Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or Luna Lovegood, or any of the characters mentioned in this ficlet.
"Why do you do this to yourself?" Luna Lovegood asked as she crossed the Room of Requirement.
"What are you talking about?" Luna's long time boyfriend, Harry Potter, countered.
"Why do yu put yoursel through all of this pain?" Luna explained.
"I don't put myself through it, the pain just comes to me," Harry said.
"Yes, but couldn't you just ignore it?" Luna asked, concerned. It wasn't normal for Harry to be so cynicall. After six years filled with near-death encounters, it took alot for Harry to be pessimistic.
"No. No I can't Luna," Harry declared.
"And why ever not?" Luna continued. She wanted to know why Harry, the boy-who-lived, always had to save everybody.
"Because, because pain is a part of me. Without it, I wouldn't be me," Harry answered.
"Well, I find that a sad and sorrowful answer," Luna countered.
"Welcome to my life," Harry muttered.
Luna pretended that she didn't hear this. She looked at Harry again, and saw the tears that glistened in his eyes. They were the only thing that glistened in his eyes nowdays.She no longer saw the innocent glaze of a child, but Harry had lost that long ago. His eyes no longer had that gleam of happiness that tells a person that life will be okay. Harry's eyes were just dark. Dark and deep and sorrowful.
Yet, this was okay. Harry had loss so many people, his parents, Cedric, Sirius, Dumbledore, Ginny. The lack of happiness was to be expected. But Luna didn't like it. She didn't like it when people were miserable and she didn't know why. She was usually very empathetic, and it bothered her that she didn't know how her boyfriend was feeling.
"Harry," she said, walking over and giving him a hug, "Why is it a part of you?" she asked. Tears slowly built up in her own eyes as she said this, and she realized that Harry had been through somuch suffering, that just looking at him could bring most people to tears.
"Because..." Harry replied throught his tears. The tears were not cried because he had failed, no, they were shed because he had suceeded, but he succeeded after so many had died. So many people that had meant so much to Harry were gone.
"Because pain is what makes me human," Harry said as his body racked with sobs. And, as Luna thought about it, she realized that this was true. Everyone made him seem angelic, like he was some type of heavenly savior. And the pain, the grief the sorrow, they were the only things that reminded him that he is human and that he is weak.
"It's alright Harry, pain is what makes us all human."