-Disclaimer: Harry Potter is the property of JK Rowling

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-A/N I changed my mind and decided to write a chapter covering their Easter break...so the preview for chapter twelve is now the preview for chapter 13.

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Loony for Luna

Chapter Twelve

Reprieve

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Luna found herself growing more and more miserable as the days passed. She woke up each morning worrying about each new day, wondering if this would be the one that would take Fred and George out of her life. A part of her longed to beg them to stop their private war with Professor Umbridge, to not risk their having to leave school, to not leave her there alone. But Luna knew that she could no more tell them to stop than she could confess her feelings to George.

Sure, if she asked them, they might stop...for her, but that would mean changing the thing about them that Luna loved the most...their courage and bravery and their audacity. She couldn't ask them to be cowards for her. Instead she watched as each new antic was pulled off successfully, each in turn bolstering their confidence, driving them onward to committing even bolder, more risky acts.

Luna barely breathed in the two weeks between the fireworks and the start of Easter break, knowing that each moment with Fred and George could very well be the last.

Then, break did come, and along with it Fred and George's promised time of good behaviour. For the next seven days there would be no pranks, no risk of getting caught. Luna found herself able to breathe again.

"What are you looking so happy about?" Angelina, wearing a huge smile, asked her the first morning of the holiday.

"I imagine..." Luna grinned back "The same thing you are."

"It is a relief isn't it?" Angelina grinned "Knowing they are going to be good for the next week."

Luna nodded "It is...but I have a horrible feeling they are going to get caught soon."

"You too eh?" Angelina's smile, like Luna's, had vanished "I understand why they are doing this, but..."

"It's only a matter of time." Luna nodded "I'm going to miss them so much."

"I know...me too." Angelina sighed "But I guess all we can do is be sure to enjoy the time we have left, and right now we have seven trouble making free days to enjoy."

"Luna! Angie!" Fred called out as he joined them, Lee and George dragging behind. "You're still going into Hogsmeade today, right?"

"Wouldn't miss it." Angelina smiled and turned towards the Gryffindor table.

"What about you?" He turned to Luna.

"You're not going with Harry?" George forced the bitterness out of his tone.

"No. Harry's Hogsmeade visits have been banned...." Luna looked at him like he had sprouted a second nose "Besides, I said I was going with you lot didn't I?"

"Well, just them." Lee motioned to Fred and George "I have too much homework."

"And don't you have homework?" Luna grinned teasingly

"You know as well as we do..." Fred winked "Not much point in us worrying about staying caught up is there?"

Luna felt a shot of pain tear through her heart at the unintentional reminder that they would be gone soon. She forced a smile and nodded in the affirmative before turning to the Ravenclaw table.

Upon reaching Hogsmeade they went to the small restaurant and ordered the Hogwarts Special...a picnic basket to go and headed for the edge of town once again. There was a huge reserve with hiking trails and little lakes and it was a favorite place for Fred, George and Angelina so they wanted to take Luna there since she had never been there.

Luna's senses were acutely alert, she wanted to save every precious word, sight and smell in her memory for when the time came that memories were her only link to Fred and George. But to her, the sandwiches were dry and tasteless and the sweet lemonade was bitter. Even the crab salad, her favorite, was like chewing on tasteless rubber bands. Even as Angelina,Fred and George's ceaseless chatter bubbled around her Luna felt like she was sinking into a dark pit.

After lunch Fred grabbed Angelina by the hand and wandered off to explore familiar paths, leaving George and Luna behind. George offered Luna his hand to help her to her feet.

"Where are you going?" She asked hesitantly

"We...I want to show you something." he smiled "My favorite place in Hogsmeade."

Luna accepted his hand and allowed him to pull her to her feet. She followed closely behind him as he led her deep into the forest. About a quarter of a mile in, her ears picked up the sound of rushing water and shortly after the forest gave way to a small clearing, the centerpiece of which was a small waterfall.

"This way." George smiled and took her hand again, leading her over a pile of rocks and into a cavern that ran behind the waterfall. Sparkling minerals filled the plain grey rocks and the effect was dazzling, as if thousands of rainbows were filling the small cavern while a million stars sparkled around them.

"Oh George..." Luna sighed "It's so beautiful."

'You are.' He thought while he took in the sight of the stars casting their brilliant light on her face and bare arms. The light made her eyes come alive, as if they were deep blue sapphires that glowed with their own internal light.

"And this is your favorite place?" she smiled, realizing that it was now hers too "I would have thought that was Zonko's" she giggled softly and sat down on the floor of the cavern to watch the falling water splash against the rocks.

"Nope." George grinned and sat down next to her "Zonko's comes in as my second favorite. In Hogsmeade anyway. This cavern and Zonko's come in second and third over all."

Luna turned to him with a grin "What would your first favorite place be then?"

'Wherever you are.'

"Ah see...I could tell you, but..." He smirked and Luna prepared herself for the clichéd line she knew was coming.

"Then you'd have to kill me...I know."

"Yes." He laughed "And I'd hate to have to kill someone as sweet as you."

'And smart, and beautiful, and lovely and wonderful, and...'

"Well, as I would rather hate to die right now...please feel free to keep your secrets." Luna nudged him with her elbow "But you know...a real friend would tell without the threat of death."

"You got me there." George grinned "Well, maybe another time."

"Okay. I'll accept that...for now." She smiled up at him and his breath caught

"So..." George cleared his throat "Are you going to tell me why you've been so sad all day?"

"Well..." Luna hadn't been expecting this question and she foundered for an excuse then decided a little turnabout was fair play. "I could tell you..."

"But then you'd have to kill me...right." George nodded with a small grin quirking the corners of his mouth "But see, you can't use that line because I already used it, and the rule is that a single line can only be used once a day."

Luna laughed "According to who's rule book?"

"Well" George looked at her, his face a mask of seriousness "According to the George Weasley rulebook of proper clichéd phrase usage."

"Oh I see." Luna nodded in mock seriousness "Well, can't be breaking the rules can we?"

"Obviously not." He nodded "The consequences for breaking the rules are pretty dire."

Luna laughed loudly

"So you see Luna..." George grinned at her "You're only option is to tell me the truth."

"The truth." Luna desperately tried to come up with another way to deter the conversation. She turned her head to look at George to find he was looking at her.

"Please tell me." His voice was incredibly soft as he reached his hand out and brushed her cheek with his thumb. "Why are you so sad Luna?"

"I..." Luna cleared the lump from her throat

"It's because of us isn't it?"

The lump jumped back into her throat with a vengeance. "Us?"

'As in you and me Us?'

"Me and Fred." George clarified "The thing's were doing at school."

Luna felt the air rush back into her lungs and she nodded. It was much better for him to have realized his leaving was the cause of her sadness rather than that he figured out that she was in love with him. She looked away and nodded solemnly.

"I'm sorry it's making you sad." his voice had gone even softer so it was just barely above a whisper.

"I don't want you 'YOU' to get expelled and have to leave school."

she confessed

George felt a horrible stab to his conscience. "It's not like that's exactly what we want either."

"But you don't care if you do." she accused gently

"You know..." He cleared his throat and his voice had returned to normal "We almost didn't even come this year. We got the money we needed to start up our shop over the summer we've rented premises and everything. We've never been much for the educational aspects of Hogwarts...Mum says it is a miracle that we haven't been expelled yet."

He grinned down at her for a second and then his face was serious again "But we decided that mum deserved to see us finish, after all she's put up with over the years. She's not too thrilled with our choice of careers either, she wants us to go to work at the ministry, like Dad and Percy."

"The Ministry?" Luna laughed loudly at the idea of Fred and George Weasley in buttoned up, uptight ministry robes and attempting to act all sedate all the time. "Do they even have a division that is responsible for blowing things up?"

"I rest my case." He smirked and nudged her with his elbow. "Anyway, on top of the Percy situation...we just couldn't bear the thought of giving mum anymore grief."

"So you feel you've been on borrowed time all year then."

"Not really." he shrugged "We reckoned we would use the year to do research, for the shop. We had intended to finish...but with Umbridge here..." He shook his head "We can't just do nothing."

'I didn't realize I would fall in love with you...that you would give me a reason to WANT to stay...'

"I know...and I understand." Luna sighed "But, you have to realize too that my understanding doesn't make it any easier to lose my two best friends."

"But you have other friends..."

'Like Harry...'

"But they aren't you." Luna swiped at her cheeks and George felt like an ass for making her cry "I'm just...I'm going to miss you so much when you've gone. It won't be the same here without you..."

"Hey..." George put an arm around her shoulders and pulled her against his side. Luna buried her face against his chest, her fingers wrapped in his shirt. "it's okay."

"No it's not!" Luna suddenly felt angry. Not with George, or Fred, but with the entire situation. "This is it, once you're gone, you'll never come back...ever."

"But...the summer holidays are only a little over a month and a half away. We'll see each other loads over the summer. You'll probably be sick of me and Fred by the time September 1st comes around."

"Never." Luna whispered into his chest "I could never be sick of you."

'YOU!!'

George brushed his lips gently over the top of her head, so gently she thought she was imagining things.

"Do you want us to stop?" he whispered "I don't know if Fred will...but I will, if that's what it will take for you to be happy again."

"You really mean that don't you?" Luna looked up at him and let go of his shirt

"I want to see you smile again." he pulled back and wiped her tears away with his thumbs.

'I can't stand to see you cry and know I am part of the reason your crying.'

"Thank you for that." Then she did smile "But I can't ask you to stop. Not for me."

"Luna..." 'Don't you know that I would do ANYTHING for you? I would give my LIFE for you!'

"You can ask me."

"No. I Can't. " she hook her head "I can't ask you to change who you are when your bravery and audacity is what I like about you in the first place."

She took his hand in hers "Maybe you could quit, but you would never be happy about having done it. Would you?"

George shook his head sadly...damn it, why did she have to be a Ravenclaw?!

"Of course you wouldn't...you and Fred...well, your the hero type. You can't just sit back and watch while things go on around you. You have to be in the thick of things" She giggled "No...that's not right...you have to be LEADING the thick of things."

"But what about you?" George laced their fingers together "What about your feelings?"

"Me? Well..." She looked up at him bravely, her eyes darker blue than he had ever seen them, the thick lashes still clumped together with her tears. "As for me...I'll just have to look forward to seeing you in the summer, won't I?" She grinned "When you find free time in between your hours spent being successful buttoned up businessmen in your uptight robes."

"Oh...I see." George got up and pulled her to her feet. He bent down and wrapped an arm around the back of her legs and scooped her up onto his shoulder "Think your funny do you?"

"George!" Luna screamed and beat on his back with her fists "Put me down!"

He marched with her to the where the water splashed the rocks.

"George Weasley!" she realized his intention and clutched his shirt so tightly it lifted halfway off his back. "DON'T! YOU! DARE!!!!"

But she was too late..she found herself spluttering under the swiftly rushing knee deep waterfall, and with a sudden last minute jerk, she managed to pull George in with her. George reached for the wall to steady himself as he stood, in the process he trapped Luna against the wall between his arms.

For a long moment they stared, lost in each others eyes.

"Luna.." She was so adorably beautiful standing in front of him, soaking wet and laughing. His year long urge to kiss her became unbearable and he brushed her hair from her face as he lowered his own face closer...closer...then closer still...

Luna's mind screamed 'He's going to kiss me!'

"George!" Angelina called from the entrance to the cavern "Luna!"

George pulled back up hastily, pulling his hands from her long wet hair.

"There you are." Fred grinned as he entered the cavern to stare at the soaked twosome "Hey Angie...Looks like were not the only ones up for a swim."

Luna turned away, her face beet red. What had she been thinking only a second ago? No...she had to be wrong...

Why would George Weasley want to kiss her?

She had to have been imagining things.

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Chapter Thirteen Preview

The holidays are

over and Ginny informs Fred and George

that Harry desperately needs their help.

Fred and George are caught

and the moment of parting arrives...

But not without some

tearful goodbyes.

Into the Sunset Part two

Coming Soon

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