To be honest, I wrote this then spent almost two hours trying to change it and make it better. I finally had to just stop and tell myself this was it and it was going to have to be good enough, so I don't exactly have faith in this particular one.

Enjoy.

There were so many questions Luna wanted to ask, but she had to settle on the simplest and most obvious one, first.

"Harry?"

"Yeah?"

"Why are we in the lake?"

"Long story…"

While waking up in Harry's arm had been the subject of a number of Luna's dreams recently, the lake hadn't made an appearance in said dreams. Regardless, Luna was certain whatever the reason was, it was a good one. Otherwise, she and Harry wouldn't have been here in the first place.

Luna was about to question further while they swam toward the dock, a dock which was filled with a surprisingly large amount of cheering people, when she noticed she and Harry were not alone.

When Luna awoke, Harry had instantly released the arm he'd apparently been using to hold her since she could swim quite easily enough on her own. His other arm had been doing the same for a terribly frightened little girl whom had flat out refused to release it.

However, once glance at the probably eight years old girl was enough for Luna to figure out this was not out of comfort, rather out of sheer abject terror. She seemed able to swim just fine, but if Luna was not mistaken by the way she was starting to flail about, she was on the verge of a complete and total breakdown.

Poor Harry wanted to help, Luna could see that too, but was at a loss on what to do for the panicking girl.

"Hey." Luna tried to make her voice as soft as possible but loud enough she could be heard over the cheering crowd. "Umm… little girl?"

The little girl's head snapped in Luna's direction so fast, Luna feared for her neck. One glance into the younger blonde's eyes proved Luna assessment right on the money.

"What's your name?" Luna flashed her best reassuring smile.

"G… Gabrielle." The other blonde answered. "Gabi, sometimes."

"Gabrielle, huh?" Luna repeated the name, smiling a little wider. "That's a lovely name. Mine's Luna. Nice to meet you."

Luna wanted to know what was going on, sure, she'd love to know. Right now, though, there was a frightened little girl in need of comfort and any knowledge could wait until after she was seen to.

"N… nice to meet you."

There was something about this girl, Luna couldn't quite put her finger on. She'd never met the girl before, and yet she seemed familiar somehow. She definitely wasn't a first year, and was too young to be from either of the other schools. It was another mystery that would have to wait to be solved.

While the three swam toward the dock, Luna did her best to keep Gabrielle talking. While she was speaking or listening, she wasn't paying attention to the fact they were swimming in the freezing cold lake doing… whatever it was they'd been doing.

Luna's plan worked flawlessly, and Gabrielle was able to keep herself together long enough for them to climb out of the frigid water and onto the dock.

From there, Luna instantly felt someone drape a warmed and dry blanked around her shoulders. Who, Luna had no clue, she wasn't paying too much attention. She was focused solely on Harry, whom was still starring into the water with a frightening intensity.

Almost instantly, Gabrielle was whisked away, or fled, Luna didn't know, but there wasn't anymore she could do about that so she wrote off that train of thought.

"Harry? What's wrong? You seem…" Luna was speaking and happened to glance down when a trace of bright red caught her eye. In that instant, all thoughts of finding answers vanished like dust in the wind. "You're bleeding!"

"Just some scratches." Harry disregarded the multiple gashes from what Luna figured had been claws, that seemed to run up most of his arm. The same arm that he'd been hanging onto Luna with. A second glance down confirmed that yes, her robe was splattered with what could only be Harry's blood.

The lacerations were bad enough, but there was a second patch of red lower on Harry's side. Luna couldn't tell without examining the wound closer, but she could see where his swimming clothes were torn and blood seeped from some kind of injury.

Luna didn't think she could get any colder, but now, it was like her blood was freezing in her veins.

"We need to get you to the healers." Luna was already grabbing hold of the underside of Harry's armpit, careful to avoid the wounds while she did so, so that she could pull the boy to his feet. Only problem was, he wouldn't budge.

"Not yet." If Harry could feel any pain from his injuries, the boy refused to allow anyone to see.

Any time Harry spoke with Luna, he always gave her his full attention. Whether it was his entire body pointed in her direction, or at least his eyes. For one of the first times since they started talking, Harry hadn't looked a single time in her direction.

Harry's eyes were locked onto the still surface of Black Lake, as if he was waiting for something.

"Harry?" Luna asked with trepidation. An uneasy feeling was already settling in the pit of her stomach. Harry wasn't acting like himself, and seeing the boy that she only recently admitted to herself having a small crush on like this was making her more worried by the minute.

"Not until I know Hermione is safe." Harry said flatly.

It was only then that a number of puzzle pieces clicked into place.

They said they'd take something of value, but the clue never specified it couldn't be people.

Luna's eyes went to Harry, to the lake, and back and forth a few times before settling on the lake. It took another few seconds for the knut to finally drop for Luna and Harry's last words hit her like a stunner.

"Hermione's still down there!" Luna meant to ask, but it came out as more of a yell, her feeling for the female Gryffindor coloring her reaction whether she liked it or not. "Why didn't you save her? You should have just left me!"

Harry visibly winced and Luna instantly regretted losing control of her emotions. The boy obviously felt bad enough already.

"Me and Hermione promised you'd never be alone, again." Harry tore his eyes from the lake but only for a few seconds to send them Luna's way. The sheer concern, the raw emotion in those gorgeous emeralds, had Luna struck speechless, and a pleasant warmth passing through her body, completely nullifying any remaining chill from the lake. "I wasn't about to leave you down there."

"But…" Luna croaked out, barely able to get the one word free.

"Fleur was knocked out, early." Harry turned back to the lake as he spoke. "Pretty sure Gabrielle was her hostage, I couldn't just leave her down there, either. For Merlin's sake, she's just a little kid! If I left either of you behind to save Hermione, she'd skin me alive. But the merpeople didn't want to let me rescue two, I barely managed to get you both out."

"What about…" Luna's voice died when Harry's hand blindly shot out and took hers. Luna didn't hesitate to lace there fingers together and squeeze for all she was worth. A gesture Harry returned.

Luna was going to say more, but she was interrupted by a blonde blur slamming into Harry's back almost hard enough to knock him over onto his face. He'd only barely managed to catch himself in time before the blur started speaking a mile a second.

While not what one would call fluent, Luna knew the basics of a few languages from her expeditions abroad with her father. Which was the only reason she was able to understand the two words that Fleur repeated over and over again was 'thank you' in her native French.

After crashing into him, Fleur had latched one arm around Harry's neck and began peppering him with kisses on every inch of him her lips could reach, repeating her thanks over and over. The veela's second arm held a still shivering Gabrielle who clung to Fleur like her life depended on it.

Now that they were side by side, Luna was able to figure out the resemblance. The little girl was Fleur's younger sister!

The sight of Fleur kissing Harry like that had Luna's notoriously laid-back temper bubbling to the surface, but the bubble popped just as fast as it rose. Fleur wasn't making a pass at Harry, she wasn't trying to seduce or otherwise captivate him. She was genuinely thankful to the boy for saving her little sister.

Harry, no doubt unaccustomed to such female attention, just sat there with a dumbstruck look on his face, at a loss for what to do. Fleur didn't seem to care, though.

After some time, Fleur pried herself off of Harry and led Gabrielle away once more, but not before the younger girl gave Harry a small hug and a spoken thanks of her own.

"Someone else is rescuing Hermione. Someone trustworthy." Harry said, once he recovered from his shock, but he was forcing the words out, Luna could tell. He was more trying to convince himself than he was her. "She'll be fine."

Luna was about to ask just who it was he trusted so well when two more figures broke the surface of the water. Hermione's bushy mane was easily recognizable, even while soaked and messier than normal. The second however, almost had Luna screaming for her female best friend and other crush. It wasn't until the shark-thing began to contort and transform, that Luna noticed it was actually Viktor Krum.

Harry let out a full body sigh of relief as the swimming duo made their way to the dock. At the same time, Luna nearly felt her hand being crushed in Harry's grip. Not that the blonde minded, she'd have probably broken his bones if she were any stronger.

Harry and Luna were both at the edge of the dock, shoving aside any who didn't get the hint that the teens would be helping the pair out.

"Can't believe they actually made people the thing that gets taken!" Hermione was already fuming the second she regained consciousness. Luna could hear her irate voice, already. "That's just… just…"

Hermione was still ranting while Harry and Luna pulled her out of the water, followed by Viktor, when the brunette's face went chalk white.

"Harry!" Hermione was about to grab his injured arm, but only froze at the last second, her hands less than an inch away. The rational side of her brain had wrestled control back, and she knew she'd only make it worse grabbing it like she intended. "You're…"

"Just some scratches." Harry deflected with the exact some words he's used on Luna, but now that Hermione was free and safe, he actually acknowledged his injuries. He'd already stook up, but hadn't released Hermione's hand after she settled on seizing it instead of his arm. "I'm heading over to the healers tent now. Viktor, you okay?"

"It is of little concern." The Bulgarian champion was even more dismissive than Harry was. The trio had been ready to take his word for it, until Luna noticed something very wrong.

'Viktor!" Luna shrieked, pointing at his shoulder.

"Hmm?" Viktor looked down and saw nothing, but made an attempt to look over his shoulder at something he evidently couldn't feel. When his hand reached around himself and blindly groped about, he finally noticed the broken off tip of a trident, or spear, embedded into his flesh.

"It vould seem, I need to see the healers after all." Viktor deadpanned, more curious than pained. How the hell Viktor was so calm while having something like that sticking out of him was beyond Luna. She'd have been screaming bloody murder.

"Come on, we'll go together." Harry patted Viktor on his uninjured shoulder with his own uninjured arm. Only now, the adrenaline must be fully wearing off, because Harry's attempt to hide his own pain were no longer going so well. "Madam Pomfrey will have us fixed up in a jiffy."

"Don't worry about him. I don't think he can even feel it." Hermione explained as they watched Harry and Viktor made their way to the healer's tent, shoving aside any spectators as they went. "A full body transfiguration like that will have his nerves jumbled up for an hour or two. By the time he recovers, the healers will have him right as rain."

"That's good." Luna released a sigh of relief of her own, grateful this nightmare was over and nobody died. That was two tasks down, only one left to go. Merlin willing, it wouldn't involve another hostage scenario.

"Luna?" Hermione sounded puzzled right up until her voice degenerated into a choked cry. "Why are you wet and…"

"It's not mine!" Luna was swift to diffuse Hermione before she went into a frenzy at the sight of Luna with blood on her clothes. "I'm not hurt at all! It's Harry's!"

Judging by the look on Hermione's face, Luna wasn't sure if that was helping her case any. The twitching eyebrow certainly didn't help matters.

"Do you think they'll let us in to see Harry?" Luna tried to change the subject.

"Probably." Hermione caught on to what the blonde was doing, but let it slide. "Most people, Madam Pomfrey threatened to curse into the next millennium if they so much as set one foot in her space, but she knows us and knows we won't make a fuss."

That was certainly true. The only people the Hogwarts matron allowed into her temporary infirmary were patients, close friends, and faculty. The ministry representatives, while they could force their way in, were wise enough not to contend with the likes of Poppy Pomfrey on her own territory. You'd be safer challenging the dark lord to a duel.

"Fantastic, let's go." Luna hadn't actually meant to grab Hermione's hand, her own seemed to just do it on pure instinct. Ignoring the butterflies in her stomach, and the happy cheer part of her wanted to do when Hermione didn't jerk her hand away, Luna pulled the older girl along.

Unfortunately, upon arriving at the tent, they found no Harry. Pomfrey explained his injuries were very mild, and healed in just a few moments. After which, he requested to take a walk and get some air away from 'overeager fans. Something Pomfrey allowed only because he wasn't hurt all that badly. The last she'd seen of him, he'd slipped out the back of the tent where nobody could see him.

Seeing as how the healer was in the middle of tending to Viktor, it was a miracle they got that out of her.

A shared look between the two teens and both agreed they had a bad feeling and figured Harry shouldn't be alone right now. Only problem was, they'd need to find the boy first.

Splitting up to cover more ground, Hermione and Luna separated and began their search.

While Hermione decided to take the path leading back up to the castle as a start, Luna instead chose to begin around the lake itself. The tournament had only covered one small part, and there were many cracks and crevices a person could use to hide from prying eyes all around the lake.

Luna had doing some minor equations in her mind, trying to figure out how to narrow her search by figuring how far Harry could have traveled at walking speed when she stumbled onto him by total accident.

Sure enough, he'd taken cover within a small copse, shielded from sight by some thick foliage and bushes. She'd actually almost missed him, so well hidden he was.

Luna's face lit up and she felt the wave of relief at the sight of him. She was about to call out to him to announce her presence, lest she startle him, when something made her pause.

Harry's back was to her, so Luna couldn't see his face, but she could see the way he leaned heavily with one hand on a nearby tree. Most of his body, especially his legs, trembled and his breathing was low and shallow. If Luna wasn't mistaken, the only reason he was still standing was because of his hand on that tree.

Luna desperately wanted to rush to him and help, but she knew she had to be slow and easy. Last thing he needed was to be startled and think he was under attack.

Luna took slow and cautious steps as she approached the boy. Once she was in arm reach, she took the chance and slowly wrapped her lithe arms around him, her hands pressing into his pectorals. Even though her touch wasn't right on top of it, she could still feel Harry's wild and erratic heartbeat beneath her hands.

"Wha…" Harry instantly tensed.

"It's just me." Luna whispered, her forehead pressed into Harry's back between his shoulder blades.

"Luna…"

"Shhh." Luna gently shushed him. "You don't need to talk, just focus on my voice."

"I…"

"No talking." Luna sing-songed. "Ignore everything else, just focus on me, my voice, and breathing."

Luna expected Harry to try resisting, to make a vain attempt to talk his way out of her help, but to her surprise, he didn't resist. With him accepting, Luna shifted her feet so that they were pressed up against the sides of Harry's, almost her entire front pressed up against his back. While deep down, she knew their positions were a little suggestive, that wasn't the point.

"Focus on the sound of my voice." Luna continued speaking while her smaller body clung to his larger one like a limpet. "Focus on my touch. Now, breathe in."

Luna took in a deep breath, slowly.

"Breathe out."

She exhaled.

"Breathe in."

Luna continued doing that while Harry struggled to repeat the process in time with her. After a number of tries, how many Luna didn't count, he started to get his breathing under control. It was still too inconsistent to be healthy, but it was progress nonetheless.

"You're okay. Hermione's okay. Everyone is back, safe and sound." While Luna was doing everything to help Harry, there was one more thought she selfishly added before she could stop herself. "I'm okay."

Harry was still tense, but Luna could feel some of it easing up. His heartbeat, while still racing, wasn't as bad as it had been when she started. She was pulling him back, one step at a time.

"Focus on the sound of my voice." Luna repeated. "Focus on my touch, feel my hands on your chest. Feel my body against yours. Ignore everything else. There's nothing else here but you, and me. No tournament, no Hogwarts, no lake, nothing. Just you and me."

When Luna felt Harry's breath even out, she wanted to cheer, but held herself back. She wasn't about to stop until he'd fully recovered.

"The rest of the world doesn't exist, right now." Luna hesitated before planting a soft kiss to the back of Harry's neck over his spine, but she had to ignore the way the boy shivered against her. "Focus on the sound of my voice. Focus on my touch."

So it went, Luna would keep herself pressed up against Harry, while repeating the same phrases over and over. There was no telling how long it took, but eventually Harry's breathing became slow and easy, even his heart was beating slower and easy, but strong, under her hands.

"Better?" Luna whispered, fearful the moment was about to end. Yes, she had been doing it all to help Harry, but she was still a teenager, and hormones were a powerful thing.

"Yes." Harry swallowed heavily, voice as low as hers. "Thank you."

"Nothing you need to thank me for." Luna said dreamily to cover up her disappointment while she released her tight hold on Harry. "You'd have done the same for me."

"Not sure I'd be of much help." Harry turned around, redder than a tomato as he rubbed the back of his neck nervously. "But you know I'd try…"

"And that's just one thing that makes you so amazing, Harry." Luna didn't to fake her beaming smile. Also, fortunately for her, Harry was to distracted by his own embarrassment to notice the unusually intense flush adorning the blonde's cheeks.

"Umm… well…" Harry stammered, unaccustomed to dealing with praise.

Luna took pity on him and let out a slight giggle before gently wrapping her arms around his neck in an affectionate hug. As was the norm, Harry's arms wound their way around her waist on pure reflex.

While the pair and shared many an embrace since they'd gotten to know one another, there was something different about this one. Just what, Luna couldn't put her finger on it. She had just tilted her head up to ask Harry if he felt it too when her mouth suddenly felt oddly dry.

The hug itself had been nothing special, but maybe her hormones were still riding on some kind of high after she'd just helped him through an impending panic attack. The closeness, the intimacy, of it, hadn't just awoken something in the blonde Ravenclaw, rather it simply freed something already there she'd kept caged.

Only now, the cage was shattered, and the beast free.

Luna hadn't registered she was moving until she was already on her tiptoes and her lips were pressed firmly against Harry's.

Whatever higher intellect Ravenclaws boasted ground to a halt as Luna surrendered to the feel of her first kiss. Unlike most girls her age, she didn't fantasize much about kissing, it was only recently that she'd started doing that with a certain raven haired and brunette pair of Gryffindors in her mind's eye every single time.

All Luna could say was that her imagination had nothing on reality.

Luna wanted to stay just like that forever, on the shore of Black Lake, in Harry's arms, with one of her crush's lips on hers. This could be better, while it would be difficult to do so. The only thing that could do that was…

"Harry!" Hermione's voice suddenly rang out. "Luna!"

Luna jerked away as if Harry's lips had burnt hers, to take in a shocked Hermione Granger standing nearby.

Only now that Luna was free from Harry's mind-numbing kiss did Luna realize what she'd just done.

I think I'm going to stop this chapter here. While I did plan to have it go a bit further, I feel like it's a good point and the follow up will be in the next chapter. Which more than likely will be the final one for this particular work. Truth be told, it went way longer than I intended. It was supposed to only be a chapter or two and done but I kinda dragged it out and have been making each chapter up as I go.

Once I finish this own up, and my other work "Trying Something New, I think I might do some more Lunar Harmony, or I might just take a break from Harry Potter for a bit, we'll see.

Either way, I need to get these two multi-chapters finished and off my mind.