Hey! Thanks so much to everyone who reviewed:

Jade Bear: I got on the site! Omigosh! So cool! Lol! Woman with amber eyes? You'll find out soon.MUAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!! I now have a captive audience. JB: *refuses to read fanfic* ESS: Shit! No.crap! No.poo! (lol anna-ray!)

The Dark Wanderer: lol, thanx! Lunaish? Lol! *step away* lol!

First of the Geeks: Thanks, my first sorta half-flame! YAY! Lol. Everything about me is weird, not just the lightning! I thunked (grammar teacher: GRRRRR!!!) I had it on anonymous reviews, guess not.thanx though, will fix!

Also plz note that I changed chapter 6, as ff.net deleted half the stuff. I hope it makes more sense now!

Chapter 7

A girl lay dead on the carpet of the library, her hazel eyes wide and staring, forever seeing everything, forever seeing nothing. Death glazed her face and eyes.

Twenty feet away from her lay a twitching heap of robes, silver, and charred flesh. Draco Malfoy.

Luna's innocent eyes widened in shock. Standing over Draco was a tall man with a wild, grungy look to him. His gray hair flew in thin wisps everywhere. His eyes were wild and darted like a trapped tiger's. He hadn't seen her. But he was torturing Draco. He was killing him slowly. The man raised his wand, and Luna felt pain shoot through her as Draco began twitching again. She felt shocked, but knew that somehow she was sensing what Draco felt. Pain washed through her, like a million burning fires, and she was swept and tossed like a fishing boat in a storm. Pain consumed her, fiery pain that shot through every part of her body. Every nerve was raw, every particle of her being quivered with pain. She bit her tongue to keep from screaming. She would have done anything to stop the pain. Sold her family, killed her family for that matter, betrayed Dumbledore, and killed Harry, anything. It shocked her. Luna had always thought herself fairly brave and pretty tough. But this was different. This defined pain. This was why people suffered. This was the throbbing caress of Death. It burned her core, her being. She would have done anything to stop it.
Luna felt Draco. He was blocking the pain. She was engulfed by it, he was riding it. But it threatened to consume him. Luna could have left then and there. Nothing stopped her. She could have gone to get a teacher, and been safe. The pain could stop. But Luna would not, no, she COULD not abandon Draco. She wasn't sure why, but as she focused on the wild man, she knew why. She wasn't ready to admit it, but she loved Draco. More than Harry. More than her own life.

Raising her wand, she took a breath, fighting the pain, pointed it at the stranger, and roared, "Stupefy!"
The beam of red light blew out of her wand and arced towards the man. His head turned, and he saw her. With speed like a leopard, he dropped low, and the spell missed him. Before Luna could gape, he was back on his feet, a flick of his wand, and she was disarmed, her wand spinning away. He turned his attention to her, leaving Draco.
"You were fast, girl, but not fast enough. trying to play hero always kills people. He saw too much, and he had to pay. And now you too, have seen too much. I'm sorry." The wand raised as the spell was cast, and Luna saw the green light of the Avada Kedavra Curse firing strait at her. She prepared to meet her death.

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Draco felt the curse lift. Groggily he raised his head. His attacker was pointing his wand at Luna. Luna? What was she doing in the library at this time of n-Oh!

Realization hit him like a spell. Luna was the one he had been talking to. How? But there was a time for that later. The man raised his wand, and spoke. Draco heard his voice as though far away. He was shocked to his core. Luna had saved him? Why?
Again, he dropped the questions. There would be time for that later, but only if he didn't screw this up. He had to know.

The man raised his wand, but Draco was already moving. His legs shoved against the carpet, using muscles developed over hard days of training. He ached, but his pain was distant. Moving like an enraged dragon, he launched himself across the floor, tackling Luna. She hit the ground like a sack of potatoes, and his momentum carried them both into a bookshelf. Books shook, and the whole heavy shelf dropped down squarely onto the man's head, splitting it open like a ripe watermelon. Luna and Draco landed in a tangle. Like a line of dominoes, the shelves began to fall. They hit one another, each book falling making enough noise to wake the dead. Soon the whole library was buried under books.

The silence was deafening. Draco half-rose to his feet, brushing his robes. Dizziness seized him, and he sat down again. Luna was staring at him with eyes like a deer in headlights. "You okay?" he asked, his voice hoarse.

She nodded, wide-eyed. "You..you.saved.me..why?

Draco gave her a tight smile, and disentangled himself from her. That fall had hurt. His head pounded like a million drums, but he forced himself to think clearly. What the hell had just happened? Luna asked him a question. Oh yes. That was it. "I saved you 'cause you saved me. We're square."

Luna smiled, and Draco's heart skipped a beat. "Thank you."

Running footsteps caused him to jerk upright with a hiss. He cursed. Teachers! This was the last thing he needed.

"Luna, come here. We have to hide. The last thing we want is to be wrapped up in all this."

Luna looked dazed, and didn't respond.

Draco sighed. If he and Luna were found alone in the library in the middle of the night, it would look suspicious. And there were two dead people. He decided to hide and only show himself if the girl killed-he didn't recognize her- was a student. The man was dead, and Draco didn't want two deaths laid at his feet. With his family's reputation being as it was, he would probably be whisked off to Azkaban before he could say "Innocent".

Grabbing Luna's arm, he gently pulled her away from the middle of the room. He moved some books and pushing Luna down, he lay down and used the books to cover them, leaving a space to peek through. He used his wand to uncover the dead man and the girl. Let the teachers chew on that!

Every member of the Hogwarts staff was down in the library. Draco could only hear snatches of their conversation, but from what he could gather, the girl was a Muggle, not a student, and the man was an escaped prisoner from Azkaban. Luna lay beside him under the books, as quiet as a mouse. He could feel her trembling, he could sense her fear. He felt it. And he was sure she felt his.

Four hours later, after cleaning up the bodies, the teachers left the library. They had agreed to clean it up in the morning, after being sworn to secrecy. It was none of the students' business what had happened. Draco made a mental note to sleep with one eye open from now on, and never trust a teacher.

When they had all left, a short plump witch dressed in emerald green with a black cloak swept into the library. Her eyes flicked over the piles of books and wood.
"Luna and Draco," she said in a low whisper, "Come here! The teachers are coming back. Hurry! Do you want to get caught?"

Draco didn't move. He suspected a trick. He glanced at Luna. She seemed to have recovered from the shock, and her eyes were focused now, but she was still terrified. He stroked her hand comfortingly, and she held his and squeezed it. He smiled gently at her. She was so brave. No other girl he knew could have gone through that torture. He had told her that, talking using their thoughts. She asked him how he controlled the pain, she had sensed him blocking it, and he had told her dryly that many things come with practice. She had asked him a great deal more, and he asked her some things, and he found her funny and interesting. He really liked her. No, he loved her. But he couldn't admit it.

"I'm not trying to trick you. I want to help. Please!" The witch's voice was urgent.

Draco shrugged inwardly. She looked harmless, and if she tried anything, he could dispose of her quickly. He stood easily, books cascading off his robed body. Luna rose beside him, standing as though they hadn't witnessed a murder, hidden, and eavesdropped on teachers.

The witch peered at them, her eyes impatient. "Come, come! Follow me!"

Draco put on his best arrogant look. Practice made perfect. "Why should we?"

The witch smirked. The bitch. "Because you both have questions, and I have answers. Come!"

Exchanging glances with Luna, Draco shrugged and followed the witch out of the library. Her liquid amber eyes gleamed in the half-light, and her black cloak swished behind her as she lead Luna and Draco up staircases to the Astronomy Tower.

Overhead, the moon watched Hogwarts, bathing the school in its light of mystery.