Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. This story is meant purely in tribute to the original work.

Luna had to admit that the day had turned out beautifully. The sun was shining brightly with only scattered clouds in the sky and a light breeze kept the temperature quite comfortable. As she made her way up the slight hill, she mused that this was the type of day that would have brought Neville out of the greenhouse and into the garden. Perhaps he would have taken the time to show her a new and interesting plant. Or maybe they would have just strolled through the garden and contented themselves with each other's company. The thought brought a small smile to Luna's face as she arrived at her destination. "This should have been a happier day", she thought as her smile slowly faded, "Today is Neville's birthday. Or rather, it would have been." Luna set the arrangement of colorful, assorted wildflowers at the base of a marble headstone that bore Neville Longbottom's name. "Happy Birthday Neville", Luna quietly greeted the monument. As she had for several years in a row now, Luna sat before Neville's final resting place and began speaking. She talked about her year in review, the places she had visited, the creatures she had encountered, the wondrous sights she had taken in, and her latest article or book in the works. Luna also caught him up on their old friends' lives and their friends' children. If one were to close their eyes, one would think that Luna was really holding a conversation, albeit with a very quiet, old friend. As Luna ran out of updates, she brought her one-sided conversation to a close as she had for the past several years, "I love you and miss you Neville. I still see you in my dreams. I hope you still see me in yours." As she had in the past years as she departed, Luna waved to the groundskeeper on her way out. He had already come to expect Luna's regular visits on this day, no one else visited that grave. As she had in the past years, Luna tried to make it to the cemetery gates without tears escaping her eyes. She had yet to succeed.

Later On

A tapping sound at her window made Luna pause as she buttoned her pajamas. Her orange and white tabby, Trevor, looked up as well at the sound. As she looked out her window she smiled as she recognized Ginny's owl. She accepted the proffered letter and slipped the bird a treat as the owl departed. "Care to hear what Ginny has to say?", Luna asked her pet. Trevor merely gave a characteristic feline yawn and curled up on her bad, his curiosity satisfied. Luna read through the letter quickly. Most of it was Ginny asking how Luna was doing, inviting her to dinner yet again, asking how she was doing, stating that she knew it was Neville's birthday, asking how she was doing, apologizing for not joining Luna in visiting but kids take up time like nothing else, hinting to Luna to move on with her life, and, last but certainly not least, asking Luna how she was doing. Luna never blamed any of her friends for not visiting Neville with her. She knew they had families to care for, lives to live. One only had so many hours in a day. As for the rest, Luna always reminded Ginny that she was indeed moving forward in her life whenever the red-headed girl asked. But deep down inside, she knew what Ginny really meant. And Luna knew that Ginny knew that Luna knew what she meant. Thankfully, her old friend didn't push the issue…too hard. When it came down to it, Luna found that she just couldn't move on. Days like this, especially this day, reminded her why.

Luna remembered Neville's plea so many years ago to continue their long distance relationship. Even though she still loved him, she was convinced it would not work out in the long run. They kept in touch and were cordial to each other. At any occasion where they were both present, she could feel his eyes on her even when she wasn't looking. Luna was sure Neville could feel it when she did the same to him. But it wouldn't have worked out, and that was that. Then came that horrible day. Luna still remembered that it had been a Thursday. Harry had shown up at her door in what she thought had been a pleasant surprise. Ginny had convinced her husband to visit Luna in person to convey the news to her. It turned out that it was a wise choice. Harry had informed Luna that Neville's luck had run out. One of the makeshift labs he had been investigating had gone up and this time, Neville was not one of the ones to survive the explosion. It wasn't as if Neville had been her husband or was even her boyfriend anymore. But it turned out that little details like that didn't really matter at that point. The news hit Luna with all the force of a sledgehammer. Harry would remark later on to Ginny that the stricken look on Luna's face was as bad as some widows he had witnessed receiving similar news.

Luna wished that she had at least some façade of saying good-bye. She had not been able to see Neville one last time. To see his face, even in repose, and tell him she was sorry, that she still loved him, and that she would see him in her dreams. Unfortunately, Neville's remains had not been fit for viewing. A part of Luna also regretted that she was not listed as Neville's next-of-kin. The flag at the funeral had gone to his grandmother. Only a year later, Augusta Longbottom was gone as well. The toll of her son suffering a fate worse than death and having to bury her grandson had been too much for her to bear. Much to Luna's surprise, Augusta had directed in her will that the flag that had draped Neville's coffin be passed on to her. Luna was both grateful to the older woman and impressed with her powers of observation.

As Ginny had suggested on a semi-regular basis, Luna did try to move on. She really did make a sincere effort. However, she found that she could not help but measure every prospect against the memory of a certain tall, dark-haired, and endearingly shy and clumsy man. Luna couldn't fool herself even if she earnestly tried. All she had to do was look at her pet cat to be reminded of the source of his name if she ever forgot. And Luna never forgot. Despite her success in her endeavors to discover new creatures and her adventures in new locales, she could not help but feel there was a void in her life. Despite Trevor's propensity to cuddle, he just did not provide the warmth of another human being. Of a certain someone. As Luna laid down and pulled the covers over her, she found herself wishing sleep would come quickly, so that she might find some comfort in her dreams. At the same time, she dreaded slumber since those same dreams would leave her lonely when she awoke. Instead, she found herself tossing and turning restlessly, to the point where even Trevor lost his patience and headed for the floor. To Luna's mild frustration, she found her cheeks wet with tears once more. She sighed and turned over once more in an effort to become comfortable.

*blink*

Luna rolled over as she was abruptly pulled from her dream. Her restless motion brought her husband awake as well.

"You alright?", Neville asked in a sleepy voice filled with concern.

"Yes dear", Luna drowsily answered. She ran her hand over her cheeks to wipe away the remnants of some stray tears.

"Hey, wha…?", Neville whispered, "Tears? What's wrong Luna?"

"Just a bad dream", Luna answered as she shook her head, as if the motion would somehow clear the last of the vivid images from her mind.

"Do you want to talk about it?"

"Maybe later. Can you just hold me for right now?"

Neville slid his arms around Luna and pulled her into his comforting embrace. Luna nuzzled her head under his chin and settled against him. "New, unfamiliar home. Must be nargles testing our resolve. Or maybe wrackspurts messing with my mind. Maybe even both.", Luna mused. They had just moved into their new home in Hogsmeade and boxes upon boxes still waited to be unpacked in the other rooms. The exertions of the day had left them with just enough energy to set up their bedroom, bathroom, and part of their kitchen before they collapsed into bed. Neville had just been hired as an associate professor of herbology at Hogwarts and would soon be teaching under the supervision of his old mentor, Professor Pomona Sprout. Hopefully, in a few years, Neville would be granted tenure and status as a full professor. Professor Sprout had hinted that she was looking forward to Neville achieving this goal as she was looking forward to becoming a professor emeritus and then eventually retiring completely.

Luna smiled as she felt Neville press a soft kiss against her hair. She yawned as she was reminded of just how tired she was. While moving was tiring for anyone, she felt doubly fatigued due to her condition. Luna felt Neville's hand slide over her slightly rounded abdomen. Although it was still too early to feel their unborn child kick or stir, Luna knew that Neville liked touching her stomach as a way to feel connected to the life growing within her body. She was just glad that Neville was becoming more comfortable with the concept of fatherhood. Although they had discussed the subject of having children extensively, Luna knew that Neville still harbored doubts about himself and his abilities. Indeed, when Luna had told him she was pregnant, he had smiled and told her how happy he was. Then his nerves got the better of him and he excused himself to go vomit in the bathroom. Had she not known Neville well, she probably would have felt insulted. Since she knew Neville intimately well, Luna was fully expecting it and even had a small waste bin handy just in case he couldn't make it to the toilet.

Luna nuzzled against her husband as she slowly drifted back to sleep, the last vestiges of her unpleasant dream fading away. "I love you Neville Longbottom."

"And I love you, Luna Longbottom. So very, very much."

The End

Author's Note: We've reached the end to this story. While there is certainly more to their lives together, that's a story for another time. That being said, I don't think I'll ever write anything this long again. But never say never. I didn't think I would ever write a fanfic.

One of the primary arguments I've heard against Neville and Luna being a couple is that they rarely interact. I don't think that's necessarily the case. Harry Potter is told through the POV of Harry Potter. The majority of the story is told through his or Ron or Hermione's perspective. Almost all of the times you see supporting characters, it is when they are with the primary trio. This is not the Song of Fire and Ice saga by George Martin where the POV changes every few chapters and you learn more about a wider array of characters that way. In Harry Potter, any character development in supporting characters is only seen in their interactions with the primary trio. Does that mean they don't do anything when the primary trio is not around? Of course not! Who's to say Neville and Luna aren't having heart-to-heart conversations off-screen (or off-page)? While that's pure speculation, I like to think it's possible.

Another argument I've heard is that they are too opposite. You don't have to be clones to get along. Sometimes, opposites do attract. My wife and I are opposites in many, many ways. For starters, I am a scientist, she is an artist. Despite our differences, we love each other and have been happily married for years. Sometimes, getting out of your comfort zone is a good thing. It usually goes smoother if it's with someone you trust. We do have some hobbies in common, but more importantly, we have morals and values in common. When we first met, we had our doubts, but we knew that we would never know unless we tried. We're both glad we did.

And finally, I've heard people assert that you don't always end up with the person you date in school. Very true, but some high school sweethearts do marry and there are many who do stay together. And Hogwarts is not your average school. It seems to be primary, secondary, and university all rolled into one. Also, how many high school students go through life-altering, life-or-death struggles to save the world while they are in school? I'd say that's quite a bonding experience.

In the end, you never know where and when you'll find a happy and lasting romance. I've noticed that it usually happens when you least expect it.

I'd like to thank everyone who has been reading for sticking with this story, especially with the slowed update pace toward the end. Special thanks for those who submitted reviews and wrote to me regarding the story. I am very grateful for your feedback and support. There are a few chapters that I trashed completely because I just did not like how I wrote them. There are a couple more chapters that I liked but could not figure out how to fit in the sequence of the story. I may post them as standalones. Thanks again and keep reading and writing!