Straight and Narrow

Luna wandered over to where Ginny was sprawled across the grass and sat down next to her. The meadow behind the Burrow was overrun with dandelions, and Luna brushed her finger against one. "Why did you leave breakfast in such a hurry?" she asked Ginny. She laid down on her back and supported her head with her hands.

"The kitchen has gotten crowded since Harry got here," Ginny told her. She was lying a few inches from Luna, staring up at the clouds.

"Breaking up with you was an obvious mistake," Luna said. She picked a dandelion and twirled it around between her pointer finger and thumb.

"I don't even care anymore, you know?" Ginny asked. She sighed and continued, "It was fun while it lasted, but I knew it was never going to be anything serious. He wasn't expecting happily ever after when he kissed me. I just wish he didn't have to be so awkward about it. He's barely said three words to me since he arrived yesterday."

"He's a silly boy," Luna concluded. "I imagine kissing him wasn't all that spectacular. Boys tend to rush into things and get grabby with their hands." She brought the dandelion to her nose and inhaled deeply.

"And what do you suggest, I switch to girls?" Ginny asked with a laugh. She turned to face Luna, propping herself up on one elbow. She appeared to glow in the morning sunlight, her red hair framed by wisps of gold. Luna looked up at her and bit down on her lip, worrying it.

"It makes more sense," Luna told her. "I'm beginning to think I lean towards it myself. Besides, I'm not supposed to take the usual paths in life. People would be disappointed if I were straight." She giggled, grinning widely up at Ginny.

"And you always do everything according to what other people think," Ginny said with an emphasis on the "always." She reached out and snatched the dandelion from Luna's hand. Then she tucked it behind her friend's ear and smoothed down her hair.

"I might be trying to go straight-edged," Luna chuckled. She tried to imagine what everyone would think if she showed up for her last year at Hogwarts minus the Quibbler and her butterbeer cork necklace. Shock would abound, to say the least.

"Oh no!" Ginny cried in mock horror. "As your partner in crime, I believe it's my duty to keep you off the straight and narrow. Good for you, I'm open to new things." She bent down and gently pressed her lips against Luna's. The other girl gasped in shock, but quickly got over it and joined in the kiss. Ginny's lips felt warm against hers and tasted slightly of pumpkin juice. Luna traced her tongue across Ginny's lips, and sighed into the kiss when she opened her mouth.

Luna leaned up into the kiss and brought her hands up to cup Ginny's face. She ran her fingers through the windblown red hair. Ginny explored Luna's mouth with her tongue, wondering why she hadn't done it years ago. She bit down on Luna's lower lip and tugged at it slightly, breaking the kiss. She looked into Luna's wide eyes and raised an eyebrow. "Are we still ok?" she asked timidly.

"Better than," Luna assured her. "In fact, I think I'm going to thoroughly enjoy you leading me down the gay and wide." She managed to contain her laughter until Ginny burst out in a fit of giggles. Ginny collapsed on top of Luna and shook with laughter, loving the feeling of the slightly smaller body pressed against her. Perhaps it was time Ginny Weasley started doing the unexpected. Thankfully, she had the perfect example to follow.