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Chapter 2
"Luna?" Ron asked, puzzled as to what his classmate was doing in the middle of a Muggle supermarket.
"Hello Ronald. Mind getting off of me?" Luna Lovegood asked calmly as if their current positions were of no particular concern to her and instead was asking if it was going to rain tomorrow.
The tip of Ron's ears turned red as he stuttered, "Uh, y-y-yeah, o-of course, no problem at all." As if he could even forget for a second about the warm body pressing against him.
Ron hastily got up and offered Luna a hand, helping her up from her sprawled position on the floor.
Ron at a loss for words bent to gather the fallen grocery items while helping Luna gather hers (as they too had fallen and rolled in different directions).
Ron nervously picked up the last item, a box of Kleenex and handed it over to her. He seemed not to know what to say to her, she didn't seem nonplussed and was merrily humming a tune (that sounded suspiciously like Weasley is our King).
Ron proceeded to blurt out the first thing that came to mind. "What's Kleenex? Some cleaning product? You know these Muggles are all barking mad! They come up with the maddest things! Why just now I passed a whole section on feminine napkins! I assume they're pink and have flowered embroidery! What sane bloke would buy feminine napkins? I can tell you, I'll never be caught dead using those at the dinner table!" In some distant part of Ron's mind, he knew he was rambling and probably sounded like a complete fool.
"You're cute when your oblivious Ronald," Luna sighed dreamily while walking alongside Ron (both we're heading to the cashier).
"Erm, thanks Luna," Ron said, surprised as his ears once again turned red.
Luna's only answer was a smile in response.
***
After they had paid for their groceries, which Luna had to help Ron with since he was never good with Muggle money, they found themselves standing outside the Muggle supermarket. Ron, nervous and uneasy, didn't know what to say to her.
"Want to go for a walk?" Luna asked dreamily. "There's a lovely path that runs through the woods. We may even see a silver-winged Betorkle, they're in the Top Ten Most Hidden Magical Creatures Your Least Likely To See list published by The Quibbler!" If at all possible Luna sighed even more dreamily.
Ron looked down at the bag of groceries he was carrying and then back at Luna.
"Sure."
They both settled into a comfortable silence walking side by side through the town onto a lovely path in the forest that surrounded the Burrow and Ottery St. Catchpole.
"So…"Ron trailed off as he idly kicked a stone along the path.
"So..." Luna sighed albeit a bit dreamily as she turned to look at Ron.
"I didn't know you lived around here? I mean I don't go into town that often (since those Muggles are barking mad!) but I haven't seen you around here before." Ron asked, risking a glance at her.
"Oh! Well, we moved here a couple of years ago. Usually I help out my father at The Quibbler during the summers," Luna replied vaguely as she stared at the trees they were passing, no doubt trying to spot a silver-winged Betorkle.
"I see," Ron said scratching his head and not really knowing what else to respond with. "I take it you like working there?"
"Oh, yes! It's just so fascinating researching about magical creatures! Plus, I can be around my father more often," Luna answered softly. "It's just been him and me ever since my moth- well, I have no other siblings and I miss my father while I'm at Hogwarts and I know misses me as well."
He tried to lighten the mood. "You got it lucky. Having five brothers and a younger sister isn't as fun as it looks. You never get any privacy and worst of all, there's always heavy expectations to carry and large footsteps to follow. I can never just be Ron because whatever I do, it's already been done before by one of my brothers!" Ron said with a touch of bitterness.
Luna abruptly turned from the trees to Ron. "You know that's not true, Ronald!" Her eyes were wide as if she couldn't believe what he had just said. "Who, with his friends, saved Hogwarts from You-Know-Who as a first year? Who rescued his sister from the Chamber of Secrets? Who protected his best friend from an escaped convict and mass murderer? Who overcame his jealously to stand by his best friend in The Triwizard Tournament? Who followed his best friend to the Ministry of Magic and fought with him against death eaters? It was all you Ronald!" Luna finished, bright eyed and flushed, staring at Ron with an intense gaze.
Ron's ears turned red in embarrassment and pride. "Harry and Hermione were there for most of it, too," Ron said lamely, trying desperately to divert her intense gaze, filled with something he couldn't describe, elsewhere.
"Yes, they were with you most of the way but Ronald, you choose to be there for them and alongside them. You could have easily turned away from them when they and Hogwarts needed you, but you choose to fight and stand alongside them." Luna looked away from Ron and softly said, "Don't ever think you're not good enough or in the shadows. You're very brave and you've carved out your own path, separate from those bothers of yours."
They both lapsed into silence as the warm sunlight danced down on them. Ron, with his mind whirling and reflecting on what the not-so-loony Luna Lovegood had revealed, and Luna oddly silent with her brows furrowed and worrying she revealed to much about herself while glancing at the red haired youth beside her.
The silence stretched a few more moments only to come to a crashing end quite literally when Luna, who was busy glazing at Ron, tripped over an overgrown tree root and promptly fell with a yelp…only to land in Ron's arms.
With his strong arms around her, looking up Luna hadn't noticed before the auburn and gold highlights glistening in Ron's hair under the warm summer sun nor the adorable line of freckles dancing across his nose. Glancing up at him, her eyes settled on his warm blue orbs and held.
Ron's instinctive reaction, honed by his Keeper skills, was to grab her as she was about to fall. He hadn't anticipated how warm and soft she would be in his arms nor how much he would enjoy her so close to him. He hadn't really noticed before but her eyes were a blue so pale that they appeared almost silvery and with the sun in her eyes they revealed an unfathomable depth and intelligence and something else…
With a start Ron realized that they had been staring at each other for sometime now and were still in each other's arms.
Suddenly nervous and not knowing what to do, he gently untangled her form from his arms and took a step back.
"It's getting late. Mum'll kill me if I spoiled the groceries in this heat," Ron said gruffly while bending down to pick up their fallen groceries.
"Yes, it is," Luna replied calmly taking her bag of groceries from his outstretched hand.
Hands brushing each other, they both felt a tingle run up their arms.
Clearing his throat awkwardly, "So, want me to walk you home?" Ron asked with a hint of hope as they stood facing each other on the path.
"No, I live nearby here. I'll make it safely on my own. Who knows, I might even spot a silver-winged Betorkle!" Luna added rather dreamily while staring at Ron.
"Oh. Well, do you want to m-meet up again?" While hastily adding, "I mean Harry's stuck at the Dursely's and Hermione's staying with her Muggle parents and my family drives me absolutely mad sometimes," Ron finished lamely, desperately trying not to seem too eager.
"I can't, Ronald. I'm leaving for Sweden in a couple of days. Going for a Crumpled-Horned Snorkack expedition."
"Oh." Oddly enough, Ron felt a twinge of disappointment.
"I'll write to you, if that's alright, and tell you all about my expedition." Luna asked vaguely.
"Yeah! Of course that's okay!" Ron replied quickly and eagerly. Clearing his throat, "I mean that would be fine."
Luna's only reply was to smile as she turned and walked off into the warm sunlight, heading home with her grocery bag swinging by her side.
Ron also turned to walk home, scratching his head and thinking to himself that he had no idea what had just happened between him and Loony Lovegood. 'Well not-so-loony Luna Lovegood,' Ron thought as he risked a glance back at the retreating form that had also turned to glance back at him.
With parting waves and friendly smiles, no doubt hiding some deeper emotions, both figures turned and disappeared from view, each wearing their own secret smiles.
***
AN: Thanks to my beta for fixing all my annoying mistakes and putting up with my lame grammar. To everyone else, the next chapter will show a glimpse into the letters Ron and Luna exchange to one another over the summer, so stay tuned!