A/N: (This stands for Author's Note, although the abbreviation has now been rendered pointless by this explanation) I will admit most one-shots annoy me because of the sappy nature they portray. A lot of authors who write those don't seem very genuine and it always ends with an "awwww" BS ending. I decided I needed to write one to break away from the mold, and even if this is a romantic short I will do whatever I can to make it original and interesting. So here it is… enjoy!
Loony Lovegood and The Slug Club Party
"Turning in early then, Harry?"
Professor Slughorn, the oversized potions teacher, took another sip from his goblet of fire whiskey. He was still in a slight stupor from his extravagant Christmas party for his exclusive group of students he had made a part of his exclusive 'Slug Club'. He had displayed all of the students to Worble and his vampire companion, Sanguini as if they were show ponies lined up to be judged. Although all of his hand picked prize pupils were an impressive lot, he had one in mind to make the biggest impression on the other guests. And that one person was none other then the famous Harry Potter.
Slughorn took another stumbling step towards Harry, his breath wreaking strongly of liquor. "A shame to leave so soon! Why, you've just barely returned! There are so many more distinguished guests for you to meet! Why, here comes Sam Gamgi now! Sam, come over here! I'd like you to meet…"
Before he could introduce Harry to the next approaching guest, Harry had already broken away from the group, muttering "good-bye then" under his breath. He was used to being treated with admiration amongst the wizarding world. But then again, he was quite a bit more famous then anyone else who had attended the party. The scar on his forehead was legend and his name known to almost everyone. But he was quite immune to flattery at this point, never letting his reputation get the better of him. He would have done just fine without Professor Slughorn parading him around like a brand new racing broom.
After successfully disappearing into the crowd, he looked around the party to see who had stayed since his eavesdropping on Snape and Malfoy. The room was still full of guests and though it seemed like he had been there a while, it was far from over. Slughorn was obviously just getting started. The two members of the Weird Sisters were laughing heartily, reciting a tale of their days on the road to a group of willing listeners. Harry couldn't help but smile as they raised their glasses in an unknown toast. He could swear the bass player had turned over to wink at him as they did so, and Harry appreciated the gesture. It was better then everyone else he had been introduced to, who always insisted to holler his name at the top of their lungs upon seeing him as if bragging to know him personally.
The large clock on the wall read ten passed midnight and not a single person besides himself had seemed to have stepped out. He was hoping that the party might have tamed a bit since his disappearance, but that was obviously hoping for too much. The shoulder-to-shoulder crowd all eyed him as he made his way to the refreshment table, which was filled to the brim with various foods and a large vat of pumpkin juice. Lined along it were a few mostly emptied bottles of mead for the guests. He threw his coat off, slightly exhausted and ready to turn in.
"Harry!"
Harry spun around to see a very disgruntled Hermione walking exasperatedly over towards him. She had obviously had a long night already, as her hair was more ruffled then it had been before she arrived. Though far from drunk, the butterbeer and mulled wine had obviously put a swerve to her step. She was usually straight as an arrow and completely about her wits. But now she was losing some of her sophistication.
Harry smiled, though slightly concerned. "Hello, Hermione."
"Where have you been?" she questioned, her hands on her hips. The heel to her shoe was set off balance and she stumbled backwards. She quickly got back to her prose, attempting to play it off as nothing had just happened.
"Just… about," Harry replied. Hermione filled her goblet with pumpkin juice and lightly spiked it with the mead on the table. She gulped it down quickly and set her goblet back on the table.
"Have you seen Cormac?" she asked. "I haven't seen him since…"
"Are you alright?" Harry asked.
Hermione looked slightly agitated by the comment. "I'm quite fine, thanks," she replied indignantly.
Harry shook his head. She was obviously not as fine as she wanted him to believe, but he nodded it off as if she were. He wasn't in the mood to argue at that particular moment, especially not when Hermione was in her immature jealousy fits. The only reason she was there was to set Ron back for whatever injustice he had done to her this time.
"I think I saw him leave," he explained. Although he thought this news would be no big deal to her, he soon realized how wrong he was in his assumptions.
"He what?" Hermione gasped, exasperated. "Why… why would he leave?"
Harry shrugged, although he knew perfectly well why. She had blown him off already under the mistletoe that evening and had been avoiding him ever since. If that was any sort of hint as to how the night would turn out with Hermione as his date, he had probably already given up hope.
The set of stairs that lay out behind the table filled with refreshments provided suitable seating and Hermione sat down, slowly taking off her shoes. She buried her face in her hands.
"Of course he'd leave… oh, why was I so rude to him?"
"He probably knew you weren't going because you fancied him anyway," Harry said offhandedly.
"Does he think I'm boring?" Hermione asked rhetorically, as if going through the possibilities in her mind. "I did carry on a bit about my Arithmancy final… he probably ran for it."
"You're definitely not boring," Harry explained. "He just… er, probably figured out why you wanted to take him, that's all."
"And why is that?" she asked, looking back at him in a quizzical sort of way.
Harry stalled. It was obvious she had done so in an attempt to spark jealousy in Ron. Once again, Harry bit his tongue. If she had considered taking Zacharias Smith, Harry's most recent rival, to Slughorn's party she was very blatantly desperate to find someone who would strike a note.
Hermione finished kicking off her shoes, looking more exasperated by the second. "Ron wouldn't have walked out on Lavender, I bet. They'd have probably stayed until the very end, snogging each other in public just so everyone can see…"
"Er… Hermione, why don't you just be honest with him?" Harry asked. She looked up at him, puzzled.
"What do you mean?" she asked, tilting her head.
"Well… it's just that Ron and Lavender being together really bothers you, so why don't you just tell him how you feel?"
If it were possible for Hermione to look even more flustered then before, she had accomplished it. Her jaw dropped before she started up again. "How… how I feel? I don't know what you're talking about! It's just he acts like a bloody prat when he's around her! I'm a concerned friend and I know she's going to hurt him! And… and…"
This was the kind of reaction Harry had expected. He let off a great sigh, looking away from her. "I'm just saying, it might be better to just tell him the truth."
The indignant expression Hermione wore was fierce. She opened her mouth to say something, but no words came out. She couldn't think of an argument that would disprove Harry's statement, so she clammed up.
"So what about your date?" she asked.
Harry looked up quizzically. "My date?"
"Luna!" Hermione said, reminded him whom he had taken. "She said you went to use the bathroom and never returned."
Harry suddenly realized he had never come back for her after spying on Draco and Snape's conversation. After all, that had put his mind in a completely different place. He would have forgotten about her entirely if Hermione hadn't reminded him. Now Luna would no doubt think Harry was incredibly rude for leaving her; maybe even angry, although the only time she resembled anything that resembled annoyance was when Hermione questioned her far-fetched beliefs. Still, he wasn't about to leave her thinking he had stood her up.
"Did you see which way she went?" he asked.
"She said she was going back to the Ravenclaw common room. She looked a little upset." Hermione had a serious look on her face. "You know, I think you better go look for her."
Harry nodded, about to stand. He had been incredibly rude. "Are you sure you'll be okay here?"
"I'll be fine. I was planning on returning to the Gryffindor common room anyway." She let off a heavy sigh. "Oh, Harry, tonight's been a total disaster… it might not have been so bad if Cormac…"
"Hermione!"
Before she could finish venting her feelings, Cormac McLaggen was approaching them from the center of a crowd of Slug Club members positively beaming.
"There you are!" he said happily. He then turned to Harry. "Hiya Harry! Slughorn's been looking for you. He said a few members of the counsil were anxious to meet you. Hermione, I really was meaning to tell you under the mistletoe that…"
Hermione's expression turned from one of distraught to disgust. Although she had been upset at the thought of being ditched by her date for the party, she was obviously more annoyed by the prospect of actually having to listen to him for the remainder of the it. Harry couldn't help but smile as she looked back at him.
"Well, I'll be seeing you two then," he said, realizing his role had since expired. He patted Hermione on the shoulder before standing up and grabbing his coat. He casually walked away from the two. Hopefully, Hermione would get the satisfaction of ditching out on him now that she knew she hadn't been stood up.
Harry moved sleekly out of the group of people surrounding him. He accidentally made eye contact with Sybill Trelawny and quickly broke it. She was obviously very drunk and wouldn't have hesitated to make yet another prediction pertaining to his untimely death. That wasn't the note he wanted to end the Christmas party with. It was bad enough that he had ditched Luna.
After a quick good-bye to Sanguini (who he had bumped into on the way out with a hungry look in his eyes), he opened the two doors leading out of Slughorn's office. The dim corridors the lead down Hogwarts castle was dark, only lit by stray fairies from Slughorn's party. They floated down the hall, giving it a warm green color. He was still far from the Gryffindor common room and the walk ahead of him seemed intimidating.
As he started out, he saw a shadow figure sitting along the edge of the wall looking into the garden. More fairies floated casually along the grass like bright green butterflies. He could make out her dirty blonde hair and spangled silver robes. She was quite intent on staring out into the courtyard, oblivious to his presence.
Harry approached her casually. He hadn't prepared anything to say to her and wasn't sure how upset she might be. After adjusting his glasses and patting his untidy hair down, he walked up behind her, clearing his throat.
"Hello, Harry."
Luna's dreamy voice barely broke above a whisper. She turned her head slowly back to him, forcing a feint smile. Harry returned a smile of his own, although not sure about how sincere it was. She looked away from him and continued to stare out at the faintly lit courtyard.
Harry jumped over the wall and sat next to her. He wasn't sure why he was having trouble addressed leaving her, but she was obviously intent to stay where she was. She was always so mysterious. Maybe it was why he felt closer to her then the other girls who had desperately tried to win his affection and have him invite them to the party. Luna was so unusual.
"It was a rather fun party," she said. "I've never been to one before. Everyone was very nice to you, weren't they?"
"Yeah, I guess so," Harry agreed.
"The girl you're friend's with, Hermione," she began. "She seemed upset, didn't she?" She looked over to Harry, her grey eyes more perturbed then ever. They gave her the knowing look Harry had found intriguing about her.
"Well, she's fine," Harry said reassuringly.
"She's been bothered by that boy, Ron, hasn't she? He has been very mean to her."
Harry always wondered how Luna could be so odd and yet so observant. She was always knowing, even when she wasn't let in by her fellow students.
"Listen, Luna, I'm sorry for…"
"For leaving me?" she finished for him, smiling back. "It's alright. I was just happy to go to the party at all. It was my first, after all. And I rather expected to be left."
Harry looked puzzled. "Why would you expect to be left?"
"Oh, I knew you had invited me to the party to be polite," she explained.
"I wasn't just trying to be polite. I just…" Harry stalled. His words were failing him. It did seem that was exactly the reason he had invited her.
"It's okay, I know most would think you were odd for taking me," she said dreamily. "We went to the party as friends. I knew you weren't really interested in taking me because you fancied me…"
This comment had caught Harry off guard. He really hadn't thought about why he had invited Luna. It might have been because he was trying to be nice to her, or because she was the first girl he ran into when thinking of whom he was going to invite. But there was something about her. She wasn't desperate for his approval. In some way, that made all the difference. He found it hard to find interest in a group of giggling girls all whispering about being invited by the famous Harry Potter to the exclusive Christmas party.
Harry laid his hand next to hers. Luna looked to her side, noticing his shift in position. Then her dreamy eyes peered into his, as if reading his thoughts.
"You don't fancy me, do you?"
Harry shook his head. "I… I don't..."
Luna's smile became more curiously intrigued. "Oh, don't you?"
Harry felt his face heat up. Throughout the whole school year, he had taken for granted the fact that he had a crush on Ginny Weasley. And the fact that she had a boyfriend throughout the whole year so far had made her un-obtainable. This in turn made Harry want her more. Luna on the other hand had been considered somewhat of an odd person by the rest of the school, and it was this thought that had kept Harry slightly distanced from her. But she was still very pretty in the light of the courtyard. Harry had never seen her dressed to impress before. And she had certainly never put him on the spot about anything like this. She was indeed observant if she could already sense something he couldn't.
Harry felt the end of his pinky touch hers. He moved it away quickly, as if deciding that were wrong. But Luna moved her hand on top of his, massaging it with her thumb. Harry was still very confused, not sure weather it was his feelings for Ginny or Luna's reputation that convinced him that he shouldn't be out holding hands with her. But Luna was strangely unafraid. She still hadn't looked away from him. Her confidence was unexpected, but very intriguing indeed.
"Do you want to kiss me?"
Harry opened his mouth, startled. "W-what?! I…"
But Luna still didn't look away. She was always blunt, but never like this. She gripped his hand harder, and Harry looked down at her lips then back to her eyes. They glittered with the green lights of the fairies.
He moved in, slightly unaware of his actions. She followed his motions and their lips met in a light and tender kiss. He closed his eyes, still not entirely sure what to think or feel.
Before their kiss became too passionate he broke away and looked away from her, as if ashamed of what he had done. He had just kissed Loony Lovegood; even if she was his date, he knew the whole school would think he was crazy. He could still here Peeves in the back of his head.
"Potty lurves Looooony… Potty lurves Looooony…"
Still abashed, he looked back at Luna. She was still unashamed, as if not a care in the world. She smiled to him.
"It's alright… I won't tell anyone," she said. "I know that would embarrass you."
And upon hearing those words, a surge of guilt shot to his stomach. As unusual as she was, he still thought very highly of her. And after sharing a brief kiss, he would leave her with the idea that he had chosen his ego over his brief emotional draw to her. She was a smart girl, indeed.
Luna got back to her feet, her dress still sparkling in the moonlight. She ran her hand along Harry's shoulder as he eyes her movements suspiciously. And she wasn't embarrassed at all. He knew he could learn something from her. But he wasn't ready just yet.
After walking around the wall, she looked back. "See you later then, Harry," she said dreamily. She then walked airily towards the Ravenclaw common room. Harry eyed her until she was out of sight. It was several moments before Harry looked away, breathing deeply. Though a Gryffindor, he still was courageous enough to be caught snogging Loony Lovegood; even if he couldn't stop thinking about her the entire night.
He picked his coat up off the side of the stone wall and casually wandered back to the Gryffindor common room. Maybe he would run into Ginny before he went to bed. She would no doubt place his thoughts elsewhere. It was his only hope.
-END-