Title: (50) Days of Luna
Rating: T
Chapter #: 2
Ship/s: George x Luna
Era/s: Pre-Hogwarts, Hogwarts, Post-DH
Genre/s: Romance, Friendship, Drama
[Prompt #4: "When is the last time you looked in the mirror?"]
NOTE: I recommend you read this in 3/4 width and with the font size 2 steps bigger than the preset. It looks a lot nicer and much easier to read, I think:)
Disclaimer: If I owned Harry Potter, I'd be rewriting the epilogue right now.
(2)
One day later
Hanging brilliantly in the sky, the mid-morning sun projected its rays through the air of Ottery St. Catchpole, illuminating the dust flecks which milled about and projecting their floaty dance. One particular bar of this sunlight shone directly on the back of Luna Lovegood, filling the natural frame of two hefty tree trunks. Luna slipped between the chunky oaks and twisting cedars, tiptoed around a sleeping gnome with caution to avoid treading on its knobbly body, and finally crossed a small bridge which had multiple signs nailed to it, the largest of which proclaiming in bright orange letters her destination: 'THE BURROW'
Crossing the beautifully tended to front garden, the young girl reached the front door. She rapped its surface three times, being careful that the lumpy package in her hands did not slip from her grasp. Muffled, far-off hollers drifted through the wooden surface to Luna's ears, and seconds later the door was flung open by the kindly, plump woman she knew to be Mrs. Weasley.
"Oh, Luna!" the woman said jovially, as if the short, blonde girl was the person she had most longed to see on her doorstep. "Good morning, dearie, come along inside."
Marvellous scents of assorted treats rushed to Luna's nostrils as she crossed the threshold and found herself in the Weasley kitchen. It was a little after eleven o'clock, she gathered, and a Sunday, so it came as no surprise to find the family of redheads still sitting around the table, enjoying an extended breakfast.
"Here, now, let me take your jacket and have a seat. There's bacon frying and bagels in the oven, I'll whip you up a plate in just a tick ..." Mrs Weasley began to potter about the kitchen. The sight made Luna smile; Molly looked like a mother duck, overseeing everyone.
She didn't plan to stay, however, and kept her wellington boots on as she politely declined the invitation. "No thank you, Mrs. Weasley, I've already eaten and my Dad would like me back soon. I only came to give you this," she said, extending the parcel she had been cradling and offering it to Mrs. Weasley. "It's just a little something to thank you for your party yesterday, my parents said it really was excellent."
"Oh, bless you, it was nothing," Molly beckoned Luna over for a warm hug. "Tell your parents we're extremely grateful and that they can pop round any time."
Suddenly, one of the many whirring gadgets on the kitchen counter behind them emitted a loud ding!,signalling the food was ready. Mrs. Weasley released Luna from the tight hug and glanced at the machine before looking back at her.
"No, it just won't do, leaving you on an empty stomach – ah ah ah, don't protest with me," she said, ignoring Luna's interjections and flicking her wand, sending a plate shooting from the crockery cabinet, "you're at least having a bit of bacon and that's final."
Her firmness was in good meaning, however, and so Luna soon found herself seated at the long dinner table, wellies discarded by the door, a plate of bacon and jug of pumpkin juice before her. She thanked Mrs. Weasley again whilst filling her glass with the sweet, tangy liquid and taking a sip.
Luna then turned her attention to the others seated around her as she ate. There was Mr. Weasley at the head of the table, nose buried in the day's edition of The Daily Prophet; the older boys that she recognised to be Bill, Charlie and Percy heatedly discussing the recent induction of a new law in Quidditch; Ginny – who was a few months younger than her – and Ron – who was a year older than the pair of them – bickering at the opposite end of the table; and finally the twins, Fred and George, who were seated adjacent to her and seemed the best candidates for striking up a conversation.
Before she even had time to formulate an idea of what to say, though, one of the twins piped up first – George, she thought, her suspicions confirmed as she spotted the large 'G' emblazoned on his jumper.
"Did you enjoy the canapés last night? Fred and I baked them ourselves, you know." His light-hearted fib prompted a sharp rap on the head by Mrs. Weasley's duster as she passed, saying she was heading to the laundry room to sort through the fresh clothes.
"Mum's just for show, you see," continued Fred, jerking a thumb towards the retreating woman, "we wheel her out when there's company because she looks more like the sort to cook."
"When really," finished George, "we're the masterminds behind the whole operation."
Their odd way of telling stories made Luna laugh, and as she did, a smear of butter ended up on her lip, the product of chuckling whilst eating a piece of toast. Her mind didn't register this, though, and so she remained oblivious until Fred suddenly leapt towards Percy at the mention of his name and George pointed it out.
"Only a little bit, on your top lip, there," he said politely.
Some people would feel embarrassed when confronted with a situation like that, however Luna showed no trace of humiliation and merely wiped away the food with a word of thanks. "Didn't realise you were a messy eater, eh, Lovegood – you may live on top of a hill but I didn't expect you to act like it!" George teased.
"Oh really, Weasley? Well, when is the last time you looked in the mirror?"
Grinning at the boy's sudden panicked expression and worried glance at the mirror, only to find his face absolutely fine and food-free, Luna leapt from her seat, hopped into her boots, shouted her thanks and goodbye to Mr. Weasley and grabbed her jacket before bolting out of the door; she galloped over the bridge, shrieking with laughter as George hurtled after her.
"I'll get you back next time, little Lovegood!" she heard him yell playfully from the other side of the stream.
Luna couldn't wait.