Chapter 28

The True Master

Luna left The Room of Requirement, the door disappearing effortlessly behind her. She blinked in surprise to see Draco standing where she had left him, now flanked by Blaise Zabini and Pansy Parkinson, the rest of the Slytherin's gathered together in the corridor.

"You didn't tell me how to come in after you," Draco accused, pushing himself off the wall and reaching out to her.

Pansy snorted, "Of course she wouldn't tell you that, she's one of them, isn't she?"

Draco rounded on Pansy so quickly that she stepped backwards, hitting her back hard against the stonewall. "Watch your mouth, Parkinson or I won't be responsible for happens to you. Now shut it!" Turning back to Luna he said, "How do I get in?"

"Harry's gone, Draco, there's no point in you going in there."

"Of course there is. We can get the traitors, can't we?" Pansy glowered at Luna with dark eyes. "Just because you're a blood traitor doesn't mean the rest of us are willing to sit idly by."

"I told you to shut it!" Draco snapped, his eyes narrowing with anger. "Besides, I've never known you to do anything other than get on everyone's nerves. And get this straight, Parkinson, kissing my ass is still not going to make me want you."

Luna took Draco's fingers between her own and squeezed gently. "We need to talk, Draco. It's important."

Draco studied her face for a few silent moments, there was something in her eyes that he couldn't identify. It was just a flash, like quicksilver, and then it was gone, but it was enough for Draco to know that Luna had something important to tell him. "Alright, Luna."

"Draco, you can't be serious!" Pansy exclaimed. "You dragged as all out here for no reason? Just to believe what that loony tune is telling you? She's on Potter's side, she has been from day one! You can't believe her, Draco, you can't trust her, she'll bring you down!"

"Zabini," Draco said through grit teeth. "Get her out of my face before I do something to her she'll regret."

"On it," Blaise said, grabbing Pansy by the arm and yanking her after him down the corridor. "Just let it be, Pansy. You're only going to annoy him."

Slinging an arm around Luna's shoulders and dismissing the rest of the Slytheirn's, Draco walked with Luna back towards the Head's common room. "You spoke to Potter then?"

"Yes, Harry and I talked," Luna replied. "He's looking well, but things haven't been easy for him."

"Pity," Draco said snidely.

Luna sighed softly and rolled her eyes. "Draco, did your mother tell you the story of the Deathly Hallows when you were little?"

"The Hallows? Yeah, she did. Why?" Draco gave her a look that told Luna he thought she was mad to be talking about fairy tales at a moment like this.

"So you're familiar with the story? The three brothers each cheating Death and receiving their special gifts, the Elder wand, the invisibility cloak and the resurrection stone?" Luna continued.

"Yeah. I know the story, Luna. It's a kids story."

She sighed softly and bit her bottom lip worriedly. "I was afraid that you would say that."

They were currently passing the Prefects Bathroom and Draco stopped and pushed open the door, pulling Luna in after him. Locking the door and casting a silencing spell over it, Draco turned to Luna his arms folded across his chest. "What's this all about?"

Twirling her hair around her finger, Luna wandered over to the little white bench and sat down, curling her leg up beneath her. She gazed up at Draco through long lashes, her heart aching at what she was going to have to tell him. She was sure, as sure as she could be anyway, that she was right.

"Daddy loves the story of the Hallows, and he's been trying to find them, prove that they're real. He's tracked them all through history so I may know a little more about them than you do," she began carefully, keeping her eyes fixed on his face in order to be able to more easily judge his mood and reactions.

"They aren't real. The Hallow's are just a story, Luna." Draco said patiently, crossing the room and squatting down before her. He patted her knee gently, lifting her hand to brush his lips across her knuckles. "I know you like to believe that this stuff is real, but it's just not."

Luna didn't take offense at Draco's response, it was nothing more than she had expected from him. Draco was practical, it was his nature; whereas she liked fantasy and pretense. "What if I told you that I'd seen a Deathly Hallow? That I know the owner of a Hallow? What would you say then?"

Draco considered his response carefully. Telling her that he thought she was being conned probably wasn't the best way to go, but he really couldn't see this being true. "I guess I'd have to see it for myself," he said finally.

Luna laughed. "Diplomatic, Draco. You just didn't want to tell me that you think I'm being taken for a ride."

Draco flushed, squirming slightly at being found out. "I don't mean to upset you or anything, but what do you expect me to say?"

Smoothing his hair from his forehead, Luna said quietly. "What if I told you that you had seen a Hallow?"

Draco blinked in complete shock. "Me?"

"You," she stated firmly. When Draco didn't answer but continued to stare stupidly at her Luna said, "Harry's invisibility cloak. It's perfect. It's real; a proper invisibility cloak, Draco. It's a Hallow."

Draco shook his head, his mouth hanging open in astonishment. "You can't be serious."

Luna's lips pursed. "Oh dear, if I'm going to have trouble convincing you of this, I don't really fancy my chances with the rest of the story."

"Rest of the story?" Draco echoed dully. "There's more?"

"Yes. Whether you believe it or not."

"I don't mean to doubt you," Draco began, shaking his head. "But this is all ludicrous, Luna! We're sitting here talking about myths and fairy stories when you should be telling me what you and Potter spoke about. What's Potter's next move?" Draco asked, trying desperately to return the conversation to something that vaguely resembled reality.

"I'm trying to help you. I'm trying to tell you, but you just won't listen to me," Luna exclaimed exasperated. Standing up she took a firm hold of his arm and pulled Draco to his feet. "Seems to me that I'm going to have to show you, considering you're so close minded about things. Maybe then you'll believe me."

"It's not that I don't believe you exactly," Draco scrabbled for something to say, some words that would sooth her, tell her he didn't really care if she believed in the Hallows or not. It just didn't matter to him, she was still his Luna.

"That's exactly what it is," Luna said, pulling him from the bathroom. "Come along, Draco, don't dawdle, I don't have much time to convince you of what's real. Good thing Harry came here tonight," she added in a

mumble.

Draco allowed Luna to lead him outside, the sharp autumn air hit him in the face and made him shiver. Pulling his cloak tighter to his throat and wrapping an arm around Luna to try to keep her warm, Draco asked, "Where are we going?"

"You'll see."

"Tell me," he pressed, his fingers playfully ghosting over her ribs, where he knew she was extremely ticklish. Luna giggled and squirmed out of his arms as they entered the dense thicket by the Black Lake.

"Don't do that now," she scolded, taking hold of his hand in both of her and gazing solemnly up at him. "Draco, this is important, and it's serious. You have to believe what I'm going to tell you."

"Tell me," Draco said quietly, all playfulness and skepticism suddenly gone from him. It was rare to see Luna looking so grave, so firm, and she frightened him a little bit.

"Daddy has been tracking the Hallows, like I told you. It's a difficult task, sometimes there can be gaps of years and years in between sightings of them, but daddy finally thought that he had found the Elder wand." Luna said as she began to walk again, dragging Draco after her, fallen leaves scrunching beneath their feet and branches snapping loudly. "Have you heard of Gellert Grindelwald?"

Draco nodded, "Yeah. Ex Durmstrang student. Dark wizard. Was imprisoned in Nurmengard prison. Why?"

Luna smiled approvingly. "You know your history, Draco."

"I know dark wizard's history, yes. Teaches me what not to do, doesn't it?" he replied dryly.

"You aren't a dark wizard, Draco; a bad boy, yes. But evil? No," Luna told him firmly. "Do you know how he came to become imprisoned?"

"Dumbledore," Draco said, sniffing haughtily. "He defeated him in battle. As usual, the old git had to stick his nose into other people's business, trying to make everyone love muggles the way he did." Shaking his head Draco growled irritably. "He was such a hypocrite. He wanted everyone to believe what he did, regardless of their own personal feelings. Who the hell was he to say what was right and what was wrong?"

"Let's not get into that now, Draco," Luna begged, she didn't feel she had the energy for that kind of debate at the moment, and she and Draco were never going to agree at any rate. "You asked me what Harry and I talked about, well I'll tell you, Harry said that he thinks that the Dark Lord is after the Elder Wand."

"Oh that's ridiculous." Draco said dismissively, laughter in his tone. "As if the Dark Lord has nothing better to do than chase fairy tales. Potter's off his rocker."

Pushing a tangle of branches to one side, Luna stepped out into a little clearing where a stone tomb sat silently, orange and brown leaves scattered over the top of it where Dumbledore's name was carved. Luna smiled and bowed her head in respect for a moment.

"Why the hell did you bring me here?" Draco demanded angrily. He began to back away, a feeling of guilt and fright sweeping through him.

"Don't leave. This is important, Draco." Luna grasped him tightly. "Dumbledore's dead, he can't hurt you. And he wouldn't, even if he were still alive."

"I don't want to be here," Draco wrenched his arm back, not managing to dislodge Luna's grip, and almost pulling her completely off balance. "Let me go!" Panic took over him and a cold, clammy sweat broke out over his back. Taking deep lungfuls of air, Draco almost tripped over his own feet in his haste to get out of the clearing.

"Please!" Luna managed to get a hold of his waist, sliding her arms up his back and clinging to him tightly. "Please Draco, trust me. I wouldn't hurt you, and you know that. This is important, this has to be done. Please. I'm trying to save you," she begged hoarsely, tears stinging her eyes. "Please, Draco."

Draco ceased his struggling. She was holding him so close to her that he worried he might actually hurt her if he continued to try to get away from her. "Why have you brought me here?" he demanded. Draco was utterly horrified when Luna reached up and brushed tears off his cheeks, he hadn't even realized that he had been crying, and to cry in front of Luna! How humiliating.

"Darling, Draco," Luna murmured softly. "Please don't be upset with me."

"Why?" he hissed.

Luna took a steadying breath before she began. "Daddy tracked the elder wand to Gellert Grindelwald. He was the owner of the elder wand, he even talked of the power of his wand. In 1945 Dumbledore and Grindelwald ended up in battle. Dumbledore defeated Grindelwald, which means, according to wand lore, that Dumbledore then became the owner of the elder wand. The wand chooses the wizard remember?"

"Yeah, I remember. What has this got to do with anything?" Draco was desperate to get his answers, desperate to get away from this place.

"Also according to wand lore, if one wizard kills another, he then gains control of the dead wizard's wand," Luna said.

"So you mean, assuming that the Hallows are real, that Snape is the owner of the Elder wand?" Draco said. "Because he killed Dumbledore."

"Not exactly," Luna moved forward and concentrated on lifting the lid of Dumbledore's tomb. "Excuse me, Professor," she said politely.

"What the hell are you doing?" Draco hated that his voice sounded all squeaky and terrified, but he really didn't want to have to look at Dumbeldore's rotting corpse.

Luna levitated the lid a few inches in the air and turned to Draco. "Wand lore also states that if one wizard disarms another, he gains control of the other wand, especially if that wizard dies. Dumbledore had already been disarmed when Snape killed him, and it wasn't Snape who did the disarming."

Draco felt his breath coming fast and hard, his palms sweating and he swallowed past this dry throat, his eyes locked onto Luna. He knew, in his heart he knew that Luna would never have brought him to this awful place if she didn't know she was right.

"It was you, Draco. You disarmed Dumbledore. You are the master of the Elder Wand."

"No," it came out a broken whisper.

"Yes." Luna corrected. "Take your wand, Draco, see if it recognizes it's new and true master."

"No," Draco clenched his hands into fists and shook his head violently.

Luna gingerly lifted the wand out of the tomb. "Excuse me again, Professor. I know you won't mind our borrowing the wand. You'd much prefer that it didn't fall into the wrong hands, wouldn't you?" Gently, she lowered the lid back onto the tomb, ensuring that it was properly sealed. Turning, she held the wand out to Draco. "Here, Draco, take it."

When Draco made no move to take the wand from her. Luna pressed it into his hand, and immediately Draco felt a kinship with the piece of wood. It was the same feeling he had when he used his own wand, as though it were a part of his hand.

"Stupify!"

Draco was so absorbed with the wand that he didn't recognize the voice as Luna's. "Protegeo!" His automatic reflexes came to the rescue and a pearly shield erupted around them, deflecting Luna's spell.

Luna smiled sweetly. "Forgive me Draco, but I had to get you to use the wand, to see if I was in fact correct and the Elder wand would recognize you as it's true master. As you can see, I was right."

Draco stared first at the wand and then at Luna, complete terror on his face. "He'll kill me. Luna, he'll kill me if he finds out about this."

Wrapping her arms around him, Luna pressed a soft kiss to his. "Best that the Dark Lord doesn't find out about it then, isn't it?"