Sanity ~ A Luna Lovegood Fanfiction

The Tower

After the group hug, everyone returned to their talking. I excused myself saying I needed to 'check' something in my dorm. Stupid excuse, I wasn't sure if my dorm was even there anymore, but no one questioned me.

It's hard to describe what I was feeling. I wasn't just as hysterical as before but any small hitch was sure to throw me over the edge again. One thing was for sure though, I needed time to process by myself. I never did well in group situations.

I left Great Hall and took a sharp left, walking briskly. Naturally, without any thought, my legs started speeding up, moving quicker and quicker until I was running. Around corners, skirting through passages. Up flights of stairs and more and more flights.

I reached the top floor and my legs stopped running. I looked around, taking everything in. My brain just seemed to slow down. I made my way to the Astronomy Tower. My legs couldn't drag me anymore than a few inches at a time. I took it step by step, shuffle by shuffle, until I had walked as much as I could walk.

I used to love the Tower. One of my favourite places in the entire world. You could watch the stars, follow their patterns and see the moon get bigger even night. You could stand at the railing and look out into the distance. See the trees point up out of the ground and merge into blurry greenness. Watch the students mill about, working on the lawn, lounging by the lake and gathering in clumps outside of the courtyard.

Seeing it now, it was broken and sad, the grey stone in bitter mourning. It winded me devastatingly, took all my breath away.

The cold railings stood firmly, I slid a hand around the metal. My eyes scanned the bleak landscape. Bodies were scattered here and there. Trees were upturned. The lake was choppy, lapping at the shore lamentingly.

As I put a second hand on the icy railing, I gradually pulled my whole body up on it, balancing carefully. I looked down at my dangling feet. It was a long way to the ground. The dizzying height swayed, putting me in a trance.

"Hey, hey, hey." The voice travelled through the tense air and it wavered anxiously.  "Luna...what are you doing?"

"I'm thinking about life... death," I murmured softly. I strained my neck to look behind me, even though I already knew who it was. "What are you doing here, Neville?" I asked.

He approached me and his fingers wrapped around my cold wrists, sending warm tendrils of electricity up my whole arm.

"I followed you," he told me, gently guiding my body around and off the chilly railing of the Tower. "Your dorm got wrecked in the battle."

"I needed some time alone," I said, making excuses.  I was biting my lip, looking helplessly into his eyes.

He took a step back. "Do you want me to leave?" he asked.

I wasn't sure. I thought I needed to be alone. But when Neville showed up, I didn't feel like that anymore. I wanted him to stay.

"No."

He stared at me intensely. The clogs inside his head were turning. I saw his eyes calculating and allowed mine to meet his, giving him some assurance.

Then he did something unforgettable.

In a matter of seconds, his fresh lips were pressed to mine. I was so taken aback for one moment, inhaling sharply and tasting his sweet mouth. I felt so fragile in his grasp but he was so warm and welcoming.

I kept my lips to his and grabbed onto his shoulders. I felt all the care and love he could ever give me in that one kiss.

We held it for an incomprehensible length of time. The kiss that changed my life.