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“I’m really excited for this double date,” Ginny whispered as she watched Harry curl her hair in the mirror. “You’re sure you’re okay with going?”
“I’m sure, Gin. I can tell you’re really excited, who am I to say no?”
“And thank you for curling my hair… again.”
“You burn yourself anytime you try to do anything with your hair that isn’t a ponytail or braid. I’m pretty sure you burnt yourself when you were trying to tie your hair back last week.”
“I didn’t realize the kettle was on!”
“So you were just randomly tying your hair back over the kettle in the kitchen?”
Harry had to bite back his laugh as Ginny glared through the mirror. Kissing her on the cheek, Harry finished styling Ginny’s hair and helped her with her jewellery before stepping back to admire his work.
“You look gorgeous.”
“All thanks to you, Harry.”
“No,” he whispered with a small smile. “You are naturally gorgeous both inside and out. You are a beautiful, attractive, smart, and wonderful person. Never forget that Ginny. Now, let’s go on this double date.”
Ginny and Harry walked down the stairs of the Burrow, rolling their eyes at the comments from the Weasley siblings and calling out their farewells.
“Look at that power couple!”
“Bring her home before midnight or I’ll turn you into a pumpkin!”
“Two of you are leaving and there better not be a third coming back!”
“Ew, Fred!”
“I wish I had half the glamour and poise they have.”
“Remember that Hermione and I are the best people to double date with!”
The walk from the car to the restaurant was quiet and nerve-wracking. Harry held Ginny’s hand, reassuringly rubbing his thumb against the back of her hand. She gave him a tight smile. Sensing Ginny’s worry, Harry stopped outside the restaurant doors and grabbed both her hands.
“What’s wrong?”
“Nothing, let’s just head in...”
“No,” Harry whispered with a sad smile. “What’s wrong?”
“What if she doesn’t like me? What if I dressed up too much? What if-”
“Luna likes you.”
“But my parent…”
“Your family thinks you and I are going on a double date. No one will find out you’re going on a date with Luna, you know I’ll go on these dates with you until you’re ready to come out to your family and even after if you need to. Everyone still thinks we are dating, you’re safe to explore your feelings for Luna.”
“You’re too good to me,” Ginny mumbled softly as her ex wiped away her tears and tucked her hair behind her ear. “You don’t think this is unfair for you?...”
“You deserve the best, Gin. It’s not fair at all, but you and Luna may regret the choice to have Neville and me as your ‘dates.’“
”Why?...”
“Don’t worry about it.”
With a wink, Harry gave Ginny a rose for Luna and led them inside.
“You look beautiful,” Luna greeted with a kiss on Ginny’s cheek, immediately earning her a blush.
“Thanks, Luna. You look beautiful too.”
“But nowhere close to how you look,” she grinned. “You’re stunning, absolutely breathtaking and I could stare at you all night.”
“Wow, Neville, you look gorgeous!” Harry yelled as he pushed past the girls and embraced his best friend in a hug.
“Oh, Harry, you look brilliant!” Came the response. “I am the luckiest straight man to go on this date with you.”
“I brought you a rose,” Harry continued and ignored the laughs and eye-rolls beside him, “it would look beautiful tucked in your hair. May I?”
“Oh, yes, please! I am so lucky that-”
“Okay okay,” Luna laughed, reaching down and grabbing Ginny’s hand. “We get the point, how about we go sit and have some supper?”
“We thought you’d never ask,” the boys laughed.
The dinner was filled with laughter and memories, and the new group of friends immediately hit it off. Ginny and Luna continued to flirt (attempting to ignore their friends who would ‘awe’ anytime they said something cute) but also got to learn more about each other and realized how well they could work together.
Ginny was known for being high-strung by her family and friends. Yes, she could go with the flow and loved to be adventurous and spontaneous, but Ginny was always worrying about what others would think and say, always feeling like she had to be on guard or ready to protect herself or someone close to her. Luna, on the other hand, was a free spirit who couldn’t care less about what people thought of her. She told stories about running on her family’s acreage barefoot so she could feel the dirt on her feet and stories of dancing at the train station because she liked the song playing on the speakers. Separately, Ginny and Luna were from two clashing worlds, but together they were like the calm and chaos of a beautiful summer storm. They completed each other and their strengths filled where the other’s weaknesses were. Hours felt like seconds in each others’ presence, maybe the stars had aligned just right for starcrossed lovers to become soulmates.
But the dinner wasn’t all romantic… not with Harry and Neville being the second part of the double date.
“I’m really glad we could do this double date,” Ginny whispered to Luna.
“Me too, thank you for saying yes.”
“I’m really glad we could be third and fourth wheels together,” Neville exclaimed dramatically, Harry grabbing his hand when he reached out.
“There is no one else I would rather do it with! You are my favourite wheeling partner.”
“And you are mine, Harry. I think I love you-”
The joking declaration of love was interrupted by the boys being hit on the back of their heads.
“Harry?”
“Yes, Nev?”
“Did you know that they say the tongue is the strongest muscle in the body?”
“Really?”
“Yep, wanna see whose tongue is stronger?”
“Yes, come here, pretty boy!”
“I think something’s going on with my glasses…”
“Everything okay?”
“I think so, you’re just the only thing my eyes can focus on though, Nev.”
“Maybe we should go to the hospital because anytime I look at you my heart skips a beat. Maybe they’ll let us share a room too.”
“Get a room, you two!” Ginny exclaimed through her laughter.
“Harry? Shall we go get a hospital room?”
“Yes-”
“Harry! No!”
As the hours passed, the group paid the bill and planned to walk around a nearby park before Harry took Ginny home. As they walked, the boys tried to let Ginny and Luna have their conversations, but it was hard to ignore the side-eye they would receive before Ginny or Luna would answer a question.
“Hey, uhm, Luna?...”
“Yes, Ginny?”
“I wanted to ask a question,” she began before casting Harry a pleading look.
Noticing and understanding his friend's look, he grabbed Neville’s hand.
“Neville, my darling?”
“Yes, my dearest Harry?”
“Would you like to go snog behind a tree that’s out of earshot for about five minutes?”
“I would love to,” Neville laughed as he ran away with Harry.
As Ginny and Luna watched the boys run off with amusement, the air slowly grew heavy as the girls turned to face each other.
“You wanted to ask me something?”
“Yeah…”
“Well,” Luna whispered, grabbing both of Ginny’s hands and taking a step closer to her, “what did you want to ask me?”
“I really like you, and I know we haven’t been going on dates long but I really like you.”
“And I really like you, but that’s not a question…”
Taking a deep breath, Ginny looked up at Luna and smiled.
“Will you be my girlfriend?”
“Yes!”
Without missing a beat, Luna grabbed her girlfriend’s face in both hands and pulled her in for a kiss. Time slowed, noises blurred, time was forgotten, but it was perfect. Kissing under the moonlight in their favourite park, Ginny and Luna felt any worries and stresses life gave them disappear.
“Aren’t we the ones who should be snogging?”
“Yes,” Harry whispered as he took pictures of his friends kissing from behind the tree. “But you’re straight.”
“True,” Neville shrugged. “I’m pretty sure I’m straight so that’s a good reason.”
“Pretty sure?”
“I think so?”
“How sure?”
“I don’t know, like, 83% sure?”
“83%,” Harry mused with an eye roll and turned to look at his best friend. “How are you only 83% sure?”
“I’ve never kissed a guy so I don’t know!”
Without missing a beat, Harry shoved his phone into his pocket and pressed Neville against the tree he was leaning against. Kissing him quickly, chuckling at his friend's shocked face, Harry stepped back and tilted his head.
“Now you’ve kissed a guy, what do you think?”
“I am… definitely 100% straight. Thank you? I think?”