Friendship in times of Struggle

Warning and Disclaimer: Mentions of Death, slight Canon Divergence

She was a friend. A pretty friend. A smart friend. His best friend. She was Luna Lovegood. Regarded as the school's resident lunatic, Neville didn't think that way at all. Her methods might be unique, but they were good. She had outsmarted him in every one of their duels. In the DA, both of them were quickly becoming prominent leaders. Their playful banter between each other and the constant yet entertaining duels they had showed not only the students but Harry as well that his two friends were capable of leading their Army in learning and casting spells if he were to be given detention from Umbridge.

It was all fun and games until the Ministry. In the terrifying minutes that the Death Eaters had them captive, Neville could see Luna. She had a face of defiance towards the Death Eater; however, he could see in her eyes that she was terrified and scared.

Everything happened so quickly. The Order came, Sirius Black and Bellatrix Lestrange were dueling, and then Sirius got hit with an Avada Kedrava, falling backwards and passing through the veil of death. Harry broke down; his cries of pain were heartbreaking to hear. And that's when he went after Lestrange.

For the minute that the others stayed behind, Neville rushed over to Luna and hugged her tight, her smaller body moulding itself into his arms and chest.

"It's okay, you're safe. You're safe." Neville rubbed her back as she cried into his chest. From the other room, bangs and crashes could be heard. Suddenly, a deafening scream was heard, followed by the shattering of thousands of pieces of glass. It was almost, at that point in time, as if there was an invisible barrier preventing them from getting through to help Harry. That's when the world learned that Voldemort had returned.

Summer, 1996

Ding Dong

The door creaked open, revealing an older man with blonde hair. "Who are you? What do you want?"

"Good afternoon, Mr. Lovegood. Is Luna around?" Neville asked.

Mr. Lovegood frowned. "She hasn't come out of her room for the past two weeks."

Neville sighed and looked up. "Maybe I could help?"

Mr. Lovegood nodded quickly. "Yes, of course. You two are friends after all. Maybe she will listen to you."

Neville entered the Rookery and saw that it was a complete mess. Papers were everywhere, ink bottles were on their side and dripping, and the door at the top of the stairs that had "Luna Lovegood" engraved in it was closed. Neville stepped up to the door and knocked softly.

After several seconds, the door opened a crack, and Neville saw Luna's light blue eyes. She had been crying. The two stared at each other in silence before she let him into her room. Her room was small, but clean and filled with more items and trinkets than anyone could imagine. He glanced at her bed and saw a pillow partially soaked with tears.

Luna directed Neville to a seat, that he took while she sat on the edge of her bed. The two remained in comfortable silence for several minutes until Neville slowly sat up and went to sit next to Luna. She didn't say anything and just watched him, and she didn't push him away when he sat next to her on her bed.

"You're hurting," Neville said. It wasn't a question. He stared forward for several seconds before meeting her gaze.

"I am." After several minutes of silence, Luna laid her head on his shoulder. "And I'm scared."

Neville wrapped his arm around her and pulled her ever so closer to him. "It's okay. I'm here. Do you want to talk about it?"

"No, can you keep holding me though? You make me feel warm inside." Luna cracked a small smile after she spoke. Neville and Luna remained silent from then on, only interrupted by the occasional shake or whisper of peace.

The Houses Competition Year 10

House: Ravenclaw

Class: Ancient Runes

Category: Drabble

Word Count: 654

Prompts: [Pairing - Positive] - Luna Lovegood/Neville Longbottom

Disclaimer: Mentions of Death, slight Canon Divergence