Beater 2, Wigtown Wanderers QLFC Season 10
Main Prompt: Step-Siblings
Optional Prompts: 9. [action] shaking hands and 12. [word] linger
Word Count: 1001
Warnings: References to death
Muggle AU
~wWw~
For as long as Hermione could remember, it had been just her and her mom. Unfortunately, her father died in a car accident when she was a toddler. Since then, it had always been just the two of them. She was used to the quiet life they had together. They had a routine, one that barely changed from day to day.
One day that routine changed just slightly, but Hermione had always been perceptive to the change in the emotions of those around her, specifically her mother. Most days, her mom came home from the office tired, ready to curl up on the couch so they could read together without much energy to do anything else, but today was different. Today she came home full of nervous energy and couldn't sit still.
That was the first time Emma Granger met Xenophilus Lovegood.
~wWw~
Months later, Hermione met Luna Lovegood for the first time. Both parents had determined that what was happening between them was serious, so it was time to introduce their children. Neither of the pair really had any clue how this interaction would go.
Appearance-wise, the girls were polar opposites, Hermione's dark hair a stark contrast to the almost white hair Luna possessed. Hermione's strong presence was opposite to the nervous energy that Luna seemed to carry everywhere she went.
"Hello," Hermione said, briefly looking up from the book she was reading at the prodding of her mother's fingers on her shoulder.
"Hello," Luna replied, her voice barely above a whisper. The young girl's hands were nervously tapping on her leg.
"Hermione, put the book away. You can read later," her mother whispered in her ear. Hermione nodded and closed the book. Her bookmark carefully slid down between the pages.
Hermione took a moment to observe the younger girl in front of her. She had a soft, rounder face, and her skin was as pale as one of the pages in Hermione's books. Her blonde hair curled around her face, framing it. Pale silver eyes lingered on Hermione, almost like Luna was looking through her.
~wWw~
"Are you two ready to go to the zoo?" Xenophilus asked both girls, who were somewhat awkwardly sitting beside each other. They had yet to spend any significant time together. Hermione and Luna both lit up at Xenophilus's words.
"Zoo?" they asked in sync, each looking towards their respective parent. Emma nodded to her daughter, who leapt from the couch excitedly. Xenophilus smiled at his daughter, who leapt towards him in a hug.
The two parents quickly wrangled the girls into their coats, out the door, and into Emma's car. A little nervously, Luna got into the car. She hated riding in cars. The loud noises and sharp movements all made her nervous. Most of the time she preferred to walk.
"Are you both seatbelted in?" Emma asked, looking at the pair of girls sitting in her backseat. Both girls nodded in response.
"Ok, off to the zoo we go!" Emma turned the key, waiting for the hum of the engine. She carefully pulled out of the driveway and onto the street.
Luna's fingers played with the ends of her hair, twirling it around as she tried to self-comfort and hide her shaking hands from the other occupants of the car.
Hermione noticed the other girl's fidgeting but didn't know what to say, so instead she slowly rested her hand between the pair, allowing the other girl to hold it if she wanted. Luna desperately grabbed her hand, holding it as if it were the only thing keeping her from drowning. Hermione's cold skin juxtaposed Luna's warm skin. The lingering touch helped to soothe her anxiety. The pair said nothing, but inwardly both were ecstatic.
Both girls had little success finding friends with their peers, but this seemed like the beginning of a good friendship.
~wWw~
Both girls excitedly bounced in their shoes as they waited in line to enter the zoo. Their bodies were in motion, from their happily tapping feet to their shaking hands to their swivelling heads. Neither could wait to see all the animals. Luna had never been to a zoo, but her dad had explained their premise to her, so she was very excited. Hermione had been to the zoo a few times with her class for field trips, but this would be the first time she was going with someone she hoped was a friend.
The girls decided that they wanted to see the Gorilla Kingdom first. Following the bright animal footprints painted on the ground, they weaved through the zoo. Emma and Xenophilus held hands as they indulgently followed a few steps behind their exploring daughters.
At each enclosure, Luna would press herself close to the glass as Hermione read the sign before them, curious eyes lingering on each word. Then the pair would talk among themselves about the animal and the enclosure. Sometimes Luna would make odd comments, but Hermione would just smile at the other girl and the conversation would continue.
~wWw~
"Hermione, can I speak to you about something?" Xenophilus asked as he entered the living room where she was reading her book curled up on the floor. She carefully put the book away and looked up at him questioningly.
"I wanted to ask you if it was ok if I asked your mother to marry me," Xenophilus explained, carefully watching the bushy-haired girl.
"Fine by me. Then Luna and I can be real sisters!" Hermione gushed excitedly. Xenophilus smiled indulgently, happy that both girls were so close to each other.
~wWw~
Emma and Xenophilus decided to elope. Neither had the energy to plan a wedding, so they married in a courthouse with their two daughters happily behind them.
Although neither could see it, they knew their daughters, who appeared to be polar opposites, were shaking with joy, from their small, childlike hands to their dancing feet.
Even though that day was their wedding day, in the Granger-Lovegood family, it was the day Hermione and Luna became sisters.
