Sticks & Stones

Harry and Ginny kept their hoods up and their eyes open as they made their way through Diagon Alley towards the offices of The Quibbler; Harry was not just a target of Voldemort, but the Minister of Magic would be thrilled to get his hands on Harry.

“Okay,” Ginny said, “what are we going to say to Mr. Lovegood?”

“How should I know?” Harry grumbled. “You’re the one who told Luna we’d deal with him…”

“All right, all right,” Ginny said irritably. Harry glanced at her with concern—she’d been more affected by Luna and George’s fight than he’d originally thought. “Well, not the truth, obviously,” she said, distracting Harry. “But maybe a partial truth?”

“Hmm… yeah, maybe,” Harry agreed thoughtfully. “Mr. Lovegood isn’t going to change his mind unless we can convince him that Luna really is going to be happy.”

“He’s a good father,” Ginny said, surprising Harry. “I remember Luna when her mum died—she wouldn’t have gotten through it at all without her dad. He wants what’s best for Luna, Harry—don’t doubt it.”

“I don’t,” Harry assured her. “Okay, so how much should we tell him?”

By the time they reached the Quibbler offices Harry and Ginny had worked out what they were going to say. They walked in, but were stopped almost immediately; “Who are you?” a snooty and harried-looking woman asked.

“We need to see Mr. Lovegood—” Harry started.

“Mr. Lovegood is dealing with a personal crisis,” the woman interrupted. “He hasn’t time for—”

“He’ll want to talk to us,” Ginny said sharply. “Tell him that Ginny Weasley needs to see him.”

The woman, although she looked quite offended, walked off and disappeared into an office that said “Editor-In-Chief” on it. “What makes you think he’ll see us just because of your name?” Harry whispered.

“The Lovegoods have known the Weasleys since before my dad was born,” Ginny said. “The Lovegoods moved out of England for a long time, but when they came back they settled right near us—that was about a year before Luna’s mum died. Mr. Lovegood has been around all of us since Luna and I were eight. He’s always liked us.”

“Well okay, but—”

“Harry,” Ginny said pointedly, “he thinks Luna’s been living above Fred and George’s shop.”

A light went off in Harry’s head. “Oh,” he said, chagrined that he hadn’t caught Ginny’s meaning sooner. “Right.”

Sure enough, the same woman came out of the office looking very flustered. She practically ran over to Harry and Ginny—directing her attention to Ginny, she said “Mr. Lovegood will see you at once.”

Ginny and Harry went over to the office door and knocked. It swung open immediately, and Mr. Lovegood poked his head out. “You!” he said, but not angrily—more as if Harry and Ginny were the last people he’d expected to see, despite having just been told they were there.

“Hello, Mr. Lovegood,” Ginny said.

“Ginger, it’s wonderful to see you, but I’m very busy right now,” Mr. Lovegood said. Ginger? Harry thought, suppressing a grin.

“We know,” Ginny answered nervously. “Can we talk to you in private about Luna?”

Mr. Lovegood’s eyes widened, but then narrowed shrewdly. “So you’re in on her disappearance, are you?” he said, standing aside to let them in.

Harry and Ginny stayed silent until they were safely inside the office with the door closed. “The room’s got a Silencing Charm,” Mr. Lovegood said, walking around his desk. “Now tell me one thing right off.” He leaned forward and asked earnestly “Is Luna all right? She’s safe? She hasn’t been kidnapped?”

“Kidnapped?” Harry exclaimed. “Of course not! Why would you think—” he cut himself of at the penetrating look Mr. Lovegood was giving him. “Oh… because she’s my friend. Right.”

“And because I’ve kept The Quibbler firmly opposed to You-Know-Who despite being a pureblood family,” Mr. Lovegood added fiercely. “Luna’s okay? How did she leave without my seeing her?”

“We don’t know,” Ginny said quickly. “She showed up back at the flats we’re all staying at and told Harry and me that you wanted her to come home and live with you, and that she didn’t want to. But she’s fine—she even let Neville Heal her ankle.”

Mr. Lovegood sat down in his chair with a thud and let out a long breath. “Thank Merlin,” he said weakly. “Luna’s all I’ve got. I don’t know what I’d do if…”

Harry shifted awkwardly. “Mr. Lovegood, I’m Harry Potter. I know we’ve never met before—”

“But of course I know who you are,” Mr. Lovegood said. “The whole Chosen One mess. And Luna’s mentioned you many times; said you’ve done her a good turn, been a real friend, and for that I thank you—Luna hasn’t had a lot of friends, especially since my dear Melinda died. Most wouldn’t give the time or patience for someone as… unique as Luna.”

Harry flushed slightly. “You did me a good turn too, publishing my story when everyone said I was barking mad. And Luna’s been a good friend to us. She’s really helped me out a couple of times—”

“Yes, I know,” Mr. Lovegood interrupted sharply. “You led her into a wand-to-wand battle with Death Eaters!”

Harry swallowed, uncertain how to respond. No matter how much time passed, he still felt guilty that he’d led five of his closest friends—including his future wife—into such an obvious trap, which resulted in the death of his father’s closest friend Sirius Black. He could hardly refute what Luna’s father had said.

“Mr. Lovegood, Luna chose to go with us that night, just as the rest of us chose to follow Harry,” Ginny said, taking over with a great deal more confidence than Harry felt. But then, she’d met Mr. Lovegood years before. “And she handled herself very well—in fact, she and Harry were the only ones of us that didn’t get hurt.”

“Yes, well…” Mr. Lovegood stuttered, trying not to look too proud. “You of all people know how stubborn Luna can be when she wants to, Ginger.”

“You called her that before,” Harry said, grinning at Ginny. “I’ve never heard that nickname for Ginny.”

“That’s because Mr. Lovegood is the only person I let call me that,” Ginny retorted. “So don’t get any ideas.”

“I wouldn’t dream of it,” Harry said quickly.

Mr. Lovegood smiled at them, apparently finding their sparring rather amusing. “Why did Luna ask you to come and talk to me?” he asked. “If you’re hoping to change my mind about her coming home—”

“Luna doesn’t want to leave our place,” Ginny said, talking over Mr. Lovegood. “She’s fixing what made her unhappy as we speak.”

Mr. Lovegood froze. “You mean the boy?” he exclaimed. “The boy she admitted she’d fallen for?”

Harry’s jaw dropped—Luna hadn’t mentioned that she’d let that slip. But Ginny used Mr. Lovegood’s question to lead into what she’d been planning to say anyway. “She’s patching things up with him right now,” she said smoothly. “They were… dating.” Harry had to bite back a laugh. “But they had a fight over something stupid and stopped talking to each other. But when you told Luna you wanted her to go home… Well, she really enjoys being around so many friends. And you see, she’s not really over him…”

“So they made up, then?” Mr. Lovegood asked. He looked almost as scared of that prospect as he had when he’d thought Luna was missing. “My little girl… but she is sixteen, and it’s so miraculous that in spite of her… er, unusual behavior, she found a boy who likes her that much.” He peered at them sternly. “He is actually fond of her, isn’t he? It’s not some twisted joke to hurt Luna’s feelings—”

“No, of course not!” Ginny insisted quickly. “George would never do something like that!”

“George?” Mr. Lovegood repeated, sounding alarmed. “George Weasley, your brother? But I thought he was dating that girl from the national Quidditch team. We did a piece on them a few weeks back.”

“That’s Fred,” Ginny explained.

“Oh, that’s right. Never could tell those two miscreants apart.” Luna’s father still looked troubled. “Your brothers have always been trouble-makers, no question about that,” he said, “but they were harmless, and had good Weasley hearts—well, not to hear tell of that no-good other brother,” he added brusquely. “I’d hope that Mr. George Weasley can conduct himself with honor and respect when it comes to my daughter!”

“Of course he has,” Ginny said shortly. “First of all, George knows that if he ever did anything to Luna the rest of us felt was harmful, all the girls in our circle of friends would hex him seven ways from Sunday, and I would be first in line.”

Mr. Lovegood chuckled. “And I’ve seen firsthand how well your brothers respect your hexing ability,” he said with a satisfied look.

“That’s right. And speaking of respect,” Ginny continued, “George is very fond of Luna, sir—he always has been, but now it’s developed into more than friendship. But I know for a fact that he’s treating her with appropriate respect—partly because he really does like Luna, and he’s a good person, and partly because he knows the rest of us simply wouldn’t put up with it.”

Luna’s father looked immensely satisfied; Harry, for his part, was relieved that Ginny felt at ease enough to do most of the talking—he felt a bit out of sorts. “Mm, my grandfather told me when I was a tiny lad that I could always trust a Weasley,” Mr. Lovegood said. “I suppose the same can apply to Luna. You’re sure their argument is over? And that it was something small and pointless anyhow?”

“Definitely,” Ginny said confidently, and Harry knew that it would be true by the time they got back to the house if George didn’t want to face Ginny’s considerable wrath.

“And, er… are they going to be going back to dating?” Mr. Lovegood asked. Ginny hesitated.

“That’s up to them,” Harry replied, taking over for her. “It wasn’t really our business, so we didn’t ask.”

“They do have separate rooms, don’t they? Are you sure they’ve never gotten up to… inappropriate things?”

“I’ve never asked them,” Harry said, which was true. He hadn’t needed to ask, since Luna and George hadn’t been at all discreet, even going so far as to snog—and almost do more—in the kitchen. “And yes, they do each have their own room.” Not that George used his much until recently, he added silently. “George, for all his—er, provocative behavior, would never do anything against Luna’s wishes. That’s something I’m absolutely certain of. And Luna knows her own mind—she wouldn’t do anything inappropriate.”

“Hrm,” Mr. Lovegood murmured, considering Harry and Ginny thoughtfully. “So I suppose you want me to tell you Luna can stay with you, then?”

“We do,” Ginny responded sincerely. “Luna’s been my friend a long time, and I’ve really loved having her around. I wished that she could have been sorted into Gryffindor so we could have been roommates at Hogwarts—and once she was Sorted into Ravenclaw, I half wished I would be too.”

“Hah!” Mr. Lovegood barked. “No Weasley will ever be anything but a Gryffindor! Well, you’re right about one thing, Mr. Potter—my LuLove does know her own mind. She’s too smart for her own good, which is how she ended up in Ravenclaw. Got her mother’s knack for figuring things out, except with Luna it’s words instead of spells. She’s been smarter than me by a good bit since she was old enough for her first wand. So I suppose I don’t have a choice—most of the time she knows better than I do what’s good for her anyway.” He sighed, and ran a hand through his hair nervously. “I just wish I’d noticed what my little girl had grown into—I feel as if the last several years I was so caught up in Melinda’s death that I’ve missed out on Luna’s childhood.”

“Luna will always be your daughter,” Ginny said softly. “She loves you the same as she did when she was a child—that won’t change.”

Mr. Lovegood’s eyes clouded slightly, but he seemed content. “Oh, very well,” he said abruptly, standing up. “Go and tell Luna that she can stay at your flats, then. But tell her and Mr. George Weasley that I expect to see them here in no more than three hours for a casual, fatherly chat.”

In other words, he’s going to scare the piss out of George, Harry translated. I hope they’re done ‘making up’ by then. “Thank you so much, Mr. Lovegood,” Ginny said, shaking his hand. “I would have missed Luna terribly if you’d made her leave. We all would have.”

Mr. Lovegood looked both surprised and gratified. He turned to Harry. “You’re a smart one, Harry Potter,” he said, shaking Harry’s hand. “You picked well. And I notice that you know when to shut up and let the woman talk. You’ll do well as a husband.”

When Harry stepped out of the Quibbler door he let out a huge sigh of relief. “That went better than I’d really hoped,” he admitted. “Now we just have to hope that Luna and George really did make up.”

“They will have,” Ginny said, but vaguely; she was looking at Harry with a very odd expression.

“Er… yeah,” Harry said awkwardly. “I guess we better get back to the house and tell Luna and George that they have to come here and speak to Mr. Lovegood. And Obliviate them if they’re still arguing,” he added when Ginny didn’t respond.

“Don’t be absurd, we aren’t Obliviating them,” Ginny said dismissively. “Um, Harry, can you do that? I just remembered I have to meet Pansy at Gringotts.”

“What?” Harry exclaimed. “You didn’t mention that before!”

“It didn’t come up before,” Ginny said evasively. “Pansy asked if I’d give her my opinion on a few things she found in the Parkinson vaults that the Ministry decided not to confiscate.”

“That’s odd, she didn’t mention it,” Harry said. His brow creased as a thought occurred to him; he whipped out his wand and said “Expelliarmus!”

“Hey!” Ginny snapped as her wand flew out of her robes into Harry’s hand. “What are you doing, Harry?”

“You’re acting weird,” Harry declared. “It’s not like you not to mention something like that.”

“Oh for Merlin’s sake!” Ginny huffed. “I didn’t mention it because Pansy didn’t want to draw attention to it!” She sighed when Harry didn’t lower his wand. “Harry, do you have some Veritaserum on you?”

Harry’s eyebrows rose. “Yeah, I do,” he said. He glanced around, and then led Ginny into an alley. He pulled out a small crystal vial, and Ginny grudgingly tilted her head back to allow Harry to administer the three drops of Veritaserum. Harry lifted the dropper over Ginny’s mouth, but didn’t let any out—instead he lowered his arm. “Okay,” he said, putting the dropper back in the vial.

Ginny frowned at him. “Why didn’t you—?”

“If you were under the Imperius Curse you’d never had let me give you Veritaserum, let alone suggest it yourself,” Harry said. “The fact that you were willing to let me is enough proof.” He smiled weakly when Ginny rolled her eyes. “Sorry, Ginny. I had to check.”

“Forget it,” Ginny said. “But I really have to go.” She stood on tip-toes on kissed Harry deeply. “Maybe when I get back to the house we can work off some tension,” she whispered once they separated.

Harry shivered. “Go on then,” he said, spinning Ginny around and slapping her on the arse. “And hurry, because I won’t be able to concentrate on anything until you get back.”

Ginny smiled coyly over her shoulder, shook her hips slightly and ran off, laughing at Harry’s growl.