Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter - at all! I wish I did though.
This is a Harry Potter challenge entry for the Broadway Musicals Challenge (HPFC).
Pairing: Ginny/Luna
Song: Without You - RENT (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)
Rating: T for Teen.
The Hope of Dawn
A battle weary ginger haired teen knelt in the wreckage that was the Great Hall of Hogwarts. Tears streaked her dirtied face in a mask of utter defeat. Her eldest brother – or at least one of them, lie just before her - cold and lifelessly pale. His countenance was what Ginny now thought a grotesque manifestation of hilarity. His mouth perpetually turned up in the mischievous laugh of his. Even in death he was still laughing, she absently mused.
George on the other hand was inconsolable, outright wailing over top of his twin's corpse. His hands gripped Fred's shirt tight enough that Ginny heard his knuckles pop. She couldn't even imagine how he felt at a moment like this, having been permanently disfigured and now he had to deal with his other half being ripped from him.
Even now, with a face marked with tears, blood, and dirt Ginny was in a numb haze. So many bodies, so much destruction and worse enough she couldn't find her. Her close friend was missing from her side – Luna, she was gone. Having disappeared following the supposedly 'dead' Harry Potter suddenly springing to life.
The chaos that ensued just after that was monumental; Luna had been standing right beside her. She could remember what had just happened not so long ago all so clearly.
Voldemort was all too happy to present Harry's body and all but parade it before the light wizard's faces. Ginny wasn't sure what she had cried out but she was struggling to step forward but someone had a tight hold on her arm. 'Oh please, Merlin!' She began to pray with tears in her eyes. 'Not Harry, please let it be some cruel joke.'
She was being pulled back into the crowd of students, a somewhat safe distance away from the death eaters in the event that they lashed out in an attack. A hand was holding hers, Ginny turned to look down at the pale – nearly translucent hand laced with hers. There was a black beetle ring on the thumb and another silver ring on the index finger.
Raising her head Ginny found herself looking at Luna, the serene smile that was always found on the Ravenclaw's face was still ever present. "Luna…" The Gryffindor girl said with a shuttering breath. She instantly felt a wave of gratitude that it was Luna offering silent comfort. The two had become close in the last year or so with Harry, Hermione, and her brother – Ron's disappearance in favor of horcrux hunting.
"Don't worry, Ginny." Luna's soft voice fluttered like butterfly wings to her ears, the words sinking into her and taking away some of her sorrow. Before either of the girls could say anything more the crowd collectively drew in a sharp breath. Harry was alive! Ginny's heart soared as she watched the love of her life run from the court yard flinging spells left and right. Everything was a right panic after that, a blur of ducking curses and spells from either side.
Luna had pulled her off to the side behind a fallen piece of stone from the castle no doubt. "Ginny, you have become one of my closest friends." Luna began, grabbing the ginger haired girl by her shoulders. "Please – please be safe, my friend." She told her in an uncharacteristically and frighteningly serious tone.
In the blink of an eye the serenely mellow girl moved forward, her lips ghosting over Ginny's for a moment. Confusion, delight, and other emotions of the like welled up and swirled within Ginny. Although, before she could do anything both Luna and her soft lips were gone. She briefly glimpsed the Ravenclaw girl throwing a questionable light curse at a death eater holding the crucio curse on Dean then disappeared into the mesh of bodies.
Ginny unsteadily rose to her feet while shaking her head and turned on her heel, her mother was immediately at her side and clutching her arm. Her mother was talking but she didn't hear it, the teen only drew in a breath and pulled her arm away and continued on walking. She needed to find Luna – she just had to find her.
Her jeans were wet at the bottom, the right leg torn at the knee and blood streamed sluggishly down her leg into her secondhand dragonhide boot. The left arm of her long sleeved shirt was torn at them seam and only seemed to be hanging on by a thread. Ginny limped past Harry, Hermione, and Ron – her eyes locking with Harry's momentarily before moving on determinedly. More tears pooled in her eyes, stinging them but she blinked them back and exited the Great Hall.
It wasn't long before she found Luna; she was sitting with her back to a portion of castle wall that was broken down. Her legs were crossed out in front of her – hands resting oddly at her sides and she was sitting in what appeared to be a companionable silence with Neville. The latter of the two looking more banged up then the former. Keeping this in mind Ginny observed that while Luna looked significantly better than Neville she wasn't completely unscathed.
"Oh, Ginny." The soft spoken blonde greeted her warmly, a smile playing at her lips which were slightly plumper due to a split on the bottom one. "I'm glad you are doing okay, Neville told me you were with your family." Luna continued on as if that explained why the girl hadn't sought Ginny out.
"Oh." Was Ginny unintelligent responsive, plopping down beside her friend to give her protesting leg a rest. It was then that the girl began to feel awkward, so she settled for discreetly looking Luna over.
Her blue sweater was mud stained and had small splatters of blood as well as being damp over all. On the other hand her lavender jeans were all dry except for the knees which were littered with grass stains and dirt. Small nicks and cuts were scattered across her pale skin and still she sat there looking pleasant.
Ginny fumbled with what to say, she only continued to stare at Luna with a questioning look. As if sensing the somewhat tense air around the two girls Neville stood and announced that he was off to see Madam Pompfrey and Nurse Wainscott. After leaning over to gather the sword of Gryffindor he was off, limping back into the castle.
Long after he left the girls – now young women did not utter a word to each other. Minutes dragged along before Luna slid a bruised and slightly bloody hand over to Ginny's grabbing it tightly. The other girl turned to the blonde looking at her searchingly but Luna never turned to look at her. She only stared out into the horizon, her small smile still on her lips.
Ginny's expressive brown eyes filled with tears for the millionth time that day, she was just so confused – so emotionally distraught. A sob built in her throat and she fell over onto Luna's shoulder, weeping softly. Luna's smile only widened marginally, her hand laced with Ginny's coming to rest on her friend's cheek.
"Don't worry Ginny, everything is alright now." Luna assured with her soft yet confident words, patting the crying girl's cheek.