Yes, I'm a horrible person. Yes, I should have updated ages ago. But it's been soooo busy, you can't even imagine. Well, if you're in high school, you probably can. And not to try and make excuses, as I have none, but to those of you who read my other story, or have me on author alert, I have been trying really hard to update this one, but my Psych fic is already done, so it's really easy to update, while Set Fire to the Rain I had almost done when I updated it that one time. So... here you go.

Disclaimer: I don't own HP or My Happy Ending.


"Dear Draco," Draco's mother had written. "I am writing a brief note to warn you to stop whatever you are doing with your father. I fear for his sanity. Since you left, he's been on the brink of being a complete maniac. Please stop, Draco. Please. Do it for me. Love Mum." Draco paused at the end of this letter. He had only been trying to help his father, but it looked like he had made things worse. Should he stop?

"Draco, my boy!" began his father's letter energetically. "I am very glad for the little bits of information you've collected about what the Order believes will happen next. Sometime the enemy's insight is the most valuable! Now, I want you to give me some more information. Try and figure out what the Order's meetings are about. What are they discussing. Much thanks from your dear old dad."

Draco fingered this letter nervously. It sounded like his mother was, indeed, right about his father's worsening condition. This letter made it seem like he was positively mad - since when did Lucius Malfoy say things like, "Draco, my boy?" But, if that was true, then the only person he could hurt was his dad. And if his dad was hurt, then he couldn't possibly hurt anyone else. Right?

Unfortunately, Draco was ripped from his thoughts by the voice of the Weasel, standing behind him. "Hey, Draco, is that a letter from your mum? I bet she misses you so much - I mean, now that the Dark Lord isn't there to entertain her, she just has your loser of a dad, right?" Weasley was saying.

There was a burst of laughter from behind Weasley in the form of Potter and that other Weasley girl. "Well, I'm sure your mum writes all the time, Weasel," Draco retorted. "After all, your dad isn't even there - he has to work all day and night to get enough money to feed her, right?"

Weasley almost lunged at a very smirking Draco, but Potter held him back, whispering something in his ear. Then Weasley grinned and countered, "Where's your girlfriend, Malfoy?"

"Girlfriend?" Draco asked, confused.

"Yeah. Luna?" Weasley responded, snickering behind his hand.

"You think Luna's my girlfriend?" Draco scoffed. "Yeah, right. Why would a guy like me date Loony Lovegood? If anything, all this time with her's showed me just how crazy she is. Complete lunatic."

But suddenly, everyone's eyes weren't focused on Draco's laughing face, but on a point somewhere over his shoulder. Slowly, with a sinking sensation of dread in his chest, he turned.

Sure enough, it was Luna, her lip trembling slightly. Draco stared at her, his mouth flapping pointlessly. The truth was, he didn't even know what to say. He was completely in the wrong, and he knew it. His face crumpled and a lump appeared in his throat as Luna spun around and fled, tears flying from her eyes and splashing onto the others.

The only sound was the distant banging of Luna's Reincarnations of Mozart book bag. Draco started forward, wanting to make everything right with her. Then he stopped, his mind reeling in confusion. Why? Why do I care so much about her? It's not like I actually care about Loony Lovegood, Draco scoffed to himself, shaking his head perplexedly.

But suddenly, a chill spread over him in a rush, as though an icy breeze had blown through the great doors beside them. I do care, he realized, surprised. But why do I care about Loony Lovegood? Almost immediately after he repeated the "Loony" to himself, Draco felt an overpowering urge to defend Luna's honor, even against himself, despite everything that was screaming at him not to.

Draco glanced at Potter and his mates. Weasley had stopped his original snickering after Granger slapped him on the arm and hissed, "Ron! Be a little more sensitive, will you?" Potter and his girlfriend were both staring after Luna, obvious concern etched on their faces.

Weasley and Granger adopted somber looks as well, as Draco felt a tap on his shoulder. He turned to see Potter standing directly behind him, a questioning look on his face. "What?" Draco exclaimed, nearly forgetting to snarl.

"Well? Aren't you going?" Potter asked, as though there was something completely obvious Draco should be doing.

"Going where?" Draco asked dumbly, still in shock. Suddenly, he felt incredibly inferior to all of the others, even Weasley, all of whom seemed to think that he was missing the main piece to this puzzle, a feeling he wasn't used to having.

"After Luna," the Weasley girl told him in an exasperated voice, rolling her eyes over-dramatically.

Draco's eyes flickered to her, the thought of her good looks not even crossing his mind, for once. All he could think of was Luna - Luna, her beautiful blond curls, and the way they shone in the -

What was he thinking? Shaking his head again, he responded, "I don't know where she is."

Granger looked at him rather haughtily. "Figure it out, Malfoy." Then, turning to Weasley: "I've got to go find Pansy - that is, the Parkinson cow."

Draco smiled lightly and turned to leave the Great Hall. Luna. He knew where she was, of course. He'd been stupid not to realize it. It was the Owlery - the place Luna always went when she wanted to be alone. His grin grew wider as he remembered...


It had been a sunny day near the middle of September, during their free period, one of the first times that Draco had enjoyed his time with Luna. She had taken his wrist, leading him to one corner of the tower, where a lone white owl sat. "Is that Potter's?" he queried, confused.

Luna laughed as she took the owl onto her arm, revealing a missing leg. "No. This is mine. She's not actually mine; she's the school's, but I take care of her," she explained. "I found her in my first year, all alone and hurt, and I nursed her back to health with the help of Professor Flitwick and Madame Pomfrey. Now she's mine. Here, stroke her."

Draco reached out a hesitant hand to touch the owl, who hooted quietly and cuffed his hand with her beak. Luna smiled at him, and at that moment, Draco felt himself falling for her, for her beautiful smile. He grinned back at her, his hand brushing against hers lightly as he brought it down.

The tingling feeling in his fingers spread all the way to his toes.


Draco knocked lightly on the side of the archway leading into the Owlery. "Luna?" he called softly, stepping into the swirling owls. There was no answer, only a sniffle from the corner where Bernadette - Luna's owl - usually stayed. "Luna. Can I just come and talk to you? I don't want anything more..."

Luna stepped out from behind an owl perch, Bernadette perched precariously on her arm. Luna's face glistened with tears, making her look almost angelic. "Luna, Luna, I'm so sorry," Draco whispered, running up to her.

"I know you are, Draco," she responded, letting him hug her. "But you need to learn to not be afraid of being with me. I need you to be someone who's not afraid to be with me."

Draco gazed at her with wide eyes, surprised. "I'm not... I'm not afraid to be with you, Luna," he told her, trying to be earnest, but realizing immediately that he was wrong. "I'll try not to be, anyway."

"Thank you, Draco," Luna said, smiling brightly. Draco leaned against the wall, feeling off-balance and dizzy. What was going on? Why had Luna forgiven him so easily? It wasn't supposed to be so easy!

"What? No," Draco protested. "You aren't supposed to forgive me! I don't want you to forgive me, Luna. I don't deserve to be forgiven!"

"But you expect to be, Draco," Luna told him gently. "You expect to be forgiven lightly. You expect people to want to be with you, to want to be your friends. But Draco, it's not always that easy."

Draco stared at Luna, amazed. He wasn't used to people being so straightforward, so honest, with him. He wasn't used to people being like Luna. "Luna..." Draco began, but faltered. "Luna, I'm sorry."

She smiled. "I forgive you, Draco. Don't worry."


Draco fingered the letter in his hand. Luna had gone to the Ravenclaw common room for the night, after they'd spent all day together, mending the wounds of the morning. But now he had written a letter to his father, saying he'd send along the information when he got it. Now he wasn't sure he wanted to send it at all, especially after the whirlwind of a day he'd had.

He closed his eyes, stroking Bernadette softly. It was so exhausting, his whole life. Sometimes, Draco felt like it would be easier to give up on all the pressure, give up on it all. But there was always Luna right there beside him...

Draco sighed and tied the letter to a barn owl's leg. At least it would stop his father from bothering him. At least it would end all the pressure.


I don't deserve all your awesome reviews, but please try and review. Even though I never have time to reply, your reviews are all really encouraging. I'm really trying to update more... Hopefully, school will calm down now that it's begun and settled a little. So thanks for everything, guys! You're awesome!