Harry Potter figured, at this point in his life, he was done with being surprised. He had been through a lot, after all, and after being asked on a date by Malfoy of all people and being stalked by her sister he thought, 'Yeah, I am prepared for anything.'
Then Luna Lovegood walked up to him and asked him on a date.
"I… uhm… what?"
The smile didn't even waver, "I heard you were having an evening with Cleopatra Malfoy, I was wondering if you would go with on one as well."
"It… it isn't like…" But then he stopped and took a mont to think. "You know Luna, yes, I would be happy to go on a date with you." Why the hell not? If he was going to be stuck with a prat like Malfoy for an evening he might as well enjoy another date as well, in fact… "How about tonight?"
She lit up with a smile that reminded him of a sunrise before nodding happily, "Oh yes, that sounds very fun. We can get so ice cream after dinner and then go up to the astronomy tower."
It sounded nice, and while he hadn't spent a large amount of ti with just the blonde, he was certainly looking forward to it.
****
"What do you think you're doing!?"
Harry glanced up at the blonde, who was leaning over his desk, pushing into his space, "Step back, your breath is gross."
Cleo reeled back as if he had slapped her. Glancing around to ensure no one had heard his comnt before clearing her throat and speaking once more, "Lovegood asked you on a date."
He nodded.
"You accepted!"
This ti he frowned, "Yeah, I did."
"Wh-why!?"
"Because I wanted to."
"B-but we…"
This ti the boy rolled his eyes, "I'm not canceling our date Malfoy, I'm just going on one with Luna on a different day. You don't own , plus you are the one who asked because of a Quidditch dare, so I don't see why you care."
She sputtered and fussed for a mont before storming off to her own desk, leaving the boy to shake his head and return to his work.
****
Harry's date with Luna had started much as he imagined it would on those rare occasions, when he allowed such thoughts to enter his head. She was… fun, random but fun. After dinner they had gone down to the kitchens and ordered so ice cream from the House Elves working there and then wandered about the castle while eating and slowly making their way towards the ultimate destination.
"Are you enjoying yourself here?"
He nodded, "Yeah, I've always felt at ho at Hogwarts, more than anywhere else, at least before I t my family here. What about you? Do you like school?"
Her nod was even more enthusiastic, serving to ss up her hair from the movent. "Oh yes, it's wonderful. All the new people and things to learn. I am looking forward to taking the study of Magical Creatures next year as well."
"Any other ideas of what classes you might take? What is your favorite one right now?"
She smiled, warming his heart at how carefree and happy she seed. He had been nervous about bullying, knew how she had been picked on in his own world, but such things were far rarer, at least from what he could tell. "My mother studies Runes so I will take that as well. I really like Transfiguration right now."
"Because of the creativity" he guessed, earning a faint blush on her face. "Makes sense, I think you are the most creative person I have ever t."
Luna's eyes widened, almost shining in the light as her dessert was off to the side, nearly forgotten. "I am?" It was whispered and full of a strange vulnerability that didn't seem to fit with her personality.
Harry frowned, hoping there weren't any confidence problems in his friend. "Of course, Luna. You're creative and brilliant. You were one of my best friends."
"You're one of ours too."
He smiled, a softer one reserved for those closer to him. There was a part that wanted to ask more, wanted to see what else she could tell him.
Another though…
"You can ask, if you'd like."
Seeing the understanding in her eyes, he opened his mouth to do just that but hesitated. "No… no I don't think I should. I miss them Luna, I really do, but I can't go back, I know that now. If I keep pretending, keep my hopes up I'll never be able to move on, never be able to commit to this life."
"And…" here he saw hesitation on her face for a mont, another curious thing he didn't expect to see, "we need you here. Not just to protect us or solve mysteries but to guide us. You show us how to be brave Harry, how to put others first in ways no one could imagine. You're the friend we didn't know we needed until eting you, a brother Harriet and Amaryllis longed for without realizing, a son Lily and Jas always wanted."
Forcing away any water from his eyes he bead a smile at her words. "Thank you, Luna, that… ans more than you can imagine."
After the duo finished their frozen treats, they went directly up to the top of the Astronomy tower. Seeing it devoid of students the two sat and gazed out at the stars, occasionally pointing out a constellation or a brighter object but more just enjoying the others' company.
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