Luna broke the silence first after Ginny left. "Will I be in trouble if you catch me out after curfew again?" Luna asked easily.
"Are you planning on being out past curfew?" Hermione asked seriously.
Luna gave a dreamy smile but there was a mischievous glint in her blue eyes. Hermione's eyes trailed over Luna's facial features her gaze lingered on the other girls lips a beat longer than she meant them to.
"I'm sorry about that." Luna said when she noticed where Hermione was looking. "I was excited for Ginny and Gryffindor I forgot myself." She looked down at the table.
"It's okay. It's actually quite common for female friends to share a quick kiss when they're excited or happy." Hermione blushed. She didn't know if what she had just said was a fact but she did know that it was going to save them both from a great deal of embarrassment.
"Yeah…" Luna pushed her plate away. "I'll see you around Hermione."
"Bye." Hermione sighed she didn't stick around much longer after her two friends left. She sought out Ginny intending to finish the conversation she'd tabled earlier.
When she got to her room she found Ginny lying on her bed with a book open. "Pretty good book." Ginny said easily.
"I think so."
"So you said you've been prepared to break up with Ron for awhile?" Ginny asked looking up at the older girl.
"Well not exactly. Things haven't really been doing well lately. And the more time we spent apart the easier it was to see why. We don't communicate well at all, we have painfully little in common, and to be honest I'm not sure I'm even attracted to him anymore. "
"I don't suppose you actually said any of this to him when you broke up."
"No…" Hermione felt ashamed of herself. "No I left him at the end of our date saying I couldn't do whatever it was anymore. I ran into Luna crying."
"He's going to be upset I imagine, but you can't force love. That's what Luna says anyway."
"I didn't force love. I love Ron… Just," She sighed. "I love Ron like a brother. Well I assume that's the kind of love I feel for him. I've never had brothers so I can only guess but it's the same thing I feel for Harry. The difference was that at one point there was also attraction… and now that's gone too."
"Sounds like valid reasoning to me." Ginny smiled.
"I have to go patrol Ginny." Hermione said looking at her watch. "You better be out of my bed when I get back."
"Alright. Tell Luna I said goodnight."
"What makes you think she'll be out?"
"She'll be where she always is when she's got a lot on her mind. She does have a lot on her mind after all."
Hermione waved and smiled. She saved the astronomy tower for last on her patrol figuring there was no way Luna would stay out that late. When she made her way up those final stairs she sighed. There was Luna sitting crossed legged staring at the sky.
"The stars are lovely tonight."
"Lovely." Hermione repeated rather dumbly though she had not tilted her head towards the sky. Her eyes were fixed on the younger girl. "Luna, how do you feel about Katie?"
"She was my first kiss…" Luna practically whispered. "I was watching her practice by herself one day because I wanted to know more about the sport. She smiled brightly at me when she noticed me there. She asked me if I wanted to know a secret about her. When I said yes, she tilted my face up to hers and leaned in and kissed me. Right there on the Quidditch pitch where anyone could have seen. I wasn't sure what to say. I like Katie. She's very nice." Luna turned suddenly towards Hermione. "Why do you ask?"
"That stuff Ginny said about Katie… I was just wondering what you thought I guess."
"I think people can't choose who they desire to be with. And if it's not a choice who's to say one way is better than another." Luna sighed. "Are you going to walk me back to my tower again tonight?"
"Do you want me to?"
"Well you're company is always welcome and it would be the most effective way to stay out of trouble I imagine."Luna smiled. "But if I make you uncomfortable then you may leave me to my own devices."
"I'll walk you back." Hermione smiled when they reached Ravenclaw's entrance Hermione pulled Luna into a hug. "Goodnight Luna, oh and Ginny says goodnight as well." Then she surprised herself by kissing the younger girl on the forehead. "I'll see you in the morning."
"Goodnight." Luna felt her entire face heat up as she turned away from Hermione. She kissed me, was the only thought going through her head as she slipped into her bed that night. She fell asleep with a smile on her face.