Andromache trilled from her perch in the corner of the office in a second attempt to get her mistress’ attention. Luna sighed as she finished looking over the copy of her father’s article about a conspiracy to place Gringotts under the Ministry’s control. She corrected the punctuation on his last sentence and tapped the scroll with her wand. Suddenly all of her numerous corrections disappeared, and the corrected scroll looked like it had been written in her father’s own handwriting. Luna sent the corrected copy flying out of her office back to her father’s desk, so he would not know that his boss had corrected his ‘always perfect’ copy. She walked over to her owl and removed the envelope from the bird’s leg.
The owl’s trip had been her second fruitless journey to Neville’s house. After the first try, Luna had sent out an office owl with an inquiry to Neville’s grandmother. The returned note said that she had not heard from Neville since he’d gotten back from France and chaperoning the Hogwarts students at recent Tri-Wizard Tournament. Neville’s Gran requested a return owl be sent to her, assuming Luna heard from him before she did. The fact that Neville’s formidable old Gran was worried about his whereabouts only deepened Luna’s own concern.
On Saturday, Luna hoped that maybe Neville had just lost track of time while studying some new plant, so she made a trip to Hogsmeade to check out his little cottage. She had found that no one was at home. However, what she had found most ominous was the state of the house plants visible through the window. They were parched. Neville might forget to write his friends, but he would never forget to water his plants.
Luna gave her beloved owl a treat and wondered what she should do next. She could not ever imagine getting married with Neville being there. Luna could imagine getting married without her Father easier than without Ginny or Neville.
As they left the Hog’s Head, Ginny left Michael Corner’s side so she could talk to a round-faced boy. Luna had waited outside just like Ginny had asked. Ginny had called her to the side of the courtyard to talk just before they left Hogwarts. “After the meeting please don’t leave me alone with Michael. When we’re alone lately, it seems like he has four hands”, Ginny requested.
Luna felt intrigued. She had seen Michael a dozen times and she had only noticed two.
Ginny must have guessed what she was thinking. “It’s only an expression Luna; he only has two hands,” she explained with a growing grin. “Besides, I’ll need to talk to someone after the meeting,” Ginny whispered.
Luna looked at Neville. She knew he had taken Ginny to the Yule Ball last year. At the dance, he had let Michael Corner cut in for a slow dance with Ginny, and the two had danced almost the all of the remaining dances together. All except the last dance, the last dance she had saved for Neville. She had told Luna how guilty she felt about what she’d done to Neville. What made Ginny feel even worse was the way Neville seemed honored to have his date, who had ignored him for almost an hour, come back to him for the last dance.
Ginny had introduced Neville and Luna on the Hogwart’s Express. Luna’s trip with Ginny, Harry Potter, Neville, Hermione Granger, and Ginny’s brother Ron had been very interesting. On that one trip, Luna had laughed more than she had in the previous three years combined. At times, the trip had been almost like having fun. Luna saw Ginny tilt her head to the side toward where Luna was standing and Neville looked over from his conversation with Ginny. He looked somewhere between embarrassed and excited. Luna fought the silly urge to look around; it was obvious that they were talking about her.
After the conversation with Ginny, Neville slowly slouched his way over to where Luna was standing. “You probably don’t remember, but we met on the train and we-,” stammered Neville.
“Of course, I remember you, Neville,” assured Luna, not certain why he felt the need to re-introduce himself. “Do you still have that Mimbletonia plant? It was quite fascinating,” she asked.
Neville’s face quickly reddened. He had forgotten all about the stink sap explosion that had doused himself, Harry, Ginny and Luna. “Oh, I’m really sorry about that, really sorry-” apologized Neville, whose explanation had simultaneously had gone softer in volume and higher in pitch.
“Oh, I thought it all was the most fun I’ve had since I came to Hogwarts,” Luna stated truthfully.
Neville looked back at Luna with an expression that showed he could not see, how being splattered with stink sap could have been fun? Neville gave her a little half a smile in gratitude that she was not holding his stupidity with the plant against him. After the introduction, however it was quite obvious that Neville was at a loss for what to do next.
Ginny rescued the floundering Neville by inviting the two of them to go shopping in Hogsmeade with her and Michael. Michael and Ginny were going to Honeydukes, so Neville and Luna went to Honeydukes. As Luna looked at mounds of candies and sweets, she noticed Neville watching what Michael was doing with Ginny. After Neville saw Michael tickle Ginny with a sugar quill, she saw Neville look at the quill and at her like he was trying to get the courage to do the same. When Michael tried to steal a kiss in front of the cockroach clusters, suddenly Neville was in her way wherever she stepped. Luna might have felt annoyed, if she hadn’t felt so sorry for Neville.
The foursome left Honeydukes and from the way they were walking it was obvious that Madame Puddifoot’s was their next stop. She caught Neville watching Michael slip Ginny’s hand into his. Luna knew if this was to stop, it had to be done before they reached the tea shop. As the fingers of Neville’s right hand reached for hers, Luna grabbed his hand and stopped in the middle of the High Street sidewalk..
Neville had a panicked look in his eyes, like he was a small animal cornered by a hungry beast or Professor Snape. “Don’t do this, Neville,” Luna pleaded, trying her best not to sound mad..
“You don’t like me. But I thought,” Neville spoke as his voice trailed away to nothing.
Ginny and Michael, lost in their own little world, failed to notice that the other couple had stopped until they reached the tea shop’s door. Still holding hands, they quickly doubled back to check on the other couple.
“It’s not about me liking you Neville. You shouldn’t be doing this, at least not with me, and not now,” explained Luna.
“Luna, what are you doing?” asked Ginny, worried that her attempted set up would hurt two people she really cared about
“Neville is a like an Aquavirius maggot. If you are patient with Aquavirius maggots and let them mature on their own, they grow up to be Aquavirius Fireflies, which are the most beautiful insects in the world. However, if you attempt to stimulate them before they are truly mature, they just grow up to become gnats. If Neville had a girlfriend now, he’d spend so much time trying to be what she wanted him to be not what he could be. So he’d just end up becoming another gnat. Please wait until you are ready, Neville. The world has too many men that are gnats; it needs more men that are fireflies,” Luna advised as she stared into Neville eyes.
Michael Corner’s laugh was cut off by both Ginny’s sharp look and even sharper elbow to his ribs. Neville stood there completely frozen, not knowing if Luna had just insulted or complimented him. Somehow, he felt that much of what Luna had just said was the truth and any hurt feelings faded. Neville looked up and gave Luna his half a smile and a little shrug.
Luna held onto Neville’s hand and continued looking into his eyes trying to see if he had any hurt feelings and said, “Neville, I really would like to be your friend. And as a friend, I’d like it if you would walk me back to Hogwarts. If you’d like to,” she added. Neville still looking somewhat lost shrugged a second time and Luna gently let go of his hand.
Ginny knew that Neville’s little shrug meant that it was working out, just not the way she’d hoped for. She gave Michael’s hand a light squeeze and the couple walked into Madame Puddifoot’s Tea Shoppe, leaving Neville agreeing to walk Luna back to the school.
As they started the long wind-swept walk up from Hogsmeade toward the school, Neville stole a couple of sheepish looks at Luna. Finally, he worked up the nerve and found the words to express what was on his mind, “You’re the first person I’ve ever met that people think is odder than me.”
Luna felt herself blush. She looked at Neville, and as she brushed the wind blown blonde hair from her mouth, she responded to his comment, “Thank you. That’s the nicest thing a boy has ever said to me.”