Chapter 35

Wings, Blood & Remembering

Luna was drifting gently on a sea of white fluffiness. She blinked, her blue eyes taking quick assessment of her surroundings; she smiled. She was lying on a cloud, how perfectly lovely. Her cloud was floating downwards, swaying in the warm breeze that whispered over her skin and rippled through her hair; Luna stretched luxuriously, all she needed for this moment to be absolutely perfect was Draco lying beside her, sharing in the experience.

The cloud came to a halt and Luna slipped through the feathery whiteness, her bare feet sinking into the fresh green grass below her. Automatically she glanced around for Draco, she was just about to call for him, feeling sure that he was nearby somewhere, when she sensed movement out of the corner of her eye.

Turning, Luna smiled delightedly. "Mummy, how lovely to see you!" she cried, picking up the long white tunic she wore and hurrying towards her mother. "Have you seen, Draco?"

Esperanza smiled and shook her head. "It's your dreamy, honey, how I would know where he is?"

"Oh," Luna's face fell. "Is this a dream?"

"I should say so sweetheart," Esperanza replied, fluffing out her long hair around her shoulders.

Pursing her lips Luna looked around again, noticing that she was standing in a large field that went on and on as far as the eye could see and there were golden buttercups sprouting up from the earth shining like little balls of light in the rays of the sun. "If this was a dream, Draco would be here," she told her mother stubbornly.

"Maybe he is," Esperanza said, her blue eyes glancing around as well. "Maybe he's just waiting for you to notice him."

"I always notice, Draco," Luna said dryly. "You can't help but notice him."

Esperanza threw her head back and laughed, the corners of her eyes crinkling with mirth. "Just like a Malfoy."

Luna smiled back. "I suppose so." Tilting her head and gazing up at the clear blue sky, Luna said, "If I just came from up there, does that mean I'm dead?"

"No, I shouldn't think so."

"That's good. I shouldn't like to leave Draco. And we're having a baby you know, mummy," Luna added, her eyes lighting up and her face glowing with pleasure.

"Angel! Angel where are you?" Draco's voice was flowing around her, soft and warm, as silky as always.

"Draco!" Luna turned, holding out her hands when she saw him coming towards her. "There you are. I knew you'd be here."

Draco smirked. "You can't be without me, can you? Even in your dreams."

"No," her smiled widened when he took her hands and squeezed her fingers. "Oh my goodness!" she cried out in alarm as a set of wings suddenly started to grow out of Draco's back. They grew tall and wide, the feathers long and glossy, soft like velvet and strangely, they were black.

"Those are just my wings," Draco told her dismissively.

"I see that," Luna nodded. "They're beautiful, Draco."

"You like them?"

"Oh yes," she assured him, reaching out towards them, her fingers itching to touch the dark feathers. They didn't just look like velvet, they were velvet Luna realised as her fingertips stroked lovingly along the edge of the one wing.

"I'm not the only one who has wings," Draco said, his eyes lifting from her face to look over her shoulder. Luna turned to look and noticed that her mother was growing wings as well.

"Mummy's an angel, she's meant to have wings."

Esperanza smiled indulgently as her wings continued to grow, they didn't get as large as Draco's but looked more delicate, suited to her slender frame. These wings too were black and had crimson tips.

"They're lovely mummy." Her nose suddenly scrunched up in thought. "Mummy, why do yours have red tips?"

"Colours always have a significance. Red for lust, sweetheart," her mother replied, her voice low and seductive.

Luna blinked. "Excuse me?"

"Red for lust," Esperanza repeated in a husky voice.

"Red is for romance, for passion, for love," Luna responded.

"For lust," came her mothers reply, her eyes darkening, her chest heaving slightly.

"For all those things," Luna offered as a compromise. Esperanza smiled and began to fade away, Luna opened her mouth to call out to her, to ask her to stay but she exhaled a shaky breath instead when she felt Draco's hand against her throat, smoothing down her chest to cup her breast. She shuddered as her body twisted towards him and she found herself somehow bent over his arm.

"All those things," Draco echoed, his voice rasping over her skin.

"Draco…." Luna sighed softly, willingly excepting the kiss he gave her.

Suddenly she was falling backwards through the darkness, but Luna didn't mind, she wasn't afraid because Draco was there falling with her. He held her in the safety of his arms, drowned her in the sweetness of his kiss and she knew she was going to be alright.

She landed easily, gently on a large expanse of fabric that was soft to the touch and Luna distantly realised was velvet and it felt rather erotic against her bare back, because somehow she was naked and Draco was naked and he was making love to her so lovingly, so passionately that it left her breathless.

Her pleasure was beautiful and intense, and Draco brought her to her peak and let her tumble. Then he drew her to the edge again and she fell once more and again and again. Their bodies kept moving, slick with perspiration, Draco's hair fell in floppy strands over his forehead and his face was flushed, his lips moving speaking words of love to her and their pleasure continued, it was never ending; timeless.

Draco's body suddenly shuddered and then flopped out to lie beside her, his eyes closed, a smile on his lips. Luna bit her bottom lip and then hugged him fiercely, pressing soft kisses over his face, whispering words of love in his ear as she stroked his hair back from his forehead.

"Darling, Draco. Beautiful, wonderful, Draco. I …." Luna paused when she noticed that he was lying out on crushed red velvet, his body looked very pale next to the crimson of the fabric. "Red," she whispered, her forehead creasing, for some reason that she couldn't put her finger on, this was meant to be important to her.

"For lust," a voice that Luna distinctly recognised as her mother's echoed somewhere above her.

"For love," Luna argued back.

"For blood," came a response from behind her.

Luna jumped, startled she turned to look over her shoulder and she stared stupidly at the figure coming towards her. "Harry?"

"Luna," Harry acknowledged.

Luna fumbled with the red velvet, trying to gather enough together to cover her body. Harry couldn't see her naked! But the red velvet went on and on into the darkness and for some reason, Luna couldn't get enough in her hands to shield herself from Harry.

Harry's green eyes were fixed on her face, he seemed completely disinterested in her naked body. Luna was anything but disinterested when she saw that he too was growing wings. Large wings, bigger and wider than Draco's, and they were white, shining and glimmering in a light of their very own.

"You have wings," Luna breathed, quite enchanted with the purity of Harry's wings.

"Yes," Harry agreed. He lifted a hand and touched his wings lightly.

"Everyone has wings except me," Luna told him, feeling rather hurt and bewildered that she somehow didn't seem to qualify.

"Oh you have them too," Harry said pointing.

Luna glanced over her shoulder, her mouth popping open in astonishment. Harry was right, and she hadn't even felt them growing. "How lovely!" she exclaimed, reaching up to touch the glossy feathers. "Mine are black too. Why aren't yours black, Harry?"

"Don't you know?" Luna shook her head, her eyes wide, ready and willing to hear his explanation. "Yours were white once," he told her, shaking his head sadly. "Draco's too."

"Oh? Why aren't they now?"

"You were like an angel to me once. Sweet, innocent, strong in your beliefs. But you let evil into your life, Luna. You let badness creep into your heart. You turned to the darkness and so, your wings changed. Only the good have white wings, you must surely know that? The good guys always wear white. It represents the goodness and purity of their hearts, their soul's and of course, their intentions. The bad guys," Harry continued, his voice turning low and ominous, "always wear black to represent the wickedness of their deeds and the malice and selfishness in their hearts."

"But I haven't done anything!" Luna cried out distraught.

"You let Draco Malfoy corrupt you and turn you away from your friends and from the light. You let your lust for him take you away from what you know is right." Harry told her, his lip curling in disgust. "Weak, Luna. You are much weaker than I thought you were."

"I am not weak!" Luna yelled back. "And it's not lust! I love him! I love Draco! I won't keep defending myself to you or anyone else. I made my choice and I don't regret it!"

"Good girl." Luna felt better, stronger when she heard her mother's voice drifting around in the darkness. She couldn't see her mother, but it was enough for Luna to know that she was there. "My girl is strong. My daughter knows what she wants and she fights for it. Keep to your destiny, sweetheart."

"I will mummy," Luna promised. Turning furious eyes on to Harry she said, "I won't change my mind. Not now, not ever."

"Do you want to know why his wings turned black?" Harry asked, as though she hadn't spoken at all.

Luna nodded unsure if Harry had heard her mothers voice as well. "Why?"

Harry's face suddenly contorted into one of pure fury. So twisted did his face become that he frightened Luna and she opened her mouth to scream, but no sound came out. Harry's eyes were glowing a luminous green, heat seemed to radiate from those eyes and Luna automatically tried to shield Draco's body. She knew that his anger was directed at Draco.

A wild wind came out of nowhere; icy cold it stung her skin and whipped through her hair, stealing the very breath from her body so that she couldn't even speak.

"Because he drew first blood!" Harry roared, his voice thundering around her like a clap of lightening.

Suddenly, everything around her was wet, and looking down, Luna's eyes widened in terror when she realised that the beautiful crushed red velvet had turned to a sea of blood. Draco slept on, but the waves of blood were crashing over him, sucking him down, taking him away. Luna reached out and grabbed at him, clinging to him tightly, pressing herself as close to his body as she could.

She and Draco were alone in the darkness that was getting darker, with the wind getting colder and more violent and the blood getting redder. The waves got bigger and bigger, a wall of blood rising up over her ready to fall and shatter a tiny Luna and tiny Draco to pieces. Looking up, Luna saw that wall of blood come crashing down towards her, and she screamed.

Luna's body jerked and she woke panting with a scream lodged in her throat. Perspiration stood out along her hairline and a cold sweat had started down her back. Taking deep calming breaths, Luna automatically turned to look for Draco, but he wasn't in the room, and he hadn't been there for quite some time either Luna noted, the bedspread didn't have a Draco-dent in it.

Wiggling out of her torn clothes, a deep red blush gracing her cheeks, Luna wrapped the throw toga -style around her body and padded towards the bedroom door that was standing ajar, the faint glow of a dying fire creeping through the gap.

Pushing open the door she found Draco sitting in the chair by the fire, his body hunched forward over his knees, his skin tinged orange from the flames and half of his face was in shadow. A soft smile played at the corners of Luna's lips as she gazed at Draco, her heart missed a beat just merely looking at him.

"What are you doing out here?" Luna asked quietly, making her way across the room.

Draco blinked, startled out of his depressing, and mentally abusive thoughts. What answer could he give her? Tell her he was hiding from her? He had to face her at some point.

Luna didn't really give him time to answer before she curled herself up at his feet, her small hands curling around his. "How long have you been out here? How long have I been sleeping?"

"Um," Draco cleared his throat. "A while, and a while."

"I had a dream," Luna confessed flushing. When Draco merely raised his eyebrows in response, she proceeded to tell him about it, tactfully editing the bits about Harry out of the dream. "It was a wonderful dream. Can we recreate it, Draco?"

"You want me to grow wings?" Draco asked wearily.

"No, I meant the red velvet bit," Luna murmured, her colour deepening again.

Draco considered her for a few moments, his grey eyes scrutinising her face carefully. "Luna, do you happen to remember what happened before you went to sleep?" he asked cautiously. Draco just couldn't understand her, why would she so willingly sit in his presence and talk to him as though nothing had happened?

"Yes, of course I remember," she replied, pushing her tangled hair from her face.

"Are you sure?" Draco prompted. As much as he would like to dismiss the memory altogether he knew he couldn't, that it wouldn't be fair to Luna. Besides, as much as he dreaded it, Drace felt it was better to deal with the aftermath now rather than later.

"Yes…. Draco, are you alright?" Luna reached up to touch his face. "What is it, Draco? You don't look well at all."

"That's because there's something wrong with me!" Draco responded with a growl. "And maybe there's something wrong with you too if you're choosing to ignore what happened. It's not right that you accept it, Luna." He sighed heavily, shifting his eyes from her face. "You must have some sort of feelings about it…. About me," he added slowly.

Luna's eyebrows drew together in a frown. "Draco, I have the feeling that we're having two different conversations. I recall telling you about Neville, you got a little upset and then…" she trailed off as delightful shivers ran over her skin.

"And then I forced myself on you whether you wanted me or not," Draco finished, anger tingeing his voice, a guilty flush washing over his face. "I'll arrange for you to go home as soon as it's light. Maybe by the time I get back for Christmas the memory might have faded. " Standing up he took a few steps away from her, turning to stare into the fire. "I'm sorry, Luna. I don't know exactly what happened. I can't undo it, I can only promise it won't ever happen again."

"I remember what happened," Luna said slowly. "But not in the same way that you do, Draco."

"I'm sorry," he whispered, his voice cracking. Turning back to look at her, he touched his fingertips lightly to the mark of his teeth on her neck. "I really didn't mean to hurt you."

"You didn't." Reaching out to him she blinked in surprise at the finger marks on her arms, she didn't even feel them.

"You were crying," Draco said, trying desperately to swallow back his own tears. It wasn't right that he should cry. He wasn't the victim.

"Not from pain, or from fear, or any other horrible feeling you seem to think I should have." Grasping his arms tightly she stared up into his face. "Draco, you only ever give me pleasure. If you check your back you'll find my marks on you. Wouldn't they be on your face if I was trying to push you away? Do you recall me trying to push you away at all?" Luna shook her head and answered her own question, "No, you wouldn't recall that because it never happened."

"But, I…"

"Oh," Luna flicked her wrist dismissively. "You were more forceful than usual, but I don't mind." Gripping his arms again, she held him firmly in place, ensuring that he was watching her before she continued. "Sometimes, when you make love to me I feel that you're holding back, curbing your emotions, I'm not sure why that is, but that's the impression I get sometimes. This time there was no holding back, at least I don't think so; and it was glorious, Draco." Clasping his face in her hands she said softly, "You could never force me to accept you, Draco. I'm already yours."

Lifting his hand, Draco fitted his fingers to the marks on her arms and bit his lip, regret clouding his eyes. "I'm sorry, Luna."

She shrugged, slipping her arms around his neck. "Outside marks will heal easily, Draco. It's the inside ones that'll hurt the most if you send me away. Please don't send me away, Draco!"

It was almost as if a lightening blot cracked inside his skull and for that brief moment highlighted his memory and allowed him to see it as it actually was, rather than how he believed it to be. Wrapping his arms tightly around her, he pulled Luna flush against him and rocked her gently; his lips in her hair, his silent tears of relief dropping into the soft blonde waves. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry," he whispered throatily.

His warm hands cupped her face, tilting her head back so he could press his lips to her forehead, to each eyelid, to her cheeks, to her nose, to her mouth; such soft, butterfly kisses that they were barely kisses at all but more like gentle caresses.

"Don't make me go home. Promise that you won't send me away. Promise, Draco."

"I promise," he murmured against her lips. Pressing his forehead to hers, his eyes closed he whispered, "I'd be lost." Then he kissed her, a soft, gentle kiss that told Luna more than words ever could how he really felt.

"Darling, Draco." Luna couldn't ever imagine Draco being capable of the horrible act he thought he had committed, but in a strange way she understood why he would think it. For the last year he had lived in a world of pain and torture, where force was linked with power over those who were weaker. Power was the mark of the Death Eaters, and it didn't surprise Luna that Draco would come to link power and force together in his mind and view them as bad things from time to time.

Her eyes fluttered open when she felt his finger trace the outline of her lips. Smirking wickedly at her he said, "Now, I think I need to hear about certain aspects of your dream in more detail."