Disclaimer: I do not own the original canon nor am I making any profit from writing this piece. All works are accredited to their original authors, performers, and producers while this piece is mine. No copyright infringement is intended. I acknowledge that all views and opinions expressed herein are merely my interpretations of the characters and situations found within the original canon and may not reflect the views and opinions of the original author(s), producer(s), and/or other people.

Warnings: This story may contain material that is not suitable for all audiences and may offend some readers.

Author's Note(s): This piece was written for a challenge in the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft & Wizardry (Challenges & Assignments) on the FFN forum.
The Challenge Information:
House: Gryffindor
Claimed Pairing: Lunar Heroes (Neville Longbottom/Luna Lovegood/Harry Potter)
Day 15: Touch Reveals Your Soulmate
Extra Prompt[s]: n/a
Word Count: 717

Tagging Information:

Fandom Tag(s): Harry Potter – JK Rowling

Relationship Tag(s): Neville Longbottom/Luna Lovegood/Harry Potter

Character Tag(s):

Additional Tag(s):

-= LP =-

Fairness is Overrated

-= LP =-

"Sometimes the questions are complicated and the answers are simple." – Dr. Seuss

-= LP =-

Harry knew early on that life was not fair.

That reason for his life with the Dursleys was easier for him to accept than the possibility that he had somehow deserved their treatment.

But life wasn't fair—which explained why he was always the one who lost out on things.

Harry didn't mind the murderous villains who sought to make a name for themselves by taking out the Man-Who-Conquered where Voldemort couldn't. He didn't mind pressure to join the Auror Corps. Both things gave me something to do with his time.

He had a lot of it now that Ginny had found her soulmate…in someone else.

He was alone, but that was more than fine.

Alone protected him. Alone meant that there was no one to hurt him.

He could ignore the pinching ache that came from watching his friends pair up—each set finding their impossible contentment in another person. The person made just for them…found through a brush of skin upon skin.

Life wasn't fair.

It was okay, though, because Harry had accepted that years ago.

Sometimes it was just a little bit hard to remember that.

So he spent his time fighting dark wizards and doing paperwork while steadfastly ignoring the increasingly popular column dedicated to speculation about his non-existent love life. If there was anything Harry was good at besides fighting dark wizards, it was completely ignoring uncomfortable subjects.

Which is probably why he didn't notice that his partner had managed to meet his own soulmate until after the pair had been dating for three months. Neville had looked so confused when Harry had mentioned that Luna seemed to be visiting a lot. That had been an awkward conversation that Harry had been glad to finish.

Even if it meant that in addition to be alone, Harry was now faced with the startling realization that he was the only one of his immediate group of friends who was, as the others had all successfully met their other half.

Maybe that was it. Maybe Harry was already whole and that's why he hadn't met his soulmate yet. All he had to do to believe that was ignore what felt like a gaping hole inside him.

It wasn't a dark wizard but he could work with it.

He had never expected to find them walking down Diagon Alley during the School Shopping frenzy days. Harry had only meant to pick up something he was giving Neville for his birthday but the crowds were out thick. It was fairly ridiculous for the couple to be twirling through the crowd like that, no matter how happy their laughter sounded. When they bumped into him, Harry had grumbled half-heartedly only to freeze when the woman's hand had braced against his bare arm to balance herself. She gasped at the current going through them—because surely she had to feel the soulbond flaring into existence.

"Luna?"

Harry's gaze snapped to Neville, still standing close—which, of course he was, because his hands were still on his girlfriend's waist where he had been holding her as they spun in their laughing twirl. Harry dropped his eyes to the hand still gripping his arm and followed it with increasing dread to the familiar blonde to whom it belonged. Harry felt something dig into that spot inside which had just begun to sing with unbridled happiness and squeeze. Of course it wasn't really his soulmate—Luna was already Neville's, so something must have gone wrong.

It was okay—he knew life wasn't fair.

This would hurt less in time.

Maybe eventually, it wouldn't even hurt at all.

Unlikely, but a guy could pretend, right?

Then Neville covered Luna's fingers which still hadn't let go and his palm brushed again Harry's arm.

And there was another flare of bright magic bonding another soul to his.

"Oh, my god," Harry whimpered at the intensity. Neville groaned in agreement. But Luna? She did the unpredictable as usual and laughed.

"Silly Harry, we're not gods," she told him between giggles. "We're just ," she told him between giggles. "We're just yours." She pulled him closer so that he was between the pair of them. Harry buried his face in her fine hair.

"I could get used to that."

Life wasn't fair—but sometimes it was better.