She believes in everything: the wildest things, the craziest things. And you know it's not really true, not real, but you are fascinated by the way she is so involved, so into her beliefs, and you want a part of that. A hold onto what isn't real.

Luna Lovegood. How long I've had to study that name. The name Luna makes one think of the moon. Love-good. Love-well. The moon loves well? The moon loves her well? She loves the moon?

I'd never share that personal bit of information with anyone. Who studies a person's name, anyway? It would make me look like a creepy stalker. I'm not a stalker.

But there's something about her that draws me in; makes me think less; want to know more. Her eyes, wide and surprised: they take everything in the world for what it is, and perhaps what it isn't. Again, she believes in everything. It's who she is.

Does she believe in me? Does she analyze my name? Does she take in everything about me? About everyone?

I had thought about what happened in the Department of Mysteries, I thought about it a lot. I thought about Sirius when things got too happy, or too quiet. I remembered my role in his death.

I also remember what Luna said to me the day of the feast.

"In that room with the archway. They were just lurking out of sight, that's all. You heard them."

I had heard them. Though who "they" was, I wasn't too sure. I had thought... But no, that's impossible. And Loony Lovegood believed it.

But what else could Ibelieve?

I thought about her off and on that summer. She sent me the occasional letter, and they were always the most interesting ones I got. About her excursions with her father in Sweden, and how they'd discovered Crumple-Horned Snorkack tracks in the mountains. Every letter, without realizing it, was waited for with ample anticipation. Subconsciously, I wanted the answer.

Luna met me at the bar. I'd been talking to Madam Rosmerta; she'd been telling me about how "all of us students grow up so fast." I hadn't seen Luna coming, feeling awkward and concentrated on talking to the attractive barkeep.

"Harry, how are you?" Her voice had caught me by surprise, and she and Madam Rosmerta laughed at my jumping.

"I- I'm fine," I said weakly, and I felt my cheeks burn. The wide eyes staring back at me, oddly misty, gave me a creepy feeling down my spine. She smiled, not one to be pretty, but one of knowledge. Her seeming superiority began to make me feel uneasy.

"Shall we have a walk?" she asked.

I almost said yes, but then I remembered I'd come up to the bar in the first place to order drinks for me and Ginny, who was waiting at a table with Ron and Hermione. "Hold on a second," I said, and I got Ginny's drink.

Carrying it back, I noticed Ginny looked extremely bored, and I was afraid she wouldn't approve of me leaving her alone. But I asked her, and she said yes, that it was all right. Her smile was so sincere, that I did not notice the absence of that smile in her eyes. My own were glazing over with excitement and appreciation and I couldn't help myself: I must've looked extremely foolish grinning like that.

Luna and I walked out together to face the bitter cold atmosphere of the December month. We tried to talk, but the wind swallowed our words and carried them off, never to be heard by the other. A few laughs later we decided it would be best to find shelter, and as we were just passing the joke shop, it seemed that it would best serve our purpose.

Inside, it was warm with the light of lanterns floating high among the rafters and the heat radiating from so many bodies of visiting students. Briefly I thought of Fred's and George's absences, which in turn caused a sigh to escape my lips. Luna looked at me calmly, and didn't say anything; it disturbed me greatly.

After a good half hour of browsing, and having spent several moments wondering if my life was in jeopardy, Luna and I left the shop, each of us with a small bag of items. It seemed the wintry weather would be lingering for a while; a fresh layer of snow was accumulating atop the frozen layer leftover from the night previous.

We walked in silence, aimlessly, long enough for the flurry to dot my cloak with white all over, and to melt gently into Luna's long blond hair. Occasionally I was brave enough to steal glances in her direction, but she would always sense it and I had to pretend to be watching the Shrieking Shack as we neared it. We came to a large, flat rock on the very edge of the house's property, and with my wand I melted the ice so that we could sit.

"This is my favorite time of year," said Luna. She was gazing around her, eyes darting back and forth as if to watch every snowflake hit the ground. Her eyes were wider than ever, and a tender smile was resting on her lips; her breath froze as it met the frosty air.

"Why is that?" I asked.

"Well, Christmas is quite exciting – I get to visit Dad and we have loads of fun together. But mostly it's the snow. It reminds me of people, in the way that no one is like another. And though there are a lot of people in this world, there are many more snowflakes, and so I think of the history of man; everyone who has - gone on - well, I believe they left their mark on this earth, each one of them, but through snowflakes they're all here. Each individual, each soul, each life."

This was beyond the depth of my being. It was so beautiful, and it was so hard to grasp. How could someone think of something like that?

Then another thing crossed my mind: the veil.

"Luna... d'you remember what you said to me, at the end of last term?"

"Yes." She didn't continue, so I did.

"Well, er, I still don't quite understand what you meant. I don't know if you were speaking metaphorically or if..." There was no 'if.'

Luna stared at me for a long time, and then smiled. It was so brilliant, and I almost forgot to wonder why she was happy all of the sudden.

"Harry, you do understand, you just don't think you do."

That definitely wasn't the answer I was looking for.

"What d'you mean? How could I understand without realizing it? It doesn't make any sense."

"It does make sense. Your mind is closed off, and it doesn't want to believe something so far-fetched."

"I can't just believe everything like you do."

"You don't have to. I'm only asking that you try to understand this."

I stood up without really thinking. She was still looking at me, calm and with that 'I know you know I know,' look. I felt lust ebb away and anger and frustration took its place.

"You're not making any sense!" I said. "I am trying to understand, but it's just not possible. The real problem is that my mind can't close itself off, you know. That's how everything went so horribly wrong last summer. That's how I screwed up and... and he died because of it." I hated the way my eyes burned then and wished to just cut them out. I hated how I was getting angry at Luna. And I couldn't do anything about it.

"It's not your fault you couldn't do Occlumency, Harry-"

Overlooking the question of how she knew about my Occlumency lessons, I interrupted. "But it is my fault, Luna! It was too hard, and I hated it; I hated Snape! I still do! I could've done it if I'd tried, but I didn't. I even lied to Hermione when she asked if I getting on with it all right! I wasn't getting on all right, and I didn't care, because who cares what's best for everyone else? Who cares if Lord Voldemort is sending subliminal messages to me in my dreams, and it's all fake, all a great big joke? All I wanted to do was find out what was beyond that corridor, beyond the door, in that room with all the light. And now he's dead. Sirius. Is. Dead."

The calm was still there, but the happy smile was gone. She frowned, and it was the so sad to watch that I backed off immediately.

Embarrassed, I sat back down on the rock. I didn't dare look at her; I was too nervous to find out if she was sad, angry, or just disappointed. Then she moved and a reflex made me look up. God, I was so weak.

She touched my face. The sadness radiating from her eyes made me want to sob. Her hands moved from my forehead, to my nose, then parted to touch my cheeks. Soon she had my face cupped under my chin with her hands, and her eyes closed. I thought a tear leak from a corner, but I blinked and it wasn't there. When she spoke I shuddered and my face was free.

"I know it's there, Harry, you have it in you. I have faith that you will see it. I have faith in you."

I paused for only a moment. Then I kissed her.

She was startled, and I almost pulled away when she leaned into it. It was so random; I have no idea what made me do it. Didn't know I'd had it in me.

When we broke apart, we were breathless. Luna's eyes were glittering, and my ragged breathing was in irregular rhythm with hers. But she wasn't smiling. I thought I'd done something wrong and began to apologize, but the 'sorry' never left my lips. She made the move this time.

The rest of the night was a blur; walking around till dusk, and hurrying together to catch the last carriage back to Hogwarts. When we got there, I wasn't hungry; she said she didn't mind skipping. We sat in an empty classroom, in sweet silence, together. Both of us were new to this: when first we sat, there was a good few inches between us on the cold stone floor. Slowly, we dared to move closer. She moved her hand close to mine - I took it. She leaned her head on my shoulder – I put my arm around her. Soon we were so close, so warm, and so comfortable, that I never wanted to leave this – this love, something I felt I had rarely experienced at all during my life.

But as I've often had to learn the hard way, all good things must come to an end. Luna and I tiptoed to the entrance hall, and came to a staircase that I assumed led to the Ravenclaw common room. The whole castle was silent, and a look at my new wrist-watch told me it was past eleven-o'clock.

I looked at her for what seemed a long time. We kissed goodnight, and when her hand left mine, it left it feeling cold. She didn't completely smile; I saw her eyes smile, but not her mouth. And that was enough to make me grin like an idiot.

She was on my mind all the way back to Gryffindor tower. I almost ran into the portrait of the Fat Lady ("Excuse me!") and more or less stumbled through. The common room appeared empty, and the fire was good as dead.

"Where have you been?"

I jumped slightly, and met Ginny Weasley's eyes; she looked anything but happy to see me.

Not as good as how this story began, but it was necessary for me to get my taste of Harry and Luna. I felt like I was always on the edge of creating something too fluffy, which is really not my scene, but I think it turned out all right. I'm really afraid to post this, for I fear it'll take away from the first chapter, which I absolutely love. I think it's the best thing I've written for fan fiction, in my opinion. It was so... fulfilling to write it, and played out my thoughts on what I want to happen. But enough of my bragging; I'll leave you with the idea that there will hopefully be another chapter to this, if not two.

Love, alex