Hello everyone! I know that it has been a very long time since I have posted the prequel to this story and I am sorry about that. I hope that this sequel makes up for it. This is my first attempt at Romance/Humor so I hope I do that genre justice. Enjoy!
A/N: I do not own the Harry Potter world. J.K. Rowling does.
Diagon Alley was full of life as always. Even more so since Voldemort had been defeated. People no longer feared for their lives. The village, which was once a deserted moor of despair, was a cheerful place once more. Children can be seen running about the stores, their laughter carried throughout the alley by the breeze.
However, there was one man who seemed out of place in such a complacent atmosphere. Twenty year old Harry Potter walked about Diagon Alley with a nervous edge. He ran his fingers through his jet black hair while quickly glancing through the passing store windows. All the while one hand was crammed into his right pocket. He finally reached his destination, a newly established all-you-can-eat buffet. Harry paid the cashier and looked around the restaurant for the ever so familiar red head of his best mate.
"Oye!"
Harry turned towards the muffled yell and saw none other than Ron Weasley. He quickly maneuvered around the tables and sat across from Ron, who to no surprise was already eating from a plate piled high with food.
"Thanks for waiting for me," Harry said with fake anger.
"Hey, you should know me better than that. You made me wait in a bloody buffet for ten minutes. You're lucky I haven't already finished eating!"
"Oh, sorry about that," Harry laughed. "I had a hard time convincing Luna that I couldn't possibly have a nargle infestation in my flat."
Ron chuckled. "It's alright. Hermione made me wash all of the breakfast dishes by hand this morning. It was her way of making me appreciate all of the hard work she puts into the cooking. Never again will I complain that she is taking too long making breakfast."
"Well...how long have you known Hermione, Ron?"
"Shut it. I was hungry. You know how I get when I'm hungry."
"Yeah, you act like a git."
"Thanks. You're a real pal."
"No problem," Harry chuckled. "I'm going to go get my food now, if you don't mind."
They both ate, comfortable in each other's company. Harry, with his reasonably full plate and Ron with yet another plate of food before him. Harry was going to ask Ron how he could possibly be so hungry if he ate about two hours ago but he mentally slapped himself for thinking of such a question. The answer is simple: He is Ron.
Harry figured that while he and Ron ate dessert would be the perfect time to tell him the news. The nervousness set in once again, with Harry picking at his chocolate ice cream sundae. As Ron reached for his second plate of pumpkin pie, he noticed Harry and his uneaten dessert.
"Is something wrong mate?"
Harry didn't hear him. He continued to pick at the sundae. The ice cream was slowly melting off the sides of the bowl, leaving chocolate trails.
"Harry? HARRY!"
Harry snapped out of his reverie and responded with an irritated, "What?"
"Whoa. I was just asking if there was something wrong. No need to snap." Ron angrily stabbed his pie and took a huge bite.
"I'm sorry Ron. I just have something on my mind."
"Wha ish ib?" Ron said with a mouth full of pumpkin pie, his face still showing signs of irritation.
Harry gave him an amused glance then passed his hand through his already messy hair. He took to staring at the salt and pepper shakers, so intently as if to try to count each individual grain.
"Harry, you're really freaking me out." Ron said as he pushed his empty plate aside.
Harry looked at him with fearful eyes. "Quite frankly, I'm freaking myself out."
"Well what is it? Are you going to tell me or am I going to have to call Hermione?"
"I...umm...look."
Harry dug his hand into his pocket and took out a small velvet box. He hurriedly placed it in front of Ron.
Ron stared at the blue velvet box, frozen. Harry (noticing that Ron is not saying anything) returned to staring intently at the salt and pepper shakers. So there they sat. They are two grown men sitting silently and each staring intently at their own object of interest. After five minutes passed a waitress came up to their table and asked them if they would like her to take their empty plates. At that moment Ron snapped out of his trance and replied with a simple, "Yes please."
Once the waitress left Ron turned towards Harry and said, "So, either you are proposing to me or the ring in that box is for Luna."
Harry looked up at Ron with a small grin.
"You know, you're my best mate and all but I don't see you that way. Plus, I don't want to get hexed by Hermione."
They both laughed; causing the previous tension to melt away. Ron reached for the box and opened it to reveal a unique, yet beautiful diamond ring.
"Bloody hell Harry. A simple ring would have been alright."
"Luna isn't exactly simple, Ron," Harry chuckled.
Ron laughed. "Believe me, I know. I think that anyone who has ever met Luna knows that," he said while closely examining the ring.
"Yeah.." Harry's voice trailed off, his eyes becoming glassy. His thoughts went to that eccentric woman he is deeply in love with.
"When is this proposal going to happen?" Ron asked, placing the box back on the table.
"Today. We are going to the zoo. Luna has never been to the zoo and she loves animals so I figured that it would be a good place to propose."
"That sounds nice. I must say that she might be a little disappointed that there aren't any crumple horned snorkacks in the zoo."
Harry laughed. "We already had a talk about that. She ended up saying that it was for the best. I mean, the crumple horned snorkack would live a much better life in the wild..."
Ron looked at him with one eyebrow raised.
"Or so she says," Harry finished quickly.
"You scared me for a minute there."
"Yeah, sorry." Harry grabbed a toothpick from the small container in the middle of the table and straightened up.
"Are you ready to go?"
They walked onto the streets of diagon alley and headed over to the Quidditch supply shop; talking about the world cup and who they believed would win. Ron was still an avid supporter of the Chudley Cannons and he still believed that a miracle would take place, causing the team to actually break their ten year losing streak.
Thirty minutes later, it was with extreme nervousness that Harry told Ron that he had to go meet Luna at her flat.
They departed, with Ron wishing Harry luck and patting him on the back. However, Harry stood there gathering up the courage to apparate to Luna's flat. Once again, he reached into his pocket and took out the blue velvet box. He stared at it thinking of what he was going to do later that day. Slowly and carefully, he opened the box. The ring was still there; glittering in the afternoon sun. He remembered what it took to find the ring.
-Flashback-
After days of looking in catalogs and jewelry stores, both muggle and wizard owned, Harry was at his wits end. He was walking away from yet another jewelry store, looking worn and beaten. He threw the store's catalog into the nearest trash can and kept walking. Ten minutes later he came upon a small, secluded shop on the outskirts of town. It stood between two huge willow trees. The building was painted a deep, midnight blue and had white window panes. Sheer curtains decorated with bright stars could be seen in those windows. At the very top of the shop there was a metal cardinal rose, compared to the muggle one with a rooster. However, a full moon was placed where the rooster would have been.
Harry carefully opened the door and stepped inside. He immediately got the feeling of being in Professor Trelawney's office. Different colored teapots and unique knick knacks filled the walls of the room, which was quite dark. The only lighting came from the glowing stars that were scattered about the ceiling. The room was the same color as the building outside, making it almost seem like you were floating up in space. In the middle of the room stood a small round table with a glowing crystal ball that changed colors every few minutes.
Harry closed the door behind him and walked further into the store. Towards the back he came about a curved row of jewelry in the glass displays. He looked at the rings, chuckling at the seemingly ridiculous rings and cringing at the seriously strange ones. Finally, he came upon a ring that screamed "Luna". It had three diamonds. The middle diamond was the largest. It was round and when the light hit it just right it had a sort of moon-like glow. The smaller diamonds were on either side of the "moon diamond" and they were cut into the shapes of two stars; glittering alongside the moon diamond. Harry stood there, looking incredulously at the ring.
"Ahh yes. Such a nice piece of jewelry you are fascinated in."
Harry must have jumped two feet into the air. He looked up and saw a strange looking woman. She wore robes of a deep purple with glittering silver seams. Upon her head of long black hair was a headband with a peacock feather sticking up on her left side. She wore earring of the same peacock feathers and a necklace of bottle caps and emerald and sapphire stones. Her face had a pointy kind of quality, but it was her eyes that really startled Harry. He left eye was a misty green and the right was a misty blue. After Harry got over the initial shock of her appearance he found his voice.
"Uhh...yeah. It is nice."
"It's for a loved one, I presume?"
Harry blushed, "Yeah it is. I want to propose to my girlfriend of four years."
"Ahh. Congratulations young man. May your relationship be blessed by the moon and star gods," she said with her arms raised towards the ceiling.
Harry looked at her nervously.
"Umm, thanks. How, how much is it?"
The woman looked at him for quite a long time, making Harry a little uncomfortable.
"For you young man, 150 galleons. I sense that you have a great spiritual mind. Able to accept the unusual regardless of your doubt. You are, as I call them, an open minded gentleman.
"Tha-thank you," Harry said with a hesitant smile and while running a hand through his hair. "Can I please buy it? In a size four?"
"Of course my dear. Of course!" she said while clapping her hands together. With a kind of eerie gracefulness she glided about the shop, cleaning the ring and placing it in the keep blue velvet box. She then placed the box in a sheer, deep green drawstring pouch.
"Here you go my dear," she said serenely.
Harry took the pouch and handed her the 150 galleons. "Thank you ma'am," he said as he walked back towards the door.
"It was my pleasure. I'm sure Luna will love that ring."
Harry stopped mid stride. He looked at her with incredulous eyes.
"How do you..."
The woman merely looked at him, a familiar serene smile on her face.
Harry turned and quickly left the shop. He walked mindlessly, letting his legs take him away from the strange woman. Suddenly, Harry thought of Luna. What would she think of his rude actions? Knowing that Luna would have been deeply disappointed Harry turned back towards the shop. He was thinking of what he would say as an apology, the drawstring pouch swinging from his right hand, when he reached the willow trees. Suddenly, he became confused. There was no longer a shop between the two trees. Harry looked around muttering to himself.
"I could have sworn that the shop was between these two trees..."
Harry stood there scratching the back of his head. He looked down at the drawstring pouch and noticed that there was letting on it. Examining the pouch he read, "Serenity's Jewelry: May the Moon's Light Make Your Life Shine!"
"Serenity? Where have I heard that name before?"
Then comprehension dawned on Harry's face. He turned pale as he mentally recounted the name, the appearance, and the sudden disappearance. Wanting nothing more than to leave the area Harry turned on the spot and went home.
-End Flashback-
Harry clearly remembered that day. He had gone home and quickly hid the ring in the bottom of his sock drawer. Hours went by of him thinking and wondering if he was crazy. Had he really com across the ghost of Luna's mother? Had she really been the one who sold him the perfect ring for Luna? He had come to the conclusion that she had and he had suddenly felt blessed. He felt blessed that it was a sign that Serenity approved of Harry asking Luna to marry him. A small smile crept up on Harry's face and he could feel some of the fear melt away as he continued to look at the ring. He carefully closed the box and put it back into his pocket. Then, with an air of nervous confidence, Harry turned on the spot.
Well there is the first chapter. I will try to write and post the next chapter as soon as I can.