Chapter Text
An hour went by at the intermittent pace of a sprint and crawl. Between subjects she was a blur, jotting down notes and prodding at sleeping bodies. She barely remembered walking in and out of rooms, moving from bed to bed with how focused her mind was.
Then, she would press down on some person’s finger pad and make an observation out loud. There was no response, and it would snap Hermione out of her bustling theories and questions. Luna, she was reminded once again, was not with her.
To be frank, it was not even an hour before Hermione decided she was done. It was her hunger, she assured herself, and not the absence of a certain girl.
Then again, was it so wrong to pine for her…
Hermione blushed, unable to finish the thought. Her what? Object of affection? That sounded terribly unemotional. Love? Too soon. Intended? That might be a stretch of the word…
“What are you thinking so hard about?”
Hermione’s eyes snapped up to Luna’s at the counter. She had already reached the kitchen without noticing, somehow.
“The case, of course!” Hermione stammered. Hermione felt far too self-conscious to tell Luna what she was, as she so aptly put it, ‘thinking so hard about.’
The girl in question tilted her head, as if she could see into Hermione’s brain if she got just the right angle. “No, I don’t think so.” Well then, maybe she could.
“Right!” Hermione scanned the kitchen for something to deflect to, and caught sight of the basket on one of the tables. “What are you up to?”
Luna squinted her eyes in her direction, seeming to be considering something, but eventually turned to where Hermione was motioning to. “It’s a surprise,” she said, grinning.
Not quite sure what to do, Hermione sat down at the table to watch Luna walk around and retrieve different items. Then, the girl turned back to her and held out her hand. Hermione grasped it tightly.
They walked out of the manor and she couldn’t help noticing the nice weather. It was somewhat cloudy and there was a soft breeze. Luna pulled her past the stables and the small orchard to a lone tree in an open field.
Then, to Hermione’s quiet amazement, a large patterned quilt was pulled out of the basket and laid onto the grass. Luna patted it down with her hands and sat down, waving Hermione over.
She tentatively sat down next to Luna, eyes transfixed as Luna deftly set out everything she brought in the picnic basket. She couldn’t help but appreciate the way the sun filtered through the leaves and onto Luna’s face, making an intricate maze of shadow and light on the planes of skin. Her hair was fluttering slightly in the wind, and the sleeve of her blouse shifted down her forearm as she tucked it back into place.
Hermione was shocked out of her daydreaming when something was shoved towards her face.
“Say ahh,” Luna chorused, holding up some sort of pastry in her hand.
Hermione opened her mouth and slowly took a bite. The crust crumbled between her teeth and immediately Hermione’s tongue was covered in a thick and warm syrup. If she was honest, it was sweeter than anything she had ever had before.
“Do you like it? I bought them when we went into town. Marley bakes the best pecan butter tarts.”
Then, without any shame to speak of, Luna fed her the rest of the tart, even wiping away the crumbs on her face, grinning all the while. She passed over an apple.
“Here, to wash down the taste. It can be a bit sweet.”
Hermione munched away and watched Luna take a bite out of her own. “You seem to eat more fruit than you do food,” she remarked.
“Well, my mother has always told me not to trust something someone made if you don’t know how they made it. And I know exactly how the gardeners work, so I can trust whatever they grow! Though perhaps my mother was talking about new products in the leatherwork market…”
“Right.” Leave it to Luna to process her mother’s business advice as paranoia about what she eats…
Hermione’s thoughts stop short. Perhaps Luna did have reason to be paranoid.
“Luna, do you remember what you ate the evening that everyone was still awake?”
Luna brought up her hand to her chin. “That was the evening I went out to spy on the Billy-Wuggle, as far as I remember. I had snuck out a loaf of bread and picked some cucumbers and tomatoes.”
“Right, and the rest of the residents, do they usually eat the food prepared in the kitchen?”
“I think so. Sometimes the kitchen staff swipe a few while cooking, but they normally have their three proper meals.”
“I assume the gardeners have access to the kitchen, then? To fetch the produce?”
Luna’s eyes widened. “Oh, do you think Barty snuck into the kitchen and poisoned the food?”
Hermione nodded. “I’m not sure, but when the knights arrive perhaps they’ll be able to find more substantial evidence.”
“Maybe Neville could help.”
“Right, that boy who studies plants.”
After the picnic, the rest of the day went by at a similar pace to before the picnic, both too slow and too fast. Hermione continued her independent investigations and checked in on Barty to make sure their prisoner was alive, but she also had meals with Luna and discussed her collection of notes on the situation.
Then, it was evening.
They walked down the hallway together, Luna slightly ahead and Hermione wringing her hands. Finally, they reached the door, and Luna pushed it open.
“Wait!”
Luna stopped and turned. “What? Are you not coming?”
Hermione blushed. “Well… I mean… is this really appropriate now that we’re… courting…”
Luna gasped. “Why, to think you had such untoward thoughts!” Her eyebrows wiggled.
The gall! “Well! It had to be said! It’s just not…” Hermione stuttered.
“Appropriate?”
“Yes! But… if we both feel comfortable with it…”
“Yes, I promise not to tickle you in your sleep,” Luna vowed.
“You know that’s not what I meant!”
Luna grinned and swiftly placed a kiss on her nose, pulling her into the bedroom.
Finally, a day later, a knight squadron arrived to the manor. The residents still hadn’t awoken, but the leader assured her that they would thoroughly interrogate Barty and comb through her notes to quickly resolve the issue. Soon, the knights saw fit to send Hermione back to Headquarters with a preliminary report.
“Are you feeling okay? It must be worrying, not having any guarantee of when your parents will wake up.” Hermione said while checking over her pack.
“Mm, it’s okay. Neville will be here soon. He’s very good with plants.”
Hermione tilted her head, not quite sure where this confidence was coming from but also not daring to question it. “Well, alright. You will write to me, of course. On what Neville finds out, when your parents wake up, any progress the knights make with Barty.” Hermione caught Luna’s hand in her and hooked her fingers through the other’s.
“And the Nargles, of course. You’ll write to me about anything you find out concerning their plans,” Luna said, more a statement than a question.
Hermione sighed. “Of course. And anything about Cadal, though I’m not sure about my security clearance when it comes to anything I find in the Hogwarts library.”
Luna swung their hands loosely between them. “Don’t let Crookshanks get spooked by a Crumple-Horned Snorkack on the road. I already warned him, but you can never be too careful. He’s a very proud horse.”
“Yes, yes, we’ll stay safe.” Then, a mischievous glint entered Hermione’s eyes. She lifted their entwined hands and gently kissed Luna’s knuckles. “For good luck.”
Luna laughed, and dragged her into a hug.
Finally, Hermione set off.