-Disclaimer: Harry Potter is the property of JK Rowling

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A/N: Just want to send a shout-out and big welcome to my new beta, Crimsonangel23! You rock girl!

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Prologue:

Luna's face crumpled and she burst into tears.

Ginny took one look at Luna and was across the room.

"Luna..." She took her hand in hers as Harry knelt down and took the other.

"Where is he?" Luna asked miserably.

"I don't know...he apparated into the shop and told us to come." Harry's voice was soft and worried.

"He's never coming back, is he?" Luna sobbed, throwing herself into Ginny's outstretched arms.

"I don't know...he only said that you needed time apart." Ginny replied.

'He's never coming back...I just know it.' Luna sobbed against Ginny's shoulder. She had just admitted to herself that she still loved him...

...and now he was gone...likely gone forever.

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Loony for Luna: Forever from the Ashes

Chapter Eleven

Yesterday

Part I

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Luna hated that the sun was shining so brightly outside her window. She'd have prefered a thunderstorm, with wind and lightning and rain pouring down around her, a perfect match for tumult going on inside her.

George hadn't returned yesterday, and now late in the morning the day after, he still hadn't come back. As much as his kiss had thrilled her, she desperately wished now that it had never happened.

"Luna." Ginny stood in the doorway. "You haven't eaten your breakfast."

"I'm not hungry."

"Luna, you have to eat." She crossed the room and sat in the chair next to the bed - the chair that George should have been occupying at that very moment. Luna didn't look at her but continued to stare out the window.

"If I tried I would just throw it up anyway." It was the truth, she felt wretched, sick to her stomach and her back was killing her.

"Alright. Shall we start your exercises then?"

"I don't feel up to it right now. I'm tired." She closed her eyes.

"Luna..."Ginny's tone was extremely worried. "I don't know what happened yesterday between you and George, but you can't just give up because of it."

"I'm not giving up." Luna opened her eyes and a few tears slipped onto the pillow. "I just need to rest. I don't think I am feeling very well."

Ginny stood and reached over Luna's shoulder to touch her forehead.

"Luna, you're burning up! Why didn't you tell me that you didn't feel well?" Ginny disappeared and returned a moment later with a thermometer.

"Open up." She demanded.

"I don't need my temperature taken." Luna said morosely.

"Luna..."Ginny said angrily. "Don't make me use alternate methods...that would be ghastly, for both of us."

With an exasperated sigh, Luna rolled over onto her aching back and opened her mouth. A moment later the thermometer beeped, and Ginny pulled it out and looked at it.

"Bloody hell Luna! You're temperature's 102.6! You should have told me sooner you didn't feel well! I'm going to get mum, I'll be right back."

Luna just shrugged and rolled back on her side.

Ginny rushed out the door, and Luna heard her in the other room telling Harry about Luna's illness and that she would be right back. A moment later, Harry came in carrying an ice bag.

"Luna, lift your head."

She obliged and Harry put the bag under her head. It felt heavenly. She hadn't realized how hot she had been until she felt the cool bag against her cheek.

"Ginny's left to get her mum." He said as he slid into the chair. "Would you like to try to drink something while we wait?"

"No." Luna said plainly "What I want, is to be left alone."

"Luna..."

"Please Harry..." She whimpered as tears fell from her face onto the cool bag beneath her cheek. "Please just leave me alone."

He sighed and stood up. "Okay...I'll go... for now, but you need to know that we won't leave you alone forever."

Luna listened to him leave, and when all sound had faded, she let the tears fall freely. So she was sick, maybe that was the reason she felt so totally awful. She did feel sick to her stomach, and her back ached something awful.

So, maybe it wasn't George at all. But as much as she would like to pretend differently, she knew the truth. Despite her high fever, despite the fact that her back hurt and she felt she was about to burst into flames even while she shivered horribly, it was George's absence that was her real source of pain.

How had this happened? How had they gotten to the point where a simple kiss would send George running from her side? But then, there had been nothing simple about the way he had kissed her. She couldn't understand, if it was so repulsive for him, why had he kissed her in the first place?

She longed for simpler days; the days when loving him had been easy. Even when life around them was so tragic, loving him had always been her refuge.

-Flashback-

Summer break was about to begin, but instead of it being a happy time it was marred by tragedy.

Albus Dumbledore was dead.

The funeral had just ended, but still they sat in the chairs overlooking the white tomb, somehow unable to make themselves leave.

"I can't believe it," Luna cried softly against his chest as he stroked her hair gently. "I can't believe he's gone."

"We're all in shock I think." George said softly as he pulled her tighter against him.

"I'm afraid George. Professor Dumbledore was the only one that you-know-who was afraid of...what's going to happen to us now? What's going to happen to Hogwarts?" Luna sniffled loudly and whispered. "How will we ever feel safe again?"

"I guess you'll just have to count on me to protect you." George lifted her face and looked deeply into her eyes. "I would die for you, you know that right?"

"Don't!" She scolded as she wrapped her arms around his chest and held on fiercely. "Don't even say that! I wouldn't want you to die for me...if I lost you, if you died...I don't think I could survive it."

"It's not as if I have any plans of dying anytime soon," he laughed gently.

"Don't joke about it!" she admonished.

"I'm not." He lifted her face and kissed her softly. "But you must know, nothing is certain anymore, we can't just take things for granted."

"Have we ever done that really?" Luna sniffed again. "I know that I don't, and now that you and Fred have gone and joined the Order..." Her voice broke and she began to cry again. "I'm scared, I mean really, really scared."

"I think..." George sighed; he understood only too well what she was talking about. He was afraid too. "I think we both need to make a promise to each other."

"A promise?"

"Yes, a promise to be careful, to not do anything reckless and endanger ourselves needlessly."

Luna sat up and looked at him, a small smile curving her lips.

"Who are you and what have you done with George Weasley?"

George grinned "I haven't gone anywhere. I'm still right here, by your side. I always will be."

"I'm not so sure about that," Luna snuggled back under his arm. "The George Weasley I know set off fireworks, and a swamp in school...he faced off against Dolores Umbridge and sent her running for the hills. I don't think careful is in your vocabulary, George."

"Well..." He nuzzled his nose into her hair. "Things have changed though haven't they? We can't afford to be reckless, and facing down Voldemort..." He stopped as a shudder ran through Luna at his use of the name. "Sorry...the thought of facing you-know-who is a far cry from facing down Umbridge."

"You're right. It is."

"So, we have to make a promise to one another. A promise that we will be careful, that we won't take foolish risks." He kissed the top of her head.

"I'm not the one who will be risking myself," She said "I'll be tucked away at Hogwarts while you're off doing GOD knows what for the Order."

"Doing GOD knows what?" he laughed "Do you really think they are going to allow Fred and I do anything really dangerous, that mum would allow it? We will be working with Lee. We're setting up a secure radio network to keep people informed."

"A radio network?" She shook her head. "You-know-who won't like that much."

He shrugged. "Lee, Fred, and I have it all planned out. If they raid us, we'll be able to apparate away in a blink. The way we see it, the worst that can happen is that we lose our equipment."

"What about the shop?"

George looked very sad suddenly. "I didn't want to tell you this yet...but we've closed. Fred and I have already moved back to the Burrow."

Luna sat up and looked at him, her heart breaking for the sadness she saw in his eyes. The shop was everything to Fred and George.

"But...but why?"

George sighed and leaned forward in his chair, his arms on his knees. "Verity...her husband was taken. They wanted to force her to spy on the Order. When she refused, they killed him. She found his body the next day, sitting in their porch swing like he had just fallen asleep or something."

Luna's hands flew to her mouth. "No! She...how is she?"

"Not sure really," George shrugged "She's quit, gone off somewhere in Ireland to live with his family."

"She didn't, I mean, she didn't blame you did she?"

George shook his head. "They were both working for the Order. We don't know if you-know-who found out, or if it was just because they knew she worked for us. She said that they knew the risks going in, that we shouldn't blame ourselves. But still..."

Luna was silent. She wished madly that she could find the words, something, anything that would bring him comfort. But they eluded her. Instead she put her arms around him and pulled him close to her.

"It's not safe anywhere anymore." He went on "The ministry could fall at anytime. Dad and the others are surprised that Scrimigour has hung onto control for this long. They seem certain that the ministry will fall before the summer is over. When it does, who knows who they will put in Dumbledore's place?" he put his arms back around her "You have to promise, if you return to school, you have to promise me that you'll be careful. I'm afraid of what could happen to Hogwarts now that Dumbledore is gone...and I couldn't stand it if anything happened to you."

"If you'll promise..." Luna turned and put her arms around him. "I'll promise too. I'll be careful."

He stood then and took her hand. "Come on, your dad's waiting for us. Let's get your things and go."

Luna nodded and stood, with a final look at the white tomb, she allowed George to lead her away.

-End Flashback-

'I broke my promise,' Luna thought sadly. 'I promised George that I would be careful, that I wouldn't do anything foolish, and then I broke my promise almost from the start. He was right to be angry with me.'

"Luna? What's wrong dear?" Molly had appeared from nowhere.

Luna shook her head and kept her face turned away. She was miserable, both physically and mentally, her body felt like it was on fire and she longed only to let the flames consume her.

"Ginny, get the thermometer," Molly put her hand on Luna's forehead then winced. Luna's head felt like a furnace, all the ice in the bag Harry had brought was already melted away.

"Just let me be," Luna moaned, guilty that George's family was there by her side when she had done so much to hurt him.

'Just leave me to die,' Luna thought miserably. 'I don't want to live without him....but he hates me now, and it's my own damned fault.'

"Don't be silly!" Molly admonished. "As if we would leave you here alone!"

"Here mum." Ginny returned and Luna felt the thermometer slide between her lips and under her tongue. A moment later it beeped again, and Molly read it.

"Merlin's house cat! It's up to 104.7" Molly exclaimed "Harry!" she called out loudly and Harry rushed into the room.

"We have to get her to St. Mungo's, now." Molly pulled back the sheets, wrapping Luna in the top one.

"Okay...apparate her there, Harry." Molly ordered. "We'll follow."

Harry picked Luna up and was gone. Molly turned to Ginny, her face as angry as Ginny had ever seen it.

"Where is your brother?"

"I...I'm not sure. The flat above the shop I think." Ginny stammered. "Mum, what's wrong with her?"

"I don't know." Molly seethed "I need you to go...go find George and bring him to the hospital, and then go home and tell the others what's happened."

"I'm not sure that's a good idea mum, George I mean." Ginny said as she sank down on the side of the bed.

"And just why not?"

"Something happened between them, I don't know, neither of them would tell me what. Late yesterday, George came into the shop looking for all the world like…like someone had just beat the hell out of him."

Molly's face softened slightly. "He wasn't hurt...?"

"No," Ginny shook her head. "I don't mean physically, I mean, mentally. I haven't seen him so upset since Fred's funeral."

"What did he say?"

"He asked us to come stay with Luna for a couple days," she shrugged. "He said they needed some time apart. We thought they had been rowing, like before. But when we got here, Luna lost it." Ginny was nearly crying now herself. "I've never seen anyone cry like that. She scared us, Harry and me both. She went right to bed and slept all night and into this morning."

Molly nodded, her mouth a thin, angry line. "Go find your brother."

"Mum, I really don't think that's a good idea."

"Don't argue with me Ginevra."

"But..."

"George took responsibility for helping Luna through this. He practically forced her to have that procedure, and he is damned well going to follow through with his responsibility to Luna!"

"Mum...I don't think Luna wants him to."

"Stop arguing with me, young lady! Go and find your brother, NOW!"

Ginny got to her feet and nodded, then apparated away.

Once she was gone Molly followed Harry to St. Mungo's. She found him waiting in the family area.

"They took her right in." He said as Molly sat on the hard, uncomfortable sofa next to him. "Where's Ginny?"

"She went to find George," she said calmly.

Harry looked at her, his mouth opened to ask... instead he closed it quickly. Molly's look warned him not to question her in the same manner Ginny had.

Harry was extremely glad at the moment that he was not George Weasley.

George was in for what was likely the worst ass chewing he had ever received.

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Chapter 12 Preview

George looks back on his

past with Luna as Ginny tries to

track him down.

Yesterday part II

Coming soon

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