'Hey - hey! Hey Trevor, I only let you in there because you were shrivelling like a prune! You've got to come back now. . . Oh fine, I'll come in and get you...' Neville called to the large, empty lake before him. Something bubbled in the water around him and Nevile smiled and waded further in to claim his toad. Then to his pleasure, Trevor bobbed up on the surface. Trevor seemed to be sitting on a sort...leaf. The leaf however turned out a half deranged girl balancing a toad on her head.
'LUNA!' Neville screamed in shock. Luna Lovegood floated up out of the water and pushed her way through the water to him.
'NEVILLE!' she bellowed back with great joy. Neville backed onto the land behind him as Luna removed Trevor from her blonde head and handed him to Neville.
'What...what in the world were you doing with my Trevor...and...why are you out here?' The words stumbled messily out of Neville's bewildered lips. Luna was still in the water and swished her hands around creating ripples, completely ignoring Neville.
'Luna?' Neville prompted and he repeated his question.
'Oh...well, I didn't really notice Trevor, ' she smiled, 'and I wanted some air...in the water,' the answer seemed normal enough to her.
She slowly made her way to the land that Neville sat on. Neville extended a shaky hand for her to grab on to. Her hair was plastered to her wet face, her shirt clung to her skin and she wore a now clearly visible bright baggy yellow top beneath her school shirt. She threw herself, much to the shock of Neville, right on to the ground next to him.
His shoulders tensed, a sign, which escaped the happily wandering eyes of Luna. And then, as though an act of defiance, he lay down beside her, still keeping his distance. Luna lifted her pale arm from her side and began to draw shapes in the air above her. Neville furrowed his brows. Luna didn't look at Neville, but spoke quietly, still circling the sky.
'The stars...Daddy says the stars are like the skies daisy chains...' her eyes caught Neville's confused expression in the corner of her eyes,' it's true, you know!' her blue eyes widened as she defended her father's outlandish statements. Neville just shrugged, but then he noticed her hands. The usually pale, delicate skin of her hand was scratched red beneath the flesh. He recognised the wounds from his own hands and slowly raised his own scarred arm to her level, his warm fingers unsteadily brushing again her hurt hand.
'Umbridge,' he muttered finally as he removed his hand from the side of hers.
'Oh, her.' Luna said. 'She's horrible. But, well, at least we can count on Harry to win.' she commented. Neville looked at her. 'I for one believe in Harry, and I know he'll win, even over the Ministry and You-Know-Who and then I won't even remember Umbridge's name!' she said confidently. Umbridge's name, what about your own? Neville thought. All the same he couldn't help but smile at her optimism.
'The DA's really helping everyone. And if Harry even doubts himself, well then we – ' Neville turned from his back to his side to face Luna, who continued to look up until she noticed Neville and finally turned on her side, 'we can fight in his name! You and I and everyone else.' Luna's thin lips twisted into a crooked smile.
Their faces were barely inches apart and Neville suddenly felt very self-conscious as he felt her cool breath tickle his cheek. Neville felt quite frozen. Suddenly Luna jumped up from her spot on the ground and she pulled Neville up too. She drew a deep breath and looked at him with her large eyes.
'Weeeell, Neville, it's been awful fun, but I fear my Grindylow will be hungry. Also, I don't want to be interrogated by Umbridge again- '
'You were interrogated?' Neville cried in shock.
'Good night Neville.' She silenced him and bid him a happy farewell, but not before – with no hesitance at all, as though it were perfectly natural – she kissed him on the cheek. Instantly Neville felt his cheeks go ferociously red and his legs froze as though paralysed.
Luna, blissfully unaware of Neville's natural reaction, nodded and began walking away yelling, ' HUMDINGER. . . don't. . . juice isn't good. . . ' though Neville didn't quite hear the rest as he was close to fainting. It didn't matter though, it was probably just Luna nonsense. Lovelyloony Luna nonsense!
It was the end of 6th year and nearly everyone at Hogwarts was depressed. It had been at King Cross, Neville recalled, where he had found Luna Lovegood.
Neville had said most of his farewells already – save one. He glanced over to Harry – who was avoiding Ginny. He's eyes found Ron – who in comparison seemed glued to Hermione. Finally, his eyes found his Gran – who, thank the lord had not yet seen him. He ran behind a post to dodge her, and he bumped right into the one person he was searching for.
'LUNA! ' He shouted, always shocked to see her dreamy face.
'NEVILLE!' she exclaimed in return, because it was now a tradition to great each other like this. There was an awkward silence in which Neville tried to remember what to say.
'Are you… coming back next year?' he asked finally. So many of his friends were dropping out, he didn't want to lose another one.
'Maybe, I'll have to talk to Daddy. I don't think I will – but it's all too different,' she gave a sad sigh. Neville nodded, he'd seen that distant look on many a face already.
'Well, uh, I'll write anyway! And if you do return, then you'll have me here for company,' he waved his arms in a sort of lame jazz-hand. He felt unfortunately aware of their proximity again as her unkempt hair swept his chest. He towered over her tiny frame behind the pillar.
Luna turned her attention away, Ginny had called her name in the distance, and just as she turned to go something in Neville possessed him to kiss her cheek. However, as she turned away, his seemingly innocent farewell kiss was planted right on the corner of lips rather than her cheek.
Just as he had done before, Neville went utterly red, and to his surprise, even Luna went a little pink.
'Bye Luna . . .' was the last thing he mumbled before he ran as fast as he could to his waiting Grandmother. Luna beamed (she recovered quickly) and yelled a loud farewell across the station. Her eyes widened as she continued walking away.
A kiss given to her? How curious!
Luna Lovegood hadn't seen Neville for months on end. She hadn't seen his warm eyes for nearly half a year. She certainly hadn't had any accidental kisses for a very long time, although Dean Thomas, whom Luna was very fond of, had kissed her once. However, during the months that passed, Luna thought frequently of her friends; often of Neville. Her heart fluttered at the sight of toads near Shell Cottage, and she longed to be reunited with those at Hogwarts.
So it was no surprise that Luna Lovegood screamed louder than usual when she saw Neville this time.
Luna was running in to fight for Hogwarts when she ran into what seemed to be a cuddly pillar – rather than an old friend. Luna squinted at the pillar. The figure was badly hurt and bruised and had the most horrendous cuts – but it seemed also to be grinning. Luna stepped back a bit and she opened her eyes widely as though she knew she as missing something painfully obvious.
And it was painfully obvious, because when she stopped squinting she saw the brown eyes, and when she saw the brown eyes she felt the large warm arms sweep her into a bear hug. Luna grinned; oh her pillar had grown confidence.
'NEVILLE!' she practically shrieked as he squeezed her and he shouted her name back in return for old times sake. He placed a kiss on her forehead, no longer the embarrassed, clumsy boy from the previous year. Aberforth, who had seen many old pupils return already, raised a grey, shaggy eyebrow from behind the empty bar of the Hogs Head, wondering who this girl was to Neville.
Neville set her down and swept her messy hair out of her eyes.
'You look horrible!' noted Luna.
Neville nodded, 'It's hard to find time to manicure between the Carrows!' he joked. Luna had had enough encounters with the Carrows while she had been at Hogwarts to know that they would have severely tortured Neville, and she brushed her thumb against a large scar across his palm. Neville enclosed her hand in his, and looked her up and down, noticing the healing cuts beneath her own starry eyes.
'You were kidnapped,' it was as though they were telling each other's stories. 'Dean told me.' Luna smiled – Dean was here (he had left earlier than her from Shell Cottage in an attempt to contact his family.) Her half smile turned into a wild grin as thought of all the reunions she would finally be making. Neville stared at her, bemused that she grinning at the memory of a kidnapping.
'Oh – it wasn't bad for me, not really. I just feel awful for poor, poor Dobby.' Luna spoke quietly, and Neville squeezed her hand. Luna continued, 'No – I wasn't hurt much.' She assured him.
'That's not what Dean said,' Neville cut in darkly. The things she'd endured and all the beatings they'd suffered – it made him sick to think about it.
Luna returned his comforting squeeze. 'You've been tortured too.' She said. Neville nodded and beamed, practically proud.
'Yep, dozens of times! All in the name of,' Neville took a deep breath, 'HARRY AND THE DA!' he bellowed out. There were distant cheers from the end of the dimly lit corridor behind the painting in response. Luna had a go at yelling something about Dumbledore, receiving the same cheers in response.
'You know... you've done so much that I bet Daddy could interview you!' she cried excitedly.
Neville put his warm hand on Luna's cheek, 'There's a war – and your still wondering about the Quibbler!' he said gleefully. Luna was exactly the same!
Luna stared into the face of her once plant-loving, toad-hunting friend and thought of something to say. 'Voldemort's back and Harry will win again and for a hundred years the world will be rid of a terrible Wizard, but then it might happen again…' she mused, 'and so I suppose,' there was a starting of a smile, 'that something can never change!' Luna laughed. Neville's hand remained on Luna's cheek as he leaned in a little closer.
'I guess the world is always doomed then, Luna!' he smiled and he kissed her.
It wasn't a casual kiss on the cheek, or an accidental corner-of-the-lip kiss. In fact, it was exactly the sort of awkward and yet confident kiss that Luna and Neville were meant for. They broke apart after moments as they heard Aberforth run down the passageway to fight. Luna grabbed Neville's hand and pulled him down the corridor, yelling a long support-Hogwarts speech on the way.
And as the approached the biggest and most deadly fight they'd ever brace, Neville could only think that a little love would surely help them continue through the dark to come; the most perfect way to start a battle!