A/N: Written for the Yellow Rose Bowl - a friendship competition. Special thanks to C.S. Thompon who took the time to edit my work very thoroughly! :)

She looked just a bit lonely the first time he saw her.

With her wild, blonde hair untamed (he thought it suited her) she seemed to almost float up to the Sorting Hat. Her whole being radiated a sense of calm. The whole Hall was hushed and all eyes were on her. The girl, Luna, turned to watch them and he thought that even in a room filled with people, she looked very ethereal silhouetted against the candlelight.

Then, the moment passed and soft whispers rose up again. Neville turned away, but her visage had burned itself into the back of his mind. He vaguely registered that she was sorted into Ravenclaw.

As she passed by their table, her gaze sought his and he shrunk back in fear. Because even though they were so radically different (she drew attention, he shied away from it; she was brave, he was a coward), he could see himself reflected in her. The haunted look in her eyes was one that he used to see every day in the mirror when he was always playing by himself. And that scared him, because he was too much of a wimp to be the friend she so desperately needed.

In the following years, he hardly saw her, bar the occasional glance in the hallways. Yet he could still hear the rude remarks that flew through the hallways about her, and he was sure that she could too. He wondered if she would break soon. Even the strongest people would snap under the pressure of being alone. He could still clearly remember the coldness that loneliness brought on, and his friends that saved him from it.

Neville sat quietly by the Lake, thinking quietly to himself. Although he was normally glad for the boisterous and warm atmosphere in the Gryffindor Common Room, there were times where he still needed to get away for a bit and spend some time alone. Thankfully, his friends seemed to understand that and left him alone when he shied away.

Resting his head on his knees, he peacefully watched the Giant Squid splashing around in the Lake. There was something oddly tranquil about its movements. He could sit here all day.

As his eyes drooped slightly, he caught sight of a dark blur at the other end of the water and jolted up. Neville squinted to see the figure better. It was strange to see someone here when there was a Quidditch Game going on, after all.

Getting up and stretching, Neville decided to make his way to the stranger. It wasn't that far away, and he had been sitting down for a while as well.

It wasn't until he was a couple feet away that he realized that the person was Luna, and she seemed to be dancing by herself. If you could call waving your hands above your head, as dancing. He slowed down his walk, wondering if he should brush past and pretend he hadn't seen her. She hadn't seemed to notice him yet, either. In another second, he dismissed the idea. He was too soft-hearted to do something so cruel.

So, fingers trembling, he stopped in front of her and said shakily, "Hi. Luna, right?"

She beamed at him, and pulled him into her dance.

Neville walked down the Hogwarts Train, looking for a free compartment, or one with his friends. He had been a little late in packing his things and was one of the last ones to enter the train. Most of the compartments were already full of chatting people.

Sighing, he peered into the window of the next one. To his surprise, it was nearly empty. Sliding open the door, he spotted Luna in the room.

So that was the reason no one was in here.

He cautiously nodded at her when she raised her head. She gave him a somewhat dazed smiled back.

He placed his bags in the rack above and awkwardly took his seat opposite her. Glancing out the window, Neville silently watched the passing scenery.

Halfway through the train ride, she spoke.

"So you like plants, Neville?"

He was startled at her words. Nobody, not even his grandmother, had asked about his love of plants.

Enthusiastically, he nodded.

Unfortunately, in his eagerness, he had partially stood up and hit his head on the rack. With a muffled cry, he cradled his head and slumped in his seat.

The sound of laughter reached his ears and he realized that she was laughing at him. But, it wasn't the cruel laugh of someone mocking him. It was the sound of someone laughing with him. Smiling sheepishly back at her, he waited until she calmed down.

They spent the rest of the time talking.

Neville glanced around the library nervously. Spotting Luna's figure at a nearby table, he quickly made his way over to her. She was quietly humming to herself, drawing strange looks from the people around her.

"Hey."

She nodded at him, and turned back to her book.

Neville frowned curiously. He had always prided himself on being an observant person (a side result of always being in the background) and he thought she seemed... a bit upset at the moment. He knew, more than anyone else, that Luna was just human. She had feelings and emotions like everyone else in the room. Not that it was noticeable. Her brow was just a bit more furrowed than usual, and her smile seemed a bit empty.

He sat down next to her and took out his potions homework.

Half an hour later, he was still staring down at his blank parchment. Stealing another anxious glance at the girl next to him, he finally dipped his quill into his ink bottle and quickly scribbled something down. It was something he always did when he was younger and feeling distraught; and he hoped to convey that feeling to her.

Nudging her shoulder, he pushed his parchment in her direction. She scanned the words.

'Lovely

Underappreciated

Nice

Astute'

Her whole countenance brightened.

"Don't you ever feel lonely?" he asked one night at the top of the Astronomy Tower. The night was cold, and he shivered in his pyjamas. He had been sitting with her for the past hour because she claimed she wanted to see the stars.

Luna simply watched the sky next to him and didn't reply. The silence stretched between them. Neville waited patiently, knowing she was only formulating a reply. Finally, she spoke.

"A single rose can be my garden, a single friend my world," she quoted to him. He blinked at her.

She simply smiled and started talking in that cryptic way of hers, explaining nothing and everything at the same time.

"Quantity isn't everything in this world. A single person can matter more than a hundred people combined."

Neville hesitated at her words. He didn't quite understand what she was trying to tell him.

"Tell me, Neville," she said suddenly, "What do you think friendship is?"

He stared at her curiously. She glanced back at him, awaiting his answer.

"Um, well," he stammered slightly, "friendship is being there for another person."

Luna tilted her head and considered his answer.

"That's true, but more than anything… I think friendship is about believing."

"Believing?"

"Yes. To accept a person's faults, but believe that they can be something more."

"Do you believe in me?"

"I have always believed in you."

It was her twenty-second birthday and Luna was holding a private celebration at her house. As expected, everyone in Dumbledore's Army was invited, along with a select few individuals. She and her husband, Rolf, stood at the entrance to their house greeting everyone who came. All her gifts were stacked high on a circular table next to the married couple. Naturally, Harry, Ron, and Hermione had brought the biggest presents.

Neville arrived at the house empty-handed. Well, not quite empty-handed; he wanted to give her the present later. Luna smiled her usual serene smile while her husband raised an eyebrow, but said nothing.

Together, the three of them walked into the house.

Neville casually leaned against the countertop and observed the room. He spotted Luna first; her gait and hair were unmistakable, not to mention that she was the centre of attention as well. He smiled happily. Watching her surrounded by friends and companions made him glow with pride. He remembered the days when she was alone… always alone. She really had grown from the girl that she used to be.

Seeing a break in the crowd of people, he slipped through to her and gently tapped her shoulder to get her attention.

"Neville," she turned to look him.

"Congratulations Luna," he grinned fondly down at her and she smiled back. They both knew he wasn't just talking about her birthday. "I'd like to give you your present now."

She nodded in acceptance and followed him unquestioningly to the garden.

They strolled through the grass in a comfortable silence. Soon, the happy noise of the party was faintly muted. Turning to face her, Neville handed her a single yellow rose. It was a bright color, almost the same shade of her hair and without the thorns removed.

She accepted it with a smile and placed the flower in the middle of the shrubbery. Neville didn't know what it was, but the whole place seemed that much brighter. And he thought, maybe, that he understood what she was trying to say on that day.

"Neville?"

"Yes?"

"Thank you."