The Holly and the Looney

If you were to sum up Luna Lovegood in one word, she wouldn't be what anyone would call pretty.

Oh, she certainly wasn't ugly if that's what you're thinking, but she was just so odd, it was off putting for anyone who might find her pleasing to the eye.

She was a small slender blonde with a delicate figure and waist but no one talked to her because of her bizarre nature, the way she would talk to things that weren't there or whisper about Nargles and Wrackspurts in the hallways when people were around to hear and whisper about how crazy she was.

Looney Lovegood they called her and it was a name that had stuck since the welcoming feast in her first year of school.

Despite her presumed craziness, Luna was as sharp as a whip in her classes and was only just behind Hermione Granger in terms of grades. She was one of Professor Flitwick's favorite students and he didn't seem put off by her oddness in the slightest.

Over the years, Luna learned to ignore the subtle taunts thrown her way by her classmates and the things that were stolen from her trunk. Sure it hurt in the beginning, but her father told her that she was special and that there would be people like that at school who wouldn't understand her and would seek to tear her down and that she shouldn't let them.

And so for the next four years, Luna became very resilient. She refused to be cowed by those who pulled her hair and stole her shoes and went about her day as calmly as ever which only served to frustrate people like Cho Chang and Marietta Edgecombe when they couldn't rattle her like everyone else.

Of all of the people in Ravenclaw house, Luna disliked those two the least. They gossiped all day about boys and spent time planning how to make sure that everyone else in the house knew that they were the queens of the roost, despite the fact that they were only four years like she was.

One day after classes, the week before the Yule Ball in December, Luna came across the two harpies sitting in the common room after class. They were giggling behind their hands about something and unbidden, their conversation came to her ears.

"Of course I said yes to Cedric Mary!" Cho whispered loudly. "Have you seen him? He's the hottest guy in Hogwarts at the moment. Course he's going to graduate next year and someone else will come along who's hotter. But for right now, I have the top boy."

"You're so lucky," Marietta pouted. "I wish he'd asked me. His friends are good looking too but they already have dates."

"Don't worry," Cho said fluffing her black hair. "We'll find someone for you. And look on the bright side. At least you'll be going to the dance with someone unlike Looney over there. It would take all of the beauty spells in Witch Weekly to make her look halfway to plain!"

Now that stung a little. Luna had never noticed her physical appearance, because to her it never mattered. But to hear people in the house say they thought she was ugly? That was a low blow.

"That's true," Marietta said perking up some. "She probably doesn't even have a date and will spend the night in the astronomy tower the way she always does mumbling about the stars and the "Nargles."

The two girls broke into laughter and Luna grimaced as she tried not to let their words get to her. It wasn't fair that people were so cruel, but then Cho and Marietta had always had a large about of Nargles following them so it wasn't really their fault for their atrocious behaviour.

"And speaking of the Yule Ball," Marietta began again. "Didn't Harry Potter ask you?"

Immediately Luna's ears perked up.

"Yes, he did," Cho replied in a bored tone. "Potter's not all bad. He's pretty good looking for a fourth year, but he's so angsty all the time, and I don't want someone who's so completely depressing to take me to the Ball, he'll ruin my whole evening. I probably would have said yes if I hadn't already told Cedric I'd be his date, but Potter's someone who it'll be nice to have waiting in the wings for a dance maybe. It wouldn't hurt to show the other girls who's got the Boy Who Lived on her arm.

Now Luna wanted to sputter with rage. Harry was very nice and they were going on about him as if he was some sort of prize ox that they were going to buy from an auction. There was a reason Harry was so serious all the time. He had lost his parents when he was a baby and had been forced to live with his horrible relatives! How dare they judge him?! And Cho had basically just said that she wasn't above trying to use Harry to get what she wanted, despite the fact that she knew that he liked her. What an egotistical strumpet!

Luna had sort of liked Harry ever since he had helped her find her shoes that Cho had stolen from her a year ago. She was very subtle about it and no one ever knew the truth but Harry was the only boy in the school who could make her palms go sweaty whenever he was near.

"At least he's a nicer person than you," she muttered out.

"What did you say Looney?" Cho snapped from across the room. She got to her feet and stalked over to the blonde. Ever the sidekick, Marietta followed.

"Oh nothing," the blonde said getting cheerfully to her feet. "You know, there's a lot of Nargles in here. I was just commenting on their presence in the part of the room you were just in."

If they were smart, they would have recognized the jab for what it was, but because they weren't they didn't.

"You listen here Looney," Cho growled getting in her face. "I'm in a particularly good mood today, so I'm going to let you off with a warning. Stay out of my way and keep your mouth shut if you know what's good for you. Your sort always stay in the shadows where they belong."

With that, she and Marietta swept out of the common room and Luna remembered for the umpteenth time how lucky she was to not be sharing a room with them. Sometimes she wished she was in Gryffindor where Harry and Hermione were. They were the only ones who were ever nice to her. She had thought Harry might ask Hermione to the ball, but the brunette had told her that she had been asked by Viktor Krum and not to tell anyone, least of all Harry and Ron.

Humming to herself, Luna skipped up the stairs to her room in order to spend the holidays leading up to the Yule Ball the way she always liked…..alone.

Ω

Life carried on for the next few days in relative silent for Luna. She went to class, sketched pictures of the Nargles and tried to ignore all of the Yule Ball fever that was going on around every corner.

All the girls in Ravenclaw were in a frenzy getting ready and as much as such things had never mattered to Luna in the past, it only served to put a bitter taste in her mouth because it reminded her that Cho and Marietta were right…..she didn't have a date.

Luna was wandering the halls one evening a few days before the Yule Ball and trying not to feel sorry for herself, when the sound of footsteps could be heard behind her.

She whirled around, wand raised, thinking that someone had come to mess with her when she came upon a surprised Harry who had screeched to a halt a few feet away and held up his hands with a shocked expression on his face.

"Oh it's you Harry," she said dropping her wand and adopting her dreamlike expression again. She ignored the way her heart accelerated a little and gave him her usual whimsical smile.

"Hi Luna," he said and he seemed a little nervous and uncomfortable as he would cast his eyes at her for a few minutes and then look down at the ground again.

"Is something wrong Harry?" she asked frowning.

"No….it's just…..I was wondering…..well…would you like to go to the Yule Ball with me?" he asked all in a rush.

For a moment, she didn't think that she had heard him correctly. "What did you say?"

Harry took a deep breath as if he was afraid to repeat himself, fearing what her answer might be. "Will you go to the Yule Ball with me?"

Luna blinked for about ten seconds, reminding herself that this wasn't a big deal. She had just been asked to the Yule Ball which meant that Cho and Marietta were wrong! She did have a date after all.

Harry was still looking at her, biting his bottom lip, waiting for her answer and twisting his foot in a slow circle.

"Of course Harry," Luna finally said softly and he was surprised to see the genuine happiness in her eyes. "I would love to go with you."

A bright smile broke out on the sable haired teens face and he didn't really know why that made him so happy. When he had asked Cho to go with him and she had told him that she already had a date, he shouldn't have been relieved, but he was. Immensely. Somehow, Luna saying yes made him happier than if Cho had said it.

It was a curious thought, but he ignored it for now. "Um…..great. You know we're supposed to meet in the entryway to the Great Hall at seven after everyone else has gone in right? So…..I'll meet you down there five minutes before."

"Okay Harry," Luna said, hoping that this conversation would end soon and she could go run up to the astronomy tower and scream with joy where no one could hear her.

Harry Potter had asked her to the Yule Ball!

Ω

On the night of the long expected holiday feast, Luna Lovegood was nowhere to be found in the common room. She had disappeared from the dorms and Cho and Marietta were laughing loudly about the thought that she must have wandered into the Forbidden Forest and been eaten by a spider or turned into a toad.

Not very original insults, but then again, they weren't very smart if you recall.

However, contrary to their belief, Luna wasn't in the forest, she was in a room she had discovered on her many trips about the castle that the elves had told her about called the Room of Requirement. They had told her it would give her anything she needed if she simply asked for it.

And at the moment, Luna needed a place to dress for the Yule Ball where she wouldn't be disturbed.

The room did more than that. It in fact, offered her a dress to wear for the Yule Ball and from the moment she saw it, the small blonde knew it would be just perfect.

It was a floor-length deep green silk dress with straps that met around her neck rather than her shoulders and a very low back that curved into a V right above the place where her kidneys would be. The straps were embroidered with strange green stones and the waist line hugged her small frame like a glove.

Luna wasted no time in putting on the green dress and ribboned shoes that the room provided her with. In that moment, she set about doing her hair in a style that her mother had shown her a long time ago. Pandora had a fascination for Muggle movies and had taken Luna to one when she was very small. It was with a movie star who had her hair tucked over her right shoulder into beautiful blonde curls.

It took some doing, but Luna finally managed to use some spells in order to get her hair to fall that way over their shoulder. Because of the thick movie star curls now in her hair, the blonde locks now came up to her collar bone. Luna took a deep breath and looked in the mirror in front of her and her eyes opened wide.

"You look lovely dear," the mirror said, which Luna had quickly learned to be enchanted. "You'll be the belle of the ball!"

"Oh I don't know about that," Luna said as she hooked in her small corn husk earrings which were ironically green, the same green as her dress. "I just want a fun Nargle free evening with Harry."

She said goodbye to the mirror and left the room, casting a disillusionment charm on herself as she hurried down to the Great Hall. She didn't want anyone to see her and give the surprise away before Harry saw her.

As she hurried, she wondered what he would think. Would he think she was pretty?

She certainly hoped so. She had put a lot of effort into this and a secret part of Luna wanted to make Cho and Marietta eat their words. She wanted to show them that she was beautiful even though she already knew it.

Finally, she reached the top of the staircase leading down into the entryway and could see all the Champions and their dates along with professor McGonagall below.

Luna slowly made her way down the stairs case toward them being careful not to trip on her dress.

"Mr. Potter, the door are going to open in two minutes, where is your date?" the head of Gryffindor said sounding very cross.

"She said she'd be here, just one more minute," Harry begged and Luna decided she wouldn't torture him any longer.

"Here I am."

At her words, everyone turned and looked up at her, including Cho who was holding onto Cedric's arm like she was some sort of monkey.

It was then that every male in the area had to pick their jaws up off the floor and no one looked more surprised than Harry.

Because it was in that moment, everyone realized how stunning Luna Lovegood really was. She looked like a goddess coming down the stairs in a deep green dress toward them, her pale blue eyes sparkling. Her hair was beautifully curled and cast over one shoulder and there were strange green earring hanging from her earlobes that only seemed to add to the overall essence that was Luna Lovegood.

Her skin appeared ivory but warm to the touch and for the first time in her life, Luna felt truly elegant walking slowly down the stairs toward her date.

When she got next to him, she slipped her arm through his and smiled up at the flabbergasted expression on his face.

"Is something wrong Harry?" she asked and he blinked. "You look…..you look…beautiful."

"Why thank you Harry," Luna said softly despite the fact that her heart was singing.

Cho looked as if she had just eaten a lemon from the murderous threats she was throwing the blonde, but Hermione looked thrilled and made her way over with her date to tell Luna how pretty she thought she looked.

"Ladies and Gentlemen if you please, the doors are about to open. Miss Delacour, you and Mr. Davies first, Mr. Potter, you and Miss Lovegood last. Line up everyone," McGonagall barked and they all hurried to do as she asked.

Luna was glad that the professor had put her and Harry last as she was as farthest away from Cho as she could be which guaranteed that she and Harry would have a fantastic evening.

Within the next few seconds the doors opened and the champions marched in with their dates. The whispers didn't start becoming louder until Harry and Luna walked in though.

"Who's that girl with Potter?"

"Never seen her before in my life?"

"I would have remembered someone that beautiful!

"You thinks she's from Beauxbatons?"

All of these comments just served to make Luna's smile grow even wider.

"What are you smiling about?" Harry asked as the music for the first dance began. He put his arms around her waist and the small blonde felt a small thrill when he did.

"Nothing," she said cheerfully. "There aren't any Nargles here and I have everything I've ever wanted for one night?"

"Including me?" Harry asked in a bit of a joking tone.

Luna looked at him, her eyes going deadly serious. "Including you."

The resounding smile that crossed Harry's face was brighter than she had ever seen anyone smile.

She was a little surprised when he leaned over and kissed her on the cheek and then leaned back with his eyes sparkling. "Then I should tell you that I wanted to ask you to the Ball first, but I was afraid you weren't going so I chickened out and asked Cho instead. I'm so glad she said no so I could ask you again."

Luna felt her heart give a great leap and she leaned over and returned Harry's kiss. "Well then I'm very glad you did Harry Potter."

It finally began to dawn on everyone as the night wore on that Harry Potter's date was none other than Luna Lovegood.

The corresponding responses to this were downright hilarious.

"Who knew she was hiding such a body under that frumpy uniform?"

"Man I wish I asked her before Potter got to it!"

"Don't be an idiot can't you see their together?"

"Potter and Lovegood?!"

As the night wore on, Harry and Luna didn't dance with anyone else, and when Cho tried to cut in, Harry simply rebuffed her with a murderous look and danced away holding Luna more tightly in his arms.

It was a magical night and one that Luna would look back on many years later with a fierce fondness. She would often look at her husband and say: "Remember the night of the Yule Ball? The night everything changed for us?"

"Of course," Harry would reply. "It was the night you had corn husks in your ears."

Ω

This is just because its the holidays and I'm a huge Luna and Harry shipper. In my opinion, she's the one he should have ended up with. Luna is one of the most underrated characters in Harry Potter and I was hugely disappointed when she didn't get her time in the spotlight. Review!