Happy

"I'm going behind the house, Daddy," Luna called out, not waiting for a response before she stepped through the back door into the bright sunlight. A familiar row of trees, marking the edge of the woods, stood some yards ahead. Luna walked leisurely towards them.

Her feet crunched on fallen leaves as she made her way through the woods. Patches of light illuminated the floor. She liked them; they were like stepping-stones, except they didn't try to steer her in any particular course. This suited Luna perfectly. She wanted to get lost. She wandered aimlessly between the trees, sometimes twisting around and choosing another path to shake off her own sense of direction.

After spending at least an hour in this fashion, she came upon a clearing she had never glimpsed before. Hundreds of yellow flowers covered the ground. They were fully in bloom, with no trees overhead to cast a shadow over their brilliance. Luna didn't wish to disturb them. Instead, she settled herself onto the roots of the nearest tree and watched to see if any of the flowers would move. She didn't have to wait long. A breeze blew through the clearing, swaying them in its wake. Luna smiled knowingly.

"Hi, Luna!" called a voice from across the field of flowers. Luna's eyes caught sight of Ginny's red hair, which glinted briefly before Ginny stepped away from the sunlight. Holding up her dainty summer skirt, she carefully made her way along the side of the clearing to where Luna sat. When she reached a point a few feet away, she looked up. "I thought you said you were going to Sweden!"

"Oh, I will be," said Luna vaguely, "but we're waiting for Daddy to finish up this issue of The Quibbler first. How are you?"

"I'm OK. I'm getting a bit sick of seeing my brothers all the time, though, so I came out here to escape." She grinned, looking rather cute in Luna's opinion. "I thought I'd find you here," she added.

"Did you? I've never been to this spot before, actually."

Ginny waved a hand to dismiss that fact. "Can I sit?" she asked. Luna nodded. Ginny propped herself up next to her. "You won't guess what I found in one of the kitchen cupboards this morning," she said eagerly.

"No, I suppose I won't," Luna mused.

"Well, I'll tell you then. A Guzzling Lowtfae! I'm sure it was one - it had the watery wings and the pig snout, like you said, and it was trying to open a bottle of my dad's best sherry. So you were right, they do exist. I've owled Hermione about it, too. Maybe she won't be so uppity with you anymore."

"That was nice of you, to owl her," remarked Luna, observing how Ginny's freckles moved when she talked.

Ginny shrugged. "It isn't, really. I should have believed you before."

"Nobody at Hogwarts does," Luna reminded her placidly. "I really don't mind anymore."

"Well, they should," said Ginny firmly. "We just have to convince them to stop being so narrow-minded."

She paused. Luna observed the way Ginny's mouth tightened when she was concentrating on something. Then it went slack, and Ginny's eyes widened with recollection.

"I forgot to tell anyone at home that I was leaving! And I've been out for so long. I think I'd better go back before they start to worry." She pushed herself to her feet. "Bye then, Luna ... oh, and have a nice time in Sweden!"

"Goodbye, Ginny," Luna answered, smiling as Ginny walked further ahead. The redheaded girl swung herself around a tree and vanished.

After a few minutes of peaceful solitude, Luna heard a crunching noise behind her. She turned her head to look. Harry Potter was approaching, dressed in baggy jeans and an overlarge T-shirt.

"Hello," she greeted him, not at all surprised by his sudden appearance. Harry, on the other hand, looked startled to see her.

"Oh, hey Luna ... why are you - I mean, what brought you here?"

She considered that question for a moment. "The patches of light on the ground, I suppose."

"Oh ... I see." He kicked a leaf out of the way and sat down on Luna's left. Now that he had gotten over his initial surprise, he looked rather depressed. "How've you been?" he asked, more out of common politeness than curiosity.

"You're not happy," she stated simply.

Harry hesitated. "No, I'm not," he finally admitted, pulling his knees closer to his chin. He stared ahead at the yellow flower field.

"You're still thinking about your godfather, aren't you?"

From behind his glasses, Harry's eyes shifted their gaze to her. "When did you stop thinking about your mother?"

"Oh, I haven't," she assured him.

"Well, I haven't either," said Harry. He looked back at the flowers. Another breeze sent them fluttering, bright yellow folk-dancers in a casual outdoor show. They should have been rather boring, but for some reason they made Luna happy. She dimly wondered if they could lift Harry's spirits, too.

"At least you've still got Ron and Hermione, and Ginny," she said. This time Harry's whole head turned to look at her.

"Yeah ... yeah, I guess I have."

She liked his green eyes. Right now they were staring at her with an expression she had seen him use once before - at the end of this past year at Hogwarts, when she had told him about how people hid her things. It was serious, and penetrating, and a little bit sad.

"Hey - thanks," he said abruptly. "For, you know ... understanding ... all this."

He offered her a small smile. Then, as if on second thought, he wrapped her quite unexpectedly in a hug. Luna blinked, dazed, her arms still at her sides. Harry let go and stood up.

"Maybe I'll see you again before school starts," he said, as a goodbye. Then he disappeared into the woods behind her.

For a brief moment, Luna wondered how Harry had come there in the first place. She glanced at the path he had taken to reach the clearing. There was not a crushed leaf in sight. And ... she looked in front, to the strip of dirt Ginny must have stepped all over to reach her. It was smooth.

The situation was just a little odd.

But of course Harry and Ginny had been there, Luna decided. She knew it, just as well as she knew there were Crumple-Horned Snorkacks in Sweden. And she had actually seen her two visitors.

Her heart swelled with joy. Perhaps their trip together to the Ministry of Magic had really changed something. After all, Ginny had sought her out specifically ... and Harry had just hugged her! Maybe now, they considered Luna their... friend.

She actually had friends!

Luna's extreme happiness strained to burst out of her, but she didn't know how to express it. Instead, she simply sat stock-still, outwardly tranquil, watching the yellow flowers. They were definitely real, and Luna suspected they were happy, too.