Greetings, fellows. You may notice later, while you're reading, that there're only three scenes in this chapter. Originally there were more, but I have deleted them as I'm very dissatisfied with those passages. I think I deleted about 2,000 words (1 and a half scenes), and thus in this chapter you're going to see three events on the second half of Harry's sixth year: Christmas, post-Malfoy incident and post-Dumbledore death. I had written half a scene on Valentine's Day and also a full scene on Gryffindor winning the Quidditch Cup, but then when I re-read them I simply didn't like any bit of them, and in hopes of not presenting you with totally crappy work, I decided to remove them and present you these three little scenes.

I thought about adding Luna's famous quidditch commentary scene here, but then since I don't have the sixth book with me I am worried I'd be missing many details about quidditch (or more precisely, how to describe a quidditch match), hence that scene never materialized.

While writing this, I find it funny that I wrote this at first to kill off my writer's block for my other fics, yet halfway through this story those writer's block still persists, and I'm starting to have some for this story too…anyway…

Please enjoy this chapter as well. As usual, I recommend to read in ½ page size.

Chapter 2.2: You've got (more than) a friend in me

He remembered the strange hollowness at Hogwarts as Christmas approached. After the confirmation of the return of You-Know-Who and the attack at the Ministry of Magic last year, there was an unspoken fear among students who seemed very reluctant to get away from Hogwarts. The world's most powerful wizard was their headmaster, and The Boy Who Lived was their schoolmate. It wouldn't be surprising for them to think Hogwarts was the safest place on earth.

Yet many still returned home for Christmas holiday. Muggleborn students were eager to see their parents, who would be easy targets for the Death Eaters. Others were not too anxious to go, but some parents seemed to think they would be safer under their own protection, at least for the meantime. Hence only a few number of students were staying for Christmas holiday, making Hogwarts looked exceptionally empty at the time.

He, however, was trying to lighten up his mood with this holiday. Following Malfoy around had been a failure, and he needed something to distract himself. So why not enjoy this short break in the Burrow, where his friends would be entertaining him and he would feel secure?

Not to mention she would be there too.

Ron stared at him like he had just seen a ghost. What Harry had just said didn't quite register in his mind, as of all crazy things he had expected him to say, this was not one.

'You're saying, Harry,' he made a small gulp, 'You? And Luna?'

Harry was suddenly feeling very uncomfortable. He knew very well Ron's opinion on his sister's best friend, and he felt like he shouldn't hide this from him as he had the right to know. So he told him, and although he had reckoned this would happen, Ron's bewildered face made it hard for him to continue.

Luckily, his female best friend was more understanding and gave him a hug as Ron was still trying to digest the information. The three of them were sitting in the Room of Requirement to ensure no one would be there to disturb them, and Harry was only hoping to reveal this news to a handful of people that he trusted. He would tell Neville and Ginny later, but his best friends were his top priority.

'Finally! I'm so glad for you, Harry,' Hermione said as the embrace loosened, but she held his hands in silent support as she also noticed Ron's dubious glance at him. Harry carried a silly grin while scratching his head. 'What do you mean "finally", Hermione?' Ron was also pondering on the same question, as both boys turned to look at the only female in the room. She rolled her eyes, gave a sigh of 'boys' under her breath.

'It was so obvious, Harry,' she let it out as Harry, stunned, widened his eyes, 'I mean, consider the time you two spent together, or the way you constantly looked over to the Ravenclaw table during lunch and dinner, or you asking her to Slughorn's Party, and what happened at the end of that…' Hermione trailed off, as the mischievous grin on her face reminded him that she was there too, soundlessly cheering for him as he and Luna exchanged their moment of intimacy. He felt his cheeks burnt again, whining as Ron looked confused for a moment at their interaction. It took another minute for the information to sink in, and after Hermione's persuasion of nudging Harry to tell more about his love life did Ronald Weasley realize what he had missed.

'YOU TWO SNOGGED AT SLUGHORN'S PARTY? OUCH!' Hermione smacked his head, rather hard, as Harry for once gave an approving smirk at that. 'Hermione, that's not necessary!' The brown-haired sneered and again urged Harry to go on with his story with sparkling eyes. And so he told them. He revealed his feelings about the weirdest girl the three of them had ever come to know. He discussed the emotional support Luna had offered him during hard times. He described, in rather vivid details how he was charmed by her playful but sincere smile. Ron felt chills in his spine as he continued, while Hermione just giggled girlishly from time to time. Finally, Harry finished his story and the three laid back on their respective chairs, entertained by the unwavering silence in the room. Finally Ron decided to break it.

'So, you and Luna.' It was a weird statement to make, but his tone caught Harry and Hermione's attention: there was no sarcasm in those words, just calmness.

'Yes.' He replied, nodding in his direction. Ron took a minute to think and faced them with his eyebrows raised.

'Tongue?'

Hermione's cheeks turned red. 'Ron!'

'Only a bit, but yeah.'

The two of them seemed to enjoy seeing their friend getting devastated. 'Harry!'

'Just don't do it in front of us, okay? Nargles will attack my eyes.'

Hermione stared at the red-headed disbelievingly, and Harry laughed at the non-offensive joke.

'You know, remember that I have invited you two to come to the Burrow during Christmas holiday?' Noticing two nods, the youngest male Weasley turned to Harry with uncertainty in his tone but firmness in his eyes. 'I think dad and mum won't mind having one more visitor staying over. Besides, I think Ginny will be thrilled too.'

Hermione covered her mouth in awe, and Harry almost wanted to jump into him and hug him senseless.

She remembered stepping into the Burrow with an overwhelmed sensation. Considering how close she and Ginny lived near each other, geographically speaking, it came to a surprise to some to know that it was her first time visiting the Weasleys' cottage. Correction: it was her first time visiting a friend's house.

But her journey from Hogwarts to the Burrow was accompanied by joy and laughter. A few days after Slughorn's Party, Harry introduced her rather formally to Ron, Hermione, Neville and Ginny as his girlfriend. Ron still looked a bit bemused, but Hermione welcomed her with open arms, giving her a warm hug in the Room of Requirement. Neville was taken aback initially but eventually congratulated them, and Ginny joined Hermione's hug as she embraced her best friend wholeheartedly. The Room of Requirement had become an unofficial place for them to gather and share their lives among a trusted circle of friends.

She was still seen as a frequent companion with the other five Gryffindors, but she and Harry did not make any public display of intimacy. Harry hoped to keep their relationship secret, not because he was fearful of being seen together with her but he was afraid of her becoming target of bullying again. Also, he did not hope for Luna and her father to be target of Death Eater's attack should they found out about this. Luna accepted the offer and decided too that it was for the best. She wouldn't mind other girls showing their stupidity by bashing her or hiding her stuff, but she did not want her father to be in harm by any means.

After a peaceful and enjoyable ride in the Hogwarts Express, again with the six of them sharing the same compartment, they parted with Neville, who went back to his parents, and finally arrived at the Burrow. Joined by Mr. and Mrs. Weasley and the twins, it was a holiday Luna could never forget.

She had more fun than ever during the short stay at the Burrow. Fred and George teased her continuously about her relationship Harry (although mostly with Harry being the victim), but they always compensated with some new inventions from their jokes store to amuse her. To the pleasant dismay of Harry, the twins kept calling her 'Loony' when addressing her, but Luna always caught the affectionate tone they used and hence she didn't really mind. In fact, she found it weird for them to address her by her real name anyway. It didn't suit Fred and George, she reckoned.

She also spent time with Hermione, trying to learn the Muggle way of knitting. She couldn't comprehend at first how a ball of threads could end up being a scarf or sweater, and Hermione was more than happy to share her thoughts and teach her how to knit one. To Luna's surprise they had gotten rather close, for Harry had always said how Hermione relied on books and logics while she relied mostly just on faith. Yet she always found herself comfortable around Hermione, probably due to her open support for her relationship with Harry. Hence when Harry, Ron, Ginny and the twins went to play some quidditch at the backyard, she would keep herself busy with needles, cloth and other Muggle inventions that Hermione showed her. Occasionally Mr. Weasley would enthusiastically join in the conversation, as both he and Luna were curious student to the world of Muggles, and he was clever enough to reassure Luna that he would not tell Harry what she had been doing, resulting in a blush on the blonde's cheeks. After all, she had wanted for this to be a surprise for her first Christmas gift to her first boyfriend. The dramatic display of joy in his eyes when she put her handmade scarf around his neck became an image forever framed in her mind.

And of course others would also give them some privacy as the couple snuggled close to each other on the couch. When they did that, they would ignore everyone's glances or comments and just engaged in their own world. They would talk about everything, from Muggle invention to the latest creatures Luna's father had featured in the Quibbler's articles. Others would be smart enough to give them some room. After all, Harry trusted them enough to reveal this news to them, and they were all honest wizards and witches who would keep their promises. And Luna was very grateful for that.

What more could she ask for when she's surrounded by friends, and family?

He remembered the tension in the Gryffindor Common Room as the news was revealed to all. Harry Potter, the captain and star player of the courageous wizards and witches' quidditch team, had just been banned from participating in any quidditch game after he had casted a seemingly dark spell on Malfoy. The room was silent as Harry acquiesced to the news when his teammates asked for confirmation. None of them spoke a word, for as much as they cared for their captain, they knew well that casting a spell against another student was not permitted, let along one that sent Draco Malfoy into St. Mungos. The green-eyed teenager was a loss of words too. Ron and Ginny were nervous, shaking their glances from him to other members frequently as they also had no idea what to do afterwards. The next game against Slytherin was a critical one; they had to win by a huge margin to win the Quidditch Cup. While Slytherin also lost Malfoy due to this incident, they would be missing their pillar. What were they to do without their starting seeker of the past six years?

Trying his best to console them while not in a particularly good mood himself, he managed to give instructions to the team as they sat back and listened attentively. After dismissing them, he walked to the lake, hoping to get some fresh air to keep his mind awake.

It wasn't supposed to turn out like this. He was just supposed to follow Malfoy and see if he made contact with other Death Eaters or whatever that he had been doing. Finding a sobbing blond in Moaning Mrytle's bathroom certainly was not what he had expected, and the exchange of insults and spells afterwards…let's just say it was not his proudest moment. He had just let his intuition guide him through their duel, and he did not forget Hermione's constant warning about using spells from the book of the Half Blood Prince, whoever the bloody hell he was…

He found a spot and lay on the grass, holding his head with his hands, trying to figure out what to do next. Now that all professors and students would keep an eye on him even more so than ever, he wondered what he really could do, with spying on Malfoy being officially out of the question. As the wind blew by his side, he closed his eyes and hoped to achieve a state of mind-blankness. He wanted no more disturbances right now. He didn't even want to think of anything. He just wanted a quiet, peaceful time of his own to relax, however nonsensical that sounded like in a time like this.

'Hello Harry.'

His eyelids flipped open and looked around, only to see no one in sight. He wondered if he had imagined that, for the owner of the voice should not be nearby.

'I'm here, Harry.' And with that, he finally spotted her by his left, and knew why he couldn't see her just a second ago. Luna was holding his invisibility cloak with her arms in midair so that only he could see her. If someone was watching from the back, they would only see a confused Harry Potter staring into nothing in particular.

'Hello Luna.' For once he did not know how to respond to her. Everything had happened too fast for him, from following Malfoy to stunning him to being suspended from quidditch in Dumbledore's office to maintaining the morale of his teammates in Gryffindor's Common Room, that he actually forgot it was the first time he had seen Luna after all these had happened. If he thought about it logically, all of these had just happened within an hour or so, but he felt like he hadn't seen her in ages. She looked into his eyes and gave a reassuring smile.

'Relax, Harry. There's no need to get tense,' she said softly, her hand reaching for his cheek and pulled him closer, giving him a hug he needed as both were sitting closer to each other. He slowly closed his eyes and let Luna comfort him, as she knew the perfect way to calm him now was to not speak. He pulled her closer and let the invisibility cloak cover both of them eventually, hoping to disappear from the world completely. A tear was dropping from his eye as her warmth slowly got to him. 'Luna I…' he choked on his words, not knowing how to begin. Should he tell her the truth that she probably had heard from others already? Should he admit he almost killed Malfoy, using a dark spell in a spur of the moment? Should he let her know how scared he actually was, seeing the young Slytherin's lifeless body across the room?

'Shhhhh,' she hushed, patting his head slightly and caressing his hair, 'I know, Harry. I know.'

The wind was rushing through the trees nearby and leaves started falling off, landing on their cloak. The calm lake in front of him stayed still as he watched some birds spreading their wings in the sky, drifting along the wind.

And he did not say anymore, just leaning on her shoulder as his tears refused to come out of his eyes.

She remembered the panic and gossips around Hogwarts when the rumour of Harry Potter almost killing his archrival Draco Malfoy was spread around the ancient building. The paintings gossiped among one another and students were eager to know the truth. She just stood still when she first heard the news in the Great Hall, using her Ravenclaw mind to analyze the possibility of such event. But then when Hermione tiptoed to her on a hollow corridor, telling her what, according to Harry himself, had happened, she only asked one question.

'Where's Harry now, Hermione?'

She spun off as soon as the Muggleborn said the word 'lake', taking the invisibility cloak on her hand as well, as the older girl obliged, having expected her to grasp it anyway. Ignoring the other living creatures on her way or the dead spirits floating by, she dashed out of the school building to enter the grassland with the cloak covering her body.

A lot of things were running in her mind, as she thought about the incident over and over again. As she jogged along the route to where she spotted the raven-haired was, her mind kept repeating what Hermione had said. That it was true. That Harry did nearly kill Malfoy with a dark spell. That he was ripped of his captaincy of Gryffindor's quidditch team. She didn't get why though. Harry must have his reason to use the spell he learned from the book of the Half Blood Prince, whoever that was, as he should be aware of the danger of using a spell he was not familiar with. She also knew that as much as he hated Draco (she preferred calling others by first name), getting rid of his existence wasn't what the green-eyed teenager wanted. When not even a Death Eater deserved death, why should a suspected one be?

Slowly, she walked toward him and notified him of her presence. It wasn't a pleasant sight, to say the least, as his features showed nothing but stress, misery, fear. She didn't like that look of his. It just didn't seem to suit him. Although he always wore that expression whenever the discussion topic turned to Voldemort or his followers, she constantly tried her best to wipe that off his face. So far she had quite a high success rate on that matter, and she was determined to restore the smile on his face now.

Yet she found herself at a loss of words as their eyes locked. There was so much pain in them that she found it suffocating, as if she was drawn into despair herself. Harry had never looked so fragile before, and her heart ached at such a sight. So she tried again. She tried to make him relax, pulling him close to her and let him lie on her body. She quietly fondled his hair, offering the silent comfort she thought he needed. He complied, with Luna feeling her shoulder getting slightly wet gradually but paid no attention.

They just sat there, silently offering each other company as they watched the sun gradually sank.

He remembered the emptiness of feelings he had when he stood in front of the white tomb. Many others were around him but he couldn't feel them. His emerald eyes locked on the stone but he was not exactly paying attention to what was in front of him.

Dumbledore had died. The most powerful wizard that even Voldemort feared was killed right in front of his eyes by Severus Snape. The person he probably trusted the most was dead because of someone he was told to trust. What irony he had in his life.

The funeral was soon held and he positioned himself at the back, with Ron, Hermione and Luna beside him. None of them exchanged a word, as what had happened on that night still shocked them. They couldn't really believe it, still. Draco Malfoy and Severus Snape had gone missing ever since, and the Order was having a hard time locating them. Fury filled his blood whenever the scene that night reappeared in front of his eyelids: that he was helpless in watching him die, that Malfoy was somehow assigned to kill the headmaster but seemed reluctant to do so, that Snape, whom he thought he could, or should, trust, waved his wand so effortlessly to send the old man down the tower. He clenched his fists and found his body shaking when a hand reached for his arm.

Luna was holding his hand while looking at him, with a pained expression lingering on her face. They didn't talk after Dumbledore had died that night. When all had arrived at the scene, some sobbed, some just stood still, shocked, and she just held him tight, offering to support him without a word when he stared furiously at the dead headmaster's body.

He knew what he had to do next, now that the pillar of Hogwarts was gone. He could no longer just stay here and wait for Voldemort to strike. He had to take the initiative. He had to do something, and that required him spending the following year out of Hogwarts on an adventure to find the remaining horcruxes. Trying not to get anyone's attention as the funeral proceeded, he took Luna's hand and together they walked to a safe distance from the funeral. Ron and Hermione raised an eyebrow, but said nothing as they watched their best friend walk away.

'Luna, listen,' Harry murmured as some aurors nearby acknowledged their presence, 'I have to go kill Voldemort after this.'

'Of course you have to,' she interjected, looking at him plainly, 'it's your destiny to do so, whether you like it or not.'

'Yes, but that's not what I meant.' Sighing, he went on, 'look, I cannot do that if I stay in Hogwarts for another year. I have to go look for the horcruxes. I have to leave.'

'I'll go wit–'

'No, Luna,' he interrupted as she stopped, a knowing expression soon replacing the sad countenance. 'We cannot be together like this. This is too dangerous for you and it's something I have to do by myself.'

He didn't know if he should be glad that she didn't say anything anymore, instead she just stared at him, but he could not decipher her look. She was neither sad nor mad, and she certainly did not look dreamy as she usually did. Her grey orbs just stared at him, and he was suddenly becoming uncomfortable about this.

'I'm sorry Luna,' he confessed, 'and I really do not want this to happen, but,' he then gathered the will to embrace her, 'I really can't let them win, Luna. I have no choice but to do this.'

She didn't struggle nor did she return the hug. Instead she just leaned her body forward and rested her head on his shoulder. 'You know that I'll hate you for this.'

'Yes.'

'And that I do not entertain this idea an awful lot.'

Yes.'

'And that I won't forgive you if you do not come back victorious.'

'Yes.'

The embrace broke as she looked determined this time. They looked at each other with different determination but same emotion as she then whispered in a voice that the aurors guarding nearby couldn't hear.

'Kiss me, Harry.'

'Wha–' before he could give a clear response, she stepped forward and placed her lips on his for two still seconds. He was not just startled by her request. In fact, when he thought about it more thoroughly it was the first time since they had started dating that she had made a demand from him. And it was a light kiss that made him suddenly miss the sensation of her touch so dearly when her lips moved away from his. She looked even more disappointed after this shared moment as she flashed him a sad smile. 'I guess this is goodbye, then.'

He found himself lost in words. He wasn't the talkative type to begin with, and now he watched with mild horror as her feet carried her away from him. The look of her back was framed to his mind, as he knew that no matter how much he wanted to reach out for her, to hold her, to kiss her…they all wouldn't happen unless he completed his mission. That was his destiny, whether he liked it or not.

She remembered the numb feeling surrounding her body and mind as she paid her last respect to her headmaster. Having witnessed death at a young age, she wasn't totally sad or disappointed that Albus Dumbledore was gone, just like that. No, she had seen her own mother dying right in front of her eyes. Comparatively speaking, Dumbledore's death was expected. He had been weak, Luna knew, and when she learnt later that he and Harry went on the secret mission to hunt down a possible horcrux, she just needed to put one and one together to get the logical outcome.

It would be wrong, however, to say that she had no sympathy. She was of course sad that the spiritual leader of their just side against Voldemort was killed, but Luna Lovegood had always been an optimistic person. The Dark Lord would still fall, with or without Dumbledore, and the death of the most powerful wizard only meant that they had to be better prepared for a war against the dark side.

She could see Ron holding Hermione, giving her the comfort the fragile Muggleborn needed at this moment. Both looked pained, especially Hermione. Luna recalled how she and Hermione had gone to Snape's office for help, without realizing, with hindsight speaking, that the Defence Against Dark Arts teacher was about to brutally murder their hope, their pillar. Hermione certainly did not take it well, blaming herself for not stopping him sooner, even though Luna had tried to reassure her that they wouldn't have known in advance. Ron was also very quiet. He just kept stroking his best friend's shoulder with a blank stare locating Dumbledore's tomb. The trademark Weasley grin was lost.

Yet, the person sitting next to her was whom she was worried about the most. Harry was unusually calm in a state like this, but Luna knew he was having a mental battle with himself. Harry was the kind of person who put the blame of the world's most unfortunate event on himself, and all she could do was just to hold his hand, nonverbally assuring him that she was here for him. He looked passive, but nonetheless she recognized times when words failed and actions should take place instead. She gently squeezed his hand, offering the comfort she could give, and he nodded, acknowledging her help which made her smile a bit.

When he led her away from the crowd and said that they had to talk, she already knew what would be coming from his mouth. She just knew. After being acquainted with Harry for so long, she knew well that he would sacrifice his own happiness to carry the world on his shoulders. He would do anything to avenge Dumbledore's and his parents' death. He would not let anything stand in between his goal and himself.

And she admired him for that. Really. She seldom came across people who could just take all the pressure 'for the greater good', even though she disagreed with such notion, and fully understood that whatever she said would not change his mind. So she did not argue with him when he firmly rejected her proposal of tagging him along his journey. Instead, she told him her true feelings.

She hated him for leaving her behind. She did not like the idea of him slaying Death Eaters and discovering horcruxes while she stayed behind to attend classes. She would certainly not forgive him if he was killed during his quest or failed to accomplish his goal. She poured all her hatred about this in her own distinct, dreamy voice.

And then she requested a kiss.

Surely that had taken him aback. A serious conversation ending with a kiss when he was trying to break up with her would surely make Fred and George fall off their chairs laughing hysterically. Not surprisingly, Harry was in shock as her moist lips met his dry ones. She could see questions in his face, but she didn't answer any one of them as she knew that she had to be determined on this, for after Dumbledore's tragic departure Harry Potter would officially become the pillar of everyone in the world of wizards and witches. All she wanted was just to treasure one last moment of intimacy between the two of them, letting the feeling she got after Slughorn's party reignited in both members' consciousness.

'I guess this is goodbye, then.' She almost phrased it in a singing tone, dropping her eyelids as she turned and swore not to look back. She had made a choice and so had he, even though both were not happy with the outcome. Nevertheless, over the years Luna had learnt to know what she ought to do, on Dumbledore's words, for the greater good.

She could feel the moisture in her eyes beginning to liquefy, and fought to keep herself moving forward. The Hogwarts Express would be ready to take them home but she would very much prefer spending this trip alone in a single compartment. Not that she hadn't done so before, anyway. All she needed now was some quietness to keep herself sane.

End of Chapter 2.2

I hope you like this chapter as well. When I was writing this I also started writing a one-shot about Luna being captivated in Malfoy Manor. As that fic was a lot darker than this I find it challenging to change writing styles from that fic to this. I still have to edit that a bit, but hopefully I can publish that work around Thanksgiving.

Moving on to next chapter…basically DH stuff. It probably will be split into two parts again, as I already have various scenes in mind. The Luna-in-Malfoy-Manor scene in this fic, however, won't be as dark as my one-shot indicates. I'm too fond of this girl to torture her in two stories of mine.

I'm approaching the end of my semester so I can't say for sure when I will update again…my hope is within three weeks (so far this story is updated once a fortnight), if I am done with my papers and projects on time, that is.

Please kindly review and let me know what you like/dislike/hate about this fic! Until next time!