This is my response to Day 21 of Sinistra Black's "Sheherazad" challenge. It is a Rena drabble.
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"Like the bright moonlight that illuminates the deep night, I stand staring at our glimmering memories." –SG Wannabe, 'Petals'
Reality. Luna Lovegood's was different from any other. Throughout the war her introspective nature and dynamic way of thinking had proven enough to sustain her spirit, making her seem untouchable- despite her harrowing experience with Death Eaters- in a way that nobody else was. As the demise of friends and family members had taken their toll on the inhabitants of Grimmauld Place, and the world had become steadily bleaker, the fey quality in Luna had allowed her to remain resilient. Although there was something undeniably fragile about her, Luna was stronger than almost everyone.
Remus remembered the way her in which knowing blue eyes had remained attentive during meetings, focussing on the speaker with unnerving clarity. One night, when apathy had made their planning seem futile to him, she had spoken to him with an unobtrusive wisdom.
"You miss them." It hadn't been a question. She had rested her chin in her hand and looked straight at him, otherworldly although her clothing consisted of jeans and a baggy woollen jumper. The urge to sink his hands into the rich tresses of her hair had presented itself with alarming intensity.
"Yes.... Yes, every day." Remus found that the admission was not as difficult as he had anticipated. She did not, as others were inclined to do, make an awkward remark in which they expressed sympathy before telling him to look to the future. Instead, Luna had covered his hand with both of her own. They had remained in this position, safely enclosed in a companionable silence.
Now, Remus realised that it had been this moment in which Luna had gotten under his skin. Over the next few weeks they had sat together, sometimes talking, sometimes not. When he was not thinking of the war, Remus found that the time he had spent reminiscing about happier times spent with James and Sirius had been replaced with considering the enigma that was Luna Lovegood. The more he learned of her, the more Remus thought of her.
It had been well into the early hours of the morning, after a gruelling night spent tracking Death Eaters, that Remus had fallen into bed, too tired even to undress or close the curtains in an effort to ward off the sunlight. When the door had swung open, Remus had barely noticed, but when he saw Luna drifting over to the window and tugging the drapes shut he assumed himself to be delirious until he had felt her slip into bed beside him. Without reserve, Luna had snuggled his side, her golden hair tickling the exposed skin of his arm. Remus had drawn on the last reserves of his strength and spoken.
"Luna... what are you doing here?" She had rolled over then, and he felt her slight weight on his chest as she leant there peering down at him, looking slightly shy.
"I want to stay with you and I think that you want me to stay with you too." They had fallen asleep wrapped around one another, and Remus slept more peacefully than he had since the war had escalated.
After that Luna had spent every night in his bed and drawn him into her calm, quiet reality. They did no more than sleep for almost a month, yet from the beginning of her presence in his life Remus had been set at ease by her. He smiled as he walked along the pathway, recalling the combination of delight and surprise that had brightened Luna's features every time they had woken up together.
Now that the war was finished Remus felt as though he had woken from a strange dream. It had not been uncommon, particularly as the conflict had grown worse, for people to seek one another out for comfort, and some couples remained together. Initially he had planned to let her go on and live a life without the stigma attached to those who associated with werewolves, but instead of receding, the memories of holding, falling asleep beside and loving Luna had remained prominent; unique and extraordinary- like her.
Luna had shown him a beautiful reality that had kept him afloat during the war, but now it was over Remus hoped that every day could become as happy as their nights together had been; if anything Luna's world was about pursuing joy, no matter how whimsical or farfetched. And this, Remus knew, was farfetched, but he found that as knocked on the door to her home, he did not care.
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