It's during their return to Hogwarts after the war that they truly see each other. It's the Ministry's decision for him to repeat his final year at Hogwarts and even though he just wants to be any place but here, he has no choice but to relive all the memories from the past year and languish because of the stares of people who see nothing but the mark on his arm.
He finds her in a clearing deep in the Forbidden Forest feeding what looked like winged horses with skeletal bodies: thestral, he remembers, they're called.
He can see them now, of course. He's seen death.
"Hello, Draco." She greets him with that dreamy angelic voice she's known for, not turning to look at him. Somehow she knows it's him.
"I can see them now." He states, not really sure why he followed her here in the first place.
Luna gave a small nod, still not facing him, all her attention at the creature in front of her. She continued to feed it with raw meat scraps from the kitchen.
The silence that lingers between them is frustrating on Draco's side but before he could turn around and go back to the castle, he hears her speak again.
"A lot of people see them now." She said. "I assume it's because of the war."
"I'm sorry," He says suddenly, not knowing how to start the apology bubbling inside him. "For what happened - during - in the manor, I mean."
She finally turns to him, cocking her head to the side as her large protuberant silver eyes meeting his dark gray ones. "I forgive you, Draco."
She gives him a meek yet true smile and it's all Draco can do but return it earnestly.
It turns into a habit of them meeting at the clearing after classes, making sure they aren't seen but at this point of his life, Draco doesn't give a damn about his reputation and what other people thinks of him.
Except for her.
A voice inside his mind says.
The months spent with Luna was idyllic. She never pressures him to speak about the war and his involvement, never pressures him to open up too much against his will, she treats him like he's just another one of her friends. The sudden thought made him feel uneasy because looking into her bright silver eyes that could see so much more than anyone else could, he realizes that he doesn't just want to be friends with Luna.
It's almost Easter holidays and the end of his final term when they're walking back from feeding the thestrals that he finally finds the courage he thought he lost so long ago. He's listening to her go on about another one of her magical creatures, Blibbering Humdinger, he thinks they're called when he suddenly stops causing her to stop as well.
"Draco?" She says his name gently, tilting her head to look up at him in the way that he adores so much. Noting how several emotions flashes in his eyes before landing on one that she couldn't decipher. "Are you alright? I do hope the Wrackspurts haven't gotten to you now."
"Luna." She turns to him fully with a curious look as the castle grows bigger as they get closer to their destination.
"Yes?"
But he's not looking at her eyes, his gaze is focused on her lips, the gravity of her lips are inescapable, he hopes there's some sort of intention in his eyes: for them to give off a foreshadowing of what he's going to do and before he can even let all the hesitation and anxiousness rise to his chest stop him, his hand is on her cheek and he's leaning in for a kiss.
"Oh." She breathes against his face when he pulls back and he smells the sweet honey and biscuits that they shared just a while ago.
She gives him a bright smile and suddenly all the nervousness he felt before was gone and he can feel his heart fluttering.
"I was wondering when you would do that." She says dreamily and he laughs before leaning in for another kiss.
Luna grips her jacket around her body tightly, the cool almost harsh winds of the winter day coming to an end causing her to shiver as she made her way down the streets of Muggle London. The decision to find a flat in Muggle London after she returned from a one year expedition in Sweden looking for magical creatures and not rebuild the Rook was not an easy one, she had to come to terms with leaving the home she grew up in; the only home besides Hogwarts she knew but she didn't want to dwell on such depressing thoughts for it's not in her character to. It would do her good if she just kept moving forward in life.
The war affected everyone differently, there were those who stood up taller after the fall - those who wanted to see the future that they fought for, but there were also those who let themselves be consumed by the darkness - those who couldn't see the light anymore.
Luna wouldn't say she was the latter but she wasn't the former either - although she tried to be the former, she tried her best - however, she just couldn't hold her chin up high when her father was confined in St. Mungo's as a permanent resident because of insanity. He never fully recovered from what happened to her in the war. Suppose Luna was something in the middle, just going with the flow of life until she found her true purpose.
Seven years after the war, two years since she graduated from Hogwarts and there's some semblance of normalcy around the Wizarding World. Luna's busies herself with her research, with some help from Harry Potter, The Boy Who Lived turned to The Man Who Won, the Ministry agreed to fund her research work.
She's the one who runs the Quibbler now, taking over for her father, she tries to balance her research work and journalism but sometimes it takes a toll on her, even after such a short time.
She tosses her keys on the table by the door, and peels her coat off her shoulders.
It's been three months since her return from Sweden, longer since she last saw Draco. She supposes it's only for the better this way.
When she told him of her plans after graduation, he didn't take it too kindly.
There was yelling, Draco screaming and accusing her of abandoning him, incredulity contorting his face. It was the first time in forever that she was terrified by him. She tried to calm him but it's no use, he stormed off and that's it.
Luna cried, and there were tears - more and more and more - falling down her cheeks like rain during that night.
Luna sees Draco first.
She's at Gringotts, handling the Quibbler's finances when she sees him coming out of the marble building's bronze doors, he looks tired, the dark circle under his eyes only emphasized by his dark clothing. She can't look away - doesn't look away until he starts to notice her.
The moment Draco saw her, everything slows to a crawl.
"Dra-" her voice shook, jaw clenched by overwhelming emotions as her feet move on their own accord. "Draco."
He crosses the space between them in quick strides to get to her and in a blink of an eye, she's in his arm, her eyes are glassy with unshed tears.
It takes time for them to break down the years apart had built, he's pleased to see that the bright-eyed girl he knew in school was still there, even if she was a woman of the world now; she was still strange and agreeable. Her smile still cheerful and good-natured. Oh, how he missed her smile.
She's pleased to know that after Hogwarts he took a desk job a Gringotts. They want to so badly avoid the conversation about how broken both had been after the break-up - was there ever a break-up? He had just left after their argument and she just left. But it was inevitable.
So they talked.
There are more tears but this time, it ends with them in each other's arms.
"We're okay?" He asks as they lay underneath the cover of his bedsheets, her head on his chest as she hummed a nameless song, her fingers tracing the muscles of his body. His voice shakes and he hates himself for sounding desperate but that's what he is. Desperate to have her again.
"We're okay." She looks up to smile at him and give him another kiss.
Sometimes it stops his breath, how much he loves her.
He watches her walk down the aisle during that warm spring day of their wedding. She's dressed in a long bright yellow dressed that can easily outshine the sun. Draco loved the sight of Luna's bare shoulders and arms, he first thought it weird to be so taken by a person's shoulders but it's Luna and she's just... Luna.
They exchange vows in front of their family and closest friends, mostly her friends because after the war, Draco lost contact with most of the Slytherins except for the likes of Blaise Zabini and Theodore Nott.
He feels warmth all over his chest when they are declared man and wife. He kisses her with too much gusto for public but he doesn't care. After all the years of secrecy and being apart, Luna was his now and everyone knew it.
The baby in her arms is blond-haired and red-faced, and she reminds her of him so much.
"What will you name her?" One of the Healers who assisted her birth asked with a kind smile that Luna doesn't see because her eyes are trained on the small bundle in her arms.
"Celestine," Draco supplies, his eyes focused on his daughter as well.
She was heavenly.