Happy Radish Love, nenagh_breen!
Author: oceanslaugh
Recipient: nenagh_breen
Title: Wildflowers
Rating: PG
Warnings/additional pairings: mentioned Ron/Hermione, past Harry/Ginny, mentioned Ginny/Neville
Summary: Hoping to escape Wizarding England after the fall of Voldemort, Harry follows Luna to Sweden. What he finds is another side to Luna Lovegood.
Word Count: 3,593
Disclaimer: All Harry Potter characters herein are the property of J.K. Rowling and Bloomsbury/Scholastic. No copyright infringement is intended. All characters engaging in sexual activity are 16 years or older.
Author's Notes: I've never done a crossover before, so I hope this worked out, nenagh_breen! Thanks to tuathafae for the suggestions for the fic, and much thanks to tailoredshirt for putting up with my absolute newbishness. Also, the title is taken from the Tom Petty song of the same name. I recommend listening to it while you read the fic :)
Wildflowers
The smell of brownies got Harry's attention.
"G'morning Luna," he mumbled as he walked into the kitchen of the cottage they shared, searching for the dessert he knew had to be around the room somewhere. He finally spotted them on the table, sitting out as if waiting for him. He walked over quietly, like a predator about to spring on his prey. He grabbed one of the squares, and was about to take his first bite, when Luna interjected.
"I wouldn't eat those if I were you. That is, unless you like mud," she said, watching him curiously, half-expecting him to eat it anyway. Feeling foolish, Harry placed the square back on the tray and turned around to face her.
"Good morning," she said, giving him a smile as she walked over to the mud brownies.
"Luna…er, why would you be making mud brownies?" Harry asked slowly, unsure if he wanted to hear the answer.
"I've told you this at least a thousand times, Harry. The Gernumblis need something to keep them around, and mud brownies happen to be their favorite dessert," she explained, as if it were the most obvious explanation in the world.
"So, you essentially made them mud pies."
"Essentially. How else will I be able to discover their secrets? Imagine the knowledge I could gain from them!" she said, fixing the wand that was in its regular position behind her ear.
Harry decided that telling Luna the only thing the gnomes were good for was to let out one's anger would be ineffective, as she had taken quite a liking to them.
"But, if you could wait a few moments, there are cookies baking."
Grinning, he made his way across the room to where she was standing, and brushed her hair out of her face. "Have I ever told you that you're brilliant?"
"You might have said something once or twice." Her voice was solemn, but he could tell she was joking. Living with Luna for over six months still had not clued him in to how she thought, or what indeed many of her favorite creatures were, but he had grown used to her ways of talking, and he was now able to distinguish better what her different moods were.
"So, how is everything this morning?" he asked as he grabbed some breakfast and sat down at the table to eat.
"Well, I got an owl from Daddy telling me about his adventures in China - he got to see a rare dragon there, he told me all about it, very interesting. And I believe you have some mail from Ronald. I hope he and Hermione aren't fighting anymore; it's very uncomfortable to be around them sometimes, you know. Oh, and the Prophet wrote another piece about our - what was it again? - oh yes, our 'torrid love affair.'" At that, her face fell the slightest bit.
Harry sighed. He knew how insidious The Daily Prophet, more tabloid than newspaper now, could be. Lately Luna seemed to be the favorite target of the rag, in which they accused both he and Luna of carrying on some sort of inappropriate love affair, when that was not nearly the case.
Harry still couldn't explain what it was that made him decide to journey with Luna to Sweden of all places, but she asked and he agreed without a second thought, wanting to get away from the chaos of wizard Britain.
In the aftermath of the war, Harry, Ron and Hermione had tried to pick up the pieces of their lives and continue going on, but too many people wanted to know their story, too many people wanted to dig up painful memories of the dead. If they had thought it was difficult being in the media spotlight before, it was nothing compared to how they were treated after the war. Eventually, it became too difficult for the three friends to continue living their daily lives. Hermione decided to track down her parents and reverse the spell damage she had inflicted to keep them safe, and Ron went with her, refusing to leave her side. There was a part of Harry that believed it was because he didn't want to deal with the issues with the Weasleys at home, but he let it be.
Which left Harry all alone. Ginny had, in the course of their year apart, found her way to Neville, and while Harry could understand that the two were much more suited for each other, it still cut through him. So when Luna had asked around for a companion for an expedition to Sweden as a series for The Quibbler, he was more than willing to oblige.
Living with Luna wasn't always easy - she was quirky and stubborn, she had the tendency to ramble on about absolutely anything, and she thought too quickly for Harry to understand her most of the time. But she let him be when he was in a mood, she would lay with him when neither of them could sleep, a comforting presence in a foreign land, and she was one of the most genuinely kindhearted people he had ever met.
She was a friend to him when most other people hadn't a clue what to say. He was sorry she had to be a target of bad press because of him.
He wasn't entirely sure how she felt about it, though. He was sure she was at least a little irritated, but Luna had very strong control over her emotions and didn't often outwardly show her anger.
"Oh, Luna… you know no one really believes that rubbish," he said, trying to gauge how she felt.
"It's not the truth, and it's not very nice. They really shouldn't print things like that. Daddy says it's libel." Her unnaturally wide eyes hardened. He tried to say something to make her feel better - her father was a bit of a touchy subject - but she turned away from him and walked over to the oven. She carefully took the cookies out and put them in a cooling rack. Harry tried to sneak a cookie while she wasn't looking, but she seemed to have grown eyes in the back of her head and softly pushed his hand away.
"You're going to burn your mouth, and I'm not good enough at healing spells to help you out," she said, all the while still focused on cleaning the trays on which the cookies had been baking. As she moved over to the sink, Harry was struck at how… domestic the scene appeared. Luna. Baking. In a small cottage in the woods. For him. It was a little bit frightening, truth be told.
It was a little too comfortable for him. He didn't mind it, but he knew from experience that once he was happy, really truly happy, it was taken away from him, and he wasn't sure he wanted Luna Lovegood to go away just yet. He kind of liked her.
"So… what are your plans for the day?" he said, finally sneaking a cookie without Luna seeing. He bit in, anticipating the warm taste of chocolate chips, but grimaced when he realized it was oatmeal. Gross. Who eats oatmeal cookies?
"Well, I'm going to survey an area outside of Stockholm where there have been sightings of a strange creature who seems to walk on water. I think it might be a trick by local wizards, but there's a chance that it's actually a breed of dragon thought to be extinct. Wouldn't it be wonderful if it was? I could report to The Quibbler, and then maybe people could create sanctions for the creature, and - oh, but I suppose I should ask if you'd like to accompany me? How terribly rude of me to have forgotten. I'm also stopping by the residence of Mr. Smythe. He requested my company today, and he's all alone and it would have been a shame to reject his invitation, wouldn't you say?"
The cookie turned sour in Harry's mouth. He had nearly forgotten about Mr. Smythe. The older man played the perfect part of the gentleman, but Harry had a feeling there was just as solid of a chance that something sinister lay beneath.
They had met completely by chance. Luna had taken Harry along on a walk through the woods to cheer him up after one of his moods, and Luna had insisted on bringing bread for the swans at the pond. They had been walking along, talking about whatever had been on their minds, and suddenly they stumbled upon an older man resting at the base of a tree. Harry had been hesitant; his gut reaction had been panic, but Luna either didn't feel the same way or felt it was more important to help the old man than to run away. He introduced himself as Thaddeus Smythe, and supposedly he was their neighbor. Something about the man irked Harry, and he couldn't quite place it. He had asked questions that were a bit too personal, he seemed to care a little too much about who they were, and it seemed like he couldn't keep his story straight. And Harry didn't care for the way he leered at Luna, who was oblivious to his less-than-respectful gaze. He'd tried to warn her to stay away from Smythe, especially when she was by herself, but either she ignored him or just didn't care.
Actually, the first reason he thought of was a Nargle infestation, but he refused to believe he was actually coming around to Luna's way of thinking.
And so Luna continued her "friendship" with Smythe, and Harry was always there to make sure nothing happened. He just wanted to make sure the man wasn't going to pull something, and though he detected a hint of malice from Smythe, Harry knew the man wouldn't try to do anything to him.
He still didn't like Luna spending time with Smythe, though.
"Do we really have to go?" he asked tentatively.
"Harry, we are his friends," she said exasperatedly, her already wide eyes growing even wider. "It's our job to be there for him when he needs us."
"Not when he looks at you like he wants to eat you," he argued.
"Mr. Smythe has been nothing but kind to us, Harry. I see no reason to believe his intentions are less than honorable."
And that was the problem. Luna was never able to see the evil side of anything unless it was shoved in her face. And though Harry often admired that she chose to be the eternal optimist, times like these reminded him why she needed looking after.
He sighed. Clearly he wasn't going to win this battle. "All right, you win. Although you always do. Let's get over to Stockholm."
Luna smiled at him indulgently and took his hand. Harry ignored the butterflies in his stomach that had started to appear every time she looked at him in that way she did, like he was the only person in the room.
-
Stockholm ended up being nothing less than a wild goose chase. The creature that walked on water was nothing more than a supposed trick of the light, though Harry and Luna assumed some of the wizarding world had something to do with it. Luna, although disappointed at not finding a rare dragon, was glad to be able to dispel the myth for The Quibbler and spent over an hour interviewing Muggles and magical folk alike for their take on the apparition, ignoring the strange looks she received from both parties. Afterwards, they went to lunch at a small shop, in which they received even more looks from the townspeople. At first, Harry thought it must have been because they didn't follow the latest fashion, especially with Luna and her crimson cloak, but in reality it turned out they were staring because they found the pair attractive. It became clear when their waiter asked Harry how long he and Luna had been married. Harry was too taken aback to reply, but Luna calmly explained that they were in fact not a couple. Harry ignored the strange feelings in the pit of his stomach reminiscent of disappointment as he watched her explain that they were merely friends and nothing more without a twinge of embarrassment or awkwardness.
Luna had asked that they walk back to the cottage and take advantage of the weather, and Harry obliged. She skipped ahead of him, her cloak billowing out behind her like a crimson tide, and reveled in the outdoors, while Harry walked a few paces behind, worrying about Smythe and his real reasons for having them visit.
There was no denying that there was something devious in Smythe - his sneer alone was enough the convince Harry that something rotten was lurking underneath the surface. The only problem was that Luna couldn't see it. Smythe was a perfect gentleman in regards to Luna, so she would never believe that Harry felt a darkness emanating from the older man. He knew that as long as Luna was friendly with Smythe he couldn't do a thing to him, but the second Smythe laid a hand on Luna, Harry would make sure Smythe would wish he'd never been born.
Luna's idle chatter broke Harry out of his thoughts, and as he ran to catch up with her, he realized why he was determined to protect her - she was his family now.
-
"Are you absolutely sure you wouldn't like to come with me to see Mr. Smythe? I'm sure he would love the extra company." Harry watched Luna as she walked around the living room where he was currently sitting, perusing a Quidditch magazine. She was absent-mindedly straightening up the bookcases, taking out a book, looking at it for a few seconds, and then placing it back on the shelf. She hadn't ever really changed physically from the girl he knew at Hogwarts; aside from the fact that her eyes no longer looked quite so protuberant, she looked almost the same. The fact that she wasn't going to change drastically made Harry grateful to have her in his life.
"Honestly, I'm sure I would be more a hindrance. I'll be fine at home," he said, trying to reassure her, and trying to wipe the disappointed look away from her face. "Besides, he invited you, not me."
She huffed quietly in protest. "Fine then. I've left some dinner out for you and I've left out an article on Nargles that I think you'd find particularly interesting."
They quickly said their goodbyes, with Luna letting him know that he was still welcome to eat with her and Smythe, and she Apparated away, leaving Harry by himself. He walked into the kitchen and helped himself to the dinner she had prepared, and tried to settle into reading Luna's "helpful" article, which seemed more an advertisement for a product to rid oneself of Nargles than an actual article about Nargles. Upon realizing he was thinking seriously about fictional creatures, he shook his head as if to clear the thoughts out. It was amazing what rubbed off on him after living with Luna for so long. He ignored the knot in his chest when he thought about them living together. Just how long were they going to continue this anyway? He wasn't complaining, but something about it felt serious. They had become a family somehow, and the cabin in the woods became their home. She had unknowingly eased his heartache by just being around him, and he would always be grateful to Luna. But that wasn't just it - he realized with a bit of a sinking feeling that he just might have fallen for her, eccentricities and all.
Harry decided that the thing to do in this instance wouldn't be to sit around and mope until she came home. He was just going to have to swallow his pride and show Luna his support by going to see Smythe with her. He couldn't Apparate there, because he had no idea where to go, and he had no idea if Smythe's house was even connected to the Floo network, so he ended up half running, half walking to the gothic-style home situated about a mile and half away.
-
No one answered the door when Harry knocked, which stuck him as odd. With a house as grand as this appeared to be, he had been expecting someone to answer. After waiting about five minutes, Harry decided to do away with manners and opened the door. What he saw shocked him. Luna was facing off with an enormous wolf-like creature, who had been snarling at her and approaching her slowly. However, when the beast heard the door open, he jerked his head in Harry's direction and started running. Harry reached for his wand, ready to fight, but Luna defended him first with a stunning spell that hit the beast right in the back.
"Hello, Harry. I'm sorry to say Mr. Smythe has transformed and is rather hostile right now," she said in the same dreamy tone that she had used earlier that day. Harry gaped at her, open-mouthed. How could she be so calm at a time like this?
She wasn't quite so calm, though. When he looked more closely, he could see she was shaken. She was trembling, and there were several scratches on her arms.
"Wha-what the hell happened?" he asked in disbelief.
"I'm not quite sure. One minute we were discussing nature and the next he seemed to be a giant wolf. It was quite quick, actually."
The wolf seemed to be recovering from the spell, and rose with a vicious growl. Harry was reminded for a moment of Greyback and hoped to Merlin that Smythe was not the same kind of creature.
Smythe lunged towards Luna and before either Luna or Harry could move, Smythe had her in his arms. Luna stayed deadly still and tried to talk the monster down while Harry thought desperately of a solution.
"Oh, you really don't want to eat me, Thaddeus. Blondes aren't very good for digestion, didn't you know? One of Daddy's friends wrote an article about it for The Quibbler after he interviewed a Siberian Werewolf. Did you know they've started an organization to stop eating people? It's not very popular."
The wolf was so surprised that she wasn't hysterical that it actually paused. Luna used this opportunity to wriggle out from Smythe's grasp and Harry uttered the first spell he could think of.
"Sectumsempera!"
Smythe doubled over and howled in pain and gashes appeared across his back and started bleeding profusely. Harry then uttered another spell to bind him.
He ran to Luna, who was sitting on the ground, immobile. He crouched down next to her, and tucked her messy hair behind her ears. Luna heaved a great sigh, and let herself fall into Harry.
-
"Good, you're up," Harry greeted Luna as she entered their kitchen a few days later. "I tried to make breakfast for you, but even with spellwork it doesn't look like it turned out so well." Luna smiled at him and sat down at the table. He set a plate down in front of her, and she graciously accepted.
"Grilled cheese is my favorite. Thank you, Harry." She smiled again, and Harry was glad that she was making an effort to be happy.
"Are you honestly okay, Luna? You've been very quiet. I'm a little worried," he admitted.
"Why didn't you kill Mr. Smythe?" she asked quietly.
"I don't want another person's death on my conscience. The Ministry's got him, Luna; they'll take care of it."
"He's hurt a lot of people. I was one of at least a hundred. I didn't know. I know you always told us during DA meetings to be on the lookout, but I didn't know, I promise," she said fervently, looking like she was about to cry.
"Luna, it's okay. He pulled the wool over your eyes. And he's gone now. It's okay," he said as she started crying. He awkwardly knelt down next to her, put his arms around her and rested his chin on her head.
"I was really scared. I try not to be. Fear does nothing but hold you back. But I was really scared that no one would help me," she whispered into his chest.
"Listen to me, Luna Lovegood," Harry began, moving back so he could look her directly in the eye. "I'm always going to help you. You've taken care of me, and I'm going to take care of you. That's what we do. Besides, I … I care about you. And I would never let anything happen to you."
Luna leaned over to kiss Harry on the cheek at the same moment as Harry leaned over to kiss her on the forehead, and somehow they ended up kissing. At first, he was so surprised that he didn't even register what was going on, but then everything clicked all at once, and realized that this is what he had been feeling. The butterflies in his stomach, the knot in his chest, the fierce protectiveness of Luna all made sense now.
Luna broke off the kiss, her face an interesting shade of red.
"Oh! I'm so sorry, I - "
"I'm not," he grinned. He leaned in again, and this time she responded. As they continued to kiss, Harry distantly realized that The Daily Prophet would be right when they reported on their romance.
And he really didn't care.
Recipient: nenagh_breen
Title: Wildflowers
Rating: PG
Warnings/additional pairings: mentioned Ron/Hermione, past Harry/Ginny, mentioned Ginny/Neville
Summary: Hoping to escape Wizarding England after the fall of Voldemort, Harry follows Luna to Sweden. What he finds is another side to Luna Lovegood.
Word Count: 3,593
Disclaimer: All Harry Potter characters herein are the property of J.K. Rowling and Bloomsbury/Scholastic. No copyright infringement is intended. All characters engaging in sexual activity are 16 years or older.
Author's Notes: I've never done a crossover before, so I hope this worked out, nenagh_breen! Thanks to tuathafae for the suggestions for the fic, and much thanks to tailoredshirt for putting up with my absolute newbishness. Also, the title is taken from the Tom Petty song of the same name. I recommend listening to it while you read the fic :)
Wildflowers
The smell of brownies got Harry's attention.
"G'morning Luna," he mumbled as he walked into the kitchen of the cottage they shared, searching for the dessert he knew had to be around the room somewhere. He finally spotted them on the table, sitting out as if waiting for him. He walked over quietly, like a predator about to spring on his prey. He grabbed one of the squares, and was about to take his first bite, when Luna interjected.
"I wouldn't eat those if I were you. That is, unless you like mud," she said, watching him curiously, half-expecting him to eat it anyway. Feeling foolish, Harry placed the square back on the tray and turned around to face her.
"Good morning," she said, giving him a smile as she walked over to the mud brownies.
"Luna…er, why would you be making mud brownies?" Harry asked slowly, unsure if he wanted to hear the answer.
"I've told you this at least a thousand times, Harry. The Gernumblis need something to keep them around, and mud brownies happen to be their favorite dessert," she explained, as if it were the most obvious explanation in the world.
"So, you essentially made them mud pies."
"Essentially. How else will I be able to discover their secrets? Imagine the knowledge I could gain from them!" she said, fixing the wand that was in its regular position behind her ear.
Harry decided that telling Luna the only thing the gnomes were good for was to let out one's anger would be ineffective, as she had taken quite a liking to them.
"But, if you could wait a few moments, there are cookies baking."
Grinning, he made his way across the room to where she was standing, and brushed her hair out of her face. "Have I ever told you that you're brilliant?"
"You might have said something once or twice." Her voice was solemn, but he could tell she was joking. Living with Luna for over six months still had not clued him in to how she thought, or what indeed many of her favorite creatures were, but he had grown used to her ways of talking, and he was now able to distinguish better what her different moods were.
"So, how is everything this morning?" he asked as he grabbed some breakfast and sat down at the table to eat.
"Well, I got an owl from Daddy telling me about his adventures in China - he got to see a rare dragon there, he told me all about it, very interesting. And I believe you have some mail from Ronald. I hope he and Hermione aren't fighting anymore; it's very uncomfortable to be around them sometimes, you know. Oh, and the Prophet wrote another piece about our - what was it again? - oh yes, our 'torrid love affair.'" At that, her face fell the slightest bit.
Harry sighed. He knew how insidious The Daily Prophet, more tabloid than newspaper now, could be. Lately Luna seemed to be the favorite target of the rag, in which they accused both he and Luna of carrying on some sort of inappropriate love affair, when that was not nearly the case.
Harry still couldn't explain what it was that made him decide to journey with Luna to Sweden of all places, but she asked and he agreed without a second thought, wanting to get away from the chaos of wizard Britain.
In the aftermath of the war, Harry, Ron and Hermione had tried to pick up the pieces of their lives and continue going on, but too many people wanted to know their story, too many people wanted to dig up painful memories of the dead. If they had thought it was difficult being in the media spotlight before, it was nothing compared to how they were treated after the war. Eventually, it became too difficult for the three friends to continue living their daily lives. Hermione decided to track down her parents and reverse the spell damage she had inflicted to keep them safe, and Ron went with her, refusing to leave her side. There was a part of Harry that believed it was because he didn't want to deal with the issues with the Weasleys at home, but he let it be.
Which left Harry all alone. Ginny had, in the course of their year apart, found her way to Neville, and while Harry could understand that the two were much more suited for each other, it still cut through him. So when Luna had asked around for a companion for an expedition to Sweden as a series for The Quibbler, he was more than willing to oblige.
Living with Luna wasn't always easy - she was quirky and stubborn, she had the tendency to ramble on about absolutely anything, and she thought too quickly for Harry to understand her most of the time. But she let him be when he was in a mood, she would lay with him when neither of them could sleep, a comforting presence in a foreign land, and she was one of the most genuinely kindhearted people he had ever met.
She was a friend to him when most other people hadn't a clue what to say. He was sorry she had to be a target of bad press because of him.
He wasn't entirely sure how she felt about it, though. He was sure she was at least a little irritated, but Luna had very strong control over her emotions and didn't often outwardly show her anger.
"Oh, Luna… you know no one really believes that rubbish," he said, trying to gauge how she felt.
"It's not the truth, and it's not very nice. They really shouldn't print things like that. Daddy says it's libel." Her unnaturally wide eyes hardened. He tried to say something to make her feel better - her father was a bit of a touchy subject - but she turned away from him and walked over to the oven. She carefully took the cookies out and put them in a cooling rack. Harry tried to sneak a cookie while she wasn't looking, but she seemed to have grown eyes in the back of her head and softly pushed his hand away.
"You're going to burn your mouth, and I'm not good enough at healing spells to help you out," she said, all the while still focused on cleaning the trays on which the cookies had been baking. As she moved over to the sink, Harry was struck at how… domestic the scene appeared. Luna. Baking. In a small cottage in the woods. For him. It was a little bit frightening, truth be told.
It was a little too comfortable for him. He didn't mind it, but he knew from experience that once he was happy, really truly happy, it was taken away from him, and he wasn't sure he wanted Luna Lovegood to go away just yet. He kind of liked her.
"So… what are your plans for the day?" he said, finally sneaking a cookie without Luna seeing. He bit in, anticipating the warm taste of chocolate chips, but grimaced when he realized it was oatmeal. Gross. Who eats oatmeal cookies?
"Well, I'm going to survey an area outside of Stockholm where there have been sightings of a strange creature who seems to walk on water. I think it might be a trick by local wizards, but there's a chance that it's actually a breed of dragon thought to be extinct. Wouldn't it be wonderful if it was? I could report to The Quibbler, and then maybe people could create sanctions for the creature, and - oh, but I suppose I should ask if you'd like to accompany me? How terribly rude of me to have forgotten. I'm also stopping by the residence of Mr. Smythe. He requested my company today, and he's all alone and it would have been a shame to reject his invitation, wouldn't you say?"
The cookie turned sour in Harry's mouth. He had nearly forgotten about Mr. Smythe. The older man played the perfect part of the gentleman, but Harry had a feeling there was just as solid of a chance that something sinister lay beneath.
They had met completely by chance. Luna had taken Harry along on a walk through the woods to cheer him up after one of his moods, and Luna had insisted on bringing bread for the swans at the pond. They had been walking along, talking about whatever had been on their minds, and suddenly they stumbled upon an older man resting at the base of a tree. Harry had been hesitant; his gut reaction had been panic, but Luna either didn't feel the same way or felt it was more important to help the old man than to run away. He introduced himself as Thaddeus Smythe, and supposedly he was their neighbor. Something about the man irked Harry, and he couldn't quite place it. He had asked questions that were a bit too personal, he seemed to care a little too much about who they were, and it seemed like he couldn't keep his story straight. And Harry didn't care for the way he leered at Luna, who was oblivious to his less-than-respectful gaze. He'd tried to warn her to stay away from Smythe, especially when she was by herself, but either she ignored him or just didn't care.
Actually, the first reason he thought of was a Nargle infestation, but he refused to believe he was actually coming around to Luna's way of thinking.
And so Luna continued her "friendship" with Smythe, and Harry was always there to make sure nothing happened. He just wanted to make sure the man wasn't going to pull something, and though he detected a hint of malice from Smythe, Harry knew the man wouldn't try to do anything to him.
He still didn't like Luna spending time with Smythe, though.
"Do we really have to go?" he asked tentatively.
"Harry, we are his friends," she said exasperatedly, her already wide eyes growing even wider. "It's our job to be there for him when he needs us."
"Not when he looks at you like he wants to eat you," he argued.
"Mr. Smythe has been nothing but kind to us, Harry. I see no reason to believe his intentions are less than honorable."
And that was the problem. Luna was never able to see the evil side of anything unless it was shoved in her face. And though Harry often admired that she chose to be the eternal optimist, times like these reminded him why she needed looking after.
He sighed. Clearly he wasn't going to win this battle. "All right, you win. Although you always do. Let's get over to Stockholm."
Luna smiled at him indulgently and took his hand. Harry ignored the butterflies in his stomach that had started to appear every time she looked at him in that way she did, like he was the only person in the room.
-
Stockholm ended up being nothing less than a wild goose chase. The creature that walked on water was nothing more than a supposed trick of the light, though Harry and Luna assumed some of the wizarding world had something to do with it. Luna, although disappointed at not finding a rare dragon, was glad to be able to dispel the myth for The Quibbler and spent over an hour interviewing Muggles and magical folk alike for their take on the apparition, ignoring the strange looks she received from both parties. Afterwards, they went to lunch at a small shop, in which they received even more looks from the townspeople. At first, Harry thought it must have been because they didn't follow the latest fashion, especially with Luna and her crimson cloak, but in reality it turned out they were staring because they found the pair attractive. It became clear when their waiter asked Harry how long he and Luna had been married. Harry was too taken aback to reply, but Luna calmly explained that they were in fact not a couple. Harry ignored the strange feelings in the pit of his stomach reminiscent of disappointment as he watched her explain that they were merely friends and nothing more without a twinge of embarrassment or awkwardness.
Luna had asked that they walk back to the cottage and take advantage of the weather, and Harry obliged. She skipped ahead of him, her cloak billowing out behind her like a crimson tide, and reveled in the outdoors, while Harry walked a few paces behind, worrying about Smythe and his real reasons for having them visit.
There was no denying that there was something devious in Smythe - his sneer alone was enough the convince Harry that something rotten was lurking underneath the surface. The only problem was that Luna couldn't see it. Smythe was a perfect gentleman in regards to Luna, so she would never believe that Harry felt a darkness emanating from the older man. He knew that as long as Luna was friendly with Smythe he couldn't do a thing to him, but the second Smythe laid a hand on Luna, Harry would make sure Smythe would wish he'd never been born.
Luna's idle chatter broke Harry out of his thoughts, and as he ran to catch up with her, he realized why he was determined to protect her - she was his family now.
-
"Are you absolutely sure you wouldn't like to come with me to see Mr. Smythe? I'm sure he would love the extra company." Harry watched Luna as she walked around the living room where he was currently sitting, perusing a Quidditch magazine. She was absent-mindedly straightening up the bookcases, taking out a book, looking at it for a few seconds, and then placing it back on the shelf. She hadn't ever really changed physically from the girl he knew at Hogwarts; aside from the fact that her eyes no longer looked quite so protuberant, she looked almost the same. The fact that she wasn't going to change drastically made Harry grateful to have her in his life.
"Honestly, I'm sure I would be more a hindrance. I'll be fine at home," he said, trying to reassure her, and trying to wipe the disappointed look away from her face. "Besides, he invited you, not me."
She huffed quietly in protest. "Fine then. I've left some dinner out for you and I've left out an article on Nargles that I think you'd find particularly interesting."
They quickly said their goodbyes, with Luna letting him know that he was still welcome to eat with her and Smythe, and she Apparated away, leaving Harry by himself. He walked into the kitchen and helped himself to the dinner she had prepared, and tried to settle into reading Luna's "helpful" article, which seemed more an advertisement for a product to rid oneself of Nargles than an actual article about Nargles. Upon realizing he was thinking seriously about fictional creatures, he shook his head as if to clear the thoughts out. It was amazing what rubbed off on him after living with Luna for so long. He ignored the knot in his chest when he thought about them living together. Just how long were they going to continue this anyway? He wasn't complaining, but something about it felt serious. They had become a family somehow, and the cabin in the woods became their home. She had unknowingly eased his heartache by just being around him, and he would always be grateful to Luna. But that wasn't just it - he realized with a bit of a sinking feeling that he just might have fallen for her, eccentricities and all.
Harry decided that the thing to do in this instance wouldn't be to sit around and mope until she came home. He was just going to have to swallow his pride and show Luna his support by going to see Smythe with her. He couldn't Apparate there, because he had no idea where to go, and he had no idea if Smythe's house was even connected to the Floo network, so he ended up half running, half walking to the gothic-style home situated about a mile and half away.
-
No one answered the door when Harry knocked, which stuck him as odd. With a house as grand as this appeared to be, he had been expecting someone to answer. After waiting about five minutes, Harry decided to do away with manners and opened the door. What he saw shocked him. Luna was facing off with an enormous wolf-like creature, who had been snarling at her and approaching her slowly. However, when the beast heard the door open, he jerked his head in Harry's direction and started running. Harry reached for his wand, ready to fight, but Luna defended him first with a stunning spell that hit the beast right in the back.
"Hello, Harry. I'm sorry to say Mr. Smythe has transformed and is rather hostile right now," she said in the same dreamy tone that she had used earlier that day. Harry gaped at her, open-mouthed. How could she be so calm at a time like this?
She wasn't quite so calm, though. When he looked more closely, he could see she was shaken. She was trembling, and there were several scratches on her arms.
"Wha-what the hell happened?" he asked in disbelief.
"I'm not quite sure. One minute we were discussing nature and the next he seemed to be a giant wolf. It was quite quick, actually."
The wolf seemed to be recovering from the spell, and rose with a vicious growl. Harry was reminded for a moment of Greyback and hoped to Merlin that Smythe was not the same kind of creature.
Smythe lunged towards Luna and before either Luna or Harry could move, Smythe had her in his arms. Luna stayed deadly still and tried to talk the monster down while Harry thought desperately of a solution.
"Oh, you really don't want to eat me, Thaddeus. Blondes aren't very good for digestion, didn't you know? One of Daddy's friends wrote an article about it for The Quibbler after he interviewed a Siberian Werewolf. Did you know they've started an organization to stop eating people? It's not very popular."
The wolf was so surprised that she wasn't hysterical that it actually paused. Luna used this opportunity to wriggle out from Smythe's grasp and Harry uttered the first spell he could think of.
"Sectumsempera!"
Smythe doubled over and howled in pain and gashes appeared across his back and started bleeding profusely. Harry then uttered another spell to bind him.
He ran to Luna, who was sitting on the ground, immobile. He crouched down next to her, and tucked her messy hair behind her ears. Luna heaved a great sigh, and let herself fall into Harry.
-
"Good, you're up," Harry greeted Luna as she entered their kitchen a few days later. "I tried to make breakfast for you, but even with spellwork it doesn't look like it turned out so well." Luna smiled at him and sat down at the table. He set a plate down in front of her, and she graciously accepted.
"Grilled cheese is my favorite. Thank you, Harry." She smiled again, and Harry was glad that she was making an effort to be happy.
"Are you honestly okay, Luna? You've been very quiet. I'm a little worried," he admitted.
"Why didn't you kill Mr. Smythe?" she asked quietly.
"I don't want another person's death on my conscience. The Ministry's got him, Luna; they'll take care of it."
"He's hurt a lot of people. I was one of at least a hundred. I didn't know. I know you always told us during DA meetings to be on the lookout, but I didn't know, I promise," she said fervently, looking like she was about to cry.
"Luna, it's okay. He pulled the wool over your eyes. And he's gone now. It's okay," he said as she started crying. He awkwardly knelt down next to her, put his arms around her and rested his chin on her head.
"I was really scared. I try not to be. Fear does nothing but hold you back. But I was really scared that no one would help me," she whispered into his chest.
"Listen to me, Luna Lovegood," Harry began, moving back so he could look her directly in the eye. "I'm always going to help you. You've taken care of me, and I'm going to take care of you. That's what we do. Besides, I … I care about you. And I would never let anything happen to you."
Luna leaned over to kiss Harry on the cheek at the same moment as Harry leaned over to kiss her on the forehead, and somehow they ended up kissing. At first, he was so surprised that he didn't even register what was going on, but then everything clicked all at once, and realized that this is what he had been feeling. The butterflies in his stomach, the knot in his chest, the fierce protectiveness of Luna all made sense now.
Luna broke off the kiss, her face an interesting shade of red.
"Oh! I'm so sorry, I - "
"I'm not," he grinned. He leaned in again, and this time she responded. As they continued to kiss, Harry distantly realized that The Daily Prophet would be right when they reported on their romance.
And he really didn't care.