From across the hall Neville watched Luna help Harry make his escape. He had been watching her long before her outburst that had left many tutting and wondering what was wrong with 'loony' Luna to disturb others in their time of mourning. Now she was sitting at the table by herself; a small but troubled smile playing on her lips. Her blonde hair was full of dirt and she ran her fingers through it, trying to no avail to get rid of the knots that had formed.
Neville knew he couldn't wait any longer. Excusing himself from his admirers, picked up the sword of Gryffindor and walked over to her. "Care to take a walk with me?'' he asked and she smiled brightly up at him. But it didn't hide the sadness in her eyes. "I would love to'' she replied, standing to follow him out of the hall.
While the hall itself had been relatively unharmed and the bodies move to another room, the rest of the castle was a different story. There were piles of rubble in the halls and holes in the walls. One corridor they walked through was missing a whole wall giving them a view of the grounds that were also in ruins. But the worst were the bodies.
They seemed to be everywhere; lying in the halls, underneath collapsed walls, and one was half hanging off a flight of stairs. Neville lifted this body, a young woman he didn't recognise, so that it would not fall and be damaged further. People had been enlisted and volunteered to help move the bodies onto a room off the main hall to be identified and families informed. Any injured found in the rumble were to be taken to Madame Pomfrey and a team of healers from St Mungos and other who has just volunteered. Neville suspected there would be more deaths before the day was over; some injuries not even the most experienced healers could fix.
Neville looked down at Luna and was surprised to find her eyes full of tears. "Neville, that's Colin'' she muttered, her voice a barely audible whisper full of pain. He followed her line of sight and sure enough there was the form of Colin Creevey being carried from the wreckage. Neville wrapped an arm around Luna's shoulders and steered her away from the site. "Come on, let's go up to the Gryffindor common room''
The closer they got to the tower, the less damage there was. Neville kept his arm around Luna's shoulders, aware of the fact she was holding back tears. When they got to the entrance of the tower the Fat Lady smiled down at them.
"Neville Longbottom; a big a hero as Harry Potter himself," she said applauding him lightly as other portraits around her muttered words of agreement. "I don't know what the password is" Neville replied, his cheeks turning pink from the praise. "Oh don't you worry love, in you go. And its sword for next time," she replied, swinging open to allow them into tower.
Neville sat Luna down on a sofa and turned to go up to his dorm. As he turned he felt her small hand close around his wrist. "Don't go Neville, stay with me," she pleaded in a small voice. He had never seen her look so vulnerable. He knelt down beside her. "I'm just going up to my room to get a blanket Luna. I'll be back in a minute," he said soothingly, aware that the tears in her eyes were starting to fall freely.
Suddenly she threw herself off the sofa and into his arms. He was knocked backwards slightly as she clung to him. The tears were running freely now as she hung onto him. Neville realised that Luna needed to cry herself out and this was not the place to do so. So he scooped her up in his arms and carried her up to his dorm. Two of the beds, those that belonged to Harry and Ron, had the curtains pulled shut so Neville carried Luna to his own bed and set her down on it before pulling the curtains around them and casting a silencing spell, never letting go of the blonde haired girl in his arms.
After a few minutes Luna looked up at him. "So many people died because of this war Neville," she said. He had never heard her sound so serious. The usual dreaminess of her voice was gone. "I don't know where my father is," she added, looking down at her hands. Neville now understood. She was scared her father was one of the casualties of the war, leaving her an orphan.
"Hey look at me," he said lifting her chin. Reluctantly she meet his gaze. "Tomorrow morning we will start looking for your father. And I mean we. I'm going to be beside you. And if he's gone. Well I'm going to look after you Luna Lovegood," Neville said taking her hands in his. "Why Neville?" she asked. The pain in her voice making his heart contract. This was the time to tell her he thought as he took a deep breath. "Because I love you Luna," he said.
A mere second later she threw herself on him again. Her lips were on his, her hands gripping his body as if her life depended on it. He responded quickly, pulling her closer if it was possible. For a few moments there were merely a tangle of limbs. Bodies pressed together as their lips danced, getting to know the others. She pulled away suddenly. "Do you really mean it Neville?" she asked and he nodded. "Well good. Because I love you too and I'm going to take care of you," Then they were kissing again.
Later on they fell asleep in each other's arms. They had discarded their dirty clothes on the floor and simply sleep together in the most innocent of ways, Neville in his pyjamas and Luna in one of his shirts. They held onto each other in fear the other would be taken from them. They had found love in the midst of war and they were afraid the consequences of war would tear them apart again.
In the late afternoon they were awoken as Ron tore open the curtains. "Neville mate dinner… Bloody hell!" Ron spluttered. Neville and Luna blinked up at him as his face turned red from embarrassment. "What is it Ron?" Hermione asked as she stuck her head over his shoulder to see what he was staring at. Harry and Ginny also appeared looking slightly dishevelled as if they too had just been woken up.
Luna and Neville's faces soon resembled Rons as they realised what the others were thinking. They quickly rejected any ideas that the others may have about them being in the same bed. Ginny merely laughed while the others tried to wipe the shock from their faces. "What Ron was meant to tell you was that they will be serving dinner in the main hall," Ginny informed them before dragging Harry from the room with Hermione following suit with Ron.
Neville turned to Luna and kissed her cheek as she yawned. "Come on sleepy head, I'm starving" he said. They dressed quickly and left the dorm together. Neville smiled at her as they walked to the main hall. "I meant what I said Luna. I'll take care of you" And she kissed him softly. They would be ok, she knew it.
A/N: well I hope you guys like it. I corrected some of the spelling mistakes that were in it when I first published it. This is my first fanfic so please review. I really wanna know what you think. Also if you have any ideas of what I could write next that would be great