AN: For LA, hope this makes you feel a whole lot better!

135- "I am NOT allowed to paint the house elves blue."

Theodore Nott and Luna Lovegood

Thursday Morning

Theodore pulled Luna aside the moment she skipped out of the Great Hall early in the morning.

Gasping, she turned and smiled. "Good morning to you too!" she said dreamily, distracted blue eyes looking up at him without blinking, making the Slytherin pull his hand away and frown.

"We're behind, Loo-Lovegood," he said, crossing his arms, green eyes looking serious. After all, Theodore Nott was the most serious Slytherin in Hogwarts and rarely could one see him smiling – actually, he never smiled.

"Oh, Theodore. Take a deep breath and let it out. Wrackspurts are in your brain..." she whispered, her small palm going to his cold forehead. He looked at her strangely.

He had no idea why Luna 'Loony' Lovegood liked touching him. Ever since they had left the Room of Requirement they would just coincidently be in the same hallway and she would skip towards him and talk silly nonsense about those strange magical creatures and find a way to touch him. He would take a step back, turn around and leave her there, speaking to herself.

But she would never pout and frown when she'd see him again, so he was relieved; he had enough pouts and frowns from Daphne. But it made him feel bad for leaving her alone.

Theo removed her hand gently. "It's almost Saturday, Lovegood, and if we don't do our challenge we won't get the Weird Sisters tickets so if you have the paint ready then I will relax and if not then I guess I'll get an early grave." He smirked.

But Luna looked serious and didn't find it amusing, which wiped Theodore's smirk from his face. "I was joking, Loo-Lovegood," he told her, rolling his eyes.

She smiled. "Really? I didn't find it funny, you dying." Her eyes looked sad and then before he could say anything she took his scarred hand and pulled him in the direction of the kitchens.

...

"This means you did get the paint?" he asked her as he let go of her hand, feeling it was too intimate for him.

Luna smiled up at him. "Of course I did, silly. Daddy knows I love to paint and quickly sent me some!" She grabbed his hand once again and led him to a broom closet.

"You know, Lovegood, just because we're partners doesn't mean we have to snog or anythi-" He stopped talking when she opened the door and showed him a blue paint bucket.

"I couldn't keep it in my dorm – Nargles like to steal my things and I thought a broom closet was the safest place for the paint," she explained, picking up the bucket and two paintbrushes. "Besides, I prefer candy."

And without waiting for a response she walked towards the kitchens, her long hair covering her blush.

Theodore blinked. She preferred candy over snogging him?

Shaking his head he followed her to the kitchens.

...

The kitchens were where the house elves stayed and there were a lot of them.

"I don't think one bucket will be enough..." he said, looking at the elves and then turning to Luna. He took the bucket and placed it on a table. Taking his wand out he pointed it at the bucket and made at least another ten buckets of blue paint appear. "We have to hurry and paint them all, this doesn't last very long." Theodore gave her a bucket.

"Here." He gave her a Prefect badge. "Borrowed it from Pansy." More like he took it when she wasn't paying attention. "Put it on." After seeing that Luna was looking at him with confused and distracted eyes, he told her, "It's going to help us with the challenge, Lovegood." He sighed, putting on Draco's Prefect badge.

Both walked towards the elves that were busy making breakfast for the Hogwarts students.

Theo cleared his throat. "If I could everyone's attention," he said in a commanding voice, making the elves stop what they were doing and look up at him with their wide eyes.

"We have been assigned to paint all of you blue in celebration for Ravenclaw winning the first Quidditch game of the year. This will go on, depending which house wins," Theodore explained, face serious, tone strong, not betraying one hint that he was lying.

Luna didn't even blink. It seemed that the Wrackspurts were doing something good with his brain.

The elves believed him and one by one came to Theodore and Luna, excited to participate in the joy of the Ravenclaws winning their first game.

It was amusing for Theodore, painting the house elves blue, and once in a while he would look at Lovegood. The tip of her tongue stuck out in concentration as she delicately painted the elves and she would look up, feeling him looking at her, which only made him look down to hide the flush of his cheeks and concentrate on finishing his task.

He had to admit, even though she said insane things she was pretty when one took the time to actually look at her.

...

Theodore was so immersed in painting the last elf that he was caught off guard when he felt something cold and wet on his cheek. Looking up he was met with a smiling Luna who was holding a dripping paintbrush. "Blue makes your emerald eyes stand out, Theo."

The elf Dobby finished his own foot that needed paint and continued to fix breakfast.

Theo stood up, towering over the petite Ravenclaw, his brush in hand. "Really? Well I think your hair can do with some blue highlights." The brush streaked over her hair; Luna gasped.

Theodore smiled.

She walked close to him until only a few inches separated them and painted his neck, covering his scars. She smiled back, then giggled.

He didn't stop smiling as he painted her nose. Both began a paint fight, covering each other in blue paint and going so far that Theodore laughed out loud.

Theodore's blue hand wrapped around her small blue wrist and pulled her to his chest as his other hand wrapped around her back, smudging her robes. He smiled down at her. Luna blinked for what seemed the first time that morning as Theo leaned towards her so that their noses were brushing against each other. Their blue lips were so close, almost touching.

The door opened.

"What have you done!?" Hermione exclaimed, horrified at the sight of the painted elves.

The moment was broken. Theo's hands left Luna as if he had been burned and he took several steps back, turning to glare at Granger.

Keeping her eyes away from Theodore, Luna answered, "Doing our challenge, of course."

"We is celebrating the Ravenclaws' win!" Dobby exclaimed, happily walking towards Hermione who looked slightly less horrified.

Hermione swallowed. "You look like a Smurf..."

"Oh, Hermione, everyone knows Smurfs don't exist." Luna giggled.

Theodore looked confused. What the bloody hell was a Smurf?

Hermione shook her head at Luna and then at Theodore. She took out the glass jar and made it bigger, placing a Chocolate Frog inside, not even aware that she had interrupted Luna's first kiss.

"You'd better clean this mess before McGonagall or Snape find out," Hermione warned them.

And with that she left a confused and perplexed Theodore and an amused and disappointed Luna.

AN: A big thanks to my beta Caz for deleting my repeated words! And please review, I do take your challenges into consideration!