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Harry lazily swayed back and forth on the porch swing in the room of requirement. Luna was meant to meet him there in a few moments but for the time being he was lost in his own thoughts. Stuck on another article the Daily Prophet had released that day. It wasn’t like the contents of it particularly bothered him in any way. It was the same old nonsense villainizing him for just breathing, but that same age old title had him thinking.
‘ Boy Who Lived ’
Don’t get him wrong, the title was always strange, but it was that one little word he didn’t like most. Boy.
You could say that it was more of a trigger thing really, remnant emotions that reminded him of his aunt and uncle. Of searing summers spent bent over roses in the garden. Or of frying pans to the back of the head.
That wasn’t quite it though, it was the feeling of just something not quite right , and young Harry was so stuck trying to pinpoint this feeling he didn’t even notice Luna had entered the room until she stopped the swing from moving, essentially caging the other as she placed a butterbeer cork necklace around his neck.
She smiled teasingly at him, “You have quite the infestation today.”
“I’m glad you’re here to help me ward them away then.” He said as he pulled her into his lap. The room filled with laughter for a bit as they both swayed on the bench, Luna happily sitting in the other’s lap.
“So care to tell me what caused the nargle swarm?”
He hesitated a bit. Harry, honestly didn’t quite know how to articulate this one. It was something that had always bugged him, but instincts and years growing up with the Dursleys made him repress it like no other. Things outside of the norm were a no-no after all.
But this was Luna he was talking about here, the girl who gladly existed outside of the norm right next to him, so he should have no reason to fear her reaction. Maybe telling her would even help him better understand this, feeling he tended to have sometimes.
With a sigh he leaned back on the bench. “Well I was thinking about my name I guess.”
Luna tilted her head. “Well Harry is quite an average name, I do think it would be nice if you started going by Hari instead. It certainly fits a lot better.”
The teen laughed a bit. “No not that name, but that certainly is a thought. I was thinking more about my title. The whole ‘Boy-Who-Lived’ nonsense. It made me think about how weird it can feel sometimes to be called that.” He continued, somewhat evading the real point.
“To be called a boy?” The silver eyed witch asked, immediately hitting the nail on the head.
It was like a weight was lifted off of the other’s shoulders as she asked him that. Leave it to his wonderful Luna to immediately understand what he was trying to get at.
“Exactly.” He answered. “But I mean, I don’t feel like a girl. At least I don’t think I do? So what can I be if I’m not a boy and I’m not a girl? What is there left for me besides those two little neat boxes everyone insists that I have to fit into?”
Her answer was quick, making his small dilemma sound like the simplest thing in the world. “Then be you.” She simply shrugged. “You certainly know that I don’t bother with any sort of box that people try to put me in, so why should you do the same. There isn’t anything that truly says that you’re not allowed to simply not be a boy or a girl. So just be you, be Harry .” Luna laughed a bit. “As far as I’m concerned, no matter who you are I know I’ll always love Harry. Boy or girl or anything in between or outside of those labels.”
Harry felt tears of happiness build up in his eyes as he looked at Luna. “What did I ever do to end up with someone as wonderful as you?”
She leaned forward and kissed him on the nose. “You listened to me with an open heart just like I listen to you.” Luna then got more of a contemplative look. “I suppose this means I shouldn’t call you my boyfriend anymore. What would you like to be called?”
This gave the other a momentary pause. He’d never thought about that before actually. Had never even fathomed a conversation like this happening, but he suddenly remembered something. “Well, Remus calls Sirius his partner. It’s pretty nondescript I think. For now at least, until we find something that suits us.”
Accepting this Luna gently copper Harry’s face in her hands. “My wonderful partner then.” The other felt himself blushing to his roots at the sentiment as Luna continued to look at him so lovingly, enjoying how cutely he blushed. Suddenly a thought came to her. “Oh, would you like to try out different clothes?”
He hesitated a moment at this, sure Harry had thought about those things quickly and fleetingly before. Of how nice skirts and dresses looked, how flowy they were. He’d thought all about feminine things he could only give a quick thought too before Dursley Logic quickly shamed even the slightest consideration of them.
“I-I’d like to,” Harry began. “but, I think it might take some time to fully be comfortable trying it out.”
Luna simply nodded understandingly, it can take a while to fully unlearn things. Instead of saying anything she leaned in and gently kissed him on the nose. “We’ll take everything at your pace, we have all the time in the world.”
It was in this moment, with Luna in his lap and a butterbeer cork necklace around his neck that for the first time in a long while Harry felt truly seen.