Your Insistence

A/N: Neville/Luna. I thought I had to write something to celebrate JK rebuilding the SS. The Government Stole My Toad after having so brutally sunk it years ago. JK said that she wrote the ending of DH leaving both Neville and Luna's futures open. The pairing always appealed to me, because Neville and Luna seem so different and yet on so many levels interconnect. This is my version of what happened next for both characters after the war and yes, is a one-shot.

Summary: PostWar. When Luna is starting to lose her faith it's up to a bewildered Neville to give it back to her again. Spoilers for DH. Neville/Luna.

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter.

Neville knocked on what was left of Luna's door with slight hesitance and the distinct feeling that the Lovegood house might have terrified him even had it not been put back together by Luna with both her own magic and what looked to him like spellotape. He hadn't seen Luna for nearly a month after the battle of Hogwarts. They'd celebrated briefly together before she had left abruptly to find out news about her imprisoned father. He'd tried to contact her, but letters were always returned unopened and her house still hadn't been reconnected to the floo network (although Neville did wonder if it ever had been).

He'd only found out the previous day that Xenophilius Lovegood had died at some point during his spell in Azkaban.

There was no answer and Neville began to worry, wondering whether or not to break open the door and check for himself if Luna was really all right. It was then he heard a loud crash that suggested someone inside had dropped something made of china, breaking it.

He rapped on the door louder and with more confidence this time. Neville never knew what to expect when it came to Luna, it was one of the things he was particularly fond of about her. It didn't matter anymore that he had no idea what she was feeling, how she was coping - he needed to know that she was well. He needed to provide a helping hand if she sought one, as Neville suspected she must.

The door creaked open and Neville looked down to see a blank, pale face look up at him. Her appearance might have been somewhat disturbing to anybody else - there were twigs caught in her straggly blonde hair and dark shadows under her wide eyes that caused her to resemble a weepy panda, but Neville took her in with a smile on his face. His fears that she was ill with distress were faded and he was very sure that despite her suffering, she had and would continue to cope well.

There was a bitterness to his smile as Luna jumped him and hugged him hard. Luna would always be unpredictable, but she wouldn't ever let herself cry too much over what she couldn't solve herself. Neville felt he should have known this.

"Neville!" she said with delight, grabbing him by the hand and pulling him into the house, the expression on her face similar to a mad woman's. Neville was slightly concerned that the house looked like it might cave in any moment and kept his empty hand on his wand incase of such an incident.

The house was nicer from the inside, but that was all Neville could really say about it. The room that Neville could only guess had once been the living room was filled with dust and bits of wood scattered over various contraptions. Luna took out her wand and a dustpan and brush appeared, dusting off a large reddish sofa that Neville had not realised was there.

"It's a bit of a mess," said Luna apologetically, "but I was trying to make sure we weren't infested with Nargles. Daddy always said that if we left them alone after an infestation they'd reveal themselves soonish so we could capture them and release them back into the wild."

She watched the dustpan and brush a moment and then said, "oh well. I don't think we had any, anyway."

Neville was a little startled by how normal and how Luna she was being.

"I thought Nargles only infested mistletoe?" he said kindly.

Luna shook her head madly. "Oh, not at all. Well, mistletoe yes, but I think they're quite common, you know. We've caught them in rosebushes and at the bottom of our garden pond before now."

Neville, who could not think of a reply to this, stayed silent.

She turned her bright eyes towards him. "How are you, Neville? I wasn't expecting visitors."

"I'm good," said Neville, still a little choked at how normal she seemed. "I was just passing through and thought I'd drop by, that's all."

Luna nodded her head in understanding. "How is everyone?"

"Harry's still recuperating at the Burrow with Ron and Ginny, apparently the year has taken a whole lot out of him, but I think he just likes spending time with Ginny now that the war is over. Hermione is visiting Australia to see her parents, from what Ron said."

"I was very proud of Harry," said Luna serenely.

"Me too," agreed Neville, "Gran says-"

"I'm proud of you too, Neville," cut in Luna, using the same tone of voice. "You were very good," she added.

"Thanks, Luna," said Neville, her words made him feel very warm inside.

"So, what have you been doing here? We haven't heard from you in a month!" he said, interrupting Luna's dreamy gaze at the window, eager to change the subject.

For the first time, Luna looked vaguely surprised. "Me? I was sorting out some of my things here and upstairs, and I tried to retreive some of my possessions from Hogwarts before the Great Scrounge took place, but I think they'd already been and taken everything."

Neville looked around. The house did not look like anyone had been 'sorting it out'. His eye caught a magazine that Luna was sitting on and was quick to realise it was the Quibbler - the most recent issue before Luna's father had been taken to azkaban. Neville didn't know what to say, but Luna caught his trail of sight. She pulled out the magazine from underneath her and crossed her legs, handing Neville the Quibbler as though she expected he wanted to read it.

"Daddy said he believed Harry," Luna said, her voice seemed to quaver and Neville immediately looked up at her. He looked back down at the magazine and saw it offered the news of Harry's various crimes and the Ministry's offer of money in exchange for him being delivered to them.

"Oh, Luna..." he said, unsure of what to say to reassure her.

"I couldn't find the horn of the Crumple Horned Snorkack, either," said Luna, in the same small voice. "I'm sure it's here, I just can't find it. Daddy wouldn't lie."

"Luna...um, it probably got destroyed along with the rest of the house," said Neville, saying the first thing that came into his head.

Luna looked as though she had not considered this. "You're probably right," she said, a little brighter, "I was actually thinking my father was mistaken, you know."

Neville looked up again.

"I mean that I've never seen a Crumple Horned Snorkack. I think Daddy might have been mislead and might have got some of the sightings confused with other magical creatures... of course, there must be something out there resembling the Snorkack or else we wouldn't know so much about it."

Luna crossed her eyes in a look of what Neville assumed was utter concentration.

"Maybe that's it, then," Neville said weakly.

Luna looked at him as though she had forgotten he was there.

"Yes," she replied, "thank you."

He did not ask what he was being thanked for because the next moment he was being swooped down upon and kissed softly on his right cheek. Neville felt his insides heat up and instinctively pulled her towards him so that she stumbled slightly and fell into his lap, legs either side of his waist.

Luna looked at him knowingly, a sense of amusement in her eyes.

"I'm planning on examining the rainforests to look for evidence of the Blibbering Humdinger. You're welcome to come, if you want," she said, her face lighting up. "I'm sure there are some interesting magical plants there, too. You'd like it, I think. I've been there before."

She smiled at him and Neville felt himself blush. She was the only person he'd ever told his ambition to become herbology teacher at Hogwarts after Professor Sprout's retirement because she was the only person he knew wouldn't laugh at him. She was teasing him now though, in her own unique Luna way.

"I think I could make time for that," Neville replied confidently.