"You would?" Luna exclaimed. "That would be nice. I know daddy wants to go to Germany to look for duck-horned placows this summer."
"Umm...yeah anytime you want me too," Neville said. "You can floo me and maybe we can get together earlier so you can show them to me?" Neville's question had an air of hopeful nervousness about it.
"Luna," Hermione started. "Are you sure your father wasn't thinking of the Duck-billed platypus? They live in Australia."
"No, I'm positive he said duck-horned placows."
"But ducks don't have horns," Hermione argued almost wanting to cry.
"It all depends on what ducks you are talking about now doesn't it?" Luna replied. "But I've never heard of a duck-billed pla.. what was it again?"
Hermione spent several minutes describing the exotic Australian mammal that had the body of an otter, but the bill of a duck, the tail of a beaver, laid eggs and the males were poisonous. Harry, Fleur, Ginny and Gabrielle were extremely amused when Luna was hesitant to believe that such a creature existed. It was only when Hermione promised to bring pictures of it that Luna accepted that Hermione wasn't trying to make fun of her.
"Speaking of you being in Europe in ze summer Luna," Gabrielle said. "We were wondering if your father would like a big story for his magazine."
"Bigger than a duck-horned placow?" Luna asked.
"Oui," Gabrielle replied. "Ze reporter Rita Skeeter is going to be writing article on..." she stopped as she realized that though Luna would need to know the entire topic, Neville was in the compartment as well.
"It's only three weeks," Harry said to his bondmates. "And my mother wanted me to give Neville a chance at friendship. I say we tell them."
Fleur and Hermione shrugged. The only reason for the delay now was for the Twins. If it happened sooner, it would not be a big deal.
"Neville, Luna," Harry started. "We've been keeping a very large secret and we are going to share it with you now. It's concerning the story Skeeter will be writing about." Harry put his arm around Gabrielle's shoulder. "I think you both know that Gabrielle is my girlfriend."
"Is it your bonding?" Luna asked excitedly. "Where did you do it? Do you still have the chains?" She looked at Gabrielle. "Is he as handsome naked as I think he would be?"
"Oui...uh non, zere are no chains," Gabrielle exclaimed. "Oui, we are bonded, but ze Veela love bonding is not done with dancing and chains."
"Luna, the bonding happens as a physical projection in the mind," Hermione added. "Though it seems very real, it's all imaginary as the connection is made."
"And you know how?" Luna asked. "My father did a lot of research in writing that article."
"Luna, 'Ermione knows because she was zere," Fleur said, "as was I. We also bonded with 'Arry."
"Yeah...uh that's the secret guys," Harry said. "That I am actually love bonded to all three of these ladies."
"But...but..." Neville tried to interject but words failed him. Harry could see that he was looking at Hermione and guessed what the problem was.
"No, Hermione is not Veela, but she did bond. She was projected into the bondscape by Veela magic, and Fleur and Gabrielle asked her to join us when they realized she and I were in love," Harry said and then looked over at Hermione and winked. "Want to show them your Veela magic?"
As Neville and Luna watched, Hermione closed her eyes and concentrated. Her hair lost its bushiness and soon gentle curls flowed down her head.
"That's nice," Luna said staring at Hermione's hair. She reached over and ran her fingers through it. "Very nice."
"So would your father want that story?" Harry asked.
"I imagine he would, but I'll ask him," Luna replied still gazing at Hermione's hair.
"We are going to pretend the bond only happened at that time, probably in about three weeks or so."
"Why?" Neville asked.
"Let's just say that if you had a bet in the pool the twins are running of when Hermione and I would get together you might want to take it back, or change it," Harry replied with a grin.
Gabrielle leaned over to Luna and whispered. "And yes 'e is very very 'andsome naked."
Fleur later started a simple game of levitating a gobstone through conjured floating rings. If you missed a ring, the gobstone would squirt its foul liquid on you as a penalty. The rings became more numerous or in more difficult positions to navigate as it went along. Neville was doing the worst by far after only a short time. He had been squirted at least a dozen times. Finally Fleur noticed something.
"Neville, ze wand you use, it looks old," She said.
Neville looked at his wand and finally said. "It was my father's."
Fleur knew from Harry about Neville's parents, but it gave her an opportunity to see if Neville wanted to talk about it. "I'm sorry," Fleur said. "When did 'e die?"
Neville didn't say anything for a couple of minutes and the whole compartment was silent; finally he looked around at everyone and said. "No, my parents aren't dead. They...they..." Tears came to Neville's eyes but he blinked them back and continued, "They were tortured by several Death Eaters."
"Barty Crouch Junior..." Harry whispered as the trial he and Gabrielle had seen in the pensieve came to mind.
Neville nodded. "Along with Bellatrix Lestrange, her husband and his brother," He said quietly. "They're in St. Mungos," He looked down for a few seconds before looking back up and continuing. "We go see them every holiday."
"I'm so sorry," Fleur said.
Neville shook his head, but then he looked down and found a small hand had taken his. He looked up to find himself looking into Luna Lovegood's eyes. "Some Gryffindor I am," He remarked to her as he tried to use the sleeve of his robes to wipe away the tears.
"Courage isn't having no fear," Luna remarked. "It's living with and facing those fears. A man who cannot shed a tear, isn't a man I want to know."
Neville smiled through the wetness in his eyes as he opened his hand to release hers, only to have her hold his hand more tightly.
"If you ever want someone to go with you, all you have to do is ask," Luna said. "I will be glad to go with you."
Neville nodded.
....
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