Chapter Sixteen

He had known something was amiss all day. From the moment she had appeared at breakfast she had been acting strangely - no cheery greeting, little to no appetite, speaking only when spoken to and even then only responding with the fewest number of words possible. The most troubling indication had been when Draco saw her walking past no fewer than four new species of plant without so much as a second glance.

By the time Luna approached him that evening, Draco was an absolute bundle of nerves.

"Draco? We need to talk."

Draco's insides clenched as he fought to keep both his face and body impassive. "About?"

Luna was biting her lip so hard that Draco feared she was going to draw blood.

"The runes."

Draco blinked. Of all the topics he thought she was going to address this hadn't been one of them. "What about the runes?"

"There may be a...problem...with our translation," said Luna.

"What sort of...problem?"

Luna began pacing around the campfire. "It's about the enchantment that supposedly guards the scroll."

"The one that prevents the use of magic inside the cave?"

"That's the one." Luna was now coiling a lock of hair tightly around her finger.

"What about it?"

"Well, you see...it's possible...I mean, there is a chance...not sure of the probability mind you, but..."

Draco couldn't take the suspense any longer. He grabbed her by the shoulders and forced her to stand still. "Luna! Stop. Whatever it is, just spit it out."

Luna took a deep breath and blurted, "There is a chance that the spell doesn't just inhibit the use of magic within the cave. There is a chance that it might remove a person's magical capabilities - permanently."

"Excuse me?" said Draco, shrinking back slightly.

"It's possible that by simply entering the cave, a person could lose their ability to do magic - forever."

Draco remained frozen in place, trying to absorb this new information. Finally he said, "How long have you been aware of this?"

"I only realized last night that there could be a variant translation. I was inspecting the key from your archive when I saw it's reflection in my mirror. That's when I noticed that the runes could be read backwards as well as forwards and when you do that...the meaning changes." Luna wrung her hands and avoided his gaze. "I've been turning it over in my head ever since trying to figure out which translation is accurate and I-I just can't be certain."

As Draco attempted to fully process what Luna was saying, she began backing away from him. "I know it's a lot to take in but I needed to tell you. You deserved to know sooner rather than later. If you want to back out, I understand. I can go on alone."

Her words jerked Draco back into the moment. "Alone?"

"If I have to, yes."

Draco felt his chest tighten at this thought.

"It's a tremendous decision, Draco, and one not to be taken lightly. There's no shame in deciding this is too much of an ask. I am aware this falls well outside of the conditions you signed on for. If you decide to return home, I'll send Kingsley a letter ensuring that all of the terms of your agreement are still honored. You've more than earned it by this point. Please, think it over carefully then we can talk more in the morning, okay?" Before he could reply she slipped inside her tent.

For the next couple of hours, Draco prowled around as hundreds of thoughts darted around his mind. Eventually he came to a decision. He performed a couple of quick spells, grabbed his rucksack, tossed in a few essentials then scribbled out a quick note which he left alongside a small package on his pillow before setting off into the darkness alone.

He'd walked for about five minutes when a sharp voice called out from behind him.

"And just where do you think you're going, Malfoy Draco Malfoy?"

Draco stopped moving but remained facing the other direction. "I am doing what I have to do."

"What? Abandoning me?"

Draco whipped around. "I am not abandoning you!"

Luna stood with her arms crossed, wrapped in an oversized yellow dressing gown which made her look even smaller than she already was. "Really? What other word would you use for it? I can accept you deciding not to proceed with the journey but sneaking away in the middle of the night, leaving me all alone - cast aside without even a proper good bye?"

Draco flinched as he heard a break in Luna's voice. "That isn't what I was doing at all!" he insisted.

"Well, it is certainly what it looks like!"

"I am doing the only thing that makes sense in this situation," said Draco, gripping the strap of his pack tightly.

"What on earth do you mean?"

"I mean that I kept thinking about what you said - about the possibility of losing our magic all together if we proceed, and I tried - really tried - to come up with a reason to turn tail and run home but you know what happened instead?" Draco asked, stepping closer to her.

"Instead, all I could picture in my head was a world where the most remarkable witch I've ever known couldn't conjure blue bell flames or care for magical creatures or perform amazing feats of transfiguration - and I realized that wasn't a world I wanted to live in."

He swallowed hard and said, "So I decided to go into the cave without you. I thought if you found out you'd try and stop me but if we are being honest I think we both know the truth - if anyone deserves to lose their magic, it's me."

Luna tried to interrupt but he raised his hand. "No, listen. I cobbled together a few spells and placed an enchantment on my ring then used a protean charm to connect it to my pocket watch. I left the watch in my tent along with a letter explaining how everything works. If I succeed, I can contact you via the ring and give you my location. You could find me with the watch and return with the scroll. If I lose my magic the charm will be triggered and you'd know what happened. The same will happen in the event of my death. If that occurs my only request is that you make sure that my Mother is taken care of. That way at least one person would know that once - just once - Draco Malfoy tried to do what was right instead of what was easy."

A tear rolled down Luna's cheek. "Oh, Draco. Did you honestly think I that I would allow you to do that? That I wouldn't be willing to give up my magic to ensure that thousands of people could live?"

Draco reached out and wiped the tear from her face. "I never - not for one second - thought that you wouldn't make that sacrifice, Luna. I'm saying that you shouldn't have to. You've lost too much already. You shouldn't be asked to give up anything else."

"The only things I refuse to give up at this point, Draco Malfoy, are hope - and you," said Luna, taking his hand in hers. "It's true that I don't know what's going to happen. Historically, runes and prophecies have always been maddeningly vague. We may lose our magic or we may not. The only thing I know for certain is that, either way, I will not let you do this alone."

"Think of what you'd be giving up, Luna," Draco whispered.

"I'd rather focus on what I might gain." She sniffed and forced a smile. "Besides, what's the worst that can happen? Other than dying that is. We return as squibs and get jobs as caretakers at Hogwarts. Filch has to retire sometime, right?"

Luna couldn't help but laugh at the horrified expression that flashed across Draco's face. "I'm kidding...I think," she said before turning serious. "I'm not saying it wouldn't be difficult, Draco. Losing my magic would be the second worst thing I could imagine."

"What's the first?" Draco asked.

"Being alone," Luna confessed. "So, if you are going then I'm going with you."

She slid her hand to his wrist, clasped it firmly and fixed him with a hard stare. "Now. I want you to swear there will be no more of this running off without me nonsense, okay?"

Draco hesitated then gripped her wrist in response. "All right. How do you want to seal this? We don't have a third person to do the binding for an unbreakable vow."

"We don't need one if I agree to take your word and your handshake as your vow."

Draco smiled, recalling their exchange that first day in the Minister's office. "Still?"

Luna tightened her hold on him. "Always."

Draco then stood tall and announced, "All right. Then I, Malfoy Draco Malfoy, do hereby solemnly swear that Luna Scamander Previously Lovegood and I will face the rest of this expedition - and any resulting consequences - the same way we started it. Together."

Luna nodded. "Together."

They lingered for a moment before Luna asked softly, "Were you really willing to trust me with your Mother's care?"

"Of course," said Draco, pulling her into a warm hug. "I can't think of anything that I wouldn't trust you with, Luna."

They stayed that way for a long time before Luna stepped back and said, "Well - then I suppose we need to get some sleep. We've got a big day ahead of us. If our calculations regarding distance are accurate we are less than two days away from this cave."