"Luna, you're staring."

"Hmm?"

"You are staring at a group of seventh year Slytherins." Ginny muttered into her parchment as she kicked Luna under the table.

"Ow!" Luna's voice carried across the library, causing Madam Pince to shush them loudly, and Draco Malfoy to smirk at them from said table of Slytherins. Ginny grumbled under her breath as she saw Malfoy talking to a dark haired boy. As he did so, he glared daggers at Luna and Ginny.

"Luna, stop staring, right this instant!" Ginny knew she sounded just like her mother, but couldn't help herself. The dark haired boy,
whom she vaguely recognized, was now walking towards them with a menacing look on his face.

"No," Luna practically breathed the word, her wide eyes were unblinking, and her gaze was unflinching. Her eyes met his boldly. He narrowed his eyes at her and leaned forward into her personal space.

"Can I talk to you outside?" His voice was husky, as though he didn't use it that often.

"No!" Ginny said, glaring.

"Wasn't talking to you, Weasley," the boy said, not breaking eye contact with Luna.

"It's okay, Ginny," Luna answered in her dreamy voice, "We'll be just outside."

Ginny bit her lip from saying anything else, but couldn't contain herself, "What's your name, just in case she turns up missing?"

"I wouldn't be missing if I turned up, would I?" Luna asked, puzzled.

"You know what I mean."

"Well, yes," she answered airily, "But I'll be back so quick, you won't even miss me."

Ginny rolled her eyes, and gave another stern glare to the Slytherin. He finally looked at her with an assessing glare of his own and
grimaced his name, "Zabini." With that he followed Luna out of the library and into the hallway.

Luna walked down the hall a little ways, and leaned against a large stone pillar. She could feel the nervous excitement cause her heart to race and her blood to pulse strongly in her wrists. She turned her beaming face to his and waited.

Blaise stared at her, annoyed. He knew Malfoy had a lot of female attention, but why was this so obviously innocent girl wasting her time? He knew who she was, of course. The majority of the school knew how crazy Loony Lovegood was, but Blaise had never
really paid attention to her until Draco had started complaining about the newest member of the Malfoy fan club. And now he wanted
Blaise to tell her to bugger off.

Inwardly, Blaise shook his head in disgust. Loony appeared and acted different from anyone else, and
yet she had the same stupid crush as all the other nitwits. Decent looks and lots of money made Malfoy quite the catch.
She still wasn't saying anything, so Blaise realized he would just have to be blunt.

"Malfoy wants you to back off and stop gawking."

Luna looked at him, still beaming. "Well, that's really not his decision, is it?"

She made him feel off balance, so Blaise decided to try to reason with her, "Fancying a git isn't the smartest move. I thought you were in Ravenclaw."

"What does smart have to do with who I fancy? The brain and heart are two entirely different things." Luna looked genuinely
confused, causing a soft chuckle from Blaise. He grew serious immediately, though, realizing that this sweet girl wasn't going to get it
unless he was a little mean.

"Loony, why on earth would a pureblood Slytherin go for the school's crazy outcast?"

This seemed to dampen Luna's mood slightly, and she paused, trying to think of a way to salvage the situation. She pressed her lips
together and pressed a finger to them. Softly, she said "Well, school is almost over, and nobody will be thinking about who dated who
once we're out in the real world, facing very real dangers…"

Blaise looked at her with a shadow of disappointment in his eyes, "Lovegood, true as that is for most people, Malfoy doesn't go for such sentimental tripe."

Luna stepped back so that she was leaning against the pillar, her cheeks flushed with the first anger she'd ever really felt. "Galloping
gargoyles, do you wipe his bum, too?"

Blaise's mouth dropped. "Huh?"

Luna poked him in the chest, "Malfoy this and Malfoy that. I thought maybe you seemed different than the others, but you're just
another Slytherin crony!" With that, she tried to sweep past him, but Blaise immediately blocked her way with both hands flat against
the pillar on either side of her. His eyes flashed dangerously.

"What are you ranting about Loony? It's pretty clear. You fancy Malfoy. He wants you to bugger off. Don't bring me into this. You don't know anything about me."

Luna swallowed the lump in her throat, and felt unshed tears rush to her eyes. She bit her lip and met his gaze. "You slimy toadspawn, I have never had any interest in Draco Malfoy. It's you I fancy." And for the first time in her life, Luna knew she was blushing from embarrassment. "But, obviously…" her voice trailed softly, and she slipped gracefully under his left arm as he stood there frozen.

Luna walked away feeling quite disappointed. She thought he'd known! She thought he might be curious about her as well! She had been so certain that he didn't look at her the same way other boys did. And he was different from all the other boys. He didn't really talk too much, but she watched him, and saw that he acted different.

She wasn't used to embarrassment and had no time for self doubt under normal circumstances, but the sting of rejection and
knowledge that she was wrong burned deep inside her.

She had just turned the corner when he caught up to her.

Luna felt Blaise tug on her sleeve, and she was spun lightly against the wall with him pressed against her. His face was buried in her
neck, his hands at her waist. She heard him mutter, "I was so mad at the thought that you fancied that git."

Luna cupped his face so that he was looking at her, her body feeling like it was about to float away with the happiness. "But I didn't fancy Malfoy, so how could you be mad?"

Blaise chuckled and touched his lips lightly to hers.

Ginny was doodling aimlessly as she kept looking over at the clock. Luna should have been back by now. Worriedly, she chewed her lip and noted that Zabini wasn't back either. Her eyes met Malfoy's mocking gaze, and with a growl she gathered her things and
headed towards the door. She stood in the hallway and looked back and forth, not seeing Luna.

"Miss your girlfriend, Weasel?"

She gritted her teeth at the annoying drawl, but turned to pin him with a death stare. "Malfoy, you nancy boy, where is your
henchman, and what did he do to Luna?"

Her hands were balled into fists, and she'd stepped right up to him and was leaning in threateningly. If anyone had walked by, it would have appeared ridiculous – skinny little Ginny Weasley looking like she was going to give Draco Malfoy a thrashing, as he towered over her by quite a bit, all lanky muscle.

He raised an eyebrow. "I just asked Blaise to get rid of the bint – bad for my reputation, you know. Can't have some lunatic running about after me. Though, I can't be responsible for how he interpreted my request. By the way, Zabini would be quite put out to be described as my henchman." He smirked at her, "Maybe I'll let it slip to him, and he'll make you disappear too. One less Weasley in the world would be utterly fantastic."

Draco watched in fascination as Ginny's mouth opened and closed, and an angry flush crept up her face. She took a few breaths and finally gave him a shove with both hands to his chest. He didn't budge, of course, but she felt better as she stepped around him and stalked away from the library.

"Oi! Are you going to search the whole castle, Weasley?"

She didn't turn to stop him from following, but ground out the words, "I will find Luna, you big headed annoying prat."

She turned the corner and stopped in her tracks, causing Draco to crash into her.

"Hey!" he said, regaining his balance, "Keep your muggle-loving germs to yourself!" He looked at her. Ginny was as still as stone,
mouth hanging open. Following her gaze, Draco started snickering.

Blaise was leaning against Luna, who was leaning against the wall, and they were snogging like it was going out of style.

"Luna!" Ginny screeched, causing Draco to step away and throw a hand up to his ear. Blaise jumped back a bit guiltily, but then
seeing Ginny and Draco he took a relaxed step back towards Luna. Luna stood there with flushed cheeks and a goofy grin that Ginny
had never seen before.

"Oh, hello there, Ginny," Luna said very casually, as though nothing were out of the ordinary, "I suppose I did go missing after all. I'm so sorry for worrying you."

Draco let out a loud chortle, and carefully eyed Ginny for any steam that might start pouring out of her ears or something. She spun on him.

"Malfoy! This is all your bloody fault!"

He snickered again, "My fault? Weasley, if anyone should be mad, it's me. I mean, Loony fancied me, and yet Zabini's off making out with her. Some friend HE is."

They both looked over as Blaise made a quiet sound of amusement, but it was Luna who threw her head back in gales of laughter.

"Luna?" Ginny said her name tentatively and quietly, "Did he hex you?"

Luna finally simmered down a bit and shyly reached for Blaise's hand. "Ginny, I have never, ever, ever, EVER had any remote
interest in Malfoy."

"Well, that's a bit harsh." They ignored Draco's mutters.

Ginny looked at her friend puzzled, "So this whole time it's been…him? But you never said…"

Luna looked up at Blaise and gave him a beaming smile, which he returned with the slightest lift of the corners of his mouth as he
tugged her closer to him. "You're right, Ginny, I never said, but apparently I should have said sooner."

Ginny took another step towards them, "But Luna, he's a Slytherin."

"She says like it's a curse word," Draco said in a bored tone, from where he was now leaning against the wall. "Bloody Gryffindors. Bunch of nosy do-gooders. If the crazy stalker wants to shag a snake, leave her alone, Weasley."

Ginny's fist almost connected with Draco's nose, but he caught her wrist just in time. He leaned in and said quietly, "Don't start with me, Weasley. Your brothers aren't around to save you right now."

Ginny jerked her hand free and glared up at Draco.

"Don't be ridiculous, Malfoy, I can take care of myself", she growled, "And don't pretend you're some big bad, walking around this school, either. I'm not afraid of you. And now that Luna's…" she waved her hand at a loss for words, "with some Slytherin, you'll probably be seeing a lot more of me. So keep your self absorbed death eater mouth shut, you foul wanker."

She turned, whacking his arm with her bag, glared at Luna and Blaise and stormed off toward the Gryffindor house.

Draco stared at her as she walked away, then threw his own contemptuous look at Blaise and Luna, and strolled off in the opposite
direction.

Luna turned her wide eyes up at Blaise, "How long do you think it will be?"

He chuckled and tugged her hand, pulling her toward the main entrance out into the crisp air, "Until they're going at it like lovesick
puppies? Based on that display, I give it a week."

Luna gave him a dreamy smile, "Well, that'll be quite interesting to watch. I hope there aren't any misunderstandings like we had."

Blaise swung their hands a little and let out a soft laugh, "Malfoy and Weasley? If it didn't amuse me so much, I'd feel sorry for him. It's bound to be fraught with misunderstandings."

"Well, chemistry is like that, isn't it?" Luna smiled up at him as she started to pull him by skipping a little, "But it's worth it, eh?"

He looked at the crazy girl with the long tangled hair practically dancing as she led him down to the lake. Yeah, it was worth it.