Chapter Ten
Draco returned to Luna's flat and went to work straight away, taking on the maze of bureaucratic red tape surrounding the repatriation of Mr. Lovegood's body. Over the coming days, without Luna's knowledge, he also sold some items from the Manor and anonymously paid off her father's outstanding debts, leaving the estate in the clear and The Quibbler financially solvent for the foreseeable future.
The Daily Prophet abided by their agreement and printed a lovely piece on Mr. Lovegood, much to the surprise of the wizarding community at large. Harry, Ron , Hermione and Draco completed their required interviews and Draco noticed that the other three took care to downplay the more negative aspects of his involvement during the war. He knew this was done entirely to protect Luna but he appreciated it nonetheless.
xoxoxo
The day of the funeral dawned and, per Luna's request, Draco arrived at her father's cottage before anyone else. He stood by the fireplace, fidgeting with the sleeves of his dress robes. "Luna? What do you need me to do?"
She took his hand and said, "Please stay next to me." She interlaced their fingers, squeezed hard and looked him in the eye. "And don't let go, okay?"
He squeezed back and promised, "I'll be right here until you tell me otherwise."
Draco was good to his word. He remained by Luna's side the entire day, only stepping away when she would release her grasp to take care of some bit of business after which she would immediately seek out the comfort of his hand once more. This caused more than a few puzzled stares amongst the mourners but Luna seemed unaware of their reactions and Draco kept his focus on her.
Most of the attendees ignored Draco all together, which suited him fine, so he was startled at what happened when the Weasley family arrived. While Molly ushered Luna into the kitchen to show her the food she had prepared, Draco took the opportunity to slip into the sitting room away from the others.
To his surprise, Arthur Weasley followed after him. Draco braced himself to receive a lecture on why his presence wasn't welcome and hoped that the older man would at least keep his voice down so as not to cause too much of a scene. What the young man didn't anticipate was for Arthur to give him a firm handshake and a warm smile. "Hello, Draco. It's been a long time. You're looking well."
Draco stammered, "T-thank you, sir. You're looking very well also."
"Thank you. Not true for a man at my age but kind of you to say." Seeing that Draco was at a loss as to how to proceed with the conversation the older man continued, "I wanted to thank you for all you've done recently, lad. I went to school with Xeno and have known Luna since she was born so it's reassuring to see that she has a good friend looking after her. I wanted you to know that my family is here if either of you need anything, okay?"
The sight of a man whom his own father had mercilessly humiliated being so kind to him overwhelmed Draco to the point where he was unable to speak, so he simply nodded. Thankfully Luna chose that moment to come looking for him and they rejoined the others, sparing Draco the indignity of possibly shedding a tear in front of Arthur Weasley.
xoxoxox
At the end of the day Luna was still holding onto Draco's hand. After the last mourner left the cottage, she drew him over to the oversized divan in the sitting room and pulled him down beside her. Without a word she curled up in his lap, rested her head on his shoulder and promptly fell asleep. Unsure of what else to do at that point, Draco held her for the rest of the night.
He woke in the same position the following morning. He sat quietly until Luna roused herself, stretching her arms and legs out like a cat. Without looking up she said in a soft voice, "He's really gone, isn't he?"
Draco hugged her and whispered, "Yeah. Afraid so." He stroked her hair. "You okay?"
"No," she said. "I don't expect I will be for a while."
"Fair enough," said Draco.
They stayed like that until Luna sat up and gave him an appreciative look. "Thanks for staying. I didn't mean to sleep that long."
"No worries. That's what friends do." Draco tapped the end of her nose with his finger. "You should know that. You wrote the list."
"I did indeed. 10 points to Slytherin for reading comprehension."
"Yes!" Draco raised an arm in triumph. "Victory! The house cup shall be ours at last!"
This brought forth a giggle from Luna, which made Draco feel immensely proud of himself. He was finding that he liked it when she smiled, especially if he was the reason for it. "Silly boy!" Luna stood and stretched again. "In way of thanks, will you allow me to make you breakfast, Draco Malfoy?"
Draco rose and cracked his back. "Only if you will allow me to assist, Luna Lovegood."
He went to see what Molly Weasley had left in the pantry while Luna put the kettle on. She was reaching into the cabinet for the cups when her sleeve brushed against one of the mugs, causing it to fall and shatter on the floor. She froze and it appeared as if she was going to be sick. For a moment Draco honestly thought she was going to faint. She dropped to her knees, frantically trying to gather up all the pieces.
He knelt beside her. "Luna, it's okay. It's only a mug…"
She looked up and he saw her eyes were filled with tears. She struggled to speak and finally got out the word, "Daddy's…"
Then he understood. He helped her to her feet and held her close. "Shh….it's okay. Look." He summoned his wand and waved it over the remnants of the mug. "Reparo." The broken bits vibrated then flew back together. In an instant it reassembled and levitated into his hand. Draco showed it to her. "See? Good as new." He placed it on the counter. "As if by magic."
Luna wiped a tear from her cheek and looked down in embarrassment. "Of course. I'm sorry. I could have done that myself. You must think me very stupid."
Draco placed a finger under her chin and raised her face towards his. "I most certainly do not. Many words come to mind when I think of you, Luna Lovegood, but 'stupid' is absolutely NOT one of them." Their eyes locked for a moment before a sudden knock at the door caused them to jump. Luna looked confused and Draco asked, "You expecting anyone?" She shook her head and made her way to the door with Draco close behind, fully prepared to blast a nosy reporter if necessary.
What they found was not a reporter but a fussy looking ministry representative instead. He offered his card as he pushed his way inside and took up a place at the kitchen table. He then began to produce a seemingly endless stream of forms and documents pertaining to Mr. Lovegood's estate, shoving them in front of Luna, demanding that they be filled out and signed at once.
Luna's eyes began to glaze over and she glanced at Draco with a pleading expression. He gave a discrete nod before he reached across the table and relieved the startled man of all his scrolls and parchments.
"Well, Purvis," Draco said, as he glanced down at the man's credentials. "It was Purvis, wasn't it? We thank you for your time but, as I am sure you are aware, Miss Lovegood couldn't POSSIBLY sign ANY documents until they have been fully reviewed by her legal consul." As he spoke, Draco pulled the spluttering official to his feet and propelled him towards the door. He deposited the man on the doorstep and dismissed him with a curt, "We'll be in touch" before shutting the door firmly in his face.
He turned back to Luna and wiped his hands together. "Well, that's done and dusted."
She gave him an appreciative smile then gestured at the mountain of paper now sitting before her. "Thank you very much, Draco but...I don't have any legal consul."
"I assumed as much." Draco draped his arm around her shoulders. "Which is why you and I are going to go through all of this together and make sure we understand it before you sign anything, okay?"
She looked doubtful so Draco gave her a quick squeeze. "Hey. Ravenclaw and Slytherin. Wit and cunning, remember? We can do this." He turned towards the counter and added, "Breakfast first, however. I believe we will need some sustenance before tackling this lot."