Love has always seemed to be rather inconvinent for Ginny Weasley. One impulsive late night run sends her and her feelings crashing directly in to Luna Lovegood with no where else to go.
Ginny knew they were making progress. However quietly. However slowly. She knew Luna was worth waiting for. For years they'd socialized tirelessly in the same school, with the same people, at the same time. She knew that Luna liked her. Maybe not at all romantically, but the affection Luna had for Ginny was genuine. The silent smiles she shot at Ginny from across the classrooms were real. Luna couldn't lie. She had a blatantly obvious innocent personality the Ginny adored. Ginny loved the way she talked so fondly of all the things she believed in. An unmistakable twinkle would light up Luna's pale grey eyes as she would attempt to explain that nymphs had a complex range of emotions just like witches and wizards. Ginny felt immersed in happiness whenever she felt Luna's delicate timid touch on her own freckled skin, but she feared that Luna would never know how much she truly mattered to Ginny.
The common room candles magically dimed just after eleven o'clock on the dreary Thursday afternoon. Ginny felt completely comfortable, as well as extremely bored, as she studied for the next week's herbology test. The first portion of her fourth year at Hogwarts had been entirely uneventful. She had done exceptionally well in her first courses, and she had carefully observed Luna throughout the whole semester. As she lazily flipped through her textbook, she felt a sudden urge to run. Somewhere. As soon as possible. As fast as possible. She carefully placed her tattered bookmark in between pages 123 and 124, and took off down the dimly lit corridor. Her steps were in sync with her steady breathing as she sprinted to her undetermined destination. The soft shag carpet became her runway as she swerved, full-speed around a corner.
The soft fair curls tumbled down her neck as Ginny lay painfully on the ground. "Bloody hell, Luna I'm so sorry-" Ginny stuttered, veritable shame audible in her quavering voice. "What's there to be sorry for?" Luna replied charmingly. Ginny swiftly raised her self off the floor and offered her thin hand to Luna. Luna took it immediately, her warm tender hand grasping onto her friend's. Ginny felt electrified as they made contact, but they pulled away shortly after Luna made it to her feet.
"What brings you here, Ginny?" Luna almost whispered. The careful pause that came before Luna spoke Ginny's name made Ginny tremble. She positively loved it when Luna said her name. The trembling was not out of fear, yet instead from exertion of not advancing. Ginny desperately wanted someone. Not just anyone, she wanted Luna. All of her. "It felt like quite a waste of a lovely night to not go running around like a blithering idiot, trampling innocent pedestrians," Ginny replied, after almost forgetting to. No matter how jumpy Luna made her feel, Ginny was still intensely quick-witted. Luna let out a tinkly giggle. And Ginny's heart soared. How she loved that sound. She wanted to die after hearing that sound every day for the rest of her goddamn life. Tone it down a notch, or seven.
Ginny shot back at herself. She just had to be patient. Waiting was unfortunately, not one of Ginny's strong suits, and she knew this.
"What were you doing?" Ginny questioned tentatively. Her pulse quickening, to a rate she could only imagine was supposed to be humanly impossible. "Oh…." Luna started as her cheeks flushed a delicate scarlet. So bloody attractive…. Ginny speculated. "I had feeling I find someone missing." Ginny was confused. "Sorry Luna, I don't think I quite understand what you mean," Luna sighed but she didn't sound annoyed. Just dreamy and distant. "I thought I might find someone feeling as though they weren't complete." "I see-" Ginny started, but she was still totally unaware of what Luna meant. Luna waltzed over to a nearby window and rested her head on the sill. "Are you missing, Ginny?" Alarmed, Ginny hesitated before responding, "Not that I know of,". However, She knew this was a lie. She knew she was missing, and she was missing because of Luna.
Tonight the moon was a slim crescent that was partially hidden behind a clump if full clouds. It's light shone through the window panes, and fell onto Luna like a shimmering cloak. Summoning a brief segment of courage, Ginny joined the girl by the window. Luna looked up grinning, "It's positively enchanting, isn't it?"
Ginny had to agree. "Not compared to you." Ginny breathed. "Sorry , what did you say, Gin?" Ginny's eyebrows knitted into a defeated expression, but only for a moment. Whatever mad fantasy she'd attempted to be apart of, she must stop. "Oh nothing Luna, the moon is-is beautiful. I'm afraid I should be heading back now." Luna nodded understandingly. "Okay." Her eyes seemed to say. Without another word, Ginny creept of down the hallway back to her bed.
Ah Fridays. Who doesn't feel relieved as the end of the week creeps closer, allowing actual relief to engulf student's conscious minds. Ginny loved Fridays, although she loved Saturdays with a different passion. Saturday's were when Hogwarts had the multi-house quidditch matches. Luna, (being as enthusiastic as she was) attended every single game, and Ginny (being as physically gifted as she was) played and dominated in every single game. Ginny was fond of crushing the dreams of her opponents. However, the freckled chaser was even more fond of people watching her do so, particularly Luna Lovegood. So as the quickly nearing event approached, Ginny felt herself feeling more and more exhilarated to have Luna watch her win. Luna watch her fly. Luna watch her.
Ginny red and golden robes rustled in the wind as she prepared to mount her broom. The lacquer was chipping, and the brisells were beginning to fall away, but Ginny trusted her old broom. She tightened the leather straps that bound her gloves to her wrists and took it all in. She absorbed the energy of her fellow classmates, dressed in various house colours, eager to watch from afar, the bloodbath that would soon take place. The spectators seemed detached in a way, they were not there to experience, just to remember. This was her time to shine. Ginny was not at all a mean girl, but she was a fierce girl. This made her very dangerous, as well as valuable.
The first whistle sounded the emerald uniforms blurred against the fiery ruby ones as the quaffle was launched into the air. One of Ginny's teammates violently elbowed Draco Malfoy in the ribs and sped off down the field. Draco looked bewildered after the hit, but soon appeared vengeful, as he accelerated after the lad who had dealt him the blow. He too was a fighter like Ginny, though he was not especially kind. Of course, he hadn't always sought out to be the most feared. Fear had simply reproduced the illusion of itself around him, and it couldn't be stopped. Ginny kept her eyes on the play, she could catch up when needed to, but she couldn't be caught. She received a sharp pass from Katy Bell and was nearly thrown off balance, before she regained control and dodged a bludger. It was go time. She'd make them see just as good as she could be. A quick flinch and she was off, an unstoppable torpedo bolting through Slytherin's most resilient competitors. Rapidly advancing toward the opposing team's goalkeeper, she noticed a dull streak zooming towards her. As she turned her cheek towards the faint object, she felt a searing pain immerse her left leg. The nerves ruptured, and her bone made a deafening cracking noise as the iron ball made contact with her thin lower limb. The world looked softer now, the light was unsteady and insufficient, like a flickering candle about to be blown out.
Soft linen sheets that smelled of baby powder warmed Ginny's body while a rays of sunshine fought through the curtains of the Hogwarts hospital wing. Ginny rose from her cot and noticed a modest glass of orange juice placed carefully on a bras dining tray. She gratefully took a sip as she attempted to recall the events of what she foggily remembered as the previous day's quidditch game. The details were lost or hidden somewhere in the back of her conscience, and she tried her best not to dwell on the fact that she couldn't bring back any information about her injury. The things she had dreamed alarmed her. Dreaming was a concept that Ginny thought rather peculiar. The way memories would weave themselves into fictional spectacles that confused future longings with reality was puzzling and hadn't been explained by even the greatest witches and wizards. Ginny begrudgingly admitted it, but she too was frightened of the unknown.
When one is alone and it is quiet, occasionally the lack of noise(other wise known as the lack of reassurance of other life forms) can be troubling. It was especially quite in the apothecary on the sunday morning following the fateful quidditch affliction. So it might come as a surprise to some when they find out that the sound that initially shocked Ginny the most on this day was an extremely loud one, caused by none other than Luna Lovegood. Ginny sat up startled by the crash that followed the wave of blonde curls that had fallen onto her pillow. She looked down to see the dynamic grey-blue of Luna's eyes steadily staring up at her, the light perfectly reflecting from the iris to pupil. She looked detached, like the crowd had seemed, but she stared with such attentiveness into Ginny's own forest fire hazel ones that Ginny couldn't help but feel as though she had ever been more fixated with anyone in her entire life. She's here. With me…. Now. As that split second of intimacy concluded, Luna slowly raised herself from the bed. Then, Luna gave Ginny a sorry glance and immediately proceeded to account the events of the time before Ginny was nearly beaten to a bloody pulp by a "vicious" Slytherin Beater named Lucian Bole.
Ginny chuckled at some parts of Luna's marvelously exaggerated tale of woe. Throughout the entirety of the story, Luna kept her tranquil gaze on Ginny, as if trying to be sure of her. She was keeping Ginny preoccupied, making her feel safe, and content. And though Ginny considered herself a fierce girl. She was perfectly alright letting Luna try to protect her. As Luna story ended, She dropped her gaze to the floor and began to fidget with her earring. "You were so brave" She muttered. She gave Ginny a wispy kiss that lingered on her forehead, and then silently slipped off, as her friend lay fast asleep. Had Ginny know what she'd done, she would have been far too overjoyed ever to close her eyes again.