Of Calla Lillies and Red, Red Roses
Ginny feels like she's going mad.
"Oh come on. She's just dancing. You know it doesn't mean anything." Neville says from her right, his voice watery sounding amid the music and laughter and clinking glasses around them.
"I knowwwww. But that doesn't help." She whines in response, her own voice muffled by the crook of her elbow. She's sitting with her face buried in her folded arms, her back slouched over the table and her legs kicking aimlessly against the legs of the tall stool she is sitting on. Her own mug of honeyed alcohol sits only inches away, along with an empty one, but she's miserable enough sober that she doesn't want to put her friends through dealing with her when she's truly drunk.
"Well, I don't know what else to tell you. You know it's nothing serious." Neville says next, and she can practically sense him rolling his eyes. "Besides, if you're so upset about, then go ask if she'll dance with you instead. You're a Gryffindor. Be brave for once."
She considers pointing out that he is hardly the one qualified to say that, considering he still has yet to ask Hannah out, even though he worships the ground the other girl walks on and they text one another practically 24/7. But instead she grunts, and lifts her head up.
Luna is twirling around with some random, stereotypically handsome wizard on the dancefloor, and they look ridiculously perfect together. Her turnip earrings swing back and forth, her pale curls shimmer with purple glitter, and her velvety dress is so colourful it burns the eyes a little. Her smile, too, is blinding. Violet lipstick actually suits her, and she looks so happy to be where she is that Ginny's chest tightens a little. The man, whoever he is, is smiling just as much, and Ginny can see their lips moving but doesn't know what they're saying.
She feels jealous. She wants to get them apart.
She prepares to say no, but instead a vague sound of agreement escapes her lips, and she looks over to see Neville giving her a look of surprise and pride. She returns it with surprise of her own, before looking back to Luna, who, maybe entirely by chance, just happens to be looking their way at that moment. Their eyes meet, and Ginny's heart skips a beat as Luna shoots her a grin, before she twists away with the wizard's hand still in tow.
"Yeah. Yeah, okay." Ginny says, properly this time. She takes a sip of her drink and runs a hand through her hair, dusts cracker crumbs off her jeans, and applies a quick layer of tinted chapstick. Suddenly she wishes she'd bothered with more than eyeshadow that night.
She is so not ready for this.
She is so doing this anyways.
"Then go get her, tiger." Neville says as she tucks the chapstick back into her pocket, and it's such a stupid, sappy thing to say that she laughs a little as she hops off the stool.
"Thanks. Um. Bye." She says, and hears him yell good luck, but all she can see is Luna, who had pulled her partner to a stop to wave at Ginny as she approaches.
Time to prove that the Sorting hat was right.