Let the cowards of the world cringe away

You'll take on them all and make them pay

Unwavering gaze, indomitable heart

With a bright sword, you'll slay lies

And when even you begin to fall apart,

I'll be there for you, in whatever guise.

Draco had written the poem early Sunday, and had it parceled and bound and ready to be sent. He himself had headed up to mail a letter to Mother, but was actually surprised to see that neither Potter nor Weasley had been lurking in wait. It would be an odd day, a seachanging day, if Potter had actually listened to a word Snape said.

And so, Draco Malfoy found himself bizarrely looking forward to breakfast, as he sat with aplomb at the Slytherin table in the Great Hall. He looked with no end of hidden amazement at the boisterious - no, truly rowdy - antics of the Gryffindors at their table. Luna Lovegood sat with them, beside Hermione who was reading. The blonde opened her mouth and said, "I learned quite a lot yesterday about cosmogone. I should quite like to paint with it, if I ever get a chance to sail."

Hermione didn't look up, merely nodding and saying, "That's nice." The rest of the table (Weaselette, who was currently hanging on Potter's words, included - and wasn't she Luna's friend?) just carried on as if she'd said nothing.

Draco Malfoy couldn't say a thing, shouldn't say a thing. But, inside him, the dark fires built.

It was later that day that Draco met with Luna - he found himself not at all surprised that she'd divined that he'd wanted to meet. He paced in the alcove that she had indicated, as she took a longer time to glide in than he had to find the place. Draco wasn't much for waiting in the best of times.

"Good Morning, Dragon." Luna said, and it took Draco a brief moment to register exactly what she was doing. Cold as ice, she was completely ignoring the increasing state of enfrazzlement that Draco was revealing to her.

Still continuing to pace, Draco closed his eyes, taking in a deep breath to try and quiet the storm inside of him. Finally, he looked to Luna and demanded, "How can you be friends with them? They don't even listen to you!"

Luna's hand came to gently rest on Draco's shoulder, a familiarity that was uncommon in the pureblood worlds Draco tended to travel in. One that if unwelcome might have demanded the loss of the hand (of course, that was generally a man touching a lady). She met his eyes, and smiled coldly, "They aren't my friends. You are."

Draco paused, half frowning, "Then what do they mean to you? They think they're your friends."

"Comrades," Luna said with a smile, "Tovarisch." Luna shook her head sadly, "They don't think that they're friends with me. They think I'm too weak for that, too fragile or frail. They think they rescued me, that I'm weak." Luna sighed, "I guess I'm kind of their mascot."

"Mascot?" Draco asked, having only followed about half the conversation.

"You know, a lucky dog, something like that, that a team keeps around for good luck?" Luna asked.

Draco shrugged, and said, ponderingly, "You're smarter," his face crumpled, "brighter, than they think..."

"I know that." Luna said with a cheery smile, "And you know that, and that's what matters."

Draco found himself smiling at the slight girl (not fragile, not weak in the slightest, he was coming to realize. Precise, folded, those were better words to describe Luna's aquiline and corvid tendencies).

"As you can see, I find myself in need of a friend as well." Luna said.

"Why didn't you mention that in the first place?" Draco said with an exasperated sigh.

"Second rule of Slytherin: Never reveal weakness if you don't have to." Luna said, "Besides, you wouldn't have respected me half as much if I had said that particular truth."

"And well I know it, at least." Draco said with a smile. They talked more, about silly things, and stubborn things, and conversations that jumped chaotically from one topic to the next. Draco Malfoy excused himself regretfully, as he had to head to the library to work on a project.

"I will see you soon." Luna left him with.

Draco responded in a hushed voice, "I bet you will."

[a/n: Luna can use her sylphs to spy out people standing outside the alcove.

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Author's Reminder: This is monday.]