The pernickety big old house was way too full after the arrival of Mr. Ollivander, Luna and Dean. There was enough room for everybody but it seemed too crowded, especially at breakfast.
Two days after their arrival, Ginny saw Luna and Dean sitting by the big lake, talking. She walked a little closer to hear what they were talking about.
"… so can I come with you some time?" Dean was asking.
Luna was sitting right beside him, her arms around her knees and her silver blue eyes deep into his. She looked more normal than usual.
"Yes, of course," she answered in a sing-song voice. "My Dad will be really happy, you know. There aren't many people who believe in Crumple-Horned Snorkacks."
"I believe you," Dean murmured under his breath.
"And when you come home, I'll show you the horn."
"Yeah, you've told me."
He lied back on the grass and she turned to keep her eyes on his.
"Hi, guys," Ginny said, as if she had just noticed them. "What's up?"
"Nothing much," Dean answered, staring at the sky.
"Can I talk to Luna for a moment, Dean?" Ginny asked cheerfully, sitting on the grass beside him.
"Sure."
He stood up and walked towards the house, looking confused.
"Are you falling in love, Luna?" Ginny asked quietly without looking at her friend.
"I've no idea," Luna answered honestly. "But he is nice."
"Yeah, he's very nice."
"Is it bad?" Luna asked in a frightened voice.
Ginny couldn't believe her ears. Luna Lovegood, the girl who was not afraid to step into the fight with Voldemort, the girl who had been tortured and tormented and was still standing her ground… this girl was afraid.
Afraid of love.
Well, she was right to be afraid. Love was frightening sometimes. But was it bad?
"No," Ginny answered firmly. "It's not bad. Though it might be scary, you know."
Luna nodded, looking at the lake.
"Does it hurt?"
Good question.
"Yes, it does sometimes," Ginny admitted. "But it's always worth it."
"Does it hurt now?" Luna's voice was trembling. "When he's away?"
The word "hurt" just wasn't enough.
"It hurts like hell," she confessed. "But when he comes back, it won't matter. It's worth it. Love's worth it. It's the only thing worth fighting for."
"So you are sure he'll come back," Luna said in a voice that reminded more of Hermione than of herself.
"Hey, you are supposed to be the optimistic one!" Ginny said.
Was she sure Harry would ever come back? She tried to convince her that she was.
He will come back. He will come back.
There were tears in Luna's eyes.
"Dean is nice," Ginny said out of the blue. "I don't think there will be any problem falling for him. He won't hurt you. However, love isn't very reasonable, Luna… not at all."
"What do you mean? I shouldn't fall for him? Is that what you mean?"
"The opposite. There is no such thing like "should" or "should not" fall for somebody… it just happens, and when it does… well… I don't think there is a reason why. It just happens. And this is how it should be. Let it happen, Luna."
"Let it happen, huh?"
"Yeah. I'm being very wise today, aren't I?"
Luna laughed.
They sat in silence for a few minutes, and then Dean appeared out of nowhere.
"Finished, ladies?" he asked.
Luna nodded, staring at the setting sun. It was getting darker and colder every minute.
"Hey, are you cold?" Dean asked after a while.
Luna turned around to face him.
"A little."
He took off his jacket and put it on her shoulders.
"Here."
"Thank you."
His hand remained on her back.
Ginny smiled.
"OK, guys, I'm going now… I have to… err… do the dishes."
"Didn't your mother do the dishes?" Dean asked, confused again.
"Um… another dishes. Bye!"
And she almost ran to the house.
Dean turned to Luna again.

***

The fight was almost over. The Weasleys and Hermione all gathered around Tonks', Remus' and Fred's bodies. Everyone's faces were covered in blood and tears, pain burned them from inside, making them insensitive for everything but the cold hands of their beloved ones.
"Where is Harry?" Hermione cried, her voice muffled in Ron's T-shirt.
"I'll go and look for him," Ginny answered, unable to stand watching her dead brother's face any longer. She stood up and went out of the Great Hall, running straight into Dean.
"Have you seen Luna?" he asked, almost breathless. Maybe he'd been running.
"No," Ginny answered. "Have you seen Harry?"
"I think he headed to the forest," Dean said. After a second, his eyes went wide. "Oh, God. Ginny, go stop him. Take him back. He'll listen to you. Go. And if you see Luna…"
"Stay here, I'll tell her to come."
"And to keep safe," Dean added. "And same goes for you."
"You, too."
She ran out of the building and towards the forest, hoping to find Harry still alive. He wasn't going to give up, was he? He couldn't…
She ran through the forest, shouting his name, but had no answer. Desperate, she headed back to the castle.
"Luna!" Ginny yelled through tears, noticing her blond hair across the park. "Luna, come here!"
Luna turned around to see who was calling her, and then ran to Ginny.
"Dean's looking for you," Ginny said. She didn't know when she'd started crying; maybe it happened in the moment she realized Harry wasn't going to answer her. But she was crying now, she could barely speak between the sobs. Maybe she could handle life without Remus, without Tonks and even without Fred, though it seemed impossible. But she could not handle life without Harry.
"Why are you crying?" Luna asked innocently.
"Doesn't matter", Ginny answered. It really didn't. It wasn't like crying was going to take him back.
The two of them walked quickly to the castle, where Dean was still waiting, pale-faced and worried. He hurried towards them and caught Luna in his arms, and kissed her lightly on the lips without giving it a thought. He didn't seem to notice what he had done, he just held her tightly in his arms. Her heart was probably going to fly away.
Ginny decided to leave them alone – she really didn't want to bother them right now – so she went into the Great Hall to join her family.