Ginny cast the Silencing Spell as she moved up the stairs to the dormitory. She didn’t want anyone to hear her. Ginny knew she would be in a whole lot of trouble if she was found sneaking her way up to somebody else’s dormitory after midnight. McGonagall would have a phoenix if she knew what one of her ‘good’ Gryffindors was doing. And Ron, well, Ron would just go red and start to splutter which was so not a good look for him.

Ginny reached the dormitory door and hoped against hope that it wouldn’t squeak as she opened it. It didn’t, thank Merlin, so Ginny opened the door further and crept inside looking for the one bed that was her destination. It wouldn’t do at all for her to get into the wrong bed. Imagine the kerfuffle that would bring about. All the bed curtains were drawn shut, and as Ginny did not sneak in to other people’s beds often, she was at a bit of a loss at what to do. She looked around for a while, wondering why she hadn’t thought of this problem when she had come up with this brilliant plan. Obviously, Ginny had some work to do on her Slytherin planning skills.

Suddenly, Luna’s head stuck out of one of the bed curtains, and she gestured for Ginny to follow. Ginny raced across the floor of the Ravenclaw Girls’ dormitory, happy that Luna had come to her rescue.

‘Hop in,’ whispered Luna with a gesture at her bed. ‘I thought you might want to talk to me after your date with Draco.’

Ginny smiled smugly and arranged herself comfortably in her best friend’s bed for a good gossip. ‘Well, you know, we went to Hogsmeade which was fun. Then we visited the twins’ shop, and he got to meet them. And I suppose it doesn’t really mean much, but he liked them and I’m pretty sure they thought he was okay as well. If they hadn’t thought he was decent, I would have received a Howler from Mum about it before now. But then it got way better, Luna. He took me to a little waterfall. I’ve been to Hogsmeade loads of times, and I didn’t even know it existed. He said his mother showed it to him. It was so romantic.’

Luna exhaled a breath of pure female envy. ‘You’re so lucky, Gin. Nice, smart, funny. It’s almost impossible to get all three of those in one guy.’

‘And that’s not the end,’ teased Ginny. ‘We came back to Hogwarts, and he got the house-elves to get us some ice-cream. We went and ate it by the lake. It was so perfect. He kissed me again.’ Her hand traced her lips like she could still feel the pressure of Draco’s lips against her own.

‘Luna, I’ve been kissed before, and I thought it was good. But Merlin, that boy can kiss. It sounds like a cliché but it’s like nothing I’ve ever felt before. I got tingly all over, and I thought I was going to melt into a puddle right at the bottom of his feet.’

Luna laughed. ‘You know, before today I would have been super jealous of you and your belly tingles, but today I had some belly tingles of my own. Blaise is a very good kisser,’ confided Luna with a slight nod. ‘He has slightly wandering hands, but I’ll soon be able to fix that. If I want to,’ said Luna after a pause. ‘No boy’s ever really liked me before, Ginny. I’m Loony Lovegood, more of an oddity than a girl. And I’ve pretended it was okay but it was nice to have someone say I look beautiful. That my hair smells nice. He thought my earrings suited me,’ she said, touching the radishes at her ears.

‘You deserve that, Luna. To have someone like you for who you truly are,’ said Ginny.

‘And he does. He doesn’t just like my hair or my body. I can tell. He thinks I’m smart and funny. He actually listens when I talk about the Quibbler and the countries and animals I want to see after school. He doesn’t laugh at me like some of them do,’ said Luna quietly.

Ginny smiled at her friend. ‘That’s because he sees the true you, Luna. Like I do.’

Luna laughed. ‘We’re so lucky to have found nice boys, Ginny. Who would have thought they would be in Slytherin?’

‘Nobody I guess, least of all us,’ yawned Ginny. ‘Can I sleep here for the night? I’m so tired. Who would have thought that snogging could tire you out so much?’

‘Of course,’ said Luna with a giggle. The two girls snuggled under the bedcover, red and blonde hair mixing on top of the pillow case. ‘I like him, Luna. I really do,’ said Ginny before slipping off into the sleep of the truly tired.

Luna smiled knowingly into the darkness. ‘I wonder how long it will take you to work out you love him,’ she said quietly to the night air.

Across the school in the Slytherin boys’ dorm, two other people were awake. Draco and Blaise sat on the edge of the windowsill. The only source of light in the room was the tiny tip of the cigarette they were passing between them.

‘So?’ asked Blaise, a man of many words.

‘It was good. Damn good. She’s funny, Blaise. As in I, the King of Controlling My Face, actually laughed out-loud without meaning to.’

‘Merlin’s hairy balls,’ exclaimed Blaise with a puff of smoke.

‘Hope you didn’t use that kind of language around Luna.’

‘Course not. Do I look thick to you?’

‘Well…’

‘You’re so funny.’

‘Ginny seemed to think so. I told her stuff about my family I don’t do that, Blaise. The only other person who knows about the arse my dad is, is you. But one date with her, and I’m spilling my guts. I trust her. Which is weird ‘cause I don’t trust anyone,’ says Draco with an frustrated gesture.

‘You trust me,’ points out Blaise.

‘Yeah, and how long have I known you, mate? Pretty much my entire life. One day with her, and I know she wouldn’t tell a soul if I told her something important. That means a hell of a lot to the son of a Death Eater.’

Blaise nods slowly. ‘What else did you do?’

‘I took her to the waterfall.’

The waterfall. As in the waterfall your mum took you to when you were little.’

‘Yeah. Give it to me,’ said Draco as he took the cigarette from Blaise’s hand.

‘Did you tell her what it meant to you?’

‘Of course not. I didn’t even mean to take her there. I didn’t need to spill my guts and sound like some crap romantic guy out of a book.’

‘Draco, you love that place. Your happiest memory happened there.’

‘Yeah, see, crap romantic guy. She probably had some idealistic childhood filled with fun and laughter.’ Draco’s voice is sarcastic now. ‘She doesn’t need to hear what a loser my dad is and that the one time my mum ran away from him she took me to that waterfall. The place she claims she fell in love with my father and out of love with the servant to the Dark Lord he became. Bit too deep and meaningful for a first date, don’t ‘cha think?’

Luna’s words swirled around Blaise’s head. He can see her sitting under her tree saying, ‘He’s the one Ginny’s in love with.’

‘I think you’re underestimating her, Draco. The fact that you took her to the waterfall obviously means she’s important to you. Maybe it’s good for you to learn to trust.’

‘How was your date with the Loony?’ said Draco in such an obvious change of topic that Blaise lets it past.

‘Don’t call her that,’ said Blaise immediately. ‘I know you’re just joking but I’m pretty sure it actually hurts her when people say that. She gets called it all the time, and it’s so wrong. She’s really smart and knows all this random stuff. She was so surprised when I asked her out. She hadn’t been kissed before today.’

‘Seriously, she’s never been kissed? We go to a co-ed school with some really horny guys in it, and she’s never been kissed. Even Longbottom snogged that weirdo Hufflepuff.’

‘People don’t see her as she is – this really pretty girl, with a brilliant laugh who’s really smart. They don’t even see the physical her. She’s gorgeous. And no one’s ever told her that before. She doesn’t even think she’s pretty because for all her life she’s just been Loony Lovegood. She’s so much more than that. ‘

‘Then you tell her, mate.’

‘Damn right, I will. Draco?’

‘What?’

‘On a purely physical level, she has massive boobs.’

‘Nice,’ exhales Draco. ‘I was wondering how long it would be before you got around to the purely physical level. You know, mate, with most girls you’re like all about the physical. I think it’s good you’ve found one who can think. You like her as a person, don’t you?’

‘Yeah?’

‘Well, most of your other girlfriends – well, all of them – were kind of thick and hot. Now, you’ve found one who’s smart and hot. It’s a big improvement, mate. You got bored with the other ones. They may have kept you occupied in bed, but in reality, as much as it pains me to admit, you can’t actually spend all your time having sex. Having a girlfriend that you like is a very sensible thing to do. But then when have you been sensible?’

‘I guess now. Though I don’t think many people would say that dating a girl called Loony Lovegood makes me sensible,’ said Blaise for the sake of arguing.

‘Yeah, but most people know shit.’

‘And don’t we know it.’

‘Growing up with Death Eaters probably reinforces how ignorant people can be,’ said Draco sarcastically.

‘Yet both our girlfriends are purebloods. Maybe more of their crap sunk in than we thought.’

‘If that’s the case, then you might as well Avada me now. We won’t let the shit in our families touch either of them, Luna or Ginny. They shouldn’t have to put up with the stuff our mums did.’

‘Too right, mate,’ said Blaise on a puff of the almost extinguished cigarette. ‘Too right.’

Author notes: Hope you all like it. There's one more chapter coming.

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