Chapter Fifteen

"Draco. Draco. Wake up."

"Mmmm...Not yet. Five more minutes," mumbled Draco.

Through the haze of sleep he heard the now familiar little laugh which always made him think of a chorus of tiny bells then Luna's voice once more urged, "Come on, Draco. Wake up. You're missing it."

Draco slowly stretched as he tried to shake the cobwebs from his head. "Missing what?" he asked groggily.

"Look," whispered Luna.

It took a second for the fog in Draco's brain to lift enough that he could fully take in what Luna was so excited about but when it finally did he was in equal parts anxious and awestruck.

The anxiety spawned from the fact that there was now a large adult graphorn currently standing no more than a few meters away from where he and Luna sat. The fearsome creature was slightly bigger than a rhino with a pronounced hump-back. It was covered with a thick, grayish-purple hide and a swarm of writhing tentacle-like appendages hung from its mouth. It was an impressive beast by any standards but at this range it was downright terrifying.

The awe came from the awareness that standing alongside the graphorn was a unicorn. Its coat was a delicate, shimmering white that reminded Draco of one of the pearl necklaces his mother had worn on special occasions when he was a child. It's horn and hooves consisted of a warm gold which sparkled in the early morning sun and the creature itself radiated a overwhelming sense of purity and peace.

Draco asked in a soft voice, "Luna, what's going on?"

"It would seem the unicorn has found a mother graphorn that recently lost a calf."

Draco wanted to know how she had deduced that bit of information but was unable to speak once he saw the look of absolute joy on Luna's face. In that moment he didn't care how any of this had happened. All he wanted was the ability to stop time so the woman next to him could stay that happy forever.

Then a movement out of the corner of his eye pulled him out of his reverie. The graphorn had turned to face them and was pawing at the ground. Draco's instinct was to scramble to his feet and run but before he could do so Luna whispered, "Don't make any sudden moves. Stand up slowly and do as I do, okay?"

Draco nodded and followed her lead. Once on their feet they stood very still as they watched the mother graphorn turn its attention back to the baby. The pair tentatively continued bonding then gave each other a gentle nudge before heading off into the forest together.

Luna wiped a tear from her cheek and reached for Draco's hand. He sensed a tremor in her voice when she said, "He has a Mum now."

What Draco wanted to say was that Luna would make a brilliant mother some day and that he desperately hoped to be part of the equation when she did. He wanted to tell her that the only reason that calf had a chance in the world was because of her care and concern. He wanted to declare his feelings for her right then and there.

What Draco actually said was, "Yes. You're right. He does. You did a really good thing, Luna."

Before any more words could be spoken they were both caught off guard as the unicorn began walking slowly and deliberately towards them. It stopped just in front of them and dipped it's head.

Luna stepped towards the beast, pulling a reluctant Draco along with her. "They are like horses in the fact that they have a blind spot directly in front and behind them. You should always approach from the side so they can see you." She reached up and gave the unicorn's withers a gentle pat.

Draco remained frozen beside her until she urged, "Go ahead. It's okay. Give her muzzle a scratch. They like that."

Draco steadied himself then tentatively stroked a spot just above the unicorn's nose. He was astonished at how soft it felt - delicate and warm with the texture of fine suede or velvet. He inhaled deeply, taking in the rich, earthy fragrance of the animal then laughed softly as the beast nuzzled his hand in response.

"See?" said Luna. "She likes you."

If it weren't for how clear everything seemed Draco would have been tempted to believe that he was still dreaming. "I thought they only allowed...well...you know...certain kinds people to touch them."

"You mean 'virgins', Draco?" Luna said in a tone that, if it had come from anyone else, Draco might have deemed flirtatious.

Draco felt a flush rising up his neck and face. "No. I mean...I know that...You.. I...We... aren't...anymore that is..."

"It's okay, Draco," Luna smiled. "I think it's fair to say that we both recognize that particular ship has sailed for both of us."

Under normal circumstances Draco had no problem discussing sex, however he was fairly certain that engaging in a discussion on that topic at this moment would scupper his chances of hiding his feelings for Luna, so he opted to answer simply, "Quite," before attempting to change to subject somewhat. "I meant to say that I thought they only favored the 'pure in heart'."

Luna gave him a bemused look and he hastened to add, "Not that I think there is any question regards to the state of your heart, mind you. I was speaking strictly for myself."

"Unicorns don't make moral judgments like that, Draco," said Luna. "However, like most creatures they can sense gentleness and decency in people and they tend to respond to that in a like manner."

As if in agreement, the unicorn turned its large, soulful eyes towards Draco and whinnied softly. The animal then gently nudged both Luna and Draco as it started back into the woods. It was slipping back into the trees when it stopped and looked back at the pair before intentionally rubbing up against a large oak. It gave them one last glance before it seemed to melt into the last vestige of the morning mist.

Luna hurried to the tree and when she reached it she did a dance of delight. "Draco! She left us a present!"

Draco, continually surprised at how Luna's small legs could often outpace him, was two steps behind. "How do you mean?"

"Unicorn tail hairs! Mr. Ollivander said they were one of the 'supreme cores'. He preferred them to almost any other material when making wands. He said they produced the most consistent magic and were least subject to fluctuations and blockages."

As Luna carefully pulled the hairs free of the bark, Draco tapped his finger lightly on her forehead. "Okay, spill. I can almost hear the wheels turning in there."

Luna looked at him, eyes wide with excitement. "Don't you see? We can use these hairs to make secondary wands for ourselves!"

"Sorry. Not sure I follow," admitted Draco.

"Since we aren't sure how the magic suppressant spell that guards the cave actually works we probably shouldn't take our regular wands in with us, which means that we'll need to leave them outside along with anything that won't fit into a day pack. I mean, it only stands to reason that if magic doesn't work inside then the feather light and extension charms we've been using to carry our gear will be ineffective in there as well."

Draco nodded. He hadn't considered that angle but it made sense.

"However," continued Luna, "In that case, we'll need a backup wand on our person as soon as we leave the cave so we can summon our belongings. The odds of the entrance and the exit being in close proximity to each other are slim."

"That's true," said Draco. "Okay. Secondary wands with unicorn hair cores it is, then. What kind of wood do you think we should look for?"

Luna thought carefully then firmly announced, "In this situation? Fir. That's definitely what we need."

"Fir. The wand wood for survivors. Excellent choice," said Draco. He chucked her lightly under her chin. "You're brilliant, you know that don't you?"

"Thank you, Draco," said Luna, tipping her head to one side.

"For what?"

"For not doing what everyone else does."

"Which is?"

"Sounding shocked when you said that," Luna smiled softly then headed back to camp.

They packed up their gear and made their way through the forest until they came across an ancient fir tree which seemed suitable for their needs. They made camp nearby and Luna provided the requisite offering of wood lice to the bow truckles in the area. When they finally made an appearance Luna showed them the brooches from Queen Astalda and in no time at all the creatures had acquired two branches from the fir that fit their requirements perfectly.

They spent the next couple of evenings carefully carving the branches, with Luna teaching Draco the skills she had learned from Mr. Ollivander. Soon they both had new wands that worked almost as well as the ones they currently carried.

To Draco's mind things were going as well as he could hope...until two days later when Luna approached him and spoke his name followed by four words with the power to terrify any man - magical or muggle:

"Draco? We need to talk."