Disclaimer-I don't own anything
A/N-This switches back and forth between POV's. First is Luna's, then Ron's.
A/N #2-Luna's and the other Weasley brothers' middle names are my own.
A/N #3-Color Scheme: Red: Excitement, energy, passion, desire, speed, strength, power, heat, love, aggression, danger, fire, blood, war, violence, intensity. Blue: Peace, tranquillity, calm, stability, harmony, unity, trust, truth, confidence, conservatism, security, cleanliness, order, loyalty, sky, water, cold, technology, depression, appetite suppressant. Green: Nature, environment, healthy, good luck, renewal, youth, vigor, spring, generosity, fertility, jealousy, inexperience, envy, misfortune. Black: Power, sophistication, formality, elegance, wealth, mystery, fear, evil, anonymity, unhappiness, depth, style, evil, sadness, remorse, anger, underground, good technical color, mourning, death.
A/N #4-This is based on the Queen song "Somebody to Love"
Somebody To Love
My name is Luna Selena Nokomis Cynthia Diana Artemis Tsuki Gwendolyn Phoebe Lovegood. Known as "Looney" by some of my housemates. Actually, pretty much all of them. Even Ginny, whom I consider my best friend, refers to me as "Looney" sometimes.
I don't let it bother me often. My mother (Her name was Diana Phoebe Jones-Lovegood) told me to never care about what anyone said about me, unless I believed it, too. My beauty was more than just my silvery eyes that take up most of my face, or my scraggly gray-blonde hair, or my gangly body that never comes together gracefully.
Okay, I admit it. I'm full-blown outwardly ugly. That's what happens when a girl spends all her time tramping around the woods surrounding Ottery St. Catchpole instead of staying indoors and pampering herself like the Patil twins.
But I certainly enjoyed my time out there, looking for Beefer Bugs and Crumple-Horned Snorcacks and Heliopaths and anything else they said was discovered. It's fun to believe in everything.
And I admit it, I have a hard time believing in myself, sometimes.
My full name is Ronald Bilius Weasley. I prefer being known as Ron. First chance I get, I'm getting rid of that middle name. Nice thing to have, named after a guy who saw a Grim and died. Maybe I'll change it to Rupert or something. I always liked that name.
As the least of a bunch of brothers, I guess I got stuck with the dumb name. Bill's got "Jacob", Charlie's got "Leonard", Percy's got "Ignatius" (Which is stupid in its own right, but it's better than "Bilius") Fred's got "Isaac", and George's got "Edward" (See commentary on "Ignatius"). I normally get stuck with a lot of stuff I didn't or don't want. The two things I can call my own are my Chudley Cannons poster and my Comet.
Is there some kind of curse in my family? Five sons and then pfft! The last one gets hand-me-downs. Even Ginny gets better stuff than I do, probably because she's the baby and the only girl.
And it's not just things, either. Most of my siblings have significant others, too. Bill has Fleur, Percy's got Penelope (How that happened is known only to God), Fred's got Angelina, and Ginny's got Dean (Though I think she dumped him for Colin Creevy). I have a feeling that Charlie's got a girlfriend in Romania, and George could quite easily snag Alicia Spinnet or Katie Bell if he tried.
Me? I've had two crushes in all my life. Fleur Delacour (Passing thing, though, didn't last more than a month, really) and Hermione Granger.
I should probably start calling her "Hermione Potter" now. She fawns all over him, not physically, but emotionally. If we're ever alone together, all she can do is talk about him. It gets really annoying to hear your crush talk endlessly about your best friend.
Sigh. What's a guy to do?
It's only been two days into my 5th year and I'm already swamped with work. Quite honestly, I'm not too worried about them. I always pull through my tests somehow or another. I don't put much stock in graded tests. Sometimes I ask myself why I'm in Ravenclaw. Maybe I have some kind of philosophical intelligence rather than academic. I'll ask the Sorting Hat whenever I get a chance.
Having nothing to do with academia gives me chances to observe other people. I love to observe people out on the grounds, which is where most of us are on this Saturday afternoon. I often watch Gryffindors. Most Hufflepuffs, Slytherins, and Ravenclaws all seem to be very similar, but Gryffindors are fascinating because they're so very different from each other. I like to watch The Golden Trio, as they're known about school, the best.
I find it highly interesting to see that Harry still has no idea that Hermione adores him. Should I mention it? No, that'd be too pretentious and they'd deny it. I'll just wait until they get brave enough.
Ronald is my favorite out of all three. I once heard an artist speak of people having colors in them. When I see Ronald, I see a veritable rainbow. But they all happen at different times. I see red at his Quidditch matches, black when he's upset or annoyed, blue with his friends. But underneath it all is a beautiful shade of green.
He's looking at me, just as I am him. He makes that face at me, and he's suddenly black in spiritual color.
I wonder what colors he sees when he looks at me. Or if he even sees color. Perhaps he simply sees Looney Lovegood. I sincerely hope not.
She's staring at me. Again. It's like she's stalking me. Except she hasn't sent me any threatening letters or left a horse's head in my bed, so I guess she's not dangerous.
Why is she so fascinated with me? Does she want to be my girlfriend or something? Is she trying to psychoanalyze me? Like I'm all that deep a person?
I'm taken from my thoughts by Hermione's laughter. Harry has just said something to make her laugh. I don't think I've ever made her laugh in my life. In fact, I think I've only made her happy once, when I offered to help with Buckbeak's trial.
It looks like fun, having somebody who really likes you and thinks you're hysterical and all that lovey-dovey stuff.
I gotta get out of here before they start snogging.
"I'll see you guys later, I gotta do something for a bit," I say, standing up.
"Where you going, Ron?" Harry asked.
"For a walk."
Harry knows that "for a walk" is usually code for something that I don't want to discuss, and he has enough tact to let me go. Hermione waves me off with a "'Bye," and a smile, but nothing else. Even the smile is lacking in something. It's different than when she looks at Harry.
Yeesh. Good-bye, now.
I walk away.
Ronald is leaving, and his aura is just screaming black. He looks so very upset, though no one pays any mind. Nobody seems to care about him. They really only care about who he's friends with. The famous Harry Potter. I have nothing against Harry, but when you compare Ronald to that infamous light that always engulfs Harry, I can't help but be upset.
I feel it so very often with myself, too. Nobody seems to care about me, either. Mommy sincerely cared, but she's been gone for 6 years. Daddy is so distracted without her; he's distant and prefers his solitude to my company. I have no friends outside of Ginny, and no acquaintances outside of Ronald, Harry, Hermione, and Neville. In fact, I only know so much about people because I observe them from the sidelines, not because they've ever opened up to me.
There's a price to pay for being one's self. I decided long ago that it was worth any cost to be Luna, and not another Parvati or Lavender or Cho, but it's just…really lonely sometimes.
"Hiya, Looney!"
Some boy knocks my books from my hands and scatters them across the grass.
I should be used to this. In fact, I am. But how people can be so purposely cruel to someone else…I just don't understand.
My eyes are wet; I can tell. I call for Mommy but she doesn't come. Why won't she ever come? I believe in her so much, but I can never feel her anymore.
"Aww, Looney's crying," his friend says. "You shouldn't be so mean, Draco."
Mommy, please…please come…
"Back off, Ferret Face."
I cannot believe I am coming to the aide of Luna Lovegood. But when it's against Draco Malfoy, I'll be allies to anyone.
"Weasel!" Draco pronounces. "I offer my congratulations. A rodent and a moonstruck freak. Match made in Heaven."
"Draco! That was almost like humor!"
He's stunned at that, so I have the advantage.
"Do you know why you'd be so easy to operate on, Malfoy?" I press on. "'Cause you've got no brain, no spine, no guts, and no heart. Plus, your head and buttocks are interchangeable."
I duck instinctively and narrowly miss a shot to the head. I dig out my wand.
"Tarentellegra!"
That one never, ever, fails to crack me up. I snicker as I watch his legs dance, and even at the strings of cusses that escape his mouth as his minions drag him away.
"What a git, eh?" I say as I turn around.
And she's STILL crying. Lordy, lordy, what did I do now?
"Did he hurt you?" Ronald asks me.
I shake my head. "He just knocked my books from my hand." I kneel to pick them up.
He gets down, too. "Then why are you still crying?"
I shake my head again. "I don't know. This happens all the time, I don't normally mind very much, but today I just…"
"People do this to you all the time?"
I nod.
"Does anyone know about this?" He face is turning bright red. So is his aura.
"Harry does. And, of course, the people who do it."
"That's…that's…why don't you tell the professors!"
"It won't change anything. They'll still do it. And I'd rather they reform on their own than stop because they were reprimanded. I mean, it's not like you've changed their hearts, have you? You've just given them fear of punishment."
"If you're so convicted, why are you still crying over it?"
"Because…because why would they do it in the first place!"
I can feel myself getting worked up again. I promised myself I'd never explode like this, not after everything with Mommy…
"Why would they want to hurt me? Why would anyone be so thoughtlessly cruel? Why would anyone want to mix up my mother's potions ingredients so they exploded and killed her? Why!"
"Luna, Luna, hey!"
His hands are on my shoulders and he's shaking me. I can't believe I just told him all about the so-called "accident" that was really first-degree murder.
"What's this about a potions accident?"
I look away. "My mother was experimenting in medicinal potions. She was working on a potion to cure the patients who had been permanently damaged by the Cruciatus Curse. Someone switched her hellebore with aconite and when you put aconite with undiluted dragon blood…she was working to help people! Why would they kill her!"
I can't see because of the tears in my eyes, but I can certainly feel his hand roughly massaging my shoulder. I grab his shirt and pull myself into his chest. He twitches, but has enough grace not to pull away.
Luna Lovegood is crying into my shirt. People are staring and whispering amongst themselves. And she doesn't notice, or if she does, she doesn't care.
How can she live with day after day of being so totally open in her beliefs and getting ridiculed for her pains? How does she live with all the whispers and stares? And how does she live with knowing her mum was murdered for being the exact same as her?
I can't believe it, but I'm toying with her hair.
Since when were we so friendly, anyway? I've only known her through Ginny for the past year, even though she seems to know me better. She's the only one who sings "Weasley Is Our King" without any malice in her voice and oddly enough, I don't even mind when she sings it. She's got a beautiful First Soprano voice.
Whoa. Did I just think that?
This is Looney Lovegood we're talking about. Looney…no. LUNA Lovegood. Only gits like Malfoy would call her "Looney".
Lord, this whole day has just thrown me off.
"It's…okay, Luna," I say, and my hands moves on its own to rub her back.
I have to stop crying. I HAVE stopped crying. I can finally pull away.
As I wipe my eyes, I am suddenly painfully aware of all the eyes looking at us, especially those of Harry and Hermione's.
I wipe my eyes with my shirt. "Thank you, Ronald."
"Ron. Just Ron."
"Okay, Just Ron."
He gives me a strange look. It's not black. It's difficult to place this one.
"I know, I know, that was almost like humor," I say, smiling.
He surprises me by smiling back. It's a little wistful grin but it's still a smile. The green is showing through again. Ron is truly green.
"You gonna be all right?" he asks.
I nod. "I shall be okay now."
"Well…that's good."
He rises.
"Wait!"
My hand shoots out and grabs his just as he's about to turn away. I can't stand for him to walk away; not now that I've bared my soul to him.
"Yeah?"
"Will you stay, please, for a bit, with me?"
He gives me another strange look, and pulls his hand from me. I feel like I'm dying…
But he sits down next to me. Oh, praise be! Mommy, are you watching me? Please be watching me now!
"Oh, THANK YOU, Ron!" I say, a little more breathlessly than he was expecting, I can tell, because he looks a little bit put out.
I can't believe I'm sitting with Luna Lovegood of all people on this beautiful Saturday afternoon. And I can't believe I don't regret it, either. Even when I think of the rib-nudging and condescending winking I'll get from Seamus and Dean, the relationship lecture from Hermione, the underground teasing from Harry, and especially the torment from Fred and George, it seems like nothing compared to what Luna has had to go through. If someone purposely killed my mother or father… Luna's hand is in mine. Not in the friend way, with just palms together, but with fingers interlaced. She's starting to make me nervous…
Now she's resting her head on my shoulder. For having such scraggly hair, it smells nice. Like incense. I bet she burns it.
"Ron," she whispers, so I can just barely hear her, "you're such a beautiful shade of green."
I have no idea what she's talking about.
For once, though, I really don't care.