DISCLAIMER: It's not mine. I've never pretended it's mine, and I'm certainly not claiming ownership of Harry Potter and related trademarks here, where people can see it… I still wish it was mine, though!

Author's Note: Yeah, I get the overall fluffiness of the first chapter, but I warned that it was probably going to be soft, fluffy, and happy at the beginning. FYI, it's still the beginning. I'm not sure if this is going to be fluffy, but if it is, don't say you haven't been warned.

Author's Note: Read and review, as always, because reviews make me feel happy and special inside! Okay, now read.

Chapter II

Luna Lovegood always seemed happy. No matter what, she always had that peaceful smile on her face. But that was just for show. Inside, tears were forever dampening her face. Smiling was her way of making people think that she didn't care. But she did. For years, she went to her dormitory, or out on the grounds, or into empty classrooms, anywhere she couldn't be heard. And she sat, sometimes for hours at a time, and just cried. Then she dried her face, put her quill behind her ear, and smiled at the world.

She smiled because she knew it made people mad. It was the only form of revenge Luna would take, because she wasn't a violent or mean person. Of course, there was more than one time that she wanted nothing more than to pull out her wand and hex everyone within a square mile of her.

Then she met Neville. Of course, it wasn't just meeting Neville that changed anything. It was being around him, knowing that someone cared about her. And just that knowledge made her not want to cry.

The first time that Neville had stood up for Luna, she was surprised, though it seemed obvious that he should. She remembered it clearly, that cool April day. She was outside, under her favorite beech tree, doing homework. She realized that the three foot long parchment which contained hours worth of transfiguration work was missing. She had spent so long on that essay that she almost pulled out her wand and demanded that the essay be returned. She had never done anything like that before; it was her policy to not let anyone know that she cared.

Neville stood up. He saw Gryffindors Parvati Patil and Lavender Brown giggling over some parchment they held. Neville knew what it was, and he was going to get it back.

Parvati and Lavender acted offended when he asked for Luna's work back. And because of this, they felt obligated to pull out their wands and hex Neville.

No one knew that Neville was any good with a wand. But they quickly learned it. The hours he had put in with the D.A. had paid off, and, by that afternoon, people knew that Neville defended Luna, and Neville did his job well.

So no one messed with Luna while Neville was around. But Neville couldn't be around her all the time. He tried convincing her to stick up for herself, to fight back, but she always refused. She asked nicely for the things they stole, dodged curses with practiced ease, and never let the smile melt away from her face.

She wrote to Neville every day, and made certain that her letters always arrived as soon as the sun was up. He didn't know it, but she kissed every single one of the letters she sent to him, in memory of the first kiss they had ever shared. She had begun counting down until the September first, the day they would return to Hogwarts and finally see each other. She wrote the number in the upper right hand corner of her letters and circled it with a little heart. It wasn't like Luna to show so much emotion, but she couldn't help it.

Luna knew that she would always remember the first letter that Neville had written to her. It went,

Luna ~

So, what's up? Not really much here… (Idle chatter filled up a few paragraphs, but Luna read and memorized it all)

So, anyway, I can't wait to see you back at school in September. Write back!

~Neville

She could tell that he wasn't very experienced in the art of writing. But, slowly, it improved, until finally, it was as near perfect as it could possibly get; at least Neville seemed to think so, because that was how he began every letter to her.

My Dearest Luna ~

The day that she wrote to him about the sunset, she received a spectacular message that drove all thoughts from her mind.

My Dearest Luna ~

I miss you so much, I don't think I can wait any longer. So, let's not wait. I'm sixteen, and my Grams thinks that's old enough to go without supervision, so I'm going to London as soon as I get your reply.

I have plenty of gold, so that's not a problem, and it's only for a few weeks, and you know I'm trustworthy and I won't try anything… sneaky.

So if your father will allow it, and it pleases you, I would like to ask you to join me. Though I hate to wait, I know your letters always come at daybreak, so I'll expect your answer then.

~Yours, now and always,

Neville