A chandelier of bottle-caps

With an exasperate sigh, Harry left his DADA class, though he would no longer call it a class. Ever since Umbridge took over it was more like a reading session in which he had to endure her insults and snide remarks about Dumbledore and, worst of all, his parents. Today he had barely scrapped by a detention. Hermione on the other hand had not. She had entirely lost it after a especially rude remark about muggleborn students.

Harry was entirely too upset for lunch so he left the for the Room of Requirement to blow off some steam or just sleep. The last three nights he had barely gotten any sleep and only his near comatose state in class stopped him from breaking Umbridge in half with his bare hands. He passed by some students with bandaged hands, much like his own. I must not tell lies. He scoffed inwardly as he clenched the stinging hand. He'd murder her if he could. Not that anyone would ever miss her. How Dumbledore ever allowed her inside these halls was beyond him. The headmaster could have taught defense better than anyone else if push came to shove.

The door to the room was already active, meaning that someone was inside. There was no DA meeting today so Harry wondered who would be inside now. Pushing into the room he managed to raise an eyebrow before he smiled at a girl that was covered in splatters of paint from head to toe. A girl that couldn't have been anyone but Luna Lovegood. She stood at the back of the oval room, the wall were a curious and definitely strange rendition of every rainbow ever. Plus or Minus a few colors here an there. If that hadn't been enough, a chandelier made of what appeared to be glowing butterbeer bottle-caps hung low enough from the ceiling for him to reach. That room was so Luna... Harry would have known who had been in here even without seeing Luna. The girl was dressed in what had once been a white coat, her wand was used as a hair needle that held up her white- blonde hair and whatever she was painting with a painfully tiny brush was a cross between some sort of snake and a fluffy cat. Or maybe, maybe it was Umbridge. Anyways, it looked absolutely hilarious.

"Nice going," he commented, ducking under the chandelier and making his way over to her. Belatedly he realized that he was walking over grass.

Luna turned, a big blot of pink (the very same shade of Umbride's horrendous bow) was covering most of her nose. "Harry Potter," she said, serenely drifting away from the canvas. It disappeared just a second after she had stepped away.

A brief frown hushed over Harry's features as he saw the bandage that covered Luna's left hand. He stepped forward, taking her hand in his without as much s a second thought. He had been close to Luna ever since he hexed the living daylight out of a bunch of bullies that wouldn't stop bothering her in his third year. Luna had been very distraught after Ginny became so withdrawn and sought refugee in Harry's company. He had gladly let her, found her to be wonderful company. Especially during his fourth year when everyone turned their back on him. Everyone but Luna.

"Your hand," he whispered in a pained voice.

She pulled it from his grasp almost hesitantly. "It is not as bad as you think, Harry."

He knew it wasn't but still... "What did you do?"

Luna smiled sadly at him. She didn't want to answer. Harry took her hand once more. "Please, tell me."

His green eyes melted her resistance as they always did. "She called you a liar," Luna began quietly, "Born and bred. Called you insane and so many other hateful things I couldn't-"

The frown on Harry's face barely covered the hate he felt for Umbridge at that moment. "You shouldn't have," he chided her gently.

"But I wanted to," Luna countered. "You stood up for me so I stood up for you. I know where your scars come from, Harry."

She was right, he had more than one detention to serve because he defended the Quibbler and Luna in Umbridge's class. He didn't think she'd notice. A childish thought because he knew very well that Luna noticed just about everything. "I'm sorry," he said quietly, squeezing her uninjured hand.

"Don't be," Luna chimed, smiling dreamily up at him. "I am glad you did. No one else would have."

Harry wanted to object but knew that it was the truth. He didn't want to lie to her. "And I'll do it again and again until she learns to shut her damn mouth," he promised, kissing the knuckles of her injured hand. He didn't know why he did it, he never had before, but was rewarded with a blush on Luna's cheeks. He had never seen her blush before, not even in exasperation (if anyone ever managed to rile her up that much), or when he complemented her on her dress when they went to the Yule ball together. He found it curious, Luna was never shy about anything, not even when she dragged him into the prefect bathroom to solve the second clue with him. Well, they had been dressed and all but it was then that Harry realized that puberty had just punched him in the face.

Something Harry couldn't describe caused him to look up. How a mistletoe came to be up there, who was in need for it he couldn't tell. Maybe he did. So he asked Luna, "See and Nargles up there?"

Luna looked up as well, studied the mistletoe for a moment before shaking her head. "No, it seems that this one has not been used as nesting ground yet."

Harry hummed in thought, his heartbeat accelerating as he planned his next move. A move Sirius would be ever so proud of. "You know," he said, just barely managing to keep his voice nonchalant, "there are other uses for a mistletoe than just Nargle habitat."

Luna cocked her head lightly to the side, big silvery eyes staring curiously into his green ones. "There is?" Had he imagined it or was her voice incredibly breathy?

"Really," he breathed, putting his hand on her cheek, his thumb wiping a bit of color form her face.

Harry was pretty sure Luna had moved first, but in the end it didn't matter. The only thing Harry regretted was not doing this when she had been his date to the Yule ball.

The Beholder

Harry didn't think long about a date for the whole ordeal. It wasn't like he had many girls to choose from and Harry didn't think he would like to be able to choose in the first place. Somehow he liked being avoided a whole lot better than being famous. Even though being the chosen one was not exactly better than that. The invitation to go to attend the Slug Club came quite surprisingly and after he heard that Hermione dragged Cormac with her to get Ron jealous, he couldn't help but roll his eyes. This meeting was already doomed to be an absolute cluster fuck. Thankfully Malfoy wouldn't attend, seeing as his father was now having a great time in the bowels of Azkaban.

After a strange potion lesson with a strangely subdued Snape, Harry was wandering the halls of Hogwarts, wondering how he would go about the brewing debacle. Maybe he could ask Ginny and-

Wherever that thought would have led died before it could take hold in his head and was replaced by an image of Luna Lovegood, standing in the breeze that blew though the window she stood at and watched the Black Lake, sketching something into a small book she was carrying. Her tongue peeked out from the corner of her mouth as she gazed intensely at whatever exactly she was drawing. For a brief moment Harry found himself entranced, absolutely mesmerized by her.

Beauty, or so they said, lay always in the eye of the beholder. And as Harry was about to loose his composure while beholding Luna, he could with absolute clarity say that she was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen. Or.. beheld. Or just gawked at. His interactions with her had been limited, safe for the few times he had met her in the hallways or the DA. But whenever they had spoken, it had been meaningful, something Harry would always remember.

For a moment he thought he was sick with the frightening speed his heart was going it. He believed he was about to go insane. So, before he could just so suddenly suffer from a stroke here in the hallway while beholding Luna, he might just as well behold her from a closer point of few. And while he was at it, he might was well ask her to come with him. To the Slug Club. As a date.

Was it just him or was it hot in this drafty castle?

Now, behold as Harry Potter tried - and failed - to walk up to Luna with all the dignity he possessed. He may have lost it somewhere there between his first stumble and the coughing fit on the way but thankfully Luna only ever turned around when he was directly behind her. Her serene smile nearly had him take a step back. Was that what a stroke felt like? Harry would never understand how anyone could complain feeling like this. Maybe having a stroke wasn't so bad after all...

"Harry." Jesus Christ! She had only just said his name and Harry's tongue decided that it was time to be partially paralyzed. As if his slack jaw hadn't been embarrassing enough, now his tongue could just fall out of it as if he was Fang! Thankfully, Luna didn't seem to notice. "How can I help you?"

Kiss me, he wanted to say, Dear Lord, kiss me and let me hold you! Draw me like one of your Nargles! Ok... That may not be the right thing to say. Thankfully his tongue had still not cooperated at the impulsive thought so all that he managed was a lame and drawn out "Hi."

He regained his bearings to an extent that allowed speech, mentally patting himself on the shoulder. "I was just... beholding." Bugger.

Luna smiled at him and looked out of the window again. "Yes, the black lake is rather nice with all the snow and ice. Makes me want to cast a warming charm on myself every time. Thankfully, the cold keeps the Wrackspurt away. They can't fly in the cold, you know?"

Harry had decided that he needed to steer this conversation into a direction that would allow him to ask her for a date without being to forward. He had some dignity left, after all. "Sooooo...," he made, drawing out the 'o' as he fumbled for the right words while Luna looked curiously (and amused!?) at him. "Do you, perhaps... maybe... probably... no, that's the wrong word... I mean-" He took a deep breath, his mind suddenly seemed to clear and he realized that Luna was waving her hands at both sides of his head as if to clear away some cobwebs.

She smiled, her hands landed on his shoulders and Harry was pretty sure his heart had stopped. "Curiously enough, Harry," God dammit! Why did she say his name like that!? Did his knees wobble? "You had a severe Wrackspurt infestation. Despite the cold." She gave him a toothy smile. "How very curious."

Harry cleared his throat. "Thank you for taking care of it, Luna." There, a coherent sentence. How very... normal of you, Potter!

"Anytime," she breathed, leaning a bit closer. "Whenever you need."

Wow. Harry was pretty sure that this was supposed to be just a friendly offer but apparently his brain was beholding things differently today. Wait! Could he spy Luna's bra there under her lime green top? If he would just-

Now hold on just a damn second! He wasn't here to perv on Luna! Or was he? It was quite hard to remember why he was beholding her in the first place. Ah, right. Christmas party. He cleared his throat once more, managing a smile that seemed to take Luna aback. Her expression was so adorable. Maybe he should have just asked her to kiss him. That would have been more productive than that!

"If that's the case," he said, his voice far huskier than he ever remembered it to be, "I'd like to take you up on that offer."

Luna tilted her head, eyes observing his head and it's immediate surroundings. "You don't seem to have any Wrackspurts around you, Harry."

He smiled at her. This was going great! "I know, and I have you to thank for that. So, to kill to birds with one stone, I'd like you to accompany me to Professor Slughorn's Christmas party. Both to make it up to you and of course to keep my head clear." Smooth. Very smooth. Sirius would have been proud.

Her expression was usually so serene, it led Harry to believe nothing could ever throw her off kilter. Well, he had just proved himself wrong. Luna's eyes widened to truly comical proportions as her pale skin darkened with a rush of blood. Her lips came together, pulling what at first appeared to be a frown when they slightly quivered and Luna released something akin to a mewl that turned Harry's stomach three times over and gave him another beautiful thing to behold. A flustered Luna. Quite adorable if he dared to venture and say so.

She drew the scarf over her mouth and nose but her wide eyes never left his. "Harry," she squeaked through the scarf, "Did you... perhaps... cast a warming charm on me!?"

"Yes, yes I-... What?"

"A warming charm!" Luna repeated. "I feel so... so... warm and fuzzy everywhere! Like a very strong warming charm. Or maybe a sugar rush!"

Harry stared at her in disbelief before he suddenly couldn't help it and laughed. He laughed so hard that he had to hold onto Luna for support who seemed positively bewildered, her ears still burning red. He wiped a tear from his eye and smiled at her confuse expression. "No Luna," he said, "I didn't cast a warming charm. But I did ask you... to be my date to Professor Slughorn's Christmas party." Seeing Luna loose her cool like that, it put him at ease somehow.

"Oh," Luna made, pulling the scarf high enough to cover her eyes as well. "OH!" she squeaked loudly and Harry found himself smiling even more.

Gently he pulled the scarf down so he could look into- behold her beautiful eyes. "Is that a yes?"

Luna's rapid nodding assured him that his plan had been a success. He beamed at her and kissed her cheek in the spur of the moment. "Wonderful!" he exclaimed in his high. "I will come find you at the Ravenclaw common room around seven!"

Harry, fully confident that he had handled the situation with the utmost of dignity a teenager could have, left with a spring in his step. As Luna literally floated through the hallways, her face still in her scarf, a random Hufflepuff student leaned over to his classmate and asked, "Did you see Harry Potter drool all over himself as well or was that just me?"

The boy shook his head. "Nah mate, we just saw Harry Potter make a fool of himself. Bloke got it bad. Did you see how often he nearly fell when he walked over to Loony?"

Neither Harry nor Luna could have cared less for the thoughts of others and Harry was pretty sure that he should just behold far more often than he had until then. He was sure Luna wouldn't mind.