Chapter 6:
The "meeting"
Neville was standing there, in the Great Hall, waiting for Luna. They had agreed, over their letters, to meet in the Great Hall.
He was rubbing his hands together, checking his watch. It was only three minutes away until they had to leave for Hogsmeade.
He tapped his foot impatiently. Where was Luna? Had she forgotten him? Had it all just been a trick?
Before he got freaked out enough to hyperventilate, Luna appeared at the top of the staircase.
She was wearing a strapless blue dress that reached a little bit above her knees and had white polka dots. She also had on her butterbeer cork necklace as well as her beet earrings that hung down the sides of her face. Her hair was up in a messy fashion. She had blue flats on. Neville thought it was good she decided not to come barefoot.
When she reached the bottom of the stairs, Neville couldn't think straight. He tried to gather his thoughts when she walked down the last step.
"Hello, Neville," she said in that dreamy voice that made his knees go weak. "It's been a while."
Neville blinked rapidly and stammered, "I—I, uh, um… I—uh, uh I—I… um—"
His incoherent babbling was cut off by Luna who smiled her dazzling smile and simply said, "Great to see you, too."
He blushed and looked at her. "You look… uh, nice." Neville wanted to slap himself. She looked much better than just "nice!!!" In fact, Neville thought she looked like a princess… in her own way.
But she smiled and looked down, blushing a little. "Thank you."
He walked with Luna by his side, out of the Great Hall and into the warm mid-April day.
"You look nice, too," Luna said, looking at Neville.
Neville reddened. "Thanks." He looked down at his clothes. Wow, Hermione and Ginny sure did have their work cut out for them. He had to confess, they had been right about the clothes.
They continued to walk down the road in silence. When they finally got to Hogsmeade, they went straight to Three Broomsticks. When they walked inside, Neville saw something that made him want to turn around and run far away: Ron, Harry and Hermione were sitting at a table in a corner.
Hermione being there didn't bother him too much, but Harry and Ron were different stories. Especially Ron.
Neville knew he couldn't chicken out now; he had his hair dyed blue and back for this! He bravely walked further into the pub, feeling like he was going into battle.
"Neville, are you alright?" Luna was looking at him, eyes full of concern.
He had just realized that he had been staring at the three of them with wide eyes and had on a vacant expression. "Oh, yeah," he said, tearing his eyes away from the trio. "I'm fine."
They took a seat the farthest away from the three. Luna didn't know that, though, she was just happy to be there.
After Neville ordered two butterbeers, Luna turned to him. "So," she said, looking at Neville, "how have you been, Neville? I know you tell me things in your letters, but," she smiled at him, "I haven't talked to you face to face in ages."
Neville mustered up a smile. Well, the best smile a teenage boy under pressure can make, and to tell you the truth it looked more like gas. "Yeah, well, pretty much nothing has changed since you last saw me."
Luna tilted her head to one side, as if trying to see something that wasn't quite clear. "Except your hair. It looks… different. I like it."
He looked down at his toes and blushed. "Thanks." He made a mental note to remember to thank Ginny and Hermione later.
Luna smiled. "You're welcome. How's Herbology been?"
Neville looked up and smiled. "Oh, Herbology's been great. Professor Sprout even said I was already up to O.W.L. standards, only in my fourth year."
Luna grinned, happy for him. "By the time you do take your O.W.L.S, you'll be ready for N.E.W.T.S."
A waitress approached their table, two butterbeers in hand. She set down the bottles in front of them. Neville took out his Galleons to pay when he saw Luna was doing to same.
"Oh no, it's ok," he said hastily to Luna. "I've got this."
"No, really," Luna said, taking out two Galleons, "I don't mind."
No matter how much Neville argued that he would pay, Luna insisted she'd pay for hers. After a while, he figured he was just fighting a losing battle. Though reluctantly, he allowed her to pay for her butterbeer.
After they thanked the waitress, Neville turned toward Luna. "So, let's not ramble on about my boring life, how've you been?"
Luna smiled. "I've been alright. Ginny has been talking to me a lot more than before, and she's really starting to be a great friend. She stops a lot of kids from calling me Loony."
Neville suddenly clenched his fists. He was disgusted that anyone would call Luna, Loony. They obviously didn't really know her.
Luna seemed to notice Neville fury and added, "Oh, it's ok. People call me Loony all the time. Over the years, I've learned a valuable skill: to block out all sound that I don't want to hear."
He laughed. Luna was so honest, it was kind of funny.
* * *
Meanwhile, on the other side of the pub, three best friends sat at table, just talking and hanging out.
"I-I mean, did you see the look on Snape's face?" Ron was nearly in tears because of all his laughter. "You should have seen it, Hermione. You really should have."
Harry was laughing too. Hermione rolled her eyes. Boys… laughing at the lighting-of-fire of others.
"Well, I was busy…" she suddenly stopped. What she had been doing that fine Wednesday that she hadn't been able to go to an extra optional potions class to prepare for O.W.L.S that Professor Snape was teaching was helping Neville get ready for his date— er—meeting. But, of course, she could not tell them that. "I was busy… um… helping Professor McGonagall sort through her papers."
"Well, you still should have been there," Ron argued.
Hermione suddenly had an idea. Neville have said he was going to take her to Three Broomsticks…. Hermione looked around. She caught a glimpse of Neville and Luna, on the other side of the pub. She was about to get a little closer to spy on them, when she remembered Harry and Ron were with her.
Uh oh, Harry and Ron.
Hermione quickly turned her back to them, hiding Neville and Luna from Harry and Ron's line of vision.
Harry rose his eyebrows at Hermione's wide eyes. "What's the matter?"
"Nothing. Nothing." She tried to sound as convincing as possible, but that was hard to do under pressure.
Ron tried to look over her shoulder, but Hermione was doing a pretty good job hiding them.
"Hermione, what are you hiding?" Ron said, still trying, without success, to see the happy couple behind her.
"I'm not hiding anything," she said, now trying painfully hard to hide them.
They would have never seen Neville and Luna because of all of the protection Hermione was going through. But, sadly, there was a kink in her armor: a spot right above the left side of her head. Ron looked over at the two and an evil grin spread across his face.
"Is that—"
He was cut off by Hermione, who had found it necessary to cover his mouth with her hand.
"Be quiet, you idiot. Can't you see Neville's busy?"
"Oh he's busy, alright," he said with a smirk. "Mr. and Mrs. Lovegood!" He nearly shouted this. It would've come out a lot louder if it hadn't been for Hermione, who had nearly tackled him trying to cover his mouth.
"Shush, you prat!"
Ron looked shocked at the name, but he soon remembered why she even called him a prat. He turned back to Neville and Luna.
"Ok, ok," he said. "I won't bother you about it anymore."
Hermione looked relived. She slowly let her hand off his mouth. "Thank you."
He gave her an evil grin. "I'll go bother them about it." He pointed at the laughing couple in the corner on the other side of Three Broomsticks.
Hermione look startled. "Wait, what?"
Harry chuckled as Ron got up from the table, pushed pass Hermione and tried to get to Neville and Luna. He would've made it if it hadn't been for Hermione, yelling like a mad-woman and tackling Ron to the ground.
No one in the pub seemed to notice Ron was almost literally fighting for his life. Harry shot up and tried to help Ron.
"Hermione! What are you doing?"
He faintly heard Ron say, "She's mental!"
He attempted to help them both up. He took hold of Ron and Hermione's hands and helped them stand.
After he was on his feet again, Ron wiped the dirt off his robes and gave Hermione a disgusted look. "You crazy bucket of fuzz!"
She rolled her eyes. "Really? A crazy bucket of fuzz?"
Ron narrowed his eyes. "Well… I couldn't think of another comeback, and… and… YOU SMELL!"
Hermione gave him a look that plainly said, 'You psycho.'
"That made NO sense. I smell? I smell like what?"
"You smell! That's it Hermione! That's all there is to it, you smell!"
"I smell like what?! That makes absolutely NO SENSE!!!"
"You… smell… like… something… BAD!"
Hermione crossed her arms. "Honestly, Ron. I've heard better come backs from Percy, and that usually is 'I'm Head Boy!'"
Harry couldn't help laughing. Ron threw him a cold stare.
"Nice to know whose side you're on."
Hermione turned to him and gave him a pleading look. "Please, Ron. PLEASE, don't bother Neville."
Ron hesitated before saying, "Why do you care so much? I mean, it's not like it's any of your business, anyway."
Hermione looked down. Of course she couldn't tell them that she knew everything about Neville's "meeting" with Luna. So, she decided to lie through her teeth.
"I know it's not any of my business, but, look at Neville," she pointed at Neville, looking like he was the luckiest guy in the world. "Would you really mess with that?"
Ron put a finger on his chin, looking like he was thinking hard. "Well, when you put it that way… of course I would love to mess with that!"
Hermione gave him an evil stare. "Ron, you insensitive little git! Can't you understand that Neville's growing up? Why do you love to torture him so much about Luna?"
Ron tried to hold in a laugh. "It's hilarious! Look at him! Neville and Loony Lovegood, who would've ever guessed they'd end up together?"
Harry laughed and leaned over to Ron to whisper, "Who would've pictured Neville with anybody?"
He and Ron laugh so hard, they doubled over. When they came up finally, they could see the fury and hate boiling inside Hermione's eyes. She then gave both of them a smack on the shoulder that they both deserved.
"Would you two care to explain to me the fact that Neville Longbottom can get a date to Hogsmeade while the two of you can't?"
Harry looked down at his toes, catching her point. "Sorry, Hermione. You're right."
But Ron didn't seem to get the message.
"So? Do you have a date to Hogsmeade?"
Now he'd crossed the line.
"Well," she said, barely containing her rage, "I'm perfectly capable of getting a date, Ronald. Besides," she said, releasing her fury through a sigh, "I consider you guys my dates to Hogsmeade." When Harry and Ron shot her an uneasy look, she just smiled at them and shrugged. "Hey, since we're all alone, why not be alone together?"
Harry nodded. "Good point."
Ron, after a while, nodded too. Then he turned back to Neville and Luna.
"Now, Hermione," he said, holding his hands up as if surrendering, once he saw the warning look on her face. "I'm not going to bother them, I'm just going to say 'hi.'"
But, to Ron's discontent, she was not fooled.
"Oh, yeah right." She cross her arms and gave him a smug look. "I bet this is how your little 'greeting' is going to go." She cleared her throat and mimicked Ron's voice. "'Why, hello there, Mr. Lovegood. Haven't seen you around. Ah! I see you have the missus with you. Hello, Mrs. Lovegood! Has he been behaving well?'"
Harry laughed at her imitation. Ron gave him a shocked look.
"Is it too much to ask that you help your best mate out once? Just once?"
"Sorry."
Ron sighed deeply. "Fine, I'll just go back to the table and—"
He had been pretending to go back to their table and suddenly swerved to the right. He flew past a scowling Hermione and sped over to "the Lovegoods'" table.
When he suddenly appeared next to Neville, he nearly fell out of his chair. What was Ron Weasley doing on his side of Three Broomsticks?
Luna didn't look the least bit surprised. Or, maybe that was just because of her wide eyes…. But Neville didn't have time to think about her wide eyes, RON WEASLEY WAS INTURRUPTING THEIR DATE! Wait, what… NO, MEETING!!!! NOT A DATE! NOT A DATE!
Ron grinned at Neville.
"Sup, Neville."
Luna turned to him. "Is this a friend of yours, Neville?"
He opened his mouth to answer but Ron beat him to it.
"You could say that. Hey, Neville, or, should I say, Mr.—"
Just when Ron was about to finish that horrifying sentence Neville prayed he would never finish, Hermione came out of nowhere and attacked Ron. She tackled him to the ground and put him in a headlock.
Luna looked at Neville, looking surprised for the first time. "Is this another one of your friends?"
Neville grimaced and said, "Yeah…."
Harry had turned up now, shouting things at the two of them like, "Hermione, leave him alone!" "Hey, that's enough you two, let's go!" and "Ron, are you serious? You're just going to let her punch you like that?" and Neville personal favorite, "Ron, punch back! Take it like a man, don't be such a weenie!"
Neville turned to Luna, smiled one of his gas-smiles and shrugged.
"Friends… what are you going to do about them?"
But Luna just grinned at him and got up like Neville had done. "Come on," she said, "I think we're done, anyway."
So the two walked right out of the pub, leaving the distant yelled of Harry saying, "Oh, that's got to hurt!" behind them.
They walked all the way back to Hogwarts in silence. Neville was fidgeting with the collar of his shirt nervously. He hoped Ron hadn't spoiled their evening. If he did, Neville silently promised to slaughter Ron and hang his intestines across the Gryffindor common room.
Just when he was about to turn around and gang up on Ron, Luna turned to him and said, "Thanks for the great day. I really enjoyed it."
Neville looked at her, surprised. "Really?"
Luna nodded. "I had fun, talking with you. It was really nice."
Neville scrunched his eyebrows together. "What about, the little show my friends put on back there?" He used the term "friends" loosely.
Luna smiled and said, "Oh, don't worry." She laughed. "I actually quite liked your friends."
"Really?" Neville repeated, dumbfounded.
Luna nodded. "Really. They were very… unusual."
Neville felt a smile slowing growing on his face. "Well, it was great to see you, Luna. Hope we can do it again sometime soon."
"Me too," Luna said, suddenly grabbing Neville's hand and squeezing it. "Goodbye, Neville Longbottom. Until next time."
Neville looked down at their joined hands and almost had a heart attack.
She slowly let go of his hand and back away toward the castle, waving goodbye at him. He thought she was about to turn around and leave when she quickly turned back around and kissed Neville on the cheek.
"Oh, and," she said to him, smiling, "I expect to get your next letter really soon."
Luna backed away from him, waving goodbye. Neville felt his hand waving. He wasn't aware of his brain telling his hand to wave; it seemed to be acting on its own accord. Because, as soon as Luna's lips had touched his cheek, his brain immediately gave out.
Even after she had long gone into the castle, Neville kept standing there, waving. After a while of standing there, waving like an idiot, he stopped waving and brought his hand up to the cheek where Luna kissed him.
He slowly felt the skin where her lips had been: It still felt warm.
He stood there, looking off into the distance, feeling the warmth on his cheek. Even when his hand was back down at his side, he could still feel the warmth.
He could have stood there all day, wondering what in the name of Merlin just happened, but the noise of the students coming back from Hogsmeade jarred him back to reality.
