Chapter 1: Lunacy

Disclaimer: All things Harry Potter belong to JKR.

All thanks go to my awesome beta, Southen_Witch_69!

Hermione, Ginny, and Luna sat in the basement at Grimmauld Place, enjoying their last night together before Ron and Harry came back from their vacation. Harry had told Hermione and Ginny they were welcome to stay there as long as they liked, and the girls decided to take advantage of his generosity.

In an enlightened spur of the moment decision, Ginny asked Luna over for a girls "slumber party," and they had finished off the bottle of elf wine Hermione had discovered while rummaging through the kitchen cabinets.

Sighing dreamily, Luna told her mates, "You two sure are lucky! Just think, in only one more month, you'll be marrying the wizards of your dreams! I so long to be happily married."

Ginny smiled. "Yes. I've always loved Harry... before I even knew him, which is strange now that I think on it." She shook her slightly inebriated head. "How do you reckon that could be, Hermione?"

Hermione snorted. "It couldn't, not really." Hermione rose and zigzagged her way to the wireless. Turning back to her friend, she eyed her intently. "Ginny, are you sure you want to get married? I mean, do you ever have doubts?"

"No!" Ginny protested a little too quickly. "Never about Harry." She paused for a few moments and then asked in a voice barely above a whisper, "Why? Do you have them about my idiot brother?"

"All the time! I am forever questioning Ron, his feelings, and our relationship!"

Luna laughed, shaking her head. "You two! It's just before wedding jitters, I say! How about the sex, Hermione? I'd say Ron would be an absolute animal in bed, eh?" Luna sighed dreamily and then turned to Ginny and continued. "And Harry? All that passion?" Luna began to fan her face with her hand for emphasis.

"Luna!" Hermione exclaimed, mortified. "You don't just... just... ask a person something as personal as that!" Turning redder by the moment, the girl portion of the trio decided to admit, "Besides, I wouldn't know. We're waiting for our wedding night."

"Ron?" Luna asked disbelievingly. "Clever of you there. Just hard to believe he agreed to wait after hearing Lavender..." Luna scowled into her wine glass. "Sorry, 'Mione. It's this wine talking!"

"'S all right, Luna. I know what went on between Ron and Lavender. It's in the past where I want it to stay."

"Exactly right," Hermione's future sister-in-law agreed. "Besides, Harry and I are waiting, too. There are other things you can do, you know... Damn! This wine does make you talk too much!"

At that moment the three ladies burst into a fit of giggles. Sobering, Luna reassured her friends, "You've nothing to fear, you two. You're marrying your soul mates!"

"I just wish I knew for sure," Hermione admitted, gnawing her bottom lip. "Too bad crystal balls don't work for me!"

"There are never any guarantees, you know," Luna said knowingly, "but there is a charm that you could perform."

Ginny thought a moment, slapping her hand on her mouth when it came to her. "Right! I'd forgotten that charm!"

"What charm are the two of you speaking of?" Hermione demanded, hating the fact that there was a charm that these two knew about that she didn't.

"Damn! I can't remember the name. It's something about Pairing..." Ginny said as she tried to recall.

"Why, the Pairing-Plight Troth Charm, silly!" Luna said, as if this charm was common knowledge.

"What charm is that? I've never heard of it." Hermione turned to Ginny, who was, in her opinion, the more levelheaded of the two. "Is this something that's commonly used?"

"No, not anymore. You see, once you use it, it's magically binding. Whoever the spell claims is your mate is the person you have to marry."

Hermione laughed, not believing that performing a charm such as that could be magically binding. "Even if the person who the charm claims is your 'mate' had no idea you'd even performed the charm?"

"Even so," Luna told her. "But really, if they're to be your soul mate, then I hardly think they would mind!"

"Of course they would, Luna!" Ginny yelled a bit louder than she'd intended. "How would you like to be sitting around, minding your own business, when suddenly you get a Ministry letter claming you have to marry some bloke because he performed some charm?"

"Oh, I think that would be so romantic! Couldn't you just imagine?" Luna looked off with an unfocused gaze while Hermione and Ginny rolled their eyes at each other.

"I could imagine some irate wizard using the Killing Curse! I know I would!" Hermione said. "But still, it would be reassuring to know if I am marrying the person I am supposed to... Say, what if the charm picks someone that's already married?"

"No, it wouldn't because one magical binding cannot be overruled by another. That's one thing you wouldn't have to worry about," Ginny explained. "I do agree it with you, though, that it would be wonderful to know if we're actually marrying the person we are supposed to be with!"

"Ginny?" Hermione questioned, troubled that her friend did seem to have some minor doubts.

"I know! Let's all do the charm!" Luna jumped up and danced around the room. "I could just see my red-haired... er... soul mate coming here to claim me after receiving a Ministry letter saying I am his betrothed!"

"Why should I do the charm?" Ginny demanded. "I know I'm marrying my soul mate! Harry is the one for me...no doubts!"

"But, Ginny, you just said that it would be wonder..."

"Then you shouldn't mind doing it with us!" Luna interrupted Hermione as she danced her way to Ginny and dragged her into the dance. "Come on, Gin! Wouldn't this be the perfect confirmation?"

"Hold on," Hermione told them before they could get too carried away. "I never agreed to this! Besides, this is not something I would just do. I have to go upstairs to the library and see if they have books on this charm. I wouldn't want to perform it incorrectly, you know!"

"Let's go search then!" Luna said as she bounded up the stairs with Hermione and Ginny reluctantly following her.

As Hermione and Ginny walked into the library, Luna rushed to the kitchen, saying she'd be right back. Shrugging her shoulders, Hermione walked straight to the bookshelves. "Ah, I found a book on charms!"

Just as Hermione was sitting on the couch with her nose in the book, Luna walked in carrying another bottle of elf-made wine and glasses. "More wine, ladies!"

"Oh, I don't know, Luna," Ginny groaned. "I think we've had enough for tonight."

"Nonsense! This is our slumber party!" Luna had no intentions of letting Hermione sober up. She really wanted to perform the charm, tired of being alone all the time. She had an inkling as to exactly what might happen.

"Fine! Hand me a glass, but for God's sake, hush so that I can read this!"

Smiling smugly, Luna handed the answer to her prayers a glass of wine.

"Oh! I've found it!" Hermione exclaimed thirty minutes later interrupting Luna and Ginny's conversation. "It's really rather simple. The hardest thing would be finding a flower that best suits us personally."

"I have a book on flowers; let me go get it," Luna told them.

"You do?" Ginny asked. "Why?"

Luna stopped walking and turned to look at her friend. She told Ginny seriously, "Well, being a naturalist, having a book on flora does come in handy at times."

"Of course," Ginny agreed, blushing furiously. She sometimes forgot Luna even had a job.

After Luna returned and each girl had studied the book, finding the flower they felt best described them and what they would want, Ginny said, "Well, now how do we go about getting our flower?"

Luna rolled her eyes skyward as if her two mates were helpless. "Why, we owl Neville, don't we? He'll send us each our flower!"

"Too right," Hermione agreed as she took another drink of her wine. "Now, for the rest of the ingredients... Let's see. Kreacher!"

Despite having yelled for him, Hermione jumped when he appeared.

"You called Kreacher, Miss Mudblood?"

"Kreacher!" Ginny admonished. "You know what Harry told you about calling her that!"

"Ginny," Hermione said softly, "it's all right. Um, yes, Kreacher. I was wondering if there are any potions ingredients kept here."

"Yes, of course the noble house of Black has potions ingredients!"

"Would you mind terribly showing me where?" Hermione asked sweetly.

The ancient elf eyed her shrewdly. "You tells Kreacher what you needs, and I will fetch it."

"Well," Hermione began as she eyed the instructions in the book, "I need three snails and three puppy dog tails. Oh, and three cauldrons. The rest I can get from the kitchen myself." Hermione had learned in her first year not to be sickened by any ingredients that went into potions making.

Kreacher popped away and back so fast that in her alcoholic haze, Hermione felt dizzy. "Thank you, Kreacher," she told the house-elf when he handed her what she'd asked for. Without a word of acknowledgement, he popped away.

When Hermione looked over at her friends, Luna was proudly showing her the three flowers they'd asked for. "While you were talking to Kreacher, I Flooed Neville!"

Ginny sighed and looked at her two mates. "Are we really doing this?"

Hermione looked doubtful. "I don't know..."

"Yes, we are!" Luna demanded.

"Why don't you just do it, Luna?" Ginny asked. "Hermione and I are already getting married."

"No, we all do it or none of us do," Luna said. "True, you are getting married, but is it to the right man? Don't you want to be sure? However, if you're scared..." Luna trailed off, knowing what words to use to get to the two Gryffindors beside her.

"Let's just get this over with," Hermione irritably said, wanting to be done with it. "Why don't we take a few moments to write our poem and then get on with it?"

"Fine," Ginny and Luna said in unison, the first with apprehension, the second with glee.

After Hermione had prepared each cauldron, adding the sugar and spice, they each stepped forward with their flower to add and say the required rhyme. Hermione chose an iris for faith, hope and, most of all, wisdom. As she added her flower, she said: "I want a man who's witty and clever with a burning desire to learn. Who won't ridicule, who's never the fool, and will give me all that I yearn."

Luna eagerly stepped forward and added a tulip for perfect love and said: "I want a man who will love me despite my unusual ways. Daring, brave, handsome, and bold! Who will love me all of my days!"

Last, Ginny reluctantly stepped forward, adding a stargazer lily because the name and the meaning of honor and aspiration, reminded her of Harry. She thought, "Let it be Harry," before she whispered, "I want a man with integrity and honor, honest through and through. Who would defend the world, yet not forget me, while doing what he needs to do."

Hermione gasped and screamed, "NO!" as a name appeared in her cauldron.

Luna looked into her cauldron and smiled smugly.

Ginny grabbed her face with both hands and uttered, "What have I done?" before she promptly fainted.

~*~

Ron and Harry sat in a bar knocking back a few before they retired for the night. "This vacation has been great, mate. Thanks for coming with me," Harry told Ron. Since he'd defeated the Dark Lord, Harry had been taking two or three vacations a year...each more daring than the next. This time, he and Ron had gone mountain climbing.

"Yeah, it was a blast! Quite exhilarating, mountain climbing is. Though, now that I think on it, I don't believe it's something I would want to do all the time. It did have its scary moments, eh?"

"But that's the beauty of it, Ron! The scary moments are why I enjoy it so much!"

"Right. Well, I'm glad you're getting it out of your system now because after you're married, Ginny won't want you risking life and limb on a regular basis," Ron joked.

"I suppose," Harry agreed as he ran his finger under his collar as if he were suddenly too hot. "You looking forward to it? Marriage, I mean."

"Sure. It's just another adventure, after all." Suddenly, Ron looked worried. "Why? Something bothering you, Harry? Do you... What I mean to say is, you don't think we're... you know, rushing things with the girls do you?"

"Nah, not really. I mean, I do love Ginny and all, don't ever doubt that. And finally having a family will be wonderful! It's just, I don't know, we're so young!"

"Harry, you know you're family to us regardless of whether or not you're married to Ginny. You have been for quite some time. Never forget that, okay?"

"Sure, I know that. It will just be official once we've married. Besides, I do want to get married, I think. It's the word 'settled' that bugs me sometimes."

"Yeah, that and being with just one woman for the rest of your life," Ron agreed.

"Hold on! What do you mean, Ron? You don't think you would only want to be with Hermione? It seems like if you truly love her, then you wouldn't really want to be with anyone else."

"You mean to tell me you never think of being with anyone except Ginny...ever?"

"Well," Harry admitted, "I suppose a time or two, but I wouldn't ever act on it!"

"Well, neither would I! I never said I would..."

Ron suddenly stopped talking because an official Ministry letter appeared on the bar in front of him. "I wonder what this could be."

"I dunno." Harry shrugged. "Open it and see."

Ron tore open the seal and opened the letter, face paling as he read the contents. "BLOODY HELL!" Ron exclaimed.

~*~

Severus Snape sat at the dinner table with the Malfoys, enjoying the food and conversation. It had been a long time since he'd been able to just... be.

Once the dust had cleared in the aftermath of the final battle between the Dark Lord and Potter, and Severus had been cleared of all charges, Minerva had asked him back to his old position of Potions professor. He'd readily accepted the headmistress's offer, being a creature of habit and enjoying the familiarity of his dungeons and teaching.

It was rare that he enjoyed an evening out with friends, so he always tried to make the best of it when he did. Tonight they were celebrating the engagement of Draco to Pansy Parkinson.

"Narcissa, would you kindly stop throwing available witches my way? I can find a woman on my own, thanks," Severus told her after her latest attempt to pair him with a woman who would be attending the ceremony, but with little anger.

"Oh? Then why haven't you done so before now?" she admonished.

"Perhaps I don't want one! Your nagging is quite enough, I assure you! I don't think I could stand another."

"Why, Severus Snape! I never nag you! I just simply want to see you happy! With the right woman to hold you every night, maybe that scowl that seems to be a permanent fixture on your face would begin to fade."

"Now, Pet," Lucius scolded as he patted her hand, "we discussed this."

"Oh, all right!" Narcissa pouted prettily and gazed at her two gentlemen companions. "What do you think, Draco? Is your former professor a hopeless case then?"

Draco, not wanting to get in the middle of this ongoing battle, simply said, "It looks to be that way. Not every man can be as lucky as father and me." Draco leaned over and lightly kissed Pansy.

"Mayhap Lucius would be willing to share you?" Severus teased. "He could have one week and I the next."

Narcissa blushed and gently slapped Severus' arm. "Oh, go on with you!"

Just then, a Ministry letter appeared before Severus. "Now what? I swear, those Ministry arses look for reasons to harass me!"

"Well, don't keep us in suspense, man!" Lucius told him. "Open it!"

Once Severus opened the letter and realized what he was actually reading, he simply said, "FUCK! I will fucking murder that blasted fucking bane of the wizarding world's existence once and for all!"

~*~

Oliver Wood was in the bed of his current lover, enjoying the spoils of his latest victory. He had his dream job of playing Keeper for the Harpies, and they had just won their fifth game in a row.

To show her team spirit, Wood's girl was pleasuring him just the way he liked, wearing only his team jersey. As his completion neared, he grabbed her head and called out, "Phoebe!"

After, Phoebe crawled her way up his body and kissed him tenderly. "I'm always so proud of you, Ollie! I swear my heart just goes pitter-pat whenever you block that ball!"

Oliver chuckled. "I do love the way you show your pride in me, doll."

Rubbing her finger across his chest, Phoebe asked, "Where are you off to next?"

"France. We've a big game there, so we will be practicing every night next week."

She pouted. "But, Ollie! I thought you were going to come to dinner with me and my parents next week?"

"No. I told you I might. After thinking on it, I decided that things are moving too fast. I told you when we started this relationship that I didn't want anything permanent right now, Phoebe."

"I know that you did. I just thought..."

Narrowing his eyes, Oliver asked, "Thought what?"

"That you'd changed your mind?"

"No, I haven't. I'm at the top of my career, and marriage is the very last thing on my mind. If this is not something you can live with, maybe we need to end things. I don't want to hurt you or for you to believe something will happen between us that's not going to."

"How noble of you! Right honorable, you are!" Phoebe spat. "You knew I was falling in love with you!"

"No, I didn't," Oliver said softly. "I'm sorry I didn't see the signs sooner."

Before Phoebe could comment, a Ministry letter landed on Oliver's chest. "What in the world could this be?" After he opened it, his mouth gaped open. Running his hands through his hair, he looked heavenward and said, "Please tell me this is a joke!"

AN: The prompt I chose to respond to is:

7. Hermione, Ginny and Luna sharing a girl moment decide to cast a Pairing-Plight Troth Charm on themselves.

Each places in a bowl/cauldron they have to add, one flower with sugar and spice and everything nice, and a snail and puppy-dog tail, and they each have to say the rhyme. (Make it up - be silly and original or fit the girl that says it.) Only the results didn't come out as any/two of the girls expected. Who is now Betrothed-magically to whom? How does the guy/man/wizard react and since it's a MAGICAL BINDING? And why is the Ministry so pleased?