Written for The Battlefield Wars, for the prompts Luna Lovegood and Hermione Granger.
Luna found herself in the Astronomy Tower. She often found herself here when she needed to think and tonight was definitely the night for thinking. It was past curfew, but Luna felt certain that no one in Ravenclaw would miss her too much. Besides, Luna had a lot to think about, and the nargles were making it extremely difficult.
She wanted to think about her mother, foremost. It was this night, so many years ago now, that the woman who meant the most to Luna had been taken from her. Luna's memories of her were fuzzy, images and words strewn together in a strange pattern that made little sense. The only memory that was clear, apart from that night, was of her mother reading to her before bed. It had been a silly Muggle story about a princess cursed to sleep for an eternity by an apple, only to be woken by true love's kiss. Her mother's voice had been so soft next to Luna, and she let of an aroma of strawberries and lavender. Now, Luna felt a strange affiliation with the princess, as if she, too, had been asleep for many years, and was waiting for the kiss that would bring her back to life.
Luna didn't want to think about the war, but it nagged at the back of her mind like a fever she couldn't shake. The world was growing darker, darker than she'd ever known, and she found herself glad that her hair was so blonde and bright. She knew she would be guided through anything that was to come by her own head – her own mind.
But the most important thing Luna wanted to think about was Hermione. Hermione Granger, the brightest witch of her age, and the best friend of The Boy Who Lived. Luna was fascinated by the girl, desperate to get to know her and happiest in her company. They'd shared a few secret conversations in the library as of late, and through these discrete meetings by candlelight, Luna worried her fascination had turned to infatuation. Actually, on second thoughts, she wasn't worried. It was kind of beautiful.
When footsteps echoed gently behind her, Luna turned quickly, fear clawing at her throat.
"It's only me," came a soft voice, a feminine voice, and Luna let out a sigh of relief.
When Hermione stepped into the dark space, lit only by the stars and the full moon, Luna let out a breathy sigh of relief. Hermione was not someone to be afraid of.
"Hello, Hermione," Luna said with a sweet smile that the bushy-haired girl returned.
"What are you doing up here?" Hermione asked, eyebrows knitted together in curiosity.
"I'm thinking," Luna replied, turning away from Hermione to stare out at the moon. It was nearly full, Luna noticed, thinking of the poor werewolves out there alone, howling at its mocking form. It was a shame that something so beautiful brought such fear and horror to so many good people.
"I come here to think, too," Hermione commented, smiling at their similarities.
"Really?" Luna asked. "I come here because the stars look like tiny fairies, and you're all alone apart from them. It feels as though you could tell them anything, and they'd fly away to make your wish come true."
Luna smiled dreamily, and Hermione couldn't help but stare. Luna had a way of seeing the world that was so different from her own.
"What are you staring at? Did I forget to put an earring in?" Luna asked, reaching a hand up to feel her earlobes.
"No, it's not that," Hermione shook her head lightly.
"Then what?" Luna asked. A part of her felt like she knew the answer, she had always been intuitive, but there was another part of her that wanted to be told. She wanted to be certain of something, for once.
"It's you, Luna. We're so different, you and I, but so alike at the same time. The way you see the world… I need certainty before I do anything, whereas you are happy to take a leap of faith at any given opportunity. Like in Dumbledore's Army. I practice every spell, every charm until its right. You – you don't mind the things you don't know. You take the half-knowledge and go with it, like you know you'll stumble upon the answer sooner or later."
Luna smiled.
"I know. I've seen it, too. We value the same things, but in different ways," Luna smiled. The two girls stood, facing each other, as a pregnant silence came over them. Both knew what they wanted to say, but neither of them knew how to say it. As Luna stared at Hermione, watching her eyes as they stared back at her, she smiled.
"It's okay, you know," she told Hermione, and watched as she fixed her face, making a decision. Before she knew it, Hermione's lips were on hers, closing the space between them with a chaste, passionate kiss. Luna decided she was the princess, after all, and that was the kiss that woke her.