A/N: I felt so bad about how long it's taken me to update and you've all been so nice in continuing to read and review and express interest in this story that I've give you another update!
Chapter 50
Just Bloody Brilliant
Luna landed with a sickening thud on something soft and gritty. She lay there for a moment on her back staring up at an overcast sky above her where grey clouds were gathering together in preparation for a storm. She blinked when she felt warm hands on her shoulder pulling her into a sitting position. "Luna, are you alright?" Hermione's worried face peered into Luna's, her eyes taking quick assessment of the other girls face.
"Yes," Luna replied, allowing Hermione to help her to her feet. "Oh! Oh no," she whispered, a hand covering her mouth as she stared wide eyed over Hermione's shoulder.
"What happened?" Hermione left Luna's side and knelt down beside Harry whose face had returned to normal. He was kneeling on wet sand, the still body of Dobby cradled gently in his arms.
The object that Harry had seen Bellatrix throw, the object he hadn't had time to worry about was the small silver knife he had seen Bellatrix pull from her boot to cut Hermione's ropes. It was now sticking out of Dobby's little body, red bloody oozing around the wound and dripping down onto Harry's knees and soaking into the sand.
Hermione wiped tears from her eyes. "We can't just sit here, Harry. We have to do something." She whipped around, wand at the ready when she heard voices calling to them and the sound of running feet. Hermione lowered her wand in surprise when she saw Bill and Fleur Weasley running down the cliff face towards them. "Where are we?"
"Shell Cottage," Ron said glumly. "Bill lives here. It's a safe house, no-one can get to us here."
"Well that's good news," Dean said, flexing his shoulders as he hovered over Harry's huddled form.
Harry felt the small hand on his shoulder but he didn't look up. "We need to bury him, Harry." Luna's voice was gentle, "It's what needs to be done. He deserves that much."
Harry nodded, laying Dobby down on the sand he stood up and faced Bill who had now reached them and was hugging his little brother tightly. "I need a shovel, Bill."
"I've got one up at the house," Bill said, his eyes drifted from Harry to Dobby and then finally rested on Luna. He felt a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach when he saw her.
Together they made their way up to the cottage and Bill gave Harry the shovel he wanted. Harry turned, not saying a word to anyone and returned to the beach, he could be seen from the window, a solitary figure digging furiously in the sand with his shoulders hunched and his head down.
Fleur produced a blanket to wrap Dobby in and Luna picked some wild flowers to put on the grave and once Harry had finished the grave, having been joined by Dean and Ron they gathered around the hole and lowered Dobby into it.
Luna wrapped her arms around herself and sniffed. Dobby had saved her friends, she would be grateful for that forever. He was a brave little house elf, she had learnt all about him from Harry. Lucius would be furious that an ex-Malfoy elf had bested the Malfoy's and the Lestranges. She bit her bottom lip worriedly her mind on Draco. She hoped that he would be alright after lying for Harry. Lucius would protect Draco, Luna knew she needn't worry about his safety, Lucius would see to it that Draco was alright.
A silent procession made their way back up into the cottage just as the first icy cold needles of rain began to fall. The wind picked up and Luna shivered, wishing suddenly that she had worn a wrap to dinner. Once they were all enclosed in the warm kitchen of Shell Cottage, Luna really seemed to notice her surroundings for the first time. Ollivander sat at the kitchen table eating a steaming bowl of stew and a little hard faced goblin sat beside him, his beady eyes tracking Harry's every movement. Dean and Ron also took seats at the table and thanked Fleur when she handed them bowls of stew from the large pot on the stove.
Bill busied himself in a pantry to the left of the stove bringing out some bread and mugs and setting them all on the table while Fleur handed out spoons and placed a pitcher of pumpkin juice in the centre of the table.
It was all so normal, Luna thought, so simple. It was almost as if they had not just buried Dobby, or her friends had not just escaped death at Malfoy Manor. Looking at the scene in front of her Luna could have been forgiven for thinking it was merely a group of family and friends getting together for supper. But the heavy atmosphere told her something entirely different, the tension in the air, the unspoken words strained at the very seams of the room threatening to burst any moment like a rushing dam.
Hermione was standing watching just as Luna was. Her eyes focused on the weary form of Harry as he eased himself down into a chair opposite Ron. He didn't touch the bowl of stew Fleur placed before him, but stared absently down into the thick broth instead as though he didn't even see it.
"What were you thinking, Harry?" Hermione's voice sounded shrill and sharp and Ron winced. "I'm talking to you!" Hermione poked Harry in the shoulder when he didn't appear to have heard her.
"Huh?"
"Thinking? What were you thinking?" she repeated crossly.
"When?" Harry stared at his friend with dull eyes, he really didn't want to get into this right now.
"When you decided to grab hold of Luna and drag her here with us. What were you thinking? Do you realise what you've done?" Hermione ran a hand across her head, pushing the frizzy curls away from her face.
"I helped Luna, brought her somewhere safe," Harry said.
"She was safe you idiot! She was with her family, now you've dragged her here into our mess. What was going through your head, Harry?"
Harry's shoulder's squared and he lifted his face to glare at Hermione. "Luna is my friend, she was lying there, I was trying to help her."
Luna sighed softly and gave Harry a small smile when he looked beseechingly at her. "I understand, Harry. You've spent so long protecting your friends that it was second nature to you to try to help me. You didn't have much time to think things through, did you?"
"No," Harry admitted, returning her smile. He knew he could count on Luna to understand even when he wasn't entirely sure he understood himself. Luna had always been the wise one. Hermione was smart of course she was and Harry would never deny it. But even Hermione did not have Luna's sense of people, of situations. Luna saw things other didn't and she rather reminded Harry of Dumbledore.
Patting Harry's shoulder lightly Luna said, "Well thank you for thinking of me, Harry. I'm glad I'm still your friend, but I should be getting home now. Draco will worry you see. I don't want him unnecessarily worried."
"That's just it, Luna," Bill rubbed at his face and he suddenly looked old to Luna, someone who had seen too much and was weary with the world at large. "You can't go home."
"I won't say anything about this place," Luna said affronted.
"I know you won't," Bill smiled kindly. "But there are ways of retrieving information, Luna you're married to a Death Eater you should know that. You would never betray us of your own free will, I know that. But, you could still betray us, Luna and people, innocent people will die. We can't let that happen."
Luna stared at Bill for a moment as realisation hit her like a tidal wave. She gasped, her eyes going wide and her hand flying to her mouth. She couldn't go home. She couldn't return to Draco, the Order of the Phoenix wouldn't let her; there were too many lives at stake and she was safe enough with them.
"But…. But Draco," Luna stammered.
"He knows you're with us," Hermione rubbed Luna's shoulders in an attempt to sooth her. "He knows you'll be safe with us, that we won't hurt you. In fact, you're probably safer with us than you would be at Malfoy Manor."
"Sit down here, Luna," Fleur guided the younger girl to a spare seat. "Have something to drink."
Luna took the glass offered to her in numb fingers. "I can't stay long," she said quietly, almost conversationally. "I have to go back to Draco. He'll be beside himself. I need to be there. I have to be there with him."
"You won't be going any time soon," Ron replied, tearing at the bread and dunking a large piece into his bowl. "This is good, Fleur. Can I have some more?"
Hermione shot him an exasperated look. "Don't you think of anything else besides your stomach?"
"What?" Ron asked defensively. "I'm hungry."
Luna's face scrunched up into an expression Harry had never seen on her before. "I have to go home. I can't stay here indefinitely."
She was cross, Harry realised. Luna was cross. He stared at her fascinated, he had never seen her cross before.
"Now Luna," Hermione began, but Luna cut her off.
"I must go home. Draco will be going out of his mind. I'm pregnant."
Hermione's jaw went slack and she stared at Luna, her eyes almost bugging out of their sockets. This was worse than she had imagined, worse than she could have envisaged. "Now look what you've done!" She turned furiously on Harry.
"Me?" Harry squeaked.
"Yes you! This is awful. This is… this is….. Draco's not going to take this lying down you do know that, don't you?" Hermione began to pace, waving her hands irritably at Bill as he tired to get her to sit down. "You have kidnapped the wife of a Death Eater, Harry. A pregnant wife! Draco Malfoy's wife. You know how Draco was always going on about the Malfoy name and status? Well now we really are going to find out just what the Malfoy name can accomplish, because guess what, Harry? The Malfoy's are on the other side to us; the Malfoy's are Death Eater's and the Death Eater's are holding all the power, and they'll come for her, Harry. Draco and the Death Eater's will come for her!"
Ron leant back in his chair and folded his arms across his chest. "Great decision to help Luna there mate," he said dryly. "Just bloody brilliant."
