Light poured in through the blinds of the bedroom at Grimmauld Place, jostling Harry from his not so decent night's sleep. He tried to fight back against his rising consciousness, but the battle wouldn't be one, and he prepared himself to have to deal with another day. Without opening his eyes, he tried to find his glasses on his nightstand, accidently knocking over a few potion vials in the process.

He audibly groaned at the mess he would surely have to clean up if he ever wanted to get out of bed that morning. He was beginning to wonder why he even tried to take those potions anymore. It had been weeks since the last time that his supply of Dreamless Sleep potions had any effect on preventing his nightly nightmares, to the point where he was simply taking them now out of habit instead of for any relief.

With his glasses, firmly on his face, he grabbed his wand and vanished away the broken glass on his floor, before haphazardly throwing on the first pieces of clothing he could get his hands on before getting up and starting his day. Unless he was on duty as an Auror, his days were mostly spent keeping to himself inside his godfather's house.

Occasionally, he would find his way to the Burrow, which was slowly becoming less common once Ron and Hermione had gotten a small apartment together, otherwise he kept to himself at Grimmauld place, his only visitors were Ginny, Ron, and Hermione. Even then, with Ron being an Auror alongside him and Hermione having an entrance job in the Department for the Regulation of Magical Creatures, most days he only saw Ginny.

Despite the pressure of seeing Ron and Hermione living together, Harry and Ginny had yet to make that commitment for different reasons. For a long time after the war, Ginny wanted to be close to her family after the loss of Fred. Harry on the other hand, was working so much that he spent very little time at his own house.

As soon as he was dressed he Floo'd to the Ministry. Once inside he made his way quickly to the lifts so that he could make it to the DMLE as quickly as possible so that he could avoid as many of the stares that would follow him as possible. Even after nearly two years since Voldemort's demise, many of the Wizarding public were still awestruck by the sight of him, something that annoyed him greatly even to this day.

Once he made it to his floor, he made his way to his office in the department, a small cubicle that happened to be seated right next to Ron's; not that he saw him frequently since Harry took every opportunity to do field work, while Ron would usually find more official work or as he liked to call it, 'easy work'. He planned to follow his regular routine, which consisted of sitting at his desk only long enough to see if he was summoned for one reason or another, before approaching the main desk to see if there were any calls that needed attending to. That was his plan, until a memo flew to his desk, asking him to meet with the Head Auror Andrews.

Harry begrudgingly got up from his seat and made his way to Andrews' office. It wasn't that he didn't like the man, it was just that he was slightly difficult to work with. Jacob Andrews was the first Head Auror to be appointed after the end of the war. Due to his appointment during the first major time of peace that the Wizarding world had had in a long time, he seemed too laid back for someone of his position.

He opened the door to the office and was reminded of another reason he disliked Andrews, the man was very full of himself. Nearly every inch of his office was covered some award or another that he had won during his time in the corps. What was a little over the top was the fact that he seemed to have also hung up every news article he was mentioned in, every picture taken of him a Ministry functions, and other paraphernalia of the sort scattered and place all around the office.

Seeing that the older wizard was facing the opposite wall, Harry decided to just take a seat in front of his desk and wait for his superior to either realize he was there, or acknowledge his presence. This went on for a few minutes before Andrews turned around and began talking to Harry.

Andrews was a slightly larger than average man, mostly due to his increased muscle mass. As Head Auror he opted to wear minimalist robes despite forcing all other Aurors to wear their full traditional uniform, as well as sporting a recently shaved goatee on his face. If it wasn't for the fact that Harry knew he was out of practice from not being out on the field as frequently, Harry would've honestly been intimidated by him.

"It's good to see you Auror Potter. I've heard about how you handled the muggle baiting incident in muggle London last week."

Harry grinned despite himself. He knew that even though Andrews was a good enough person, he hated when other people received recognition over himself, and the fact that he complimented Harry brought a special kind of joy.

"It was nothing sir. All that was needed were a few Memory Charms and some minor disciplinary actions to resolve the situation it was nothing."

"Nothing!" Andrews shouted suddenly, catching Harry off-guard. "To most Aurors that would be nothing, but you Potter that certainly isn't nothing." He stood up and began pacing behind his desk, no longer looking in Harry's direction.

"Pardon me sir, but what do you mean by it being me?"

"You are one of the hardest working Aurors that the Ministry has ever seen, not since the first war. You are constantly out on the field trying to make the world a better place and for that myself, the Ministry, and Magical Britain owe you a lot of thanks." Harry had yet to see what the whole point of this conversation was.

"Some might even as far as to say that you're too committed." This caused Harry to stiffen. He now knew that this was the same song and dance as happened every month. Andrews would try and convince him to take time off and Harry would refuse. If he were being honest, the whole thing was starting to get annoying.

"I've talked with a few mind healers at St. Mungo's, and we agree that you need to take time off Potter from the force."

"I'm fine sir, I don't need any time off."

"That's where you're wrong Potter. What you call minor disciplinary actions is official called an unnecessary firefight between yourself and three individuals who at best would've only received a fine."

"I thought they were pulling their wands on me."

"All the more reason for you to take time off. You're paranoid Potter and it's clear to myself and the healers that you're still dealing with the after effects of the war. You've refused treatment since day one on the force and now it's effecting your ability to do your job."

Harry was about to respond but was cut off before he could get a word in. "No buts Potter. I'm afraid I'm forced to suspend you until a time when you are capable enough to return work." His words rang out with finality, as Andrews sat down and returned to looking at his various accomplishments on the wall behind him. Harry was seething internally but knew that there was nothing he could do. Resigning himself, Harry stood up from his seat and began making his way back to his office to grab his things before heading home.

The silence and stillness inside Grimmauld Place felt like a chokehold was strangling him as he sat in his own home. It had only been 3 weeks since his suspension and it wasn't getting any easier.

He had spent time at St. Mungo's during this time speaking with a Mind Healer. At first, he was going to these sessions so that he could get back to work as quickly as possible, but after one week, he realized that that wouldn't happen until the healer thought that he was getting better. It was another week later that he felt he wasn't getting anywhere with his treatment and abruptly left.

Since then he mostly kept to inside Grimmauld Place, wallowing in his own self-pity. He couldn't go out because all he saw was the chaos of the outside world, and now that he was unable to do anything about it he didn't wish to face it all, despite how stifling his house was.

Ron and Hermione had come by often the first few days to keep him company, which had been one of the only saving graces he had, besides Ginny's daily visits. As it got closer to a week into his departure, the pair were unable to come by as often, only able to visit every four or five or so and even then, they were only able to stay for an hour or two.

He heard the front door open as a smile broke out on his face, or rather as big of a smile as he could muster due to his somber attitude, at the arrival of his girlfriend Ginny. Since he was forced home, Ginny had taken to spending most of her time with him instead of with her parents and Harry couldn't help but be thankful for it. Her presence was the only ray of light on his otherwise bleak outlook as of late.

As she entered the room, he couldn't help but notice a familiar grimace on her face, which caused him to frown slightly. The last couple of days, she maintained a similar expression on her face, but would quickly mask it once she encountered Harry. He knew something was bothering her but decided to wait it out to see if she would open up to him.

Little did he know that this was the day that she would tell him what was wrong with her, but his first clue was the fact that she decided to sit on the couch in front of him instead of sitting beside him like she usually did. She was also wringing her hands her hands nervously; whatever it was, it was obviously bothering her a lot.

"What's wrong Ginny?" She smiled at him, but to him it seemed a little forced.

"I've been meaning to tell you something Harry. Something that's going to change everything."

Harry schooled his features to a more neutral expression, while internally he was hastily going through every possible scenario that could have her so worked up, the longer he thought about it, the worse each idea got.

"I've been struggling with how to tell you about this. I'm still not sure what the best way is, but I've decided that it's better to just get it over with." She paused, gathering herself while taking a deep breath before for the first time since she entered the house, looked up into Harry's eyes.

"I've made been made a starter for the Harpies."

Harry felt immensely proud of her for this. Shortly after finishing her last year of school, Ginny had tried out as Chaser for the Holyhead Harpies. At first, she was just on the practice squad, before moving up to the reserve team after 6 months. For a while she had voiced her concern that she wasn't going anywhere with her Quidditch career, but now it seemed like those fears were a moot point.

"That's great Ginny!" He could tell that something was still bothering her, and judging by the way she'd been acting the last few days, he knew that that wasn't all she had to say.

"They want me on the team immediately so I'm going to have to go to training so that we can be ready for this season." Realization dawned on Harry. They both knew that this was a possibility that she could make the team and must travel almost constantly with the team, but he had forgotten about it since his suspension. Of course, it would come at one of the worst times.

"How long?"

"My contract is for three years. Until then, I won't be home much, mostly for holidays," she paused as she tried to find the right words to say. "I'm sorry Harry."

"No," Harry said suddenly, not wanting for her to feel guilty, "You've wanted this for such a long time. You shouldn't drop your dreams just because of me." She gave him a watery smile, as his hand cupped her cheek and wiped away the tears that were starting to fall from her eyes. "I'll wait for you- "

"I can't ask that from you. I know I said the same thing three years ago, and even though I can't understand exactly what you went through, but I understand the sentiment. I'm sorry that this is happening, especially since you're trying to heal, but I couldn't put it off any longer."

Harry uttered a barely audible scoff at the healing comment. He still felt that he was fine enough to continue working but until he could 'heal' he knew that he was a long way off from returning as an Auror.

"In three years, we'll see, but I don't want you to put your life on hold for me. Especially since I don't know what will happen."

She stood up suddenly walking back towards the entrance way. Harry was still sat still, his hand still raised as if he was still holding her cheek. She gave a sniffle before whispering a quiet "Goodbye Harry," before walking out the front door and out of Harry's life.

For the next two months, Harry became even more of a recluse, to the point that even Ron and Hermione had difficulty reaching him. He didn't blame Ginny for wanting to further her career, but he couldn't help the crushing sadness that he felt day in and day out. He now understood how she felt when he was off hunting Horcruxes and even though he still felt that that was the right thing to do, he felt bad about putting Ginny into that kind of position.

The similarities between the two situations didn't escape Harry's mind. Both times Harry felt that Ginny was it for him and couldn't deny the possibility that she could move on, despite this time it being her that was leaving.

Today seemed like another day stifling day inside of Grimmauld Place until he heard a knock at his front door. He was puzzled by this, most people who came by Floo'd in, the only person who liked to use the front door was Ginny but he knew that it couldn't be her.

He got up and answered the door and was surprised by who he found on the other side

"Luna?"

When he opened the door, it came to Harry's attention that it was raining outside. It had been a long time since he had ventures out his own front door. He overcame his initial surprise once he reminded himself that Luna was out in the rain, though it appeared as though it didn't bother her.

"What are you doing her Luna? Come in you must be soaked."

She gave him a sad smile before coming inside. As Harry graciously cast a Drying Charm for her, he came to another realization that even though he had seen Luna Scared, angry, and most often happy, couldn't recall a time when he had actually noticed she was sad. Even during her imprisonment at Malfoy Manor, there was fear in her eyes but she had somehow managed to remain surprisingly optimistic.

"I'm sorry for showing up unannounced Harry but…I couldn't think of anywhere else to go."

He stared at her questioningly for several moments before realizing that she was carrying what appeared to be several overnight bags. He mentally cursed Andrews for suspending him for what seemed like the thousandth time; his perceptiveness had worsened during his forced time off and he couldn't help but feel another bout of self-loathing at his own misfortune. Remembering that Luna was there snapped him out of his thoughts, turning his concerned eyes to her.

"What's wrong Luna?"

"Daddy had to go to St. Mungo's", she began with a sniffle. She quickly tried to wipe away the idle tears that threatened to spill from her eyes, and Harry couldn't help but admire the woman in front him for her strength, his earlier thoughts being dashed away for concern towards her. He directed her towards the kitchen and decided that he would make her a cup of tea to help calm her.

"Ever since he was taken he's been having problems sleeping and he's been nervous all the time, even with me. The night terrors are affecting him to the point where he's beginning to lash out. After speaking with a healer, I decided that the best course was for him to placed there so that he could get better."

Harry winced internally. He couldn't help but feel slightly guilty over his role in her father's capture, even though the man tried to turn him over to the Death Eater, but Harry couldn't fault him for wanting to save the only family he had left. Harry felt that he would've done the same thing. He finished up her tea and handed it to her as he sat down at the dining room table.

"I'm so sorry Luna. I hope that he gets the help he needs and can come home as quickly as possible. I appreciate you coming here to tell me this Luna, but that doesn't explain why you're here."

Luna graciously took the cup and sat down at the table herself, choosing to stare absentmindedly into the cup instead of looking at Harry,

"With Daddy gone I'm all alone at the house. I've never really been alone there, especially after my mum died; Daddy didn't want me to be all by myself. I don't want to stay there by myself so I'm looking for another place to stay. I can't go to the Burrow because it's too close, Ron and Hermione doesn't have enough room, and Bill & Fleur's has too many bad memories from…" she stopped there but Harry understood what was unsaid. "So, I decided to come by here and see if I could stay, at least until Daddy gets better." She finally raised her face to consider Harry's eyes.

Harry stared back at her as he tried to make a decision. On one hand, he really didn't anyone else staying here, knowing that his sour disposition would just bring other people down and he didn't want to be the cause of other people's misfortunes. He also didn't want to deal with anyone or anything anymore, so having a housemate 24/7 didn't really appeal to him right now.

On the other hand, Luna seemed so Vulnerable right now. Like him, she really didn't have anyone else she could go to. Yeah, they both could go to Ron, Hermione, or the rest of the Weasley's but even though they all were like a family, they weren't. His guilt over her father's placement once again reared its head and he realized that there was really only one choice.

"Of course, you can stay here Luna. You can stay as long as you need to."

Luna responded with a grin so big, it had Harry worried that she would crack her face due to its sheer size. She quickly closed the distance between them and gave him a hug that could rival one of Hermione's with its fierceness.

"Thank you, Harry. Now where will I be staying?"

He awkwardly disengaged from her arms, and told her which room where could put her stuff in before she hugged him once again, offered even more thanks, before running off to her room with her things, her trademark skip having returned to her gait.

He shook his head at her retreating form, as he realized that his life was about to get more interesting.

AN – so… it's been a while since I updated this one. I've actually been sitting on this chapter for a while now, but finally decided to post it. Hopefully I'll be able to update this and a few other stories more frequently now.

In case anyone is curious, this story is designed to be canon compliant but it will have some H/L undertones, especially early on.

Hope you like this chapter and as always, thanks for reading!