The sun was rising. Everything was going to be okay. The atmosphere in Hogwarts Castle was buzzing with celebration, despite the state of chaos it was in. There were people everywhere - the Order, the DA, others who had fought in the Battle, family members who had come along to join the celebrations. The Wizarding community was triumphant. Yes, there had been deaths, but it was for the best possible cause, and now that Voldemort was gone (yes, Voldemort, there was no need to be afraid of the name any more), everyone there should enjoy long, natural, peaceful lives. Nobody needed to hide away any more.
But Neville Longbottom was not feeling the atmosphere. He just wanted somewhere quiet to submit to his thoughts. And that was why Luna found him silently perched by the lake in the grounds.
Neville looked up abruptly when he heard her footsteps. "Oh, hi Luna," he said, a little sadly.
"Hello, Neville," she replied dreamily, sitting herself down carefully by his side. "I'm sorry if I interrupted your thoughts. I don't mind if you want me to go away."
"No, it's okay. I'd like you to stay," he said truthfully. Neville had always found Luna's presence kind of comforting. "Why did you come down here? Why aren't you celebrating up at the castle like everybody else?"
"Far too many Wrackspurts," she told him matter-of-factly. Neville didn't know what a Wrackspurt was, but he had a feeling that it would be better not to ask. "I like to come down here in the mornings sometimes, to watch the sunrise. It's so beautiful."
"It is," Neville agreed. He took a moment to take in the brilliant orange beams which spread across the sky and reflected in the still, silent lake.
"How about you?" asked Luna.
"What?" asked Neville, confused after the pause.
"Why aren't you up at the castle with everyone else?"
Neville considered his answer. If it had been anyone else, he would have just made something up and changed the subject. But there was something about Luna that meant that any decent person couldn't even contemplate lying to her. Maybe it was the honest, simple way she saw the world, or maybe it was the way that she noticed everything, Neville didn't know. But what he did know was that he had to tell her.
"Luna, there's something I've never told you," Neville explained. "Do you know why I was brought up by my grandmother?"
Luna shook her head. "I've always had the impression that it's something you don't like talking about."
"It is," he admitted. He prepared himself - he had never told any of his school friends before. Well, Harry and the Weasleys knew, but he hadn't been the one to tell them. But who could be easier to tell than Luna? he asked himself reasonably. She wouldn't interrupt him, or judge him, and there was something adorable about the way she was poised to listen to him, with her Buterbeer cork necklace and the way her wand was safely tucked behind her ear.
"Well, you don't have to. But I'm here if you need to," Luna said simply.
"Thanks. I've never told anyone from school this, actually. But I think I need to." There was a pause. "My parents were Aurors and members of the Order during the first war. Shortly after Voldemort fell the first time, they were hunted down by a group of Death Eaters, including Bellatrix Lestrange. They were tortured into insanity. The Cruciatus Curse."
"That's awful," Luna breathed. "Where are they now?"
"They're in St Mungo's. I see them from time to time, but they don't recognise me. I love them, of course I do. But I can't stand being up in the castle, amongst all these family reunions, with parents telling their children how proud they are. I want my parents to be proud of me," said Neville, with a stricken expression.
"I feel the same way sometimes," Luna told him sincerely. "Voldemort may be gone, but we can't bring back your parents minds, and we can't bring back my mother from the dead, so they can't celebrate with us."
Neville suddenly felt guilty. "Oh, Luna, I'm so sorry - I forgot about your mother. I hope I didn't upset you. There's me complaining about my parents when at least I get to see them!"
"It's okay. You know, I think it maybe is worse for you," she said, thoughtfully. "I know that my mother is proud of me, up there." She looked up at the orange-stained clouds. "But how do you know if your parents understand what has happened?"
"I suppose so," Neville said, surprised. "I'd never really thought about it that way."
"Anyway, at least you know your grandmother is proud of you," Luna pointed out. "And I know that Daddy is proud of me. Or at least he will be, once he gets out of Azkaban and finds out what has happened. I hope they let him out soon."
"Of course they will," Neville told her. "You could go there right now and get him. I'll go with you," he added, surprising even himself at the words that came out.
"You would do that?" Luna asked, stunned.
"Yes, I would," Neville assured her. "I would do anything for you. Luna... I was so scared last night that I would lose you, and you would never know how I feel about you. When I'm around you I feel like a different person. I can be brave. I'm not afraid to be different. I'm not afraid of anything!"
"But you're brave anyway," said Luna. "You can't be a Gryffindor for nothing. And I've always seen that bravery in you. I heard how you killed that snake."
"I killed the snake because I was doing it for you!" said Neville passionately. "You see things in people, in me, that nobody else does. And you're just the most wonderful, unique person I've ever laid eyes on." There was a pause as they regarded each other intently. "Luna, what I'm trying to say is... I love you."
"Neville... I think I love you too," she whispered.
And Neville did something he had wanted to do for a very long time - he kissed her. It was gentle, tentative at first, but they warmed up to the feel of each others' lips and it deepened as the two wrapped their arms around each other.
After a long moment, they broke apart.
"Let's go," said Neville suddenly, getting up and pulling Luna up by her hand.
"Where?" asked Luna, beaming.
"To Azkaban, like I said."
"And after that?"
"I don't know," Neville admitted. Then he laughed, a light, carefree laugh, and she joined in until they both had tears in their eyes.
"Maybe we could go on holiday together," suggested Luna, as they began walking across the grounds, not off into the sunset, but to the sunrise, the beginnings of a new life. "You, me and Daddy. I've always wanted to go to Sweden and search for Crumple-Horned Snorkacks..."
A/N: Oooh, I feel like such a rebel! My first strictly non-canon story (although I guess Luna and Neville could have been together BEFORE they got together with Hannah and Rolf...)! This was written for Hufflepuffluv's First Kiss Challenge on HPFC, an awesome little challenge btw. :D
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, otherwise Luna and Neville would have ended up together!
If you review, I will love you forever, especially since this is my first attempt at writing these characters and I'm interested to know if it worked. :)