Disclaimer: I do not own the characters or anything else belonging to JK Rowling. Everything but the plot belongs to her and her publishers alone. I am not earning any type of profit on this. No copyright infringement is intended.
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Never Just Fade
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How Ginny Weasley had gotten into the Ravenclaw common room and up to the girls' dormitory without being seen was not important. Neither was the fact that she was sprawled on the end of Luna's four-poster, with her chin in her hands, gazing sleepily at Luna's bobbing head (which always bobbed when she spoke).
It had become a nightly routine, for Ginny to lay there, listening, as Luna let her mind unfold."It's the only way I can fall asleep," she whispered. "It's not healthy to sleep with a brain so full of thoughts, bouncing around and disturbing your dreams."So Ginny just grinned, and listened as best she could.---Luna's stories were always quite animated. Often she became so excited that she had to jump up on her pillow while telling it, until Ginny took her wrist and pulled her back down, with Luna trying to catch her breath, her eyes twinkling and Ginny smiling. Occasionally, Luna would feel frustrated or a little bit sad, even, and Ginny would put her arm around Luna's shoulder. Luna believed that every ill feeling, whether emotional or physical, had a cure. She eventually came to realize that, usually, it was Ginny.But whatever Luna's thoughts were, she always had plenty. Sometimes she would talk about her life before coming to Hogwarts, or what she did that day, or a particularly tasty dish served at dinner. It didn't matter.---One night, Luna had just finished reading out loud an article from the Quibbler that she had written herself. She leaned in close to her friend."Ginny?" she whispered. "Do you think I'm crazy?"The redhead blinked. Her chin was in her hands.Luna smiled softly, her gaze passing between Ginny's eyes, and whispered once more. "That's why, at night here in my bed, I talk to myself so much."The corners of her mouth slowly relaxed. "My friends just wouldn't understand, I don't think. Not even you. Goodnight, Ginny. I hope you're having pleasant dreams."Red hair, freckles, and pale skin faded. Luna kissed the air (which had once been a glowing cheek) and rolled back the covers. The curtains around the bed danced slightly, as though a wind had passed through.---How Ginny Weasley had gotten into the Ravenclaw common room and up to the girls' dormitory without being seen every night was not important.Because, honestly? Ginny Weasley never had.