Written for the Twelve Days of Christmas Challenge (3/4 Houses - Ravenclaw)
Written for the ABC Fast or Slow Challenge (Lee, Luna, Leprechaun, London, Letter)
Such a Surprise
Lee Jordan didn't want to be known as the man who proposed with a plastic ring. He wasn't rich, but he had spent the past year saving for the perfect diamond that would go on his (hopefully) soon-to-be fiance's hand.
He also didn't know how big it was going to be, or how much his year of saving Galleons would transfer into Muggle money.
All he could do was hope for the best.
There was a shop just on the corner in the city of London, and the window display showed some very nice jewellery. That was going to be his first stop, and he hoped it would be his only, too.
"May I help you?" He was greeted at the door by a finely dressed woman who scrutinised him based on his appearance. Sure, he wasn't dressed extremely well, but he had the money and if she was going to judge him he'd look somewhere else.
"I'm looking for an engagement ring for my fiancé… I mean, the one I hope will become my fiancé." He beamed as he moved over to a glass cabinet where a set of rings were placed.
The woman followed. "Those are some of our more expensive ones," she said, obviouslt assuming that they were out of his price range. "We do have another range which you may find more suitable."
Lee ignored her, pointing to the largest diamond he could see. "I'd like to look at that one," he stated.
The woman sniffed, as if he was wasting her time with something she knew he wouldn't buy. But apparently keeping his finger on the glass until she took it out was also a nuisance. "Two and a half thousand pounds," she told him.
If Lee remembered correctly the goblin had told him he had about two thousand and eight hundred pounds. However, outside of the cabinet, the ring wasn't as nice. "It's nice, but no thanks," he said.
The woman smiled knowingly and placed it back inside. "I'll show you to our more affordable range."
"I'd like to take a look at that one, thanks," he said, pointing to the ring beside the other before she could move.
The woman could barely resist a sigh as she took that ring out to show him. Lee knew that one was perfect just be looking at it. The shape, the size… he could have sworn his future fiancé had admired one almost identical in a magazine once. Without a second thought, he said, "I'll take it!"
The shop assistant's eyes widened. "Sure… sir. That is two thousand, four hundred pounds."
Lee dug into the wallet and extracted the cash. Her eyes were now so wide her brows had almost disappeared behind her fringe. He grinned.
"Also, I'd like to purchase that box to put it in." He had noticed – out of the corner of his eye – a chance to upgrade the box for ten extra pounds. He passed over a note that had a big 10 on it and the woman had no choice but to oblige to his request (much to Lee's delight).
Finishing the sale, she handed the box with the ring inside to Lee and wished him a good day. Lee thanked her with a wide grin and excited the shop, laughing. When would people ever stop being so judgemental?
He was just about to open the box to admire his purchase once more when a sign-song voice interrupted him. He snapped the box shut and stuffed it inside his pocket before turning around.
"I thought it was you, Lee."
Lee grimaced. Of all the people…. "Er, hi Luna," he said. "What brings you to London today?"
Luna smiled. "Oh, nothing much," she told him airily. "I wanted to post a letter to Dean as he wrote not so long ago. I thought I'd test out the Muggle post system. It's intriguing, don't you think?"
Lee grimaced again, wishing very much to be anywhere but where he was. The box was digging into his buttocks as a big fat reminder of what he had just brought. "Very," he said after a moment.
"Oh, are you looking in there?" Luna pointed to the jewellery shop. "There's some lovely stuff in there, isn't there?"
Lee nodded. "Yes," he said vaguely. "I guess."
Luna smiled. "I've heard that the gold they make the rings from come from leprechaun gold, though," she continued.
"Oh, really?" Lucky I bought a silver ring, right, Luna?
"Yes, odd, don't you think? Not sure how Muggles get their hands on it unless the leprechauns deliver it at night when they're sleeping."
Lee nodded again. "Right, I suppose you're right." He hesitated a moment, and then coughed. "Er, Luna, are you interested in the leprechaun gold by any chance?"
Luna's eyes sparkled by the question. "Oh, yes," she said. "It's very rare to come across it. They're generally very protective of their gold. Only certain places or people are honoured enough to have even seen it."
Lee nodded. Gold… right. He scratched his head.
"Well, I suppose you better go and post that letter. I hear you have to post it by a certain time for it to arrive the next day, when you use Muggle post."
"Yes, you're right." Luna made to leave, but just after she passed him, she stopped and said, "And Lee?"
Lee swallowed. He just wanted to see if he could swap the ring. "I'm sure that whatever you bought is perfect."
Lee's cheeks turned slightly pink. "I…I didn't buy anything," he said.
Luna smiled knowingly. "It's okay," she said. "I'll pretend to be surprised when you ask."
Lee was speechless, but Luna seemed oblivious – a trait he'd become used to in all the years of knowing her.
"Anyway, Lee, I must be going now. But good luck with your search, and I just know that whatever you decide on, it will be perfect."
"Er… thanks," he managed.
Luna smiled again, this time continuing to walk. Over her shoulder – before she disappeared around the corner – she said, "Oh, it'll be perfect, Lee. I can't wait. Padma will be so surprised when you ask her!"
It was hard to explain it in the story, but as I wrote this it was in my head that Luna and Padma were flatmates, which is why Lee didn't want her around and was denying it. I just couldn't fit that detail into the story. I hope you enjoyed this, as, if you didn't notice, I had to choose a male character, a female character, a creature, a location and a thing that relates to Harry Potter all starting with L. I hope I linked them well!