"Peculiar Reassurance"

As the end approaches, decisions have to be made.
"Are you ready to face the consequences of your choice?"
A Harry/Luna moment.

Authors Note: Just a short one-shot I wanted to write, since I've been away from fanfiction for so long. It's my first time with Harry Potter characters, but it was pretty fun. The story is all in Harry's POV by the way.
As you already know, all characters belong to JK Rowling, not me.

I never quite knew what to make of her.
She wasn't like anyone I knew... I guess I could say that's part of her charm, but I really didn't feel that way then.
Luna Lovegood was a strange girl.
She obviously didn't care about what other people thought, most of the times seemingly immersed in her own little world. If her appearance was strange, her beliefs managed to be even more peculiar… And she wouldn't hesitate in expressing them rather fervently.
Never fearing the ridicule or the contempt from everyone else, never making an effort to behave like "normal" people do, try to mingle with the crowd, try to socialize…
I didn't get her… And I still don't get Luna.
When I first met her I wasn't sure if I should like, hate or simply dismiss her. She soon made clear that ignoring her presence was impossible though, and her unique manners, actions and words eventually won us over.
She showed her devotion and faithfulness during hard times when many people would have cowered away. She never betrayed the confidence we put in her and was there till the end, always.
I never expected that from her, really. Her insanely large eyes looked shrewd at best, when she wasn't daydreaming I mean, but never betrayed that much of courage or friendship; to me they looked mostly frightening. At least that's what I thought.
But that's the past.

Everyone is now gathered at The Burrow, hoping for a final peaceful night before the big battle. None of the cheerfulness I usually associate with this place seems present and it pains me to see everyone so tense and quiet, knowing that I'm pretty much the cause of it all.
It is a night of farewells, for sure… And all the people that meant anything to me are right here, preparing to fight along side me.
Before returning to their side though, I have to do something first.
I know Luna has left the house and went outside for a bit. It is my opportunity to talk some sense into her. I know for sure that she isn't aware of the danger she'll be facing if she comes tomorrow, like everyone else is. Why else would she be so calm, so out of it?
I know that's usual in her, but even she has to show some kind of emotion when facing these circumstances.
I can't stand it. I can't stand the atmosphere inside the house. I can't look at everyone's faces and think that I might not be able to see them tomorrow.
And I can stand even less how little preoccupied Luna seems to be with all this.
As I walked through the unkempt grass, the cool night air managed to calm me down a bit. I soon spotted her walking about aimlessly, seemingly distracted as ever.

"Hey Luna, can we talk?"
She barely acknowledged my presence, directing her gaze only at me for a fleeting moment. After sitting down, she then resumed her uninterested observation of the night sky.
I took a seat beside her, careful to leave a safe distance between the two of us. From The Burrow, behind us, almost no sounds came. It was unusual, ominous even, and made me feel unbearably uncomfortable.
Luna, however, seemed completely oblivious to all this, as ever. A few silent seconds passed through.
"Are you sure you want to come tomorrow?" I eventually asked, looking upwards as well.
"Yes, I am." She replied in distracted manner, lying down on her back to have a better look at the sky or perhaps to sleep a bit, right there and then.
That straightforward answer was just what I expected from her, but I couldn't help getting irritated at her recklessness, at her naivety.
"Are you aware of what's happening around you? You may be leaving everyone and everything you know behind! You may very well be seriously wounded tomorrow… Or even die! I can never understand how someone can behave like you do…"
"I'm not afraid of death." She said in a quiet tone, her eyes now closed. Perhaps she was really looking for some sleep.
"Not afraid of death?" I repeated sceptically, shaking my head in disbelief "No, I think your problem is that you're not aware of the seriousness of the situation."
"I am quite aware, I assure you." Luna replied in the same expressionless tone.
"You can't be. You're always daydreaming, always stating ridiculous facts as if they were irrefutable truths, always ignoring the reality around you!"

She opened her eyes slowly but remained in silence, her gaze never leaving the sky.
"You're everything but reasonable and sane! I won't let you come with the rest of us and have you die in there!"
"I'll try not to do that or be in your way."
"You'll always be in my way! I won't be able to stop worrying about such a silly girl as you!" My voice was getting hoarse and my breathing rapid. It was so very frustrating to see all my words lost upon her! I wondered how dense could someone be.
For the first time her eyes were fixed upon me.
"I want to help. I don't know how much of a help I'll be, but I'll try. That's what friends are for, I believe."
I started at her words and for a few seconds said nothing.
"I don't want to risk any more lives unnecessarily Luna… I have more than my share of guilt and burdens." I finally let out, sighing heavily.
Astonishingly, she seemed to never have doubted that this was probably the main reason behind this whole conversation, even when I myself didn't know it.
"I won't say I won't die because that would be a lie. I don't know what's going to happen, no one does, but if I do die I know I won't be sad or angry." She added matter-of-factly.
"Yeah… Because you'll be dead." I couldn't help replying, feeling that once again she wasn't making any sense.
A hint of a smile passed through her lips.
"No, because I know that death isn't something eternal."
I looked at her surprised.
"You know we'll all be back someday, together. When or where we can't tell yet… But I believe we won't be parted forever. Besides, I'd be there just around the corner, just like my mother and just like your godfather is."

At these last words she smiled again, this time a more lasting smile, and returned to her contemplation of the sky, as if expecting to find someone there, looking right back at her.
Perhaps she did find someone gazing back, I wouldn't know. As quirky as her words sounded though, and they usually do, it was strangely reassuring to hear them.
I can't recall exactly when I've stopped finding her eyes fearsome. I still certainly can't tell what's going on in her mind just by looking at them, but they now seem a bit gentler and less menacing than they did before.
Yes, I never will understand Luna, nor do I want to. I think that's part of her charm.
I just know that, somehow, her words and her unwavering faith manage to make me feel a bit better, when everyone else fails to.
"So… If we survive this, what do you think about me treating you to a bottle of butterbeer?" I asked, in a sort of appreciation for her constant loyalty and belief in me.
"Oh, I stopped drinking that… You probably wouldn't know, but my father told me that they make butterbeer out of Kneazle's urine. It's a very disturbing matter, but the Ministry doesn't seem much interested in doing something about it."
I looked at her in search of some trace of a grin, but found nothing but her usual seriousness when relating these incredible theories.
"Herm… Is that so?"
Well, yeah… I guess some things never change.

Cosmik