Chapter Eight

Draco once again picked up the newspaper, glared at it then slammed it back down on the table.

The object in question was a copy of the previous day's Daily Prophet which featured a picture of himself and Luna. As they had been leaving Fortescue's earlier in the week, she stumbled and he caught her arm to steady her. The photographer captured the image of Draco holding Luna as they smiled at one another.

In point of fact, it wasn't the photo itself that was angering him. It was the accompanying caption that was making his blood boil. In it, Rita Skeeter made some not so subtle remarks about Luna fraternizing with former death eaters - even insinuating that she may have been a double agent in the war. Draco no longer cared about what the press said in regards to him, but attacking Luna's reputation in such a manner was something he would not allow.

Draco paced his flat trying to decide upon the best course of action. As much as he would miss her companionship, he refused to let Luna be subject to this kind of slander because of her association with him. In order to spare her any further harm, Draco scribbled off a note advising that they would no longer be spending time together and sent it off before he could change his mind. He then distracted himself by plotting new and inventive ways to seek retribution on the despicable Skeeter woman.

He was startled from his thoughts by a loud knocking at his door. He opened it to find an enraged Luna, his note clutched in her hand. She pushed her way inside the flat, her voice crackling with an edge he had never heard before. "And what is the meaning of this, Draco Malfoy?"

"I thought I expressed myself fairly clearly in the letter. Apparently I didn't."

Luna held the parchment as if it were covered in some sort of toxic substance before flinging it to the ground. "Why in the world would you send me such rubbish?"

Draco made the mistake of adopting a slightly patronizing tone. "Luna, this is for your own good. I have realized this whole thing has been a big mistake and decided…"

Luna spun around and snapped, "Draco Lucius Malfoy, sit down and shut up!"

Draco had never heard her raise her voice before and it caught him completely off guard. He immediately sat down and stopped talking. She poked a finger hard into his chest, almost knocking him off his chair. It occurred to him that, despite her delicate frame, she was quite strong.

"Friends do not make unilateral decisions about the relationship and they most certainly don't abandon each other! I am fairly certain I wrote that on the list. If not, it was absolutely implied." She stopped in an attempt to regain her composure then asked, "Is this because of the picture in the Daily Prophet?"

His shoulders sagged. "You saw it?"

"Of course I did. I thought it was a rather flattering likeness of us." Her face fell and her voice caught slightly. "Draco...are you ashamed to be seen in public with 'Loony' Lovegood?"

He didn't know which caused him more pain - the look in her eyes or her use of the word "loony". He leapt to his feet and, rather more loudly than intended said, "Don't EVER call yourself that again!" He took a breath. "This isn't about me, Luna. I don't care what people say about me anymore. It's you that should be upset about this."

Luna stared at him. "Why should I be upset?"

Draco held the paper up. "Don't you understand? This could hurt you. It could hurt your family's business. What would your father say about this?"

"First off, I am not embarrassed to be seen with my friends in public. Second, I don't think the readers of the Quibbler take anything they see in the Daily Prophet very seriously." She glanced at the photo. "And Daddy liked the picture and said you should smile more often. It suits you."

Draco's jaw dropped. "Your father has seen this? And he's okay with it?"

"Of course. Daddy may be away on expedition but we owl each almost every day. He's enjoyed reading about our outings and says he looks forward to you joining us for dinner at his cottage when he gets home." She waved dismissively at the paper. "So let the Prophet print whatever they want, Draco. I don't care and neither should you."

"Luna, do you not understand what people say about you when you are seen with me?"

Luna pulled herself up to her full height and crossed her arms defiantly. "Draco Malfoy, contrary to popular belief, I do not live in a bubble. Just because I chose to ignore the ill formed opinions of small minded people does not make me oblivious to their existence. I am fully aware of what some people say about us and yet here I stand."

"Why?"

Luna's expression softened. "Why? Because I like you, Draco. Because you are my friend. Because, whether you choose to admit it or not, you are a different person than you used to be."

Draco shook his head firmly. "No. No, I'm not. A kneazle cannot change its spots."

Luna threw up her hands in frustration. "Merlin's beard, man! You study alchemy! You, of all people, should recognize that within everything lies the capacity and possibility of change!"

With a growl Draco pushed up his sleeve and thrust his arm towards her, giving her a full view of the dark mark branded onto his skin. "Nothing can change this, okay! This proves what kind of person I am." It was the first time he had revealed the mark to her and he braced himself against her reaction.

To his utter astonishment, rather than pulling away, she stepped closer and clasped his arm in her hand. "No. This is proof that you made some decisions that you now regret. Besides," she ran a finger delicately over what remained of the symbol, "it's fading now."

Draco was shocked. She didn't seem to be the least bit horrified or revolted about what she was seeing. In a hoarse whisper he said, "You can still see it though."

"So?" Luna gestured towards the faint scars around her own wrists. "You can still see the marks from where I was chained up in that cellar. It doesn't mean that I'm still a prisoner. It just means that I was one a long time ago. My circumstances have changed. Our scars help us remember how far we have come, Draco, not where we are right now."

Draco gingerly took her wrists in his hands. "I still can't understand why you don't hate me every time you see these."

Luna inhaled deeply and enunciated each word clearly, as if repeating something for the millionth time to a small child. "Because it wasn't your fault. Because you are my friend and friends don't hold the past against each other." She smiled and added, "I know that I wrote that on the list. You should read it again."

With a nod she began walking towards the floo. "Right. Now that we have all of that sorted, I'll pop out and get some curry. All this discussion has given me quite the appetite."

In a panic, Draco called out, "Luna! Please...don't go."

She turned towards him. "I'm only going to get something to eat, Draco."

Draco dropped his eyes. "Are you.. I mean...w-will you come back?"

"Of course. What else would I do? Eat both portions? I'm not that hungry." Luna noticed the concerned expression on his face. "What's wrong, Draco?"

Draco swallowed hard. "Well...we fought."

"Yes. Yes, we did. So?"

"So, I thought you might leave."

"And go where?"

"Away...and not come back."

"And why would I do that?"

"B-because we argued. There was yelling."

Luna looked as if her heart might break. "Oh, Draco. Do you really think that I care for you so little that a few cross words and raised voices would cause me to leave and never return?"

"Yes. I-I mean, I assumed...Everyone else..."

Luna took his face in her hands and forced him to look at her. "Draco Malfoy, in case you hadn't noticed, I am not 'everyone else'." Seeing the doubt remaining in his eyes, she sighed and said, "Fine. New plan. We will go into your kitchen and find something to eat there. Then before I go home tonight I will update the list. I obviously missed some very important points in my first draft."

She gave a dumbfounded Draco a kiss on the cheek before dragging him to the pantry to see what they had on hand for dinner.

From that moment forward, Draco made it a point to accept anytime Luna invited him to go out in public. While he was still concerned about her reputation, he didn't want her to think that he was in any way embarrassed by her. Besides, he thought, if he were standing next to her then he could help keep an eye on her and he was feeling increasingly protective of his little friend.

Sadly, however, they soon encountered a situation that no one, not even Draco, could shield her from.