Summary: Love can blossom quickly for some, but for others, the right moment just needs to come around.

Rated: K

Genre: Friendship

Dawn of a New Day

1st of September, 1995

Neville Longbottom never knew she existed until he had opened the sliding door to the train compartment she dwelled in. She sat alone in the peaceful solitary room reading a strange looking magazine sideways. She reached her hand to the seat beside her, eyes shifting to look at what was sitting there, she patted the toad on his back and spoke.

If he didn't believe angels existed then, he certainly did now. Her blonde hair was pulled into a loose ponytail that draped over her shoulder, radish earrings adorned on her ears. Her voice was so soft and calming, he could find himself easily entranced by her voice alone.

Recovering his bearings, he shifted his weight from one foot to the other and focused on finding his voice. "You… you found Trevor. Thank you so much."

The girl looked Neville's way before scooping up the little toad from beside her.

She gave him a pat on the head. "He found me, actually."

"Ah," he muttered, scratching his head.

She offered him the toad, and—after some careful shifting of the plant in his hands—he accepted the creature. "Thank you."

"Of course." She smiled at him and grabbed the magazine off her lap.

He noticed that she eyed the plant in his hands and he cleared his throat. "That's a strange magazine you've got. Is it a miss-print?"

"No. The Quibbler is published by my father. This particular page has a picture pattern with a hidden message in it." She opened it and showed him, at which he gave a quick nod.

"Would you like to come sit? I find your plant quite fascinating." She offered.

Neville was at a loss for words. No one had taken interest in his plant, especially after he left the last compartment covered in its smelly ooze. He would remember not to demonstrate that here to her.

"S-sure!" He sounded a tad too delighted at the offer as he stepped inside.

"Luna," she said suddenly as he sat down.

Trevor hopped back onto the seat to mind his own business, making room for the plant to be placed on the cushioned bench as well.

"What?"

Luna smiled softly, her blue eyes offering comfort. "My name."

"Oh. I am lovely—no!" He slapped his hand over his face, the burn of embarrassment tingling his cheeks. "I mean, your name is lovely. Luna."

"Thank you," she replied in a song-like manner.

"I'm Neville," he rambled out, knowing that trying to hide his flushed cheeks was pointless.

Not knowing what else to do, he held out a sweaty hand. Luna giggled some at the gesture, but accepted it with a playful shake.

"Pleased to make your acquaintance, Neville."

.oOo.

2nd of May, 1998

The sun rose brightly over the horizon on the remains of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, breaking the clouds and fog of gloom that blanketed the landscape. Its grounds were left in disarray; the deep impressions in the earth left behind by the giants acted as crude graves for the bodies of humans, creatures, and plants that were scattered throughout.

The warmth of the morning streamed through the partially shattered windows of the Great Hall where a large group of witches and wizards stood on its outer parameter. Moments ago they all bore witness to the fall of Voldemort by the hand of their savior; Harry Potter.

No applause or cheers were made, instead all were silent as the realization that the darkest wizard in recent history was dead. Whispers slowly broke the quiet, tears filled the eyes of many as embraces were exchanged. Hermione and Ron immediately went to Harry's side, throwing their arms around him.

Luna and Neville were the few that Harry pulled into the warm hug. Soon the countless others wrapped around them. Luna smiled at the gesture, imagining the birds eye view of the scene. Everyone was entwined in a hugging knot, and Harry was at the heart of it.

The joy of the victory was soon ignited amongst the people, and everyone wanted their turn to tell Harry how brave he was. Luna was quickly pushed to the back, which was alright with her. She had had her moment and was content with it, so she sought out another instead.

Being petite made it difficult to see over everyone's heads, so Luna climbed onto a large piece of collapsed wall in order to see better.

"Pardon me, miss," she excused as her arm brushed against a witch that could have passed for her mother.

The woman looked at her with a confused gaze but said nothing in response. Instead, she clung to the two blond men beside her. Luna paid the three no mind as she scanned the large room. A smile crept across her face as she saw the person she sought sitting on a bench across the way.

Skipping from the debris like a deer, Luna weaved around her peers to the other end of the Great Hall and paused for a moment to take in Neville.

He sat slightly hunched over, the Sword of Gryffindor loosely grasped in one hand. He looked so tired, as everyone else most likely was as well. She walked slowly over to him and sat down on the end of the bench. Neville hadn't noticed her presence yet. She scooted down the bench while looking out at the crowd of people in front of her, stopping right before their shoulders touched.

Neville glanced at her briefly before realizing who it was. He perked up at the sight of Luna beside him. She offered a light smile and reached out to take his hand in hers. His knuckles were skinned and bloodied, yet she took care in grasping it in her delicate hand. She raised it to her lips and gently kissed the top of it.

"We did it," Luna stated in a soft voice, resting her head against his shoulder.

Neville winced slightly at the pressure, but it soon faded as she cuddled up to his side. A smirk formed over his blood-stained chin, gently resting his head against hers.

"Yeah, we did."

The bustling sounds seemed to have disappeared from around them as the pair focused on each other's presence. Content with their private bubble of silence.

"The cactus you had a while back, it comes from the same place where the Shadhavar lives, doesn't it?" Luna suddenly broke up the quiet between them. "I'm planning on going there, if you'd like to come?"

Neville chuckled at the out of the blue memory, catching her gaze with his. "Travel plans already?"

"We're free to make our dreams real now."

"True."

The silence drifted back over them again before Luna spoke up. "Well?"

Neville took in her silvery sparkled eyes, they held the same curious look she gave him on the train years ago. That warm feeling in his chest ignited again, the same one he always felt when he was so close to her. This time it burned more notably than ever, and he felt it spread throughout him; the burst of courage that he needed. The corner of her lip twitched in unknown anticipation as he cautiously inched closer to her to gauge a reaction, not wanting to overstep boundaries. Luna responded by inclining her head some, and he took that as an invitation.

Her lips were so soft against his chapped ones, but neither cared about their battered appearance. After several brief seconds the two parted and Neville gave her a broad smile.

"I'd love to."

Originally Written For:

The Houses Competitions

Word count: 1,261

Originally Written: January 2018