Chapter 11: Moon and the Phoenix

A/N A free cookie for the first person to figure out who song lyrics I'm using in this chapter. :). I clearly don't own them any more than I own Harry Potter!

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Luna looked at herself in the mirror and decided she wanted to look nice as she could because she was not only looking pretty for herself, but also pretty for Harry. Just because she be dancing with him all night was not affecting her personal sense of style at all. She was being true to herself and decided that tonight she was going to be true to that thumping heart of hers and her desire to give Harry a night he fondly remember for the rest of his life. She also realized she was thinking rather quickly.

Did the half moon earrings go well with her dress or should she go with those nice ying-yang ones she bought? Luna secretly cursed her lack of knowledge of the mysterious art of looking "glamorous". Still she quietly thought to herself, Harry holding her close all night…which was a really nice best friend thing to do!

Harry came to her door and knocked politely, as she opened it to see her partner for the night; she knew straight away that something was not ok; Harry looked so subdued in his green dress robes.

"Harry whats wrong?" she asked as she took his wrist softly.

"Luna, I'm either going insane or heard my mother voice in the chamber of secrets today" he spoke in such a quiet voice; she could feel his wrist was still shaking in hers.

"Oh Harry" she said as she pulled him closer "You're not insane, you never been insane and if you did hear you mother voice, it doesn't mean your losing you mind" Harry looked into her eyes.

"Merlin knows I had stranger things happen to me" said Harry with a sigh. Luna kept him close as she spoke "and you figure it out in time, the truth doesn't necessary make a habit of being know straight away" Harry smiled slightly.

"Probably a fan girl with a talent for audio illusions" his voice picking up slightly as he spoke.

"Or possibly an Empathy Eater" Luna pointed out. Empathy Eaters were small insects that were often drawn toward people with powerful strong emotions, in short people like Harry Potter and Hermione Granger. Once they had found a suitable target they like creating images and noises to cause powerful emotional reactions. Clearly his mother voice would cause such a reaction. There was wa…

"Luna you're aware that you got a half moon on one ear and a ying-yang on the other?" said Harry, breaking Luna chain of thought quiet suddenly and then that weird Harry based feeling rush through her again, that feeling called panic.

"I-was-just-checking-if-you-were-paying-attention" spoke Luna quickly as she rushed into her room and put two half moon earrings on her ears. Harry expression was one of highly controlled laughter, the fact he was holding his hand over his mouth (wait in his mouth) was reassuring because it meant he cared about her feelings, but still… not the start she been planning. Harry took her hand softly; his touch was so nice….

"Well Ms Lovegood, it seems I be your partner for this evenings dance" he said with a polite bow and an ever so slightly mischievous grin.

The pair of them walked towards the great hall silently, Luna slowly relaxed from her embarrassment in her room and started to enjoy herself and that gentle pull that was Harry's hand. A stray thought passed through her mind.

"Where ever you go Harry, I want to go too" she simply stated as they entered the great hall. Harry looked at her with a kind happy smile.

"I know" he said as he took her to the dance floor, more than a few heads turned to look at them, Harry continued to speak as they moved along "and I have every intention of keeping with you too, I have this bad habit of losing control without you to sort me out" he grinned at her as he said it.

A nice song started up then, a muggle song called it's a kind of magic, apparently the band were mostly muggle born and rather fond of muggle music. Luna rather liked the music; off course the next song was rather different, it was called reach for the stars. It was after this song that Harry spoke to her again.

"I'm going to give Romilda Vane one dance, I told her I give her dance because she was helping me try to figure my stag out"

"Ok" said Luna simply. She then wandered off to a bunch to Ravenclaw girls; one was called by one of those rare flukes of chance, Luna Twilight.

"Lovegood, you aware that you boyfriend just run off with Romilda Vane right?" she asked in a deliberately polite and control tone that suggested she was thinking otherwise. Luna Lovegood looked over at Romilda, she was dancing with a slightly awkward looking Harry.

"She dancing with my friend Harry" she said simply. Twilight look confused.

"But aren't you two rather close?" She asked Luna while taking great interest in her fingernails.

"Very" said Luna with a sense of certainty in her voice. Twilight was a little dumbstruck after this for some reason.

"So you're not worried that he's dancing with a girl who clearly crazy for him?" she asked in a very questioning tone. Luna looked over at Romilda at this point, she was giggling rather loudly and Harry was wearing his "polite to the innocent and silly muggle smile" that he used at work a lot.

"Not really" she said simply. Twilight walked away after that.

Harry came back after his dance with Romilda and took Luna into his arms again. Once again those warm best friend feelings started to well up inside of her. By Rowana's diadem his touch was warm, so nice and cozy. In fact she could fall asleep in those arms of his forever. Then she heard the song…

Opened my eyes today

And I knew there's something different

Saw you in a brand new way

Like the clouds had somehow lifted

Luna looked into those green eyes…

I don't know why, but suddenly I'm falling

Was I so blind

I was loving you all the time

Now I'm hopelessly addicted

Helplessly attracted

Luna started to panic and Luna started to panic badly, worse than she ever panicked in all her life. The penny dropped, her heart skipped a beat and Luna finally realized the truth…

"Luna why are you shaking, are you ok?" asked Harry in a concerned voice. She was in love and helpless in trying to deny it to herself now. She looked into those loving green eyes.

"Ok were getting some air" he said as he took her shaking hand. He led her out and up, it wasn't long before Luna realized they were on the astronomy tower.

"Why you taken us here?" she asked, her curiosity overwhelming her panic.

"To get some air... oh and I know for a fact that the rest of the school avoiding this tower like the plague at the moment" his grin was large.

"Why?" she asked with real curiosity, was this tower infested with Ki-nargles?

"Apparently Trelawney said that tonight this tower would be struck by lightning and who ever was on top of it would be doomed" Luna looked at him worried, she didn't want to be doomed.

"Shouldn't we..." Harry pulled her close, deep into his arms, his forehead touching hers "be away too?"

"And spoil my cunning plan to get you alone?" his grin was still there.

"Your plan…?" one of his hands sneaked up round to the side of her head and he tickled her ear, which was rather nice feeling she thought.

"Amazing how far bribery with alcohol can get you, but less of that now" his voice started to soften, as did his grin. "Luna Lovegood, your special to me" Luna wanted to reply to say something to say anything…

"I never thought I say this to you when I first met you on that train all those years ago, but… you fill a hole in me that I never realized was there, because it been there so long." He was softly rubbing her ear as he talked, Luna felt so loved at that very moment..

"Your so incredible and strong and utterly uplifting and..." his voice took on a quiet tone "I love you Luna, crazy beliefs and all, because I finally found what I been looking for all my life, someone who keep the dark at bay, my light, my moon, my Luna" Luna's heart skipped a beat and she did something completely on instinct.

She kissed her soul mate with all her heart. In the passion that filled her that night, she completely forgot about the lesser seen nimbus starfish, which were seen instead by a sleepless Raj from his bed through the window.