"Hands"
Chapter Five: Notes
"Ron!" she said, her voice slicing through his blissful sleep.
Ron rolled over, shoving a swatting hand away from his arm.
"Ronald!" she said louder, and he jumped up, alarmed by the high shriek in her tone.
"Hermione?" he said, blinking his eyes. He pulled the blanket up to his chin and slid back, away from Hermione's face peering down at him.
"Yes. And it's time to get up. Or we're going to be late."
"Late? Late for what?"
"Lunch at the Burrow!" exclaimed Hermione. She stood up. "I told your mother we would be there by noon. If you don't get dressed, we'll miss lunch."
His stomach growled. There was no way it was going to miss lunch. He sighed and stumbled sleepily out of his bed. "Why are we going to the Burrow?" he yawned, pulling a shirt on. "And why are you here?"
Hermione raised her eyebrows in exasperation. "You can't remember anything, can you? Charlie was bringing his fiancé home. The wedding's in a few months. You do remember that your brother was getting married, right?"
"Yeah, I remember that. But why are you here?"
"There's something wrong with my floo connection, or so the Ministry says. Personally, I think the Ministry is . . ."
He yawned again and ignored her diatribe about the recent faulty floo connections and how someone from the Ministry ought to work a bit harder. They just needed some organization! Blah, blah, blah . . . .
* * *
Hermione, Harry, and Ron arrived at the Burrow one minute till noon. Mrs. Weasley hugged them, saying, "You're almost late."
"We would have been here sooner if Ron hadn't spent so much time fixing his hair," said Harry with a wry smile.
Mrs. Weasley turned a discerning eye to her son's coiffure. "It looks like you haven't used a mirror in years," she said, smoothing it down.
Ron jumped back. "Mum! You're messing it up," he said, running his fingers through his hair. Hermione sighed as he took a peak at his appearance using a metal pot sitting on the stove.
After Hermione had reminded him that they were going to the Burrow that day, Luna's comment that night before made a whole lot more sense-she was going to see him at the Burrow, she was going to be there for lunch-which is probably why he had found himself standing in front of the mirror that morning, messing with his hair, shaving much more carefully than usual. He even made sure to wear his orange shirt, because Luna had once said that it was her favorite color.
He didn't know why he could remember that. He certainly didn't know what Hermione's favorite color was, or Ginny's, or his even his mother's.
He followed Hermione and Harry out to the backyard where the rest of the guests were gathered, and he glanced around, looking for Luna. He didn't see her, though, and he sat down at the picnic table, casually listening to the conversation. Every time the door opened, his eyes invariably looked for Luna. The first time he saw his father. The second time he saw Ginny, followed shortly by Charlie and his new fiancé.
There was a few minutes of chaos, as introductions were made, pleasantries exchanged, and Ron's gaze was torn from the door.
It was only as everyone sat down and lunch was served, that he noticed Luna had not arrived yet. Mr. Weasley seemed to notice too, as he looked around and said, "Did anyone here from Luna?"
A few people shook their heads, looking around the table as if she would suddenly throw off her invisibility cloak.
"Have you heard from her Ron?" asked Hermione.
Ron shook his head, suddenly aware of everyone's eyes on him. He could feel the tips of his ears getting warmer with embarrassment. No one knew (besides Fred, George, Harry, Hermione and probably Ginny, too) about his sudden relationship with Luna. He wondered if they could have all seen it coming, or if they thought it was weird that he fancied Luna Lovegood. "Why would I know where she is?"
"Aren't you dating now?"
Ron coughed. "Well, I wouldn't say dating . . . ."
He was interrupted by an owl landing on the table. Mr. Weasley took the owl's letter and read it quickly. "Oh dear," he said. "Luna says she might be a little bit late. Her father's in St. Mungo's. His wobblyding got worse." He knitted his brows together and mouthed the word "wobblyding." silently.
Another owl suddenly flew down and landed next to the first one. Mr. Weasley took the new note and read it silently to himself. When he finished, he looked up, his face serious and grave.
* * *
They found Luna sitting in a chair outside of her father's room. Her hair was tied back with a yellow ribbon and her hands rested calmly on the chair's armrests. Her large eyes looked up as they approached and she stood, saying, "You didn't have to come."
Molly stepped forward and put her arm around her. "I know," she said, "but we wanted to make sure you were ok. Is there anything we can do?"
Luna smiled gratefully. "Thank you. Father would have appreciated that. I don't think there's anything you can do yet, but I'll let you know if there is."
Mrs. Weasley squeezed her shoulder and took a step back. Ron watched Luna carefully. His parents were acting like she was broken mirror who would fall apart with one small jolt. Like she's a little kid, he thought. She looked fine, though. She looked like she had been shopping in Diagon Alley and had just run into some old friends. He wondered if the knot in his throat was resentment at his parents' assumptions, or if he was worried about her lack of reaction. Luna may be weird, but she certainly had feelings. Didn't she . . . ?
Suddenly, her arms were around his waist, and her head was against his chest. He could feel her hands against his back, ten spears of warmth seeping through his shirt, her soft grip on him causing his stomach to lurch nervously. Instinctively, he lowered his head and pressed his mouth to her temple. She wasn't crying, but he could feel her loss in the way she screwed her eyes shut, and the way her mouth formed one straight line.
He held her tighter, ignoring the looks of pity pointed in her direction.
And then, she was no longer hugging him, but stepping back and tipping her head up to look at him. "It's going to be ok," she said softly. "That's what father said, and I believe him."
"I believe him too," said Ron, swallowing hard.
After doing some important official stuff for the hospital, the Weasley's invited Luna to stay with them, if she wanted too, and she accepted, too tired to bother apparating to her house.
They arrived at the Burrow after dark, tired and worn out. Luna's shoulder were slumped forward and her eyelids faltered.
Ron yawned widely. "I think I'll stay here tonight, too," he said, and although he thought the hid his intentions fairly well, the knowing looks of his family and friends told him they all knew.
Ron and Luna were together.
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