Luna Lovegood has a thing for gingers.

Oh yes, I'm at it again.

I don't own Harry Potter, yo.

Ginny Weasley was the first real friend that Luna ever had.

She was accepting of Luna's… ahem… unique qualities, unlike her brother. And she even offered to help Luna search for her things when they were stolen. Luna had declined, as she knew that her quills were probably gone, but she'd been grateful for the sentiment. Ginny didn't roll her eyes or call her loony. She listened (if at half-attention) to Luna's ramblings. Ginny Weasley was the first person who wasn't ashamed to be her friend. She wasn't the last, but Ginny always held a special place in Luna's heart.

She'd approached Harry Potter because of Ginny, who spoke of him often with a blush on her cheeks. Luna found it positively adorable, and made her curious. If Ginny loved this boy so much, perhaps he would be a nice person as well. Her hopes had been correct, and Harry became her second real friend. He was even more accepting than Ginny, and never called her Loony. And he'd even called her "cool". No one had ever called her that before. It was just a shame that he had a thing wit Ginny. Neither of them would admit it, but it was blaringly obvious to anyone who had eyes. And Luna was nothing if not openly perceptive. But she would only wait and watch, valuing her friendship with the two.

Luna thought that Ron was a funny sort of boy. Not particularly kind like his sister, but his heart was in the right place. He was trustworthy, at the very least. She still remembered what she'd said to Ron when they met: "You went to the Yule Ball with Padma Patil." She'd only noticed at the ball because she'd seen a flash of red hair, and had mistook him for Ginny. Then she identified him as Ron, her brother, and was disappointed.

I'd like to get to know him. She'd thought. She'd flushed, then ducked back over to the bench where she'd been sitting. She assured herself that her heart was beating a bit quicker only because he was related to Ginny. Then she mulled that rationalization over, coming to the conclusion that she did indeed have a crush on Ginny, explaining why she couldn't stop watching Ron. Or maybe she had a crush-at-first-sight on Ron, and it was a complete coincidence that she spent some time with his sister? If Luna had been a muggle, she would have compared this situation to 'the chicken and the egg' idea.

Ron's dislike of her stopped any feelings she could have felt for him in their tracks. He may have respected her after the Battle at the Ministry, but beyond that, she was still batty in his eyes. But they were friends. That was enough for her.

But when Luna met Bill Weasley, she could have sworn the world did a flip flop. He had eyes just like Ginny, and a smile like Ron's. A playful smirk like the twins. But he had an air of assuredness that was absent in the other Weasleys. When she was around him… she just felt like life was in balance, like the problems didn't matter quite so much. She loved the feeling. She'd never tell him, though. Because he was married to Fleur Delacour. She would enjoy his company while it lasted, then they would go their separate ways, fulfilling their roles in the Battle. She could only pray that he would survive. The world couldn't afford to lose Bill Weasley.

After the battle, she dropped everything to see the good world that still had Bill Weasley in it. But she always felt something pulling her, drawing her back to the one place she'd felt at peace. Shell Cottage. And in the end, she couldn't resist seeing Bill's face one last time, even if his wife was there.

Apparating to the beaches near Shell Cottage, she walked along the sand and let the past wash over her. Because her future was ahead in the Cottage.

Yes, Luna Lovegood had a thing for gingers.