Disclaimer: Characters and HPverse property of J.K.Rowling :)
This is the start of a short Luna/Rolf fic, which will consist of 10 chapters when finished. It's a response to the April Challenge on the Reviews Lounge forum, and I'd like to dedicate this to every single reader who reviews the fics that they read. It means so much to the author of that fic, and their encouragement can make a writer's day. Thank you. :)
Lovely Strange
Whimsical
She was whimsical, he'd give her that. At least, that was the nicest word he could think of to describe her. He didn't mind though. She was interesting and she was funny, and she was possibly the most imaginative woman he had ever met. Luna saw something incredible in normal things, and a day with her meant seeing the world in a totally different, tremendous light. She seemed to be able to view things in a diverse, special way; in fact, there were things that she saw, things that she believed in, that didn't even seem to be there. He loved this about her, because for his whole life he had always felt that there was something, something that he wasn't seeing with his weak eyes but could feel on his skin or under his feet or wafting in the air around him. He had forever wanted to know what it was.
It was mostly small things; things that people wouldn't notice, or would just dismiss as a bizarre occurrence. It was like the time when he was fishing in the stream, and he saw something large and yellow flash past in the water, or when he had a particularly odd tingling sensation in his toes whenever he stood on a certain rock by the riverbank. Like everybody else, including the muggles, Rolf would pass them off as nothings, but deep down he had always felt like he should have paid a bit more attention to them. Who knew? Maybe he would find something one day. Maybe he would find proof. His grandfather had, after all, been famous for researching and discovering rare magical creatures – perhaps some of those adventurous, exploring genes had been passed down to him. He certainly hoped so.
He met Luna in Diagon Alley. He'd been searching for an illusive potion ingredient for a concoction he was developing – she had been tasting different types of ice-cream to see which ones she liked best. She told him that during the war, especially in her sixth year at Hogwarts, she and her friends (and everyone else really) had never thought to take a break from fighting for a while, and to just forget ("Well, not forget really," she said, dipping her spoon daintily into a new bowl of bearberry flavoured ice-cream, "just put it to one side for a while.") about the horrors of the Wizarding world that were steadily closing in on them.
Rolf had agreed about this, partially because he had never been very involved in the war, and didn't realise just how terrifying it had once (or twice) become. He had certainly not known how many people had really died, until he passed a large memorial site whilst visiting the town of Whitewater. He could see Miss Lovegood's point though, clear as day, as he too believed that happiness was something extremely dangerous to lose when someone who brings such sadness and grief is closing in on you. Because, honestly, if you have no happiness left, what's to stop you from succumbing to their level? Rolf could tell that this young woman relied on her happy thoughts to help her through. It was just the way she spoke so avidly about Harry, Neville and her other friends, the way she described the adventures she and her father had embarked on whilst searching for her magical creatures. She even smiled when she told him about her mother, which he was sure many others wouldn't be able to do had they lost someone so special in such a tragic way.
Rolf was fascinated by Luna because she didn't trick people. She never lied or cheated, and what she expressed was what she was. Her hope, happiness, it wasn't a façade, it was real, and seeing her in high spirits lifted his own, too. She was whimsical, yes, very whimsical indeed, but she was wonderful, and that was why he loved her.
Thanks for reading! I'd love a review, even if it's only a quick one!