"Hands"
Chapter Six: Bottom
The one thing that he can remember from Mr. Lovegood's funeral is standing in front of the coffin next to Luna, as she said, "His hands look happy."
He had quirked an eyebrow, looking at Mr. Lovegood's folded hands. "Er, yeah."
"Hands are the window to the soul," she had continued.
"Um, Luna, I think that's eyes."
"Eyes?" she had questioned, and then she had fallen into a fit of giggles. "That's funny! Eyes!"
He had laughed a little too, avoiding the confused and disapproving looks that were aimed at them. And after that, he remembered Luna's hand in his own, clutching softly for support as she watched her father's grave being lowered down to the bottom of its resting place.
Sitting next to Luna at Charlie's wedding, a few months later, her hand held his, while he clutched softly for support-support to stay awake.
Why were weddings so boring?
He shifted in his seat and suppressed a yawn. He looked briefly at Luna. Her attention was focused fully on the wedding proceedings, her large eyes attentive and sparkling.
"Do you, Charlie Weasley . . . ."
Ron's gaze lowered to Luna's neck, at the necklace she had made specially for this occasion. It was made of little tiny bells. She had been quite proud of it, really, showing him how, when she moved the right way, they jingled loudly. She had charmed them to play the wedding march too, but Ron mentioned that it might be better to let the pianist play that. She had coupled the necklace with her famous radish earrings, and looking at them now, they clashed terribly. It didn't really matter though, because he thought she looked pretty anyway, with her blue eyes and little upturned nose and her tiny pink lips that tasted like cherries (he knew they tasted of cherries because he had kissed her earlier).
Hermione, sitting next to him, suddenly shoved her elbow into his side, and his head jerked around.
She looked pointedly at the bride and groom, who were leaning in to kiss. Pay attention, her eyes said.
He frowned and slumped down in his chair, watching Charlie and his new bride as they smiled and turned to face their guests as husband and wife.
Brilliant, he thought, now when's lunch?
He followed the quickly moving crowd to the reception area, Luna's hand still in his own. Mrs. Weasley had insisted that the wedding take place at the Burrow, and the reception area was set up in the backyard, large tents covering an array of tables and chairs. Guests had already started to mingle, congratulating the happy couple and their families. Ron was temporarily separated from Luna, while he had to pose for a few family pictures, and as he made his way through the crowd, his eyes searching for her golden hair, he bumped into Lavender Brown.
His first thought was: Who invited her?
His second thought was: I wonder where the food is.
Lavender smiled shyly. "Hey, Ron."
"Hey," he said, with a slightly forced, disinterested smile. His stuffed his hands in his pockets."I didn't know you had been invited . . . ."
"Well, I wasn't technically . . . ." She turned around, to Neville Longbottom coming up behind her, holding two glasses of champagne. "I'm here with Neville."
"Oh, right," said Ron. "Hey, Neville."
"Hey, Ron," replied Neville. "How've you been? Haven't seen you in a while."
He shrugged. "I've been all right."
He watched as Neville handed Lavender a glass of champagne, and she took it from him with a thankful smile. There was an inkling of thought, in the back of his mind, that maybe Lavender was upset about their last meeting (and subsequent departure), and she was trying to make him jealous. He hoped for Neville's sake (but mostly for Lavender's sake) that she wasn't playing around; he'd hate one of his best friends to be hurt by one of his ex-girlfriends (not that he had very many ex-girlfriends). She seemed earnest enough, however, as she leaned into Neville and smiled when he placed his hand on her back.
Then again, maybe Ronald was missing something; Hermione did always tell him that he was a bit thoughtless, and perhaps he wasn't paying enough attention . . . .
They talked for a few more minutes, until Ron's stomach protested loudly, and he excused himself, his eyes automatically searching the area around him for a table laden with food.
Instead, he found two large plates that were laden with food, each being held by Luna Lovegood.
"I knew you'd be hungry and the line was kind of long-I didn't know if there'd be enough left by the time you got here, so I fixed you a plate. Only, I wasn't sure what exactly you wanted, so I got everything."
Ron smiled and leaned in to kiss Luna's cheek. "I love you."
"I love you, too. Only I think your stomach loves me a bit more," she said, noting a faint needy growl issuing from Ronald's insides.
They found a table over in the corner, where they could sit and eat peacefully. Harry, Hermione, and Ginny joined them a little while later. Music filtered through the conversations and there was a genuine sense of joviality that rippled around the wedding party, as couples adorned the dance floor. Mr. Weasley came by their table and asked his daughter if she wouldn't mind dancing with her "old man of a father!"
Watching Ginny as she and her father joined the dancing crowd, Hermione sighed. "I've always kind of liked this song," she said, looking pointedly at the two males seated at the table.
Ron ignored her.
Harry smiled and stood up (albeit a little reluctantly). "Do you want to dance?" he asked her.
"Yes, of course I would Harry. You're such a gentleman." She stood up and looked at Ron over her shoulder. "Unlike some men . . . ."
Ron shrugged and wrapped his arm around Luna's shoulders. Hermione shook her head, but he swore he saw an amused smile in her eyes as she let Harry lead her towards the dance floor.
"Er . . ." began Ron, turning to Luna. "You wouldn't want to dance, would you?"
"You don't quite like dancing, and I don't particularly care for it, Ronald, so it would be kind of pointless to dance."
"Yeah, it would be." There was a few seconds of silence between them, and then he said, "We could always do something else . . . ."
* * *
He felt like he was back in school, except for the fact that he had never done this with Luna Lovegood back in school (which was kind of a pity because it was rather enjoyable). His hand slid from her hip to her back, his fingers playing with ends of her hair.
Snogging in the hall closet was, perhaps, not the most mature thing to be doing while at your brother's wedding reception, but Luna's cherry lips certainly tasted better than the champagne they were serving at said reception, and any guilt he might have felt was washed away when Luna's fingers tickled his arms, and when they brushed against his cheek, and when they pressed against his back, and when they were suddenly under his shirt, the tips of her fingers warm as they played a silent tune against his chest.
He had her pressed against the wall, and he held her tighter, until he could feel her knees pressing into his legs. There was tingling sensation fluttering around in his stomach. Luna leaned back slightly, taking a deep breath. He ducked his head, trying to capture her lips again, but his nose bumped into hers, and his lips only succeeded in giving her a light kiss. She smiled serenely, tipped her head back, and kissed him. As his heart raced and the tingling heat of her skin against his own increased, he thought: I could do this for the rest of my life.
And then suddenly the dark closet was bathed in light and Ron jumped back as Bill stepped inside. He smirked as Ron's ears turned red and he attempted to straighten his disheveled appearance.
"Just getting some more cups," said Bill, reaching around them. He was about to shut the door, when he said, "Oh, I think Mum was looking for you."
After Ron's eyes adjusted to the darkness, his hands wrapped around Luna's waist and his mouth covered hers.
* * *
It was later that evening, after the guests had left and the newlyweds were on their way to the honeymoon destination, when Mrs. Weasley sighed tiredly, sitting down at the kitchen table, and said, "Well, that was a lovely ceremony!"
"It was beautiful," said Ginny, joining her mother at the table.
Luna nodded. "I wouldn't mind having a wedding like that."
The kitchen quieted considerably. Ron nearly choked on the leftovers he was stuffing his face with. Luna didn't seem to notice.
"Of course, I wouldn't have so many people at my wedding," she continued. "I don't think I know that many people!"
The occupants of the kitchen-Harry, Hermione, Mr. And Mrs. Weasley, Ginny, Fred and George-turned their eyes to Ron, who turned his eyes to Luna's eyes.
He gulped. "You want to get married?" His voice sounded strangled.
"Well, yes I wouldn't mind it . . . but I think I'd have my wedding in the winter. Without any mistletoe, of course. We wouldn't want any Nargles to attack the guests!"
"No. No, we wouldn't . . . er, does that mean . . . ." His eyes shifted to his family and then back to Luna. His cheeks were beginning to redden with embarrassment. "Does that mean we're . . . engaged now?"
"You haven't asked me to marry you yet, Ronald."
"Oh . . . ." He took a deep breath and said, with a nervous lopsided smile, "Do you want to get married?"
She looked a bit thoughtful for a second. "Yes, that would be nice, Ronald."
"Right," he said, and he returned his attention back to his plate of food.
(tbc)
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