Disclaimer: Harry Potter is not mine, I only own a few characters and bits of the plot. There are also direct quotations taken out of the book which I might have shortened but essentially they mean the same thing.
Chapter 13 – Theodore Smith
It was too fitting to be a mere coincidence. The fact that Christopher Thomas was Theodore Smith could be the answer to everything. Who else could have given Hoot the photo and the newspaper to deliver to Dean, so that he could find out about the truth? Who else would have followed Dean to protect him from the Dementors and Death Eaters, and protect his family? The date on the newspaper seemed plausible enough, it was very possible that Dean's father was this man. And Theodore Smith or Christopher Thomas had named his own son after his father, Dean Smith.
Though Dean was tempted to believe that his dad was here, possibly closer to him than he had ever been in Dean's life, maybe even watching him right now, there were still some questions that troubled him. Firstly, Dean had always thought his father was dead, he had thought that that was the only reason why he had never returned to seek his son and wife. If his father was still alive and protecting Dean, then why didn't he just confront Dean and tell him everything? Why did he leave in the first place? And why was he, if it was him, telling Dean about himself now? As well as that, there was the question of the woman was who had fought the ministry official and what the golden key was for. Dean's head filled with more questions. The answer he had in front of him had prompted even more questions.
"Hello Dean," whispered Luna, who had crept up behind him.
The sudden noise made Dean jump.
"Luna," said Dean, spinning around to face her, "Don't you ever make any sounds when you walk?"
"Oh I couldn't find my shoes this morning," said Luna gleefully and Dean looked down at her bare feet, "It's dinner time now," she added.
"Yeah, ok, just let me pack my stuff –"
"Oh, what's that?" asked Luna, picking up the photo of Fiona Carrophs.
"Uh…that's a picture of…" and the excitement of the revelation overtook Dean as he explained everything to Luna.
She nodded, listened quietly and didn't ask any questions until Dean finished.
"Wow, and you think this is all a setup? That someone's been planning this all along and that's why you met Dirk Cresswell who told you all about Theodore Smith?" asked Luna mildly, "That is very interesting."
"And now, well I don't know what to believe."
"Well, maybe we can think about this together, two heads is better then one."
"You know what Luna? I think that's a good idea," replied Dean, "But we better go to dinner first."
"Yes," said Luna, "Did I forget to tell you that it was dinner time?"
After placing everything in his bag, Dean slipped off his rock and began to walk back to the cottage.
"Ouch!" said Luna suddenly.
"What is it?" asked Dean.
"I think a Wrackspurt bit me on the foot!" she said, pointing at her bleeding foot.
'More likely you stood on something sharp,' thought Dean.
"Hang on," said Dean, "Put your hand on my shoulder, we better check your foot first."
Luna placed her hand lightly on Dean's shoulder as Dean bent down and picked up her foot.
"You're not ticklish are you?" he asked.
"Actually," giggled Luna, "I am very ticklish, but I'll try not to laugh."
The left side of her foot had been pierced deeply by something sharp and was bleeding non-stop, the blood had already been smeared over half of her foot.
"Er," said Dean, "I think you had better avoid walking, there are only a few more metres till the cottage, why don't you let me carry you?"
"Yes alright," she said, with some effort to suppress her laughter.
Dean turned around, Luna's face was screwed up, her mouth squeezed shut and she looked as if she had just eaten a slug. Dean began laughing and at once Luna couldn't stop.
"I'm s-s-s-sorry," she said through bouts of laughter, "I'm very ticklish."
"Okay Luna, put your arms around my neck," said Dean after he finished laughing. He bent down and felt Luna's arms curl around his neck, soft, gentle arms, arms that he hadn't expected and with a sudden jolt of realisation, arms that he had wanted to feel ever since he broke up with Ginny. Tentatively, he lifted Luna from the ground and as he did so, he felt Luna's face rest against his, so that they were touching cheek-to-cheek.
Luna sighed.
Dean hurried to the cottage. Once they entered he placed Luna onto the couch.
"Vat eez it?" asked Fleur who had hurried from the dining table, where she had sat with Bill.
"It's her foot, it's bleeding, and quite a lot."
Fleur took out her wand and tapped it gently on Luna's foot. It stopped bleeding immediately and began healing.
"Dere, dat should do eet," she said, before returning to the table.
"Sorry we're late for dinner," said Dean.
"Oh no, don't be," said Bill, "Ron and them haven't even come down yet."
Luna and Dean took their seats at the table side by side.
"Thank you for carrying me Dean," said Luna conversationally, "It reminded me of daddy carrying me when I was young."
"Oh, yeah, you're welcome," Dean mumbled.
"Speaking of which, do you know how your father is right now?" asked Bill, biting into a rather bloody piece of meat.
"I think daddy will be alright, we were planning to go to Poland to find some Blibbering Humdingers during the Summer holidays and he wouldn't miss anything for that," said Luna confidently.
-
Thankfully the nightmares left Dean alone for a night and he was able to sleep. The next morning he woke up later than usual and the living room was already deserted of the other inhabitants. Ron, Harry and Hermione had locked themselves in Griphook's room the moment they had woken up. It seemed like the importance of what they were discussing had increased threefold over the night. Luna was also busy, but she was busy testing her new wand which Ollivander had sent her.
"Ohhh, look!" she cried as she picked it up and blue sparks shot out of the tip.
"Yes – it's very nice," said Dean who missed his own wand which had been taken away by the Snatchers.
"Don't look so glum," said Luna, handing him her wand, "You can have a wave if you want."
"No – No thank you," Dean declined.
"Ok," she said, then her eyes lit up, "Come, Dean, I want to show you something, it will cheer you up."
She ran up the stairs and Dean followed, wondering if she was going to show him a Wrackspurt or something. But it turned out to be something completely different.
She held up a sketch that she had done – of Dean.
"It's beautiful," was the only thing Dean managed to say.
"I hope you like it," said Luna, and she placed the tip of her wand onto the sketch and at once colour spread from the point of contact so that the picture was now coloured in a way that brought it to life, like the Dean in the picture was a thinking, feeling being. Then Luna began to trace the outline of Dean with a golden line. When Dean walked closer, he realised that itwas actually a string of words saying, "friends, friends, friends, friends…"
"I paint pictures of all my friends," said Luna happily, "If you come to my house one day, I'll show you, and I'll stick this one up too." She held up the finished portrait to show Dean.
-
The next day Griphook, Harry, Hermione and Ron were nowhere to be found.
"Vere hav' zay gone?" asked Fleur crossly.
"My guess is they went to Gringotts," said Bill quietly.
They were eating dinner, the table was much less crowded and each of them was seated on one side.
"Zay VAT?" exploded Fleur, "But don't zay know dat it eez not safe?"
"I believe in Harry," said Luna simply as if she was listening to a different conversation.
When Fleur gave her a sharp look across the table, Dean quickly added, "Harry knows what he's doing, besides Griphook's with them right?"
"Exactly," said Bill rather worriedly.
Dean understood, he wouldn't exactly trust his life with Griphook either.
It was after dinner, when they were washing the dishes when Dean suddenly felt a warm sensation radiating from the back of his jeans. For one crazy moment, Dean thought someone had touched him, then he heard Luna cry, "Oh!" beside him, and she quickly dried her hands and took out a galleon from her pocket.
Then Dean realised.
He dried his hands too and fished out the galleon from his back jean pocket. It was warm in his hands and the message on the galleon made Dean's heart leap.
Finally.
"Finally," whispered Luna next to him, "Neville's sent the message."
Both of them ran out of the kitchen to where Bill and Fleur were sitting huddled together in front of the fire. Both were reading books.
"Harry's returned to Hogwarts!" the words burst out of Dean's mouth.
"He what?" asked Bill, propping his book down.
"He's at Hogwarts and he wants us to fight!" cried Luna, as if her dream had come true.
"Now?" asked Fleur, as she stood up.
"Yes," said Dean, adrenaline pumping through his veins, "Neville sent us the message, we knew the moment Harry returned to Hogwarts, it would mean rebellion," he finished, looking at Luna, who nodded in support.
"But 'ow vill you get zere?" Fleur countered, "Der ar' Death Eaters zere."
"Neville knows a secret passageway through the Hog's Head, we're to apparate straight there so that none of the Death Eaters at Hogsmeade can catch us," explained Luna quickly, handing her galleon to Bill so that he could read the message.
"Well, this rebellion, wouldn't it mean that You-Know-Who's going to assemble his Death Eaters there?" asked Bill, flipping over the galleon, with a worried expression on his face.
"Vell, now zat 'Arry is zere, he vill definitely," said Fleur sourly.
"Then Harry's in a lot of danger right now," said Bill, handing the galleon back to Dean, "I think we better go and get Harry out of Hogwarts quick."
"No!" said Dean rather more forcefully than he intended, "I mean, no. Harry said Professor Dumbledore left him a job, well this might be it. If Harry's going to get rid of You-Know-Who then I'm going to be there and do whatever I can to help."
Dean now looked at Bill with an almost accusative glare, he knew that the members of the Order would be the last people to disregard Dumbledore's dying wish.
"I – well, I…I suppose I better contact the Order then, to help" said Bill.
"Vat?!" asked Fleur, unbelievably, as her husband gave in, "But Dean, you do not 'ave a vand!"
"That – that can be solved," mumbled Dean, who could find no solutions at all.
"Dean can share mine," said Luna, good-naturedly.
Fleur blinked.
"Alright you two," said Bill as he produced two silver wolves. For a moment their glowing silver coats enlivened the small cottage, and Fleur suddenly looked somewhat relaxed as the atmosphere changed spontaneously.
Bill caught Dean's curious expression and whispered in his ear, "They were wolves before I was bitten. Ahem," he said, now straightening up and turning to Luna as well, "if Harry wants you then you better be off, and be careful, we'll join you shortly. The Hog's Head, did you say?"
Dean and Luna nodded.
"Ok," he said, making a mental note and dispatching one of the wolves to his great aunt's and the other to Tonks and Lupin, "Fleur you better get ready too."
He was answered by the sound of footsteps stomping up the stairs.
Bill winked at them.
Dean and Luna ran out the door of the cottage and Luna's face shone in the moonlight as they stepped into the night air. Together the two ran till they passed the boundaries of the Fidelius Charm, then they both took each other's hand. Dean could hear Luna's voice softly counting, "One…two…three…" and the world swam around them.
It felt good to be returning to Hogwarts at last.