Harry Potter's face was bright with embarrassment as he entered Professor Slughorn's office where the party was being held. Next to him was Luna Lovegood. Harry looked around uncomfortably at the many pairs of eyes that were staring at him. Why did he have to take Luna Lovegood, of all people to this stupid party? He could have invited anyone and he had picked the scraziest girl in the entire school. Those who had not yet heard that Harry was taking "Loony" Lovegood to Slughorn's Christmas party stared at him with shock. The room was full of partygoers going about their business, and Harry tried to pretend no one was talking about him, but as he and Luna made their way through the crowd, he caught the words "Potter" and "Lovegood" in at least fifty percent of the conversations being held.
"Harry, m' boy!" Boomed Slughorn as he made his way over to Harry and Luna. "So glad to see you… And who is this?" He asked, looking down at Luna.
"Oh- er… Professor, this is Luna Lovegood." Harry said.
"Lovegood, eh?"
"Yes, sir." Said Luna, looking at him with unblinking eyes.
"Well, I hope you two- Ah, look, it's McLaggen! Is that Miss Granger he has with him? Well, it wouldn't surprise me; both of them are exceptionally talented…"
Harry whipped his head around, finding it unbelievable that Hermione could be with McLaggen, but sure enough, there she was, looking extremely uncomfortable.
Harry was not the only person interested; heads all over the room were turning to stare at the couple. McLaggen was looking extremely pleased with himself and seemed to be making a big point of holding Hermione's hand. She looked at Harry pleadingly, and it could not have been clearer she was begging Harry with her eyes to rescue her. Harry just shook his head in awe, completely amazed by the depths a girl would sink for revenge.
"Come on, Luna, let's go get something to drink." He said, pulling her towards the punch table.
They made their way through the crowd towards the refreshments table, where Harry poured a glass of punch fir both him and Luna.
"Harry!" Yelled a girl, and Harry turned to see Hermione stumbling through the crowd. "Oh, this is horrible!" She exclaimed, grabbing a glass of punch and downing it in three gulps.
"It's your own fault for inviting McLaggen." Said Harry.
"He's wretched! You wouldn't believe how self-obsessed he is!"
"Why did you even- Oh, no, what's Malfoy doing here? Sorry, Hermione- Luna, come on." Harry tugged Luna by the hand away from the table. He didn't feel like talking to Malfoy right now. He didn't know why he was here, but he knew that the Slytherin was sure to make some snide comment about Harry's date and embarrass him. If there was one thing he didn't need, it was a dueling match right in front of a professor and the entire Slug Club and their dates.
"Over here, Luna." Harry said, ducking behind a curtain. After he made sure no one would be able to see more than their outlines, he suddenly felt his cheeks grow hot. It was awkward standing in this small, curtained space with Luna… He didn't want her to get the wrong idea. He had specified that she was coming with him only as a friend, hadn't he?
As if she could read his thoughts, Luna said "I know why we're here. You're embarrassed that you brought me to this party."
Harry squirmed, his face burning.
"That's all right," Went on Luna, "I'm very glad you brought me here as a friend."
Harry was full of guilt. First he invited Luna Lovegood to a party, then was all too clear that he was completely embarrassed doing so.
She glanced up. "You chose an unfortunate place to hide from Draco Malfoy. We're right below mistletoe."
Harry felt his heart skip a beat.
"Nargles are known to reside in them, you know. Especially during the holidays." She said casually.
Harry gave her a quick sideways glance, and she turned her gaze from the ceiling to Harry and smiled at him mischievously. "People are also known to kiss underneath them."
Before he knew what was happening, Luna had grabbed his necktie and pulled him down. Her lips met his and she kissed him softly and gently. Harry didn't pull away. He was shocked. Then, as he began to process what had just happened, something clicked in his mind.
He was kissing Luna Lovegood.
And he liked it.
The party and all the people in it were suddenly gone, and the only things that mattered in the world were him, Luna, and their lips touching. She pulled away, but before she could let go of him, Harry grabbed her waist and pulled him into her. Kissing Luna felt… Natural. Never mind Cho, she was just a crush. This…. This was love. Luna had been there for him whenever he needed her. She had believed him when he had claimed that Lord Voldemort had returned, she had fought with him at the Ministry of Magic, she had comforted him when his godfather died… How could he not have seen this earlier? No one, not any person at Hogwarts, had ever cared for Harry as much as Luna had, and nobody had ever been this content to wait in the wings until the time he finally realized that she loved him. And he loved her back, with all his heart.
Harry broke away for breath, but he and Luna pressed their foreheads together, letting the moment last as long as it could. Luna looked up at him with her huge, thoughtful eyes and whispered "I thought we were here as just friends."
"You started it." He breathed, and pressed his lips onto hers again. They moved together perfectly, Luna running her fingers through Harry's hair, making it even messier than it already was, Harry stroking her back. Harry thought of all the girls who had been throwing themselves into his path, trying to get him to love them through trickery and flirts. There may be potions and spells to do all that, but this was real magic.
As he and Luna broke apart again, she looked up at the mistletoe above them.
"We should go." She murmured, "The Nargles up there might start snatching our things if we get too distracted. Sneaky little devils, they are."
Harry nodded contently. For the first time in a long while, he felt completely happy.
"I'm very distracted right now." He said. "So I agree completely. Let's go."
And the lovers, too wrapped up in each other to notice the whispers that followed them out the door, left the party together, their hands entwined and their hearts full of Christmas magic.