Chapter 25

For Luna

Pansy stood stock-still on the top step staring horrified at Luna who lay sprawled on the floor at the bottom of the steps. She needed to move, she needed to get to Luna; but Pansy couldn't will her body to move an inch. She just stood frozen to the spot, frozen in time; with her heart beating a wild tattoo in her chest and she shook violently her hand halfway to her mouth that was hanging open in shock.

Somewhere she could hear screams, was it Luna? Was Luna the one screaming?

Then she realised that she wasn't alone, there was someone running towards Luna. A wave of relief washed over Pansy when she recognised the figures of Hermione and Harry. Hermione Granger was smart, she'd know what to do.

"Luna! Luna!" Hermione knelt beside her friend brushing the tangle of hair from her face. Turning frantically she yelled up at Pansy. "Go and fetch Madam Pomfrey! Go now, Pansy!"

Hermione's urgent and controlling voice spurred Pansy into action, with a last look at Luna she turned and ran for the hospital wing tears of fright in her eyes. Was it her fault? Had she pushed Luna? Had Luna fell? She couldn't remember, it had happened so fast.

Pansy suddenly wished with all her might to be able to trade places with Luna, and for the first time it wasn't anything to do with Draco. If it was her at the bottom of the steps the situation wouldn't be so bad. It would only be her that was hurt. But Luna! Luna was having a baby!

Oh Merlin! What if Luna died? What about the baby? What would Draco say? Oh for the love of Merlin what would he do?

A brand new fear burst within her at the thought of Draco. She would have to explain to him what had happened when she wasn't one hundred percent sure herself. She hadn't meant to push Luna down the stairs, she hadn't even thought of doing it. She hadn't wanted to physically hurt Luna, just tear her heart to pieces the way hers was.

But Draco wouldn't believe that, Luna wouldn't believe it.

A harsh sickly feeling swept Pansy. What was she going to do? If Luna would just be alright, if the baby would be alright then she wouldn't have to face Draco. She wouldn't have to see that look on his face that spoke of pure and unadulterated hate for her.

Balling her hands into fists as she ran along she began to whisper to herself, "Please let Luna be alright, please, please! Please let Luna be alright!"

Was the corridor always this long? No matter how far she ran she didn't seem to be getting anywhere; she felt as though she were running on the spot, the door to the hospital wing didn't seem to be getting any closer.

"Madam Pomfrey! Madam Pomfrey! Help!" Pansy began to screech hysterically, tears barrelling down her face.

What if she wasn't there? What if she had gone to the match? Oh why hadn't she stayed next to Blaise like she should have?

"What are you screaming for girl?" Madam Pomfrey stuck her head out of the door.

"Help!" Pansy yelled. What did she think she was screaming for? The fun of it?

"What's happened?" The calm, brisk manner of Madam Pomfrey did nothing at all to ease the dreaded feeling in Pansy's chest as she had hoped it would. Instead it seemed to frighten her more that the nurse was being so calm, why wasn't she rushing around to help her?

"Luna Lovegood, she's fallen down the stairs." Pansy gasped, pointing wildly in the direction that she had come in; resisting the urge to grab hold of the confounded woman and drag her back with her.

"Luna Lovegood! Oh my!" Madam Pomfrey moved quickly towards Pansy. "Take me to her," she demanded.

"Yes, yes this way. But you have to run!" Pansy couldn't cope with a quick walk or a trot of any form, nothing short of a full out sprint for movement would be acceptable.

"Quickly girl, where is she?" Madam Pomfrey hurried along beside an irate Pansy who was wondering why Dumbledore allowed his staff to get to the point where they couldn't run! What sort of headmaster was he? Didn't his students safety and health come first? Anything could happen to Luna by the time this woman go to her.

"Hurry can't you?" Pansy snapped rudely.

She would definitely mention this matter to Dumbledore once she knew that Luna was alright. It was definite cause for concern. A younger, fitter medi-witch was what the students needed, someone who could actually get to them before anything bad happened!

Oh for Merlin's sake why was she thinking about this now? Irritated with herself Pansy wondered how Madam Pomfrey would take it if she ran along behind her shoving her in the back.

Thank Merlin there was Hermione! Hermione? And Harry, and Luna? How had they got back so fast when it had taken a lifetime for her to get to the hospital wing in the first place?

"Madam Pomfrey, do something please!" Hermione yelled frantically. "Quickly! She's bleeding!"

Pansy froze half way down the steps only vaguely taking in Hermione's babbling, Harry's questions and Madam Pomfrey kneeling over Luna. Bleeding! Luna was bleeding! What did that mean?

Her hands ran though her hair with agitation curling the strands around her fingers. She would like to pull it out by the roots; anything to take her attention from the horrible scene before her, and the horrendous feeling of uselessness and guilt that swamped her.

"Harry, go and bring Mr Malfoy, tell the headmaster. We're going to St Mungos."

St Mungos! Madam Pomfrey was taking Luna to hospital! Real hospital, not just the hospital wing. Something was wrong, it had to be something seriously wrong.

"May I come, Madam Pomfrey? To be there for Luna?" Hermione begged, wiping her tears away.

"Sorry, Hermione, visitors will be immediate family only." The nurse replied producing a stretcher from thin air and placing Luna on it levitating it before her up the stairs. "You two wait here until the headmaster comes."

Hermione watched as Luna floated up the stairs, she pressed her hand to her stomach taking deep breaths to stem the sickness that threatened to escape her. Her eyes flickered to Pansy. She was stood looking pale and shaky her eyes following Luna up the stairs.

She and Harry had been on their way to the library when they had heard the voices of two girls raised in argument. Out of curiosity they had decided to just peek around the corner to see who it was; they had been in time to see the end of the struggle between Pansy and Luna before Luna had fallen.

Or had Pansy pushed her? Hermione hadn't been at a very good angle to see exactly what had happened. They hadn't heard what the argument had been about either, the yells had been too frantic to hear the words clearly.

"What the hell happened?" She demanded when Pansy turned back round to face her.

Pansy stared blankly at Hermione. "I don't know." She admitted.

Hermione scowled showing that she clearly did not believe her. "Either you pushed her or she fell. Which one is it?"

"I don't know, it happened too fast." Pansy whispered, her talon-like nails digging into the skin on her face absently pulling it away from the bones.

"Well you had better come up with something fast. Malfoy and Dumbledore will be here any second." She surveyed the frightened girl before her. "You're going to have to explain this to Malfoy."

Pansy nodded slowly. "I know."

Harry had a stitch shooting up his side but he didn't slow his pace. He could hear the cheering of the crowd, the commentary and the sound of his feet pounding in the wet grass.

The wind whipped by him whistling through the thin t-shirt he wore and dancing through his hair. But he didn't feel the bite, didn't feel the wintry sting to it. He didn't notice that goose-bumps and formed along his arms and the hairs on the back of his neck stood up to attention. The only thing he could focus on was getting to Malfoy. Malfoy was what mattered right now.

Things were bad, Harry hadn't thought to ever think that sentence. What was he going to say when he came face to face with his sworn enemy? What could he say to him except the truth, and Harry didn't even know what the truth was!

Slipping and sliding through the wet grass he arrived at the bottom of the teachers benches. Gasping for breath he clambered up the stairs swaying on the rickety old banister. There was Dumbledore sitting serenely at the front with Snape beside him who looked suitably pleased. Slytherin must be winning, Harry thought distractedly.

Scrambling around the side of a surprised looking Professor Sprout Harry began to yell for Dumbledore trying to be heard above the wind and the cheering of the students.

Dumbledore turned to survey Harry. One look at the agonized expression on Harry's face told him that something was wrong. "Harry? What's happened?"

"You have to get Malfoy down." He said waving at Draco trying desperately to attract his attention. "It's Luna, Madam Pomfrey has taken her to St Mungos. We need to get Malfoy down." Harry hopped on the spot madly, willing Dumbledore to move faster.

"What is all this ranting about, Potter?" Snape demanded icily.

Harry glared ferociously at Snape. "Listen!" He yelled angrily. "Luna's been taken to St Mungos, she's had a bad fall! GET MALFOY DOWN!" Harry turned away from Snape's shocked face and began to jump again, frantically waving his arms at Draco who was totally oblivious to the fact that he was even there. "MALFOY! MALFOY! HEY! FERRET BOY! MALFOY!" Harry yelled madly, trying anything to make Malfoy look at him.

Dumbledore's voice came loudly over the speaker system usually used for commentating. "Draco Malfoy, please proceed to land your broom. Disqualified."

Harry watched as Draco spun round to stare incredulously at Dumbledore. What had he done? He was only hovering there waiting for the snitch. "What?" He spluttered scowling.

"Immediately, Mr Malfoy." Dumbledore said sternly. "Come on, Harry."

Harry followed Dumbledore down the stairs with Snape bringing up the rear. Nervously Harry twisted his hands together, now the time had come to tell Draco he didn't want to tell him. How could he tell him this? He might hate Malfoy, but not to this degree! He would never wish something like this on him.

Draco landed near the teachers box and stormed across to meet the headmaster. Oh good, Snape was there, he would sort this mess out and he could get back up in the air.

Potter? Why was it that Potter had to follow Dumbledore around like a tail?

"I didn't do anything wrong!" He began to vent his frustration as soon as he got in hearing distance.

"Luna. It's Luna." Harry found himself pushing around Dumbledore and spluttering like a crazy person. "She fell down the stairs. I mean I think she did. I… well, we…. Hermione and me I mean, we weren't there when it actually happened. We just saw her …..falling. I hope she fell….. I don't think that she was pushed… but they were arguing... Pansy… really screaming at each other. I don't really know the full details. Madam Pomfrey has taken her to St Mungos." He finished taking a deep steadying breath.

Draco stood staring at Harry as though he had never seen him before. His brain wouldn't start, he couldn't take in what Harry was saying to him. "What?" He said at last for want of anything else to say.

"I think you heard me." Harry replied quietly. "It won't make it any better if I say it again."
"Come along Draco, I'll take you to St Mungos." Snape reached for Draco's arm and pulled him forward. The movement seemed to bring Draco to his senses, shaking Snape off he kicked off from the ground and sped off towards the castle.

Harry found himself running again between Snape and Dumbledore. He wondered why he hadn't thought to bring his broom with him in the first place.

Hermione and Pansy were still stood on the stairs glowering at each other when Draco appeared; his knuckles white from his grip on his broom, his usually slick hair wild and untamed and he looked even paler than usual.

Hermione gazed at him her face streaked with tears, her eyes soft and pitying as she looked at him.

"Where's Luna?" He asked, his voice icy and hard as he tried to stop himself roaring at her.

Hermione's voice sounded broken when she spoke. "Madam Pomfrey took her to St Mungos," she pointed up the stairs.

Turning to run up them he spotted Pansy. What was she doing here?

The feeling!

That odd, weird feeling he'd had earlier, the one that told him something was wrong but he had passed it over as feeling guilty. That's was what it had been, it had been Luna. Somehow he had known that something wasn't right. He had known that Luna wasn't right.

What had Potter said? He hoped that she had fallen? He wasn't sure but they had been arguing.

Draco shook with barely concealed rage, it had been Pansy that Luna had been arguing with, and he had sensed it; sensed that something was wrong but he hadn't known it then. He hadn't recognised the feeling for what it was. Something was telling him that Luna wasn't safe, and it was all down to Pansy Parkinson.

Draco couldn't explain to himself how he knew exactly but he did know.

"Did you push her?" He hissed at Pansy.

Pansy shook her head worriedly. "I don't know. Everything happened so fast Draco, I don't know."

"How can you not know?" Draco roared angrily. "You were there! You were the one arguing with her Potter said so! What happened!"

Pansy began to cry again. "I…. I d… don't know." she stammered helplessly. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean for this to happen."

"You will be sorry, Parkinson." Draco warned, his eyes narrowing to tiny slits.

Dumbledore strode through the hallway with Harry and Snape trailing behind him. "Let's go, Mr Malfoy. Professor Snape, if you will speak to Harry, Hermione and Pansy and try to ascertain exactly what happened please."

Snape nodded, "Oo course headmaster. A full report shall await you on your return."

They watched as Dumbledore took hold of Draco's arm and guided him up the stairs. Draco felt sick and drained, he meekly submitted to the headmaster's guidance and fell into step beside him.

He didn't register where he was being taken, he just allowed Dumbledore to guide him along the corridors to his office at a reasonably quick pace. He wondered where his anger had gone, why wasn't he acting like a lunatic? Why was he so quiet? Why couldn't he feel?

Absently he ran his hand over his forehead, he couldn't feel anything other than acute terror that something had happened to Luna. Was she awake? He'd bet she was scared. She was probably wondering where he was.

He dazedly grabbed a handful of floo powder. Was he in Dumbledore's office already? Blinking rapidly he stated that he wanted to go to St Mungos. He was only just aware of the bright green flames dancing around him and the loud roaring in his ears before the office disappeared and he was stepping out into the hospital. Draco gazed around him, he felt like he was made of led, as though he were in a dream.

Where did he go to find Luna?

Feeling started to creep back to him when he felt Dumbledore taking his arm again and lead him towards the enquiry desk.

Desperation, that was the one feeling besides blind panic that he could put his finger on. He was desperate. Desperate to know where Luna was, desperate to know if she was ok, desperate to know if the baby was ok. Desperate to see her and desperate to talk to her.

"It's this way, Draco." Dumbledore told him quietly. "I expect Madam Pomfrey will be sitting with her. She won't be alone." Dumbledore had nothing else to say to the young man before him who was walking like a zombie through the hospital towards the elevator. He could offer him nothing else, he knew as much as Draco did.

He couldn't offer him condolences or sympathy they didn't know how Luna was yet. And there was no reassurances to give, he was a teacher not a healer.

Vaguely Draco wondered why no-one spoke when they were travelling in an elevator, it was like some unwritten law, you didn't talk. But that just made the whole ride feel like it lasted longer; the rumbling of the chains as the cage rode up, the loud shrill pinging that announced you had reached the floor before the female voice told you what floor you had hit. Everything was magnified when you were in an elevator because it was so quiet. No-one even coughed or cleared their throat.

"This is us, Draco." Dumbledore gave him a tiny shove out of the doors. He turned to the left walking briskly down the corridor his hand still firmly on Draco's arm. He had the feeling that if he let him go the boy would just stand there like a statue waiting for someone to tell him what to do. He looked lost and scared and there was nothing he could do to take the feelings Draco must be experiencing away.

Rounding the corner he spotted Madam Pomfrey a little distance down the corridor talking to a healer.

Draco had spotted her as well. Suddenly life came back to him and he stormed towards her his eyes narrowed. Dumbledore had told him she would be sitting with Luna so that she wasn't alone, and what was she doing? Standing around in the corridor trying to look important. If she was any kind of medi-witch she would be working at the hospital wouldn't she?

"Where's Luna?" His angry demand echoed down the still hallway, bouncing off the walls.

The healer stepped towards him giving him a crooked smile. "Ah, Mr Malfoy I presume?"

Draco closed his eyes for a moment willing himself not to hit the man before him, who actually didn't look that much older than he was. Probably just qualified. Why was he looking after Luna? Where were all the experienced members of staff?

"Where's Luna?" He snapped again. He had no time for wasting time with this fool. All he wanted to do was see Luna and no-one was telling him where she was.

The healer tried to speak to him again. "Mr Malfoy, Miss Lovegood is…."

"Is where damn it? Where is she? Are you incompetent that you don't even know where your patients are?" Draco could feel his fear winding its slow way through his veins. He didn't want to hear what this man had to say, all he wanted to do was see Luna. He wouldn't feel easy until he did. He needed to look at her, make sure she was alright for himself; and then he could deal with this idiot who kept looking at him as though he were going to bite him.

"Draco, calm yourself down…." Dumbledore began.

Draco whirled around to look at him. "Calm down? Calm down? I'm having the day from hell and you want me to calm down? I have no idea what's happened to Luna, and no-one will tell me where she is! I NEED TO SEE LUNA!"

Dumbledore nodded slowly. "Don't you think it's best that you know what you're going to be seeing? Isn't it best that you know what you have to face before you see her?"

"Fine, but make it quick. No long winded answers, just short and to the point basic information." Draco barked irritably.

* * *

Harry sat beside Hermione holding her close to him while she cried brokenly into his shoulder. Pansy sat opposite them quietly snivelling into a tissue; her eyes on the clock hanging above Snape's desk. They had each given their account to Snape as to what they had seen, and in Pansy's case what she believed to have happened although she still wasn't sure. Perhaps Luna would remember when they spoke to her.

Snape had left them in his office to go back to the pitch to call off the match and let Ron, Ginny and Blaise know what had happened. Hermione had pointed out that Luna would want Ron and Ginny to know and Blaise did seem to be best friends with Draco.

The door to the office opened and Ginny walked through it followed by Ron with Cho clinging to his arm, then came a rather dazed looking Blaise and Crabbe and Golye brought up the rear.

"Have you heard anything else, Hermione?" Ginny whispered, her voice indicting that she was afraid to hear Hermione telling her that she did have more news.

"No." Hermione snivelled loudly.

Ginny didn't speak again but hugged herself to Ron's free arm burying her face in his sleeve and weeping uncontrollably.

Blaise frowned. "Why is everyone sobbing like idiots? We don't even know what's happened yet." He turned his eyes in Pansy's direction. "Why couldn't you have just left it alone?"

"I… I don't know," she admitted quietly, snivelling into a damp tissue. "I didn't mean for any of this to happen."

"Draco is going to kill you, and then he's going to destroy you if anything happens to Luna." Blaise told her quietly.

"I know that," Pansy whispered through cracked lips.

Raising his eyebrows Blaise examined his fellow Slytherin closely. "You can be crazy when you want to be, Pansy, but are you that crazy? Did you push Luna?"

Sniffing Pansy shook her head slowly, "I don't think I did, I think it just sort of happened."

"It wouldn't have happened if you had stayed with me like you should have done." He said bitterly. "I guess it doesn't do any good to drag that up now though, you already know that, and you're the one whose going to be suffering for this little stunt for a long time to come."

Pansy squared her shoulders, "Luna might be ok, we don't know anything bad has happened."

Blaise snorted, "she fell down a flight of steps, Pansy, I don't think anyone would consider that a good thing do you?"

No-one replied, but the air in the room became thick with tension. Everyone watched everyone else waiting for a breakdown or a sign of weakness. The distrust coming from each of them swelled in the room as narrowed eyes met narrowed eyes and scowl matched scowl.

"Oh stop it all of you! Let it go can't you? Luna never wanted you lot fighting, and yet you shoved her right in the middle of everything and she lost all her friends. Stop the fight now. Ron? Harry? Stop it. Only you two can stop it." Cho cracked, glaring from current boyfriend to former boyfriend and glancing at Ginny for support.

Ginny just nodded. "It's over, Hermione." She said quietly.

Hermione stood and the two former friends hugged each other holding on tightly; each knowing the only place to get the support and comfort that they needed was from the familiarity of each other.

Harry held out his hand to Ron hopefully. They may never get back to how things had been but they could give it a good go couldn't they? Ron had moved on, he had Cho now, and he was with Hermione. Yes the idea of Ron and Cho had hurt at first but he had moved past it quickly. Surely they could put everything behind them.

Ron grinned sheepishly. "For Luna," he said taking Harry's offered hand.

Harry grinned back at him "For Luna," he agreed.