she wants grandkids."
Draco looked a little green all of a sudden, but Luna figured it was just the fairy dust wearing off and hummed while she finished the strawberry-banana milkshake she ordered.
When they made it back to their hotel, by magic Luna was certain because they weren't walking in very straight lines, Luna thought maybe her day wound up being okay.
At least, she wound up snuggled up on a magically expanded bed with Harry on one side and Draco on the other.
"Are you happy?" Harry whispered to Luna while Draco snored in her ear.
Luna considered it carefully and then nodded. "I am."
Harry smiled and closed his eyes. "Good."