Shadow Walks |h.p/h.g|

ch. 8

Harry bolted through the waiting area of St. Mungo's, heedlessly scattering people as he went, nearly overshot the room he was searching for, and skidded to a halt by grabbing the doorframe when he caught a glimpse of Ron's ginger hair. His best mate was seated on the edge of the bed, casually propped on one hip, with one of Luna's hands clasped in both of his. Harry didn't say anything upon his initial entrance, but his eyes ran over Luna with the practiced detailing of a trained Auror.

"I'm fine, Harry," Luna said, smiling, albeit using a voice weak enough to denounce some of her veracity.

"What happened?" he asked, moving around the bed to sit at its foot, on the opposite side from Ron.

"I'm sorry I've - I know there were things you counted on doing today," she apologized, but he waved it off with one hand.

"There are very few ways this day could be any worse for me. Having something happen to you is one of them. I'm just glad you're okay. You are okay?" He added the question with a pensive lift of his eyebrows.

"I was at work, and someone broke in. I was hit with a Stunner, and my head happened to make the acquaintance of my worktable. They're going to let me go home as soon as the healer clears me."

"She was very lucky," Ron put in, still holding Luna's thin hand in both of his long-fingered ones, his eyes fixed on her, as if she might fade from sight at any moment. Harry's eyes danced briefly from Ron's face to Luna's and back again. When he met Luna's eyes, she gave him a knowing look, inclining her head toward Ron, and then lowered her gaze until her lashes fanned out across her cheeks. Ron's finally acting like Luna matters to him. Good, Harry thought matter-of-factly.

"Did they catch who did it? Did Shacklebolt send anyone down? Are they investigating?" Harry's questions were rapid-fire, and Luna could tell that he was about a millisecond away from going into full-on Auror mode.

"The Head Auror sent somebody down to look - somebody - somebody named MacNeil or was it O'Shaughnessy? I think - "

"MacKie?" Harry exploded, interrupting her. "Kingsley sent down a bloody trainee after Ministry employees were attacked?"

"But nothing was taken. They - my supervisor went through and checked, and everything's exactly where it should be. Calpurnia's handbag was still right out on her desk where she left it, and she was the first one hit."

"Is she all right?" he asked solicitiously. "Who else was hurt?"

"She wasn't injured. But whoever came through Obliviated her. She doesn't remember anything after she sat down at her desk, until the emergency workers came."

"Emergency workers?" His questions were clipped, quick, and Luna could not suppress a fond smile.

"I - I - when I woke up, I was on the floor, almost under the worktable, but my wand was only an arm's length away. I sent out the St. Mungo's emergency Notification spell. I was bleeding, and I could see Calpurnia down on the other side of the room. I didn't know what had happened, and I was worried that perhaps that herd of Graphorns had broken out of the dungeons; they could have caused all kinds of mayhem rampaging around the Ministry."

"Who else was down there? Working in the Department of Mysteries?" Harry queried.

"Look, Harry," Ron interceded. "Luna's been through a lot today. Perhaps you should just - "

"Ron, it's okay," Luna reminded him gently. "This is how Harry lets me know how much I mean to him, right, Harry? I'm fine. I don't mind answering his questions." Harry colored violently at Luna's first assertion, but her smile finally elicited its counterpart from him. Ron eyed them suspiciously, and muttered something about Harry always playing Auror, to which Harry replied that he actually was an Auror in real life, thank you very much. Ron bristled, and for a moment, it almost looked like they would come to blows, using Luna as an excuse for their as yet unresolved issues involving Hermione, but Ron subsided, declaring that if Luna was okay with being interrogated, then he supposed he could deal with it.