So I was writing my other fanfic, and this George/Luna one came to mind. Just to clear up any confusion, the first part takes place in fifth year, and the second half of the chapter happens shortly after the battle at Hogwarts and it will continue on from there. I don't quite know how good this story will be so please let me know if you would like me to continue.

So, please read and review, or you'll meet the same end as poor Fred : ( No really, Please do review.

I do not own Harry Potter obviously. I am just borrowing her characters : P

"For the last time, Crumple-Horned Snorkacks do NOT exist!" A Ravenclaw boy was standing over a petite girl, whose long blond hair flowed all the way down her back, her pale, porcelain skin delicate, as though she would break at the slightest touch.

The statement caused a look of defeat - a look that was entirely foreign to Luna Lovegood - to take up residence on her face. The defeat was brief and fleeting, but was there long enough for George Weasley to notice, before the dreaminess came back into her eyes, and the calm, slightly blank quality came back to her features.

Luna spoke in her unusually soft and dreamy voice. "We can hardly know what is real and what is not, for sure," she told him, a faraway look in her eyes, "I rather choose to believe."

The Ravenclaw looked at her and shook his head, a look of disgust crossing his face. "You should have been sorted into Hufflepuff," he told her, sneering, "You're about as stupid as one."

In typical Luna style, she chose to defend, not herself, but the Hufflepuffs. "Stupidity has nothing to do with being a Hufflepuff." she asked him and then looked at him, "No matter, You probably have an infestation of Wrackspurts or Nargles that is distracting your thinking processes. You should get that checked out, you know."

Across the hallway George Weasley shook his head at the way Luna seemed completely unable to defend herself and turned to Fred. "I think it's time we stepped in over there don't you think?" he said, keeping one eye on Luna and the Ravenclaw boy, whose name he did not know.

Fred was confused. He had been thinking about other things, like the DA, and Luna Lovegood was hardly of any concern to him. He looked at George and reached up to knock on his head with his knuckles. "Hello George? What is wrong with you? That's Loony Lovegood over there."

George frowned at him, and Fred was completely confused at Georges behaviour. "Since when did you care about what other people say Fred?" He asked his brother. Really, since when did Fred judge people by what other people thought of them?

Fred sighed and let out a breath. "Well, alright. I don't know why you are bothered about this though. She's only talking to her boyfriend."

George almost choked on the breath he was taking and coughed. "What?" he exclaimed, unable to believe his ears. How could any guy treat his girlfriend this way? "What do you mean by 'boyfriend'" he asked forcefully.

Fred frowned, wondering in his own head about George's sanity, and exactly how intact it was. He knew his twin well enough to know that he wouldn't back down from whatever was on his mind now. "Exactly what I said. Loony and the Ravenclaw kid are dating," he rolled his eyes at the way George now seemed frozen to the spot, "Come on."

He touched George's arm and led him to where Luna and her boyfriend were still standing, locked in fierce conversation that was really only fierce on one side, because Luna was replying with vague answers that hardly made any sense.

The boy threw his arms up in the air in frustration as they approached. "I'm so sick of you Loony!" he said, his voice high and loud, "Why can't you just be normal? Or sane at least?"

"I'm sane, I just-" Luna started to speak, but by this time an enraged George had reached the two, Fred following close at his elbow.

"Excuse me mate," George said loudly, "What did you just call her?"

The Ravenclaw looked at George, a smirk on his face. "And who are you?" the Ravenclaw sneered, "Oh wait- Red hair, Freckles… A Weasley I'd bet."

"His name is George," Fred cut in, glaring daggers at the guy.

"And her name is Luna," George said forcefully. He couldn't understand why Luna just let him call her 'Loony' and why she let him walk all over her.

Fred smirked, "And there is nothing wrong with being a Weasley," he added.

Luna was looking towards Fred and George, her eyes alight with a curious burn. No-one had ever stuck up for her before - apart from Harry, Hermione, Ron and Ginny. Despite them, no-one had ever stood up for her quite like this. George was literally edging his way in between Luna and the Ravenclaw that he still didn't know the name of and didn't intend to find out. His body hid Luna protectively and Luna peered out from around him, catching George's eye as he looked down at her.

Catching her eye distracted George. He didn't know what it was about her that drew him in. Maybe it was because she was so small and got picked on so much, or maybe it was because she was so unique, so beautiful.

Wait- did he just use the word beautiful to describe Luna Lovegood? It was true that it was how he saw her. He doubted that anyone could deny that she was pretty. He groaned inwardly because in his own mind he could see where this was going; the sudden protectiveness, the use of adjectives such as 'beautiful', the odd jealous feeling that he didn't quite recognise until now…

He shook his head and looked away from her trying to push away the feelings he held for her. It was just a crush - he'd get over it. He didn't quite know how it had started, but he had a feeling it had something to do with watching her in the DA meetings. Something about the way she was so independent, and the way she believed in slightly crazy things like the Crumple-Horned Snorkack, and despite being pushed down about it, she carried on with her own unique way. He had watched her enough to be able to tell that she was actually quite sane. She was intelligent, funny and witty. She saw things about people that they couldn't see themselves, and often surprised everyone with her wisdom and honesty.

Maybe that was why people rejected Luna; because she gave everything a chance. She believed in a lot of things - ridiculous things - but until they were disproved, she could not be persuaded otherwise. She was shockingly honest and it put people on their toes, because it made them uncomfortable to feel so transparent. She knew how to treat people with respect when it was needed, and usually when it wasn't deserved. She trusted too easily, until the person proved themselves unworthy. She believed in second chances.

He tried to clear his head, sneering at the Ravenclaw boy. "Leave her alone," he snarled.

The Ravenclaw glared at him. He clearly wasn't going to put up a fight over Luna. "Fine! It's over Loony," he yelled at Luna, "Don't ever try to talk to me again!"

The boy spun on his heel and marched away from them, and George glared after him until Fred punched him lightly in the arm, holding out something on the palm of his hand. George grinned at him.

Perfect.

In Fred's hand was one of the twins inventions; a stink bomb that crawled inside a persons clothes before it exploded. He sniggered into the back of his hand as he took it from Fred. Drawing his arm back he pitched it towards the Ravenclaw boy who was still walking away with his back turned.

He heard the sound of soft laughter from behind him, and he turned to where Luna stood. There were a few tears trailing down her cheeks, and George realised that he'd never seen Luna cry, and had never thought that he would. She was usually so strong, and so disconnected that she never seemed to let the pain get to her.

Yes, she was crying and yet she was laughing at the same time, not bothering to wipe the few tears from her face. George smiled at her, and reached out to wipe them for her. "You're crying," he told her, stating the obvious.

Luna smiled at him. "I'm not crying," she told him, "I think a Wrackspurt just flew into my eyes," she told him, sounded utterly convinced.

George smiled, wondering why that comment - that very peculiar comment - did nothing to put him off. "Well, either way-" he said, trailing off at the end and then adding, "I'm here if you need to talk."

Luna smiled at him, shifting her weight to her other foot. "Thankyou George," she told him in her feather light voice, and he fought a shiver as he heard his name on her tongue, "That's very kind of you."

"I suppose, but I do mean it Luna," he told her. He was about to say something else, probably along the lines of inviting her to Hogsmeade with him, but luckily there was a bang from the direction of the Ravenclaw boy and it distracted him from saying anything too embarrassing.

The stink bomb had exploded after crawling inside the boy's robes. Luna, George and Fred all burst into laughter as students began to run around, pinching their noses, avoiding the boy like he had the plague. In the middle of his laughter he felt a soft, slightly cold hand on his arm and he turned to Luna.

"Thankyou George," she said, leaning in to kiss him lightly on the cheek before turning and skipping away towards the great hall. He watched her leave, her long hair swishing from side to side as she continued in her unusual gait towards the hall. His cheek burned where she had kissed him, but he tried to convince himself that she only meant it as friends. She was just thanking him, that's all.

He tried not to get worked up about it, but now that he knew that he liked her, the feelings were extremely hard to push away. He didn't even know why he liked her so much. It wasn't as though they'd spent a lot of time together in the past, but something about Luna just felt so right. He knew that there was no going back on his feelings now, but he would keep them quiet for as long as he could, seeking friendship because he craved her company, but couldn't stand to let himself become to close, and then having to leave her at the end of the year to start a life without her.

Luna hummed as she skipped into the great hall, her lips still tingling where they had connected with George's skin. She hadn't been able to stay and see his reaction, because surely he only wanted to be friends. The truth was that Luna had been watching him for while now, and admired his sense of humour, the way he always stuck up for what was right, and was always eager and determined to help out, no matter the cost.

From that night onwards Luna and George knew that they liked each other, but both thought that the other did not like them back. George thought that Luna could never like him the way he liked her, and Luna thought the same about him. They sought each others company when they could, growing closer, until the incident with Umbridge, when George left suddenly, unable to tell Luna goodbye properly, the way he really wanted to.

-GEORGEWEASLEY&LUNALOVEGOOD-

Two years later

George trudged along the street of Diagon Alley wearily, pausing every now and then to push his hair from his eyes. The smile that usually occupied his lively face was gone, replaced with a permanent frown. There was no reason for him to smile anymore, with Fred gone. There was no reason to crack a joke, and there was no reason even to speak, because it just wasn't the same without Fred to finish his sentences.

In his mind he saw the face of the girl that plagued his dreams, the one he had once loved. He saw her face for a moment, and then she was gone, because he couldn't love her anymore, with half of him dead. He pressed a hand to the side of his head, where his ear should have been, but wasn't. It seemed like such a small price to pay compared to Fred's life. He wished that he could have taken Fred's place; that he could be the one lying still and cold under the earth.

George shook his head. He couldn't think about that, because it made him feel less like keeping on going and more like giving up. It made him falter in every step he took towards the joke shop he and Fred had built together.

Together.

For the first time since the battle at Hogwarts, George was going back to try and face it, even though he didn't think he could. He would only stand outside looking through the window as memories too painful to comprehend forced him away.

He wished for the only one left who could make things any better, but she must hate him now, for he had left her two years ago, without a goodbye. Even if she didn't hate him, he couldn't bring her down with him, because he was clinging on to nothing; holding onto the ghost of a person he would never see again.

Feeling depressed, he turned from the direction of his joke shop and walked in another direction, a slightly darker one, not caring what he met there. He recognised the dark alley that he entered as Knockturn Alley, and he didn't even care that he had wandered here. It was dark, and it suited him since he had lost his twin. He didn't want to see the light anymore. It hurt to much without Fred.

As he wandered down the darkening alley, looking towards the evening sky that was quickly turning to night he looked at the windows of the shops of dark wizards, wizards that would never return and he kicked a wall in frustration. It was because of the dark wizards that he was without Fred now.

An unnatural chill started to seep through the winding alley, and George looked around him for the source. It felt like dementors, but there was no happiness in him for them to suck out. The cold filled his entire body and as he stopped, a dementor rounded the corner. The rattling sound emanating from it was soon drowned out by the sound of screaming as, in his head, George saw Fred fall dead again and again. He was reliving Fred's death again and again, and his thoughts were flickering back to losing his ear, not knowing what Fred had faced back then either. He struggled to reach his wand, not realizing that it was he who was screaming and wondering where it was coming from.

He finally reached his wand, but he could not think of anything happy enough to conjure a patronus. He thought of Luna's face, the last time he had seen her happy. In his mind, her face was radiant, and he felt happier than he had in weeks, but still not enough to call himself happy. Two more dementors rounded the corner and the image of Luna's face was sucked from his mind, replaced with images of a dead Luna, laying beside Fred. Without realizing he began to scream her name, too lost to find his wand or conjure a Patronus.

The dementors were almost upon him and his wand slipped out of his hand, making a dull clunk as it landed on the cold pavement as he did. He sank to his knees, burying his face in his hands, still screaming for Luna and Fred, unable to gather the strength for anything else. In his minds eye, he could see them both dead, and the idea tortured him.

Luna was walking through Diagon Alley, close to the turnoff for Knockturn alley when she heard screaming - screams that sounded terribly familiar, because she heard them every night in her dreams. She turned towards Knockturn Alley and she could feel a chill seeping from the entrance.

Dementors.

She pulled out her wand in the dark and muttered, "Lumos." The light paved the way for her, throwing shadows everywhere. Her heart stopped as the screaming became clearer and she could hear the words. It was her name, and Fred's.

She took a deep shaking breath. It was George down there, and he was in trouble. She started to run down the dark alley, stumbling on objects that she couldn't see, her hands grabbing for the walls, for any purchase, that could guide her and lead her forwards.

As she skidded to a halt in the middle of Knockturn alley, trying to fend of the cold and the unhappiness; the memories of the Malfoy's cellar and Ollivander, she saw him in the light of her wand. He had fallen silent as a dementor leant over him, trying to steal his soul.

She thought desperately of a happy memory, settling on the day she had really met George. He had stood up for her, when her first boyfriend had turned her down. She focused on the memory, the way she had felt when George had looked at her with the sparkle in his eyes that she had loved so much.

"Expecto Patronum!" she yelled, her voice weak and wavering, but strong enough. The patronus she created drove the three dementors away, and she threw herself towards George, hoping desperately that she hadn't been too late.

George was muttering senselessly, but as Luna leaned towards him she could hear her name among the jumbled words. She took his hand, and it felt cold in hers. The dark was unforgiving, and the stars did not shine above them.

"Merlin…" she muttered, hoping against hope that he would be ok, "George. It's me, Luna. I'm here George," she whispered urgently to him, desperate for him to regain consciousness.

Through the haze that fogged his head, he could hear a familiar voice, and it was leading him back. He knew who it was, but he couldn't quite remember… Luna? Where was she? Fred? What had happened? He prayed that it was all just a bad dream. That he'd wake up and everyone would be ok. Somehow he knew that it was hopeless. He knew that Fred would be gone when he opened his eyes, and he had to be imagining Luna's sweet voice, and the warmth of the two small hands pressed over his.

He whispered her name, trying to make sense of the darkness. He was afraid that the words weren't forming like they were meant to, and he tried to remember her face. The image he conjured gave him the strength to open his eyes at last to find her leaning over him, her face a mask of worry, sadness and defeat.

She was so unlike the carefree Luna of two years ago. She was paler than she usually was, and she had circles under her eyes. Her eyes were clearer than he had ever seen them and her sweet voice had lost a little of it's dreamy quality, as though the war had caught up with her at last.

He summoned the strength to lift a hand to her face and held his hand against her cheek. "Luna?" he asked more clearly. She nodded and the tears started to fall rapidly over his hand, dripping on his chest as she leaned over him. It was the second time that he had seen her cry, ever. He felt broken, knowing that the world had finally broken his Luna. It wasn't fair that people like her had to suffer. He knew vaguely of her losses. Her father was dead; he hadn't made it out of Azkaban, and he could see Luna in his minds eye, waiting for the man that would never come back, night after night, alone in her house. He knew hardly anything of the time she was held hostage of the Malfoy Manor, as she refused to talk of what had happened there.

He reached up with his other arm and pulled her to the floor to rest her head on his chest. "It's ok, Luna." he told her as reassuringly as he could, but he couldn't see what was ok about the situation at all. His breath came out shaky, and his chest shook with dry sobs.

Her tears soaked through his shirt as she cried against his chest. He ran his fingers through her hair, feeling desperately glad that she was there. She didn't seem to hate him, and he didn't want to let her go. He held onto her until they had the strength to move again.

There they stood in the middle of Knockturn Ally, quite alone, and staring into each other's eyes. George stepped forward, needing the warmth of Luna against him, and wrapped his arms around Luna with a strength he had thought had died with Fred. She closed her arms around his waist as well, and they stood there drawing strength from each other well into the night.

So there it is; the first chapter of my second ever fanfic!

I hope you liked it, but I was rushed when I wrote it, so I guess we'll see : P I don't really like this chapter, but it will get better from here on out.

Please, please, please read and review. Tell me if you want it to continue, because otherwise, I'll abandon it.

Seriously, Mouldy Voldy will look tame next to the wrath of me if I don't get reviews : )