Linny (Ginny x Luna)

Thank you hermione!

Ginny~~~

“Ginny! Have you even been listening to me?” Hermione demanded.
“Yeah, sorry continue, something about the yule ball,” Ginny sighed as she glanced over her divination homework. “Krum asked me, anyway not the point, I was thinking, you know, because Harry doesn’t have a date you could go with him?” she suggested. “I mean, the dance is only a week away,” Ginny's heart dropped, how could she tell Hermione. “Uh, I think he’s going with Cho, or asking her, I don't know.”
Hermione looked somewhat disappointed but didn’t say anything further. Ginny sighed again and discarded her quill, “How am I supposed to do this homework, It doesn’t make sense! Trelawney doesn’t even make sense!” Ginny snapped.
“Oh give me that!” Hermione snapped, reaching for Ginny’s book. Ginny thanked her before staring back into the common room fire.

Hermione handed back the homework and left for bed leaving Ginny sitting on the common room floor. She wrapped her arms around her knees and felt the warmth of the fire on her face. The crackles were calming, it felt like being in Luna's presence, and that was comforting. She’d give anything to be simpler, to go with Harry and have no regrets, but it wasn’t her.
“Uh, hey Ginny!” A voice called from behind her. Ginny spun to see Nevil walking towards her.
“Hi, what's up?” she asked. Nevil sat beside her and looked on into the fire.
“The girl I really wanted to ask to the ball got asked already,”
“Oh, that's rough, I’m sure she would’ve picked you,” Ginny assured.
“It’s ok, I was thinking because neither of us can go with who we want to, could we go as friends?” he suggested.
“Sure,” Nevil stood up and tried to hide his excitement as he practically skipped out of the room. Ginny snorted and pulled her books together, she hadn’t planned to go to the ball, but Nevil had been practicing his dancing for weeks and she didn’t want to disappoint him.

Ginny gave one last glance at the fireplace before turning and walking up the stairs to her bed. She needed to sleep, it had been a long day.

Ginny pulled on her cloak tiredly and reached for her bag of books, she hadn’t slept well and it was becoming evident. She met up with her Care of magical creatures class and waited for Hagrid to start it. “Hey kids, welcom to class, there as been a cross ova of schedules so we’ll be joined by anotha class, so you can work togetha on trainin your nifflers if ya want, so get on with it,” he said. Ginny sighed and walked over to her nifflers cage, only to see Luna right next to her.
“Hey,” Ginny murmured while reaching into a cage to retrieve her niffler.
“Hi Gin, doing ok?” she asked sweetly. Ginny nodded.

They placed their nifflers on a log beside each other and watched as they sniffed curiously. Lunas niffler was a patchy white with brown spots, it perched on its hind legs and reached for a charm Luna had around her neck. It made a chirping sound as if it was asking for the shiny jewel. “No Zodiac, I need it.” she said, patting the small creature's head gently.
“You named it Zodiac?” Ginny asked.
“Yeah, what did you name yours?”
“Oscar,” Ginny murmured, scratching the grey creature's chin.

"I had a niffler when I was younger, Luna murmured.
"Yeah?"
"Her name was crystal, my dad gave her to me after my mum died,"
"Oh I'm sorry,"
“It’s ok, it was a while ago,”
“Do you miss her?”
"Yes, but it's more a happy miss than a sad one. I believe she's still here, in some way," Luna said.

The lesson went on for another half hour or so where Ginny just listened to Luna talk, it was therapeutic in a way. Ginny didn't believe in all the magical qualities that all the charms had, but that didn't matter. Luna was clear in what she believed, what she wanted, and for Ginny that was interesting, different. Luna wasn't afraid to be herself, every part of herself.

The classes dragged on, each one seeming to take longer than the other until eventually Ginny found herself climbing Gryffindor Tower for the final time that day. She brushed past Harry, Ron and Hermione as she continued through to the girls chambers. They were such a perfect group, the golden trio, Ginny wished she had that, but she didn't. It seemed as though everyone had made their friends, leaving her in the dust. She had her brothers of course, but they didn't make the best friends. Luna was the first person to make her feel ok, like it didn't matter who she was, she didn't have to pretend to be anyone, just herself.

"Ginny hi! I heard you were going to the ball!" Hermione chirped.
"Uh yeah, I'm going with Nevil as a friend," she replied with a sigh.
"Do you have a dress?" She asked. Ginny grimaced, she didn't, and she'd never ever ask her mother for money. They could probably scrounge up some, but why? It was one event when the rest of their clothes had wear and tear like no other. "No, uh not yet," Ginny replied.
"Good, I have something for you," Hermione said. Ginny looked up curiously to see Hermione pulling a box out of a wardrobe. "My parents sent it, it's a little too small and I was thinking you might like it, I'm not going to be wearing it anyway," Hermione said, sliding the box toward her.
"Hermione, this is really nice of you, are you sure," Ginny asked, brushing her fingers over the edge of the box.
"Go for it, I'm going to get another anyway," Hermione said waving her arm at the box. Ginny slid the lid off to see waves of emerald satin, "wow," she murmured. Pulling it up to admire it. "Thank you!" Ginny praised, gently folding it away. "Of course Ginny, there's no one else I'd want to wear it," Hermione said with a smile before turning in for bed. Ginny smiled while sliding the box into her drawers. She was incredibly thankful for Hermione, the sister she'd never had.

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