" Are you alright, Luna?" Neville asked gently, tilting his head to look at the smaller blonde sitting on the bench. She was out in the cold and snow, wearing no shoes and a light sweater. She was going to catch her death if she wasn't careful.
"I'm fine, Neville. As always." She smiled, but her lips seemed tight, instead of loose and dreamy, as they usually did.
"Are you sure? It's okay to not be okay, Luna. We've all lost people. We've all lost a lot. You don't have to be happy all the time."
"It seems almost a sin to be sad, though. Don't you think?" She peered up at him without blinking, and her wide lavender eyes un-nerved him.
"I… I'm afraid I don't follow…"
"well, the way I see it, we won. And now we have this beautiful world to live in. And yes, lots of people died, but so many people are still here. And the future is so bright, without Voldemort around. We can enjoy the flowers and skies and raise families without worry. What right do I have to be sad in a world like that?" Neville shook his head slowly. People made fun of her an awful lot, but the girl was really rather brilliant. Different, definitely, but that was what made her so brilliant. She thought in a way so completely unlike everyone else, while still being able to see how others thought and felt.
"You're quite bright, Luna. No matter what the other students say. But that doesn't mean you can't be sad you lost the only family you had left."
"But I didn't. I lost Daddy, yes. But I have Harry, and Hermione, and Ron. And you, of course. I miss Daddy terribly, but I still have a family." She smiled up at him again.
"Alright. But just know, if you ever are sad, and you need someone to just be there, whether it's to let you cry or make you laugh or let you scream or hug you, I'm only a floo call away."
"Thank you, Neville. That means a lot." She hugged him, but he was still concerned she was more upset than she let on. She was an enigma alright. He held tighter to her for a second before letting her go, but he held to her shoulders and looked her right in those big, clear eyes.
"Seriously, anytime you need something, anything, I will be there. You're my best friend, Lu."
And just like that, it happened. For the first time since Dumbledore's death, Neville saw a tear fall from Luna's eyes.
"Daddy always called me Lu" she whispered. Neville hugged her again.
"Just cry." He said softly, lifting her smaller frame up onto the bench to get her toes out of the snow, "Just cry all you want. You can be sad. The world is beautiful, but it can still hurt."
"Thank you, Neville. Sometimes I just need to be reminded being different doesn't mean I have to be an alien. Even when I feel like one."
"No one has to be strong all the time. No one can be strong all the time." Luna nodded at him and sniffled. He used his thumb to wipe a few tears from her cheek.
"You are."
"What do you mean?"
"Neville, you're the strongest, bravest person I've ever met."
"Well, thank you. Though I'm not always strong. I cry every time I see my parents."
"At least you have the strength to see them." She has never failed to astound him, Luna. Always proving to be smarter and more intuitive than he previously thought.
"You're shivering." He hands her his cloak. "Put it on. I'm carrying you inside so your feet don't freeze off." He lifts her easily enough, she is quite tiny, and he's grown up to be quite tall and broad shouldered. When he sets her down inside the castle she surprises him by wrapping her arms around his waist tightly and leaning her head against his chest.
"You're my best friend, Neville." She murmurs. "I reckon you always will be." He stroked her hair, which is a messy braid, and hugs her close.
"You're my best friend too, Luna. Nobody will ever take that from you."
"Neville, do you love me?" She looked up at him. His eyes shot wide and he flushed red immediately.
"Of…of course I love you Luna. We're best friends."
"No, I mean do you love me?" Neville sighed. There was no use in lying. She could read him like a book. She may have been an enigma, but he was an open copy of "Remedial Charms for Beginners".
"Yes, Luna. I love you. More than I will ever love anything again." Luna looked at him, cocked her head and stared straight at him with those giant eyes. Slowly, she drew her wand and pointed it at the ceiling. A bough of mistletoe appeared.
"Mistletoe may be full of nargles," she whispered "but it has its uses." And with that she raised up on her tippy toes and kissed him sweetly. "I love you too, Neville Longbottom. I love you too."