4.
The Yule Ball was fast approaching. Luna was startled to find such a thought traipsing its way across her brain. She had never much cared for school functions. She only went to Quidditch matches if she wanted to see someone. Luna loved people, but she didn't like to be around them most of the time. She prefered to observe. She gently shifted her bunched-up robes to the side and examined the bruise on her thigh. Its dark purple contrasting with the pale ivory of her skin. She stared at it. It reminded her of something… Purple. The dirigible plums in her front garden. Home.
She felt eyes on her. Luna slowly lifted her head, one blonde curl gently laying itself down over her left eye. A girl was looking at her, one of the girls in her dormitory. It surprised her that she didn't really know most of their names. Usually she was so good about people. Gazing into them. Each new mind was a new world to explore. She wasn't a Legilimens. That seemed so revoltingly dishonest and perverse. Violating someone's mind. No, she just felt with them. Apart from them but with them. She realized she must have been retreating into herself again- for a moment the girl wasn't there; she was a blur. Luna's eyes always slid out of focus when she was thinking. She pushed her robes back over her knees. The girl walked toward her, smirking a little now.
"So, who're you going to the Yule Ball with?"
"I can't go; I'm a third year, and so are you."
"I know, Loony. You don't have to point it out." Luna raised one eyebrow slightly.
"I would go with the moon, wouldn't you? It's so lovely. Just sitting there, Queen of the night."
"What?"
"Don't you love the moon?"
The girl was walking away. Luna looked down at her hands. They were like frail white birds.
He was going to ask Ginny. He was going to go with Ginny and he would have a nice time. He was going to ask Ginny because, odds were, no one else would. That was rude. It was rude but it was true(at least, he hoped it was). She was a third year, so she wouldn't be able to go unless someone asked. And no one asked the younger kids. He supposed it was rather selfish of him, but he wasn't going alone. He wasn't going to be Neville alone this time. Gran would probably scold him for "going for" low-hanging fruit. But that wasn't fair to Ginny. She was a nice girl. In her own way. Sometimes she would hang out with the blonde girl. That bothered him for some reason. He didn't like her eyes on him. Her eyes were on everyone. He got the feeling that she was judging everyone but didn't consider it judging- more like figuring out. No, figuring out was too calculating. More like wondering at things in a knowing way. He didn't think he liked her. She was too far out of his world of wandering aimlessly while staring at his feet for him to ever feel comfortable around her. She wandered aimlessly while looking at the sky. Not that he'd ever actually talked to her. He didn't really talk to people. Anyway, he was going to ask Ginny. She was just across the common room… No. He couldn't do it right now. How could he? Actually doing it would make it so real. Would make everything real. The more real things were, the more less enjoyable they became. The more they could hurt. He pressed his eyes shut. Trying to melt into the armchair. He figured that if he kept trying to fade from existence like that it must be slowly happening in real life. Too hot in front of the fire. He would have to get up. Damn.