Disclaimer: I take credit for this plot and my own characters, but everything else belongs to J.K. Rowling.
Note: As of now, I have had 244 hits and a grand total of 7 reviews, and I just posted this story last night. Guys, thank you sooo much for taking the time to read it. I know Ron/Luna ships aren't that popular right now, so I really appreciate your interest in my little fic. An even bigger thanks to those of you who took the extra minute to review. Your comments mean a lot to me! Thanks for all the suggestions!
Eyes91: I responded to your review, in case you didn't get it. I was hoping I was the only one who noticed that tiny inconsistency, but apparently, I wasn't (and I applaud you for seeing it, even though I wish I had caught it before publicizing the fic!). Your ideas on how I should fix this minor error would be greatly appreciated. Email me at: MusicLuvr290@cs.com
Chapter Three
Dawn of Discovery
Draco was gone by dawn the next morning. Ron said his goodbyes and then wandered his way through the castle. He was having a hard time sleeping these days. There seemed to be this weight on his chest that he couldn't properly explain. Two days of quiet, and it had seemed like an eternity for him. Did Harry feel it too? Ron wondered what was going through his best friend's head. There was so much pressure on him, so much he shouldn't have to know. But the whole world was like that since the War. Everyone was growing up much faster than they should've had to. Even Ron's nieces were learning complex magic and combat. No one liked it, but what other choice did they have?
Someone needed to win the War soon. The Muggles had been pulled into the whole thing a long time ago. More than half of their population had been wiped out by Voldemort in an effort to exhaust the power of the Few. Schools of magic all over the world had been converted into sanctuaries for the Muggles, bases for the Few. Hogwarts was one of the nicer ones, since it was the primary base. Hogsmede was the next closest, and while it didn't hold a candle to the castle. Most of the power of the Few went into keeping the castles hidden from the forces of the Death Eaters, but day by day, they were growing weaker. Weaker was what the Death Eaters were aiming for. Everyone knew they were trying to break the Few by throwing stupid little problems at them. They knew that, eventually, the Few would snap and wouldn't be able to fight off a major attack. Harry Potter would eventually die, and without Harry, what would happen to the Few? Harry knew he was the main target of Voldemort, and that's why he had trained Ron, so if one day Harry fell, Ron would be able to take over. But how long would it take for the Death Eaters to figure that out? Ron was in as much jeopardy as his best friend, and he never allowed himself to forget it. He wanted to sharpen himself as much as possible, because one look at his nieces and all of the other children in the castle, children who were born in the middle of a War they didn't understand, born just to fill armor and raise swords one day, or born to try and reinforce some faith in the cause of the Few... one glance at them, and Ron knew it was worth it, knew it through and through and never doubted his place in the War. He wasn't fighting for him, he was fighting for them, so they would be able to one day live normal lives.
When Ron finally looked up, he was in the Quidditch stands. The sky was a dusty mix of black and gray as the night prepared to surrender itself to the day. A cool, gentle breeze blew across the field, bending the overgrown blades of grass. Ron closed his eyes and lifted his face into the wind's caress. And then he heard the sobs. Startled, he glanced around him. Sitting in one of the top stands was Luna Lovegood, her head collapsed in her hands, her body shaking from the tears she was trying so hard to stifle. Concerned, Ron ascended the stairs until he came to her row, and he slowly took a seat beside her.
"Luna?" He asked gently, gingerly placing a hand on her shoulder. Luna didn't answer him. "Luna, what's wrong?"
Luna choked down a sob and sniffed, raising her head and wiping her eyes and nose with the back of her hand. "I'm sorry. I...I lost control of myself, I think. I'll be going now. Don't mind me, Ronald." She stood to go, but Ron grabbed her wrist and stopped her. She turned and looked at him through puffy red eyes.
"No, stay and talk to me. What's wrong?" Ron said, standing so he could look at her easier. Was he crazy? Why did he suddenly care why Luna Lovegood was crying? It was probably just PMS or something else that wasn't his business and he should just let it go. 'But you can't just let her go like this. She's your partner now.' He said to himself as he looked down at Luna, making it plainly obvious that he wasn't about to let her walk away.
Luna looked up at Ron, her wide blue eyes watery and sad, and he stared right back. Slowly, the look she was giving him changed. It was...softer...it was a look he had never been given before, therefore it couldn't be explained. His lips parted and he took a deep breath, feeling as though he could never look away from her as long as she held that beautiful stare in her eyes. Then, with an almost audible snap, her eyebrows drew together in a glare. She shook her head, and silver droplets of tears flew from the corners of her eyes. She yanked her wrist back.
"Oh, why do you care anyway, Ron?" She shouted.
Surprised, Ron took a step back from Luna. She looked like she was going to try and push past him, but instead she sat down on the stands again and buried her fingers in her hair as she began to cry fresh tears.
"Why would you care? No one else does, what makes you so different from them? Damn you all, I don't know why I even came here. I thought...I thought maybe I could help. Instead, I just made things worse, didn't I? I got Draco sent off to Alaska, I ruined Harry and Hermione's wedding. And I doubt it's going to stop there. Oh no. I'll have to be the bringer of bad news again, and again, and again, because they had to chose me. I had to be the one they gave their stupid blessing to.
"And you know what else, Ron? I see the way everyone looks at me. You all still think I'm crazy, don't you? Even all these years later, I'm nothing but Loony Lovegood to everyone. Ginny was the only person I could actually talk to, and now she hates me for getting Draco sent off on another mission. Does anyone here have any idea what it's like to have absolutely no one to talk to for your whole life? So why do you care, Ron? Or did you just come out here to shove it all in my face like everyone else?"
She punched the seat she was on and collapsed in on herself again. Ron saw the dent she had left in the metal stand and, hoping his face wouldn't turn out the same way, pulled her to her feet again and wrapped both of his strong arms around her slender body.
"I care, Luna. I care because we're in this together now. You, me, and the rest of the Few. We're all partners, we're all family. And I don't think you're crazy."
He was telling the truth. He didn't think she was insane anymore. She was a living, breathing, feeling person just like he was. Why had it taken him so long to realize it? She obviously had her problems, and she had dealt with them in unordinary ways during school, but just because she hadn't been one hundred percent normal hadn't given them the right to harass her. He felt Luna shift under his hold and sob into his chest. He held her a bit tighter and smoothed her hair with his hand. She needed a friend, needed comfort, and even though he didn't like admitting it, so did he.
"Why are you suddenly being so nice to me?" Luna sniffed, pulling back from him and looking up. Ron was very aware of the delicate, warm hands that were braced against his chest, and he hoped she didn't feel his heart beat begin to race. He scolded himself for being silly and tried to calm himself down so he could answer her.
"Because you deserve to be nice to." He said, knowing he was speaking the truest words that had escaped
his lips in many years. "Because we were all wrong all those years in school. I, for one, am very sorry. And just
because I'm apologizing...that doesn't erase those years, doesn't blot out all the turmoil you had to go
through. You shouldn't have to forgive any of us. But now...now we're adults, Luna, we're not stupid little
schoolkids. We're fully grown powerful witches and wizards living in a very real world. You're part of that,
you always have been. I guess we were all just too dense to realize it."
He raised his head and looked off into the distance, relying on the sunrise to cover his blush. Every part of his body that made contact with hers was burning, aching. He was aware of every little breath she took, everything she did. He wasn't sure what he thought about it, and he decided to ignore it, like he did for everything he couldn't explain. Pretend it's not there and it will eventually go away. But this time, it was not working.
He felt Luna reach one of her hands up and touch his cheek. His eyes instantly shot down as fire raced through his body. Startled, Luna pulled back a little. When she saw that she hadn't angered him, she caressed his face again and smiled at him with her mouth and her eyes. Slowly, because he didn't know what else to do, Ron placed his hand over hers. What was going on with him? Luna's eyes softened when Ron touched her, and she shuffled herself a little bit closer to him. At first, Ron's body went tense. He wasn't used to having a woman this close, let alone this tender. It was an alien feeling, but he couldn't help but love every moment of it. Impulse took over.
He slid his hand down her arm, over her shoulder, and up her neck. He took her chin in his fingers and lifted her head, then bent his and kissed her sweetly on her lips. He felt her gasp, and then hesitantly kiss him back. It was an insane sensation, kissing Luna, firstly because Ron had never kissed or been kissed before, and secondly because that feeling he hadn't been able to identify found some possible way to intensify. The sun was rising in the sky, bright and glorious, and he felt like he was rising with it. He wanted to kiss her and hold onto her forever. Caught up in the moment, Ron slid his hand back down Luna's neck and around to the the base of her head. Luna's hands moved upward from Ron's chest, and she settled her arms around his neck. As their bodies pressed closer into each other's, their mouths opened a bit wider, finally accepting the attraction that had been dancing between them the whole time. All Ron could feel was Luna's warmth, Luna's touch, everything about Luna. 'How can this be happening to me, of all people, with her, of all people? Something so amazing...I just don't get it.' He thought as gently, they pulled away from each other. Ron opened his eyes and looked down at Luna. The way she was staring at him sent enjoyable shivers down his spine. 'Eh, what the hell.' He thought, and kissed her again, and again, and again...
Note: Ack! It's my first fluff chapter! *wrings hands nervously* How was it? Dome, I know you told me not to rush things, but...well, I sort of have the first ten chapters already done. lol But get ready for a lot of twists and turns, guys! I promise this won't be a regular full-of-fluff fic!