Disclaimer: Not Jo, just Kerichi, who hopes that your Valentine's Day is less stressful than Harry's, but that you get a kiss that's nothing like Cho's, and at least as good as Luna's:D

Face Fear: Are you afraid of the dark?

Harry and Cho, Harry and Luna

Valentine's Day… The words didn't put a spring in Harry Potter's step, or a song in his heart. They twisted his stomach into knots. Somehow, he'd gone and asked Cho Chang to Hogsmeade on Valentine's Day. He hadn't meant to. It was just that she'd seemed to want to go, and he finally got the hint and asked, and now he was walking beside the Ravenclaw who he'd crushed on for so long. The village was filled with strolling couples, holding hands. Green eyes became panicked behind round glasses. Did she expect him to hold hers? He felt so awkward, reaching for her hand. The girl stopped abruptly and stared into a shop window. Harry brought his fingers up to smooth unruly black hair down. Had she noticed his lame attempt? Her sparkling black gaze was riveted by a display of dress robes. Thank Merlin, she hadn't. The girl was so pretty that he just wanted to stare at her. The Gryffindor fifth year knew he was lucky that of all the guys at Hogwarts, Cho wanted to be with him.

Those ice blue dress robes would look amazing on me. The sixth year Ravenclaw was so pleased that Harry seemed to be aware of how fortunate he was. She could've chosen to spend Valentine's Day with a dozen other boys. Instead, she honored the only one who'd been with her Cedric when… Tears shimmered. Bravely, she blinked them back. It wouldn't do to have a splotchy complexion. Turning to the teen silently admiring her beauty, Cho smiled mistily. They continued to stroll along the streets of Hogsmeade. Raindrops started flattening her hair. Her date seemed oblivious. She suggested they go grab a cup of coffee at Madam Puddifoot's.

This place reminds me of Umbridge's office…hope the frilly stuff doesn't cover creepiness here... The bow and lace bedecked tea shop brought unhappy memories to mind. Harry warily eyed the golden cupids hovering over each tiny round table. He wasn't looking forward to having pink confetti tossed at him. They sat at a table in front of the shop window. Good thing it was fogged up by all the steaming teapots. Harry didn't want to be a bloody display for passerby to gawk at. The Ravenclaw Quiddich Captain was sitting close by with his date. The Gryffindor noticed Cho watching the other couple hold hands. She dragged her gaze away to order coffee from Madam Puddifoot. Silence lengthened awkwardly. The girl offered,

"Umbridge is awful, isn't she?"

Eagerly, he agreed, and they had a good time running the 'Inquisitor' down. After that conversational gambit was exhausted, they sat smiling at each other.

"Mmmm…"

Roger Davies and his date had gone from holding hands to snogging. Harry tried to pretend that he didn't hear the…sounds… What if Cho wanted him to hold her hand and snog her? Their one kiss in the Room of Requirement was one that he didn't particularly want to re-enact. The Boy-Who-Lived tried not to remember, but it was no use…a scene flashed into mind…

"Mistletoe…"

Yeah, it was…probably full of nargles too, whatever they were, and why in the blazes was he thinking and talking about Loony Luna when Cho Chang was moving nearer… She came so close he noticed that she had a few freckles sprinkled across her perfect nose. His brain wasn't working properly. He couldn't think, couldn't move, could only see the tears shimmering on her eyelashes and rolling down her cheeks. A panicked feeling made it hard to breathe. This wasn't the way he'd imagined a first kiss.

He'd dreamt about drowning in black pools, but not once had the boy envisioned swimming in tears that poured from puffy red eyes. The perfect nose had not so perfect drops of moisture…dripping…from it. Her lips were pretty, but they were trembling with sadness, not excitement. Cho's mouth touched his. The kiss wasn't very pleasant. It was…wet… The moisture transferred from her face to his made him shudder…and not in a good way. Bizarrely, a phrase from an old Muggle movie Uncle Vernon loved- Ghostbusters- popped into his head

'She slimed me'

Impatiently waiting for Harry to snap out of the trance her loveliness had sent him into; Cho sighed and enviously watched Roger kiss that blonde who probably didn't even know that she was his second choice. He'd wanted to go with her, but the raven tressed beauty had picked Potter instead. What a bad move that was turning out to be. It was nice to be worshipped, but a little verbal appreciation would make all the soulful looks even better. Harry got a grip and then completely lost it by asking her along to go meet Granger of all people at the Broomsticks after their date. To show the boy that she too had other options; Cho told the Gryffindor that Roger had asked her out. He fumbled with the sugar bowl in surprise.

That surprise turned into callousness. All she'd done was mention that she'd been with Cedric there the year before. Couldn't Harry even spare a few moments to talk about the boy who had died at his feet…without even a word about her? Did he have to mention Quiddich? Who cared about the Tornados when she needed to express how deeply her loss had affected her? Ask questions about how her love died? Potter could talk to Granger about it, but not her? Tears of disillusionment and soul deep pain flowed. So choked up she could barely tell him off in front of an entire tea room full of avid listeners, the heartbroken girl made a dramatic exit with one, meaningful, sidelong glance at Roger before dashing out into the rain that poured like liquid sorrow.

Stunned by what had happened, Harry listened to the ironically joyful tinkling sound the door made upon closing after Chang, wondering why he'd even bothered to try his hand at romance. He was lousy at it. The boy didn't understand women. Why had Cho wanted to talk about sad things on a day that was supposed to be happy? And how could she cry so much…and why didn't she blow her nose?

Running through the cold, hard rain, he made it to the Broomsticks and chatted with Hagrid before Hermione waved him over to a table where she waited with that nosy reporter Rita Skeeter and…Luna Lovegood. The blonde was smiling dreamily at him. It made him feel bad for calling her loony. 'Mione had a great plan to have Rita get the 'real' story about You-Know-Who. Luna's father would publish it in The Quibbler. Skeeter wasn't thrilled with the idea of no pay, but a cold reminder by Granger that an unregistered Animagus got time in Azkaban made the woman get out her Quick-Quotes Quill in a hurry.

After the interview, Luna kindly offered to share her umbrella shaped like a full moon on the walk back to Hogwarts. Hermione had more shopping to do, but Harry took the girl up on the offer. People were already going to think him barmy once that story came out after the 'important' one on Crumpled-Horn-Snorkacks. Why not go for broke and be seen with Loony Lovegood? Might as well get used to being called 'Potty'…

Inside the Entry, he looked down into the girl's serene face and thought that the Ravenclaw would be pretty if she didn't wear raw radishes for earrings. Not that cooked ones would be better, but that kind of quirkiness lessened attractiveness almost as much as mucus. Grimacing at the thought of Cho's nasal discharge, Harry was startled when Luna pulled him to a halt by the dungeon stairway and said,

"Would you do me a favor?"

Well, he did owe her one for the interview. Emerald eyes looked down curiously, "What?"

Pale pink lips curved,

"I'm trying to get over a fear of the dark. If I go into a dark dungeon, and nothing bad happens, I should be cured." Ruefully, she admitted, "I just don't want to go alone."

That was rather brave of her. He'd be happy to help, "Sure, I'll come along." The smile that lit porcelain features made light blue eyes sparkle. Harry had never seen Luna look so…animated. She looked less like an otherworldly creature and more like…a girl. A pretty girl with long, blonde hair and darker blonde thick, curling eyelashes… Uncomfortable with the realization that he'd been eyeing a fourth year who wore a life-sized lion's head as a hat, Potter said brusquely, "Let's go."

Dungeon 5 was currently unused. The moment the door closed, the cold chamber was plunged into darkness. Immediately, Luna began to babble,

"This isn't so bad. Yes, its pitch black, and I can't see anything, and something could be hiding in here, waiting for me to let my guard down so that it can come and I don't know what…but, really, I'm okay…" Several ragged breathes sounded. "Harry…I'm not okay…"

Unseen, his smile flashed, "Come here, Luna…I'll distract you." The teen meant that he'd talk to her, but the girl had a different idea,

"You will? Oh Harry!"

Soft lips pressed against his in a tentative kiss. Did the loony have radar of some kind? The paralyzed- I don't know what to do so I'm just going to stand here- feeling was back. His lack of response didn't faze Lovegood. Her mouth brushed back and forth and then melded to the boy's lips. Fingers slid into his hair, holding him in place while she kissed him gently, and then with more enthusiasm. By the time she traced his lips with the tip of her tongue, Harry's was returning the kiss. The pressure was sweet, not soggy. He felt good inside instead of thoroughly miserable. Slowly, he lifted his hands to stroke down long, silky hair. When he started rubbing circles on a slender back, Luna sighed. Suddenly, he was consumed with the urge to make her moan. Parting her lips wider, he started to glide his tongue along hers and…

The door to the dungeon flung open, spilling light inside and causing the young couple to spring apart.

"What is the meaning of this, Mr. Potter?"

The cold drawl couldn't disguise malicious glee. Narrowing his eyes against the light, and at the malevolent bat curling a lip, Harry said curtly,

"Nothing…Luna wanted to overcome her fear of the dark."

Black eyes glittered in the torchlight with something the boy had never seen before. Sallow fingers waved them out of the dungeon. Luna looked at him with large eyes and red, shiny lips. Harry's attention was diverted in the corridor by the unholy sight of a brief smile flickering across the Potions Master's ugly face. Dropping his voice, the professor repeated silkily,

"Fear of the dark? How interesting. Tell me, Ms. Lovegood, why did you not share this fear with when I asked you to retrieve a pickled specimen from that Dungeon last week?"

Throwing an entreating look at Harry, she replied,

"Uhm…it comes and goes?"

A slight sneer curled thin lips,

"How convenient…return to your houses at once."

Harry's face burned. That…that loony had tricked him! She'd lured him down to the dungeon on false pretences. The only thing she'd wanted was…him… Once they'd returned to the main corridor, the pink cheeked girl said in a small voice,

"Happy Valentine's Day, Harry."

He stared at the slender back moving toward Ravenclaw House. Incredulous, he called, "Aren't you going to say that you're sorry?" Stopping, Luna half turned and gave him a Mona Lisa smile.

"No…because I'm not sorry." Waggling her fingers, the girl drifted off. Harry watched her go, feeling gobsmacked. Lips that had experienced what a kiss should be twitched. Ron called his name. He pivoted to see his best mate hurrying toward him. With a pat on the shoulder as they returned to Gryffindor House, the red-head sympathized,

"It's all over school, your…incident…with Cho in the tea shop. I'm sorry…"

A hand raised to trace his upturned lips, Harry replied musingly, "Don't be…I'm not." Grinning over Ron's confusion, the black-haired boy challenged his mate to a game of wizard's chess. He gave the password to The Fat Lady and reflected that this was the first time he'd said it with quite as much conviction,

"Amor vincit omnia"