All You Gave To Me: A Linny Fanfic

Chapter Three

"Ugh! I can't believe we just won a war, and we have homework!" Ginny groaned. "I mean, I know it was three months ago, but we're still recovering!" Luna looked up from the herbology textbook she was studying. The library was empty except for them, as it was almost midnight. "I understand, Ginny but we have to finish this for potions tomorrow. And you complaining isn't getting the project done. So finish the essay so we can go to bed." Ginny sat up. "Yes, mum. Since when do you control me?" Luna sighed, rubbing her temple. "I'm sorry, Ginny, I just want to go to bed." Ginny nodded. "You know what? We can just go to bed and finish it in the morning. We don't potions until the end of the day, so we can finish it during breakfast tomorrow." Luna nodded, too exhausted to continue. "Fine. Let's go." Ginny gathered up the books and handed them to Madam Pince, the librarian, to return to the proper shelves. Luna collected her papers and shoved them in her bag. She had no idea why she was this angry; she had been unnecessarily harsh towards Ginny and Neville today, ignoring their calls in the hallway to walk with them, refusing to aid them in Divination, and hiding from them in the Ravenclaw tower during lunch. It had carried over into their studies, and Luna thought about her harsh and unnatural tone when Ginny asked her basic questions. To make it even worse, as Ginny's soft hands touched hers to help her with the bag, Luna snatched it away, stepping quickly in the opposite direction of Ginny. Ginny stared at her with a confused expression, and Luna blushed with shame. She needed to go to sleep, her exhaustion was contributing to her anger. "I'm sorry, Ginny," she sighed. "Let's just go back to the common rooms." "Yeah." Ginny agreed.

Ginny was so confused. Luna had seemed so happy yesterday, dreamy and thoughtful. But it seemed like an overnight change, suddenly into a wall. It was so unlike her, and Ginny was a little frightened at this sudden change of character. Hopefully it would disappear after a long nights rest. Hopefully.

They walked in silence, drifting down the halls as though they were ghosts. As Ginny looked beside her, she could see Luna stumbling, exhausted from the long day. Knowing she wouldn't make it to her common room, Ginny walked a little closer and tried to subtly reach her arms into a position that would allow her to carry Luna. The exhausted blonde felt her friends hands grip her waist, and gave up, lowering her weight onto the other girl, exhausted. With quick, smooth movements, Ginny scooped her up, carrying her the rest of the way to the Gryffindor common rooms. When they got there, she whispered the password to the Fat Lady as not to wake Luna, and tiptoed up to the dorms. It was hard not to disturb the other girls and transfer Luna from her arms to the bed. Once she had (finally) put Luna to bed and put away her books, Ginny stripped off her robes and shoes, then dressed quickly into her short shorts and tank top. She slid under the sheets next to Luna, and settled into sleep.

Luna opened her tired eyes to see a freckled face framed by red hair next to her. She remembered Ginny carrying her, the weight being lifted from her body, being placed down on a soft bed with worn down sheets and a home-made quilt. She could feel the warm breath of the girl across from her, smelling like the coffee Ginny had drunk earlier that night. She felt a sudden urge to kiss her. It was so sudden, and such a powerful urge, Luna almost couldn't resist. She could feel herself leaning in, her face tilting, her eyes closing, and she almost felt Ginny's lips on hers, but just as she touched her lips, Ginny's eyes opened. Luna shot back, her heart pounding quickly, terrified of what would happen, what Ginny would say, the things she would scream at her, the other girls waking up, the realization that they were friends with a monster, a monster. "Luna?" She hates you, she hates you. "Luna?" Oh my god, what were you thinking?! What is she thinking? "Luna, I like you, too."

"What?"

"I like you, too."

"You...you do?"

"Yes."

"Oh."

"Can I kiss you?"

"Um...okay."

Playlist: "The Night We Met" Lord Huron, "Yours to Keep" Jordan Mackampa, "Fly Away with Me" Tom Walker, "Sweetest Thing" Allman Brown, "Body Gold" Oh Wonder