Chapter Thirteen

Draco woke with a start and blinked as he tried to recall the events of the previous evening. He sat upright at the sight of the now empty divan, feeling a slight bit of apprehension regarding Luna's whereabouts. He heard sounds coming from the kitchen so he crept warily towards the other room then leaned against the doorway in relief.

Luna was at the sink with her back towards him. She must have been up for a while as she was now showered, dressed and preparing breakfast. The radio was playing an old Celestina Warbuck song and Luna was humming and swaying to the music. Without turning around she said, "Good morning, Draco."

Draco shook his head. "How did you know..."

Luna laughed. "Still not a mind reader, Draco." She remained facing the sink but gestured in front of her. "I saw your reflection in the window."

He chuckled. "Too clever by half, you are."

"Well, I can't have you getting the drop on me, now can I?" She smiled over her shoulder. "Sit down. Breakfast is almost ready."

"Thank you. You should have gotten me up to help."

"Not much to do, really. You know Mrs. Weasley left enough food after the funeral to feed an army for a month. Besides, you helped enough last night." She sat beside him and nudged his arm. "Thank you for that."

He reached over and quickly squeezed her hand. "Anytime. Feeling better?"

Luna sipped her tea and considered the question. "I suppose. When I woke up this morning I realized that I shouldn't be looking for short cuts to healing. I need to allow myself to feel the pain, accept it for what it is and let it run its course." She passed him the toast. "Sorry I didn't figure that out before risking your life to pneumonia."

"No worries. It will take more than a little rain to bring me down, I'm afraid."

"I would hope. I'd be lost without you. " she said. Draco fumbled with the butter then focused on his food.

After breakfast, Draco showered and changed while Luna made another pass through the estate documents. When he emerged he was surprised to see her sitting at the kitchen table with her hands folded, the papers in neat piles around her.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

"That's it."

"What do you mean?"

Luna motioned towards the mountain of documents. "I mean, with the exception of three pages that have to be signed in front of a Ministry witness, I think we've got them all done."

"Really?" Draco felt his heart sink a little at this news.

"Best I can tell."

"Well. That's good, right?"

She smiled but it didn't seem to reach her eyes. "Of course. It's what we were trying to do, right?" They sat for a minute before she asked, "Will you go to the ministry with me to file everything?"

"Absolutely." Draco said. "Got to see the thing through, don't we?"

There was another silence then Luna asked, "So... should we go now or wait until after lunch?"

"Oh, after lunch. Definitely." He punctuated the thought with a couple of sharp taps on the table. "Mornings are a nightmare at the ministry. No one's fully awake or had a proper breakfast and the only thing worse than an overworked ministry official is a tired and hungry overworked ministry official."

Luna nodded firmly. "Oh, absolutely. I agree." She toyed with one of the quills in front of her. "Does leave us with some time to kill this morning, though."

"Hmmm. That it does." Draco scratched his chin. "I suppose we could go on a little expedition. Fancy a visit with the thestrals?"

Luna's eyes widened. She had not left the cottage since the funeral. "Really? You'd go with me?"

"Of course I would. If that little foal doesn't see me soon he might forget about me. Can't have that, can we?"

Luna threw her arms around him. "Thank you, Draco!" She took off running towards her room. "Let me get my jacket!" She called back, "Don't forget the meat!"

He laughed and shook his head, "Wouldn't dream of it!"

xoxoxo

They stayed so long with the thestrals Draco was forced to point out that if they didn't start back soon the offices would be closed when they arrived. They returned to the cottage, gathered up all of the documents and got to the ministry just before quitting time. The clerk seemed a bit irritated by their last minute appearance but got everything processed and with three strokes of a pen it was all completed.

They returned to the cottage and considered the now strangely empty space in front of them before sitting down to dinner. When they had finished, Luna surveyed the room again. "Just in time, I suppose," she said.

"In time for what?"

She began tidying up. "I recently received a job offer to help the Scamander Institute with their trainee enrichment program."

"The Scamander Institute? Luna, that's wonderful! They're one of the most prestigious scientific establishments in the wizarding world. When did this happen?"

She summoned a dish towel and began to wipe off the counter. "I got the formal acceptance letter yesterday. With the other news, I forgot to mention it."

"Congratulations! When would you start?"

She paused her cleaning. "Tomorrow."

Draco blinked slowly. "That's...very soon."

"Well, I wouldn't actually start work then. They have an orientation program that I would need to complete. That begins tomorrow."

Draco ran a hand through his hair. "Oh..so...will you be... I mean the Scamander Institute is quite some distance away. Will you be...moving there?"

She placed the towel back on its place near the sink. "No. It's not that kind of position. Most of my work can be done from anywhere. I'm going to be developing parts of their curriculum and then training the instructors on how to present it so I only need to be onsite a couple of days a month. I thought that would work well because then I could continue my own research, care for the thestral herd and...other things." She twisted a piece of her hair between her fingers. "I have made a decision regarding my living arrangements, however."

Draco shifted slightly. "Oh?"

Luna nodded. "It seems silly to keep paying rent on the flat since Daddy has left me the cottage. It would make more sense for me to live here, don't you think?"

"Absolutely. Makes perfect sense." Draco wiped a nonexistent crumb off the table. "Bit remote, though. Will you get lonely?"

Luna continued to twirl the lock of hair. "I might. " She looked at Draco. "Do you know anyone that would stop by for dinner from time to time to keep me company?"

Draco pretended to consider that for a moment. "I may know someone that could fit that into his busy schedule. If he were to be invited, of course."

"I think that could be arranged." She wrapped her arms around his waist. "Thank you so much for everything, Draco. I truly could not have made it through this without you."

"Anytime, Luna." He held her longer than he meant to then forced himself to step back. "Right. Best gather my things and get back to my place. You've got things to do in order to get ready for tomorrow, I'm sure." He walked quickly back to the guest room and with a flick of his wand packed his belongings.

When he returned Luna was standing beside the fireplace. "Got everything, then?"

Draco hoisted the bag on his shoulder. "Think so. If you find anything I've left, you can send it by owl, I suppose."

Luna hesitated then produced something from behind her back. "Here. It's not much. Just a little something to say thank you for all your help."

It was one of her rabbit paintings, except it was now embellished to include a beautiful silver eagle soaring overhead. Draco studied it closely. Her brushwork was so delicate that he almost thought he could see the bird's wings move.

"Luna, this is remarkable! When did you do this?"

"I couldn't sleep that night." She toyed with the hem of her jumper. "I know it doesn't really match your decor but I thought..."

"It's beautiful. I shall cherish it always." He cleared his throat. "And, of course, I expect you to come by the flat and visit it very soon. Make sure I've placed it in the proper spot, okay?" As he stepped into the fireplace, he added, "Perhaps tomorrow evening you could send me an owl and let me know how things went on your first day? If you have time, that is."

Luna nodded enthusiastically. "I should be done with the orientation around six. I'll probably go back to the flat after that and start packing up. I'll write before bed?"

"Please do. I'd love to hear all about it."

There was another quick hug then a moment later he was standing in his own flat. He placed the painting on the mantle before unpacking his things. He came back to the kitchen and started the kettle for tea. As the water boiled he reached into the cupboard and placed two cups and saucers on the tray with the teapot. He sat on the sofa and was halfway done pouring the second cup before he realized what he was doing.

He shook his head, picked up the extraneous cup and saucer and returned them to the kitchen. He settled in, sipped his tea and tried to read but something felt off. It took a while before he figured out what it was. He had become used to Luna's legs being draped across his lap or her head resting on his shoulder as they read in the evenings in front of the fire. He tried sitting in a few different positions but nothing seemed right so he gave up and went to bed.

He laid awake for a long time but something seemed wrong there as well. It finally occurred to him that he had become accustomed to the sounds of the countryside around the cottage as well as Luna's rhythmic breathing coming from the room next to his at night. He tossed and turned and eventually drifted off into a restless sleep.

The next morning he stumbled into the kitchen, rooted around in the icebox and called out, "Luna! Are we out of pumpkin juice?" before it dawned on him that she wasn't there to answer.

The rest of the morning went the same way. He found himself beginning conversations and searching for her voice, her hand or her scent. He became increasingly agitated and found it difficult to focus on his work. He soon abandoned the attempt all together and wrote a quick note to Andromeda to see if he could stop by for a visit. Within the hour he received a response and he went around to her house straightaway.

He had no sooner stepped into the room before Teddy catapulted into his arms. "Oi! Watch it there, big man! You almost knocked me down!" He tickled the child and was rewarded with a cascade of giggles.

Andromeda ruffled the little boy's hair. "Teddy? Why don't you go find your new book to show Draco, okay?" As Teddy toddled back to his room, Andromeda gave her nephew a hug. "It's good to see you. To what do we owe the pleasure of your visit today?"

"I had some free time and wanted to check in on you and Teddy. I haven't seen you since Mr. Lovegood's funeral." Draco watched the child make his down the hallway. "He's growing so fast."

"He is at that." Andromeda gestured towards the sofa. "Please, sit. I was just getting ready for tea. Will you join me?"

"Yes, thank you."

Andromeda poured a cup and offered Draco a biscuit. "Speaking of the funeral, how is Luna holding up?"

"As well as can be expected I suppose. It was obviously a tremendous loss for her and then to find out that Mr. Ollivander passed at nearly the same time..." Draco sipped his tea. "It's been a rough couple of weeks."

"I'm sure she appreciates having someone like you around to comfort her. I don't know how I would have survived losing Edward and Nymphadora without the support of my friends."

"I only wish there was more I could do," said Draco.

"Sometimes the best thing we can do for our loved ones is to simply be there for them." Andromeda stirred the sugar into her tea. "Where is Luna today?"

"Started her new job this morning."

"Really? How wonderful. Where is she working?"

Draco related the specifics of the job and Luna's decision to move into the cottage. Andromeda listened carefully then asked, "And how do you feel about all of this, Draco?"

"What do you mean?"

"About Luna's job, the move, things like that."

"Fine. I mean, the move makes perfect sense. There is no need for her to waste her money on rent when her father has left her a lovely cottage to live in. And the job is a tremendous opportunity. It's about bloody time someone recognized her skills and gave her a job worthy of her talents."

"I agree. It will probably mean that she won't be around quite as much, though, won't it?"

Draco poured himself another cup. "Not really. She will only be onsite at the Institute a couple of days a month. It was part of the reason she took the position, so she would still have time for her other projects."

At that moment Teddy waddled back in clutching a book. He deposited it in Draco's lap and then solemnly ordered, "Wait!" before starting back towards his room.

Andromeda smiled. "He expects you to read to him but he requires an audience. It will take at least one more trip for him to bring all of his toys out for the show."

Draco noticed the book's title and laughed. "My First Book of Fantastic Beasts? Luna will be disappointed that I was asked to read this instead of her."

Andromeda paused then asked, "Draco, did Luna ever live in the cottage at the same time as her father?"

"I don't think so. She moved into the flat right after leaving school and it was my understanding that her father was away most of the time after the war. Why?"

Andromeda reached for the teapot. "I only ask because I know that it was difficult for me to get used to living in the home that Edward and I shared after he died. I found myself pouring out a second cup of tea, setting his place at the table, starting conversations without remembering he wasn't there. We always curled up beside each other in the evenings and when he was gone I could swear I could still feel his presence - like that 'phantom limb syndrome', you know? Where an amputee thinks they can still feel the appendage they lost?"

Draco stared at the table, thinking about the previous evening without Luna. He cleared his throat and said, "Really? How did you get over that?"

"I didn't. Still happens all the time." She shook her head. "It's the price you pay, Draco, when you love someone so very much."

Before he knew it, Draco heard himself asking a question he hadn't even admitted was on his mind. "How did you know?"

"Know what?" His aunt asked. "That I loved Edward?"

Draco nodded. She thought for a moment. "It's hard to say, really. It came on so slowly that I didn't realize it at first. We were in the same year at school. I was, of course, the dutiful Pure Blood Slytherin and Edward a lowly, Muggle-born Hufflepuff." She made an exaggerated face that caused Draco to chuckle.

"We had some classes together and at first I was simply intrigued that a Muggle born could be so adept at magic. Mind you, Sirius and I were already far less rigid than the rest of our family in regards to how we felt about blood status, but I will admit, I was still surprised at the amount of natural ability Edward possessed."

She wrapped her hands around her teacup. "The more I watched him, however, the more I was drawn to him as a person. He was incredibly kind to students of every house, always thinking of others, willing to sacrifice his own needs to help other people. In my world that sort of attitude had always been deemed a weakness but through him I realized it was a very special kind of strength."

Her eyes grew sad. "I hate to admit it but I first began spending time with him to see if I could catch him out - to prove that no one could possibly be that good of a person in real life - that he had to have an angle or an ulterior motive. Over time, however, I learned it was simply who he was...and that I loved him for it. Of course, it didn't hurt that he was quite a handsome bloke as well."

She gazed at the portrait of her late husband that hung over the fireplace. "I suppose I recognized that it was more than friendship when my parents found out about the relationship and forbid me from seeing him again. When suddenly confronted with the possibility of not having him in my life, I was devastated."

She turned back to Draco. "I mean, while Edward and I didn't always agree on things, I realized that he was the first person I wanted to talk to in the morning, the last person I wanted to talk to at night and the only person whose opinion truly mattered to me. If there was a crowd, his was the face that I searched for and the feeling I got when I saw his smile was like nothing else in the world. No matter where we were, if he held my hand, I felt like I was home."

She placed her cup on the table. "Took me some time to get up the nerve to say anything, but I started to worry that if I didn't speak up I could miss my chance. That some other witch would figure out how remarkable Edward was and I knew that I couldn't live with that. So I defied my family and confessed my feelings to him...and it was the best decision I ever made."

Just then Teddy reappeared with his arms full of stuffed animals. He tossed them onto Draco's lap, climbed onto the sofa and pointed at the book. "Wead!"

Draco dutifully read the book multiple times until Teddy's eyes began to droop and before long the child was fast asleep. As Andromeda reached for her grandson, Draco stood and gave her a hug. "Thank you very much for the tea. I should be getting back now."

Andromeda lifted the sleeping child into her arms. "It was my pleasure, nephew. Please stop by again soon, okay?" Draco nodded and made his way back to his flat, leaving Andromeda to hope that he had actually heard what she had been trying to say.