Ever since learning about the Yule Ball and about needing to have a dance partner for it, Harry was in a bad mood. He dreaded asking a girl for the ball, and he was afraid he wouldn't find anyone willing to be his partner.
The second problem seemed to have been resolved before he even had time to think of it. Several girls suggested, not quite subtly, that they would be glad to become his dates for the ball. Some even offered certain incentives, fluttering their eyes or moving their bodies suggestively, although Harry felt mostly frightened by them. Worse, from his point of view, was that none of these girls attracted him even the slightest. Some were quite nice to look at, like Parvati, Lavender, and Ginny, but he couldn't stand the chatter of the first two and dreaded the admiration of the third. Knowing that he was not known for being too keen with girls and quite thick-headed at times, he pretended not to get the very evident hints of the girls and not to understand what they were expecting from him. He thought that Hermione could possibly be a pleasant dance partner, but he didn't wish her the misfortune of having to dance with him. His dancing experience started and ended in kindergarten, and he'd been extremely clumsy even then.
That evening, he was sitting alone at the dinner table. Hermione wanted to check something at the library, and Ron had a detention with Snape. He was surprised when someone plopped down at his side, on the seat vacated by Hermione only seconds earlier. He turned to look at the newcomer. It was a blonde girl who was wearing Ravenclaw robes. She seemed a bit younger than him and vaguely familiar, although he couldn't remember ever talking to her. She was wearing radish earrings and a necklace made of butterbeer bottle caps. Her eyes seemed unnaturally big and not quite focused, as if she was looking somewhere way behind him, yet she seemed quite nice to look at.
"Hello, Harry Potter. I thought it was time we got acquainted," she said dreamily.
"Do I know you?" he asked cautiously.
"Not yet, but as we're going to spend the rest of our lives together, I thought you already should."
Her words didn't make it any clearer. If anything, they only confused him some more.
"Oh, and my name is Luna Lovegood, although most just call me Loony, usually behind my back."
He could sense some sadness in her last words, although he could understand why some would refer to her this way. He still didn't like it. "They shouldn't call you names, even if you are unusual in some ways," he said.
She shrugged. "I don't really mind, although it would be nice to have a real friend or two. Now, don't you want to invite me to the Yule Ball?"
'At least this is an original way to do it,' he chuckled in his mind. "Why should I want to invite you more than any other girl? You look quite nice, I admit, but there are quite a few others who seem just as nice. I know some of them, but I don't know you at all."
She rolled her eyes as if he were missing the obvious, reminding him of Hermione. "Don't you think that, as my future husband, it's just natural that you date me?"
Harry felt completely confused. Why should she claim to be his future wife? He had heard some talks about marriage contracts and betrothals, but he knew of none pertaining to him. Had he missed something? "Why do you say that? Are we betrothed? Do we have any contract?"
Luna shook her head. "No, that's highly unlikely. My parents didn't know yours, as far as I know. I just saw this in a vision."
"What do you mean by 'a vision'? Why should I even consider that?"
Luna smiled the way an adult would smile at an ignorant child. "You see, I sometimes have visions, telling me things that may happen. I saw us raising children together, even attending our son's wedding. That means that we're going to be married, doesn't it?"
Harry refrained from laughing. It sounded so absurd! "I have a lot of dreams. Why should I think that your dreams are any closer to reality than mine?"
She sighed. "I'm speaking about visions, not dreams, and I'm quite good at discerning which are real and which aren't. None of my visions that referred to times that have already passed by now have come untrue. I suspect none will turn untrue in the future as well."
Harry shivered at the implication. "Are you a seer?"
Luna shrugged. "I'm not sure. Seers can't normally see their own future, nor control their prophecies. I can usually concentrate on something and get to see it, especially if it concerns me or someone close to me. I was just wondering who I will end up with when I got this vision. Now I'm positively sure that you're going to be my mate."
"So, you think that I should take you to the ball as my date because of your vision?"
"Of course! The earlier we get to know each other, the less awkward it will be when we start shagging. You know that we need to shag in order to have children, don't you?" She looked a bit worried about his possible ignorance.
Harry didn't want to think of that. It was bound to only embarrass him further. He decided to turn his attention to a different subject. "You should know that I can't dance. I've never learned how to dance, and I'm sure to feel quite awkward when trying."
"Well, I've learned some dancing before my…" she stalled in mid-sentence, her eyes suddenly shining brightly. She swallowed and then continued, "I can teach you how to dance so you won't embarrass yourself at the ball. I can also cast a reinforcing charm on my shoes so you won't hurt my feet, if you prefer." She sounded dreamy once again. Harry wasn't sure how to interpret it.
"Then, if you teach me how to dance, I should repay you by inviting you to the ball, I suppose." This was clearly not a very enthusiastic invitation, but he was not in the mood to do any better.
She smiled widely. "Thank you, my future husband. I'm sure you will enjoy it. Would you like us to meet tomorrow after dinner and start practicing?"
Harry tried to recall whatever plans he had. "That should be alright, I think."
"I'll meet you tomorrow at dinner, then. Bye, my future husband!"
Harry sat there a few more minutes, hardly believing it was real. There was some promise in the weird girl's words, though. If he was really going to have a few children with her and escort them to their weddings, then it meant he would survive the tournament and whatever confrontations the future was holding in store. That was a comforting thought. Besides, once he got over his surprise and tried to think it over, he noticed that Luna was quite pretty and seemed to be smart, too. He could do much worse than dating her…
Back in the Gryffindor tower, he wasn't sure if he should talk about his weird encounter. He didn't want Luna to become a subject for some more mocking, as it didn't seem right, whether she became his wife or not. He also dreaded Ron's reaction when learning that Harry had gotten himself a date while Ron didn't. There was only one person he could talk to — Hermione — but she wasn't there when he arrived. He suspected she would only come back a few minutes before curfew.
Hermione arrived just as he expected. She was carrying her overloaded bag and a few more books in her arms. Harry helped her put them down. She plopped on the sofa at his side. "Has Luna talked to you?"
Harry's surprise was so evident that Hermione laughed, seeming more amused than he had seen her for quite a while. She then explained. "She came to me before lunch and asked me if I was your date to the ball, as she thought that she needed to be the one, although she wouldn't explain why. I assured her that I had another date for the ball and that you were still reluctant to let any girl be your date. This seemed to relax her. I still suggested she act promptly, or somebody else may take that position."
Harry sighed. "She sat at my side as soon as you left. She said I needed to date her as she was going to be my wife, according to her vision. Isn't that a bit weird?"
Hermione smiled reassuringly. "Harry, she's a Ravenclaw for a reason. I'm sure she didn't lie to you. The way she sometimes talks weirdly may be her way to mask her odd talents, or others may try to exploit them."
"She isn't really popular. She told me people call her Loony. That's really awful!"
"Yes, it really is, but that's not the point now. Did you take her for your date to the Yule Ball?"
He shrugged. "Unlike the other girls, she promised to teach me dancing. I thought that taking her to the ball would be an appropriate repayment."
"I thought of trying to teach you, but I'm not that good at dancing. Actually, my date is teaching me a bit so I won't embarrass him." Hermione turned serious. "Make sure to treat her nicely. She may be odd at times, but I think she's a very nice girl. In a way, her oddity may be just a mask, like Daphne's 'Ice Queen' persona. Open your heart and mind to her, and I'm sure you're going to enjoy it very much, even if you don't eventually end up as her husband."
Harry didn't want to dwell on the comparison with Daphne, as that was of no interest at the moment and could only confuse him further. "Do you think she may be wrong?" He wasn't quite sure if he preferred a positive or a negative answer.
Hermione shook her head affectionately. "Oh, Harry! You should know that predicting the future, even for the most talented seer, is very far from being an exact art. I once talked with Luna about such things. She said that her visions only indicated the most probable future, yet things could happen to change it. Supposing she sees one team beating another at Quidditch. If one of the players acts recklessly and injures himself just before the game, the result may be very different. Only if people try to achieve that future, will it stay probable."
Harry tried to think of that, coming up with another analogy. "Yes, like if somebody is supposed to win a lottery. He still needs to buy a ticket to accomplish that, or he won't even take part in it."
Hermione smiled. "Quite true. Now, if you want that future she has envisioned to come true, you need to start working on it."
He nodded. "She's going to start teaching me how to dance tomorrow, after dinner."
"Very good! I hope she can really teach you well. I'd also like to have a dance with you at the ball."
"And what will your date say about that?" he teased her.
"Nobody can fault me for dancing with my best friend. Besides, he'll be dancing with your date, so we'll be even." Hermione's smile was contagious, and Harry felt himself smile, although he wasn't sure why.
"You still didn't tell me who your date is," he noted after a moment.
"I'd rather keep it secret. I trust you not to willingly disclose it, but it may slip unintentionally. I'd rather not face the consequences before the ball."
Harry covered a yawn. "Well, it has been a busy day. See you in the morning. Goodnight."
Hermione looked fondly after him. "Goodnight, dear friend," she whispered. Harry was already too far to hear it.