Chapter Twenty One

Over the coming days, Luna finally convinced Draco that it was time to remove the protective wards around her home. She resumed her position at the Institute and he moved back into his place to work on his research but they spent most of their free time together.

A couple of weeks later Luna asked Draco to accompany her to another dinner at Bill and Fleur Weasley's. After the meal, Luna offered to help Fleur with the dessert. As soon as they were in the kitchen, Bill hissed at Draco, "Merlin's Beard, man. Will you please make a move on that woman already? She wants it as desperately as you do."

Draco choked on his drink and spluttered, "I beg your pardon?!"

Bill gestured towards the scars on his face. "Sorry. I don't mean to be crass but Fenrir's little 'present' has left me with the ability to sense and smell things that others can't." He wrinkled his nose. "And the two of you reek of pheromones and unfulfilled desire. A bit overwhelming for me, to be honest. You're obviously crazy about each other so what's the problem?"

There was an awkward silence as Draco shifted uncomfortably in his chair. He answered in a low voice, "I'm...worried about her. So many things have been done to Luna that were out of her control - she bullied at school then she was kidnapped, held hostage and tortured during the war. Now her father and Mr. Ollivander passing away so recently - not to mention being physically assaulted inside her own flat. She's been through enough. I don't want to feel like I have pushed or pressured her to move faster than she is comfortable with. I couldn't live with myself if I was the cause of something she regretted."

Bill nodded slowly. "I understand your concern and its decent of you to take all of that into consideration. If I were in your place I would probably be hesitant as well." He chuckled softly. "I won't pretend to know Luna better than I do but she is very much like my wife and sister in one respect - they are all women that very much know their own minds. If you aren't moving fast enough for her then she will tell you flat out. And gauging by tonight's aroma, I'd wager it will be sooner rather than later."

Just then the women came back with dessert and, much to Draco's relief, the topic was dropped.

It didn't take long, however, for Draco to find out that Bill knew what he was talking about. One evening at the cottage, as they were wrapped in a passionate embrace in front of the fire, Luna leaned back, studied his face carefully and stated, "I believe it is time for bed, Draco Malfoy."

Taking that as his cue to go home for the evening, Draco helped her to her feet and walked with her as far as the kitchen floo. He kissed the top of her head and whispered, "Good night, Luna." He was reaching for the powder when he felt a hand on his arm and heard a quiet sigh behind him.

"Oh, dear," Luna said. He turned and found her standing very close with an amused expression on her face. "It would seem my attempt at subtlety was a bit too successful, wasn't it?" Draco squinted in confusion as she pressed her body firmly against his and wrapped her arms around his neck. "When I said it was 'time for bed', Draco, I meant together."

It took a second for the full meaning of that statement to work its way into Draco's brain. As he stared at her in silence, she dropped her gaze. "Unless I have misread this entire situation and the reason you haven't tried anything yet is that you don't actually find me attractive in that way?"

Draco placed his hands on her hips and tugged her even nearer to him. "I believe from our proximity, Miss Lovegood, you are an optimal position to realize exactly how attractive I find you." In a ragged voice he said, "Make no mistake about how I feel about you, Luna. I simply need to be certain that this is what you really want. I don't want to worry that I have rushed you into anything. I want this to be special."

Luna ran her nails lightly along the back of his neck causing his whole body to shiver. "I am with the man that I love in a place where I feel safe. I can't think of anything more special than that."

Draco swallowed hard. "Are you sure, Luna?'

She kissed him deeply and murmured, "Absolutely sure. I have wanted you for a very long time, Draco Malfoy and I would rather not wait any longer." With that she led him into the guest room and onto his bed. As she slowly drew him towards her, the last coherent thought to occur to Draco was if this was a dream, he hoped it never ended.

xoxoxo

He woke up the next morning alone in bed and briefly wondered if the events of the previous night had only been a glorious hallucination. He rolled over and was relieved to see Luna sitting in the window, wrapped in a sheet, staring out at the field. The light was illuminating her in such a way that it appeared as if she was glowing from within. She turned her head in his direction and smiled. In that moment, Draco was certain he had died and gone to heaven.

He joined her at the window, kissing her cheek as he settled in beside her. "Morning."

"Morning."

"What are you thinking about?"

She snuggled into his side. "You."

Draco stroked her arm. "Anything specific?"

Luna intertwined their fingers. "Lots." She gazed outside and was quiet once again.

Draco finally broke the silence. "Any regrets?"

Luna nodded. "One."

Draco felt his stomach tighten. "And that is?"

Luna leaned back and placed a kiss on his jaw. "That we didn't do this sooner."

Draco breathed a sigh of relief. "Indeed." He then whispered, "Are you happy, Luna?"

Luna pressed her lips onto the hollow space at the bottom of his neck and nodded. "I didn't know it was possible to be this happy." She laid her head on his chest and looked back out the window. "I suppose it's all so...unexpected."

He ran his finger along her bare shoulder. "How so?"

Luna carefully measured her words. "I decided a long time ago, Draco, to live my life with absolutely no expectations. If I didn't expect people to treat me in any particular manner then I couldn't be disappointed when they didn't. It was safer that way."

Draco gently lifted her face towards him. "That's funny because I find that when it comes to you I most certainly do have expectations."

Luna tilted her head to one side as Draco continued. "I expect that this won't always be easy. I expect I am going to make a lot of mistakes along the way. I expect you to tell me when I get it right and when I get it wrong. I expect to be confused and confounded on a regular basis. I expect to find myself being dragged out on expeditions to search for creatures that I may not be entirely certain even exist. I expect to have the occasional row so epic that you will walk away wondering why you ever gave a prat like me the time of day. I expect our children will be very blond and very pale." Luna smiled which made Draco happy. "I expect to laugh, eat pudding and dance in the rain far more often than I ever dreamed possible. I expect all this and more due the sole fact that I am utterly, hopelessly and completely in love with you, Luna Lovegood."

Luna's hand brushed his cheek. "How long have you been working on that speech?"

Draco blushed. "A while. Polished it up a bit last night after you feel asleep. Was it okay?"

"It was perfect." She kissed him tenderly. "So the only question I have now is - what do we do next?"

"Well…I don't know about you but I have a pretty good idea of how I want to spend the rest of the morning…" Draco looked back towards the bed. "Care to join me?"

Luna stood and dropped the sheet. "I thought you'd never ask."

xoxoxo

Two days later Draco stopped by Gringott's to make a withdrawal. He had not been in the building five minutes when a junior employee approached and handed him a sealed envelope with his name scrawled across the front. Draco opened it to find a note which read:

Smelled you as soon as you walked in the doors. Congratulations. About bloody time.

B.W.

Draco scanned the massive lobby before spotting Bill Weasley on the far side of the room. The tall red head grinned and tapped the side of his nose before giving a good natured wave. Draco managed a self-conscious smile then slipped the note into his inside jacket pocket. He completed his transaction and as he was leaving he made a mental note to send Bill a bottle of his best red wine along with a raw steak as soon as he got home.