Author's note: This definitely came out of me wanting to know what kind of guy would marry Luna, and how a proposal to a woman like her would go down. The big thing was, to me, Rolf didn't come off as the dashing Indiana Jones or even the Refined James McAvoy Masculine Period Character idea everybody else seemed to have floating around. Not that I have a problem with Indie or the McAvoy persona. And so, you can officially blame this fic, and Rolf Scamander, for my account ever having anything more than one or two chapters of a HMC fic on it.
~o~
"Luna?"
A shaking voice asked, deep and quiet in the small lab. Rolf Scamander took off his goggles slowly. Luna's wide eyes looked up from the blue tanks sitting on top of a long lab table, tilted her head to the side, and waved a hand about his head irregularly. She opened her mouth a little before speaking.
"Careful, Rolf, there are wrakspurts around your head! These baby gulping plimpies could spray you if you are not careful."
"Oh."
Rolf stopped removing his thick gloves and put his goggles back on. They looked back to the little creatures, fishlike and carnivorous. Rolf and Luna continued in silence for some time, working, as they always did to discover as much as possible about new creatures. The find of the gulping pimplies was very important, as their meat appeared to have healing properties. The babies had been harvested from a pond in Sweden when a farmer had happened across them and almost lost a limb to their mother.
As Luna and Rolf had already studied the adult male and female, finding uses for the gulping pimply's scales for bad bouts of acne, the babies within the blue tank were vital to the pubescent and teenage wizarding world. She did not raise her head as she fed the little babies in her container, quietly plopping pieces of beef into the water and watching with silent fascination as they fought over the little chunks. Though slightly hesitant at the sight of their long teeth Rolf did similar; his own russet eyes sometimes glanced over to Luna as she dreamily worked with the beasts. He jumped back as one guppy leaped at his prominent nose and spat at him. She looked to him, her dark blonde hair against the tank, catching in a way as to almost fall into the water. Luna gave a little laugh as his glasses melted slightly from the fish's acidic spray
"They 're grumpy. They like it if you stroke their sides."
"Oh."
Rolf winced and quickly brushed at the sides of three pimplies, the other four biting at his fingers. Once all were rubbed, the creatures were much tamer. He looked to her once more.
"Luna?"
"Yes?"
Rolf fought with the words he tried to push from his mouth, focusing on the little speech he had prepared. He loved to prepare beforehand...but this time it didn't seem to suffice for his tight-lipped mouth. While he pondered on this, Rolf was hit with another acidic splash. He, jolted out of his soft chanting, grabbed his wand, adjusted his goggles, and muttered a spell to strengthen them with his willow wand. He stroked the gulping pimplies again and forced himself to speak.
"How is Neville doing?" The usual conversation starter flew loose from his mouth. The speech was still lodged in the back of his throat.
Luna did not look up when she replied airily, "He is well." Rolf stared down at the pimplies too intently. Neville... He thunked his head on the side of the tank and almost lost a chunk of his forehead, jerking up at the first acidic spray.
"How are the mandrakes?" he trudged on.
"He says the mandrakes at Hogwarts are in high demand because of the aquavirius maggots we supplied him and Rubeus Hagrid with."
"Ah," said Rolf, brushing his brown hair out of his face as he stroked the gulping pimplies. Might as well go for it,"How are you two these days?"
"Neville's been such a wonderful friend, even after the gnome incident."
Rolf paused, holding his breath in sheer delight before continuing conversation, "So your friend Neville Longbottom is only going to your house to assist with the nargle infestation?"
Luna's eyebrows knit together curiously as she cleaned the water of her tank with a wave of her wand. She had already told Rolf about the visit in passing...
"Urgh!" Rolf yelped as the acid struck his forehead. Luna stepped away from her tank, took off her gear, and hastily walked across the shiny tiles of the lab. Rolf looked to her curiously silver eyes as she quickly examined the wound with her long, cool fingers. There was an uncommon focus to the silvery gray irises as she brushed his singed hair out of the wound. As Rolf gaped at her quick action, he felt his speech had been dislodge from his throat at her pale hands' touch. She reached for her wand, and muttered a spell to mend the red sore. He hissed at the sharp sting. When Rolf opened his mouth to begin, he realized his prepared lines had not only dislodged from his throat, but fuzzed away like the wound on his forehead. He sighed, looking back to Luna after the pain had subsided. She gave the healed wound one last look and smiled.
"There." she removed her hand and backed away. He touched the spot carefully.
"Thank you."
"Your welcome."
She swiftly returned to work. Rolf did so too, resilience settling in as he remembered her soft smile. He intractably continued, speech utterly forgotten.
"Luna?"
"Yes?"
"Will you marry me?"
"Of course."