Title: In Unexpected Places

Disclaimer: I own neither Luna nor Lavender. J. owns them both, and I merely asked them to come play with me a while.

Pairing: Luna Lovegood/Lavender Brown

Rating: T, PG.

Warnings: *Adopts Katy Perry voice and sings* "She kisses a girl, and she likes it... "

Summary: Lavender Brown nearly died in the battle of Hogwarts. She's left scarred, mentally and physically, a shadow of her former self. Luna reaches out to her, determined to help her heal. Together, they find unexpected feelings in unexpected places. FEMSLASH

Words: 1,536 (give or take a couple; this computer doesn't have Word so I had to count out each word individually)

A/N: This is my entry for the Third Round of the Quidditch League Fanfiction Competition. I had to cut it a bit shorter than I wanted, due to both getting sick and not having computer access till now, already late to submit. *sigh*

Prompts:

1- "When a war ends, what does that look like exactly?" - Sleeping, Andrea Gibson

2- Naked.

3- "When someone loves you, the way they say your name is different. You know your name is safe in their mouth." - Jess C. Scott

Pairing: Lavender Brown/Luna Lovegood

Lavender Brown opened her eyes slowly and blinked. She stared at the canopy above her head. She wasn't sure why she'd returned to Hogwarts to complete her seventh year -"Eighth Year", they called it. After all, what was the point? It wasn't like she wanted to be back here.

Everywhere she looked, she saw bodies and blood. The flashing light of spells flying always seemed to be hovering in her peripheral vision. The sounds of battle, of spells firing, people shouting, the screams of the wounded and dying echoed through the castle.

A new ghost had joined the others at Hogwarts; one that permeated the entire castle and encompassed every corner. The ghost of battle; the specter of war. The horrifying phantasm possessed the very stones of the school and made itself felt in a multitude of ways.

Was it truly over? Was this what they had fought so hard for?

Even in sleep Lavender could not escape it; she was tormented by the sound of snarls, the sight of bloodshot eyes and fangs, the sensation of falling, and of sharp, cruel teeth.

Then there were the whispers, the stares. She could not show her face without attracting them. Across her once beautiful face lay scars; deep and long, furrowed into flesh, and her torso punctured by bite marks now healed. Even her best friend Pavarti could not bear to look directly at her. She withdrew and Parvati grew distant; relieved not to have to face her any more.

Gone was the silly, giggling girl who had called her boyfriend "Won-won", lived for Divination, and flounced everywhere she went. In her place was a quiet, withdrawn shadow of her former self. It didn't help that Ron and Hermione were always together, always making eyes at each other or stealing kisses when they thought no one was looking. Just another ache in her heart, another dull, throbbing pain in her chest. She'd seen it coming, but it didn't mean it hurt any less.

After nearly dying in the battle following Greyback's attack, she had endured more than she ever would have thought herself capable, and lost more than she thought she could bear. She didn't know why she hadn't just given up and let go when she was on the verge of death. As she lay in bed debating whether or not to skip breakfast to avoid the Great Hall, she wished in the back of her mind that she had just let go. It wasn't the first time she'd felt or thought that way.

She was utterly alone.

Luna Lovegood smiled as she entered the Great Hall. Her blonde hair fell into her pale blue eyes, and she shook it out of the way, radish earrings swaying. She headed, not to the Ravenclaw table where she should have sat, but to the Gryffindor table, as was her wont. Her friends were there. She much preferred to sit amongst her friends to being shunned by the other members of her house. Although since the war they had all been much nicer to her; they still didn't know how to react when she tried to engage them on the subject of Blibbering Humdingers, warn them about Wrackspurts, or extoll the virtues of the Crumple Horned Snorkack. No, she preferred her old friends from Gryffindor.

As she walked over to the Gryffindor table, she couldn't help noticing a lonely figure slip in and take a spot at the far end of the table, unobtrusively. Her head was bowed and her long brown hair formed a curtain that hid her face. She sat hunched down and small in her corner and slowly pulled a plate towards her. Everyone around her ignored her and gave her space.

Luna felt a flash of sympathy; and a hint of camaraderie for the lonely girl. On a whim, she changed her course and floated over to sit beside the brunette.

"Hello," she said in her usual dreamy tone. The girl looked up, startled, and instantly Luna understood. The girl might have been pretty - once. Her face was marred by long gashes in the skin; scars of claw marks torn across her face. It was shocking, and for a moment Luna was taken aback. She didn't show it on her face, though; as sympathy flooded her she gave the girl a genuine smile. The girl looked vaguely familiar - she might have been in the DA, but Luna couldn't be sure. It was hard to recognise her.

The girl stared, flushing bright red, her eyes darting to and fro. Luna extended a hand. "I'm Luna Lovegood," she offered, still smiling serenely. "Weren't you in the DA?"

Hesitating a moment, the brunette nodded. "I was," she said in a low tone. She reached out a hesitant hand and took Luna's proffered one. "I'm Lavender Brown," she added, shyly. She dropped her eyes and flushed again.

"Lavender's a lovely name," Luna nodded happily. "Did you know that the Gliding Glidknowl is attracted to the scent of Lavender?"

The girl shook her head uncertainly, peering up at Luna with curious, wary eyes. Luna sat next to her and proceeded to chatter with her about the Gliding Glidknowl, giving her all the latest information she'd read in the Quibbler on the elusive species. She didn't know why, but Luna felt inexplicably drawn to the brunette. She intended to stick around until she understood why.

Lavender felt exposed. She'd been caught off guard; no one spoke to her anymore; or if they did the conversation was awkward and stilted while they avoided meeting her eyes. Yet here was this beautiful, ethereal blonde girl sitting next to her, making eye contact and giving her a dreamy, encouraging smile. She felt utterly naked under the other girl's gaze. But there was no discomfort, no disgust in her eyes. Nothing in her face to indicate that she was bothered by Lavender's face in any way.

She spoke of strange creatures and wore radishes in her ears and a bottlecap necklace. She was in her stocking feet, and the socks were mismatched. She was sweet and lovely and Lavender drank in her presence like a man lost in the desert might a canteen of water. She felt parched for companionship, for the company of someone who would just treat her as if she were normal again; and here was someone willing to meet that need.

She never wanted Luna to leave.

It was with great reluctance that she left the Great Hall for classes, and while Luna cheerfully parted with the words, "See you later!" Lavender knew better. She wouldn't see the blonde again. She would go back to being alone.

It was much to her surprise that Luna sat next to her at lunch. They chatted, as she became more comfortable she began to ask Luna questions about her creatures, finding the answers fascinating and amusing by turns. She learned the purpose of the earrings, and the necklace, and learned that some of Luna's dorm mates were still being cruel to her, war hero or not, and were constantly hiding her shoes.

Soon the two girls were meeting after or between classes, as well as at meal times. Luna was someone who would listen to her without judgement, who could offer her words of comfort and strange, other-worldly wisdom that somehow struck a chord within her. Luna made cryptic comments and strange predictions that delighted her seer's heart, and she in turn thrilled Luna by never doubting her word, be it on predictions or on her strange creatures.

Luna was enjoying her friendship with Lavender. The two of them were quickly becoming thick as thieves, reveling in each other's company and discussing everything that mattered to them, and everything trivial that did not.

She still couldn't understand her strange attraction to the brunette, her desire to be around her. At least, not until one day near the Christmas holidays. She was eyeing some mistletoe and thinking.

"Lav?"

"Yes, Luna?"

"I wonder what nargles dream about."

A pause.

"I suppose they dream about couples kissing. After all, they see enough of it when they're awake, it makes sense that they'd see it in their sleep." Lavender shot her a mischievous grin, and her heart gave a little flutter.

"Yes, I suppose you're right." She nodded sagely. She was staring at Lavender, staring at the mistletoe together, when suddenly she understood. It made sense, the way nothing else had.

She leaned over and kissed her friend.

Soft. That was all Lavender could think. So soft.

It was different than kissing Ron had been. That had been all wet and rough and chapped lips and stubble. Luna was soft.

Her lips moved gently under Lavender's, inexperienced and uncertain. Eager, longing.

Lavender moaned and kissed her back. She felt wanted, desired for the first time in months.

As the kiss broke, the girls looked hesitantly, wonderingly into each other's faces.

"Lavender," Luna said with a dreamy smile on her face. "I love you."

Lavender felt joy welling up inside her. Looking into the other girl's eyes, she felt safe, secure, and loved. She couldn't doubt the truth of Luna's words - it was shining in her eyes, evident in her voice, as obvious as the scars on Lavender's face. Her name sounded like a treasured thing when Luna said it.

Tears sprang into her eyes and she laughed, dashing them away with the backs of her hands. "Merlin, I must be dreaming!" she said. Luna smiled serenely.

"Dream of me often?" Her tone was almost playful.

Lavender laughed, and kissed Luna's pert little nose. "All the time," she answered. "I love you, too."

Under the mistletoe, thoughts of nargles abandoned, the two girls kissed again.

For the first time in a long time, Lavender felt beautiful again.