The next day, when his mind was not occupied with schoolwork or
fighting the evilest man in the world, Harry was thinking about what
Neville said. He was thinking about Luna.
It was true; she was unattached (as far as he knew). She probably didn't have any plans for Valentines Day.
But this was Luna they were talking about. Looney Lovegood. She was . . . odd. But that didn't really matter. No. Harry was more concerned over the fact that if they dated and things didn't work out, their friendship might be ruined forever. He only just realized how important she was to him. He needed to be able to talk to her. She was the one who'd been able to help him work through Sirius's death. She was the one who seemed to be solid when everything around just seemed like chaos. She was always so calm.
As friends. Just like before Christmas. He'd ask her after tomorrow's Occlumency lesson. That still left her plenty of time if she wanted to find a real date before he asked her.
It was the ideal situation. A good time to prove and remember that they were just friends. And he could get her earrings. Maybe star earrings. They'd go well with the necklace.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Friday came after Thursday (as it always seems to do), and it was time for yet another Occlumency lesson.
Most of the class had become quite adept by now, but Dumbledore insisted they continue their lessons to keep their skills sharp.
As far as Harry knew, he was the only one who moved on to Legilimency lessons.
When class was over, Harry told Ron and Hermione to go on without him and that he'd catch up with them in a few minutes.
"Luna, thanks for all your help this year."
"The Legilimency lessons? No big deal."
"It's not just that. It's everything. I guess I'm saying, thanks for being my friend."
"Everybody needs friends."
"Yeah. Friends. If you don't already have plans we could go meet in Hogsmeade tomorrow."
"Sounds good. I've got to go. My house is this way."
"So, Luna, I'll see you at noon tomorrow?"
"Okay."
"Same place as last time?"
"Alright."
He almost reminded her that it wasn't a date, but he hesitated. Instead he said, "I'll see you tomorrow, then."
She nodded and Harry watched her walk away. Friends, he reminded himself firmly. You don't want another fiasco like with Cho. But then again, that wasn't entirely his fault because Cho was already a mess anyway. But better to be safe than sorry. He and Luna were going to stay friends. They had to.
In the common room he asked Ron and Hermione what their plans were for the next day.
"There's this place that just opened. It's supposed to be really nice. We're going to go there. Then we thought we'd walk around the village for a while. Why? What are your plans?"
"Oh. I was just going to go out and eat with a friend."
"Would this friend's initials be LL?"
"Yeah," he said. He wasn't going to beat around the bush. "Luna didn't have a date and neither did I, so we thought we'd go as two friends. Like we did before Christmas."
"Yeah, but didn't it end up very date-like last time?"
"I don't know. I like her, but I can't date her. I can't. I don't want to risk ruining our friendship if things don't work out. Besides, after Cho last year, I don't think I'm ready for another girlfriend."
Hermione nodded. "I understand that. That's one of the reasons it took me so long to finally tell Ron the truth about how I felt."
"Looney's nothing like Cho, Harry. She's different. I don't think I've ever seen her cry."
"I have," said Harry.
Something about Harry's face kept Ron and Hermione from pressing the subject further.
Harry saw Neville looking anxiously at him. "I've got to go talk to Neville."
"Did you find out where they were going to be? I don't want to run into Ron again. He still thinks of his sister as though she's only 6. She's 15. She's allowed to date and kiss a guy if she wants. He just doesn't see that."
"They're going to that new place in Hogsmeade and then they were going to walk around afterwards."
"That Italian place?"
"I don't know. They didn't tell me what it was."
"I already made reservations," he groaned miserably.
"It sounds like it's a nice place, not the kind of place that you just sit and make out in, like Madam Puddifoots. I think you'll be okay. Try and get tables far away from each other."
"Okay. I guess you're right. So what are you going to do?"
"Luna and I are going to go out." He saw the weird look Neville gave him and amended hastily, "As friends. Like we did before Christmas. I'm going to get her some better earrings."
"That's a good idea. I've got to go. Ginny said she needed help with her Herbology." He started to leave.
"Hey, Neville?"
"Yeah?"
"Er, thanks for the advice the other night. About Luna. It helped."
He grinned. "Your welcome."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Harry woke up, sweating. He'd had a nightmare. The first one he'd had in months. He'd stopped having nightmares over Sirius almost completely except for a rare occasion now. But those were just cause be his guilt subconscious mind. This nightmare was different. He'd seen newsstands with issues of the Quibbler burning to the ground.
He fervently hoped it wasn't true.
He got dressed and stood in front of the mirror trying to comb his hair. It looked almost decent. Then he realized, if it looked like he was actually making an effort, then it might be considered a date. Two friends spending the day together didn't care what they looked like. He took the pitcher of water off the table by the window and poured it over his head. He muffled his scream behind his hand. The water was freezing.
Only Neville woke at his shout. "What's the matter, Harry? Another nightmare?"
"Yeah," he confessed, "but that's not why I screamed. Who left the window open? It's freezing."
Neville was now wide-awake and laughed at him. "Sure you're freezing, you're soaked and standing by an open window. What happened? Did Dobby try to give you a bath or something without telling you?" Neville had heard some humorous Dobby stories from Ron. He threw Harry a dirty towel off the floor for him to dry with.
"Thanks." He started with his hair. "I started to do my hair, and I didn't like it. So I undid it."
"Wow, Harry. Actually combing your hair for once? This is a historic occasion. What's happening today? Wait, a second. It's the dreaded Valentine's Day"
Neville's comment was good-natured enough, but that was exactly the response Harry had been trying to avoid. "Nothing special. I'm just going to hang out in Hogsmeade with Luna."
"Which explains everything."
"What do you mean?" he asked cautiously.
"Well, it's Luna. You made an effort to look nice. But on the other hand, it's Luna. You didn't want to have made an effort to look nice. Ergo, you made yourself look like you've been standing out in the rain for an hour."
Neville was certainly too smart for his own good. Harry's hair was nearly dry now. He threw the towel back at him and rummaged around for something else to wear. "Not exactly, but close enough."
Neville grinned. "I love being right."
Harry was glad he'd taken that job over the summer. Sure it was minimum wage, but he'd been able to afford some new clothes. He hadn't let the Dursleys know just how much he bought or how much money he made, he didn't trust them not to take it. He took out a pair of comfortable jeans, a t-shirt with the words "Didn't anybody tell you? I'm smiling just to annoy you" on it, and a black windbreaker. He'd go Muggle today. He stripped off his wet clothing and put on his Muggle clothes. They fit wonderfully.
"Very stylish I'm sure, Harr."
Harry threw his wet robes at Neville and shook his head vigorously to settle his hair back to its usual state of disorder. Perfect. "Can I borrow Ginny for a bit this morning?"
"You've got your own girl. What do you need mine for?"
"I need help picking out earrings for Luna and I trust her judgment on such things a lot more than I trust yours."
"Oh, I'm hurt." He laughed.
"I'll see you later, Nev."
"Yeah, see you later, Harry. Just make sure Ginny gets back to me on time."
"I'll do my best, but she's got a mind of her own." Laughing, he went down to the common room and was waiting when Ginny came downstairs. Neville was still trying to decide what to wear.
"Has Neville come downstairs yet?" she asked, glancing up at the stairs.
"Not yet. But I was wondering if you'd help me pick out some earrings for Luna. To go with that necklace I got her."
"Sure. As long as I'm not late for my date."
"Thanks, Gin."
"Let's go eat breakfast."
Down at the table they thoroughly discussed all options.
"Okay, so flowers and candy are out because that's too date-ish. Right?"
"Yeah. I thought we decided I was getting her earrings."
"I know we did. But I'm making sure all options are explored. What are you trying to accomplish?"
"I don't know. I want to be friends with her, and I want to stay friends. I don't know that much about her. I wish I did."
"Good goal. Find out more about her. Get to know her better. Establish these things. You want a growth in your friendship. Sounds great. I think the earrings are you best shot. They show friendship, observation of the fact that she needs new earrings, and it's not overly romantic."
"You don't think it might insult her that I think her current earrings are even worse than her old necklace?" he asked.
"Well, you sure shouldn't phrase it like that. If you do, you'll never get a girlfriend."
"I'm not looking for a girlfriend."
"I know, I know, but I'm just saying . . ."
"Come on, let's go," he said, both irritated and amused.
Once within the village, they went straight back to the jewelry shop they'd been to before.
The owner recognized them. "Back again?"
"You remember us?" asked Harry. He was a little surprised; he supposed lots of people came in the store around the holidays, there was no way he'd remember them.
"It's not everyday the Boy-Who-Lived comes into my shop. Besides, that necklace was one of a kind."
Harry sighed, "Please don't call me that, sir."
"You're not him then? But the scar, and your picture in the Prophet . . ."
"Sir, my name is Harry Potter, not the Boy-Who-Lived," his tone was icy.
He nodded. "That necklace was one of a kind. Is there anything else I can get for you and your friend?"
"We're looking for earrings to go with the necklace," said Ginny.
"Preferably stars," added Harry.
"It might help if I knew what she looked like." He glanced at Ginny.
"It's not for me," she said, blushing slightly. "Harry's practically my brother."
Harry intervened. "She's the same age as her, she's got gray-blue eyes, and dirty blonde hair. I want something that goes with her eyes."
The shopkeeper must have brought out more than a dozen pairs of earrings before Harry found what he was looking for (Harry hadn't been able to describe what he wanted, only that he'd know it when he saw it).
"This is it! If these earrings don't say Luna Lovegood, nothing does!"
"Lovegood? Hmmm . . . any relation to Abner Lovegood?"
"I don't know." He glanced at Ginny, who shrugged her shoulders. "That could be her father's name."
"Abner Lovegood owns the Quibbler."
Definitely Luna's father. "What do you mean?"
"Don't you read the prophet? After what they printed about you last summer, I suppose not. This morning's paper said that almost every newsstand that sold the Quibbler was burned to the ground last night." He added in a whisper, "Some people are saying that the ashes were left in the shape of the . . . the Dark Mark."
"But why strike out against the Quibbler?" mused Harry.
"Maybe because of your interview last year."
"Or maybe someone wants to pick off my friends, one by one."
"But You-Know-Who couldn't possibly even know you're friends with her," Ginny assured him.
Harry shook his head. "Voldemort has got enough ears in Hogwarts, and Hogsmeade too I'll bet, to find out anything he wants. Crabbe and Goyle don't look like they've got a brain cell to rub between them, but Malfoy . . . Malfoy! Luna made him look like an idiot on the train ride in. Hexed him and sent him screaming out of the compartment. That explains. Between that and the interview last year, it didn't matter that she's a pureblood, she was a marked target." Harry glanced up and saw the shopkeeper was still listening intently. Harry knew nothing about this man. He went back to business. "How much?"
The shopkeeper told him and he paid. The man wrapped the earrings in a pretty box with a ribbon around it.
"I was shocked about Luna's dad's paper," Ginny said, when they were outside the shop.
"Me too. I wonder if she knows."
"We were in there a long time," said Ginny.
"How long?"
"I'll put it this way, we've got enough time to meet our da-I mean, for me to meet my date and for you to meet Luna. But we can't dawdle."
"Okay. Thanks for all your help, Gin."
"Anytime, Harry." She waved and they parted ways.
Harry hurried to the Three Broomsticks.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Sorry to end the chapter here, but I figured it was better to put up what I've got so far and post the rest when it's written. (Soon, I promise!)
It was true; she was unattached (as far as he knew). She probably didn't have any plans for Valentines Day.
But this was Luna they were talking about. Looney Lovegood. She was . . . odd. But that didn't really matter. No. Harry was more concerned over the fact that if they dated and things didn't work out, their friendship might be ruined forever. He only just realized how important she was to him. He needed to be able to talk to her. She was the one who'd been able to help him work through Sirius's death. She was the one who seemed to be solid when everything around just seemed like chaos. She was always so calm.
As friends. Just like before Christmas. He'd ask her after tomorrow's Occlumency lesson. That still left her plenty of time if she wanted to find a real date before he asked her.
It was the ideal situation. A good time to prove and remember that they were just friends. And he could get her earrings. Maybe star earrings. They'd go well with the necklace.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Friday came after Thursday (as it always seems to do), and it was time for yet another Occlumency lesson.
Most of the class had become quite adept by now, but Dumbledore insisted they continue their lessons to keep their skills sharp.
As far as Harry knew, he was the only one who moved on to Legilimency lessons.
When class was over, Harry told Ron and Hermione to go on without him and that he'd catch up with them in a few minutes.
"Luna, thanks for all your help this year."
"The Legilimency lessons? No big deal."
"It's not just that. It's everything. I guess I'm saying, thanks for being my friend."
"Everybody needs friends."
"Yeah. Friends. If you don't already have plans we could go meet in Hogsmeade tomorrow."
"Sounds good. I've got to go. My house is this way."
"So, Luna, I'll see you at noon tomorrow?"
"Okay."
"Same place as last time?"
"Alright."
He almost reminded her that it wasn't a date, but he hesitated. Instead he said, "I'll see you tomorrow, then."
She nodded and Harry watched her walk away. Friends, he reminded himself firmly. You don't want another fiasco like with Cho. But then again, that wasn't entirely his fault because Cho was already a mess anyway. But better to be safe than sorry. He and Luna were going to stay friends. They had to.
In the common room he asked Ron and Hermione what their plans were for the next day.
"There's this place that just opened. It's supposed to be really nice. We're going to go there. Then we thought we'd walk around the village for a while. Why? What are your plans?"
"Oh. I was just going to go out and eat with a friend."
"Would this friend's initials be LL?"
"Yeah," he said. He wasn't going to beat around the bush. "Luna didn't have a date and neither did I, so we thought we'd go as two friends. Like we did before Christmas."
"Yeah, but didn't it end up very date-like last time?"
"I don't know. I like her, but I can't date her. I can't. I don't want to risk ruining our friendship if things don't work out. Besides, after Cho last year, I don't think I'm ready for another girlfriend."
Hermione nodded. "I understand that. That's one of the reasons it took me so long to finally tell Ron the truth about how I felt."
"Looney's nothing like Cho, Harry. She's different. I don't think I've ever seen her cry."
"I have," said Harry.
Something about Harry's face kept Ron and Hermione from pressing the subject further.
Harry saw Neville looking anxiously at him. "I've got to go talk to Neville."
"Did you find out where they were going to be? I don't want to run into Ron again. He still thinks of his sister as though she's only 6. She's 15. She's allowed to date and kiss a guy if she wants. He just doesn't see that."
"They're going to that new place in Hogsmeade and then they were going to walk around afterwards."
"That Italian place?"
"I don't know. They didn't tell me what it was."
"I already made reservations," he groaned miserably.
"It sounds like it's a nice place, not the kind of place that you just sit and make out in, like Madam Puddifoots. I think you'll be okay. Try and get tables far away from each other."
"Okay. I guess you're right. So what are you going to do?"
"Luna and I are going to go out." He saw the weird look Neville gave him and amended hastily, "As friends. Like we did before Christmas. I'm going to get her some better earrings."
"That's a good idea. I've got to go. Ginny said she needed help with her Herbology." He started to leave.
"Hey, Neville?"
"Yeah?"
"Er, thanks for the advice the other night. About Luna. It helped."
He grinned. "Your welcome."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Harry woke up, sweating. He'd had a nightmare. The first one he'd had in months. He'd stopped having nightmares over Sirius almost completely except for a rare occasion now. But those were just cause be his guilt subconscious mind. This nightmare was different. He'd seen newsstands with issues of the Quibbler burning to the ground.
He fervently hoped it wasn't true.
He got dressed and stood in front of the mirror trying to comb his hair. It looked almost decent. Then he realized, if it looked like he was actually making an effort, then it might be considered a date. Two friends spending the day together didn't care what they looked like. He took the pitcher of water off the table by the window and poured it over his head. He muffled his scream behind his hand. The water was freezing.
Only Neville woke at his shout. "What's the matter, Harry? Another nightmare?"
"Yeah," he confessed, "but that's not why I screamed. Who left the window open? It's freezing."
Neville was now wide-awake and laughed at him. "Sure you're freezing, you're soaked and standing by an open window. What happened? Did Dobby try to give you a bath or something without telling you?" Neville had heard some humorous Dobby stories from Ron. He threw Harry a dirty towel off the floor for him to dry with.
"Thanks." He started with his hair. "I started to do my hair, and I didn't like it. So I undid it."
"Wow, Harry. Actually combing your hair for once? This is a historic occasion. What's happening today? Wait, a second. It's the dreaded Valentine's Day"
Neville's comment was good-natured enough, but that was exactly the response Harry had been trying to avoid. "Nothing special. I'm just going to hang out in Hogsmeade with Luna."
"Which explains everything."
"What do you mean?" he asked cautiously.
"Well, it's Luna. You made an effort to look nice. But on the other hand, it's Luna. You didn't want to have made an effort to look nice. Ergo, you made yourself look like you've been standing out in the rain for an hour."
Neville was certainly too smart for his own good. Harry's hair was nearly dry now. He threw the towel back at him and rummaged around for something else to wear. "Not exactly, but close enough."
Neville grinned. "I love being right."
Harry was glad he'd taken that job over the summer. Sure it was minimum wage, but he'd been able to afford some new clothes. He hadn't let the Dursleys know just how much he bought or how much money he made, he didn't trust them not to take it. He took out a pair of comfortable jeans, a t-shirt with the words "Didn't anybody tell you? I'm smiling just to annoy you" on it, and a black windbreaker. He'd go Muggle today. He stripped off his wet clothing and put on his Muggle clothes. They fit wonderfully.
"Very stylish I'm sure, Harr."
Harry threw his wet robes at Neville and shook his head vigorously to settle his hair back to its usual state of disorder. Perfect. "Can I borrow Ginny for a bit this morning?"
"You've got your own girl. What do you need mine for?"
"I need help picking out earrings for Luna and I trust her judgment on such things a lot more than I trust yours."
"Oh, I'm hurt." He laughed.
"I'll see you later, Nev."
"Yeah, see you later, Harry. Just make sure Ginny gets back to me on time."
"I'll do my best, but she's got a mind of her own." Laughing, he went down to the common room and was waiting when Ginny came downstairs. Neville was still trying to decide what to wear.
"Has Neville come downstairs yet?" she asked, glancing up at the stairs.
"Not yet. But I was wondering if you'd help me pick out some earrings for Luna. To go with that necklace I got her."
"Sure. As long as I'm not late for my date."
"Thanks, Gin."
"Let's go eat breakfast."
Down at the table they thoroughly discussed all options.
"Okay, so flowers and candy are out because that's too date-ish. Right?"
"Yeah. I thought we decided I was getting her earrings."
"I know we did. But I'm making sure all options are explored. What are you trying to accomplish?"
"I don't know. I want to be friends with her, and I want to stay friends. I don't know that much about her. I wish I did."
"Good goal. Find out more about her. Get to know her better. Establish these things. You want a growth in your friendship. Sounds great. I think the earrings are you best shot. They show friendship, observation of the fact that she needs new earrings, and it's not overly romantic."
"You don't think it might insult her that I think her current earrings are even worse than her old necklace?" he asked.
"Well, you sure shouldn't phrase it like that. If you do, you'll never get a girlfriend."
"I'm not looking for a girlfriend."
"I know, I know, but I'm just saying . . ."
"Come on, let's go," he said, both irritated and amused.
Once within the village, they went straight back to the jewelry shop they'd been to before.
The owner recognized them. "Back again?"
"You remember us?" asked Harry. He was a little surprised; he supposed lots of people came in the store around the holidays, there was no way he'd remember them.
"It's not everyday the Boy-Who-Lived comes into my shop. Besides, that necklace was one of a kind."
Harry sighed, "Please don't call me that, sir."
"You're not him then? But the scar, and your picture in the Prophet . . ."
"Sir, my name is Harry Potter, not the Boy-Who-Lived," his tone was icy.
He nodded. "That necklace was one of a kind. Is there anything else I can get for you and your friend?"
"We're looking for earrings to go with the necklace," said Ginny.
"Preferably stars," added Harry.
"It might help if I knew what she looked like." He glanced at Ginny.
"It's not for me," she said, blushing slightly. "Harry's practically my brother."
Harry intervened. "She's the same age as her, she's got gray-blue eyes, and dirty blonde hair. I want something that goes with her eyes."
The shopkeeper must have brought out more than a dozen pairs of earrings before Harry found what he was looking for (Harry hadn't been able to describe what he wanted, only that he'd know it when he saw it).
"This is it! If these earrings don't say Luna Lovegood, nothing does!"
"Lovegood? Hmmm . . . any relation to Abner Lovegood?"
"I don't know." He glanced at Ginny, who shrugged her shoulders. "That could be her father's name."
"Abner Lovegood owns the Quibbler."
Definitely Luna's father. "What do you mean?"
"Don't you read the prophet? After what they printed about you last summer, I suppose not. This morning's paper said that almost every newsstand that sold the Quibbler was burned to the ground last night." He added in a whisper, "Some people are saying that the ashes were left in the shape of the . . . the Dark Mark."
"But why strike out against the Quibbler?" mused Harry.
"Maybe because of your interview last year."
"Or maybe someone wants to pick off my friends, one by one."
"But You-Know-Who couldn't possibly even know you're friends with her," Ginny assured him.
Harry shook his head. "Voldemort has got enough ears in Hogwarts, and Hogsmeade too I'll bet, to find out anything he wants. Crabbe and Goyle don't look like they've got a brain cell to rub between them, but Malfoy . . . Malfoy! Luna made him look like an idiot on the train ride in. Hexed him and sent him screaming out of the compartment. That explains. Between that and the interview last year, it didn't matter that she's a pureblood, she was a marked target." Harry glanced up and saw the shopkeeper was still listening intently. Harry knew nothing about this man. He went back to business. "How much?"
The shopkeeper told him and he paid. The man wrapped the earrings in a pretty box with a ribbon around it.
"I was shocked about Luna's dad's paper," Ginny said, when they were outside the shop.
"Me too. I wonder if she knows."
"We were in there a long time," said Ginny.
"How long?"
"I'll put it this way, we've got enough time to meet our da-I mean, for me to meet my date and for you to meet Luna. But we can't dawdle."
"Okay. Thanks for all your help, Gin."
"Anytime, Harry." She waved and they parted ways.
Harry hurried to the Three Broomsticks.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Sorry to end the chapter here, but I figured it was better to put up what I've got so far and post the rest when it's written. (Soon, I promise!)