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CHAPTER EIGHTY SIX:

To Harry's delight, the next day was sunny and surprisingly warm for the middle of March, and he spent some time relaxing outside in the fresh air, with only the wind and the Kraken for company. When he heard the nearest class end for lunch he picked himself up off the grass with a smile, heading for the castle to join Severus and the students for lunch. Maybe he'd sit with some of his friends instead of at the Head Table and reminisce a bit.

"Harry!" more than one voice called, and Harry waved happily at the friends who had just stepped out of the castle. "Come join us for lunch!"

"Coming," Harry laughed, feeling for a short moment like he had no cares in the world. Then, just as quickly, his cares were back: For there was a man approaching the castle, and since he didn't have a glove in hand Harry couldn't know whether he was actually there on valid business or looking for a fight.

"Good day," the stranger called out as he approached. "Could you inform me of the Headmistress's whereabouts? I need to speak with her student, Miss Lovegood."

"We just had Transfiguration with her," Luna replied dreamily, regarding this man with her permanently bug-eyed expression. "Is Daddy alright?"

"You are Luna Lovegood?" the stranger asked, and Luna hummed as she nodded. The man took another step forward, too close for Harry's comfort, but perhaps he was just being paranoid – and suddenly the man's wand was in his hand, a curse arching its way towards the students faster than they could react, Harry's Protego a moment too late and he watched in horror as the curse ripped open Luna's chest, sending her crashing into the students behind her while blood arched, splattering the grass before her as she fell.

"SEVERUS," Harry roared as he propelled himself forward, his last half-way rational thought that Severus would take care of Luna before mindless rage gripped him at the attacker's calculating expression.

Flick, flick, Harry deflected two quick spells before breaking the man's wand hand with a well-placed Bonebreaker curse, grinning mirthlessly at the crunch of bones and the man's strangled cry before punching the man in the face, blood arching from a broken nose and spattering Harry's cheek. Letting his motion carry him forward Harry drove against the man's chest and followed his falling motion, landing on the muscled stomach and driving the air from the attacker's lungs.

Gripping and squeezing the dazed man's throat, Harry snarled, "Give me one reason not to kill you."

"She's stable!" Severus's voice rang out over the green, and Harry's fingers twitched around warm skin. Those words, and only those, were enough to still his hand, and by the look in his eyes the defenseless man under him knew it.

"Another attempt, by you or anyone else, will be met with death," he spat, and punched the man into unconsciousness, adding a stunner for good measure as he stood. For a moment he stood before his fallen adversary, body trembling with adrenaline and the blood pounding in his ears. Then Harry turned and sprinted back to where students were gathered around Luna's crumpled body, either hovering around her in worry or staring at him in shock.

"Call the Aurors," Harry ordered his younger self curtly, and the teenager merely nodded grimly before dashing off to find a teacher. "How is she?" Harry asked, his voice tense with worry as he dropped to his knees beside Severus. Raising his wand, he sent a quick Patronus to Poppy even though he was reasonably sure that Severus had done the same. "How did you even get here so quickly?" he asked with a slight frown as he watched Severus keep Luna stabilized awaiting Poppy's arrival. "I yelled for you, but I wasn't sure you were even close by."

"I happened to be just inside the castle," Severus replied tersely, "and rushed out as soon as I heard you cast a Protego. You got the attacker?"

"Of course," Harry said tightly, all his concentration focused on his injured friend. "He'd be dead if you hadn't called that she's stable. It's the only thing that saved his life. She is stable, right?" he questioned, not because he questioned Severus's abilities but because he didn't think he could stand to see her die in such a way again.

"She is," was all Severus said, but the quick look he gave Harry reassured his lover that Severus understood the reason behind the question and meant the answer. Then Poppy hurried out of the castle and didn't miss a beat before casting several preliminary spells and whisking the young girl off to the Hospital Wing, telling everyone but Harry and Severus to get themselves off to lunch in her usual manner. The two men trailed after her and settled in the Infirmary, Harry to watch over his friend and Severus to watch over his lover.

"So much for having a restful day," Harry muttered as he entered the all-too familiar white room, and Severus sighed in agreement.

OoOoO

By the time Luna awoke a small group had gathered around her bed, talking in hushed whispers. Severus had needed to go teach his classes, but the younger Harry and his friends had a free period and chose to spend it in the Hospital Wing. Hermione was working on a Potions essay with Neville, Harry was trying to memorize some spells without casting them, and Ron was reading a book on Occlumency; Harry just stared unseeingly at Luna, not thinking about anything.

Then Luna stirred slightly, her eyes fluttering, and Harry's eyes came back into focus as he leaned forward with a worried look. She shouldn't be in any pain, since Poppy healed her with her considerable skill and knowledge, but Harry couldn't help but worry. The last person he had seen with such a gash in her chest had been Hermione, bleeding to death on a battlefield.

Luna sighed and opened her eyes, unerringly meeting Harry's gaze.

"There are a lot of Plimplams around you again," were her first absent words, and Harry huffed a mirthless laugh.

"Yeah," he agreed, reaching out to take her hand. "They always come when my friends are hurt…"

Luna's smile was small, but radiant in its purity. "Then I'm glad to see them, but I'm really alright. They can leave now." She gave his hand a little squeeze, and Harry managed a smile for her.

"I'll see what I can do about that," he agreed. "Can I get you anything? Lunch maybe?"

"I'm not hungry," Luna declined vaguely, letting her gaze wander over to the other people in the room. "Professor Snape is teaching class?"

"Yeah, he'd be here otherwise," Harry said with a fond note in his voice, and Luna nodded as though she had expected that. "You can call him Severus, though, you know?"

Luna looked back at him. "That's for Professor Snape to offer, isn't it," she said mildly, and Harry hummed with a slight smile.

"Indeed," a deep voice said, "but Harry is correct. You are welcome to call me by my given name." They all looked over to see Severus approaching, coming to a stop next to Harry's seat and resting a hand on his lover's shoulder.

"Thank you, Severus," Luna said easily with a soft smile, and Harry saw Hermione's slightly offended look that the younger girl had found the name so easy to say. "You'll call me Luna, of course," she stated, changing topic before anyone could react to that. "Thank you for bringing the Kimdingers; Harry's Plimplams are nearly all gone now."

"Ah?" Severus raised an eyebrow at his lover, who gave him a complicated smile. "Indeed. It is fortunate that I came, then." Harry smiled and raised his right hand to lay it over Severus's hand on his shoulder, his left hand still in Luna's. Fondly he thought that the Plimplams had no chance against those two.