Looney (Luna Lovegood x Fem Reader)

Chapter 34: Confessions

"So," Rory said as we sat down, "I have no idea what we're supposed to be doing." I laugh.

"Me neither, I guess she thought we would have some anecdote to tell each other about," I reply.

"I already know your anecdotes," he points out, "and you already know mine." I shrugged. He was right, this whole idea seemed to be pretty pointless since we knew everything there was to know about each other. For Merlin's sake, I know him better than I know my sister.

"Sometimes I don't think Burbage knows we've been friends for so long," I reply.

"I bet sometimes she thinks we're Romeo and Juliet for real, the way she talks to us," he says back. "And here I thought this would be easy, pretending one of my closest friends is my soulmate."

"I know, but at least we're trying to get better at it. That's the whole point of acting, it's all just pretending, isn't it?" I ask. He leans his head back against the wall, thinking.

"I used to have the biggest crush on you," he said after a while. I look over at him wondering if I heard him right.

"Wait, really?" I ask. Rory laughs to himself.

"Yeah, second year. I got over it though, fortunately or unfortunately for us."

"Why would it be unfortunate?"

"It'd probably easier to act, I guess," he answered with a shrug. I watch Cedric and the other boy duel onstage, thinking.

"I'm not sure it would be as easy as you think," I said to him. "No offense but I've never had a crush on you, so when it's one-sided..."

"Oh, none taken. You know, it's funny how 13-year-old me would have been jumping for joy if we'd auditioned for this play then."

"So why can't you remember what it was like to have a crush on me and bring it back?" I asked.

"Just thinking about doing that is weird," he explained. "I mean, I don't feel that way anymore and I wouldn't want to, like...force anything, you know? Especially since we're not the same people we were then." I sit back against the wall, fiddling with the golden ring that I wore around my neck. My hand closed around it, and suddenly it was urgent that I told him the truth.

"Since we're sharing, me and Luna..." I couldn't bring myself to finish the sentence. Why is my heart beating so fast? Rory looked over at me with one eyebrow raised.

"What about you and Luna?" he asked. I just sit there in silence and pray that he'll figure it out so I don't have to say anything more, but he doesn't.

"So...she made this for me," I said, taking the necklace off and showing him the ring. "She's got one too. It's like...have you ever heard of a promise ring?"

"Yeah," he answered, running his finger along the points of the star. "But that's only for people who are like...dating, right?" My face stings with embarrassment as he gives it back to me.

"I know," I say hoarsely as I put the ring back on the chain and fasten it around my neck.

"So that means..." he trails off. I can't talk, so instead I nervously fiddle with the ring. Suddenly his eyes get wide and the beginnings of a smile creep across his face.

"You and her are like...together?" Rory asks in an excited murmur. I slowly nod my head and he laughs triumphantly.

"Y/n, that's so cool! Why didn't you tell me?" he gushes. I shrug my shoulders, the burning on my cheeks starting to subside, and I answered him truthfully.

"I don't know," I said. "I've always been scared that if people knew they'd react badly."

"And where'd you get that idea?"

"I read the muggle papers at home. They don't like people like me, its not a secret. I've known that since I was little."

"Is Luna out as well?"

"No," I said, "last I talked to her about it she was torn about telling her father."

"Oh, okay. So have you told your family yet?"

"Evie figured it out on her own and I told mum over Christmas break. Evie didn't really have much of a reaction, but mum was really happy. Do you think she knew all along?"

"Not sure. I mean, I never knew and neither does anybody else, and you spend more time around us than around her," Rory replied. I just shrug.

"So, is this gonna help you see me in a new light now?" I tease. He rolls his eyes and laughs.

"I don't know, honestly," he says. "I'm still not sure how much this helps us."

"Maybe it doesn't help, it's just...something to keep in the back of our heads when we do the scene?" I offer.

"Yeah," he scoffs. "Let me keep that in the back of my head, that I'm supposed to act like I'm in love with my friend who likes women, that's beneficial."

"It's certainly messy, but we'll figure something out. We always do."

"You've been saying that for months and here we are, getting yelled at by Burbage and Flitwick because we don't know how to act how they want us to."

"Worst comes to worst I'll love charm us both for the shows and then I'll reverse it after," I said with a shrug and Rory looked at me like I was mad.

"Are you right in the head? I'm not having you do that just for a stupid show. What if you forget how to reverse it? What if it doesn't work on you? Or what if the professors find out?"

"That's why I said "if worst comes to worst". Don't worry, I would have Ced or Luna keep it in check or something. It was just an idea, don't flip your lid about it."

"I know, I know," he said, slumping against the wall. "It's funny how you just said that acting was all about pretending, but you'd go as far as a love charm in order to live up to Flitwick's standards."

"I just want to be good," I groaned. "I want them to tell us we're doing something right for once."

"So do I," Rory agreed. "But there's no reason either of us should be going that far. When I love someone, it has to be real, not some stupid charm that'll only last the hour. I don't want to force you or force myself to do something real that we might regret later just for the show's sake, okay? If Luna knew about this it'd kill her. So if you don't want to listen to me, just think about her." I nod my head, deep in thought; I couldn't stand the idea of betraying Luna. Even though it was just for a play, the last thing I wanted to do was make her think that everything between us was a lie.

"Okay," I said at last. "I won't do it, just forget I said anything."

"Good," he replied. I couldn't help but wonder if he was angry at me for suggesting a love charm, and his defensive body language didn't bring any closure. Neither did the stiff silence between us, so I was left alone with my thoughts and the dim backstage lighting. It occurred to me that I'd never questioned whether any of my friends were ever angry or upset with me, especially Rory. Doing it now for the first time since I'd met him all those years ago made me feel like I'd just been punched in the stomach, and the lump in my throat prevented me from speaking. It didn't make much of a difference, though; even if I'd been able to talk I had no idea what I would say. This was supposed to help us be better actors, see each other in a new way. But, as usual, Professor Burbage was wrong.

Dear Reader,

Heyy sorry this took a minute to post but I needed a lil conflict in this story so here it is hehehe anyway I'm in school rn and lunch is almost over so thank you so much for reading and interacting! Love you all!!

XOXO,
Frankie :)