Written for the Quidditch Fanfiction League Round 9

Prompts - Luna Lovegood. [Word] Rich. [Dialogue] "It's so good to be home." [Setting] Treehouse

Rating - T

Word Count – 1323

Thanks to Ca (moonrainer), Audrey (halcyon epochs), Adi (istartedthefire) and Vic (conjecture), for betaing :)

"It's so good to be home," Luna said, dumping her bags and her suitcase on her bed. She had just spent six weeks in Hawaii, and she looked like a burnt tomato. She stood, looking at herself in the mirror. She hadn't realised how tanned she was until now. She traced the tips of her fingers down her tan lines to see if they hurt.

"Since when do you admire yourself?" Ginny asked, interrupting Luna, leaning against the wall with her arms folded. Luna figured that Ginny had probably been there the whole time; she must have crept up the wooden ladder without her noticing. "And do you still hang out in this old dump?"

Luna said tartly, "I wasn't admiring myself. I was checking my tan."

"Yeah, right!" Ginny chuckled. "So, how was Hawaii? Did you meet any cute boys?" she asked, jumping onto the bed. She liked to tease Luna when it came to boys, because she knew Luna hated talking about them.

"No!" Luna blurted, starting to blush a little. "And why would you care anyway?" She turned to unpack her suitcase.

"I was just wondering," Ginny replied, leaning back to lie on the bed, smirking.

Luna laughed. "Why are you smirking?"

"Why can't I smirk?" she asked in turn.

"Because you never pull faces like that," Luna replied, knowing Ginny was up to something. She started to worry because she knew that all that Ginny had said was true. Luna had met a boy, she had fallen in love, and she had just had her heart broken.

Ginny grinned widely, knowing that this would make Luna crack.

"Fine," Luna groaned, making her way to the bed. She threw herself next to Ginny and told her everything.

Someone tapped her on her shoulder and she spun around, startled, only to lock eyes with the most attractive person she had ever seen.

The boy was tall and slim with tousled black hair and azure eyes, the same exact shade as hers. His shirt clung snugly to his torso and outlined his six-pack. As soon as she had turned around, his hand had jumped to the back of his neck, rubbing it shyly. His voice wavered as he said, "Hello."

It was clear he was nervous with the way he was acting, but Luna found it cute.

"Hello," Luna replied warmly. "Or should I say aloha?"

Amusement flashed through his eyes, but his shy expression didn't change.

"Er — I was wondering if you wanted to go and get a drink with me?" he asked.

Luna raised an eyebrow. "I'm sorry, I don't even know your name."

"O-oh, how silly of me," the boy said, flustered. His cheeks were turning pink. "I'm really sorry."

"No, it's okay," Luna assured him. "I'll start. My name is Luna."

"Luna," he echoed, a small smile appearing on his face. "I'm Peter."

Peter. She repeated his name to herself; she liked it. "Yes."

Peter looked confused. "I'm sorry?"

"You asked whether I wanted to grab a drink," Luna reminded him.

"Oh, yeah, yeah," he replied, putting his hands to his face. "Sorry, I'm just a right mess."

Luna smiled. "It's fine," she reassured him. "But maybe you can make up for it by getting me that drink?"

They went over to the bar, and as promised, he bought her a drink. They chatted for a while, learning more and more about each other, and Luna realized they had more in common than she thought. He was from the same part of Britain that she was, he loved travelling, and his parents also ran a Muggle magazine company, and they were quite rich because of it.

As the evening wore on, the gap between them lessened, both physically and emotionally. Once they passed the awkward phase, they progressed into a more natural dynamic.

Peter was funny — his stories made her laugh, because he was an animated storyteller — and he was also quite sweet, offering to pay when she wanted a second drink. She didn't let him, of course, since he had already bought her one, but the gesture was still touching.

(And the handsomeness was a bonus.)

Evening faded into night and it was time to say goodnight. As much fun as she was having with him, it had to end, like all things did.

Peter offered to escort her to her hotel room and she let him, wanting a few more minutes with him.

"Will I get to see you again tomorrow?" he asked as they arrived at her door, his blue eyes earnest.

"Maybe," she said evasively. "I'm staying here for a few days, so you might."

Her breath hitched as Peter stepped closer to her, his eyes soft. "I had a good time tonight, Luna," he whispered.

Her heart was fluttering. "I did too," she replied.

They stood there for a few seconds. Luna waited to see if he would make the next move, holding her breath.

And then, he gently pulled her into a hug. It wasn't exactly what she had been expecting, but she still melted into his embrace. "Thank you," she murmured.

"No problem." His breath tickled her ear.

And then, he'd pulled away. Before she could fully register what had happened, he was gone.

"Aww!" Ginny squealed. "That's so cute!" She had never heard Luna sound so happy. Ginny thought it could only get better from here, until Luna's smile dropped and tears started to build up in her eyes.

"Ginny, I don't want to talk about it anymore," she said. She looked down and started to fiddle with the keychain on her bag.

"You have to, Luna. Now that you've started, you might as well finish," Ginny said, trying to sound comforting. "I'm your best friend. You can tell me anything." Luna knew that giving advice or trying to help when someone was feeling down wasn't Ginny's forté, so she appreciated that she had tried.

Luna thought about it for a moment. If she told Ginny what had happened, she would have to admit that her heart was broken, and if she didn't, she would have to carry the weight of this secret. Luna looked up and realized that this was Ginny; she was her best friend, and she could tell her anything. Plus, Ginny would probably find a way to force it out of her — she was great at convincing people.

"Fine. I'll tell you," she agreed. "But you have to promise not to tell anyone."

"Ipromise," Ginny swore.

Luna opened her mouth. Nothing came out.

Luna tried to speak, but she couldn't. It was difficult to say it — to admit that she'd felt something for him. Saying it would make it real somehow. She cupped her hands over her face and started to sob.

Ginny immediately reached for her, pulling her into a hug, and tried to make her feel better. She knew from her reaction that the boy in question had broken her heart.

"I really felt like we could've had something, Ginny, I really did. I just don't know what I'll do without him," Luna cried. "I miss him. I miss how he loved to eat chocolate. I miss how he always asked whether his face had food on it, about three times after eating. I miss how he would always kiss me on the forehead whenever I was feeling down. I really miss him."

"Don't worry," Ginny said sympathetically. "It'll be okay. It wasn't your fault."

"Of course it is," Luna said, still sniffling. "Who would like me? I live in a treehouse!"

"Well, you're forgetting that this treehouse has the best Internet connection," Ginny told her. Luna started to laugh a little.

"Well, I admit, I forgot about that."

"You'll see. It isn't all that bad."

Ginny wrapped Luna's torso in a hug, stroking her hair. It was in this moment that Luna realized: everything would be okay.