It was Christmas Eve and Harry was sitting alone in Grimmauld Place. The fire was crackling and he had an empty bottle of butterbeer by his feet. He was contemplating getting another but hadn't yet convinced himself to get to his feet. Really, he was just biding time until he could pick Teddy up in the morning and go around to the Weasleys. Andromeda had taken him to visit his muggle great-grandparents for Christmas and so Harry was alone for the night.

Sure, he could have gone to Ron and Hermione's but they had their own traditions they were starting with their kids and he didn't want to intrude. He needed something for himself, but what that could be he didn't really know. Besides, there was also the fact that he would have to do it alone.

The doorbell rang then, pulling him from his thoughts.

Harry went to answer it, but before he was all the way out of his seat he heard it open and Luna's serene voice came calling through the echoey old house.

"Harry?"

Harry stuck his head over the banister, before making his way downstairs, "Hey Luna, what are you doing here?" he asked, watching her step in, a swirl of snowflakes following her.

"I came to get you, silly! We're going carolling."

Harry stopped in his tracks, only a few short steps from her. He did not remember making those plans and he was pretty sure he would have been sure to say no. Singing was not something he would have signed up for. "Erm, Luna-" he began.

"Oh, come please! It will be so much fun! I went to a library and printed the lyrics and everything."

"No, Lun-, hang on, printed?"

Luna nodded emphatically, grabbing Harry's coat and scarf from the rack. "Oh, yes, I thought it would be better if we sang ones you already knew. So I went to a muggle library and a nice lady there helped me with that internet thing and I printed off pages of them. Come on, Harry, please?"

Harry looked down at her big blue eyes. Wide and hopeful. He sighed, a smile tugging at the corner of his lips, "Alright, let's go."

Luna smiled, happiness radiating from her as she looped his scarf around his neck and pulled him out the door.

Harry stumbled after her laughing and scrambling to pull his wand from his back pocket to lock the house behind him.

Luna handed him his coat and then once he had put it on, started fiddling with his sleeve. She muttered a spell and then tucked her own wand behind her ear. The tulip shaped end sitting in her curls like a flower.

Harry peered at his sleeve and saw she had made a little pocket for his wand. "Thanks, Luna." He said, a little baffled as to why she had done it.

'You're welcome, Harry." She returned, "Can't have you losing any buttocks."

Harry choked on a laugh, remembering Moody's dire warnings and with Luna's arm looped through his, they set off down the street.

They came to the first house and Luna cajoled him up the pathway. Beaming at him as they stood on the stoop. She pulled a Santa hat from her bag that matched her own and tugged it over Harry's ears and then pressed a piece of paper into his hands as she rang the doorbell.

Harry's heart thundered in his chest, he was more nervous than he had been for the entire Battle of Hogwarts. The door opened to reveal a brunette woman around their age, she was holding a headless gingerbread man and it was evident where the head was when she asked them what they wanted.

Harry heard Luna mutter a spell under her breath and the strains of a familiar carol started in her pocket. Luna began to sing in soft sweet melody and Harry quickly ducked his eyes to the paper.

"-the most wonderful time for a beer-"

He choked slightly on the last word and darted his eyes to Luna, who didn't seem to notice anything wrong with the lyrics.

He kept going, thinking it would be worse if he just stood there and the girl at the door snorted before calling back into the house.

"Oi! Trevor! Julius! Come 'ere!"

Luna grinned at Harry, and he grinned back.

"-the holiday seasons bring so many reasons to just go out drinking with friends-"

The two blokes that lived in the house appeared in the doorway and started to laugh along. It appeared they knew the song too, well, some of it at least and they sang along with Harry and Luna. Harry got more into it as the song kept on and as the song came to a close and they drew out the last word for as long as possible.

"Say you guys got room for some more?" Julius asked.

Trevor's eyes lit up, "Yeah! And more songs too?"

Luna nodded eagerly, "Sure! That would be perfectly lovely!"

"Awesome!" The two guys exclaimed before racing back into the house. No doubt to find jackets and such.

The girl rolled her eyes and grinned after them, her gingerbread man now all gone. "Erm, would you like to join us as well?" Harry asked her politely, not really sure what to say.

"Sure, why not? Could be a laugh," she said, grabbing her coat from where it hung on the stand. She pulled some mittens from her pocket and by the time she was ready, her flatmates had joined them.

Luna smiled at everyone, "It's nice to meet you all! I'm Luna and this is Harry."

Harry gave a little wave and Luna handed them all a few sheets of paper, Harry was willing to bet she had used a duplication spell. But then again, this was Luna he was talking about.

"Tricia," said the brunette woman, she jerked her thumb at the two standing next to her, "and these chav's are Julius and Trevor."

"Aye, aye, aye!" cried Trevor, Julius nodding in agreement, "Come on, luv, that's not nice, is it?"

She stuck her tongue out at him and they laughed, the ice breaking just like that and they started towards the next house.

Luna conjuring more music, the light bells and merry music hinting to Harry what song was next. Trevor exclaimed over how good the quality was, before Tricia shushed him when the door opened and they all began to sing.

"-Jingle bells, Jingle bells, Batman smells, Robin laid an egg-"

The five of them had a wonderful time carolling thanks to Luna's lyrics and they only became lewder and more rambunctious as the night wore on. Harry revelling in the chance to be young and carefree for once.

"-dashing through the snow, on a pair of broken skies-"

"-Santa Clause, Santa Clause, how much do you weigh? I'm glad I'm not a reindeer who has to pull you sleigh-"

"-I won't decorate your Christmas tree this year-"

"-I saw mummy sucking Santa Clause-"

The last one had Harry so red in the face, especially as it was a little old woman old enough to be somebody's great-great-grandmother that opened the door. She stood there patiently while they sang, a glint in her eye the entire time.

Once they had finished she cackled with abundant glee. "Oh, dearies! That was wonderful! Why if I were twenty years younger, I'd join you, but baby it's too cold outside for these old bones!" she said with a saucy wink.

Harry liked her, she had sass.

They thanked her and spotting a pub on the corner, went inside to warm up and maybe grab a pint or two. The pub was serving a Christmas special, warm, spiced apple cider. They each grabbed a drink and sat around a corner booth. Sharing jokes and telling stories. Harry was having a wonderful time and it was all thanks to the beautiful girl at his side.

But the hour grew late and they soon parted ways from their new friends, with promises to keep in touch and to catch up after the holidays. Harry and Luna set off back towards Grimmauld Place, Luna had her arms wrapped around one of Harry's and he couldn't help but think how right it felt to have her at his side.

They walked down a side street that Harry hadn't known was there, drawn by the twinkle of coloured lights. But Harry drew up short in front of an iron gate. There was a sign on the gate.

"Martha's home for children"

Despite the high fence, the place looked homely and well cared for. Luna looked curiously at his face and then opened the gate quietly. They walked up to a window, able to just see inside, by the light filtering through from the room next door. There was a large tree decorated and sparse strands of tinsel hanging across the doorways. They heard voices float in from the room next door and ducked so they couldn't be seen.

Harry's eyes met Luna's as they listened.

"Oh, I wish we had something to put under the tree for the morning! But I just couldn't get the funds together in time! The children are going to be so disappointed! And I just know that they will think they haven't been good enough for Santa to come this year!"

The woman's voice - Martha presumably - was choked with tears and all they heard of her companion was a comforting murmur.

Harry bit his lip, suddenly wishing he could do something, anything. He knew what it felt like to be unwanted on Christmas.

But it was Christmas Eve! It was too late to go to any shops! He didn't realise he had been looking pleadingly at Luna, so when she smiled at started pulling odds and ends out of her bag, he was confused.

"Here, you transfigure these into toys. I'll find something to wrap them. Your magic is stronger than mine. The toys will hold their shape for years and years. We can come and replace them later."

"Luna," Harry said quietly, "You're brilliant you know that?"

She just smiled sweetly at him and they quickly got to work. In the end, they had a whole pile of toys. Transfigured from buttons and pens, a few knuts and butterbeer caps.

Luna had used old receipts and a fresh packet of tissues to create wrapping paper. Conjuring silver string to secure them with.

"How are we going to get them inside?" She asked Harry. "I can do a switching spell, but it only works if there is something to switch it with."

Harry just grinned at her at pointed to the dully glowing fireplace. He cast some fireproofing charms and then started to levitate them, floating them down the chimney and placing them underneath the tree. Luna clapped with joy as the last one settled into place.

"Oh, it's perfectly lovely." She said with quiet pride.

"Yeah, it is," Harry replied softly. He was looking at her, the way her smile lit up her face. The way the streetlights shone sparkles in her hair. Harry was struck then by the intensity of his feelings for her. Coming to realise just how important she was to him and what it meant. How simply perfect she was and when she turned her face up to his, he couldn't hold back.

He stepped forward and took her into his arms, kissing her for all he was worth. She sighed happily and kissed him back, gently leaning her weight against him.

When they pulled apart, her smile was still there and her face was still bright as she said. "I've been waiting for you to catch up."

Harry snorted softly and pressed his lips to hers once more, "Sorry it took me so long."

FIN

AN: Don't forget to find me on fbook and on Ao3 under the same name.
(My Ao3 account also contains more works, partly because you can't post anything explicit on here, so I have some PWP stories there *winkwink* but mostly because it is infinitely easier to post on Ao3 than it is here. Sorry guys, but it's true. You'll get quicker updates on that site than this one.)