Chapter 2
Luna blinked. And then blinked again. She had never felt that way during apparition. It had been so smooth. It felt more like she had simply blinked out of existence and appeared somewhere else, rather than the usual intense twisting that came when someone side-alonged.
“How do you know how to do that?” she asked breathlessly.
“I practiced a bit,” Harry said with a slight grin, “This way,”
Luna looked around and saw that they were standing in a back alley between two tall buildings. Harry strode towards the main street and Luna hustled to keep up. Harry reached into his back pocket and pulled out a pair of black sunglasses, which he quickly put on.
Harry led the way through a busy street, seemingly in the middle of London. He stopped in front of a plain looking building and held the door for Luna to enter.
“Do you do most of your photoshoots in Muggle areas?” she asked him as he led the way through a seemingly empty building. There was nothing inside, just a door towards the back of the room that Harry was headed towards.
“Yes, it’s easier to not get mobbed that way, and it’s cheaper for everyone to rent a muggle space,” Harry explained, pushing open the door.
The next room was filled with people and activity. There was a large white backdrop, racks of clothes, wizarding cameras, chairs, mirrors, and people working with each item. Everyone turned to look at them when they walked in, and three people hustled over at once.
“Harry darling, so glad you’re here, we need to get started,” one lady said.
“I have your first outfit just this way,” directed a man. Harry nodded.
“Luna, this is my manager, Darla,” he said, gesturing at the first woman, “And my stylist Andy, and his assistant Nicole.”
“Nice to meet you,” Luna greeted.
“You must be the reporter from the… Quibbler,” Darla said, looking down her nose at Luna. “I suppose you’ll do, although I still think Witch Weekly was the better option.”
“She’s doing great,” Harry said, and Luna detected a hard edge in his voice.
“If you say so,” Darla said with a slight sneer.
“Alright, you all can keep talking but I need Harry over here,” Andy demanded, gesturing towards a chair with a light up mirror on a desk in front of it. Harry nodded his head once and made his way over to the chair.
Andy set to work quickly, messing with Harry’s hair while barking orders at Nicole who seemed to be in charge of makeup.
“Luna, you can sit wherever you’d like,” Harry said kindly when he noticed Luna standing awkwardly off to the side, “And of course, keep asking whatever you need to.”
“Within range of course,” Darla interjected.
“I told her that there was nothing off limits,” Harry replied.
“Of course you did,” Darla muttered under her breath.
“I’m content to watch for now,” Luna answered calmly, taking a seat in an empty chair. Harry clearly didn’t mind her presence, but Luna was going to be careful with his manager. She made a mental note to try to dig into the tension between the two of them.
Several minutes later, Harry was ready for the shoot, his hair voluminous and shiny, and his eyes made up with dark liner. His eyes seemed especially bright.
“Go, put these on,” Andy gestured to a folded stack of clothes. Harry nodded obediently.
As he left, Luna decided to ask a question. Darla was on the other side of the room, talking with the director.
“So, Andy, was it?” she asked politely.
“Yes,” he nodded.
“Andy, how long have you worked with Harry?”
Andy paused for a moment as he was cleaning up his supplies, “Oh, I would say a good two years.”
“And how has that been?” Luna asked.
“Honestly, Harry’s very easy to work with, his schedule is a little crazy, but he pays well,” Andy answered.
“And how does he treat you?” Luna asked.
“He’s very polite, always on time, and never has too many opinions,” Andy answered.
“Would you say that he’s excited about the work that he does?” Luna prodded.
Andy paused, glanced at Nicole, who was looking on, and then looked at Luna for a moment.
“I reckon he doesn’t seem excited about anything really, he’s just a calm bloke,” he said carefully.
“That’s surprising, considering his reputation and what we know of his… hobbies,” Luna commented.
“I don’t worry about what Harry does on his time off. He’s a good client, you’d have to ask his manager if you want more,” Andy answered. Luna picked up a defensive tone.
“What is your opinion of her?” Luna asked.
“Is that important?” Andy asked, “I don’t see how that’s relevant.”
“I’m just curious,” Luna said patiently. Andy sighed and shared another look with his assistant.
“Darla is… motivated. She has a big vision for Harry’s career. And she knows how to get what she wants,” Andy answered.
“What she wants? What about what Harry wants?” Luna asked.
“I’m sure she’s doing what he wants, they have their own conversations,” Andy said quickly.
“I see,” Luna said. She turned at the sound of footsteps. Harry returned, dressed in a pair of black slacks, and an unbuttoned patterned shirt.
Andy walked over and buttoned the bottom two buttons, leaving Harry’s chest mostly exposed. Luna caught a glimpse of a few tattoos that she couldn’t make out before Andy waved his wand and concealed them.
“Perfect, you’re ready,” Andy said. Harry turned and walked to the main set.
Luna followed and watched as the set quickly cleared of people while Harry followed directions as to where to stand.
It appeared that they were shooting for some sort of cologne brand. The lights dimmed and they sprayed Harry with a mist that made him look like he was wet. A slight fan turned on, giving his hair some movement.
As Luna watched, she noticed Darla making her way over to stand next to her.
“So, what’s your angle?” she asked quietly as soon as she was close enough.
“I’m not sure yet, I need to work with him some more,” Luna said evasively. She was not about to give up any of her ideas.
“I’m sure you’re keeping in mind my client’s influence, you wouldn’t want him to be unhappy with how this comes out,” Darla said lightly. Luna did not miss the threat. She highly doubted Harry would come after her, even after this short time she could tell that Harry was not that kind of person. She didn’t put it past Darla though, and it seemed that Harry was content to do as Darla wanted him. However, Luna had a good legal team, and she wasn’t too worried.
“I’m sure I’ll be fine either way,” Luna said.
“Of course,” Darla said snootily.
“While you’re here, do you mind if I ask you a few questions?” Luna asked.
“I suppose,” Darla said with a sigh.
“How did you meet Harry?” Luna asked.
“Well, a few years ago, he reached out to an agency that I was working with, and signed with them. I was working under his manager at the time. Eventually, he retired so I met with Harry and we decided to continue working together,” Darla explained with pride.
“And how would you say that the two of you work together?” Luna asked.
Darla gave a small smirk, “I would say we work very well, Harry has a vision for what he wants, and I make it happen. And he trusts me. I keep him in line.”
“What is Harry’s vision for his career?” Luna asked, curious to see what the manager would say.
Darla laughed.
“At this point, Harry doesn’t care much about his career, he’ll do what he needs to in order to maintain his fame and keep the money rolling in. I have most of the creative control here,” Darla explained. “As long as Harry’s happy, we’re all happy.”
“What makes him happy?” Luna probed. “What does he do in his free time?”
“You of all people should know what he does, it’s all over the magazines,” Darla said shortly.
“Ah yes, the partying, that’s what he likes to do?” Luna checked. She already knew from the headlines of course, but she wanted to dig deeper.
“Of course, that’s how he is,” Darla said forcefully. Luna nodded slowly. Darla side-eyed her and continued quietly, “You wouldn’t believe how much of a task it is for me to get him places on time and in one piece. I don’t even bother trying to make sure he’s sober anymore.”
Luna frowned internally. Harry seemed completely sober and on time on his own, and Andy had mentioned that Harry was very punctual. It was also very unusual for a manager to be saying negative things about a client to the press.
Luna was about to ask more when the director of the shoot announced that they had all of the footage that they needed. Harry made his way over to them.
“Getting anything good?” Harry asked Luna with a joking smile.
“A few things,” Luna replied politely.
“Ok Harry, you have an event tonight at nine, so you’re free until then,” Darla instructed.
“Are you coming?” Harry asked Luna.
“Um-” Luna started.
“Yes, yes she is,” Darla interjected quickly. Luna was taken aback by her quickness.
“Oh, I suppose so, what kind of event is it?” Luna asked.
“It’s a semi-formal business event-” Darla began.
“Probably an extremely boring promotional party where we talk to a bunch of people who refuse to smile,” Harry said with a small grin.
“Oh Harry don’t complain, I took the liberty of finding a small after party for you to enjoy,” Darla said in a sweet singsong.
Harry sighed and nodded. Luna raised an eyebrow.
“The event is in Diagon, the building next to Malkin’s, be there at eight forty-five, and I’ll find you,” Darla instructed Luna.
“I’ll see you there then,” Luna agreed coolly, “I’m going to head home then, collect my notes, and get ready for tonight.”
“I’ll walk you out,” Harry offered.
“Nonsense Harry, I’ve got it, you have better things to do,” Darla disagreed and then turned to Luna, fake smile back in place, “This way dear.”
The pair headed to the doorway.
“If you would, send me a copy of the notes that you gathered so far-” Darla started.
“-I’m sorry, but let me stop you there, I’ll send you a copy of the story when it’s done but otherwise I’ll be keeping things to myself to protect my integrity,” Luna interrupted. She wasn’t going to budge on this or let herself be bullied by Harry’s manager.
“Of course, let’s just hope you are making good decisions,” Darla said after a moment, “I think you can see yourself out from here.”
“I can, I’ll see you later,” Luna said, not bothering to dull the tension. She turned and left. After she got outside, she headed to the same alley that Harry had apparated them in before, and apparated to a street near her house. She walked down the street and unlocked the front door.
“I’m home,” she called.
“In the kitchen,” she heard back. She smiled and set her coat on the rack before heading over to the kitchen.
She entered the kitchen to see Neville making dinner at the stove, stirring a boiling pot of something that smelled delicious. She walked over and took a seat at the island.
“Hello, love, how was your day?” she asked.
“It was nice, the new mandrake sets have reached the next checkpoint so I can send them over the shop soon,” Neville said, glancing back at her with a soft smile. Luna loved their domestic life. Neville worked from home, growing his garden in their backyard, and selling the ingredients to a nearby potion shop. Occasionally he had commissions from other places like Hogwarts or the Ministry. It was nice for Luna to be able to come home and know that he was going to be there after her hectic days. She knew that he was interested in the Herbology professor position at Hogwarts, but she selfishly hoped that Professor Sprout wouldn’t retire for a long while.
“Thats good,” she said.
“What about your day? How was Harry?” Neville asked. Luna knew that her husband had fond memories with Harry from the first four years of Hogwarts, but hadn’t heard from him since. It didn’t keep him up at night, but she knew that he often wondered and worried over what had happened to his old friend.
“He was definitely very interesting, and not in the way I expected,” Luna paused, “He was really kind.”
Neville smiled, “He always was, I’m glad that hasn’t changed. Did you find anything new?”
“Just that he was tutored by Nicholas Flamel before he died, and that’s how he did so well on his exams,” Luna said, “He was pretty vague about his past, but we didn’t have enough time to get into everything anyways.”
“Interesting,” Neville said thoughtfully, “Flamel was friends with Dumbledore right?”
“Yes, but Harry did not seem all too fond of Dumbledore,” Luna said with a frown.
“So maybe the rumors that there was a falling out are true?” Neville theorized.
“I think so,” Luna said, “Anyways, I was invited to a business event tonight to get some more information, is dinner almost ready?”
“Yes, I just need a few minutes more,” Neville nodded.
“Alright, I’ll head upstairs and get ready quickly,” Luna said, “I have no idea what to wear though.”
“You’ll look beautiful in anything, don’t worry,” Neville reassured. Luna smiled at him as she got up and went upstairs to get ready.