Neville and Luna sat near the lake, the wind blowing gently as they admired the scenic view.
The calm before the storm, Neville thought earnestly. The two of them had come out together for a while. The Dumbledore's Army meetings had bonded them closer than ever, and with Harry, Ron, and Hermione gone they were each other's closest friend.
"It's beautiful, isn't it?" Luna asked, looking at the lake. Soft ripples resonated off as something dwelled underneath. Neville and Luna were only friends, but Neville was getting attached in a more-than-friend way with the blond haired girl.
"You are," he slipped. Neville blushed in humiliation, his brown hair matted with sweat. "You are right, it's very beautiful," he said hesitantly. She didn't seem to notice, but Luna kept a perpetual dreamy look on her face so it was hard to tell.
Gryffindor is the house of the brave, but Neville was unable to tell her how he felt. The tension inside him was incredible, as if his mind were going to explode. He knew it would go away if he at least told her how he felt about her gorgeous face, beautiful smile, and funny personality. Her hair was flawless despite what she might say. No amount of makeup could fix her face, because you can't fix perfect.
"Neville, are you okay?" she asked. Neville was oblivious to the fact that he'd been staring at her for the past five minutes.
"Yeah, sure," he mumbled. The sun glowed radiantly on the Saturday afternoon. The grounds were empty save for the shy boy and his unrequited love. The moment was perfect; nothing to interfere except for his own confidence. How could Harry do this? He'd faced all kinds of creatures and even You-Know-Who himself! Harry Potter fought the darkest wizard alive and he couldn't even talk to a girl. It was now or never. Neville let out a small squeal of intimidation.
"Luna?" he asked.
"Yes?" a few raindrops fell from the sky, as if the forces of nature were channeling itself through his emotions. Sympathetic tears of the heavens washed over the two. His answer hung in the air as he watched ripples of the raindrops flood the lake.
"We'd better head inside before it starts to pour," he responded. His insides burned from the anxiety. How could she not notice what he felt for her? Did he need to be the one to say something? The simple answer is that sometimes everybody doesn't get a happy ending. The hero gets the girl. The loser gets nothing but this feeling, whatever it is.
"I was just about to say the same." Luna and Neville got up. Neville stripped from his robe and used it as an umbrella to shield Luna from the rain. The rain came down in a watery assault, drenching Neville's clothes.
The storm has come, he thought as they walked back. He was sopping wet but it didn't matter, he was destined to be miserable; his parents, his courage, now the girl he was in love with.
They arrived inside the castle and Neville took down his makeshift umbrella. The Great Hall was empty. Neville left to go to the Gryffindor Common Room, but Luna grabbed his arm.
"Wha-?" he tried to say as Luna reached up and kissed him on his lips.
"I love you too," she said looking down at her shoes.
"You do?"
"I told you I was about to say the same thing."