Emerald Moon

Chapter 19 - Shell Cottage

Luna didn't recognise the young woman staring back at her in the mirror. She supposed it had been a blessing to not see the extent of decline her body had gone through these past months. But she now understood both Harry's and Dean's shocked expressions when Ron's Deluminator had given light on her situation, literally. It had only been after burying Dobby and sipping up a warm cup of broth from Fleur, that she had managed to go into the bathroom to clean herself up.

She had carefully peeled off her clothes and had only caught a glimpse of herself before spending a long while under the hot water, scrubbing every inch of herself until her skin felt raw. Fleur had taken her clothes away to be washed and laid down some of her own clothes for Luna to wear. But standing naked in front of the mirror, she had time to reflect on her condition. The grime had certainly hid part of the damage.

Now two enormous pale blue eyes stared back at her from deep sockets. Her cheeks were gaunt, making her high cheekbones stand out. Her nose too seemed somehow more pronounced. Her skin deathly white with a greyish tint. Her regular slim body, now was skeletal. She reminded herself of a Thestral, which was the only humorous thing she could think off. Her hair was a matted mess of wild white blonde strands and she had tried to shampoo and condition it as much as she could. Combing it would be the next challenge.

She had just slipped on Fleur's jeans and blue sweater that hung heavy on her shoulders, when there was a knock on the bathroom door. It was Fleur, who looked her up and down. Luna was grateful there was no pity of the woman's face but rather determination.

"Come on cherie. I will 'elp you with zat." She said and led Luna downstairs to the kitchen dining table. Bill was busy stirring soup on the stove, with Dean sitting by the window. He was covered in bandages and was wearing one of Bill's jumpers. He looked up when they walked in and gave her a small smile. She felt his dark eyes assessing her and was suddenly reminded of Blaise's dark gaze. It sent a shiver down her spine.

Fleur set her down on a chair and pushed a bowl of soup with a slice of warm bread towards her.
"Eat. We need to get your strength back. I'll fix thees." She said and produced an elegant silver brush.

As Luna started to take small spoonfuls of soup, Fleur meticulously started to tackle the tangles in her hair. She was both gentle and firm and tried to make the difficult process as painless as possible. Her own long silver blonde hair cascaded down her back, shimmering in the light. Luna wondered whether this was what having an older sister felt like. As if reading her mind, Fleur started to tell her stories about her sister Gabrielle. Luna particularly enjoyed her recount of a time when a chocolate frog and toffee had tangled themselves in her sister's hair and Fleur had watched their mother Apolline tried to get all the candy out as her sister sobbed.

Dean, who had remained quiet, watching their process, snickered at this. He had four younger sisters and joined in to tell stories about hair mishaps at muggle schools, most involving bubblegum. And for the first time, in a long time, Luna felt her spirits lighten. It wasn't the same as the relief she had felt when escaping Malfoy Manor, nor when she had heard that Blaise was alright. No, she actually felt joy bubbling inside her and laughed. It sounded a bit rough to her own ears, but she would treasure that sound nonetheless. Dean, Fleur and Bill joined in her laughter and with it even the kitchen seemed brighter.

Once done, Fleur left to help Hermione and tend to Griphook and Ollivander more thoroughly, while Bill prepared dinner. He extracted as much information as he could from Dean and Luna while giving them grim reports on the state of the wizarding world.
Luna was relieved to hear that Ginny was safe. Her friend, with the rest of her family, had gone into hiding after Easter. There was of course no way to ask about the Zabini family, so instead she tried to discern as much as possible from accounts that Neville managed to get through to the Order. She felt a surge of pride on how he was coping alone at Hogwarts. Gone was the insecure boy that had fumbled his way into becoming her friend. Now his bravery was irreplaceable to the war effort.