The Last Straw
The sky over London was a thick, oppressive gray, as if the clouds themselves conspired to smother any light beneath them. Harry Potter stood on the balcony of Hogwarts' tallest tower, the Elder Wand grasped tightly in his hand, pulsing faintly with the power it held. He had once thought this wand was too dangerous, too powerful for any one person to wield. Now, he knew better.
"I always thought the Thestrals would like it up here," Luna said from beside him, her voice soft and dreamlike as she peered over the edge of the balcony. "They love heights, you know. But maybe they don't come because they sense something's going to change."
Harry didn't respond at first. Luna's whimsical observations had always calmed him in a strange way, but tonight, they only served to solidify what he was already thinking. Everything was going to change.
"I'm tired of it, Luna," he muttered, not taking his eyes off the distant horizon. He could see the lights of Muggle cities, blinking like stars, ignorant of the storm brewing over them. "We fought, we bled, we won... and for what? The Ministry is still corrupt. Wizards still fight over bloodlines. Muggles destroy each other for reasons they don't even understand. Hermione's acting like a bureaucrat, and Ron—he's just... useless."
Luna tilted her head, her silvery eyes flickering with understanding. "Ron does like to play chess. Maybe he thinks everything in life is just a game to win or lose. But that's the trouble with games, isn't it? Sometimes you need to step off the board and fly." Her eyes gleamed for a moment. "You can't see the Nargles if you're always looking down at your feet."
Harry let out a frustrated breath, his grip tightening on the Elder Wand. "Hermione's no better. She talks about change like she understands it, like laws and policies will suddenly make people stop being selfish or hateful. But they won't. People are too broken, too blind. The world's falling apart, and they can't even see it."
Luna looked at him thoughtfully, her ethereal calm unwavering. "But you see it, Harry. That's why it's different for you."
He turned to her, his expression hardened. "They're holding me back. Both of them. Hermione's clinging to the same tired systems that failed us, and Ron—he doesn't care about anything except what makes him comfortable. They think they know what's best, but they don't. They have no idea what's coming."
Luna nodded, her long blonde hair blowing softly in the wind. "Maybe they're afraid of what they can't understand. People always fear what's bigger than them. That's why they don't believe in Nargles or Blibbering Humdingers. But that doesn't make them any less real."
Harry smirked at her words. Luna, in her usual cryptic way, had summed it up perfectly. Ron and Hermione were too small-minded, too wrapped up in their narrow, shallow view of the world to see what he saw. The truth was, the world needed more than heroes who wanted to go back to the way things were. It needed a ruler. Someone strong enough to take the reins and steer everything toward true order.
"I'm done waiting for them to get it," Harry said, his voice growing darker. "They're in the way. If they won't help me fix this mess, then they're part of the problem. I have the power to do what needs to be done."
Luna's gaze remained steady, her calm almost unnerving. "You're going to lead them, aren't you, Harry? Like the Crumple-Horned Snorkack leads its herd. It's what you were always meant to do."
Harry stared at her, surprised. Luna had always been insightful, but this was different. She wasn't just understanding him—she was with him. Not in the way Ron and Hermione used to be, challenging his decisions at every turn, questioning whether he was doing the right thing. No, Luna saw the bigger picture. She always had.
"I have to," he replied, his tone final. "They won't understand it at first, but they'll fall in line. They'll have to."
Luna's smile was soft but full of meaning. "I'll be right beside you, you know. I'll help you, whatever happens. After all, you can't let Wrackspurts muddle things up when you're changing the world."
Harry felt a swell of gratitude toward her—toward this strange, brilliant girl who had always seen things others couldn't. She didn't question his decisions, didn't try to drag him down with doubts and fears. She understood, in her own unique way, that power wasn't something to be feared when it was used for the right purpose.
"Ron and Hermione will never get it," Harry muttered, more to himself than Luna. "They've already decided I'm wrong, even though they don't know what I'm planning."
"They're scared," Luna said simply. "They'll try to stop you because they think they're protecting you. But you don't need protecting anymore, Harry. You've outgrown them."
He nodded, feeling the weight of her words settle into his bones. He had outgrown them. The boy who lived, the hero of the wizarding world—that was a title fit for someone who was content with scraps of peace. But Harry was done with that. The world didn't need a hero anymore. It needed a leader—someone strong enough to take control, to make the hard choices, and force people to follow.
And that leader was going to be him.
Harry turned his gaze back to the horizon, his green eyes cold and resolute. "I'm going to change everything, Luna. They won't like it, but it's going to happen. They'll either bow or they'll break."
Luna's expression was serene, her soft voice filled with quiet conviction. "I know, Harry. And I think, deep down, they know it too."
For the first time in what felt like years, Harry allowed himself a small smile. He wasn't alone. Luna, in her strange, otherworldly way, was with him all the way. She believed in him, in his vision for a new world, and that was all he needed.
Ron and Hermione wouldn't stand a chance.