The Great Big Sky
Oh bloody hell. My shoes are gone. AGAIN!
It must be the Nargles. They have a fondness for stealing things of blond Ravenclaws. Or maybe the Aquavirius Maggots. They must have snuck onto one of my friends' cloaks as we left the Ministry. Those pesky little buggers have a passion for shoes, as their feet are always bare.
It was a beautiful Sunday at Hogwarts. The castle grounds bare, except the crisp green grass that flowed with the breeze. The Giant squid, or Loreza she is actually called, is just waking up. She's doing rounds around the lake. I giggle. Loreza always does five rounds around the lake before going to bed once more. The sun is rising, with purple and red streaks filling the sky, like a painting. I hop out of bed, pull on my robes, and take off. I walk out of my dormitory, and into the common room. Bright sunlight fills the dazzling room. The bust of Rowena Ravenclaw's diadem is still there.
Daddy's crown is much more detailed than the one on the bust. I stand there for awhile, watching it and observing it. My father's diadem is made of Wrackspurt siphons, Billywg wings and many different parts to help it become as close to the vanished diadem that died with Ravenclaw herself.
It's not yet breakfast, so I waltz around the corridors, until I end up in the Owlery. The owls are napping after their nocturnal hunts. I hum a little song that is known to owls. The song, my mother taught me a long time ago, before she died. I stop humming and start singing
"A midnight star, a crescent moon,
They can go wherever they choose,
Yet not like us, though we can fly
As great and as high as the great big sky"
The owls are starting to wake to my song, so I go on to the second verse:
"The moon is high in the sky,
yet it cannot take flight,
we witches and wizards can't fly quite as high
yet our dreams can go to the great big sky"
"Luna?" a voice intervenes. My singing stops and I immediately blush. In comes Neville Longbottom. He's a year higher than me. I never told a soul, but .. I don't know if it's his hair or his eyes, or his love of Herbology, But I think I am in Love with him. He's so kind, and smart, and not protects those he loves. I hope one day he'll protect me because he loves me.
"Hullo Neville!" I respond enthusiastically and walk over to him. In his hand is a bright red and gold package.
"What's that?" I point to the gift. He becomes flustered, and then says it's a gift for his parents. As today is their anniversary.
"Oh that's nice…." I say when he finishes explaining how his dad met his mum by bumping into her during the sorting, as they were both sorted into Gryffindor.
"Lu-Luna? he asks, walking forward towards me. He's wearing his Gryffindor robes and no shoes either. I giggle.
"Why are you laughing?" he asks.
"Have the Nargles stolen your shoes too? I question, trying not to laugh. His feet are encrusted with pebbles and rocks from the walk up to here, even though the Gryffindor common room is really not far.
"Err… no, he says, "My fellow Gryffindors (Really it was Harry, Ron and Fred and George,) decided to hide them until I go up here to deliver the gift, he stutters.
"Oh, I say, and then an idea starts in my brain
"Do you know the song "The Great Big Sky?" I ask, hoping he does.
"Err…he starts thinking, "I think my Gran sings it so much, I memorized the whole song."
"That's nice. Not much people do." I say and we're quiet before….
"I actually know a dance to it. "He says slowly.
"What kind of dance ", I ask. Oh bloody hell; I don't know how to dance! Except one type, they call a waltz. My father taught to me.
"A waltz."He immediately turns red, and says:
"D'you mind...um….practicing with me?"
Is this happening? Neville Longbottom, asking me, a lowly Ravenclaw to DANCE?
"Err….I guess it wouldn't hurt."
"Great! he yells, and accidentally wakes up one of the owls
"Sorry! he yells, and the owl just hoots at him before going back to sleep
"Where to begin?"
"Well, he says, taking one of my hands, "I take one hand, and I put my other hand on your waist."
"Ok, I say slowly, even though I was slightly pleased.
"Then, he says, as we start twirling around and around and around, "We spin"
I never really liked twirling, but with him, I love it.
As we dance, I hum the song, so we can dance to the slow beat. He seems very pleased with himself for asking me to dance. I once caught him staring at me for a sole minute before turning away to look at his gift, which was on the ledge of the window.
At last, the song ends, and we let go of each other's hand. He seems a bit sad that we stopped dancing. He asks me to stay with him a bit longer, because the owls scare him when he's alone.
"D'you mind helping me tie this Luna? he asks and I say yes. We take the red ribbon he brought and slowly, bit by bit, tie a fancy ribbon to the gift so it would stay.
"You want to choose the owl?" he asks me. Even though I am surprised, I am pleased he would ask me. I pick one of the school owls, a black one with strange white bits on its wings. We hand the gift to the owl and it flies away into the great big sky.
The sun is up now, and students are starting to go into the grounds. We stare for awhile.
"Well, I say, "Best be getting off to breakfast".
"Wait! he cries, and he grabs my hand.
"Luna, he says and he holds my cold hand with his two warm ones." I need to tell you something".
"What it is, I ask and I stare into those eyes, those warm, brave, manly, handsome, kind eyes.
"This has been coming to me for awhile…he stutters, and then he takes a deep breath and says
"I don't know if it's your misty eyes that remind me of a misty ocean, or your interest for strange creatures, but I'm sure of this."
He pulls me closer, before whispering "I love you"
My eyes widen, and I can't believe it. I thought he never would have loved a strange abnormal girl. Yet here he is, saying it.
"Neville, I stutter, before I can finish my sentence, of I was going to say I love him as well, he caresses my face and kisses me.
Oh how it feels! I can't really describe it! It just feels like….like…happiness and love.
He pulls away, and I say "I love you too Neville"
He chuckles and puts his arm around me.
"I'm mad for you Luna, I'd do anything for you, and I know you would do the same for me".
I giggle. No one has ever talked to me like that before.
"Well, I love you too Neville." And I'd go from the deep ocean to the Great Big Sky for you."
"So does that mean… he says and grasps my hand, "You'll be my…my….
"Girlfriend? I ask
"Umm…yeah."
"Of course! I scream and I fling my hands around him and hug him. I plan on never letting go
"Brilliant! he yells and suggests we tell everybody.
"Yes we should, I say, "But….."
"But what?" he asks, alarmed
"Can we have one more dance?"
"Of course, he says, and he takes my hand, and we dance, around, around and around, until I feel like I'm in the Great Big Sky with my mother.
