Just As Sane As I Am: A Harry/Luna Fansite

FAN FICTION

Ripple
by Goldy

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Disclaimer: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.

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Alone, Harry thought with no small amount of bitterness. Just isn’t what it used to be.

Though he’d stormed out of the DA meeting, slamming the door behind him, and loudly declaring that he wanted time alone, he’d still been followed.

By none other than Luna Lovegood.

She’d followed him, completely oblivious to his anger, humming under her breath as though they were going for a relaxing stroll around the lake.

He’d ignored her in hopes that she’d finally give up and go away.

No such luck.

The humming had only become more pronounced and it was becoming painfully clear that she wasn’t leaving.

Unable to take it anymore, Harry whirled around. He glared at her and she didn’t so much as flinch under his gaze. She only stared at him—unblinking, as if vaguely surprised to find him there.

“I came out here to be alone.”

“Yes, don’t we all?”

“I mean it, Luna. I just want to be alone.”

“So you said.”

He stared at her for another moment, completely at a loss. “Then why won’t you leave me alone?”

“I was,” she said. “You were the one who began talking to me.”

Harry let out an aggrieved sigh. “Fine,” he snapped. “Hang around—I’m not exactly the most fun person these days.”

“That is true,” Luna said mildly. “Oooh, look… there’s a ripple, there… in the lake. Do you see it?”

Against his better judgment, Harry glanced at the lake. He couldn’t see much, night shrouded nearly all of Hogwarts’ grounds in darkness. Luna looked at him hopefully, eyes shining with excitement.

“Er… I s’pose,” he mumbled, trying to find his earlier annoyance with her.

She beamed happily. “Anything could have caused it,” she explained. “Fish, the squid, wind… could be a species we haven’t even discovered yet. There’s power in that, Harry.”

“Yeah,” he said, trying not to look at her.

It was easier to stay mad at Luna when one wasn’t looking directly at her.

On a good day, he just barely had the patience for Luna’s oddness. On a bad day, he couldn’t tolerate her at all.

But he’d slowly learned that there was something very calming about her. Something that broke through his defenses. There was something in Luna’s manner that was completely disarming.

He couldn’t quite understand it.

Or why she seemed to understand him so well.

“I don’t know how to swim,” she said, breaking into his thoughts. “After my mother died…”

Harry couldn’t help looking back over at her, feeling something in him ache with sympathy. Luna gave him a pained half-smile.

“What, Luna?” he asked gently. “After your mum died…?”

She looked a little grateful and Harry had a sudden flash of understanding—she’d never been able to talk about this to anyone before.

There were so few people that could understand what it was like to lose a parent.

“Well,” she said slowly. “Daddy… he’s very protective, you know.” Her voice turned softer. “There were a lot of things I couldn’t do when I was little. He told me that the water was too dangerous… or that I could be kidnapped at the park… or that I could catch hypothermia from playing in the snow…”

“That must have been difficult,” Harry said, finding a lump in his throat. “But it sounds… it sounds like your father loves you very much.”

“Oh, he does. Parents are funny like that. It’s something we can’t quite understand… the love a parent has for their child.” Luna turned back to the lake. “The ripple seems to have gone.”

“Really?” Harry said—feeling inexplicably saddened by the news.

“Really,” she confirmed, staring at the lake. “Perhaps whatever it was is gone.”

“Or maybe it’s just moved,” Harry said. “Maybe… maybe it’s just… somewhere where we can’t see it anymore.”

She blinked, hugging her arms to her chest. “You know… I think you may be right, Harry.”

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