Author's Note: Thank you, my loyal reviewers, who have stuck with this story from the beginning. And thanks, again, to Indigo Marchfor the help on this chapter. You rock, Indy!
* * *
Chapter 8:
Bad news for Neville
After Neville's little fight with Justin, people respected Luna much more. Even when Neville wasn't with her, people didn't dare call her Loony, half expecting Neville to jump out from behind a pillar and to start screaming hexes and yelling like mad man that foamed at the mouth when he was angry. "MY LUNA! NO ONE CALLS MY LUNA LOONY!" Wait, did he just call her my Luna?
Neville and Luna had been meeting by the lake every Friday. By now it had become a tradition amongst the two.
Neville felt like the happiest guy in the entire world. Nothing could get him down, nothing, nothing at all. Nothing, that is, except, someone asking Luna out.
It was about three weeks after Justin and Neville's fight. It was a Wednesday, and Neville felt great. Too bad his good mood would be gone by lunch.
He was walking to lunch, when he saw Luna walking into the castle, too.
"Luna!" he shouted, trying to get her attention. "Wait up!"
When he caught up with her, she smiled at him. "Hello, Neville."
The two walked up the steps to the Great hall, when, suddenly, they heard someone yelling, "Luna!"
They both whipped around to face Ernie Macmillan, smiling at them.
"Hi Neville," he said. After he greeted Neville, he then acted as if he wasn't there to begin with. "Luna," he asked, "will you go with me to Hogsmeade?"
Neville turned pale. He might as well have gotten down on one knee and asked, "Will you marry me?"
To Neville's horror, Luna grinned and said, "Sure."
Ernie smiled a giddy smile that made Neville want to run away and weep like a little girl. Did he hear right? Had she said yes? Was this a dream? Or was it just some cruel nightmare?
"Great," Ernie said. Neville had never felt such hatred toward a Hufflepuff, not even this much hatred toward Justin.
"Ok. Well, I guess I'll see you Saturday."
Luna smiled and said, "See you then."
As Ernie walked away triumphantly, Neville had a bitter face on.
The smile disappeared from Luna's lips.
"What's wrong?"
"Nothing," he said coldly, walking into the castle, and immediately wished he hadn't. The look on Luna's face said that she really did care what was wrong. She followed him.
Neville sighed. "You said yes," he whispered.
Luna looked at him, eyebrows scrunched together. "What?"
Neville looked hurt. "Why'd you say yes to Ernie?"
Luna looked down and said, "Well, I don't get many invitations to Hogsmeade, so when I do, I tend to say yes."
Neville stopped walking and so did Luna.
Didn't get that many invitations? Neville would take her to Hogsmeade everyday if they could. He had been planning on asking her Friday.
Stupid Ernie.
"Why would you say that?" Neville asked.
"Well," she said, "before you… um… took care of Justin, I was Loony. Loony Lovegood."
"Don't call yourself that," Neville pleaded, grimacing at the fact that Luna would call herself Loony.
"But I was," she said gently. "I was crazy old Loony. And, you know, that nickname tends to turn people off. So, I wasn't ever really the kind of girl never to go to Hogsmeade alone, without so much as even one friend to keep me company."
"Luna," Neville murmured, "don't say that." It pained him to hear her putting herself down and just acknowledging all the things people said about her.
Wait. Neville wondered if he had just been another one of those "invitations" she said yes to just to say yes?
Before Neville could get too worried, he remembered Luna had asked him.
"What is it?" Luna said, grabbing Neville's arm. Neville was too upset to notice the tingle that went through his arm when she touched it, and to notice how close to him she was standing.
"Tell me," she said, lightly stoking his arm. "Please?"
He suddenly seemed to realize just how close she was standing, the pleading look in her eyes, and the fact that she was holding his arm.
He gulped and the look in his eyes softened. For a minute, Neville forgot why he was mad at her.
Then, a Hufflepuff prefect passed them and Neville remembered again.
He pulled away slightly. Luna kept a light hold on his arm.
"Neville!" Luna pulled him back to where he stood a moment before. Now she was even closer to him.
Neville released a shaky breath and said angrily, "You said yes to Ernie's 'invitation.'"
Luna looked confused. "Is that why you're upset?"
Neville gave her a shocked look and said, "Of course that's why I'm upset!"
Luna tilted her head to one side. "Why would me going to Hogsmeade with a nice boy, just as friends, bother you?"
Neville looked down. "Well, maybe he asked you as… I don't know… more than friends?"
Luna looked down too, blushing slightly. "Neville! That's ridiculous! Why would I think of Ernie as more than friends?" She paused and looked up, a little hopeful. "Why do you care so much?"
Neville was blushing now, too.
"Well… I, um… uh…." He took a deep breath and tried to think of a way to tell her, without really telling her. "Because, I… I care about you, Luna. I don't want you to get hurt."
Luna smiled at him and let her hand slip down from around his elbow, into his own hand. Neville felt his heart do a little dance. He held his breath.
"Don't worry, Neville," she said, slowly letting go of his hand. "We're just going as friends."
As she pulled away and turned into the Great Hall, Neville exhaled.
He had a feeling Ernie didn't just see her as a friend.
* * *
Neville was thoroughly depressed the rest of the day.
Horrible thoughts kept popping up in his head.
What if Luna suddenly realized what a loser and how clumsy he really was and forgot all of the great things he'd done for her?
What if, after her day with Ernie, she decides to walk right up to Neville, stomp on his toes, laugh in his face and walk away?
What if she ran away with Ernie, forgot Neville's name and had three children: Luna Jr., Ernest, and Natasha?
Neville forced himself to think positively.
That didn't seem to last very long.
* * *
After what seemed like the worst day of his teenage life, Neville headed back up to the common room.
He passed Hermione and mumbled something about, "She's not Loony… stupid Ernie."
He kept walking and Hermione just stared after him, utterly confused.
"What's up, Neville?"
Neville whipped around to face her. "Nothing! It's not like she said yes, or anything! Because… you know, just because I haven't made my move yet, doesn't mean she can go around saying yes to other guys or anything! Everything's fine, Hermione! Just peachy!"
Hermione sighed. "Ok, clearly, you're upset. Talk to me." She patted the chair next to her.
It reminded Neville of how Luna had said, pleadingly, "Tell me, Neville. Tell me what's wrong."
"NO!" Neville shouted. "NO! You know perfectly well what's wrong!"
Hermione shot him another confused look, just slightly creeped out.
"Um… no, I don't, crazy."
Neville blushed. He had been talking to Luna in his mind.
"Sorry, Hermione."
He plopped down on the chair and sighed. "Women…," he muttered, but only for himself to hear.
Hermione looked at him thoughtfully. "Now, tell me what happened."
Neville let go of a deep breath he didn't realize he had been holding in. "Ernie asked Luna to go to Hogsmeade with him."
Hermione watched him in anticipation. "And… what'd she say?"
Neville gulped and murmured, "Yes."
Hermione couldn't hear him. "Huh?"
Neville took another deep breath, thinking that the more he said it, the more he was just confirming it. "She said yes."
"Neville, speak up. I can't hear you."
"She said YES!" Neville screamed at the top of his lungs.
She surely heard him, now. Neville felt queasy.
"Oh, Neville! That's horrible! So, Luna was the girl…." She muttered the last part, half to herself.
"What?" Neville felt sick. He had a hunch he knew what she was talking about.
"Well, Ernie came to me today for help asking out a girl."
That wasn't Neville's hunch. He almost fell out of his chair.
"And what'd you tell him?"
Hermione looked down. "That's not really important…."
"Come on," Neville said, shaking her arm, "tell me what you told him. Did you crush his sprits?"
Hermione rubbed the back of her neck. "No, not exactly."
"Then what?"
"I, um… I told him to go for it."
Neville couldn't breathe. "You encouraged him?!" He crossed his arms tightly and muttered, "Traitor."
Hermione gave him a shocked look. "How could I have possibly known he was talking about Luna?"
Neville refused to look at her. "You're still a traitor. Now Luna's going to fall right into his arms and forget all about me!"
"Neville! That's nonsense!" Then she leaned in and whispered, "Who in the right mind would trade you for Ernie?"
Neville slouched in his chair. "It could happen, and it will! And it's your entire fault!"
Hermione crossed her arms. "Well, maybe if you'd made your move sooner, this would've never happened!"
Neville blushed. "I wasn't ready yet!"
"Then don't go blaming it on me! If you had asked her ahead of time, that would've helped too."
"Sorry," Neville muttered, looking down, feeling embarrassed.
What if he had waited too long to tell Luna how he felt?
The negative questions just kept popping up in his head.
What if he had waited so long that all Luna thought they were both ever going to be was friends?
Suddenly, Hermione snapped her fingers in front of his face.
"Neville! I've been asking you the same question five times, now!"
"Oh, sorry," he said, looking around to make sure he wasn't at Ernie and Luna's wedding. It had all been in his head. "What was the question again?"
Hermione sighed. "I said, 'When were you planning to tell Luna how you felt?'"
Neville blushed a deep crimson. Then he did what he did best: babbled like an idiot under pressure. "I-I wasn't sure exactly when I was… uh, um… going to… tell her… about, uh… said feelings—"
Hermione groaned. "Merlin's beard, Neville, you won't even admit it to yourself! How can you possibly pull off telling her?"
Neville looked down. "I don't know!"
Hermione leaned forward eagerly and said, "Ok, Neville. Let's take this one step at a time: You have to first admit it to yourself. When I ask you this question, you'll answer truthfully. Just pour your heart out, Neville!"
Neville fidgeted uncomfortably. "Um… ok?" he answered uncertainly.
Hermione cleared her throat. "What do you think of Luna Lovegood?"
Neville sighed. "She's nice… and… she's, uh… pretty, I guess?"
Hermione shook her head. "No, Neville! You're doing it wrong! You're supposed to pour your heart out! You have to tell me everything you think of her!"
He gulped, and took in a shaky breath. "Ok. I'm ready."
She looked at Neville, concentrating hard, and repeated, "What do you think of Luna Lovegood?"
Neville closed his eyes. "I… I think… I think she's really nice… and she's wise, in her own way. And—And I think she's… she's—"
Hermione nodded. "Go on, Neville. Say it."
"I—I think she's the most gorgeous girl I've ever seen. She's pretty and funny, and," Neville smiled, "she likes me, even if it is only as a friend, for who I am. She understands what it's like not to fit in. And she's really honest… and… Hermione, I can't think of anything else."
He opened his eyes to find Hermione looking at him with a radiant smile on her face.
"Neville," she said, "that's the most beautiful thing I ever heard."
Neville looked down and blushed. "Thanks."
"Now," Hermione said, regaining her poker face, "tell me what you think of her in general. Is she just a friend to you? How do feel around her?"
He sighed. "I…I think of her… as… as much more than a friend. Whenever I'm around her, my palms get all sweaty, and even if I did rehearse what I was going to say fifty times, whenever she'd walk into the room, my mind would go completely blank. I'll babble like a blushing idiot, and she'd just smile and make me feel like everything's ok.
"And when she kisses my cheek or holds my hand, it feels as if I didn't even have a brain. I'll just stand there, and… and not do anything. Again she'll smile, and everything will be fine. And… and whenever she's around, I feel like there's nothing wrong in the world… like… like everything is alright."
Hermione was now sitting there, clutching her heart as if it was the most romantic thing she'd ever. "Oh… Neville. That's… That's the sweetest, most thoughtful thing I've ever heard." She seemed to be drying a tear from her eye. She smiled at him. "You have to tell her! You absolutely have to tell her!"
The smile that had been draped across his face suddenly disappeared.
"No. NO! I'm not ready!" Neville screamed desperately. "I can't do it yet!"
Hermione sat forward and said harshly, "When will you be ready, huh, Neville? When she moves in with Ernie? When, Neville, when?"
He blushed and shouted, "I don't know, ok?!"
He slunk into his seat and sighed.
Hermione gave him a sympathetic look and said, gently, "Neville, you have to let her know how you feel before she slips away between your fingers."
Neville moaned. "I know…. It's easy to tell you how I feel about her, but, like I said before, I get all… nervous around her. It'd be a lot easier if she could just," he threw his arms up, signaling something else, "turn around while I tell her, that way I don't have to look into those, sincere, silver eyes."
Hermione's eyes lit up. "Neville, that's it! You just can't look her in the eyes! That's what makes you nervous!"
He jumped back a little and said, "Hermione, I don't think that's going to help. I mean, I'm nervous whenever she's in the room. Not looking her in the eyes isn't going to help."
Hermione rolled her eyes. "You have to trust me on this. If you don't cooperate, it'll never work. You see how you just told me what you thought of her? Well, it'll be simple if you're just not looking at her. It's as simple as that."
"That'll never work," he said, hanging his head. "I'll just let her get married to Ernie. And, maybe she'll read about my undying love for her in my last will and testament."
Hermione stared at him, slightly confused. "What did you just say?"
"I-I said I'll let her run away with Ernie."
"No, after that."
"Um… you mean about my last will and testament?"
"No. Before that."
"Oh, you mean," Neville blushed, "what I said about my love for Luna?"
"Not just that," Hermione said, smiling and shaking his arm excitedly, "you said undying love. You said you loved her! Undyingly!"
Neville looked down, trying not to grin, as Hermione kept giggling chanting so only he could hear, "Neville's in love! Neville's in love!"
"I'm not in love with her!" he said, trying to regain his pride. "I'm in like with her."
She stopped giggling and just stared at Neville. "What?"
"In like with her, not in love."
Hermione shrugged. "What's the difference?"
"Hmm… let's see," he said, faking trying to think hard. "The only difference is… oh, I don't know… life and death! Hermione, you can't tell a girl you love her until you know her for quite some time and you've both liked each other for a while, too. You have to like before you love. Just like you have to walk before you run."
"Well put," she said, sighing. "Well, whatever you'd like to call it, you like Luna! I can't believe it, Neville!"
"Hermione, stop making such a big deal about it! I mean… it was bound to happen sometime."
"You're right, I'm sorry." She smoothed over nonexistent wrinkles on her uniform's skirt. "Anyway, I think I have an idea to win Luna back."
Neville sat forward and said, "I'm listening."
Hermione closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "Now, usually, I'm against plans like this, but it seems we have no other option."
"What is it?"
"It's… It's jealousy, Neville. You have to make Luna jealous."
Neville shook his head. "Oh no, I could never do that. Can't we just—"
"No. You have to listen to me. If a girl really likes you, she'll tend to get jealous really easily."
Neville thought over this. It could work.
"Fine, I'll do it. But… who'll want to go to Hogsmeade with me?"
"Oh, Neville, don't think that way. I'm sure you'll find someone that'll go with you."
He looked down, highly doubting that.
