Chances Are Slim - Harry/Luna - 1/1
Title: Chances Are Slim
Fandom: Harry Potter
Characters: Harry/Luna, Ginny
Prompt: #042 - Triangle
Word Count: 991
Rating: PG
It wasn’t until her brother’s wedding that Ginny realized she didn’t stand a chance.
His entire week at the Burrow, Harry had been more elusive than she had ever remembered him being. And even though it felt like a knife twisting in her stomach when he would barely acknowledge her around the house, she tried not to take his quietness, his need to be by himself, personally. This past year had been the roughest on him, on them all.
It was only to be expected that Harry would withdraw from everyone. That’s what he did, she had come to learn over the years. Something bad happened, he brooded for a while, and then, he would return to his normal self.
So when he only acknowledged her around the house with a weak smile and a “hello Ginny” before disappearing around a corner? She didn’t mind. When he turned down her invitation to play a round of Wizard’s Chess while the rest of the family was preparing on the eve of Bill’s wedding? She didn’t bat an eye. And when her offer to dance at the wedding reception was met with a quiet, apologetic refusal? She didn’t even take the time to feel insulted.
She danced with her big brother instead, wishing him and Fleur the best, and when the song came to a close, she parted ways with him and went in search of Harry. She accepted that this was how he was when dealing with major events in his life, but that didn’t mean she enjoyed seeing him sitting off by himself all the time.
But when she found him, he wasn’t….
Harry stood on the other side of the garden, and Luna Lovegood stood beside him. She made nothing of seeing them together since Luna, though a good friend, sometimes didn’t pick up on moods very well and had probably mistaken Harry’s aloofness as an invitation to discuss Quibbler events.
She made nothing of it until she heard Harry laugh.
Harry Potter laughed. The Boy Who Lived to Brood laughed.
She hadn’t heard him laugh in months. Not truly laugh. He had offered off weak excuses to Fred and George’s juvenile pranks or some joke about Slytherins Ron attempted, but those laughs had just been enough for him to make the others feel like their efforts were doing some good.
Those laughs were nothing like this.
Harry’s laughter died down as Luna smiled warmly, continuing to tell whatever tale had brought renewed life to him.
Ginny stopped in her tracks, the sudden urge to simply watch and perhaps catch a few passing words taking over her. Unfortunately, from her distance, she couldn’t hear any words, just see expressions, actions. And despite her best efforts, what had once begun as a prick of curiosity slowly seemed to be turning to…
Jealousy?
Ginny’s lips curled into a frown as she pushed all those thoughts behind. She had absolutely no reason to be jealous. Luna may have been sweet (and unfortunately rather pretty today in her silvery blue dress), but she was too quirky for someone like Harry to deal with. He barely had patience for his best friends at times, nonetheless a girl who believed in nonsensical creatures.
But then again….
When he had blocked out everyone else after the death of Sirius, even those the closest to him, he had spoken with Luna….
When he had needed a date to Slughorn’s party, when he had had the choice of any girl of his liking, he had asked Luna….
And at Dumbledore’s funeral. She hadn’t given it a second thought that day because of everything that had been happening the past few days, but she had noticed the way he had watched Luna as she had helped Neville into a seat. She hadn’t been sure what she had seen behind his eyes at that moment, but she knew for a fact that she had never seen it before.
Until now…
The last piece of the puzzle fell into place, and something in Ginny’s gut gave an agonizing twist. She turned to make a quiet yet abrupt exit but found herself halted by a serene voice calling out to her.
“Hello, Ginny!”
Ginny swallowed hard, placing her best attempt at a warm smile on her face, before turning to acknowledge her good friend and the boy she had waited on so patiently for so many years.
“Hi, guys,” she said as she approached them, suddenly feeling as if she was intruding on a private moment.
She ventured a glance at Harry, and she hated the way his green eyes seemed to be shining now. The way he actually seemed alive. Not just a figment of her imagination, a shadow passing her around the house.
“We were just discussing the latest Quibbler breaking news,” Luna said, her silver eyes twinkling with excitement. “Would you care to join?”
She almost said yes, but then she noticed that Harry’s smile had toned down, that he had seemed to return to quiet observation of the two girls. She wanted badly to say yes, but she knew nothing good would come of staying here with them.
Ginny shook her head, smiling warmly at her friend. “No thanks, Luna. I was just coming by to let you know cake would be served soon.” She paused, readjusting the smile she could almost feel slipping off her face. “Trust me. You’ll want to be there before my brothers start to eat.”
Harry laughed a bit, and Ginny held in the urge to cringe at the all-too-familiar forcefulness of the laugh he reserved for everyone but the blonde-haired Ravenclaw standing before her.
“I’ll see you guys there in a bit,” she quickly said, and with a final smile, turned and walked away.
As she walked away, she faintly heard Luna’s voice followed by another real chuckle from Harry, and she knew in that moment that she didn’t stand a chance.
Fandom: Harry Potter
Characters: Harry/Luna, Ginny
Prompt: #042 - Triangle
Word Count: 991
Rating: PG
It wasn’t until her brother’s wedding that Ginny realized she didn’t stand a chance.
His entire week at the Burrow, Harry had been more elusive than she had ever remembered him being. And even though it felt like a knife twisting in her stomach when he would barely acknowledge her around the house, she tried not to take his quietness, his need to be by himself, personally. This past year had been the roughest on him, on them all.
It was only to be expected that Harry would withdraw from everyone. That’s what he did, she had come to learn over the years. Something bad happened, he brooded for a while, and then, he would return to his normal self.
So when he only acknowledged her around the house with a weak smile and a “hello Ginny” before disappearing around a corner? She didn’t mind. When he turned down her invitation to play a round of Wizard’s Chess while the rest of the family was preparing on the eve of Bill’s wedding? She didn’t bat an eye. And when her offer to dance at the wedding reception was met with a quiet, apologetic refusal? She didn’t even take the time to feel insulted.
She danced with her big brother instead, wishing him and Fleur the best, and when the song came to a close, she parted ways with him and went in search of Harry. She accepted that this was how he was when dealing with major events in his life, but that didn’t mean she enjoyed seeing him sitting off by himself all the time.
But when she found him, he wasn’t….
Harry stood on the other side of the garden, and Luna Lovegood stood beside him. She made nothing of seeing them together since Luna, though a good friend, sometimes didn’t pick up on moods very well and had probably mistaken Harry’s aloofness as an invitation to discuss Quibbler events.
She made nothing of it until she heard Harry laugh.
Harry Potter laughed. The Boy Who Lived to Brood laughed.
She hadn’t heard him laugh in months. Not truly laugh. He had offered off weak excuses to Fred and George’s juvenile pranks or some joke about Slytherins Ron attempted, but those laughs had just been enough for him to make the others feel like their efforts were doing some good.
Those laughs were nothing like this.
Harry’s laughter died down as Luna smiled warmly, continuing to tell whatever tale had brought renewed life to him.
Ginny stopped in her tracks, the sudden urge to simply watch and perhaps catch a few passing words taking over her. Unfortunately, from her distance, she couldn’t hear any words, just see expressions, actions. And despite her best efforts, what had once begun as a prick of curiosity slowly seemed to be turning to…
Jealousy?
Ginny’s lips curled into a frown as she pushed all those thoughts behind. She had absolutely no reason to be jealous. Luna may have been sweet (and unfortunately rather pretty today in her silvery blue dress), but she was too quirky for someone like Harry to deal with. He barely had patience for his best friends at times, nonetheless a girl who believed in nonsensical creatures.
But then again….
When he had blocked out everyone else after the death of Sirius, even those the closest to him, he had spoken with Luna….
When he had needed a date to Slughorn’s party, when he had had the choice of any girl of his liking, he had asked Luna….
And at Dumbledore’s funeral. She hadn’t given it a second thought that day because of everything that had been happening the past few days, but she had noticed the way he had watched Luna as she had helped Neville into a seat. She hadn’t been sure what she had seen behind his eyes at that moment, but she knew for a fact that she had never seen it before.
Until now…
The last piece of the puzzle fell into place, and something in Ginny’s gut gave an agonizing twist. She turned to make a quiet yet abrupt exit but found herself halted by a serene voice calling out to her.
“Hello, Ginny!”
Ginny swallowed hard, placing her best attempt at a warm smile on her face, before turning to acknowledge her good friend and the boy she had waited on so patiently for so many years.
“Hi, guys,” she said as she approached them, suddenly feeling as if she was intruding on a private moment.
She ventured a glance at Harry, and she hated the way his green eyes seemed to be shining now. The way he actually seemed alive. Not just a figment of her imagination, a shadow passing her around the house.
“We were just discussing the latest Quibbler breaking news,” Luna said, her silver eyes twinkling with excitement. “Would you care to join?”
She almost said yes, but then she noticed that Harry’s smile had toned down, that he had seemed to return to quiet observation of the two girls. She wanted badly to say yes, but she knew nothing good would come of staying here with them.
Ginny shook her head, smiling warmly at her friend. “No thanks, Luna. I was just coming by to let you know cake would be served soon.” She paused, readjusting the smile she could almost feel slipping off her face. “Trust me. You’ll want to be there before my brothers start to eat.”
Harry laughed a bit, and Ginny held in the urge to cringe at the all-too-familiar forcefulness of the laugh he reserved for everyone but the blonde-haired Ravenclaw standing before her.
“I’ll see you guys there in a bit,” she quickly said, and with a final smile, turned and walked away.
As she walked away, she faintly heard Luna’s voice followed by another real chuckle from Harry, and she knew in that moment that she didn’t stand a chance.