Unexpected Holiday (1/1) Harry/Luna
Title: Unexpected Holiday
Author: Tonya (tigerlily1998@hotmail.com)
Pairing: Harry/Luna
Rating: G
Disclaimer: The usuals. No own, no sue.
Summary: Harry finds himself spending the holiday with the Lovegoods.
Dedication: For shalei who wanted a little Harry/Luna-ness for the holidays! Hope you like it!
*********
Harry sat on his bed, flipping through Quidditch Through the Ages, as he watched Ron gathering items and shoving them into his trunk. Students would be leaving for the Christmas holiday in the morning, and as he did every year he returned to the Burrow, Ron had waited until the last minute to pack up some of his belongings to take home. Harry smiled slightly as he watched his best friend, remembering just moments before Hermione lecturing Ron about being properly prepared ahead of schedule.
Ron looked up from his trunk as he tossed a sweater inside. “You sure you don’t want to come, mate? Mum and Dad always love having you.”
Harry had lost count of how many times both Hermione and Ron had asked him about his decision to stay around the castle for the holidays. When he had first told them of his plans, they had both gaped at him over Potions homework, Ron even going as far as to ask if it was some sort of joke. After finally convincing them that he had not gone mental, both of them had even offered to stay behind with him, and it had taken the rest of the night for Harry to convince them that it wouldn‘t be necessary. He had spent more holidays than he could recall by himself, in his cupboard room under the stairs, so the thought of spending it by himself at Hogwarts didn’t bother *him* as much as it bothered *them*.
He never explained why he wanted to stay behind, neither Hermione nor Ron making the attempt to pry that information from him. The truth was that he wasn’t exactly feeling festive this holiday, the first holiday after Sirius’ death, and he didn’t want to bring down everyone else’s celebration in the process. And in order to do that, he had opted to stay behind as the other students left for their breaks.
Harry nodded, giving Ron his best reassuring smile. “I’m sure.”
Ron stared at him for a moment, and Harry was sure he was struggling to hold in another protest to Harry willingly spending the holidays by himself. But when Ron finally spoke, his words were nothing but accepting. “I’ll let Mum know.” He closed up his trunk. “We better head to dinner.”
Harry nodded in agreement, closing up his book and tossing it onto his bed.
----------
“Have you finished packing?”
“Hermione, you’re like a broken record,” Ron complained.
Harry laughed as he and his friends returned to the tower after dinner. He had to admit that he’d miss their bickering somewhat over the holidays. It was entertaining when it wasn’t annoying.
As they walked back to the tower, Hermione and Ron bickering and Harry listening with amusement, something out of the corner of Harry’s eye caught his attention. He stopped and turned to see Luna standing at a familiar bulletin board. This time, however, she seemed to be taking a memo down and not placing one up. So intent on their argument, neither Ron nor Hermione noticed when Harry started away from them and towards Luna, his curiosity getting the better of him.
“Hello, Harry,” she said as he stood beside her.
“Hey, Luna.” He motioned to the red and green scarf draped around her neck as he added, “Seems like you’re already getting into the spirit of things.”
She smiled happily, and Harry could only return the contagious gesture. She folded up her paper and placed it inside her robes as she spoke. “Holidays are always nice. Will you be spending yours with the Weasleys again?”
Harry blinked at her, taken aback that she knew how he normally spent holidays.
She answered his unasked question. “Ginny’s told me about how you spend the holidays with her family.”
“I do, normally,” he replied with a slight shrug. “Not this year.”
Luna tilted her head at him as she studied him with those piecing silver eyes of hers. “I realize it’s very rude to ask people at last minute, but if you like, you could spend the holidays at my home.”
It took Harry a moment to register what she had just said, and though he was appreciative of her gesture, he wasn’t sure if spending the holidays in the Lovegood household was the best of ideas.
“It’s all right. Really.”
“Daddy has been looking for a way to thank you for your interview last year. It’s brought lots of new subscribers to the Quibbler. He’d very much enjoy to meet you and thank you in person.” She added with a slight shrug of her shoulders, “Besides, mum always said that no one should spend the holidays alone even if they believe they should.”
Harry studied her for a moment before nodding and doing something he never in a million years thought he would ever do. Accept an invitation to stay with Luna and her dad. “If you’re sure your dad won’t mind.”
Luna smiled reassuringly. “He’ll enjoy having you.”
Harry nodded. “I should probably start packing then.”
“I hope you’ve used a portkey before.”
“A portkey?” Harry asked, confused. “Don’t you take the train like everyone else?”
“Normally,” she replied with a nod. “But Dad isn’t able to get away from work to meet us at the station. He uses a lot of portkeys for his travel, and he sent me one to use for tomorrow.” She glanced at her watch. “Speaking of which, I should probably go and finish packing my things. I’ll meet you here in the morning then?”
Harry nodded, still a bit stunned with that he had accepted the invitation in the first place.
“’Night, Harry.”
“’Night,” he managed before she disappeared down the hallway towards the Ravenclaw tower.
Harry stood there for a moment, still trying to figure out what had just happened, before deciding to return to his own tower to pack and explain to a probably dumbfounded Ron that he would be spending the holidays with Luna Lovegood.
----------
The Lovegood home was not what he expected. For starters, it was normal.
Harry followed Luna into the house, and he found himself taken aback by the normalcy of the home. In a way, it reminded him of the Weasley’s Burrow. It’s layout and style was probably more like that of a typical suburban home in his muggle world, but it had that certain feeling about it. The same feeling he always felt when he set foot in the Burrow. An electricity. A warmth. A feeling he had never felt in the Dursley house.
“Dad will be home shortly,” Luna said as Harry followed her down a corridor. She stopped at the end of the hallway, pushing open the door to her right. “We very rarely get a chance to use the guest room.” She paused with a tilt of her head. “Quite honestly, I believe you’re the first guest we’ve had.”
Harry wasn’t sure what to say as he pulled his trunk into the bedroom so he settled on the most appropriate thing he could think of. “Thanks for inviting me, Luna.”
She smiled warmly at him response. “Don’t be silly, Harry. Daddy is more than glad to have you.” She motioned across the hall to the closed door, opposite his. “I’m going to go unpack and get settled in. Feel quite free to do the same.” With that, she turned and pulled her own trunk across the hall. Harry watched as she pushed the door open, catching a faint glimpse of a dark blue moon and stars border on her walls, before she pulled her belongings inside and gently closed the door.
Harry stood in silence for a moment, taking in his surroundings, and still trying to wear off the shock of agreeing to spend the holiday with Luna and her father, before closing his door and starting to unpack.
---------
His unpacking finished, Harry peeked outside his room to see the door across from his still closed. He stood there for a moment, wondering how much longer Luna would be, before deciding to walk through the house, investigating his surroundings. He stopped in the front room of the home, standing before the fireplace and studying the pictures gathered on top of the mantle.
The first picture contained the backdrop of a familiar Hogwarts. Dressed in formal Hogwarts robes that Harry could only assume where used for graduation, five friends were gathered around each other, smiling and laughing together. In the center stood a tall blonde, whom Harry would have mistaken for Luna if he hadn’t known better, and beside the blonde stood a fair-haired boy, his arm draped around the girl’s shoulders.
Luna’s parents, he figured as his gaze traveled to the next photo in the line.
This time the same blonde, possibly a few years older, sat in a garden, gathering flowers with a smaller version of herself.
The final picture on the mantle was a family portrait. Harry frowned as he studied the photo. At times, he didn’t know what would be worse-a situation like his where he didn’t even remember his parents or one like Luna’s where they were abruptly taken away years down the line.
“I was eight there.”
Harry turned quickly to the voice to see Luna standing beside him, studying the picture herself.
“Oh,” Harry managed quietly, turning back to the photo. “You, uh, look a lot like her.”
Luna nodded, smiling faintly. “Daddy always jokes that I received all her genes and none of his.” She glanced over at Harry as she continued. “She was in Ravenclaw too, you know.”
Harry simply smiled in response.
“Dad was a Hufflepuff.” She turned her attention back to the mantle. “They had quite the hatred for each other in school.”
Harry blinked, confused. He motioned to the picture taken on the Hogwarts grounds. “But isn’t that them together there?”
“Yes, but that’s after they became friends,” she stated airily. “The first few years they didn’t quite care for each other.” She grinned as she added, “Dad always sort of fancied her, but Mum never really paid much attention to his existence until their fifth year.”
Harry laughed quietly, glancing at the middle picture. Following his gaze, Luna said, “I believe I was four or five there.”
A frown tugged at the corners of Harry’s lips again. “Do you remember a lot about her?”
Luna didn’t answer, and Harry turned to see if she had even heard his question. She studied the photograph with a far-off look before finally speaking. “Most of the time. Sometimes, they’re very vivid memories, but other times they’re a bit vague. I fear, at times, that the vague ones are only figments of my imagination.” She paused with a shrug of her shoulders. “But even if they are, that’s quite alright. At least they’re happy figments.” She turned to him with a frown, a look Harry wasn’t used to seeing on her usual serene face. “You don’t remember your parents at all, do you?”
Harry simply shook his head in response.
“I’m sorry,” she replied, that same hint of a frown on her face. “Having no memories much be worse than having only some.”
Harry would have laughed at the irony of the situation if he could. Just moments before, he had been standing here thinking that Luna had gotten the worse deal between the two of them, and yet, she was standing beside him now, thinking he had gotten the raw deal.
Harry was pulled from his thoughts by the sound of the front door opening. He looked over in time to see Mr. Lovegood entering, his robes draped over his arm as he carried a satchel.
“Afternoon, Daddy,” Luna said as she walked over to her father, giving him a hug.
Mr. Lovegood returned the hug and kissed the top of Luna’s blonde head. “Afternoon, dear. Welcome home. I’m sorry I was unable to meet you at the station.”
“That’s quite alright, Daddy,” Luna replied with a smile as she pulled away from the embrace. “The portkey you sent worked perfectly.” She motioned over her shoulder to Harry, who had been standing back quietly and observing. “Daddy, this is-“
“Harry Potter,” Mr. Lovegood finished for the girl, extending his hand to Harry. “I’m sure you don’t need an introduction anywhere you go.”
Harry shook his head with a slight laugh. “Unfortunately not, sir.”
“My Luna speaks very highly of you and your accomplishments.”
“My accomplishments?”
“Against You-Know-Who,” Mr. Lovegood nodded. “I’ve wanted to thank you for quite some time for your interview. You single-handedly made the Quibbler a larger phenomenon than I could have ever dreamed. Subscriptions nearly tripled after your interview.”
“Er, you’re welcome.” Harry felt himself begin to blush as he added, “But it was Luna and Hermione Granger’s idea really.”
“A modest hero, I see.” Mr. Lovegood smiled and patted him on the shoulder. “You two must be starving. Let me drop off my things, and we can head out for a meal.”
----------
Dinner with the Lovegoods went more smoothly than Harry could have ever imagined. In the back of his mind, he had expected conversations filled with Heliopaths, Crumple-horned Snorkacks, and other creatures he had never even heard of, but fortunately, he had been wrong. Mr. Lovegood had asked him about classes, about Quidditch, about how things in general were at Hogwarts. Not once did he mention odd creatures or even anything rleated to Voldemort, and for that, Harry was greatly appreciative.
When they returned to the house, Harry thought the night’s festivities had come to a close until Luna handed him an apron. He glanced down at it, turning it over in his hands. “What’s this?”
Luna smiled at his confusion. “Every Christmas Eve, Mum would make sugar cookies for me and Dad. Now, Dad and I keep on the tradition.” She tilted her head at him. “It’d be rude to make you sit it out.”
“I’ve never really cooked,” Harry admitted after a moment.
“They’re sugar cookies, Harry,” she teased gently. “It’s not a gourmet dinner.”
Harry nodded and slipped the apron on over his head. He smiled slightly as he thought about the look on Ron’s face when he found out Harry had spent Christmas Eve baking cookies with Luna and her dad.
--------
Harry reached for another cookie off the plate that sat between him and Luna on the floor, the fireplace in front of them crackling. He took a bite and grinned. “I’m surprised they’re edible.”
“Well, that’s because we tossed your batch in the bin when you weren’t looking,” Luna replied in a serious tone.
Harry stopped chewing as Luna grabbed a cookie from the plate. When she looked back at him, she was grinning. Harry finished off his cookie with a chuckle, amused that Luna had almost got one over on him.
“So did you and your relatives have any holiday traditions?” she asked as she picked at her cookie.
Harry shrugged. “I wasn’t involved much to begin with, but once my cousin Dudley stopped believing in Santa, the festivities toned down a bit.”
Luna took a bite from her cookie. “Santa?”
“Yeah, you know, Santa Claus.”
Luna simply blinked at him.
Harry blinked back at her, stunned. “You’ve never heard of Santa Claus?”
She shook her head. “Is he very famous?”
“He’s--it’s this muggle holiday tale,” Harry replied, holding in a shocked laugh. “Santa is this bloke at the North Pole that delivers presents to all the kids in the world on Christmas Eve.”
“That doesn’t seem very plausible,” she replied with a frown. “How would he carry all those toys and get them all delivered in one night?”
“He gets his flying reindeer to pull his sleigh full of toys,” Harry grinned.
“Well, that’s just silly, Harry. Deer don’t fly.”
“I know that,” he laughed, “but his do. The reindeer land on the roof, and he comes down the chimney with this big bag of toys.”
Luna studied him for a moment as if he had just grown a second head that spoke a foreign language. “Harry,” she finally said, “this story of yours gets sillier with each passing moment.”
Harry grinned, laughing a bit. “It’s not *my* story. It’s this thing parents tell their kids so they don’t think the presents come from them. Most kids learn he doesn’t exist pretty quickly.” He shrugged his shoulders. “I suppose I thought Santa was a universal thing. Not just a muggle thing.”
Luna scoffed quietly. “And people look at *me* strangely when I speak of Heliopaths.”
Harry laughed and reached for another cookie.
They spent the rest of the night sitting in front of the fire, talking and laughing. Luna would tell him about all the holiday traditions her mother had had, about the ones her and her father continued despite her absence. And Harry told her about all the muggle holiday traditions, like Christmas specials on the television and the horrible fruitcakes that Aunt Marge always sent out to the neighbors.
Harry wasn’t sure how late they stayed up talking about nothing, but he awoke the next morning lying in front of the now dying fire. He rubbed his eyes and glanced over to his side to see Luna lying curled up on the carpet, her wild blonde hair draped over her face.
Harry still wasn’t sure why he had agreed to spend the holidays with her and her dad. Maybe because she had caught him off-guard with her offer. Maybe because he had had a momentary lapse into mental illness. Or just maybe because he knew that she understood what it was like to spend a holiday without a certain figure in your life.
Whatever his reason, Harry had to finally admit that he was glad he had taken her up on her offer. It wasn’t the Burrow, but it was definitely better than spending the holidays sulking around the castle by himself. At least he was able to spend the holidays with a friend this way. An odd friend, but a friend nonetheless.
“Merry Christmas, Luna,” he yawned over at her sleeping figure before lying back down and going to sleep.
Author: Tonya (tigerlily1998@hotmail.com)
Pairing: Harry/Luna
Rating: G
Disclaimer: The usuals. No own, no sue.
Summary: Harry finds himself spending the holiday with the Lovegoods.
Dedication: For shalei who wanted a little Harry/Luna-ness for the holidays! Hope you like it!
*********
Harry sat on his bed, flipping through Quidditch Through the Ages, as he watched Ron gathering items and shoving them into his trunk. Students would be leaving for the Christmas holiday in the morning, and as he did every year he returned to the Burrow, Ron had waited until the last minute to pack up some of his belongings to take home. Harry smiled slightly as he watched his best friend, remembering just moments before Hermione lecturing Ron about being properly prepared ahead of schedule.
Ron looked up from his trunk as he tossed a sweater inside. “You sure you don’t want to come, mate? Mum and Dad always love having you.”
Harry had lost count of how many times both Hermione and Ron had asked him about his decision to stay around the castle for the holidays. When he had first told them of his plans, they had both gaped at him over Potions homework, Ron even going as far as to ask if it was some sort of joke. After finally convincing them that he had not gone mental, both of them had even offered to stay behind with him, and it had taken the rest of the night for Harry to convince them that it wouldn‘t be necessary. He had spent more holidays than he could recall by himself, in his cupboard room under the stairs, so the thought of spending it by himself at Hogwarts didn’t bother *him* as much as it bothered *them*.
He never explained why he wanted to stay behind, neither Hermione nor Ron making the attempt to pry that information from him. The truth was that he wasn’t exactly feeling festive this holiday, the first holiday after Sirius’ death, and he didn’t want to bring down everyone else’s celebration in the process. And in order to do that, he had opted to stay behind as the other students left for their breaks.
Harry nodded, giving Ron his best reassuring smile. “I’m sure.”
Ron stared at him for a moment, and Harry was sure he was struggling to hold in another protest to Harry willingly spending the holidays by himself. But when Ron finally spoke, his words were nothing but accepting. “I’ll let Mum know.” He closed up his trunk. “We better head to dinner.”
Harry nodded in agreement, closing up his book and tossing it onto his bed.
----------
“Have you finished packing?”
“Hermione, you’re like a broken record,” Ron complained.
Harry laughed as he and his friends returned to the tower after dinner. He had to admit that he’d miss their bickering somewhat over the holidays. It was entertaining when it wasn’t annoying.
As they walked back to the tower, Hermione and Ron bickering and Harry listening with amusement, something out of the corner of Harry’s eye caught his attention. He stopped and turned to see Luna standing at a familiar bulletin board. This time, however, she seemed to be taking a memo down and not placing one up. So intent on their argument, neither Ron nor Hermione noticed when Harry started away from them and towards Luna, his curiosity getting the better of him.
“Hello, Harry,” she said as he stood beside her.
“Hey, Luna.” He motioned to the red and green scarf draped around her neck as he added, “Seems like you’re already getting into the spirit of things.”
She smiled happily, and Harry could only return the contagious gesture. She folded up her paper and placed it inside her robes as she spoke. “Holidays are always nice. Will you be spending yours with the Weasleys again?”
Harry blinked at her, taken aback that she knew how he normally spent holidays.
She answered his unasked question. “Ginny’s told me about how you spend the holidays with her family.”
“I do, normally,” he replied with a slight shrug. “Not this year.”
Luna tilted her head at him as she studied him with those piecing silver eyes of hers. “I realize it’s very rude to ask people at last minute, but if you like, you could spend the holidays at my home.”
It took Harry a moment to register what she had just said, and though he was appreciative of her gesture, he wasn’t sure if spending the holidays in the Lovegood household was the best of ideas.
“It’s all right. Really.”
“Daddy has been looking for a way to thank you for your interview last year. It’s brought lots of new subscribers to the Quibbler. He’d very much enjoy to meet you and thank you in person.” She added with a slight shrug of her shoulders, “Besides, mum always said that no one should spend the holidays alone even if they believe they should.”
Harry studied her for a moment before nodding and doing something he never in a million years thought he would ever do. Accept an invitation to stay with Luna and her dad. “If you’re sure your dad won’t mind.”
Luna smiled reassuringly. “He’ll enjoy having you.”
Harry nodded. “I should probably start packing then.”
“I hope you’ve used a portkey before.”
“A portkey?” Harry asked, confused. “Don’t you take the train like everyone else?”
“Normally,” she replied with a nod. “But Dad isn’t able to get away from work to meet us at the station. He uses a lot of portkeys for his travel, and he sent me one to use for tomorrow.” She glanced at her watch. “Speaking of which, I should probably go and finish packing my things. I’ll meet you here in the morning then?”
Harry nodded, still a bit stunned with that he had accepted the invitation in the first place.
“’Night, Harry.”
“’Night,” he managed before she disappeared down the hallway towards the Ravenclaw tower.
Harry stood there for a moment, still trying to figure out what had just happened, before deciding to return to his own tower to pack and explain to a probably dumbfounded Ron that he would be spending the holidays with Luna Lovegood.
----------
The Lovegood home was not what he expected. For starters, it was normal.
Harry followed Luna into the house, and he found himself taken aback by the normalcy of the home. In a way, it reminded him of the Weasley’s Burrow. It’s layout and style was probably more like that of a typical suburban home in his muggle world, but it had that certain feeling about it. The same feeling he always felt when he set foot in the Burrow. An electricity. A warmth. A feeling he had never felt in the Dursley house.
“Dad will be home shortly,” Luna said as Harry followed her down a corridor. She stopped at the end of the hallway, pushing open the door to her right. “We very rarely get a chance to use the guest room.” She paused with a tilt of her head. “Quite honestly, I believe you’re the first guest we’ve had.”
Harry wasn’t sure what to say as he pulled his trunk into the bedroom so he settled on the most appropriate thing he could think of. “Thanks for inviting me, Luna.”
She smiled warmly at him response. “Don’t be silly, Harry. Daddy is more than glad to have you.” She motioned across the hall to the closed door, opposite his. “I’m going to go unpack and get settled in. Feel quite free to do the same.” With that, she turned and pulled her own trunk across the hall. Harry watched as she pushed the door open, catching a faint glimpse of a dark blue moon and stars border on her walls, before she pulled her belongings inside and gently closed the door.
Harry stood in silence for a moment, taking in his surroundings, and still trying to wear off the shock of agreeing to spend the holiday with Luna and her father, before closing his door and starting to unpack.
---------
His unpacking finished, Harry peeked outside his room to see the door across from his still closed. He stood there for a moment, wondering how much longer Luna would be, before deciding to walk through the house, investigating his surroundings. He stopped in the front room of the home, standing before the fireplace and studying the pictures gathered on top of the mantle.
The first picture contained the backdrop of a familiar Hogwarts. Dressed in formal Hogwarts robes that Harry could only assume where used for graduation, five friends were gathered around each other, smiling and laughing together. In the center stood a tall blonde, whom Harry would have mistaken for Luna if he hadn’t known better, and beside the blonde stood a fair-haired boy, his arm draped around the girl’s shoulders.
Luna’s parents, he figured as his gaze traveled to the next photo in the line.
This time the same blonde, possibly a few years older, sat in a garden, gathering flowers with a smaller version of herself.
The final picture on the mantle was a family portrait. Harry frowned as he studied the photo. At times, he didn’t know what would be worse-a situation like his where he didn’t even remember his parents or one like Luna’s where they were abruptly taken away years down the line.
“I was eight there.”
Harry turned quickly to the voice to see Luna standing beside him, studying the picture herself.
“Oh,” Harry managed quietly, turning back to the photo. “You, uh, look a lot like her.”
Luna nodded, smiling faintly. “Daddy always jokes that I received all her genes and none of his.” She glanced over at Harry as she continued. “She was in Ravenclaw too, you know.”
Harry simply smiled in response.
“Dad was a Hufflepuff.” She turned her attention back to the mantle. “They had quite the hatred for each other in school.”
Harry blinked, confused. He motioned to the picture taken on the Hogwarts grounds. “But isn’t that them together there?”
“Yes, but that’s after they became friends,” she stated airily. “The first few years they didn’t quite care for each other.” She grinned as she added, “Dad always sort of fancied her, but Mum never really paid much attention to his existence until their fifth year.”
Harry laughed quietly, glancing at the middle picture. Following his gaze, Luna said, “I believe I was four or five there.”
A frown tugged at the corners of Harry’s lips again. “Do you remember a lot about her?”
Luna didn’t answer, and Harry turned to see if she had even heard his question. She studied the photograph with a far-off look before finally speaking. “Most of the time. Sometimes, they’re very vivid memories, but other times they’re a bit vague. I fear, at times, that the vague ones are only figments of my imagination.” She paused with a shrug of her shoulders. “But even if they are, that’s quite alright. At least they’re happy figments.” She turned to him with a frown, a look Harry wasn’t used to seeing on her usual serene face. “You don’t remember your parents at all, do you?”
Harry simply shook his head in response.
“I’m sorry,” she replied, that same hint of a frown on her face. “Having no memories much be worse than having only some.”
Harry would have laughed at the irony of the situation if he could. Just moments before, he had been standing here thinking that Luna had gotten the worse deal between the two of them, and yet, she was standing beside him now, thinking he had gotten the raw deal.
Harry was pulled from his thoughts by the sound of the front door opening. He looked over in time to see Mr. Lovegood entering, his robes draped over his arm as he carried a satchel.
“Afternoon, Daddy,” Luna said as she walked over to her father, giving him a hug.
Mr. Lovegood returned the hug and kissed the top of Luna’s blonde head. “Afternoon, dear. Welcome home. I’m sorry I was unable to meet you at the station.”
“That’s quite alright, Daddy,” Luna replied with a smile as she pulled away from the embrace. “The portkey you sent worked perfectly.” She motioned over her shoulder to Harry, who had been standing back quietly and observing. “Daddy, this is-“
“Harry Potter,” Mr. Lovegood finished for the girl, extending his hand to Harry. “I’m sure you don’t need an introduction anywhere you go.”
Harry shook his head with a slight laugh. “Unfortunately not, sir.”
“My Luna speaks very highly of you and your accomplishments.”
“My accomplishments?”
“Against You-Know-Who,” Mr. Lovegood nodded. “I’ve wanted to thank you for quite some time for your interview. You single-handedly made the Quibbler a larger phenomenon than I could have ever dreamed. Subscriptions nearly tripled after your interview.”
“Er, you’re welcome.” Harry felt himself begin to blush as he added, “But it was Luna and Hermione Granger’s idea really.”
“A modest hero, I see.” Mr. Lovegood smiled and patted him on the shoulder. “You two must be starving. Let me drop off my things, and we can head out for a meal.”
----------
Dinner with the Lovegoods went more smoothly than Harry could have ever imagined. In the back of his mind, he had expected conversations filled with Heliopaths, Crumple-horned Snorkacks, and other creatures he had never even heard of, but fortunately, he had been wrong. Mr. Lovegood had asked him about classes, about Quidditch, about how things in general were at Hogwarts. Not once did he mention odd creatures or even anything rleated to Voldemort, and for that, Harry was greatly appreciative.
When they returned to the house, Harry thought the night’s festivities had come to a close until Luna handed him an apron. He glanced down at it, turning it over in his hands. “What’s this?”
Luna smiled at his confusion. “Every Christmas Eve, Mum would make sugar cookies for me and Dad. Now, Dad and I keep on the tradition.” She tilted her head at him. “It’d be rude to make you sit it out.”
“I’ve never really cooked,” Harry admitted after a moment.
“They’re sugar cookies, Harry,” she teased gently. “It’s not a gourmet dinner.”
Harry nodded and slipped the apron on over his head. He smiled slightly as he thought about the look on Ron’s face when he found out Harry had spent Christmas Eve baking cookies with Luna and her dad.
--------
Harry reached for another cookie off the plate that sat between him and Luna on the floor, the fireplace in front of them crackling. He took a bite and grinned. “I’m surprised they’re edible.”
“Well, that’s because we tossed your batch in the bin when you weren’t looking,” Luna replied in a serious tone.
Harry stopped chewing as Luna grabbed a cookie from the plate. When she looked back at him, she was grinning. Harry finished off his cookie with a chuckle, amused that Luna had almost got one over on him.
“So did you and your relatives have any holiday traditions?” she asked as she picked at her cookie.
Harry shrugged. “I wasn’t involved much to begin with, but once my cousin Dudley stopped believing in Santa, the festivities toned down a bit.”
Luna took a bite from her cookie. “Santa?”
“Yeah, you know, Santa Claus.”
Luna simply blinked at him.
Harry blinked back at her, stunned. “You’ve never heard of Santa Claus?”
She shook her head. “Is he very famous?”
“He’s--it’s this muggle holiday tale,” Harry replied, holding in a shocked laugh. “Santa is this bloke at the North Pole that delivers presents to all the kids in the world on Christmas Eve.”
“That doesn’t seem very plausible,” she replied with a frown. “How would he carry all those toys and get them all delivered in one night?”
“He gets his flying reindeer to pull his sleigh full of toys,” Harry grinned.
“Well, that’s just silly, Harry. Deer don’t fly.”
“I know that,” he laughed, “but his do. The reindeer land on the roof, and he comes down the chimney with this big bag of toys.”
Luna studied him for a moment as if he had just grown a second head that spoke a foreign language. “Harry,” she finally said, “this story of yours gets sillier with each passing moment.”
Harry grinned, laughing a bit. “It’s not *my* story. It’s this thing parents tell their kids so they don’t think the presents come from them. Most kids learn he doesn’t exist pretty quickly.” He shrugged his shoulders. “I suppose I thought Santa was a universal thing. Not just a muggle thing.”
Luna scoffed quietly. “And people look at *me* strangely when I speak of Heliopaths.”
Harry laughed and reached for another cookie.
They spent the rest of the night sitting in front of the fire, talking and laughing. Luna would tell him about all the holiday traditions her mother had had, about the ones her and her father continued despite her absence. And Harry told her about all the muggle holiday traditions, like Christmas specials on the television and the horrible fruitcakes that Aunt Marge always sent out to the neighbors.
Harry wasn’t sure how late they stayed up talking about nothing, but he awoke the next morning lying in front of the now dying fire. He rubbed his eyes and glanced over to his side to see Luna lying curled up on the carpet, her wild blonde hair draped over her face.
Harry still wasn’t sure why he had agreed to spend the holidays with her and her dad. Maybe because she had caught him off-guard with her offer. Maybe because he had had a momentary lapse into mental illness. Or just maybe because he knew that she understood what it was like to spend a holiday without a certain figure in your life.
Whatever his reason, Harry had to finally admit that he was glad he had taken her up on her offer. It wasn’t the Burrow, but it was definitely better than spending the holidays sulking around the castle by himself. At least he was able to spend the holidays with a friend this way. An odd friend, but a friend nonetheless.
“Merry Christmas, Luna,” he yawned over at her sleeping figure before lying back down and going to sleep.