Greetings fellows. I originally intended for this story to be a 3-chapter series, but turns out I'm only halfway through HBP (up to Slughorn's Christmas Party) and it's already 4000-smthing words already. Given my personal preference for each chapter not to be obsessively long unless necessary, I've decided to split the plot from HBP into half, hence this is chapter 2.1 and the next will be chapter 2.2. I know it's weird, but I guess every writer has their own obsession with formats.

In case of confusion, things don't necessarily follow canon in this fic, so new events will be added, and some events will be altered to fit into this fic.

I also encourage you to read my work in ½ page size (you can change that on top right corner). It feels like reading a book and I find that style of reading more enjoyable.

And here I humbly present the first half of the second chapter.

Chapter 2.1: You've got a friend in me

He remembered that weird feeling in his stomach when he met her again in his sixth year, in the Hogwarts Express, when he was informed how she and Neville were snubbed by some other students, along with Luna's comment that he ought to hang out with 'cooler' people.

Thank Merlin for his fated life to be constantly under the spotlight.

Obviously he was mad. Mad that two of his close friends were denounced basically for their right to be friends with him. Mad that people somehow had to go as far as choosing friends for him, for better or worse. Mad that after Sirius' death he had to start his new school year with some stupid kids whose intelligence quotient were probably comparable to his cousin Dudley's.

Now, Luna Lovegood and Neville Longbottom certainly weren't ordinary people; one was infamous for being, well, weird, and the other always seemed to be living under the shadow of himself, especially when Harry knew of the prophecy now. He knew both of them well. Probably not that well, as he was not very good at opening himself up, but at the very least they're one of the handful of people he could entrust his life to. So to have other people telling him to hang out with better, cooler people just got on his nerve.

'People expect you to have cooler friends than us.' Luna simply stated in her poetic fashion, and Neville was inclined to nod in agreement before Harry almost yelled at them.

'You are cool. None of them were at the ministry. They didn't fight with me!'

They both looked shocked at his display of care. As the blonde looked amused and replied in a soft tone, 'that's a very nice thing to say', he had to control all his urges not to give them, and especially her, a big hug.

She remembered that day when Romilda Vane, a fellow Gryffindor, barged into the compartment she was sharing with Neville and Harry, and declared 'why don't you join us in our compartment? You don't have to sit with them'. And being an observant person, she certainly didn't miss the depriving glance she sent them and the accusing, dehumanizing tone she used.

The Ravenclaw saw Neville shiver slightly, and she looked at Romilda with her round grey eyes, taking into every single detail of how her facial muscles moved. She wasn't an evil person, Luna thought. She just wasn't kind, either. The blonde had seen many bad people throughout her years in Hogwarts, and she would qualify Romilda as the kind that could only gossip and never accomplish much.

That said, it didn't mean she was not hurt by that statement. Her face did not show it, but she knew why Neville shivered. It was an act of mixing anger, shame, pain and dignity into one, reflecting on what they thought about their relationship with The Boy Who Lived. Romilda made it sound like they were like the girl herself, who got close to Potter boy because of his fame. She soundlessly squeezed Neville's hand, knowing the shy boy needed some confidence and support when enduring other people's tantrum. As if acting on reflex, she turned to the person in question to see how he would act, mentally prepared for the worst, though highly unlikely, outcome.

And then he practically sent her away, to the amusement of the two. Not that they believed Harry would just leave them and join Romilda's group of gossip girls, but they were caught off guard by the dark tone the dark-haired boy used. Luna seldom saw him that angry when dealing with non-Death Eaters. Or Umbridge. And the reassuring speech he gave them would make them silently vow to fight along his side, just like they did before summer.

She was truly glad that she had not entrusted her love in the wrong person.

He remembered the disappointment in her voice when he told her that he did not plan on holding any D.A. meetings that year, as he was preoccupied with being the captain of Gryffindor's Quidditch Team and following Draco Malfoy around. He knew that dealing with Voldemort and his Death Eaters was important matter too, but with Umbridge gone there wasn't really a point in re-establishing the D.A., for as much as he hated Snape, he couldn't really say he was a terrible Defence Against Dark Arts teacher. At least not as poor as his predecessor.

Her comment failed to escape from his mind for weeks, though. It was haunting his thoughts when he should be worrying about other matters.

'I enjoyed the meetings, too. It was like having friends.'

How much time had he spent on thinking over and over again about this short statement? It never slipped from his mind as he discussed Voldemort with Dumbledore, or when he overheard yet another argument of Ron and Hermione, or when he wandered around the castle, trying to get some peace of mind. But it was impossible. And he didn't understand why.

The tone she portrayed it, it wasn't sad or blue. It was almost like a sense of indifference that frightened him. And he did not like to hear that kind of sentiment from her. So he decided to 'cheer up' his friend a bit.

'Hey Luna,' he spoke a bit nervously as they ran into each other one day, when she was heading to her Potion class, 'We're thinking of going to The Three Broomsticks this weekend. Would you like to come along?' Her silvery grey eyes locked on his emerald ones, as he was uncertain as to what her face was making of him.

'That place is lovely. I like the butterbeer they serve there. It has a good calming effect whenever I think about Gulping Plimpies in the lake and the students who swim there without being aware of their existence. They didn't know what kind of danger they put themselves into despite my frequent warning.'

Figuring it would be best not to ask her for any further elaboration, he proceeded to demand an answer politely, only to have her asked in retrospect of his words. 'Are you sure your friends won't mind me joining them?' She, having taken the notice of the word 'we' he had used, seemed to still be bothered by what Romilda Vane (and many others, in fact) had said before of his preference of friends, in his opinion. Devastated, he grabbed her shoulders and reassured her that everything was fine.

'It's just me, Ron, Hermione, Neville and Ginny,' he gulped as her face brightened up slightly at the mentioned names, 'they all are your friends, Luna. There's nothing to be worried about.'

'Thanks a lot for the invitation, Harry. It was very nice of you,' the blonde looked at him for a minute before saying that, smiling, and he was sure one didn't get to see Luna Lovegood give a real smile randomly for no reason.

Walking back to Gryffindor's dormitory felt like flying. He didn't notice that he was almost skipping down the corridors like a certain blonde always did.

She remembered how sorrowful she felt when she knew that Dumbledore's Army wouldn't be running for her fifth year at Hogwarts. She had spent her first three years as a lone Ravenclaw, and when finally she was given a chance to be with people she liked, that platform ceased to exist.

Then, she shouldn't have expected much. After all, one main purpose of the D.A. was to rebel against Umbridge, and with the evil witch gone (Luna was still wondering if calling her a 'witch' was a suitable title, given she did not seem to possess much knowledge of magic spells) it didn't seem surprising that no necessary reason was left to reestablish the D.A. again. So she decided to let this affair go: after all, she respected Harry's decision and it wasn't like anything she said could change his mind anyway.

One day, on her way to attend Professor Slughorn's Potion class, she met him, the boy who constantly appeared in her thoughts as if some Crumple-Horned Snorkacks had messed with her head. She was delighted, nonetheless, for they didn't have much opportunities, or reasons, to speak to one another after school had started. And what he said blew her mind away.

Her consciousness, if there was much left at that moment, was yelling at her to read his words carefully. 'We' were going to The Three Broomsticks, and by that it meant that they wouldn't be the only one there. All sorts of romance fantasy in her tiny mind got quickly shifted aside, as she asked, politely and curiously, if his friends wanted her there. She was well-aware of her own reputation in the school, and hanging out with Loony Lovegood probably would not be on top of anyone's agenda.

Yet she was relieved he was inviting her, as a true friend, to meet with her real friends. She could talk to Neville about her latest discovery of an ancient plant in Croatia. She could debate with Hermione about…well, everything. And she was more than willing to share her thoughts on anything with Harry and Ginny, who would really listen to what she was saying without making fun of her with a dark heart. And Ron…she didn't really know what she could talk with Ron, but observing his often exaggerated expression was a delightful thing not to miss.

The grey-eyed attended the rest of her classes with a barely visible huge grin. She was indeed looking forward to spending quality time with her friends.

How she had longed to have fun with them the coming weekend.

He remembered the time when Professor Slughorn organized a random, out-of-the-blue Christmas Party that each participant was to bring a guest. Being Slughorn's favourite student, for reasons he was uncertain of, the Chosen One was obviously invited. He knew more than enough that it meant to bring someone of opposite sex, and that was his problem. The Boy Who Lived wasn't sure whom to invite , and his best friend seemed to be amused by his quest for a partner.

'Seriously, Harry. You're telling me,' Hermione's brown orbs stared like dagger to Harry's mind, 'that you can duel You-Know-Who and a bunch of Death Eaters without flinching, and yet you cannot ask a girl to go to Professor Slughorn's social party tonight?' And she certainly wasn't making him feel any better.

'Com'on Hermione. You know better than anyone else about my social life,' he groaned as they walked together in the library, more like he was following the smart Gryffindor who was looking for another book that he had neither knowledge nor interest on. 'The Yule Ball was a mess for me, and, well, do you expect me to go ask Cho for this? She's still treating me as a substitute to Cedric Diggory!'

'What I'm saying is,' she grabbed a book from the shelf labelled 'History of Magic' and flipped through the pages as their conversation continued, 'it shouldn't be that hard for you to pick a girl you know and go together. I mean, half the girls in Hogwarts would surely say yes no matter what you tell them.' She put the book back and swiftly glanced at another, her hand advancing towards another of her target. 'There're plenty of girls in Gryffindor too. I'm sure it isn't that hard to ask one of them.'

'Or someone from another house...'

Hermione seemed startled at first, but once his words sank in she flashed him a Dumbledore-smirk and crossed her arms.

'Well, what are you waiting for?'

Yet her words did not reach him, as Harry was already running out of the library with his mind fully occupied.

She remembered she had encountered far less trouble in her fifth year than she had had in previous years. Her belongings still went missing from time to time, and fellow Ravenclaws and Slytherins would sneer at her, calling her 'Loony', 'Lunatic' or other funny names, but the number of such incidents was rare compared with her first three years in Hogwarts. She wondered if the past rumour of she and The Chosen One being together earned her some unintended respect from her classmates.

Yet the situation seemed to get more complicated than she imagined to be when Harry asked her to go to Slughorn's Christmas Party with him.

'How would you like to come to Slughorn's party with me tonight?'

'Slughorn's party? With you?'

Thinking back, that was the stupidest responser she had ever given to a question. Perhaps she had been too stunned to believe that. People were spreading rumours about them, and there Harry was, asking her in his humble manner if she's willing to go with him together.

"Yeah. We're supposed to bring guests, so I thought you might like…' feeling the awkward silence between the two of them, with her grey orbs showing hints of confusion and utter surprise, he had no choice but to continue, 'I mean, just as friends, you know.'

The words 'just as friends' felt like hanging in the air to her ears. Yet Luna did not care. Right now her eyes just glowed with anticipation to the event a few hours from now.

'But if you don't want to…'

'Oh no, I'd love to go with you as friends! Nobody's ever asked me to a party before, as a friend!' She saw his lips curved upwards at her enthusiasm, as Luna was a girl who never really hid her emotions. She preferred to be real, without hiding her preference, especially in front of a friend. And excited she was, almost ready to jump into Harry's arms and spun around without a care of the rest of the world. It was like a date. No, it was a date. It was different from Harry asking her to join their other friends at Hogsmeade or inviting her over to the Gryffindor table to supper. This would be just the two of them. Just the two of them.

With that in mind, she hurriedly jumped back to her dormitory and started preparing. It had to be a good night.

He remembered feeling trapped in Slughorn's party, to be honest. He recalled being surrounded by people, being pulled around by Slughorn to introduce him to his guests, and being the center of attention, as he had always been, unwillingly, for the past years. However, he could clearly remember that all this time being tossed around by his Potion Master, his other hand held on tight to his date for the night.

He wondered if such an act would be considered rude, for as much as he treasured the warmth and delicacy of her small palm that, despite her surprised expression and curious glances at his hand, he wasn't planning to let go at any moment. Hence for the whole night, Slughorn had to, a bit reluctantly, introduce both Harry and Luna to whomever he was speaking to, with a tiny frown on his round, rough face. Yet Harry did not care. In fact, he just hoped for Slughorn to leave him alone so he could have some time with Luna. Finally when the Potion Master decided he had had enough and talked to other people, the sixth-year Gryffindor grasped her hand firmly and led her to the other side of the room. Neville, being a waiter that night, served them some food and drinks and they shared a brief moment of peace with each other by their side.

It didn't feel normal at all. When he was alone with Cho, he felt he was a little happy, but at the same time he felt tense. Probably it was because looking at her reminded him of Cedric, and her constant moaning about the deceased Hufflepuff certainly did not help the matter. But with Luna…he felt at ease, just like how he felt when he was around people that he could entrust his life to: Sirius, Remus, Ron, Hermione, even Ginny and Neville, but it was probably more than that, he mentally noted. Certainly, he considered the sole daughter of Xeno Lovegood as one of his best friends, yet maintaining close friends was not what he intended to achieve.

The music of the party changed and they were aware that people around them were starting to dance slowly to the waltz being played. It shouldn't appear to be much of a surprise, since most people who came were couples, but the raven-haired teenager couldn't help but feel embarrassed they were trapped in the middle of the dance floor, and for better or worse, they had no chance of escaping. He knew Luna was feeling the same too, as her round eyes kept shifting around from his shoes to hers, her cheeks in crimson paint.

So gradually, and a bit awkwardly, a flushed Harry Potter raised his head and asked her the question he's been meaning to vocalize since the music changed.

'Would you give me the honour to dance with you?'

Seeing her shy nod, and noticing how they hands searched for each other to form the standard dance posture, he couldn't help but let a small grin appeared on his face.

And it grew wider as a smile also became apparent on her face.

She remembered absolutely nothing about that night, regarding the part where Slughorn was flashing them around like some celebrities (well Harry was, but she wasn't – she noted to herself). She had some blurred images of faces she met there, and if her memory served her right they had engaged in some sort of conversation with the guests before they were thrown into another one. Usually Luna Lovegood would not let go of people's names and faces easily, but that night was different.

And honestly speaking, she was justified in forgetting all of them, when Harry had been holding her hand all the time, afraid of losing her and squeezing her hand gently at times to ensure her that he was sharing the blonde's discomfort. She didn't really know what to think, as her round, grey eyes focused on his hand that locked firmly on hers. She could feel the warmth of his skin, now on hers, and had people not been talking to her she wouldn't even be aware of her own presence.

The blonde wasn't feeling uncomfortable for no reasons. She had long accepted that she was different from others, knowing full well people would not understand her, but she was fearful of the realization that this time she was accompanied by none other than the Harry Potter. As much as she was willing to stand for her beliefs, Luna was afraid of disgracing Harry. With all sorts of problems going in the wizardry world and the constant threat from Lord Voldemort, embarrassing Harry's name in such a critical time was not the best idea she could come up with.

Yet he was firm and honest. Wherever he was taken, she would be there too. She noticed the fury in Professor Slughorn's thick eyebrows, and the curious glances of other people, but Harry simply gave her an affirming nod and said nothing, and she understood. Gradually she let her guard relax, starting to enjoy the small talk exchanged with other guests. And when finally Harry could not bear it anymore and take her to the other side of the room, she let out a tiny breath of relief.

And then somehow, the traditional slow music entered her ears, and she looked around to see couples moving closer to each other's body. Some even had their foreheads leaning on each other. And she found Harry and herself in the middle of the crowd.

Luna swore her face had never felt any hotter before.

As if wanting to leave to avoid the abashed situation, she moved her feet slightly backwards, hoping to find a way out, for as much as she wanted to, and as much as her mind was screaming at her for not taking advantage of this situation, she just couldn't. Her consciousness reminded her how improbable, let along impossibly absurd, the idea of her and Harry being together was. Firstly, Harry was the saviour of the world, the attention of all and the centre of their army against Voldemort. He had better things to take care of instead of chasing after girls. The disbandment of the D.A. this year was a solid example of that. Secondly, she was…Loony Lovegood. She didn't mind being casted as a different kind, but she couldn't find any quality in herself that would attract the boy with dark messy hair. There was a reason as to why she had never had a date before, she argued with her mind logically. Thirdly, although she held much affection for the boy, she knew his feeling otherwise. He asked her to come as a friend, and nothing else. 'As friends, Luna', she reminded herself. Someone like Harry deserved someone better, and she would feel the grief later when the party's over, but now she just wanted to enjoy each moment spent with him.

Too absorbed in her thought, the young Ravenclaw almost missed his voice as he said her name. She raised her head, meeting his calm gaze, wondering what kind of magic he had casted in his green eyes that captivated all of her senses. His mouth opened, and Luna could not hear a single sound from the background but his hushed, steady voice.

'Would you give me the honour to dance with you?'

She wondered how long it took for her to respond, as when she shyly gave an affirming nod, his lips twisted and his muscles relaxed, his hands asking for hers and taking her closer to his body. She could feel his breath by her ear, as they moved accordingly to the waltz, each careful not to ruin this moment of perfection to them. Luna knew she was blushing gravely, when his hand on her waist gestured for her to move even closer. He leaned his forehead on hers, and to her surprise she found this affectionate act adorable, and responded with the same reaction. She closed her eyes and let herself depend on him for this moment, as the last thing she needed was for it to end.

They continued dancing slowly, lingering on each step they took, and when the music finally died down, their eyes locked. She could see a thousand emotions in his eyes, and the content countenance he was wearing made her want to jump in joy, for undoubtedly she had just had the moment of her lifetime. And her heart thumped in excitement, fear, eagerness, but mostly agitation as she instantly knew what was to happen next. And she was right, but she had no intention on stopping it from happening.

So, instead of protesting, as part of her consciousness warned, she moved her face closer to his, just as he was doing the same thing, with her eyelids taking sufficient time to keep his physical form out of her eyesight. She knew this was the right thing to do. Then, with eyes now closed, their lips met.

At that instant, all her worries and doubts about herself were gone. In fact, her mind contained nothing but Harry. The lovely expression he looked at her before closing his eyes. The way his moist lips pressed against hers. The jolt she felt in her body. The loss of strength in her limbs. The gentle touch his hands offered. The shy, affectionate smile she gave and received when they finally reluctantly parted.

She breathed hard, and so did he. Both parties looked at each other, their cheeks fully flushed. Luna had never quite pictured what it meant to be a deep kiss. Being eccentric had meant, for her, that affectionate display like holding hands and kissing would be impossible to achieve. Yet he proved her wrong. Right now, Voldemort might as well show up and she would not even have known. Her eyes only saw Harry, and not a thing on earth could shatter her sight.

In hopes of avoiding unnecessary glances from others who had started to notice something happening between them, Harry quickly grabbed her hand and led her out of the way, ignoring the amused looks on their professor and schoolmates (or the blissful beam Hermione sent them), leaving the venue and retreating to a spot in the castle where nobody could disturb them. And she didn't care where he would take her, as she only knew they would continue where they had left off. With him, nothing else mattered.

An exchange of timid smiles on their faces confirmed that.

End of Chapter 2.1

I wasn't expecting to expand that much on Luna's point of view for the last part, and I thought about adding Harry's part on that as well, but I figure I like Luna's part better and hence leave out Harry's thoughts on their first kiss (I actually like this part so much that I'm thinking of writing a one-shot spinoff based on this scene). This makes Luna's section relatively long, but I like the arrangement so far and I hope you like it too.

Please kindly review and let me know what you think! Until next time.