Harry entered the Great Hall the next morning decked out in his red and yellow Gryffindor kit. It was the first Quidditch match of the season, and not only that, but against Slytherin. Harry detested seeing the smug look on Draco Malfoy's face whenever Gryffindor lost, but the idea of losing to him was simply unbearable.
He heard, but barely acknowledged the roaring boos around the hall as he entered. It was Harry's fifth year at Hogwarts, and he was more than used to the gritty antics prior to a match, particularly one with such high stakes as Gryffindor V Slytherin. Harry cast his mind aside from the divided hall, and meandered along to a spot at the Gryffindor table where Hermione, Ron, Fred and George were already sat.
"Ready for today's match: Harry?" George asked, voice muffled slightly by the large chunks of bread rolls he was tearing at with his teeth.
"I guess so." Harry assented; there wasn't much to say on the subject. Gryffindor had trained the best they could; now it was left to the player's and the conditions outside.
As though Ron had read his thoughts, he noted; "Clear day outside though, I reckon you're in with a good chance. Malfoy needs that smugness knocked out of his face, anyway. Ever since Snape awarded him the most points for his shrinking potion he looks like he's won a trophy." Ron looked scornful; Harry knew that Ron was bitter. Snape had disposed of Ron's cauldron seconds after looking at it, since Ron had followed the directions incorrectly.
"Oh we'll knock it off, alright." Fred grinned wildly, face filled with anticipation at the coming match.
"Knock him off his broom in the process." Ron muttered to himself. None of the others had heard the remark, but Harry, who was next to Ron, spat his pumpkin juice out with a low chuckle. Hermione gave him a reprising once-over. Harry knew what was coming.
"Harry, just be careful. Umbridge is looking out for any little thing she can get her grubby hands on to punish these days." She frowned, a worried line etched across her otherwise smooth forehead.
As if he didn't know that already. "I'll be fine, Hermione."
The group ate in silence for a while, Harry beginning to feel his stomach tighten with anxiety at the coming match. He only got this anxious when he was against Slytherin, not only because they were Gryffindor's natural rivals, but because aside from Harry's team, Slytherin had the best players. They consisted of stealth, rather than skill, but they played dirty.
Hermione was deeply submerged in the Daily Prophet, obsessing wildly over any new details that might point to Voldemort's whereabouts. Harry didn't need to think about that right now.
"Oh look, Hufflepuff are supporting Gryffindor by the looks of it!" Ron exclaimed in between mouthfuls of buttered toast.
"Lucky us" Fred and George said almost simultaneously. Harry sensed the sarcasm there, and it was for a reason. Hufflepuff generally got the mickey taken out of them a lot at Hogwarts, with the other students referring to it as a "back up house", where the students were sorted into if they didn't possess any worthy characteristics.
"So are Ravenclaw. Look at Luna Lovegood." Hermione murmured, staring off in the direction of the entrance doors.
Harry's head shot up from his plate embarrassingly quickly. He had been deeply immersed in attempting to force some eggs into his stomach when he heard Luna's name mentioned. He followed Hermione's gaze immediately, to spot the wild-haired girl that had starred in his dreams of late.
He had to bite his lip to keep from laughing. Luna was dressed in her normal Hogwarts uniform, but a large lion mask occupied almost her entire face, leaving small gaps only for her eyes and mouth.
"That girl just keeps getting stranger. Dad told me her dad is the same; he has to be if he publishes the Quibbler, though, what rubbish!" Ron complained, it was his favourite thing to do.
"I think she's brilliant." Harry muttered audibly before he could stop himself. He reddened immediately, and turned his face back towards his plate, not before he caught the knowing look on Hermione's features, though.
"You should go and talk to her, Harry, she's by herself." Hermione murmured so that only he and Ron could hear. At least she was attempting to be tactful.
Ron laughed heartily. "She's always by herself, Hermione! What would Harry say to her?"
Hermione shot Ron a disapproving glare. "I'm sure he'll think of something, won't you, Harry?"
There was no way out without drawing more attention to him-self. "I suppose so." He sighed, acting as though it was a task, when in reality his heart was quickening at the thought.
Harry tried to ignore the flips his stomach was doing as he left Hermione and Ron bickering at the table behind him. Luna was indeed sitting alone, and Harry felt a moment of pity for the eccentric girl, before remembering that this tended to be her preference.
His heart warmed as he took in the sight of her publicly supporting Gryffindor. She wasn't the only one wearing his colours in the Great Hall, but she was certainly the only one that mattered to Harry in that moment.
All too quickly, Harry found himself at Luna's side with absolutely nothing to say. This was silly, he'd spoken to her a few times since the start of the year, even hugged her, and yet he couldn't even force a greeting from his trembling lips.
Luckily for him, Luna spotted Harry as he reached her side. "Hiya, Harry." She smiled lazily, blue eyes glistening in that noticeably sparkly way that only hers did.
"Hey, Luna" He greeted, clearing his throat. He didn't know what to say next, so waited.
"You excited for the match?" She asked in her sing-song voice.
"It should be an interesting one, yeah, if we win." He grinned, taking the seat beside her.
Luna looked blank for a moment, as though her thoughts were somewhere else entirely. "I'm sure you will, and if you feel nervous it's probably the nargles. Dad told me that they can intensify your moods if they get near." She looked deadly serious.
Harry didn't believe a word of this, but he didn't laugh. "I'll try to remember that, Luna."
She nodded happily, content that he had taken knowledge of this information. She turned back to her breakfast, and Harry glanced at what she was eating. Sausage and eggs, exactly the same as his unfinished plate back at the Gryffindor table. He hid a smile.
"Good to see you're supporting Gryffindor." He nodded towards her mask, which now lay on the mahogany table beside her plate.
Luna nodded quickly. "I don't think anybody really wants to see Slytherin win again. Snape would be unbearable."
Harry hadn't thought of that. It was true, the potions master would be ten times worse than he already was, if that were even possible.
Luna's sentence had just sunk in, and Harry felt his heart drop at her reason for supporting Gryffindor. He didn't know what he was expecting, but he was disappointed.
"And you're the best seeker by far, you deserve to win." Luna continued, and Harry was sure he saw her cheeks redden slightly, although that could have been wishful thinking on his part.
"Thanks, Luna, that's nice of you." Harry grinned widely, his heart singing in his chest.
She nodded; eyes wide. "Oh that's okay; everybody says so, when they're not scared of you."
Harry's eyebrows furrowed, and Luna appeared shocked at herself. "Scared of me? Who's scared? That's ridiculous."
Luna faced him head on, though she was clearly embarrassed at her lack of tact. "Not scared, exactly, just confused, Harry, all this about you-know-who."
Harry frowned in realisation. He should have expected this. He knew that most of Hogwarts were confused about the accusations against Dumbledore and him, and that they didn't know what to believe, but his thoughts about Luna had distracted him from that.
Luna's eyes widened even further. "Oh! I believe you, Harry, I do. And so does dad, for that matter. Some people just don't think the same as we do, though. They're scared to admit that he's back, it's easier for them not to."
Harry watched her throughout her speech in awe. She was so smart, maybe not logically, like Hermione was, but in every other way she was just as special and clever.
He was still forming a reply when Luna almost shrieked; "You better go, Harry! Your team is leaving. Good luck."
Harry returned her friendly smile easily, and left for the Quidditch match with a light heart and a contentedness. Luna had referred to them as "we", and as he quickly made his way from the Great Hall towards the Quidditch pitch, Harry noticed that his anxiety had evaporated quicker than you could say "love potion".