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Luna leant against the rocks by the seaside close to Shell Cottage, watching Dean try his hand at skipping stones as they had nothing else to do.
“Dean? Do you miss anyone at the school?” She called, curious. This was the first time she had been able to spend time with the Gryffindor, and wanted to know more about him. Especially because he was a good friend and roommate of Neville’s.
“Hmm?” Dean turned back to her, the stone that he had just thrown landing with a silent splash in the water. “Oh, well.” He shrugged, turning back. “Yeah, I miss loads of people. Have since the summer.”
“Really? Like who?” She asked, sitting up.
“You know, loads of people. All my friends.” Dean tried to wave it away but Luna caught a strange tone in his voice.
“Like who?” She repeated, standing up to look Dean in the face.
“Well, like Harry and them, though they aren’t at Hogwarts, are they?” He paused and looked at Shell Cottage where Harry, Hermione and Ron were holed up in doing who knew what. “I also miss Neville, Ginny and the other girls in Gryffindor. And of course, I miss…”
Dean trailed off and Luna cocked her head to the side, looking at him carefully.
“Who?”
“I miss Seamus. Of course I’d miss him.” He started to mutter, thinking he was quiet enough that Luna wouldn’t hear. “I’ve missed him since our last kiss. Since August.”
“Kiss?” She asked innocently, watching Dean jump about a foot in the air, his entire body stiffening.
“Wh-what?”
“You said kiss. Are you two together?” She asked curious.
“I-wh-you. You weren’t supposed to hear that!” He stammered before crying out.
“Sorry, but you were still pretty loud to me. But please, tell me?” She asked.
Dean seemed to battle within himself before sighing and he nodded, sitting by the rock Luna had been resting by.
Dean told her about his struggles with his friendship with Seamus over the years and with his own sexualities.
“I don’t know. I just look at Seamus and I see this guy who is so fantastic and funny and attractive, but then I look at girls like Ginny or Lavender or Padma and feel attracted to them too.” He told her, shaking his head. “But I thought Seamus would never give me the time of day when I told him back in third year. And yet, last year…” He recounted the last day of school and they had hooked up then.
“That sounds very sweet. I’m happy for you and him.” Luna smiled and all the worry that was held in Dean’s eyes melted.
“Re-really? You don’t think I’m a freak for liking a guy?” His voice dropped to a whisper, as if someone would overhear them.
She shook her head. “Of course not. I find myself thinking the same thing about some of the girls I know. And about boys.” She shrugged. “I don’t think it matters who you like, as long as you really care for them.”
She smiled at him, thinking about Neville as she said that.
“You sound wistful, Luna. Every time we get on the topic of Seamus and the others back at school, you get a little more strange than usual.” Dean told her.
“Hmm, I guess I do. But it is understandable. You had always gotten that way when we talk about the DA, though now it makes more sense.”
“So you like someone also? Who?”
Luna bit her lip as she thought about how to say it, before smiling and replying.
“I kissed Neville the last day I was at school.”
Dean straightened and looked at Luna closely.
“You finally got with Neville?” He asked and Luna blinked.
“Finally?”
Dean rolled his eyes. “Neville’s been pining for you since last year. He would talk about you a lot before going to sleep. I thought he was never going to get the guts to ask you, much less kiss you.”
“Well, I was the one who kissed him. We were under Nargle-infested mistletoe. It was actually very sweet.” Luna smiled at the memory and somehow found her hand over her lips.
She was so into her thoughts she barely saw Dean mouth “Nargles?” with a strange look that was normally followed by the question of her sanity.
It soon became a theme, every other day Dean and Luna would have time on their hands together and would talk about Neville and Seamus and Hogwarts. They would talk about their hopes to see them again, their worries and anything in between.
It was the night after Harry and the others left Shell Cottage when the two felt their fake Coins warm up and found the message:
Harry’s back. You told me to tell you two about it if it ever happens.~N
Not long after Luna and Dean read that message another message appeared.
Anyone who wants to help Harry should come to the Hog’s Head and see Aberforth. This is going to be big.~Ginny
The two looked at each other before going off to speak to Bill and Fleur.