Luna played gently with Ginny's hair, the long red locks flowing over her hands like water. Ginny leaned her head back into the gentle touch, her attention slowly being seduced away from the conversation at hand and to the girl at her back.

Seventh year had been strange and yet as clam a year at school as Ginny had ever had. The castle was still being put back together, piece by piece, and she still got owls from Ron and Harry week in, week out with stories of how they'd caught another escaped Death Eater, and always half died trying to catch more. McGonagall was still teaching Transfiguration, and Defense Against the Dark Arts was being split up between who was available, because everyone else was desperately still fighting the war that was over.

Ginny still missed Fred like a missing limb, and George was still utterly broken, but it was February now, and some of the hurt has passed, not least because of Luna. She hadn't expected that, to wake up one morning and sit beside the other girl, unable to look away from her face, still smiling softly and looking for Nargles and Wrackspurts, and feel her heart flutter in her chest like it too wanted to be closer to her.

But here they were, sitting back to chest on an armchair around the fire, and nothing had ever felt quite so right in Ginny's life. She turned, and kissed Luna softly on her smile. Luna kissed her back gently, her hands still playing absentmindedly in Ginny's hair, though in truth Ginny doubted Luna did anything absentmindedly.

Seamus and Dean snorted with laughter, and Ginny's attention was back on the room. Both boys, sitting so close these was no guessing now exactly what they were to each other, were sniggering like five year olds. Ginny grinned as Luna started pleating her hair.

"Got a problem with me kissing my girlfriend?" she asked, fake outrage in her voice, smiling at the laughing boys, who were known for kissing snuggled up in armchairs themselves.
Luna, without missing a beat, answered before either of them got a chance to reply, "You're not technically my girlfriend."
Ginny's heart dropped painfully at the words from Luna's mouth, said in her normal airy voice like they meant nothing. "What?"
"Well," Luna said, still smiling, her expression exactly the same as it had been earlier, except for the faint twinkle in her grey eyes. "You haven't even asked me."
Ginny's grin was back in an instant. "Luna Lovegood, will you be my girlfriend."
Luna was smiling back properly now. "No."
The room went silent, Dean and Seamus no longer laughing. Ginny felt her face heat, an embarrassed, hurt blush turning her face bright red.
"We've not even been on a date yet."
Relief started seeping into Ginny, but she wouldn't really let it in, not after last time. "Will you go on a date with me, then?"
Luna moved forward, kissing Ginny on the lips and laughing softly. Ginny waited, mostly bemused.
"Yes. We'll go for lunch tomorrow."

It was really far too cold still for a picnic, snow dusting the grounds like icing on a cake, the green of the grass still poking through. Ginny pulled her warmest cloak tighter about her, pulled on her dragon hide gloves normally reserved for Quidditich and picked up the picnic basket she'd snuck into the kitchens to fill that morning. It was heavy, her arm would be aching soon, but some part of her liked that, liked that she had to make an effort for Luna, instead of waving her wand and having it follow her to their meeting place.

Valentine's day was too late for snow, yet as soon as Ginny left the safety of the castle, the heavy grey clouds started to let small flakes of the stuff loose, very white against Ginny's red hair. She pulled her braid over her shoulder, and set off up the hill past the Quidditch pitch to where, hopefully, Luna would be waiting for her.

The snow was falling properly by the time she stomped past the pitch, wishing she'd worn her wellies. She smiled when she saw Luna, her heart soaring in her chest. She sat, in clothing better suited to mid spring, on a blanket in a bubble of warm air, flowers growing and blooming in the grass beside her, the snow melting and drying before it hit her head. She wasn't looking, her dirty blonde hair in a tangle down her back as she looked around with her spectrespecs, looking, as always, for Wrackspurts.

Ginny sat down beside her, placing down the picnic basket and pulling off her winter clothing. Luna turned to her, took her freckled face in her hands, and kissed her, soft and warm and lovely. When they broke away, Ginny was blushing furiously, red as her hair all the way up to the tips of her ears.

"You look very pretty," said Ginny quietly as Luna took off her spectrespecs and started rummaging in the basket.
Luna didn't look back as she said. "Thank you."
There was no awkwardness in it, no brushing it off, and if her confidence wasn't Ginny's favourite thing about her, Ginny had no idea what was.

Luna pulled out the slice of rhubarb pie and the forks, sliding closer to her so they could share the same place. They ate quietly, pulling more and more dishes from the basket, always eating from the same plate, in no particular order, Ginny talking about Quidditch, Luna nodding and talking about new Creatures her father had found, and often the pair of them laughing about their friends.

"This was a nice date," Luna said as they packed away.
"Does that mean you're my girlfriend now?" Ginny asked, almost teasing as she took the basket off Luna and taking the other girl's hand in hers, twining their fingers together.
"Yes."
Ginny grinned. "Happy Valentine's day, girlfriend."
Luna laughed and kissed her on the cheek, causing Ginny to blush all over again.