I'm supposed to be studying for the GRE, so here's what I believe to be the longest chapter yet :))))
"So when are you going to tell us what did it? What this terrible Dark object was?" Andromeda, distracted for about an hour by their arrival in the small beach town, had gone back to prying.
"Never, most likely."
"Why does the thing itself matter so much, when we already know?"
Ginny would never admit it to him, but she too has been dying to know what this terrible thing was, and there on the sunny boardwalk seemed like a good place to ask. No way for him to blow up, not in front of all those Muggles, and the atmosphere in the group had been convivial and calm.
"It just does. I don't want to spoil everything with all this talk."
All Lucius really wanted to do was put his arm around Ginny and kiss her, there in front of God and Andromeda and everyone, but he restrained himself. Occasionally, their hands would brush together or she would lay her hand on his arm and point to something, but overall, it was more like a family outing than anything else. They walked on, browsing the menus in the windows of each restaurant they passed. Eventually they settled on a place they all agreed to be a tourist trap; it had, by far, the best view of the ocean.
In the Muggle world, Lucius's long, pale hair drew questioning looks, especially as it sat on the head of someone who looked so otherwise well-to-do.
"Everyone is staring at you," Ginny giggled as their cocktails arrived.
"Doubtful," he said, taking a sip of his drink and grimacing slightly at that first sting of alcohol. "Not when you're here."
"Ok," said Andromeda, "let's all try to stop making sexual advances at one another."
"Andy, you really didn't have to come," Ginny fired back.
"I certainly did, unless you two want to be discovered in your affair."
"No one is going to see!"
"Let's all just calm down," Lucius said. "I thought we were meant to be having fun; we were having fun earlier."
Andromeda didn't look like she was having a bit of fun, and Ginny's whole face was aflame with every comeback she was holding in.
"Drink up," Lucius said, raising his glass. "And then I think we'll all feel better."
Two hours later, working their way through their second bottle of wine and an elaborate spread of different flavored gelatos, everyone did feel much better. Lucius and Andromeda told stories of their time at Hogwarts to Ginny, who was in hysterics and didn't mind a bit when Narcissa's name came up. In fact, she found the tender look in his eye when he spoke of their first date or of their late nights studying to be somewhat reassuring. This was not a man with a cold heart.
When the check came, Lucius withdrew a wallet crammed full of Muggle money, and the women teamed up to have a laugh at his expense.
"Do you have any idea how much money that is?" Ginny, who had been taught about Muggle currency by Harry and Hermione, asked.
Lucius played at being hurt by their mockery.
"No. I just grabbed some from the safe in my study. But I trust it's more than enough to pay for the lunch of two freeloaders?"
"Give me," Ginny said, opening her hand for the wallet. She made a show of withdrawing a £50 note and tucking in her bra before she paid the bill, and both Lucius and Andromeda clapped as if they had just seen a complete burlesque show.
The trio agreed that the best way to return to the Manor would be to Apparate to Ginny's flat and then Floo to the Manor, so that Ginny could arrive directly into her bedroom, rather than outside the Manor gates, and not be seen by Draco. They walked slowly far, far down the beach, and then tucked themselves into an alley next to a closed bakery, grasping hands and vanishing.
Ginny's first thought when their feet hit the carpet, head spinning, was that she had really had far too much to drink. Her second thought was that her apartment had no business smelling so strongly of cinnamon and vanilla, and she opened her eyes to see Lucius and Andromeda staring into the kitchen.
"Hello," a quiet but apparently unalarmed voice said. "What are you all doing here?"
"Luna, I could really say the same of you," said Ginny, head still spinning. Her instinct was to throw Lucius behind her, as if she could hide a man who was about a foot taller than her.
"I'm making cookies," Luna said, as if this was the most normal thing in the world.
"Ok," Ginny said slowly, trying and failing to understand the situation. She turned to her companions, only aware that it was best if they left as quickly as possible. "Why don't you two go back to the…go back," she finished lamely as she gestured to the vase full of Floo powder. "I'll be along."
Lucius opened his mouth as if he was going to say something, but thought better of it when Luna gave him a hard look which he doubted very few other people had ever been on the receiving end of. He swallowed hard and seemed to mutter something incomprehensible as he placed his hand on Andromeda's back. They stepped into the grate together, and were gone in a flash of green.
"You're going back to Malfoy Manor?" Luna asked, interested after hearing what the two shouted into the fire.
"It's very complicated."
Luna had not stopped mixing dough for a second, and her movement was making Ginny's head pound.
"Luna, if I'm not mistaken your house has a kitchen too. With an oven and all."
"Yes, but I'm making these cookies for a party in the city and it's much easier than trying to travel with them. You're not supposed to be here," she observed, eyebrows raised. "Not with Lucius Malfoy, particularly."
Ginny poured herself a glass of water and sat down at the breakfast bar, head in her hand. Never before had a hangover come on so quickly, and deciding whether or not to lie to her best friend was the last thing she wanted to think about. She thought of her welcoming bed at the Manor, and how nice it was to take long late afternoon naps there. Surely her enchanted medicine cabinet had already produced a potion just for this particular affliction…but it was best to suck it up and explain, rather than leave more confusion in her wake.
"You're my best friend, Luna. Better than anyone."
"That's very sweet, Ginny," Luna said, but her voice was tinged with a rare harsh edge.
"So I won't lie to you. I haven't been on vacation at all. Well, I sort of have. Just at Malfoy Manor rather than elsewhere."
"And you haven't been alone."
"No," Ginny acknowledged, "I've been with Lucius."
Luna continued shifting baking sheets around, pulling a fresh batch from the oven and immediately replacing it with the next one. She didn't say anything.
"So would you like to know why?" Ginny pressed. Normally Luna was so open to discussions of strange occurrences, but this seemed to have completely soured her.
"Do you know yourself?"
And that was Luna, too. Always more perceptive than anyone gave her credit for.
Ginny sat silently for a long while, only moving to refill her glass. Luna pushed a plate of cookies over to her, eventually, and Ginny ate them greedily despite the large meal she had had only a little while before.
"I know why you don't understand, Luna. I know you hate Lucius as much as you, most forgiving person alive, are capable of hating. But please, please, don't tell anyone."
Finally, finally, Luna drew her eyes up to meet Ginny's. They seemed to search her for a long time, as if hunting for any scrap of insincerity.
"I won't tell," she decided, handing Ginny yet another cookie.
"Thank you. Now what kind of party are all these cookies for, exactly? There must be at least 150."
"You really don't know?" Luna's eyes widened. "Ginny, today is Harry's birthday."
Ginny felt as if she had just been slammed to the ground after taking a Portkey. 25 years of being alive, and this was the first time she had ever not made note of Harry Potter's birthday. Even before her family became so wrapped up with him, it had been mentioned in the Daily Prophet every year as a little blurb, just to honor him. There had been many years after that when she celebrated with him, with glee and breakfast in bed and elaborate presents, but the past few years it had passed miserably. She would sulk in the corner of the party, always invited despite her attempts to push Harry farther and farther out of her life. And he would always look over wistfully at her, and she would always turn her head, creating a shield with her hair…
"He didn't invite you this year because we all thought you were away. Nearly killed him to throw your card away when we told him, too." Luna didn't look very sympathetic towards Ginny as she said this. "But I really think you should be going…not to kick you out of your own home, but Rolf is going to be picking me up any minute, and I still need to pack up all these cookies."
Ginny rose to her feet and walked around the counter to Luna, holding her arms out. Luna hugged her, and thankfully, it felt as warm and understanding as always.
"Be good," Luna said. "Just please trust yourself, and I think everything will come out right."
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