CHAPTER XII
"I
got somethin' up my sleeve
I know you will cover me
Inside
out and in between
I know you will cover me
I've got bruises
on my knees
I know you will cover me
Inside out and in
between
And I know you will cover me"
(BREAKING BENJAMIN – "Medicate")
At this time of the year, during the Holiday's break, the school was left almost deserted. The majority of the students were spending Christmas with their families, with the exception of a few included a tall blond teenager dressed in black with a heavy overcoat over his shoulders. He was carrying a parchment with the names of the ones in his House leaving on the train that morning.
"I'm so happy you two are coming to The Burrow with us". A high-pitch girlish voice reached his ears.
He turned round and caught sight of Harry, Hermione, Ron and Ginny who was grinning from ear to ear. Harry looked up and saw Draco piercing those stone grey eyes at him, the black jet haired boy quickly turned his face and muttered the other three to get on the train as fast as possible.
"I hope the four of you become permanent vacancies at Hogwarts". The blond said to himself throwing an ice cold stare at the quartet.
Right then pair of small boys rushed towards the train station with hot flushed faces, Draco checked them out of the corner of his eye while crossing their names from the list.
"Hurry you two, the train is leaving!" The prefect protested at the pair of first year students, who were now having trouble to lift their trunks into the wagon. "Locomotor trunks!" He smirked as the Slytherin boys greeted him from their sits.
A loud whistle followed by a dense heavy white smoke marked the departure of the Hogwarts Express from the platform. The train was hardly visible now, but Hagrid kept waving back at it with watery eyes, a Hufflepuff Head Boy already caught one of the carts back to the castle.
"I'll surprise her tonight" He thought imagining Luna's look once opening the Christmas present he ordered specially for her while heading towards an empty cart.
Draco was about to jump in when he felt a strange itchiness on his right forearm, the sensation was becoming really annoying within seconds. What had started as a ticklish itch suddenly became a maddening puncture that quickly spread all over his body. His vision began to dim as his air supply was cut off and it all went dark.
"Wake up, wake up!" Someone close to him was calling out loud, but all that Draco could hear were the tapping sound of the vowels.
Sweat was dripping from his face, his eyes still closed. His head hurt a bit, but the soreness of his forearm was completely gone. He opened his eyes, all was blurry around him. Suddenly he became aware that he was lying on the floor, resting his head on the arms of a stranger.
"Don't you dare to lay a finger on me ever again!". Draco recoiled abruptly reaching out for his wand, his mind drifted with unwelcoming memories; it was hard to shove them away after so many years of torment.
"I'm not Lucius…". Snape bitterly replied straitening up his posture. "And I felt that too, the calling. But it was not meant for neither of us. It was meant for another Death Eater. The Dark Lord was calling someone that was here at the station".
"I've…passed out?" The shocked blond teenager was blushing with shame.
"Yes, beginner's reaction to the stigma". Snape narrowed his black eyes examining him close. "Let's go back to the castle, we need to talk. You know how to apparate, right?"
Draco nodded and with a loud crack both male figures became corporeal at the castle's main gates.
Snape took sit behind the desk and Draco stretched his back while resting his slender body along a comfortable armchair by the side of the single window of the room.
"If that was a Christmas gift from the Dark Lord to me, how touching!" The blond muttered under his breath.
"No, this is something else. Weeks ago you've told me you experienced a certain synchronized connection with one of the students here. You manage to establish a communication with that person at a different level, a higher level". Snape frowned with a deep-seated suspicion.
"Yes, it was not like when I did Legilimens to Potter and got access to his thoughts and his connection with the Dark Lord. Whenever this 'mind reading" happens between me and…her, I feel like we're sharing part of each other's in the process". He pulled back his hair with both hands feeling nervous. "The other day I've performed a mirroring charm on her: a wandless mirroring charm". He smirked remembering the moment.
"The possibilities to achieve it are almost non-existent. This whole situation is extremely unusual, it's almost impossible, but sometimes when confronted with that someone who triggers our most hidden emotions, the power of the mind might find a crack. The outcome of this is the transference of bio-energy between the two: becoming receivers and receptors, switching places intermittently during the process…and after that. If this power is not properly channelled, it can be devastating for both". Snape talked with an unfamiliar worried tone. He stood up and walked towards Draco looking now rather irritated while scratching his chin.
"This means we're hurting each other by doing this?" Draco seemed like we was about to jump out of his skin. He opened wide his eyes, clenching his fingers on the armchair.
"Like I've said before, whenever the power is not properly channelled or denied, the consequences are…fatal. This power is too much for a pair of teenagers to handle, its intended for mature wizards and witches with solid and well grounded emotions". Snape closed his eyes while resting his back against the wall.
"But this is happening to us…now. Sooner or later, we'll be able to handle it". The blond swallowed painfully.
"Who's that 'she" person?" Snape asked with a tint of curiosity.
"Luna Lovegood". Draco held his breath feeling rather nervous.
"I knew her mother; she was an extraordinary witch, she had a natural talent for charms". Crossing his arms, he looked at Draco with those piercing black eyes of him.
"Luna is great with charms too". The blond shot back.
"But she's of a fragile nature; you've got to be careful with that. She's not mature enough to properly channel those feelings emotionally….even less physically. The more she refrains, the more damage would be inflicted upon her and consequently upon you". Snape waited for the words to reach him.
"That means…" Draco's mind was thinking fast.
"…what I've just said. She's too young, and so are you. This should never have happened". Snape's words echoed on the walls like a devastating ultimatum.
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It was lunch time, the students left at Hogwarts gathered at the Great Hall, all in their respective House tables. At the Ravenclaw's table a girl of long dirty blond hair kept looking at the enchanted ceiling waiting to receive that long yearned letter, but there were no signs of her owl therefore no news whatsoever. Luna's eyes wondered at the nothingness of her silence solitude. It's been three weeks since his father wrote her telling that he had to go away for a while if he wanted to keep a low profile and avoid getting caught by the Death Eaters. He was forced to suspend the edition of the magazine due to the impossibility to find another secure location to establish the editorial headquarters. Luna took out of her pocket a crumbled paper with a messy handwriting, the one who wrote it was evidently in a rush.
"Dearest Luna,
The outbreak of the war is imminent, people are dying. I don't think many I will survive to see the end of it if. But don't you worry; I'm always a step ahead of the Death Eaters that are chasing after me. Promise me you'll stay at Hogwarts where you're safe and well protected by Dumbledore. Please don't answer this letter, I'll write back to you once I find a safe place.
Love,
Dad"
She already knew it by hard the content of the letter, but she kept reading it over and over again sobbing silently. In front of her was an untouched piece of rice pudding, it was her favourite, but somehow she couldn't force to eat it, not even a single bite. Luna stared at her lunch with apathy and pushed away the plate. Right then a small package fell into it spattering pieces of pudding in all directions, most of it fall into her clothes and face.
"Tergeo". She quickly cleaned the mess and looked up.
A gorgeous ink black owl was flying over her, noticing the now cleaned landing surface, it touched down with magnificent grace. The bird reluctantly extended the beak for her to take the letter that was holding. The envelope had her name written with a glossy dark green ink in an ornate font; she opened it quickly and scanned its content.
"Meet me tonight at the bust of Paracelsus, on the seventh floor. I've got something else for you. D.M".
Holding tight the letter with a shaking hand she looked up at the present in front of her trying to make up her mind whether to open it or not. She grabbed the package nervously and tore the wrapping: inside was a sterling mount picture frame with a photo of her and Draco dancing at the Yule Ball. Luna found another small letter attached inside the package in Draco's impeccable handwriting and with the same glossy dark green ink.
"Put my patience to the test, I'll put your curiosity on trial".
His words sent chills up and down her spine. He was right: curiosity is an objectionable quality of the female mind. Luna took a deep breath, closed her eyes leaning towards the table resting her chin on her hands and let go a silent sigh.
Draco rested against one of the marble columns of the arbour located on centre of the gothic topiary garden, his arms crossed and his eyes narrowed looking expectantly at the door.
It was ten minutes to midnight and still no signs of Luna. He turn round when hearing the loud creak of the heavy doors opening, the echo resounded on the walls. A girl dressed in an annoyingly turquoise colour sweater and white jeans came into view.
"I'm here Luna!" The all black dressed slender male figure called out trying his best to erase the grin from his face. He was extremely pleased to see her but his face was just a mask, never revealing his thoughts.
The girl walked slowly towards him fascinated with the view. Her wide open eyes denoted surprise and amazement.
"Draco, this is the Room of Requirement! I thought I'll never get the chance to see it again. This is….it's incredible!". Her face was glowing with a dreamy look.
"I come across it the other day while thinking of a private place to meet you besides my dorm. A place where you wouldn't feel…intimidated". He arched his eyebrow at his witty remark. "Here's a little something for you, Merry Christmas".
He handled a small dark red squared velvet case to her. Luna opened it and found inside a pair of ruby gemstone cut earrings shaped as radishes.
"I've noticed you're always carrying those funny plastic earrings and since you're very fond of…..radishes, well, here's a more appealing pair". He smirked.
"They were handcrafted by Goblins, they must have cost you a fortune! Thanks Draco…but this is too much!" Her pink cheeks blushed was she muttered a word of thanks. She painfully swallowed her nervousness while smoothing the ribbed neck of her sweater.
"You deserve to have beautiful things". He soothed, quelling the urge to reach out and comfort her with a touch, but the burning desire to have her in his arms was overwhelming. "Luna, I don't want any more stolen moments. Let me uncover you to rediscover you and I will open up if you promise to give in".
"We can't be together". Luna ducked her head miserably and looked as if she might cry.
Her words certainly caught him unaware, breaking the magic spell of the moment. Draco moved closer and locked his arms around her neck, caressing softly her delicate skin. Taking a big breath he spoke with a mild scolding voice, his eyes narrowed.
"You're wrong, we can and we would!"
"Why a strong person would want to carry behind his back the burden of a broken and weak one?" She closed her eyes refusing to look at him.
"You're a weak person who yields to the temptation of denying herself a pleasure". He was growing anxious. "Luna, stop avoiding the full glare of my disappointment and look at me!" He shouted unable to slow down his racing heart.
"Why me?" She opened her eyes feeling intoxicated by his presence.
"Because you are unique, you are…gifted. There's nothing you feel that you don't feel right to the bottom of yourself, you're incredible". Draco's eyes were locked with hers.
"Draco, I'm dying. I won't make it to the final of the school term. Professor Trelawney confirmed my suspicions…" She paused, with an expectant look.
"That crazy old woman has a morbid taste when making fun of others. She enjoys predicting the death of at least twenty students a year, she's been teaching here for decades with zero casualties! She's been threatening me since third year with the same pathetic prediction "Ohhh…you are in mortal peril!" And as you can see, I'm alive and kicking!" He shot back stroking her dirty blond curls between his fingers with yearning tenderness.
She forced a smile on her face.
"Luna, run away with me. Let's get away from here. We can go anywhere in the world, name the place and I'll take you there. Let's get away as far as we can from this war and your fears. Just come with me". He gently placed his arms around her fragile waist pulling her closer.
"I can't…" She choked; burning tears were coming down her cheeks.
"I wasn't asking, I was actually thinking about more justifications to back up my proposal". He continued without acknowledging her comment. "Luna, there are no guarantees when it comes to the future, and that's okay as long as they are taking advantage of the present".
"Draco, I'm sick!" Images of those endless weeks at the infirmary wing after last year's incident at the Ministry of Magic flashed inside Luna's mind.
"I get it, you can't see much in the future and you feel that any second something terrible is going to happen to you. If I were you I would feel suicidal too, trust me!" He shot back looking slightly mad with his eyes wide open.
Luna knew it was useless to warn him away, he just wasn't listening or probably he didn't want to.
"I've always feared that I would perish emotionally sliding towards emotional starvation. The idea of shutting down all my feelings and settle for power seemed fair enough, but then you came around and I've became obsessed with you. If it's true that you love me then marry me, be my wife!" Draco's words were paused, coming out of his mouth with ceremonious courtesy.
She was touched by his words, fascinated by his aura of kindness.
"Draco, you're doing this out of pity?" She asked biting her lower lip.
"No, I'm doing this out of selfishness". His voice betrayed a rising concern.
"You're joking." She looked predictable depressed.
"Trouble is, I'm deadly serious". He found it hard to swallow his angst.
"It's just that I'm thinking of the right words to say! I know they don't sound the way I planned them to be...Look, from here on, we stick together. Get your mind around that". Draco kneeled on the floor of that beautiful carved marble arbour and he asked again.
"Luna Lovegood, would you marry me?" Draco held her hand in his looking at her in admiring silence.
"Yes, Draco Malfoy, I'll marry you". Her reply came out filled with angelic softness.
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