HP drabble set for lgbtfest: The L Word

[sophinisba]

Title: The L Word
Fandom: Harry Potter
Pairing/characters: Luna Lovegood
Rating: PG
Words: 1000 (ten drabbles)
Prompt/Summary: Lots of words begin with the letter "L" and Luna's name is easily alliterated. Written for lgbtfest.
Warnings: Frivolous wordplay



Luna Lovegood lies alone in bed, looking at old illustrations in a library book, lit by Lumos. Her fingers follow the loose lines of flowing water, lush leaves and long limbs. Lovely ladies of long-gone times laughing together, lying together, loving each other. They lick their lips, lick each other's lower lips, low, between their legs. The pictures wouldn't lie.

Luna longs for that. Long lonely nights like these, Luna lusts for it.

Luna learned early, in the language of her own last name, that love is always good. Lately though, it's like she's the only one who believes it.

***

Cho Chang was her first crush, since the first time she saw her charging over the Quidditch pitch. Luna cheered and chanted for her champion (rah rah Ravenclaw!) so she wouldn't choke on the clutching monster in her chest. Cho's changed – these days she spends more time chasing after charming boys than snatching at the Snitch. When Luna feels that itch, sometimes, she still pictures Cho's cherry mouth, Cho's chin and cheeks and chest, each and every part of her. But Luna's changing too, and a crush on a chick who's chosen chaps isn't enough anymore. It feels like cheating.

***

Quietly Luna settles under her quilt, setting the quaint old book aside, the same way she quashed what she felt about Cho and moved on; but she hasn't given up the quest altogether. It's not that she wants a quickie with the first Quidditch player to quirk a smile or pass a Quaffle her way. It's that she wants to find other queer girls like her.

Luna reads the Quibbler. She questions authority, never quakes or quails in the face of conformity. She's never had a problem with people thinking she's queer, she just wishes she wasn't quite so alone.

***

Luna's gone looking around Hogwarts. In the great game of Good against Evil, Luna gets to thinking now and again that a good lot of the Good Guys are in Gryffindor, and maybe the Sorting Hat goofed when it gave her to the good students and not the brave ones. (Moreover, Minerva McGonagall would make a much more meaningful magical mentor than, for instance, Filius Flitwick, that fidgety old fart.) Besides all that, there sure is a glut of gorgeous Gryffindor girls! Guess it's their guys who are gay though. Luna gave up on Gryffindors after that gamble with Granger.

***

And after what happened with Hannah Abbot she hasn't wanted to hang out with the House of Hufflepuff. Hell, who gives a hoot about Hufflepuffs? (Luna huffs to herself). Always so helpful, so humble, so kindhearted, but where's the heat? Where's the hell-raising? Where's the headlong hurtle toward your heart's desire? Hannah had been happy enough to hold Luna's hand, but she hadn't wanted her hyper hetero housemates to find out there was anything more than that. And Luna decided that halfway wasn't healthy, not for her. She wants to hold her head up high. She doesn't want to hide.

***

That's why she never seriously considered sleeping with a Slytherin. She doesn't want to be somebody's shameful secret, and that's what she'd be for students who think they're superior to the rest of the school, regardless of sex. She doesn't see herself sneaking around snakes or Severus Snapes in that sector of the castle after sunset (although, sure, there's a certain seductiveness to the suggestion). It's not that she suspects them all of being sinister, sinful, spies or servants of the shadowy Sorcerer, no, don't be silly. It's just that superior sneer she can't stand. It's more slippery than sexy.

***

Really, Ravenclaw ought to be the right fit for her. Rowena Ravenclaw is renowned as a role model for researchers. They might not have a lot of rebels around here, but they're not repressed either. They're reasonable people with great regard for the diversity among them, ready to explore, to revel in the range of human orientations. They recognize the rights of everyone, and if some revelation surprises them, Ravenclaws would rather read up and get respectful than be reactionary or retrograde. So why does she feel out of place, removed, when she's resting at night in her own room?

***

Then Padma Patil's peeking through the part in Luna's four-poster. Luna pulls back the curtains and plumps up her pillow, making a place for her friend.

"Problems?"

"Padma, do people think I'm perverse?"

"No." Padma pauses. "Peculiar, I'd put it, but not perverse."

Padma doesn't pull her punches, and from Luna's perspective that's a positive. Luna puzzles over Padma sometimes, wonders whether her peer's as peculiar as she, just very private. Not the perfect partner for Luna, but tonight she's the perfect person to pass time with and ponder. As for experiments, as for pleasure, Luna won't push. Patience, please.

***

She's tempted though. It's on the tip of her tongue to say, "Touch me." But Padma's tentative, taking her time, and Luna doesn't want to turn her away. Touching would be nice, it's true, touching with tenderness (tasting her tongue) but talking is good too. It's twenty past ten and they're both tired, but they'll stay up together for some time yet. Padma's not telling too many tales of her own, but she listens, and Luna trusts her, enough to tell her everything except those two words. Tomorrow Padma's smile will be the same, true, not tight around the edges.

***

Late, much later, Luna's lying alone again but not lonely. Her thoughts are mellow like a low lilting hum. She feels light, liberated, and all because of a word she said out loud, and the fact that her friend – her ally – listened to her and didn't let her go.

Lots of words begin with the letter "L". Luna's name is easily alliterated, so she's been collecting them since she was little. Lots of people say they don't like labels, but Luna likes this L word an awful lot.

Luna's a lesbian. Luna loves being Luna. Luna loves being a lesbian.

Comments

[melayneseahawk.livejournal.com]

This is adorable.

[sophinisba]

Thank you. :D

[wishfulaces.livejournal.com]

"Lovely" begins with L too, and that is what this is. :)

[sophinisba]

Naw, thank you.

[lilacsigil.livejournal.com]

This is absolutely delightful! I love the sweetly quirky direction that you have taken the prompt, and Luna's thoughts on the Houses. It's just magical, and very, very Luna Lovegood.

[sophinisba]

Oh, thank you, that's so good to hear. :)

[woldy]

Very sweet and I particularly love the first and last drabbles :-)

[sophinisba]

Thanks! The last one is my favorite too.

[peapods42.livejournal.com]

This was genius. An excellent idea, exceptionally executed. A treat to read.

[sophinisba]

Thank you very much. :)

[kath-ballantyne.livejournal.com]

Oh what a lovely way of doing this.
Wonderful

[sophinisba]

Thank you so much!

[jlsigman.livejournal.com]

How perfectly Luna! Well done. :-)

[sophinisba]

Yay! Thank you!

[fleshlycherry.livejournal.com]

Fleshlycherry feels fervently that this is fantastic :)

[sophinisba]

Sophie Solis is smiling at you. :)

[gentlehobbit.livejournal.com]

Wow. You do a pretty amazing job with alliteration. I really like how you take us through Luna's thoughts about different people and houses, and then finally to Padma who is a direct and accepting friend.

[sophinisba]

Oh, thank you for checking this out, I'm glad you liked it. One of these days I shall actually have to write a Padma-centric fic as I keep meaning to do, I have such a soft spot for her.

[thecolourclear.livejournal.com]

The Slytherin one is my favourite. I have a soft-spot for 'S' alliteration.

[sophinisba]

In that case I'd like to recommend S.O.B. Story by isiscolo and The Source of Severus' Sourness (The Smile Is But A Souvenir Remix) by benebu, which are both much tighter in their alliteration than I was here. Hope you enjoy, and thanks so much for reading. :)

[miss-morland.livejournal.com]

I really enjoyed this - what a great use of alliteration! :-)

[sophinisba]

Thank you very much!

[wisdomeagle]

♥

[sophinisba]

:D

[bethynyc.livejournal.com]

Awww! Love the alliteration (so much fun!) and I think you captured Luna perfectly! Thank you!

[sophinisba]

Oh, thank you, I'm really glad you enjoyed it. :)

[smirnoffmule.livejournal.com]

Oh, glee! This was absolutely lovely.

[sophinisba]

Thank you!!

[vvvexation.livejournal.com]

Sooooooo cute.

[sophinisba]

Thank you. :)

[darkangel-wings.livejournal.com]

This is wonderful! Your wordplay was excellent.

[sophinisba]

Thanks! I'm glad it worked for you. :)

[nemo-r.livejournal.com]

Oh Wow, what a wonderful and well written wonder of a story!

But really, I had to start reading this aloud after a sentence or so, it just needed to be heard. It's lovely, almost poetry not prose. and it works with Luna really well, I can imagine her deciding, "today I shall only use alliteration" and everyone around her being all "oh right, it's just on of Luna's crazy ideas"

[sophinisba]

Oh gosh, that's so nice to hear. I like your comment about poetry especially because I felt that when I was writing it, not in terms of it being beautiful or profound or anything, but just the way the content would go in unexpected directions because I was paying as much attention to the sound of the words as to the meaning. It was a neat challenge. I'm really glad you liked it. :)

[magnetic-pole.livejournal.com]

This is absolutely charming, S! *whistles with joy* M.

[sophinisba]

Oh, thank you, it is great to hear from you. :D

[redfiona99.livejournal.com]

I entirely approve of the frivolous word play. It's fitting that Luna thinks in verse. It's a lovely drabble set.

[sophinisba]

Hee, thank you. I'm happy that you liked it.

[atraphoenix.livejournal.com]

Brilliant. The word play managed to be sweet and funny without detracting anything from the actual story. I loved it!

[sophinisba]

Thanks so much. I was definitely worried about it taking away from the story so that's really good to hear. :)

[st-aurafina.livejournal.com]

Oh, this is lovely! I sniffled a bit at the end - Luna's sense of self is so strong.

[sophinisba]

Thank you. Figuring out I could end it that way was what made me decide this was worth writing. :)

[pinkdormouse.livejournal.com]

Lovely lilting Luna!

[sophinisba]

Thank you! :)