Chapter One

It was in Draco's sixth year that he noticed Luna Lovegood existed for the first time. He noticed her thin, shapely figure, her long, dirty blonde hair, her strange but pretty blue eyes. He also noticed how dotty she was. She infested his mind for the first time at lunch one day. She laughed long and hard at some joke someone had told. A little too long, a little too hard, it seemed. People began to stare.

He noticed the wand tucked behind her turnip-clad ears, her huge bag full of strange things that she emptied in peoples hands to retreive something or other. And sometimes she sat outside, doing the crossword in the Quibbler, even when it rained.

Her hair truly fascinated him. It was a tangled mass, not really curly or straight, just knotted, snarled. He sometimes sat where he could see her at meals and stare, getting lost in the frizz and tangles. Sometimes he wondered why she didn't comb it out and do it up like most girls at school. He later discovered that Karnam Grumplies despised tangled hair.

When he began smoothing his hair and brushing his teeth a few minutes longer just in case he saw her in the halls, he realized he was smitten with her. He didn't understand why he liked her, but he knew a crush when he got one. At least she was pureblood, which would be to her credit if he managed to form a relationship with her. The sixth and second floor corridors, where he and she were headed in the same direction most days, became his daily highlight.

One day Draco was sitting outside, by the lake, thinking over Lord Voldemort's plans for him, when he saw Luna sitting beneath a tree. He got up to go inside a while later, and when he reached her, he stopped and conjured a bright red poppy. She looked up and her eyes widened in surprise and pleasure. She took it from him and thanked him enthusiastically, making Draco want to faint on the spot.

Then Draco learned about Neville and Luna. They were having a relationship, but it was hush-hush. He watched her enough to realize Neville brushing against her was not an accident, especially after he did it several times in a row. After inquiring a first year Ravenclaw, he verified his suspicion. When he was sure, he buried himself in the task Voldemort had sat before him. He spent more and more time in the Room of Requirement, fixing the Vanishing cabinet, brooding. It was during that time when he began consulting Moaning Myrtle, embarrassing himself by crying, but she vowed not to tell, and she was so comforting.

One night, when returning to the Slytherin common room, Crabbe and Goyle going ahead of him, he heard a sneeze behind a tapestry. He pulled it back to find Luna in a small, hidden room, her eyes puffy but dry, a thin line of cat littler around her, reading a large book. He walked in and she looked up.

"Oh. Hello." After saying that she looked back at the book.

"Have you been crying, Loony?" he said, sneering half-heartedly. She looked up at him thoughtfully for a moment.

"Yes." She turned back to her book.

"Why? he asked, giving up on the nonchalant act, but not quite acting concerned.

"Neville gave up on me, I think."

"Oh. So, you're...not an item, then?" Still not concerned.

"No. He had Loser Lurgy, so I didn't let him touch me, but he kept wanting to. I don't want Loser Lurgy. It would be horrendously tragic, you know," she said dreamily.

"Oh, yes, very tragic. If I may ask, why are you surrounded by cat litter," he asked, feeling a bit ridiculous as he said it.

"It prevents Leaping Morklins from attacking. I tried to put it around the girls' dormitories, but the House Elves swept it up."

Draco barely contained his laughter. She really was crazy. Completely mad. And he found that he liked it. It made him laugh, which was something he didn't do much since summer.

"Laugh if you want. Looks as if you need it. Your face looks a bit stiff. If you're not careful Festering Tontills will make your face so stiff you won't be able to move it." Draco laughed aloud at that.

"Would you like to help me test if I have Loser Lurgy? Neville kissed me once on the ear. I think I might be infested."

"Oh, yeah, sure. What'd you have in mind?"

They ended up playing a game of chess. Draco won but Luna felt certain she had not acquired the dreadful disease, because she had made so many good moves. As soon as the chess set disappearred, Draco and Luna were embracing, kissing. He wasn't quite sure how it happened, and he thought it had perhaps been him who had made the first move, but he couldn't be sure. After a few minutes of that, as soon as Draco began wanting more, she pushed him away, bid him a good night, and walked out of the tapestry. He jumped up and looked out, but she wasn't anywhere he could see. It was the beginning of a beautiful thing, he was sure.

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As the year went by, Draco's frustration mounted. Luna was teasing him, he was quite sure, not to mention the Vanishing cabinet was not improving, and he was beginning to feel himself weakening about what he had to do. Thankfully, Voldemort sensed none of this, and if he did, he didn't show it. Draco vented his frustration over Luna through Pansy, who was more than willing, and vented the rest on Myrtle, who seemed happy that he spent time with her.

And then, Potter asked Luna to the party. She said yes, telling him it was just as friends, nothing serious. The night of the party, Draco was feeling a bit neglected and wronged, so he went up to the Room of Requirement. Unfortunately, Filch caught him. He quickly made up the most probable excuse he could think of, which was he was going to the party. He, thankfully, didn't get into trouble due to that twit, Slughorn. Snape, of course, inquired about it, but Draco, angry at seeing Luna dressed up, so pretty, with Potter, brushed Snape off angrily. He went to his dormitory and layed down, but didn't sleep.

He thought about what lay before him, what he would have to do. But mostly, he thought about Luna. Luna Luna Luna. She had taken over his mind like a virus takes over the body, reproducing, unchecked, until it was too late. She was stuck there, in his mind, never to leave. She was always there.

And still the days ticked by. Closer and closer the day came. And, quite suddenly, the Vanishing cabinet was done. Done. He felt overjoyed with relief and pride. He let out a yell, jumped, danced. The frustration left him. At least, some of it. He sat on a ripped sofa and conjured up a glass of wine to celebrate. After that, he ran out to find Pansy. He needed relief from the ache that came up in his joy and thoughts of Luna

To the next chapter!