Her dream-like appearance had stunned him many times, and not just because of her beauty, but because of the way she carried herself. She was rather beautiful, even if she was outspokenly strange. The way her hair swung when she walked, her candid state that seemed to always appear out of nowhere, those radish earrings and lion hat that had been made for a Quidditch match against Slytherin one year . . . all of these things made her bizarre and detestable to some, while to him . . . she looked like an angel.
Her aura persisted she was born this way and wasn’t intending to change just because of another student’s feelings toward her, and the boy admired that about her. She didn’t care about what other’s thought; she was who she was because of who she was. Since her father was an editor and writer for the Quibbler, she had taken on pieces of his personality because of the way he acted. He had heard of all of the amazing creatures throughout the world: while others just remained sceptical, never thinking of them again (and when they were mentioned they would scoff, saying they didn’t exist), while her father had actually gone off and travelled the world, seeking out these animals, she figured him the better person for actually proving them wrong. And he had found all of them. She believed anything her father said, no matter how odd or mistaken he may be, thus, she believed in those creatures. She had taken a part of him with her when she went to Hogwarts, and she told everyone she came into contact with when she got the chance about them.
Luna Lovegood. Her blonde hair usually was down and straight, taking on a slightly darker look in the sun as she stayed outside by the Black Lake in her free time, reading and taking in all of the learning she could. It was what took up her time because of her rubbish ability to make companions.
But he still admired her from afar, and anything she said or did was beautiful in his eyes.
~ * ~
A great burst of a sweet smell he couldn’t identify hit his nostrils almost suffocating him. Ron Weasley was in the Great Hall, his hand furiously running over a crumpled piece of parchment with a quill as his tried to quickly finish a last minute homework assignment. His eyebrows were furrowed and he was truly, desperately attempting to finish. If he was told one more time by McGonagall that he had failed an assignment, he would surely fail his N.E.W.T.s and possibly even the class. He couldn’t allow her to do that in his final year; his Mum would surely kill him.
“Luna?” he asked as he felt another presence sitting beside him promptly in one of the seats. The sweet scent was more available for him to smell than ever and he found himself wiping his nose in fear he would sneeze all of his parchment, ruining it from McGonagall’s grasp.
“Oh, hi, Ron,” she said dreamily, her mystic appearance soon becoming more and more apparent as she came closer to him.
“What are you doing?” he asked, squinting his eyes in scepticism of what she was doing as she came closer and closer. He finally turned to look at her.
“I was just going to show you that you made a mistake. ‘Werewolves’ is spelled with a ‘v’, not a ‘z’, and they only take full form during the full moon, not every day but the full moon.
Ron narrowed his eyes at her then returned to his paper quickly, scanning over his work to see if she was telling the truth. He knew for sure she was mistaken. He knew the properties of a werewolf and what happened to them, even if he was trying to speed through this assignment.
No, she was right. It was amazing how she could even read his scrawls of dreadful handwriting, but she had informed him of the major mistake. McGonagall would have had his head if he hadn’t corrected it.
He turned back to her and gave her a weak smile, showing his teeth, then sweeping the long hair out of his eyes. “Thanks,” he told her softly. He grabbed a quick bite of biscuit before looking at the grand clock in at the front of the Great Hall.
“Gos--- is’ time fu’ class, I’m gonna be late,” he said between mouthfuls of the buttery biscuit. The piece of bread leaked jelly down the sides as he struggled to hold it in one hand and his homework in the other. He seemed not to have not noticed that they were alone.
He continued to walk rapidly between the tables to get to class, giving Luna a quick wave before departing. All of a sudden, she yelled his name, sending him to a halt to turn around. His eyes widened as he was in a hurry.
“Yeah?” he asked, finally swallowing his last bite.
Luna looked as if she were utterly embarrassed to be speaking to him at the moment, even if it was only her inside the Great Hall. Her eyes became as big as Galleons and she stared at him as if he were something he had never seen before. He looked away for a moment, as did she, to avoid his gaze.
“Ron?” she asked again, repeating his name. She liked the way it rolled off her tongue and into the air. She continued to whisper it almost silently, but he heard.
“Yes, Luna? Please hurry, I need to get to---“
Luna immediately walked over to the other side of the Great Hall where he stood, one arm with nothing in its hand and another with a small book bag full of parchment and quills and books.
“I was wondering if. . .” She paused, taking a deep breath. “Well, I think I love you.” She shrugged.
Ron’s eyes widened as big as Luna’s and she seemed even more embarrassed than she already was.
“I just wanted you to know that. The Crumple-Horned Snorkacks were burdening me with the task of informing you, so . . .” Her eyes went to the floor and she seemed to be scanning the rest of the Great Hall, everywhere but where he stood with great liking just to avoid his gaze, which had not yet adjusted from her face.
“Uh . . .” he said awkwardly, trying to catch his breath, for a knot had formed in his throat and his heart had nearly stopped.
“Funny,” he said softly as she took on last fleeting look at him and ran through the double doors. “I think I love you, too.”
He went to his Transfiguration class and handed in a perfect paper.
Her Aura by Ron x Hermione
Chapter Notes: This was originally written for a task in OWL-Level Romance taught by Roxy Black, but I decided to lengthen it a bit and try something new with the ship. I hope you enjoy!