Chapter Twenty Eight
That next Friday Luna showed up at Draco's house and was met at the front door by an enthusiastic Mitzi. The little elf was dressed in a new outfit and was so excited she could barely keep from bouncing out of her skin.
"Missy Luna! Come in! Come in!" Mitzi practically dragged Luna into the sitting room. "Keep your cloak and bag. You aren't staying here."
"Oh really? Where am I going, Mitzi?"
Mitzi shook her head vigorously. "Mitzi cannot say. It is a surprise." The elf stood to her full height and proclaimed, "Mitzi has been given the great honor of bringing Missy Luna to the Master this evening because only house elf magic can transport her there the first time."
"How exciting!" exclaimed Luna. "One rarely gets the privilege of travelling with a house elf. Please lead the way."
Mitzi proudly took Luna's hand and a moment later the pair were standing in front of a picturesque white washed cottage near the sea.
Luna barely had time to enjoy the the crisp, salty air. "Come along!" said Mitzi, pulling Luna towards the cottage. "Master is waiting and Mitzi has not completed her task until I have you at the front door!"
Luna laughed and followed along. "All right, Mitzi. Far be it from me to deter your job performance."
Mitzi led Luna up the path and stopped in front of the stoop. "This is as far as Mitzi goes."
"Are you not staying?" asked Luna.
"Oh, no! This is Master and Missy Luna's time. My instructions are to go home and not contact you unless it is a BIG emergency." The elf flung her arms open wide and stretched her fingers as far as possible to indicate the size of the cataclysm necessary to invoke that option.
"Well, as much as I will miss you I certainly hope that nothing like that comes up while we are here," said Luna, bending to give the elf a pat on the head. "Thank you very much for the transport. You did a excellent job and I'll see you when we get back."
"You are very welcome, Missy Luna! Have a good time!" With one final twirl of excitement the elf disappeared with a loud pop.
Luna stepped lightly up to the entrance and rapped the ornate bronze knocker. The door opened to reveal Draco, wearing a crisp white shirt and black trousers. He clicked the heels of his highly polished dress shoes and made a sweeping gesture inside. "Ah! Yes! Welcome! Lovegood-Scamander party of two for dinner this evening, correct?"
"Yes, thank you," said Luna as she crossed over the threshold. "I'm ever so glad that I was able to get a reservation. From what I understand this establishment is quite exclusive when it comes to its clientele."
"Madam is correct about that but we hope by adhering to such a limited guest list we can accomplish our mission - to make the experience an entirely unique and memorable one." Draco extended his arm. "May I take Madam's cloak?"
"You may," said Luna as she unfastened the clasp and handed over the garment.
It was at that moment Draco got his first glimpse of what she was wearing and he promptly forgot anything else that he planned on saying.
In the past he had heard women talk about the importance of owning a "little black dress" but had never really paid much notice to those conversations. The dress that Luna was wearing now, however, commanded his full attention, if for no other reason than its hemline afforded him a view of her legs that he had never seen before.
She caught him staring and tugged slightly at the edge of the skirt which hovered well above her knees. "Is it all right? The lady in the shop said she thought it suited me so I took her word for it."
Draco made a mental note to find out the name of the store and make sure that the clerk in question received not only a commendation but a significant rise in pay as well. He swallowed hard and said, "She was entirely correct. It does, indeed, suit you."
He recovered himself long enough to spirit the cloak away inside the coat closet and then offered his arm and lead her into the kitchen.
Luna closed her eyes and breathed in the delectable aromas wafting around the room. "Oh, Draco it smells heavenly!"
"I'm glad you approve so far. May I pour you a glass of the house wine?"
"Yes, thank you," said Luna. She caught sight of the label and raised an eyebrow. "Draco! Elvish wine of that vintage is incredibly rare!"
"I may have emancipated a few bottles from the manor before I moved out," Draco shrugged as he handed her the glass. "Cheers?"
"Cheers."
Luna savored a sip of her wine then peered out the window over the sink. "This place is lovely. It's so peaceful and quiet."
"It is. One of the benefits to being on an island, I suppose."
"An island? Really? How many people live here?"
"Did Mitzi leave?" asked Draco.
"Yes."
"Then that would bring the total population to..." Draco made a show of counting on his fingers for a moment before saying, "...two."
"What?" giggled Luna.
"The whole place was abandoned when it was no longer a need for the lighthouse which once stood here. The light itself was demolished ages ago but the keeper's cottage was left intact. The entire island has since been rendered unplottable so unless you have the only key or have been given special access by the person in possession of said key you cannot find it. To make doubly sure of that Mitzi has warded the entire property with her most powerful protective charms. Thus your transportation by house elf."
Draco produced an elaborate metal key from his pocket and laid it on the counter. "Only you, I and Mitzi can get within twenty miles of this place and even if someone could get close enough to lay eyes on it all they would be able to see is a pile of rubble."
"My, how...cozy," said Luna, taking a suggestive sip of her wine.
"Yes, well I hope you don't find those provisions overly excessive but with the press being what they are, I really wanted someplace where our privacy would be ensured."
"It's perfect. Thank you." Luna raised up on her toes and kissed him gently. Draco leaned in, reveling in the taste of the wine on her lips.
A timer went off, causing Draco to slide back and clear his throat. "Yes, well...That means dinner is ready. May I show the lady to her seat?"
He escorted her to the dining room where he served up a gourmet meal matching the one he promised in the cave - right down to a chocolate pudding that Luna proclaimed the best she had ever tasted.
Throughout the meal, however, Luna noticed that Draco seemed to be continually checking the time. When the grandfather clock in the next room chimed the quarter hour Draco unexpectedly stood and offered Luna his hand.
"Will the lady be so kind as to join me in the garden?"
"The lady would love to join you anywhere - particularly the garden," said Luna.
Draco lead her to the back door then stopped with his hand on the door knob. He gripped it tightly, took a deep breath and said, "Luna, there is something I've wanted to ask you for a long time now but I've waited for two very important reasons. The first is that I needed you to know that this wasn't some spur of the moment decision. I wanted you to see that you were entitled to have someone pursue you and make an effort on your behalf because you deserve nothing less than the best a person can offer you."
He opened the door and motioned for her to step through. "I also wanted to wait until this was possible."
Luna stepped into a lush garden with a bubbling fountain in the center. As Draco guided her to a specific spot she heard him counting under his breath, "Five, four, three, two..."
On 'one' the moon hit a specific spot in the sky and all of the flowers surrounding them began to slowly unravel their petals. A moment later the entire garden was alive with sweet aromas and the glow of pale white blossoms reflecting in the moonlight.
As Luna spun around, trying to take it all in, Draco explained, "It's every variety of moonflower I could find. Some of them only bloom for one night during the light of a full moon. I wanted to give you a longer courtship but honestly I knew I didn't have the fortitude to wait another month before doing this."
As she turned to look at him, Draco continued, "I know that you already know what I want to ask you and while I desperately want you to say yes, I feel I would be remiss if I didn't state certain things upfront."
He anxiously ran a hand through his hair and muttered, "Damn erumpents have it easy. Bloody dance is less terrifying than this."
He swallowed hard and dove in. "You need to know that there will be times when your insistence upon doing the right thing - even at the cost of your own safety - will absolutely infuriate me. You need to know that there will be times when I will lose my mind because someone has treated you badly. There will be times when I will want to tear another man's eyes out for looking at you inappropriately. There will be times when my fear that something has happened or even might happen to you will cause me to react badly, possibly resulting in misdirected sniping at you."
He stepped closer. "You need to understand that there will be times when I am so overwhelmed with doubt and self loathing that I will be nearly impossible to live with and while I believe you when you say that you love me, I still assert that is a valid reason for me to question your sanity."
Before he could proceed, Luna interrupted. "I already know all of that, Draco, so could you please go ahead and ask the question? Then you will need to stop talking long enough for me to say 'yes', at which time you put the ring on my finger and finally get around to kissing me. At least, I believe that is how the time honored and traditional custom goes."
Draco laughed and took her hand. "Okay, then I can't promise you that I will always get this right but I can promise to love you - just you, only you and always you - until my last breath and ever after. "
He dropped to one knee and produced a small box from his pocket. He opened it and extended it towards her. "So, with all of that in mind, Luna Scamander Previously Lovegood, would you be willing to forgo all rational thought and take leave of your senses long enough to agree to marry me?"
Draco was surprised when Luna responded by kneeling in front of him, holding out her left hand. "Malfoy Draco Malfoy, there is nothing in this world that would give me more happiness than to marry you."
He slipped the ring on her finger and as she admired it he explained, "I know it's not a conventional design for an engagement ring. It's made of three bands of different metals woven together, each with a different word engraved on them in English, Elvish and Runic. The gold band says 'together', the silver says 'forever' and the platinum says 'always'."
"It's perfect," whispered Luna.
"I'm glad you think so," said Draco as he fished something else out of his pocket. It was an almost identical ring except it was thicker and more masculine. He placed it on his own left ring finger. "I know it isn't traditional for the groom to wear a ring until the ceremony but I don't ever want there to be a question about who my heart belongs to."
He had barely spoken those words when Luna lunged forwards and began kissing him as if her very life depended on it. He steadied himself then tugged her closer to deepen the connection. She finally broke away briefly to ask, "Draco? Does this lovely cottage have a bedroom?"
He lifted his lips from her skin just long enough to answer, "It has two."
"I would very much like to see one of them now," she replied breathlessly.
"As you wish," Draco said as he whisked her into his arms and carried her back to the house. He made his way down a short hallway and into the bedroom. "Will this do?"
She opened her eyes and fought back a tear. It was exactly as he had described to her in the cave - a large comfy bed in front of a roaring fire surrounded by candles and flowers. Luna's eyes shone in the firelight. "You remembered everything."
"Of course I did," said Draco as he sat her gently on the bed.
She ran her hand over the bedding and smiled, "Linen sheets?"
"Imported from the finest weavers in Ireland."
"Show off..." Luna pulled him closer, unbuttoning his shirt as she did so.
"Oh, love," growled Draco. "I've only just begun showing off for you tonight..."