Disclaimer: Characters, Harry Potter, plot, books, everything else important to me goes to JK Rowling, picture property of Warner Brothers.

Just Laugh

Neville yanked Luna hard around the corner, into the designated corridor they had decided they would escape to, hidden by a tapestry. Breathing hard, he unclamped his sweaty palm from Luna's, clenching and unclenching his fists as he leaned back against the wall and sank to the floor. Propping his knees up, he put his head in his hands and leaned forward, staring down as he carefully breathed in and out, then closing his eyes and barely registering the soft thump of Luna plopping down beside him.

Finally catching his breath, Neville painstakingly looked up, raking his hands through his hair and then over his face. He blinked his eyes open slowly, and with a final humpf, let his neck go limp, so his head fell back down.

Suddenly uncomfortable and antsy, Neville fidgeted around, finally settling on sitting up with his full back against the wall, his legs crossed in front of him.

"Neville?" Luna whispered, and Neville jumped. He had forgotten she was even there.

Only two months into the school year, and it had been worse than the last six years combined. As soon as they got back to school, they realized they had to do something, he and Luna and Ginny, and others in Dumbledore's Army. They couldn't sit around and take orders from Death Eaters when Harry, Ron, and Hermione were out there putting their lives on the line.

The plan had been so simple. How could it have gone wrong? It had been Ginny's idea, not surprisingly. It was ingenious.

They wanted to steal the Sword of Gryffindor.

None of them though, even Ginny, as impulsive as she may be, knew they could just do it. They had to calculate and plan, observe and gather information, and then strike.

So that was all they were doing. Ginny had found the professors, and were stalling them with absurd questions, while Luna and Neville snuck around, trying to find out whatever they could about the Sword and the Headmaster's Office and anything they could do.

And then suddenly, Snape had come strutting around the corner, and before Snape could catch them in their sight, he had grabbed Luna's hand and took off at top speed.

No matter, he would get the story from Ginny later. As long as they were all safe, that was what was important. Them, together. Safe.

"Neville," said Luna again, more insistently this time, giving him a little shove. This time, he responded,

"Yeah, Luna?"

"Did we find anything?"

Neville frowned. Had they'd found anything out? He didn't think so. Snape had rounded the corner before they got the chance.

"No, I don't think we did."

"That's unfortunate," Luna replied, not skipping a beat, and still in that dreamy tone of hers.

He gave her a small smile. "Yeah, it is."

"Are you okay, Neville?" Luna reached out and touched his arm.

Neville smiled, then, a full smile, and he reached out and held her hand.

"Yeah, I'm all right. I'm sorry to worry you." Nevilles said.

"That's quite all right," she replied.

They sat there in silence, then, hidden in a corridor in the castle they had once found a home in. They had felt safe, they all had, and now that was gone. Dumbledore was dead, bloody Voldemort was in power, and Snape was headmaster. These blasted Carrows were on his last nerve, and he was growing increasingly angry as the days wore on. The efforts to bring about the D.A. again were not as sucessful as he, Ginny, and Luna would have liked, and he didn't know how much longer he could keep this up.

Harry was dying, he told himself again. He, Ron, and Hermione were out there, putting their lives in the hands of fate, because they were the most selfless people on the planet. They could care less what happened to them. They just wanted to save everybody. They didn't care about themselves, only everybody else. He, Luna, and Ginny included. Ginny would be undoubtedly devastated if Harry- NO, he told himself firmly. He musn't think like that. He would stand and fight, and do everything he possibly could, and if it meant dying himself, then so help him he would-

"Neville! Are you all right? You have this strange look in your eyes."

Neville barely heard her, continuing to see red as he fisted his hands.

"Stop spacing on me, Neville! We're supposed to be friends! You can tell me what's wrong, you know!"

The sharp tone in her voice, the one that he'd never heard before, made him look up. At her worried expression, he softened immediately.

"I'm sorry about that, Luna, really, I am. We are friends, of course we are," he told her firmly. "I'm just so worked up about this damn war."

"Then why are you taking it out on everyone around you? We're going to do this, Neville, I swear. But we have to fight strong, together, not just jump in when angry!" The harsh tone sounded strange against her dreamy voice, and Neville found it difficult to put what she was saying together. He also observed that no one would talk like that, except for Luna, and he laughed.

Laughter was wonderful. If only for a moment, his worries went away.

He shook the fear out of his bones, and he was freed of the trembling anxiousness that had inhabited his mind. He let himself clear his mind, thinking of nothing but how wonderful laughter was, and what amazing miracles it could work.

"Why are you laughing, Neville?" Luna asked, puzzled. But he just laughed some more. "Shh, Neville, they're going to catch us!" He continued to laugh, though, simply softer.

And then suddenly, she giggled too. She laughed bubbly, as she experienced something wonderful, and Nevilled watched as her troubles melted away. In that moment, Neville couldn't help thinking that nothing was more beautiful than laughter, and the things it could do.

Neville got out through laughs, "Why," he hiccuped, "why a-are you laughing?" he asked, barely catching his breath.

"You-you" she stuttered, giggling, "you looked so funny! You...your face was all screwed up, and your eyes were all narrowed...and- and you looked-" but she couldn't say anymore, as she burst into laughter.

"Me?" Neville asked increduously, but he was still laughing as well. "What-what about you and your blasted grammar, hmm? 'jump in when- when angry!'" he mimicked, bursting into another round of giggles.

"Now-now Neville, I quite like the way I talk, thank you! Don't you make fun of me! Let's make fun of Snape!"

This made Neville roar, rolling his head back in a deep, jovial laugh. "That's a great one! He's always got this funny face on, you know?"

"Yes!" she said, giggling.

"And, and that funny hair! It's so...long...and gross...and-" Neville seemed incapable of speech, laughing again.

Finally, the corridor quieted. Slowly, very slowly, the calmed down. They sniffled a few times, and broke out into giggles a bit more, but leant back against the wall and onto each other.

Neville looked down at her against his shoulder, smiling. "Thanks, Luna. We're really going to do this, aren't we? We're going to make it."

"Of course," replied Luna, confident as ever. "We're us."

A/N: A light hearted, FRIENDSHIP moment between Luna and Neville, in the middle of the war.

I understand I have individual multi-chaps for one shots of two of these competitions, but as I was combining and adding, I found it necessary to make it it's own.

10,000 Challenge- 1300 words, character: Luna

Scrabble Challenge- laughable

Jury of Your Peers- friendship

Gemstone comp- moonstone- write about Neville

I really hope you enjoyed! Please shoot me a review if you liked it, and maybe check out my other stuff? My writing style is the same all the time, so if you liked this, chances are you'll like some more of my stuff!

Thanks :)

Lara,