With some cruel irony, nature had produced the most beautiful August day Neville had seen the entire year. A fresh breeze wafted through the trees, the leaves swaying as though in an intricate dance. The sun beamed its approval onto the grounds, and even the clouds, who had been some source of comfort to Neville in the past few days, had decided to go on vacation. In short, it was perfect summer's day.

A perfect summer's day in which Luna was getting engaged.

To a man other than him.

Feeling vindictive, he kicked a tree stump outside Hagrid's. Immediately afterwards, he realised what an immature action it was and thanked Merlin that it was a Hogsmeade weekend, so fewer students were around to witness his foolishness.

After all, if Luna loved Rolf, then- she loved him, and he was- (should be) happy for her. If she was happy, that was enough.

But, oh Merlin, he should have asked her before she'd gone on that wretched trip and met that bloody Rolf Scamander. She didn't even know Rolf before that, and he didn't know her! They hadn't reformed the DA, they hadn't stood together during the last fight at Hogwarts, they hadn't battled through the aftermath of the War together! And yet they were getting married.

You should talk to Luna, Ginny had told him.

But it hurt too much to even look at her.

You should talk to Luna.

Neville was caught by a sudden strong urge to Apparate to the party, run up, demand that it be stopped instantly- but what would come of that? It was already too late. They were already engaged, and the wedding was certain to follow.

Would Luna look for him? Would she, perhaps, turn around before she said the fatal words I do? Would she seek him, if only as a friend?

He tossed a pebble into the lake, almost hating it for being so calm.

"That won't be useful if you want to search for the orange-tailed cactypul," said a small voice from behind him.

"Luna?" he breathed incredulously.

It was Luna, with her shining eyes, her distant smile, her quiet composure- Luna, with a bizarrely coloured piece of string dangling from one side of her hair- Luna, who he hadn't seen for weeks, but it felt both like minutes and years- Luna.

It was too good to be true. He darted his eyes around, searching for Rolf Scamander- when would he appear and pompously greet Neville, too? Perhaps enquire as to "what had prevented him from joining in the festivities"?

"Rolf isn't here," Luna told him quietly, and Neville, his heart pounding, stared at her, not daring to believe-

Luna wouldn't have- she couldn't possibly have-

"… We called off the engagement, yes," said Luna, slightly distantly.

Neville swallowed.

"I'm- sorry," he said, not feeling sorry at all. Luna looked at him, smiling, and placed a finger on his lips.

A strange feeling swept through Neville's entire body. He must have dreamed of this moment, in the back of his mind, waited for it for years, and here he was; Luna's eyes locked on him, longingly-almost hungrily, her lips faintly parted.

"We both know you're not sorry," she whispered, her face tantalisingly close to his. "You're a horrible liar."

Neville laughed shakily.

"What happened, then?"

Luna paused and looked across the lake, her brow furrowed.

"It was Rolf who initiated it, really," she said thoughtfully. "He told me I'd been acting strangely ever since you ended up in St Mungo's." She gave him a significant look. "I insisted I was fine, that I was still happy and ready to go ahead with the engagement and the marriage, but-"

"But what?" Neville's heart was pounding in his ears.

"I couldn't," she said simply. "I remembered sixth year. I remembered how angry you had been when Harry left me at Slughorn's party. Then I remembered seventh year- the DA, how you'd always watch out for everyone, try to protect the first and second years by taking them in and teaching them all those spells. I remember-" her breath hitched a moment- "I still remember how you took a Cruciatus for me when I wasn't looking. And then I kept remembering, and remembering, and it was like a Wrackspurt had my brain, all I could think of was you and how much I regretted that wretched fight."

Hence the letters.

The letters to which he hadn't quite replied.

It felt as though there was a whirlpool inside his stomach. This was the most Luna had told him in months- years, even- but beneath the crash of emotions, he felt incredibly light and giddy. Because Luna remembered him and had been thinking of him- and

"You came," he said wonderingly, instead. "You came and found me when I was such a git."

Luna looked at him cheerfully.

"Actually, Rolf made me come," she admitted, slightly shamfacedly. "I wanted to, but I wasn't sure if that was simply me being silly- then he took me aside and told me that it didn't feel right, that he was sure I needed to sort something out with 'that Longbottom fellow'- and so I told him that I couldn't go ahead with the engagement, I simply couldn't. So he told me it wouldn't go ahead."

Neville stared at her.

"Wrackspurt got your brain?" she half whispered and he shook his head, smiling.

"No- I just owe Rolf, that's all."

She looked at him and beamed. Her face glowed in the sunlight and her eyes, half closed now, were still bright. In them, he could read tenderness, forgiveness, hope- and, as the distance between them slowly narrowed- expectance.

And so, almost of their own accord, his hands floated up to cup her face as he leaned in and kissed her. She reached up and pulled him closer, the skin of her hand burning the nape of his neck, and any doubts fled his mind. And as he drowned on dry land, he forgot the pain and angst of the past months, he forgot where he was, he forgot-

"PROFESSOR LONGBOTTOM!"

- that he was at Hogwarts, and that he was now a teacher.

Luna pulled away from him first, shaking slightly with laughter.

"I think, Professor Longbottom, that for the sake of your poor students, we ought to-"

"Find a room?" he grinned, and she laughed aloud.

"I haven't been here for years. Lead on, Professor."

And as he laced his fingers between hers, the sun continued to beam down from the bright sky as their laughter echoed across the grounds.

A/N: Extended for fledge, who pointed out quite correctly that Luna needs to reveal her reasons for breaking the engagement at some point, in some form, or the story is quite flat indeed.