Disclaimer: Characters and situations are owned by JKR. Not I.

It was dinnertime, and Ron Weasley was very hungry. Of course, he was always a bit nippish but he had skipped lunch to squeeze in a bit more study time for a big Potions exam. Seventh year seemed to be piling more homework on them than ever, and he wasn't sure how much more he could take.

The point was, he was hungry, and don't tell Hermione, she would have a fit, but he really hoped the house elves had worked hard on supper tonight.

He was planning on flopping down on the bench next to Harry, and tucking in enough food to feed a small herd of hippogriffs.

When he got to the bench, Luna Lovegood was sitting in his spot, talking to Ginny animatedly about ... Glorphseaters, if his hearing served him correctly.

"Excuse me," he said pointedly, tapping her on her shoulder.

"Oh, hello Ronald," she said very nicely, and turned back to Ginny, "...so the Glorphseaters build a small hut and --"

He tapped her shoulder again. "That's my seat," he said, his ears turning a bit red, "would you mind?"

She slipped out of the place and waited for him to sit down. Once he had, he reached happily for a biscuit. Then his mind turned off when Luna sat on his lap.

"And they build the hut and raise their young, see, Ginny," she rattled on, and Ron still couldn't think properly.

What did she think she was doing? He thought and looked up at her in a bit of shock.

"Please get off of me right now!" He growled, very flustered.

Luna did as she was told, and looked down at him. He felt her eyes, pale and watery, boring holes into his back.

Ron tried to ignore her. He really did.

But when he was buttering his toast, she slipped in between he and Dean. "And once their young mature, they eat the parents, cover the house in dust and leave to find a new hut for themselves. That's why Muggles find 'abandoned' cabins. They're really Glorphseater huts."

"Oh," said Ginny smirking, "is that why?"

Luna nodded. "But we've yet to find an occupied hut... one day." She assured her, and Ginny nodded slowly.

Ron moved his elbow carefully, so as not to jab her when he poured the gravy over his turkey. She peered over his sleeve and looked at the food funnily.

Ron looked at her in wonder. "Don't you have your own house table?" He asked, trying to ignore Dean making gooey eyes at Ginny, who was ignoring it. She had cut their relationship off before the school year had started.

Luna giggled, "Of course," she said, "I'm a Ravenclaw you know. They sit over there." She pointed.

"I know, that's why I'm wondering why you've got to sit here."

"Ohhh," she said and Ron was pleased that she grasped the concept. "Because I like sitting next to you, of course." She explained, and then she left with a dreamy smile.

Ginny sniggered into her pumpkin juice and Ron glared at her. "Shut up, you." he said, and turned to Harry who was going over some Potions notes with Hermione. "What do you think that meant?" He asked him.

"What do I think what meant?" Harry asked, snapping away from his conversation.

"That 'I like sitting next to you' nonsense from Luna."

"Luna said she liked sitting next to you?" Hermione asked, peering around Harry's shoulder.

"Yes," Ron said, frustrated, "what'd she mean by that?"

Harry looked at him blankly. "Wouldn't it mean she likes sitting next to you?"

"But why would she say that?" Ron pressed.

"Well maybe she enjoys your company platonically," Hermione said, "or perhaps its something more." She gave a little smile and turned back to Harry's messy handwriting.

"Something more?" Ron asked in horror, and Harry turned to look at Hermione as well.

Hermione didn't even look up from what she was doing. "Yes, maybe she has a crush on you. She could like you very much and thus enjoy sitting in close proximity to you at all times. Which would thus, explain not only her comment but her sitting on your lap."

Ron glared. "You've gone mad."

Hermione sighed, and made several more red marks on Harry's notes. "I doubt that very much," she said, "you would've seen some more outlandish deeds from me by now if I had."

"You said someone wanted to sit next to Ron, that's fairly outlandish." Ginny pointed out, across the table.

"Shut up, you." Ron snapped at her again.

"Maybe she's just a bit... vague." Harry suggested, handing over some more of his homework to Hermione.

"What tipped you off," Ginny asked, "her vagueness?"

"Look," Harry started, looking a bit pained as Hermione made some large corrections in blood red, "maybe she likes you."

"No," Ginny exclaimed in awe, "was that really what this conversation was completely about?"

"Shut up, you." Ron hissed. "Look," he whispered, lowering his head closer to the table, "I don't really want her to like me."

Hermione joined the three at their lowered positions. "Why are we lowering our heads and whispering?" She inquired.

"Don't want to look conspicuous," Ron explained.

"Right," Ginny agreed snappishly, "because a group of four people with their heads down is about as inconspicuous as you can get."

"Right," Ron confirmed, her sarcasm going unnoticed. "Anyhow. I don't want her to actually like me. It's a little weird, you know?"

"What's so weird about it?" Harry asked. "Girls like boys all the time. Boys like girls too. It's part of life, isn't it?"

Ron glared at him. "I don't need that tone from you, Harry. You know what I mean. It's weird because it's Luna."

"Why does that make it any weirder?" Hermione asked, rolling her eyes.

"Because she's weird." Ron explained.

"Right, right, and you're not." Said Draco Malfoy, who had ducked into their conversation.

"Exactly, Malfoy," Ron said.

There was a pause in conversation while they all looked at each other.

"Malfoy?!" Ron roared, and the five of them sat upright again.

"That's the name," Malfoy said agreeably, leaning back from his seat next to Ginny. "Noticed you've gotten yourself into a predicament with Loony Lovegood. I pity you, Weasel."

"Look who's talking," Harry growled, "you've got that pugface Parkinson all up in your pants."

"Touché, Scarface," Malfoy said, his eyes glittering, "and by the way, outstanding alliteration."

"Thank you," Harry said, rather proud, as Malfoy turned back to Ron.

"But honestly. One man to another-"

"Excuse me, that's hardly usable in this situation, as neither of you are men," Ginny pointed out suddenly.

"I'll show you later," Malfoy said to her waspishly.

She gave him a sideways smile and Ron's ears turned purple. "Look, look, we're all off topic once again! Now, Malfoy, what is it you were going to say?"

"I was saying, whenever I want to drive away Pansy I fuck a Gryffindor. Of course in your case it would be Slytherin."

"Are you volunteering yourself?" Hermione asked, highly amused as Malfoy glared at her.

"No, I'm volunteering one of the many sluttish girls I know."

"Oh, no, wait, but which one would be willing to shack up with my brother?" Ginny asked.

"No idea," Malfoy confessed, "she'd have to half crazy or really un-picky."

"Excuse me?" Ron asked, offended.

"I'm thinking, oh… Millicent?" Malfoy suggested.

"Bulstrode?!" Ron gasped, clutching a hand to his heart.

"The one and only!" Malfoy said, cheerily.

"I don't think Ron could… handle her." Harry said.

"No, I suppose you're right," Malfoy said, "she is a bit high maintenance."

"Right," Ginny said wryly, "high maintenance."

"Well, there's always Blaise Zabini," Malfoy said vaguely.

There was a silence. "Sorry, did you say Blaise?" Harry piped up after a bit.

"I did," Malfoy confirmed.

"Hmm," Harry said, bemused, "didn't know it was a girl."

"Yeah," Hermione agreed, "you don't see much of her, do you? What's she look like?"

Malfoy rolled his eyes. "Oh, about yay high, dark hair, dark makeup."

"You're sure that you're not confusing her with Samantha from Hufflepuff?" Ginny asked, thinking.

"Look, I know my housemates."

"It's just, none of us have ever really seen or heard Blaise," Ron explained, "so it would be kind of awkward."

"Yes," Hermione said, "I can see their conversation now. Ron would be very rude about it. 'Er… so you've been coming to Hogwart's all these years?'"

"I would not!" Ron disagreed vehemently.

"Oh, yes, you would," Malfoy pointed out. "Never mind her, then."

"Well it doesn't have to be a Slytherin," Ginny suggested, "I mean, if he gets any girlfriend it will work as a roadblock."

"Right then," Malfoy said, "who do we know that's half crazy and un-picky?"

There was a pause in the conversation as they all thought of the same person.

"No," Ron said simply, standing up from the table. "I will not date Luna just to drive away Luna."

Everyone else stood up as well, and all five of them started out for the library.

Once they'd found their seats at a shiny wooden table, they returned to their topic.

"Look, I just don't like her," Ron explained, "I don't find her hair pretty and incredibly soft. I don't think her eyes are like endless pools of silvery water on a winter day. I don't think her skin is the most perfect skin I've ever seen in my life. I don't think that under those quirky clothes she has a killer body that I would love to fold in different ways -"

"No, of course not," Harry said, rolling his eyes.

Neville popped up behind him and smiled widely at Ginny. "'Lo, Ginny."

Ginny looked at him boredly. "'Lo, Neville, what do you want?"

"Look, Trevor's been set on fire."

"Flaming toad?" The group chorused.

"Yeah, flaming toad," Neville said, "and I was wondering if you'd like to help me put him out."

Malfoy's eyes flashed at him dangerously. "Piss off, Longbottom. By now your frog is dead."

Neville glared at him. He stuttered to find an insult for a moment, and then left in frustration.

"Anyway, Ron, it's just kind of inevitable. Nobody else would have you." Hermione said.

"I would have him," a dreamy voice said, and they all turned to see Luna standing behind Ron, her books clutched to her chest. "Any day."

"That was the point of the entire conversation," Malfoy pointed out, standing. "My work here is done. Much happiness with the wife, Ron, may you populate the earth with a thousand more Weasleys."

Luna took Malfoy's seat and scooted it next to Ron.

Ron looked at her angrily but said nothing.

Ginny stood up suddenly as well. "Weren't you going to show me how much of a man you are?" She reminded him.

"What, and populate the earth with even more Weasleys?" He asked, though his eyes were twinkling.

"No," Ginny said, "this way they'd be Malfoys."

There was an uncomfortable moment as everyone digested what she said, and then the two traipsed off.

"Disgusting," Ron choked out, a hand at his stomach.

"So, Luna, we were discussing something concerning you before you popped up." Hermione said, smiling brightly. Ron narrowed his eyes and gave her a look of warning. "And anyhow," she continued, "you're the best person to ask. Do you like Ron?"

Suddenly, Ron's arms were flailing and he and his chair toppled over backwards.

"Yes," Luna confessed, looking down at him, "I do."

As her pale eyes stared into his own, the locks of her hair falling around her face like a curtain, he had flashes.

"I do," she was saying, flowers in her hair and wearing a wedding dress.

"Do you think we should have another go?" He was asking, in bed, sweaty. "I do," she whispered, leaning over to kiss him.

"Do you like the name Ida?" He was asking, older, and touching her very pregnant stomach. "I do," she was saying, putting her hand over his.

He blinked and she was looking at him hopefully. Harry and Hermione had left the table, and he sat up, staring at her.

"Luna," he said, his mouth dry, "you're kind of weird."

"I know," she said agreeably, getting out of the chair and sitting next to him on the floor. "But you are as well and I think that you wouldn't mind."

"I wouldn't," he confessed, and kissed her lightly.

"Do you want to go out with me, Ronald Weasley?" She finally asked, her eyes glimmering.

"I do," Ron said.