Oil and Water

Hermione trudged into the aisle between the first and second rows of the library's Runic section in something less than a good mood. She barely took notice of Luna Lovegood scanning through the old tomes to her left, still consumed as she was by a decidedly festering irritation at having received a rather underwhelming score on her last Ancient Runes exam.

She was determined to at least partly make up her grade with her current assignment, which she vowed would be flawless. But to make sure, she needed the library's copy of Ancient Runes Made Easy.

She glanced around the shelves until her eyes gleaned the book she required. Unfortunately, the young Ravenclaw was in her way and running her finger lightly along the various brown and black leather bindings. Hermione pursed her lips and crossed her arms; she would wait for Luna to leave. The last thing she wanted right now was discussing the latest Snorkack sightings.

Luna's hand finally stopped drifting at a large, dark rust-coloured binding, her pale fingers drawing back slightly before gripping the book by the top and yanking it from the shelf. She cradled the book on one arm and opened it before slowly drifting off. Hermione sighed in relief.

She stepped up to the shelf and looked to the embossed titles before realizing to her chagrin that the book she needed was now missing.

Argh!

She needed that book. "Luna!"

The young Ravenclaw turned around, acorn earrings swaying slightly, looking surprised to see Hermione standing there.

"Oh, hello," she said dreamily. "I'm sorry, I didn't know you were there..."

Hermione walked up to her and gave her best polite smile. "Hi, Luna," she said, hoping she could coax the book from her while simultaneously avoiding one of Luna's enthusiastic magical creatures discussions. "Listen, could I borrow that book for a while? I'll bring it right back as soon as I'm finished. By tomorrow at the latest."

Luna looked apologetic. "Oh, well I would, you know," she said serenely, "but I have an assignment due for tomorrow and I really do need it. I'd be happy to bring it to you as soon as I'm done with it, though."

"Er...well, that's..."

Oh just tell her, for crying out loud.

"I'm working on an assignment too," said Hermione carefully, "and, well, I really want to make sure I get it right. I'm sure you understand..."

Luna nodded. "I think so," she said.

Hermione waited. Luna was just staring at her.

"Um...so..."

"We could share," said Luna thoughtfully.

"Eh, what?" asked Hermione in confusion.

"The book," clarified Luna, pointing to its title quite unnecessarily. "We could use it at the same time."

"I..."

Hermione was at a loss.

"There's a table right here," said Luna, dropping the tome on the long aisle-length shelf that ran along the bookcase and drawing up two chairs. "I'll just go get my things."

"Luna, wait," interrupted Hermione. "It's not going to work, we'll be reading through different chapters - "

Luna smiled. "We'll alternate," she pointed out as though this were the eminently reasonable solution. "You can read one page of your chapter, then while you write, I'll read a page of mine."

Hermione rubbed the back of her neck. It was, she knew, an extremely haphazard arrangement, but she had few options.

"Fine," she sighed.

Luna drifted off to retrieve her things. Hermione dropped into one of the chairs and drew out her quill and notebook, all the while shaking her head.

Luna returned a few moments later with her bag, dropping it unceremoniously on the floor before lowering herself daintily in the chair next to the Gryffindor. Hermione noted with some irritation that Luna had squeezed herself unnecessarily close, so that their hips were brushing against each other.

Hermione chewed her lower lip as she forced herself not to react.

Think of the assignment, she commanded herself. Just tough it out, it's only for a little while, anyway...

Luna pushed the large book a little more to Hermione's side.

"Here," said Luna graciously, "you can go first. I don't mind."

"Thank you," muttered Hermione, flipping over to chapter twenty_two, her quill held at the ready for note_taking.

She perused through the first page, dimly aware of Luna gazing at her the whole time, trying her best to ignore the younger girl's persistent stare. She quickly reached the end of the page and flipped it over, there being nothing of note in the introduction -

- and saw the book slide over to Luna's side, the Ravenclaw serenely turning the pages back to chapter fourteen.

"Hey!"

Luna looked at her. "Yes?"

"I wasn't - oh, go ahead then," relented Hermione, remembering Luna's cracked suggestion about taking turns. This was going to try her patience, she knew.

She quietly drummed her fingers on the table's worn wooden surface while waiting for Luna to finish her page, the odd girl's soft humming doing little to alleviate Hermione's impatience.

Finally Luna finished her page and flipped the book back to chapter twenty_two before sliding it back to Hermione.

"Here you go," she said musically.

"Mm," acknowledged Hermione, turning to page two of her chapter before resuming her reading. A few moments later she felt Luna shift even closer, Hermione initially wondering if she'd taken an interest in chapter twenty_two and was reading along with her, but out of the corner of her eye she could see Luna was paying no heed whatever to the book, seemingly content, once again, to quietly stare at the Gryffindor.

She was just too close for comfort. Hermione shifted over slightly in her chair -

- only to feel Luna sliding right along with her, squeezing herself even closer, if anything. What's more, Hermione was now half off her chair; further shifting to the right was out of the question unless she wished to end up on the floor.

She could feel Luna slowly leaning closer. Hermione tensed; for some reason the Ravenclaw seemed intent on staring at her from as close as possible. She started to gain a new appreciation for Ron's discomfort around the odd girl. Hermione blinked at the open book, her eyes not taking in a single word as all her attention was now quite focused on Luna.

She cleared her throat. Luna tilted her head slightly but kept right on staring.

Hermione bit her lip and tried to read on regardless. Celtic mythology's influence on Old English runic symbols are most prevalent in -

She felt Luna's hand very gently draw her chestnut hair back, exposing her ear; Luna's soft breathing on her cheek -

Hermione slammed the book shut and spun around. "All right," she snapped, "would you mind telling me what you're doing?"

Luna blinked. "I'm looking at you," she said simply.

Hermione gaped at her. "Well, that's obvious!" she said brusquely. "What I meant is why?"

"I like you," said Luna, smiling innocently, as though this explanation was more than sufficient.

"Wha - but...Luna, you're not making any sense," said Hermione, becoming increasingly uncomfortable. Luna hadn't pulled back at all, and the way she was looking at Hermione, her pale eyebrows arched as though in longing -

"L_look," stammered Hermione, hastily trying a different tactic, "we have a book to read, so can we...just..."

Luna smiled dreamily and brushed the hair out of Hermione's eyes, which widened precipitously.

Hermione quickly turned to stare at the leather_bound book. This isn't happening...no it isn't...I'm dreaming somehow...I...must have drifted off...

But Luna was entirely undeterred, very slowly tracing the outline of Hermione's ear with a lithe finger.

"You really shouldn't hide these so much," breathed Luna. "You do have such pretty ears..."

Hermione closed her eyes tightly and swallowed nervously. Oh Merlin, what's happening...

Someone might walk in on them at any moment -

She could feel the tip of Luna's finger slip into her ear's delicate, shell_shaped cavity, lightly tracing its sinewy lines slowly and lovingly.

Hermione's breathing quickened and her heart began to race. She was at a total loss, which frightened her almost as much as what Luna was now obviously professing. She tried desperately to invoke some semblance of normalcy in a tiny, quivering voice:

"...we...the book...it's your turn...Luna, please..."

"It's all right," whispered Luna, so close that Hermione could feel every airy word on her cheek, "you can finish your chapter; this is so much nicer..."

Hermione trembled. She felt Luna's finger slowly withdraw, only to be replaced by impossibly soft, gentle lips pressing ever so lightly into her ear.

No...

Hermione's blurry mind raced. She should cry out...or she could bolt...

So...why wasn't she?

Luna blew a tender kiss deep into Hermione's ear, evoking a quivering gasp from the Gryffindor.

She had to stop this, Hermione knew, before -

She spun around, surprising Luna slightly and wrapping her shaking fingers around Luna's slender wrist.

"L_Luna...I...I can't..."

Luna gazed at her serenely, using her free hand to gently re-tuck some brown strands of hair that had slipped loose from behind Hermione's ear.

The Gryffindor swallowed and took a deep breath. "L-Luna...we can't do this..."

Luna smiled. "We are," she breathed.

"No," said Hermione, her voice strained, "I mean...it can never work...I'm a girl...you're a girl..."

"Yes," said Luna, clearly undiscouraged by this simple fact. "I've noticed. Love is such a wonderful thing..."

Hermione felt tears welling up. The girl wasn't listening to reason.

"W-we're total opposites, Luna..."

"I know," whispered Luna. "So much more to discover..."

"I can't...I can't be what you want me to be..."

To her surprise, Luna only smiled.

"But you're already Hermione Granger," she whispered softly. "That's all I want..."

Hermione looked into Luna's enormous silver eyes; there, staring back at her in pools of misty and glittering pearl, she saw - no, she could feel - love of such intensity that her breathing stilled for several long moments.

Luna was...so real to her...

Something inside Hermione began to melt.

"...oh Merlin..."

Luna drew a finger lightly along and under Hermione's jawline, coming to rest lightly in the soft hollow beneath her chin. She leaned closer and very delicately pressed her lips to the Gryffindor's.

Hermione closed her eyes and did not resist. She released her grip on Luna's other hand and wrapped her arms around the sandy_haired girl's slender neck.

They held the embrace for several long moments before Luna pulled back slightly and wrapped her arms around Hermione, resting her head on the Gryffindor's shoulder with an airy sigh.

Tears were trailing down Hermione's cheeks.

"We...we can try," she whispered.

"Yes," breathed Luna as she stroked the back of her neck.