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ayane_tsurugi) wrote2009-11-29 03:39 pm
ayane_tsurugi) wrote2009-11-29 03:39 pm
Entry tags:
Wrackspurts and Other Invisible Creatures (Harry/Luna, PG)
Title: Wrackspurts and Other Invisible Creatures
Author:ayane_tsurugi
Rating: PG
Pairing: Harry/Luna
Word Count: 1258
Disclaimer: The characters contained herein are the property of J.K. Rowling, who is definitely not me. I make no money from my efforts here; I’m just playing around.
Warnings: EWE, brief mention of George/Lee if you squint.
Summary: There's probably a reason George has never had a willing test subject for a new Wheeze before.
Author’s Notes: Written for bookshop (given to bsafemydeers) for the 2009 Radish Love Fic Exchange on LJ.
Wrackspurts and Other Invisible Creatures
Harry switched his gaze warily between the smiling Luna Lovegood with her hand outstretched and the suspiciously pleased George Weasley, who was holding his latest invention out for all to see with a pair of tongs. As soon as he’d entered the room, everyone present had taken an involuntary step backward. Everyone, that is, except Luna.
“You honestly don’t have to do this, Luna,” Hermione said with a worried frown. “If he wants to test his new product so badly, he should do it himself.”
“Nonsense, Hermione!” George, who had thrown himself into his work since his twin’s death, had finally begun to seem like his old self again after Lee Jordan moved into the loft with him to help out with the store ‘and other fun things.’ “This is the first willing test subject we’ve ever had! Luna, I think you’re brilliant to volunteer.”
Harry rubbed the back of his neck, still wary. “Isn’t that a warning of sorts?”
“Of course not,” George said, ever jovial. “It simply means the rest of you lot need to pull the sticks out of your arses. Now, Luna, do you want to know what it does beforehand, or would you rather be surprised?”
Luna grinned excitedly, her hand still outstretched. “Oh, surprise me, please!”
Hermione didn’t agree. “You haven’t even told her what it does? No, this is a horrible idea.”
It had all been an incident of bad timing, honestly. Harry and Hermione, who liked to take their lunch breaks from their respective Ministry jobs together in Diagon Alley, had chosen that day to decide to stop in on George at the new store, just as Luna had decided to do on her lunch break from her office at The Quibbler.
So, as they all stood there, victims of a strange coincidence, Hermione silenced by a charm sent her way with George’s free hand, Luna took the sweet, popped it into her mouth, and promptly disappeared.
Which, Harry noted, would have been very impressive if it hadn’t been for the distinct expression of worry on the previously ecstatic Weasley’s face.
“Er, Luna?” he asked, unsure but figuring he should seeing as Hermione could only rant silently from the sidelines about how she’d obviously been right and George seemed to be shocked in silence himself.
“Yes?”
He sighed, relieved that at least she was still there. “Can you see you?”
He imagined that she looked down, because she said next, “Hmm, no, I can’t. Isn’t this brilliant?” He could hear the dreamy smile in her voice.
At this point, George finally felt the urge to speak up, and decided to go for the obvious. “That, er, wasn’t actually supposed to happen.”
To which Luna responded, “Don’t be silly. Of course it was. It happened, didn’t it?”
***
Several minutes later, after Harry had mercifully given Hermione back her ability to lecture, she and George were still arguing animatedly about whether it was delightfully spontaneous (George) or brainlessly negligent (Hermione) to test a product without having an antidote prepared.
Luna, of course, was thoroughly enjoying her newfound invisibility, and was in no hurry to correct what she liked to call a ‘happy accident’. Harry couldn’t help an amused grin as he watched several different Wheezes leave their spots on the shelves and dance merrily through the air wherever Luna carried them. He was worried about her, of course, but her unphased delight made him wonder just how different his youth would have been if he’d handled every unexpected obstacle so gracefully.
It was in the middle of this thought that Luna’s voice suddenly appeared directly next to his ear. “Want to get some ice cream?”
Despite how pleasurable the idea of listening to Hermione and George argue for what was likely going to be another couple of hours was, he quickly agreed, an eager nod that was quickly followed by Luna’s invisible hand pulling his arm out the door and into the busy Diagon Alley street.
He didn’t have time to wonder if it looked strange to passersby to see Harry Potter being whisked forward by an invisible force that seemed to be craving ice cream, but he was certain Anderson Fortescue (Florean’s nephew, who had taken over the shop after the war’s end) had been more than a bit surprised at Luna’s disembodied voice asking him for a strawberry sundae.
They spent the rest of the afternoon consuming more ice cream than should be humanly possible and exploring the many ways to annoy Diagon Alley’s patrons from the cover of invisibility.
Even though he couldn’t see her and couldn’t explain the compulsion, he watched for her every time she left the table and imagined he could see her hand whenever she lifted a man’s bowler hat from his head and danced away with it.
“Imagine,” Luna said as she settled into her chair and took a spoonful of her third sundae, “how brilliant this would have been to have at Hogwarts.”
Harry just grinned. “It really was. My father left me an Invisibility Cloak after he died and Dumbledore gave it to me during my first year.”
She just laughed. “I know.”
He sent her chair a confused look, hoping that Luna would still be there to see it. “How?”
He could hear the dreamy smile in her voice again. “A nargle whispered it in my ear one year after Winter Holidays.”
“And how did the nargle know?”
“Oh, they see everything from the mistletoe, Harry. It’s hard to keep secrets from a nargle.”
“So, why did the nargle tell you?” Harry wasn’t sure if he was just playing along or if he really wanted to know. In all honesty, it was possible that she would know about the cloak; Ginny or Neville certainly could have told her. Her knowledge intrigued him all the same.
“Because I knew he was there. They’ll talk to you if you know they’re there.” Her chair moved, and suddenly she was closer to him, just to the side. He could feel the warmth radiating from her. “Just like with you and me, here. You’re the only one who knows I’m here, so you’re the one I talk to.”
He wasn’t entirely sure what that meant…for about two seconds, because then, she pressed her lips against his and he wasn’t entirely sure of anything anymore.
“Hmm,” she said, and the dreamy smile was back in her voice. “I was right. That was fun.” She stayed there for a moment, still very close to him, but he couldn’t think what to say, and the prospect of doing something seemed ludicrous. “I think a Wrackspurt may have gotten you, Harry. You look like your brain’s gone fuzzy.” And, just for a moment, he thought she might be right.
“Harry!” Hermione, rushing through the crowds of people, waved to him and, when he returned it, motioned him back toward the store.
Luna grabbed his hand again, but this time, she intertwined their fingers, and that was how they walked back, hand in hand.
In the store again, they were greeted by a wildly pleased George Weasley, who was turning different colors in flashes of purple, green, yellow, red, blue, and purple again. “This was what was supposed to happen!”
Harry grinned, knowing that Luna had been right the first time, when she said that what was supposed to happen had already happened. Every year after that, they celebrated their anniversary that day in Diagon Alley, eating strawberry sundaes and terrorizing passersby with the assistance of Harry’s Invisibility Cloak.
Author:
ayane_tsurugiRating: PG
Pairing: Harry/Luna
Word Count: 1258
Disclaimer: The characters contained herein are the property of J.K. Rowling, who is definitely not me. I make no money from my efforts here; I’m just playing around.
Warnings: EWE, brief mention of George/Lee if you squint.
Summary: There's probably a reason George has never had a willing test subject for a new Wheeze before.
Author’s Notes: Written for bookshop (given to bsafemydeers) for the 2009 Radish Love Fic Exchange on LJ.
Harry switched his gaze warily between the smiling Luna Lovegood with her hand outstretched and the suspiciously pleased George Weasley, who was holding his latest invention out for all to see with a pair of tongs. As soon as he’d entered the room, everyone present had taken an involuntary step backward. Everyone, that is, except Luna.
“You honestly don’t have to do this, Luna,” Hermione said with a worried frown. “If he wants to test his new product so badly, he should do it himself.”
“Nonsense, Hermione!” George, who had thrown himself into his work since his twin’s death, had finally begun to seem like his old self again after Lee Jordan moved into the loft with him to help out with the store ‘and other fun things.’ “This is the first willing test subject we’ve ever had! Luna, I think you’re brilliant to volunteer.”
Harry rubbed the back of his neck, still wary. “Isn’t that a warning of sorts?”
“Of course not,” George said, ever jovial. “It simply means the rest of you lot need to pull the sticks out of your arses. Now, Luna, do you want to know what it does beforehand, or would you rather be surprised?”
Luna grinned excitedly, her hand still outstretched. “Oh, surprise me, please!”
Hermione didn’t agree. “You haven’t even told her what it does? No, this is a horrible idea.”
It had all been an incident of bad timing, honestly. Harry and Hermione, who liked to take their lunch breaks from their respective Ministry jobs together in Diagon Alley, had chosen that day to decide to stop in on George at the new store, just as Luna had decided to do on her lunch break from her office at The Quibbler.
So, as they all stood there, victims of a strange coincidence, Hermione silenced by a charm sent her way with George’s free hand, Luna took the sweet, popped it into her mouth, and promptly disappeared.
Which, Harry noted, would have been very impressive if it hadn’t been for the distinct expression of worry on the previously ecstatic Weasley’s face.
“Er, Luna?” he asked, unsure but figuring he should seeing as Hermione could only rant silently from the sidelines about how she’d obviously been right and George seemed to be shocked in silence himself.
“Yes?”
He sighed, relieved that at least she was still there. “Can you see you?”
He imagined that she looked down, because she said next, “Hmm, no, I can’t. Isn’t this brilliant?” He could hear the dreamy smile in her voice.
At this point, George finally felt the urge to speak up, and decided to go for the obvious. “That, er, wasn’t actually supposed to happen.”
To which Luna responded, “Don’t be silly. Of course it was. It happened, didn’t it?”
***
Several minutes later, after Harry had mercifully given Hermione back her ability to lecture, she and George were still arguing animatedly about whether it was delightfully spontaneous (George) or brainlessly negligent (Hermione) to test a product without having an antidote prepared.
Luna, of course, was thoroughly enjoying her newfound invisibility, and was in no hurry to correct what she liked to call a ‘happy accident’. Harry couldn’t help an amused grin as he watched several different Wheezes leave their spots on the shelves and dance merrily through the air wherever Luna carried them. He was worried about her, of course, but her unphased delight made him wonder just how different his youth would have been if he’d handled every unexpected obstacle so gracefully.
It was in the middle of this thought that Luna’s voice suddenly appeared directly next to his ear. “Want to get some ice cream?”
Despite how pleasurable the idea of listening to Hermione and George argue for what was likely going to be another couple of hours was, he quickly agreed, an eager nod that was quickly followed by Luna’s invisible hand pulling his arm out the door and into the busy Diagon Alley street.
He didn’t have time to wonder if it looked strange to passersby to see Harry Potter being whisked forward by an invisible force that seemed to be craving ice cream, but he was certain Anderson Fortescue (Florean’s nephew, who had taken over the shop after the war’s end) had been more than a bit surprised at Luna’s disembodied voice asking him for a strawberry sundae.
They spent the rest of the afternoon consuming more ice cream than should be humanly possible and exploring the many ways to annoy Diagon Alley’s patrons from the cover of invisibility.
Even though he couldn’t see her and couldn’t explain the compulsion, he watched for her every time she left the table and imagined he could see her hand whenever she lifted a man’s bowler hat from his head and danced away with it.
“Imagine,” Luna said as she settled into her chair and took a spoonful of her third sundae, “how brilliant this would have been to have at Hogwarts.”
Harry just grinned. “It really was. My father left me an Invisibility Cloak after he died and Dumbledore gave it to me during my first year.”
She just laughed. “I know.”
He sent her chair a confused look, hoping that Luna would still be there to see it. “How?”
He could hear the dreamy smile in her voice again. “A nargle whispered it in my ear one year after Winter Holidays.”
“And how did the nargle know?”
“Oh, they see everything from the mistletoe, Harry. It’s hard to keep secrets from a nargle.”
“So, why did the nargle tell you?” Harry wasn’t sure if he was just playing along or if he really wanted to know. In all honesty, it was possible that she would know about the cloak; Ginny or Neville certainly could have told her. Her knowledge intrigued him all the same.
“Because I knew he was there. They’ll talk to you if you know they’re there.” Her chair moved, and suddenly she was closer to him, just to the side. He could feel the warmth radiating from her. “Just like with you and me, here. You’re the only one who knows I’m here, so you’re the one I talk to.”
He wasn’t entirely sure what that meant…for about two seconds, because then, she pressed her lips against his and he wasn’t entirely sure of anything anymore.
“Hmm,” she said, and the dreamy smile was back in her voice. “I was right. That was fun.” She stayed there for a moment, still very close to him, but he couldn’t think what to say, and the prospect of doing something seemed ludicrous. “I think a Wrackspurt may have gotten you, Harry. You look like your brain’s gone fuzzy.” And, just for a moment, he thought she might be right.
“Harry!” Hermione, rushing through the crowds of people, waved to him and, when he returned it, motioned him back toward the store.
Luna grabbed his hand again, but this time, she intertwined their fingers, and that was how they walked back, hand in hand.
In the store again, they were greeted by a wildly pleased George Weasley, who was turning different colors in flashes of purple, green, yellow, red, blue, and purple again. “This was what was supposed to happen!”
Harry grinned, knowing that Luna had been right the first time, when she said that what was supposed to happen had already happened. Every year after that, they celebrated their anniversary that day in Diagon Alley, eating strawberry sundaes and terrorizing passersby with the assistance of Harry’s Invisibility Cloak.