Hi guys, sorry for taking so long to update this fic! I'm currently working on my own stuff, getting ready for uni and updating a new fic (a series of crackfics between Ginny and Luna), so it's taken me a while to come back to this! Anyway, without further ado please enjoy 'The Anniversary (Part 1)'.

Hermione watched as her friend worked painstakingly on the card before her. It was enormous: in bold letters it said 'ONE YEAR ANNIVERSARY', and was covered with drawings of Ginny and Luna holding hands, walking by the Great Lake, playing chess and so on as well as a large number of hearts. Ginny looked up from the love heart she was colouring neon pink, noticing the brunette watching her.

'Don't you think she'll love it? I've spent 3 hours so far on it, and I'm going to buy her a nargle-catcher too.' Privately, Hermione thought the thing was awful: it was clear Ginny hadn't taken a single art class in her life. But she supposed it was made with love, that was clear, and the garish colours and overcrowded drawings looked like they would be just Luna's cup of tea.

'She'll think it's fantastic', she managed politely while trying not to stare too hard at the glow-stick yellow of Luna's hair in one drawing.

They were sat in the Gryffindor common room, late in the evening. The fire had burned down to glowing embers, the lamps gave out a soft rosy glow of light and there was a general hum of contented sleepy chatter between students in the cosy room. Hermione watched as Ginny leaned over to get more colours from the pack of coloured pencils she had bought specifically for the occasion. Idly, she wondered whether Ron would ever do something like this: probably not, last anniversary he had just shoved a book at her. It hadn't even been on a topic she was interested in (How to Keep Flobberworms). She bitterly reflected that Luna had managed to snag the best Weasley: there was something incredibly irritating about the fact that this small blonde girl had managed to float in, date the best looking and most appreciative redhead that had ever graced Hogwarts and didn't even seem to realise how blessed she was.

'Look, Hermione!' Ron yelled from across the common room, breaking the calm hum and scaring a few first years who had been dozing off, 'I can fit six Chocoballs in my mouth at once!' Hermione watched wearily as he and Harry burst into a fit of hysterical laughter, massaging her temples where a headache was beginning to grow.

/

Luna quietly walked through the corridors of Hogwarts, keeping a careful lookout for any sign of Filch or his cat. The soft light from the lamps cast large shadows on the walls, giving the building an eerie stillness; really, Luna thought, Hogwarts was two buildings. One was the structure that she saw most often, the Hogwarts in daylight, a building whose atmosphere was given to it entirely by its occupants. This completely changed at night. The castle took on a life of its own; the stairs creaked as if to speak, the walls watched you, candlelight flickered to reveal the true face of the building, sombre and grand and ancient. Softly, she padded down back passages until she reached the ground floor and was able to slip out of a window, unnoticed by even the portraits who continued to snore in their frames into the grounds outside.

The air was still and slightly chilly; the ground was damp under her bare feet. She saw owls flying in the moonlight, soaring from Hogwarts to hunt. 'Ginny?', she whispered, 'are you there?'

The sound of someone falling over a rock and saying 'oh shit' slightly ruined the mysterious atmosphere. Out of the shadows, Ginny walked, rubbing her knee and wincing.

'Are you ok?', Luna laughed, coming to take Ginny's hand. The other hand, she noticed, was hidden behind her back, holding something. 'Why did you ask me here- and what are you holding?' She hoped it was a surprise present for her, she loved surprises. Ginny looked at her.

'For our one-year anniversary of course! Don't tell me you've forgotten!'

Luna stared at Ginny in stunned horror for a few seconds, trying to process the information. Oh no. It was their anniversary and not only had she not bought Ginny a present, but she hadn't even remembered! She laughed anxiously.'No, of course not, I was only joking! Your present's upstairs, I'll just grab it.' Frantically, her mind raced in an effort to think of what she could produce as Ginny's present in the span of about 5 minutes while Ginny waited outside. Ginny smiled at her happily.

'Don't worry Luna, I've prepared us a midnight picnic- let's eat first, and then you can quickly grab the present.' Oh God, thought Luna. I'm an even worse girlfriend than I originally thought, she even prepared a fucking picnic.

/

Hermione watched the two girls eat from the window of her room. Ginny had laid out a beautiful meal, flagons of pumpkin juice and sandwiches and even a cake she had made herself: Hermione knew all this because she had helped Ginny sneak out and prepare everything that evening. The girls were chatting and laughing, but Hermione detected a certain stress to the angle of Luna's shoulders that made her suspicious. I bet she's forgotten, she thought. They had just about finished their picnic now, and were beginning to pack up; soon, Hermione thought, Luna's going to run back into the castle. She'll have told Ginny that she got her a present and will be frantically trying to scrape something up out of her possessions. I have a good mind to give that little shit a good talking to, this is just ridiculous.

Pumped full of righteous indignation, Hermione considered slinking out of the Gryffindor common room, edging her way along the corridor and lurking in wait for the girl outside the Ravenclaw Tower. She did have a prefect badge after all. But she wasn't on duty, and Filch had memorised their patrolling timetables so she couldn't use that as an excuse. She dithered, caught between the gratification of roasting Ginny's poor excuse for a girlfriend and the horror of being told off by Filch. Eventually, the smug satisfaction of having the moral high ground over Luna won. Hermione tied back her hair, shiftily checked that her roommates were asleep then snuck out the door, ready to face the blonde.

I'm currently playing with the idea of having Hermione either want to protect Ginny just as a friend…. or for another reason ;-). What are your thoughts on this?