Title: A Ravenclaw in Gryffindor
Summary: After the final battle, Dean reflects and Luna is lonely. Together they look for their Gryffindor friends.
Word Count: 1017
AN: Luna may come across a bit OOC in this. BUT I feel like it is impossible for everyone to bounce back to happy as quickly as they did in DH after Voldie dies. Yeah, Voldie is dead and that's reason to celebrate but partying on while there's a pile of dead bodies in the next room? Ah, no.
Luna's dad is in jail and he is the only family she has. One reason to feel miserable. Also, I think Luna and Colin were friends. Colin would totally have believed in nargles. Though Colin, bless his little cotton socks, is the kind of person who would believe you if you told him acid pops were effective against fighting cavities.
Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter, I don't claim to and I make no money from this.
A RAVENCLAW IN GRYFFINDOR
Dean Thomas sits on the stairs leading to the main doors of the castle and surveys the grounds of Hogwarts, which, not five hours ago, had been a battlefield. He still hears the cries of the wounded and dying, he sees the bright lights of various curses. He can point out the exact location where a friend, an acquaintance, an enemy drew their last breath.
It's over, they won. But the celebrations were short-lived. Too many loved ones had died, too many injured, some on the brink of death. The survivors were so tired, physically, mentally and emotionally. The celebrations would continue…but not today, not at Hogwarts.
Dean doesn't notice the lithe blonde approach him from behind. It isn't until she gracefully sits down beside him that he acknowledges her presence.
'What are you doing out here?' he asks.
'I could ask you the same question.' Her voice is hoarse and harsh, she's lost her usual ethereal tone and where Dean was previously sad, now he feels hollow. In the short time he's known her, really known her; he has come to depend on that sweet voice uttering her strange nonsense to pull him out of his frequent bursts of melancholy.
He knows the horrors he faced this year pale in comparison to others- like the girl sitting next to him and the Golden Trio- but those months on the run and being made to watch, helpless as Dirk Cresswell, Ted Tonks and the goblin Gornuk were killed in front of him have changed Dean.
'I did ask first.' He argues gently.
'I was looking for you.'
'Why? Are you hurt?' He asks, genuinely concerned. He knows her friend Colin Creevey died last night and she has no family at Hogwarts to comfort her.
The girl gulps audibly and her overly large blue eyes fill with tears. She seems to be fighting some inner battle before she slumps and sniffs loudly.
'It will take a while for all the innocents of Azkaban to be released. I want my daddy…' she chokes, her sentence unfinished as sobs wrack her delicate body. Dean wraps his arms around her and gathers her closer to him. He lets her cry and for a while the only sound is morning bird song and sobs. She stops after a while and wipes her eyes with the back of her hand.
'You're my friend?' She means it to be a statement but an infliction on the last word makes it a question. She sounds so unsure. Dean gives her a reassuring squeeze.
'I'll always be your friend Luna.' For several minutes there is silence. Dean holds onto Luna and Luna is content for a while.
'All my friends are in Gryffindor.' Luna says out of the blue and she almost sounds like herself again. Dean's heart goes out to this extraordinary girl who somehow never made a friend within her own house. He stands up and holds his hand out for her to take. She does and he pulls her up and leads her back into the castle.
'We need sleep.' He tells her and she follows him upstairs, neither one inclined to let go of the others hand. Halfway to their destination Luna realises where they are.
'This isn't the way toRavenclawTower.' Dean stops abruptly, causing Luna to bump into him. He turns to her and smiles, it's only a twitch but the emotions behind it light up his dark eyes and Luna can't help but smile faintly back.
'All your friends are in Gryffindor.' He repeats her earlier words back to her and continues leading her toGryffindorTower, his home away from home and a place he hasn't seen for a year. The Fat Lady's portrait is empty but swung wide open. Dean assists Luna through the portrait hole and into the common room, not surprised to find it deserted and silent. They walk up to the seventh year boys dormitory, Dean misses the familiarity of those five four poster beds with the crimson drapes.
The two friends enter the dormitory and the first words that come to Dean's mind are puppy pile.
Someone has transfigured the five beds into one giant-sized bed. It seems none of the remaining Gryffindors wanted to be alone tonight.
Sleeping in the very centre of the modified bed is Hermione Granger. Dean feels relieved to see her alive and well. Her screams at Malfoy Manor still haunt his dreams. On either side of Hermione are Harry Potter and Ronald Weasley. One of Hermione's hands is entwined with Ron's and the other is curled around Harry's wrist and from the look of things, she has no intention of ever letting go. On Harry's other side is Dean's ex-girlfriend Ginny Weasley. Her arms are wrapped around Harry's torso and she's holding on like he's the last solid thing on this earth.
On Ron's other side is Neville Longbottom and he is sprawled all over his side of the bed, snoring loudly but ignored by the other occupants.
Not all the Gryffindors are here. Seamus Finnegan is with his girlfriend Lavender Brown in the Hospital Wing. A recent development Dean only learned about tonight.
Parvati Patil is downstairs, dead and gone.
Dean glances at Luna who nods once and quickly strips down to her underwear before assessing the bed.
Dean doesn't give much notice to Luna's state of undress. He's been living with her for weeks now and this is all she ever wears to bed. He leaves on his shirt and boxers and waits for Luna to pick a side. Deciding she won't have any room next to Neville, she climbs in next to Ginny, patting the little space next to her. If Luna wasn't so skinny, Dean would never fit but he does and Luna lays her head on his chest and is quickly lulled to sleep by the sound of his steady heartbeat. Before he falls asleep, Dean reflects on how strange this all would have seemed last year. Six Gryffindors and an adopted Ravenclaw, all sharing a bed. Today it just feels right.
AN: If Tonks and Remus were killed then what are the chances that every seventh year Gryffindor survived? So I killed Parvati off. I'm a realist when I'm not waiting for that stupid owl to hurry up and deliver my damn Hogwarts letter already.