I've actually been really fascinated by this couple for quite a while. If you guys like it, I'll continue. But if not, it'll remain a one-shot. Your feedback is appreciated. Set in fifth year.
Luna stepped across the rough ground, snapping a few flimsy twigs with her bare feet. She rolled a shiny, bright red apple across the ground at the small Thestral, who snapped at it, and turned its bony face away, giving Luna hard stare. The blonde girl smiled, before reaching into her leather satchel and pulling out a piece of raw meat, tossing it into the air for the small Thestral to eagerly snap up into its' jaws.
"What on earth are you throwing meat into the air for, Loony?" came an arrogant, drawling voice from behind her.
Luna turned around, seeing a pointed-face blonde boy stepped over a moss-covered log, wrinkling his nose in confusion.
"For the Thestrals, of course." replied, Luna, turning back around to face the creature.
"The what?"
Draco Malfoy barely seemed to resister the fact that he was standing with Luna Lovegood, having a civilized conversation. His grey eyes were transfixed on the piece of meat Luna tossed into the air. His eyebrows rose in surprise as the Thestral, once again, snapped it up.
"Why did that sodding piece of meat just disappear?" he demanded, turning towards Luna.
"Well, the Thestral ate it," said Luna, sensibly. "You can only see them if you have seen death."
"Oh. You've seen death, then?" he questioned, curiously.
The petite blonde nodded, "My mother. She loved to experiment. One day, one of her experiments went very badly wrong. I was nine."
Draco didn't say anything.
"You're not as bad as everyone says, you know." said Luna, looking at Draco with her bright, protuberant eyes.
Draco frowned, slightly, coming to the realization that he wasn't acting like the arrogant, rude, snotty Draco everyone knew. It felt nice. Not in the mushy kind of way. But … nice.
Draco opened his mouth, intending to say something rude, and Draco-ish, but seeing Luna's big, blue eyes looking into his made him falter.
"I guess." he finally said, looking away from her.
There was something about her … something that made him stop in his tracks. He hated that she made him feel like that.
Turning on his heel, he left without a goodbye. He didn't need Loony Lovegood screwing with his head.
Draco stood in the grounds of Hogwarts, with Crabbe and Goyle, both, unsurprisingly, holding cupcakes in their hands. Seeing as they were not served with breakfast, it was beyond him as to which means they obtained them by. Then again, he didn't really give a rats arse.
His eyes scanned the grounds for a certain blonde, in the midday sun, not paying attention to the two bumbling idiots beside him; he had long ago stopped thinking of those two as his friends. They were just two people that were ... there. They listened to him. And he liked the power. Draco supposed that was the only real reason he kept them around. Anything else, then he'd be kidding himself.
He sometimes hung out with Blaise Zabini, Pansy Parkinson, and the Slytherin Ice-Queen, Daphne Greengrass. He hardly considered them his friends either. More like ... acquaintances. Daphne, even though she had been the object of desire only a short while ago, held no interest to him now; after all, girls were disposable. They were girly little things that you ... use. He wasn't, after all, the type of guy to have a steady relationship; he was far from that. Girls, to him, were just pretty faces.
But then there was bloody Luna Lovegood. He couldn't say she wasn't pretty. In fact, she was very pretty after you got past her strange personality. Even though the younger girl had only had one conversation with him ... he was hooked. Not in love. No, definitely not. He wasn't even sure if he liked her. He was just intrigued. Her fascinating personality was nothing like any other girl he had ever encountered.
She was actually quite pleasant to be around; he liked it. And, that, was precisely the reason he was looking for her. He wanted to see her. Not talk to her, or make any contact. Just ... look. That may sound bloody barmy, but his intentions were perfectly clear.
Then he spotted her; like a predator spotting it's prey. She was somewhat a distance away, but she was surprisingly distinguishable from the crowd. Her blue eyes were gazing off to a distance, as if she were daydreaming. His grey eyes casually glanced over her body; she was wearing ... muggle clothing. Some sort of funny-looking blue trousers; he recalled them being called jeens, and a baggy, bright yellow sweater that hung off her shoulder. It actually looked quite good. What amused the blonde boy was her earrings. They were baby carrots, each painted a shocking shade of blue. She most definitely stood out in the crowd of students wearing robes.
He tore his gaze away from her, cursing himself for being so intrigued by her. In his father's standards, she would be just as wonderful as Granger was. And, he knew that with Voldemort back, he shouldn't do anything to displease either his father, or the Dark Lord.
But still, his curiosity burned inside of him; as if there was some sort of a thirst inside of him ... that just wouldn't be quenched unless he got what he wanted.
Breaking away from Crabbe and Goyle, he began to walk in the direction Luna was.
"Where are you going?" came Crabbe's loud voice from behind him.
"Walk." he muttered, quickly, before speeding up his pace.
Those two really irritated him sometimes.
He chanced a glance back towards them, and saw that they had already started to lumber back towards the castle. Good. He didn't want anyone to watch. He watched as the crowd of students thinned, leaving only a few stragglers behind; the sky had unexpectedly darkened, rain clouds looming overhead, showing the obvious heavy rainfall that was about to occur.
Luna looked over at him from where she was sitting, underneath a small tree.
"Hello, Draco." she said, her musical voice ringing through his ears.
"Hi." he managed, his throat going dry.
Why was he here again? What the bloody hell was he supposed to say to her?
"Looks like it's about to rain." said Luna, obviously, gazing up at the dark sky.
"Yeah." he said, stupidly, having nothing else to say; why did this girl render him speechless?
For so long he had only know her as 'Loony Lovegood', the freak. But now ...
He lowered himself onto the ground beside her, not wanting to stand there like an utter fool.
"There's probably going to be a ball soon." he blurted out, unintentionally.
Draco, what the bloody hell, it's only a rumor.
Her surprised gaze met him blank one; why did he say that? He had no bloody intention of asking her to it. Wonderful. Now she probably expected him to ask her. He would look like a bigoted fool, if he escorted Luna Lovegood to the ball. For all he knew, she would probably wear a pair of of desert-themed dress robes.
"Oh? I hadn't heard." she said absently, her fingers twirling a flower in her fingers.
He didn't say anything.
"You know, you're awfully mean sometimes." commented Luna, casually, as if it were no big deal.
That comment caught him by surprise, "What?" he demanded, furrowing his eyebrows; he had never had someone so innocently, and honestly, insult him before.
She nodded, "Yes. And you're awfully rude. Sort of like Ronald Weasley. He's quite rude aswell."
He glared; he didn't like being compared to a blood traitor like that.
"I'm nothing like Weasley." he spat.
The corners of her lips turned up, "Well, I suppose there are a few good things about you. Even though you are awfully mean and shallow-minded." mused Luna, thoughtfully.
His eyes softened, just a fraction. Did he dare ask?
Curiosity got the better of him, "Like what?"
She allowed the flower in her hands to drop to the grass, and studied him, carefully, "Like your eyes." she finally said.
He could only stare; eyes?. No one had ever said anything about his eyes. It was usually his hair or body. Nothing halfway as intimate as eyes. But, then again, she seemed extremely innocent, and probably didn't do it on purpose.
"My eyes?" he asked, frowning slightly.
She shrugged, "They're like clouds. Not nice fluffy ones ... but still clouds."
There she went again, displaying her uncanny knack for truth-telling. Then again ... he liked it. It made him smile.
He felt the corners of his mouth turning upwards. It was unfamiliar feeling. He hadn't truly smiled at something in a long time; she brought a side out that even he hadn't seen before. Or, at least, in a long time.
"I like you." he murmured, quietly, as he felt the first of many raindrops hit him on the nose.
She smiled, "I like you too. It's like having friends. I don't think I've had those before."
Draco felt a pang of emotion; one he had never felt before. Maybe it was sympathy?
He got to his feet, just as droplets of water began falling down rapidly. Luna didn't seem at all phased that he got up, or the fact that it was now pouring bucket loads of rain, and the two of them were utterly soaked within seconds.
"Aren't you coming inside?" demanded Draco, raising his perfect eyebrows at the younger girl, still on the ground.
She shook her sopping-wet hair, "I really like the rain."
He was torn in half; should he stay with her? They were both probably going to get sick, if he didn't force her inside. Then again, forcing her wasn't to pleasing. And neither was going inside without her.
He mentally cursed the effect this girl had on him, before sitting back down, allowing the rain to soak completely through his expensive robes. Frankly, he didn't care. He enjoyed being around Luna. It was ... fun. Enthralling. Nice. There were so many words to describe it ... only none seemed just right.
He sighed, leaning his head back against the small trunk of the tree, that barely provided any cover, and closed his eyes.
Well, there you go. Hope you enjoyed! Should I continue, or leave it?
