-Disclaimer: Harry Potter is the property of JK Rowling


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A/N: Sorry it took me so long to update...I ended up spending the weekend in the stinking hospital! I am so punctured now that when I drink water it shoots out of the holes in my arms. Seriously, they took so much blood I felt like the main course at a Cullen family dinner.

Oh, BTW...I'm going to live, so worry not, this story will be finished. LOL


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Loony for Luna: Forever from the Ashes

Chapter Nine

Reconcilable Differences


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February 20th

Dear Luna,

You're worrying too much. I don't think Ron has ever been happy with Lavender, from what Ginny tells me he jumped into the relationship with her because of something that happened between him and Hermione. Like you said, he loves her, not Lavender. It's the same with Ginny and Dean. I think their fighting is Gods way of making things go the way they were meant to. Ron belongs with Hermione, and Ginny belongs with Harry.

As for you and I...nothing is going to stop me from loving you. NOTHING! Not Puffing Heartpilferers, or wrackspurts or even nargles. I love you Luna. I LOVE YOU! And nothing is going to stop that. Just like the others, we belong together.

I miss you so much!

I Love you,

George

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February 25th

Dear Luna,

Guess now might not be a bad time to confess...I've been marking the days off on the calender. So, please know, you're not alone in counting the days.

I hate that Hogsmeade visits have been canceled because it means we can't see each other...unless I sneak in like I did on Valentine's day, but something tells me I might not get away with doing that again. Professor McGonagall apparently thinks since I am a past Gryffindor that she is still in charge of disciplining me...she sent me a very strongly worded letter reminding me of the school rules on visitors. Particularly, as she put it, over arduous visitors. I don't really care personally, but I don't want you to get into trouble, so I guess I better behave myself.

I miss you, and

I Love you,

George

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March 3rd

Don't be silly, you are neither horrible nor terrible. Besides, if you are, then so am I, about a hundred times worse.

What happened to Ron was scary, and awful, and if I ever find out who nearly killed my little brother I will likely kill them myself. But Mum is quite fond of saying that every cloud has a silver lining. If this is true, then my silver lining in all this was seeing you, getting to spend time with you.

Only three more weeks...then we will have an entire week together over Easter break. I'm still counting down the days, in fact Fred yelled at me today because I've made a mess of the calendar in the storeroom downstairs. It was quite funny, because then Verity yelled at him for yelling at me when I am so obviously a (as she put it) 'love sick fool who doesn't know better.'

Well, I don't know about my knowing better...but I am definitely a love sick fool. I miss you so much.

I Love You,

George

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"Luna?"

Luna looked up from the stack of letters, hastily dropped them into the box and covered it.

"Ginny." She smiled softly "What brings you here?" She sent the box into her trunk and locked it.

"George asked me to come." Ginny sat down on the foot of the bed "He had to go into the shop to meet with Hermione, some kind of problem with the books."

'Likely story.' Luna thought sadly 'Always an excuse to get away from me isn't there?'

"I see." Luna looked away from Ginny and down at her hands.

"He would have told you himself you know." Ginny gave Luna a stern look "If you were allowing him to speak to you."

For two days Luna had been refusing all of George's attempts to speak to her. He brought her meals, and helped her into the tub and out, he helped her wash her hair...all the things he did before, but she refused to speak to him. The last time he had tried speaking to her she'd used a silencing charm on him.

"I don't want him to speak to me." She said stubbornly "I want him to go away."

"Well that's not going to happen."Ginny smiled wryly "You know that, right?"

Luna pretended to be very interested in something outside the window. "I've a whole flock of birds that have nested in the tree, they sing to me every morning."

"Nice try." Ginny grinned "Luna, I know he acted like an arse, but you did too. Going and hurting yourself like that...can you really blame him for being angry with you?"

"Because I can't!....Because I've stuck myself with you and now I can't get out of it!"

"He didn't say anything I didn't already know."

"He told me what he said." Ginny sighed "He feels really, really, wretched about it."

"Don't see why he should." Luna sniffed "Why should he feel bad about telling the truth?"

"Hmmm...let me see..." Ginny tapped her chin with her finger "Maybe because it wasn't the truth?"

"But it was." Luna scoffed

"I don't believe that, and deep down, I don't think you do either."

Luna turned her head and stared out the window.

"Luna, you must know that George was badly hurt when Fred died."

Luna looked back at Ginny with a violent jerk of her head. "Of course I know!"

"Well, have you taken that into consideration?" Ginny looked angry "That he isn't himself because he hurts so much?"

Luna was silent.

"You know...a person would think that after a year and a half you would have known George well enough to know...he doesn't do anything he doesn't want to. He agreed to come and help you because he cares about you."

"I don't think so." Luna shook her head

Ginny snorted "You didn't see him last December. He went crazy when he heard you were taken off the train at Christmas. Fred and Dad had to stop him from going to look for you."

"But that was in December." Luna sniffed "He's different now. I think...I mean...he seems like he hates me half the time."

"He's afraid to care about you too much." Ginny sighed "I think he's scared of losing someone else he loves."

"He doesn't love me." Luna looked out the window again "Not anymore. He as much as said so."

"What a man says and what they feel are seldom one and the same." Ginny smiled "All last summer Harry said it was no big deal being around me, but I could tell how hard it was on him."

"But did Harry ever tell you that he was only around you because he was stuck with no way out?"

"Well, no...but..."

"See Ginny..." Luna stuck her chin in the air stubbornly "Your brother said that he was...that he was stuck with me with no way out."

"You shouldn't believe everything you hear people say Luna...specially when they are angry." Ginny stared Luna down "I happen to know that my brother still loves you."

Luna snorted loudly

"Scoff if you want...but I know George, and he wouldn't be here if he wasn't still in love with you."

"You know Ginny, it really doesn't matter. I'm over him, I have been for a really long time now."

"Yeah, I heard you said that." Ginny stood and walked to the door. "So if that's true...why did I just see you reading his old letters?"

"I...how..." Luna's mouth hung open "How did you know they were his letters?"

Ginny grinned like a cat that had just swallowed a cage full of canaries.

"You just told me so." She smirked triumphantly and then turned from the room.


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-Flashback-

"I thought today was never going to get here." Luna sighed as she cuddled deeper against George's chest.

"I know what you mean." George bent his head and kissed her, then relaxed against the sofa cushions. "I think I turned so sharply that I put my back out when I apparated into Hogsmeade to pick you up." He laughed "I didn't think it was going to be so hard, being apart."

"Well, look at the bright side." Luna smiled "I only have two more years to go before I finish school."

George gave her a disgusted look "And that's suppose to cheer me up? You have a sadistic bright side Luna Lovegood."

"No..." She looked deep into his eyes "the bright side is, that missing you so much makes me realize just how much I'm in love with you."

"That it does." He pulled her tightly to him and kissed her "That it does."

-End Flashback-

"George..." Hermione waved her hand in front of George's face "Did you hear me?"

"Huh?" he blinked, his eyes out of focus, his mind still spending Easter break with Luna.

"Welcome back." Hermione grinned "Do I want to know where you were?"

"Probably not." he grinned sheepishly

"You don't have to tell me who you were with." She grinned even bigger

"Leave it out Granger." George rolled his eyes and pushed away from the desk.

"It will all work out." She smiled encouragingly

"HA!" George laughed sarcastically "That's easy for you to say...you haven't seen how she is with me lately. You know the iceberg that sank the Titanic?"

"Yes..." Hermione looked at him like he was crazy and nodded "...what about it?"

"Right now Luna's a hundred times as sharp and about a thousand times colder. She could sink that damned ship just by looking at it."

Hermione laughed into her hand "I doubt its that bad."

"Again, let me just say...HA!"

"That doesn't sound at all like the Luna Lovegood that I know."

"Well of course not." George stood and went to a shelf to collect another set of books "She doesn't hate you...it's just me."

"I sincerely doubt she hates you George." Hermione sighed as she opened the books that George handed her "Granted, yes, she's angry...and not without reason, but hate? I don't think so."

"She used Silencio on me Hermione ." George brushed his hands through his hair "Silencio."

"That doesn't mean anything." Hermione shook her head "I've wanted to use Silencio on you for years and I don't hate you."

"You're so funny Granger..." George scoffed "Get any funnier and I'll use it on you."

"You couldn't silence me if you tried." Hermione laughed "Seriously George, just give it some time. You hurt her you know?"

"Of course I know."

"It's going to take her a little time to forgive you." Hermione smiled reassuringly "But she will forgive you."

"What makes you so sure?"

"Simple." Hermione shrugged "The girls still in love with you."

Hermione's words, though meant to comfort, had the opposite effect. He didn't want Luna to still be in love with him! It was so much easier to keep his feelings to himself that way. But he didn't want her to hate him either.

"No she's not. She told me so herself, she's over me."

"She lied."

"No..."

"Yes." Hermione nodded "If she didn't love you, you're words would have the power to hurt her so much."

That was something that George hadn't even considered. Now that he had, there was an incredible amount of truth in what Hermione said. In that case...wouldn't he be better off not fixing things between them? Would it be easier if he just allowed Luna to hate him?

But they couldn't continue to go on the way they had been, and he couldn't leave her. Not now, not when she needed him so much. And he did want to be there for her, he wanted to be the one to get her through this. He cared about Luna, he cared about her more than he knew was healthy for him.

Hell, what was the point in denying it? He was still in love with her.

That was why he had to make things right between them. And now...he knew exactly how to do it.


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"Luna?" George stood in her open doorway "Could I come in please?"

Luna looked up from where she was working on a crossword puzzle. Perhaps it was Ginny's words, but she felt softer towards George than she had in days. She didn't say a word, but she nodded. He crossed the room and sat on the side of the bed and picked up her hand.

"Luna...I..." He broke off "Hell...I had this all planned out, and now I can't even put a comprehensible sentence together. Here."

He handed her a small white box.

"What is this?" She looked at the box nervously

"Open it." he smiled nervously

Luna pulled the top off the box and lifted the piece of cotton. Inside were the two combs that George had given her. Both silver with encrusted crystals, one covered with hearts the other covered with the crescent moon and stars.

She looked up at him, her eyes confused.

"After you gave them back to me, I kept them because I hoped one day you would let me give them back to you."

"Why?" she whispered

"Because." He said simply "Even though things didn't work out between us...I've never stopped caring about you Luna, even after you broke things off. I mean...you don't just stop caring about someone who was important to you."

Luna remained quiet.

"Remember that day in the hospital, when you had your procedure? You asked if we could be friends, the way we were before...and I still want that. I want that more than anything."

"Tell me one thing." she looked up at him, her eyes afraid. "Why did you want to help me?"

"Because...." George took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "Because the thought of you in constant pain day after day, and never being able to go back to finish school...it was unbearable to me."

"Unbearable?"

"It hurt me to think of you in pain. I hated the idea of your brilliant mind going to waste."He sighed and brushed her cheek with his thumb "More than anything in the world, I want for you to be happy Luna."

"But why..." Her voice broke and a tear escaped her eye "...why were you avoiding me like I had some horrible, contagious disease?! If you care about me so much, why can't you stand to be in the same room with me?!"

"Hell Luna..." He fought for a quick and easy answer...something, anything, to give her. It wasn't as if he could tell her the truth. "Have you ever known me to be able to just sit around idle? I'm use to being busy. I guess it just got to me, and I thought the house was a perfect solution for both of us. I would be able to be here when you needed me, and still have a project to keep me out of trouble."

He leaned closer and gave her his best, super powered, uber-charming smile.

"Have you forgotten the mischief I'm capable of when I have too much free time?"

"How could I?" Luna cracked a smile and rolled her eyes. "It really isn't me then? Do you really not hate being with me? Because...I couldn't stand it, if you truly hated being around me, I would rather you not be...I wouldn't ever want you to resent me for keeping you prisoner here."

"Hey." He wiped the tears off her cheeks with his thumbs "What I said the other night...I only said it because I was angry with you. Even you have to admit that you did a really, really, stupid thing...can you blame me for being pissed?"

"I suppose not." Luna admitted grudgingly "But what you said...it was...was so..."

"I know. And I will apologize until the end of time if that's what it takes to make it up to you." He smiled "But I'm counting on you being more forgiving than that."

"We'll see." Luna grinned "Do you really want me to have these?" she indicated the box in her hand.

"Of course I do." He took them out of the box and put them in her hair. "They were always meant for you."

"And you'll be my friend again?"

He nodded

She grinned mischievously "And you won't make me do exercises anymore?"

"Don't push your luck."

Luna laughed and leaned forward to throw her arms around his neck. George allowed it and moved closer, wrapping his arms around her back and holding her.

Even though it felt like torture to be so close to her, George couldn't deny the fact that there was no other place in the world that he would rather be than in Luna's arms.


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Chapter Ten Preview

Luna puts the nose to the grindstone with

her therapy when the time comes at last where

she can relearn how to walk...but

this leads to further complications between

her and George.

But all of that is put aside when George and Luna

receive devastating news

and Luna is forced to make the most difficult

decision of her life


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