fic: Four Times Daphne Walked Away From Luna Lovegood (and One Time She Didn't)

Title: Four Times Daphne Walked Away From Luna Lovegood (and One Time She Didn't)
Recipient: vipersweb
Rating: PG
Pairing(s): Daphne/Luna
Summary: Luna Lovegood was someone Other, someone Daphne had never seen before, and would probably never see again.
Warnings: None
Word Count: 3456


Luna was sitting on the floor in the middle of the restroom when Daphne came in. Daphne had really had to go, and she was running late for Charms, but she forgot both of those things when she pushed the door open and saw the little Ravenclaw girl in the center of the room. "Oh," said Daphne, startled, and she placed a hand upon her chest. "Are you all right?"

"Hello," Luna said, smiling up at Daphne like everything was perfectly normal. "I'm lovely, thank you. It was very kind of you to ask."

"All right, then," Daphne said slowly, her gaze sliding slowly from one end of the room to the other. "Is there someone waiting to jump out and hex me or something? Only, people don't usually sit on the floor of the loo, you understand."

"I do it all the time," Luna replied simply. She placed a hand upon the tiles. "After a nice cleaning charm, of course. These floors can get awfully dirty."

Daphne stared openly, her eyebrows raised about as high as they could go. She'd heard all about Loony Lovegood, of course; Pansy Parkinson had a particular fondness for teasing the girl. Luna's reputation for oddity had spread far and wide through the school. But Daphne had never encountered Luna personally before, and the experience was not exactly what she had imagined. A piece of her wanted to question Luna further, asking her just what was so alluring about sitting on a tiled floor. A piece of her wanted to do something odd for once, just to see what it might be like. But anyone could have entered the restroom behind her, and Daphne Greengrass did not need normal people seeing her be different. Especially now, when the war was on, when everyone seemed to be searching for reasons to torture and kill the outcasts.

"Yeah, I think I'm late for class," said Daphne, inching the door open behind her. "I'll see you around. Or not." She slipped through the opening with a shake of her head. "Hopefully not, anyway."


*****


"Ooh, look, it's Loony Lovegood," Pansy Parkinson chirped eagerly, as their group turned a corner in the middle of a deserted corridor. "Let's have a little fun with her."

Millicent Bulstrode and Tracey Davis giggled behind their hands, but Daphne coughed nervously and shuffled her feet. "I don't think we ought to, Pansy."

"Why not?" Pansy shrieked, whirling on Daphne with a hard gaze. "She's disgusting."

Daphne shrugged. "Waste of time, is all." She wasn't entirely sure why she didn't want to. She only knew that it felt strange watching that sort of thing, taunting those deemed unfortunate by Pansy and her little gang of Slytherin girls. Daphne just didn't like it, deep in her gut, and somehow the feeling was magnified when it was Luna, Loony Lovegood. Luna seemed too fragile somehow, too innocent, with her wide eyes and her little frame. It wasn't right.

"Well, then, I suppose we'd better just move along, girls," Pansy snarled sarcastically, throwing Daphne a dark look. "It seems we have better things to do than waste our time in the company of a loony bird."

"Well, yeah, she does have a point," Millicent chimed in, shoving Luna hard against the wall as the gang passed her. "We wouldn't want the madness rubbing off on us."

Tracey laughed meanly. "Good day, Loony."

"Good day," Luna said in reply, waving happily as the girls walked off. "I'll see you later."

Daphne hesitated, thrown by Luna's odd behavior. The girl responded as though Pansy and her goons were actually her friends. "You know, if I were you, I'd just start hexing them," Daphne said, leaning against the wall of the corridor, staying despite her urge to flee. "It would certainly get the point across a lot better than waving goodbye at them."

"Oh, I couldn't hex them," Luna replied with her customary smile, slightly dazed and incredibly too bright. "Dark magic isn't very nice."

"What they do to you isn't very nice," Daphne pointed out.

"That doesn't matter. You don't fight wrongs with wrongs," Luna said, as though it were the simplest thing in the world. "My mother taught me that. Before she died, of course." Even death, spoken simply, casually. Nothing frightened her.

Daphne shook her head. "I don't really understand you, Lovegood."

"Not many people do," Luna replied, with a twinkle in her eye.

Daphne grinned. "I'd better watch myself, or I might start to like you," she said.

Luna just kept smiling brightly. "That would be nice. I would love having more friends. I don't have too many, you see."

"No, you really don't." Daphne laughed. "Maybe I underestimated you, Lovegood. It seems you aren't too fragile, after all."

"I'm not in Gryffindor, that's true," said Luna, cocking her head thoughtfully. "But house doesn't really matter, does it? I suppose I could be strong, in my own way. Do you really think I am?"

"I don't know what I think you are," Daphne replied, shaking her head as she started to walk away. "A handful, that's all I've got right now."

"Ah," said Luna, as though she had been given wisdom. "But a handful of what, I wonder?"

"Hopefully, I'll never have to find out," said Daphne. She'd meant what she said; there was something likable about Luna, underneath the apparent madness. But she was in the wrong time and place to explore such a feeling. She had a Slytherin dorm to get to, a place in which she absolutely could not befriend Luna Lovegood. And so she hurried away, catching up with Pansy's gang once again.


*****


"Oh, I didn't know you were rooting for Ravenclaw," Luna said, sounding only vaguely surprised as Daphne stood beside her in the Quidditch stands.

"I wasn't, actually," Daphne replied, handing Luna a Transfiguration text. "I just wanted to return this. I found it in somebody's bag earlier today." She hadn't purposely been looking for Luna Lovegood's things, but when she'd seen the book amongst Pansy's things, she hadn't been able to help herself. It wasn't right, she thought, to defy Pansy Parkinson, but it was Luna's, and Daphne hadn't quite been able to shake the Ravenclaw from her brain.

"Is this mine?" Luna took the book curiously, opening it and smiling. "It's got my name in it."

"Obviously," Daphne replied. She wanted to roll her eyes, wanted to leave, but there was something oddly nice about Luna's smile. Attractive? The thought embarrassed her.

"My things have a way of running off on me," Luna said. Her eyes did not quite meet Daphne's; Luna was always looking off into the distance. Maybe she was searching for something better. Merlin knew there were enough terrible things about lately, and Daphne Greengrass in her Slytherin colors probably represented most of them. Still, Luna kept smiling at her. "People rarely bring them back before the end of term; I'm very grateful to you. Was it a herd of Blumdingers, or did the Nargles get to it?"

"Er," said Daphne, biting her lower lip. How foolish of her to find Luna Lovegood attractive, when she was speaking in riddles and nonsense. How foolish, indeed, and yet. "I didn't exactly see anything around."

"Yes, they can be quite evasive," Luna replied, placing her book on her lap and turning towards the Quidditch pitch. "I do think Ravenclaw will win today, don't you?"

Daphne shook her head; the subject change was completely abrupt, yet not entirely unexpected. She was beginning to learn a little about Luna. "Actually, yes," said Daphne, surprising herself with the response. "Our team's horrid this year."

"Too busy cursing people to practice, I expect," Luna said calmly, and Daphne could only stare at her in a confusing combination of horror and admiration. "Would you like to sit with me?"

Daphne looked over towards the Slytherin stands, where her friends would be waiting for her. Pansy would be murderous with rage; perhaps they would even turn Daphne in to the Carrows for consorting with traitors. Daphne thought of her parents, who had taught her never to take sides, never to get herself associated with troublemakers. Luna had been in that group of rebels, the hidden army fighting the darkness behind the scenes. Luna, with her candor and friendliness, her never-ending sun. Daphne shook her head. "I've got to get going. I'm sorry."

Luna's smile faded slightly. "I understand. You can't be seen with a madwoman like me."

Daphne didn't know what to say; she turned away.


*****


Daphne had just bitten into a Chocolate Frog when Astoria came into the train compartment, flushed and breathing heavily. "Daph?"

"Oh, good, you're back," Daphne said, gesturing to the pile of sweets she'd bought off the carriage. "I know Mum and Dad have spoiled us rotten over Christmas, but I just couldn't help buying a little more. Where were you, anyway?" Daphne looked up at her sister and was startled to see her condition. "What's happened?"

"They're on the train," Astoria whispered loudly. She turned away from Daphne and peered cautiously out into the hall.

"Who?" Daphne stood up and brushed her sister aside, opening the door of the compartment. There was an ominous feeling in the air; heads were poking out of doors all along the train.

"Them," Astoria said meaningfully, as Daphne heard shouts echoing down the corridor. She couldn't put a name to it immediately, but her heart must have known, for it stopped abruptly and quickly began to race, pumping adrenaline through her system. Before she could register what she was doing, Daphne had darted out of her compartment and closed the door behind her.

"Daph, don't!" Astoria cried, but she did not move, watching as Daphne disappeared from her sight.

They were halfway down the train, arguing, and Daphne froze as they tumbled out of a compartment, two hooded figures dragging a familiar blonde girl between them. "Luna," Daphne breathed, clapsing a hand over her mouth.

"It's all right," Luna said to her, though for once, she wasn't smiling. "Everything will work itself out in the end. I'm sure of it."

"Shut up," said one of the men, kicking Luna as he pulled her further away from Daphne. "Or there'll be nothing left for your father to claim."

Daphne had a desperate thought, an idea that she should do something. Maybe, if she acted, others would follow her, and they would rise together, a tide of force that would knock these men, these Death Eaters, off their feet. An entire train full of children could surely take on two men, couldn't they? It would be the right thing to do, and it would be for Luna Lovegood. But people were hiding, and the shouts coming from Luna's compartment told Daphne that whoever was fighting for the girl was not winning. There were more than two men; of course there were. And Daphne was only one girl, a girl who had been told not to get involved, a girl from a house where involvement meant punishment.

"I'm sorry," Daphne whispered, and backed away slowly.

"Out of our way," somebody shouted, shoving Daphne fiercely aside, as more cloaked men emerged from the compartment. "Move any closer and we'll be taking you out, too." Daphne nodded, trembling, and continued to back off, moving further and further away from Luna.

She could only hope that it would be as Luna said, that it would all work out somehow in the end. Luna didn't deserve this kind of treatment, but Daphne knew no other way.


*****


Daphne said nothing as Pansy shrieked for someone to grab Potter. It didn't really matter one way or the other to Daphne; nothing much did anymore. Life had been just one long grey blur for Daphne Greengrass in the past few months. She'd kept her mouth shut and done her schoolwork, and tried her best to ignore what was happening outside of her own head. It was safer for everyone that way.

Now it seemed like things had reached the breaking point; You-Know-Who himself had spoken to them, demanding Harry Potter. And Pansy Parkinson had mortified the entire house of Slytherin with her outburst. Or, at the very least, Daphne Greengrass, who thought such behavior in front of an opposing majority was incredibly foolish. Even if they lost, the side of light could surely make life difficult for Pansy, in whatever way they were able. People always seemed to make trouble when it wasn't called for.

Daphne tried not to think about trouble, about the answer to such trouble, about whatever sort of punishment Luna Lovegood had received for her trouble. Daphne merely kept her head down and got in line, following her fellow Slytherins out of the Great Hall for the evacuation.

Astoria's hand was hot and sweaty, but Daphne clung to it tightly, for her sister was all she had at that moment. And she might have held that hand all the way to safety, if she had not looked up at exactly the right moment. Or exactly the wrong moment, depending on how one looked at it. Daphne had to admit that it was a relief to see Luna Lovegood sitting amongst the Ravenclaws, the ones determined not to leave the castle. It was a relief to see Luna alive and unharmed, smiling serenely as she always did. But a Luna in the castle meant a Luna who was still in danger, and a Daphne with yet another difficult decision to make.

She'd been walking away from Luna all year long, from the first moment she'd laid eyes on the girl. She'd been walking away, and yet she had always been drawn back, her thoughts straying so often to the strange younger girl with the bright eyes and the messy hair. Daphne had been too afraid to do anything but walk away, and she nearly did the same then, watching Luna as the crowd pulled her towards the exit. But Daphne wondered how she would feel if Luna died in the battle that night, knowing that Daphne had done absolutely nothing to help her. Luna's eyes flickered over the crowd, lingering over Daphne as the Slytherins filed on past. And Daphne's heart ached at the sight of it, Luna Lovegood smiling at Daphne Greengrass as the latter ran away once again.

She'd never be able to live with herself if she didn't do something. Still, it took Daphne up to the Room of Requirement before she'd managed to shake her doubts. "I can't do this," she muttered, slipping away, slowing her steps and allowing the flow of people to pass around her.

"Daphne!" Astoria grabbed at the robes of her sister, caught off balance by Daphne's sudden halt. "What are you doing?"

"I have to go back," Daphne said, her voice shaky and rough.

"What?" Astoria was a mix of fear and rage. "You can't go back, are you mad? You'll die!"

"I won't die," Daphne replied, forcing herself to roll her eyes at her sister, to pretend like everything was fine. "I'll come right back, I promise. I just need to go back for something."

"Daphne, you can't die," Astoria said fiercely. "You can't."

"I won't. Just keep going, all right? I'll be right behind you." Daphne gave her sister's hand a reassuring squeeze, and then she was off, running, pushing through the crowd on her way back to the Great Hall, on her way back to Luna.

"Daphne!" Astoria trembled; she wanted to go after her sister, to stop her, but Astoria was caught up in the wave of retreat, and she could only watch Daphne run in the opposite direction as Astoria was swept away by the current. Daphne did not look back.


*****


Daphne crept carefully down a seemingly empty corridor, side-stepping debris from the damage done by the battle. It seemed like she'd been wandering for a lifetime searching for a familiar face. It was terrifying, not being able to find Luna, the only reason she'd even stayed behind. At any moment, it could all be over. Luna could have already been attacked; the Death Eaters had begun to storm the castle. Daphne was close to giving up and going back, trying to get through the doors to safety. She wondered if there was any safety to get back to. And then she saw her.

"Luna!" Daphne rushed forward and grabbed Luna by the wrist, spinning her around so they were face to face. Daphne was flushed and sweaty, her heart racing with fear and relief; Luna looked as calm and collected as ever. "Luna, we have to leave!"

"Leave?" Luna cocked her head in confusion. "Why would I leave? The Death Eaters are here, you know."

"Exactly," Daphne panted, looking around nervously, expecting to be ambushed at any moment. Would they pause if they saw a Slytherin, or would they be ever more eager to kill her? She honestly did not know. "It's not safe; I came to help you get out."

Luna laughed kindly and patted Daphne's shoulder. "We can't leave until we've won," she said simply. "You're welcome to fight beside me, if you like."

Daphne hesitated, watching as Luna moved away from her and peered around the corner, holding her wand aloft. "Fight," Daphne murmured, thinking of safety, of cowering out in the city with Luna, sitting and waiting and fearing. She thought of Astoria, begging her not to go, and she thought of the Gryffindors, none of whom had gone at all.

"I see one," Luna whispered, looking back at Daphne with an encouraging smile. "Come on; we'll take him together."

Daphne stared at Luna. She'd come this far, and for what purpose? Not just to save Luna, for there were plenty of young people about who probably needed saving. No, Daphne had come to be with Luna, to stand beside her as she had avoided doing for ages. Because there was something powerful and alluring about Luna Lovegood, some sweet light that drew Daphne in and made her want more. She wanted to know Luna, to befriend her, or even more. She wanted to kiss Luna; the thought was shocking to Daphne. Luna Lovegood was someone Other, someone Daphne had never seen before, and would probably never see again. Luna was different, and Daphne couldn't let that go. Not again. If it meant fighting, so be it. There would be time for fear later, when she and Luna were safe, permanently. Daphne swallowed hard and stepped forward, grasping Luna's hand as she reached for her wand with the other. "All right," she said, closing her eyes and hoping for the best.


*****


Daphne sat in the corner, watching all the happy reunions and tearful mourning. She wondered where Astoria had ended up, if she was still out hiding somewhere without even knowing it was over. Daphne should have been there, with her sister, but she remembered Luna's small hand in hers, and she couldn't seem to muster up enough regret. She hadn't killed anyone, which she was thankful for, but she had stunned several of them, which she was also pleased about. It had certainly been a revelation, anyway.

"Why are you sitting by yourself?" Luna asked, taking the space to the left of Daphne and smiling in that eerily pretty way she had, like everything was always going to be wonderful.

"I don't exactly have any relatives around," Daphne replied, her hands twisting in her lap. "And the only friends I had abandoned me. I don't even know where my sister is."

"I'm your friend, I hope," said Luna, touching Daphne's arm. "And I'm here."

"Thanks," Daphne said, not bothering to hide her bitterness. "My only friend is a loon. How do you think that makes me feel?"

"You don't really think I'm a loon," Luna replied, still smiling. "Or you wouldn't have come back for me, would you? Most people who call me Loony tend to stay far away from me."

Daphne couldn't help it; she laughed, and took Luna's hand. "No, I suppose you're right," she said, lifting Luna's hand to her lips and kissing the soft, pale skin. "You're not quite as mad as I originally thought."

"I'm very glad you think so," Luna said. "I don't think you're very mad, either."

Daphne laughed again and pressed her palms against Luna's cheeks. "You are something else, though," she said, and kissed Luna's mouth gently, without even caring who saw. They're all too focused on their own victories and defeats, she thought, to notice my own. But it didn't really matter, either way. Daphne had found her courage, and Luna had given it to her. And Daphne wasn't planning on walking away again.