Luna flung open her suitcase, piling her clothes into her bag with force.
"What are you doing?" Neville asked from the doorway.
"Neville? I, erm, I thought you were out…" Luna replied, trying to hide her suitcase from his view.
"I finished work early so I could cook you a meal, you do know what today is don't you?" Neville smiled. Luna looked at him blankly, her face slightly screwed up. Neville let out a gentle smile, before walking into the room,
"It's our wedding anniversary, silly. 1 year today you made me the happiest man alive," replied, kissing Luna gently on the lips.
She pulled away slightly, replacing her awkward body language to a nervous laugh,
"Really? One year today?"
"Yup, one year exactly. Mrs Longbottom, not an attractive name, but you make it beautiful," Neville laughed. Luna also laughed, though hers was a more forced laugh.
"I'll come down later, I need to, erm, freshen up," Luna smiled. Neville grinned eagerly at Luna, giving her another kiss,
"Don't be too long, I'm making your favourite… lasagne." Neville walked out the room leaving Luna alone to her thoughts.
"Pumpkin Pasties are my favourite," she muttered under her breath before locking the door. She went back over to her suitcase, ramming her clothes into it. As she was packing her bag, Luna caught sight of the glimmer of her wedding ring.
Luna and Neville had only been going out for a short 1 year and 2 months but they were having the time of their lives. "Okay, we've arrived," Neville declared, his hands still covering Luna's eyes "Are you ready?" "I've made us a picnic," Neville added, guiding Luna over to the perfectly set arrangements for them which were on the floor. After finishing their dinner, Neville pulled out a Chinese lantern from the basket, handing it towards Luna. Neville simply smiled before handing the lantern to Luna so she could read it for herself, Neville interrupted Luna, taking the lantern away from her. As Luna's eyes set upon Neville's goofy face she noticed that he was on one knee, holding what seemed to be a golden snitch, For the first time in her life she was actually shaking, her lips trembling, her eyes watering. Neville was near enough the same. All the years of being poked fun of for being 'different' came rushing back to her. Yet here she was, Loony Lovegood, being proposed too!
"Nev, where are you taking me? Luna squealed as Neville covered her eyes.
"You'll see," Neville smiled, guiding Luna carefully up the stairs. Luna bit her lip in suspense, every so often blinking her eyes furiously so her eye lashes would tickle the palm of Neville's hands.
"Yes!" Luna giggled, placing her hands on top of Neville's. He pulled them away slowly revealing the whereabouts of their destination. Luna gasped to realise that she was looking out, over the streets of London,
"But you hate heights, Nev!"
"I'll live," Neville smiled. Luna glanced up and noticed how beautiful the moon looked that evening.
"Neville, you shouldn't have," Luna replied, sitting down on the brightly coloured blanket.
"I've made your favourite," he smiled. Luna gasped, a smile spreading across her face,
"But how did you know that p-"
"-It was pretty obvious that Lasagne was your favourite food, LuLu," Neville interrupted. Luna's smile slightly faded at his mistake but she chose not to correct his mistake.
"I thought it'd be nice if we made a wish," Neville smiled, "We could release it to the sky?"
"That'd be cute," Luna replied.
"I'll write my wish on one side and you write one on the other," Neville instructed, handing Luna a pen.
Luna kept trying to catch a glance at what Neville was writing but he would cover it every time she would try look.
"Finished," Neville announced. Luna had already finished her a few minutes before.
"What was your wish?" Neville asked.
"That somebody will buy The Quibbler and keeps it running," Luna answered, "What about you?"
"Read it out loud," Neville added, Luna screwed up her face at him in confusion as to why but did as she was told.
"Luna. Luna is my only wish, to have her in my life forever. She is the only thing which can divide the dark from the light, the only person who can stop my nightmares. Luna is my life. I don't need to make a wish as it has already come true. But, if I could ask one question it would be-"
"Luna Lovegood, will you make me the happiest man alive and marry me?" Neville lifted up the top of the snitch to reveal a beautiful diamond ring.
Luna gasped, covering her mouth with her hands.
"Y-Y-Yes! A million times yes!" Luna cried, wrapping her arms around Neville. Neville kissed her passionately before placing the ring delicately onto her finger. They lit the Chinese lantern, releasing it into the midnight sky. Neville liked the idea that the lantern represented the start of their new life together.
Luna placed the diamond ring on the bedside table before shutting her suitcase. She dragged it down the stairs, thumping on each and every step.
"LuLu," Neville chirped from the kitchen, "Dinner is… where are you going?" The common feeling of guilt once again washed over Luna, barely able to make eye contact, she simply focused on a spot on the floor,
"I'm leaving," she muttered.
"Leaving to go where?" Neville asked.
"Anywhere," Luna muttered once again.
"Why?" he questioned with such naivety.
Luna raised her head from the ground, focusing her eyes onto those of Neville,
"Because I'm not happy here, that's why."
Neville let some tears fall free from his eyes, normally this would have lead Luna to break down, but this time she just felt disgusted watching him.
"Y-Y-You're going to come back right?" Neville questioned.
"No," Luna commented, "I'm leaving today, right now and I'm not coming back. I don't want to come back, Neville. I just don't love you, I never have. I feel trapped here; I don't feel like I'm me. I'm so, so sorry." Neville screwed his hand into a fist, an action which Luna was used to seeing Draco do.
"You can't leave me, you won't leave me. I've given you everything! I invested money into your father's Quibbler when it was still running; I saved your life from the war! I've given you the best years of my life and you just want to leave me?"
"You know that's a lie, Neville. You didn't give Daddy any money, I did. You wouldn't let me carry on running The Quibbler after he passed, you didn't save my life. You saved everybody's, so why is it only me who has to give something back? If you really loved me you wouldn't have thrown away my hand crafted jewellery, my old Quibblers. If you loved me, then why did you make me change?"
"Make you change? Nobody would have took you seriously with those turnip earrings and the Quibbler was rubbish Luna, I'm sorry to have to tell you that. I only did what I did during that war to save you, no one else. You were the only thought, my only interest at that moment of time. Nothing else," Neville spat, the sadness in his eyes changing to rage.
"Neville, don't do this-"
"-Do what? Get angry? You're leaving me on our one year wedding anniversary! I can react any way I like! Just tell me Luna, what changed your mind about us?"
"Nothing changed my mind, Neville. I have always had doubts; I think it was pretty obvious from the start. I'm leaving, end of. I've got everything I need in this suitcase, everything else you can do what ever you like with it. I'm sorry that it's turned out this way, I really am."
With those final words, Luna picked up her suitcase and walked over to the front door. As Neville watched her, he let out an over emphasised laugh,
"This is a good joke, Luna. I actually believed you were going to go for a second then." Luna opened the door, not looking back on Neville, though she didn't have to as she could imagine what his facial expression was like.
Neville ran out the door, following Luna down the street,
"Luna, I can change. Please don't do this; I don't know what I'd do without you. You're my everything." Luna did not reply, she just carried on walking down the street, Neville constantly by her side.
"I love you, LuLu. I can't just forget about you, I physically need you in my life. Luna, you're my light when it's-"
"-Just shut up!" Luna shouted darting her eyes at him, "Neville, how can you honestly expect me to take you seriously when you can't even take yourself seriously? You're a grown wizard yet you're too scared to even cast a spell properly anymore. You're job involves checking the correct moisture to make a plant grow. You have to sleep with the door slightly open because you're scared of the dark. Neville, I'm sorry this has happened but you're everything I'm not. You like a routine, to be safe. I've always wanted adventure, to experiment, just like my mommy did. You've kept me in a cage for six years and I'm done with pretending I'm someone I'm not."
Silence filled the time in between the two of them as Neville absorbed what Luna had just said. The street lights came on one by one, flickering every so often.
"What should I do with my life?" Neville asked in a pitiful way. Luna gave a sympathetic sigh, placing her hand on the side of his arm,
"Get away from here; it's just old memories now. You always wanted to be a Herbology teacher and you've got the qualifications? Live your dream. A closing of one chapter is a beginning of a new one," Luna smiled sweetly. With those final words, Luna picked up her suitcase and carried on walking down the dimly lit street. Leaving Neville standing under the flickering lamppost, his life in shambles.
***
"MALFOY OPEN THIS DOOR!" Ginny screamed, thumping the front door.
"Ginny, calm down-"
"-Do not tell me to calm down Harry!" Ginny glared. Harry saw anger flash in his wife's eyes and instantly shut his mouth. The door opened to see a hung over Draco standing in front of them.
"This better be good Weasel," Draco spat, rubbing the temple of his head.
"Where is she?" Ginny hissed, pushing past him and barging into his house.
"Where's who?" Draco asked, "Potter, you need to have better control over your… wife… if that's what it could be called."
"I know this is inconvenient Malfoy, but there's no need to slander my wife," Harry commented.
"I'll do as I God damn please, Potter," Draco snarled, "It's 1am in the morning, there better be a bloody good reason-"
"-Where's Luna?" Ginny glared.
"Who?"
"LUNA!" Ginny screamed, her face flushing red, "I know about you and her, well guess what, she's left Neville. So where is she?"
"Luna's left Neville?" Draco questioned in shock, "When?"
"Earlier today, Neville's at home crying, he can barely put together a sentence he's that upset. Wait till he finds out that his wife left him for a so called friend," Ginny snarled.
"Luna's not even here! I told her I didn't want her, Merlin knows why she left Neville. That was the last thing I wanted," Draco replied with a sense of frustration in his voice.
"Luna's not here?"
"No."
Harry stepped towards Ginny, placing his hand on her arm, "Come on Gin, there's no point being here is-"
"-Stop it Harry," Ginny spat, she pulled her arm viciously away from him, darting her eyes towards Draco. "You're an actual idiot, Malfoy. If you've allowed Luna to walk away from her husband, her life without even a simple form of support then I pity your conscience. Especially since she's carrying your child."
"What? You never told me that?" Harry blurted out. Draco simply didn't respond, it was as if the news had not yet triggered within his brain. He stood there like a statue.
"You did know didn't you?" Ginny asked with slightly concern. Draco blinked, shaking his head in the process. "I think we ought to go, Harry."