Before his impulsive lip-lock with Luna under the mistletoe, Harry had always assumed that the creatures she brought up now and again were ones that existed only inside her head. That didn't mean he thought she was mad. Eccentric maybe. And most likely heavily influenced by a father who'd been her only guardian for a long time. But the fact that she often said things that sounded barmy meant little to Harry. He liked Luna. And that was that.

She was nice and pleasant, even when that demeanor brought out the exact opposite in others. The way Luna could simply brush off the negativity of those who sought to hurt her was admirable. Harry wished he was even half as capable as she was in that area. More than that though was the connection he felt with Luna. They were oddities in a sea of normal. She saw creatures no one thought existed unless you read the Quibbler, and he'd survived the killing curse. Not exactly the same- in fact, some would argue that they were extremely different- but for Harry that was close enough. She got him. Luna understood what it meant to be different and it filled a hole in his heart that no matter how hard they tried, Ron and Hermione just couldn't.

But then things pivoted sharply for Harry, hurling him into a world that was filled with nargles and a whole host of other creatures that hadn't existed before his shared kiss with Luna. Everything she'd ever mentioned was suddenly real, and now there was one more thread tying them together. Which, Harry supposed, made him even weirder because there was no sign that anyone else besides him and Luna could see nargles.

This new secret magic sent Harry's head spinning, but it wasn't everlasting. He soon discovered that Luna's influence over him came and also left with her. When he went to bed that night- ignoring Ron asking if what he'd overheard was true, that Harry had actually kissed Loony Lovegood- the magic was still clouding his vision. He'd had to swat away a strange light blue triangle creature swinging from his bed curtains, but by morning it was gone along with every other hint of magic Luna had shared with him. Only the dust motes swam in front of his vision. Not a single strange magical creature in sight.

At Slughorn's party, he hadn't been given the chance to figure out what was going on before Malfoy entered and derailed all things concerning Luna. He hadn't wanted to say goodbye, but obviously learning what Malfoy was up to was more important than his confused romantic feelings or the creatures that appeared as soon as his lips had separated from Luna's. "Come see me before the train ride tomorrow. At breakfast," he'd said, before leaving a confused Luna standing under the mistletoe.

And so he waited the next morning, sitting next to Ron who was stuffing his face with all manner of breakfast foods. Harry was too nervous to eat, and kept sweeping his gaze towards the hall entrance, hoping to see the flash of long blond hair that was Luna's most noticeable feature. Well, most noticeable natural feature. Her odd wardrobe choices were arguably more recognizable. Especially that butterbeer cork necklace she usually had tied around her neck, but hadn't been wearing at Professor Slughorn's party. Harry remembered because it was the first thing he noticed ... how long and graceful her neck looked without the necklace, and the way her exposed collarbone added a hint of suggestiveness. The pleasant memory made him wonder if she'd come to breakfast wearing the corks and he found himself hoping she wouldn't. That was if she came at all. Ron's mountain of food was dwindling by the minute as was Harry's hopes of seeing Luna again. Maybe she was avoiding him and would continue to do so throughout their time together at Hogwarts. All because he'd been impulsive.

"Aren't you gonna eat anything?" Ron's voice abruptly broke through Harry's inner turmoil over Luna. With great effort, he looked away from the entrance to stare at his friend.

"Nah, I'll just get something from the food cart on the train."

"You were the one hurrying to get down here. Why'd you do that if you're not gonna eat?" Ron said between chews of what looked like a hard-boiled egg that had been reduced to mash in his mouth.

Harry shrugged. "I thought I was hungry, but …" his voice trailed off as he felt something stir in his chest, and instinctively he glanced back towards the entrance. To his surprise, Luna was standing there. After seeing that she'd caught his eye, a smile broke out on her face and she waved. Harry shyly returned the gesture. Luna was out of her robes and wearing a typical casual outfit for her, which meant there was absolutely nothing typical about it. But Harry noted one usual item missing among her many pieces of odd jewelry. Just like last night, Luna wasn't wearing her cork necklace.

"Ohhhh, I see," Ron said with a snort, bringing Harry's attention back to him.

"What's that supposed to mean?" He knew what Ron was implying but still felt like putting him on the spot.

"Well, now I know the answer to the question I asked you last night." Ron didn't look impressed as Luna began maneuvering through the breakfast crowd on her way to their table. "But really Harry, her?" he continued, lowering his voice. "I mean she's nice and all, but …" He raised his eyebrows and inclined his head slightly, indicating that Harry should know exactly why Luna wasn't a good match.

"Oh, come off it, Ron," Harry shot back under his breath, unable to hide his irritation. "Like you have any room to talk. Not with Lavender snogging her Won-Won all the time. At least Luna and I were friends before anything happened."

Harry thought it was funny how he suddenly sounded very Hermione-ish. If his no-nonsense friend hadn't left early that morning, she might've patted him on the back for his retort to Ron, who was now turning a shade pinker under his freckles, but managed to recover quickly enough to ask, "Just friends?"

Harry wasn't quite sure what his kiss with Luna had meant and replied with an honest, "I dunno. But I guess it's time to find out." And with that he sprang from his seat, wanting to reach Luna before she got to the table. It was his way of avoiding a possibly awkward situation where Ron might say something insensitive. Not that Luna would let it bother her. She rarely let anything get under her skin. But still, Harry would try to avoid it if he could. "See you in a bit."

"Yeah, sure. In a bit. Just don't make me go looking for you under some mistletoe." Ron snickered and dug back into his food.

Harry went to give Ron a derisive reply but clamped his mouth shut when Lavender Brown shot past him. Now it was Harry's turn to snicker, especially when he heard, "Oh Won-Won, I can't bear to see you leave."

"I'm not leaving right now. I'll see you on the train. We'll have plenty-" But Ron was unable to finish. His voice became muffled and Harry didn't have to guess why.

Lavender was more punishment for Ron than Harry could ever inflict with words and he smirked at the universe's way of doling out his payback. If anything, Ron's enthusiastic girlfriend would keep him busy, leaving Harry and Luna to figure out whatever it was they had going on between them. A surge of hope swelled inside his heart as Harry walked. Luna wasn't giving him the cold shoulder like he'd been predicting earlier. All his worrying had been for nothing.

"Hello, Harry," she said, after he came to a stop in front of her. "I was on my way to sit with you and Ron, but now you're here instead. And it looks like Ron is occupied with something else."

"Uh, yeah," Harry replied, briefly glancing over his shoulder to see that something else now sitting in Ron's lap. "I thought we could eat at your table instead," he suggested.

Luna seemed dubious as her eyes traveled over to where the Ravenclaws sat, her gaze lingering on a dark-haired student Harry thought he recognized as one of Luna's roommates. A Mary Bickles ... maybe? "Oh, I don't know. I'm not very hungry actually. And my father will be here soon. I just thought we could have a quick chat before I leave."

Harry felt the hope inside his heart deflate and become so heavy that it fell into the pit of his stomach. Shifting his weight from one foot to the other, he tried to distract himself from letting that disappointment seep into his response. "Y-You're not coming to Kings Cross?" He'd imagined that they'd be able to spend more than just breakfast together.

"No, my father has some business in Hogsmeade. Someone he's interviewing for the Quibbler. He tells me it's going to be quite the story." Luna shook her head and her radish earrings brushed up against her cheeks. "But he says that about every story. Always exaggerating. I think your interview is the only one worth that claim. And I brought that story to him."

Harry chuckled awkwardly, uncertain if it was the right response. Was it okay to laugh at her father? Was she making a joke? It was hard to tell sometimes with Luna. A light sheen of sweat began to coat the back of his neck as Harry struggled to recall all the things he'd thought up to say to Luna since waking that morning. But nothing was there. All topics of conversation appeared to have disapparated from his brain.

"You seem to be nervous, Harry," Luna said, speaking before he could. "Maybe a walk through the corridors would help? I sometimes try and walk off my jitterbugs." She offered him her hand. "Come with me. We still have some time before my father gets here."

Harry studied Luna's outstretched fingers for a moment, before swallowing the lump that had formed in his throat and sliding his hand into hers. Their fingers laced, fitting snugly like two puzzle pieces. It was a heartening feeling, but Harry was also keenly aware of the other students looking their way; Luna's roommate seemed especially interested in them. Just a handful of students had been at Slughorn's party and the gossip of their kiss had likely only spread between those few in attendance and their friends, like Ron, who Harry assumed learned about it from Neville. But now he was making a statement of sorts in front of more people. Holding hands with Luna wasn't quite on the same level as kissing her under the mistletoe, but it wasn't a simple friendly gesture either. And more importantly, it was a start. Of what, Harry wasn't sure, but he also didn't care who knew. "Sure, we could go for a quick walk down the halls. And talk," he said.

As they exited the Great Hall hand in hand, some students gave them sideways glances, while others outright gawked. A quick look at Ron showed that he was consumed with something else entirely. "I've been wondering about you since last night," Luna mentioned once they were away from prying eyes. "After you left I was going to leave too, but Professor Trelawney pulled me into a conversation. I didn't mind. At times she can be insightful. But I did find myself wondering where you'd run off to."

With his free hand, Harry rubbed the back of his neck to remove the slick of sweat still there. "Yeah, sorry about leaving you like that. Just you know I …" He struggled for a reason behind his hasty departure. It was one thing to involve Ron and Hermione in his theory about Malfoy, but bringing Luna into the fray … he felt oddly protective of her.

"Was it Draco you were following?" Luna asked, filling the silence that followed Harry's lull. "You seemed to want to leave right after he was forced from the party." Unfortunately, she was heading in a direction he wanted to avoid, and it forced Harry to rush into a topic of distraction.

"The nargles!" he shouted all at once as if he were announcing someone. A first-year nearby glanced their way, but when she realized Harry was one half of the walking couple, the young girl hurried along with a squeak.

"The nargles?" Luna repeated, although her voice was much lower than Harry's had been.

"Yes, uh, sorry. Dunno why I just yelled that," Harry replied sheepishly.

"I do. You don't want me to know why you were following Draco," Luna stated matter-of-factly. "And that's okay. I don't mind. I know there are things you can't tell me because you're Harry Potter." She squeezed his hand gently and flashed him an understanding look. It was meant to be comforting, but Harry felt a slow dripping guilt beginning to pool in his stomach.

"No, it's not that," he sighed. "I want to tell you, but … it's complicated."

"Like Ron and Hermione." Luna was repeating what Harry had mentioned about his friends the night before and he chuckled.

"Yeah, I suppose you can look at it that way."

"Just promise that whatever you're not sharing with me won't lead to you snogging Lavender Brown, because I'm quite certain Cormac wouldn't agree to be my date to make you jealous."

Harry stopped dead in his tracks and turned to face Luna. His expression was serious, but her's wasn't. She looked expectant and it was then that Harry understood. "Luna, did you just make a joke?"

She nodded. "It was a good one, wasn't it? Better than what I said about Ginny last night."

Harry let out a laugh and his reaction seemed to be exactly what Luna craved. She looked extremely pleased with herself. "Yes, that was a good one," he answered.

"So what about the nargles then?" Luna asked as they began walking again. Harry knew she was changing the subject for his benefit and was grateful. "Have they been bothering you? I find that my butterbeer cork necklace wards them off well."

"But you're not wearing it now," Harry noted. "You didn't wear it last night either."

Luna shrugged and sidestepped his question. "So what is it with the nargles?"

"Yeah, uh, they've been- well, actually, I can't see them anymore. It's like I only saw them because of what happened between us ... last night. What I mean is uh, well, we kissed." Harry didn't know why, but a sudden shyness crept up his body causing him to look away from Luna and toward a nearby painting. The knight inside pointed his sword in Harry's direction and shouted something about fighting him.

"Would you like to test your theory?" Luna asked, and Harry whipped his head back around.

"What?"

"Would you like to kiss me again? That is if you really do want to see the nargles. I honestly feel they've been rather obnoxious today." She flicked her shoulder as if to remove some lint, but Harry wondered if maybe it was something else. Something he couldn't see.

And then the gravity of what she'd offered hit him. "What ... here? You want to kiss in the corridor?" Harry's voice had gone up an octave and again he was demonstrating his knack for sounding like Hermione. He wondered if hanging around her all these years had finally started to affect him.

"We're alone at the moment," Luna explained, gesturing around, and seemingly unfazed by his sudden priggishness. "But it was only a suggestion."

"And you wouldn't mind?"

Luna stopped walking and grasping Harry's other hand, she moved her body until they were face to face. "I didn't mind when you kissed me last night."

Harry was well aware of Luna's uncanny ability to speak exactly what she was thinking, having been exposed to this trait of hers on many occasions. She possessed no filter that would cause her to lie in the hopes of sparing someone's feelings. Which meant in this case, Luna was speaking the truth to him. She didn't mind their kiss from last night, and for theoretical purposes would let him kiss her again. But for Harry, this wasn't enough. "So, nargles aside, would you mind at all if I uh, kissed you, just because I wanted to?" he asked, feeling his nervousness slipping away as he focused on the blue-grey of her eyes.

Luna smiled brightly, the same look she'd given him the day he'd asked her to attend Slughorn's party. "I would actually prefer that," she replied.

"Okay then," Harry mumbled, and before losing his nerve, he leaned in and shared a brief kiss with Luna, the scene playing out similarly to how it had happened under the mistletoe. Only this time there was no smell of butterbeer shared between them; just their breath mingling together, as he felt her soft lips press up against his. Harry wished it could've lasted longer, but a loud yell from above shocked them apart. Both Luna and Harry gazed upward to see Peeves floating overhead, and after seeing that he'd gotten their attention, the loud poltergeist began shouting their names over and over, only breaking from his looping pattern of Luna! and Harry! every few seconds to add sloppy kissing noises.

"Shut it!" Harry yelled out in frustration and would've continued to shout if Luna hadn't gently tugged his hand.

"Save your voice. He's not easily persuaded," she stated. "Besides, it does seem rather fitting. He announced our date the same way."

Harry looked away from Peeves- his anger lowering to a simmer- and was about to agree with Luna, but his eyes caught sight of something. "A nargle!" he shouted.

Luna giggled. "Harry Potter, are you trying to distract me again?"

"No, I mean. There." He pointed at her shoulder, causing Luna to twist her neck to see the unusual creature lounging where Harry had indicated. With a sigh, Luna brushed the nargle aside and it flew away.

"Like I mentioned, they've been so persistent lately." She shook her head. "But at least we now know your theory was correct," Luna acknowledged with a grin.