Disclaimer: Nope, I don't own Harry Potter or Luna Lovegood. I don't own Hogwarts and I don't own anything that has to do with magic. If I had a mind as creative as that then I wouldn't be wasting my time writing fanfictions.
Harry Potter had already come to terms that Luna Lovegood was more than a little bit mental. He understood that now. At first, when he had met her on the Hogwarts Express, he thought 'Looney Lovegood' was just a jeering nickname, designed only to hurt the dirty blonde female. Even when Harry saw her reading The Quibbler, he thought she was normal. Normalcy didn't even exist in that girl. Perhaps that's why the seventeen year old wizard was so attracted to her. Not attracted to her in the sense that he developed feelings of intimacy towards her, but attracted to her by the means of friendship. Something about her peculiar tendencies and strange quirks intrigued Harry.
Maybe that was why he found himself following her on this cold December night. Luna Lovegood, the Ravenclaw that was always one of the Slytherins favorite tormenting targets, was wandering outside in her nightgown. Her nightgown. The temperature was frigid, the ground covered in a light layer of frost, and snow was slowly falling from the sky. Luna seemed completely oblivious to those factors, however.
Harry first spotted her while up in the Astronomy Tower, the place where he always went for his late night walk. Going back to Hogwarts for his seventh year had been Mrs. Weasley's and Professor McGonagall's idea. They deemed it wiser to stay at the school, where he would be watched over, then out all over England. After the holidays Harry would leave, with Ron and Hermione by his side, to search for the Horcruxes. That was the deal that the Order had made at their last meeting right before the new semester had started. Late night walks had become quite the routine for the young wizard.
And every night, come rain, sleet, or snow, Luna Lovegood would be prancing about, in anything but appropriate attire. Harry usually took to watching her from his place on the Astronomy Tower, half admiringly and half annoyed. There was a bloody war raging on in the Wizarding World, and here Lovegood was, spinning about like she had nothing at all to worry about; as if her mind was completely at ease. From the looks of her, no one would think that at any minute one of Voldemort's Death Eaters could jump out and kill her without batting an eyelash. No one would think that her father had been captured, and was being tortured for his publication of his newspaper. No one would think that she had witnessed her mother's death all those years ago. Not by looking at her, that is.
Harry was simply perplexed by the sixteen year old. If she was supposedly so intelligent, as proved by the house she was sorted into, then why was she just having herself a merry old time? Clearly she had to have something the matter with her. He finally understood what the nickname 'Looney' Luna Lovegood meant. Of course Harry himself would never call her that, in fear of hurting his friend's feelings. Somewhere deep inside of Luna, her feelings had to have been hiding. She seemed blind and deaf to all of the insults and mocking that whirled around her everywhere she went. But then again, maybe she just didn't care. Harry contemplated that theory on many nights while he stood there, watching her intently. Students played horrible stunts on her, but she never seemed to mind. Sure, she never exactly came out and said that she didn't care, but the witch was just so calm when faced with offense.
The more Harry thought about her crazy behavior, the angrier he became. He wanted to go down to where she was standing, and shake some sense into her. He wanted more than anything to ask her what she thought she was doing, going outside all by herself at night. He wanted to tell her to put on warmer clothes, so she wouldn't catch pneumonia, or some other illness that could damage her health. Harry never did though. He wanted to, but night after night, he was merely a spectator. Sometimes he imagined that she was putting on a show. Not a show, exactly, but some kind of spectacle. On occasion Harry even believed that she felt him watching her, but that would have been next to impossible. He always kept himself in the shadows, and if Luna happened to look up at the tower, she would see a simple dot of a figure standing there. Surely she wouldn't be able to tell it was Harry who was so addicted to watching her every move at night.
Tonight, as Harry watched Luna spin around and around, her eyes staring up at the winter sky, he decided to follow her. It was a thought that floated in his mind multiple times, but never actually became reality. Something about her presence tonight made him do it. Their friendship over the summer had become a strong one. They weren't as close as he was to Ron and Hermione, because no one could possibly understand him like his two best friends did. Their relationship wasn't even as close as his and Ginny's. It was more of a relaxed one, where the two took comfort in each other without saying a word. Luna understood people, something that Harry claimed he would never be able to do. Understanding people was difficult; he learned that with Cho in his fifth year. Reading people's emotions, as Luna did so very well, was even harder. That was what Harry really admired about her.
Harry, with his breath held and his hands jammed into his pockets, found himself subconsciously making his over to Luna. He kept himself at a fair distance, afraid of startling her. He stayed back, hiding himself behind trees, shrubs, and shadows, feeling more like a spy than a friend. He didn't know why he was so anxious to approach her. There was no reason he should be. But he felt like an intruder. After watching her behavior for the past few weeks, he got the impression that her time outside was 'Luna time'. He didn't want to interrupt her, but his ever-growing curiosity was getting the better of him.
The closer he approached, the more he became mystified. There really weren't any words Harry could use to give her appearance any justice. She looked beautiful, but not so much that it was clear to anyone who chose to give her a passing glance. Her beauty was buried inside of her, making someone work hard to discover the pure wonder of her being. He never really felt so drawn to someone before; never felt so connected without the acknowledge of a presence.
The way the moon was shining on her reflected every ounce of beauty she could own up to. Her hair hung down below her shoulders freely, in long wavy tendrils. The moonlight made her dirty blonde hair look lighter than it really was. Her milky pale skin stood out brilliantly, making all of her facial features more charming to look at. Harry couldn't help but marvel at all her, even though he felt a strong tug in the back of his mind telling him that it wasn't right. Every time she whirled around, her hair would fly into a state of disarray, and fall back into place, a bit more messily. Harry couldn't help but think that he never saw someone look so gorgeous. Even though his feelings for his loony friend were simply platonic, any fool would have to be blind if they didn't notice the natural glow about her.
As Harry moved from his position behind a tree, to behind a small bush close to the building, he heard her humming softly. The sound was angelic, unlike anything he had ever heard before. It was nothing like the wailing of the Weasley twins when they attempted to sing or chant. It was nothing like Mrs. Weasley's voice when she sung to make her busy work go by a bit more cheerfully. No, Luna's voice carried so much emotion. Her song wasn't one derived from boredom or happiness. It was one created from her heart, that was lovely even without words. The tone itself was so unusual, just like the girl who hummed it graciously. Harry found himself closing his eyes, to take the musical delight for all it was worth. It lulled Harry, made him forget his troubles and woes, even if it was just for a few seconds.
The humming died down all too soon for Harry's liking, but he kept quiet still, his eyes reopening, to look back at the wondrous display in front of him. Replacing the humming sound, was the tinkling sound of laughter, as Luna closed her eyes, and opened her mouth. She stood like that for minutes, before she made any other movement. Harry had no idea what she was doing. He couldn't even begin to guess if he tried. That is, until she turned in his direction and he saw snow flakes laced into her hair and wet marks tracing their way down her cheeks.
At first Harry thought that she had cried, which would have put the boy in a slightly awkward position. But to his relief, he realized it was just snow. Silly Luna had opened her mouth and caught snowflakes. The gesture was so childish, but so refreshing, that it brought a sloppy grin on the Gryffindor's face.
"Hello Harry." Luna's voice rang out softly, breaking the momentary silence that had enveloped the two. She didn't seemed perturbed by his company one bit; nor did she seem distressed that he had witnessed her nightly escapade.
Harry was a bit taken aback when she addressed him. He thought that he had been well concealed so she wouldn't have noticed him. Then again, Luna always had a knack for knowing when someone was watching her.
"Er… hi." Harry stated, a bit too nervously. A gentle blush had crawled up onto his cheeks, and his emerald eyes were full of embarrassment. Luna just looked over at him, and chuckled good-naturedly. She took a few strides forward, so she was only an arm length away from Harry, before tilting her head to the side.
"I was wondering when you would finally come down from that tower." Her voice had that airy gist that it usually contained, but Harry found it far from disconcerting at the moment. The blush only grew a bit deeper, and he moved his attention from her face, to the ground.
Seeing that she embarrassed him further, Luna sighed, and licked her lips carefully. It appeared that she was deep in thought about something. For a few minutes she kept silent, as did Harry. Except this silence was nothing like the tranquil one that the two were used to when in the presence of each other.
"I see you out here all the time, you know." Harry finally found his voice, even if he did seem a bit tense as he spoke up.
"I know." Came the simple reply, as Luna smiled up at him.
"Well… er… why? Why do you do it?" The question had tumbled out of his mouth before he had a chance to restrain himself. His intention wasn't to go and start bombarding the girl with his own questions. At least, he didn't think that it was his intention. He just craved to understand her for reasons even he did not know.
"Why do I do what?" The question was meant to deter him, send him off track and distract him. Pointed questions such as these weren't exactly a favorite of Luna's. Her voice, however, was still soft, holding its usual kindness.
"Come out here, night after night, all by yourself?" The firmness in Harry's voice returned, and he was his usual confident self. He took no notice of the lack of comfort Luna was feeling towards where the conversation was heading.
"To get away, Harry." The reply wasn't stated softly, nor with shame or humiliation. It wasn't declared in Luna's usual wistful, distracted manner. The answer was direct and held a bit of anger behind it.
"To get away from what, exactly?" Harry prodded, half regretting it once the words left his lips. He realized it wasn't really any of his business. What Luna did in her free time was her own personal business.
"To get away from everything; the war, the callousness, the lack of sympathy…"
Harry squinted his eyes, and stared up into Luna's. Replacing the pensive look that they usually acquired, there was pain. That's when Harry realized that reading someone's emotions wasn't exactly as hard as he judged it to be. He had never bothered to recognize what was hidden under Luna's mask. Harry never really considered her emotions. Of course he did the basics, as all friends do. He stuck up for her if a couple of prats were insulting her, and he was always there to aid Luna if ever she needed him. How Luna felt about things, was an entirely different story.
Seeing the confusion written all over the raven haired boy's face, Luna closed her eyes. Her forehead wrinkled, and her eyebrows furrowed. "Everyone has their ghosts, Harry. Some people just hide them better than others."
Harry let out a breath he hadn't realized he was holding and ran a hand through his messy hair. The response to that one would be tricky. Actually, now that he thought about it, the conversation was the first serious one that they had ever had. Usually Luna just waved off any topic concerning grave matters, and came up with some witty, ridiculous reply.
"People don't think I realize what they say about me. I'm not an imbecile. I know very well what they think of me. I don't mind much, though. Mother never minded what people thought of her. Father didn't either. I suppose that's why he started The Quibbler." Her voice faded off, as the memories of her mother came flooding back to her.
"I'm sorry Luna." Harry whispered tenderly, looking at Luna's pained expression.
"You have nothing to be sorry about. You have only been a friend to me, Harry. I appreciate that."
"Luna…" He looked at her, sympathy written all over his face, but was hushed with a wave of the girl's pale hand.
"It doesn't matter."
"But Luna…" She shook her head fiercely and forced a smile onto her face.
"Look, Harry!" Luna managed to keep him quiet once again, as she pointed to the moon. Harry's eyes followed her hand, and he too looked up at the sky.
"It's a full moon!" She exclaimed, almost giddy with excitement.
"Yes…" Harry stated, giving her a strange look to question her new found happiness.
"Let's go!" It only took a moment for Luna to grab Harry's hand and drag him over to some shrubbery on the other side of the lake.
"What are we doing? Maybe we should get back inside. It is getting late. It's cold out too. Wouldn't want to catch a cold, now would we?"
Luna acted like she hadn't heard a word Harry said. She squatted down close to the ground, and looked hurriedly around her. It was as if she was searching for something. Harry's eyebrows rose in puzzlement as he watched the younger girl search the ground endlessly.
"Aha!" She proclaimed after a good five minutes. With much excitement, she waved her finger towards the ground, and pulled Harry down with her.
As soon as he was eye level with Luna, Harry noticed a silvery-gray creature, dancing animatedly. Its large feet left a trail behind it as it scurried along. A laugh erupted from Luna's mouth, causing Harry to smile.
"What was that?" He asked, nodding in the direction the creature went off in.
"A mooncalf! My father wrote an article about them once. They're really marvelous creatures." She looked longingly in the direction the creature went off in. It had been no bigger than a porcupine, but was terribly entertaining.
"Well then, I should get off to bed." Luna nodded at Harry quickly, and turned away in the direction of the castle. "'Night Harry." She called back, in her sing-song voice that Harry had grown used to over the past few years.
"Goodnight Luna." His voice was soft, and he took one more glance in the creature's direction, before he headed off to the castle himself.
Then he realized something. He would never understand Luna Lovegood; but that was alright with him.
Please review. This was a silly little one-shot that I wrote one night due to my inability to fall asleep. : )
I was debating on writing other chapters to go along with it. Feedback from wonderful readers like you would be very much appreciated.
- Muriel