Contact High

Yes, it was Scotland, but that didn't mean a rainstorm couldn't be noteworthy. The uncharacteristic blackness of the sky which accompanied this particular storm was certainly noteworthy. However, the clouds above only formed the backdrop of the truly memorable part of the evening. The memorable part was Luna's frown.

Harry and Hermione sat at the head of Harry's bed, while Luna knelt, stiff and withdrawn, partially reclining against one of the lower bedposts. Stiff and withdrawn were not words Harry and Hermione were accustomed to using when referring to Luna, and it had not escaped them that something was amiss with the girl who was normally so airy and even-tempered.

This was not the first time they noticed a change, though it was the first time the change had been worrying. Normally, in her reserved way, Luna would talk and laugh with her two best friends, the young couple who had discovered their feelings for one another three years prior. But when Harry and Hermione treated each other with affection, Luna changed.

The subtle smile that resulted from proximity to her friends softened, and grew. Hermione sometimes got the impression that Luna was trying not to smile any more than she was – as evenings wore on, she could sometimes be observed rubbing her cheeks as if they ached with the effort of restraint – but she wasn't sure why. They had spent literally hundreds of evenings similarly occupied over the years, and the change was always evident. Luna's countenance glowed, and she looked very much at peace – at times, she would even look overcome with happiness.

Finally, one day Hermione's curiosity got the best of her and she asked Luna why she seemed to swell whenever she and Harry kissed. A flash of worry appeared in Luna's eyes before she covered it with false cheer. "Oh," the Ravenclaw said. "You two are just so adorable together. It's really just wonderful to see a couple so in love."

Hermione had smiled appreciatively, and let the issue drop, though Luna did not appear satisfied with her own answer. The following day, both Harry and Hermione noticed that their good friend seemed distracted, her words hollow and her eyes glassy.

Finally, they found themselves curled up on Harry's bed, as was their custom. Hermione lay back against Harry's chest, allowing him to hold her as he traced lazy circles around her navel through her jumper. Hermione turned her head as far as she could without straining, and took in a deep breath through her nose. She smelled Harry, though she did not do it only for her benefit. It was her way of reminding Harry how much she loved him – how much she wanted to breathe him in – without words. The novelty of an "I love you" had been exhausted long ago. Though the phrase was still powerful and meaningful to them, it was no longer a revelation; it was a simple truth, repeated when it seemed appropriate.

Tonight though, when Hermione closed her eyes to breathe Harry in, she opened them to find Luna's face red and trembling. Immediately, she was concerned. "Luna, what's wrong?" She demanded, crawling down the bed toward her distraught friend.

"You don't want me to look at you two this way anymore, do you?" Luna hiccupped. "That's why you asked me about it yesterday, isn't it? I've finally worn through your patience, haven't I?"

Harry had followed the girls to the foot of the bed and now hugged Luna from the right side while Hermione hugged her from the left. "What's she talking about, 'Mione?" He asked.

"I asked her why she loves to see us together." She explained worriedly. "Luna, what do you mean? I don't mind you seeing us together. Neither does Harry, I promise. I was just curious. Why do you think we're upset with you?"

They waited, the silence punctuated by Luna's breathy sobs and hiccups, which slowly subsided. Finally, Luna spoke.

"When my Mum was alive, I always liked to watch her and Daddy kiss. They would do it for so many reasons – one of them could be trying to make the other happy, or maybe they missed each other, or maybe every few hours it suddenly struck them just how much they loved each other – but whatever the reason, they drew so much strength from each other." Luna's eyes were wide open and shining as she called up a dozen such memories. "I could see it in their faces. I've been told most children think it's odd or squicky to see their parents kiss, but I lived for it. I saw that love was beautiful, so I watched it whenever I could. It filled me with hope; I hoped that I could always draw from it, and maybe even be a part of it. But when Mum died, it went away." Luna's voice had dropped to a strained whisper, and she clenched her eyes to stem the flow of tears. Hermione held her tighter and Harry ran his fingers through her hair, humbled by Luna's loss.

"I know Daddy loves me, and I love him, but it just doesn't fill me up the way seeing him and Mum together did. When I see you two, I see what you are together. Maybe if you could see yourselves through mage sight, you'd understand." Luna trailed off, taking one of Harry's hands and placing it palm-up in one of Hermione's. She dragged her fingertips over the lines of his hand, seemingly mesmerized. "It's like a whole universe explodes to life when you touch. It's all light, and color, and possibility, like a lightning storm with no malice." She smiled through her tears as she stared at their linked hands. "Your love is beautiful, and watching it makes me happy like nothing else I've ever known. I told myself I wouldn't beg, but…" Luna bit her lip, fighting to control the panicked clenching of her tear-stained jaw and maintain her quivering smile. "Please, please don't take it away from me. I know it's not mine, but-"

Hermione shushed the forlorn girl and pulled her close, raking her fingers gently up and down Luna's spine to calm her. "Letting you watch costs us nothing, Luna, and I can see now that it makes you happy. I wouldn't dream of taking that away from you. Harry and I love you, and it wouldn't feel right at all to exclude you from what we do." She paused and looked up at Harry, asking a question that probably couldn't have been conveyed any better with words. Harry squeezed Hermione's hand, leaned into Luna, and nuzzled her long blonde locks, breathing her in. Hermione smiled at him and squeezed back as he nodded his answer.

"You mean a lot to us, Luna. It wouldn't feel right to settle for what we have…" Hermione drew back to gaze into Luna's silvery eyes, and brought one of Luna's hands to her lips, pressing a whisper of a kiss on her knuckles. "I don't think love is meant to be limited. There's enough here for all three of us, I think."

That night, for the first time, Luna would be spared the walk back to her dorm.