Luna Lovegood was never one of those hopeless romantic girls. She lived a carefree life, and thought of boys and dating just never stuck in her head. She never got hung up on any boy she met, or ever even had a crush before. This was the story until her third year, the year of the Yule Ball. She was thirteen. All of her Ravenclaw friends were either pent up with studies, or obsessing over dates and gowns. Luna, however, trudged through the snow of the Hogwarts grounds on pleasant days, searching for Nargles and protecting the castle. She would hear from her friends tales about Harry Potter and his friends and their wild adventures, but she had yet to meet anyone from that crowd of people.

One fine November day, Luna was wandering the schools grounds, looking for a nice place to read and think. As she searched, she thought about the boy Harry Potter and his friends, who she would see in the hallways sometimes, laughing as they went from class to class. There was the red-headed boy, and the girl with the curly hair. Luna thought she was a very pretty girl, even though she'd heard some Slytherin boys making fun of her earlier that week. The red-headed boy also seemed very nice, although she heard mean things about him too. Luna couldn't help but wonder why people were so mean. They seemed like perfectly nice people. Luna concluded that those who spoke poorly of the trio were only jealous of their adventures.

She settled upon a nice looking willow tree by the frozen Black Lake. She used a heating charm to rid her spot of snow and sat down, taking out The Tales of Beetle the Bard. It was a book she had been reading since she was a toddler, and she felt like being nostalgic. She read for several minutes, until she heard the sound of footprints in the snow. She looked up and saw the red-headed boy that Harry Potter is friends with.

"Hello," Luna heard the boy say in her direction.

"Hi there. I don't think I've met you before," Luna closed her book and stood up to be face to face with the boy.
"My name's Ron. Ron Weasley. And you are?" Ron stuck out his hand to Luna, who shook it daintily.

"I'm Luna Lovegood." She removed her hand from his, and gave a little curtsy. "Pleased to make your acquaintance."
"I saw you sitting there and thought you looked lonely. Mind if I sit with you?"
Luna sat back down, and motioned for Ron to sit next to her. He obliged.

"So Luna, what year and house are you?"
"I'm a third year, and a Ravenclaw. I would ask the same about you, Ron, but I've heard about you, and your adventures with Harry Potter. You're a Gryffindor, and a fourth year."

Ron turned to look at Luna, slightly startled by this. "You mean to say people know who I am?"
"Well, we know who Harry is. You just happen to be one of his best mates," Luna said bluntly.

"That would make sense." Ron looked towards his feet, slightly disappointed. He had hoped he was famous too.
"So I'm assuming that as Harry's best friend, you naturally have a date for the Yule Ball?" Luna inquired.

Ron glanced at Luna, who had a curious expression on her face. "Actually, I haven't. Harry doesn't either. It's a bit of a sad story actually. See, Harry's got this crush on this girl Cho. You might know her, she's a Ravenclaw too. He asked her to the Yule Ball, but she said some bloke had already asked her. He's been a bit upset since. I asked that Beauxbatons girl Fleur, but, I, uh didn't really wait for an answer before running off. Shameful, isn't it?"

"It could be worse. You could be stuck going with some weirdo third year like me."
Ron glanced at Luna, with her wavy, blonde hair surrounding her pretty face like a halo, and her blue eyes gleaming as the snow reflected in them. He thought she was beautiful. "Luna, it would be a privilege to take you to the Yule Ball, but Harry and I plan to ask the Patil twins today. I'm sorry." Ron turned away from her and looked genuinely remorseful.

Luna put her hand on the boy's shoulder, and he looked to meet her gaze. "Ron, don't be sorry. I don't expect to go at all, actually."
"Why not?"
"My father writes the Quibbler, you see, and I have to go home and help him write and print the holiday edition. I have to bring him information about all of the Nargles I've found on the Hogwarts grounds."
"Nargles?"

"Yes, they're dastardly creatures, really. They hide in mistletoe, so, naturally, they're common at holiday time."
Ron looked at her, puzzled. "You really are special aren't you?"
Luna watched Ron's pretty green eyes trace her features. She admired his flaming red hair, and his adorable freckles that dotted his cheeks. This was the first boy she was truly attracted to. "I presume I am, yes."
"You know, Luna, I have to admit, I'm glad I came down here. You're a really nice girl."
"Well thank you, Ron. I should tell you, I think you're pretty cute," Luna said as she turned to smile at Ron.

Ron looked at her, taken aback. "Well, if you can say that, I should tell you that I think you're absolutely gorgeous. I'm actually surprised none of the other boys have asked you to the Yule Ball."

Luna laughed. "It's like you said before. I'm very special. Too special, actually. I don't have very many friends."

"Luna, that's sad! I'll be your friend."
"Thank you, Ron. That's very kind of you. You're the nicest boy I've ever met."

Ron looked Luna in the eyes. "You, Luna Lovegood, are a wonderful girl." He reached out and took her face in his hands, and gently pressed his lips to hers. She gently kissed him back, secretly enjoying this perfect, winter moment. Ron pulled away after a few seconds, and slumped back into the hard bark of the tree.

"You see, Luna? Now you can't tell anyone that you haven't got friends anymore." He turned to smile at her briefly, and then stood up.
"I hate to say this, but could you keep this a secret, Luna? I don't want Padma to get mad at me for kissing a housemate, do I?" Ron offered her a weak smile.

Luna beamed back at him. "It's okay, Ron, I'm not offended. It can be our little secret."
"Thanks. I'll see you around, then?"
"Yes. Nice meeting you, Ron."

"You two, Luna. I mean it." Ron walked away, wrapping his Gryffindor scarf around himself in the cold December air.

Definitely better than reading, Luna thought to herself, and took her book back out, opening it to her previous page. She smiled, and realized that she finally had her first crush.