Author's Note: A retelling of Bill and Fleur's wedding from Luna and Harry's POV. Set in the 'Blame it on the Nargles' universe.

Thanks to PullTogether for the beta reading.

Harry was alone by the Great Lake, sitting under a tree and mentally compiling a list of all the things he loved about Luna. It was a distraction. A red herring to trick himself into thinking he wasn't about to do something painful. Something he'd been putting off for days now.

Of all the tragic turns Harry had confronted in his life, this one felt especially harsh, because he was doing it willingly. No one was sneaking his name into a magical goblet placing him in a tournament full of dangerous tasks. No one was distorting his mind into perceiving events falsely so he would rush into a trap. And no one was murdering his mentor, forcing Harry on a journey to find Horcruxes alone.

This time it was completely on him. His choice. He was letting go of something that was one of the few bright spots in his life. Snuffing it out all on his own. It was for the greater good, Harry had reasoned at one point after almost losing his nerve to follow through. A moment later he decided the sound of that didn't fit with who he was and then revised his excuse as being a necessity to keep her safe.

To keep Luna from harm.

Luna, with those dreamy eyes that almost always appeared to know something half a second before he did, speaking to him when words weren't enough. Harry had gazed into her eyes many times for comfort, for love, for hope. He would miss the ease just one glance from Luna could give him.

Harry would also miss her smiles. The way the corners of Luna's mouth seemed permanently curved ever so slightly upward, giving off the appearance of impishness. It was an outward sign of her ability to face life optimistically- an ideal Harry admittedly struggled with- and oftentimes he looked to Luna as his guide back towards positive thinking. But it was her all-out smiles that he deeply treasured. A truly brilliant expression Harry was fortunate enough to not only have witnessed, but also kissed on many occasions, usually while pushing his hands through her long blond waves that were most often halfway tied up with some odd accessory, like her wand.

His fingers would no longer be able to thread through those strands or reach down and feel the warmth of her hand in his. The touch that reassured him he was real. That she was real. And that they were more than their tragedies.

Harry pulled at a tuft of grass, ripping the blades up in frustration. His list was not helping. Quite the opposite actually. He couldn't comfort himself with thoughts of what he was letting go of. It wasn't the distraction Harry had hoped for, but rather a reminder of his grim road ahead and the dismantling of happiness he was about to set into motion.

All to keep her safe.

Harry tossed the blades of grass and watched a breeze carry them away before noticing the half-moon indentations his nails had made in the palm of his hand.

"You know my mum used to tell me those were good luck."

Harry jerked his head upward and saw those blue-grey eyes he'd just been reflecting on, staring down at him.

"She said it meant you were concentrating on a problem hard enough that the answer to whatever was troubling you would eventually tickle your brain." Luna lowered herself next to Harry. She took his hand and brushed her fingertips against the imprints his nails had left behind. "But her theory was meant to comfort a younger me and my trivial problems. I don't think it holds up well in the face of the life of Harry Potter. So maybe talking it over with me will be a better solution to whatever it is that's troubling you."

This consoling nature of Luna was familiar, and any other time Harry would've fallen comfortably into their usual roles. But things were different now. There was no solace in what he was about to tell Luna and he doubted she could find a way to spin it in her usual whimsical rose-colored fashion. His stomach knotted painfully at the thought of ripping the seams of their connection and possibly damaging her hopeful disposition. Still, it was better than the alternative of putting her life at risk.

Harry cleared his throat and attempted to say what he needed to, but the words were like paste in his mouth, clamping it shut. So instead, he enveloped his hand around Luna's and tried something simple to start with. Just her name. Yet even that was too much and feeling a great overwhelming disappointment in himself for failing to keep a few stray tears from falling from his eyes, Harry lowered his face in shame.

What right do I have to feel sorry for myself when I'm the one causing the pain?

Meanwhile, Luna eased in beside Harry and leaned her head against his shoulder. With their hands still linked, her thumb moved along his knuckles in a comforting motion, waiting until he was ready to talk. With Luna there was no pressure for Harry to explain himself. Her patience was endless and she would wait, because in her view, sometimes it was better to keep quiet. Answers to problems could be found not only in words, but in the stillness of the world around them. The fact she was able to see the world as still at all was a credit to who she was. From Harry's viewpoint, life always seemed to be moving in an increasingly faster chaotic direction.

"Luna," he managed to say after a few minutes of quiet while they both stared out at the lake.

"Hmmm?" She lifted her head to look at him, but Harry still stared forward.

Audibly swallowing, he attempted to speak again. "I can't- we can't …" but the rest of his sentence failed to form. Knowing that once the words were out of his mouth he wouldn't be able to take them back, was enough to strangle his bravery. Harry wanted just one more minute living in a world where they were still together.

Unfortunately that moment was cut short when Luna was able to piece together what he'd been inept at finishing. "We can't be involved anymore?"

It was unnecessary for Harry to ask how she was able to figure it out. The connection between them sometimes did that, communicating to her what he couldn't articulate.

When Harry didn't answer, Luna assumed she was right. "I had a feeling this was the conclusion you would come to after what happened." It went without saying, what happened was the shock of Dumbledore's death.

"I'm sorry," Harry whispered, finally turning to look at her again, ashamed of the tears sliding down his face. "But I can't risk your life. I can't put you in danger. They would use you against me and I won't let that happen."

In the countless hours Harry had run through this scenario in his head, he'd always anticipated Luna expressing some form of sadness over their break-up, but strangely her voice maintained its usual dreamy cadence when she replied, "You know, Harry, we've been dating for nearly half a year and a large portion of the wizarding world already knows about us. Are you under the impression that they will simply forget our past? We do tend to get a few articles written about us in the Prophet every month, and the one from Valentine's Day, with the photograph of us kissing in Hogsmeade, was rather intrusive." Luna smiled briefly and he assumed she was recalling their kiss and not the publication of it. Neither of them had been pleased when one of their more intimate moments was put in the paper for all to see. Ron had been especially merciless with his teasing.

"I don't think they'll forget, but they might not care anymore if we're not together," Harry explained.

"Oh I see. Without you, I'm not very important." There was no bitterness in her observation. Still, Harry felt the need to defend her.

"Of course you're very important all on your own. Especially to me and every single person you've ever given that crazy, observant, and most times, correct advice. Believe me, you are appreciated." Luna smiled demurely at his affirmation of her importance and it broke Harry's heart to say what he did next. "And that's what I'm getting at, Luna. You are so important to me and I need to make sure that everyone thinks you're not. Considering what happened to my parents, Sirius, and now Dumbledore, it's the right thing to do. Their connection to me got them killed and I won't let that happen again. Not to you!" Harry emphasized his last few words to the point where he sounded pleading, and when he rose up on his knees in desperation, Luna rested a hand on Harry's shoulder, slowly guiding him back down onto the grass.

She then began to hum softly as her hand traveled up his shoulder to cup the side of his face. The warmth of her skin was comforting and Harry leaned into her palm. "Though I may not be as famous if you do leave me behind, Harry, I doubt that I'll be any safer with us no longer connected. Especially since my father is an outspoken supporter of you." Luna closed her eyes and sighed, her brow furrowing slightly. The sadness Harry had anticipated was now making an appearance, but only for a moment, before she opened her eyes again, seeming to be the same Luna he'd come to know and love. "But if this is what you think we must do," she continued, with only a hint of regret in her voice, "I can hardly tell you no and stay your girlfriend when you don't want me to be. I am told that is not how a relationship works. Both sides must be in agreement about dating or else problems might arise."

Her last line was delivered as a joke. Luna's glow had lightened to the tinge that Harry recognized as humor. "How can you be so calm that you're able to find a way to laugh at this awful situation?" he asked.

Luna's thumb traced the skin near his eyes, removing the lingering wetness of his fallen tears. "Well, you have to be strong for everyone. I feel it's only fitting that I at least be strong enough for you. The world is not on my shoulders the way it is on yours. A broken heart is not much in comparison don't you think? Besides, it is quite common to lose your first love ... for a little while at least. And I am rather hopeful that our story isn't over. This is only a delay. We'll win against our enemies and I'll see you on the other side of this predicament."

"You're always so hopeful," Harry said, feeling relief that he hadn't broken her most important quality.

"Is there any other way to be?" Luna asked, and even though her question was rhetorical, he answered anyway.

"For you? I don't think so, and it's one of the reasons why I love you."

Luna smiled at the same moment her creased brow returned. "I love you too," she replied. Tears began to fill her eyes, and Harry pressed his mouth against hers for one last kiss.

As their lips moved in a tender rhythm, Harry was able to find a fragment of optimism buried deep within his heart and his list from earlier resurfaced. Of all the things he loved about Luna, this, her bright disposition, was what he would miss the most. It was the light that gave him hope that they would be together again, and what he would use to get through every day until his journey into darkness was over.