Seeing Fairies (G; Luna, Lily Luna; 683 words)
This ficlet is for leela_cat, whose Luna prompt spoke to me most loudly.
Seeing Fairies (G; Luna, Lily Luna; 683 words): Aunt Luna provides her partial namesake with a jollying perspective.
"Why are you crying?"
Lily raised her head from her knees, which were pulled up against her chest, and sniffled.
"James is laughing at me."
"Now why would your brother do that?" Luna asked, sitting down next to Lily on the window seat and looking out upon the snow.
Sniff!
Luna patted Lily's knee and smiled. Snow fairies. She'd like those. "Look," she urged Lily, nodding towards the window.
"I don't see anything."
"Well, perhaps it's the tears. You can't see them through tears, you know."
Lily shifted and pressed her face against the glass, her breath steaming the window until Luna gently pulled her back. "I still don't see-oh, lights."
"Fairy lights," Luna agreed, smiling very seriously.
Lily turned to her. "Why are you looking at them like that? They're only fairies."
Luna turned to Lily, shaking her head. "Only fairies? Only fairies? Why, could you glow the way they do?"
Blinking rapidly, the six-year-old frowned. "Of course not. I'm a girl."
"There are female fairies, too, but sex has nothing to do with their glowing."
Lily giggled and scrubbed at the window with the ball of her fist. "Uncle George isn't allowed to say that word."
"No? I wonder why not?" Luna asked, in spite of the fact that she was wondering no such thing.
Harry had spoken with her recently about how "too much honesty" wasn't always a good thing for children, and while Luna wasn't certain that she agreed, Lily wasn't her child.
So of course he won't mind if I teach Lily about the fairies, she thought, reaching out to push the child's fringe out of her eyes.
"What's so special about fairies?" Lily asked.
"Besides the fact that they can glow?"
"Hmm, hm," Lily replied, her attention upon the fairies' mating dance, although, of course, Luna knew better than to tell Lily that.
"Well, how does that glow make you feel?"
"Er, happy, I guess. It's pretty."
"And what did James laugh about?" Luna asked quietly, deciding that Lily was now suitably happy enough to declare the reason for her previous sadness.
Lily hopped on her knees around to face Luna, her expression suddenly animated by anger. "He says I'm stupid 'cause I took some of my presents to the orphanage with Daddy. He says only a girl would be so stupid."
Luna felt herself beaming at Lily then. "Oh, Lils, that's a lovely thing for you to have done! I'm so proud of you," she told her, enfolding Lily in her arms. "Generosity is never stupid."
"But he's right," Lily wailed. "I miss them now!"
Oh, dear, Luna thought, hugging Lily more tightly. "But of course you miss those toys. Toys are fun. That's why it was so good of you to give them away-and you have something," Luna continued, pulling back to look into Lily's eyes, "that James doesn't yet."
Sniffling, Lily asked, "What?"
"Pretty fairies to appreciate. Only generous children can see them."
"I don't think that's true, Aunt Luna, because James throws stones at them."
Luna squeezed Lily once and sat back. "No, your brother throws stones at the lights. He can't see the fairies. If he could, he wouldn't try to hurt them."
Lily appeared to consider this and nodded. "I s'pose so 'cause James isn't always mean."
"That's generous of you to note, I think, but you have something else that James doesn't have, do you know that?"
"What?" Lily asked, her expression brightening.
"A chance to see their babies," Luna answered, nodding towards the window and the dancing "lights" beyond it. "When the fairylings hatch, I'll introduce you to them. Because you're nice and generous and not at as blind as your brother, they won't mind it."
"Really?" Lily exclaimed, throwing her arms around Luna for a hug before turning back to the window.
"Really," Luna replied, satisfied that she'd successfully jollied Lily and wondering how she was going to resolve the matter of the stone-throwing James.
Fairies weren't aggressive by nature, not usually, but with young to protect . . . .
I'll just have to teach James how to see fairies, too.
Seeing Fairies (G; Luna, Lily Luna; 683 words): Aunt Luna provides her partial namesake with a jollying perspective.
"Why are you crying?"
Lily raised her head from her knees, which were pulled up against her chest, and sniffled.
"James is laughing at me."
"Now why would your brother do that?" Luna asked, sitting down next to Lily on the window seat and looking out upon the snow.
Sniff!
Luna patted Lily's knee and smiled. Snow fairies. She'd like those. "Look," she urged Lily, nodding towards the window.
"I don't see anything."
"Well, perhaps it's the tears. You can't see them through tears, you know."
Lily shifted and pressed her face against the glass, her breath steaming the window until Luna gently pulled her back. "I still don't see-oh, lights."
"Fairy lights," Luna agreed, smiling very seriously.
Lily turned to her. "Why are you looking at them like that? They're only fairies."
Luna turned to Lily, shaking her head. "Only fairies? Only fairies? Why, could you glow the way they do?"
Blinking rapidly, the six-year-old frowned. "Of course not. I'm a girl."
"There are female fairies, too, but sex has nothing to do with their glowing."
Lily giggled and scrubbed at the window with the ball of her fist. "Uncle George isn't allowed to say that word."
"No? I wonder why not?" Luna asked, in spite of the fact that she was wondering no such thing.
Harry had spoken with her recently about how "too much honesty" wasn't always a good thing for children, and while Luna wasn't certain that she agreed, Lily wasn't her child.
So of course he won't mind if I teach Lily about the fairies, she thought, reaching out to push the child's fringe out of her eyes.
"What's so special about fairies?" Lily asked.
"Besides the fact that they can glow?"
"Hmm, hm," Lily replied, her attention upon the fairies' mating dance, although, of course, Luna knew better than to tell Lily that.
"Well, how does that glow make you feel?"
"Er, happy, I guess. It's pretty."
"And what did James laugh about?" Luna asked quietly, deciding that Lily was now suitably happy enough to declare the reason for her previous sadness.
Lily hopped on her knees around to face Luna, her expression suddenly animated by anger. "He says I'm stupid 'cause I took some of my presents to the orphanage with Daddy. He says only a girl would be so stupid."
Luna felt herself beaming at Lily then. "Oh, Lils, that's a lovely thing for you to have done! I'm so proud of you," she told her, enfolding Lily in her arms. "Generosity is never stupid."
"But he's right," Lily wailed. "I miss them now!"
Oh, dear, Luna thought, hugging Lily more tightly. "But of course you miss those toys. Toys are fun. That's why it was so good of you to give them away-and you have something," Luna continued, pulling back to look into Lily's eyes, "that James doesn't yet."
Sniffling, Lily asked, "What?"
"Pretty fairies to appreciate. Only generous children can see them."
"I don't think that's true, Aunt Luna, because James throws stones at them."
Luna squeezed Lily once and sat back. "No, your brother throws stones at the lights. He can't see the fairies. If he could, he wouldn't try to hurt them."
Lily appeared to consider this and nodded. "I s'pose so 'cause James isn't always mean."
"That's generous of you to note, I think, but you have something else that James doesn't have, do you know that?"
"What?" Lily asked, her expression brightening.
"A chance to see their babies," Luna answered, nodding towards the window and the dancing "lights" beyond it. "When the fairylings hatch, I'll introduce you to them. Because you're nice and generous and not at as blind as your brother, they won't mind it."
"Really?" Lily exclaimed, throwing her arms around Luna for a hug before turning back to the window.
"Really," Luna replied, satisfied that she'd successfully jollied Lily and wondering how she was going to resolve the matter of the stone-throwing James.
Fairies weren't aggressive by nature, not usually, but with young to protect . . . .
I'll just have to teach James how to see fairies, too.