Author's note:
Hello, everyone! This is my first entry for the Quidditch League Fanfiction Competition. Our first entries are fanfictions of our fellow team members' favorite pairings/characters. I was assigned to write a fanfiction for Siobhan Daley's favorite pairing/character. The pairing is: Neville and Luna! As a Chaser in this competition, I was also given the task of selecting up to three secondary prompts for the story to earn more points for my team.
My prompts:
1. The word: Beginning
2. The word: Luscious
3. The word: Jitterbug
To the story…
I followed Ginny into the Gryffindor commons when she mentioned she had forgotten her books. That is when I noticed a boy, Neville, pacing and searching through-out the room. Neville has changed a lot since his first year at Hogwarts. He has grown taller and thinned out quite a bit. Plus, Neville has even gained a lot of bravery from the final battle.
My eyes followed his moving form while I pushed back my blond hair. I have not changed much over the past few years. Other girls gained luscious curves while I stayed mostly flat. I do not mind though, a girl is not only defined by her looks. My hair darkened to a deeper shade of blond and my eyes darkened to a deep blue. Father says that my eyes had changed because of what I had seen in the war.
Quickly, my thoughts were interrupted with a loud groan. Neville was highly stressed about whatever was worrying him. I sat down across from Neville's movements and smiled as Ginny entered the room. Ginny grinned while looking between me and Neville.
"Do you think he even knows you're here?" She whispered.
I whispered back, "I do not think even a Nargle can get his attention right now."
"Luna?"
I looked at Ginny, "Yes?"
"I know you like Neville, did you want to stay here?" She asked.
I nodded before wishing her luck on her studies and giving her a slight hug. Ginny's heart is always in the right place. Neville may be clumsy but he has a good heart. The Nargles even tend to avoid him because Neville is so kind and generous. It is hard to admit at times, but I really do like him.
Neville frowned, "Where is that book on herbology? Did I leave it in transfigurations class?"
He continued to look around the Gryffindor commons for a while before noticing me sitting in the corner.
"Luna? How long have you been there? How did you even get in here?"
I smiled, "Ginny let me in so that she could go grab her books to study. I decided to stay though when I saw you searching."
He looked quite flustered for a while before turning to continue his search. I just sat still looking at his book currently sitting on the mantle. He really cannot see what is in front of him, can he? Neville became more frantic and began to pace in the room.
"Neville?"
Neville looked at me, "Yes, Luna?"
"You may want to change your point of view. Your book may be easier to find that way." I said before walking over to stand by the mantle.
His eyes followed my movements until I was standing near the mantle. Neville's eyes sparked when his gaze fell upon the book. I wish he would look at me that way. Then, Neville reached for his book and placed it on the table near his bag. A sigh of relief escaped his lips before he sat down across the room from me.
"Thank you, Luna. I'm sorry I was acting like a jitterbug." Neville said with a small smile.
"You're welcome, Neville."
Neville quickly put away his book in his bag before looking back at me. He grinded his teeth together and his hands started to shake.
I tilted my head in confusion, "Are you okay, Neville?"
"Um… Yeah… Um… Luna?" Neville asked.
I smiled, "Yes, Neville?"
He stuttered, "Ah… Would y-you l-like to go-o study together? I mean, since I did make you miss studying with Ginny, I was hoping to-"
I tilted my head, "To make it up to me?"
"Y-yeah, what you said!" Neville shook slightly.
"I would love to, Neville. Although… I heard Ginny say that the library is closed in ten minutes. Maybe we could study in the Ravenclaw tower? I hear that Nargles do not like the top room." I spoke gently.
Neville thought, "Isn't that room connected to the Ravenclaw common room?"
"No, it has a stair case that leads up to it from the main floor." I smiled.
"Okay."
The hallways were still in repair from the attack last year. It was not difficult to navigate to the stairwell even though debris was scattered through the halls. Cobwebs covered both sides of the stairwell.
"It seems as though no one has come here since my second year." I said thoughtfully.
Neville tilted his head, "Why second year?"
"That was the last time I came here. It is really hard to carry a lot of books up these stairs. Let's go." I said before grabbing his hand and walking towards the stairs.
Neville blushed before gripping my hand back to follow me. We stood on the bottom step and then I whispered to the mermaid statue. Immediately, the stairs launched upwards until we were in front of the secret room. The room was covered in cobwebs and dust.
"Hey, Neville?"
"Yes, Luna?"
"Can you help me clean this place up?" I asked.
He nodded before helping me clean up. After everything was clean, we both sat at the little brown table in the center of the room. Studying did not take as long as I had expected. In the end, Neville and I were talking about life at Hogwarts.
"Oh, yeah! Do you remember that one time when Professor Slughorn almost had a panic attack because of a little chocolate frog?" Neville burst out laughing.
I giggled, "Neville, you did the same in third year. Remember?"
He blushed, "Yeah… That was not my best moment."
"Do you remember that time when Ronald ended up being chased by Nargles? I tried to help him but he would not listen to me." I frowned.
Neville shook his head, "Ron should have listened, I know I would ha-… Never mind."
I tilted my head in confusion, "Neville, why do you do that?"
His eyes turned toward the ceiling of the room, "Do what?"
"Neville…" I frowned.
Neville started to pick up his books, "I don't know what you are talking about, Luna."
"Neville!"
All his books dropped as he looked at me, "Wha-"
I cut him off with my lips. Neville's eyes widened before closing. His arms quickly encircled my body and pulled me closer. A faint blush appeared on my cheeks before I pulled out of the kiss.
"Neville, I-"
"Luna, why did you…?" He interrupted me.
I looked down, "I like you, Neville."
"I like you too. Why did you not tell me sooner?" Neville whispered into my ear.
I smile, "I did not know how to tell you. Everything is so different from how we thought it would be, isn't it?"
"True, but it is still the start of a new beginning. Even more so if we continue on this path." He smiled.
- At the Library -
Ginny gently placed the looking glass down on the table before jumping in excitement. Harry was sitting near her with a small smirk on his face.
Ginny grinned before giving Harry a high five, "It worked! Ha, ha! Thank you for helping me!"
"All you asked me to do was hide a book. You did the rest." Harry shook his head laughing.
Ginny jumped in Harry's lap and kissed his cheek. They had been a couple for over a few weeks now. So, it no longer bothered him when Ginny would do actions like these. In fact, most people expected them to be like this with each other.
She laughed, "This year just became a lot more interesting."
"Yes, it certainly seems so." He smiled.
The End