Disclaimer: I do not own any of the original characters.
Author's Note: Hey everyone! So sorry about the delay, school has been hectic. I'm pretty proud of this chapter so I hope you all like it.
Chapter 10 is dedicated to demonbarber14 for being a supportive reader and a constant reviewer and a great follower!
The rest of the week dragged on. Draco kept a hard eye on Brian, who had started avoiding them, and was satisfied that he hadn't leaked out their little secret. Surprisingly no one gave the couple too much beef on their now-public relationship. Ron and Hermione were still displeased and no matter how hard they tried to cover it, Luna could still see through their masks. Harry and Ginny were supportive, much to Luna's appreciation, and the three of them went to The Three Broomsticks quite often for a butterbeer and a chat, mostly to talk about how things were going with Luna and Draco. Sometimes, Draco would come with Luna on her lunch dates with Harry and Ginny, but it was too much thrown on him to sit and act civil with the two people he got along with the worst for seven years of his life. Luna understood, however, and never pushed him to come with her. She never asked, she just let him come if he decided to follow. The snow was still heavy upon the ground and today Luna treaded her way through it, hugging herself tightly.
Despite the fact that she wore a heavy jacket, scarf, gloves, jeans, boots, her school cloak, earmuffs and a hat, she was still very cold. Draco often teased that it was because she was so thin and warm-hearted. Luna would nudge him playfully and kiss his cheek.
She had been at the Three Broomsticks with Harry and Ginny and was walking back to Hogwarts; Harry and Ginny were in the other direction to visit Fred and George. She sighed, a cloudy puff escaping her lips and evaporating in the frosty air. She looked up, her eyelashes stiff and frozen, snowflakes still landing on them, and saw Lucius Malfoy and his wife.
X
Harry and Ginny were sitting in the Great Hall, eating dinner and talking quietly to themselves as Hermione and Ron argued about something, when a voice suddenly said from behind them,
"Potter, Weasley, where's Luna?"
Harry turned around, looking up to see Draco. He seemed to be composing his features, but Harry could tell by his knitted brow and flashing eyes that Draco was worried and concerned.
"We left the Three Broomsticks around noon. Maybe she's in the library." Ginny suggested.
"No, Luna would tell me she was going. Did you walk with her back?" Draco pushed.
"No, we went to visit Fred and George." Harry said, his own brow knitting now.
Draco ran his fingers through his hair in frustration, a knot of anxiety tying its way through his stomach. Luna had walked back to Hogwarts alone this afternoon and it was now seven oh' clock. He hadn't heard from her all day, not even a message in the watch. What if she had fallen ill?
Draco went back to the Ravenclaw table and touched Cho Chang's shoulder gently. She turned around and looked at him in inquiry.
"Cho, when you have finished eating dinner, will you look in Luna's room for me and tell me if she's in there, please?" Draco asked urgently.
"Sure, but why?" Cho asked, blinking.
"I haven't heard from her all day and Harry and Ginny said that she had walked back to Hogwarts alone this afternoon. I want to know if she has fallen ill or if she's missing." Draco answer.
Cho could tell he was extremely concerned, so she took the last bite of her bread and led him to the Ravenclaw tower.
"What English word retains the same pronunciation, even after you take away four of its five letters?" The door asked.
"Queue." Cho responded after a moment's thought.
The door swung open and she went inside, leaving Draco in the hall to wait. He paced while waiting, biting his lip as he tried to keep his heart beat regular. The door opened and he swung around looking hopeful. Cho stood alone and said,
"She's not in there, sorry."
Draco turned and ran. He got to the library and, much to Madam Pince's disapproval, ran through each section in search for his girlfriend. She wasn't in there either. He hurried back to the Great Hall, sweating, hoping she had arrived while she was gone, but she hadn't. His heart was pounding horribly so, making him feel sick as he ran outside towards the Forbidden Forest, his last resort to finding her. She was nowhere to be seen.
Fully panicking, Draco ran to Dumbledore's office. Without knocking he slammed the door open, panting and sweating profusely. Dumbledore and Xenophilius Lovegood stood in the middle of the office, looking at Draco in surprise.
"Ah, , I was just on my way to fetch you. wished to see you and Miss Luna." Dumbledore greeted, smiling down his glasses at him.
Shit. Draco forgot tonight was the night Xenophilius was going to have the talk with them.
"Where's Luna?" Xenophilius asked.
Before Draco could answer, there was a scratching at Dumbledore's window. In curiosity, the old man made his way to the glass and opened it, allowing an owl to fly in. It was Draco's owl, with a note in its beak. He felt relieved seeing the parchment, but he was filled with cold dread once more as he read the letter. The two men must've noticed his color lower because Xenophilius asked,
"Is everything quite alright, Draco?"
Without answering, Draco ran to the fireplace, snatched up some of Dumbledore's Floo powder and tossed it down saying,
"Malfoy Manor."
The young man disappeared and Dumbledore walked over to where the note had fallen. He picked it up and Xenophilius leaned over to read it with him:
Draco,
How dare you destroy and dirty this family! The absolute disgrace is revolting. Get home now and fix this mess right now.
Mum & Dad
X
Draco stepped out of the fireplace, rubbing his eyes with the arm of his sleeve to rid the dust, but the second he lowered his arm a powerful hit in the face threw him against the fireplace. He heard a crack as he fell to his knees. Moments later before he even gained his vision back he felt warm blood run from his head down his forehead and nose. Through a hazy blur he saw his father standing before him, his long fingers curled into fists so tight that the knuckles stood out in a white-yellow color. He reached forward and snatched Draco by the front of his shirt, yanking his limp body up and smacking him upside the head, sending an alarm throughout Draco's head.
"What the fuck were you thinking Draco?" Lucius screamed.
Draco tried glaring at his father but his head was spinning and aching and blood and sweat got in the way.
"You..are..a…DISGRACE!" With every word was a hit.
Draco felt his consciousness wavering and he mumbled thickly,
"Where Luna.."
Lucius roared and threw Draco across the room. He crashed against the door and lay on the floor, staring at the ceiling numbly. Lucius lunged at him, kicking his side and ribs and boxing him about the ears, yelling for Draco to answer why he had brought the family to such disgrace. Draco kept hearing an animal-like, high-pitched, sound ring through his ears but he reckoned it was the pain flooding through his head.
Finally Lucius pinned Draco's bruised and bloody body against the wall and snarled,
"Draco, why?"
"I love her." Draco said, turned his head weakly to spit out blood.
"THAT'S A LIE; NO SON OF MINE WOULD LOVE A LOONY, CRAZY, DISGRACEFUL, PATHETIC EXCUSE FOR A WITCH WITH A LUNATIC FOR A FATHER, A DISGRACE ALMOST AS BAD AS THE WEASLEY FAMILY!" Lucius screamed in a near psychosis.
"I'm no son of yours, I never was." Draco spat.
There was a moment's silence as the words rang out, and Draco heard the high-pitched sound that pierced through his heart once more. They both looked at the door and the puzzle finally pieced together for Draco when he heard,
"CRUCIO!"
Draco snapped out of his disorientation and shoved his father so suddenly and violently that the man stumbled back and fell. He burst into the dining room and roared in fury and pain.
Luna was curled up on the carpet, her beautiful long blonde hair cut to her chin, the remains scattered across the carpet. Her clothes were torn apart, leaving her naked body visible for the eye to see bruises and cuts covering 60% of the milky skin that Draco had kissed and touched. Her eyes were wide but glazed over and unseeing, her soft cheeks streaked in dried tears and blood. Although she was curled up in a fetal position her body shook violently and cries and agonized moans escaped her lips, her chest heaving with sobs.
"Cruc-"
"STOP IT!" Draco screamed, tackling his mother to the ground.
Narcissa cried out in surprise as she hit the floor, her wand flying across the room and rolling under a cabinet.
"How could you, mother?" Draco shouted hoarsely, his chest hitching.
His heart wrenched seeing Luna laying like that, not even seeing that he was there.
"How could I ?!" Narcissa hissed, "How could you do this to us, your family, the most respected and-"
"RESPECTED?" Draco screamed, causing her to flinch.
"RESPECT MY ASS! PEOPLE FEAR US BECAUSE WE'RE COLD BLOODED MONSTERS! YOU DON'T CARE ABOUT ANYONE OR ANYONE ELSE'S FATE OR LIVES, YOU CAUSE PAIN TO HIDE YOUR OWN, YOU DISPLACE YOUR FEAR AND ANGER ON POOR PEOPLE WHO DON'T DESERVE IT! LUNA DID NOT-" Draco's voice cracked, "nothing to you. She's my girlfriend, my lover, she's carrying my child…Your grandchild."
"I will not sta-" Narcissa started,
"Don't talk to me. I don't care what you say or do anymore. I won't be a part of it. I won't be on the Dark side. I'm staying with Luna. I need to take care of her and my child; they're all I care about. Nothing you say will change my mind or attitude."
Draco crawled over to Luna and pulled her bare, mutilated body into his arms, his sobs finally escaping him as he stroked her shortened hair, whispering her name, cradling her gently.
"Luna, please, show me you're aware. It's me, Draco." He whispered.
Luna just stared past him, her body still quivering. Draco wailed, not caring that his mother was sitting on her knees watching his heart break.
"Luna, I love you." He sobbed, "Please be alright."
"Draco, son-"
Draco whipped his head toward her, blood drying on his face and tears cascading down. His livid eyes met hers and he screamed,
"SHUT UP!"
He rocked back and forth, holding Luna, his heart screaming just as loud. The dining room doors burst open and standing in the doorway were Dumbledore and Xenophilius. They had thought about the note, and considering how long it had been, gotten suspicious. Rightfully so.
"LUNA!" Xenophilius screamed.
Dumbledore stormed across the room towards Narcissa, who backed away quickly, hissing like a cat at him.
"Narcissa, you dare torture a student? A pregnant girl? You dare use an Unforgiveable curse against a young woman carrying your grandchild?" Dumbledore thundered.
Narcissa flinched as he reached forward and she lifted her sleeve and touched the Dark Mark on her arm, disappearing. Dumbledore turned to Draco and Xenophilius.
Luna's father was trying to take her from Draco but the boy sobbed and wailed, holding her to him and backing away from him. The Headmaster walked over and put his arm on Draco's shoulder.
" , your girlfriend needs serious medical attention. If you truly care about her, I advise you hand her to her father." He said gently.
Draco took a shaky breath and kissed Luna's forehead ever so gently and handed her to Xenophilius. His face was stony and pale, his chest heaving and his eyes fighting to hold back tears as he took his daughter from Draco's arms.
"I'm taking her to 's. While they treat her I will inform them of her pregnancy and my concerns about speeding the pregnancy, especially in a case like this." Xenophilius told Draco seriously.
"I'm coming." Draco said huskily.
Xenophilius looked him over and answered,
"Indeed you are, you look as though you need medical attention yourself. Your father gave you quite the beating as well."
Draco nodded and the man held out his arm. He took it but before they could Apparate, Dumbledore said,
"I'll be back at the school. Inform me of any news when you come back."
Draco nodded and him and Xenophilius Apparated to 's.
X
What happened at the hospital seemed to be a hazy memory to Draco. At the moment he was lying in a hospital bed, blinking away his fuzzy vision and squinting to see properly. Light was shining through the window so although he didn't know the exact time, he knew it was early morning. His entire body ached and was sore and he lifted his arms to see yellowing bruises criss-crossing their way down to his wrists. His head hurt the most and he felt like he was underwater as he turned it slowly to look to his right. There was another hospital bed and in it was Luna. They had cut her hair to fix it and make it look nicer. It was a stacked cut- short in the back and coming down longer in layers until it reached her chin. There was a long cut stretching from the corner of her mouth to her jaw, looking like a weird half-frown and bruises covered her head to toe. She looked more purple than the moony white she had always been. Her lids were closed but her chest rose with normal breathing patterns. It calmed Draco a bit more.
He began to notice smaller observations. Piled around Luna's bed were tons of flowers and cards and the foot of her bed was drowned in little stuffed animals, a balloon tied to the foot post. Around Draco's bed were candies and cards and several flowers. Surprisingly from Harry, Ginny, Severus, Dumbledore, Xenophilius, and…his mother. The last one shocked him the most.
The door opened and Draco turned his head slowly again, wincing at the pain. Xenophilius walked over to his bed and sat beside him.
"You've been asleep for 36 hours." He informed.
Draco looked at him in disbelief, but after a moment's thought, believed it. He was in enough pain and he still felt drained.
"Luna?" he croacked. His throat was parched.
Xenophilius picked up a glass of water with a straw in it and put the straw between Draco's lips carefully, holding the cup for him. Draco drank greedily and looked at him with eyes of appreciation. When he was done, Xenophilius set the glass back down.
"She'll be alright. She's been asleep on and off. She's had a lot of nightmares that woke her screaming. I'm surprised she hasn't woken you."
"Baby news?" Draco asked, licking his lips.
"They used a charm to determine the sex of the baby." Xenophilius said.
Draco waited, his heart starting to pound, his hands curling around the blanket.
"It's a girl." Xenophilius announced, smiling.
Draco broke into a grin. Merlin's beard he was going to have a baby girl. A daughter. He would be a father to a beautiful daughter born from the love of his life. He wondered what she'd look like and when she'd be born.
"They also had a potion they gave to Luna that will speed her pregnancy. Instead of being nine months, the baby will be born in three months, fully developed and as normal as though she were carried to full term." Xenophilius finished.
Draco couldn't help but laugh, he was so utterly overjoyed. The feeling was almost indescribable. He felt euphoric, as though he could jump out of bed and dance. He looked again at Luna, his beauty. He wished she were awake and well so he could kiss her and squeeze her and celebrate the beautiful and joyous news.
Xenophilius watched the emotion in Draco's eyes as he looked upon Luna. He could feel the love practically radiate from the young man and it assured him everything would turn out okay. It would all work out. Draco would take care of Luna and watch out for her with more care and caution. He knew he wouldn't let her out of his sight again. Luna would be safe with this young man. He made her happy and made her feel special and warm and loved and cared about outside of her home.
"Draco." Xenophilius said.
Draco, broken out of his euphoric trance, turned to Xenophilius, smiling.
"Yes, sir?" Draco asked.
"Please keep Luna under extreme surveillance. The baby will be at danger now since the pregnancy is being sped. All dangers and risks must be avoided at all costs. She cannot get hurt, for the sake of the baby, watch her and protect her." Xenophilius warned.
"I will, Xenophilius. I'll protect her with my life. She will be safe with me, I promise. I won't let anything happen to her or the unborn baby. I'll be watching her like a hawk. Nothing will come to her while I'm alive." Draco swore.
Xenophilius looked him over again and nodded.
"I trust and believe you."
"I'm sorry for what happened. I never would've thought that they'd take her and abuse her. I should've gone with her. I always will now, I promise, she'll never be alone." Draco said.
Xenophilius stared at Draco for a long time. Before Draco could ask, Xenophilius said suddenly,
"Draco, do you love my daughter?"
Draco answered without hesitation, "I love her with all my heart."
"Have you thought about the future?" Xenophilius asked seriously.
"Sir, with all due respect, I want to marry her after we finish school."
Author's Note: I hope you all enjoyed this chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it. Please follow, comment, and review! Thanks for reading!