About Her (Candlelight Mix)
Title: About Her (Candlelight Mix)
Author: Eustacia Vye
Rating: G
Pairing: Cho Chang/Luna Lovegood
Disclaimer: These characters belong to JKR. I borrow and play out of love only.
Original Story: About Her
Original Author: Bridget McKennitt
Summary: Luna had always taken a shine to fantastic things, and Cho definitely counts as one of the most fantastic.
Luna Lovegood was aware that people called her Loony behind her back, even with her Hogwarts days far behind her. She didn't conform and didn't feel the need to; Luna was very aware that people tended to fear the strange and unusual, and she cultivated that aura around herself. It therefore wasn't surprising in the least that she was feared, and human beings always responded to fear with anger or ridicule. Between the two, she would rather deal with ridicule. It was easier to ignore.
Luna tried painting the vibrant and brilliant parts of Cho, but the design always seemed to shift rapidly beneath her brush. It had always been that way, really. All the truly beautiful things couldn't accurately be captured, though it didn't stop Luna from trying. It was no different from trying to find the fantastic creatures she wrote about in the Quibbler on occasion. Her love of fantastic things had simply found another subject to adore.
Cho tended to be more traditional, and physical affection sometimes was difficult for her. She was quiet and in Luna's opinion cared far too much about others' perception of her. Trying to be sensitive to that, Luna sometimes asked to stay in. A few dinners at home, gentle kisses and tender touches seemed to be the best way to get Cho's equilibrium back. Exposure to too many hairy greetle bugs in the Ministry ventilation system wasn't good for her anyway. Cho was caring and beautiful, generous to a fault and had a brilliant mind. Luna had always liked her smile, even back at Hogwarts, as well as the genuine way she tried to make others happy. There had been too little of that in Ravenclaw sometimes, especially once the war came.
Luna supposed that others found it unusual that she had no interest in a Ministry job. She enjoyed nature and painting, and often she tried to portray the creatures she saw that no one else seemed to. A handful of galleries displayed her work, though her favorite ones were the attempts to capture Cho.
Painting by candlelight in the evenings tended to give her pieces a more ethereal look. Luna liked to think that perhaps she could get at the essence of Cho if she did this. As much as shadows hid the scary things, sometimes they hid the beautiful things, too. Luna always enjoyed the play of shadows and light across Cho's pale skin, and would paint her flesh with lips and tongue if Cho let her. It was times like that where Luna could understand why everything was easier by candlelight, why the bright lights of daytime made everything seem frightening. The shadows were harsher then, darker. Candlelight could be as soft as a touch, the barest of caresses and the tenderest of kisses.
Trying to paint the essence of Cho was an exercise in delighted frustration. After putting a new candle on the stand, Luna rubbed her nose and looked critically at her piece. It wasn't even close to perfect, but there were a few bits that she liked. She could build on those parts, perhaps get the entire painting how she saw Cho.
She was still painting when Cho came home, a furrow between her eyes. Cho approached and bent down to kiss her. Luna smiled after the kiss and then traced Cho's hips. "You're home early. Something wrong?"
Cho ducked her head as she blushed. Luna wasn't sure if she was being too forward again, or if something had happened to her at work. Cho tried so hard to be perfect, to be everything that others wanted her to be. Sometimes Luna thought that Cho forgot whose life she was actually supposed to be living. "I received an invitation to the Ministry of Magic's Ball," she said slowly. "Did you want to go?"
By her tone, Luna could tell that she really didn't want to. Cho was looking for a polite way out of it. "Only if you want to." It was her usual response, but that didn't seem to make Cho happy, either. Luna tilted her head to the side and took in the shadows playing across Cho's face. Cho met her gaze easily, emotions laid bare in a way they never were in broad daylight. She was afraid; it was the same expression she had when trying to explain to Luna her nebulous fears of disappointing others. Candlelight was the trick, then. "Is that what's bothering you? Because people would see you with me?"
"No. Yes." Cho sighed. "No one knows we're dating each other. I don't know how to explain it."
Was that all? As if Cho owed anyone an explanation for anything that made her happy. But Luna knew that Cho cared about society expectations, so she laughed and patted Cho's cheek. "Then don't. Come on, Cho. Dance with me."
Luna rested her head against Cho's shoulder when she finally agreed. It took a little while for Cho to unwind, tension bleeding out of her slowly. She finally wrapped her arms around Luna's waist, pulling her in even closer. Luna smiled and let her eyes fall shut. She didn't need to look up to see the contentment on Cho's face. "See, there's nothing wrong with dancing," Luna teased. She didn't even need to hear Cho's chuckle.
This was the moment that Luna loved. Their bodies fit together perfectly as they swayed, and Luna knew how to help Cho relax. Once the office intensity was gone, Cho knew what was truly important in her life. It was a foregone conclusion at that point that Cho would realize that the ball was nothing to be afraid of. She would move on to the next set of worries - what she would wear, how she would introduce Luna, what she would say when the inevitable owl from her parents came. Luna would be at her side through all of it, of course. Cho forgot to take time out for herself, forgot that her own desires were just as important to consider.
After the candle burned itself out, they continued to sway in the dark. "I do love you," Cho murmured, holding Luna tight.
"Of course you do," Luna said with a smile. "I never thought any different."
"What do I say?" Cho pulled back a fraction to bite her lip nervously. "What will they think about me?"
"Who you are isn't about who you love. You are the same intelligent woman you always are. You are kind and generous, efficient at all things paperwork related and you still love the Scottish Highlands. So you're in love with a painter." Luna shrugged and smiled. "Someone needs to show the world the beautiful things in it."
"Just like that?" Cho asked dubiously.
Luna understood the real question Cho was asking. Do I really not make a big deal out of this? Should I really look as though I don't care?
"Just like that." Luna leaned forward on her tip toes to kiss her. "The ones that matter already think you're wonderful."
Cho's uncertain smile transformed back into the confident one that she had around Luna. "They do?" she asked, hands running down Luna's back possessively.
"Oh, yes. And the ones that don't think you're fantastic aren't worth knowing."
"You make it look easy."
"Practice." Luna kissed Cho again. "And knowing that no matter what happens, I have you to come home to."
Cho gave Luna a wry look. "You think I'm overthinking things again."
Luna merely smiled. "Why don't we just see what happens?"
***
Cho looked radiant in forest green and gold robes, her hair swept up in an elegant chignon. Luna wore violet and gold, hair loose except for a large orchid pinning up one section of it. She wasn't a very clingy or overly demonstrative sort of person in public, so there wasn't an immediate reaction among Cho's coworkers. Many of them had gone to Hogwarts around the same time Cho and Luna did, so formal introductions weren't necessary. They caught up over the cocktail hour, and Luna was pleased to note that most had matured over the years. She hadn't expected to be ridiculed in public, but she knew Cho worried about things like that.
It wasn't until they were heading to the tables that one of Cho's coworkers blurted "Oh! So you're together, then?"
There was a slight hitch in Cho's step, and Luna tightened her grip on Cho's elbow to keep her from wobbling. "Well, yes," Luna replied, turning to face that particular woman. "Didn't you bring your significant other?" she asked. It was an innocent enough question on the face of it, but Luna knew for a fact that the man with her wasn't actually her husband. The woman flushed, and Luna gently tugged on Cho's sleeve to indicate that they should continue to the table they were assigned to sit at. "You're going to have to tell me which wine will complement our dinner," Luna told Cho. Because she treated the incident as if it was no big deal, Cho settled into her seat without comment. "I'd much rather a nice tea, but at an occasion like this, I suppose I should try the wine."
"Abbott Farms produces a very lovely rosé," one man suggested helpfully. "I was planning to order that myself."
"Oh, that's right! Hannah took over the old Gering farm," Cho said, taking up the conversation thread. "I'd forgotten completely about that."
"We should go visit," Luna commented, perusing the menu. "I haven't seen her since we all graduated, and it might be nice to catch up." She smiled at the man whose name she had forgotten already. "Not to mention I should probably help her locate and get rid of any red shildons. The creatures eat vines, you know, and they're so small that most people think they don't exist."
That led to further discussion about the finer points of xenobiology and how important it was to document these odd creatures before they were fully lost due to Muggle expansion into magical lands. Somehow the conversation wandered into politics; Luna surprised everyone with her assertions that there weren't enough regulations regarding magical creatures or objects. The entire table joined in, and someone dragged in a member of the Department of Magical Creatures to discuss upcoming legislation. It of course didn't meet Luna's satisfaction, and she argued that their definitions of Magical Creatures were much too broad and did more to harm citizens than actually protect them.
"What department are you in?" he asked. He had a somewhat imperious tone, as if no one outside of the department could possibly understand the work he was doing.
"Oh, I don't work for the Ministry at all," Luna told him. Her gaze was already sliding past him; he was uninteresting and thought in absolutes. There was no point in having a debate with someone that couldn't even entertain further extensions of the legislation he was proposing, and she could obviously think circles around him. "I have more important things to do with my time than that."
"Oh?"
"I'm an artist," Luna informed him crisply. "You label and confine things. I expand definitions and show you how things should be. Much more important to the world in the grand scheme of things."
"That's a ludicrous idea. Art doesn't help anything get done."
"Do you have paintings or photos in your office?" Luna asked.
"What? What does that have to do with anything?" When she merely looked at him intently, he shrugged. "Pictures of my children, sure."
"Because they're a motivating factor for you to complete your work day, right?" Luna prodded.
"Something like that..."
"Well, then. Photography is an art form. It moves you to do something you wouldn't otherwise want to do." She smiled serenely even as others laughed at his expense. "So indeed, art can help you get something done after all."
Baffled, he had no response and made excuses to leave. Luna started discussing her art style with another of Cho's coworkers, debating the finer points of Muggle and Magical artists. She preferred to use Muggle techniques with Magical supplies, which Luna thought brought a fresher perspective to the field. "And it must be working if my gallery showings are selling out completely. Either that or they like the little sandwiches I make." The polite laughter let Luna warm to her topic a little as the dessert course was introduced.
"What do you make?" an older coworker asked, sounding interested. "I haven't been to one of your gallery appearances."
"Watercress and cucumber sandwiches with tea are the usual thing, I suppose, but they aren't exciting enough. I like snapdragon and hollow pepper teas, which work really well with the smoking ferns I use to frame the sections in the gallery. I think hors d'œvres rather like the ones here at this ball work better at my showings. How can you really discuss things on an empty stomach? You'd be more distracted by the growling sounds so you can't pay attention to what is being said. Unless that's rather the point with other artists. Some of them really don't make statements with their work."
The older woman laughed and agreed with Luna, then leaned toward Cho. "Your girlfriend is a charming woman, Cho. I'll have to visit one of her galleries. It seems she is quite entertaining."
Luna beamed at Cho, who smiled back with obvious fondness. She reached out to grasp Cho's hand, who took it easily as she replied "That's just one of the many things I love about her."
Later, Luna's painting of that very moment would be her favorite portrait of Cho.
The End
Author: Eustacia Vye
Rating: G
Pairing: Cho Chang/Luna Lovegood
Disclaimer: These characters belong to JKR. I borrow and play out of love only.
Original Story: About Her
Original Author: Bridget McKennitt
Summary: Luna had always taken a shine to fantastic things, and Cho definitely counts as one of the most fantastic.
Luna Lovegood was aware that people called her Loony behind her back, even with her Hogwarts days far behind her. She didn't conform and didn't feel the need to; Luna was very aware that people tended to fear the strange and unusual, and she cultivated that aura around herself. It therefore wasn't surprising in the least that she was feared, and human beings always responded to fear with anger or ridicule. Between the two, she would rather deal with ridicule. It was easier to ignore.
Luna tried painting the vibrant and brilliant parts of Cho, but the design always seemed to shift rapidly beneath her brush. It had always been that way, really. All the truly beautiful things couldn't accurately be captured, though it didn't stop Luna from trying. It was no different from trying to find the fantastic creatures she wrote about in the Quibbler on occasion. Her love of fantastic things had simply found another subject to adore.
Cho tended to be more traditional, and physical affection sometimes was difficult for her. She was quiet and in Luna's opinion cared far too much about others' perception of her. Trying to be sensitive to that, Luna sometimes asked to stay in. A few dinners at home, gentle kisses and tender touches seemed to be the best way to get Cho's equilibrium back. Exposure to too many hairy greetle bugs in the Ministry ventilation system wasn't good for her anyway. Cho was caring and beautiful, generous to a fault and had a brilliant mind. Luna had always liked her smile, even back at Hogwarts, as well as the genuine way she tried to make others happy. There had been too little of that in Ravenclaw sometimes, especially once the war came.
Luna supposed that others found it unusual that she had no interest in a Ministry job. She enjoyed nature and painting, and often she tried to portray the creatures she saw that no one else seemed to. A handful of galleries displayed her work, though her favorite ones were the attempts to capture Cho.
Painting by candlelight in the evenings tended to give her pieces a more ethereal look. Luna liked to think that perhaps she could get at the essence of Cho if she did this. As much as shadows hid the scary things, sometimes they hid the beautiful things, too. Luna always enjoyed the play of shadows and light across Cho's pale skin, and would paint her flesh with lips and tongue if Cho let her. It was times like that where Luna could understand why everything was easier by candlelight, why the bright lights of daytime made everything seem frightening. The shadows were harsher then, darker. Candlelight could be as soft as a touch, the barest of caresses and the tenderest of kisses.
Trying to paint the essence of Cho was an exercise in delighted frustration. After putting a new candle on the stand, Luna rubbed her nose and looked critically at her piece. It wasn't even close to perfect, but there were a few bits that she liked. She could build on those parts, perhaps get the entire painting how she saw Cho.
She was still painting when Cho came home, a furrow between her eyes. Cho approached and bent down to kiss her. Luna smiled after the kiss and then traced Cho's hips. "You're home early. Something wrong?"
Cho ducked her head as she blushed. Luna wasn't sure if she was being too forward again, or if something had happened to her at work. Cho tried so hard to be perfect, to be everything that others wanted her to be. Sometimes Luna thought that Cho forgot whose life she was actually supposed to be living. "I received an invitation to the Ministry of Magic's Ball," she said slowly. "Did you want to go?"
By her tone, Luna could tell that she really didn't want to. Cho was looking for a polite way out of it. "Only if you want to." It was her usual response, but that didn't seem to make Cho happy, either. Luna tilted her head to the side and took in the shadows playing across Cho's face. Cho met her gaze easily, emotions laid bare in a way they never were in broad daylight. She was afraid; it was the same expression she had when trying to explain to Luna her nebulous fears of disappointing others. Candlelight was the trick, then. "Is that what's bothering you? Because people would see you with me?"
"No. Yes." Cho sighed. "No one knows we're dating each other. I don't know how to explain it."
Was that all? As if Cho owed anyone an explanation for anything that made her happy. But Luna knew that Cho cared about society expectations, so she laughed and patted Cho's cheek. "Then don't. Come on, Cho. Dance with me."
Luna rested her head against Cho's shoulder when she finally agreed. It took a little while for Cho to unwind, tension bleeding out of her slowly. She finally wrapped her arms around Luna's waist, pulling her in even closer. Luna smiled and let her eyes fall shut. She didn't need to look up to see the contentment on Cho's face. "See, there's nothing wrong with dancing," Luna teased. She didn't even need to hear Cho's chuckle.
This was the moment that Luna loved. Their bodies fit together perfectly as they swayed, and Luna knew how to help Cho relax. Once the office intensity was gone, Cho knew what was truly important in her life. It was a foregone conclusion at that point that Cho would realize that the ball was nothing to be afraid of. She would move on to the next set of worries - what she would wear, how she would introduce Luna, what she would say when the inevitable owl from her parents came. Luna would be at her side through all of it, of course. Cho forgot to take time out for herself, forgot that her own desires were just as important to consider.
After the candle burned itself out, they continued to sway in the dark. "I do love you," Cho murmured, holding Luna tight.
"Of course you do," Luna said with a smile. "I never thought any different."
"What do I say?" Cho pulled back a fraction to bite her lip nervously. "What will they think about me?"
"Who you are isn't about who you love. You are the same intelligent woman you always are. You are kind and generous, efficient at all things paperwork related and you still love the Scottish Highlands. So you're in love with a painter." Luna shrugged and smiled. "Someone needs to show the world the beautiful things in it."
"Just like that?" Cho asked dubiously.
Luna understood the real question Cho was asking. Do I really not make a big deal out of this? Should I really look as though I don't care?
"Just like that." Luna leaned forward on her tip toes to kiss her. "The ones that matter already think you're wonderful."
Cho's uncertain smile transformed back into the confident one that she had around Luna. "They do?" she asked, hands running down Luna's back possessively.
"Oh, yes. And the ones that don't think you're fantastic aren't worth knowing."
"You make it look easy."
"Practice." Luna kissed Cho again. "And knowing that no matter what happens, I have you to come home to."
Cho gave Luna a wry look. "You think I'm overthinking things again."
Luna merely smiled. "Why don't we just see what happens?"
***
Cho looked radiant in forest green and gold robes, her hair swept up in an elegant chignon. Luna wore violet and gold, hair loose except for a large orchid pinning up one section of it. She wasn't a very clingy or overly demonstrative sort of person in public, so there wasn't an immediate reaction among Cho's coworkers. Many of them had gone to Hogwarts around the same time Cho and Luna did, so formal introductions weren't necessary. They caught up over the cocktail hour, and Luna was pleased to note that most had matured over the years. She hadn't expected to be ridiculed in public, but she knew Cho worried about things like that.
It wasn't until they were heading to the tables that one of Cho's coworkers blurted "Oh! So you're together, then?"
There was a slight hitch in Cho's step, and Luna tightened her grip on Cho's elbow to keep her from wobbling. "Well, yes," Luna replied, turning to face that particular woman. "Didn't you bring your significant other?" she asked. It was an innocent enough question on the face of it, but Luna knew for a fact that the man with her wasn't actually her husband. The woman flushed, and Luna gently tugged on Cho's sleeve to indicate that they should continue to the table they were assigned to sit at. "You're going to have to tell me which wine will complement our dinner," Luna told Cho. Because she treated the incident as if it was no big deal, Cho settled into her seat without comment. "I'd much rather a nice tea, but at an occasion like this, I suppose I should try the wine."
"Abbott Farms produces a very lovely rosé," one man suggested helpfully. "I was planning to order that myself."
"Oh, that's right! Hannah took over the old Gering farm," Cho said, taking up the conversation thread. "I'd forgotten completely about that."
"We should go visit," Luna commented, perusing the menu. "I haven't seen her since we all graduated, and it might be nice to catch up." She smiled at the man whose name she had forgotten already. "Not to mention I should probably help her locate and get rid of any red shildons. The creatures eat vines, you know, and they're so small that most people think they don't exist."
That led to further discussion about the finer points of xenobiology and how important it was to document these odd creatures before they were fully lost due to Muggle expansion into magical lands. Somehow the conversation wandered into politics; Luna surprised everyone with her assertions that there weren't enough regulations regarding magical creatures or objects. The entire table joined in, and someone dragged in a member of the Department of Magical Creatures to discuss upcoming legislation. It of course didn't meet Luna's satisfaction, and she argued that their definitions of Magical Creatures were much too broad and did more to harm citizens than actually protect them.
"What department are you in?" he asked. He had a somewhat imperious tone, as if no one outside of the department could possibly understand the work he was doing.
"Oh, I don't work for the Ministry at all," Luna told him. Her gaze was already sliding past him; he was uninteresting and thought in absolutes. There was no point in having a debate with someone that couldn't even entertain further extensions of the legislation he was proposing, and she could obviously think circles around him. "I have more important things to do with my time than that."
"Oh?"
"I'm an artist," Luna informed him crisply. "You label and confine things. I expand definitions and show you how things should be. Much more important to the world in the grand scheme of things."
"That's a ludicrous idea. Art doesn't help anything get done."
"Do you have paintings or photos in your office?" Luna asked.
"What? What does that have to do with anything?" When she merely looked at him intently, he shrugged. "Pictures of my children, sure."
"Because they're a motivating factor for you to complete your work day, right?" Luna prodded.
"Something like that..."
"Well, then. Photography is an art form. It moves you to do something you wouldn't otherwise want to do." She smiled serenely even as others laughed at his expense. "So indeed, art can help you get something done after all."
Baffled, he had no response and made excuses to leave. Luna started discussing her art style with another of Cho's coworkers, debating the finer points of Muggle and Magical artists. She preferred to use Muggle techniques with Magical supplies, which Luna thought brought a fresher perspective to the field. "And it must be working if my gallery showings are selling out completely. Either that or they like the little sandwiches I make." The polite laughter let Luna warm to her topic a little as the dessert course was introduced.
"What do you make?" an older coworker asked, sounding interested. "I haven't been to one of your gallery appearances."
"Watercress and cucumber sandwiches with tea are the usual thing, I suppose, but they aren't exciting enough. I like snapdragon and hollow pepper teas, which work really well with the smoking ferns I use to frame the sections in the gallery. I think hors d'œvres rather like the ones here at this ball work better at my showings. How can you really discuss things on an empty stomach? You'd be more distracted by the growling sounds so you can't pay attention to what is being said. Unless that's rather the point with other artists. Some of them really don't make statements with their work."
The older woman laughed and agreed with Luna, then leaned toward Cho. "Your girlfriend is a charming woman, Cho. I'll have to visit one of her galleries. It seems she is quite entertaining."
Luna beamed at Cho, who smiled back with obvious fondness. She reached out to grasp Cho's hand, who took it easily as she replied "That's just one of the many things I love about her."
Later, Luna's painting of that very moment would be her favorite portrait of Cho.
The End