Draco escaped to Siberia. People were still trying to hunt him down for his actions in his sixth year at Hogwarts. The headmaster, Dumbledore, ending up dead was on his shoulders now that Snape had died. No one seemed to care he didn't actually kill the old man; he was ending lowering his wand. Potter, surprisingly, had vouched for him, but it still fell on many deaf ears.
He got his passport stacked at the counter, aware of the eyes burning a hole in his back. He had noticed his follower at the international aparation chamber in London, but chose to ignore it. He was used to the feeling and unable to shake it no matter where he went. For some reason he had thought that he could escape it if he fled to another country, if he fled to Siberia. It was foreign he thought no one would bother following him there, hunting him down.
Swinging around, he decided to confront his follower. The only person watching him was a beautiful blond. Her hair was long and stringy but looked soft. Her face was long and thin, beautiful with clear grey eyes and a vague smile gracing her lips. He scanned her body, taking in her soft curves unhidden behind her muggle clothes. She wore jeans and a t-shirt showcasing her full breasts and small waist. He knew exactly who she was just by looking at her.
"Luna Lovegood?" he said in a calm voice.
"I'm here looking for the Slaverache," she informed him, a dreamily look in her eyes.
"Slaveraches don't exist," he replied, relaxing. She was harmless. The look in her eyes told him so. He was good at reading people and she was ready easily.
"They do too, and I intend to not go back to London without prove." She paused. "What are you doing here?"
He almost retorted rudely, but decided not to. "It's my business."
She shrugged her delicate shoulders. "It doesn't matter to me," she said casually, unperturbed by his secrecy.
"Good," he muttered, turning away.
"If you're here for no reason other than to run away, why don't you spend your time with me," Luna offered from behind him.
He swung around, shocked. "What?"
"Well, you have nothing better to do and I wouldn't mind the company. i The Quibbler /i could only afford to send me all the way to Siberia for this story."
"No. I mean what the hell do you mean that I'm running away?" he clarified, his voice harsh.
"I know you're running away. I hear things."
"Oh, so the voices in your head told you?" he retorted acidly.
She grinned at him suddenly; her grin was vague and unbroken. "I don't have voices in my head," she told him, "I hear things that people talk about. Gossip if you will."
"You do strike me as a gossiper," he said scathingly.
She wasn't detoured. Stepping toward him, she stopped directly in front of him. She wasn't afraid of him. The look in her eyes was anything but fright. There was determination and perhaps understanding. "That's not true. I rarely gossip. Everyone falls prey to the temptation at times, though. Temptation can do that to someone."
"Do what to someone?"
"Make them do things they never thought they would," she repeated. Her words were cryptic and vague as well as straight forward. He didn't think she was talking about gossip anymore.
"I don't do anything I never thought I would."
"Oh? So trying to kill Professor Dumbledore was something you always thought you would do?" she retorted in a know-it-all voice that reminded him as a third of the Golden Trio, Hermione Granger. But her eyes… Her eyes were anything but Grangers. They were soft and kind laced with an understanding he didn't understand.
He looked away, adverting his eyes form hers with discomfort. "I have better things to do than search for creatures that don't exist."
"Well, what about we strike a deal then?" Luna said, obviously trying to get his level to come to an agreement.
Intrigued, he inquired, "What kind of deal?"
"You keep me company for a week and if I can't show you that Slaveraches exist you must come back to London with me and face your problems head on."
He considered the deal for a moment, eying her with interest. "No."
"Oh, what are you afraid of Mr. Malfoy?" Luna said, her voice dreamily yet her eyes steel.
"I'm not afraid of anything," he fervently denied.
"Then spend a week in my company. It won't hurt you."
It was true and Draco knew it. Spending a week in her company wouldn't change anything but give him a small reason to be there in the first place. He knew no one else in the country, which was part of its appeal, but it seemed to be beneath him to spend any amount of time with Loony Lovegood. "No," he repeated, turning around.
"Mr. Malfoy, if you walk away you are just proving to yourself you are a coward."
He swung around again, nearly yelling. "I'm not a coward."
"Prove it," she said icily. Her eyes were still steel, and for the first time the whole conversation – that he had ever known her in fact – her voice matched.
"Why do you care?" he wanted to know.
"I don't. But you do." Her dreamy tone was back in her voice and she shifted in her discomfort. She paused, closing her eyes for a moment. Breathing in deeply, she said, "It's cold here in Siberia. You won't find the peace you are looking for alone."
"Being alone works for me," he said easily and coldly.
"No it hasn't. If it has worked for you then why are you running?"
"I'm not running."
She sighed. "You are running. But if you can't even admit it yourself then I don't see why what I would say would matter."
"What you say doesn't matter," he agreed.
"Are you in for the deal or not? A week that's all I'll need."
"Then you'll leave me alone?" he asked, feeling slightly annoyed she wasn't letting it drop. He was surprised that he couldn't find the motivation to just leave. Something about the witch called to him, made him intrigued by the ludicrous things she had to say.
"Then I'll leave you alone," she agreed with a small vague smile.
"Then deal."
---
Draco and Luna spent the next two days searching the Sayan Mountains and Tannu-Ola Mountains looking for Slaveraches. Draco was unsurprised they didn't find a sign of them, but Luna held firm in her faith they would.
"They must live in northern Siberia," Luna said the third night, crawling into her bed. Draco sat on the edge of his bed and look at her, his face passive. "I know they live in the mountains for Siberia, but it was never stated where exactly."
"Maybe it never stated where because they don't really exist," Draco suggested, standing and pulling back the covers. The Siberian hotels were not up to the standards he was used to. They were slightly run down and very drafty at night. The nights were freezing, actually they were below freezing.
Luna snuggled underneath the covers. "They do exist, Mr. Malfoy," she said politely. Her voice was still vague as always and her eyes fluttered close. "Good night. We'll go up to the Yablonovyy and Stanovoy."
He shook his head, lying down. The night was still and silent as he tried to sleep. It was almost too quiet for Draco to rest. He rolled on his side, resting on his elbow and looking at Luna. Her eyes were closed and he was sure she was asleep already. A sure sign of her state was her breathing was deep and even. He watched her for a long time, just admiring the way she was so relaxed and easily lulled into sleep.
The next morning came too soon and Draco was jarred awake by Luna screaming. He bolted up, looking around himself for the source. The room was still dark, telling him it was in the middle of the night, and Luna was standing at the open door her hand to her mouth in clear shock and fright. Jumping up, Draco ran to her, looking beyond her to the scene. Scrawled on the wall across from their room were the words: Draco Malfoy must die!. The words were written in blood.
Draco noticed Luna was shaking and quickly, pulling her against his chest and shut the door. He guided her back to her bed, pushing her down until she was lying back down. He walked over to his bag and pulled out a potion bottle. He kept the Dreamless Sleep potion on him for nights he couldn't escape the nightmares that continue to haunt him. Sitting on the edge of her bed, he handed her the bottle. "Drink."
She shook her head. Her eyes were still filled with fright and her body shaking uncontrollably.
He rolled his eyes. "It's not poison. Drink."
She eyed it warily. Despite her state she was obviously still aware he was Draco Malfoy. Slowly, she took the bottle and lifted it to her lips. The moment she swallowed twice, he took the bottle setting it aside. "Now sleep."
"I can't," she whispered.
He pushed some hair from her forehead and said, "Yes you can. Sleep. I promise it will be dreamless."
She looked as thought she didn't believe him – which he found the time to think was ridiculous when she believed in Slaveraches that she didn't believe him – but she closed her eyes anyway. A moment later her breathing had even into sleep. He stood up and walked back to the door. When he opened the doors, the words were still there. He cursed. Apparently he hadn't ran far enough to escape this.
He fished his wand from his robes and waved it over the words, cleansing the wall. Glancing around himself, he noticed no one in sight. There had been ample time for the culprits to get away and he wasn't shocked when he didn't see anyone. Cursing again, he sighed.
The words had been put their without magic, and so it was untraceable. He normally let the people who continued to hunt him get away without searching for them, but this time, they had scared Luna. Now he didn't like the girl, but she didn't deserve to be frightened like that. She had been an innocent bystander, merely in the wrong place with the wrong person at the wrong time. He shook his head, turning back and heading back to the room where Luna was sleep fast asleep.
Sighing, he laid back down on her bed, putting his arms behind his head as he stared at the ceiling. He thought of who would hate him so much to follow him to Siberia, the middle of nowhere, to torture him. No one came to mind. The fact the person would be so intend on tormenting him that they were risk tormenting Luna at the same time was beyond him.
He drifted back to sleep and was awaken when a warm body suddenly slid next to him. He opened his eyes, looking at Luna who had curled up in the bed beside him. Her eyes were closed, but her breathing was a bit rapid. "Luna?" he whispered, his voice low.
"I'm cold," Luna whispered, scooting closer.
Not moving he remained silent. He wanted to put his arms around her, but instead he pressed his arms down to his sides as she wrapped her arms around him and closed her eyes again.
"You can be cold in your bed," he said coldly. But there was no denying that his voice was strained as he fought the urge to hold her. She was so close. He could feel her breath on his face and her body heat as her body pressed again his.
"I'm warmer now," she whispered vaguely sighing with contentment. "You're warm."
He rolled his eyes. "Luna, when I agreed to this deal there was no mention of you climbing in my bed."
She opened her eyes, her silver eyes meeting his. "I didn't know I would. You know something, Mr. Malfoy, you're a very surprising and interesting man." She paused, closing her eyes once again. "And I don't want you to die."
Sometime odd flowed through him at the words. No one had ever cared whether he lived and died other than his mother. And somehow it was a different feeling to have Luna say it. It was her way of saying she cared and he, for a reason unknown to him, understood that. "Did you have a dreamless sleep?" he asked, still unmoving.
"Yes. Thank you for that," she whispered. She seemed to be trying to sleep, but she still answered him.
"No need to thank me. I carry the potion with me for my own uses. I'm glad you could use it."
"It was thoughtful of you."
"I'm not thoughtful," he denied, his voice suddenly cold again.
"Yes you are," she whispered disagreeing. "You're very thoughtful."
"I'm not. I'm heartless."
Luna laughed lightly. "You have a heart." She pulled back, meeting his eyes. "I want to show you that. You surprise me. When I say you at the aparation chamber I didn't think I'd enjoy this week, but now… you've changed my mind. You're cold sometimes, but you have a good heart. Not a fiber in you could kill."
Draco stiffened. He didn't want to talk about that. He wanted to ignore it, to try to forget it.
She leaned up, brushing her lips against his. "The man who wrote those words on the wall is dead."
"What?" he pulled away, looking at her with shock.
"He died. His body fell over the railing. I didn't mean to kill him…"
"What you killed him?"
"I saw the words that he was writing and got so angry and frightened. I just shot off a spell. He frozen under the stupefying spell and then the chilly wind knocked him over the railing. I screamed, realizing I was a murderer now."
"You're not a murderer Luna," he whispered, giving into the urge to wrap his arms around her and pulling her close. He kissed her forehead. He had never kissed a woman's forehead before. It seemed too tender a gesture, but it seemed right to do it with Luna. "You weren't trying to kill him. It was an accident. The resulting death was an accident and not your fault. That does not make you a murderer."
She smiled. "Thank you, Draco."
"You called me Draco," he noted, a small smile playing on his face.
"I did," she whispered in a vague voice. No matter what she was talking about she used the same tone, like she was separated from the topic and situation. "We'll wake up in a few hours to search again. I still need sleep."
Draco closed his eyes breathing in her scent and tried to sleep. When he opened his eyes next Luna was gone and he looked around, a bit startled. His eyes rested on Luna who was sitting on the other bed, staring at him with a blank and somewhat dreamy expression like she wasn't even seeing him.
"Morning, Luna," he said, wondering what she was thinking.
"Morning, Draco," she said happily, standing up. "You know we have to trek up to the Yablonovyy and Stanovoy mountains today. It's pass noon."
Sitting up he looked around himself, trying to gather his thoughts. He was normally an early riser. "Already pass noon?" he echoed.
She nodded. "Yes. But that's okay." She gestured behind him. "I got you food."
He raised his eyebrows, feeling surprised but touched by her thoughtfulness.
"Eggs and bacon. It was all they had that was edible," she said as he grabbed the tray from the side table.
"Thank you," he said honestly.
She shrugged. "I already ate. Lunch will be soon… Will you be wanting that too?"
He started to eat. "Of course I will. This is barely enough food to curb my hunger."
Luna rolled her eyes and shrugged again. "You don't look like you'd eat that much, but I have noticed your appetite over the last few days."
"And this is all you got me? Shame."
She laughed. "Well, if you had been awake you could have had more."
He shrugged. "I was tired. I guess events like last night can even do that to the most seasoned man."
"Seasoned? You are not seasoned. Remember, you are running away here."
He groaned, setting the plate aside. "I'm not running," he said in a cold voice.
"You're right. You're not running anymore." Despite her vague voice, her eyes narrowed. "And if you try to run, I'd hunt you down."
Closing his eyes and taking a deep breath, he shook his head.
"Oh yes I would!" Luna said standing up and walking over to him. She knelt down in front of him and looked in his eyes. "I'd hunt you down. I'll never let you get away."
"Why is that?"
She shrugged. "Why not?"
He shrugged.
"We should go," Luna said, standing up and sighing as she looked down at him. "The Slaveraches are waiting."
"They don't exist!" he called after her as she was already heading toward the door.
Three hours, the pair was hiking up the side of the mountains, looking for the creatures of myth. "They love the mountains, but hate rivers. We should avoid all rivers," Luna was telling him. "They live in packs, too, so if we see one we can follow it to see a whole much."
"Right," Draco muttered, shaking his head. She had four more days to prove their existence to him, but he doubted she would. But he didn't think he would leave her after he won the bet anymore. The girl had i killed /i for him – accident or not.
Luna fumbled and he reached out, grabbing her so she didn't fall. He wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her close for a moment. She looked up at him, so close she could feel her breath in his face.
"Kiss me," she whispered, but then she suddenly took a deep breath and pointed behind him. "There they are!"
Draco's eyes were focused on her mouth, her moving lips. He wanted to kiss her, but instead he set her on her feet. Turning around he saw the creatures she had been talking about for days, in front of him. She had won the bet, but he didn't care. Turning around, he grabbed her again, putting her close as she closed her eyes and waited for the kiss.
"You won," he whispered as his mouth ascended on hers.