Smirks, Books and, Dirty Looks

Sparrow or Crow?

   After arriving about thirty minutes late to my first appointment of the day and practically running my heavily pregnant patient over, I threw myself into my chair and sighed. "Hermione, it's so nice to see you. I was starting to wonder if you had forgotten us." It was then that she noticed someone else outside on the balcony. "Luna, I thought you and Blaise were going to have separate meetings? Hello Blaise." He walked in looking smug. "Well, we were but I couldn't help but come if only to see your face when she tells you this." 

   Hermione was confused looking from one to the other. "O-okay? What do you have to say Luna?" The blonde witch only smiled. "Well, you see Blaise and I have this friend." She paused and looked at Blaise to continue. "This friend of ours, well lets just say you know this person, and well.." He paused. "What?" Hermione was throughly puzzled. "Hermione, I just want to say, patiences is a must. You see, you know this friend of ours too, on a more personal note. There was even talk of a physical connection back in Hogwarts." Luna continued smirking. 

   Blaise just sniggered and walked to the window. "What does this have to do with our session?" He looked back almost lazily, "Oh it doesn't witch, we just want to say. That friend of ours will be coming in to see you. Soon." Hermione only sat there looking from Blaise to a smirking Luna. She really became one of them even took on their habits. "Well, if that person does indeed come how will I know them to be friends with you two?" Blaise laughed, "Oh you'll know. Trust, Granger." With that he walked out and left Luna to continue her session alone. "Luna, what's going on?" Hermione questioned her friend. "Nothing 'Mione we just want to make sure our friend is taken care of and well to warn you. That's all." She said in her sing song voice.

 "Look, if there's going to be trou-" Luna shook her head. "No Hermione, none of that. They just need help like we all do that's all." She nodded to herself. "Okay then. So, how are you." She looked at her swollen belly. "Oh, I'm fine thank you, almost due." Hermione smiled. Looking at her note pad she tentatively asked, "Did you get his letter?" Luna stood up and walked to the window. "I did." Hermione was writing down her response and her reaction. "And?" Luna just looked outside. The window was charmed much like the ceiling at Hogwarts except this charm was specific to show Hermione the patients feelings towards what ever they are discussing. "There's this feeling I get when I remember everything, much like falling down a flight of stairs. Sometimes it almost feels like flying your broom for the first time." Luna was battling her demons on the inside but her outside image seemed at peace.

    The window displayed flying birds something she knew symbolized freedom. They were flying in a flock over a stormy ocean. She was battling whether to be free or to continue to mingle with her demons. "Luna, are you happy? Truly." Luna looked at her and smiled. "Yes." Hermione saw that she was being truthful. "Do you forgive yourself?" She stopped smiling, "No. I don't think I truly can. Not until I see how happy he is." Was all the little witch answered. "Luna?" Hermione pushed a little. "Does Blaise know all this?" She looked from Hermione and back out to the window, for a moment she thought she saw her little sparrows turn into black crows. She was hiding her true self to keep the man she fell in love with. "He knows how you feel even if you don't want him too. He understands. If he truly didn't he would have walked out of that door the moment the potion turned pink." Luna chuckled no doubt remembering the day she found out she was pregnant. 

 "You know, I don't think you talked about how you both found out, yet." Luna nodded, "It happened while we were in Muggle London. I was visiting him for the holiday back them he lived out there. He was wearing a purple-blue sweatshirt and dark jeans. He looked so peaceful. We walked along the coast on the beach when suddenly, I felt something twitch inside of me." She paused to chuckle. "You see every time I got near him I felt this twitch. I had explained to him hours earlier, but he just laughed and called me a strange witch." Hermione was taking notes. "We went out that night to a pub and had this amazing dinner. When we got back to his place, we sat ourselves near the fireplace to make out." She blushed looking at Hermione. She just nodded urging her to continue. 

"I remember I felt strange and I told him something wasn't right. He just looked at me and said 'Merlin witch why are your eyes turning a darker blue?' That's when something clicked. My mood swings, my eating habits, even my eye color. I was pregnant. My mothers' eye changed color when she was pregnant with me." Hermione noted that her eyes did seem darker compared to her light airy color back in school. "Yeah I do see it, never really put much thought into it." She stared at her friend. "Well any how I remember looking up at this handsome bloke and said 'Blaise Zabini, you're going to be a father so I suggest you move back to wizard London before sundown tomorrow or it's goodbye to me and little Rowena or Grayson Zabini for the rest of your life. The choice is yours.' And I stood up walked over to the back door leading to his backyard leaving him dumbstruck and confused on his love seat, and apperated back home." 

 She smiled fondly at Hermione who simply looked at the witch trying her best not laugh. "He showed up half an hour later muttering something about being 'batshit crazy, and having to deal with an untamable bird'. That's when he took one look around and said 'NOPE!' grabbed my hand and apperated us to his manor where we have lived until this day." Hermione was impressed, she didn't think he had it in him to pick up everything and just jump. "Wow. Luna you really have some guts." She laughed and soon sobered up. "Blaise is a great father, and I truly am blessed to be with him Hermione. I feel alive. Neville loved me but he tried to caged me in make me more normal. Blaise lets me fly where I want to because he doesn't want me to be normal, but instead be who I am. I just feel guilty that it happened the way it did. The party, the lies, the secrets. They just all pilled up. Making us each someone we weren't. I wanted more. Blaise gave me that. Neville gave me what he thought I wanted, and I him. We hurt each other, that was us. The cheating that was me. It goes against who I am. It goes against.." She was sobbing. 

 Hermione stood and went to get her, "Luna, you have nothing to be sorry for. Neville forgave you. You have to forgive yourself." Luna was holding her stomach. "How can I? I love my family but, sometimes I feel as if I'm caging them in. Blaise hardly leaves me because of the children he doesn't go out like he did before he met me. I feel as if I derailed him." Luna looked at Hermione. "No, Luna. You. Did. No. Such. Thing." She stated each word separately trying to get her point across. "He loves you with all his might, you have given him the greatest joy and are about to give him another one. He doesn't leave because he wants to protect you all. You are his treasure now. It's not about his riches or recent conquest anymore, but you, Luna." She smiled through her tears. 

 "He wants you and Rowena and little no name over here. That's it." Hermione gave her belly a little rub causing Luna to laugh. "You're absolutely right Hermione, I know all this. It's the baby. He plays with every strand of emotion I have." She chuckled wiping away her tears. "Thank you." Hermione smiled. "You're welcome. Now I'm afraid we are out of time but," She paused and looked around her room for a bag. "I have this task I would like for you to do before I see you for your session with Blaise." She found what is was and brought it over to her. "This is a vial that I would like for you to fill up with memories of all sorts--intimate too, and store them in here. When you come in next time it will be with Blaise. I want you to bring this with you. We are going to be doing something with these." Luna took the vial and nodded. 

   "Now, our time is officially up. I don't have another patient until later this day. I bought you some gifts for the baby and little Rowena." Luna just laughed at Hermione's excitement and hugged her friend.

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