starry night

venemous-tentacula‌:

“Honestly?” Neville said with a half embarrassed laugh. “It’s just you guys and the occasional DA meetings we have going on. I’m trying to find someone to help teach me how to fly a little better without getting red in the face like you do Gin. But that’s not going well, pretty much everyone gets red in the face when they see me get on a broom.” 

He shrugged. “Though I enjoy it. I still talk to Gran, visit mum and dad, but I quite like the simple. What about you?” he asked. “How’s it going between… you know. You and Harry?” 

          Ginny laughs, shaking her head at both her friends. “ A cat and a grandmother… I should make the team throw another party soon so you don’t go batty. Maybe you’ll both meet someone! ” She wiggles her eyebrows at them both when suddenly Neville brings up Harry. Her laugh turns to a scoff and she rolls her eyes - staring back at the Prophet to avoid looking at them. 

   “ Nothing is going on with Harry, you know that. We’re mates. ”

“parties are quite fun - i’d love to try my hand at another dance. maybe if i keep practicing i’ll actually become a decent dancer!” luna began with a chuckle. “meet someone? i’m not the type to meet someone at a party, gin. or maybe i am. really, couldn’t tell you.” the blonde shrugged before scoffing and laughing at ginny’s last statement. “sorry, i really don’t mean to laugh but - that’s bollocks, right? you’re not just mates.”

venemous-tentacula‌:

Neville could read Ginny’s face like a book and he could tell that he’d been at least a little insensitive. It was too late to take it back now, he just hoped that she wouldn’t dwell on it. 

Turning to look at Luna, he nodded with a grin. “Oh, it’s great. I mean, sometimes it’s a lot too. Like, when I think about the fact that I have all of these kids’ futures in my hands, even in a small way, I start to sweat but. I think I’m doing alright. Meanwhile, Ginny over here is killing it on the quidditch field, making the rest of us look bad,” he said, giving the redhead a playful nudge. 

Ginny thought it was brave, the fact that both of her best mates had gone back to Hogwarts. She wasn’t a coward - you could hardly say someone who pursued their dreams without a backup plan was - but thinking of being in those halls and grounds day in and day out without any real distraction. It made her shiver. What she didn’t realize though is that teaching Herbology and learning about animals was their distraction. They loved it as much as Ginny loved being a Chaser. 

    “ Not you guys, just the other teams. ” Ginny smirks, and then eyes them both. “ Please tell me though, you have a social life other than Hagrid and Sprout. ” 

nodding at her friends’ answers, luna smiled a little. sometimes, she just liked to sit there, listen to her friends talk and think about how glad she was they were all still that; friends. “you know what, they have their own futures in their hands. you just help shape them.” luna shrugged, replying to neville before laughing softly at ginny. “of course, i’m talking to you right now, am i not? and you know, my cat makes for great company.” it was a joke, of course. luna had some other friends - just not many. not that she cared. she liked keeping her circle small. “do we need a bigger social life?”

And that was all it took for Neville’s heart to leap up into his throat and simultaneously start pounding like mad. He’d known Luna for what felt like forever now, he wasn’t nervous. But she did make his heart do this jittery thing he couldn’t explain. 

“Concerned is the right word,” he said as he looked down at the list. “Even though she gave me this list, I know I’m going to forget something. I keep thinking all it’ll take is one mess up before they throw me out on my arse. I don’t think I could handle being sacked.” 

He looked over at the pretty blonde girl and smiled, feeling a little less concerned. “Well. Our first stop is Slug and Jiggers, Professor Sprout wants some apothecary jars. But– what are you doing out and about today?” 

“right, well, with me as your shopping companion, that won’t happen, will it?” luna said, giving the other a small smile while leaning over a little to look at his list. “oh, this is it? that’ll be done in no time at all! we got this.” 

as he spoke about being fired, luna frowned. “i don’t think they’d just do that, would they? i think they like you too much. especially professor sprout.” the girl said with a short shrug. “but no worries; we’ll tackle this list together.” 

“ah, yes. let’s go get those!” as she jumped up from the chair, she turned to face neville again. “oh, i was just having lunch with an old family friend. so nothing much!”

venemous-tentacula‌:

Neville felt a little useless here. He wasn’t much of anything anymore, he’d given up his life as an Auror, he didn’t have any ministry insider information. “Luna’s right, Gin,” he said as he leaned back in his chair and sipped at his coffee, wrapping his fingers around the warm mug. “If anyone could stop a baddie, it’s Ron and Harry, right? I don’t think you have to worry.” 

           Just because she believed Harry and Ron could handle it, didn’t mean she liked it. Why did everything bad always land on two of the people she cared about most? Why did two of the people she loved most just want to handle bad things? Ginny bites her tongue for just a moment, looking away from her friends and back at the paper before changing the subject to something lighter.

     “ So how’s the training with Hagrid going, Luna? ”

the question made luna’s face light up like a christmas tree. she felt extremely lucky to be able to train with hagrid - someone who was just as passionate about creatures as she was.  “oh! it’s brilliant! hagrid really knows more than you’d think. last night i saw a glumbumble for the first time; quite interesting.” before she went on a ramble about all the magical creatures she’d encountered so far, she stopped herself. “what about you guys? neville, how’s teaching? any hard-to-handle students? ginny, how’s training going?”

He hadn’t realized it was Luna standing next to him until she spoke in that unmistakable dreamy voice of hers. Harry looked over at her and grinned. Luna had always been someone he liked - even in the beginning, when she’d been sort of odd (okay, so she was still odd, but he knew her well now) or when she was doing that thing where she got uncomfortably honest.

As she pulled her hand back and explained that she actually didn’t really like mint, Harry had to laugh a bit. He was pretty sure the reason ‘her hands reached for it’ was because she had just been day-dreaming as always. “If you’re sure,” he said, grabbing the tart and placing it into his basket. “I’m surprised you’re not giving it a chance. I thought all flavors and things deserved attention?” 

“sorry if i startled you - you look a bit shocked to see me.” luna says, a soft chuckle following. she had the tendency to accidentally sneak up on people. she couldn’t help it; her footing’s just so light. sometimes, she felt like she was floating. 

“oh, i’m very sure.” the blonde said, followed by a short nod, as if to say take it. she then reached for the almond-ginger-peach ones, putting one in her basket. “oh, they do. and mint-chocolate got my attention once. then my mouth decided it wasn’t a fan... so that was mint’s only time to shine.” luna stated matter-of-factly, shrugging once. “what’s your favorite flavor?” 

have you ever dreamt something was going to happen and then it happened?

“oh, yes! this actually happens to me quite often. i actually dreamt the other night that i was going to lose my right shoe. it just hasn’t happened yet.”

“oh, i do love orchids. and carnations. and sunflowers - honestly, i think every flower is beautiful in its own way. but those three have to be my favorites.” 

“a crush? thinking of it, i don’t think so. sure, i’ve thought someone was good looking, or something, but i don’t think i’ve ever really had a crush before. don’t think that’s something that kept me busy.”

who is the bravest person you know?

“i know many brave people. harry, ginny, hermione, neville, ron - they’re all extremely brave in their own ways. my father, too. he’s never scared to print whatever he wants in the quibbler. i consider myself lucky, being surrounded by so many brave people.”

what is the proudest moment of your life?

“oh. well. is there another option than to say participate in the battle? i don’t think there’s anything else that makes me more proud of myself.”

what is your favorite mystical creature?

“i have to pick one favorite? they’re all special in their own way. though, i’ve had a slight obsession with fwoopers - they’re pretty interesting creatures, and very nice to look at.”

venemous-tentacula‌:

Neville looked at the paper and felt his heart beat a little faster. The nerves were easily squelched by the presence of his two best friends. “Yeah, it’s this, like, device they use to talk into, right? Seems a little… I don’t know. Faulty. But. Do you think it’s serious?” 

            “ Hope not - the last thing Ron needs is a new nutter to go after. ” Ginny frowns at her brother’s career, the fact that him and Harry had decided the best thing to do is continue a life in danger hadn’t been something that delighted her - but she understood. Hadn’t she wanted her family to see her as an equal enough to fight the good fight? Turns out she’d been invaluable, along with her mates, when it came to keeping the DA going and giving a safe haven to students away from the Carrows. 

the news wasn’t good, no - but luna wasn’t too bothered by it. it was just one phone call. could really be nothing. “that’s true. he’d know how to deal with it, though.” thinking for a moment, luna finished her tea and sat a little more upright. “there’s not much we can do about it, though - unless we want to ask one of our friends at the ministry. don’t think that’ll give us much more information.”