Summary: When Draco was a little boy he loved to visit the beach once a year with his best friend and build a wondrous castle. But one year, his friend disappeared…D/L ONE SHOT!
A/N- After writing Love at First Sharpie and getting so many reviews, I've decided to post a sad ficlet. Enjoy!
The Sand Castle
Draco's feet trudged along the sand as he stared out at the ocean filling his lungs with the fresh scent of the ocean and the morning dew. He inhaled the sweet scent.
"Draco!" cried a feminine high pitched voice. Draco turned around slowly.
"Hey," he greeted as the girl fell into his arms and hugged him tightly.
"Hi! Have you started on it yet?" asked the girl.
"Why would I? You know I always wait for you," he said. She smiled.
"Let's go dip our feet in the water!" she cried as she raced to the ocean and threw herself in, letting the ocean water draw her in, then push her back onto the shore like a yo-yo.
"I'll pass," Draco said.
"Aw, come on! It's fun!" the little girl cried as she ran up to Draco, her wet clothes clinging onto her body, and tugged on his sleeve, pulling him closer to the water.
"Luna! Let me go!" Draco whined. But she didn't. She dragged him over and sat him down so the waves lapped at his shoes every once in a while.
"Isn't it lovely?" she asked as she sat down beside him.
"What?" he asked.
"The ocean. It's so vast. So blue. So full of life yet unexplored," Luna whispered in a far away yet loud voice like an echo in the mountains.
"I never thought about it. So can we start working on it again?" asked Draco.
"Alright," sighed Luna as they got up and ran over to the little sand castle. They had been doing this for quite a few years. Each year Draco would build half of the floor and Luna the other half. Then each of them would place a treasure that meant a lot to them that year.
So they sat side by side, building the castle.
~! Two years later !~
"Come on, Draco, it's time to build it!" cried Luna as they raced across the sand to their little castle.
They sat near each other again, building it slowly so it wouldn't crumble. Draco would always put a little spell on it so it would stay there for years to follow. All of a sudden, Luna got up.
"Where are you going?" he asked.
"The ocean. It's calling me," She said as she dashed to the water and threw herself into the depths of the ocean.
Draco sighed and awaited her return. Seconds passed that turned into minutes. Draco watched Luna float on the water, motionless. He sighed again and inhaled the sweet aroma of the ocean breeze. He got to his feet and walked over to Luna.
"Luna?" he called.
No answer.
"Luna?" he called again.
Still no answer.
"This isn't funny, Luna. Come on, we've got to finish the castle. I'm all done. You still have to finish your half and then we can both add items that mean a lot to us. Luna?" he said. He poked her shoulder.
She was cold. Way too cold. He picked her up in his arms and lowered her onto the sandy beach. He shook her gently.
"Luna? Are you alright?" he asked. When there was no answer, Draco raced to the lifeguard.
But as he ran Luna's body slowly rolled down the sand, little rocks and grains of sand collecting in her dirty blond hair. She rolled down the sand and into the water, falling down into the dark blue abyss.
Draco ran back with the lifeguard to an empty spot of sand.
"Where is she young man? This better be no trick!" the lifeguard cried.
"It isn't! She was here a second ago but-Oh no! I think she rolled into the water!" he cried as he rushed to the water and peered down into the depths of dark blue water. He could see nothing.
"What happened to her?" he asked himself.
"I don't like pranks, kid," The lifeguard grunted as he made his way back to his high chair overlooking the pier.
"Luna," Draco whispered. He searched the ocean shore frantically for her. But she was no where to be found.
"Luna," Draco whimpered, choking back on his tears. "Luna."
~! Years Later !~
Draco's memory of Luna never faded. It always surfaced to his train of thoughts every once in a while. The image of the unfinished sand castle always came up along with the image of Luna, dead cold.
Draco decided to visit that beach after so many years.
His feet trudged along the sand as he stared out at the ocean filling his lungs with the fresh scent of the ocean and the morning dew. He inhaled the sweet scent. He heard a voice calling his name. A high pitched feminine voice. He fought back the tears and walked over to the sand castle.
It was still unfinished. Somehow, part of him had thought that maybe, just maybe, she had finished it. That maybe it had all been a dream. But it hadn't. It had been reality.
Draco looked at the water once more then kneeled by the sand castle. He began to finish her part which had been the last part of the castle. He built the high tower and walked away from it.
He stood, waiting, as if hoping she would come out from the water or wherever she was and smile at him once more. Or call his voice. But nothing happened.
Then he walked over to a flower bush and plucked a flower from its place. He walked over to the sand castle and placed it standing strong on top of the tower.
The rose glimmered in the sun and turned to face the ocean. Draco walked back and looked at the ocean and the vast dark blue abyss.
Slowly, Draco watched as the waves rolled on top of each other and washed up on the shore each time inching closer to the castle. Finally with one last effort, the waves rushed over the castle and pulled it into its giant watery arms and drowned it in their watery abyss. Draco watched in awe as the rose floated at the top of the ocean, then drowned slowly. Draco smiled, knowing somehow that it was Luna that had done this.
~! Two Years Later !~
Draco's feet trudged along the sand as he stared out at the ocean filling his lungs with the fresh scent of the ocean and the morning dew. He inhaled the sweet scent of the ocean. He looked upon the bare shores that no longer held their dear sand castle.
Then he saw something glittering in the distance. He walked over to it slowly.
There on the same exact spot where Luna had disappeared, lay a rose. One gentle, sweet, glimmering rose on the sand. Draco smirked as he gently picked it up and twirled it between his fingers knowing that this was the item that Luna had wanted on the sand castle that was no more.
How Luna had died was a mystery to him. She had been floating happily in the water and then suddenly her heart stopped beating. Draco brought her to the shore, yet she mysteriously disappeared again.
Years later Draco would sit in his study at the Malfoy Manor and stare at the lovely rose that lay in a simple vase on his desk. He would gaze at it and remember the little girl that used to love the ocean. He would remember the girl that used to build the sand castles with him.
He would gaze at it and remember the girl that seemed to be a distant myth now barely uttered about in the world but always welcomed in the deep dark abyss of the ocean life, her home.
~!~~~~~~~~~~~~!~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~!~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A/N-Do you like it? I thought it was awfully cute and sweet. This is another attempt at a Draco/Luna ficlet. Hope you all enjoyed it!
Thanks to Ray Bradbury for writing The Lake in his collection called the October Road that gave me this idea. I owe it all to him! You rock!
THANKS IN ADVANCE TO ALL THE READERS AND REVIEWERS!