Word Count: 3714
Prompt: [Object] Chain
Themed
Beta: Aya Diefair
For the Houses Competition
In the district of Devon, lay a small town by the name of Ottery St. Catchpole. On the outskirts of this town were four wizard families. The Lovegoods, the Weasleys, the Fawcetts, and the Diggorys. Once a week the matriarchs of these families, Pandora Lovegood, Molly Weasley, Carolyn Fawcett, and Belphoebe Diggory, would meet for lunch at each other's homes. When Mrs. Weasley had more than three children creating a more chaotic household, they rotated between Mrs. Lovegood's, Mrs. Fawcett's, and Mrs. Diggory's homes.
It grew beyond socializing for the matriarchs and extended to their children. It didn't exactly work out. Bill was the eldest, and while he didn't mind watching over his younger siblings, he had better things to do. Charlie was not interested in friendships. Soon, they grew too old and didn't have to come. Percy Weasley wanted to sit at the adult table, which kept the women from conversing freely, so he was allowed to stay home as well. Molly and Belphoebe tried to get Fred, George, and Cedric acquainted, but there was a mishap with a prank the twins pulled, and a fight broke out between them.
So, they were left home.
Molly didn't even have a chance to bring Ron, for he refused to join once he could fully speak for himself.
Ginny Weasley had no choice in the matter. It wasn't easy growing up with six older brothers, half of which were mean to her, and the other half had no time for her.
It was just as well, for if she hadn't been dragged along she would have never met Luna Lovegood.
Before Luna, the only thing Ginny ever had interest in was Harry Potter. She had read all the books in his series by K.J. Pinn, starting with Harry Potter and the Castle on a Cloud, to Harry Potter and the Mystery of the Nile. More than anything, Ginny wanted to go on adventures like her hero did. Often, she played by herself creating her own adventures in her head. When Bill was home and not busy, he humored her by playing her games, but he wouldn't be around forever.
For the longest time, she was only interested in Harry Potter, adventuring, and Quidditch.
Until she met Luna Lovegood.
They met when they were about six or seven. Luna made some shocking comment about the way Ginny was imagining her adventures and they just hit it off.
Ginny didn't always understand Luna, but the girl was sweet and insightful when she chose to be.
Things grew difficult when Pandora Lovegood died. After the funeral, Luna shut herself off to the world, ignoring everyone. Ginny sent Luna a flower every day knowing how much her friend loved flowers and Mr. Weasley was more than happy to provide his daughter with the presents. She stopped after a year.
When they started school in the Fall of 1992, they had drifted apart. It didn't help that they were in different Houses had few classes together.
Being in an unfamiliar environment, Ginny succumbed to her anxieties and found solace in Tom Riddle's diary.
It didn't end well.
Everyone else acted like Ginny should have been absolutely fine after that. She wasn't in trouble and she had lived. That should have been that… right?
Wrong.
Ginny fell into a depression. She found no joy in her Harry Potter books and demanding to ride a broom left her empty. Mrs. Weasley didn't understand why Ginny wasn't the cheerful child she once was and Mr. Weasley didn't know what to do.
So… she went off by herself.
She had been plucking petals off flowers and tossing them into the local pond, watching them drift on top of the water. Someone sat down next to her. She glanced out the corner of her eye and found Luna sitting beside her, swinging her bare feet over the water and wearing a sunny yellow dress. Her lap was filled with white and yellow daisies from the fields.
"Luna…" Ginny whispered hoarsely. "Hi…"
"You must be feeling pretty awful," said Luna as if she were talking about the weather. "Setting a Basilisk on a school, harming several people along the way. If it weren't for Harry Potter things would be very grim."
"Thank you for summing that up," Ginny muttered throwing the stem into the water.
"It's alright to feel awful," said Luna. "You have a right to feel that way. I imagine people aren't letting you feel the things you feel. They think that just because everything turned out alright that everything is alright."
"Exactly!" said Ginny, glad that it was put into words. "I don't know how I can tell them that I'm having nightmares every night about that. That Tom succeeded and became… became real. That I didn't
petrify those students. What if everyone hates me? What if nobody talks to me again because they're too afraid?"
"I'll sit and talk with you," said Luna, her slim fingers twisting the daisies into a chain. "It'll be like having a friend."
"I thought we
friends," Ginny replied, feeling a smile tug at the corner of her mouth.
"That's a nice thought," said Luna.
Ginny laughed hysterically even though the comment wasn't that funny. Her laughter switched to sobs as the weight of the past year crashed down over her. This past year she was restraining her feelings. First it was just to hide, now it was to please everyone. Being with Luna, she was allowed to face them.
Tears drenching her cheeks and her body twitching violently with each sob and hiccup, Ginny just cried.
She stopped briefly when Luna rested a gentle hand on her back. This brought on a new wave. Ginny crumpled against her friend, sinking down to her side and laying her head on Luna's lap crushing the daisy chain.
Luna said nothing else, but stroked Ginny's hair while humming a gentle song with no name.
When her tears subsided, Ginny took a deep shuddering breath and felt calmer than she had in a while.
"Feel better?" Luna asked.
"Mmhm." Ginny closed her eyes. "Thanks, Luna."
"That's what friends are for."
Ginny felt the gentle weight of a flower crown settle on her head and smiled easily.
"What a nice thought."
While Ginny and Luna weren't the inseparable friends they once were, they grew closer. Ginny came to realize that… she was in love with Luna.
She was in love with Luna's unique and hysterical laugh, her serene smile, her conspiracies and her tendency to point out things in a manner so blunt it made situations uncomfortable. While the thought of love didn't scare her. She was afraid of losing her dearest friend.
But those fears were unfounded.
Luna felt the same way.
They had quietly been together ever since.
And then the war ended, and they could finish school.
The two women took separate careers, Ginny a Chaser on the Holyhead Harpies, and Luna a Magizoologist. They were together whenever they could and wrote often when they were apart. Their relationship grew steady and they eventually moved in together.
It was a crappy place at first, but Luna used her artistic skills to make it something beautiful and only slightly tacky. Another one of her charms.
Nobody thought much of them moving in together since after the war the economy went belly-up and Hermione, Neville, and Harry were the only ones who knew the true nature of Ginny and Luna's relationship. They told Neville because he was a dear friend, Hermione figured it out herself, and Harry found out by accident when he saw them at a café in muggle London, holding hands and kissing. All of them were happy for the pair and promised not to tell.
"Luna, can we talk?" Ginny asked settling down for tea on their pale yellow couch with tiny pink flowers.
"Always," said Luna, sitting across from her. "Is something the matter?"
"No… I just…" Ginny picked at her nails and sighed. "I think I'm ready to come out to my parents, but since this will involve you I want to know your opinion."
Luna nodded slowly, a serious expression crossing her face.
"They may not accept us," she said. "However… I agree that it's time we let the people closest to us know."
"Once they know, everyone else will, too," said Ginny.
"I've never cared much of the opinions of others," said Luna. "I do know that once we're out we can't go back and… I don't care. As long as I have you, I could have the courage to face a herd of Graphorns."
Ginny grinned, heart swelling with love, and kissed Luna gently.
"How should we go about this?" she asked when they parted.
"I think… I would like to tell my father on my own," said Luna. "What about you?"
"I'd prefer you to be there with me," Ginny admitted.
"Okay," said Luna. "When would you like to tell them?"
"As soon as possible," she replied after thinking about it. "Perhaps the next family dinner. Best to get it out with everyone there."
"I think we should have a code word if you decide that you'd rather tell them another time," said Luna. "Just in case."
Ginny nodded and thought about it.
"How about… daisy chain?"
"Perfect."
After one more kiss, Ginny got up to send a note to her mum that Luna was joining them for dinner on Sunday. With the family growing it was important to notify Mum about extra guests so that there would be enough food.
Mum sent a note confirming that she would prepare a special plate for Luna. Ever since Luna started working with magical creatures more closely, she had gone vegetarian with the exception of fish. Ginny needed protein with her Quidditch regime, but they worked out their meals when they had a chance to eat together.
Ginny was anxious about the family dinner. She hoped they would be accepting and while she knew they loved each other no matter what… acceptance was another matter. She couldn't help but think about how Mum kept throwing out Fred's and George's inventions and order forms because they didn't match up to what she wanted. Mum loved with all her heart, but she still needed to learn to love for how a person was and not who she wanted them to be. It was hard to tell with Dad sometimes.
Sunday dinner was as busy as usual. Everyone was dressed from super casual (Charlie) to business nice (Percy). Ginny and Luna chose the more casual side, Ginny in jeans and a long-sleeved shirt and Luna in her favorite blue robes.
It was agony not being able to hold Luna's hand to draw comfort, but it was only for a little while.
Ginny zoned out for most of it, practicing her speech over and over inside her head. How she would respond to different scenarios and questions. Maybe it was a mistake to bring Luna. While Luna was tough, anybody could crack under the wrong words.
"Supper's ready," Mrs. Weasley called.
Everyone sat at the table, which was now several long tables put together. Ginny gripped onto Luna's hand under the table. The latter smiled gently and brushed ankles with her.
The dinner was spent with lighthearted chatter, oblivious to Ginny's anxiety.
When pudding came, homemade strawberry ice cream atop pound cake, Ginny steeled her nerves and stood up.
"I have something I need to say," she said. "To all of you."
"Ginny, dear, are you alright?" Mr. Weasley asked. "You're flushed."
"Well, it's difficult to say," said Ginny, "but it's important to me you all know and… I've been scared to say it because I don't want any of you to look at me differently."
Mrs. Weasley gasped.
"Ginevra, are you pregnant?"
Ginny did a double-take. "What? No! No, no, no. It's… I'm…" Ginny closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "I'm gay."
The silence at the table was deafening. Ginny opened one of her eyes and peered at her family. The most general reaction was shock. Her dad smiled and nodded at her.
He knew…
Of course he knew. He was the one who helped Ginny arrange flowers to send to Luna.
Her mum, however, was completely gobsmacked.
"How long have you known, Ginny?" she asked.
"Um… I guess… thirteen," Ginny replied anxiously wringing her sleeves.
"Are you sure you're gay?"
"Oh, my God," Bill muttered pressing a hand to his forehead.
"I think Ginny knows herself well," said George.
"Well… what if she decides she wants children?"
"Molly, dear, I don't think that's really an issue," said Mr. Weasley gently.
As Mrs. Weasley kept talking, the atmosphere grew increasingly uncomfortable.
"You know, she was hinting about how she thought Ginny and I would make a nice couple," Harry muttered to Ron. "I always told her it wasn't possible."
"You knew?!" Ron squawked.
"It isn't his secret to tell," Hermione pointed out. "We just-"
"You knew, too?!"
"I have a cousin who is gay," said Fleur thoughtfully. "I think she might be single."
"Darling, I don't think this is the time for that," Bill whispered.
The chatter started rising up as everyone started talking over one another. Hermione and Harry to Ron about how they didn't tell him anything because Ginny didn't want them to tell, not because he wasn't important enough to tell. Percy to Penelope about how he should've seen it because it was
obvious. George and Angelina telling Percy to shut up because he didn't know, and he knows it. Mr. Weasley to his wife about how gay means no men. Charlie just kept eating his pound cake because he didn't know what to say. Teddy started throwing a tantrum and so did Victoire because they had no clue what the fuss was about and mad that they couldn't be included.
"SHUT IT!" Ginny shouted.
Her cry scared a flock of birds in the nearby field and the table fell silent.
"I'm not going to sit here and let you speculate," she said. "I am a lesbian and… Luna and I have been dating for the past four years!"
Luna got to her feet and took Ginny's hand, linking their fingers together.
"That's right," she said. "And happily so."
Mrs. Weasley gawked at the two of them. Ginny sighed and looked down.
"Daisy chain," she muttered.
Luna kissed her cheek and they apparated home.
Ginny toed off her shoes and kicked them away under the bed where she was sure to forget about them in the morning.
"I think that went rather well," said Luna.
Ginny glared at her and flopped onto their bed without a word.
Luna picked up the music box Ginny gave her for their four year anniversary of when they started dating. It was roundish and when the key was turned it played
. A rabbit would pop out of the top and sniff around the flowers decorating the sides. Luna turned the key as tight as it could go and placed it on her nightstand before laying down.
"It wasn't perfect," she said. "But I think their reactions are better than most."
"Didn't you hear my mum?" said Ginny with an exasperated sigh. "'What if you want children?' Give me a break! It's not like she's going to be short on children! And what was all that about me and Harry? I might've had a slight crush on him my first year but it was infatuation!"
"You've done your part," said Luna. "The rest is up to them."
Ginny rolled over and held her girlfriend tightly, pressing a kiss to her neck.
"You're right," she said. "Part of me is relieved but the other part is scared for what is to come."
"Whatever comes, we'll face it together."
Ginny smiled and snuggled closer, breathing in the scent of Luna's hair. She had been thinking about it for a while and she knew now more than ever that she wanted to marry Luna. It was legal in the wizarding world for same-sex couples to get married, but that didn't necessarily mean all wizards and witches agreed with it.
They were going to face a whole lot of ugly from a never-ending parade of stupid, but as long as they had each other it would be worth it. Nothing could tear Ginny from Luna's side.
"What are you thinking about?" Luna asked. "The wrackspurts are flying around your head like mad."
"Just how much I love you," she replied.
"Ah, yes. Love does tend to make people's heads go fuzzy."
Ginny smiled and closed her eyes.
The following weeks, Ginny was approached by her family in groups. She had breakfast with Bill and Fleur. They were accepting and Fleur apologized for being overzealous with her matchmaking and that she was happy for her and Luna.
Ron was still mad that Ginny never told him and that Harry and Hermione didn't say anything either. Since that seemed to be his only issue with the whole thing, Ginny knew once he calmed down, he'd be happy for her.
George and Angelina were all for it.
Charlie went on a spiel about how homosexuality was prominent in several species of dragons and that there was a breed off an island in the Mediterranean Sea that were all females and reproduced as females.
Percy, once again, claimed that he knew the whole time and that with his position in the Ministry he would be happy to officiate the marriage between Ginny and Luna should they ever decide to and Ginny thought that that was pretty cool of him.
She had lunch with just Dad. He was actually the one who knew the whole time. He told Ginny that he was thrilled for her and that if she ever wanted to talk about it further then he would be happy to lend an ear.
Her mum however…
Her mum wasn't disapproving… but she wasn't approving either.
Ginny didn't let that slow her down. She spoke to both of her parents and told them her intentions of marrying Luna.
"I see you have your mind made up," said Mrs. Weasley.
"When Luna says, 'yes' we'll help prepare the wedding," said Mr. Weasley. "Like we did with Bill and Fleur."
"We'll be getting married in winter," said Ginny with a smile. "Luna believes snow is lucky."
"Just tell us the date."
Mrs. Weasley said nothing else.
Planning out the proposal was a bit harder than Ginny thought. Purchasing a custom ring wasn't an issue with her Holyhead Harpies paycheck, but Luna was perceptive. If Ginny suddenly took her out to a fancy dinner, she would figure it out.
Their fifth anniversary was coming up, so Ginny decided to plan a trip. They would have the nice dinner, but then Ginny would propose while they were out and about. Some place where it was acceptable.
After some research, Ginny decided on the Netherlands. It was a place Luna had wanted to visit again, since it was the place where she found her Crumple-Horned Snorkacks. Luna readily agreed so they planned for mid-spring.
And it was a wonderful trip. Amsterdam had a certain charm that Ginny couldn't find anywhere else on her travels. Perhaps it was mostly because she was with Luna. One of their favorite places was the Van Gogh museum.
"I wish we had paintings like this at Hogwarts," said Ginny, studying the almond blossoms painting. "Imagine how they would move."
"Baby chain," said Luna.
Ginny furrowed her brow and looked at Luna.
"What?"
Luna pointed to a group of small children all holding hands as they moved through the museum.
"Baby chain," she repeated.
"Oh!" Ginny looked at the children and then at Luna. "How do you feel about children?"
"I think they have a unique perspective of the world," she replied, smiling. "I'd happily adopt someday."
Ginny smiled. She could imagine her and Luna having a family. Adopting children when they were ready.
That evening they had their fancy anniversary dinner and the day after they went to the tulip fields.
The blossoms were the most colorful Ginny had ever seen. Part of her just wanted to run through them, brushing her hands over the petals. But she had something else she wanted to do first.
After walking for a while, Ginny and Luna laid down to rest under a tree amongst dainty yellow flowers and stared up at the clouds against the quintessential blue sky. It was a moment that Ginny wished she could live in forever if not to stave off the growing anxiety of the proposal.
"Luna, I have something I want to tell you," she said.
"I have something I want to tell you, too," the blonde replied.
"Oh! Er- you first."
"Okay," said Luna. "We've been dating for five years now. We've been living together for three. Every day with you is an adventure and I want to keep this adventure forever. So, what I'm trying to say is… will you marry me?"
"No!"
"Well, you didn't have to say it so sharply," said Luna sounding rather hurt.
"No, no, no, no!" said Ginny quickly sitting up. "I don't mean no like, 'no I won't marry you,' I mean 'no' like 'No way, you beat me to it!' I was going to ask you first!"
Luna sat up and looked at her, her blue eyes shining. "You were?"
"That's the whole reason why I planned this trip," said Ginny, laughing and removing the box from her pocket. She opened it to show the custom ring. It looked like a miniature daisy chain. The kind Luna always made when they were children.
Luna laughed and dug the ring she purchased for Ginny out of her own pocket. A claddagh ring, the hands clutching a heart-shaped opal.
"It belonged to my mum," she said and smiled. "Let's try this again. Ginevra Weasley, will you be my wife?"
Ginny swiped a tear off her cheek and nodded. "I will."
They exchanged the rings and kissed, holding onto each other tightly, neither wanting to be the first to let go. Nothing else mattered as long as they were together. And they planned to be together forever.
It was a nice thought.