January 2003

Four o'clock. As it usually did on Mondays, the minutes crawled by until Verity came to cover the rest of the evening. But as soon as she sat behind the counter, Ron dashed into the back room to grab his cloak, then out into Diagon Alley toward the Quibbler offices.

The Quibbler's new offices (well, new since the war) were above the apothecary. From down the road, Ron could see the garish Quibbler sign, charmed to glow 24/7. On weeks that Luna printed the newest edition, the printing press ran all night, lending a "thump, thump" to the surrounding areas. Ron heard that Cormac McLaggen (the wanker) lived in the flat next door and had to constantly re-cast silencing charms. And complained about it to anyone who would listen. Well, until the incident in the floo. Since re-growing his arm, he'd been staying with his mother.

Ron mounted the back steps, grateful to be out of the sharp wind. He opened the door (which now had Luna's name alongside her father's), to the warm scent of ink and paper. Luna's editor, Nancy, nodded in Ron's direction, then toward the door to Luna's private office before turning back to her work.

Should he have been surprised to find her sitting cross-legged on her desk? Probably not. He was a bit startled to find her talking directly to Badius. The owl perched on Luna's left arm and she stroked his head. He had a thick letter tied to his leg.

"Hello, Ron!" she said, not breaking eye contact with the owl.

"Hi, Luna."

She kept staring at the bird.

"Hi, Badius," he said, to fill the silence.

"I was just giving him a pep talk. It's quite cold here, and he's looking forward to Portugal. But crossing the Channel is downright unpleasant this time of year, and he dreads it so."

"Should knit him a sweater or something," said Ron, sitting in Luna's chair.

"But Ronald, how would he take it off as he made his way south? You wouldn't want him to overheat." She hadn't looked up from the owl.

"I was joking, Luna."

"Oh. Seems like an odd thing to joke about. He really is uncomfortable, you know."

"Seems like an odd thing to sit on your desk and talk to an owl."

She looked up and shrugged. "I suppose. But where else shall I talk to him?"

Unsure of how to respond, Ron changed the subject. "Neville stopped by and said he was visiting Hannah tonight. Want to have dinner with them?"

"Oh, how fun!"

She kissed Badius once on the head (Ron wondered if he should be more affectionate toward Pigwigeon...do owls need affection?), ushered him out the window, and hopped off the desk. As they left the Quibbler offices, she waived to Nancy and laced her fingers between Ron's. Then, they made their way down the stairs and out into the Alley.

"Ron?" she asked, as they waived to Mr. Ollivander, "is this our second or third date?"

"Well," he said, not quite understanding the question, "I don't reckon dinner with my family counts. Or watching you do arithmancy."

"So it's our second?"

"Sure. Why not?"

"Okay," she said, gazing absently at the shop windows around her.

Rather than wonder at Luna's questions, Ron chose to tell her more about his day. "George and Angelina were right pleased with your work. George is serious when he says he'll pay you. They were even talking about asking you to come help after the baby's born."

"Help with the baby or the shop?"

"The shop, Luna. You have good instincts."

"Oh. Well, it may be fun. I'm not sure how things will be with the Quibbler though."

They'd reached the back entrance to the Leaky Cauldron, and stepped inside. For a Monday evening it was relatively empty, aside from some of the regulars. Hannah waived them over from behind the bar and Neville sat on one of the stools, nursing a pint. When he noticed Ron and Luna, he stood, shaking Ron's hand with a smile.

Luna flung herself at Neville, wrapping him in a bear hug. A shot of jealousy ran through Ron for a split second. He knew the two were close, but there was some instinctual part of him that felt insecure at the reunion. A reunion he'd seen countless times before.

Bloody hell, I'm jealous of Neville. Ron closed his eyes and imagined 11-year-old Neville bumbling his way through 1st year charms. He felt a bit better.

When he opened them, Luna gave him a quizzical look. No need for her to figure out I'm a basket case. Instead of explaining, he gestured toward the barstools next to Neville and they sat down to chat with their friends.

Partway through dinner (Hannah's shepherd's pie wasn't as good as his mum's, but it was decent), his sister's voice floated through the pub. "Neville!" She dodged between the tables, Harry and Hermione close behind her.

Ron glanced at Luna, who seemed unaffected by this development, despite the events of last night. Granted, Luna actually talked to Ginny after her outburst. Ginny ignored Ron for the rest of Sunday evening, only slipping out of her bedroom when he'd gone to see Luna home. Not that Ron minded, of course. He really didn't fancy having a showdown with her.

Luna smiled and dashed over to hug Ginny as if nothing had changed between the two of them. Ron, on the other hand, had no idea where he stood with his sister. So he was quite surprised when she engulfed him in a hug as well. Over her shoulder he looked to Harry, who just shrugged, looking a bit lost.

As the evening went on, Ron felt less anxious about his sister and her reaction. She didn't bat an eye when Luna kissed Ron for passing the salt (although that got some raised eyebrows from Hermione). After a few pints, he began to relax and enjoy the evening with his friends. He missed working with Harry and Neville. Sure, George, Angelina and Verity were fun, but it wasn't the same. Heck, he even missed lunches with Hermione, in spite of her endless blabbering on about House Elves or Werewolves or whatever.

"So," Neville said during a lull in the conversation, "explain this." He gestured toward Ron and Luna's clasped hands. Ron's face got red and he looked to Luna to rescue him.

"Angelina called him my boyfriend earlier. Would you say that's accurate, Ronald?" she asked. She looked to him as if she had asked about the weather.

"Uh…"

Ginny began giggling. Ron shot her a look.

"Well," he said when his brain began forming words again, "yeah, if you want to be…I mean, we haven't had that conversation yet, but I'd like it if you were…" He was stumbling on his words, his face still red.

"So Ron's my boyfriend," finished Luna, matter-of-factly, then she returned to her soup. Harry joined Ginny in chuckling. Soon Hermione cracked a smile, and Neville began laughing, too. When Hannah came over, she looked at them, confused. Neville whispered in her ear, and she began to laugh as well.

Ron replied sarcastically, "thanks for the support you guys. Means a lot." His ears were still red. Luna squeezed his hand and he looked up at her. She was grinning as well.

Ginny explained, "well, it's just so…Luna…and you have no idea what to do about it." Everyone dissolved into laughter again as Ginny did a good-natured imitation of Ron stumbling over himself.

Soon the group split. The girls stayed at the bar, chatting with Hannah, and the boys found a booth in the back to play chess. After some initial ribbing from his friends, Ron forgot about their reaction and focused on the game. He was startled out of his concentration by a tap at his shoulder.

"Hey, can I talk to you for a sec?" Hermione asked.

Ron was somewhat bewildered as Hermione led him to an empty corner.

She took a deep breath. "I just want you to know I'm happy for you and Luna. I-I think she's a bit scared of me. Make sure she knows that I'm okay with everything." Hermione looked a bit nervous. Ron knew she struggled to keep female friends, and although she thought Luna was nuts, she treasured the friendship.

"Done." Ron thought for a moment. "I want to tell you I'm happy for you and Bran, but…"

"He was a wanker at New Years," she finished for him.

"Hermione!" he said with a smile. Then he became serious. "You can do better."

She snorted. "You and Harry will never think anyone's good enough."

"Well, yeah, that's our job." He said it without thinking. After all, he'd spent almost 12 years looking after Hermione. It wasn't going to change. She'd moved from 'friend' to 'girlfriend' to 'sister' somewhere between everything. And she deserved better than Bran bloody Owens.

Tears formed at the corner of Hermione's eyes and she smiled at him. "Thank you," she said, and gave him a tight hug around the neck. Over her head, Ron spotted Luna going toward the loo with Ginny. She raised her eyebrows at him and he smiled back. When Luna's face fell a little, Ron released Hermione. Remembering his own jealousy of Luna's platonic hug with Neville, he felt a small stab of guilt. After all, if he felt jealous when Luna greeted a friend, of course she might feel jealous if he was hugging his ex-girlfriend in a dark corner.

He sat back down to watch Harry and Neville duel it out whilst he kept one eye towards the girls' loo.

"What'd Hermione want?" asked Harry, watching Neville's rook.

"She wanted me to tell Luna to stop being afraid of her. And you're giving away your strategy by looking at your next move."

Neville said, as he moved the rook out of the way, "we're all afraid of Hermione, hasn't she figured it out?"

"Bloody terrifying," Ron and Harry muttered in unison.

"I told her my thoughts on Bran," Ron finished.

Harry sighed. "He's not that bad, I've met him a few times. I don't know what was going on on New Years."

Ginny and Luna came out of the loo then, and Ron managed to grab Luna's arm as she walked past. The smile was back on her face and the girls' heads were together, giggling. She turned to him.

"Yes, Ronald?" He pulled her into his lap. "What?"

"Just wanted to let you know I'm glad you're here. And Hermione wants you to know that she's happy about us."

Luna's face lit up. "Really? That's nice of her to say!"

"And I told her that Bran was a wanker."

Luna laughed. "I would have chosen a different word. We cannot stoop to the level of those who cannot raise to ours." It was a close as Luna would get to an insult. "Anyway," she said, leaning closer and wrapping her arms around his shoulders as she settled on his lap. Her hair tickled Ron's face and filled the air with that citrusy scent he'd come to like. "Ginny's in a better mood tonight and wants to go on a double date sometime. Me and you, her and Harry."

"After last night, I find that hard to believe. Sure she's not going to go full banshee in the middle of Hogsmeade or something?"

"I told you, it's the hormones. I can get you a pamphlet, Ronald, if that would help?"

He couldn't tell if Luna was serious or joking. He thought back on the evening…Ginny had ordered pumpkin juice instead of butterbeer. She'd mentioned taking a few weeks off of practice. Harry had a stupid grin on his face a few times, like he had a secret… "You still think she's…well…"

"She didn't say anything. They probably want to wait a few weeks to tell anyone. Safer that way. If you tell people too early, it tempts the pixies. They don't want to end up with a changeling."

Ron wrapped his arms tighter around her waist and buried his face in her hair. He fought the urge to ask more questions about the pixies. Everyone knew changelings weren't real; they were just stories the muggles made up after bad obliviations. Then he snuck a glance at Harry. His best friend didn't look any different. Sure, the grin was there, but Harry would tell him if Ginny was pregnant, right?

"Hey Ron?" said Luna. "I've got to be back in the office early tomorrow. I've got an interview with the neighbor of that vampire that lives in Surrey. See me home?"

"Sure thing!"

As they left (promising to see Neville next time he was in London), Ginny looked at Luna and held up two fingers. Luna smiled and shook her head, then grabbed Ron's waist and apparated them to the Lovegoods. Apparition was becoming Ron's favorite way of travelling with Luna.

"What was that about?" he asked when they landed on the porch.

"Oh, just something Ginny was saying her teammates told her awhile back."

Something clicked in Ron's head. "Does this have anything to do with what you asked me earlier? About how many dates we've had?" The question had been odd, but so were most of Luna's questions.

"Yes, actually." She unlocked the door and went to heat up the kettle.

"Care to fill me in?" Ron called as he settled on the couch. If it came from his sister, who knows what they'd been talking about. Ginny was all over the place lately.

Luna tapped the kettle with her wand and summoned some tea from the shelf. "Oh, a few months ago she told me about the third date rule, so I asked her about it again tonight."

"Third date rule?"

"Yes, if you sleep with a guy before the third date you're a slag, but if you wait much longer you're a prude," she said, handing him a cup of tea.

Ron nearly dropped it. "Pardon?" He blinked a few times and Luna looked at him with concern. "This is what girls talk about in the bathroom?"

"She owled me about it the first time."

"So if tonight were our third date…"

"I'd probably think about sleeping with you."

Ron's eyebrows shot up. Of course he'd thought about it…their first date ended in some intense snogging. So had Sunday dinner after he'd seen her home. And of course he'd been hoping for more of the same tonight. But…

"Uh…I don't expect…you don't have to do anything you don't want to. Like, I'm not going to think you're a prude if you don't want to after three dates."

Luna stared back at him, as if thinking. "Oh, I was disappointed that this was only our second date."

Ron found himself trying to process what she'd said. "I also won't think you're a slag if you break whatever barmy rules my sister tells you about."

Luna laughed at the change in Ron's demeanor, then drank her tea while staring into the fire. After a few sips, she leaned her head on his shoulder. Ron wasn't sure what conversation they'd just had. He gulped his tea down as he contemplated things, but Luna continued to sip her tea calmly, snuggled into his side.

When she finished her tea, she set her teacup on the table and sat almost in Ron's lap. His breath came faster and he searched for something, anything to say to break the silence.

"Does my sister always try to tell you how to live your life? Have you seen the girls on her team? Most of them couldn't find a bloke to date at an all-boys school," Ron said.

At the same moment, Luna started, "You mean it when you say you wouldn't think I'm easy? I'm not sure why people get hung up on—"

The pair laughed and Luna scooted somehow closer to Ron, her breath tickling his neck.

"We can consider Christmas Eve a date…" Ron whispered in her ear.

"Yeah?" she said, her voice barely audible.

"Or New Years. But that would be the worst date ever."

He caught Luna's smile from the corner of his eye. "Or we can ignore Ginny," she said, looking up at him through her blonde eyelashes.

"Or we can stop talking about my sister altogether."

When their lips met, it was as if a dam burst within Ron. Only two weeks ago he'd thought of Luna as a friend (well, more of a friend of his sister), and at some point between then and now he'd fallen for her. She was still a bit nutty, for sure. But Ron was jumping into this with both feet.

Their kissing soon became more frantic, and Luna led him up the spiral staircase to her room.

Sorry guys, it's still a T rating. ;)

I've had some awesome reviewers lately! Thanks for the heads up on the grammar/typo issues. When I go back through everything after I finish, I'll probably fix most of that stuff. And I totally agree that Ron needs to be funnier. I'm struggling with his brand of humor!

There's one big thing I feel like I need to defend/explain: Luna's characterization. In cannon, we knew 14-16-year-old Luna, and in this story she's older and has been through a lot. She's seen war, she's travelled the world, and she's probably a bit lonely. Plus, as we've seen from the start, Ginny is trying to "help" her be more "normal." I saw Luna as a smart girl who struggles socially. I feel like she might explore different ways of interacting with people, and incorporate the ones that work, as if it were a project or experiment. She's still an individual. In fact, that's why the arithmancy scene was in there. It wasn't to show her super-academic prowess (let's pretend Hermione looked over her work and corrected some stuff), but to show that when she's curious about something, she's SUPER into it, to the point where she ignores everything else until she figures it out. So I do understand why she feels OOC sometimes here, but please trust me that there's usually a purpose to it. I just need to work on being better at communicating that purpose!