Chapter 28 Afraid

"To the Greatest Headmaster we ever had. May you rest in peace Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore"

It had been a week since they have learned about the death of their beloved Headmaster. On the day of his funeral, all of the students were seated to the golden chairs that were appointed to direct right infront of where he would be rested. The students aligned and raised their wands for respect to their Headmaster. Each and every single one of them with dread inside their eyes, and hope loosing each second.

Luna couldn't look straight to anyone, especially when their eyes were all filled with pain and dread. Like their world would end sooner or later. She knows that as well, but she choose to be strong for Ron, for Hermione, for Harry. They were probably the most affected compared to the other students, and she wouldn't let them see that she too, is loosing hope.

"Are you alright? You look as if the ground swallowed you whole" Ginny asks with pure concern inside her eyes. Luna stared right back at her bestfriend. In truth, she isn't quite sure. It seems as if she had lost her apetite in everything. The reality was too much to bear. Harry leaving Ginny, the golden trio out in the danger, Draco with the Death Eaters, The Wizarding War- everything feels so unreal. Luna couldn't get any sleep, or could even eat without having the urge to puke. She is so unreal lately that she can feel herself getting sick.

"I'm fine Ginny, I'm just tired, that's all" she admitted with a hint of tired ess inside her voice. A faint smile appears on her face. "I should be going now, I'm off to feed the thestrals"

There is only three minutes left and she still haven't seen Luna anywhere. She is worried now. She thought Luna decided to take her time alone, inside the dark forest where she can find peace and solitude, and so Ginny lets her. But right now, it has been five hours and she isn't sure if her bestfriend is still alright.

She went outside the Hogwart's castle fearlessly, although with heart thumping somewhat faster than normal. The thought of Professor Snape being the new Headmaster annoys her deeply, seeing that he is no way close to Professor Dumbledore, and besides, he was probably one of those death eaters who killed the beloved Headmaster.

"Are you looking for Luna?" she heard a voice just inches away from where she is standing. She turned her head to look back, surprised to see Blaise Zabini that close to her. "Yes, I am" she nodded simply, trying to ignore the raging pain and somehow, the nervous feeling inside her stomach. "Well, lucky for you, I'm looking for her too" He shrugged his shoulders sheepishly and joined her side.

"Why do you care?" she simply asked, a small amount of hatred spatting from her mouth with a sad expression on her face. He looked back, disbelieved that the girl would ever bring the topic up. "Because Draco told me to look after her" he whispered, not trusting his walls to cover his frustrated feelings. He bowed his head, trying to recollect his thoughts. Before Draco's last day, he asked him to take care of Luna. With his walls cracking down and eyes tearing up, he can see that he was clearly, inlove with the girl who wears radishes. He haven't seen his bestfriend like that to anyone else. To sacrifice almost everything to someone. To be such a martyr. It was almost unreal for a man just like Draco Malfoy, yet, maybe things like that happen when it comes to love.

"And I want to look after you too" He also added.

She stared at him. Looking at his eyes as he stares right at her too. She is looking, really looking. She is having a hard time not to trust him. The truth is, she is trusting him again and it somehow, calms her.

"I wouldn't let that Saint Potter hurt you" he gave her a sheepish smile as she grins in return " I wouldn't let him do what I did to you"

"You know I wouldn't give up on him"

They went inside the Forbidden Forest hand in hand. The darkness and eeriness could have frightened her but it didn't, she is much more stronger than that. She had grown so much for the past six years and she isn't going down without a fight. She wouldn't like being compared with the other girls, especially Cho Chang. She is different and she hopes Harry would like girls like her.

And besides, they kissed though. Lip locking actually. It was enough for her to be convinced that he might have feelings for her, but what about Cho and her pretty world? He still cares for her, and is actually awkward around her.

"I don't know about him but men like me? We like them feisty" Blaise said, as if he actually heard what she was thinking. She furrowed her eyebrows and rolls her eyes, laughing jokingly right to his face "Oh please, men like you bangs everything that breathes" Blaise reached out towards to where his heart is located, clutching it dramatically with face that indicates he was offended

"But I became serious when it comes to you" he responded.

Ginny stopped laughing right after he said those words, leaving her speechless with eyes full of wonder.

But still, Blaise still have a special place inside her heart. He is important and wonderful. If he is a shape, he would be circle, so full of energy and quite noticeable. Like a circle, she's unsure when her growing infatuation for him started, it just sort of happen without any indication of how, why and where. There is something about him that is too special that you can't ignore him. There is something about him that Harry lacks, and she can't quite place it.

But instead of responding, she distracted herself by looking for Luna and for about a minute of searching awkwardly, they have finally succeeded.

"Luna?" she kneeled next to the unconscious girl that is laying on the floor. There is a rush of panic but she maintained her cool. "She said she wasn't feeling alright, I was so dumb to let her go here all alone" She knows that it wasn't her fault but it was sort of her responsibility to look after a bestfriend. Luna is alone and heart broken after what Malfoy did. She might not tell those feelings to Ginny but she can analyze it. She too, was left alone, with only a kiss left as a reminder. Luna might be the strongest person she would ever meet, but she is crazy about the ferret. She likes - no, she loves him.

"Let's get her to Madam-"

"No, Professor Snape is guarding the castle, he would find out we snuck away"

"What do we-"

"I don't-"

"suggest something Zabini!"

"I don't know? Wait for her to wake up?"

"That's stupid!"

"I-" Blaise stopped talking right after they saw Luna's hand twitch. Ginny immediately went to her bestfriend's head and placed her to her lap. "Luna, are you alright?" Luna opened her eyes slowly, nodding her head to Ginny with a small smile on her face."How long was I gone to the world?" Ginny sighed in content, grabbing both of Luna's arms and straightened her to sit upright. "Bloody hell Luna, you gave us a fright! What is happening to you?"

Ginny stares at Luna, her worries were thick right through her voice. She can observe Luna's sudden lose of healthy complexion and weight. She can see that Luna is loosing sleep too. The girl in question yawns with hands scratching both of her blue eyes, ignoring Ginny's question. "I'm just tired that's all" Luna said, right after the two students didn't make a move to leave their spots. Luna looks at them, back and forth, as if waiting for them to respond, but unfortunately, they didn't.

For a few seconds, Ginny have had enough of Luna's inequality to share what she was currently feeling and wraps her arms around her bestfriend, burrying Luna's face right to her shoulders. "Please don't be so strong for us, you're human too Luna"

Luna swallowed a lump to her throat. Upon hearing those words from Ginny's lips; so crystal, so clear, it feels so fragile, it made those unshed tears fill right to the sides of her eyes, making her visions blurry. She smiles bitterly to her spot, inhaling a deep breath that causes her to choke back a tear. She thinks about her friends on their dangerous hunt, to her father all alone in their house, to her beloved Headmaster who was burried deep through the ground, Ginny with her heart broken, each of the student's dreams, and finally, Draco Malfoy's state. She said to herself that she needed to be stong, but right now, inside the arms of her bestfriend, stroking her hair and telling her that it is okay to stop being so strong, the tears that she kept on preventing are falling freely from her eyes, down to her pale cheeks.

She feels so weird, so heart broken, so hopeless. She needed to be strong to show that there is still hope. But right now, with the unsure future of her loved ones, for the first time, she feels so afraid. She needed everybody to be safe, and mostly, for him to be safe. And for the first time since the day he left, she wept and wept.

PLEASE REVIEW, PLEASE.

ANY THOUGHTS. FEELINGS.

PLEASE REVIEW.

SCHOOL ACTIVITIES WERE PILING UP, AND INSECURITIES MAKE MY MOTIVATION SO LOW. I NEED SOME ENCOURAGEMENT TO HAVE THE STRENGTH TO UPDATE AND WRITE FOR MY VACANT TIMES. PLEASE. A LITTLE REVIEW CAN MAKE SOMEONE SMILE.. :)

PLEASE. REVIEWS CAN MAKE A PERSON FEEL SO SPECIAL.

PLEASE.

D-E-S-P-E-R-A-T-E HERE.

SORRY FOR THE DRAMA.