"Luna, wait up!" Harry called to the blonde a few feet in front of him.
Obligingly, she stopped to wait for him. "If this is about the second task then I regret to inform you that you're clearly not obsessive enough to figure it out and I couldn't tell you either way. I'm under oath, you, see, all the judges are. Otherwise what would be the point in not telling the contestants since the various headmasters would tell their students anyway. Well, except for Dumbledore but the tradition of judges making that oath dates back to before Dumbledore's time."
"That is old," Harry remarked. "And don't worry, I may not be obsessive enough to take the egg with my while bathing, but my scar was quite insistent on it so I already know what the second task is. Cedric should figure it out sooner or later and I saw the twins trying to play football after Dean explained it to them and kicked it into the lake so I'm sure they've already got a plan and I'm sure it will be epic. Or anticlimactic. Epic in its anticlimaticness?"
"What about you?" Luna asked him seriously. "Do you know what you're going to do?"
Harry shrugged. "I'll figure something out. And if not I could always do what I did last time…but I did that with the first task, so…"
"So you were also in the Pentawizard Playoffs before you went back in time?" Luna inquired.
"Yeah, but it was called the Triwizard Tournament then and Fred wasn't involved-" Harry began before cutting himself off. He looked around to see if they were alone and – fortunately – they were. "I forgot you figured out my secret."
"It's hardly a secret given that you're practically flaunting your future knowledge," Luna pointed out. "But most people are tragically too close-minded to realize the truth."
"And you…don't care?" Harry asked, a little surprised.
"Not really," Luna answered honestly. "Out of curiosity, how long ago did you get back and how old were you at the time?"
"I was twenty-three when I got back about a month before my first year," Harry replied.
"And did you come back to stop some terrible future?" Luna pressed.
"Well, if I could stop Voldemort before he killed people I care about, that would be great but honestly…no. Things worked out pretty well, I defeated Voldemort by the end of what was supposed to be my seventh year, and I accidentally went back in time six years later," Harry told her.
"I see," Luna said, sounding unsurprised. Then again, she never seemed surprised. "I thought as much as you didn't appear to be overly traumatized by the time I met you your second year back."
"It's not like I don't miss them, Luna, I do," Harry assured her. "But they're gone and I don't see a way back. I came back through the Veil in the Department of Mysteries but I don't actually know anything about it or how it works and neither does anybody else and who's to say that if I went though it again it wouldn't just kill me or send me to a third dimension? I don't want to lose everything again."
"I understand," Luna said softly. "Did Professor Black come back as well?"
Harry blinked. "Yes, how did you-"
"He broke out of Azkaban rather suddenly and unexpectedly and he seemed a good deal more recovered than I thought someone would be from such a long-term stay in Azkaban when I first met him," Luna explained.
"So…does this change anything?" Harry asked, a little nervous. He may not have really been close with Luna until the end of the war – and then she had gone off searching for mythical creatures and met Rolf and hadn't moved back to England yet – and might not have really intended to get close to her in this time, but she really was the only one besides Sirius (who was in the same predicament, really) who could keep up with him.
Luna considered. "Ginny and I are thirteen, Hermione is fifteen, and you're twenty-six or twenty-seven. Regardless of what Rita Skeeter's article tells you, you should put off dating until – at the very least – your sixth year. That way if you go with someone your physical age you won't be a pedophile and if you go with someone who is around your mental age they won't be tried as one," she said finally.
"Good advice," Harry nodded. "To be honest, I'm really not even attracted to anyone my physical age right now because I look at them and I see a child. I've read Lolita, you know, and I do not intend to become Humbert Humbert."
Luna nodded her approval. "So what did you want to talk about before we got sidetracked talking about the fact that you're from the future?"
"Hm?" Harry looked confused for a second. "Oh, right. I wanted to know how you managed to become a judge. I mean, not like I don't have complete faith in you, but I don't get why some American Headmistress you've never met would be willing to entrust you with representing her school."
"Well, that's quite a simple story, really," Luna began. "The Headmistress didn't even know about her school's technical participation until I informed her. She sent me a polite note back thanking me for informing her and then inquiring whether or not she would be required to do something."
"And what did you say?" Harry asked.
"I told her that no, you wouldn't really need anything but that she had a right to serve on the panel of judges. She replied that she was quite busy and had no real interest in judging the Playoffs. I asked if there was anyone she would like to appoint as her proxy and she asked why didn't I just do it since I as the one who brought it to her attention in the first place. I'm not sure she even realized I was a student and she certainly seemed to be rather disinterested in the whole affair," Luna concluded.
"Wow. So you just lucked into the position, then?" Harry clarified.
Luna shrugged. "Pretty much. Life works in interesting ways, doesn't it? It could have been anyone, really, but I was the only one who thought to contact the Headmistress."
"Well congratulations, I'm sure you'll do amazing," Harry told her sincerely.
"Flattery will not make me stop docking you points for showing off, Harry," Luna said sternly.
"I don't know what you're talking about," Harry liked virtuously. "But while we're on the subject of judging…how in the world did the twins get away with both of them competing?"
"The Goblet selected Fred Weasley as a champion and they were both Fred Weasley," Luna explained. "I feel we should all be grateful that this isn't a public school and the name entered wasn't 'John Smith' or we would easily have half a dozen boys competing under one name."
"Even if that is technically true and without a doubt awesome," Harry began, "the judges still had to approve it. There's no way Madame Maxime or – God forbid – Karkaroff would have allowed it?"
"They voted against it," Luna conceded. "As did Dumbledore. I think he's still a little sore at how easily you got past his Age Line, personally. There are seven judges, though: one from each of the schools, Bagman, and Crouch. I voted for the idea because the twins always work better together and we're so far past the 'spirit' of the rules that it's ridiculous. Lockhart voted for them because they represent his new school. Bagman said something about how he owed them money before also voting for them and Crouch said that since there was nothing in the rules against it and this was already extremely unconventional, he would allow it. That's 4-3 in favor of them being allowed to compete together and so they did."
"So the only reason that they got away with it was because two of them had personal reasons for doing it?" Harry said, shaking his head ruefully. "I might've known they'd find a way to turn Bagman's bet with them to their advantage…"
"Indeed, they are fine champions," Luna said beaming.
"What about me?" Harry demanded.
Luna gave him a look of wide-eyed innocence. "I've yet to see you in the school uniform, Harry."
"School uniform?" Harry repeated, feeling slightly uneasy.
"Oh yes," Luna said earnestly. "It's not that bad, really. You should see the Japanese school's outfits…they're practically just oversized yet skintight shirts…"
Harry had never expected to owe a Death Eater a debt of gratitude. Well, except Snape, but he was kind of on everyone's side, so that didn't really count. Now, however, he was finding himself strangely grateful to Crouch Jr. or whoever had taken his place for not making him a Japanese girl.
----
"Hey Sirius," Harry greeted his surprisingly still-employed godfather.
Said godfather gaze him a puzzled glance. "Did you want something, Mr.…?"
"Very funny, Sirius," Harry said, crossing his arms.
"That's Professor Black to you, Mr. Potter," Sirius said coldly.
Harry rolled his eyes. "You're feeling neglected."
"…Maybe."
"I've been busy!" Harry pointed out. "What with the first task and the aftermath and all that."
"That's no excuse for abandoning your only family in the world," Sirius sniffed.
"What, so the Dursley's don't count?" Harry asked rhetorically.
"No, they don't," Sirius replied. "They lost all counting rights when they made you sleep in a cupboard."
"Dudley's not all that bad…" Harry defended. Well, not after he got back from being in hiding the year Harry defeated Voldemort.
"Maybe not in the future," Sirius allowed, looking skeptical. "And you haven't come to see me outside of class in practically forever!"
"It was only a week, Sirius," Harry pointed out.
"Exactly!" Sirius cried dramatically. "Knowing you, you could have managed to die at least four times in that time. And that's not even counting the dragons…"
"Speaking of…what did you think of the first task?" Harry inquired, interested to hear what the only other person who knew how the task had originally gone (even if he was pretty sure he hadn't actually witness it) had to say.
"Well, aside from your blatant cheating-" Sirius began.
"There are no rules about being sent back in time! Trust me; I checked," Harry objected. "After all, I wouldn't want to inadvertently break a binding magical contract, now would I?"
"I meant the-" Sirius tried again.
"And summoning's kosher, too, even if it was a little audacious to have the broom in the stadium with me already," Harry interrupted again.
"Yeah, great, but again: not what I meant. I meant how you totally copied Krum's spell. Even if it did end up working far better for you than it did for him," Sirius said thoughtfully.
"Me?" Harry asked, shocked. "Copy him? But…but I went first! And unless you seriously think someone at taciturn as him would go around blabbing what his plan was – and in front of one of his fellow competitors, too! – then there really would be no way for me to know. Are you accusing me of being psychic or something now?"
"No, but the twins tell me that your 'scar' is pulling for a Hogwarts student victory and so I wouldn't put it past it to let Krum's plan slip," Sirius deadpanned.
Harry winced. "Damn. Point."
Sirius grinned a bit smugly. "Yes, well aside from that I've got to say that I'm a bit disappointed."
Harry groaned. "Not you too! Honestly, if you start in on me about showing off like Luna did then I am going to start hexing things."
Sirius looked surprised. "Me? Be upset about showing off? Never!"
"Then what was the problem?" Harry wondered.
"You did the exact same thing you did before!" Sirius burst out. "I mean, I'm willing to bet that you didn't take requests the first time or fly quite that elaborately, but it was the same basic plan!"
"Fleur, Cedric, and Krum used the exact same plan," Harry sulked. "At least I had some variety."
"Fleur, Cedric, and Krum haven't gone through all of this before," Sirius pointed out.
"You don't know that," Harry argued. "Some of the people around me have done some very odd things. For instance, way back in first year Fred slipped and said he saw Angelina in the Mirror of Erised and they date in the future. Neville got over his timidity rather quickly, Percy hasn't pulled away from his family as much, Dobby managed to get around all of Draco's incredibly specific orders to drive me from Hogwarts, Luna and I became friends a lot quicker, Lockhart hasn't been nearly as aggravating…any or all of these people could very well have come back in time."
"…Or they could just be responding to the situations they've found themselves in. It's not unusual for a teenager to have a crush, knowing Neville was your friend in the future meant you made more of an effort with him, Percy hasn't had a reason to split from his family yet and you kept involving him. Dobby is a House Elf and I'm half-convinced that all of them are as devious as Kreacher, it not as twisted, and your insanity and Luna's worldview complement each other nicely. As for Lockhart…well instead of being someone who he had to fool and a ticket to free publicity, you became a kind of pupil, kindred fame-seeker, and ticket to free publicity," Sirius tried to explain. "Or, I suppose, they could have all just come back in time. Does it really matter?"
Harry shrugged. "I guess not. Luna knows we're from the future, by the way."
Sirius's eyes bulged. "When did this happen?"
"She told me on the train ride here, I think," Harry said vaguely.
Sirius's eyes managed to get even bigger. "AND THIS IS THE FIRST I'M HEARING OF IT?"
Harry shrugged sheepishly. "…Sorry?"
"How did she know?" Sirius demanded.
"Apparently she doesn't believe in my psychic scar even though she believes in everything else," Harry replied.
"Well, given everyone else believes in it, should you really be surprised?" Sirius asked sensibly.
"Guess not," Harry admitted. "And she didn't think you were traumatized enough and thought your random Halloween jailbreak was a bit bizarre."
Sirius snorted. "Wait, wait, wait…Luna Lovegood called me bizarre? For real?"
"Not in so many words," Harry responded. "She just said she didn't see why you would choose then of all times and with no obvious reason."
"I didn't have any obvious reason for choosing to break out before your third year last time, either," Sirius pointed out.
"Well I didn't actually know her when you broke out before, so who knows what she thought of the whole thing," Harry said.
"What was her reaction?" Sirius wanted to know.
"She advised me not to be a pedophile," Harry answered, amused.
"Did she now? That reminds me," Sirius said with a smirk.
"What reminds you?" Harry asked, wondering why he suddenly felt the urge to flee the scene.
"I read Rita Skeeter's article about you," Sirius said slowly.
"You did?" Harry asked neutrally.
"Oh yes," Sirius nodded seriously. "Quite interesting, to say the least. Apparently you have not one, not two, but THREE potential love interests."
"I was quite surprised to discover this as well," Harry replied.
Sirius ignored him. "Hermione, I can understand as you always spend time with her. I thought Ginny hated you, but I suppose as the sister of your best friend who you seek out occasionally, that makes sense to. And given how well you and Luna get on, maybe I shouldn't have been surprised."
"Ginny doesn't hate me nearly as much anymore," Harry defend himself. "In fact, I was planning on asking her to the Yule Ball and as long as I do it properly, I think she'd agree. Especially considering that she'll need a date to even attend it."
Sirius gave him a long look. "Are you sure that's such a good idea, Harry?"
Harry looked surprised. "What do you mean? I always wished that I would have asked her before Neville did but since we didn't really know each other and she was still a recovering fangirl it might have been awkward, but now we're friends so what would be the problem?"
"Well," Sirius explained patiently to his clueless godson, "when boys and girls go to a Ball together and have a good time then they generally start dating."
"Ginny's thirteen," Harry protested. "There's no way I could-"
"I understand," Sirius assured him. "But she won't. Unless you want to tell her?"
Harry envisioned what Ginny's reaction to finding out that not only was he a little less than twice as old as he was supposed to be but that he mostly just acted the way he did out of boredom. "You know what, maybe I'll ask Luna. I don't think she attended last time because if she had I have no doubt that even though I had no idea who she was, her outfit would have made an impression. Besides, since we JUST had that anti-Lolita talk, I'm sure she'd be more than happy to help out…"