"I can still remember me and Miss November Rain
Beautiful and strange ~From a Symptom of Being Human by Shinedown

Harry rolled his shoulders and cracked his neck as he waited for his computer to finish booting up. Although he had retired from his job as head of magical law enforcement a few years prior, he still liked to keep up with the latest news. It gave his mind something to do and kept the doldrums away.

After navigating to The Daily Prophet's website, he began skimming through the "front page" articles. As usual, he attempted to read between the lines for what the reporters didn't publish. He worked as an auror and in law enforcement long enough to know how the game worked. Reporters did their best to sniff out interesting and controversial stories while the Ministry did its best to keep the worst news under wraps. Harry was once the first person reporters tried to squeeze information from, but after his experiences with the press while attending Hogwarts, he became well-versed at evading their traps.

Harry's eyes grew heavier with each scroll of his mouth. There didn't appear to be anything concerning or even particularly interesting in the news that day. Basically, it was more of the same. There was an article concerning a smuggling ring that tried to garner sympathy for legitimate businesses. Another article gave tips on how to fit in while in the muggle world. Harry even read through an editorial about how the Ministry didn't want to stop black market dealers from cheating wizards and witches because it was too profitable. It was pretty dry reading overall and felt more like a waste of his time than anything else.

Feeling like a nap was in order, Harry moved his mouse to shut his pc down when he noticed that the beginning of the Obituary section at the bottom of the webpage. Most days, he avoided that section of the website. It was always so depressing to see how many people he attended Hogwarts with had died. Still, a morbid curiosity overtook his fingers, and he clicked on the link.

The moment the page finished loading, Harry's hand covered his mouth. The picture smiling and waving at him from the screen was of a woman he hadn't seen in years but knew all to well. It wasn't a recent photo of the deceased, but one taken in her youth. Harry would have recognized that blonde hair and vacant blue eyes anywhere.

Professor Luna Scamander nee Lovegood

As Harry stared at the photograph, he became aware of the radio playing in the kitchen. Ginny often liked to listen to muggle music while she cooked. Harry smiled at the fortuity. It was the very song that was playing when he and Luna had their first conversation about something other than thestrals.

'Cause nothin' lasts forever, even cold November rain.'

Harry pushed his glasses further up his nose as he tried to fight the tears stinging his eyes. He wished he would have told Luna how much that conversation had meant to him. She didn't even really know him at the time, yet she said exactly what he needed to hear in that moment.

That day, Harry was in a particularly bad mood. Everyone around him either looked at him with pity or disdain, and he just couldn't take it anymore. He even found himself wishing that he had never left for Hogwarts that year. It felt like the entire world was against him. Even his best friends seemed to constantly be walking on eggshells around him. His life felt like it would never be normal or okay again.

Instead of going to Transfiguration class, Harry ducked down an empty corridor and made his way to the astronomy tower. There were no classes there during the day, and it seemed the safest place to spend some time alone without getting caught. He just needed time and a place to think.

Just before reaching the top of the tower, Harry swore he heard music playing softly above. He considered turning back but it stopped before he made up his mind. Dismissing it as his imagination, he began his ascent again. It wasn't until he breached the top that he realized there was someone else there.

"Oh, pardon me."

The blonde girl offered a dreamy smile and shrugged. "It's alright. I was just up here listening to some music. You can stay if you like."

"It's Luna, isn't it?"

Her eyes widened. "I'm surprised you remembered. I guess I made a better impression than I thought. Not that I usually care about such things. You didn't even call me Loony." Her shoulders hunched as she picked a piece of lint from her robes. "That feels like an improvement over the impression that I typically give."

Harry had only met Luna a few times, but she was always alone. Even in a crowd of people it felt like she was separate from everyone else. It didn't seem she wanted it that way. It was just the way it was. She held some odd opinions and beliefs, so she was ostracized for them. Harry knew how that felt. Although his friends tried, they could never understand what it was like for him, especially after last year. He sat down next to Luna.

"So, what are you listening to?"

She lifted her chin and offered him a genuine smile. "It's a muggle band that I learned about in my advanced Muggle Studies class last year."

Harry cocked a brow. "You take advanced Muggle Studies?"

"I do. It's one of my electives."

She averted her eyes to stare out at the castle grounds as if ending the conversation. Harry fiddled with his bookbag's strap, desperately trying to come up with the best excuse to leave the awkward situation. Before he could think of one, Luna turned her gaze back to him.

"You grew up in the muggle world. Maybe you know the band."

Harry shrugged. "Maybe. Who are they?"

"The band's name is Guns and Roses. They're American."

Harry shook his head. "Sorry. I never got too much exposure to American music. My aunt and uncle believe that all yanks are mad traitors and not to be taken seriously."

"Oh," said Luna with a confused expression. She blinked several times. "I don't get it."

Harry chuckled. "Neither to I really. Personally, I think my aunt and uncle are the mad ones. They worry far too much about what their neighbors think."

"I find that true with most people," Luna agreed, turning her eyes back to the grounds. "So, may I ask why you came up here?" She met his eyes again. "If you don't want to tell me, I will understand."

Harry pulled his knees up and hugged them. "I just needed to get away from everyone for a while."

"Me too. It's a lot easier to appreciate music when things are quieter and there aren't a lot of people around." She stared at him as if trying to stare into his soul.

Harry tugged at the collar of his robes, desperate to find a way to get her to stop. "So…can I hear the song?"

Luna grinned and bobbed her head. "Of course. It's one of my favorites." She pulled a small pink cassette tape player from behind her back. "Just give me a minute to rewind it to the beginning."

She pushed the reverse button and waited for it to pop back up before hitting play. The song started with a piano and orchestra. It was actually quite beautiful. Then a graveled voice began to sing:

'When I look into your eyes, I can see a love restrained…'

By the end of the song, Harry was the one staring out at the grounds. He rubbed his arm against the prickling of gooseflesh. It was one of the greatest pieces of music he had ever heard. Even the heavy guitars at the end didn't detract from the piece but added to it. For the first time in his life, he actually appreciated music.

"It's true, you know," Luna said, interrupting Harry's awestricken thoughts.

He turned his gaze to her. "What is?"

"Nothing lasts forever," she replied. "Even the bad stuff must end eventually. Grief, war, evil wizards. No matter how bad things are or how much pain they cause, they all have an ending."

Harry hugged his knees tighter and looked up at the clouds. He had never considered that before. Since Voldemort revealed himself at the end of the previous year, it felt like there would never be joy or happiness in the world again. But that simply wasn't true. Eventually, even Voldemort would fall victim to that truth.

He side-eyed the girl sitting next to him. Everyone thought she was weird, but how was she any stranger than anyone else at Hogwarts? For those in the muggle world who knew of the existence of the magical world, witches and wizards were often thought of as freaks at best, dangerous monsters at worst. And here were he and Luna, outcasts among the outcasts. But why? He supposed it was human nature to hate what one didn't understand, but that didn't make it easier.

Harry offered the blonde girl the first genuine smile he had felt in a good long while. "Thanks, Luna. That was very wise, and I really appreciate it. In fact, it's exactly what I needed to hear."

She blushed and tilted her head to look up at the sky. "In the end, we're all just human. Feeling out of place is just a symptom of that. Everyone does. The trick is to try to make the most of things and to help others when we can even if we know they won't reciprocate. I just try to live my life my way, and if people don't like me for who I am, they don't really like me."

Harry thought about his best friends. No matter what happened, Ron and Hermione were there for him. Even when Ron was angry at him the prior year, he was still there for Harry in the end. That hadn't ended. Through all his mood swings since leaving his aunt and uncle's house, his friends still stood up for him even to their own detriment.

His gaze turned serious and sincere. "I don't know about anyone else, Luna, but I very much like you for who you are. You are one of the most interesting people I've met at Hogwarts, and I hope we can be friends."

Her brows furrowed as if she were considering his words before she gave a dreamy smile. "I would like that as well, Harry Potter. And I think you are absolutely fascinating yourself."

"Hey, Harry," Ginny said, interrupting the long-forgotten memory. "Would you like some breakfast too. I made plenty."

Harry clicked the icon to shut down his computer. There was no need for Ginny to see her friend's obituary. He would tell her eventually, but he wasn't ready yet. He wiped away the tears under his glasses and sniffled.

"Are you alright?" his wife asked.

Harry pushed himself to his feet and headed toward the kitchen. "I'm fine. My eyes are just tired, I guess."

"Maybe we need to look at a new prescription for your glasses again. It's been almost two years."

Harry gave Ginny a kiss on the cheek as he passed by. "Don't worry about it right now. Let's just eat."

As he sat down to his plate of beans and toast, Harry sent a silent prayer into the universe in the hopes that wherever Luna was now that she knew what her friendship meant to him.

'Thanks, Luna…For everything.'