I don't deserve you: a Linny Angst Fanfiction

Luna opened her eyes. She could feel the daylight slowly streaming through the half-open curtains, but the sight of it burned her eyes. She raised a hand to rub her hair, and realised that her entire head felt like it was full of cotton-wool.

Luna could feel her nose streaming, and coughed, feeling utterly miserable. What was it that had woken her up? Her still running eyes blearily looked around the room, and noticed that the phone on her bedside table was ringing. The noise seemed to pierce her ears like a hammer smashing into a pane of glass. Groaning, Luna picked up the receiver.

'Hello?'

Her voice sounded like barely a whisper, all cracked and distressed.

'Luna?'

Ginny's voice. Luna's heart began to beat faster, and she could feel her face growing warm.

'O-oh, hi Ginny. How are you?'

'Never mind me!' came Ginny's voice through the reciever, sounding concerned and worried 'Are you okay?'

Luna could feel her stomach prickling uncomfortably.

'Just a bit under the weather' she mumbled 'I think I might have got the flu. I suppose I worked myself up too much whilst preparing for the holidays.'

There was a pause.

'Ginny? Are you still there?'

'I'm coming round. Give me a sec.'

'What?'

CLICK

The reciever went dead.

Luna felt her eyes widening. Ginny was popping round? To do what?

CRACK

Luna's bedroom door burst open, and Luna hurriedly pulled her bed covers over herself instinctively.

Ginny, who had evidently just apparated into the corridor outside, marched across the room. Luna could see that she was wearing an old Weasley jumper and jeans, and was carrying a large shopping bag, which she dumped by the side of Luna's bed.

'Luna' Ginny gasped, kneeling next to the bed, so that their eyes were level 'How are you feeling? You look way too warm- your face is flushed'

Without warning, Ginny pushed Luna's dirty blonde hair out of the way of her forehead, and put her own forehead against Luna's. Luna could feel her temperature rising even further- she could see scarlet strands of hair falling across Ginny's face, and the morning light reflected in Ginny's eyes.

'You're boiling!' exclaiming Ginny, her look of concern growing 'No wonder you're feeling rubbish- you've got a fever!'

Ginny reached down into the shopping bag, and brought out a flannel. Pulling her wand from behind her ear (Luna always thought that was really cute), Ginny casted a water charm onto it, and pushed it onto Luna's forehead. The coolness hit Luna immediately, and she could feel her head clear a bit.

'Better?' asked Ginny.

Luna awkwardly nodded, her stomach squirming from the blazing look that Ginny was giving her.

'Have you a wash yet today?'

Luna shook her head, confused.

'In that case, I'll give you a wash- I brought some more flannels'

Before Luna could object, Ginny had casted another water charm on another flannel, hopped onto Luna's bed, and had begun washing her arms.

'Y-y-you really don't have to..' mumbled Luna, praying that she didn't look as bad as she felt.

'It's fine!' said Ginny, who had finished with Luna's arms and was not washing her neck 'I do this all the time at work! You just focus on feeling better!'

Luna nodded, but she could feel her face burning as Ginny washed the flannel out.

'Luna' Ginny's face was obscured by her hair, but her voice seemed to have lost something of its earlier confidence 'I- I need to do your back. Do you mind if I…?'

Luna didn't trust herself to look at Ginny. She didn't think her heart could take it, but she lifted the back of her pyjamas for Ginny to wash.

Luna could feel Ginny's hands touching her back through the flannel, and could feel her own face burning. Her throat seemed to have seized up.

'Okay- done' said Ginny, after what felt like an eternity. Luna let her pyjamas fall back down her back, but she could almost still feel Ginny's hands rubbing her back.

'Have you had any food since yesterday? No…Okay, I'll make you some porridge!'

And with that, Ginny strode out of the room, her face still unreadable and obscured by her hair. Luna sat there, her heart still pounding. She climbed back under the covers, and put one of the wet flannels on her forehead. She kept re-playing the past few moments in her head- she wished that they had gone on forever.

All too soon, Ginny re-entered the room, carrying a large steaming bowl of porridge on a tray. The smell of it wafted up Luna's nostrils, and her stomach gave a low growl that she prayed Ginny couldn't hear.

'Dig in' said Ginny, her face unreadable.

Luna did so. The porridge tasted like heaven. Luna kept her eyes on the food, not daring to look at Ginny, for fear of what she might see on her face. There were no sounds in the room other than the quiet scrape of the spoon against the bowl surface. The minutes passed slowly, with neither of them speaking.

Luna popped the last spoonful into her mouth and swallowed. Ginny immediately moved the tray away, and sat down again on the edge of Luna's bed, with her face still unreadable.

'Y-you should probably take a nap now, Luna' Ginny muttered, her words catching on her lips as they escaped

'O-okay' Luna mumbled, snuggling back under the covers.

Ginny turned to go, her red hair swishing behind her. Without thinking, Luna reached out and grabbed Ginny's arm.

'P-please don't leave me' exclaimed Luna, staring up at Ginny as her head swivelled round in surprise.

Ginny's face softened slightly.

'Of course' she said 'I'll be here'

Luna's mouth betrayed her inner thoughts and spread into a wide grin. Ginny sat back down on the bed, and Luna couldn't help but think, as she closed her eyes, how beautiful Ginny looked.

Beautiful…the opposite of that cellar….

And suddenly Luna was consumed by the old nightmare.

She was stuck, alone, in the cellar of Malfoy Manor. Dark, dismal and terrifying. She could feel the coldness and the emptiness again.

Out of the corner of her eye, she could see the thin body of Mr Ollivander, who looked barely alive. He looked more like a skeleton than a human, and the skin hung off his face, looking gaunt and lifeless.

In the room above, there was someone crying out in pain, and Luna's head was filled with the terrified screams of Ron Weasley as Hermione was placed under the cruciatus curse.

The stone walls rang with the screams. Luna' head felt like it was going to explode with fear and pain.

Luna…

The pain, it was so bad.

Luna…

It hurt so much. Please make it stop.

Luna…

No more. Please no more.

Luna! Luna! Luna!

Her eyes flew open. The dark cellar had gone, and Ron's screams had been replaced by her own.

Ginny was sat beside her, her eyes wide and fearful. She was still holding Luna's hand.

Luna could feel her eyes beginning to water. She tried to hide her face, but Ginny pulled her into a tight hug, their bodies squashing against each-other. Luna could smell Ginny's warm, comforting smell, and could feel Ginny's breathing through her own chest.

'Luna…' Ginny whispered into her ear, her body warm against Luna's '…I've got you…you're safe'

Luna could feel her body rocking with her sobs, as she clung to Ginny, her physical presence being so real, so comforting and so warm. Ginny began to stroke her hair.

'I-I-I don't deserve you' Luna sobbed, as her tears began to soak Ginny's jumper.

Ginny lifted Luna's face up with her hand, and looked her fiercely in the eye. Luna's eyes widened as Ginny moved her face closer to hers. She could feel Ginny's heart beating through her jumper and Ginny's breathe on her face.

'Yes' breathed Ginny, her own eyes watering 'Yes, you do'

Luna could feel Ginny's lips as she pressed them to Luna's forehead.