Chapter 9
Draco couldn't sleep.
Although usually his mind was consumed with fear for his nightmares, tonight the main thing on his mind was Luna. Even though she was generally a forgiving person, he became worried that she would resent him for the attack.
It was almost a habit now for him to get up and roam about the castle at night. There was hardly any fear in it anymore; since he had started doing it he hadn't been caught once, and already had several excuses tucked into his brain to save him if he should ever find himself in that situation. He walked in a daze down the darkened corridors, allowing the darkness to wash over him, and realising how different it was now. Before, the shadows of the castle at night were comforting to him, but now... they were almost a reminder of the light that he had managed to blink out. He rounded a corner, and realised he had reached the place he would usually find Luna, gazing out into the night sky and likely humming a tune he had never heard of. He smiled at the thought, but sighed at the emptiness; now all that was ahead of him was a lifeless corridor.
"I still can't believe you did that," Pansy laughed. "I didn't think you had it in you anymore! To set a unicorn on Loony Lovegood... It's almost too perfect!"
Draco grinded his teeth as he listened to Pansy ramble on about his 'brilliant plan', sick of hearing her singing his praises 24/7. She, like everyone else, seemed to think that Draco actually had the power and knowledge to train a unicorn and release it to attack a perfectly innocent girl. Thanks to taking Care of Magical Creatures Class, something he had managed to keep well hidden from the Slytherin's, he now knew full well how proud and dangerous animal's could be, but unfortunately when with Luna he didn't have the calm state of mind to act to this knowledge.
It was now two days after the incident, and Draco had braved the Slytherin common room, safe from most others but completely forgetting the mind-numbing leech that was Pansy.
"I bet it was hilarious to watch. Did she call on the woowaa's to help her out?" Pansy asked, before exploding into laughter and her own rather lame humour. Draco, who never replied at all when Pansy started talking about Luna, was beginning to struggle with holding back his anger on Pansy's words, and was desperately clutching at the arm of the chair in attempt to hold on to his restraint.
"And now she's in the hospital wing! The freak's been put away for two days! And it's all thanks to yo-"
"I didn't do it," Draco growled, getting right up in her face so only she would hear. "And don't you dare say she's been 'put away' like she's some animal, got it? She's a genuine person. Much less can be said about you."
He got up to walk away but Pansy grabbed his arm, and this was such a shock to him he stopped dead in his tracks. Usually, she would call after him like a little girl, or have a go at him later on... this behaviour was beyond Pansy's childish standards.
"Draco," she said lowly, not in a threatening way; more concerned. "Sit down and listen to me."
It was so out of character for her that he did as he was told, overtaken by curiosity and bewilderment. She looked him serious in the eyes, placing a hand on his shoulder to emphasize her concern.
"I don't know what's going on with you and that girl. I don't know if I want to know. But don't go spreading this around, ok? If it gets out that you... care about her... you realise what will happen to your reputation, don't you?"
"I don't care anymore," Draco said honestly, shaking his head and walking away again. This time, Pansy acted out, calling after him and attracting the attention of several other people in the common room.
"You're being stupid, Draco!" Pansy yelled. Draco turned round to glare.
"Better being stupid than a complete bitch," he replied, before swiftly turning around and leaving the common room. He spat the insult mainly in Luna's honour, for every bad word she had said against her.
As he walked away, his agitation didn't fade due to the sound of several footsteps behind him. He turned to see that Pansy, followed by a few other Slytherin's, had followed him out of the common room. He rolled his eyes and walked a little faster, but Pansy, whose dignity was fading rapidly, began to run after him.
"Where are you going?" She called after him.
"Where you think I'm going," he replied. The people following her seemed more intrigued by this, and in a way, Draco found it funny; Pansy was torn between stopping Draco going to the hospital wing, and holding off the people following so they didn't know he was going there. Unfortunately for her, her attempts were futile, and the whole group soon ended up in the hospital wing. As Draco went to approach Luna's bed, Pansy desperately pulled on his arm, but he just shook her off.
This time, the bed was not lonely; Ginny was there visiting her, accompanied by Harry who's expression became one of fury as soon as he laid eyes on him. He stood up to confront the Slytherin, but Ginny pulled him back down.
"No need to get your knickers in a twist, Potter. I'm not here in the hope I can make sure she stays longer or whatever it is going through that arrogant head of yours," Draco sneered, taking a seat on the other side of Luna's bed. Harry's eyes diverted to the little Slytherin group that had followed him here, and looked back at Draco in confusion. Draco looked up at them himself, and saw Pansy fixing him under a disapproving and disbelieving stare, shaking her head at him. The rest of the group were watching Draco as if they were expecting him to unexplainably explode.
"Draco," Pansy murmured. "Before you lose all hope for yourself, please, go."
Draco looked at her as if he was considering what she was saying, but his hand reached out and held Luna's in an obviously loving manner. As Pansy's face exploded in embarrassment, Draco smirked at her, and at the now completely stunned group, before turning back to Luna.
"She should wake up soon," Ginny told him. "Madam Pomfrey told us."
Draco nodded. Luna's healing had become effective pretty quickly, and the bruises and cuts that were visible on her face had faded a considerable amount, though a couple were still obviously there.
He pulled his chair a little closer to her, and leaned so he was closer to her face. He looked at her for a second, but dropped his head in the hope that it would help hide what he was about to say from those around him.
"Wake up," he whispered, barely audible even to himself. "I need to hear your voice again... please, wake up..."
"What are you saying to her?" Harry asked accusingly. Draco looked up and glared.
"Never you mind, Potter," Draco spat. Harry opened his mouth to reply, but everyone was immediately distracted as the before lifeless girl in the bed began to stir. It wasn't much movement – all she did was move her head to the side, but her eyes opened to look straight into Draco's, overcoming him with a rush of relief and happiness. The smile finally appeared on her lips, and Draco smiled back, squeezing her hand.
"Hello, Draco," she said weakly, squeezing his hand back.
"Welcome back," he smiled.
"Thank you, by the way," she said, confusing the group of Slytherin's who had assumed that Draco attacked Luna. "Are you ok? It was very nice of you to bring me back to the hospital wing."
It was so perfectly ironic, Draco laughed. The rest of the Slytherin's were mumbling sounds of confusion between them before leaving the hospital wing, unable to take more of the strangeness they were seeing. Ginny said something quietly to Harry and they both left, leaving Luna and Draco to themselves.
"I'm so glad you're better," Draco said, feeling himself blush a little. "It wasn't the same without you."
"It's nice to know that I was missed," Luna said happily, though still with little strength in her voice. "I'm glad you're ok, too."
Draco smiled thankfully at her. Even now, it was still hard to believe how forgiving and patient she was.
"Luna... I'm really sorry about... I'm sorry," Draco said, not wanting to recount the events that got her here in the first place. "I'm the reason you're here... I can't explain how... guilty I feel."
"Sometimes, we go through difficult things in our lives, but I tend to find they amount to something bigger," she said, squeezing his hand again. "I know there were a few hiccups along the way, but I'm really glad how things turned out."
"Me too," Draco smiled. He could've stayed there forever in that moment, feeling as if a happy ending had finally dawned on him, but was ushered away by Madam Pomfrey.
That night, for the first night in months, he slept soundly, his dreams finally taking him to the happy place he now felt more at home in.
