A New Potter - Chapter 14

I was feeling better in the morning. Yes, Dumbledore was dead. Yes, the country went from laughing at him to venerating his memory. Yes, it all came down to me now. I had a choice to make, do I hide in Hogwarts and let the country collapse, or do I fight?

Fighting sounded good on paper, but I wasn't confident in my skills. I had the knowledge from the books and movies along with most of Harry's memories. We had spent the summer training. Potentially, I could add the Order to the allies I could count on. Potentially. They might be more of a hinderance. Getting the DA started would be for the best. Calling it Dumbledore's Army would be in bad taste. Not just because I was responsible for his death.

I paused. Aside from yesterday, when was the last time I saw Luna? We met on the train, she gave me some advice about Umbridge, and then… I needed to fix that. She was always one of my favorite characters and I wasn't going to let a chance to get to know her slip by. Plus, the bullying hadn't been handled yet. I got dressed in my standard uniform and made my way down to the Great Hall. People were still in a bit of a daze with the loss of Dumbledore. The realization that I had been among the half-aware people had been enough to pull me out. Plus, a bit of mystery always helped me get back on focus.

Quickly, I grabbed the Map and the Cloak only to freeze. I stared at the Cloak. It struck me that I had all three Hallows now. The fact had been kind of lost in the shuffle. Part of me wanted to see exactly what would happen when I combined all three. The only idea I had was to wear the cloak while holding the wand and stone. I had decided it was best to keep the Elder Wand in my holster. The was waterproof, keyed into only my magic so it couldn't be summoned, and had a notice-me-not charm on it.

The Stone I kept in a side-compartment in my travel trunk. I honestly had no idea what to do with it. Speaking with the dead didn't interest me. Finally, the cloak was either tucked into one of my pockets or locked in my trunk. I tried to keep it on me, it was useless if I didn't have it within reach.

I took a quick look at the Map to find Luna. She was alone, currently near edge of the Forbidden Forest. With the spiders gone it wasn't as forbidden, but students were still wary. She moved in a slow circuit around a clearing.

With the cloak on, I silenced my footsteps and went out to meet her. I wasn't in the mood to speak with anyone along the way. Dumbledore's death had settled into a cloud of impending doom. No one wanted to admit that Voldemort was back, but the Headmaster had been rather adamant about it. The people could either decide to ignore his warnings for the ravings of a dying old man or believe him and prepare for the worst. It was a hard struggle. People tended to think of the recently departed in a fond manner, unless they were complete monsters. The people were looking at Dumbledore's life through rose-colored glasses which made his last few months rather disturbing. Naturally, I was among the top choices that the public decided would be the next savior of the wizarding world. I wasn't against taking over the country, but I would do it on my own terms. Though it could be more trouble than it was worth.

I made it out of the castle without issue thanks to the map. There was an astounding amount of secret passages in the place. It looked like the only ones leading outside of the campus had been blocked off. Either through natural means or on purpose wasn’t clear.

Luna was sitting barefoot in a clearing waiting for me when I arrived. A few thestrals milled around her. One enterprising foal was trying to lick the remnants of blood from a bucket beside her. The creatures startled once I took off the cloak but settled a moment later.

"Hello, Harry," Luna smiled serenely at me. "Are you here to feed the thestrals too?"

"I was looking for you," I replied walking over to her.

"I'm here," Luna said.

She patted the ground next to her. I joined her without argument. The ground was much more comfortable than I had expected.

"Did you place a cushioning charm?" I asked.

"No," Luna shook her head. "This is the thestrals sleeping area."

"They really trust you," I looked around at the creatures.

"They trust you too," Luna cocked her head to the side as she watched the thestrals.

"Is that strange?" I asked.

"Yes," Luna nodded. "They don't trust easily."

"Just lucky I guess," I shrugged.

She crawled into my lap and rested her head on my shoulder. Naturally, I started to run my hands through her hair. My touch earned happy noises. I wasn't quite sure what this was. Did she just want comfort? Was she trying to seduce me? Did I need to be seduced?

"Have you had any problems with your housemates?" I asked.

"No," she replied was a soft hum.

"That's good," I nodded. "What about nargels?"

"The nargels have been very active," Luna leaned back to look me in the eyes. "They have hidden my shoes and socks."

"I thought you were barefoot on purpose," I narrowed my eyes.

"The grass does feel nice," Luna nodded. "The castle is cold."

"Hm," I grumbled. "Anything else?"

"I stopped wearing panties," Luna added.

My mind went blank for a moment.

"Padron?" I asked.

"I'm not wearing panties," Luna repeated. "I don't want to be uncomfortable if the nargels steal them."

"I'll ask if anyone has found your things," I wrapped my free arm around her and held her gently against my chest. "You never know where the nargels would put them."

"Thank you, Harry Potter," she sighed.

"Do you have any ideas to get the Cup out of Gringotts?" I asked.

"You could ask Bella for it," Luna replied easily.

"That would work?" I stopped petting her.

She grumbled and pouted until I started again.

"It worked last time," Luna said followed by a contented sigh.

"What?" I froze. "What does that mean, last time?"

"Last year when Harry was Lord of Hogwarts," Luna said.

She tried to wiggle her head to get me to start petting her again. When that didn't work she leaned back to look me in the face.

"When was I the Lord of Hogwarts?" I asked.

"You weren't, Harry was," she clarified. "He spent a lot of time with Pansy Parkinson. I'm glad you aren't."

"No one mentioned any of this before," I said.

"It didn't happen this time," Luna said. "It happened last time."

"What happened last year in this time?" I asked slowly.

"You were forced to join the tournament, competed, won, and Cedric died," Luna frowned. "That was sad, he was nice. You would have liked him."

"Ok," I tried to piece this all together. "What happened last year, the other time?"

"Which one?" She asked like it was the simplest question ever.

"There are more?" I felt like the ground was starting to fade out from under me.

"Oh yes," she nodded. "A lot more of other you and me from other years."

I stared at her in silence for a long moment. The new information sank into my gray matter like an icicle in a snowbank. A burning chill spread through my mind. We sat there for a bit, me trying to readjust to the world as Luna watched. After a few moments she hummed a little before she adjusted herself in my lap. I didn't think anything of it until she started to gently rock back and forth as she straddled my thigh just above my knee.

"Luna," I spoke low. "What are you doing?"

"Masturbating," her voice shivered a little as she spoke.

"I can see that," I replied. "Why?

"It helps when I get frustrated. Why?" She looked up at me with those soulful eyes.

"Because you're using my leg," I smiled at her.

"Yes, I am," Luna nodded.

Her admission didn't interrupt her motion. She pressed her head against my chest, still looking up at me. The new angle seemed to hit a better spot. She sped up, locking eyes with me as she went. I did what came naturally. I placed a gentle, lingering kiss on her lips. Luna let out a squeak. Her legs clamped down either side of my thigh and she rocked harder for a few motions before going rigid.

"Thank you, Harry Potter," she sighed. "That was a nice kiss."

"Happy to help," I replied with a smile. "Are you still frustrated?"

"I wasn't frustrated," Luna shook her head.

"You said it helped when you were frustrated," I countered.

"It helps me when I get frustrated," she replied as though she wasn't repeating herself.

"But you weren't," I said.

"Yes," she nodded.

"Then why did you do it?" I asked.

"You were frustrated," Luna replied.

I didn't know what to say to that.

"Did it help?" She asked.

"Uh," my mind came up blank with anything more to say.

"Do you want to masturbate now?" Luna asked. "I could help."

"Thanks," I said. "But I'm not really up for it."

Luna looked down at my crotch.

"Yes, you are," she countered.

"Physically, yes," I nodded. "I enjoyed the show and the kiss, but I'm just not in the mood really. Later?"

"Ok," Luna accepted my words and adjusted herself on my lap once more. "Pets?"

"Of course," I chuckled as I returned to running my fingers along her scalp. "Last time, did asking Bellatrix really work?"

"Your penis helped," Luna replied.

I was once again struck silent. It was worth a shot.

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NOTE
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Shorter chapter today. There's freezing rain & sleet, which means there is a good chance I'm losing power. Wanted to get this posted before then.