Just as Luna had predicated, the days at Hogwarts did indeed fall back into the normal routine of Draco and Luna pretending to be completely unaware of the others presence. Lessons were tiresome and the days were growing ever longer and warmer. Luna spent her days longing for her care of magical creatures lessons when she could spend time outside of the stuffy, humid classrooms.
There was talk of the apparitions test which Luna wouldn't be able to take for another year and general chatter about what people had done over the holidays. Harry it seemed, had spent about as much time puzzling over Draco as Luna had and after a swift conversation at breakfast, Luna had managed to find out what he knew and how he knew it, although she was sure that following Hogwarts students around was probably not what house elves were meant to do. She, of course, could tell no one about how she had really spent her holidays but she found that with a few choice words she could easily navigate the conversation back to what the other person had done and they would very quickly forget that she hadn't actually answered them. All in all, Luna decided that she didn't like normality too much.
'Miss Lovegood, do you intend to start paying attention in my lesson any time soon or will I have to repeat its entire contents in detention?'
Luna blinked dazedly as she finally realized Snape was addressing her. She hastily told him no and apologized before scowling to herself. It wasn't like her to not pay attention in lessons and even if she did daydream, she wasn't careless enough to let herself get caught. She knew what, or rather who, was to blame for her distraction and she silently made an agreement with herself to eradicate him from her mind.
Draco was clearly not as strong willed. Finding he was unable to get what the dotty Ravenclaw had said out of his head and realising that his plans were ruined by Dumbledore being away from Hogwarts, he made new plans. Plans that, as much as it frustrated Draco, involved Luna.

And so the next morning, when Luna received an owl containing an edition of the quibbler, no-one paid much attention. She got them often enough. But if anyone had looked closer, they would have seen that in fact many things did not quite add up. Firstly, that particular edition of the quibbler was from five months ago. Secondly, several pen marks soiled the front cover and, on closer inspection, about a third of the inside pages. And finally, a certain Slytherin was watching extra closely to ensure his message had been received.
It was Saturday and enjoying the lack of lessons, Luna spent the morning decoding Draco's message. There was a significance to the date or rather the day. 'Sunday' was underlined, as was the number nine on the contents page. So with a day and time figured out, all that was left was the location.
Three sets of numbers which, after a couple of experiments, Luna found to be page numbers, the line on that page and finally the number of the word on that line, told her that she was meeting Draco, as she had thought, in the room of requirement.

When he finally entered, Draco shut the heavy wooden door behind him and stared wonderingly at the peculiar sight that he beheld. The room was as he had never seen it before: empty, bare and in every possible way, useless to Draco. Luna was sat on the only object in the room: a small wooden chair.
It was a Sunday morning and school uniforms of course were not required, not that Draco dressed any differently whatever day it was. Black never want out of fashion and it aided in giving him the unwelcoming aura he worked so hard to maintain.
Luna, as was always the case, was Draco's complete opposite. She was wearing such a mish-mash of colours that it looked as though she had fallen through a rainbow. Her tights were striped with blues and purple of just about every shade and over them she wore a deep blue skirt dotted with gold and silver stars of all different sizes. Her shoes were a shade of bright green that you would expect to see when a potion went drastically wrong and were tied with pink laces. The outfit was finished off with a large teal sweater with swirls and spirals embroidered on the cuffs.
Draco took in the stark contrast between the girl and her surrounding and instinctively the right side of his top lip began to twitch as get tried to repress his sneer.
'It's a bit strange isn't it?' Luna called over from where she was sitting her airy voice filling the empty room with ease.
'I asked it to give me whatever it was you needed most and this is what happened. Just this chair.'

As Draco approached, Luna slowly got to her feet, taking in with one glance the laboured gait and agitated movements that the Slytherin was trying to disguise.

'Let's make this quick, Lovegood.'

'Perhaps the room couldn't give you what it was you needed most?' Luna's head was leaning slightly to one side as she only half talked to Draco, continuing her train of thought. But then her eyes finished their study of his face and registered the distress. 'Draco, what's wrong?'

'I don't want to be here. If there was anyone else... I swear, if there was one single other person in this entire damn school...' and here he faltered because, as Draco well knew, there was no-one else. Even the room of requirement knew that nothing else would give him what he needed. Nothing except the crazy blonde Ravenclaw with the striped tights and Draco hated himself for it.

Unable to stand looking at the care in Luna's expression, Draco turned to the wall, running his fingers through his hair.

'Why does it have to be you?'

Draco was not usually a man of violence, he preferred to torture his victims psychologically but at that moment the blood was bubbling through his veins and it took all his strength not to lash out at the object of his frustration.

So he hit the wall instead.

Luna heard the crunch as Draco's knuckles cracked against the brick, saw the unnatural way in which his hand fell and then felt the silence.

'I can't do this...' Draco's whisper was so quiet, Luna had to step closer to make out what he was saying.

'It was a mistake to even...'
He made as if to leave but at the moment his hand touched the handle of the door, there was a clatter from outside the room and both Draco and Luna froze. Her ears pricked, Luna could just about make out the sound of Harry's voice as he tried to get into the room.

'Damn you, Potter. You never stop meddling do you?' Draco hissed viciously at the door, the knuckles on his still usable hand turning white with the force he was gripping the handle with.

Luna, without a word, took his injured hand and attempted to fix the broken bones but Draco ripped it away too quickly. His eyes were wild and he had begun to babble senselessly about escaping, prisoners, death and every thought that terrified him at that moment in time.

'Draco...' Luna's quiet voice tried to break though the wall of chatter but failed.

'Draco, stop.' Again she tried to calm him but the rate that he was pacing was making even her nervous. He was jittery and Luna was convinced he was close to becoming a snivelling wreck. So, gripping his wrists and pulling him to a halt, she looked him sternly in the eye.

'DRACO MALFOY, FOR MERLIN'S SAKE, GET A HOLD OF YOURSELF!'

The force with which she spoke surprised even Luna herself and all at once the fire seemed to burn out. Draco's hands fell weakly to his side.

He took the tissue Luna offered him and wiped the tears from his cheeks.

'Give me your hand.'

Weakly, Draco lifted his hand and placed it in Luna's open palm. It had begun to swell to twice its normal size but with a few quick words from Luna and a swish of her wand it began to shrink back to its normal size.

And still Luna did not release it.

'You shouldn't injure yourself. Your body suffers enough from the stress, it doesn't need any more challenges.'

Her other hand travelled up his arm, her fingers grazing the dark mark with a hesitant curiosity.

'Did it hurt?'

The sadness in Draco's eyes as Luna met them made her gulp in guilt.

'That was a stupid question, wasn't it?'

There was a strange sense of calm circulating around the room. Draco's breathing had steadied and Luna's soft melodic voice made him almost sleepy with calm. She was so gentle, so trusting and yet she knew so much. Her fingers were still tracing the patterns of the mark, as though she was learning them by heart. Her eyes were almost squinting in fascination and as she looked up at Draco's face to ask another question she stopped short. It had hit her that what she was studying was a part of a real person and suddenly the fascination was replaced by a feeling of disgust. Her hand fell from his and she hung her head.

'I'm sorry, I got carried away.'

But Draco didn't react. Offering Luna his arm he smirked.

'Don't stop.'

Luna's puzzled look was replaced momentarily by surprise as Draco used his free arm to pull her closer. Then in a whisper that Luna felt as much as heard, his mouth was so close to her neck, he gave her his explaination.

'It helps me to forget.'

Oh my word! I am so sorry for the length of time I've taken to update but it's been one thing after another. I've had this chapter written for almost a week and a half and I've not been able to post it for various reasons such as lack of internet access and my laptop dying on me. All in all it's been a frustrating week or so!

Again thank you to reviewers and for being so patient.