Chapter 25
When Harry stepped out of the fireplace, the room was softly illuminated by the firelight. Luna was sitting on the couch with her legs crossed, absorbed in one of the magical creature books she loved. He hesitated for a moment, watching her. The peace she radiated was such a contrast to the turmoil he had felt hours earlier.
Luna, noticing his arrival, closed the book and paid attention to him. Harry sat down beside her, crossing his arms over his knees while looking at the fire.
“Are you okay, Harry?” she asked with her usual calm, though there was a slight hint of concern in her voice.
He took a deep breath before responding. “Ginny and I talked.”
Luna tilted her head. “How did it go?”
“Difficult, but necessary. I told her everything I’d been holding onto for months. We’re not good for each other, maybe we never were.”
Luna was silent for a moment, just observing him. “And how do you feel about it?”
He raised his eyes to meet hers. “Relieved, I think. It’s strange to say that, because I really wanted it to work out one day. But when I looked at her today, I just confirmed what I already knew—we’re not the same people we were before. Our relationship wasn’t doing either of us any good.”
Luna nodded, understanding. “Sometimes, holding onto something that’s not right for us can be more painful than letting it go.”
Harry ran a hand through his hair, thoughtful. “You always have a way of saying the right things, Luna. Of making everything seem clearer.”
She smiled slightly, but there was a touch of melancholy in her eyes. “I’m not always that clear with myself, Harry.”
He frowned, intrigued. “What do you mean?”
Luna sighed and looked away, her fingers idly playing with the edge of the closed book. “After the argument with Ginny, I’ve been thinking a lot about… how everything started between us. About Shell Cottage. About the choices I made.” Her voice was calm, but filled with vulnerability.
Harry sat up straighter, now fully focused on her. “Luna, you don’t have to talk about it if you don’t want to.”
“I want to,” she said firmly, her silver eyes meeting his. “Harry, I remember being so broken back then. Everything that happened at Malfoy Manor… it felt like the world was falling apart around me. When you showed up that night, it was like an anchor, something to hold onto amidst the storm.”
She paused, taking a deep breath before continuing. “But I think I didn’t make the best choice by... seeking comfort that way. It wasn’t fair to you, and it wasn’t fair to me. I realized that when talking to my mental healer. I was desperately trying to fill a void, trying to feel something other than pain and fear.”
Harry opened his mouth to protest, but she raised her hand to stop him. “Please, let me finish.” He nodded, respecting her request.
“But, Harry… that choice gave me hope. And, in the end, it gave me something even more precious: our children. It doesn’t matter if it was an impulsive or even reckless choice. It was a choice that, in some way, brought light to such a dark time in my life.”
Harry felt a lump in his throat. He reached out and covered her hand, squeezing it gently. “Luna, I never saw that as something wrong. I was lost too, trying to make sense of everything that was happening. But being with you… that day, and all the days after… it gave me something I never had before. A sense of belonging.”
She blinked, surprised by his words, and a solitary tear slipped down the corner of her eye. “You don’t have to say that to comfort me, Harry.”
“It’s not to comfort you, Luna. It’s the truth.” He slid off the couch onto the rug, kneeling in front of her and holding her hands. “I know neither of us was in the best place back then, but I never, not for a second, regretted what happened. You gave me more than I could ask for. You gave me a reason to move forward, and I desperately needed that.”
Luna looked at him, her eyes now shining with tears. “Sometimes, I’m afraid that our children will grow up knowing they started from such a confusing time.”
Harry smiled softly, squeezing her hands. “They will grow up knowing they came from love and courage. That, even in our hardest times, we found a way to support each other and create something beautiful.”
She sniffled quietly, leaning into him and wrapping her arms around him in a hug. “Thank you, Harry. For everything. For being there. For being here. For understanding me.”
“I’ll always be here,” he whispered against her hair. “Always.”
They stayed like that for a few minutes, only hearing the crackling of the fire. When Luna finally pulled away, there was a small smile on her lips. Harry ran his thumb over her tears that were still stubbornly falling.
“Now,” he said, trying to lighten the moment, “what do you think about picking one of the silliest movies from our collection to distract ourselves?”
Luna laughed softly, already seeming lighter. “That sounds perfect.”
As Harry got up and walked over to the stack of movies, Luna watched him with affection, feeling more at peace than she had in a long time. They may not have made all the right choices, but in the end, they had found something precious: their children.
After the conversation with Ginny, Harry felt lighter. His days now had a peace he hadn’t felt in a long time. He and Luna kept their routine, and each day they grew even closer.
One morning Harry woke up, and Luna was no longer in bed.
He went downstairs and entered the kitchen, yawning and rubbing his eyes with the sleeve of his pajamas. The aroma of freshly brewed coffee filled the air. Luna was sitting at the table with an open book in front of her, one hand resting absentmindedly on her belly.
“Good morning,” he murmured, grabbing a cup.
Luna looked up and gave him a soft smile. “Good morning, Harry. Did you sleep well?”
He shrugged. “Yes. And you? How are the babies today?”
“It seems they’ve started liking coffee again. They didn’t let me rest until I made a cup,” she joked, her voice light as a breeze. There was something in the way she spoke, a tranquility he always found comforting.
Their companionship had become something essential — but surprisingly natural.
As he prepared a simple plate of toast, he noticed Luna frowning at the book.
“Trouble?” he asked, sitting down beside her.
“Not exactly. I’m just trying to understand this Defense Against the Dark Arts spell. I think my hormones are interfering with my ability to think,” she said with a self-deprecating smile.
Harry laughed, leaning in to peek at the page. “Let me help. Which part is confusing?”
The two of them leaned over the book, their shoulders brushing. He explained patiently as Luna listened attentively, occasionally biting her lower lip in concentration. Harry suddenly realized how close they were, even though it wasn’t something new. The soft fragrance of her shampoo lingered in the air, and he had to quickly avert his eyes to avoid staring for too long.
This had been happening often. Harry had always been physically close to Luna, but in recent days, he seemed more aware of it. He tried to ignore it, going through his activities as if he weren’t aware of every moment of proximity between the two of them.
The nights became his favorite part of the routine. After dinner, they would lie on the couch and watch movies.
One evening, they were watching a Muggle classic that Luna had chosen — something romantic with a touch of comedy. She was lying with her head in his lap, and Harry, distracted, played with a lock of her hair. It was something he did without thinking, but that night, it felt different.
Harry continued his habit of watching her while they were watching, when Luna laughed at a funny scene, her head turned slightly, and their eyes met. The laughter faded, and the moment lingered. Harry felt his heart race unexpectedly.
“Are you okay?” she asked, her voice gentle.
“Of course,” he answered quickly, looking away at the screen. But the awareness of how close they were didn’t leave him.
The days went on as usual, but the small interactions seemed to take on new meaning. There was the accidental touch of hands when passing dishes, the glances that lingered a little longer than usual, and the way their nighttime conversations grew more personal.
One afternoon, while studying together at the kitchen table, Luna leaned over to grab a parchment, and her hand brushed lightly against Harry’s. They both froze, but she spoke first.
“It’s strange, isn’t it? How we both ended up here?” she asked, smiling to the side.
Harry looked at her, surprised by the question. “Strange good or strange bad?”
“Strange good,” she answered, a glimmer in her eyes. “You’ve always been good at being there for me. Maybe I’ve never said this before, but thank you, Harry.”
He opened his mouth to respond, but the words didn’t come. Instead, he just nodded, feeling his heart beat harder than it should.
One night, it was raining heavily, and the sound of the rain against the windows was almost hypnotic. After the movie, they decided to go to bed, but the stormy weather seemed to keep them awake.
Harry was lying beside Luna, who had snuggled closer in the middle of the conversation, resting her head on his shoulder.
“Do you think we’ll manage?” she asked, breaking the silence. The question seemed to carry more weight than usual.
“Manage what?”
“All of this. The babies. Us being… a family, even though we’re not… together.”
Harry turned his head to look at her. Luna’s expression was vulnerable, different from the calm confidence she usually exuded.
“I think so,” he answered honestly. “We make a good team, don’t we?”
She smiled, but her eyes seemed to be searching for something. “We do,” she agreed. But before he could say more, she closed her eyes, still leaning against him.
Harry stayed awake for a long time, the weight of her question lingering in his thoughts. Her closeness, keeping him alert that night. Luna’s perfume, the softness of her hair against his neck, everything seemed intensely present. He closed his eyes, trying to push away the thoughts that kept surfacing, but it was hard to ignore how much she meant to him and how much he had desired her in the past few days. It felt as though, with the breakup with Ginny, his subconscious and his body were finally allowing him to feel and desire everything he couldn’t before.