Fascinating
By Headupintheclouds
Disclaimer: I own diddly-squat. JK Rowling owns it all and I'm just borrowing her toys for a bit…
Luna toured the hallways as she did so often during the dinner hour. She cast her copious, gaping eyes all around her, but took in not a fragment. Her introversion was a common topic for gossip at the Ravenclaw table, but Luna knew nothing of that, considering she never ate there.
In all honesty, she didn't eat much these days. The rowdy, synthetic atmosphere her classmates currently contributed to no longer held any interest or comfort for her. The only sustenance she could afford to have was the meager portions the House Elves could provide on short notice. Her trips to the kitchens normally fell late at night, but still she would find the warm, cozy setting bustling and full of life.
She never noticed, but in the recent months, she had picked up a nervous habit: whenever she was alone, she never knew what to do with her appendages, so inevitably, her hands would end up clasped together and one thumb would rub tirelessly across the other palm, up and down, up and down. It was a sort of game she played subconsciously.
Feeling solemn and grim this night, she rounded her journey toward the dungeons. So few people found intrigue there that Luna found herself all alone. She had noticed that her feet did tend to lead her there quite frequently.
She followed an intricate set of pathways, all of them grimy and badly lit, until she found her way to her favorite thinking place: the school's old dungeons. They had been out of use for many hundreds of years, which made the air inside the musty, the surroundings dank. However, most students either didn't know of their existence, or were too troubled by it to considering venturing inside.
However, they were frequently the sites of wild parties, hosted by the King of Slytherin, himself: Draco Malfoy. On numerous nights, Luna would be well into their complicated weaving of rooms, only to hear the makings of an elaborate and uncontrollable party. She would spend hours just out of their reach, listening.
She would imagine herself a guest, and invent companions, and have conversations with them. Draco Malfoy was almost always her guest of honor, and she would spend immeasurable amounts of time speaking to him. Not once was he ever bothered by her, not once did he exchange puzzled looks with her other imagined visitors. He was always attentive, if not exactly polite, and he always found her fascinating.
She wasn't sure why he was always in these daydreams, only that the lack of his presence made them much less enjoyable.
On this night, she settled herself in the first room she entered, and sat down on the dank, mouldy stone floor. Flickering firelight sent a reddish glow against the walls, and despite the cobwebs and musty air, Luna felt safe.
She settled her head into a comfortable niche behind it, and let out a sigh of relief.
"Hello," came a voice from the other end of the room.
Luna was startled, but made no outward movement to suggest so. Her eyes shot to the opposite corner, the darkest one in the room.
Leaning against it in much the same manner as her was a man with a shining mane of blonde hair. He needed no introduction.
Luna made no effort to speak, or even acknowledge him. She has the distinct feeling that her daydreams would never be the same: Draco had broken through the fourth wall. He had spoken to her, ruined the illusion, broken through her barrier. Everything was fine as long as she could tweak the imaginary Draco, and perfect him to her own needs. He had ruined it all, but somehow it didn't feel that way.
"Do you speak?" he asked, but Luna knew she didn't need to answer.
"I've seen you here before, you know." He continued, eyeing her with much interest.
She kept her trained eyes fixed intently on him. She noted every movement, every twitch, every blink. She memorized the way he shook his head to the side when his hair fell in his eyes, and the way the very corners of his mouth would twitch upward whenever he found something he said funny. She took down in her mind the way his eyes reflected the firelight in such a way that it would look all too much better were it always there.
"Why do you always come?" he asked, clearly not understanding not to expect an answer.
"You've been to every one of our parties, but you never told, you never even talked to any of us." He was now gathering up himself, preparing to rise.
Gently, he shifted his weight to his knees, then lifted himself with ease.
A sinking feeling erupted in Luna's heart: he was leaving. All too soon.
He moved in deliberate and measured steps toward her- toward the door.
"Next time, maybe you should come instead of watching…." He said slowly, drawing out each word.
He was only feet from her, and she suddenly felt vulnerable, naked. Her round eyes couldn't possibly disguise the loneliness she felt, could they?
He stopped in front of her, and lowered himself instead of reaching for the door handle she sat beside.
"Your eyes are beautiful, did you know?" he asked. His voice sounded insincere and cold, much like Draco himself. But Luna didn't mind at all. She felt that maybe he was only that way on the surface, or at least she didn't mind letting herself believe it.
She could feel his side pressed up against her own. There was such a rebelliousness, a magic, about it that it didn't even seem to be peculiar- them being strangers and all.
"I've wanted to kiss you," he said in the same venom-laced tone.
Luna didn't move a muscle, she didn't nod or giggle, blush or speak. She merely looked at him. Inside, her brain was hurtling forward in a terrifying manner, but on the outside, nothing showed.
Draco slowly closed the distance between them, and their lips met for a shivering, terrifying moment.
At that moment, Luna knew that everything had changed, but not for the worst, as she was used to. And she smiled at him. It was his turn to not respond, and he did it well: not even a smirk to go off of. But Luna didn't need his help: she moved herself forward and caught his lips again.
From then on, Luna no longer needed to tour the hallways alone- she always had a companion, and he did, indeed find her fascinating.
A/N: 1,118 words… quite a few. That's a big chunk of text, and hopefully didn't scare off any readers. Luna/Draco was a pairing I've never considered before, so this fic is a bit out there in terms of logistics. Anyway, I thought it was kind of sweet, in an odd way. Oh, and another thing: this is Hogwarts, 7th year for the trio, except they're not there ((obviously)), and neither is Ginny. I was acting on the theory that Ginny is nearly the only one to accept her. R&R, and feel free to flame!