#8 NDINGAKUNCEDA?

Rating: T.

AN: This was my entry for the New Years Traditions Flash Fest hosted by KazOfScotland and ScreamingFae on Dumbledore's Armada's Discordg. This was a great fest, thank you so much the mods for hosting it! It may or may not be Thuna I liked it both ways so it's up to you! ;)! ;)

My Prompt was "learn a language".

Alpha love to the wonderful cinnamonbun24 who helped me pick up the language.

The title means "Can I help you?"

Ndingakunceda?

OS.

"What do you mean?"

Draco arched a brow at his friend's antics.

"I mean, I have to go to some forsaken city and I don't know the fucking language."

T

"What do you mean?"

Draco arched a brow at his friend's antics.

"I mean, I have to go to some forsaken city and I don't know the fucking language."

Oh. This was odd. As pureblood they were used to learn many languages since their childhood. This meant that Theo was possibly going further than Europe.

"Here let me help you."

With a wave of his wand, he folded the clothes on the chair.

Theo gave him the stink eye.

"I could have done that alone if I wanted to."

Draco smiled, sipping from his tumbler.

"Well, now you can either resume your pacing or actually try learning this language you don't know yet. Have you tried applying for a tutor?"

"I have."

His voice sounded strangely raspy. Draco looked up. This was new. This only happened when…

"It's her."

Silence washed over them. There was only a girl they had both loved and longed for since their childhood. A girl that Theo needed alcohol to face.

It was a stupid crush; they both knew it. But it didn't seem they could behave any other way.

"Is she coming over then?"

Theo merely nodded.

"Any minute now."

The sound of heels clicking approached from the drawing room, and then there was a knock on the door of the study.

"Theo."

They both turned to look at the woman standing at the doorframe, for she had grown up quite a bit. Draco's mouth thinned with uneasiness since he had been pretty mean to her the last time they had all met, but Theo could only smile with relief and hope.

"Pansy," they breathed out for different reasons.

"Fancy seeing you here, Draco. Hello Theo, darling."

She turned to her host, who showed her to the empty leather couch.

"Thanks for calling me, Theo."

His smile never faltered as he asked what had been on his mind since she had replied to his letter.

"How did you learn Xhosa?"

Draco frowned, raising to his feet, ready to take his leave.

"Are you leaving for South Africa, then, Theo?"

Pansy sat gracefully, as regal as usual, summoning a glass and pouring herself a drink from the decanter on the table.

"As he should. It's beautiful out there."

She sipped from the alcohol, tried to hide her grimace, and finally answered his question.

"And the tutor is actually there. She'll meet you as soon as you arrive."

Theo let out a small grunt.

"Do you mean you never left Europe?"

Theo's murderous gaze was all the answer he would give her.

Bloody Loony.

How was she the tutor? How come Pansy knew her?

"Don't worry, I'll help you get rid of those Nargles you seem to carry around."

"Whatever do you mean?"

He wanted to snap at her, he really did. But she was useful. He wasn't so foolish as to believe he would last more than a few hours without her to guide him. She knew the language, the places, the people – she definitely was a great help. And she had even refused any money since he was "Pansy's childhood friend"; and Merlin knew he hadn't a lot left since the Ministry had taken the little money his father hadn't gambled away as repairs for victims of the war.

"You seem quite broody, dear Theo. Even for an English man in Africa."

"You mean, as any English man in Africa?"

She smiled, in that eerie way that grated on his nerves. How was she so joyful? He wouldn't even be there if he could access his mother's vault without a stupid trip in this forsaken country.

"It's your choice to come here, Theo. I guess you have your own path to follow."

Theo really doubted it. But there wasn't any point to tell her that precise information.

At first, everything was terrible for him. The noises everywhere, the blinding lights, the heat... And all those people, looking strangely at him, wandering what he was doing here. Was it worth it? Could he go back to his English manor and live as a pauper instead?

Gradually though, he could feel himself changing, getting used to Luna's strange ways, to the city's blazing sun and its on-going energy. Or was that all Luna?

One night, they had shared a meal under the moonlight, and he switched back to English. Not because he was fed up of Xhosa, but he couldn't phrase this sentence with the few words he had learned so far.

"My mother lived here when she was a child. She wanted to get married here but my father refused. That's why she put this as condition for me to inherit my trust fund."

"Oh, it would have been so beautiful," said Luna, staring at the stars.

He merely nodded. Theo had never needed to learn many languages in fact; he seemed he was best at communicating without words, and mere tilts of his head.

"What are you doing?"

Theo looked dumbfounded as Luna dropped on her knees.

"Praying."

"Whatever for?"

Luna blinked a few times before answering in her usual eerie voice.

"Well, it's the next year, one should always pray."

Theo stared at her, at a loss for words.

Zabini snugged Pansy. They had travelled all the way to spend this time of the year with them, and Luna was starting her usual madness.

"Is she always like this?"

Theo raised a brow; Pansy muttered back.

"Well, I'm afraid she is…"

But Luna was having none of that. She sauntered to them, caught their hands, intertwined their fingers.

"You guys should make a wish too."

Pansy frowned, amusement evident on her features.

"Is it a wish or a prayer?"

Theo wanted to be annoyed, he really wanted to. But nothing in him seemed to be; he felt at peace, clearly on the same page as Pansy.

Luna smiled easily, the same strange look on her face.

"Isn't it one and the same thing?"

They all shrugged; they wouldn't know. This wasn't a Slytherin custom.

Luna turned her blue gaze back on the starry sky.

"Well, it's what my mother used to say."

She turned to face Theo; her big blue eyes as clear as she sometimes was.

"And mothers are always right, aren't they?"

Theo couldn't agree more, he was fine, he was happier than he could even remember being. All it had taken was a trip and to learn a new language.

"They usually are", he answered.

"Let's do this, then!"

Pansy's laugh echoed on the wall as she followed the lead, tugging Blaise with her.

"And happy new year!"