Ron knew exactly where to find Luna. She was exactly where she always hid away from everyone else. He watched from a distance as the sunlight danced across her sandy blonde hair through the treetops, casting rays of light around her almost as if the sky was raining down on her. It took Ron's breath away, the sight of her standing there barefoot, her satchel resting on her shoulder as she gazed straight ahead, her head tilted slightly.
With the beauty of it all, a simple beauty that was nothing like Lavender's dolled up perfect curls and up to date fashions, Ron couldn't help but not want to say anything. He took a single step forward towards her back, holding his breath as if even the simplest of sounds could scare her off like one of the beasts she was so interested in. A stick cracked under his foot as he softly placed his foot back down on the ground, causing Luna to turn around quickly.
"Oh, hello Ronald." She said casually. "You startled me."
"I'm sorry." Ron answers, "I just...I wanted to umm...to talk to you." He says, walking up and standing next to her. Clueless as to what to say next, he stared down at his feet. "I dated Lavender after we broke up." He says softly, trying to find the words in his head to explain how he felt.
"I know." Luna answered softly. Of course you knew, Ron thinks to himself as he wondered how he could have been so obvious. The entire school knew. Lavender wouldn't let anyone not know as half the professors had caught them snogging on at least one occasion. "She seemed upset today."
"Yea," Ron says distantly. "We broke up while I was in the Hospital Ward." He says, biting his lip. "So, I'm single now." He said forcing a smile as he wished he had the same ability to talk to women like Fred and George did.
"That's nice." Luna answers, gazing back out at the clearing in the woods before turning back and looking at him again. "Dance with me," She hums out as she put Ron's hand on her hip. He couldn't help but stare at her, the girl was mad wanting to dance here in the Forbidden Forest after months of them forcing even the simplest of conversations and him trying to avoid her while snogging with another woman. He couldn't help but wonder what was really going through the girl's mind as she gazed at him blankly. "It will be rather fun."
"There's no music," He answered, looking around the clearing. He had never danced without music before, had only danced once before and he really didn't count that as dancing, seeing as how it was with Professor McGonagall.
"That's fine." Luna answered softly. Ron couldn't help but wonder what it was about the girl that held his interest. Maybe it was because she didn't find the things that Hermione and Ginny found so utterly disgusting, the way that Ron ate. The fact that, as Hermione had put it so bluntly, he did have the emotional range of a teaspoon, and yet, Luna loved him anyway for it. She embraced it with open arms as if that was simply what made Ron himself.
"We can't dance without music." Ron laughed, looking at her in shock.
"We can," Luna answers softly, placing her head on Ron's shoulder. He was nervous and could only hope Luna couldn't feel him shaking beneath her head. "Just close your eyes." She whispers into his ear. "The music, it surrounds us."
Ron couldn't help but doubt Luna, but did as he was told, closing his eyes and listening to the sounds around him. The crunching of the leaves was the first noise he heard. Quickly, his ears picked up the song that the birds were singing. The fairies resting in a local bush let off their high pitched squeals as they communicated amongst themselves, giving the music Ron was starting to hear a beautiful soprano touch. He tried to focus harder as he listened to the pitter patter of the squirrels playing in the trees, causing the occasional nut to fall down and crash onto the leaves as a bullfrog in the distance gave a familiar bass-like croak. Finally the last noise he heard was the most beautiful as Luna's heart kept the constant beat against his chest.
"I hear it!" Ron exclaimed, opening his eyes in shock. "I hear the music!"
Luna smiled a satisfied smile as she patted her hand on his back. "I told you." She whispers softly. "Now dance with me Ronald."
He couldn't explain what had overcome him as he danced with Luna exactly as Professor McGonagall had taught him.
"One two three. One two three. One two three." He whispers under his breath as he led Luna along their leaf covered dance floor. The sunlight that had once made Luna look nearly angelic now spotlighted them as they danced around, no one to tease them for their love or tell them it was wrong. Ron couldn't help but relax knowing the squirells, birds, and toads were the only ones watching and couldn't tell them they were too odd as a couple. The longer the couple danced, the more into the music Ron got until finally he picked her up, he spun her around as Viktor had done with Hermione, causing Luna to squeal out in delight.
"See," She laughed, stopping their dance as she looked out at the sun shining down through the tree line. "I told you. The music is in your head." She smiles, tossing a piece of meat from her satchel out into the sunlight.
Ron watched with curiosity as the meat disappeared, causing his eyes to go wide. "What the bloody hell was that!" He exclaims, unable to take his eyes off of the spot where the meat had disappeared. "Was that one of those invisible horse things?!"
"Yes, it was a Threstral of course." Luna answers, as if Ron were supposed to have known that. "They really are quite gentle creatures. I wish I could show you one."
Ron nods, his eyes still wide as he stared at the spot on the ground. "Uh huh." He whimpers in fear.
"They do look rather odd though." She says, hoping she can explain them to him, since she couldn't show him. "They are oftentimes misunderstood." She says, thinking about it. "About like I would imagine you feel Ronald." She continues boldly.
"Misunderstood?" Ron asks, looking at the girl offended. "How am I misunderstood."
"Well," Luna answers, thinking about it as she threw another piece of meat out of her satchel. "Think about it. Being the youngest Weasley boy, I can see as to where your views don't get seen very much by others. Normally, they just see you as silly." Ron listened carefully as she continued. "And you really weren't the first at anything. Your brothers have all been in Quidditch or Prefects. I can see where it is hard." She says softly, "That makes you misunderstood to the world. To them you are just sloppy, inconsiderate Ronald."
Ron looked at the girl, the same girl who he had tried to deny his feelings for, her only being Looney Luna Lovegood. The same girl who he couldn't keep off of his mind despite all attempts. The same girl he had made love to next to the lake until the rain drowned them out, forcing them to run back inside to take cover, laughing about it afterwards. He couldn't believe the way she made him feel, how his favorite Christmas present this year was seeing her standing there barefoot in his mother's kitchen, flour covering her nose. The way she looked at him, the way she smelt like that familiar smell of honeysuckle in the summer sun. Something about her just brought him closer to her, despite how much he tried to fight it. "And you?" He asked nervously, "How do you see me?"
"You are Ronald, I suppose." She answered. "You are great at Quidditch and nothing like any of your brothers." She continues, unsure of what to say. "You are extraordinarily average." She says, nodding her head with the term before tilting it slightly. "Your eyes lit up, what are you thinking?" She asked, confused.
"I…" Ron bit his tongue, knowing it was too soon to say it but he had been holding in the feeling and he couldn't any longer. "I love you Luna." He says softly, blushing at his own words.
"I know. It's nice isn't it?" Luna answers, taking his hand. It didn't seem like much but for Ron, in that single moment, it was enough. She didn't have to answer back that she loved him too. For Ron, it was nice simply knowing that she knew how he felt. He sighed as he looked out into the sunlight with her.
"How many of them are there?" He asked, thinking about the Threstrals that she was feeding.
"Three," She answered softly, looking at the empty field, "Two grown ones and a baby. He can barely walk, you know. He's just now getting good on his feet."
"Things haven't been right since you left." Ron said casually. "Hermione has been getting onto me constantly, saying we belong together. Harry has his head wrapped around his new Potions book and...and I haven't been able to read what the Chudley Cannons have scored in months." He said, looking down at his feet.
"You always got upset when they lost Ronald." Luna answers, "So I made it so you wouldn't get upset anymore."
"Huh?" Ron asks, now completely confused. "What do you mean?"
"Well,' She answered as if it were obvious, "If you didn't see that they lost, you wouldn't get upset. I only took out the bad articles where they lost."
Ron couldn't help but smile at the thought. All this time while he had been dating Lavender, unable to figure out why he couldn't get a decent copy of the Daily Prophet to read about his favorite team it was Luna. It was Luna who had been trying to keep him happy even when he was with someone else. Luna who went out of her way to see that he didn't get upset. It was Luna who he had fallen in love with.
"And us?" Ron asked, finally getting up the courage to ask her. "How are we?"
"Insanely extraordinary." Luna answers back with a smile before saying the simple words that lit up Ron's world, that always seemed to bring him back for more. "You can kiss me if you like."
He didn't need to hear her say the words twice as Ron pressed his lips up to Luna's, kissing her fully. Fireworks lit up under his skin, causing it to feel electrifying as his hands ran through her hair and she pulled him closer to her. He let his lips say all the words his courage wouldn't allow him to before finally breaking the kiss.
"That was nice Ronald." She said happily. "Walk back with me?" She asked, holding out her hand as the couple headed back up to Hogwarts.
"What are we going to do? What if I have to leave to go fight Voldermort?" He asked, "Will you wait for me?"
"Of course Ronald." Luna says, staring ahead at the castle. "Even the worst of storms have to run out of rain eventually."