A very short Christmas drabble I wrote for my brother. Merry Christmas, everyone.
There's commotion in the Entrance Hall all around them. Students are scrambling to get out of Hogwarts as soon as possible. Behind him, Neville can hear the shrill screams of one of the Carrows.
"Are you sure you don't want to go home for Christmas? You and your Gran could celebrate with us…" Luna muses.
"I'm sure," Neville tells her.
Her small hand reaches up to touch his left eye, where his bruise is just starting to yellow. "You'll probably get another one of these."
"What's one black eye?" he asks her, shrugging.
"It's not one, Neville," she tells him. "That'll be your fifth. At least."
"I'm just holding down the fort here. Everything'll be alright."
The noise is quieting down now. Luna has to leave now if she wants to catch the train.
"I don't know why anyone doubts you're a Gryffindor," she says pulling away from him. Coming from anyone else, Neville might find that insulting. From Luna, though, it only rings true.
"Happy Christmas, Luna," he says giving her hand a squeeze good-bye.
"Happy Christmas, Neville."
When they take her off the Hogwarts Express an hour later, that's all she thinks of as she tries not to cry.
"Everything'll be alright."
"Happy Christmas, Luna."