Chapter 3

The whole day was a complete blur for Draco Malfoy, and he had not processed a single word anyone said to him. Even Snape was giving the cold shoulder to his favourite student. His friends just thought he was going through one of those silent mood-swings. Thankfully they didn't question him too much about his late arrival to the common room last night. Even though his physical scars had disappeared, Draco knew that his mental ones would take longer to heal and he didn't intend to tell them about it.

The four of them, Draco, Pansy, Goyle and Crabbe walked back to the Slytherin common room after their last class for the day.

'That freakin Granger cow thinks she's so damn smart doesn't she?' howled Pansy, 'Filthy mudblood….thinks she's better than us, Purebloods. You know what else? Its so funny, Snape doesn't even look at her when she's bouncing up and down on her seat like an oversized chimp with an afro, waving her hand about.. dying to answer his question…ha… she can't stand to be ignored!' after a slow reaction, Crabbe and Goyle burst into a series of snorts, which were supposed to be laughter.

Pansy, having heard no response from Draco, only seeing the dreamy look on his face, put an arm around his neck.

'What's up darling, you're so quiet today? Its not like you to not join in, in the fun of talking behind people's backs', remarked Pansy looking rather concerned.

Draco took hold of her soft hand and kissed her lightly on the cheek. She smiled and snuggled up to him resting her head on his shoulder looking dreamily into his eyes. This was one of the techniques Draco used so he could escape her questioning; surprisingly it worked every single time. Pansy and Draco were always very close and they always had been. But even though they had an arranged marriage by their parents, they never considered each other as lovers, just best friends. It was difficult for them both to imagine being married to each other one day, when they were in fact like siblings. Pansy tried numerous times to form a serious relationship with Draco, but each time it ended up breaking them further apart.

Draco lay on his bed face down, sprawled like a starfish across his four-poster. The small, brown journal sat unopened exactly in front of his face, nearly touching his nose. The whole day he had been thinking about it…her. There was something appealing about the book; it seemed to be gleaming as if it was yearning to be opened. With a deep breath and a swift movement he snatched up the journal and turned over its cover. Almost all of a sudden, a striking flowery aroma filled the room. It's the smell of carnations, he heard himself think. The sweet fragrance seemed to clear his mind and he looked down at the writing below.

Lost In Yourself

I never knew what lay beneath you,

what you thought, of me, of yourself.

I was foolish and saw what was only in front of me,

not seeing the other half that hid within you.

As I looked deeper I thought I found love,

the deeper I went, the more lost I felt.

I was entwined within your lies, impossible

became my escape.

Perhaps through all that, I must have changed you,

done or said something wrong. From that day on,

you turned on me. I thought you were different, someone I could trust

and never be harmed by. You haunt me in my dreams,

the day you betrayed me still burns in my head.

That person I thought I knew so well, so long ago… no longer has

that special place in my heart.

Luna Lovegood

Draco re-read the poem several times, Was this really Luna writing this? The girl with the moon washed hair and the stunning smile? Who hurt her so much, who caused her so much pain? Draco soon memorized the poem by heart and looked at it for the hundredth time. At that moment he realized the shocking truth that Luna and him had more in common than he thought. Everything Luna wrote about… each detail, heavily applied to him as well, he felt as if it was written especially for him.

Draco tried to go to sleep that night, but it was as if waiting for a lost train that would never arrive. He stared into the darkness, hearing the loud snores of his roommates echoing continuously into the night. The only thing he knew, was that he had to find Luna Lovegood as soon as possible.