Written for the Houses Competition, Year 3 Round 2

House: Hufflepuff

Position: Prefect

Category: Short

Prompt: [Colour] Lime

Word count: 2187

Beta: Magi

Note: Written while listening to "Lonely Together" by Avicii ft. Rita Ora

Luna tapped the table nervously. Being out in the Muggle world was never something she liked, but she knew that a few drinks might stop the pain. She wasn't a drinker, no, but with everything that had happened in her life recently was enough to make her feel this strong urge to drown the memory while letting loose and having fun, like Ginny said she should do.

So, instead of feeling sorry for herself and sulking at home, she put on her favorite lime dress that Ginny had said that is absolutely hideous but yet Luna manages to make it look good, slipped on the matching high heels that made her get blisters, Apparated to downtown London, walked in the first club she saw that wasn't full, and stepped into the lights and noise.

She made her way to the bar as she dodged people who were dancing around like they didn't give a damn about the people around them, sweaty bodies all close together, pretty much touching, women with high heels stepping on people's feet, men groping anyone with long hair and a dress. The bad memories of being dragged to the club with Ginny in hopes that they could find a decent shag for Luna but ending up with broken toes, other people's bodily fluids all over them, and bruises for being at the wrong place at the wrong time when fights would break out.

She hadn't slept with anyone for almost three years, not since—. She couldn't bring herself to think of his name. She didn't care about sex, anyways. It was all about loving one another for her, but most men didn't think that way. Her last boyfriend, a fellow Magizoologist, Rolf Scamander, whom she was dating for almost a year until she caught him in bed with his fellow former Hufflepuff, Megan Jones, because she didn't "satisfy his needs", just a week ago now.

It wasn't Rolf completely though that made her come out tonight and numb the pain.

It was all because of him. Him, being the man that was her first love. It was already two years since she'd let him go, anyways.

The stupidest decision she had ever made.

He never cared about any of the stuff that all the other men here did. He was sweet, kind, and brave. They understood each other. He always said that the cutest thing about her was when she would go on and on about the seemingly crazy creatures she's seen. Most of her "boyfriends" couldn't stand it when she did that. She was a fool for letting him go, but it was for the best. They fell out of love. Seemed so simple but yet it wasn't.

Except she never stopped loving him.

She's been holding on for so long, and it just makes the pain worse.

The loud, electropop music that Luna had never even heard before until she came out to one of these almost a year ago to drown out the pain of breaking up with him one night when she couldn't bear to be lonely anymore was making her ears sore. She kept tapping the table when finally the bartender brought her her drink. She sipped the fruity concoction, the amount of sweetness and alcohol made her want to spit it out, but she held back the urge and kept sipping it, hoping to get as drunk as possible as quickly as possible.

What actually made her spit out her drink a few moments later was the last sight she expected tonight.

Neville Longbottom.

In a Muggle club.

In the same room as Luna.

For the first time in two years.

She prayed that he wouldn't see her, but she couldn't stop staring at him, just emerging from the dance floor, and sitting down at the bar not very far from her.

She stared at his hand. No ring. She could've sworn that she saw him and Hannah Abbott together in Diagon Alley in a picture she saw in a copy of Witch Weekly from about a month ago, saying that they were engaged. Her stomach filled with butterflies at the thought of the fact that he could be single too.

Maybe he felt the same as her.

Those butterflies were replaced by panic as she saw him glance in her direction.

And that was replaced by a feeling that was similar to one wanting to disappear as they locked eyes.

Her heart stopped as he gave her a friendly smile, as if nothing had ever happened between them. She smiled back at him, all the pain she had ever felt coming back to her all at once as he walked over to her and sat down beside her.

"Hey, Luna, what are you doing here?" he asked her like an old friend.

"Nothing, just needed to get out of the house." She fake- smiled at him. "How'd you notice I was here?" she asked, her heart beating fast.

"Is that a question? With that dress, I could see you from a mile away. And I'm not lying if I say that you look gorgeous in it." He smiled. She blushed like a little kid.

"Stop it." She smiled, but deep inside, she meant it. She needed him to stop messing with her heart, making her hurt like this.

"Why are you out here tonight?" she asked.

"Same reason as you," he said, making Luna think. Did he mean he needed to get out of the house, or did he know she was lying? It was hard to tell, because Neville, ever since the war, never showed any emotions that made him seem weak unless he absolutely couldn't keep them in anymore.

She might have been mistaken, but she was sure that when he thought she wasn't looking, that she saw pain in his eyes. She tried to distract herself from that, because she knew that it would eventually turn awkward and uncomfortable, by asking the bartender to get them some whiskey. Neville looked shocked and flattered when his drink was brought to him and looked at Luna, she just faked a smile again and raised her glass. She gulped down the disgusting drink; even firewhiskey was better than that tasteless Muggle drink.

After a couple drinks, the two were laughing and chatting like old friends. It felt nice, to be so close to him again, to smell his scent that she had gotten so used to, to remember the times they had together. It brought back so much pain, and when she couldn't bear it anymore, she just called for more drinks. By now, the whiskey started tasting half-decent to Luna, and the music was almost good but giving her a huge headache. She needed to get out of the club and out to fresh air, but now that she was with Neville, she didn't want to go alone. She was starting to feel a little less lonely with him.

"Nev, I know we're having a lot of fun and all in here, but I think I should get some fresh air. Do you, um, wanna come with me?" Luna asked Neville. He gave her a slightly startled look, before shrugging and following her to the club's exit. Luna filled her lungs with fresh air as they stepped outside, but still the flashing, bright lights of downtown London were too much for her intoxicated brain. She needed to get away from the action and to some peace, but she was sure that she was too drunk to Apparate. She was just sober enough to keep her coordination while walking, however, so maybe if she could find a nice park to walk around and relax her mind. Of course, she didn't want to go alone.

"Do you want to go for a walk?" she asked Neville, who nodded, but she wasn't certain that he completely understood what she said. She knew of a nice park with a little duck pond that she goes to when it gets too much in the club, so she started walking in that direction, with Neville following her obviously quite a bit more drunk than her, as he was stumbling with every step.

After ten minutes of walking in scenery that quickly changed from noise and lights to quiet, sleepy little neighbourhoods, they reached Luna's favorite park. Green grass and slightly hilly terrain for about a mile covered the ground but was hard to see in the dark of the night.

"What are we doing here?" Neville asked.

"I like to come here sometimes. It's really nice and peaceful, and it's so pretty in the day." She sighed dreamily. She walked around the park beside Neville, reminding her of the times that they would stroll around Ottery St. Catchpole so long around, hand-in-hand, looking at each other every so often, sneaking a kiss when no one was looking which almost always turned into a heavy snog in a dark alley, full of love and respect instead of lust and need like the snogs she had had with every other man.

Suddenly, an idea came in her head. Maybe, for just one night, her and Neville can relive all those memories. Have what they had before again for one last time. Just one night, then maybe she can make herself move on for good this time.

That is, if Neville agreed. If he felt the same as her, which Luna was beginning to feel like that was the case. The Neville she knew would agree, he was never the type to move on and forget. She just hoped that he didn't change as much as she feared he might have.

"Let's sit down," Luna said, taking a seat on the nearest bench, causing a flock of pigeons having a midnight snack of Merlin-knows-what nearby to fly away in surprise, which in turn caused Neville to shriek a little. Luna giggled as he sat down beside her. She tensed up, took a deep breath, and prepared to ask him.

"What was the reason you came out tonight?" she asked. He looked at her, confused.

"I told you: I needed to get out," he said, though she could tell that he was not being entirely truthful.

"No, the real reason," she said.

"I don't know what you're talking about," he said, trying his hardest to avoid looking at Luna.

"Yes, you do," she said, turning his head forcefully to make him look her in the eye.

He tensed up and sighed. "You know why I came out. It's the same reason that you came out. I know when you're lying, Luna. You made a horrible excuse, even one of those Muggle men could've seen through you. You're a bad liar. Not saying it's a bad thing, though, but…" he flushed. She touched his arm lovingly, with the same love as she kept inside her for years, that she had all this time for him. She secretly felt happy inside, knowing that he wasn't over her.

"You can't stand to be lonely too?" she asked. He nodded. She leaned her head on his shoulder.

"Well, um, I have a proposal," she stated. He looked at her.

"G-go on…"

"I know I sound crazy, and it might be the whiskey talking, but, if for just tonight, we go back to the way we were. Have a good time. Be a little less lonely with each other. Be lonely together," she said. Neville nodded.

"Yeah, I like that idea. Yee-yeah, let's do that…" he slurred drunkenly.

"I know we'll hate ourselves tomorrow, but we'll go back and have what we had before one last time. I know we're never going to get back together, so let's have one last night together," she uttered quietly.

"So, then, where do we start?" he questioned nervously.

"Well, let's walk around, and let the night carry us, we'll just see where it leads us tonight." She smiled, and for the first time that night, it was an actual, genuine smile forming from her lips.

"But, before anything, we should start out with this…" she said, her heart beating out of her chest as she leaned in and their lips collided for the first time in two years.

He tasted exactly how she remembered, and she let herself melt in his embrace. She felt herself falling in love with him all over again. So many memories came rushing back, but Luna decided she needed to block them out. She needed to forget and stop drowning in the past and focus on the present. She better start now and live in the moment, which was still being spent on Neville's lips, giving herself to him one last time, because after tonight, it will be time to move on for good.

She blocked everything out of her brain, and fixated herself on the present. What would happen tomorrow, Luna didn't care. Neville was all that mattered.

And she'll always have a place in her heart for him, and whether she likes it or not, she will always love him harder than anyone else could.