A/N: I am sosososososososo sorry you guys. It's been way too long, I know. Does starting uni and this being a first time offense help my case any? And then, of course, FFN has been stuffing up all day. (Let's just forget all those other days, alright? I will if you will.) I have tried to post this like twenty times. This is further than I've gotten so far, though, so I'm feeling optimistic. Fingers crossed. I was also planning to update Stitching today, for those of you who are reading both my stories. Obviously, that's not going to happen. And I have classes for the next four days. I will do my best though. Don't give me that look. I know I've said that before. I did try. Anyway, I really hope that not all of you have abandoned me, and that you think this chapter was worth the wait. Cinnamon.

Disclaimer: Harry Potter and the Harry Potter universe belong entirely to JKR.

Denial

Draco moved the Daily Prophet aside and raised one supercilious eyebrow at his son's hysterics. He had been acting very strangely ever since returning home for the holidays, but this was getting ridiculous.

The early rising he could understand; he was an early riser himself, and had never understood Scorpius's need to remain in bed till he had missed the better part of the day. The sudden predilection for his own company he could understand too; the boy had just lost his mother, after all, and probably wanted to cement the bond with his sole remaining parent.

Spraying his breakfast across the table before rolling with helpless laughter across the floor was something else entirely. Really, the boy was becoming quite unhinged.

-x-

It was a considerable time later when Albus finally managed to get control of himself, and by that time Draco had stalked off to his study to do whatever it was that Malfoy scions did in their studies. Albus didn't blame him.

But really, how else was he supposed to react when his best friend had apparently joined the long line of people who believed that Luna and his dad were together? It was actually becoming quite ridiculous.

Sure, if you didn't know much about the family you might be excused for wondering.

The signs were all there, after all.

The two of them were certainly very close, and it was probably understandable that a lot of strangers who saw the five of them out celebrating some special occasion—Jamie's birthday last year, for example—always assumed that they were a family. In a way, they were. If Ginny spent more time at home it would be different, Albus was sure.

If Ginny spent more time at home, then Harry wouldn't have to call Luna every time a situation came up that he couldn't handle on his own. Like when Lily had got her first...Well, never mind that.

Luna did spend a lot of time at Grimmauld Place, although not while Ginny was around, of course. The two of them hadn't got along very well for a while now. Probably since about the time that Luna had become such an integral part of the Potter family. That was probably a lot of what made Jamie so certain that they were a couple.

But Jamie was wrong. Of course he was.

Jamie and Ginny had never got along very well, even before Albus was born, as far as he could tell. Especially before, come to that. So Jamie had always been very much in favour of the Harry/Luna theory.

Wishful thinking didn't make something true, though, especially when it was so obviously not.

Wishful thinking also doesn't make things untrue, chided that annoying little voice that always came to him at just the wrong moments. Why shouldn't they be together?

Harry was still in love with Ginny, though, he had to be.

Wishful thinking...

And even if he wasn't—which he was—that didn't mean he was in love with Luna. They were just friends.

"I love you, Luna, you know that?" How many times has he said that?

He had said the same thing to Hermione, though, when she had agreed to look after them that one time.

He had been called in to work unexpectedly, Ginny had stormed off in a huff that morning, and Luna was still off in South Africa somewhere, looking for one of her creatures. She often did that when Ginny came home, especially when they had been younger.

That was just a coincidence, though. She and Ginny had had a fight about something. They were always fighting, and Luna probably just wanted to avoid that.

Coincidence, huh? And what were they fighting about, have you ever asked yourself that? They were best friends once, you know that. What changed?

People grew apart over time, though. It happened to everyone. They grew up and developed new interests, and suddenly they had nothing in common...

There was a disdainful snort in his mind.

Nothing in common? You honestly think that they ever had anything in common?

They fought about something, then. Something serious, obviously. Just because he didn't know what it was—

Oh, you know, alright.

—didn't mean that it hadn't happened.

It did happen, and you do know about it. Lily told Jamie, remember?

-x-

"Jamie?"

"What is it, Lily?"

"..."

"Just tell me, Lily. Or am I going to have to tickle you?"

"No!"

"Well, then, what's the matter?"

"Ginny and Luna were fighting today."

"Oh."

"What is a 'total whore'?"

"Lily Luna Potter!"

"What?"

"Never mind. Just don't repeat that, okay? Where did you hear that?"

"Luna said it to Ginny."

"What else did they say?"

"Luna was going on about a lot of people I don't know, and then she said that something wasn't fair to Daddy, and that—"

"Was one of those people Blaise Zabini?"

"...Yeah, I think so. Do you know him?"

"No. Go on with what Luna was saying to Ginny."

"She was just screaming about 'after all he's been through', and all that other stuff that people always say about Daddy when people are mean to him. And she called Ginny a lot of other things, except that I knew what they meant. Like, she called her—"

"Well, you're not allowed to say those words either."

"You don't even know what they were."

"I think I have a pretty good idea."

"Oh. Well, anyway, Ginny was pretty mad too, at this point, and she was calling Luna a lot of the words that I'm not allowed to say as well. And then she said something else..."

"..."

"..."

"Aren't you going to tell me what it was?"

"I thought I wasn't allowed to repeat stuff they said."

"That's different—"

"I don't see how."

"Of course not, you're too young. Ouch!"

"You were saying?"

"Alright, you're not too young. But I don't have time to explain it now, so you'd better just tell me what she said."

"Just something about how if she were so in love with Daddy then she didn't see why she didn't just—word Daddy says I am never ever to repeat—him, herself. And Luna goes, 'Fine, I will then, if that's how you feel about it.' Jamie?"

"What is it Lily?"

"How come you look so pleased all of a sudden?"

"Don't be silly. What else did they say?"

"Nothing. Ginny chucked one of those vases at her, and then stormed out. I don't think she wanted Luna to say that."

"I bet she didn't. Now, no telling anyone what you heard, okay? Especially Dad. It'll be our little secret."

"Not even Albus?"

"Oh, I'm sure that Albus has heard every word that you just said. He is such a Slytherin."

"He is not!"

"Is too!"

"Is not!"

-x-

Something said in the middle of a fight and overheard repeated by a child hardly classified as definitive proof, though. Far from it. They had probably all misunderstood completely.

The whole idea was still laughable.

-x-

Awakening slightly, Harry instinctively reached across the bed. Coming up empty, his eyes flashed open.

"Luna?"

"Over here, love."

His eyes located her over by the window, and he smiled. He would never understand why she seemed so determined to wear his clothes at every available opportunity. He certainly never felt the urge to wear her clothes, which was probably lucky. He would never fit into them.

"And what are you doing over there?"

She eyed him speculatively, obviously trying to decide if he was in the right mood to humour one of her creature tales.

He wasn't.

"Come back to bed," he commanded, voice still husky from sleep.

"Why should I?"

"Because I want you to?"

"And what kind of reason is that?" she asked indignantly, although he noticed that she was walking back towards him anyway.

"A very good one."

"Says who?"

"Says me."

"Oh, really? And how, exactly, do you plan to—? Harry!"

"Yes, love?"

"That's—mmm—cheating!"

"Cheating, is it?"

"Yes it is! Oooh! That tickles! Harry! Oh!"

"Yes, love?"

"Stop teasing and kiss me."

"Yes, love."