Shooting Star

Recorded by "Train"
Album: "Drops of Jupiter" - 2001

Now that she's back in the atmosphere
With drops of Jupiter in her hair, hey, hey
She acts like summer and walks like rain
Reminds me that there's time to change, hey, hey
Since the return from her stay on the moon
She listens like spring and she talks like June, hey, hey

"Harry!" hissed Hermione. "Look who it is!" She elbowed him in the side until he looked up reluctantly from his sundae out into Diagon Alley. Luna Lovegood was deep in conversation with the owner of the Magical Menagerie. She was holding a covered cage in her hand and shifted her weight from foot to foot as if it was heavy. Harry said nothing and turned back to his sundae.

"Go talk to her," urged Ron.

"Why would I go talk to her?" asked Harry in a slight monotone. "It's been ten years since the war. Can't you guys just drop it?"

"No," said Hermione firmly. "You've been moping about ever since Ginny moved to Ireland with Seamus. You need to be social again."

"I am being social!" exclaimed Harry indignantly. "I'm out having ice cream with you, aren't I?"

"Harry, mate, we had to drag you-literally drag you- here and Hermione had to threaten to turn your ears to kumquats. You are not being social."

"Why can't you two plan your bloody wedding without me?" grumbled Harry. "It's not as if I'm a professional wedding planner or anything. Hell, just last week Hermione was telling me that I couldn't match anything if the wizarding world depended on it."

"You're the best man," said Ron through a mouth of a triple-chocolate fudge with marshmallow cream, three different kinds of sprinkles, Bertie Botts Every Flavored Beans, more fudge sauce, and whipped cream and three cherries.

"I wish you wouldn't do that," said Hermione with disgust.

"What?" asked Ron, spraying bits of ice cream everywhere.

"That!" said Harry, wiping off his face.

"Oh! Sorry, Harry," said Ron, swallowing.

"Go talk to her!" Hermione hissed again as she started saying her good-bye's to the elderly shopkeeper. Harry sighed and stood up. Luna turned to leave the shop and saw him coming towards her. A small smile played at her lips.

Meanwhile, Hermione pulled Ron into a nearby hedge.

"Perhaps I ought to introduce you to Harry, Gorkon," whispered Luna to the covered cage. A quiet 'meep' of a noise came through the soft quilt.

Tell me did you sail across the sun?
Did you make it to the Milky Way to see the lights all faded?
And that heaven is overrated?

"Hey, Luna," said Harry awkwardly, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Hi, Harry," said Luna politely.

"How was your trip to Bulgeria?" he asked, shifting his fit. Damn it all, why did he feel like a silly little boy asking someone important something stupid? He was an adult. He didn't need anybodies permission to talk to an old friend!

A small voice inside of his head that sounded oddly like Hermione said, She sees through your mask.

"It was wonderful!" said Luna. "I even managed to get a Blibbering Humdinger. We're doing some work with him now to get them into Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them."

"We?" Harry asked uncertainly.

"Oh, Newt Scamander and I have been working together lately for the second edition of his book. I've been doing research," she looked up at him and smiled.

"Oh, so, uh..." Harry stuttered.

"He's going to ask her out," Hermione hissed into Ron's ear across the street. "He's going to go for it!"

"Er, I hope not, I'm not sure when the last time he showered was," said Ron reasonably. "Luna'd be protecting her health if she rejected him."

Tell me, did you fall for a shooting star
One without a permanent scar?
And did you miss me while you were looking at yourself out there?

"What have you been doing, Harry?" asked Luna gently.

"Not much," he said. "Listen, Luna, do you think-I mean, are you-aw, screw it. Come with me to dinner tonight?"

Luna beamed and from their hiding spot a yelp could be heard from Ron; Hermione had elbowed him in the ribs.

"I'd love to," she said.

"Right, then, my house at six?"

"It sounds lovely."

"See you then!" Harry walked back across the street, feeling the urge to both jump into the air and yell for joy and vomit.

"Hermione, you can come out of the bushes now. I asked her out and she said yes," Harry hissed into the hedge.

"That's great, Harry!" said Hermione emerging from the green foliage.

"There's only one problem, Hermione," came the muffled voice of Ron as he tried to untangle himself.

"What's that, Hermione?"

"Have you seen the state of his house?" Ron asked.

Harry turned an interesting pale-purple color that looked like he was about to vomit.

"I think I'd better cancel," he said. He wobbled on his feet.

"Whoa, mate, don't do that!" Ron said, finally coming out of the hedge. "You can't do that!"

"Why the hell not?"

"Harry!" Hermione interjected. "It's okay, we'll help. We'll clean your house and set up some décor and everything will be perfect." She beamed.

Ron turned pale.

"I am not cleaning his house!" he said.

"Oh, yes, you are," Hermione said in a deadly voice. "Because if you don't I wouldn't mind informing a certain red-headed woman with lots of children about a certain sandwich on a certain Thursday evening in a certain bedroom."

Ron blanched again.

"Blackmail, that's what this is," he muttered. "Blackmail me into cleaning my best mate's house because he isn't wise enough to get a bloody house-elf..."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"Okay, that should be good," Hermione said, beaming as Harry lit a small cluster of scented candles on his table. "Now, we'd better be going, before-"

The doorbell rang. The two Disapparated hand-in-hand and Harry opened the door.

"Hello, Luna. Come on it, dinner is just about lovely. You look-" Harry's voice caught in his throat. She was stunning. "-lovely."

Now that she's back from that soul vacation
Tracing her way through the constellation, hey, hey
She checks out Mozart while she does tae-bo
Reminds me that there's time to grow, hey, hey

They sat across from each other. The light flickered over Luna's face as she ate the soup Hermione had helped Harry make.

"You're a good cook," she said. "I haven't got the patience for it."

"So, uh, planning on going on more exploring?"

"No," she said lightly. "I think I'm going to settle down, actually. What about you? Do you live here all alone?

Harry felt his heart rise up in his throat.

"Yeah," he murmured.

Now that she's back in the atmosphere
I'm afraid that she might think of me as plain ol' Jane
Told a story about a man who is too afraid to fly so he never did land

After dinner Harry brought dessert-hot chocolate and éclair cake- into the living room in front of the fireplace.

"So, tell me, Luna, how's Neville?"

"I don't know. We haven't spoken in ages."

Tell me did the wind sweep you off your feet
Did you finally get the chance to dance along the light of day
And head back to the Milky Way
And tell me, did Venus blow your mind
Was it everything you wanted to find
And did you miss me while you were looking for yourself out there

"Thanks for dinner," Luna said as Harry helped her put on her jacket. "I had a wonderful time."

"Me too," he said. "Anyway, do you think you'd like to go to Hermione and Ron's with me tomorrow night?"

"Of course."

Can you imagine no love, pride, deep-fried chicken
Your best friend always sticking up for you even when I know you're wrong
Can you imagine no first dance, freeze dried romance five-hour phone conversation
The best soy latte that you ever had . . . and me

Two years later...

"I, Harry James Potter..."

"And I, Luna Harmony Lovegood..."

"I now pronounce you..."

The crowd cheered from the chairs in the lawn.

Tell me did the wind sweep you off your feet
Did you finally get the chance to dance along the light of day
And head back toward the Milky Way

Tell me did you sail across the sun
Did you make it to the Milky Way to see the lights all faded
And that heaven is overrated

Tell me, did you fall for a shooting star
One without a permanent scar
And did you miss me while you were looking at yourself out there

"I love you," he whispered.

"I love you too."