~~ Ficlet! Harry/Luna! For Glock! <3!

[reenka]

Ack! Well, I'm late again. As usual, because I suck. But! glockgal asked for Harry/Luna last year, and this year I've (sort of) cracked it :D I would be proud, except... not. But anyway.

Happyevilly belated Birthday, Glock~! ♥!

I love your Harry, man. He could have any girl he wants~:)


Disclaimer: No resemblance to JK Rowling, or any other author living or dead is purely coincidental. That said, I am not them.

Dedication: for Lori <3





- but slowly -


The thing to know about Harry was that he was a bit slow, as such things went. He had to be encouraged much like an Indian night-blooming violet, but perhaps that could wait a while yet. Besides, Luna had some ideas about things to investigate here... maybe soon, then.

It was a lazy, bright June afternoon, and Harry was rubbing her back rather nicely. He was also saying something; she wasn't sure. She didn't know when this started, exactly, but she didn't mind if it continued for a bit.

Her mind drifted, and she watched the tiny fish darting beneath the sparkling surface of the lake with some fascination.

"Will you tell me something?" she said absently, picking at a reed. Oooh, there was a jellyfish not far off. Luna thought she'd read something about the jelly being good for growing fins on one's ankles... but she couldn't be sure.

"Hmm? Oh, sure. What is it?" Harry sounded distracted, but that was understandable. It was very warm out. That was the one drawback to moonlight, really; it wasn't quite warm enough.

A few of them were bright yellow, and several had hints of orange.

"How do you feel about the crimson Wish Fish? I think I might see one, but they should only grant wishes on Sundays."

Luna was waiting patiently for the crimson one to show up (the one that granted wishes), but she knew she was going to have a long wait.

"Um...." Harry's fingers squeezed a bit hard, but it wasn't unpleasant. "Do you want to go?"

Luna's toes felt rather pleasant in the cool water, and the fish were nicely ticklish.

"Where should we go, then?" Luna said, smiling to herself. Harry's hands paused slightly, and Luna inclined her neck to encourage him. Perhaps she should take off her shirt to make things more comfortable?

"Er-- I-- that is-- um--" Luna smiled wider, covering her mouth as if she yawned. "As long as it's not Madam Puddifoot's," Harry muttered sullenly. "I'm never going there again if I can help it."

She didn't question that assertion, though Luna did like tea. Especially the kind that gave one interesting dreams.

"You can pull down my shirt a bit more," she said, rolling her right shoulder considerately. "While you decide."

Harry made a curious choking noise, but his fingers skidded across Luna's bra-strap almost immediately, tugging awkwardly at her necklace. Almost every time Harry touched her (tentatively, as if he wasn't quite sure he ought to), he pulled something, whether it was her hair or her necklace or her earrings or her bra. It let her know he was there, she thought.

His palm was warm and still on her bare shoulder, and Luna shivered a bit. She wasn't quite sure where the magic fish went; they all looked rather similar for a disconcerting, poised moment.

The lack of movement reminded her: Harry wasn't rubbing her back.

"When someone isn't moving, don't you think they're being really slow?" she said.

"Maybe it's just that everyone else is going too fast," Harry said unexpectedly. "So fast they're just a blur, and then they're gone."

Harry was breathing next to her, making the tiny hairs of Luna's neck stand up. "Yes," she said slowly. "Some people can never slow down, so their whirring bits get rusty and--"

"Luna, don't, just--"

She stopped.

Harry's fingernails were hurting her, and Luna pulled back her feet out of the water, tucking her legs beneath her. Harry held on. What was she saying again? Harry made her forget.

"The afternoon is best for going somewhere new, I think. Don't you think. Harry?"

"Yeah." Luna frowned; the sun was making the edges of the clouds glow faintly, but the light was dimming. Harry moved away, shuffling beach stones with the scuffled toe of his shoe.

"Slowly," she said, peering underneath the water for her shoes. They would be shining crimson there, to attract the Wish Fish, but she couldn't see them. "I like walking barefoot anyway, and... and I've never been to Zonko's. Can you believe it?"

"I can't believe it," Harry said, walking around to look for her sparkling sandals.

He probably thought she wasn't looking, but Luna saw him roll his eyes at her. After a moment, he drew his wand rather casually (though Luna felt particularly alert whenever his hand moved with confidence) and transfigured a washed-up log into a pair of simple wooden shoes.

Harry flushed, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly, but Luna laughed before Harry could say anything. After a moment, Harry laughed too, as Luna thought vaguely that wooden shoes could have their advantages. She would have a good time making them bright red tonight. They would also make good hat accessories.

"You do want to go on a--" Luna blushed a bit. This was really not her... field. "Walk?"

"Date?" Harry smirked.

She looked off into the distance. The clouds looked like clowns; all of them. It was a good sign, maybe. "Possibly yes."

"I don't need to go, Luna. I'm already there."

Sometimes slow was just the right speed, Luna thought.
---------------

Comments

[go-back-chief.livejournal.com]

Nice! I like your Luna-voice, many people go way over the top when characterising her, but this feels genuine, like your writng her from the inside, rather than fromthe outside. I admit, I was a little skeptic in the beginning, thinking that Harry wasn't exactly the kind of person I see massaging anyone, but then I reckoned that the premise probably was that the two of them have got closer -one way or the other- since we last saw them. Oh, and I very much like the awkwardness between them, on Harry's part in particular. That's another thing that felt real.

[yourpoison.livejournal.com]

Hee, thanks! It's weird, you saying that about me writing her from the inside, 'cause um... well, I suppose Luna is like... in danger of being my Mary Sue if I'm not careful (since I identify with her the most out of any HP characters). Yeah, I still can't see myself writing Harry/Luna as a get-together story (since I really just don't buy it, ahahah), and also I just can't get into Harry's head and be like, "OMG LUNA'S HOT". That would freak me out.
Am so glad this worked for you, though, massage and all. :D

[sistermagpie.livejournal.com]

I agree with Chief--your Luna voice is great because it's so not over the top. I especially like her trying to speak on something that was "not her field." :-)

[yourpoison.livejournal.com]

*grins* eeeeeheee, happy my Luna pleaseth thee >:D
Heheh that 'field' line was me having a little in-joke with myself 'cause I don't believe Luna's ready for any of this, ahahahah.

[sarahtales.livejournal.com]

*averts her eyes from Luna, with love*
(for you. not Luna. no way.)
reena. Understand, I'm in no way writing this.
No way.
But I think I once posted snippets of Draco being the hero of the wizarding world instead of Harry on your lj. Remember where, by any chance?
... it would be wrong to write it.
... I should be writing my angsty Sirius/Remus, or more UL.
but out of sheer, morbid curiosity, do you by any chance recall?
(BAD MAYA BAD MAYA OH BAD BAD)

[sarahtales.livejournal.com]

Never mind, honey. Found it.
(... not that I'm *WRITING* it. Oh no, no, la la la...)

[yourpoison.livejournal.com]

ehehe!! I heart thee, so I won't take your avoidance of Luna ill, though. It's Luna! Wah! My very own Mary Sue!! ahahaha. *sniffles slightly* She's okay, isn't she? Crazy people are cool too, right? hee
YOUR ANGSTY SIRIUS/REMUS?!? :D :D!!
ahem.
I remember! Now that I think of it, I remember, ahahah<3333 What inspired you to this? I must say it's one of your best ideas ever. *nodnodnodnod*
*seal of Reena Approval, etcetc*
Although I'm happy you found it, since I in no way remember where that was, exactly :D <3

AAAAAA

[cellia.livejournal.com]

OTP

(Glock should have birthdays more often man! So much of the cool has been generated.)

Re: AAAAAA

[yourpoison.livejournal.com]

...does that mean you like it, ahahahah??

(I've been on a Luna kick, what with the Luna/Ginny and such-- Luna/Harry was just the next step, heh.)

[shatterglass.livejournal.com]

<3333 It felt colourful. Or perhaps I am insane. :D

[yourpoison.livejournal.com]

Heee! :D It's the yellow & orange & crimson fishies!! wheee! :D


if you're insane, you're definitely not alone here >:D

[shatterglass.livejournal.com]

That would be it, ahaha. But the touching, too, and the atmosphere. You know. In a good way. :):)

[glockgal.livejournal.com]

Oh honey! Oh, my goodness. I knew fate had saved this up for me for the exact perfect moment. Because this weekend was such a flurry and then I saw your quiet little 'over here!' post and I couldn't even react until now. And oh, how I needed this right, right now.

It's a pleasure to give fics like this feedback. Because they are so fabulous and constructed but meandering enough to leave something to think about at the end. I love it.

I mean, Harry/Luna! My guilty Harry+girl OTP, definitely. There's just something about them, and you summarized it all here. Harry's stiff, ungainly, unsocial awkwardness with people who aren't Weasleys or Hermione, and Luna's mild, drifting, eccentric fairytale thought patterns. It's just like, the perfect match, in the stragest of ways. This so very exemplifies it.

I love that Luna has a purpose, one that might not necessarily make sense to anyone else, but it's not like it matters to her. I love that she doesn't care what Harry really thinks about her Wish Fish and things, but she still cares about Harry. There's a difference there, and that's what makes Luna less Mary Sue, more Girl Power. It's wonderful! She has her own mind and opinions and yet she can still love and want to be loved. I adore how you write her.

Harry is darling, with his avoidance of certain subjects and his need to do, always do. He can't stop to think about things like Luna does; it actually makes him uncomfortable even just to listen to it. He has to keep doing stuff. With surety and definitiveness, like how he wields the wand. They are so yin and yang.

The end is just so very sweet. They are so balanced on a thin line, and the wooden clogs and the amused laughter just successfully tipped the scales to the positive. Like, suddenly, between all the unsureness, suddenly you know it'll work between them, and the poorly transfigured shoes show precisely why.

I know it's a sweet, darling story, but oh man it made me think so very much. I'm all reflective and at peace, and I needed that right now.

Thank you so much!!! This is lovely and perfect for me. *snuggles you tightly*

[nattish.livejournal.com]

Really great! I don't know many Luna fics that keep her close to canon and make her romance, for lack of a better word, plausible. Also, I think you might have sold this pairing to me; it's not often that I feel so happy about reading het. :)

[fivil.livejournal.com]

oh.wow.
You wrote this so wonderfully. I loved it. Your Luna was weird in just the right way - not too, not overly so, but she's just as dreamy and distant as Rowling wrote her, but so present at the same time. And the lazy mood of this fic works so well. Very nice, very nice. *adds to memories*

[e-dork.livejournal.com]

wow. this is actually the first Luna fic I've read as I tend to stick to smuttyslash rather than exploring het fics, but this was fabulous. as others said, your Luna voice is superb :)

[erised1810.livejournal.com]

wow. i forgot how i foudn this but it was the perfect end of areading-day. Thank you. {huggles Luna}