Dancing When the Stars Go Blue

Pairing: Harry/Luna
Rating: G
Disclaimer: Except for the plot, it all belongs to J.K. Rowling.
Summary: A dance. And a reason to smile.

Dancing when the stars go blue

Harry sat on a chair, hidden in a corner of the garden, and merely watched them dance. Ginny and Charlie, Mr and Mrs Weasley and many other couples, who were all dancing animatedly on what looked like a dance floor, settled in the middle of the garden. Even McGonagall seemed to be having a blast while she danced with Lupin.

None of that felt right. Harry knew that there was a wedding and he knew those people deserved to enjoy that moment, but still, it didn't feel right. Dumbledore had died barely a month ago and all that happiness he was witnessing was completely out of place.

Harry had acted well, though. He smiled through most of the party and he was pleasantly polite with everyone, even though he wished to be anywhere else but there. A month ago, he felt good about the prospective of enjoying another day of peace with his friends, but now he felt none of this peace. He hadn't thought about the war since he had first got to the Burrow, but he never seemed able to forget about Dumbledore. First his parents, then Sirius and now Dumbledore. Harry was perfectly aware that he had people who cared about him very much, but in the end, he still felt alone. He came to the conclusion that, ultimately, he would always lose the ones he loved. And that thought made him feel painfully alone.

He felt the tears burning in his eyes, but he wouldn't cry, not there, not now. He wiped violently a tear that threatened to fall and immediately noticed Luna walking towards him.

She can't have seen that I was about to cry, she just can't, Harry thought, already creating an explanation to the questions that Luna might come to ask him.

"Hello, Harry," she said, smiling. "Would you mind if I joined you?"

Harry sighed, slightly relieved. "No, not at all," he said, unnaware that he was already pulling a chair closer and offering it to her.

"Oh, thank you, Harry, you're very sweet."

"You're welcome," he said, with a half of a smile, sitting back on his chair.

"So, are you enjoying the party?"

"Yes," he answered rather quickly to sound convincing. "Yes, it's quite fun."

Luna eyed him somewhat suspiciously, but said nothing. Harry took her silence as doubt, and started to think of something to avoid the subject of Dumbledore, and everything that went with it, but Luna spoke again before he could say anything.

"I reckon some people think it's very weird for a woman like Fleur to get married to a man like Bill, considering how he looks now."

Wait, she's not thinking that that's why I'm not enjoying the party, is she? Harry thought, feeling uncomfortable.

"I think it's silly," Luna continued. "They're just assuming that Fleur was going to marry him because of his appearance and it's very insulting, if you ask me."

"I agree, but--"

"And if you think about it, Bill doesn't look ugly, not that it matters anyway," she said, sounding slightly offended and apparently not noticing Harry's attempt to speak."I can't understand why people can't see beyond that. They make a great couple and they're happy together."

"Luna, you don't think that's why I'm not enjoying the party, do you?" Harry asked quickly, not realising that he had just contradicted his answer to her previous question.

Luna stared seriously at him, but no longer looked offended. "Absolutely not, Harry."

Harry gave her another half smile.

"You're not enjoying the party because of Dumbledore," she added, matter-of-factly.

The half smile died on Harry's lips while he stared at Luna, completely taken aback.

"Well, I-I...it's just..."

"It's okay, I'm not enjoying it, either," Luna said, as if it was exactly what Harry was expecting her to say.

"Oh. Why?"

"Same reason," she said, more to herself than to Harry. "I wasn't as close to him as you were, but he was always very nice to me. He always seemed to enjoy my stories. And once I sent him an edition of The Quibbler and he said it was a very amusing and interesting magazine."

Harry noticed that Luna was smiling to herself while she was telling the story and he felt himself smiling too. It was good to hear positive memories that other people had about Dumbledore. At his funeral, no one seemed to be able to find the right words to say about him. Harry didn't blame them. He had had so many great things to share about Dumbledore, but at that moment, he couldn't find the right one. No words were right enough to describe the great man that Albus Dumbledore was.

"Do you think he's found your parents already?" inquired Luna, taking him out of his reverie.

"What?" Harry asked, confused.

"Your parents. Do you think Dumbledore has already found them?"

"What kind of question is that?" he said, not quite sure how he should feel about it.

"Well, I don't dare speculate about the place where people go once they die," Luna said carefully. "But I do believe they'll find their loved ones there. I don't know how long it must take, though."

Now Harry definitely couldn't think of anything to say. Without thinking, he said the first thing that came into his mind.

"Do you think he's found your mother?"

Luna looked at him and smiled fondly, as if she wasn't expecting the question, but had liked it nonetheless.

"I'm not sure..." she said, pondering. "I suppose you find the people you care about the most first and then you start to meet the others. They're like the good memories you had in life, you'll remember them slowly."

"Did you ever talk to Dumbledore about your mum?" Harry wished he could stop asking her questions about her mother. Although he felt like she (as much as everyone) knew so much about his life and he didn't know that much about her. Coming to think of it, he only knew a few things about Luna.

"Only a few times, really. He said she was a very amusing and interesting person. It's quite funny, actually, how he said the same thing about my mother and The Quibbler: amusing and interesting."

"Just like you," Harry said, before he could really stop himself.

"Oh no, he didn't say that, Harry."

"I know. I'm the one who's saying it."

There was a moment of silence after that. Harry knew exactly what he had said, although once again, the words had come out of his mouth before he could actually stop himself. Just as they did when he asked Luna to go with him to Slughorn's party. Except that this time, he didn't wish he hadn't said anything, even though Luna remained silent, gazing at him.

Then she smiled. And to Harry's immense surprise, she blushed. He had never seen her blush. It was then that he finally noticed how she looked that day. She was wearing a strapless powder blue dress and long earrings with a little moon dangling on their tips. Her hair was loose and, Harry noticed, a bit shorter. He was sure that he had never seen her that beautiful.

"Oh, thank you, Harry," she said, still smiling and then she started to gaze at the people at the party.

Harry smiled back and followed her gaze to the people as well. His eyes met Ginny's, who was talking to Hermione, and she smiled at him, but quickly turned back to Hermione again.

"Would you like to dance, Harry?" Luna was now looking at him.

"Oh, I'm not really a good dancer, Luna," he said shyly.

"That's fine, me neither," she said, casually. "But we can wait for a slower song, if you prefer."

"Yeah, I guess..."

He didn't want to dance, but he wanted even less to refuse Luna's invitation.

It can't be that bad, Harry thought. Although I danced with Parvati once and it was quite horrible.

As if the band were listening to their conversation, a slow song started. Apparently many people were waiting for a slower song as well, because another five couples headed to the dance floor.

That's better, this way people won't notice me and I won't embarrass myself in front of everyone.

"Shall we?" Luna asked, giving her hand to him.

"Sure." He took her it and let her lead him to the dance floor.

They found a spot near the middle and stood there. Luna made the first move, putting her hands on his shoulders. Harry clumsily put his hand on her waist and started to dance, to move, actually, following the slow rhythm of the song.

They were now staring at each other; obviously neither of them knew what to say.

I guess we don't have to talk, Harry thought. We're just dancing, we can just dance.

Without saying a word, Luna placed her head on Harry's shoulder. He was surprised, but simply pulled her closer, which seemed to be the most natural thing to do at that moment. Harry suddenly felt a faint smell of lilac waft into his nose and he realised that it was the smell of Luna's hair.

"You're warm," Luna said, her head still on Harry's shoulder.

"What?"

"You're warm," she repeated, lifting her head to look at him. "It feels good to hug you."

Harry was sure that he was blushing and immediately tried to think about something to say to disguise his embarrassment. But before he could say anything, Luna already had her head on his shoulder again.

The song seemed to end just as soon as it had begun, but another slow song had started before he could do anything about it. Harry was about to get back to his chair, but Luna continued to dance to the following song. He didn't protest. In fact, he was enjoying that moment. It felt...right.

"How long have Ron and Hermione been together?" Luna asked, interrupting his thoughts.

"What? They're not together," Harry answered, looking at her, slightly confused.

Luna merely looked into another direction, with a somewhat mischievous look and Harry followed her eyes. There they were, Ron and Hermione, kissing in the middle of the dance floor, apparently unnaware that some people were watching them.

"Well, I didn't know," Harry said, grinning and watching his two best friends. "But I suppose they didn't start just now."

"Yes, I suppose not," Luna said, smiling. "They make a beautiful couple."

"Yeah, they do," he said, now watching another couple. "And so do they," he added, pointing to Bill, who had Fleur sitting on his lap and was laughing out loud.

Luna looked at them and smiled again. "She makes him laugh, that's a good thing."

"And she doesn't care about his scars," Harry said, finally voicing his opinion about it. He didn't find it odd that a woman like Fleur would marry Bill, who now had so many marks from the attack he had suffered. But what Harry found unusual was how she seemed to deal so well with it, how she wasn't bothered at all by those marks.

"I don't think she should," Luna said, casually. "But that's just what I think and I like scars very much."

Harry blinked, finding this new revelation extremely odd.

"You like scars?"

She nodded. "Oh yes. It's quite simple, really. Every scar tells us a story, Harry. Either it's a bad one or a good one."

Harry pondered. Yes, she was right, but he still couldn't understand how someone would like scars.

"Yours, for example," she continued, touching Harry's forehead, tracing a finger along his scar. "Everyone knows who you are because of your scar, it makes you unique."

"Yeah, I'm the Boy-Who-Lived," Harry said, bitterly. "I guess that makes me a hero."

"Yes, it does. Because you chose to be."

"No, I didn't."

"Yes, you did. You could have turned your back on everything, you could have hidden yourself and then you wouldn't have to face Voldemort or any of the dangers you've faced so far."

"Maybe I could...but he would have found me anyway."

"And you could have run away, but you didn't. You care about people, Harry, and you fight for them, even for those you barely know. That's why I like you so much."

If Harry had thought for one minute that he couldn't be more embarrassed that day, he was mistaken. He was at a total loss of words and worse, he felt himself blushing again.

"I don't know what to say."

"You don't have to say anything," Luna said, looking at him fondly, and then she placed her head on his shoulder again.

Harry held her closer. He didn't know what to feel; neither did he know what to think. Luna had become such a special person in his life, she was such a great friend and to hear those words from her...she thought he was a hero.

And for the first time, Harry liked that feeling. The feeling of being a hero, the feeling of having someone like Luna thinking that he was a hero. Then he realised that his heart wasn't heavy anymore.

They continued to dance and Harry closed his eyes, wishing he could stay in this moment forever. Although he hadn't forgotten about Dumbledore or the war, those things weren't so painfully real at that moment.

Harry felt Luna pulling away and realised that the slow song was over, giving place to an animated one.

"I'm going to eat something, are you coming too, Harry?"

"No, I'm not hungry. I'll just get back to my chair," he said, not quite looking into her eyes.

"Okay then, I guess I'll see you in a bit," she said, waving shortly and heading in the opposite direction.

Harry returned to his chair and sat there, watching people. A few moments later, he saw Ginny coming towards him. He didn't want to talk to her because he knew what he wanted say. He had come to the realisation a few days ago, and he knew his words would hurt her. Without a word, Ginny sat by his side.

"I saw you dancing with Luna," she said, casually. "It was very sweet of you."

"I wasn't doing her a favor, Ginny," Harry said, souding rude.

"I know you weren't, Harry," she said, offended. "That's not what I meant."

Harry stared at her and sighed heavily.

"I know, Ginny, I'm sorry. It's just...I...I don't know how to act around you."

"Since when?"

"Since we broke up." Ginny gave him a pointed look. "Since I broke up with you."

"It shouldn't be this way. We can still be friends."

"I know, I know that," Harry sighed. "But I'm confused. When I broke up with you, I thought I had all the reasons for it. But now...I can't think of any reason at all," he said and took a deep breath. "And even so, I still think we shouldn't be together."

Ginny looked down, apparently taken aback by his words.

"You mean you don't have feelings for me anymore?" she asked with a hint of sadness in her voice.

"No! Of course I still have feelings for you, Ginny, it's just...everything happened so fast and it was so intense, but sometimes...it seems like it was all just for a moment."

"Things did happen fast between us," she agreed, now looking at him. "But I don't regret anything."

"Me neither," Harry said, serious.

"Maybe one day we'll be perfect for each other, Harry, I don't know. But now, I think you're right. We shouldn't be together, we should just...move on."

"I didn't say we have to move on and--"

"I know you didn't, I'm saying it. We won't have to feel guilty if we start to like another people--"

"Why? Are you starting to like another guy?"

Ginny giggled.

"Relax, Harry, it was just an example."

"Oh," he said, smiling. "Okay then."

"Ginny, can I talk to you for a second?" asked a very red-faced Hermione who was now standing by Harry's side.

"Sure," Ginny said, standing up. "See you later, Harry."

"See you," Harry said and looked at Hermione, grinning. "I saw."

She blushed harder and headed to the house, Ginny followed her, giggling violently.

Harry continued to grin to himself while he watched the people at the party. He was glad that Ginny had taken his words so well - and he couldn't expect less, considering how she dealt with the break up. Harry couldn't help but admire her.

He didn't know how long he sat there, watching everyone, until he noticed Luna coming to his table again.

"You must really enjoy this table, Harry," Luna said, sitting on the chair previously occupied by Ginny.

"I guess so," he said, smiling. "It's quiet."

"Yes, it is. Well, I just came here to say goodbye. My dad will be coming to pick me up any minute."

"Oh, okay. Will you wait for him outside?"

"Yes."

"Well, I can go with you then, I think I've stayed here long enough."

Luna nodded and they walked to the Weasley's front door. They stood there for a minute and then Luna sat on a rock near the entrance.

"You should sit too, Daddy might take a while. I believe he'll use the motorcycle this time."

"The motorcycle?"

"Exactly, it's a quite interesting transportation. It is like a--"

"I know what a motorcycle is, Luna," Harry said, sitting by her side. "I just didn't know your dad used to ride one."

"He didn't, actually. He started last week and I must confess that I'm still getting used to it. Daddy is not that good of a driver," she said, grimacing a little.

"I'm sure he'll improve," Harry said, grinning slightly. "But why doesn't he Apparate? It's much simpler, isn't it?"

"I suppose...but it's not fun, you know? Daddy says he likes to enjoy the trip and Apparition is so fast, and I agree with him. Sometimes the destination isn't as important as the trip itself. And not to mention that Apparating together is really uncomfortable, if you ask me."

"Yeah, it is."

"Who have you Apparated with?"

"Dumbledore," Harry answered, blankly.

"Are you planning to go back to Hogwarts, Harry?" Luna asked, in a tone that suggested that she was already considering a negative answer from him.

"Not really."

"Yes, I didn't think you were."

"You didn't?"

"No, not after everything that's happened. But I think you should."

"Maybe...but I don't think I can," Harry sighed, with a lump in his throat. "I know I have my friends, the school itself, but even so... nothing seems like a really strong reason to make me come back."

"There's Dumbledore," Luna said, simply.

"What?"

"Dumbledore. He's a strong reason."

Harry stared at her, trying to understand the real meaning of her words, but he couldn't figure anything reasonable enough.

"Luna, Dumbledore is dead," he said, realising how painful it was to say those words out loud.

"I know that, Harry," she said, patiently. "But he's there. His tomb is there and his soul is there. It doesn't really matter that his body is gone. As long as people remember him in Hogwarts, he'll live there. As long as we have him in our hearts, he'll live in us."

Harry didn't realise that he was crying until he felt Luna slowly wiping a tear away from his face. He wasn't really crying, but he couldn't hold that single tear. Not after he heard Luna's words.

"I'm sorry," he said quickly, wiping any trace of tear that he might still have.

"What for?" Luna asked, confused.

"This, me making a fool of myself in front of you."

Luna gave him a half-hearted smile.

"You're not making fool of yourself, Harry. You miss him, that's all."

"Yeah, but believe me, I don't go around crying about everything, I'm not that silly..."

"No. You're just that human," she said, fondly, putting a hand on his shoulder and caressing it slowly.

Harry gazed at her for a while, he didn't know how long. Luna always seemed to say the right things, even when they were the most unusual ones. She had become friends with him when the whole school thought that he was a fraud, she had stood up for him in the most dangerous situations, she was always there and she never asked anything in return for it.

He felt an urge to embrace her, an urge to feel what he had felt when they were dancing a few moments ago, but he couldn't imagine anything more inappropiate. So he merely stayed there, gazing at her, as if he was studying her face. And he somehow knew he could spend a long time just looking at her, watching her and he didn't even know why.

Before Harry could actually notice for how long he and Luna were staring at each other, he heard a weird noise that sounded like a horn. They broke eye contact and looked in the direction of the interruption.

Standing not too far from where they were was a thin man wearing purple robes and glasses that seemed too small to his strong features. He had a vacant smile on his face, but his eyes seemed very focused and determined. And just like Luna, he had a particular dreamy air.

"Oh, there's Dad. I suppose he doesn't think it's wise to get out of the road."

Harry saw Mr. Lovegood waving at him and waved back.

"It turned out as a fun party, don't you think, Harry?"

"Yeah, it did."

"Well, I hope to see you again at Hogwarts," Luna said and leaned a bit, kissing Harry on the cheek.

He felt the spot that she kissed burning a litte and he felt a need to smile. Widely. But he held it to himself, because he knew he would look incredibly stupid if he didn't do so.

Luna was already heading towards her father when Harry called to her.

"Luna, I just want you to know that...I like you very much too," he said, still trying to hide his smile, but failing miserably.

She looked at him and smiled as well. A beautiful and sincere smile that made Harry feel a stronger need to smile as much as he could.

"Thank you, Harry, that's very lovely of you," she said, taking two steps closer and eyeing him playfully. "Would you mind if I asked you why?"

Harry felt the smile growing wider and continued to look at her.

"Because you make me laugh."

Luna nodded slightly and turned to walk to her father.

Harry watched her go, pondering the conversation he had had with her. A few days later, he would realise that, besides Ron and Hermione, the school and Dumbledore's memories, he had another reason to go back to Hogwarts: Luna Lovegood.