Author's Note: COMPLETE. I know everyone loves long chapters, but that didn't happen, sorry! I wrote it all before publishing, and while it seemed long on Word, I got it in here, and it wasn't. Eh, what are you gonna do? Anyways, thanks for all the lovely reviews and the support for this pairing. I just want to note that I don't hate Ginny. I love Ginny-just not with Harry. :)

Chapter Thirteen

Harry

Harry took the stairs two at a time. His feet pounded across the stones, drowning out the pounding of his heart. It was as if an invisible thread pulled him in the right direction, for he had no conscious thought of where he was going. It wasn't until he reached the bottom of the stairs leading to the owlery that it hit him:

Of course she was there, in the place where he had first denied their connection. She had known it then, the smart Ravenclaw that she was, but he had been stubborn and thickheaded. Regret flared up inside him as he thought of all the time he had wasted chasing after what he thought he was supposed to have wanted, instead of recognizing what he did want when it was standing right in front of him.

He grasped the door handle and pushed with all his might, slamming the door against the wall behind it.

He saw her instantly, sitting on the ledge wrapped in blue robes and covered in snow, her long blonde hair uncombed and wet. Candlelight flickered overhead, catching the tears in her eyes.

She looked up at him, her eyes widening in shock. Slowly she slipped off the ledge, her hands behind her back.

"Harry," she stammered, her voice filled with surprise.

He started at her voice, but didn't move closer. He could see the dark circles under her eyes, and the pallor of her skin. She looked as awful as he felt

"What are you doing here?"

"Looking for you," he replied softly, "I heard you left school because you were sick. I found out you were here."

"Isn't it your wedding day?" she asked, her voice trembling.

"Luna—"

"Look," Luna interrupted, and she thrust her hands out in front of her.

They were shaking, and Harry could see burn marks.

"They won't stop shaking. I can't do anything useful. Ever since the invitation came—they won't stop."

Guilt flooded Harry, and everything he had planned on saying to her flew out of his head. He stood staring at her helplessly, unable to form the words he so desperately wanted her to hear.

"Why do you have a black eye?" she asked, shoving her arms behind her back.

"Because Ron punched me." he said flatly.

"Why would he do that?"

"Because…" He hesitated. "Because I told Ginny I couldn't marry her."

Luna's eyes flew to his.

"Why?"

There was a heavy silence, save the gentle sound of their breathing and the soft rustle of owl feathers, as Harry struggled to find the right words.

"Why Harry?" she asked again, her voice filled with desperation.

"Because I love you," he said finally, holding out his hands in a gesture of surrender. "You're my soulmate, and I can't deny it any longer. Not for her, not for Ron, not anyone."

Her face paled and she took a step towards him, but he was already there. He took her into his arms and murmured her name over and over again. She wrapped her arms tightly around his neck.

After a few moments, she looked up into his face, their eyes meeting. Harry's heart skipped a beat, as it always seemed to when he looked at Luna. He brushed his thumb across her cheek, and under her heavily bruised eyes, and the shame came rushing back.

"I've been such a fool," he murmured. "I don't know how you could ever forgive me for being so blind."

"Love, though said to be afflicted with blindness, is a vigilant watchman," Luna said softly.

"What does that mean?" Harry asked, the old familiar feelings when talking to Luna bubbling up from somewhere deep inside him.

Her brow furrowed slightly.

"I have no idea," she said quite seriously, and suddenly she smiled in her familiar, dreamy way, her whole face lighting up like a sunbeam through dark clouds.

Harry's heart burst with joy, and cupping her face in his hands, he kissed her full on the mouth. All the pain and anguish of the last few years just seemed to melt out of him, and he knew then and there, everything would be alright.

He was finally home.