Without Supervision
A/N: PG-13 to NC-17 outtakes and "lost" scenes for Ron and Luna in HP and the Circle's End... These are
scenes that either weren't written originally or for some other reason did not make the book. They will rate, as
stated above, from PG-13 to NC-17, though the group will be rated NC-17 for the occasional bit of happiness... This
came about from a couple of emails between myself and Lady Starlight, on how Ron and Luna were "Without
Supervision" when they were off doing something while Harry and Hermione took the spotlight. For the most part,
these are, or will be, primarily Ron and Luna, though I'm sure that Harry and Hermione and the rest of the gang
might wander through occasionally.
I'll try to introduce each, as to where it goes in the book, and add a touch of explanation as appropriate, just like a cut scene on a DVD release. This first is Ron and Luna in Chapter 8, when Hermione wakes up and goes to Harry. <http://fanfiction.portkey.org/story/4941/8> As usual, thanks to Lady Starlight for her work on this ficlet.
Chapter 8: What was lost is now found....
*************************Hogwarts******************************
July 22, 1997...
4:40 pm
"She has gone to him," Luna said suddenly, shocking Ron out of his reverie looking at the Lake, as he and she walked around the lake. He froze, with the ice cream cone that Dobby had happily procured from for them, and looked back at her. Luna's eyes were slightly unfocused as she looked up towards the castle, a small, absent smile on her lips.
"Wha..." Ron asked, bemused.
"Oh, Ronald...Hermione, she's awake and she's gone to Harry," Luna replied, her tone becoming matter-of-fact as she went on. "It is a rather good thing...the balance was becoming rather odd there." She blinked and continued to stare straight ahead as she walked, watching something moving across the trail in front of them. She stopped, looking back at him after several more steps to find that he had frozen at her words. "Is there something wrong, Ronald?"
Ron blinked and looked back to her, "No," he said slowly, "I'm alright." He sighed and started to walk. He passed her without a word moved down the trail quickly. Luna watched him, silvery-grey eyes glinting slightly, before she hurried to catch up.
"Are you really?" Luna asked as she watched him stroll along with his ice cream held unnoticed in his hand. He nodded brusquely, and kicked at a stone in his path. Ron noticed afresh that he was still holding his cone, and with an efficiency that bordered on assassination, demolished it. He refused to look at her, keeping his eyes straight ahead, Luna sighed. "Is it because she went to him and not you..." Luna asked uncharacteristically quietly, "or is it because I'm here and not her?"
Ron jerked as if shaken. He stopped, and looked down at her, a distance of almost a foot, "It's not that."
"Then what is it?" Luna inquired. She looked up at him and watched as he didn't speak. Her eyes fell and she nodded, "I need to be going anyway, father should be returning from his safari soon," she replied rather quickly. She walked backwards a pair of strides before she turned and started to head back down the path towards the castle and a convenient Floo.
Luna continued on, squeezing her eyes tightly closed for a long moment as she walked. She started to turn towards the castle, looking up at the large structure critically as if examining it for flaws. Soft thumps of running feet came from behind her, just as she reached a set of stairs leading up the face of the hill on which the castle sat. "Luna..." Ron said urgently, and took a breath, "wait."
"Yes, Ronald, I should probably be getting home, father is absolutely hopeless at putting away his supplies properly," Luna demurred, still facing the castle. Her voice not betraying even a trace of the tears that were glistening in her eyes. She put one hand in the pocket of her jeans, and pulled out a small timepiece. She examined the four hands closely, time and two others, one with her name, and one with her father's, "He seems to still be travel..."
"It's not you, Luna," Ron interrupted her, and Luna's shoulders slumped further, Damn it, you've buggered up even... "No, Luna," Ron said quickly as he ran at a trot from the edge of the trail to where Luna was standing with one foot on the stairs. He paused, just out of reach of her, and extended one arm, then dropping it to his side, "I mean that it's definitely not that I wish she was here or there...or whatever, instead of you." Luna bit her lips and continued not to look at him. "Could you please look at me?" Ron asked, almost pleading.
Luna turned slowly, reaching up to scrub absently at her eyes. "Yes, Ronald?" she asked, a sliver of hope sliding into her voice, "What..." she was cut off as Ron took a quick step forward, grabbed the back of her head, sending her wand clattering to the stone steps, and kissed her. Luna froze in shock for an instant; then sighed into his mouth, as her hands came up of their own free will to tangle in his hair.
Slowly, Ron pulled away, he looked down at her, and held one of her hands in his, nodding to himself as he saw how small it was in his. "Luna...I'm an idiot." He held her hand as he slowly sat down on the steps; she sat daintily next to him, "Please don't leave...I'm sorry, that came out wrong, I froze..."
Luna tentatively reached up to run her fingers through the hair on the side of his head, "You don't need to..."
"Luna, you have to understand...this has nothing to do with you, I am still a little squicked about the concept of Harry and Hermione...together, and even more so, when I realize that if it weren't for my sister...they'd probably been there already." Ron sighed heavily and reached up with the hand that wasn't still holding Luna's almost desperately. "There really is no one I want here with me, right now, then you."
"Really?" Luna whispered and Ron just nodded. She squeaked loudly and climbed up in his lap, kissing him firmly. Ron moaned slightly as he felt her squirming in his lap. He quickly placed his hands on her waist, stopping her movement. She gave him a puzzled look as he pulled his hands away, she then moved slightly and her eyes widened. She pulled away from his face enough to see his eyes properly and beamed at him.
"It's not that I mind him seeing her, not really...Merlin knows, now that I can think about it logically, that me and Hermione would only be trouble," Ron said knowingly, "But I've had a few too many shocks in too few days. Now that I look back at it, without the blinders I had on that kept me from seeing it...she's always been there for Harry, not me." Luna started to say something and Ron shook his head, "No, Luna, I have no problem with that. She loves him, and he loves her, and will do anything for Harry...I just need to get used to them being together, that's all. I am happy for them, they deserve a shot at happiness, especially Harry, more then anyone I've ever met."
"I would like to help you with that," Luna said softly. "The getting used to it part, I mean. We could talk about it, or I could just listen...I'm rather good at listening."
"I'd like that, Luna."