"Dean?"
"Yeah?"
"Can I paint you?" Dean looked up at Luna, patiently awaiting an answer.
"Yeah, sure." Dean thought for a moment. "On one condition."
"What's that?"
"You let me draw you."
Luna smiled. "I've never been drawn before."
There wasn't much to do in Shell Cottage. Fleur and Bill had done what they could to make their temporary guests comfortable but there was no hiding that Dean and Luna had traded one prison for another. Granted, there wasn't the same risk of torture and murder in Shell Cottage as there was in Malfoy Manor but Luna and Dean weren't able to leave. They were in hiding, refugees.
Luna and Dean weren't strangers. They were both members of Dumbledore's Army. Luna was friends with most of the boys in Dean's dormitory. But they still came from different worlds. Dean, raised by muggles, kept a level-head. Muggles may call it being realistic but to witches and wizards, Dean was ignorant. He didn't know how wizarding society worked and he still spent three months of the year in the muggle world. Whereas Luna understood wizarding society and just didn't care to follow it. Luna's head was in the clouds and she had no intention of coming down any time soon.
Luna and Dean weren't strangers but they weren't much more. Until now. It's hard not to become attached to someone you've gone through hell with. And those two certainly went through hell at Malfoy Manor. At times, Dean didn't think they would ever escape. There were moments when Dean was positive he would die surrounded by the Malfoys. But in true Luna fashion, Luna never lost hope that they would get out. She couldn't die now, there was too much left in the world for her. Too many creatures still undiscovered, so much knowledge she didn't yet have, and so many friendships that couldn't end so young.
Their bond began due to a will to survive. And even though they were comfortable in Shell Cottage, they were all too aware it was temporary. The fight was not over yet. But until that final battle arrived, Luna and Dean were left to their own devices within the confines of Shell Cottage.
As Dean drew, he was all too aware that Luna was staring at him. She would squint her silver eyes, cock her head slightly, and then resume painting with new fervor. Dean bit his lip as he struggled to get the details right. He wanted to do his subject justice. Her long, knotted hair, tied up on top of her head. Her silver eyes that looked like they were leaping out of her head. Her soft half-smile that never seemed to leave her mouth.
Luna cared less about the details. She wanted to capture Dean, not just Dean's face. She wanted Dean to look at the painting and really see himself. She wanted the painting to radiate warmth and kindness. She wanted Dean to see himself as she saw him.
They worked silently, only looking up from their work to study the other. When Dean finished, he handed his sketch to Luna and held his breath. Luna looked at the drawing for a while before finally exclaiming, "It's beautiful."
"It's a drawing of you so it should be." Dean immediately felt blood rushing to his cheeks. Why had he said that?
Luna turned around her painting. The painting was unique. "I've never painted something quite like this before."
"It's…" Dean's eyes scanned the brush strokes that outlined a toothy smile. He looked at the orange and red and violet and yellow that filled the page. "It reminds me of you."
"How?" Luna's voice was light and soft.
"It's like the sun. It's warm and comforting."
"Like you." Luna's semi-smile spread.
In that moment, Dean realized what Luna meant to him. She was comfort. She was a cup of tea while a storm raged outside. She was a safety blanket. She was a hand to hold.
Luna already knew what Dean was to her. He was tenderness. He was soft and kind and careful. And most importantly, he didn't want her to change.
The final battle would come and go. Luna would go back to Hogwarts and Dean wouldn't. At first, they sent each other letters once a week. Then once a month. Then once every few months. Then they were lucky if they got a letter once a year. But Dean would never forget the first girl he loved and Luna would never forget the first boy she found safety in.