Ah, since Luna is one my favorite HP characters, I had to check this out, and I'm so glad I did. Now, I've only seen the movies and have never read the books, so I don't know if the idea of the Thestrals are canon or not, but I thought that was extremely creative. I love that they can only be seen by those who have seen death, and I loved your description of them. I also love how Luna never seems to mind bad things...like her missing shoes. Even though they were cold, she really didn't seem bothered by that...very Luna. I really loved their conversation. Again, I don't know how Luna's mother died, so I don't know if this is canon, but it seemed plausible. I love how you describe how her mother had been laughing and enjoying life just moments before she died. I thought that was a lovely way for Luna to remember her mother. Ah, I also love that Luna believes that Voldemort and the Ministry are conspiring against Harry and the professor. Ah, dear Luna is always so wise that she thinks Voldemort wants Harry to feel as if he has no support. That makes sense. Ah, but the last few paragraphs were really beautiful. I love that Luna sees more than everyone else sees...beyond the physical. This was such a beautiful piece, and I really enjoyed it. Well done. :)

A couple of things:

occasionally stepping on a twig or puddle-I might add 'into a puddle' if I were you since one cannot step on a puddle. Your call, though.

his quite determination,-his quiet determination

I decided to have a look at this one and I'm SO glad I did, because it's... well... beautiful.
I'm not a particular HP fan, but I do recognise the scene, and what amazes me is that while you're sticking to the structure of the scene/basically sticking to the lines, you're also keeping it dynamic and unique and something that's truly special.

Breaking it down: the opening line was fantastic in its simplicity, and the second paragraph, with its painstaking details of the Thestrals, was magnificent. I really love the details you put there; you weren't in a hurry to proceed with the scene and instead gave us all these wonderful details that seriously made me understand, and share, Luna's love for the Thestrals.

The details of her bare feet are also really well played- not for laughs, but you didn't make an angst bath out of things, either.

A sensitive and well-drawn depiction of Harry, too. I thought that perhaps the third-last paragraph told us a little too much about Luna's thought processes, rather than just letting us into her thought processes, but YMMV on that narrative technique, and I don't think it was a particularly big deal or detracted much from your fic. Oh, lovely work. Favourited. x

Aww, thank you so so much MasterSpy! I really appreciate you doing this for me! And you're welcome for the reviews! :D Thank YOU for this one-shot. :D
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I really like that starting sentence; I like how, instead of using that short sentence to give some kind of a dramatic dark opening, you've used it to show how exhilarated she is by the Thestrals. :) It's like she's at a loss for words, like 'beautiful' sums up her thoughts entirely. It's really sweet. :)

I like how you chose to go into lots of detail when describing what it was that may have made Luna so fascinated with the creatures. It's like she's so fascinated that she observes every single little detail of the Thestrals, like every single thing about them is just so beautiful in her eyes. :) I like how the words you use in the descriptions are generally soft-sounding as well, like 'leathery' and 'serpentine'- as the soft words give the creatures a dream-like quality, and they reflect Luna's soft voice and her 'dreamer'-like personality. :)

(Only there was someone else watching the Thestrals with her today.) This line is so cute! It's like, in the past, she's been used to watching the Thestrals by herself, but today, she isn't so lonely. :) It's like she's finally found someone else who she can share her interests with.

I like how you've set up the surprise, too, like when Harry asks if her feet are cold, due to them being bare. :P I quite like that part- it's kind of like she's at one with nature, maybe, or that she wants to be more at one with nature. Maybe she likes the experience of the soil squelching under her feet. :)

(There weren't many who would be worried about her.) Once again there's this idea that she's previously been a very lonely person, and it's like Harry is that 'special someone'- someone who cares about her. :)

I like how you describe that the sun turns the leaves 'almost golden', as if that reflects Luna's thoughts on her moments of watching Thestrals with Harry nearby- an almost golden moment. :) I also like how Harry does exactly the opposite of what she expects him to do, when he stares at the Thestrals, rather than running from them.

I like how Harry finishes with 'different', too. It's like he and Luna can relate to the Thestrals, as a lot of people see Luna as weird, just because she is different. :)

I like how there's a skip back in time, as if it shows her reminiscing about the event- it's like it's affected her, but she doesn't need to angst about it- a difference between her and Harry that really intrigued me, the way they dealt with the same problem in different ways. :)

I really like how Luna sees past his appearance and into his personality, too, and this seems to separate her from the others that have commented on what they would call his 'beauty'. :)

I really love how this has ended with the same line as the start, as if Luna sees beauty in the strange Thestrals, and that she now sees beauty in the somewhat-strange Harry. It draws some kind of a connection between Harry and the Thestrals, and I like that effect. :)

This was amazing, and so sweet! :)

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Here is my critique and/or some suggestions for you. I hope they are helpful to you. :)

. (beautiful woman with long, blond hair) When describing females with blonde hair, is is better to use the 'blonde' spelling, and the 'blond' for males. :)

. (people who've seen dead) In this part, I feel that 'the dead' or 'dead people' or 'death' would be clearer here. :)
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This was so sweet! It was a wonderful gift and really made my day. Thanks so much for this! :D
Keep up the good work! :D