The Eagle and The Snake: A Tragic Love Story

91. The Other Dad

Luna was apprehensive about returning to Hogwarts, as she didn't know whether or not her dad would behave while she was away.
She paid close attention to the Quibbler in the months that followed, to make sure that Xenophilius didn't do anything that would make Voldemort angry.
To her relief, her father seemed to be sticking to his promise, by placing a picture of Harry on most front covers, with the words Undesirable Number One underneath it.
But he also continued writing about the lost souls, and the destruction caused by death eaters. And Luna wasn't sure how much longer he could get away with that behaviour.

Shortly before Easter, Luna heard from Snape that her father had been paid a visit by Harry, for reasons unknown.
To her suprise, Xenophilius had ratted Harry out to the death eaters, by intentionally setting off the taboo around Voldemort's name. He had decided that protecting Luna came above protecting Harry.
Not that it mattered anyway, since the death eaters had failed to capture Harry, allowing him to escape once more.
And in the process, Luna's house had been destroyed, as a stray spell had hit an Erumpent horn, causing it to violently explode, taking the house with it.

Snape had reassured Luna that her father was alive and well, and had rebuilt their house to the best of his ability using his magic.
This knowledge didn't really make Luna feel much better, as the Erumpent horn had only been in the house in the first place, because Xenophilius had planned on using it as part of a present for her.
And even though their physical house had been rebuild, most of her personal items inside had been completely destroyed.
She was desperate to go home and see her dad, but she was unable to leave school grounds until the Easter holidays. So, she was in a grumpy mood in the days that followed.

When Carly and Luna were reading the Quibbler one morning, a few days before Easter, they came across a name in the back of the paper that they recognised; Ted Tonks.
At the girls request, Snape had implemented a rule that allowed Prefects to sit where they liked. So that the pair could sit together at meal times.
This meant that Luna was right by Carly's side when they came across Ted's name in the paper.
Carly had to reread the name several times to make sure she had gotten it correct, as she couldn't believe that Ted was really dead.

"I need to go" mumbled Carly, before getting up and sprinting out of the room, not caring about who saw her.
Luna stuffed the Quibbler into her bag, before running after Carly.
She followed the sound of her girlfriends tears, until she found her sat on the floor in one of the girls bathrooms.
Wordlessly, Luna lowered herself to the ground, and sat by Carly's side.
She then flicked her wand at the door, locking it, so that no one would come in and see Carly crying.

"I just can't believe that Ted is really dead" sniffed Carly, as she tried to stop the tears from falling down her cheeks.
"My father wouldn't have published that information, if he didn't know for certain that it was true" Luna said softly.
"I know that your dad isn't a liar. I am just finding it hard to accept that Ted has been killed... All the names in the paper in the past, didn't really affect me, because I didn't know who any of them were. And the people we killed deserved it, so I didn't feel bad about ending their lives. But this feels different" admitted Carly.

"It's bound to feel different. This isn't someone who hurt you, or someone you barely knew. Ted helped raise you from the moment you were born. He was a big part of your life. It is only natural that his death would effect you, despite him being a Muggle-born. Some people might view his death has not than important, because of his blood status. But neither of us have ever cared about blood purity. A life is a life. And if you know the person who has died, feeling sad is the only reaction that comes naturally" said Luna.

"I know that I have a father, and a dad, but Ted was the only fatherly figure I actually had in my life, since my birth parents died such a long time ago. Andy and Ted raised me, and showed me as much love as they gave Nym. They didn't have to care about me. They could have treated me the way the Dursley's treated Harry, but they didn't. They chose to raise me with love and kindness. I may never had said it to his face, but Ted really was like a dad to me" admitted Carly.
"I know he was. The same way Molly was a mother to Harry, Ted was a father to you" replied Luna.

"Andy and Ted gave me everything, and I threw it back in their faces, because I wanted something more. My substitute father is dead, because of me" sobbed Carly.
"Hang on, don't go blaming yourself. We both know the dark lord would have risen to power without our help. Besides, Ted wasn't killed by death eaters on the dark lord's orders, but by Snatchers. Which means that his death has nothing to do with us" insisted Luna.
"Snatchers only exist in the world we helped to create. Their job is to track down Muggle-borns and those who have gone on the run from the dark lord's rule. They wouldn't have killed Ted if the dark lord was not currently ruling the world" countered Carly.

"Look, Draco would have gotten death eaters into the castle that night, without us. And Snape would have killed Dumbledore, if you hadn't done it first. Dumbledore would have ended up dead without our help, so the dark lord was always going to end up taking over. Which means that Muggle-borns were always going to be oppressed. And that means that Ted's death is not our fault" informed Luna.
"I guess you're right. But I still feel pretty guilty about the whole thing. Not to mention being devastated that Ted is gone" replied Carly.
"Like I said earlier, feeling sad is a natural emotion" reassured Luna.

"I can't even imagine what kind of pain Aunt Andy is going through right now. And Nym too. She's just lost her father. I bet Andy is blaming me, just as much as the Snatchers who actually killed Ted" admitted Carly glumly.
"Grief makes people act out angrily. Everyone needs someone to blame when they lose a person close to them. But that doesn't mean that they blame the right person" insisted Luna.
Carly sighed, and wiped the tears from her face, with her sleeve.
"I'm going to have to go out there now and pretend that Ted's death hasn't affected me. And when we go home at the end of the week, I am going to have to pretend to be happy that Ted is dead, particularly in front of Aunt Bella" she said quietly.

"It would be the wisest thing to do, to keep your tough reputation. And we are good at keeping secrets from the world, since we've had a lot of practice at it. But you don't have to hide your emotions if you don't want to. No one is going to make you do something that you don't want to do" informed Luna.
"No they won't, but I need to do this. I don't want to damage the hard reputation that I have worked so hard to build. I need people to think this hasn't affected me, because I don't want the dark lord to think I'm weak. In the world we live in, strength is the only thing that matters. Showing off your strength keeps people from messing with you. So, I need to be strong and heartless when in public" announced Carly, as she stood to her feet.

"Then I will do whatever I can to support you" promised Luna, as she stood up to join Carly.
"Thank you. You are the best friend anyone could ask for, Lulu" smiled Carly.
Luna blushed, "Don't you mean, I'm the best girlfriend anyone could ask for".
"That too. I need your love to keep me going, but I also need your friendship as well" admitted Carly.
"You can have whatever you need from me, whenever you like it. For I am yours, and you are mine, until the end of time".