"Hello Remus."
The man turned his head slightly, spotting Luna from his seat on the grass. "Hello Luna," he sighed, proud of his voice for remaining steady. "Is Neville alright?"
"He's fine," she replied. "He just went back to sleep." She sat beside him, eyes up on the sky. "Bill's family's with him." She sounded matter-of-fact, only a tinge of sadness to her voice.
Remus's attempt at calm conversation fell swiftly to the ground, and he repositioned his gaze. "Yes, I know." He cleared his throat.
"It's terrible what happened," Luna replied.
"Yes," Remus replied, "It is." He knew she meant about Fenrir, as opposed to Dumbledore. He couldn't quite bring himself to agree, despite his understanding of the situation. He was a werewolf, and he had been since he was four years old. Bill had had a childhood, and chances are he wouldn't even suffer through transformations. His being mauled was a tragedy, while Dumbledore's death was a sentence for the rest of them. It would all change now.
Luna glanced towards him, and Remus noticed the tears on her cheeks for the first time. She was crying, more moved by this than he had known.
"Are you alright?" he asked.
"Not really," she replied, "But neither is anyone else." She paused a moment, and then met Remus's eyes with surprising ferocity. "I saw Tonks in the bathroom. She's crying."
Remus felt his chest tighten, but he merely nodded. "She liked Dumbledore very much. And she trusted Snape, along with the rest of us." He couldn't keep the bitterness out of his voice. And embarrassment too, in a fashion. They hadn't listened to Harry, and he especially hadn't. That was his fault.
"Why aren't you with her?" Luna asked, her bluntness unfazed by the night's events.
Remus glanced sideways at her, too exhausted to reprimand her. "I don't know," he answered, honestly. He remembered Luna from his teaching days at Hogwarts. She had been a bright girl, and an exceptional student. Her quirkiness had never bothered him, either. She was eccentric, maybe, but she was also the sanest student he'd ever known. That's what her forwardness was, in his mind. It was desperately needed sanity.
"Are you going to listen to what she said?"
"What?"
"In the hospital wing?" Her eyes were wide, searching him. He realized, then, that maybe she wanted a form of hope.
"I don't know," he said again, sighing.
"I have question," Luna said. She drew her knees up to her chest, resting her chin against them. She looked young.
"Yes?" Remus replied, trying to sound kind. She was younger than he, he should have been consoling her.
"Do you hate the moon?"
"The moon?"
"Because you're a werewolf. Do you hate it?"
He glanced up to the crescent shape in the sky, shivering at the sight of it. It seemed to mock him, even in this form. It might parade itself as a nightlight, but Remus knew better. It was a clock, constantly ticking away at his days of peace. "Yes," he said, slowly and carefully. "I hate it." Even as he said it, he glared up at the form in the sky. It was only a rock, really. The light was the sun's doing.
"That's too bad," Luna replied, remaining in her fetal position. "I'm named after the moon."
"Right," Remus replied, his guilt only mounting. "… I'm sorry."
"No, that's alright. I understand that you hate it. My mum loved it, though. She kissed my dad under the moonlight, for the first time."
"Did she," Remus responded, sounding distracted.
"Yes, she did. She wanted me always to remember it that way. The moon, I mean. No matter what happened, she wanted me to think of the moon as romance and as hope." She finally shifted position, her neck straightening. "I suppose it's the opposite for you. Isn't it?"
"Isn't what?"
"The moon," Luna said. "It's not romance or hope, is it?"
"No," Remus answered, sounding terribly tired. "It's not."
"The thing is, though," she said, beginning to braid a strand of hair. "It's not all bad. We're sitting in its light, right now. It's not hurting us." Remus glanced up, so incredibly tempted to disagree. She was right though, of course. It was giving them clear vision, and it wasn't hurting a fly. "And Remus," Luna continued, speaking quickly, "You could have your first kiss under the moonlight too. If you go and find Tonks."
"Luna," Remus said, now taken aback. He liked her forwardness to a degree, but sometimes it got a bit personal. "You're too young to understand."
"No I'm not," Luna replied. "My mum died, and she loved the moon, but I can still think its a happy thing. It will always make me think of her." Her eyes filled with tears, "And now Bill Weasley will think of it as a curse too."
"Oh Luna," Remus said, trying his best to soothe her. "Tonks… she has nothing to do with the moon." He put his arm tentatively around the young girl's back, hoping to reassure her.
"Of course she does," Luna replied. Her voice was strong, despite the fact that she was weeping. "You said you can't be with her because you're a werewolf. Isn't that because of the moon?"
Remus paused. She was right, of course. That was the reason, for the most part. More importantly than his age or his money, he was a werewolf. And to be perfectly honest, he was afraid. For both of them.
"Go to her, Remus," Luna said. "Please? You could have your first kiss, under the moonlight." Rather than sounding strange, she merely sounded like a hopeless romantic.
"I'm afraid," Remus confessed, in a small voice. He could tell her, he felt. She would understand, perhaps.
"That she'll end up like Bill," Luna said.
"Yes," Remus replied.
"And that you'll do it," she continued.
"Yes." Unexpectedly, he felt his eyes fill to match hers. They'd lost Dumbledore, and they'd almost lost Bill. Why did he need to put Tonks at just as high a risk?
"But Remus," Luna replied. "Dumbledore's dead. She, and you, and I, we'll all be in danger. It doesn't matter that you're a werewolf." It was a sweet thing to say, although he took it differently she intended it. "And," she went on, "That doesn't matter. She's your friend, isn't she? Shouldn't you help her, whether it's romantic or not?" She refused to let their eyes break contact, enforcing her point with everyone second they remained connected.
"Okay," Remus said, at last. In truth, he consented merely because he desired to be around Tonks himself. He needed her comfort, just as badly as she needed his. "I'll go to her."
"Really?" Luna asked. She looked elated, her tear-glazed cheeks pinched with a smile.
"Yes," Remus said, smiling back. "Dumbledore would have wanted it, wouldn't he?"
"Most certainly," Luna replied.
Remus gave a nod to her, and then rushed off. He could feel his adrenaline soar, the thought of finding Tonks masking his grief. Meanwhile, Luna blew a kiss to the moon. She had done this for her mum, and for Dumbledore as well.