"I need to talk to you," she said without preamble, looking around the store. "Alone."

Mac raised an eyebrow. She looked at Kristen. The younger woman nodded her head to the back. Mac gestured Luna back to the kitchens and pulled up two stools. Penelope was sitting at her table working on owl and floo orders.

"What's up then, Luna? What's wrong?"

Luna glanced at the other occupant of the kitchens and relaxed when she recognized Penelope Clearwater. She wouldn't go gossiping about town with anything she heard.

"You lied to me. It was a disaster! It was dinner and not a date and he's in love with some bint who doesn't give him the time of day and it was very embarrassing."

"Slow down," Mac said. "I dinna lie. I wouldna lie to ya, Luna. Start at the beginnin'. Tell me what went wrong. I'll break this other tart's legs."

"Not appropriate," Penelope commented without looking up.

Mac rolled her eyes. Penelope was trying to teach Mac to be more of a lady. It was a fruitless effort so far.

Luna drew in a deep breath and let it out slowly. She'd managed to hold it together since that disastrous evening, mainly by avoiding Ginny. Now though, there was Mac to lend a sympathetic ear.

"I had dinner with Harry Monday night. And it was a disaster. And it wouldn't have been if I hadn't believed you. My patronus would still be an innocent rabbit and not a great bloody stag. But, no, I had to let my head be turned by you saying that he fancied me. Well, he doesn't, not a whit. Dinner was awkward and horrible and he all but admitted that he likes someone who's too stupid to like him back. And he wouldn't even tell me who she is so that I can rip her hair out."

She started to take deep, calming breaths as she realized that she was ranting. "And when I asked about her, what qualities she had, he... Well, his body reacted in the expected way. And we couldn't even look at each other because we were both so mortified. I might have lost a good friend because I had the stupidity to go and fall in love with him, Mac. What do I do?"

"Harry's a lovely person, but he's deeply stupid when it comes to women. I dinna lie. I am no' wrong."

"What were you doing when he had this reaction," Penelope said quietly. "Sorry to intrude, but I have some experience loving a man that is deeply stupid when it comes to women. Perhaps I can offer some advice."

Penelope was always willing to help a former housemate. She recalled Luna Lovegood being very bright. Slightly odd, yes, but clever too. The clever won with Penelope. Besides, she was friends with Mac, and if one could be friends with THE MacDougal, one could be friends with anyone.

"Looking at his knee," she explained, only to find that it wasn't enough detail for the other women. "The candles went out when we decided to skip dessert and Harry banged his knee against something when he decided to go for the door. He either couldn't wait to escape me or his brain wasn't functioning due to the lack of blood because he didn't even cast a lumos. I made him sit down and I checked out his knee as well as I could through his trousers. He refused to take them off for obvious reasons." She frowned thoughtfully. "We arguing about it, actually. I assume he had the reaction when we were talking about what he liked in a woman. And then he suggested a walk, no doubt to cool his blood."

Mac was glaring so hard that Penelope started giggling.

"Ya were crouched a'fore him, on yer knees, aye?"

Luna nodded.

"Wit yer hands on his person demanding he take his trou off. Oh no, I canna imagine why Harry were affected by tha. Lovely girl feelin' around on his leg, askin' him to strip to his pants."

"He was forgetting to do things and stumbling about," Penelope asked. "Like he was nervous? I don't mind telling you, I was wreck every time I was around Jack's father. An absolute wreck. I walked into a wall once for staring at him. It's not all that impossible that you make Harry nervous because he fancies you. It would show good judgement on his part. I'm not saying it's true-"

"It is true," Mac snapped.

"I'm not saying it's true, but it is one of the possibilities."

Luna sighed and shook her head sadly. Maybe she should have went to Gin after all. Mac was firm in her world view that Harry fancied her. Though... Penelope was coming into this cold, as far as she knew. Could she trust the older witch's opinion simply because she was removed from the situation? More over, could she trust anyone who had fancied Percy Weasley enough to walk into a wall? Sure, Percy had been nice enough, but not someone she had ever thought of in that way before.

Or maybe they were both just blind.

"If he does fancy me, and I'm not saying he does, mind you. If he does fancy me, why doesn't he tell me? Or show me? He hasn't done a single thing that could be construed as romantic."

Her mind instantly rebelled, pointing out the necklace. "Overtly done anything."

Before Mac could say anything, Penelope piped up. "Maybe he doesn't think you like him. That can make a man do very funny things. Some men guard their hearts just as closely as women do. Some men think they must have something to offer a woman before they allow themselves her. Haven't you been nothing more than friends for a long time? Sometimes the most difficult thing in the world is to change the way you look at another. Especially if you are frightened that they do not feel the same way."

" 'Sides," Mac said. "Harry fully admits he's pants at relationships."

"That's stupid," she muttered even as she mentally acknowledged that Penelope was possibly right. Just look how hard it was to admit to herself that she fancied him. It had taken a patronus to do that. The idea of him thinking that he had nothing to offer, on the other hand. That really was stupid.

"So, what do I do now? What I want to do is hide in embarrassment."

"Do ya want me to talk to him," Mac asked.

"No," Penelope said loudly. She looked at Luna. "It's scary, but you might try telling him the truth."

"Ya might try walking up to him and kissin' him."

"Also not a bad plan," Penelope said.

"Look," Mac got up and put an arm around Luna. "When I talked to him, he told me no' to push. He never said anythin' to the tune of he dinna think of ya tha' way. Iffen he had no designs, wouldna tha' have been the time to say? I bet he thinks on ya naked."

"You are absolutely inappropriate ninety percent of the time," Penelope snapped. "That does make sense though, Luna. Wouldn't he have said if he didn't think on you that way?"

"Maybe," she conceded. "I don't think I can talk to him, though. I try and the words get all twisted up. But I also don't think I could just kiss him. What if he didn't kiss back?"

"Well, he's pretty dumb for a smart person," Mac said. "You'd have to give him a minute. I'm certain his body would catch up, decide for him."

"Or perhaps you could just continue to hang around him," Penelope said. "Wait and see if an opportunity presents itself. Make him comfortable with you, make yourself comfortable with him. Be his friend. If it's meant to be, the rest will fall into place in time."

"I've been his friend for years," she pointed out. "And it only got awkward when I thought of him as something other than a friend. But it's really good advice. Thank you, to both of you." Being able to see two different viewpoints had helped. She thought that for now she'd go with Penelope's plan. If that didn't work, she'd gather up the courage to kiss him. Hopefully.

"Ask him to show you the dessert picture," Mac said.

Penelope made a face. "I don't know what that means, and I probably don't want to."

Luna cocked her head to the side and studied Mac. She had a feeling her friend was taking the piss out of her. Or, more correctly, out of Harry. "No, I don't think I will."

"Clever girl. That's why you were in Ravenclaw," Penelope said.





{SUMMARY} Luna goes to talk to Mac, but ends up getting a nice blend of advice about a certain someone from both Mac and Penelope.