The contention continues, but will it last? It is now August. This will be my last actual chapter to the story, but I'm not finished yet! =)
PS: The little spell Draco used, I totally made up. I couldn't find a spell that is used for Draco's purposes.
Chapter 19
Draco had to get out of the house, at least for a little while. He needed a small retreat from the gloomy manor that only worsened his mood. His mother tried talking to his father the day after Draco talked with her, but his father was still adamant.
Would he and Luna ever have the relationship that he wanted? School started in two weeks, and he would see Luna there, but his father would forbid him from having a relationship with her. Would they have to see each other in secret? That seemed to be the only option at this point.
Draco walked out of the back door to the manor, keeping the folded piece of parchment folded in his slacks pocket. He had to pass his father on the way out the door, and he didn't want him to suspect what he was going to do.
He made it through the massive back garden and over to the Malfoy owlry, which resembled a barn, but smaller, and made of the same stone the manor was built out of. He stood in the center of the circular structure and gazed around at the various owls perched on ledges. He came up to a snow-white owl, and it woke from its slumber when he approached. He pulled out his wand.
"Hopefully this will work," he muttered, and pointed his shiny black want at the bird, who blinked its yellow eyes at him. "Enegio."
Light encumbered the bird, and it flapped its wings in response, but went back to normal a second later. It cocked its head at Draco.
"Did it work?" He pulled out the folded piece of parchment that was sealed together with the Malfoy seal. "Alright, now, could you take this to the Lovegood residence?"
The bird snatched the letter, and Draco grinned. It flew off out of the owlry, and Draco ran out to see it fly off. He followed the bird through the garden.
"Finally," he said, grinning, but that gin immediately vanished when the owl flew right to the manor and to the back door. Lucious stood there with his arm out. The owl landed on his arm and Lucious took the letter from its beak and glanced at Draco. He took out his wand and Draco's heart plummeted. The letter burst into flames and disintegrated into ashes falling over the stone near the fountain. Draco's hands balled into fists and his pulse rose. He cantered to his father as the owl flew away.
"I told you, Draco, I charmed all the owls," Lucious said calmly as he folded his hands over the top of his cane.
"But I..."
"No counter spell will take away the charm. I made sure of it."
He walked back inside, and Draco followed him into the den just across the hall from the dining room. "Father, I have to see her. I have to at least tell her that—"
"You're going to tell her nothing," he cut him off as he stood near a table with a glass container of fire whiskey on it. "I have told you that you will not associated with that girl. And when you are at school, I will make sure you stay away from her."
Draco's blood boiled. "How? Are you going put spies in the school, just to make sure that I don't see the only person, other than Mother, who has made me the most happy? Are you really going to be that cruel?"
"If I have to."
Draco stared at his father in disbelief the man poured himself a small glass of fire whiskey. A long and thick silence filled the room. Draco felt his chest tighten into knots. "Are you really not going to let me see her? Or talk to her?"
"Yes. Get that girl out of your head." He looked at his son with serious eyes. "When you a little older, you will see that what you're doing now—pleading, begging—was all very childish. Grow up, Draco. You will start your final year at Hogwarts, and then you will start working at The Ministry with me. Then we will present you with a young woman who was a Slytherin and is a pureblood, and you will continue our family line as it should be. Am I understood?"
Draco clenched his jaw so tightly, it hurt. He glared at his father. "I really can't believe you..."
"Believe, Draco. It is how it should be."
"No, it is not."
Both men turned to see Narcissa enter the room, her eyes fierce and aiming at her husband. "Enough of this, Lucious. Really. The Dark Lord is gone, and nothing is going to bring him back. The wizarding world has changed, as well as our family."
"This family will follow what has been followed for hundreds of years, Narcissa," he hissed. "That's final. Now, stay out of this."
Narcissa's cheeks turned pink, and she shot at him, "I'm not going to stay out of it! Draco is my son, too, and you're keeping him from being happy. To hell with all of the family traditions! No one cares anymore! Not our ancestors, nobody! This family right now is what's the most important, and you're not doing it any favors by keeping Draco from the girl that he loves."
"Narcissa," he chided.
"No." She stepped up to him. "Lucious, you're the one who needs to grow up. It's about time things changed."
Draco stared at his parents as they glared at one another. He applauded his mother leaving his father speechless. He stepped up to them. "Father… please."
Lucious looked from his wife to Draco, saying nothing. He took a swig of the fire whiskey, set the glass down on the little table, and promptly left the room. Narcissa sighed and rubbed her forehead with her thumb and index finger.
"I'm sorry, Draco. Someday, he will come around, just not now. We need to give him time."
"I can't wait any longer, though, Mother. I feel like I'm going to burst, I..." He shook his head. "Nevermind. It's pointless."
He left the room and cantered on up to his room. As long as his father had his mind set, a relationship with Luna Lovegood was out of the question.
A few days later...
Draco sat in his armchair near the fireplace in the living room-his usual spot. He stared at the dark hearth, a blank look on his face. The argument with his father ran through his mind almost every moment for the past three days. The other moments were filled with thoughts of Luna and his desire to see her.
Nothing would change his father's mind. His mother has spoken to him again and again, but still, no change. There was no hope.
Draco suddenly heard voices coming from the entrance, one his mother's, and one…
He bolted up out of his chair, his heart starting to race. It couldn't be. No. He was hearing things. After dreaming and daydreaming about her and her voice for the past three-and-a-half months, he was starting to actually hear her voice.
He sat back down in his chair and rubbed his hand on his forehead. "You're going crazy, Draco..."
"I though I was the one who was considered crazy."
That voice was very real. He turned his head and saw Luna standing there in the living room entryway. She stood there, very real, with a real smile, and real blonde hair falling to her waist.
"Luna..."
"Hello, Draco," she said in her light, airy voice, and she walked over to where he was sitting. "It has been a while."
Emotion rose in his throat, and he shot up and wrapped is arms around her and held her small, slender form, never, ever wanting to let her out of his grasp again. He buried his face in her long, kinky hair, and took in her flowery scent that he missed. He felt her arms wrap around his back, and her head snuggle up against his neck.
"I missed you like mad," he said, his voice shaking.
"I missed you, too. A great deal."
Her voice was music to his ears. He held her tighter, and felt her heart pound against his own pounding heart.
"I'm sorry you never received any contact from me," he said. "My father burned every letter I wrote you before they were sent out, he charmed the owls, and he never let me leave this house to see you. He's dead set on not letting us be together."
She nodded in his shoulder. "I figured something like that happened. It's good news, though. For a while, I thought that you intentionally didn't contact me or see me because you didn't feel about me the way I thought you did. So I thought it better to not write you or visit you."
"That definitely wasn't the case. Not in the least."
"That's good."
He looked back at her, really taking in her triangular face framed by her beautiful hair, then her bright blue-gray eyes surround by dark lashes, and her incredibly inviting pink lips. "And... what did you think I thought about you?"
Her gaze locked with his. "That you… love me."
A smile pulled at the corner of his mouth. He brought a hand away from her curvy back and placed it on her warm, soft cheek. "You thought correct. I do love you, Luna. I never in the past years have I even imagined that would, but I do."
Luna's pink mouth turned into a full smile. "Really?"
"Yes."
They both leaned in and their foreheads touched. "I love you, too, Draco Malfoy. I will not lie and say that I started to when just saying your name made me happy."
"Then say it again," he cooed.
"Draco Malfoy."
"And again."
"Draco Malfoy..."
Their mouths almost touched. "And again..."
Luna moved her mouth to say his name, but Draco had already covered it with his. His heart soared through the roof at the touch of her soft mouth against his. How he missed it, how he missed the sensation that ran a muck through his whole body as he held her close and pined at her mouth, wanting nothing more than to feel it and memorize every millimeter of it.
Luna responded to him and wrapped her arms around his neck. She moved her mouth along with his, and he took hold of some of her hair.
Their mouths unhooked for a moment as he lifted Luna off her feet, and met again as she clung tightly to his neck. She was as light as a feather, and her mouth as soft as flower pedals. He lowered her feet to the floor and kissed her mouth once and faced her again.
"You make me loony, Luna Lovegood," he whispered.
She giggled. "That would explain the nargles all around your head."
"Nargles?"
"Yes. They swarm around your head and make your thoughts go fuzzy."
He smiled. "Huh. Maybe I should call you a nargle then."
"I wouldn't mind."
Draco took her into his arms again, but noticed both his parents standing on the other side of the room near the entryway, a smile on his mother's face, but a grim expression on his father's. Draco unhooked himself from Luna, and she looked in the direction he was looking.
"Don't let us interrupt anything," Nerissa said, and put an arm out. "Go on."
Lucious shook his head and left out of the room in a huff, and Narcissa followed him. Luna and Draco heard her say, "What did I tell you, Lucious? Things need to change. They love each other. And you saw the smile on your son's face…"
Her voice faded and Luna and Draco looked back at one another. Before he could say a word, she said,
"My father wanted me to ask you something."
"And what's that?"
"He wants to know if you would like to be an editor for The Quibbler. You see, he was rather impressed by the notes you made on his manuscripts. He hopes that maybe after Hogwarts, you would think about working for The Quibbler at The Ministry."
Draco thought back to what his father said about working with him in The Ministry. He nodded. "I think I would like that. After reading though all those magazines and manuscripts, as well as all of those encyclopedias, I think working for a writing company would suit me just fine."
She smiled, and a bubble of laughter came out of her, a sound that he loved. "That is wonderful news. I will tell my father."
"Please do."
She gazed at him for a moment, and a beautiful smile grazed her face. "What?" he asked.
"I'm just... happy."
He brought his arms around her waist and pulled her to him. "I'm happy, too. Thanks to you."
They held onto each other until Narcissa poked her head in and asked if they would like a bit of lunch. Both obliged and walked hand-in-hand to the large dining room. On the way, Draco eyed the door that lead down to the dungeons. He found himself grateful that he ran from the Dark Lord and found his happiness standing at the bottom of those steps.
Move on to the epilogue...