Chapter Sixteen

And Your Mind Is Moving Low

Draco Malfoy could not believe his eyes. He stared incredulously at the scene before him.

Hatter was sitting on the deck of his ship, pouring tea and stirring it with a hook hand. He had not lost his hand but apparently decided to use a spare one for whatever reason. This in itself was not what captivated Draco.

His mother sat opposite Hatter, calmly sipping her own tea.

"Don't just stand there," his mother said. "Have a seat."

"What's happening?" Luna asked.

"Miss Lovegood," Narcissa said. "Or are you the the Violet Queen today?"

"You're one to talk," Luna said, taking a seat. Draco realized just how much Luna's personality had changed in the past day. Luna had said that the personalities of the queens could take over. He wondered if she knew it was happening.

She looked over at him and from the tension on her face, he saw that she did know and that she was fighting.

Hatter was chatting happily with Red who seemed uncomfortable.

"What are you doing here, Mother?" he asked, trying for polite.

"Did you think she was the first?" she asked.

"What?"

"Not the first to lose herself to Wonderland," his mother went on. "It was a very long tme ago."

"Before or after me?" Draco asked.

"Both," she said. "This isn't quite how I imagined telling you but do you know what post partum depression is?"

He nodded. "How long did you suffer?"

"Not long. But enough to make my way back. I lost myself in here for months. Time, I'm sure you understand, moves differently in here."

He knew that. "Which one were you?"

"The same one I will be," she said. "I'll have to take her on, Draco."

"What do you mean?"

"She is not your Ginny anymore," she said.

He could understand that. He had seen her back on the rowboat. Ginny was not herself.

"How did it happen?" he asked. "To you. To her."

She sipped her tea. "I don't think you want to know, son."

"I have to know, Mother."

So she told him.

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It was decided that Luna and Narcissa would go on while Draco did what he had to do. Luna wasn't quite sure what he was meant to do. She had the impression that she'd been told about it but she couldn't remember. It was harder and harder to remember anything that didn't have to do with being the Violet Queen.

"What are we doing?" she asked.

"We're buying time for Draco," Narcissa said.

"How did you come back?" Luna asked.

"How long have you had a problem separating yourself from her?" Narcissa sked.

"A couple of hours," Luna admitted.

"I was gone for weeks," Narcissa said as they walked through the woods. Hatter was leading the way which Luna thought was somewhat ill advised. "And Hatter brought me back."

"Hatter?" Luna repeated looking at the man in question.

"He asked me to stay forever," Narcissa said.

"And that did it?"

"It reminded me I had someone to go home to," Narcissa said.

Luna thought about that and then about who she had. Harry's face, smiling warmly at her.

And just like that, she was back.

Which was a good thing, she mused as they rounded a corner and saw Ginny. And what she had found.