On "Goodnight"
On "Goodnight:" extended author's notes and analysis, for the geeky, confused, and curious.
Lost? Yeah, I suspected as much, so I'll explain now that you've read it once. The first two lines are the key to the fic- this is a series of Luna's scattered recollections (not in any sort of order, chronological or otherwise, and largely unrelated to one another) as she tries to piece together what went wrong. The memories themselves may or may not actually be relevant to that question.
Actually, only two of the sections in the fic have direct relation to one another, and they're set in reverse chronological order: Vignette 3, the "apology" section," is Harry's apology to Luna for the events of Vignette 4, the "desperation" section, in which he sleeps with Draco (and Luna sees).
Vignettes 1 and 6 have, on the surface, a relation- they begin exactly the same. However, they are set several years apart, and under radically different circumstances. No clues but imagination and inference can tell you this for certain, but Vignette 1 is set at Hogwarts; Vignette 6 is at Grimmauld Place, a few years into the war.
One interesting thing about this piece is that, within a lot of very stark sections that say little are tidbits that say a lot, if you catch them. I'll break it down section by section below.
Vignette 1, "Stay Anyway:" Fairly straightforward and literal here, though it's worth taking time to try and read into the significance of Harry's lines. if this section feels a little emotionally dead, it's supposed to- whether it's coloured by Luna's thinking or actual, the Harry we see here is closed off; this section asks you to question, as Luna is doing, whether or not Harry means that he loves her- it's such a perfunctory response.
Vignette 2, "Blood and Fire:" Again, fairly straightforward in terms of what's actually happening. This is relatively early in H/L's relationship; chronologically, it comes before Vignette 1 by no more than a month. There's an odd contrast here in that Luna both craves the punishment given by Ginny yet doesn't feel she has reason to be sorry. So how do you read that? There are several ways, all valid- this is deliberately open. You could see it as Luna's loyalty to her friend leading to the need for punishment, while her loyalty to her lover in the end wins out, and in prevailing makes feeling sorry unnecessary. You could see it as Luna desiring punishment for a totally unrelated event and using Ginny's anger to fulfill that need, while not being sorry for the reason behind Ginny's anger. There are other ways, many, but I won't list them all; just know there is no single "right" one.
Vignette 3, "Apology:" The hidden details in this are all in the tea section at the end of this brief snippet which, on the surface, is fairly irrelevant. But I used that bit quite deliberately to clue the audience in as to just how well Luna knows and understands Harry (so well, perhaps, that there is no longer excitement between them? That's the link to the question at hand in her mind), down to such precise details of how he takes his tea. This takes places after Vignette 4, and is set the year after Luna has left Hogwarts.
Vignette 4, "Desperation:" This is Luna seeing Harry with Draco, which is fairly clear, if not blatantly stated (my H/D tendencies strike again). The neat thing here is that if you look at the italicised words separate from the rest of the section, they also deal with how Luna is feeling toward Harry at that moment; though it is repressed, it is hinted at in her consciousness.
Vignette 5, "Caught Dancing:" Also set at Grimmauld place, this occurs before Vignette 4, the summer after Harry has left school and Luna is visiting. Although the most carefree moment seen in the piece, Luna's questions and worries colour it slightly darker, if you know where to look. "Dégagé," a ballet move, is actually the French word for "disengage," and always she is turning; that it is away from Harry is implied. Here Luna wonders whether she might not have been responsible for pushing him away without ever realising it, even in the happy moments when things were close to perfect for them.
Vignette 6, "Goodnight:" Takes place after all the others, the night before Harry goes off to fight Voldemort for the last time. It starts just like the first; this both implies a kind of comfortable routine in their relationship and (if you read negatively into Vignette 1), very lasting emotional unresponsiveness on Harry's part. The first line of italics is 'said' by Harry, though not aloud; the second, Luna. Who is it who says "Goodnight?" Either or both, is the answer to that question, and how you choose to read it will change your reading of the fic... but that's good. For me, though, it's Luna.
One question that may come up is whether or not Harry is alive in the present time as Luna ponders all these things. Did they break up, did he die, or both? Again, that's entirely up to you. For me, while they never broke up, their relationship basically fell apart, and then Harry was killed in the fight. But that's just my interpretation; it's wholly up to you.
Lost? Yeah, I suspected as much, so I'll explain now that you've read it once. The first two lines are the key to the fic- this is a series of Luna's scattered recollections (not in any sort of order, chronological or otherwise, and largely unrelated to one another) as she tries to piece together what went wrong. The memories themselves may or may not actually be relevant to that question.
Actually, only two of the sections in the fic have direct relation to one another, and they're set in reverse chronological order: Vignette 3, the "apology" section," is Harry's apology to Luna for the events of Vignette 4, the "desperation" section, in which he sleeps with Draco (and Luna sees).
Vignettes 1 and 6 have, on the surface, a relation- they begin exactly the same. However, they are set several years apart, and under radically different circumstances. No clues but imagination and inference can tell you this for certain, but Vignette 1 is set at Hogwarts; Vignette 6 is at Grimmauld Place, a few years into the war.
One interesting thing about this piece is that, within a lot of very stark sections that say little are tidbits that say a lot, if you catch them. I'll break it down section by section below.
Vignette 1, "Stay Anyway:" Fairly straightforward and literal here, though it's worth taking time to try and read into the significance of Harry's lines. if this section feels a little emotionally dead, it's supposed to- whether it's coloured by Luna's thinking or actual, the Harry we see here is closed off; this section asks you to question, as Luna is doing, whether or not Harry means that he loves her- it's such a perfunctory response.
Vignette 2, "Blood and Fire:" Again, fairly straightforward in terms of what's actually happening. This is relatively early in H/L's relationship; chronologically, it comes before Vignette 1 by no more than a month. There's an odd contrast here in that Luna both craves the punishment given by Ginny yet doesn't feel she has reason to be sorry. So how do you read that? There are several ways, all valid- this is deliberately open. You could see it as Luna's loyalty to her friend leading to the need for punishment, while her loyalty to her lover in the end wins out, and in prevailing makes feeling sorry unnecessary. You could see it as Luna desiring punishment for a totally unrelated event and using Ginny's anger to fulfill that need, while not being sorry for the reason behind Ginny's anger. There are other ways, many, but I won't list them all; just know there is no single "right" one.
Vignette 3, "Apology:" The hidden details in this are all in the tea section at the end of this brief snippet which, on the surface, is fairly irrelevant. But I used that bit quite deliberately to clue the audience in as to just how well Luna knows and understands Harry (so well, perhaps, that there is no longer excitement between them? That's the link to the question at hand in her mind), down to such precise details of how he takes his tea. This takes places after Vignette 4, and is set the year after Luna has left Hogwarts.
Vignette 4, "Desperation:" This is Luna seeing Harry with Draco, which is fairly clear, if not blatantly stated (my H/D tendencies strike again). The neat thing here is that if you look at the italicised words separate from the rest of the section, they also deal with how Luna is feeling toward Harry at that moment; though it is repressed, it is hinted at in her consciousness.
Vignette 5, "Caught Dancing:" Also set at Grimmauld place, this occurs before Vignette 4, the summer after Harry has left school and Luna is visiting. Although the most carefree moment seen in the piece, Luna's questions and worries colour it slightly darker, if you know where to look. "Dégagé," a ballet move, is actually the French word for "disengage," and always she is turning; that it is away from Harry is implied. Here Luna wonders whether she might not have been responsible for pushing him away without ever realising it, even in the happy moments when things were close to perfect for them.
Vignette 6, "Goodnight:" Takes place after all the others, the night before Harry goes off to fight Voldemort for the last time. It starts just like the first; this both implies a kind of comfortable routine in their relationship and (if you read negatively into Vignette 1), very lasting emotional unresponsiveness on Harry's part. The first line of italics is 'said' by Harry, though not aloud; the second, Luna. Who is it who says "Goodnight?" Either or both, is the answer to that question, and how you choose to read it will change your reading of the fic... but that's good. For me, though, it's Luna.
One question that may come up is whether or not Harry is alive in the present time as Luna ponders all these things. Did they break up, did he die, or both? Again, that's entirely up to you. For me, while they never broke up, their relationship basically fell apart, and then Harry was killed in the fight. But that's just my interpretation; it's wholly up to you.