Harry hadn't intended to kiss Luna and had been somewhat successfully fighting the urge to do so since following her into the library's maze of bookshelves. They were there to study for one of Luna's classes, but when your girlfriend was in a different house and year than you, any shared time together was limited and often became an excuse to kiss. And this was the path they usually found themselves following even when Harry had the best intentions not to kiss his girlfriend.

Whether she was aware of it or not, Luna glowed whenever he was around, and on more than one occasion seeing that happiness pushed Harry into tentatively bringing his mouth near hers, waiting for a reaction that would say- yes, you can kiss me. She rarely pulled away, sometimes even encouraging him by murmuring his name. That was usually all it took.

How long that kiss lasted depended on if either was feeling responsible enough to stop the escalation of their lips moving against one another's, to her arms wrapping around his neck, culminating in Harry's hands finding the base of Luna's neck and pushing his fingers through her sun-bleached hair. That was the farthest they'd gone before stopping or being interrupted.

This time neither had been feeling responsible, so they were interrupted. Harry heard a scoff that was followed by a familiar long-suffering sigh. "Honestly, why am I always running into you two back here?"

Harry and Luna wrenched apart with such a forceful jolt that they upset a book on a shelf behind them. "Hermione," Harry gasped at the same moment the book fell to the floor.

With a flick of her wand and a quietly spoken charm, Hermione levitated the fallen book back into its correct place. "Well, who else would it be?" she asked in mild exasperation. "Seems I'm the only one lucky enough to intrude on your snogging. Just be glad it's always me and not Madam Pince."

"Actually, it's not always you," Luna corrected matter-of-factly. "Neville found us back here last week. He was quite embarrassed. Harry was too."

Straightening his glasses, Harry tried his best to stifle a laugh at Luna's disarming way of always speaking the truth even in awkward times. Hermione, on the other hand, was not amused.

In the two months since acquiring the ability to see the emotions of his friends, Harry had learned how to differentiate the nuances of what each glow meant. Not that he needed to see Hermione's to know she was currently irritated.

"Well, maybe I'll go find Neville then. Looks like we have something in common. We can commiserate on what it's like to walk in on Harry and Luna snogging." As Hermione spoke her sarcasm lost a bit of its bite and her haze shifted in intensity to appear amused. "No, that does not sound like a good idea at all," she giggled and shook her head like a mother weary of constantly chastising her children. "Just … try someplace a little less conspicuous and not where I spend most of my time. Do you honestly only come here to snog?"

"No, we don't," Harry was quick to defend.

"He's right. We were back here searching for a book. We did find it, although I became distracted." Luna glanced at Harry. "You see Harry likes to-"

Hermione waved a hand in front of Luna's face in an attempt to keep her from recounting the events that led up to the kiss. "I don't need the details!"

This time Harry was unable to hold back his laughter, and as much as Hermione's demeanor exuded annoyance, she joined in with a chuckle of her own. "It would do you both good if I started following you around in the library to keep you on track. I could even help, you know …" she trailed off.

"Help us kiss?" Luna asked.

Hermione stared bug-eyed at her.

"Er, she's joking," Harry explained, and Hermione's face relaxed.

"Harry says it's difficult to know when I'm teasing sometimes, so it's understandable you didn't catch my joke. But if you really would like to help..." Luna turned around and retrieved a book from one of the shelves. "You could help me study."

The corners of Hermione's mouth slowly curved upward in anticipation. "Oh, now that's something I know quite a lot about."

After Hermione's offer to help Luna, Harry was demoted to the group's spare. But it didn't bother him. His best friend and girlfriend were bonding in a way that would've been unthinkable only a few months before, and to Harry that was more important than him feeling excluded. So for the next two hours, he helped Luna when he could but mostly found himself staring at the nargles and other creatures that were moving in front of his eyes. Harry drew comfort from their presence as they reassured him of his relationship with Luna, and oftentimes when she wasn't around, he'd watch them as a distraction from the bleaker details of his life.

"I've noticed Hermione has been much happier lately," Luna commented as she and Harry left the library, their study session over.

"I suppose her making up with Ron has something to do with that."

"Yes, having a boyfriend does improve my mood, so you're probably right," Luna replied, more dreamily than usual.

Harry smiled before he sought out her hand. "You improve my mood too," he told her, and then brought up his other hand to touch the butterbeer cork necklace tied around his neck. It was still the same one Luna had given him right before Christmas. She had since replaced her old corks with newer ones, strung together by them during their first days back at Hogwarts.

"You do that a lot you know." Luna's voice drifted his way, pulling Harry from the pleasant memory of them collecting butterbeer corks.

"Do what?" he asked, looking at Luna askance.

"Touch your cork necklace."

"Oh, uh, I hadn't noticed." Harry let his hand fall to his side. "I guess I do it because it reminds me of you."

"Oh, that's good to hear," Luna sounded reassured. "I thought perhaps it was bothering you. And then that reminded me of all the extra things you're burdened with because of me."

Harry slowed his steps and moved off to the side of the hallway, bringing Luna along with him. He leaned against the wall, upsetting an occupant of a nearby painting who left in a huff mumbling something about- students these days. "Luna, I'm never bothered by any of the extra things that come along with being with you."

She looked skeptical. "Even the nargles?"

Harry leaned in closer. "I don't know if I've told you this, but I get along fine with the nargles. We're friendly even."

Luna smirked. "Even for someone like me, that is a hard story to believe."

"Oh yeah? You think so?" Harry challenged, then paused to sweep his gaze down the hallway until movement caught his eye. "Wait here," he said, before running off.

"Harry, where are you-" Luna's question caught in her throat once she saw him grasp something in midair.

"See," Harry said, upon returning to Luna. "This little guy and me are friends." Uncupping his hands, he revealed a nargle. Although once the creature became aware it was free to fly away, it did just that, biting its captor's finger along the way. "Well, this one's not my friend anymore." Harry scowled.

"Hmmm, you make a very convincing argument," Luna teased. "I should inform my father at once that nargles are no longer a threat to the wizarding world. Only to your finger, it would seem." Harry grimaced, and Luna patted his shoulder. "Wearing a cork necklace while holding a nargle is bound to get you a bite on the hand."

"I'll try and remember that," Harry replied, bringing his finger to his mouth to soothe the bite.

"And so ... that doesn't bother you?" Luna asked, staring up at him. Serious once again, her grey-blue eyes were searching his.

"No," Harry firmly stated. "And you know why? Because I love you, and all those things you think bother me, are just reminders of who I love."

The weight of what he'd said didn't hit Harry right away. So natural was it for him to love Luna, that once the words were spoken it felt like he'd mentioned it a million times before. Their connection having always been a form of love- so strong that it didn't need to be mentioned. They both already knew it existed.

Not until Luna's glow began changing, did Harry realize something had happened between them. She was radiating her usual happiness but the intensity of it was almost overwhelming. "You're glowing," he said, startled by the abrupt alteration in her aura. "Brighter than I've seen before."

"Am I? Perhaps that's what my love for you looks like now that you've told me you love me," Luna mused, moving in closer.

And then the realization hit him that the word love had come out of his mouth in reference to something other than his friends and family. Harry loved Hermione and Ron. He'd even loved Sirius. But his love for Luna was different, and in the few seconds it took his brain to wrap itself around the importance of what he'd said, Harry decided it was the right declaration. "So, what does my love look like to you?" he asked.

"Soft and welcoming. Like a warm blanket on a cold day." Luna gently smiled and took his hand. She entwined her fingers with his and tugged Harry downward until their few inches of height difference disappeared. "I love you," she said and pressed her soft lips against his.

Even though he already knew this, it was still comforting to hear aloud. And in a moment of levity, Harry moved his mouth away from hers to add, "And I love you too, nargles and all."

Author's Note: This story was the result of me re-reading the series and falling in love with Luna all over again. I instantly wanted to write her a story once I finished HBP, and since I've always shipped her with Harry, I wanted it to be a love story. And then the question came to me one day, what if Luna's magic was real, but only visible to some and then passed along to others through love?

If you've enjoyed my story, please let me know by leaving a comment!