I had a hard time deciding...and I created this thread!
I'd like to see Ron and Hermione give it a go, so Hermione was out. I really don't want Ron and Hermione to date, only to have them break up so she can be with Harry...that just seems like a slap in the face!
I was seriously considering Ginny, but honestly, I like her better now that she's over Harry...though, she was good at knocking him into line sometimes, I do agree she seemed a little 'one-note' in book 5, but overall, I like her character better now than when she was obsessed with Harry. And Dean Thomas (though, that may not work out!) is a nice guy.
So, in the end, I chose Luna. Yes, she's a bit odd, but hear me out.
She, like Ginny and Hermione to a degree, is good at standing up to Harry--making a point with him without him exploding further (like Cho...poor Cho...she needs therapy!
that's not my being mean-spirited, but serious...she has some issues she needs to resolve...). Additionally, Luna understands Harry based on shared experiences...losing parents, dealing with death first-hand, etc.
But more than that, at the end of the book, when Luna is telling Harry someone took her things and she's putting up a sign to get them back, I fully expected 'angry/self-absorbed Harry' to either not care, pity her, or blow her off entirely. But that's not what he did. He felt sorry for her in an empathetic way, expressed his sympathy, and even offered to help. That was one fo the few (if not the only) glimpse of the Harry I've known in the last four books in OotP! I don't know if it was her situation or her, but something about Luna and who she is got Harry, for a change in book 5, outside of himself, calmed down, and considering someone's feelings--treating them like his equal and knowing that they regard him as their equal. Weird as she might be, I give her kudos for that!
~ Lizzy