Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. This story is meant purely in tribute to the original work.
A fresh breeze from the ocean brought a slight chill to Luna's bare shoulders and she leaned in closer to Neville. Neville's arm around her waist moved to pull her a little closer to his side. "Cold?", he asked.
"Just a bit with that last breeze. I'm warmer now.", she reassured her new husband.
Neville leaned in to kiss her temple. "Have I remembered to tell you how beautiful you look Mrs. Longbottom?"
Luna smiled at his flattery. "Not within the last 15 minutes, I think."
"How terribly remiss of me."
"You're forgiven, Mr. Longbottom. I am sure the expression on your face when I started down the aisle more than makes up for your transgression."
"You're quite generous m' lady.", Neville replied with a grin, "Let's head back to the garden, I think I see goosebumps on your shoulder." He steered Luna away from the overlook of the coastline and started escorting her back to the sheltered courtyard garden.
"Are you sure you're not cold?", Luna asked. Neville shook his head in the negative. "Your hair doesn't look so damp anymore. I think the wind helped dry it. How did it get that way anyways?"
Neville cleared his throat as he tried to think of a way to change the subject. "Do you think this would be a good time to pay a visit?"
"I think so. We don't know how long the reception will last and we don't want to visit too late. I don't think we'd be allowed to if we showed up at too late of an hour."
"I just don't want everyone to think we abandoned them."
"Don't worry, Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Ginny will cover for us. We agreed upon this plan far in advance, remember? Besides, we'll be back for the reception. We'll just be fashionably late.", Luna said with a smile.
"You're right.", Neville smiled back, "Shall we get going then?"
Luna nodded and Neville led her into the room he and the groomsmen had used to get ready in. "It's wonderful that the Ministry allowed you to set up a Floo Network point here."
Neville's smile tightened a bit. "Well, it did take quite a bit of cajoling and the Inspector had to go to the Chief Inspector…some strings had to be pulled and were it not for Harry's help and my parents' name…but they finally agreed to allow a temporary Floo point to be set up here. I'm just glad I submitted the request early enough for all of this to be set up."
"Of course they would approve it, it's for a good cause, is it not?"
Neville smiled at his wife as he picked up a handful of Floo powder. He turned to the fireplace and threw the powder in. There was a brief flash and he and Luna stepped in as he announced, "St. Mungo's".
As Luna and Neville walked through the corridors of St. Mungo's, they attracted a few curious stares from people in the hallways. The two of them could hardly blame the onlookers for their curiosity. The sight of a man in dress robes and a woman in a wedding dress was not common at the hospital. The fact that said wedding dress was green definitely made the pair an unusual sight. Luna gave Neville's hand a reassuring squeeze as they arrived at their destination: The Janus Thickey Ward of St. Mungo's. Neville acknowledged Luna's comforting gesture with a soft stroke of his thumb against the back of her hand. It wasn't long before Neville and Luna were standing before Frank and Alice Longbottom's beds. "Mom, Dad, I'd like to present my wife and your daughter-in-law: Mrs. Luna Longbottom."
Luna gave a small wave to her in-laws. "Hello Mr. and Mrs. Longbottom! It's good to see you again!"
Later On
Luna and Neville strolled out of the fireplace in the groom's dressing room at The Wayfarer's Chapel.
"How long do you think we'll need to stay at the reception?", Neville mused.
"Neville Longbottom! How could you even think of abandoning our guests? That's rude! And for whatever reason would you be trying to sneak out early?", Luna teased in a faux-shocked voice.
"It's not like that!", Neville began to protest even though he knew Luna was joking with him.
"I know, I know, you don't like being the center of attention.", Luna soothed.
"I'm…just not used to it."
"Don't worry. I have to admit I'd find this much more overwhelming too if I didn't have you at my side to help me through it."
"Thanks. I'm very glad you're here too, I'm not sure I could handle all this otherwise."
"For someone who has accomplished so many heroic deeds, I'd think you'd be used to it by now."
"I'm still not so sure about heroic but even so, that's easier said than done."
Luna patted his arm as they walked to the carriage waiting to take them to the reception hall. "Just try to relax and keep in mind that this is a fun occasion."
A Few Minutes Later
"So how did everything go?", Harry asked. Neville produced a photo that had been taken just a little earlier. Neville and Luna were standing at the bedsides of Neville's parents. Although the photo looked somewhat unusual with the state Neville's parents were in and Luna and Neville smiling in their wedding finery, anyone who knew the couple knew why they had taken a break from their wedding day to have this photo taken. And Harry knew the two of them quite well. Which was why he readily agreed to help out his friends when they approached him for help with delaying the reception in case they were delayed returning from St. Mungo's. Harry clapped Neville on the shoulder. "This is great Neville, they'd be so happy to know you and Luna took the time to do this with them."
"I'm just glad all the logistics worked out to make it happen. Thanks again for all your help Harry."
"I was just glad I could help. We're all glad we could help."
"Neville and I are very grateful to have friends like all of you.", Luna added.
Harry smiled, "You'd have done the same for us. That's what we're here for right? Now, I think your presence is requested inside…"
As a testament to Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Ginny's efforts, no one really seemed to notice that the newlyweds were delayed. Or if anyone had noticed, they didn't mind and said nothing of it. As Neville and Luna took to the dance floor to have the traditional first dance as husband and wife, everything looked fairly normal as Neville's arm slid around Luna's waist and her hand went to his shoulder. After only a few moments however, they broke apart and began turning in slow circles and waving their hands in the air in a strange pattern. There were mostly puzzled or bewildered looks on the guests' faces. Xenophilius stood and loudly applauded as Augusta's mouth dropped open in shock. Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Ginny grinned and joined Luna's father in applause. Neville found it quite easy to join in Luna's laughter as they went through their unorthodox dance. Luna was overjoyed that it had not taken much effort to convince Neville to dance this way. For his part, Neville admitted that this was a welcome break from all the pervasive formality they had encountered while planning their wedding. When Luna had brought up the subject of their first dance some weeks ago, he readily agreed with her suggestion. It was clear from her reaction that she was not sure he would so readily agree to her suggestion. Even the most traditional-minded of their guests had to admit: The newlyweds looked so happy, so what if they looked like they were shooing away flying insects?
In the years that followed, Luna and Neville would admit that the night was mostly a blur. As their friends who had married a little earlier had advised them, the experience would probably be a little overwhelming given all the build-up to their big day. Neville felt that by the time the night was halfway through, he had lost track of who was on his side of the family and who was on Luna's. Luna was just having such a good time meeting people that she did not worry about keeping track of who was from which side of the family. By about midnight, Neville and Luna were able to slip away (With a little additional help from Harry, Ron, Hermione and Ginny) while the party continued. Their friends did not mind helping out the newlyweds again as they had done the same at the two previous weddings. When Neville and Luna reached their honeymoon suite at the inn they had chosen, they would have been slightly surprised to find that they ended up spending their wedding night much like many other newlyweds. They were so exhausted by the events of the day that they had just enough energy to strip off their formal clothing, curl up with each other, and fall asleep.
It was an entirely different story when the two of them awoke the next morning refreshed, revitalized, and realized that they were now husband and wife. Most folks were sitting down to their noontime meal by the time Neville and Luna left their bed to face the day.
18 Months Later
Luna's gaze swept over her notes spread out around her. It had been a month since she had returned from her latest trip and she was hard at work putting together a manuscript. She was already a week behind schedule but she was not overly concerned. Her publisher was well acquainted with her sense of schedules. Luna glanced over to the clock and, as she noted the time, wondered if Neville would be home for dinner. He had been working some late hours over the past few days but that was not out of the ordinary. Hermione and Ginny had commiserated with her on the life of an auror's wife. Luna had to admit that it was nice having friends like the two of them since they could all understand what their husbands' careers were like. The three women discovered that the bonds they had developed years ago at Hogwarts readily lent themselves to forming an informal support group for each other. Every so often, they even managed to have a "girls' night out" while their husbands were away. Still, Luna had to admit that it was not so bad. She and Neville had, fortunately, seen quite a bit of each other during their first year (Give or take a few months) of marriage. Luna could not help but smile to herself as she let her thoughts linger on just how happy she and Neville were.
A knock at the door brought her out of her dreamy thoughts. "That can't be Neville", she thought, "He has a key." Luna looked through the peephole as she arrived at the front door. She smiled as she recognized a familiar face and swung open the door. "Hello Harry! It's good to see you! Have you come to join us for dinner? Actually, it might be just me since I don't know if Neville will be here for dinner. But all the same, will you stay?"
It was at that moment that Luna noticed that Harry was not alone. There was a younger man accompanying him who looked like a probationary auror. At least, Luna thought he was a probationary. She was basing her guess on the fact that he had that slightly overwhelmed look that she thought all of the probationaries she had met through Neville all shared. Luna also noticed that Harry did not look happy. In fact, he looked quite pale and shaken.
"Luna…", Harry hesitantly began, "I…" His mouth remained open as if to say more but no words followed.
"Harry, are you alright?", Luna asked, her voice full of concern for her friend. "Who's your friend here? Have we met before? I apologize if I've forgotten that we have."
The younger man looked even more nervous than most rookies as he spoke. "Mrs. Neville Longbottom?" It was more of a statement than a question.
"Yes?", Luna answered, not yet catching on to what was happening.
The man accompanying Harry stood up a bit straighter as he continued. "The Minister of Magic regrets to inform you-"
"NO!", Harry interrupted, fairly shouting at him. "Not like that! We're not doing that to her!"
It was at that moment that the reality of the situation came crashing down on Luna. She knew why Harry was here. She knew why Harry had another auror with him. She knew why Harry looked so stricken. Luna remembered a conversation she had with Neville many months ago. He had warned her of the possibility of aurors visiting their doorway. He informed her of what their solemn duty would be. Luna remembered hushed conversations with Hermione and Ginny about just such visits that other wives and husbands had received from representatives of the Auror Service. She remembered their hushed tones, as if speaking quietly would lessen the chances of it happening to them. Luna remembered shutting these memories away in a deep part of her mind, knowing that although it was a possibility, it was not something she wished to think about. She knew that Hermione and Ginny did something similar with their private fears. Now, Luna had to face those fears. She began shaking her head slowly as she backed away from the door. "No…", she began in a small, shaky voice.
"Luna, listen to me-", Harry began as he stepped into the doorway.
"No", Luna retreated backwards from Harry's advance, as if doing so could prevent the news she knew he must be here to deliver from being true. Tears welled up and began to spill from her eyes. "No, it can't be…"
Harry stopped and tried again. "Luna, Neville is-"
"NO!", Luna screamed as she sank to the floor on her knees, "Please God, no! NO! Please, NOOO!" Her voice transformed into an anguished wail as she buried her face in her hands. Harry found himself unable to continue speaking as he knelt to hug his friend. He felt Luna's sobs wrack her body and he could not help but blame himself a little for putting her in this state.
Author's Note: It took me forever to think of a color for Luna's wedding dress. Don't even think about asking what shade of green it is or for design details, my brain might melt.
I liked the idea of Neville and Luna visiting his parents on their wedding day to have a picture taken. I don't think I can do the scene justice though.
As for their first dance, how could I not? Looking back to something I brought up in my notes from a previous chapter, it turns out there's quite a few songs about this couple out there. One of the best and most humorous I have seen is one by a group calling themselves "Luna and The Quibblers", I think. If you search for a "Love Song for Neville Longbottom" on Youtube, you'll find it. I find it difficult to imagine Luna's voice (At least from the movies) singing this song but it is a good one regardless.
Believe it or not, I have read that a lot of couples have admitted that they were so tired, all they could do was collapse into bed on their actual wedding night.
Sorry to end on such a cliffhanger but this was the best place to transition chapters. Thank you very much again to The Sixth Sense and Weasley-Ronnie for reviewing again and thank you to Mischiefer and Lily for the review! And last but not least, thanks again to everyone who is reading!