A/N: This is my first time attempting this particular pairing. This story takes place before the beginning of and is loosely following Deathly Hallows. I hope you enjoy it. Reviews are always welcome and encouraged
(Rating may change to M later)
It had been a long and exhausting day at Weasley Wizard Wheezes and they had only been open for four and a half hours. Fred was restocking the Fake Wands, Nose Biting Teacups and Assorted Sickness Candies when he became distracted by the girl standing at a shelf on the other side of the room. She was standing with her back to him while intently looking at the Weather In A Bottle and Portable Swamps. He admired her shapely figure. She was about five feet and two inches tall and was very slim. Her backside however, was what had his attention the most. He glanced up to see she had dirty blond hair that was in a messy ponytail. He stood staring at her until a small firework exploded above his head, scaring him and the customers around him. He glared at his twin brother who glared back at him with his arms raised.
"Oie! Fred! Quit oogling the customers and get back to work," George shouted.
Fred shook his head and finished restocking the items. To his surprise, she was still standing there unphased by the firework as if she had not even noticed them. Fred then came behind the counter and George shook his head with a chuckle. Fred did his best to ignore his brother and kept glancing back at the blond haired girl in between customers. Eventually he noticed that from the side, she looked familiar but he couldn't place her. All the while, George kept laughing, grinning and shaking his head.
Finally he had enough and pushed his brothers shoulder. "What is so bloody funny huh?"
George snorted. "You are. I've never seen you so smitten before, Fred. It's as amusing as it is sickening," he joked. "Especially when you have no idea who that is you're smitten with."
Fred glowered at him. "Since you obviously know, who is it then?"
George grinned. "You'll see. Shes coming to check out right now."
Before Fred could see her, he had to help two more customers. After the second customer, he was looking down to separate the galleons and sickels from the last purchase when she came to check out. Without looking up he asked, "Find everything alright?"
Suddenly an airy and dreamy voice responded. "Oh yes. It did take a while though to find the best swamp and the one bottled weather with the most imperfections."
George turned away with his grin wider when Fred's eyes grew wide as he looked up. "It can't be," Fred thought. When his brown eyes met her beautiful gray, possibly silver eyes, he discovered it was, Luna Lovegood. He stood and stared awkwardly at her for a moment longer. He snapped out of it when she spoke again with concern in her voice.
"Are you alright? You weren't bitten by a Flubber Worm were you? That can cause paralysis if you see bright colors after being bitten."
Fred shook his head. "What? No, no. I'm sorry it's just you... Never mind. Will this be all?"
"This will be it. And I'm just what?" she asked.
"Don... Don't worry yourself over it. Enjoy our products and here is a... uh... a coupon for five percent off on your next visit," he stammered.
Luna smiled airily and skipped out of the store. Fred watched her leave. Accidentally ignoring the next customer at the register while his focus was on her. He tried to figure out how one girl suddenly had him acting like an idiot and barely able to speak. Of all people, how did Luna Lovegood do it. He was brought out of his thoughts when George patted him on the shoulder to get his attention. Fred turned around startled and apologized for spacing out. George laughed and waited for Fred to finish and the customer to leave the counter before letting out an over exaggerated sigh.
"You know what you should do right now, Fred?" George asked.
"A number of things I'm sure," Fred replied with a sigh of his own.
"You should go to the Leaky Cauldron and get us some lunch," George said with a wink.
Fred looked at him for a moment and then understood what his brother meant. "Yea, I can do that. The usual I take it?"
"Whatever you're getting, brother."
"The usual then. See you in a tic."
George waived him off and turned to back to talk to their employee, Verity. Fred apparated to the outside of the door of the Leaky Cauldron. When he looked to his right, he saw the disheveled blond ponytail of Luna Lovegood, skipping past him. He took a deep breath and loudly said, "Hello, Luna." She kept on going as if she did not hear him. He exhaled and whispered to himself, "Yea. Shoulda figured as much."
He turned around to open the door to the Leaky Cauldron and was startled by an airy voice from behind him. "Hello, Fred. I'm sorry I did not reply a moment ago. I was counting the number of skips from your shop to Florean's."
"She did hear me and... wait! She knows which one I am?" he said to himself.
He did a double take. "You can tell me and George apart?" he asked shocked.
Luna giggled again. "Of course. You're an inch taller and you have a scar on your left eyebrow. George has a mole on his neck that you don't have."
He pressed his finger against his eyebrow when she spoke again. "I never would have guessed you are so observant."
She tilted her head sideways and looked him in the eye. "You were going to tell me something when I walked up to the register. I really want to know what it was. Will you please tell me what it was you were going to say?"
He was taken aback by her bluntness. He felt his heart race as he took deep breath. "I was distracted by how... how... how, lovely you look," he answered awkwardly.
She stood and stared at him. He felt himself grow nervous in the silence and her expressionless look. She then smiled her dreamy smile that he couldn't help but admire. "Thank you, Fred. That's really kind of you. You look great too. Why was that so hard for you say?"
He looked down and blushed. Even though she took it as a compliment and not him being serious. Before he knew it, he was walking with her. They were heading toward Florean's while she told him about the Quibbler and he told her about the joke shop. They entered Florean's and Fred paid for their ice cream. Fred got a scoop of Bertie Botts Every Flavor Beans and a scoop of Mint Chocolate Chip and Luna got scoops of the muggle flavors, Peppermint and Green Tea.
He watched with intrigue when she mashed and mixed her flavors together. Everything about her was eccentric. He really wanted to get to know more about her. They quietly ate their ice cream. All the current events in their lives, school, the joke shop, the war, was all none existent. He enjoyed the moment until she looked at him with a grateful smile on her face. He returned her smile with one of his own.
"Thank you, Fred," she said with a tone that matched her smile.
"For what?" he asked confused.
"For being so kind to me and showing me friendship. For not assuming I'm looney just because the others call me that. I must admit, it was amusing at first but now it's outright annoying, really. Especially since many of those who call me that were in D.A. with us and know that I'm not. It was truly upsetting. Thank you for not being one of those people."
Fred shrugged. "You know the things I have done and am known for. I like to think that I'm considered strange and unusual in the way I go about things. Which I take pride in as a matter of fact. Regardless, who am I to judge someone just because they're slightly different from everyone else?"
Luna then hugged him. Immediately he returned her hug. When they released, he looked at her again and smiled. Many thoughts raced through his head. He was enjoying having a conversation with her and now this moment.
"Thank you for being a friend to me, Fred."
His heart sank. "Friend," he thought with some sadness. Then a thought came to his mind and he decided to act on it.
*30 Minutes Later*
Fred walked back into the joke shop the with bags of food from the Leaky Cauldron and turned the sign to the side that said, "Be back in thirty minutes." It was what he always ordered, the daily special. He floated the bags behind the counter before rejoining George and Verity. George looked at him with surprise. Verity smiled at the look on his face.
"Enjoy ourselves did we? It took you long enough," He asked half joking and half mocking. "It only took you over an hour, Fred. What dd you talk to her about?"
Fred shrugged and raised his eyebrows. "Anything and everything. Idle chit chat."
"I'd say more than idle. You're damn near floating Fred. I'd say it went well. Good idea, George. Having him go talk to her," Verity chimed in.
"I agree. I don't recall you even being this way over Angelina or uh, which of the Patil twins was it?" George asked.
"Which one and which fling?" Fred asked.
Verity suppressed a laugh as George spoke. "What do you mean which one?"
"Couldn't tell them a part sometimes," Fred answered casually and unwrapped his food.
"Fred you're a twin!"
"Well I'm not their twin, George."
Verity chimed in again. "Stop deflecting, Fred. When are you going to see her again?"
He sighed. "She mentioned being, friends. Since I want to see her again, I invited her to Bill and Fleurs wedding as my date."
George looked at him taken aback. Verity thought it was sweet.
"Her and her dad are already invited, brother."
"Yes, but she is my date to the wedding. I can't help it. There's just something about her. I want to be around her again."
"Ginny's going to love this," George said and tucked into his food.
Fred's began trying to figure out why he was falling so hard for someone he hardly knew. Someone who was also his sisters age none the less. It was something about the way she looked at and talked to him. He smiled when he thought about the fact that she knew he was Fred. He decided he would answer those questions the next time he saw her and tucked into his food himself. If things went his way, he would be seeing her sooner than the wedding and the gears began turning in his mind.