Improved After A Tumble In the Grass
By Chinesemoon
A/N: Hi guys! This story is a sequel to "Refreshed After A Mud Slinging." Please review!
Disclaimer: Hmm... I don't own Neville... hehehehe...
You don't run with the crowd, you go your own way,
You don't play after dark, you light up my day.
Got your own kind of style, that sets you apart.
Baby that's why you capture my heart.
Neville leaned back and shook his head. How silly of him... how could he have gotten that simple question in Herbiology wrong? He never got anything wrong in Herbiology. He was distracted, he supposed. Only, that was odd too, since what was there to distract him?
He was a hopeless case. He had been walking around Hogwarts, mopping for six years, and feeling worthless. He had no friends, he had no respect, he had no love interest...
Okay, that wasn't totally true. Sure, he was interested in girls. By no means, did that mean he was liked back. Of course not! How absurd! As far as he knew, before, no one liked him, and no one would ever like him in the future.
Yes sir, that was Neville Longbottom, looking on the bright side again!
What bright side? His mind screamed. What was there to look forward to in his life? Visiting his insane parents? Graduating from school and getting some crummy job? Feeling even more alone in his life? Great, just great.
A soft, almost unreal sigh was heard a few inches from Neville's right ear. He had almost forgotten he was sitting with someone. He looked back down at his notebook in his lap. His back itched from leaning against the bark of a tree, outside, on the grounds.
Luna Lovegood shoved her back into Neville's. She shoved him again, a smirk playing on her face.
"Don't sit there all hellish like that," Luna said cheerfully. She turned her head to the side and looked at him. He looked away. Luna grinned happily at his glum look and sighed in a far-away manner as she was so well known for.
"Everyone is always telling me I'm loony," Luna said, as if this fact delighted her beyond belief. "Just because I talk about Narwangled Perpinicles and the lot."
Neville snorted, despite his down mood. Luna had been making it her duty to follow him everywhere over the last few weeks. Ever since she'd seen him outside... ever since they'd had that mud fight—
I know sometimes you feel, like you don't fit in,
And this world doesn't know what you have within.
When I look at you, I see something rare,
A rose that can grow anywhere.
And there's no one I know that can compare.
Neville had witnessed some of Luna's never-ending teasing and taunt from other students. He was amazed at how she took it all. She always stood there, always smiling, always sighing... always so – cheerful. How did she do it? Didn't it bother her?
Neville shoved her back. He couldn't stop an odd smile from slipping regretfully onto his face. He was glad he was turned from her, so she couldn't see it.
"I don't mind loony," Neville stated softly. As soon as the words were out of his mouth, Luna burst into a fit of giggles so loud, Neville was sure they could hear them all the way back in the Castle.
"Jolly good!" She squealed. "I was rightly hoping you would say that!"
Neville laughed. He couldn't help it. Every time he was trying to feel down, and feel sorry for himself, there was Luna, bright and smiling, making him laugh. He'd never met someone so cheery and happy as her. It was so – loony.
He found himself liking that more and more. He found himself liking Luna Lovegood more and more.
Luna began bouncing the balls of her heels on the soft grass. Neville could feel the vibration from her body, as she leaned into his. He blushed unusually hard.
Luna began giggling for what seemed like, no apparent reason. Neville very nearly fell backwards when she sat up quickly. He caught his balance, and made to look unflustered. Luna crawled on her hands and knees, away from the tree and away from Neville. Her skirt rode up as she crawled. Neville turned his eyes down quickly, hoping she wouldn't see him blushing like mad. Yes, she certainly was odd.
What makes you different, make you beautiful.
What's there inside you, shining still to me.
In your eyes I see, all the love I'll ever need.
What makes you different, makes you beautiful to me.
Luna stood up abruptly. She shook off all bits of clinging grass strands and turned around to face Neville. Her pale blue eyes were almost shining at him, and the late afternoon sun glistened off her hair, making it look less dirty and more golden. At that moment, Neville saw way beyond what was loony in this girl. He saw beyond her out going and out spoken ways, and into the person she really was.
At that moment, Neville Longbottom saw a beautiful girl.
What was he doing? He was standing up... He walked over to her and stared down at her. Some odd – no, loony – need to touch her face came over him. He felt like he would go loony himself if he didn't do something soon – something big.
Luna sighed dreamily. He wanted to hear her sigh again. Would she sigh again if he kissed her? What a wild and crazy thought, he realized. He might just do it.
Luna grinned widely at him, and suddenly – so suddenly, Neville wasn't prepared – she dropped back onto the grass at his feet.
"Sit down," She commanded, happily. Somewhere in his daze of a mind, Neville did as he was told.
Luna shoved him in the chest slightly. He stared at her, blankly. She shoved him again, harder. He still didn't move.
With a crazy sort of cry, Luna dived for Neville, knocking him backwards and flat on his back. She took her time in pinning him to the ground. She swung her leg over him so she was perched on top of him. She held his arms above him – he made absolutely no attempt to shake her off.
Somewhere in the back of his mind, he was aware of his panting, and the sudden uncomfortable position he was in.
"Oh come on," Luna whined. Neville only stared up at her, still aghast. "How can we have a jolly fight if you won't fight back?" She smacked his face lightly.
"Have a fight?" Neville croaked, sounding much like his pet toad. "Why the devil should we have a fight?"
"To cheer you up of course!" Luna sighed, as if this were the most obvious thing in the universe. "Now get a move on!"
Neville shoved her lightly. Luna was not impressed.
"That's all?" She said, sounding disappointed. "Neville, you really need to show a girl who's boss! No wonder you don't have any girls hanging around!"
Neville felt annoyed at that. If he had no girls, why was she always hanging about? He shoved her again.
You've got something so real, you touched me so deep.
See material things, don't matter to me.
So come as you are, you've got nothing to prove.
You won me with all that you do.
And I wanna take this chance to say to you,
Luna yawned loudly. "No good at all Neville! That wasn't at all breath taking. How awful!"
Neville growled in annoyance. He gave her a hard shove, and she fell backwards. She came back up and dove for him. She rolled slightly, and clung to him.
Soon, they were both rolling; rolling down the steep hill next to the tree. They were gaining speed and Neville couldn't have stopped them. They made their way down the hill, Luna clinging to him, and laughing. Every few seconds he would squish her with his weight, and then she with him.
Their laughing was echoing down the grounds.
Neville felt dizzy when they finally stopped. Luna still held onto him as he sat up, dragging her with him. The grounds around them were spinning, and Neville clutched his head wearily.
Luna pulled away from him, laughing gleefully. Her hair was full of bits of grass, and Neville rolled his eyes at her.
She stood up, and wobbled slightly. He stood up with her, and she held onto his arm for support. She flicked away small pieces of grass from his shirt.
"Wasn't that just the jolliest thing ever?" She said, sighing gleefully. "Everyone needs a jolly roll once in a while!"
She took off walking toward the Castle, not waiting for his reply. He walked quickly to catch up with her.
As he caught up with her, she carefully slipped her hand into his. He didn't pull away from her. The last time she'd touched him walking was that day a few weeks ago, in the rain.
"It was fun," Luna sighed. Neville nodded, his palms growing sweaty. They were halfway up to the Castle.
"But next time," Luna observed dreamily. "You really should kiss me."
Neville stopped walking. Luna looked playfully confused. He turned to her. His first instinct was not to say anything about it. That's what he always would do. Yet, something inside of him was different when he was with her, something inside him was loony.
So the loony side of him took action.
He grabbed her shoulders and pulled her to him, landing his lips straight on her mouth. He kissed her and kissed her for what seemed like a long time to him.
When she pulled away, she was breathless. Just like he felt.
"Like that?" Neville asked, grinning cheerfully. Luna sighed dreamily, and Neville thought for the first time, that her sigh seemed real.
"Quite," She said. "Now that Neville, was indeed breath taking."
She slipped her hand back in his and they continued walking, letting a mixture of loony insanity and shy loneliness fill the air around them.
What makes you different, make you beautiful.
What's there inside you, shining still to me.
In your eyes I see, all the love I'll ever need.
What makes you different, makes you beautiful to me.
FIN