"Well that went well," he finally said dryly. They stared at each other neither seeming willing to cross the space between them. Despite her wand hanging at her side Neville fought a desire to put his hands up. She was breathing heavily and that icy look had not entirely left her face.

She, of course, was waiting for an explanation but he wasn't sure where to begin. It had all seemed so much clearer before he'd disapparated but he hadn't factored in the variable that was Luna Lovegood and when he did everything turned to dragon dung.

He took a moment to collect his thoughts. Licking his bottom lip and hearing the sound of the Quibbler presses churning into the night he realised that they had indeed covered his arrival though not with Luna. She continued to wait on him.

"You know Ginny said that if anyone one thought I was doing anything, you know, untoward they could bloody well grow up." He took a step forward smiling nervously. He half expected Luna to take a step backwards as he did so, she only looked at him quizzically. "My Gran said I should work out what I want. That I've proven that I can make the right decisions." Well, he thought, if you don't include apparating here unannounced. He took another step forward. "I decided that I don't want to leave you and it's not right that I should have to." He took another step and took her hands in his.
"I think we had to grow up pretty fast, it's no good trying to be seventeen again now."

Her eyes had returned to their natural grey. Though her hand still held her new Ollivander wand he felt them relax in his own. "I guess what I'm trying to say is I'm staying, here with you. If I still make you feel safe?"

"Oh?" she said. "That was a rather roundabout way of saying that."

"Yeah, I reckon I'm better at the short sharp orders than explaining myself."

"Your plan is to hide here in my room each night?" she asked coolly.

"Well, I wouldn't call it a plan more of a starting off point," he shrugged. His feelings of inadequacy evaporated as Luna broke into a grin.

"One should always have a starting point, only a circle has no beginning," she replied. "I'm going to kiss you now. I thought I should let you know that it isn't because of obligation or sadness."

"It's not?" he found himself asking, a sprung coil of nervous energy.

"Oh no," she replied with a little shake of her head. She pushed her self forward on to her tip toes and against his lips. He caught her around her waist holding her steady as her arms wrapped around his neck. Little movements of her lips and tongue seemed designed to drive him wild. He felt her wet hair against his cheek and the curl of her smile even as she kissed him. For a moment he felt truly happy. She pulled back pulling her wet hair from her face. "Though I think you should reconsider arriving unannounced."

"Yeah, about that, I'm sorry Luna it was a stupid thing to do."

"Yes. You were very lucky you weren't on the end of a powerful Petrificus Totalus hex," she said simply.

"You'll forgive me then?" he asked never having liked being on the receiving end of that particular spell.

"You don't need forgiveness Neville. You should learn from your mistakes though."

"I keep trying to," he reached out to push a wet curl behind her ear. He felt the tension he'd been carrying leave his body. "Your hair's all wet."

"Yes it gets that way when I wash it. I could do a drying spell but sometimes it nicer to wait for it to dry of its own accord don't you think?"

"Well, you look a little like someone pushed you into the Black Lake…" he said looking her up and down as he did so. "But on you… no, I'm still worried that you'll be cold." She laughed; a bright lilting laugh and he wished he could make her sound that way always. "So I guess I'll just stay up here… maybe hide under your bed" wanting to pull her back into him and hold her tight.

"I was just going to get something to eat," she said lightly. "Would you like something?"

The mention of food was enough to bring his empty stomach into stark relief. "I, yeah, I haven't eaten since this morning," he nodded gratefully. "Gran said your Dad won't be happy with me being here… you think you can do it without letting him know?"

"Your Gran seems rather involved in all this Neville; I assume you will explain at some point? Don't worry about Daddy he's writing a new edition. It's a consuming passion."

"From what I saw when you were taken so are you."

"We've had only each other for quite a long time now," she said softly. "But," she said more brightly "I've learnt quite a bit on avoiding detection since my school was taken over by some terribly nasty people." She smiled again before quickly making her way down the stairs.

Neville sat on her iron bed waiting for her return attempting to look less awkward than he felt. He ran the back of his hand along the stubble on his cheek catching for a moment on the place where the fading pink scars of the Carrow's punishments made it hairless. Uncle Algie use to say he looked just like his mum when he was younger. But he supposed it wasn't as true now, his once round face having lost its plumpness especially in the last year. With the addition of the scars of 'punishment' and battle and the bristles of hair on his chin he'd started to look like someone he didn't even recognise. He'd never been one for mirror gazing but now he studiously avoided them always caught off guard by the face that stared back. He couldn't help but wonder what Luna saw when she looked at him, though Luna never seemed particularly fixated on outward appearances.

Luna appeared at the top of her stairs, her wand tucked behind her ear, whilst she carried a plate of sandwiches and what looked like a mousse concoction. Beneath her arm she'd placed a flask. He moved to take the plates from her grasp. "You know you're seventeen now Luna you can use magic for this," he said.

"Perhaps." She shrugged but said no more on the topic. She sat down on her bed crossing her legs in front of her and bunching several pillows behind her back. Taking the flask she removed the lid taping it once with her wand and saying "Germino" before another lid popped into existence. "It's not gurdyroot," she said pouring him a cup of the hot liquid. She pushed the plate of sandwiches towards him taking the plate of dessert herself.

"You're not having the sandwiches?" he asked.

"I much prefer pudding." I hope there's pudding, she'd said that the day he'd first met her and now he was watching her eat pudding on her bed in her pyjamas. He liked the way she ate pudding as though it should be consumed instantly in case something should happen that might prevent you from eating it later. One should never have to regret missing out on pudding.

He took a bite out of the roughly made sandwich glad to find that it was not full of gurdyroot, dirigible plum or gulping plimpies.

"You won't be able to keep doing this. You can't stay with me each night so I can sleep. It isn't right for you to upend your life for me," she said between mouthfuls of the chocolate concoction.

"I know" he answered softly. "The thing is when Gran stopped me today she said something, well a lot of things really but one thing did make me think. I've been having nightmares, big ones, not the potions class with Snape ones, but you being taken from the train, Harry dead, the Carrow's torturing first years, Voldemort winning. They really bugged Seamus and Gran said she could hear me yell out in my sleep. I didn't notice, you see, 'cause I was more worried about you but I reckon I don't have them when I'm with you."

"No nightmares at all?" she asked.

"So far, it's only been two nights. I feel safe with you too or calm, it might be calm." He was beginning to feel as if he would spend his whole life shrugging.

"Two data points do not prove a supposition," she blinked.

"Yeah, but I'm not sure we are in the realms of logic here and I don't have a better answer right now."

"I didn't mean it as a criticism. I think we have no choice but to proceed on faith," she lent in as though she was telling him a great secret, "anyone can take action with evidence but it is much more interesting to do so without it."

Neville wasn't entirely sure that interesting made it better but there was something to be said for just believing things would have to get better, especially if it meant time in her company. He had wondered if he was doing the right thing by pursuing her when everyone and everything was so broken. The thought of being without her, even if she never kissed him again, however always brought him up short. On faith, he had taken it that Luna would tell him what she didn't want.

"So. On faith then?" he asked raising his eyebrow.

"Faith."

My thanks to One Wing Writer who left me a wonderful thoughtful review. OWW is of course right the ending of this chapter was not good enough. Luna just didn't reply quickly enough and I wanted to post something. Worst reason ever! So here you go peoples who still read this – a better end to the chapter.