Ficlet: Summer Evening, Ginny, Luna.
Summer Evening
Ginny, Luna.
PG, 800 words.
Contains Deathly Hallows spoilers.
Summary: At the Burrow, a month afterwards. Luna and Ginny look out for each other.
A month has passed, and every day of it seems to weigh down on Ginny's shoulders this evening. She sits beside the window, the sunset still streaming in. Noise and bustle emanates from downstairs, but every now and then there's a silence, just for a moment, and she knows that the grief underneath this euphoric peace has broken through again. It's Teddy's cries that have brought it about this time, softened by the walls of her room, but they almost still her heart nonetheless and she clutches the arm of her chair a little tighter.
She hears a steady tread of ascent, and a door on the floor below creaks open while Andromeda's soft and soothing tones sound out for a moment before being silenced as the noise from the kitchen increases again. Ginny stands up, hesitant, both aching for her family and unable to quite bear leaving the solitude of her own space. But as she hears Harry and her father sharing a joke, she reflects she has no business at all hiding herself away. She sets her jaw just a little and wrenches her door open.
She's learnt to keep her eyes straight ahead in the hallways, else she'll notice a brightly coloured sweet on the floor, or a favourite place her brothers would spring out and startle her from. Above all else she must not look at the clock, with an arm missing like a gaping wound. She wonders if her family will ever be used to that, and doubts it very much.
She's approaching the kitchen doorway when Luna peers out into the hall and slips outside. "I wondered where you were," she says softly, hand reaching out and squeezing Ginny's.
The warm touch makes Ginny smile, and as she does so she feels a little lightened. Large eyes still searching, Luna motions towards the front door, and Ginny follows.
"Are they all right in there?" Ginny asks, as they stand in the rapidly cooling air outside.
"Mrs Weasley's just brought out some treacle tart," Luna says by way of reply.
"You should have some." Luna looks a little thinner, to Ginny's eye. Her laughter's as bright as ever, but Ginny thinks she catches something in her gaze, just sometimes, as though Luna can't quite believe her ordeals are over. The idea of Luna suffering from disbelief makes Ginny desperately sad.
Unwillingly, she remembers that January, when the news reached Neville and her that Luna had been taken, snatched away on the train itself. To have Luna stood in front of her now seems nothing short of miraculous, and Ginny can hold fast to that.
"I was thinking about going away somewhere, just for a while," Ginny says after a moment. "Not very far away, I wouldn't want to worry Mum, but somewhere I can -" Ginny moves a hand vaguely, unable to communicate what exactly it is she wants.
Luna nods seriously. "I'm going on a walk tomorrow. So far until I can't see houses, or people, or anything but grass and trees and sky."
"That sounds nice."
Luna glances down for a moment, then looks up again. "I wouldn't mind if you came with me, though."
"Then I will." Ginny leans against the doorway, looking out at the sky. "It's going to be all right, Luna."
Luna smiles, and looks as though she's beginning to believe it. Ginny extends an arm. "Come on. I'm sure they're saving us some dessert inside."
Luna feels fragile next to her, but she wears enormous silver bells in her ears that glint from the light in the hallway, and her clutch on Ginny's elbow gives her the last push she needs to walk into the kitchen, with her loving, broken family. She steers Luna next to her father, who looks relieved to have her in his sight again, before shaking her head at Harry's concerned look and helping her mother serve out portions of tart.
Ginny watches Luna eat until she sees a broad smile break across her face. Feeling cheered, she leans back in her chair. Hermione is earnestly expressing her ideas on how best to obtain their NEWTs next year to Andromeda while Ron looks at her with mingled amusement and pride. Percy and her mother and father are laughing over a story George is telling, whilst Bill, Harry, and Charlie are discussing what best to do with the dragon broken out of Gringotts. Luna and Xenophilius are talking animatedly over something Ginny can't quite make out, though she's sure an article will appear in the newly re-instated Quibbler soon enough.
The absences cannot be forgotten, but Ginny can feel Fred scoffing at her as she dwells on that. She nods to no one in particular, then turns towards Hermione and suggests that Hermione herself might be best suited to tutor them all, as the teachers of Hogwarts are going to have a few other things on their minds in the coming months. She feels the energy of human connections all around her, and reminds herself of her own words. Everything is going to be all right.
Ginny, Luna.
PG, 800 words.
Contains Deathly Hallows spoilers.
Summary: At the Burrow, a month afterwards. Luna and Ginny look out for each other.
A month has passed, and every day of it seems to weigh down on Ginny's shoulders this evening. She sits beside the window, the sunset still streaming in. Noise and bustle emanates from downstairs, but every now and then there's a silence, just for a moment, and she knows that the grief underneath this euphoric peace has broken through again. It's Teddy's cries that have brought it about this time, softened by the walls of her room, but they almost still her heart nonetheless and she clutches the arm of her chair a little tighter.
She hears a steady tread of ascent, and a door on the floor below creaks open while Andromeda's soft and soothing tones sound out for a moment before being silenced as the noise from the kitchen increases again. Ginny stands up, hesitant, both aching for her family and unable to quite bear leaving the solitude of her own space. But as she hears Harry and her father sharing a joke, she reflects she has no business at all hiding herself away. She sets her jaw just a little and wrenches her door open.
She's learnt to keep her eyes straight ahead in the hallways, else she'll notice a brightly coloured sweet on the floor, or a favourite place her brothers would spring out and startle her from. Above all else she must not look at the clock, with an arm missing like a gaping wound. She wonders if her family will ever be used to that, and doubts it very much.
She's approaching the kitchen doorway when Luna peers out into the hall and slips outside. "I wondered where you were," she says softly, hand reaching out and squeezing Ginny's.
The warm touch makes Ginny smile, and as she does so she feels a little lightened. Large eyes still searching, Luna motions towards the front door, and Ginny follows.
"Are they all right in there?" Ginny asks, as they stand in the rapidly cooling air outside.
"Mrs Weasley's just brought out some treacle tart," Luna says by way of reply.
"You should have some." Luna looks a little thinner, to Ginny's eye. Her laughter's as bright as ever, but Ginny thinks she catches something in her gaze, just sometimes, as though Luna can't quite believe her ordeals are over. The idea of Luna suffering from disbelief makes Ginny desperately sad.
Unwillingly, she remembers that January, when the news reached Neville and her that Luna had been taken, snatched away on the train itself. To have Luna stood in front of her now seems nothing short of miraculous, and Ginny can hold fast to that.
"I was thinking about going away somewhere, just for a while," Ginny says after a moment. "Not very far away, I wouldn't want to worry Mum, but somewhere I can -" Ginny moves a hand vaguely, unable to communicate what exactly it is she wants.
Luna nods seriously. "I'm going on a walk tomorrow. So far until I can't see houses, or people, or anything but grass and trees and sky."
"That sounds nice."
Luna glances down for a moment, then looks up again. "I wouldn't mind if you came with me, though."
"Then I will." Ginny leans against the doorway, looking out at the sky. "It's going to be all right, Luna."
Luna smiles, and looks as though she's beginning to believe it. Ginny extends an arm. "Come on. I'm sure they're saving us some dessert inside."
Luna feels fragile next to her, but she wears enormous silver bells in her ears that glint from the light in the hallway, and her clutch on Ginny's elbow gives her the last push she needs to walk into the kitchen, with her loving, broken family. She steers Luna next to her father, who looks relieved to have her in his sight again, before shaking her head at Harry's concerned look and helping her mother serve out portions of tart.
Ginny watches Luna eat until she sees a broad smile break across her face. Feeling cheered, she leans back in her chair. Hermione is earnestly expressing her ideas on how best to obtain their NEWTs next year to Andromeda while Ron looks at her with mingled amusement and pride. Percy and her mother and father are laughing over a story George is telling, whilst Bill, Harry, and Charlie are discussing what best to do with the dragon broken out of Gringotts. Luna and Xenophilius are talking animatedly over something Ginny can't quite make out, though she's sure an article will appear in the newly re-instated Quibbler soon enough.
The absences cannot be forgotten, but Ginny can feel Fred scoffing at her as she dwells on that. She nods to no one in particular, then turns towards Hermione and suggests that Hermione herself might be best suited to tutor them all, as the teachers of Hogwarts are going to have a few other things on their minds in the coming months. She feels the energy of human connections all around her, and reminds herself of her own words. Everything is going to be all right.