Neville and Luna
By ThatRomantic
They were sitting in the library, hidden at the back. Since the beginning of term Neville, Ginny, and Luna had all been trying to do the things that the ‘Golden Trio’ would do if they were still in Hogwarts. People were more scared now than ever before, and they needed someone, somewhere, to turn to when things went wrong. That was where they came in. Neville couldn’t help but feel proud of himself for helping the cause. Anything to help.
He looked over to the two girls who were working just as hard as he to ensure that they were prepared for anything. McGonagall had given them permission for the Restricted Section of the library. It had taken weeks to convince her, but once she saw just how dedicated they were to the cause she had granted them unlimited access.
Ginny was concentrating with a harsh look of determination on her face. Neville understood that she wanted this war to be over quickly. She loved Harry, and knew that the only way for them to be together was for the defeat of Voldemort to happen. She was the driving force behind the whole operation, and was the one who reminded them all that it was for a good cause.
She had changed, he noticed, grown up a little. She hadn’t given in to the male attention she still attracted the way she had before. Neville knew that she was holding on for Harry’s return, but he couldn’t help but feel sorry for her. She’d waited six years to be with him, and then he had gone off chasing the darkest wizard in history. That wasn’t the worst part for Neville though. The worst part would be if Harry had to die. It was an option that he’d thought about time and time again. Even, Neville had thought, if it was that he died for us to win, he would still be dead. Ginny would be heartbroken. That would break his heart too, to watch her suffer. They had become closer friends during their rebellion, and he loved her as a sister now.
Luna was the brains behind it all. He’d always liked Luna, probably because she was slightly misunderstood “ like him “ but he didn’t like to overanalyse things too much. She always seemed so serene to him with her long flowing blonde hair and big dreamy blue eyes. The quirky charms that hung around her neck and the odd mismatched earrings added to her beauty for him, because she was. Beautiful. He just didn’t know how to let her know that without her looking knowledgably through her sapphire eyes as if to say, ‘I know that’s what you think.’ She was eerily clever in the way that Hermione wasn’t. Hermione was book-smart, but Luna was more than just that. Sure she knew all the answers, but she was wise too. She read the books on the dark arts in a way that only she could, with the far-away look in her eyes, and occasionally turn the page. Like she wasn’t actually reading, but more absorbing the text in front of her.
Neville had never really understood what their relationship was. Whether it was just friends or a little bit more, but he didn’t really know how to find out for sure; all he knew was that when the chance presented itself for him to find out, he’d take it.
Neville was snapped out of his thoughts when a frustrated noise came from the direction of what seemed to be a very irate red head. She didn’t say anything, just slammed the book she was reading shut and stomped out of the library. Neville knew that she had come to the point where studying the spells seemed futile. He felt that too, sometimes. Sometimes he thought to himself that it was pointless, because nothing would cure his parents of their insanity, but then the Carrows would say something about ‘Mudbloods,’ or he’d see Snape torturing a first year, and he’d be reminded that what they were doing was going to help.
“Just us two, then,” he said to Luna. She looked up at him, her bright eyes sparkling beautifully in the candlelight. She smiled her distant smile and nodded before looking back at her book. They continued in silence for a while, only the sound of fragile pages being turned between them, until Neville came across something that he couldn’t understand. He walked around to ask Luna what it meant and then it happened, faster than lightning. He tripped on a chair leg and somehow his lips landed on hers. Before he knew it, he was kissing her properly, because this was his chance. His chance to finally find out if they were destined to be something more. Ten seconds later he pulled away. He had got his answer.
He knew that was not how it was supposed to feel. He’d never had a sister, but if he had, that was what it would feel like to kiss her. He coughed and proceeded to ask her the question, and the event was never spoken of again.