Written for:
Ultimate Battle: (Semi-Special) Golden Full-Set (Equip Effect: Ignore all Style dmg.) - price: 1200 words, Luna Lovegood paired with any MALE character
Bad Movie Tuesday: "Not brave. Foolish."
So - this is my first Luna one-shot (I've a couple of very short drabbles) and I hope I've got her as in-character as I think I have. :)
Changes
Luna Lovegood had never been asked anywhere, or to do anything before - not to Hogsmeade, not to join a study group and certainly not on a date. She had resigned herself to being an outcast - someone with the brains but not the personality to be in Ravenclaw.
After all, it wasn't like she could change houses, so she had resigned herself to just accepting that things weren't going to change for her. After all, she was in Hogwarts and she was learning magic from the amazing (with the exception of some of the DADA) Professors.
She hadn't expected to somehow become friends with Harry Potter, but it suddenly happened, and things changed drastically for her. For the first time in forever, she had friends and that made all the difference.
The bullies still took her stuff, but it bothered her less than before, because she wasn't so alone. Harry stood up for her, Ginny filled her in with the latest gossip, Neville helped her with Herbology (her weak point), Ron would save her pudding when her housemates took the last from the table, and Hermione would eagerly discuss Ancient Runes with her.
It was a strange concept. At first, they had all looked at her strangely, but once she had joined the DA, things had begun to change. She had thought they were joking the first time the group had invited her to Hogsmeade with them. Once assured that they really wanted her to come with them, Luna had quietly observed the people that wanted to spend time with her.
Hermione had been the hardest to bond with. Harry had understood her more than the others, knowing the pain of losing someone close to him. He seemed to warm to the way she didn't care about his name or status as the Boy-Who-Lived, instead, treating him like he was the same as the others. In Luna's eyes, he was the same as the others who were befriending her.
He liked the way that she didn't change herself to fit what other people wanted or expected of her, no matter how much their behaviour or unkind words hurt her. She knew that Harry wanted to be able to do the same and be his own person, but with the constant attention on him and the unreasonable expectations, he wasn't able to do so. He had to be the Boy-Who-Lived - the one people expected to see.
Maybe that was why Harry seemed to seek her out so often - he didn't expect anything from Luna apart from friendship and companionship, and she expected only the same from him.
With Hermione, she looked at Luna the same way the Ravenclaws did. She looked at Luna as though Luna were insane. But Hermione wasn't a Ravenclaw - she wasn't like her housemates, even if she had worn the same expression.
Hermione had a compassion that her housemates lacked - where she didn't understand Luna, she still tried to find some way to see past that, and the way past was the fact that Luna loved to learn.
Once they had covered the subject of creatures such as Nargles, and moved onto Ancient Runes and their theories on it, Hermione had completely opened up, as though she was glad to have someone to discuss the subject with.
...oOo…
Things changed the most for Luna after joining the DA. Even though the huge change in her life now was having friends, the difference in studying with others made her so extremely happy.
Leaning spells with the DA, where they all supported each other, and were happy for each other with each correctly cast spell. She wasn't ignored, forgotten or taunted - rather she thrived under the attention, feeling that she wasn't as useless as she had once thought.
Learning as a group, she found, was much more fun than learning alone.
...oOo...
Concern was another new thing to Luna. Sure, her father was concerned that the Nargles were swarming around her sometimes, or that she was eating well - the general concerns a loving parent would have - and the Professors shot her concerned looks when she talked about her magical creatures, or when she turned up with no shoes on because they had gone missing,, but Harry was concerned that she would get hurt should she go with him to the Ministry to save his godfather. He was trying to get her to stay behind to protect her.
It was a wonderful feeling that someone outside of her family cared that much about her, and it was clear that the others in the group felt the same way about her, though no-one was willing to get left behind.
Luna found it to be an unnecessary worry, since she knew she was heading to the Ministry. She may not have been a Gryffindor, but she felt more like one than she had ever felt like a Ravenclaw. She was as loyal as the Gryffindors.
Harry just had this way about him that made her want to offer her unconditional loyalty to him. She managed to restrain herself.
Even though she talked about Nargles and other creatures, she knew this would have been one of the oddest things she'd have said to Harry.
...oOo…
Over that following Summer, things changed again for Luna. Friends - concerned, caring friends. Ones that wrote to her and made her Summer better. She had even stopped over at the Weasleys' house for dinner a couple of times over the holiday.
But what had changed were her feelings. What had been a good friendship had tricked Luna by turning into something new and exciting, but odd and worrying.
She just knew by the way her heart pounded each time she saw the familiar white owl flying towards her window, or heard a sound at her window and realised it was Harry's owl, that things had changed yet again.
Until that point, she had embraced change because change had brought her friends, change had made her accepted and cared for.
But now change was complicating things for her, and for the first time, Luna was at a complete loss on what to do about the situation.
After a lot of thinking, Luna decided to do nothing. She wasn't about to make her feelings know, especially with Ginny's constant talk of Harry, even though she was dating someone else, and Harry's pining over Ginny.
"So… I've been invited to Slughorn's party, and… do you want to go?"
Luna took a moment to collect herself at the request, reminding herself that Harry wanted nothing more than to date Ginny, and Ginny was on the same chapter as Harry, but a different page.
They both wanted to date each other, but they hadn't reached the end of the chapter: when the hero got the girl.
Luna understood that she wasn't that girl, and knew that Harry was only asking her as a friend, but she was flattered that she had been asked.
After all, it wasn't often that Luna was considered for anything like this.
"Sure," she replied softly. "It'll be fun."
Because she knew it would be - and she would take any time with Harry that she could get.
Luna held no delusions over things with Harry. She had picked a dress that she felt expressed herself, rather than what her roommates thought was a more appropriate dress, having thought they had to give their input after finding out that she was attending Slughorn's party with Harry Potter.
She didn't care about their input into the matter, instead choosing something she had made herself, but never worn before. The girls in the room weren't her friends after all, so why should they suddenly feel the need to tell her what would be 'right' or 'wrong' to wear?
The night had gone quite well. She had danced with Harry a few times, amused that he had been hiding from Slughorn, who seemed to want to show him around. Hermione was playing the same game with Cormac, having asked him to upset Ron.
Though Luna was confused as to why Hermione was after Ron. Anyone could see that the pair could never work. She wondered if it was just an attachment and Hermione felt threatened by Lavender and had herself confused, because Hermione didn't have the aura of somebody in love, and neither did Ron.
Though when Hermione was around Neville, she could see the change in two auras, though neither of them were aware. Well, Hermione clearly wasn't. She wasn't sure about Neville, as he appeared to be quite open, but was also very good at hiding these things.
Luna didn't get involved though. She decided if one of them talked to her about it, she'd say something, or give them some sort of nudge or something.
In between his stalking of Draco Malfoy, Luna managed to actually get a dance with Harry, though it was quite awkward as eyes were on him. Luna had insisted she didn't need to dance, but Harry seemed determined that he make up for disappearing from the party.
Once finished, he walked her back to her Common Room, placing a shy kiss onto her cheek. One that she would never forget the warmth of. He waited as she answered the riddle, before heading inside. She gave him a last wave before the entrance closed, separating them.
The night had been amazing, but she only wished that Harry was hers.
...oOo…
Luna had been sitting in the cellars of the Malfoy Manor for longer than she could even think. Dean Thomas had joined her, Griphook the Goblin was there, and Ollivander.
Though she was respectful to the older too, she stuck to Dean, and Dean to her. They were close to the same age, and had a common friend to bond over: Harry.
She would curl up in Dean's arms at night, feeling safe. There was no romantic spark, or anything more than a desperate need for a friend. Dean had Seamus after all, and Luna had Harry.
Though Dean seemed to be in the exact same boat as her, and maybe he knew, and that's why he felt as though he could understand her - because when you can relate to somebody, then you realise that you can't be that much different.
But months of being there was worth it when she saw the familiar green eyes and dark hair and realised that Harry was there. She was sad that he had been captured, but excited at the prospect of seeing him again.
Dean, standing behind her, gave her a nudge in his direction and she smiled softly at him. She turned back, briefly sensing a hint of jealousy in Harry's expression, before it turned to one of concern.
"Luna, what are you doing here?"
...oOo…
"So what I'm saying is that you and Dean… wouldn't work," Harry finished.
Luna stared at him for a moment, processing his words. He had talked for a while, but she couldn't work out exactly what he was going on about - not until the last words.
"Work? You mean like… dating?" Luna asked.
Harry nodded.
"Of course we wouldn't," Luna said. "Dean is in love with Seamus."
"No. He's -"
"Harry. He told me himself," Luna replied with a soft smile. "But me and Dean bonded whilst in the Malfoy cellars. We were there for a while. I trust him."
"Just… just don't let him make a move on you," Harry said.
Luna nodded, amused. Her eyes weren't on Harry, but more on his aura which was a confusing mix of colours.
But in those colours, was the one that he used to have when talking to Ginny. Though when the conversation turned to her, his aura had remained blank.
Luna didn't dare hope for anything.
...oOo…
"You know, Harry turned Ginny down the other day," Hermione said, once Harry had left the table.
The other occupants of the table continued to eat, pretending not to be listening in on the conversation.
"I thought as much," Luna calmly replied, gently sticking her fork into one of the smaller roast potatoes and popping it into her mouth.
"He left her because he didn't want to get hurt, but I did wonder at the time whether his heart wasn't quite in it when it came to Ginny. Maybe he loved her in his own way, but… maybe it was also that she was convenient to be his girlfriend."
"Like you and Ron?" Luna asked, having swallowed the food in her mouth.
Hermione nodded. "I suppose," she replied.
"Princess, what Hermione is tactfully trying to say, is that we know that Harry is interested in you, but he's quite oblivious to these things - after all, Ginny was clearly obsessed with him since the moment she knew who he was, and the others throw themselves at him - he has no idea what you feel for him."
"Oh. I'll talk to him… when Hermione admits to the person she's liked for a while, how she feels. He returns the feelings."
There was a long silence around the table, before Remus chuckled. "I think Luna has been right so many times, you may just have to do that, Hermione."
"But what if… he…"
"You talk to him and I'll talk to Harry."
...oOo…
"Luna… there's this… I would like…" Harry frowned. "You look really nice today."
"Thank you," Luna replied. "So, what's on your mind?"
"Stupid Ministry thing," Harry grumbled. "We're all getting our medals and stuff, and I don't want… I can't not accept mine, but I'm being hounded to bring a date. I was wondering -"
"As friends? Or as more?"
Harry's eyes widened. "What if I said as more?"
"I'd say yes to whichever you responded," Luna told him. "But I'd be happier if you said more. For a start, I think it would clear out the Nargles, which are really drawn to you today."
"Oh, well I don't want too many Nargles," Harry told her. "So… as more… if you want?"
"I do," Luna said, smiling softly. "So, is this a new chapter in your life? War is over, back to life?"
"I suppose it is," Harry said. "A fresh start now. No more Voldemort, I mean we still have to clean up his mess, take down the Death Eaters, but at least it's different."
"You can be yourself now, do what you want."
Before Luna could even think of anything else to say, lips descended on hers, brushing against them softly.
Better than she had ever imagined.
"That was brave of you," she whispered, when move moved away again.
"Not brave. Foolish," Harry said. "I should have made sure you wanted it too, otherwise I'm ruining our friendship."
"I do want it too," Luna softly replied, meeting his piercing green gaze. Harry grinned, sighing in relief at her confession, and leaned in to kiss her again.
Luna decided she quite liked change. It always seemed to work out for her.
Review Please :)
2500 words
Thanks to Raybe for betaing.
