Path Revealed By Moonlight

A Sequel to The Thestral, The Witch, and The Moonstone
Takes place during the time of Watever Comes
A Post Fifth-Year Summer Story

Chapter 1- Unsettling Dreams and Memories

Draco Malfoy squinted his eyes, blinded by the light ahead of him. Strange, he thought to himself, that there should be a light of such brilliance here in the middle of the forest. Wait, where am I? It was dark all around him, and he could hear people screaming and running through the woods. I've been here before... he realized. He was standing in the woods the night of the final of the Four Hundred and Twenty-Second Quidditch World Cup! Of course, he thought to himself. Dad's got the Muggles hanging in the air, and everyone is scared out of their wits and running away. But that still didn't explain why he was here. He focused on the light ahead of him. Tears formed from his steely gray eyes and he stared into the heart of the light. He stepped closer and saw the silhouette of a girl in the light. Apparently, the bright white light was radiating off her. He knew the girl, in fact he remembered this encounter...but...what was her name? His mind seemed to have blocked it from him for some reason. He tried to think but more images flooded into his mind as his attention turned back to the mysterious girl. "Who are you?" He asked, just as he did in that same spot two years ago.

The girl looked up from the log she was sitting on. She bit another bean off her necklace strung with Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans and just eyed him curiously. He still could not see her face, nor could he think of her name. She just observed him with her protuberant gray eyes-Wait, how do I know they are gray, I can't even see her eyes- and said, "I know who you are, Draco Malfoy."

Draco narrowed his eyes. He didn't like it when strange people knew more about him than he did about them. "Well what the hell are you doing, sitting there? Don't you know what's going on right now?"

The girl answered simply, "What am I doing here? Well I've been here for weeks...my father and I came to see the Quidditch World Cup. It was quite exciting, don't you think?" Her voice sounded dreamy and melodious.

Draco scoffed. "I know that, what are you, some sort of idiot? Bloody hell, I meant what are you doing HERE, right NOW! Don't you know it's not safe?"

The strange girl did not look perturbed at his annoyance. "Well," she answered calmly. "YOU'RE still here."

Draco sighed impatiently. "I thought you said you knew who I was? Liar, if you did, you'd know it's fine for ME to be here. You, on the other hand, I don't know if you should be hanging around here. If I were you, I'd clear off before they get here."

The girl studied his face. He still couldn't see hers. "Before who gets here, exactly?"

Draco wasn't going to fall for that. First, Potter thinking he could trick him into admitting his father was in the crowd of Death Eaters, and now this girl from who-knows-where was trying to play dumb too? Draco rolled his eyes and looked the girl up and down. I could see her before...how come I can't now? He was bewildered by this whole incident. But he felt a strange fascination towards the girl. He wasn't used to letting people confuse him. "What did you say your name was?" He asked softly now.

The girl smiled-wait, how could he tell? She answered in her normal dreamy voice, but with a hint of slyness, "I didn't."

Draco remembered locking his eyes with the girl, gray meeting gray in silent but profound fascination, but then being interrupted by a series of terrified screams in the night. "What the f-," Draco swore as an ominous green symbol appeared in the night sky. The girl, too seemed shocked by the sight, her large eyes grew even larger in fear at the sight of the Dark Mark. Draco glanced at her and felt strangely right, just seeing her.

She reached out and shook his hand goodbye. "I think you were right, Draco Malfoy. I should go and find my father."

Before he could call her back to ask her name, she turned and disappeared into the forest.

Draco couldn't understand why he wanted her to stay. "Wait...WAIT! Come back..."

He felt his eyes tear up again as the light grew brighter, blinding him completely until-

Draco Malfoy's eyes snapped open and he bolted up and panted, covered in sweat. His brow furrowed in frustration as he tried to remember his dream. He looked around his bedroom at Malfoy Manor, from his four poster bed with green flannel bedsheets, to his tall elegant windows lines w/ deep green velvet drapes, his fine mahogany dresser with the silver handles shaped like twisted serpents, his immaculate white carpet, his perfect room. He ran a hand through his ice-blonde hair, which was sticking to his sweaty forehead. His dream. It wasn't really a dream, was it? It was more a memory, yes, now it was all coming back to him. He remembered meeting the girl that night at the Quidditch Cup two years ago. What was her name? Lovegood. "Luna Lovegood," he whispered to himself.

Draco shook his head and tried to clear his mind. Why was he dreaming about that nut that ran around with Potter and Weasler's little group of Mudblood lovers? That witch is nothing but a crazy old loon. So why was he, Draco Malfoy, the most wanted Slytherin of his year thinking about her this summer's night?

Draco scratched his head and thought about his other run-ins with Loony Lovegood. There was that night in January out in the Forbidden Forest, when he had first learned her name when he spotted her flying through the sky on those invisible horses that one could only see if they'd seen someone die.

FLASHBACK

"What the bloody hell are you doing here at this time?"

Luna blinked and answered, "I had a nightmare about my mum's death, so I went for a walk."

Draco studied the girl. Her windblown hair reached halfway down her back, and her face was flushed from her flight. Her large eyes seemed to penetrate his soul. He asked carefully, "but what were you DOING out here..."

Luna smiled conversationally, petting Tenebrus. "This thestral was sweet enough to let me ride him. It has made me feel much better."

Draco stared. He realized she must be talking about those horses that you couldn't see unless you saw someone snuff it. He sneered. "I know you, you're that girl who always stands by herself."

"I know you. You're always skulking down the halls surrounded by your 'friends'."

Draco's eyes narrowed. "Sometimes I like my privacy. Why do you think I'm up now?"

Luna just smiled at him. Draco felt his stomach turn over. It was like she could see all his thoughts. He wet his lips nervously. "So, your name is...uh..."

"Luna Lovegood. Some people call me Loony Lovegood." She seemed quite unperturbed, plucking at her necklace of butterbeer caps, and smiling serenely.

"Right...uhm," Draco stepped closer and felt himself get lost in those deep gray eyes. Tenebrus whined. Luna blinked and smiled.

"I think Tenebrus wants to get back to see his baby. I'll take him now." She turned to walk deeper into the forest. Draco gulped and saw that she had dropped...a stone? A moonstone pendant, gray and cool, just like her eyes. He felt its cool weight in his hand as he held it gently, then slipped it into his pocket. His head snapped when he heard her soft voice.

"Usually at the end of the term I request that my belongings be returned, but you may hold onto that if you'd like."

Draco looked into her soft smiling face before she turned and disappeared into the forest.

FLASHBACK END

Draco instinctively lifted his hand to grasp the cool moonstone pendant that hung from a silver chain around his neck. He remembered how he had almost returned it to her during the End-of-Year Feast.

FLASHBACK

Draco trudged down the hallway to the Great Hall for the feast. He wasn't feeling very hungry, nor in a very social mood, since everyone at the school looked down at him like he was the scum of the Earth now that his Dad had been arrested. He couldn't stand their arrogance, nor could he stand their pity. They had no idea the shit he'd lived through. As if it were easy to be a Malfoy. Hearing voices, he slinked behind a pillar, not in the mood for another "Ooh...look it's Malfoy!" encounter. He snuck a glance and saw the Loony Ravenclaw girl attaching a flyer to the notice board. He fought his inner urge to seek her company, reminding himself that she was part of Potter's crowd. Speak of the devil...Draco growled in his throat when Potter approached Luna. As he watched them talk, Draco felt his body heat up in unmistakable jealousy. He clenched his fist as he saw Potter's look of pity for Luna Lovegood, and he gripped his robes tightly as Potter offered to help her find her things. Finally, Loony Lovegood bid Potter goodbye and began to walk to the Great Hall. Ignoring the warning signs going off in his head, Draco slipped out and blocked Luna's path. Nobody made Draco Malfoy feel stupid and get away with it. He glared down at the fourth year.

Luna stopped and looked up curiously at Draco. Seeing that he wasn't moving, she said mildly, "Excuse me," and tried to walk around him.

Draco stepped to his side and blocked her again. As his eyes met hers, however, his expression softened against his wishes. He never knew gray eyes could look so warm. Luna looked confused, and tucked back a strand of her wavy dark-blonde hair behind her ear, where her wand was sitting. Draco was starting to feel very foolish, and cleared his throat. "Er," what on earth was he going to say?! He racked his mind and blurted out scathingly, "So having a little rendezvous with Potter, eh?"

Luna blinked in surprise. "Well, I was just posting up a list of things I'm missing," she explained, showing him the papers she was carrying. "People like to hide them, but I really need them back, since I wanted to pack tonight." Her gray orbs penetrated his steely gray circles of ice.

Draco looked down at the list. He was, once again, at a loss for words. He mentally shook himself and snarled defensively, "What's that got anything to do with bloody Potter?"

"Well he offered to help me search for my things."

Draco felt himself go cold. He cleared his throat and turned away, muttering, "Well don't let ME keep you from precious Potter then."

Luna cocked her head to one side in surprise. "Oh, but I told him it wasn't necessary. After all...people always return my things in the end." Her face lost its normally vacant expression and looked curious. "Why do you care so much, Draco Malfoy?"

Draco stopped and faced her. That was a good question. Why DID he care so much about one of Potter's little friends? Especially one so off her rocker? He didn't. Of course not. He was a Malfoy, after all, and Malfoys do not care for weirdos like Loony Lovegood. Right? Of course. Draco Malfoy would not be the weaklink in his family line like his father often accused him to be. NEVER. His eyes narrowed dangerously. " I don't," he snarled, jutting out his finely chiseled chin defensively.

Luna shrugged, looking somewhat miffed. Draco felt a minor tinge of satisfaction in successfully unsettling the school ice loon. Or did he just imagine it? For as he studied her now, she looked just as she always did, dreamy and bored with her surroundings. Her head suddenly snapped as if she remembered he was there, and she lifted her head to meet his eyes. "Well then, Draco Malfoy, was there something I could help you with? If not, there's some pudding in the Great Hall I'd fancy eating right now..."

"Wait," Draco blurted, in spite of himself. He blushed, feeling embarrassed, confused, and frustrated that he couldn't understand his own thoughts. She's just another one of Potter's adoring fans, he reminded himself savagely. She doesn't give a rat's arse about you, you're Saint Potter's enemy, remember? She's probably laughing now that Father's in Azkaban... Draco now glared at Luna as if she had told him these things rather than he himself. He lifted a chain of the finest silver from his neck, from which hung a cool, gray moonstone. He fingered it almost lovingly before snapping himself back into reality. He slowly held the necklace out to the Ravenclaw, who was watching him interestedly. Draco forced himself to look her in the eye as the stone grew heavier the farther his hand extended from his body. "Here," he muttered gruffly, thrusting the stone into her small white hands. "Take it back, one thing you can take off your list."

Luna inspected the moonstone in fascination as if she had never seen it before. Draco wondered, "What, did she forget she gave it to me that night? Barking mad, I guess I should take off before someone sees us..." Luna, however, did not look up, but continued to look at the stone for an entire minute. Draco shifted uncomfortably and began to edge away. "Yeah..." he said quietly. "I'll...just go...now. Have a nice summer with Saint Potter and his Golden Group."

He was almost to the stairway when she looked up at his retreating back. She called softly, "It's not on my list."

Draco turned around to face the serene girl with the carrot earrings and macaroni hair barrettes. "Excuse me?" He did not understand.

"Don't you remember, Draco Malfoy?" Luna walked slowly over to him. Her face was glowing in sincerity and her voice was gentle as a summer breeze. "I told you that you could keep it. It was a gift."

Draco stood rooted to his spot. His mind told him furiously that Malfoys did not accept strange gifts from wackos, what was he, crazy? But for some reason he did not scoff at the girl's sillyness like his senses told him to. He did not brandish his wand in a threatening manner and turn on his heel and stalk up the stairs, leaving the unworthy witch feeling embarrassed and offended. He did not push all thought of this loon out of his mind. He did, however, reach out and close his fingers tightly around the moonstone when she dropped it lightly into his hand. He did not know what to say. Words failed him as he accepted her "gift." He did not thank her, nor show any gratitude for her action. But she seemed to understand anyway. Gray met Gray again, and she smiled her gentle smile, then turned and walked away, humming softly to herself. Draco watched her retreating back. What was that all about?

FLASHBACK END

Draco traced the edge of the smooth stone, deep in thought. He leaned back and propped himself up against his down feather pillows in a sitting position. He no longer felt tired, after all, so there was no point in him trying to go back to sleep. As he gazed at the moonstone in his hand, he scratched his head with his other, ruffling his normally perfect platinum blonde hair. For some strange reason, he, Draco Malfoy, wizard Pureblood elitist, son of a Death Eater and soon-to-be one himself, was losing sleep over a mysterious young witch named Luna Lovegood.