Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.
Sorry it's been so long since I updated. I had trouble thinking of something romantic for Luna and Harry. I've got it now. I think.
As a reminder, PLEASE keep all reviews PG. I deleted it, but somebody sent me a review with some extremely naughty words that I found highly offensive. This story is PG so I would like the reviews to remain the same.
Replies:
Summer—Thanks.
Crunchyhead—I know, I know, cruel to leave Luna upset but it had to be done.
Panuru4u—Harry knows some stuff about him because of the Legilimency but he doesn't really understand him as a person (Harry can be a little think sometimes).
BabyBoy7—The next chapter is up now. Thanks.
Dnd4ever—Thanks
Hrei-siesn—Yes, poor Luna. *sniffle*
Katie Lupin Black—I have that problem all the time. Thanks.
Oxi-Nu—Thanks, hehe.
Jbfritz—Thanks
Phoenixdreams—Thanks, I was worried the story was getting too romance-y (then again it might be after this chapter) but I've got some plans for other stuff in the story coming up.
Angus Hardie—Thanks. :-)
Caepan—Thanks. I had trouble with Ravenclaws so I really appreciate your saying that. The only Ravenclaws JKR lets us really know are Cho (who I find whiny) and Luna who's really spacey (but we love her anyway)
AthenaKitty—Yes he interviews likely candidates. No, some of the non-Gryffindors don't know Nearly-Headless-Nick's true name. The only Slytherin so far is Muriel. Yes, Harry wants Zach to grow up. Luna is far more than a bit upset.
Creative Deficit (Laura)—hehe. I had to find some way to summarize everything he was thinking and I thought "Luna" said it best. Harry might disagree…
BlackBishop—Thanks. Will Harry and Luna recover? Wait and see in this chapter. The last chapter took place on March 27th I believe.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
CHAPTER 61: Big Heart
He'd spent all night on top of the astronomy tower, thinking. What was love? Love was…well, he didn't know. That thought was with him for the first hour and a half. An hour and a half's pondering led him to the belief that love was caring about somebody. But he knew it was more than that. He pondered hour after hour. Love was trusting someone completely. Love was knowing you'd be there for someone and knowing they'd before there for you. Love was having no secrets. Love was knowing that you needed them as much as they needed you. Love was caring about somebody more than you cared about yourself, and being sure that you'd do anything for them, because to you, they were more important than the world. That's what love was.
Love was what he felt for Luna Lovegood. Love was Luna Lovegood. Plain and simple. He loved Luna. The way she made him laugh. The way she made him cry. The way she got him to talk about things that he wouldn't talk to anyone about (Sirius, the Dursleys, everything!). The way she comforted him. The way she knew how to make everything better. She completed him. Love was one word, and that word was Luna.
Her very essence was love. She was fiercely loyal. She believed nearly anything. She was trustworthy. She was a good person, and more full of sweetness and innocence than anyone he had ever met. And he loved her for all those reasons and more. He loved her for the way she didn't care about what other people thought of her. He loved her for her open mind. He loved her for the mask she wore to confuse people. He loved her for the games she played. He loved her for the sureness she had deep down in the roots of her soul, where she believed everything would be all right. He loved her for having hope when he had none. He loved her with all of his being.
Now came the biggest problem: how was he going to tell her?
Terry had told him to think with that big Gryffindor heart of his and show it in a big way. Well, he'd have to prove to Luna. In a big way. What would he do? Put a banner in the great hall declaring his undying love?
His lips curved in a smile as he started to get an idea.
He stayed up there until about fifteen minutes before classes started. Then, not caring about his disheveled appearance (he was still damp from the rain that night) and not bothering to try and snag some breakfast, he went to class. He used the excuse that he'd fallen asleep in the common room the night before doing homework and that he'd woken only just in time to get to class. The Gryffindor students, having not seen him on their way down to breakfast, knew this was a lie but said nothing. They looked at Harry and recognized the crazy glint in his eye. He was up to something. While the other students (most of them, anyway) wrote their notes, Harry scribbled down parts of his plan.
Harry, missing breakfast and spending dinner in the library, didn't realize that Luna had avoided him all day.
"Harry, what's come over you?" asked Hermione, gasping as she ran into the library and collapsed at the table where he was scribbling furiously again.
"I'm busy."
"With what?"
"I've got to tell Luna how I feel."
"Tell her how you feel? You've been dating for months now."
"I'm going to tell her how I really feel."
Hermione's eyes widened. "You're going to tell her that you l—"
"Ssh! Yes. I am. She's mad at me and I'm trying to figure out the best way to tell her. I want it to be really romantic. And I want the whole school to know it."
"Wow." She wished Ron would do something like that. But Ron was too daft. She thought he tried to say, "I love you" once before, but he ended up saying "I love y—broccoli" and storming out of the room. But then again, Harry was nearly as daft as Ron. What had given him the idea for any of this? "What gave you the idea of going all out like this?" she asked, looking at the papers.
"Terry."
"That Ravenclaw from the D.A.?"
"Yeah. I was talking to him last night."
"Ron says you didn't come back to the room all night and I know for a fact that those are the robes you wore yesterday." She sniffed. "You smell like you haven't showered and have been sitting out in the rain. I know you weren't at breakfast. Where were you?"
"The astronomy tower. It rained."
"What were you doing there?"
"Thinking about love, Hermione. Haven't you listened to a word I've said? I was sitting up there all night trying to figure out what love is. I couldn't very well tell her if I didn't know. That'd be cheating. So I had to figure it out. And now I have!" he crowed triumphantly.
Madam Pince glared at him to be quiet.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Harry's plans would be ready by Saturday (it being Friday now, the day after he'd spoken with Hermione in the library). Their Occlumency lessons were that night. Harry went, but Luna wasn't there. He suddenly realized she was avoiding him.
That wouldn't do at all. How could he tell her how he felt tomorrow if she avoided him? He'd just have to make sure there'd be no way for her to miss his words.
After the Occlumency meeting, Harry went back to his preparations. He paid a visit down to the kitchen. He needed to ask a certain house-elf for a favor.
"But, Harry Potter, sir! Dobby will get in trouble."
"Dobby, please."
"Harry Potter is looking at Dobby with very sad eyes. Dobby can't say no, but Dobby will get in trouble for this!"
"Don't worry about it, Dobby. I'll take all the blame." With that settled, Harry went in search of a certain Ravenclaw. He found said Ravenclaw in the library (well where else would you find a Ravenclaw?).
"I need to talk to you."
"Sit."
"Could we take this outside? I don't want anybody to hear me yet."
The Ravenclaw shrugged and Harry led the way outside to the lake.
"What was so important that we had to come all the way out here?"
"I need you to do me a favor."
"What is it?" Ravenclaws, being smart, knew not to agree to something without knowing what they were agreeing to. This one was no different.
"I need you to kidnap her."
"What? Are you off your rocker?"
"No, just in love. And I need your help. You told me that I had to show it in a big way. Well I've got it, but I need your help."
"How would my kidnapping her help?" asked Terry.
"Well, you can get in the Ravenclaw common room. I can't. So unless you'll oblige me with the password, I have no way to get in."
"I already told you, Potter, I'm not giving you the password."
"I know that, that's why I need you to kidnap her for me."
"I'm a pretty smart guy, but you're not making sense. Start at the beginning."
"I love her. I want to prove I love her."
"By kidnapping her?" Terry asked.
"Yes, well, no. I mean, I don't know. See here's my plan…" he started to explain.
Terry listened and nodded. "It's risky, but I think it might work. Who else is in on this?"
"Well, there's a house-elf and Hermione. I'm going to ask her to take care of part of the set up for me."
"You've got guts to match your heart, Harry, I'll give you that much."
Harry smiled. "So you'll go after her tomorrow for me?"
"Yes, yes, if she hexes me…"
"Terry, I'm pretty sure you can take her." Harry wasn't at all sure that anybody was a match for Luna. She was good. She was very good.
"Okay. Tomorrow." He turned to leave and paused, "How did you get one of those anyway?"
"Inherited it."
Terry nodded.
"You won't tell anyone about it, will you?"
"No. You can trust me." He walked away.
Harry went and finished making his plans with Hermione and Hagird. Everything was set and ready for tomorrow.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Harry waited anxiously for dinnertime to come. He thought it might never come. He'd given the cloak to Terry earlier. Terry had specific instructions to discretely delay Luna's going to dinner until everyone else was out of the common room, and then to kidnap her by whatever means necessary.
Harry waited nervously under the tree out by the lake. Everything was set.
He saw a figure approaching in the dying light. It had come out of nowhere. As the person drew closer, Harry recognized it as Terry Boot, carrying Luna Lovegood on his shoulder. Her ankles and wrists were tied. Terry approached the tree.
"I had to put a mute spell on her."
"Why is she tied up?"
"I took her wand, but I could have sworn she was still doing magic anyway. Stopping her hands seemed to help."
"Okay, thanks, Terry."
"You're welcome." He went and gently dropped Luna onto the blanket on the ground. "Here's your cloak back.'
"Thanks."
Terry handed him Luna's wand and walked off to dinner.
Harry sat down next to her on the blanket. He preformed the counter-spell on the mute charm.
"You've been avoiding me," he said simply.
"You just kidnapped me," she replied evenly.
"That's not strictly true. I had a friend kidnap you." He opened a bottle of butterbeer and gave it to her after untying her wrists.
She raised her eyebrows. Where was he going with this?
"Chicken?" He passed her a plate. He found himself oddly calm. "I've been thinking a lot about what you said on Wednesday and I have to tell you why I didn't say anything to you that day. You know what my life's been like, don't you?"
She nodded.
"Love. I haven't known love, Luna. I didn't know what it was. My parents loved me, I'm sure, but I don't remember. Nothing. Nothing at all. My aunt, my uncle, and my cousin: they don't love me. I knew that. I've always known that. For 10 years I sat in a broom cupboard under the stairs not knowing what love was. Not knowing friendship or trust or faith. None of it, Luna. These emotions were hard for me. I came here and I made friends and I just barely started to understand. Six years later, and how much did I really comprehend until two days ago?" he spoke softly. "I spent all that night on top of the astronomy tower, in the rain, trying to decide just what the heck love was, because I sure didn't know. I meditated on it for hours. You see, I couldn't tell you, until I knew, because that wouldn't be fair for either of us."
She took a bite of her chicken and swig of her Butterbeer, keeping eye contact with him all the while.
"So, I hope you'll forgive me for not saying it back to you on Wednesday. But I needed some time to think. Some time alone in order to really understand things. You can't really know or understand or love somebody until you know and understand and love yourself. Thanks to you, I do. Talking to you makes me feel really free and this is year I've finally started to understand myself a little. As far love, I explained that. I didn't know love. I wasn't even happy with myself; I was…guilty. My parents. Cedric. Sirius. You haven't been able to completely make it go away, but it's so much better now. I love you, Luna Lovegood. I love your laugh. I love your smile. I love the way you make me feel. I love the way you believe everything and anything. I love everything about you. I love you, Luna."
Rather than respond with words, Luna leaned in and kissed him. She kissed him for quite some time.
When they stopped kissing, Luna started to speak. "I understand completely, Harry, and I'm glad. I ignored you because I was hurt. I knew for certain that I loved you a while ago. I was just a little hurt that you didn't recognize it. But after thinking it over, I realized that you needed time and I reconciled myself to that. I'd rather wait a 100 years and be sure that you loved me and understood, rather than to just have you say it because I did. I love you." She put her head on his shoulder.
They finished eating. With Hermione's help, Harry had set a romantic dinner and candles out here.
"I got you a present," he said.
"You did?"
"Yes."
"What is it?"
"Well, I wanted to get you a crumple-horned snorkack, but I didn't have time to go to Sweden and I don't think the school rules would allow one to stay in your dormitory." Harry pulled a box out from behind the tree. "This is for you."
Luna opened the box (which was blue with a yellow moon on the outside). A furry black something with a blue bow around his neck jumped into her arms.
"She's so precious!" she laughed, hugging the kitten to her.
Luna kissed Harry and hugged the kitten to her again.
Harry smiled. That kitten had been hard to find, but with Hagrid help, he'd tracked down exactly what he wanted. On the kitten's chest was a white crescent moon shape. The kitten was as friendly as could be and had been staying with Hagrid the last day or so.
"What are you going to name her?"
"I'm going to name her Artemis."
Harry smiled. "I've got another surprise for you."
"Another one?"
"Yes." He led her up to the castle and into the great hall. She still clutched the kitten. They entered the hall and as they entered, hundreds of voices said, "Harry loves Luna, Harry loves Luna, Harry loves Luna" repeatedly. All the voices sounded like Harry. Harry had bewitched the silverware. Now everyone knew. Harry sat Luna down at the Gryffindor table and grinned. They weren't hungry but they sat there with Ron and Hermione, and Neville and Ginny.
After dinner, Harry walked Luna back to Ravenclaw house and said goodnight. As Luna went inside, Terry came out. "Excellent job, Harry." He grinned.
"Thanks."
"But some of the guys are a little upset. Now they're afraid nothing they do will seem romantic."
"That's just too bad for them." Harry smiled. "I've got to go clean up all the stuff I left outside during dinner."
"Watch your back, some of them are pretty upset."
"Thanks for the warning."
"Anytime." Terry went back inside.
Harry went outside and picked up his cloak (which he'd hidden under the blanket before they'd left earlier). He cleaned everything up and was just starting back to the castle when he saw a group of boys in the distance. He took this as a warning sign and put on his invisibility cloak.
He heard mutters of, "That Potter!" and went back to Gryffindor Tower and his dormitory without running into anyone else for the night. He grinned. Life was good.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Thanks. I hope you review and keep reading! Sorry if this chapter was bit odd, I had some trouble cleaning up the mess the last chapter left me.