At Hogwarts, reputations were things that needed to be kept. Even though they weren't kept, all the time, it was good to at least try. Luna Lovegood had the reputation of the lunatic, hence her nick name: Loony Luna Lovegood. She was weird, talked about nonsense and the like. Ron Weasley had a reputation too: the sidekick of the one and only, Harry Potter. He was part of the "Golden Trio" as people liked to call it, and the star Keeper on Gryffindor's quidditch team. So in front of everybody else, they remained as their reputations had labeled them, but when they met when no one else was around, things were pretty different. You see, they had a "Behind Closed Doors" relationship. They would meet after hours in the Room of Requirement, and do either one of two things: 1) They would snog each other's brains out, or 2) They would talk and laugh about school and what they were up to since the last time they talked to one another, and then snog each other's brains out. It all worked out perfectly. Not one other soul had to know about them, but some people were getting a little suspicious.
Harry, Hermione and Ginny were sitting in the Gryffindor common room, doing their homework when Hermione asked, "Has Ron been acting a little strange lately, or is it just me?"
"Yeah, I've noticed that too," Harry said. "What do you think is going on?"
"All I know is that Luna's been acting a little less strange. It's like she's distracted or something," Ginny stated.
"Well I heard they were going out," Lavender Brown said, butting into their conversation, seemingly out of nowhere.
"Do you mind? We were having a discussion," Hermione said, tired of all the rumors and accusations coming from the 'Gossip Queens'.
"Fine, whatever. It's not like I care or anything," Lavender huffed and walked back up to the Girls' Dormitory.
"Do you think that's true?" Harry asked with a serious look on his face.
"Of course not, Harry. They just like making things up because they are bored all of the time," Hermione stated.
"It would make sense, though. I mean, they're acting strange around each other, and around us, especially when we talk about the other, or even mention their name," Ginny said.
"That is true, Hermione," Harry said, realizing that Ginny had said what was on his mind. Then Hermione gave him a look that meant'" I am NEVER wrong," but then kissed him on the cheek.
"Thank you for not being frightened of my wrath, darling," Hermione said.
"You're welcome," Harry said, beaming proudly.
"That does make sense; maybe there is something we could do to confirm this theory," Hermione said, contemplating what form of action they should take.
"I've got it!" Ginny exclaimed, making the other two jump out of their seats. They waited a while for her idea.
"Well?" Harry asked.
"Well what?" Ginny asked back.
"What?" Harry asked with a confused look.
"Huh?" Ginny asked.
Silence.
"Ginny, will you please just tell us what your idea is?" Hermione inquired, eyes squeezed shut, rubbing her temples with her fore and middle fingers.
"Oh, right. Umm…what was it?" Ginny asked herself. After a minute of silence, Ginny exclaimed," Now I remember!" causing the other two to jump out of their seats once more. Hermione immediately put her hand over Harry's mouth so that he wouldn't start another confusing round of "What's?" and "Huh's?"
"Tell us what your idea is, Ginny," Hermione said, taking her hand off of Harry's mouth.
"Ok. Well, I was thinking we could just spy on them until we catch them red-handed," Ginny explained.
"Brilliant! Pure genius! Let's do that!" Harry exclaimed pleadingly.
"Ok, Harry can spy on Ron, and Ginny, you can spy on Luna," Hermione stated.
"Cool, but what about you, Hermione? Can you spy with me? Please?" Harry asked Hermione, giving her the puppy-dog eyes.
Hermione just couldn't resist those eyes. "Yes, alright, Harry. Sorry, Ginny," she said.
"It's fine, Hermione," Ginny said, chuckling a little." I completely understand."
"Thanks. Now when should we start this expedition?" Hermione inquired.
""Well, I thought now would be a good time, seeing as we're done with our homework, we have nothing to do, and Ron and Luna are no where to be seen," Ginny said.
"Sounds good, we'll meet back here in one hour, or earlier, if one of us finds the odd couple. Oh, and Harry, when we are spying, we will be doing exactly that. Not what you think we will be doing, okay?" Hermione asked, but it was more of a statement than a question.
Harry took a deep breath. "Okay. Fine. Whatever."
"Alright then, let's go," Ginny said. When they got to the entrance of Gryffindor Tower, they split up. A few minutes of looking later, Ginny spotted Luna. "Whatcha doin'?" Ginny asked in a sing-song voice.
"Oh, nothing, just walking around," Luna said in her usual dreamy voice.
Then Ginny said," Uh huh."
"What 'Uh huh'?" Luna asked. Ginny just smiled.
"Ronald, do you think they're on to us?" Luna asked in the middle of a particularly heated snog session.
"Why are you asking me this now?" Ron inquired in between the kisses he placed on her neck.
"Well, I don't know. It's just that when I was walking over here to meet you, I saw Ginny and she asked me what I was doing. After I said 'Nothing' she said 'Uh huh' and gave me this look like she knew something," she said.
Oh great," Ron groaned in frustration. "She knows."
"How can you be so sure, Ronald?" Luna asked him.
"I can always tell when my sister knows something. Pretty soon the whole school will know, or at least all of Gryffindor. You know, if I'm not mistaken, she'll probably be somewhere near this door waiting for us to come out," Ron explained.
"Really? Well that's too bad," Luna told him.
"Why?" Ron asked.
"I was just getting aroused and now we have to leave," she told him. He stood there with a blank look on his face and drool started to come out of his mouth. Luna got up off the couch they were sitting on and walked over to the door." Are you coming, Ronald?"
I wish, he thought. "Yes, I'm coming," Ron said reluctantly.
Are they coming out or not? Ginny asked herself. I wish they would just hurry up and get it over with. As Luna and Ron exited the Room of Requirement, Ginny hid herself behind the nearest statue and quietly followed them when they were in front of her.
Hermione and Harry had looked in the Ravenclaw Tower, the dungeons, the kitchens, and everywhere else in between, but they still couldn't find Ron and Luna, "I really hope Ginny found them already. This is getting boring, Hermione," Harry complained.
"Harry, this is very important. Stop complaining," Hermione told him.
"Am I getting anything out of this?" he asked her.
"Not if you don't stop whining," Hermione said.
"Yes, Hermione," Harry said, hoping he'd get a special present out of this detective work.
"Well, it's almost been an hour. Do you want to head back to the Common Room?" Hermione asked him.
"Yes, please," Harry said, and they started up the stairs to the seventh floor until they saw Ginny slinking behind Ron and Luna, who were also headed towards the Gryffindor Common Room.
"Look! There they are!" Hermione said frantically, pointing toward them.
"Finally!" Harry said, sounding exasperated. They snuck down to the stairs to get behind Ginny. Harry poked her in the back.
'Ouch!" Ginny whispered angrily. "What did you do that for, you idiot?!"
"Sorry 'bout that," Harry apologized, "I just needed to get your attention." Ginny scowled.
"What's going on?" Hermione asked Ginny.
"Your jackass of a boyfriend just poked me really hard!" Ginny whispered furiously.
"Hey!" Harry whispered, "That's not fair!"
"Not now, children. I meant what's going on with Ron and Luna? What have they been doing?" Hermione asked.
"Oh, well I met Luna in the corridor about ten minutes ago and she played the innocent act, so I followed her to the Room of Requirement. Then about, I dunno, eight minutes ago, they came out and I was following them until this dork," she pointed at Harry, who had an innocent look on his face, "poked me in the back."
"Oh, ok. Well let's just go find them," Hermione said to them both. They finally caught up with Ron and Luna on the sixth floor. When they got to the Gryffindor Tower entrance, Ginny, Harry, and Hermione waited until the others went through the portrait, and then went through themselves with a calm disposition, so that they wouldn't be suspected. Ron and Luna sat on a small loveseat, and the other three sat on the couch across from them.
"Now what?" Harry whispered through his teeth to the girls easily, as he was sitting between them.
"Maybe we should just stare them down. You know until they break or whatever," Ginny suggested.
"Okay," Harry and Hermione said. They just stared at Luna and Ron until the latter spoke.
"What the bloody hell are you three staring at?!" Ron asked loudly.
"Oh, uh…nothing," Hermione said. They needed to think of a different way to force out the truth.
"Hey," Hermione started, "why don't we just ask them what's going on?" That seemed like a pretty good idea to the other two; they even thought about why they hadn't come up with that before.
"Why not?" Ginny asked rhetorically.
"Hey lovebirds," Harry said to Ron and Luna. They both looked up at him with wide eyes. "What's, uh, going on between you two?" he asked, gesturing to them both with his hands.
"Well, I might as well tell you. Luna and I are going out," Ron said.
"Our suspicions have been confirmed!" Ginny exclaimed. Luna started laughing. Pretty soon, everyone was laughing like a bunch of mad people. When Hermione explained to the couple what Harry, Ginny, and she had done that day, everyone just started to laugh harder. When all was said and done, and they'd had their laughs for the day, Ron walked Luna back up to Ravenclaw Tower.
"Today was pretty eventful, huh?" Ron asked Luna.
"Yes, it was. But it's just too bad we didn't get to finish what we started earlier," Luna said with a mischievous smile on her face.
"We still can," Ron said, with an equally mischievous smile and waggling his eyebrows. With that, they both ran into the nearest broom closet and, well, you know, finished what they started.