Luna was used to others not seeing what she did, and it always made her feel sympathetic. It wasn't their fault they didn't have her sight. So few witches and wizards did. Usually, Luna would state something or other from the Quibbler she knew as fact, or say whatever magical creature was swimming in front of her eyes at that particular moment, and those around would give her a look. A familiar one that spoke what their mouths wouldn't because most often they were too polite. Not always. But most of the time. The look said- we cannot see what you do, Luna-and she felt sorry for them.

But sometimes they would become resentful. A normal emotion too. When insults were tossed her way (she was quite familiar with the nickname Loony) Luna knew what they were actually saying was- I am upset that I cannot see what you do. It's not fair.

And they would be right. It wasn't fair. The invisible forces that swirled around her constantly with an almost iridescent glow, only made themselves known to some. There was no reason why she'd been chosen, only that she had. And sometimes that made her forlorn. Without her father at Hogwarts, Luna was alone with her gift of sight into this world of the hidden.

But not entirely alone. Harry Potter could see thestrals. It was a memory she often thought back to, of when she was introduced to him and realized he could also see the winged beasts. "You're just as sane as I am," she had said. If only Luna could've mentioned that they were in fact not sane, but special.

She wouldn't though, because it was not true despite how much she would have liked it to be. Harry Potter saw thestrals, because he had been exposed to death- like her- and not because the magic around her chose to speak to him as well.

Still, it was a small measure of comfort that Harry Potter shared one special sight with her. And that he was also kind. "It's like being with a friend," she'd mentioned to him once.

"But we are friends, Luna," he'd corrected her.

"That's nice," had been her reply. Knowing Harry Potter thought of her that way was quite a pleasant experience. Luna had a friend.

But then not only a friend. Harry was also a date. She'd never had a date before. And it was to Professor Slughorn's Christmas party. Harry Potter had asked her to go with him. Luna was not familiar with surprise. She'd seen a lot in her short life; most of it hidden from everyone else. But this time she wastaken by surprise and then was entirely pleased at the prospect of being someone's date. Especially a date with a friend like Harry. Even the nargles became excited, moving around in her line of sight, but that was more Luna's fault for leaving her butterbeer cork necklace in her room that morning. She would have to remember to wear it to the party. Luna wouldn't let them interfere with her first date.

"You're not wearing that thing are you?" her roommate Mary asked when Luna made sure to put on her butterbeer cork necklace as she was dressing for the party a few days later.

"Why shouldn't I? This is a Christmas party. A Christmas party is bound to attract nargles. All that mistletoe," Luna stated, turning away to admire her dress in the mirror. Behind her reflection, she saw her roommate give that look that told Luna, Mary didn't understand. She couldn't see nargles.

"Maybe just for tonight you shouldn't wear it. Harry Potter asked you to this party. The Harry Potter. You should try to dress a little more," she hesitated, and then finished with, "normal."

Luna smiled sympathetically. "I would think it was common knowledge that Harry Potter is not normal. Did you read the story my father printed about him in the Quibbler? Rita Skeeter wrote it. Harry's life has been rather extraordinary."

Her roommate huffed. Mary was feeling resentment. But not for the reason Luna assumed. "Figures you wouldn't understand how lucky you are to be asked by him. Don't know why he did when he could've asked anyone."

Luna turned around to face Mary, a spark of understanding lighting inside her mind. "Oh, I see. You wanted Harry to ask you." Somehow this made her roommate even more upset and she stormed past Luna out of the room. "Huh. This is an odd feeling," Luna spoke to herself. For the first time, someone was jealous of her not because they couldn't see what she did, but because she was going on a date.

Luna supposed Harry was dashing enough for Mary to be jealous. And those other girls had sneered when Peeves flew over them, announcing Luna and Harry were attending the party together. They must have been jealous too. Luna looked again at her necklace. Suddenly it seemed bulky and out of place. Glancing quickly to the left and then to the right, she looked for any lurking nargles. When Luna was sure there were none, she removed the corks from around her neck. Maybe the nargles would leave her alone tonight. She'd be sure to avoid mistletoe.

When Harry greeted Luna in the hall leading to Professor Slughorn's party, he said something that made Luna feel odd again. Like when she realized Mary was jealous. "Oh, you look nice, Luna."

"Thank you," Luna replied, and then touched her neck. Harry had never said she looked nice before. Was it because she wasn't wearing her necklace. Had Mary been right? Luna hadn't been wearing it when Harry asked her to the party. Maybe the necklace kept not only nargles away, but Harry too.

Once inside the party, Harry was unwillingly swept into a conversation with Professor Slughorn who introduced him to a vampire. Luna could see Harry was uninterested and came to his aide by distracting the undead man with a story she'd read in that morning's Quibbler. Naturally, the vampire walked away a minute later. She'd been talking about Ministry of Magic politics. "Vampires cannot hear about politics without their ears tingling. It quite bothersome for them," Luna explained to Harry, and he smiled. The expression rather suited him.

"Thanks, Luna. Stay close to me. I might need your help in boring Slughorn away if he comes back. Does talking to him about politics make his ears tingle too?" He was teasing her, but that was okay. Harry was always good natured about it. And when he linked arms with her, bringing Luna over to talk with his friend Hermione, she felt a warmness in her cheeks. It was the butterbeer, no doubt. And the Snarblite staring down at her from a Christmas decoration. The tiny furry creatures were known for producing heat.

Hermione was talking to Harry about Cormac McLaggen, and she appeared unhappy. "I only brought him, because I thought it would make Ron jealous. Now he won't leave me alone."

"Ron won't leave you alone?" Luna asked.

"No, Comarc. Ron wasn't invited into the Slug Club. All he's good for now anyway is snogging Lavender," Hermione responded. She sounded mad. She sounded … jealous. Like Mary. Harry just looked uncomfortable.

"Ron is dating Lavender?" Luna asked, trying to add to the conversation when it stalled. "That's strange. They were never very friendly before. Is that why you were crying in the bathroom the other day? Because Ron is with Lavender and not you?"

Hermione didn't like Luna's question. She said a curt 'excuse me' and moved across the room, settling beside Ginny Weasly who was there with Dean Thomas. All three stood around a large table of refreshments. Hermione whispered something into Ginny's ear and then they both looked Luna's way. "Was that a wrong question to ask her?" Luna said, turning back to Harry.

"No ... well, yes. But don't worry. Hermione's just upset over Ron. Not you. Their relationship has always been … complicated. She brought the person Ron hates most- Cormac- to this party hoping to make Ron jealous, but Cormac keeps trying to snog her. So her plan is backfiring."

Luna nodded, understanding, and then wondered aloud, "I've never been snogged before, but I don't suppose anyone would want to." She stared at Harry, who was gulping down his butterbeer, and then Luna thought of a joke. "You didn't bring me here to make anyone jealous, did you Harry?" He had teased her earlier and Luna thought Harry would appreciate her returning the favor, but it didn't appear so.

"No, of course I didn't, Luna. I asked you, because I like you." Harry seemed nervous and he tousled his already mussed hair. Then Luna saw him glance in Ginny's direction.

"Because if you did, I think I would be a very poor choice. No one would be jealous that you were with Loony Lovegood … not even Ginny," Luna stated. She had guessed already that Harry liked Ginny. Friends sometimes knew. Intuition. And Harry was her friend.

"Luna, I didn't bring you here to make Ginny jealous." Harry looked a bit perplexed and Luna saw that her attempt to be honest with her friend had made him uncomfortable.

"I'm sorry. I was only trying my hand at humor." This was a half-truth. The part about Ginny hadn't been a joke, but Luna decided it was best not to let Harry know. "You were looking at Ginny. I thought it would make you laugh if I said that."

"What you said about Ginny doesn't bother me."

"It doesn't?"

"No. It's just … Luna, you don't seem to see yourself like I do. You made a joke at your own expense. More than once tonight, and we haven't even been here that long. I don't know why you do that so much."

"Does that bother you?"

"It bothers me, because it doesn't bother you," Harry replied, setting his empty mug down on a nearby table.

Luna mused over Harry's reaction to her joke and then came to a surprising conclusion. "Harry, are you feeling sorry for me?"

"I don't feel sorry for you. I just want you to see you how I see you. Not as a joke, but as a good friend."

"I see myself fine. The Loony part isn't something that bothers me. People only call me that, because they can't see things as I do." Luna looked up at a nearby mistletoe and saw two nargles swinging from its leaves. "Like those nargles over there." She pointed over Harry's shoulder and he glanced at the mistletoe, but of course, didn't see the nargles. "They are being very mischievous at the moment, because I didn't wear my cork necklace tonight. My roommate seemed to think it didn't go with my dress."

And that you wouldn't like it.

Harry looked back at Luna and smiled. It appeared he'd forgotten about being upset with her over the Loony comment. And then his smile turned into a soft laugh. "Come with me to the mistletoe. Show me these nargles you always talk about."

"I didn't think you could see them."

Harry shrugged. "I dunno, maybe tonight will be different." He took her mug, set it down, and then filling her now empty hand with his, Harry led Luna over to the mistletoe. She was feeling hot again. That Snarlbite must have fixated on her. Luna stared back at it and made a hand gesture with two of her fingers. The creature squeaked, and then she watched as its shiny gold coat receded behind a Christmas ornament hung from the ceiling. Strangely though, Luna still felt hot.

"What was that you just did?" Harry asked.

"What do you mean?"

"With your hand." He tried to mimic her finger movement, but was doing an awful interpretation of it. Luna giggled. "One of your creatures? The ones you say I can't see?" Harry answered his own question.

"You can't see them," Luna reminded him.

Harry frowned and edged nearer. "Maybe not. But I see you."

Luna's heart began fluttering, an odd reaction to have when there were no dangerous creatures nearby. Nargles could hardly be considered dangerous. Menacing, yes. But not dangerous. Maybe the vampire was lurking about. Luna glanced around, but Harry brushed his fingers across her cheek, guiding her gaze back to him. And it was then that Luna realized she was not frightened. The hummingblark inside her chest was not from fear. It was from … excitement?

Harry was so close now, Luna smelled the butterbeer on his breath, and when he kissed her seconds later, the feel of it was warm, fast, and sloppy. A film of butterbeer residue was left on her lips. Luna had been surprised by him again, and now she could no longer claim that she'd never been snogged. "You kissed me, Harry," Luna said, stating the obvious, because she was unable to come up with anything else.

Harry looked guilty and blinked. "Well, I thought ... under the mistletoe. That you would get the idea of what I ... that is ..." He looked up. "You kiss under these."

Luna looked up too. Yes, she knew that. Mistletoe was not only for nargles, but for kissing as well. But she never thought Harry's intention in bringing her under it was to kiss and she wondered if he'd only done so out of sympathy. She would have asked him this if at that moment, Harry hadn't said, "Look out, Luna."

"What is it?"

"I dunno," Harry answered, reaching onto her shoulder and brushing away the nargle that had landed there. It fell to the floor with a splat, before flying away back to its perch on the mistletoe with its other nargle friend. Both Harry and Luna stared at them. "I've never seen anything like that. Look, there's two of them. They're like fat green pixies."

Luna eyed Harry, who was still dumbstruck by the nargles, and then she tilted her head to the side. "Harry," Luna slowly said, bringing his attention back to her. "Those are nargles." This was not what she'd grown to expect from her friend. Harry couldn't see nargles. Luna had seen them fly in front of his face several times since meeting him and he'd never once acknowledged their presence. But something had changed.

Harry could now see the extra layer of magic she did.