Yours, Luna Lovegood

First Touch

Asher flew in to Harry's open window as the heat of the afternoon began to dissipate. Harry looked up from his copy of Waffling's Magical Theory.

"Asher! Hello, sir. You're a welcome sight."

He smiled warmly, and welcomed the raven onto his right forearm, tickled his beak with this left forefinger. He frowned.

"But you haven't brought me a letter. Is everything okay?"

Just then, through his window, toward the front picket fence of Number 4 Privet Drive.

"Harry?"

His heart leapt.

***

Luna Lovegood stood just beyond the picket gate in a bright white summer dress, curiously watching the window into which her raven flew, with butterflies in her stomach.

She listened, and smiled as she heard Harry warmly welcomed Asher. That was a good sign.

"Harry?" she cried, hopefully.

A moment later, Harry leaned out of his second-floor window, a pleasantly stunned expression. "Luna!?"

He wasn't wearing a shirt.

And time slowed, and Luna's jaw dropped, and with wide eyes and expressionless face she drank him in. Harry's training for the tournament must have been... comprehensive. Her eyes traced his firm chest, his defined abdomen, his strong arms. And she slowly, gently exhaled.

God, he was beautiful.

It was just then that Harry realized he was topless. And Luna flushed. And Harry flushed. And he darted out of the window and after a quick beat called out, "I'm so sorry, I'll be down in just a moment."

***

Harry couldn't be more thrilled, and couldn't contain his sense of panic. He tore through his room, shoving as much clutter as possible into his trunk, and the rest in his small, beaten wardrobe.

He grabbed the least oversized tee that was remotely clean and threw it on. Sniffed beneath his arms and grimaced, found a stick of deodorant and applied it generously.

After a final glance around his room for anything that might be remotely embarrassing, he opened his door and took the stairs three at a time. He stopped at the front door, caught his breath, and turned the knob.

Luna Lovegood - a very real, very here Luna Lovegood - was standing just outside the front door of Number 4 Privet Drive. She was wearing a white sun dress with delicate floral stitching on the hem, the white straps loosely fitted to her pale shoulders and chest. Her hair was pulled back into a messy bun. Her toes wiggled nervously in her sandals and she wore a shy expression. She was stunning.

"Hi Luna."

***

"Hello, Harry Potter."

Luna was equal parts elated and terrified. She hadn't known what to expect. And she hadn't known quite what to think. If she were honest with herself, she was driven at this moment by an unshakable desire to see him, to hear his voice, to know Harry Potter and to be near to him. Right now, nothing else mattered.

"I'm... I'm sorry, Harry. If this isn't a welcome visit. I just -"

"No - I'm so glad, Luna. I really couldn't be happier. Um, I guess come in. Sorry, I've never had a visitor before. The Dursley's are out of town for the weekend. That's good news - they're not terribly fond of people like us."

He led her from the entryway through the hall, past the kitchen.

"This is, uh, well I wouldn't say it's my home. This is where I grew up."