Draco couldn't believe his luck when at the next day, he found a tiny blue guy with a long orange beard and a checkered kilt lying unconsciously on the floor. He was bleeding, obviously rats and nargles didn't get along so well in here. Ah, this would get her attention for certain. She loved those critters, right?
He took the little guy to the place where he had last met Lovegood, and placed him on a rag that was lying on a chair.
"Hey, Lovegood, come and look at this! I caught one! Is that a nargle? Wow, look how tiny he is. Hey, little blue thing, talk to me. Oh my, I think he's unconscious. Aw, he's hurt, but how bad is it? Man, I don't know squat about these critters. Maybe I should try some healing spells on him? Wow, did you see that, he deflects magic, even in this state. I wonder what would happen if I dealt him a battle spell. One... two..."
"Stop it already, Draco!"
There she came, almost running, and bore an untypically cold look into him.
"That's not a nargle, that's a Feegle."
Instantly, Draco made a step back. He knew enough about Feegles to leave them alone, only he had never seen one before.
"Are you certain? I thought they were a lot bigger. Considering four of them can carry a sheep away..."
"They can. They're very strong. I know Feegles, and this is one, and where there's one, there is usually a dozen..." her voice trailed out as she looked around to see any more of them. There was an unusual amount of rustling around them.
"Hey, I didn't know it's a Feegle, I found him hurt like this, and I tried to heal him!" called Draco into the room.
"Ach, stick it up yer trakkens!" some tiny voice snarled.
More rustling. Uncomfortably, Luna looked at Draco, but he didn't know what to do either.
"Put your wand away, Draco," she said. "You can never hit them all. Better not threaten them."
She took a deep breath. "Nac Mac Feegle. We apologize if we did something that upsets you. We don't mean no harm to the Free Men. Please come and get your comrade, he's not feeling well."
"Ach, the Wee Big Hag is scared now?" hissed a tiny but unmistakeably angry voice, and more angry voice joined in from all around them. That wasn't good. Not good at all.
"Watch what you're calling her," snarled Draco. "She's done nothing, but she knows some wicked spells, you better leave her alone."
That earned him a storm of swear words, and the first object were thrown at them.
Automatically, Luna and Draco stood back to back and raised their wands.
"I told you, don't threaten them!" hissed Luna.
"Like it would have made any difference what we'd say to them," hissed Draco back, deflecting a set of forks that came flying towards his face. "If there's a fight in sight, they're going to head for it. Spare your breath for your spells, Lovegood."
Draco couldn't see her, but he was certain she was making a face at his words.
Only they didn't have time for that now, because the Feegles were cheering and throwing more things, and more and more of them came out of hiding to swear at them and hop up and down.
Luna had been right, Feegles were very strong. The items they threw became bigger, and pointier, and they were fast. They hurt. Draco let out a loud yell when something sharp hit his face right next to his eye. The Feegles cheered, and whole swarms of sharp objects came flying the same way, piercing the hands Draco had put up to protect his eyes.
"Dobby!" Draco yelled out without realizing it. "Help me!"
Luna was surprised this was the name on his lips when he was in danger, and from Draco's reaction, he was surprised, too. They were even more surprised when with a loud pop an elf apparated between them. He was not a house elf. He was a free alf and wore actual clothing, lots of it, and he was obviously very color-happy.
The cheers and rain of objects stopped immediately, although the cursing remained and even got more colorful.
Luna knew this elf, Harry had been talking of him.
"Good evening, Mr. Dobby," she said.
"Good evening, Miss Lovegood," said the elf, who obviously knew her as well, and he didn't bow. "Young Master, you called me?" he greeted Draco, and again, he didn't bow. "Is there anything I can do for you?"
"Ach, crivens!" hissed the Feegles. "Lookit the Wee Big Elf. Thinks he's so clever. But everyone can git into a room by magic. 's not like he has skills."
But it was clear that the Feegles were keeping a respectful distance to the elf, and the angry cursing lost a bit of its edge and its volume.
Draco gave Dobby a somewhat embarassed smile.
"I found this Feegle unconscious on the floor, and tried to help him, and now these critters are mad at me."
These critters weren't taking that description very well. They cursed Draco again in full voice, and one of them threw something spiky and rusty at Draco. It only took Dobby a wave of his hand, and the rusty spike fell to the ground with a loud clang.
Dobby carefully took the little unconscious blue man into his hand. The cursing stopped immediately, although some angry buzz of murmurs kept on.
"You will find your brother outside the castle," he said. "You should hurry to find him before something else does."
And with that word, and a loud 'pop', the little blue man vanished from the palm of his hand, and shortly after that, and with some fierce cursing, his clan mates followed.
Dobby sighed with relief when they were gone, and turned towards Draco.
"Please, the young Master shouldn't be here," said Dobby, and his face took on a sorrowful expression. "The young Master shouldn't have bad secrets. And what did he bring the young Miss Lovegood here for?"
Draco sneered. "I didn't bring her. She's spying on my for Potter."
"Ooooh..." sighed Dobby, turning his eyes admiringly to Luna. "Miss Lovegood is so brave and noble... it's such an honor for Dobby to help her out."
He turned back to Draco in a quick movement, and put on an angry frown.
"Young Master, stop coming here doing bad things! Stop plotting against Mr Potter!" he demanded. "Dobby is telling you this as an old friend!"
"Hah!" sneered Draco with utter contempt. "Why should I listen to you, Dobby? 'Dobby will always be your friend, young Master.' Yeah, great friend. Haven't seen you in all those years that you've been out having fun. All I've faced in these times, I had to face alone. And you're turning up now preaching on me? Go away, Dobby. I don't need a friend like that."
Tears filled Dobby's eyes.
"Please, young Master..." he tried, but Draco only made a disgusted face.
"Draco, he came today, when you needed him," said Luna.
Draco sneered. "Thanks, Dobby. Thanks for humbling yourself doing something for me when I'm begging. And now go away and serve Potter again."
Despite his tears, Dobby took a deep breath and stood very upright. "Dobby is not a servant anymore."
"Yes, you deserted me out of your free will. Been here in Hogwarts for who knows how long and not even a card on my birthday. I get the message. But you know what? I get by. I don't need you. I was raised not to expect much from a house elf, and you certainly didn't disappoint those expectations. But would it have been so far beneath you to show a spark of gratitude towards my mother? She cared for you. She healed you when you were sick. And you couldn't just leave her to her fate fast enough."
His face became a mask of contempt. "So don't you dare to tell me what to do or not. Potter took away you. Then my father. Then my godfather. There's noone left to protect us but me. I'll do anything it takes to keep my family safe. Anything. If you have any loyalty left, any at all, you keep out of my way. Am I making myself clear?"
"Yes, Mr Malfoy," said Dobby. "But, Mr Malfoy... many nights Dobby sat by the young Mr Malfoy's cradle when he was small, Dobby fed him and brought him his toys. These were happy times for Dobby. Happy times. The young Mister grew up in front of Dobby's eyes, and Dobby wishes no harm to come to him. Dobby would never do anything to harm young Mr Malfoy."
It was the familiar harmony in the elf's voice that made Draco snap. He knew it was futile, but he pulled out his wand and pointed it right between his former house elf's big eyes.
"Leave, you liar!" he yelled. "I don't ever want to see you again."
"Yes, Mr Malfoy. Dobby will leave you as you wish."
He made a few steps backwards, until he was standing next to Luna.
He took her hand and shot her a pleading look.
"Please don't come here any longer. These are bad times. Young Mr Malfoy doesn't know where he's steering."
Luna smiled. "But he can learn."
Dobby smiled back at her, and nodded.
With a pop he vanished. But Luna felt like the warmth of his smile lingered with her a while longer.
Draco put down his wand and turned away from Luna.
"Are you two done pitying me?" he asked coldly.
"Noone is pitying you. You know he didn't promise you those things out of his free will, at the time when he was a house elf," said Luna.
"Don't treat me like I'm stupid!" hissed Draco. "It would have been a house elf's words if he had said 'I will always serve you' or 'I will always be by your side'. But he promised me friendship. And look how much that words have been worth!"
Luna sighed. "Maybe this is his way of being friendly. After all, he only tried to talk some sense into you. He seems to care about you."
"Words are cheap, Lovegood. Easy to care for me in here where I'm safe. If he cared, he'd be with me out there."
Luna frowned. But she found nothing she could say to this.
For a while, none of them said anything. Draco just stood there, the wand in his hand, staring on the floor. The Room of Requirement had a lot of things on his floors that could keep one's eyes busy for a while.
Luna watched him. After all, that was what she was here for. Watch Draco.
"What is it, Lovegood?" said Draco finally, without looking at her. "Fancy a little consolation fuck or would you mind leaving me alone for today?"
Luna wanted neither, but if he put it this way...
"Calm down, Draco," she said. "I'll see you tomorrow, okay?"
Slowly, she walked away.
But for the wand in his hand, she rather took the very next turn to another aisle.
She had a very, very bad feeling leaving him behind like this, but if she didn't want to put her arms around him and give him ideas, there was nothing she could do for him.
And she didn't like that thought at all.
She had said he could learn, and he wouldn't learn from that. It hurt her Ravenclaw soul.
Things had to change.
Things had to change a lot.
Because Luna Lovegood liked things to make sense.
And this didn't.