Chapter Eighteen

The healers finally agreed to allow Luna to return home under the condition that someone stayed with her around the clock for the first 72 hours. Draco immediately assumed the role of caretaker and as soon as the release forms were signed he apparated them to his flat where he quickly packed a bag before taking Luna back to her cottage.

As soon as they arrived he tried to get her to go to sleep but she refused saying, "I've been lying in a hospital for days, Draco. What I need more than anything right now is to be outside breathing fresh air for a little while."

When they stepped into the field Luna removed her shoes and inhaled deeply. She closed her eyes and exhaled, "Finally."

She was a bit unsteady on her feet after her prolonged bed stay so Draco walked close beside with his arm securely around her waist for support. He was pleased to see that the longer they were outside in the open air and sunlight the stronger Luna seemed to become.

They were about to sit down and rest when they heard a loud cracking noise from behind them. Draco whipped around, wand drawn, when he felt Luna grab his wrist and lower his arm. It was then he realized that it was Ginny Weasley who had just appeared, laden with baskets.

"Stand down! It's only me bringing yet more food from my mother." She gave Draco an approving nod. "Good response time though, Malfoy. Remind me to announce myself more quickly in the future."

"Please do," said Draco, trying to get his heart rate under control. "I'd hate to harm anyone that was bringing..." He gestured to the items Ginny was carrying, "...whatever all this is."

Ginny indicated the larger of two baskets in her arms. "Well, this contains an unholy amount of shepherd's pie. And this," she held up the smaller basket, "Contains Cornish pasties and pumpkin juice for your lunch today." She leaned in and whispered, "There was a third basket containing bottles of Fire Whiskey and wine from Bill and Fleur, but Mum confiscated it before I could get clear of the Burrow."

"Damn," muttered Draco, causing both girls to laugh.

"Mum wanted to come with me but we convinced her that too many visitors this soon would delay your recovery." Ginny grinned. "The reality is we all love you too much to unleash Hurricane Molly on you at this point. It is possible to be mothered to death."

"It is all very much appreciated, Ginny. Really. Thank you." Luna turned and asked, "Draco, would you please take the shepherd's pie into the house for us?"

The young man hesitated. "It's okay, Malfoy." Ginny assured him. "Dad and the auror team have this whole property locked down tight. Right now only you, Luna, myself and Harry can apparate anywhere near the cottage and her floo network is only connected to St. Mungo's, the Burrow, your flat and Andromeda's. Even then, one of you would have to give express permission to anyone using it. Those wards will stay in place until you decide otherwise and counteract them."

Seeing the lingering uncertainty in his eyes, Ginny said, "I have my wand and you will only be a short distance away. I promise she'll be safe, okay?"

Draco gave a relieved nod and took the basket off Ginny's hands. As he started across the yard, the girls settled down in the long grass and absentmindedly began making daisy chains as they spoke. Glancing back towards the cottage, Ginny said. "I never in a million years thought I would hear myself say this, but my heart broke for Malfoy these last few days. I honestly thought he was going out of his mind there for a while. I haven't seen anyone that upset since the war ended. I don't know if you realize this, Luna, but he was bloody terrified that we were going to lose you."

"I know," Luna said softly.

Ginny paused before picking another flower. "I hate to admit it but the other night, when you told me your relationship with him had become something more than friendship..." She shook her head. "I really didn't know what to make of it. It wasn't something I could get my head around." She raised her eyebrows. "Don't get me wrong. Still can't say that I understand it but one thing is undeniable. That man loves you very much."

Luna smiled. "And I love him, Ginny. I hope everyone can be happy for us."

"Well, I can report that you have crossed some major hurdles in that regard. Mum has determined that you and Malfoy fall under the category of 'orphans needing maternal assistance.' You'll be lucky if she doesn't try to move the both of you into the Burrow." The girls giggled at that mental picture. Ginny continued, "And Dad feels sorry for him. I heard him talking about some of the stories he'd heard in regards to how Lucius treated his family..."

Ginny shuddered and moved on. "As for the rest of us, as long as he treats you well then we are willing to give him the benefit of the doubt. He's done a good job so far." She wove together some more flowers. "Surprisingly, Harry is coming around sooner than some of the others. I think because he was at the hospital almost as much as I was and saw what a mess Malfoy was about you. I understand that Hermione reached some sort of a truce with him in regards to you during one of her visits so she'll keep Ron in line until he gets used to the idea. I'm sure Hannah can do the same with Neville. Everyone else will follow their lead."

Luna hugged her friend. "Thank you. That means the world to me." She leaned back and said, "By the way, I haven't had the chance yet to properly thank you for fighting so hard to protect me that night. You took on those three men on your own. That was very brave."

Ginny sniffed back a tear. "Well, they were hurting someone I loved. You would think by now people would realize that isn't a safe place to stand around me. Besides, there are consequences for treating the Queen of the Fairy Field with such disrespect." She ceremoniously placed the daisy crown she had created upon Luna's head. "All hail the Queen!"

Luna sat up very straight and placed the chain she had made around Ginny's neck. "And three cheers for the Fearless Defender of the Realm - Lady Ginevra the Valiant!"

The girls fell into a fit of laughter then jumped when they heard a loud, "Ahem!" behind them. They turned to see a bemused Draco standing there holding a blanket. "You two hyenas mind sharing the joke?"

Ginny pulled a face and addressed him in a posh accent. "Peasant! How dare you address the royal court in so vulgar a manner!" She gestured dramatically towards Luna. "Beg forgiveness from the Queen of the Fairy Field 'ere she unleash the wrath of the Guardian of the Kingdom upon you."

Draco dropped to his knees in front of them. "A thousand apologies, miladies. It appears lack of sleep has addled my brain. I pray mercy and present this royal robe so that my Queen will not catch a chill." He bowed his head and extended the blanket towards Luna.

"Mercy is granted." Luna answered in a regal tone. "You may live to see another day, my liege."

Draco wrapped the blanket around her shoulders then slumped to the ground in exaggerated relief. "Her Majesty is too kind."

There was a brief pause and then all three burst into laughter. After Ginny had composed herself she looked fondly at her friend. "You know, Luna, I may just let you keep him."

The girls shared another hug before Ginny stood to leave. "Right. I will let you two get settled in. Take care and let us know if you need anything. Either Harry or myself will stop by tomorrow to check on you so don't stupefy anyone until you are sure who is at the door."

She turned to Draco and gave an theatrical curtsey. "As for you, Sir Knight, attend to the Queen and get some rest yourself. None of us need to spend any more time at St. Mungo's, thank you very much."

Draco gave a mock salute and proclaimed, "I live to serve." Ginny rolled her eyes and in flash she apparated away.

Draco and Luna remained outside and enjoyed the picnic lunch Molly had provided. When they had finished, the days without sleep and a full stomach began to take its toll on him. Luna noticed his eyes drooping and gently encouraged him to lie down. "Rest. Please. You're exhausted."

Draco struggled to stay awake but then her hands were running through his hair and it felt so soothing. He heard her whisper, "It's all right, Draco. We're safe. I'll be here when you wake up." With a contented sigh he felt his shoulders relax and he fell into a deep sleep.

At first, all was peaceful and dreamless. Then he found himself in a beautiful field surrounded by a dense wood where all felt serene and calm. He became aware that Luna was beside him. They were strolling along, hand in hand, and Draco felt a tranquility he had never experienced before. He was tugging her into a loving embrace when a loud noise startled them.

The scene then began to swirl into something dark and menacing. Death eaters began appearing from every direction. Soon they were under attack and hopelessly outnumbered. He begged Luna to leave and save herself but she refused to abandon him.

Suddenly Draco heard a sound that made his blood run cold. He whipped around and spotted Bellatrix charging at him, shrieking about treason and blood traitors. At the same instant he saw Dolohov taking aim at Luna while her attention was elsewhere. He fired a spell to protect her but that distraction gave Bellatrix the opening she needed and she cast a killing curse at him. Knowing it was too late for himself, Draco fired back in a desperate attempt to take out his aunt before she could harm Luna.

Time then began to move at the peculiar speed that only occurs in dreams - slow enough see everything clearly and yet too fast to be able to react. Just before Draco was hit by Bellatrix's curse, Luna spun in front of him, managing to fire at the dark witch before she absorbed the fatal blow meant for him. Draco didn't even register that Bellatrix had been destroyed. He caught Luna's lifeless body as it fell and he dropped to the ground, screaming in anguish.

He woke with a start, eyes darting wildly. He slowly became aware that Luna was shaking him by the shoulders, calling out, "Draco? Draco, please wake up. It's only a nightmare. Wake up."

Draco grabbed hold of her so fiercely she could barely breathe, then began running his hands over her, checking for injuries and gasping, "You're okay? You're really okay?"

Luna brought his hands to her face in an attempt to help him focus. "I'm fine, Draco. Look at me. I'm right here, see?"

Draco embraced her tightly. "Swear to me, Luna. Swear to me that you will never try to save my life again, okay? Please, swear it."

Luna worked her way free and in an attempt to lighten the mood she teased, "Well, since I have never saved your life before I can hardly promise to never save it 'again', now can I?"

"Merlin's beard, woman. You really don't know, do you? You save me every single day simply by being alive." He pressed his forehead against hers. "Promise me that you will never risk your life for mine. I almost lost you once. Please. I couldn't bear it a second time."

There was a long silence before Luna quietly answered, "No."

Draco sat back in confusion. "What?"

"I said, no, Draco. I only make vows that I am reasonably sure I can fulfill and I am certain that I would never be able to keep that kind of promise."

"But..."

Luna placed a finger on his lips. "No, Draco Malfoy. Listen to me. I am assuming that your nightmare involved a situation where we were both in danger, correct?"

Draco nodded.

"And at one point I took some sort of deliberate action to save your life that resulted in my being gravely injured or dying. Am I right?" Draco winced and nodded again. "Okay. Answer me this - if the situation were reversed - if in the dream we had switched places - what would you have done?" Draco didn't answer. She nudged him. "Would you have risked your life to save mine?"

Draco looked up sharply. "Without hesitation."

"Why?"

"Because I love you."

"And I love you and I would do anything to protect you - to protect us." She kissed him firmly and said, "I am not looking for trouble, Draco, and I certainly don't want to die just yet but if trouble finds us then it will have to deal with both of us. Together. Understand?"

"But..."

"No 'buts', Draco. Together." She stood up and held her hand out to him. "Which is how we will now go back inside where you are going to get a proper night's sleep in a bed instead of a chair and in the morning we will have an obscenely large breakfast courtesy of Molly Weasley. Then we can talk all you like about what the future holds. Okay?"

She gave him a look that he knew all too well. He sighed, "Any chance of you taking 'no' for an answer?" She raised an eyebrow as she helped him to his feet. He placed his arm around her and said, "You know, one day I am going to win one of these discussions."

Luna patted him on the arm. "Of course you will, Draco."

He rolled his eyes as they started towards the cottage. "I can tell when I'm being patronized, love."

"Oh, good," Luna said. "I'd hate to have to explain it to you every time." Draco laughed and held her close as they made their way back inside.