Chapter 44: The Outskirts

A cool breeze ruffled the weeds and stalks of grass that caught Draco as he collapsed into the large meadow that ringed the village of Ottery St. Catchpole. All he wanted to do was curl up and cry, but he decided that the time for that was over. Draco trudged down the hill upon which he had landed, heading toward the tiny rook that stood tall against the night sky in the distance.

A quarter of an hour later, Draco found himself standing in the middle of the Lovegood's whimsical garden. He hadn't bothered with a disguise this time; he knew Luna would recognize him right away-you don't spend hours in a dungeon talking to someone without getting to know them pretty well.

Draco peeked in through the window before knocking on the battered wooden door, and caught sight of Luna surrounded by papers and magazines. He immediately felt relieved upon seeing her familiar face, memories of her friendship flooding back to him. Draco then walked back around to the front door and knocked thrice. He heard some rustling from inside before Luna pulled open the door.

"Oh, hello Draco!" Luna said brightly. "Good to see you're alive!"

"Barely," Draco said half-heartedly. "Can I come inside and talk to you? I really need to talk to someone," Draco added, running a hand through his hair.

"Sure," Luna said. "Why are you back in England?"

"Er, long story," Draco said. Luna looked up at Draco expectantly as she took a seat on a rather squashy butternut-yellow sofa. "Right, do you want to hear it all?"

"I do love stories," Luna said, summoning over two cups of tea. "Here," she said, handing Draco a cup. It's beetroot broth and mint tea." Draco took the cup warily, but began taking small sips, realizing just how hungry he was. "Are you going to start?"

"Erm, yes. Where should I start from, though?" Draco asked nervously.

"How about from after you left the Manor at the end of the Christmas holiday?"

"Alright, then. Well, I went back to Hogwarts. It was awful, nothing much to say there. And then you were there at Easter..."

Luna's eyes widened. "Oh, yes, I remember that. Hermione told me about that, too."

Draco winced. "What exactly did she tell you?"

"Nothing surprising. You behaved in a manner that perfectly suits your disposition."

Draco frowned. "Did she tell you what happened exactly?"

Luna nodded. "Yes, she did. And I must say, it looks like your wounds healed nicely. It must be the Gurdyroots. They taste awful, but they're really marvelous at healing."

"What?" Draco asked simply.

"Go on," Luna said, ignoring Draco's apparently stupid question.

"Well, after Easter came the battle. You know about that. And after the battle, I left Europe. I live in America now. I probably shouldn't tell you where, right?"

"That's probably best. But do you know if there are any Crumple-Horned Snorkacks where you live?"

Draco didn't even bother asking this time. "Well, yeah, that's all. I started working for a newspaper there and was sent here on an assignment."

"If you want a job in reporting, you can work for us at The Quibbler. It's doing really well. I think people are starting to really understand the dangers of Nargles. A brush with death can do that, you know."

"Luna, I can't exactly stay here. They're looking for me."

Luna pursed her lips and thought for a moment. "Yes... that sounds about right. Neville was telling me something about that the other day. Your father's in jail, isn't he?"

"Yes," Draco muttered darkly.

"And your mother's under house arrest?"

Draco was silent.

"What happened with your mother, Draco?" Luna asked almost dreamily. Draco was oddly reminded of Professor Trelawney. Draco sighed.

"I blew up at her," Draco said quietly, his jaw almost unmoving. "I just yelled at her and blamed her for...everything that happened to me." Draco gripped his cup tighter. "And then..." Draco choked. "I just ran out on her. And she was the reason I came here in the first place."

Luna stood up and crossed the room to sit next to Draco. "Have you been feeling this way for a long time?"

Draco bit his lip and shook his head. "No...not until I saw Madame Rosmerta."

"Well, it's always easier to realize your true feelings when you face them head-on," Luna said thoughtfully. "Your mind has a way of blocking out the feelings you're trying to avoid." Draco nodded in agreement.

"She didn't even try to stop me from leaving," Draco said, anger tinging his voice. "She didn't do anything to keep me in England. Nothing."

"Sometimes it's hard for people to stand up for themselves," Luna said. "But she'll get there eventually, Draco. Neville did." Draco nodded again. Luna continued. "And Narcissa Malfoy did stand up for herself on the night of the battle."

Draco turned to look at Luna. "What?"

"Oh yes, she did," Luna said. "In the Forbidden Forest, when He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named killed Harry the first time. She lied to him and told him Harry was dead when Harry was really alive."

"She did?" Draco asked incredulously.

"Yes," Luna said simply. "Harry told the whole story at your mother's trial."

Draco shook his head in disbelief. "I had no idea." He looked down in his lap at his cold cup of tea. "I feel awful."

Luna reached out and patted Draco's back. "It's alright. I'm sure she'll understand."

Draco ran a hand through his hair. "Why do I always just run away from my problems?!" He groaned, leaning back onto the sofa. "And now she's all alone, thinking I hate her. Merlin, what have I done?" Draco covered his face with one hand and exhaled loudly. He could feel tears pricking the corners of his eyes. "Oh no..."

"Can you go back and see her?" Luna asked kindly.

Draco slid his hand down to his lips and shook his head. "It's too dangerous."

"You can send her an owl from my place," Luna suggested. "That way even if they read it, they can't trace it back to you."

"No, Luna, then you'd get in trouble."

Luna laughed. "I'll be fine, Draco. No one at the Ministry is about to arrest me."

Draco's brow furrowed. "But why not?"

Luna laughed again. "The whole Ministry's run by the Order now. All my friends work there. I'll be fine, Draco. Shall I get you some parchment and a quill?"

Draco chewed on his lip for a bit, hesitating. He didn't want to get Luna in trouble, but she seemed so confident in her safety...

"Sure," Draco said, sitting up. "Thanks, Luna."

"Of course, Draco," Luna said. She stood up and began heading toward the stairs when there was a knock at the door. Luna changed course and headed for the door. Draco's focus was entirely on his tea as the door creaked open- he didn't want to pry. Luna greeted the visitor. "Hello!" She said happily. "Hope the Nargles didn't get to you!"

"No, Luna, I'm fine," replied a voice that was all-too-familiar to Draco. His heart began racing.

"Come inside!" Luna continued. "I think there's someone here you'll want to see."

The visitor walked into the room, depositing a coat onto the bizarre hat stand that stood beside the door. Draco glanced up to see who had come in, and promptly dropped his teacup, sending shards of china flying into the air and staining the carpet a deep red. He felt his throat close up, and he gripped the sofa cushions so tightly that his knuckles turned paper-white.

It was Hermione Granger.

A/N: A review? That would be nice :)