Chapter One

"Hello, Draco Malfoy."

The wizard in question jumped at the sound of a voice so near to him. He was used to people talking about him or around him but rarely did anyone voluntarily speak directly to him anymore unless it was an absolute necessity. And when someone did speak to him it was almost certainly never in the friendly tone currently being used.

Even more surprising was the fact that the little blond witch that had greeted him was now settling into the seat directly across from his at the Hogshead Inn. Luna Lovegood set down her tray, smiled and began eating.

Draco stammered, "W-what are you doing?"

Luna glanced at him. "Having lunch with you."

"Why?"

"Because I want to."

"Why would you want to have lunch with me?"

Luna shrugged. "Why wouldn't I want to have lunch with you?" She went back to her meal.

Draco eyed her suspiciously. It had been just over a year since Voldemort's defeat. His father, Lucius, was serving a life sentence in Azkaban and his mother, Narcissa, had left the country to live with relatives on the continent. Only Draco remained and he knew that everyone hated him. He was certain this had to be some sort of trick.

Without looking up Luna said, "No tricks and I don't hate you. Hatred requires a tremendous amount of energy. Best saved for extreme situations and even then only in the short term. Daddy says that holding on to hatred is like storing acid in a clay pot. Over time it does more damage to the container than to anything else." She stopped, made a face and began digging around in her oversized satchel.

Draco squinted, trying to make sense of what she had said. If anyone had reason to hate him, it would certainly be her - if for nothing else than for what happened at his family home during the war.

Luna continued to rummage about in her bag. "What happened at the Manor wasn't your fault, Draco. You didn't come up with the idea and it wasn't your decision to keep me there. You did what you had to do to protect yourself and your family. I can't hate someone for that."

Draco's eyes grew wide. She was inside his head, reading his thoughts. He had been unaware that she was a gifted legilimens. He began running through the checklist of his internal defenses trying to block out the unwanted intrusion.

Luna chuckled. "Your occlumency skills aren't slipping, Draco. I don't read minds. I simply pay attention to people and imagine what I would be thinking if I were in their shoes."

He leaned forward and challenged, "Then what am I going to say next?"

Luna gave up the search for whatever she thought had been in her bag. She sighed and said, "Please pass the salt."

Draco sat back and furrowed his brow. "Why would I say that? I don't need any salt."

She looked at him as if he were the not making sense. "You may not but I do. My food is a bit bland and I don't seem to have any of my special spice blend with me."

Unsure of what exactly was going on, Draco handed over the salt cellar as if it were an explosive that might go off at any moment. Luna beamed. "Thank you!"

The next twenty minutes continued in much the same manner. When she had finished eating, Luna stood and smiled. "Thank you, Draco Malfoy. I've enjoyed our time together. I'll see you soon?" She didn't wait for a response. She picked up her things and disappeared out the door.

Draco remained frozen in his seat. If it weren't for the other plate sitting across the table from him he would have been tempted to think that he had imagined the whole thing. He shook his head and quietly left the pub, assuming it was a fluke - a one-time occurrence - never to be repeated.

He was very, very wrong.