And I feel

All the faint morning light

Draco Malfoy was sitting at the edge of the grand bed. The dawn light was coming in through the window, highlighting the dark circles under his light eyes. He took a moment to appreciate the dawn; he was always thankful when the night was over and done with. He'd had enough of the darkness in his young life.

Draco took his attention away from the early morning sun. Instead, he brought his gaze to the young woman resting in his bed. Despite having seen horrors of her own, Luna never feared the night. He smoothed a hand over her light blonde hair, wondering if she ever feared anything. She always seemed so comfortable with the world.

At his touch, Luna's brilliant eyes opened. He couldn't help but smile at the sight of her. She reached a dainty hand up to brush against his cheeks and under the bruised pockets of his eyes.

"Did you sleep last night?" She asked, her voice still filled with sleep.

Draco didn't answer but she saw his reply anyway.

Luna reached her hand around his wrist, pulling him so that he was lying next to her. She wrapped her arms around him, and he held her small body. Somehow, he felt more protected in her presence than he had in all of his years. There was something so indescribably Luna that could banish his fears and bring him to peace, even in his worst hours.

He tucked his head into the crook of her neck, feeling her pulse against his nose. She ran her fingers across his head, down to the top of his spine. He felt his eyes grow heavy at the soothing motion.

"Sleep, my Draco," Luna hummed. "Dream beautiful dreams."

Draco bit back a yawn, and settled into slumber. He dreamed beautiful dreams of her.

Filled with hope

Cause you're here in my life

Draco's eyes flared open, breath coming in heavy gasps. He pulled himself up into a sitting position, one hand splaying across his chest to make sure he could still feel a beating heart there. The organ pulsated under his palm. Draco dropped his head, his light blond hair obscuring his vision as he tried to compose himself. He drew a long, ragged breath before realizing he was trembling.

His nightmare came back to him; the dark flashes of the war breaking free of his memory. It had all seemed so real again. He felt as though he should be waking in Malfoy Manor, the Dark Lord just a room away. He felt as though he should be waking in the Slytherin common room after a night of agonizing over his task; a night of planning murder. He felt as though he should be opening his eyes at the battle of Hogwarts, the dead strewn around him as though their lives hadn't mattered.

But those lives had mattered. It had all mattered.

A sob escaped him before he could stop it. He tried to bite back the emotions; forget about the terror of those years.

The soft sounds of footsteps alerted him to Luna's presence. She didn't say a word as she brought him to her. She held him close again and Draco grabbed the front of her shirt, needing to feel that she was real. This was no dream; no nightmare. Luna was real, and for better or worse, the war was over. He would never have to go back to that place again.

Luna tucked her smaller hand into his, leading him into a standing position. Draco didn't resist her – he never could. She pulled him along next to her as she skipped down the hallway and he wondered where they were going. Luna looked over her shoulder as though she had heard his thoughts. She smiled; her grin captivating.

Though his hands still shook, and though his heart was still beating wildly, reckless adrenaline in his veins, he had to smile back at her.

Luna had brought him to their back deck. It was summer, though it wasn't late enough in the day to be hot, the air was still heavy with what the day promised to bring. They stood at the railing of the deck, looking out over the emerald fields; the trees swaying in the light breeze. The sun's rays lit up their faces. Luna leaned, cupping a flower from the box in her palm.

She took in the sweet scent. "Isn't it beautiful, Draco?"

Draco took a deep breath – in and out – and felt the tension leaking out of his limbs. He put an arm around Luna's shoulders and smelled the flowers for himself. Yes. The world was beautiful. Life was beautiful. Everything was wonderful. Even through the darkness and the suffering, there was still wonder left to be found in the universe.

He laid a kiss on Luna's temple. He's not sure what would have become of him if he didn't have her with him. She saw everything that he didn't; the natural magic in the world, the simple innocence of a summer wind. She was everything he thought he would never see again after the war; she was his hope.

And we've gone

Made it back to a place we call home

It's been a year since Voldemort was defeated. It's been a year of nightmare, of struggle, of rebuilding lives, and trying to find what good there was left. It's been a year of tears, of grieving, of loss, and of new beginnings.

Draco walked into Hogwarts on the dreadful anniversary, Luna at his side being uncharacteristically solemn. The dark walls are haunted with the final breaths of those who never made it home, who never got to experience life after Voldemort. He can hear the screams echoing in his head; can see the bright flashes of spells across his eyelids. He squeezed Luna's hand so tightly he's afraid he's going to break it.

They made it to Great Hall where the survivors have gathered to remember, together. It's crowded, but it's not nearly crowded enough. Draco may not have known every person who died that night, may not know every single absence in this hall, but he could feel them. He could see the tiny spaces where one more woman might have sat, a man may have stood, or a student could have crouched. He can see the spaces lives could have filled, if given a chance to live.

He and Luna took seats near the front. She wanted to sit next to Potter and his gang – her friends. Draco has no one left here he wishes to talk to; he had cut off contact with everyone from his former life. He doesn't think it matters; none of them wished to speak to him either. Most of the Slytherins from his year didn't come anyway. Most didn't stay and fight, never ran the risk of losing their lives for the greater good. As Slytherins, they stood behind Death Eater parents more often than not.

If he was going to be honest, he's not entirely sure why he came, but he felt as though he owed the world something. He's not sure what it is but he's going to spend his life atoning for choices that were never his to make, a life he was never able to control.

He sat quietly as McGonagall gives a speech, followed by Potter. He couldn't look the dark haired boy in the eye, instead choosing to stare at his own shoes. Saint Potter, who he couldn't bring himself to hate; Potter, who made every right choice to every wrong one of Draco's. Potter, who Draco is grateful for, if only because he ended Voldemort before anything happened to his Luna.

He held the blonde in his arms as she cried, the memories of Hogwarts overwhelming them. It's not school memories of too many hours holed up in the library, or a laugh of there was this Ravenclaw in my potions class who singed his eyebrows off every day. It's the memories of the end of innocence; of blood spilled on ancient floors and the harrowing fight for life. It's the cry in the dead of night when the past rears its ugly head again, bringing them back to the time of people and conversations, not headstones.

When the ceremonies are over, and the condolences and catch-ups have all been said, it came time for Draco to leave. Luna walked with him toward the main doors. Draco remembered when Hogwarts was the answer to his dreams: here he would learn to be great, brave, and courageous; here he would find his niche and here would spend seven years of his life building connections, finding a home in the hearts of friends that he had never quite had in the cold walls of Malfoy Manor.

He had been so ignorant in his youth.

But then again, he had already known that home was not a place, but a person.

He just never would have guessed it would be a dreamy Ravenclaw.

You see me through

I was alone in the dark and the fear was my truth

He remembered the first time he had an actual conversation with Looney Lovegood (that's what she still was to him then). It was more than just their usual interactions which consisted of sneers, inappropriate jokes, and sometimes juvenile violence; Crabbe and Goyle had tripped her down the stairs multiple times at his command. He had never been nice to the younger girl who talked to herself and yapped about fanciful creatures – even more so than Hagrid, though he hadn't thought it possible.

He had been sitting down by the lake. It was away from prying eyes and prying ears. It was away from Pansy Parkinson and the rest of his oafish gang. He was sick of being their Slytherin Prince. He was sick of how they whispered behind his back. He was sick of having to wear his sleeves down because, even in the Slytherin dorms, no one would look at him with the Dark Lord's emblem displayed so poignantly.

So he was sitting by the lake, looking at the water lapping the shore, shirtless. He could have easily rolled up his sleeves but he had felt the inexplicable need to rebel. Thus, his sweater was hanging somewhere in the tree above him. He had no way to hide the mark now; no way to disguise the path he was on. He had his hands knitted in the grass around him and was actively trying to forget his thoughts when Looney Lovegood appeared.

She was talking to the giant squid, though the creature wasn't anywhere in sight. He scoffed. She was crazier than anyone gave her credit for. His small noise attracted her attention. She turned around and smiled at him. Against his conscious judgment, Draco had admitted to himself that she was quite pretty, even with radishes hanging from her ears.

"Hello, Draco."

"Get lost, Looney."

She hadn't gotten lost. She had stood there and pondered his words, staring into the leafy boughs of the trees. "I think," she said slowly, "you're the one who's lost."

"I'm not lost," Draco ground out, irritably.

"I didn't say you knew you were lost," Luna explained. She met his eyes. "Would you like to talk about it, Draco?"

He looked away from her.

"It helps to talk, you know," she continued. He didn't answer her, hoping she would get the hint and leave. She didn't. She sat next to him, nearly touching his tattooed arm. Draco curled the design into himself, hiding it against his stomach.

They sat in silence, he hoping she would leave.

"Do you see the sun, Draco?" She asked him out of the blue.

"It would be kind of hard to miss, Looney."

She laughed; it was light and airy and he resented how soft it seemed to be. "No, no," she corrected. "I know that you know it's there, but do you see it?"

"You're not supposed to stare into the sun," Draco said, rebuking her.

Luna only smiled at his response. "You know very well that's not what I meant," she chided. "You aren't stupid, Mr. Malfoy. I think you need to see the sun, and I think you know it too."

She stood up, clearing grass from her school skirt. Draco watched her do so, glad she was leaving. He didn't like how she treated him with familiarity, or how she seemed to understand his thoughts without him having to tell her what they were. Luna towered above him for a moment, her hair glowing in the noonday light. She leaned down, and he froze, surprised at the contact. She touched his arm, his marked arm, and he sucked in a breath. Luna turned it over, exposing the marred skin.

She ran a finger gently across the Dark Mark before replacing it against his body. He could feel the warmth of her finger on a place that had felt cold for so long now. Luna put her lips against his ear.

"Darkness is a gift, too, but you cannot have darkness without light." Impulsively, it seemed, she kissed his forehead. "Don't get lost in the darkness, Draco!"

She skipped away.

Draco looked into the sun until he thought he would go blind.

I don't own anything recognizable. The song is All That You Are by Goo Goo Dolls. Thanks to my beta: Noble6.

~TLL~