Word Count: 6,203
Rating: R
Category: AU/AR, Humour, Romance, First Time, Post-War, Fluff
Notes: Written for Wizard Love 2011. Thanks to Katmarajade and Luvscharlie for being my idea bouncers and cheerleaders! Thilia deserves a lot of love for helping me get unstuck towards the end! Lastly, thanks to Luvscharlie and Songquake for betaing!
Summary: Instead of the seven deadly sins, we have the seven lovely reasons why Harry Potter fell for Luna Lovegood.
Pairing: Luna Lovegood/Harry Potter
Warnings: N/A
Dedications: Ayla Pascal
Completed Date: January 16, 2011

---

Reason #1: Luna is very bright and friendly.

Harry looked around the table filled with his new colleagues, eyeing all the familiar and new faces that wore various expressions. Some looked cranky (like Filch), others looked dazed (like Trelawney), some were attentive (like Neville), and the remaining looked sharp (like McGonagall).

Then there was one face that stuck out. It looked dreamy, almost like Trelawney’s dazed expression, but he could see intelligence, could see its sharpness as well as its attentiveness, and, thankfully, no signs of crankiness — only friendliness.

He gave Luna a small smile, and she smiled back, her silvery grey eyes looking soft. Her long, dirty-blonde hair was piled up on her head, and Harry could see blue pencils stuck there, holding her hair up in some sort of a messy bun. She wore earrings, which were actually paperclips with beads, and her necklace was made up of several colourful shoelaces.

Mentally, Harry sniggered and shook his head. It’d been years since he’d last seen her, but he could see she hadn’t changed much. Since his own life over the last couple of decades had been filled with a lot of travelling, he found comfort in seeing Luna the same as before.

After the war, Harry had chosen to take up jobs in other countries. He found that he couldn’t stay in England right after the war. He’d felt too much pain. Everywhere and everything, he was reminded of friends and loved ones the war had taken from him. He also didn’t want to face all the media attention and all the expectations from British wizarding society. He didn’t want to be an Auror, nor did he want to be a famous Quidditch player. What he wanted was to see the world he’d saved and figure out who he was and what he wanted to do for the rest of his life.

It took him a while, but he finally knew what he wanted to do. Travelling around the world and living and working in different countries, he found himself missing England, so he was happy to return and take the job of being a flying instructor and a Quidditch coach at Hogwarts. He was glad he could return to the first place he’d called home. And even though he hadn’t wanted to be a famous Quidditch player, he still loved flying, still loved that rush he got on the broom, loved the exhilarating wind breezing past him when he went extremely fast. This was a dream job for him.

Dream job or not, he couldn’t help but feel swamped from the information overload this staff meeting gave him. Thankfully, Luna came up to him after the meeting, and he was distracted from the annual schedule and all the pre-planning information that had all congregated in his brain.

“Hello, Harry! When Minerva had told us we’d get you as a new flying instructor and coach, I thought it was the most wonderful news. You’ll be great!”

“Thanks,” Harry said, trying not to blush from the praise. “I didn’t know you were working here, as a . . . Muggle Studies professor.” He was surprised by her teaching choice. Of the subjects offered at Hogwarts, he would have thought she’d fit more with Care of Magical Creatures.

“I love Muggle Studies. After the war, I had many opportunities to familiarise myself with the Muggles’ customs and society. I find their lives to be quite fascinating. Just as interesting as Nargles and Wrackspurts! When term isn’t in session, I still search for new creatures with my father or with my dear friend, Rolf Scamander. He’s related to Newt Scamander, you know.”

“Sorry, but who?”

“Newt Scamander,” she explained dreamily. “He’s the one who wrote Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them; Rolf is his grandson.”

“Oh. Right.” He remembered that book, but he found himself remembering the comments he and his friends had written in the book more than anything else.

She reached up to touch one of her shoelace necklaces and beamed at him. “Well, I’m excited to see we’re going to be colleagues now. Whenever you need help, feel free to ask.”

“Thanks.” He smiled back. Her smile was quite infectious. Was it like that before when they were in school? He couldn’t remember.

“Well, I have to run some errands. I have to do them now. Otherwise, I’ll upset the Nargles. See you around, Harry.”

She walked away, undoing her hair, and he saw the locks ripple out and drape her back. He found himself wondering how they’d feel if he ran his hands through them, hoping that they’d feel soft and silky. However, he didn’t dwell on it too long since Neville had joined him.

As he chattered away with Neville, Luna stayed in his mind. He could tell this job was going to be an interesting experience.

---

Reason #2: Luna can explain everything in a logical manner.

The term started without any problems, and Harry found himself growing accustomed to the routine of things, which was generally quite monotonous. On most days, he’d grudgingly wake up at the crack of dawn; drink about twenty cups of coffee, making him spend quite some time in the loo; eat breakfast in the noisy Great Hall, leaving the place with a pounding headache; spend all morning teaching the first years to not fall off their brooms because he’d never want an angry parent on his tail for hurting their “precious darlings”; eat lunch in that same cacophonous room with screaming teenagers, giving him another headache for the day; coach the Quidditch teams in the afternoon, going about the practices in the safest manner possible to avoid Madam Pomfrey’s wrath; and finally have some free time in the evening where he could eat his meal away from the Great Hall in a much quieter and civilised environment.

Each day was just a simple procedure of lather, rinse, and repeat. Sure, there were times when his students brought some amusement in his boring routine. After all, he was around teenagers who were always thinking about sex. To them, everything around them could be turned into something sexual.

But it was Luna who always made his day brighter and entertaining.

He was especially amused and befuddled by some of their conversations. He was rather fond of Luna’s interesting take on Muggle subjects, in particular. For instance, he would never forget their conversation on a computer keyboard, the “Harveys”, and the Muggles’ tastes in music, which all surprisingly turned out logical in a very Luna-ish way.

That conversation took place on a nice September day. Luna, claiming to be stir-crazy, had asked Harry to go out for a walk around the lake. With nothing else planned, Harry agreed, and as they both walked outside, they started to talk about their classes.

“How are your flying lessons?” Luna asked, fiddling with her new earrings. They were made from those heart-shaped sweets with messages on them.

By now, Harry had got used to seeing her hair piled up on her head with pencils in them, but he stared at the earrings. Somehow, food jewelleries on Luna worked — just like her unusual hairstyle — yet how she styled herself would look tacky and ridiculous on anybody else. He cleared his throat and said, “It’s interesting. I have this one first-year getting the brush part of the broom tangled in his robes. I’m not sure how he keeps managing that, but it happens every lesson. How’s yours? What are you focusing on in Muggle Studies?”

“I’ve introduced my older classes to computers.” Her eyes twinkled excitedly. “They’ve always fascinated me.”

“Why?”

“I’ve always liked their keyboard. The buttons on them are such a great concept! It’s obvious the keyboard’s made like that because Muggles like pushing buttons.”

He blinked. “They do?”

“And those loud Harveys they ride around on the streets? I’ve come to the conclusion Muggles like extremely noisy things.”

The non sequitur made his mind hurt as he tried to figure out just what she meant by “Harveys”. It took him few seconds to realise what she meant. “You mean Harleys?”

With wide eyes, she nodded. “I call them ‘Harveys’ . . . it just seems more fitting since it reminds me of that one Muggle cocktail, ‘Harvey Wallbanger’.”

“Well . . . ” He scratched his head and wondered just what that cocktail had to do with anything as he continued, “They can be loud, but not all Muggles like loud–”

“They do!” She interrupted as her hands waved around enthusiastically, with one almost slapping Harry in the face. “Their music is loud — not that it’s unpleasant, but what’s the point if I can’t understand their lyrics because of the loud bomp, bomp bomp? — and their video games have a lot of explosions . . . it makes sense!” She stilled, her face turning dreamy and thoughtful. “Now, I wonder if Fred and George are really Muggles in disguise. Their prank items are very loud and quite explosive.”

“I . . . ” He could actually see the logic in all of this, but he’d be arsed if he could explain why! “I’ve never thought of it like that.”

“See!” She beamed and her hands went back to play with the earrings. “Now you have.”

“Yes,” he chuckled. “You’ve definitely opened up my eyes.”

“That’s terrific.” She smiled again and this time linked her arm through his. “Let’s go back inside now. I’m quite hungry for some of those Belgian chocolates of yours.”

Still laughing, Harry led the way back to the castle, glad that he had Luna to always bring something unexpected to his daily life.

---

Reason #3: Luna is very generous.

“I’ve got a surprise for you.”

With Luna, Harry found everything about her to be surprising in a good way. Predictable was nowhere in Luna’s mentality or vocabulary, so Harry found himself intrigued and curious as to what kind of surprises she’d show him.

Luna could be very spontaneous, a trait that Harry would have never associated with a Ravenclaw, but it was her spontaneity that endeared her to him.

Remembering the wacky YouTube video she’d shown him — it was a bloke strumming away on his guitar and ranting about some really ancient bloke called Pachelbel, which had fascinated Luna since she asserted it was a prime example of what happened to someone who got possessed unknowingly by Wrackspurts — Harry couldn’t help but smile. “What is it?”

Luna immediately reached out to grab his hand. She did that often now, and Harry realised he liked the way their hands fit each other. His were larger and more tanned, while hers were paler and daintier than his, a contrast he really liked whenever he studied their hands together discreetly. She gave him a serene smile and said, “Come! I’ve found the Nargles’ secret hiding spot deep in the Forbidden Forest. They’ve given me permission to allow one other human to see it, and I’ve chosen you!”

“I . . . am . . . surprised?” He hadn’t meant to make it sound like a question, but it came out that way regardless. He really was astonished. Sure, he’d been hearing of her beliefs in these creatures that nobody else believed in, and he’d always indulged her while he listened to her passionate claims, but never in his wildest dreams had he expected one of her outlandish claims to be true.

She beamed. “This is something I have to share. I can’t just keep it to myself.” She tugged his arm, and he discovered just how fast Luna could be when she was this excited.

As they sped through the forest — which made Harry wonder if she had somehow merged herself with the newest broom out on the market, Ragestruck 2000 — he had to ask, “Did you find a patch of mistletoe or something? Didn’t you say Nargles like to infest those?”

“That’s only in December,” she explained, stepping up her pace. She remained unfazed while he grew short of breath. “It’s only mid-October right now, so they are in their normal forms.”

“Normal form?” He didn’t remember this fact at all.

“You’ll see,” she hummed mysteriously.

Finally, after a long run to what felt like London, they stopped in a clearing. There were trees all around them, moonlight streaking through their leaves. Luna looked around with bright eyes; Harry bent over with his hands on his knees, gasping for blessed air to enter into his deprived lungs.

“Harry,” she said softly, bringing a finger up to her lips. She made a gesture towards some bushes that had silver, bell-shaped flowers.

He didn’t at first, but when he squinted his eyes, he saw it: a small creature, about the size of a Crup, that looked like something of a cross between a rabbit and a skunk as it had long rabbit ears and a skunk’s body. It was white, with a twitchy black nose and a pair of innocent, sweet dark-coloured eyes. On its back, instead of the skunk’s prominent white stripes, there were seven stripes in the colours of red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet. The colours extended to the tip of its long, fluffy tail.

It waddled close to where they were standing, and Harry held his breath, watching the gentle looking creature. Luna kneeled on the ground and slowly held out her hand towards the creature. In a soothing voice, she said, “I’m back and I’ve brought Harry, one of my dearest friends. He’s perfectly harmless, despite his loud breathing earlier. He’s just a bit tired from the running we did.”

The Nargle came closer and nudged Luna’s hand, and it started to purr happily when she began to scratch its head. “You like that, don’t you, Thumpflow?”

“Thumpflow?” Harry asked in a hushed voice, sitting on the ground himself, careful not to make his movement too erratic and scare it away.

“A portmanteau of ‘Thumper’ and ‘Flower’. I named this Nargle after those two characters from Bambi.” While she explained, Thumpflow stopped nuzzling into Luna’s hand, and it came over to Harry. It scrutinised him, and Harry met its penetrating gaze. He didn’t feel uncomfortable, though. He could feel a sense of calm spreading over him, and without thinking, he moved a hand out towards Thumpflow, and it bypassed his hand and crawled into his lap.

“Oh!” Luna’s voice hitched. “He likes you! I’m so glad.”

“I . . . I’m honoured.” Harry said as his hand hovered above Thumpflow’s head.

“You can pet him. He’ll like it.”

As if on cue, Thumpflow reached upwards to bump its head into Harry’s palm. Harry touched and scratched its head lightly, feeling the richness and softness of its fur. It began to purr again, and Harry smiled.

“The others are coming now,” Luna said happily. She looked at the other Nargles, all of them looking very similar to Thumpflow. They made a circle around them. Light evening breezes rustled the bushes with the bell-shaped flowers, which began to sing a twinkling melody, causing the Nargles to purr in a harmonic response.

Harry closed his eyes, glad to be swept away by this magical and peaceful place. With one hand still on Thumpflow, he put his other arm around Luna. If time ever froze right now, Harry would not mind at all. Not one bit.

But they had to leave soon. Time didn’t stop then and there. Harry wished they didn’t have to leave the enchanting place, yet he was truly glad that Luna had chosen him to share this wonderful experience.

It was that life-altering incident that made him appreciate and understand just how special Luna really was.

---

Reason #4: Luna cares about the arts.

With her clothes no longer donning an orange-coloured scheme to honour Halloween, Luna came up to Harry with a new idea that fascinated and dismayed him. He knew Luna was into the arts, but he’d no idea just how much she was willing to explore into that territory.

“I’ve talked to Minerva, and she agreed to let us start up a new club activity here.”

Harry blinked at this sudden news. “What club activity?”

“Drama club. Let’s start up a drama club!”

He could only stare at her. Just when he thought she couldn’t surprise him anymore, she came up with something to make him feel stupid for ever doubting her remarkable abilities to stun him. “I’ve no experience in that field,” he said haltingly.

“I don’t, either!” She gave him a wide smile. “We can both learn how to put on a play with the students. I think this will be very educational for everyone involved.”

“Well,” he said, still trying to wrap his head around this newest scheme of hers. “What play do you have in mind?”

“Something romantic. Something Shakespearish.”

“Shakespeare? Why him?” He felt uneasy at that suggestion. He knew of Shakespeare’s works, knew the summaries of the more popular plays, but he would never call himself a fan of Shakespeare. He’d once tried to read one of Shakespeare’s plays, and he’d failed miserably since he could barely understand that strange variation of English. Actually, he wasn’t even certain it was English.

“Why not?” she asked. “I want to focus on Shakespeare since he’s the most famous playwright in all of history. Besides, I think it’d be fun to introduce the Elizabethan English to everyone here.”

He wasn’t quite convinced, but he still said, “I see. Well, if you want something romantic, then that’s easy. Just do Romeo and Juliet.”

“No.” Apparently, she knew enough about Shakespeare’s plays. With a very earnest expression, she explained, “That’s not romantic! Romeo’s love for Juliet was clearly misguided as he allowed his hormones to lead him away from Rosaline, the one he should have just stayed with! His fickleness is not very romantic at all. And honestly, it’s such a depressing play.”

“Depressing, huh?” He quickly suggested, “How about A Midsummer’s Night Dream? That’s a comedy, right?”

“That’s not romantic either. A love potion does not make romance,” she clarified.

He had to agree with her assessment of these so-called romantic plays, but he was beginning to run out of suggestions. “Then what do you propose?”

“Oh, I think I’ve had way too many encounters with the Crumpled-Horned Snorkack. They’re affecting my memory at the moment. I can’t quite remember the title of that one play. Something about an animal?”

“Ah-ha! The Taming of the Shrew?”

“No, that wasn’t quite it . . . oh! It was Much Ado About Nothing!”

“How in Merlin’s name does that play fit your animal comment?” he couldn’t help exclaiming.

“You know that one quote? The one that says ‘I had rather hear my dog bark at a crow than a man swear he loves me’? I’ve always adored that line. Beatrice is a fascinating character, I think.”

Harry started to snigger. “If that’s what you want to do, fine by me.”

Luna gave a bright smile. “And I know exactly who to cast as Beatrice and Benedick, the wonderful bickering couple.”

Curious, he asked, “Who?”

“Rose Weasley and Scorpius Malfoy! I’ve talked to them separately. They seem to be quite interested in joining the drama club, too, so it’ll all work out perfectly.”

“Well . . . ” Harry tried to picture his god-daughter with Scorpius. “At least they’ll both fit the bickering part.”

“Exactly.” Luna summoned a parchment and yanked out one of the pencils in her hair. “Now, let’s plan this.”

Hours later, when Harry was stumbling in his rooms to get into his much missed bed, he decided that Luna and the arts were either an interesting combo or a scary one. All he knew for now was that he was going to have an even more interesting year with play rehearsals and play preparation.

Oddly enough, he would consider the play a success if the leading actor and leading actress didn’t hex one another to hell first.

The last thing on his mind before he slept was an image of an excited Luna. She had hair escaping from her bun. The way it framed her happy face with her sparkling eyes, she looked pretty and youthful. There were times tonight where he’d wanted to brush those strands away from her face and then kiss her. There were moments where he’d wanted to kiss her gently and slowly, to tell her through his actions that he was falling for her in ways he’d never felt about anyone else before. Then there were instances where he’d wanted to grab and pull her soft body against his and plant a mind-blowing kiss on her lips because he desperately wanted to feel her, taste her, and use his actions once more to show just how much he desired her.

But he didn’t do anything.

What he decided to do was to take it slow and easy.

---

Reason #5: Luna is kind and considerate to every living thing.

Unfortunately, Luna was not making it easy for him to stick to his decision of taking things slow and easy. Whenever Luna touched his shoulders, brushed past against him, and gave him a smile that just made his insides melt, he wanted to touch her in ways that were not platonic. He wondered about how she’d look naked, with her hair undone, imagined how it would feel to run his fingers through the beautiful locks and touching her pale skin, speculating on whether her skin would flush or not.

His active imagination went further to bring images of her sprawled out naked on blue, satin sheets, her breasts looking pert and perky, while giving him a luscious smile, her lips looking so full and snoggable. Then she’d open up her arms invitingly, and he’d be on top of her, kissing, touching, and moving with her to reach a pleasurable climax.

Every night, he’d dream of making love to Luna, and every morning, he’d greet a sticky mess in his pants.

Every day, he’d think about Luna. He knew that she was different from most women out there and that she was someone special. Most his previous relationships hadn’t worked out well. It was partly his fault because he never tried to get to know his ex-girlfriends and only focused on the physical aspects of their relationships. Not that it was a bad thing, but he now realised that those were shallow relationships, and he didn’t want that with Luna.

With Luna, he wanted something deep and meaningful.

Hence, he wanted to take things slowly and easily.

But Luna was really testing his control. Especially with what had happened tonight.

Not that it was bad, no, and he also saw just how considerate it was.

She came up to him, after dinner, suggesting they go out for a breath of fresh air.

“Sure,” he said. “Where do you want to go?”

“Let’s go to Hogsmeade. I need to stock up on some chocolates. But let’s not walk on the grass to get there.”

Harry blinked in confusion. The path to Hogsmeade was covered with a lot of grass. “Why not?”

“Walking on them is not good for them. I mean, I know everyone walks on them, but I like to give them rest as often as I can,” she explained calmly.

“Okay . . . well, we can’t exactly Apparate there. And we don’t have a Portkey . . . Floo?”

She shook her head. “No, no. No Flooing.”

“Then how?”

Casually, Luna grabbed his hand, and she smiled as she laced their fingers together. “Fly. Let’s fly with you in the front. That way I can sit behind you and wrap my arms around you while you take us over there.”

Harry really had no comeback for that, and he couldn’t find anything wrong with her reasoning, so it wasn’t long before they were up in the air, and her front was pressed into his back. With her breasts pressed against him, her arms around him, and her warm breath grazing his neck, he endured a very unpleasant broom ride — riding a broom with a very stiff groin really was uncomfortable — and he tried futilely to distract himself from Luna’s closeness.

And he had to suffer through it again when they returned to Hogwarts.

Still, he couldn’t fault her for wanting to give grass some consideration. Never mind that he had to undergo discomfort for the grass’ sake; he didn’t mind making Luna happy.

---

Reason #6: Luna is very unique and beautiful.

The next couple of weeks zoomed by, and before Harry knew it, it was the first week of December. Between his teaching duties and the drama club rehearsals, he didn’t have time to plan and take the next step in his relationship with Luna. Then again, they spent almost every day together and were comfortable with each other, so he was content with just working with her and having her near him.

He really couldn’t have asked for anything better.

Therefore, he wasn’t expecting her next wild proposal.

“I want to take my classes on a field trip. I want to expose them to more Muggle life and culture.”

Harry nodded. “That sounds like a good plan. Hands-on experience is always better than just learning straight from the book. Hermione was telling me of a good museum–”

“Bowling,” Luna interrupted with an eager smile. “Someone introduced me to bowling, and after doing some research, I want to try it out myself! It looks really fun, and I think it’ll be something the students would like!”

“Bowling?” he repeated. “You want to go bowling?”

“Yes. We have no play rehearsal, it’s Saturday night, so why not?”

“But I’ve never bowled in my life!”

Luna clapped her hands once and said, “Then let’s try it together.”

“You do realise bowling alleys are quite loud?”

“I’ve been told that — which makes my theory about Muggles liking loud noises even more plausible.” She shrugged her slender shoulders. “I think loud noises in this case are quite fitting. It heightens one’s excitement, I think! Anyway, I’ll meet you at the entrance in an hour.”

An hour and a half later, Harry found himself in a bowling alley. The noise level pierced his poor, throbbing head, so he decided to concentrate on Luna instead.

That proved to be a bad idea. Luna, in her well-fitting jeans and beige-coloured jumper (which was just as well-fitting as the jeans), looked stunning. He realised that Luna usually wore loose-fitting robes at Hogwarts, so to see her in something tighter than usual . . . he mentally shook his head as he looked at her hair, distracting himself from his own jeans getting too tight.

He almost did a double-take at seeing the familiar pencils in her hair. Sure, that hairstyle was practically her trademark now, but he thought she’d take them out for this . . . date. Was it a date? He wasn’t entirely sure, but he deemed this outing to be a date of some sort.

Despite his initial shock over the pencils, he found himself grinning as he asked, “I’ve been meaning to ask you this for a while now, but what’s with the pencils in your hair?”

“Hm?” Luna blinked as she picked out a hot pink ball for herself. “Oh, I’ve seen Muggle girls do this a lot. I think it’s a very practical solution, keeping the hair out of my face and ensuring I always have something to write with. I know we mostly use quills, but they aren’t as strong as a pencil.”

Harry smiled as he picked out a blue ball for himself. He should have known Luna would have a very reasonable answer. Still, he had to ask, “What about chopsticks?”

“I tried them, but they turned out to be less useful than a pencil. I’ve tried to teach myself to eat with some chopsticks, but I could never master it. Besides, a pencil’s a lot safer than a fork!”

“That makes sense.”

“Still, thank you for reminding me. I completely forgot they were still in my hair!” She took them out and shook her long, gorgeous blonde hair. Mesmerised, he watched them tumble down her back, and he automatically reached out to touch the cascading waves.

“Your hair’s lovely,” he muttered huskily.

“Thank you,” she answered seriously. “Let’s start bowling, all right? I’m guessing I have to throw the ball and hit those white things down, yes?”

Nonplussed by her changing the subject, Harry sniggered. “Yeah. You have two chances to do it for each turn. I think if you knock all of them down on your first throw, it’s called a strike.”

“Ah, I remember now. Let’s make a deal. If you make a strike first, you get a kiss from me. If I make a strike first, I get a kiss from you.”

Harry just stared at her for a good minute before saying, “No offence, Luna, but what kind of a deal is that?”

“The best kind,” she clarified, giving him an intense look. “I want to kiss you. And according to our visit to Thumpflow last week, you want to, too. Besides, I like hugging you, you like holding my hand, and we’re on a date, so I think having this sort of a deal makes it more exciting.”

“Thumpflow is a terrible secret keeper!” Harry exclaimed, a slow smile coming onto his face. “Let’s try it.”

“Wonderful!” Luna picked up her ball and positioned herself at the edge. “Wish me luck!”

Frame after frame, gutter ball after gutter ball, and split after split, they both threw their respective balls down the lane. Harry came to the conclusion that bowling was not an easy thing to do, but it was nevertheless fun and stimulating. Amidst the loud noises, he and Luna laughed and talked and cheered each other through the two games they played.

Finally, though, towards the end of the last game, Luna finally made a strike.

And Harry was there to give her the promised kiss, and he realised that of all the first kisses he’d had with his previous girlfriends, kissing Luna was on a whole different level. As soon as his lips touched hers, his brain nearly exploded, and his senses were overloaded with everything that screamed Luna. He could smell her vanilla-scented perfume, he could taste her favourite Earl Grey tea with lemon, and he could touch her silky hair and her soft jumper-covered back. Her breasts were pressed against his own chest, and he longed to touch them and see how they fit and felt in his hands.

He didn’t know how long they kissed, but when they finally did separate, he wished they hadn’t.

He wanted to continue to lavish her with kisses. He wished he could just push her onto the hard alley floor right at this moment, rip their clothes off, and continue to snog until they were breathless and writhing against each other with lust.

But now wasn’t the time; he reminded himself to take things slowly. Besides, he realised something unusual. He loved how Luna was taking the initiative in their relationship. He liked her confidence and her peculiar ways of going at things, so when Luna was ready to take things further, he’d do it her way, and it would be something he’d not regret at all.

---

Reason #7: Luna is very creative — especially with sex.

When he’d guessed Luna would initiate the next step in their relationship, Harry wasn’t surprised by his deduction.

They were snogging in Luna’s sitting room because her quarters were much nicer than his — probably because she had more tenure than him. Their kisses were hot and needy, tongue meeting tongue, their hands exploring all over their bodies — in fact, Harry’s glasses fogged up until he tossed them aside. He finally got to touch Luna’s breasts; he cupped them in his hands, and they fit perfectly as he thumbed her hardening nipples.

When Luna moved, against his growing hard-on, Harry moaned into her sweet mouth as desire raced through his body. He ran a hand through her loose hair, making her gasp softly in pleasure, and he started to unbutton her robes, wanting to see her pale skin all flushed with unmitigated longing and needs.

“Wait,” Luna rasped out, breaking their kiss. Her large eyes looked at him imploringly. “Bedroom. Not here.”

He wanted to complain. He wanted to tell her that he couldn’t make it to the bedroom even if it were right in front of him, but he only nodded, telling himself to be patient!

She smiled as she got off of him, and she slipped her hand into his. “You’ll like what I’ve planned.”

“What will I like–?” Inside Luna’s private chambers, he stared at what greeted him from the centre. “A hammock?!”

Indeed, instead of a bed of any sort, he saw a pink and green hammock, each end tied to a palm tree, and underneath the hammock, he saw many, many pillows of different colours. In fact, the pillows were arranged by colour, and he could see them resembling a rainbow spectrum. Finally, on the ceiling, he saw that it was spelled to represent the night sky, all dark with the moon and stars shining down in the middle.

Harry turned to look at Luna and repeated, “A hammock?”

“Yes, a hammock,” she said, her hands reaching out to slowly unbutton his robes.

“Why?” he asked, already knowing what she would say next.

“I want us to try having sex on it.”

“But . . . !” Luna began to kiss his neck, and that muddled any coherent thoughts in his head. Still, he managed to say, “It’s too shaky! Too unstable. We’ll probably flip around in it and fall out of it!”

Luna lightly nipped at his neck before she stepped back and brought them closer to the hammock. “You worry too much. Besides, if we fall out of it, that’s what the pillows are for!” She pushed Harry’s robes off until he was clad only in his boxers. “I’ve always wanted to try this. I like to try things at least once, but this is not something I can experiment by myself, so now that I have you . . . ”

He had to admit that Luna was very creative. And adventurous. And her mentality of trying anything at least once . . . all of these turned him on even more, and he knew then that he shouldn’t have expected anything normal with her. “Why not? Now that you mention it, I do like the idea of our first time together being memorable.”

She smiled as she lay back into the hammock, her robes half off, and beckoned him to join her. He took a few seconds to admire how she looked with her red cheeks, swollen lips, and partially covered breasts, which tempted him even further; he joined her without any more lingering thoughts.

He found her eager lips once more, and he snogged her deeply, slipping his tongue inside her mouth and loving the way it felt. He broke the kiss first and he trailed his lips down to her neck, but he didn’t spend much time there. Instead, he dipped lower until he came across her breasts, and he moved the robes to expose them. Without any hesitation, he kissed and sucked on her nipples while his other hand reached down to touch and circle her clit.

While he was doing that, Luna slipped a hand between them and began to stroke him through his boxers. Somehow, she knew the right amount of pressure to apply to her strokes. It wasn’t long before he longed for her to touch him without his boxers in the way. As if she could read minds, she finally touched him with full skin-on-skin contact, and his mind went absolutely blank before instinct took over. But before that happened, he looked straight into her eyes; they were clear and filled with lust and love.

Later, Harry remembered the heat and the tightness that surrounded him when he entered her. He remembered kissing her once more as he began to move, realising in the back of his mind that the hammock and sex actually fit well with each other, what with his movement matching the hammock’s flexibility.

It wasn’t long before both reached their climax, and it was at that moment, ironically, that Harry’s prediction of them flipping out of the hammock was fulfilled. Luckily, thanks to Luna’s foresight, they landed on the colourful pillows and contently snuggled into each other’s embrace.

Harry kissed her softly and said, “That hammock was actually not a bad idea.”

Luna gave him a loving smile. “I’m glad we tried it out. I do have other ideas I’d like to try in the future.”

He laughed and pulled her closer to him. Giving her one last kiss on her nose, he said, “And I’ll go along with whatever ideas you have. With you around, nothing’s boring or ordinary.”