"You only lose what you cling to." -Buddha

Where'd You Go

"I don't understand why you always have to lock yourself up in another room," Draco Malfoy said, finally speaking out on a question that had been created in his mind a few weeks ago.

Luna looked taken aback, as she was not expecting this question. Especially after Draco had come back home after a few days. But she only gazed at the floor, not responding. Because it was true, she had been doing that. Exactly that.

Whenever Draco returned home from work, she'd never be there to greet him, he'd never get the impression that his wife was at home, waiting for him. It was as if he was walking into an empty house, for she always disappeared, vanished, like a ghost, from his presence.

It hurt him, that she would never see him, never acknowledge his presence. She'd always be in that blasted room, and what she would do, he would never know. In the first few months, she'd sit out, on the porch and watch the butterflies frolic around on the fragrant and aesthetic lilies that grew outside their house, on the beautiful estate that Malfoy owned.

He'd come back when the sky was painted with a radiant purple, alongside streaks of a soft pinkish hue, making it look alluring, altogether. The sign of dusk. He'd then apparate in front of her, with the darkening sky behind him, almost something so picturesque. After he'd sit down next to her, he'd blithely tell her about his day, and the events that occurred, sharing his story with his beloved. And she'd listen, her mind would be attentive to all words said, her eyes widening and lighting up with a silver glow.

She was a child. She truly was. Like a little girl, she'd decorate her thick blonde hair with hibiscus flowers and tell her tale about how she saw a few rabbits near the woods, behind the house. Her mannerisms and behaviour were that of a child, even though she was married. Draco loved her for that, because he was polar opposite. Draco Malfoy was the true obverse of Luna Lovegood.

She was such an eccentric and happy girl, to him, making their marriage symbolise the true meaning of uniqueness. But all these ideologies were buried in the sands of time.

And now, as he looked at her head which was hung down, her eyes studying the wooden, maroon coloured floor, he realised that she had drastically changed. She had grown up. You couldn't be what your were before and you couldn't be what you would become. It was change.

Ironic and unacceptable change. It was a poison, he bitterly admitted. And it was consuming his wife for she had changed, so much so, that even her choices had. He just knew, whether it was intuition or instinct, he felt it, like a dark truth reaching out to him, consuming him.

And then he closed his eyes, because then he won't see the love she didn't feel for him.

"Draco," she said quietly, almost drifting towards him. Her voice was only a soft sound in the distance, as he could identify the scent of Vanilla coming closer to him. His eyes were closed, but he could almost feel her lingering hand near his left cheek. It radiated an invisible and enticing wave of heat, one that he knew, that he was attracted to. But only this time, he would not respond in the same manner that he usually would.

He took a step back, slowly opening his eyes to goddess in front of him. She was dressed in a satin robe, her hair was curled, and cascaded down her back like a waterfall of so many silver hues. Her water blue eyes, which reminded him of a tropical island, where only he and her coexisted, had silver flecks and enhanced her translucent and light skin.

"Forgive me, Draco," she whispered softly, as if anything louder might shatter the moment, just then and there. "But I can't do this anymore."

She saw the liquid silver in his eyes hardening and his posture stiffening. She knew that he had understood, realised, that she had lost the last forlorn and sacred part of her that held the love for the man in front of her. It was gone, like quicksilver, as a leaf blown away in the winds of karma and destiny. Whether he accepted this epiphany, she didn't know.

She looked discernible, and distinct. He felt the distance between them grow wider, even though she was in the same room. The powering love for her was fading away, into an abyss which would never be found. It was becoming fainter and fainter. He had lost her; she had slipped away through his fingers, like sand. And he even didn't know why. It was frustrating.

Her mind and thoughts were elsewhere, not with him. He was now confused, after moving from one emotion to another, on the list of plethora of emotions that came to him. Could someone change so drastically and quickly over time? Is it even possible? The answer was only too easy to guess.

He held no blame for her. Not in the slightest. It wasn't her fault that she didn't love him back. His consideration and dignity ran deeper than his want and selfishness.

Maybe, after all, it was puppy love that she possessed, but genuine, mind you. It was misleading and disbelieving. She hadn't meant to be deceiving. It was in her nature, inborn to have that sort of childish actions, thoughts and feelings. Lust hadn't even begun to start its story, let alone be added to the equation.

Nobody could direct desire, nor could they educate the heart. So all in all, it was a hopeless case. Sometime later, no one knew when, as the old saying had said, "Humans can't tolerate emptiness for long," this statement had been so blatantly applied to our two lovers who had fallen out of love, they had separated. Through desperation of escape, through need of space, to rethink their whole life and redevelop themselves. As life is a journey of events which are undeniably questionable, we sometimes cease to observe the benefits out of it, always pinpointing and complaining about our losses.

But in the dying hope of ever reversing these daring and vivid thoughts, these atrocious decisions which would lead what they had into ashes, he felt calm. He knew he had lost her, and she, him. But it was mutual, easy. He felt that she had left a long time ago, but not physically. He was correct.

So, for the final result, for the sake of mutual satisfaction, it is safe to say that in the end, they had both lost each other to the sands of Time, and the ways of the Universe.

Where'd You Go

The End

Written for various purposes:

Wand Wood Competition (Alder)

Divergent Competition (Amity)

Hedley Song Challenge (Stormy)

Oh The Thinks You Can Think Challenge (Dad)

Classic Disney Movie Challenge (Finding Nemo)

That's You Challenge (Ragini)

Animal Competiton (Butterfly)

Off the Block Competition (Butterfly: Extra Hard)

Eurovision Competition (Iceland)

Spell, Curse and Charm Challenge (Confundo)

My Favorite Artists' Song Inspiration Competition (Mean)