Together We're Harmony Ch. 3 (Patreon)
Content
Content Warnings: Nothing.
Ronald Weasley was hungry. An empty stomach and a Weasley did not mix well together, the boy decided, buttering up his third croissant. "Hedwig? Is she okay?" Ron asked, looking up at his best friends, a worried frown on his face.
The three had drifted apart with time, but the redhead still cared about the boy who had been his first friend, and near-constant companion since then. He knew what Hedwig meant to Harry. "Don't... Uh... Don't knock the Nargles out of her. I think she's just tired of being cooped up in her cage. Did you let her out?" Ron asked, coughing to hide his smile at the mention of Nargles. Luna truly was odd, but he loved the Ravenclaw because of her oddities, not despite them.
"Yeah. That would be animal cruelty. Don't worry Won-Won, Mione wouldn't ever let Harry do that to Hedwig," Lavender murmured with a small smile, a hand tracing the scar on her cheek, a nervous tic that she had never fully gotten rid of. Things weren't really awkward between the four anymore, not since the Battle of Hogwarts, but she still felt she was intruding on what felt like a sacred bond between the three friends. The feeling made her feel insecure and inadequate, and on particularly petty days the girl was glad that Harry and Hermione had ended up together, despite how disengaged Ron now felt from his friends. Hermione and Harry were happy, and Hermione wasn't interested in Ron anymore. That was all that mattered.
"Oh no. Certain pets need whacks at times. They get infested, and nargles are terrible, terrible creatures. They make the pets cranky, disobedient, and otherwise unmanageable. Don't you think so Hermione?" Luna asked, carrying two large platters of salad to the table. "Why are you standing? Lavender was kind enough to help me cook. Sit!" She exclaimed, smiling happily at Hermione, pulling her wand from behind her ear, and pointing at two empty chairs around the table, which sprang to life, dragging themselves away from the table. "The chairs are cushioned. I got them from a bazaar in Turkey while hunting for a Sniggerdumple." She murmured, walking back towards the kitchen, "I'll go get the soup."
"I think it's wrong to whack a pet, no matter how disobedient or naughty they've been. Any pet," Hermione declared as haughtily as she could, shooting Harry a look as her dominant made himself comfortable on a chair, waiting for Hermione to sit. Oh. No choice. In a perfect world, she'd spend the night on her stomach, airing out her sore ass, not abusing it further by sitting on what appeared to be a rather hard cushion. The girl was struggling to stay out of subspace, not that her efforts did anything to quell her anxiety after she snarked at Harry. She could see from his smile that he had taken it as a joke, the way it had been intended, but the submissive Hermione was nothing but irrational, and her brain half-expected him to pick her up and take her to an empty room to continue her punishment. She sighed as she collapsed on the chair, her legs suddenly weak. The room was suddenly suffocating, and she was on the verge of zoning out before Harry's hand had found hers, grounding her in reality. He knew what was happening. He was there. The signs of a panic attack were subtle, but considering they both suffered through several of them during the course of a day, they had learned to read the signs and provide comfort to the other person as best they could.
"You okay Mione? You look uncomfortable." Ron murmured, diverting his attention away from the steaming bowl of soup that Luna had placed in front of him, looking up at the bushy-haired brunette with a frown.
"Huh? Oh, I'm fine Ron. Just a tiring day at work. The goblins were a pain to deal with, nothing extraordinary, really," Hermione replied, giving the redhead a small smile. Bless Ronald. While she often joked about him having the emotional range of a teaspoon, and he could be really insensitive at times, the boy never failed to surprise her. She had expected Harry to pick up on her distress, Ron doing so was a pleasant surprise.
"Pumpkin has healing properties, Mione. It'll do you good," Luna said placing the bowl in front of her, giving her shoulder a reassuring squeeze before she moved to fill a bowl for Harry and herself.
"They still salty about the fact that we broke into their bank, and then broke out on a dragon? That was truly something," Ron chuckled, his eyes glazing over as he reminisced about their old adventures. He was broken out of his memories by Lavender slapping his shoulder, asking him to finish his soup before it went cold.
"He's writing a book about your adventures. Honestly, he spends so much time lost in his memories these days, I keep telling him to buy a pensieve," Lavender teased, smirking at her boyfriend as a red-faced Ron furiously munched on a carrot.
"I-I don't know if I will. Or even if I should. It won't be a well-written story," He mumbled, burying his face in the bowl of soup, the tips of his ears dark red, a sure sign that the boy was embarrassed.
"You should. I have magical creatures. Harry has Grimmauld Place. You should have a hobby that occupies your time Ronald," Hermione said softly, sighing as she felt Harry's hand on her thigh. The man was encouraging her, he knew as much as she did that Ron needed it. He needed the adulation, the recognition, the praise. That was one reason why he and Lavender had worked out so well. "Have you thought of a name for your first book?"
"Well... I thought I'd write six books in total. One for each year that we spent in Hogwarts. 'Harry Potter and the Year My Professor was a Two-Faced Bastard' seemed like a fitting title for the first book." He grinned as the table exploded in laughter, even Luna chiming in with her musical laugh. After nearly five years together, Lavender knew most if not all the adventures the Trio had had throughout their years at Hogwarts, while Luna had been a part of quite a few of them.
"Accurate, mate. But a little long. What about Harry and Friends Investigate a Deadly Maze?" Harry asked with a grin, looking at his other best friend. Merlin, he had missed this. He had missed his friend. "Just a working title, something to use while you finish the book," He added, getting to his feet and helping Luna clear the empty bowls from the table, and carrying them back to the kitchen.
"Do you have enough salve at home? Hermione seems uncomfortable," Luna asked, gingerly pulling the glazed ham from the oven with Harry's help, and setting it down on the stove. "A hard punishment?"
"Not really. It's just been an emotional day for her," Harry sighed, moving to extract plates from the cabinet for all of them. They dined so often at Luna's house that it was now second nature for the boy, and he did it without conscious thought, arranging six plates for Luna to fill with food. An emotional day. Every day seemed to be emotional for the couple, the two heroes of the war still fighting their battles two years after victory.
"Five plates Harry. Neville is out with Hannah, remember?" Luna reminded him with a gentle smile, slicing the ham, and sliding the thin slices of the meat into individual plates.
"Right. How's that going for him?" Harry asked with a grin, glad that the sixth member of their little friend circle had finally found love and companionship. He often wondered about Luna, but the consensus between him and Hermione was that the girl was far too unconventional and free-spirited to settle for a normal relationship. The boy stepped away from the plates letting Luna prepare their main course. As good a cook as he was (Years living with the Dursleys had finally borne some fruit), Luna was a goddess in the kitchen, and all of them knew better than to interrupt her while she worked her magic.
"Oh, he's very happy. Neville says Hannah's the nicest girl he's met after me," Luna murmured, passing him a couple of plates of food to carry to the table. "He also told me her lips taste like honey, but I don’t think he meant to share that with me. He gets very excited whenever we talk about Hannah." Luna murmured, handing him two more plates when he walked back into the kitchen, the girl carrying her own plate to the dining table.
The group finished the rest of the dinner in relative silence, the two couples rather engrossed with their partners, while Luna dreamily hummed a tune, simply picking at the food on her plate. The girl barely ate anything, and it had been a regular source of concern for Harry and Hermione.
"That was delicious. You outdo yourself every time Luna," Hermione said, reaching out to squeeze Luna's hand, smiling gratefully at her.
"Oh, it was nothing really. I enjoy cooking for my friends," Luna said sincerely, smiling at the group as they got up, carrying their own plates and various other dishes to the sink. Knowing the girl, everyone believed the statement.
"Nightcap Harry?" Ron asked, depositing the last of the dishes in the sink, turning towards the raven-haired boy with an inquisitive look.
"Rain check? I... uhm..."
"He needs to go check up on his pet," Luna chimed in, waving her wand and watching the scrubber start to slowly scrub and rinse the dishes.
"Merlin. Hedwig must be really knackered for you to be this concerned." Ron murmured, looking at Harry as the boy turned, spying Hermione waiting by the fireplace hopefully.
"Uh... Yeah. She's in a mood, Ron. My pet. I just need to take better care of her. See you later?" He asked distractedly, waving at Lavender after a confused Ron had nodded, rapidly making his way towards Hermione.
"Cuddles?" He asked softly, slowly looping his arm around the tired girl's waist, pulling her closer. He reached out to grab a handful of floo powder, suddenly wishing the two were back in their warm, familiar bed.
"Cuddles," Hermione replied with a firm nod, stepping into the roaring green flames with a sigh. Home, Bed, and Harry. Just what she needed to end the long day.