Not an Ordinary Biscuit
***WARNING: DH SPOILERS***
Challenge Fifteen: Deathly Hallows Missing Scenes
Title: Not an Ordinary Biscuit
Author: sshg316
Wizard/Witch: Dean Thomas/Luna Lovegood
Rating/Warnings: G/PG
Genre: Romance/Whimsy
Word count: 1468
DH Chapter: Chapter Twenty-Six: Gringotts
Summary: A bit of wand practice and a conversation draw two unlikely people closer together.
“Wingardium Leviosa!”
Luna watched as the small pebble levitated into the air, the late afternoon sun reflecting off its smooth, polished surface. Feeling quite pleased with the responsiveness of her new wand, she allowed the pebble to slowly fall back to earth.
It was so nice of Mr. Ollivander to send her a replacement wand. She had grown quite fond of the elderly wandmaker during their time in the Malfoy dungeon. She would have to add his face to her “portrait of friends” on her bedroom ceiling when she returned home ….
The small smile fell from her lips as she thought of home. She had no home anymore. It was gone, destroyed, yet another casualty of this senseless war. Luna knew she should be grateful that her father was alive and well, even if he was in… in… oh, it was too horrible to even consider! She blinked back tears. Crying would not help matters any; it never did. No use crying over spilt pumpkin juice, love, the memory of her mother reminded her.
Luna straightened and sniffed once before returning to her wand practice.
“Maybe you should try something harder now,” said a voice, causing Luna to jump slightly. Lost in her own thoughts, she had forgotten Dean was watching.
Turning to face him, she cocked her head at his forlorn expression. She knew he missed his own wand and was probably feeling a bit out of sorts now that she had a new one, and he did not. Looking at him, though, she sensed a bit more than just envy. She recognized the melancholy in his dark eyes. She nodded. Yes, she knew that feeling well.
“Hmm. Perhaps you’re right,” she said serenely. “Expecto Patronum!” Rather than the silver hare that she had come to expect, she only managed a small wisp of smoke. Frowning, she tried it again. “Expecto Patronum!” Again, only a few silvery strands appeared before fading into nothing. With a sigh, Luna lowered her wand and sat down on the lawn next to Dean.
“Kind of hard to think of a happy thought, yeah?” Dean asked as he stared at the small expanse of green grass in front of them.
She gave him a small, sad smile. “Yes.” She looked down and saw that he was holding something in his hands. “Is that a picture?” she asked curiously.
Dean cleared his throat and looked down at the worn photograph, the edges a bit torn and the paper slightly wrinkled, most likely from residing in his pocket. He appeared to be embarrassed - or maybe he just wasn’t comfortable around her; most people weren’t, so it wouldn’t be surprising to her if that were the case.
“Yeah. It’s my family.”
“May I see it?” she asked.
He shrugged and handed her the picture.
Luna watched his face as her fingers grasped the photo and then lowered her gaze to the picture. She smiled at the Muggle photograph. “Your parents and sisters. Where were you?”
He shrugged again. “Hogwarts, I suppose.”
“You have a lovely family, Dean.”
He mumbled, “Thanks,” as Luna returned the picture to him. They sat in silence for a moment before he spoke again. “I miss them. I haven’t seen them since last summer. I thought it was safer for them if I wasn’t around.”
She already knew that Dean had been hiding when he was caught by the Snatchers, but she hadn’t realized he’d been away from home for so long. He probably missed his friends who were stuck at Hogwarts, too, especially his best friend, Seamus. Harry and Ron were here, of course, but they were too busy planning something to be much company. Here at Shell Cottage, Dean had to feel as lonely as she did.
Thinking he might feel better if he talked about his family, Luna asked, “Tell me about them?”
His long fingers plucked a blade of grass, toying with it as he considered her question. A brief smile appeared as he began to speak. Dean obviously loved his stepsisters, regaling her with stories of their childhood antics. He spoke with quiet adoration of his mum, respect towards the man he called “Dad.” They were a happy family, and Dean’s pained expression told her that he felt responsible for putting them in any sort of danger.
Luna waited patiently as he paused for a moment. Dean’s smile had slipped from his face, and his gaze was fixed at some unknown point in the distance.
“I never knew my real dad. I think he might have been a wizard - my mum said some things that make me wonder. I don’t have any proof of that, though. Just a feeling, I guess. I don’t know what happened to him. He abandoned us. Probably out living it up somewhere, I suppose.” Suddenly, he stopped short. “I’ve never told anyone that before. Not even Seamus.” He sounded surprised and even a bit accusatory.
Luna merely blinked at him, her gaze holding his as she tilted her head to one side. “That’s all right. People tell me things all the time. I’m a good listener.” Dean seemed to relax a little. Wishing to reassure him, Luna asked, “Would you like to see a picture of my family?”
“You have one?”
“Of course, I do. Everyone has a family.” Would he catch the joke, she wondered, or would he chalk it up to her being Loony Luna and just ignore it?
Dean cleared his throat. “I meant a picture. Do you have a picture with you?”
Luna felt a pang of disappointment, but smiled anyway. It was nothing new, but she had hoped…. She pulled out her necklace from under her shirt, pointed her wand at the largest of the butterbeer corks and said, “Finite Incantatem.” The piece of cork immediately transformed into a rolled up photograph. With gentle fingers, Luna straightened out the aged picture and handed it to Dean.
“See? That’s my dad,” she said proudly, pointing to the white-haired, cross-eyed man. “And this is my mum.” She smiled as she stared at the beautiful witch who was waving at them happily, her other hand resting on the shoulder of a grinning nine-year-old Luna. “Isn’t she lovely?”
Dean continued to stare at the image. “Yeah. She’s really very pretty. What - what happened to her?”
“She died,” Luna murmured as Dean handed her back the picture. “She was an extraordinary witch, you know. She loved Charms. One day, one of them just went wrong. I miss her terribly, but at least I still have my -”
The reminder of just where Luna’s dad was at that moment hung in the air, a stark reminder of the world outside their temporary haven.
“He never remarried, your dad?” Dean asked suddenly.
Luna smiled wistfully. “No. I asked him once why he never did, and he said it was because he’d already had his chocolate éclair.” She could tell her seemingly nonsensical statement had confused Dean, but given his earlier acceptance of her odd attempt at a joke, she didn’t think -
“What in the world are you talking about?”
Luna grinned from ear to ear. “I like you, Dean Thomas.”
He looked at her as if she’d grown a horn out of the top of her head, but Luna didn’t mind.
“Daddy said that there are lots of people in the world, and most are like ordinary biscuits in a tin. Oh, they might be a bit different… some are shortbread, some are ginger, some might even have a bit of toffee. In the end, though, they’re still just biscuits. He said most people count themselves lucky to find a really, really good one. Then, he looked me straight in the eye - that’s always a bit disconcerting because he only he has the one good eye - and he said, ‘Your mum, though. She wasn’t an ordinary biscuit. She was a chocolate éclair. After having that, an ordinary biscuit just won’t do.’”
Luna glanced up at Dean; he was staring at her as if she were some sort of puzzle.
“You aren’t at all what I thought,” he said before a wide smile lit up his face. “I don’t know if you’re a chocolate éclair, but you’re definitely not an ordinary biscuit.” He looked at her in mock concentration. “Maybe a treacle tart.”
Luna smiled back at him. He had teased her! “I do like you, Dean Thomas,” she said earnestly.
Dean continued to grin at her as he grabbed her hand and squeezed lightly. He seemed uncertain for a moment, but then he leaned towards her and placed a small kiss upon her cheek. “I like you, too, Luna Lovegood.”
A few minutes later, the two friends watched hand-in-hand as a silver hare bounced across the back lawn of Shell Cottage.
Author's Notes: I took notes as I read the book, and I jotted down this idea of a conversation between Luna and Dean as soon as I read this chapter. Thanks to deemichelle and minuet99 for the encouragement, and to subvers for being such a great friend and cheerleader.
Proof-reader: subvers