Ginny Weasley threw down her quill. "It's no use!" She was trying to do her homework for Herbology (Explain the uses of mistletoe). She was supposed to have a foot and a half of writing but she only had two inches. And that was the heading.
"Hey, Gin. Whatcha doing?" Ron walked over to Ginny and sat down next to her. Ginny looked up and glared at her brother. "Whoa. Something is really wrong." Ron held up his hands in a sort of peace greeting.
"Oh, no. This is just the look I use on all prats like you." Ginny replied bittersweetly, plastering a fake smile on her face. "For your information, I'm doing my Herbology homework. Uses of mistletoe."
"Well, all fifth years have that assignment. I remember that. I actually copied it off of Hermione. Hey, I bet she kept hers. Let me go see." Ron walked away from Ginny, calling for Hermione. Ginny found herself looking around the Gryffindor Common Room, looking for a familiar face. Her eyes fell on Colin Creevy, who was in his fifth year, just like Ginny. She laughed as she recalled her Herbology class earlier that day.
"Welcome, Fifth years. Today we are going to learn about mistletoe." Professor Sprout started her class. The class consisted of Fifth year Ravenclaws and Gryffindors. As Professor Sprout started demonstrating what they were to do, a small bunch of people in the back of Greenhouse 2 were talking amongst themselves, giving no thought to Professor Sprout.
"So, Ginny. Have you considered my offer yet?" Colin had just asked Ginny out for the third time this year.
"Yes, Colin. Look I just can't go out with you. You know how weird that would be. We are friends. I think it would be to weird." Ginny looked apologetically at Colin.
"He asked again?" Luna Lovegood was working right next to Colin and Ginny. She picked up her mistletoe and grimaced. "Oh, I hate this stuff. It's so disgusting!"
"Right, Luna. Why is it so disgusting?" Colin looked at Luna with a hurt look on his face.
"Oh, sorry, Colin. It's just that I don't want to have my first kiss with the person who I like because of mistletoe. Nothing against you two, of course." Ginny blushed and avoided looking at Colin. Just last year, Ginny and Colin had been caught under mistletoe and had kissed. Colin had been asking Ginny out ever since.
"Well, it was fun." Colin punched Ginny playfully in the arm. Ginny blushed even more, making her seem that she had had too much firewhisky. He lifted the Mistletoe to his nose and sniffed it. A part of it brushed his lips and they swelled up. "Oh, no. I have to go talk to Sprout. Be right back." Colin walked away from the two girls, one blushing furiously, the other giggling.
"So, tell me. What did you think of the kiss? Was it fun?" Luna poked Ginny in the arm with her mistletoe.
"To tell you the truth, I actually felt no different than I do when one of my brothers kiss me." Luna shrieked when Ginny said this. "No, that's not what I mean. You know what I mean. Brotherly kisses. Nothing more." Luna giggled silently to herself and Ginny went back to work.
"So, you felt nothing?" Luna prodded.
"Nothing."
Ginny sighed, for thinking about Luna made her jealous that she already had done her essay. "Lucky duck." Ginny mumbled.
"Whose lucky?" Colin came up to Ginny, causing Ginny to blush again.
"Luna. She already did her essay. It's not fair. I can't get anything to work for me." Ginny grumbled.
"Hey, don't worry. It'll work out." Colin put his arm around Ginny's shoulder.
"I hope you're right." Ginny sighed and put her essay down. "Hey, let's go to dinner."
Colin shot up and raced out of the Common Room.
"What did I say?"
"Hey, Luna! How are you?" Ginny approached Luna at dinnertime that night, still confused about the Colin incident.
"No different than when I saw you in Herbology. How's Colin?" Ginny gave Luna a look that could only be translated to mean How did you know that? "Right there." Luna pointed at Colin, who was hurriedly eating his dinner.
"Well, he came up to me when I was doing my homework. Then I said, 'Let's go to dinner.' He raced out of there faster than you could say fast. Who knows why?" Luna laughed. "Hey, how did you do your essay on mistletoe?"
"I used the mistletoe that Peeves hung up in the Entrance Hall as a joke. I got all the uses out of the Nargles. They told me."
"Oh. So nargles can talk now, can they?" Ginny looked disbelievingly at Luna.
"Yes, they can." Luna told Ginny. She looked at her friend and another scene came from Herbology. This one from several days ago.
"Hi, Luna, Colin. What are we studying today?" Ginny asked enthusiastically. She entered the Greenhouse for Herbology and found her best friends already there.
"I don't know. And I don't care." Snapped Luna.
"What's wrong with her?" Ginny whispered to Colin.
"I think that it is that time of the month, if you know what I mean." Colin whispered back.
"Ok. Whatever." The class went on. It turned out that they were studying Mandrakes again. The whole time, Luna was impatient with everyone.
"Oh, get on with it. It isn't going to kill you!" She yelled at a scared Ravenclaw.
"Why are you laughing?" Luna shot at Ginny.
"It is just funny. The usual happy Luna is crabbing at everybody. It is just really different." Ginny burst out into laughs again.
"Whatever." When Luna got up from her stool and walked out of the Greenhouse, everybody started talking.
"What was that about?" Colin asked Ginny.
"No idea."
"Luna, do you still not feel good?" Ginny asked her friend after Dinner that night.
"Well, at times I am crabby and others I am fine."
"Which are you now?" Ginny asked tentatively.
"Fine!" Luna snapped and walked away.
"I think that she needs help." Ginny jumped. Colin had come up behind her and tapped her on the shoulder.
"What do you mean?" Ginny asked.
"I mean…" Colin reached over and whispered into Ginny's ear.
"What?" Are you kidding? No way!" Ginny screeched.
"Just do it." Colin walked away, leaving Ginny standing there, debating what to do.
'Colin did say that it helps some people, but why should I kiss Luna? That is just weird!' Ginny shook her head and hurried to catch up with Luna.
"Luna! Wait. I know what can help you." Ginny called. Luna turned around and Ginny nearly ran into her.
"What?"
"Okay, but you can't laugh or anything but I think that if you got kissed, you'd feel better. I mean, Colin said that-" At that moment, Luna leaned in and gave Ginny a kiss. On the lips. She pulled away and walked away.
"That didn't help." Luna yelled back at Ginny.
Ginny started walking back to the Gryffindor Common Room. She was wondering what just happened. 'Did I like that? I mean, it felt different.' What was wrong with her? She didn't like it. Did she?
"It didn't feel weird. It felt, well, right."