The next morning, as Luna intently studied a page of the Quibbler, she curled her legs up underneath her in a cozy blue armchair in the Ravenclaw common room. While she attempted to focus on her magazine, she couldn't help but hear a few soft giggles coming from someone in the room. She lifted her head above her magazine to see Marietta Edgecomb and Cho Chang sitting at one of the tall tables towards the back of the room, laughing and occasionally flitting their eyes in her general direction.

The blonde girl simply ignored the pair and went back to reading about the current whereabouts of a particular Crumple-Horned Snorckack. She was used to being laughed at and talked about behind her back, not that anyone was discrete about it.

"Hey, Luna," a mysterious voice suddenly started from somewhere near her chair

The blonde girl let her defining grey eyes peer above her magazine once more to see Michael Corner standing in front of her. "Oh, hello, Michael," she greeted in her dreamy voice.

"You hungry?" he asked with his dark voice.

"A little," Luna admitted, carefully sliding her magazine into her school bag and hopping out of her chair.

"Then, to the Great Hall we go," Michael decided with a small laugh.

Not completely oblivious to Michael's odd behavior, Luna couldn't help but ask, "Where are Terry and Anthony?"

"Terry's sick and Anthony's in a studying frantic," Michael answered. "Classes are much harder this year, you know."

Luna nodded as they strode towards the Great Hall. "Come to think of it, Michael. Why aren't you studying?" she asked with an inquisitive grin as she took a seat at one of the four immense tables in the Great Hall.

Michael laughed at her curiosity and answered, "I was studying last night and accidentally missed dinner, so I'm too hungry to focus on studies at the moment."

"Fair enough," the blonde girl agreed as she began to nibble on a piece of toast. Out of the corner of her silver eye, she noticed Draco sitting at the Slytherin table with Crabbe and Goyle on either side.

She caught Draco's gaze as well and gave him a small smile before finishing up her breakfast and asking, "What class do you have first, Michael?"

"Defense Against the Dark Arts," the dark boy answered as he devoured a kipper, "with Professor Snape."

Luna hardly heard this, however; she was focused on Draco beckoning her at the door of the Great Hall. "He's a bit frightening, isn't he?" the blonde girl mumbled absent-mindedly as she slung her schoolbag over her shoulder. "I actually need to grab a book from the library before class, but I had a lovely time this morning. Goodbye!" she called, and with that, she hurried off to the door.

As Luna reached the door, Draco led her towards the castle entrance, as he wished not to be seen by his teachers or peers.

"What class have you got this morning?" he asked.

"I don't!" Luna answered with glee.

"No class?" Draco asked, unable to wipe the grin off his face. "How? I thought your break wasn't until next hour!"

"I have two breaks," Luna answered simply. "Well, really, I'm just not taking Divination, and it's the first class."

"Oh," Draco replied happily. "I don't have class either because I'm not stupid enough to waste my time with Muggle Studies."

The blonde girl's dreamy voice started, "Hermione Granger takes Muggle Studies, and she's certainly not stupid. I find Muggles fascinating."

Draco sighed in frustration as they agreed to disagree. In a halfhearted apology, he softly took Luna's hand and led her through the castle.

"Where are we going?" she asked curiously.

"The library," Draco answered as they finally entered a certain corridor. "I haven't been studying as well as I should for my classes. Maybe you can help me. After all, you're brilliant."

Luna smiled appreciatively and tenderly kissed Draco's cheek as they walked into the library.

"Ms. Lovegood!" Madame Pince greeted warmly. "Mr. Malfoy," she said curtly with a little less cheer.

Luna smiled as the pair silently walked to a table in the back beside one of the few large windows and sat down.

Draco immediately pulled out his copy of Advanced Potion Making and attempted to read. Less than a minute after he began, however, he asked, "Whom were you sitting with at breakfast?"

"Michael Corner," Luna answered as she pulled out a piece of parchment, a quill, and a jar of ink.

"Who's he?"

"A Sixth Year Ravenclaw," she answered, unsure of Draco's sudden curiosity. "I just ran into him in the common room and he invited me down to breakfast."

"Should I be worried?"

Luna laughed at this question. "Not at all; he's dating Cho Chang."

"Why can't he just have breakfast with her?"

Luna shrugged. "She was with another friend. And besides, most of the Ravenclaws find me a bit odd, you know."

Draco looked up from his book and explained, "Well, I think you're perfect."

As she felt pinkness overwhelm her cheeks, Luna smiled and turned back to her parchment, beginning to doodle. Underneath the table, Draco carefully caught her free hand and smiled.

As he read, however, Luna lifted up his hand and set it on her piece of parchment. Used to her shenanigans, Draco never lifted his eyes from his book, not even when she began to outline his hand with her quill. When Draco's hand was drawn, she placed her own hand inside his handprint and began to outline it.

In the space between her handprint and his, she doodled dainty little hearts. When the space was filled, she drew a simple symbol inside the center of both handprints. It was a triangle containing a circle with a straight line piercing straight through the center.

Draco smiled his droll smile at the drawing and said in an extravagant tone, "Now, how am I supposed to get any studying done when I've got you sitting there drawing a masterpiece on a sheet of parchment?"

Luna giggled at his exaggerating. "I'm just trying to entertain myself."

"And you're doing such a bloody good job that you've got me entertained as well," he laughed in retort.

"You need to be entertained by your studying," Luna instructed with a smile.

"And what about you? It is OWL year after all, " Draco teased, savoring the happiness and simplicity of this moment. He didn't have many chances for simplicity this year, only complications and pressure—pressure from his parents, Professor Snape, and even You-Know-Who. As all his responsibilities flooded his mind, he turned to Luna and nearly whispered, "I need you, Luna, you know that?"

Being as unique as she was, Luna didn't reply with "I need you too" or something of the sort; instead, she replied with, "Fate's an odd thing, isn't it?" Noticing the slight confusion in Draco's eyes, her protruding grey eyes stared at him innocently, and she began to elaborate. "There's someone perfect for everyone, you see, but out of all the millions of people on earth, the chance that the two people who belong together—who need each other— would find one another is miniscule, yet it happens every day." Nonchalantly returning to her drawing, she thought out loud, "Not even magic can explain that."