A/N: Written for hpfanfic10x10 at livejournal. All comments are appreciated!
Note: I've re-written the first chapter, and I uploaded it just before I added this one. So if you haven't, please read the new version. Thank you.
Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.
"Hands"
Chapter Two: Skin
Although it was still rather chilly outside, it was very warm inside-uncomfortably so-and it was probably the heat of the room that caused Luna to abandon her favorite sweater on the back of her chair. She was wearing a long-sleeved shirt, but she had pushed the sleeves upward, leaving most of her arm bare and exposing her pale skin. He had the strange thought that maybe she really was the moon; she looked as white as the moon, anyway.
"I'll just have a butterbeer," she told Harry.
"Yeah, me too," said Ron.
"And I guess I'll have one too," said Hermione.
"Oh, get me one too," said Ginny.
He nodded, saying, "I'll be right back."
Ron watched Harry as he squeezed his way through the crowd, towards the bar. He looked around the room vaguely, observing the other people moving about and laughing, until his eyes landed on Hermione and Luna in front of him. They were chatting about something, but he couldn't really hear what they were saying over the sounds of the crowd, so he simply watched them. Luna's "rather large" eyes were shining in excitement, and he assumed she was talking about something she liked.
Probably some creature that doesn't exist . . . . But that wasn't all she ever talked about, he knew. Sometimes she . . . leaving . . . .
Leaving?
He sat up. Hermione had definitely said something about leaving.
"Leaving? Where are you going?" he asked Luna.
"Ron, haven't you been listening? We've been talking about it for the past five minutes," said Hermione, with a hint of derision.
"I'm going to Sweden," answered Luna. "Father and I are planning to leave next week."
"Oh, so how long are you going to be gone?"
"About a month. Maybe two if we can find one Crumpled-Horned Snorkack."
"I thought they traveled in packs of two?"
"They do."
He waited for her to elaborate, but her attention had switched to Harry placing the bottles of butterbeer on the table.
"I didn't think there'd be so many people here," said Harry, popping the top of his bottle and taking a swig of butterbeer. "I mean who goes to The Leaky Cauldron on New Year's Eve?"
"We do," said Luna, holding the bottle. She had popped the cap off, but didn't seem in a hurry to drink it. "I think it's a rather nice place to spend New Year's Eve, with all these people. They look like rather nice people, and you are suppose to kiss someone at midnight. I wouldn't mind kissing someone at midnight."
Harry smiled, but seemed reluctant to reply. Hermione just laughed lightly and took a sip of her butterbeer. Ron gulped, because when Luna said she wouldn't mind kissing someone, there was an inexplicable swelling of hope in his stomach, and he had to shift in his seat to avoid jumping up and running away-to the bathroom probably.
Harry started to talk about something else and conversation between the four flowed freely, only interrupted by the arrivals of some other friends from school, including a few of Ron's older siblings, like Fred and George handing out flyers for a new Weasley Wizard Wheezes product. Ron thought he might have seen Lavender Brown over in the corner, but, if that had been her, she was probably gone by now.
Sometime during the night, Harry, Hermione, Ron, Ginny and Luna had split up, and Ron found himself talking to Seamus about the latest Quidditch news and taking little peeks of Luna out of the corner of his eye. She was talking to Neville about something, her head bobbing up and down in an excited nod, and her favorite radish earrings were bouncing widely against her neck. He figured she was talking about Sweden again.
"If Puddlemere United keeps up with the-"
"Yeah," said Ron, when he noticed that Neville had wandered off, leaving Luna standing in the corner alone. "Can you excuse me . . . ."
He left Seamus and made his way towards Luna, his hands stuffed firmly in the pockets of his jeans. She saw him and stared, waiting for him to come closer. "Hey, Luna."
Although she had seen him coming, there was a distinct emotion of surprised in her eyes. "Oh, hello Ronald. You surprised me."
"But you saw me coming."
"Yes, but I didn't know you were coming to talk to me."
"What else would I have done?"
"You could have been coming to stand in this corner. It is a rather nice corner."
"Lovely corner," he said nervously. Normally, he would have laughed at Luna's eccentricity, but she was standing rather close to him and he suddenly seemed aware that Luna was a girl.
Her arm was pressing into his.
"So, you're . . . ." he continued, but was interrupted by a loud shout of "Five." He looked around for a clock, only to see that it was three seconds to midnight.
He looked back to Luna.
Two seconds.
"Er . . . ."
One second.
". . . ."
There was a slight smile on her face, as she leaned up and touched her lips to his cheek. He felt his skin grow warm, and he told himself it was because of the large crowd surrounding him, pushing in on Luna and him. The room was claustrophobic and everyone was cheering and singing and Luna . . . was kissing his cheek-his cheek now red with embarrassment. Somebody bumped into him, and he took a step forward, just as Luna took a step backwards.
He felt stupid for not wrapping his arms around when she was closer; he kept his hands firmly in his pockets.
"Happy New Year, Ronald," she said, smiling.
He nodded, licking his lips. "Happy New Year, to you, too . . . Luna."
She smiled again and wandered off. There was a spring in her step as she walked to the beat of the song the crowd was singing. He could hear her light voice floating over the chorus, until she disappeared behind a large wizard, and she was gone.
I bloody well screwed that one up, he thought, rubbing his cheek. It was still warm, but only where Luna's lips had touched him and he thought he could feel a slight tingling, like her lips were still there.
He sighed and looked around him for a familiar face. He saw Seamus talking to somebody, his arms gesturing excitedly. He figured they were probably talking about Quidditch and he ventured off to join in on the conversation.
(tbc)
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