Disclaimer: I don't own any Harry Potter, I just play out my imagination with 'em.
"Excuse me?" I ask quickly, my knees going a bit wobbly underneath me.
"Lovegood! Luna, you're not that light," Draco panics and gathers me in his arms before I fall.
"He's...he's been sleeping with Hermione?" my grip goes limp on his shoulders and neck and I feel the tears begin to well in my eyes.
"Luna..." Draco whispers, still holding me up. The liquid ice that usually floats through his voice is suddenly gone and it hits me heavy into reality. I take a deep breath, gathering my thoughts as Tonks floats into my vision, walking towards Draco and I.
"No, I'm fine," I say quickly and place a bright smile on my features "It's good to know (I take another deep breath here), it's good that I know before I do anything stupid."
"Luna?" Tonks asks, pulling me away from Draco and glaring viciously at him. He raises his arms in defeat and I flash him a look of grateful regret.
"Thank you Draco, for the dance, even though it's not really over," I smile dsitractedly and glance at the floor "Um, I think I'll save you a dance later, if you'd like?"
"I'd enjoy that very much Luna, I'm...I do hope you won't loathe the sight of me in awhile," he says and for a moment I almost suspect he was going to say 'I'm sorry'...but that's against every Malfoy's morals.
"You best watch your back Malfoy, after all you've done," Tonks glares at him again and he looks hopelessly at me. I plaster on another fake smile and Tonks leads me away from him, towards the Woman's lavatories. I stumble slightly as I see the look on Neville's face, a mixture of hatred for Ron and affection for Hermione as he glances vindictively towards the head table. My knees go weak again. How can he not see me?
"Luna, Luna! Wake up!" I hear a voice vaguely yelling at me through the haze in my vision. I push out the voice as I sit on the lavatory sinks, my arms slung uselessly in between my knees and a glazed expression on my face.
"Luna," I hear vaguely again as I drift between my thoughts "You have to snap out of it."
I ignore it once again, except this voice sounds a little different. I don't place any importance on it, the blurry apparitions floating around my face getting larger and smaller. I guess they're pacing. Did Neville ever pace over me? When I was working late at The Quibbler, did he ever worry that a spell had gone wrong and killed me off? Did he even bloody care!
My shoulders heave slightly as a tear runs down my cheek. I shake my head almost unconciously and pull my hands together, both feeling numb to my body. Every muscle in my body goes weak.
"Is she all right?" Another odd voice asks. I unconciously think 'Harry Potter'.
"Harry..." I say distractedly, looking down at my hands. No crying, no crying...
"Luna, it's me, Harry, can you look at me?" I feel his hands run over mine and envelope securely into his. I obey his gentle command and look up towards the source of his voice.
"Harry..." I say quietly again. Too strong to cry, nothing hurts...pain is weakness leaving the body.
"Yes, Luna it's me, I'm here with Tonks and Professor Lupin," he says quietly, like he's talking to a suicide case "Tonks said something happened with Draco Malfoy, did he do something to you?"
"No" I say and another tear escapes from my eye. I pull Harry's hands away angrily and fling myself from the sink counter. I start determintedly towards the lavatory door.
"Luna, NO!" Harry's voice rings through my ears as a pair of arms encase my waist and pull me back. I struggle against the intruder without saying a word, thrashing my legs furiously. One of my periwinkle heels falls off my foot and clanks against the tile. The arms don't give up and I slump down, falling to the floor with a gentle thump. The tile is cold I think distractedly as I realize I'm blocking the doorway and not currently aware of the pain in my foot.
"Excuse me, please," a voice that is not Harry's says and the door stops hitting my foot.
"That...would hurt if I could feel it" I say drearily and try to pick myself up again. I successfully lift my body up and Harry sits me on the sink again. I focus on the three people in front of me, conciously making the effort to not lose myself in thoughts again.
"Everyone enjoying the party then?" I smile.
"Sometimes I really think you are insane," Tonks smiles at me and wraps her arms around my trembling frame.
"I'm just close. Hey Harry. Remus."
"Luna, you can try and act this off but none of us will believe it," Harry says firmly, a resolute fire burning in his emerald eyes "What happened?"
"Neville..." I sigh.
"Neville what?" Tonks asks.
"Draco told me Neville's been" I pause for a moment, looking into Harry's eyes and seeing genuine worry and concern, if he finds out one of his best friend's has been cheating on his other best friend with Neville he'll be heartbroken "he's been cheating on me."
"He has?" Remus says before Harry and Tonks can get to it. He strides over and places his hands on my waist comfortingly.
"He has" I whine a bit and put on an elongated sad face.
"You said Malfoy told you this? How do we trust Malfoy?" Harry asks logically.
"I never had any reason to not believe Draco, except he said he wants to marry me," I say curiously and feel Remus squeeze my waist tightly.
"He WHAT?" Tonks says incrediously as Harry's mouth drops open. I look up at Remus from my usual staring spot on the floor. He looks straight at me and his eyes begin to turn a slight red tint. I've gotten that colour from Father before. It's anger.
"I'm sorry Remus," I wince slightly as his face returns to it's normal expression and his eyes quickly lose their red tint just to blend into a greyish brown. He looks down at my lap and I feel sorry again "it's just a school type prank he's pulling. He's not serious about it."
"But what if he really does want you and he said that about Neville to get you upset?"
"He's not lying" I say firmly. Tonks stares at me blankly then flashes me a grin and turns her hair purple. I giggle and Harry grins. Remus' eyes turn back to their normal colour. I see him look calmly at Tonks like she's done something evil and lifts me off the counter "We can prove it."
"You're not going to ask him? In the middle of the wedding?" Harry runs his fingers through his jet black hair anxiously as I nod.
"I really ought to, before I do something stupid, like fall in love with him," I ramble quickly so the tears don't get me "and you two ought to leave quietly, this is the Woman's loo, after all." I give them all a quick wink and walk out the door.
Loosening my arms, I look around to see everyone is still mingling, though I see Ginny Weasley getting up to the megaphone, obviously to toast the bride and groom. Harry and Tonks are soon next to me, we all sit at the same table with Neville and Professor Sprout. She greets me joyfully and recalls in a long and boring story about the time I was bit by the Vampiric Rose. I smile at her and shift quietly over to Neville, placing a hand on his knee and a smile on my face.
"Hello Sugar" I purr and give him a look. He visibly pales and gulps. I smile seductively and run my hand farther up his leg.
Across my viewline I see Ginny stand and everyone else settles down. Remus sits next to me now, Professor Sprout having gotten up and shifted over to the primarilly teachers table. Everyone around claps as Ginny takes the microphone.
"You know how the best man is always supposed to have this hilarious speech ready, a bunch of random stories about school pranks and skipping homework assignments? Well, Harry," Ginny grins down at Harry who gives a humourous little motion with his hand and a murmur of laughter echoes through the crowd "I'd know my brother well, and I know his stories. I love him to death of course. As I do with Hermy, who has the sense to keep my brother on the right path. Sure, we know he dated Lavender, well he more or less snogged her face right off her head, but we all know Ronald-kins as someone who needs a person with a lot of sense in her head. That's Hermione Granger to a tee. They say true love is a soul's recognition of it's counterpart in another and that's very rare these days, so I think I'm right in saying I'm so glad I got to witness it. To the bride and groom."
She raises her glass and so do the rest of us.
"To the bride and groom" repeats through the crowd and everyone unanimously takes a sip of wine and begins to clap. I lean back and set a smirk into place just for Neville. He looks at me oddly as I just smile blanky at him.
"Luna?"
"Yes Sugar?"
"Is there something up?"
"Oh honey, we've got to listen to Harry's speech now, by the way," I say and distract him by pointing to Harry, who's now holding the microphone, sliding my hand further up his thigh he stutters slightly and I grin. I hear a growl but ignore it. "I know you're cheating on me."
"Well, since Ginny took Won-Won over here, this goes out the window," Harry says and flings a few pieces of paper he's holding "I could just say I knew Hermione and Ron were going to end up together from first year in Hogwarts. I could also say Ron was a trouser snake, but that would be unfair to Hermione because she had her share of romance too. Now, that's not to say Ron took a spell of yellow canaries to her every time she snuck out to write a letter," a laugh ensues and a few hands clap "but it's saying that that reminds us how they were meant to be. It was obvious they were polar opposites, and probably will be for the rest of their lives, but it's love that keeps them together, despite Ron's insane habit of saying 'bloody brilliant' and Hermione's compulsion to read, even though she is finished schooling!"
I tune out for the rest of the speech as Harry has a tendency to ramble on about his school years. I can feel Neville's pulse going up and his breathing getting shallow. I remove my hand, cross my arms and stare unblinkingly at him.
"What?"
"What? Is that what you have to say to me Neville?" I continue to stare.
"Luna, Princess, this is not the place to discuss this," he says uncomfortably.
"Of course it isn't, that's why we're discussing it right now."
"Do you really think that's appropriate?"
"Do you think it's appropriate to cheat on your girlfriend of ten months Neville?" I get closer to him "Do you think that's right?"
"No?"
"Is that a question?"
"No?"
"It is. No, Neville, it is not right. Come with me."
I take his hand, excuse myself from the table and pull him out into the foyer.
"Are you happy Neville?" I ask in a quite calm voice.
"What?" he says, blown back and defenceless by the unexpected question.
"Are you happy?"
"Am I happy?"
"Neville, I know you hear me you prat."
"Yes, but seriously Luna, am I happy? What is that?"
"You bloody well cheated on me! You went behind my back, you slept with HERMIONE GRANGER!" I pull out my wand, Neville backs off "oh give it bloody up. Silencio!" I place a silencing charm on the door and he looks relieved.
"Yes but-"
"Oh, don't EVEN BOTHER TRYING TO EXPLAIN!" I yell "FORGET EVERYTHING ABOUT ME NEVILLE! After all, I imagine this has been weighing on your conscience for awhile now. And now I know why you've been coming home early, she wasn't there to service you more than I ever could. Well look at what you've got now Neville. Your girlfriend is gone, and your love is married to one of your school friends."
"I...I...Luna, you have to understand-"
"I DO NOT! YOU CHEATED ON ME! I GAVE YOU TEN BLOODY MONTHS OF MY LIFE, MY SPIRIT!" I heave a great sigh "Ten months Neville. I trusted you beyond anyone, and you know what you have? Nothing. You gave me up, and it sounds particullarly conceited, but you gave up the greatest fan of your life when you slept with her that first night. I hope you're happy."
I walk confidently over to the door, even though my legs have turned to jelly, open it slightly and stare back at him "Have a good life Neville. I hope a Shalwart bites you during your sleep."
And I leave him in the foyer, alone forever.