AN : Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, for details on who does check out || I HIGHLY appreciate reviews. I attempted writing the first war story i've been meaning to for years, but forget that. I write Harry Luna stories, I'm going with what I know!
Chapter 1: Thank You
Harry walked solemnly through Shell Cottage, his knees slightly damp still from the grass in which he had knelt. All he could think about was how tired he was and how, even now, Dumbledore seemed to be instructing him. Harry turned the knob to the door of his bedroom and sitting cross legged upon his bed was Luna.
"Oh...sorry. I'm so tired, I must have gone in the wrong room." Harry said, his voice heavy with sleep.
Luna shook her head slowly. "No, Harry. You know this is your room, you just don't want company right now. I won't stay long." She seemed ready to say something else, but hesitated.
"Right. Okay." Harry sat down on a three legged stool and began to unlace his shoes. He could feel Luna's eyes on him, and he waited for her to speak.
"I wanted to thank you for saving all of us. I thought I would certainly die down there in the Manor House." Luna said, shifting on the bed.
"You would have done the same for me, it's nothing." Harry said modestly. He went to sit down on the bed beside Luna. "You're my friend, and I'm very happy that you didn't suffer worse."
Luna's eyes searched him. "Being that close to death on a daily basis makes you realize certain things. Bellatrix could have killed us at any time. You were so heroic." Luna said, placing her hand on Harry's. "Your hands are still dirty from the digging." She got up and fetched a wash cloth from the washroom. She tenderly cleaned between his knuckles, and cleaned the areas around his varied cuts.
"Thank you, Luna, but you don't have to do that, I just want to sleep right now. I've got a busy day tomorrow."
"You're not telling me anything I don't already know. You're being polite the best you can, but I can tell you want me to go. And I will." She got up and put the cloth on the table beside Harry's bed before resuming her seat on the bed beside him.
Harry made eye contact with her, he noticed her eyes beaming with a life force the rest of her body was still trying to recover. Her cheeks had small scratches around them and he noticed that her hands also bore several new scars. She placed her hand on his, and placed the other on his cheek. "You unquestionably saved my life tonight, and though I cannot give you the service or magical ability that Dobby did, there are several things a witch such as myself can give you. You know that we are friends, and I've already pledged my friendship to you until our lives are snuffed out. I cannot fully express how my heart leapt upon seeing you downstairs, Harry. For there were weeks where I was certain I'd never be able to give you what I've wanted to give you for a very long time." She leaned in and placed her lips delicately upon Harry's own.
The kiss was sweet, over almost as soon as it began, and completely unexpected. By the time Harry realized that he was kissing someone other than Ginny, Luna had gotten up and extinguished the light in the room. "Goodnight, Harry. See you tomorrow?" She asked, without waiting for a response as she shut the door behind her.
Elder Wands. Horcruxes. Breaking into Gringotts. Facing Death Eaters. Barely escaping from Malfoy Manor with his life. These were things Harry could deal with, he realized. But the confusion welling up within him from Luna's kiss... that was something quite different. He had always noticed Luna when nobody else seemed to. They had connected and related on levels that others didn't, but he hadn't ever thought of her like...that. 'Well...'. He considered. 'maybe I've thought of her like that a few times...but that was before Ginny.' He frowned. "Ginny." Were they dating? Hadn't he made it clear that he had to take down Voldemort first? "I should probably tell Ginny about this...I don't want to be seen as breaking her trust...I mean I did let that happen just now..." Then he thought of the kiss again and felt that suddenly maybe he needed more room in his pants, they seemed to be becoming increasingly tight. Harry's thoughts went further and as he fell asleep that night his dreams were mixed between kissing Ginny in the Burrow, and then kissing Luna in the Cottage. His dreams went further with Luna, but in the morning he had no recollection, such is the way of really good dreams.
