Written for Dyno_Drabbles and won First Place! Disclaimer: The characters and canon situations in the following story belong solely to JK Rowling, Scholastic and WB. I am not making any money from the publishing or writing of this story.
"Hello, Harry Potter."
It was one of the first things he remembered her saying to him when they'd met in fifth year. That, and she talked a lot about Nargles, whatever those were. He still had no idea, and wasn't likely to at this stage, not with the way things stood. He knew he was bleeding out profusely, and with his wand broken there was no way to heal himself.
"Hello, Luna," he croaked, his abused throat sore from all the yelling he'd been doing hours earlier.
Without preamble, she sat next to him in the muddy grass near the Forbidden Forest, and took his bloody hand in hers. Both were chilled, though hers held more warmth than his, and he clutched at her fingers in desperation. Victory was theirs after Voldemort had attacked Hogwarts, but at too high a price.
"Ron and Hermione?" he mumbled, trying to stay awake long enough to learn the fate of his friends.
A sad look descended upon her usually serene face. "Hermione is fine. She's in the Great Hall, but in shock," she answered softly. "Ron, not so much."
"W-what happened?"
Luna actually blanched. "I'm not sure who did it, but his tongue was cut out."
A whimper rose in Harry's chest. "Tell me something good came out of all this," he pleaded.
"You've vanquished the Dark Lord, saved thousands if not millions of people, Muggle and Wizard alike, and now have the ability to retire to the south of France where you can lounge nude and sip exotic drinks all day long."
A grin spread over his bruised lips. "Only you would make dying sound like a vacation."
"I do hear they have excellent pudding on the other side." She brushed a lock of dirty hair out of his face. "I think I'll be jealous that you'll get to taste it first."
He smiled once more, then sobered, his eyes drifting shut. "Thank you for staying with me," he whispered faintly.
Tears welling in her eyes, she leaned forward and kissed his brow. "It's easy when you smile like that."