Written for the QLFC. Takes place during their third year, Harry's fourth.
The sky was ominously dark and Luna Lovegood had no friends. She doubted this was connected, but you never knew about this kind of thing.
She had tried. Her mother had told her once, long ago, that friends were a great joy. Her father had said that friends were as rare as Crumple-Horned Snorkacks and that they should be treasured. Sadly, she had none to do so with.
"Can I sit here?"
It was a red-head. A Weasley. She was popular, pretty. Hannah Abbott was both of those things and she had told Luna to go away and leave her alone only yesterday. Luna blinked at Ginny with a mixture of surprise and confusion.
"Sure," said Luna, picking the stack of books she had resting on the seat next to her and putting them on the table. "Is the library very full?"
"No," said Ginny, obviously startled by the question. "I just wanted to sit here."
It was Luna's turn to wonder.
She turned back to her book, which she had been trying to decode. It claimed to be a simple Herbology textbook, but she knew it had to have some sort of secret sign about a new kind of plant she was sure existed.
It wasn't in Luna's nature to question others, but curiosity kissed the nargle, as her father liked to say. She supposed she'd just have to plant a nargle a kiss next time she spotted one of them hovering around. She hoped it was a while. She'd never kissed anyone before.
"Why did you want to sit here?" she asked.
Ginny shrugged, smiling at her. Luna assumed it was at her, anyway. There was no one else she could have been smiling at. Perhaps one of the books had caught her eye. She tried to smile back despite herself. She thought it was a good smile, but she could see the amusement in Ginny's eyes. She dropped it quickly.
"Oh, shit," said Ginny, using language Luna did not expect from her. "I didn't meant to- your smile is fine. Do you smile like that a lot?"
"Not really," she admitted. "I don't have a lot of people to smile at."
"Oh," said Ginny, who looked upset at that information. She wasn't sure why. "I'm sure that's not true."
"Here at school it is," said Luna. "I've learned that if I smile first, people think I'm strange. I am strange, of course, but they think it in a bad way. So I make sure to smile second. But no one smiles at me first anymore."
"I don't get it," said Ginny, who now looked annoyed. She went through emotions very quickly, it seemed. "You're sweet. People are assholes."
"I don't mind them stealing my stuff as much as I mind the frowns," she admitted.
"They….what is wrong with those assholes? Who steals from people like that?" said Ginny, getting angry. "Don't you tell them to stop?"
"No," said Luna. "They just laughed at me when I told them to. At least they're happy with my things."
"That's disgusting," said Ginny. "I'm swear, I'm going to march right up to all those little pricks and hex them into high heaven. Merlin's beard, by the time I'm done they'll find less than they did when Peter Pettigrew faked his death."
"Oh, so that's true, is it?" said Luna. "My father always thought something was off about all that Sirius Black stuff. I think he's doing a story on it soon."
"Yeah," said Ginny, getting a glazed look in her eyes that told Luna that she was about to lie. She wasn't going to ask her about it, though. She wouldn't lie unless it was important. Besides, omitting truth was only sort of lying. "Maybe, I don't know what I was talking about. Anyway, tell me who's nicking your stuff, I'll set them straight."
"You shouldn't," said Luna. "It's only shoes and things. I usually get them back at the end of the year."
Ginny still didn't seem to approve, so Luna changed the subject.
"Is it true you were kidnapped and taken to the Chamber of Secrets in first year?"
Ginny appeared quite taken aback. Then she laughed. Luna stood by her earlier assessment; Ginevra Weasley's moods appeared to shift quite often. That, or Luna brought it out in her.
"You know, no one's actually been brave enough to ask me about that," she said. "You'd think someone would have by now, it's been two and a half years since it happened. But no, everyone tips around the fact that I almost died until Harry saved me. It's ridiculous."
"I don't think I'm especially brave," said Luna. "Just curious."
Ginny smiled. "Well, Gryffindors are supposed to be brave but all they do is pretend it never happened to me. Took a Ravenclaw to actually get to the heart of the matter."
"Do you ever want to talk about it?" asked Luna.
"Sometimes," said Ginny. "Not now especially, but sometimes. Part of me is tempted to go to Harry, but he still sees me as- well, as his best friend's little sister. I don't think saving me even mattered to him, really. H's gotten used to saving people."
"I don't know if you could ever get used to doing something like that," said Luna.
"I think he has," said Ginny, unsmiling.
"If you think talking to me might ever help," said Luna. "I'd love to. I mean, I'd be here for you. I wouldn't love to. It's not something to love."
"I get what you mean," said Ginny. "And thank you. I might take you up on that. That's what friends are for, right?"
Friends. Ginny got up then, pulling a traditional Gryffindor move on Luna and leaving at the perfect moment, saving goodbye with a grin. Luna didn't mind. Friend.