June 1999

Luna woke with a start – someone or, more likely, something was outside the house. She smiled to herself, imagining her father sweeping into the room and smoothing down her hair. "Not to worry love," she could hear him say, "You know that Wrackspurts mate this time of year. They're carrying on in the garden."

Yes, Father, Luna thought sadly. But Wrackspurts aren't real now, are they?

It had been a year since the Battle of Hogwarts and less than a year since Luna took a good look at her father and his beliefs and realized that most of them were nothing more than the designs of an eccentric. It had been heartbreaking to Luna and the young woman had been undeniably changed because of it. A year before, she wouldn't hesitate to defend the existence of fantastical creatures to narrow minded wizarding folk but now? Now, she knew the truth.

The disturbance sounded again from down below, and Luna slid out of her bed, grabbing her dressing gown as she went. Below her window, in her garden, a figure was stumbling about, shouting curses and waving his wand at the various statues. There was no question that he was male – and his voice was eerily familiar. Luna turned and ran from her room, racing down the stairs and only slowed when she reached the entrance to her garden. She removed her wand from a pocket of her robe and murmured, "Lumos," as she stepped outside.

The figure spun and pointed his wand at her. "Reveal yourself!" he shouted, the words slurred – obviously intoxicated.

"Reveal myself? But Harry Potter, you're the one in my garden in the middle of the night," Luna said calmly, crossing the cold grass to reach Harry. He peered down at her, his glasses askew and his eyes clouded over from too much Fire Whiskey, if what she smelled was correct.

"Luna?" he asked, and dropped his wand. He stared at her, confused, and then glanced about his surroundings. "I… I was walking home and there were figures following me. They cornered me here," he whispered, glancing around the small garden with wide eyes.

Luna studied Harry's face. Of course she had heard the whispers about him following the War. Folks said that he was losing it, prone to bouts of drinking and madness… not unlike Alastor Moody when he was still alive. The rumors said that he would sooner curse you than find out your name if you approached him from behind…

But could she blame him? No, absolutely not. Those who were in the thick of the war had all been changed – for the better and for the worse. Luna could not find it within herself to fault Harry for his behavior and in fact felt pity for the man standing in front of her.

"We're doing ourselves no good standing out here in the cold," Luna said. She reached out and took Harry's non-wand hand. He jumped at her touch and stared down at their joined hands. "Come inside, Harry. I'll make some tea."

He nodded and looked around the garden once more. Seemingly satisfied that no nefarious characters were lurking in the shadows, he stumbled behind her, into the warmth of her kitchen.

Harry sat down in one of her chairs and glanced around the small room while Luna set to making tea. "So, Harry, what brings you to my garden at two in the morning?" She heard Harry suck in breath and sigh.

"I'm sorry. I… You knew that I moved into town?" he asked.

"Yes, of course. You've been the only thing that people could speak of since you purchased your flat." Luna turned to him and set a steaming mug in front of him. He glanced down at the liquid as though it would rear up and bite him. "It's simple herbs, Harry. No surprises."

"What? Nothing to keep away bad spirits and ghosties?" He snorted meanly before glancing up at Luna. At her look, his face faltered and he leaned back against his chair. "That was uncalled for. I-" Luna cleared her throat and cut him off. He glanced up at her and she shrugged.

"I fear I'll forever live under the shadow that my father cast," she admitted, settling into the chair next to Harry's. He watched her with a confused expression and Luna smiled sadly. "It took me so long to realize that my father was… out of touch… and I believed him so whole heartedly, so blindly. All the while, everyone at Hogwarts was mocking me… Mocking us." A brief look of pain marred her features.

"I thought it didn't get to you. I thought you didn't care," Harry commented. Luna laughed softly.

"I thought that I was right. But, no matter. It does not do to dwell on the past and forget to live, does it now?" At her words, Harry jumped. Luna turned her gaze to him. "Are you alright?"

"Er, yes. Fine. It's just… those words. Someone once said them to me before…" Luna peered questioningly at Harry but he shook his head. The two were silent for a moment before a sharp laugh exploded from Harry's mouth. "I'm sorry… This is just… Well, it's ridiculous, isn't it?"

"What is ridiculous, Harry?" Luna asked, studying his face. Harry wore a hard expression as he stared down into his untouched tea. To her, Harry always seemed to be struggling for control – for control over his temper, his anger… And it would seem that the events of the past few years were making everything harder for him. He seemed to be at war with himself.

"Me. Here," he chuckled. "I'm sitting in Luna Lovegood's kitchen… at two in the morning. Quite drunk, if I'm honest with myself," Harry let out a full laugh this time and Luna frowned. "I'm sure you still have that painting of all of our faces on your ceiling, don't you?" Luna couldn't decide if the mean streak she was hearing was a direct response to the alcohol that Harry had consumed earlier. She stood abruptly and motioned to the door.

"Alright, Harry. I can see that you're fine. Perhaps it's time for you to go." Harry opened his mouth to protest but Luna cut him off. "I won't tolerate being mocked in my own home." Luna moved forward and pulled on Harry's upper arm. He stumbled out of his chair and fell against the table, bracing himself.

"Alright, alright. I'm going, damn you… Gerroff me!" He snapped at her. Harry righted himself and snatched his wand off of the table, shoving in his back trouser pocket. "I don't need this. I don't need any of this," he shouted. Luna jumped back, surprised at Harry's sudden outburst. He glared at her with a wild look and Luna couldn't help but shrink back a bit.

"Please, just go," she said in a small voice. Harry sneered at her one more time before kicking open her door, and crashing down into the garden. Luna quickly closed the door behind him, and watched him from the window. Harry stood, with his hands on his knees, panting. And for a moment, Luna could have sworn that she heard sobs erupt from him. Luna moved to open the door but before she could call his name, Harry vanished with a loud pop.

The Next Morning.

Luna sat in her flower bed, relishing in the sight of the beautiful blossoms and enjoying the sunshine. She moved to reach for her trowel when she heard the crunch of gravel signaling another approaching.

"Luna… Hey, I, uh…" Luna turned and peered up at Harry Potter from under the wide brim of her sun hat. He was staring at his shoes and looked as though he'd rather be anywhere but here.

"Good morning, Harry," Luna said cheerily. "What brings you here?" She turned back to her flowers and moved to pull a weed.

"I wanted to come by and apologize. That is, I need to apologize - for my behavior from last night. I was an absolute git."

Luna smiled to herself as she tossed the weed aside. "The famous Harry Potter… admitting that he's only human." She glanced back up at Harry and watched as his expression hardened at the mention of his fame. "Oh, I was only teasing." Luna stood and brushed the soil off of her hands. "I'm about to fix some lunch. Would you like to join me?"

Harry stared at her for a minute, as though he was trying to decide whether she was trapping him in a situation that he didn't want to be in. After the minute passed, he smiled reluctantly. "Yeah, I think I'd like that." Luna nodded and moved toward her house.

"Come on, then."