Hope you all are liking the story so far! Here, Luna and Draco go on a little excursion... The song verses in this chapter come from an old Irish folk song called "The Collen Dhoun."

Chapter 3

"Crumple-horned snorkacks?"

"Yes," Luna said as they walked along a path down to the Black Lake. "My father and I are always looking for them around our house. They're supposed to be cat-like creatures."

Draco started skipping along the path, as did Luna. "A cat with horns?"

"Yes. I've seen one."

"Fascinating. I would like to see one, too."

Luna smiled after he said that, happy that someone other than her teachers had an interest in magical creatures. She her heart thud faster—and not from the skipping—as she watched as Draco passed her down the path.

"Here we are," Luna said as they stopped near the water, in a small clearing in the forest. She sat on a rock and Draco sat next to her. They both looked out over the water, the trees rustling around them in the wind, and the scent of flora and wood filling their senses.

"This is nice," Draco commented. "Not a soul around."

"Besides the grindilos."

"The what?"

She pointed to the water and they both saw heads peek out from the top, then disappear.

"Oh. Friendly fellows?"

"No, not really. But they are curious."

"You like magical creatures?"

"Oh, yes. I spend a lot of my time with them when I'm not in school." She looked at him. "What are your interests?"

"Um… I guess…" He smiled embarrassingly. "I've been so busy, I haven't had time to think about things that I would like to do."

"What would you like to do?"

He looked at her, and she stared his blue eyes, just noticing how brilliantly blue they were, like a fresh spring. "Make friends."

Luna felt her heart swell a little. "And you are."

He smiled and nodded. "I guess I am. It's the potion. It will wear off eventually." His smile broadened. "I feel the urge to sing. I think it's a side-effect of the potion."

"It is."

He got up and stood on the rock and belted out another Irish tune.

As I roved out one summer's morning,
I met a maiden of beauty rare -
The sweet wild roses, the braes adorning,
Not half so sweet are, nor half so fair.
The brown thrush singing when the sun is sinking,
The blackbird piping when the sun is down,
And the little stars in the sky a-winking,
Sang not so sweetly as my colleen dhoun.

Luna laughed as he jumped off the rock to the shore, still singing and dancing...

Oh, brown tressed maiden of rarest beauty,.
You've won my heart on this summer day,
To love you always will be my duty,
If you, fair one, won't say me nay.'
`Young man,' she answered, `you are a stranger,
And I will ne'er give my heart and hand,
To any rover or to any ranger,
Who will not fight for his native land.'

`Oh, bright-eyed maiden, the hours I'm counting,
Till the summons comes to the brave and true,
And the green flag flies over plain and mountain
And pikes are flashing, and muskets, too.
And then, astoreen, when the battle's over
I'll come and ask for your heart and hand
And if I fall forget not the rover
Who died for you and his native land.'

He walked back off the shore and sat back next to Luna on the rock. "That's so bloody fun!" he said, catching his breath. "I love this potion."

"That was a lovely song. Where did you learn that?"

"Well, no one knows this, but our family is part Irish. My mother learned that song from her mother, and she in turn sang it to me every other nights from the time I was one, to when I turned eight. I memorized every word of it. It is a lesson of loyalty and trust that we all must have, she said."

"I see. I am part Irish as well."

"Is that right?"

"My accent is enough of a hint."

"I suppose it is." He looked over at her. "So, you wanted to know what was going on with me before?"

She recalled that conversation. "It was only a casual curiosity."

He sighed, and suddenly, the air felt a little thick, the merriment shockingly gone. "Well…"

He unbuttoned the cuff on his left shirt sleeve and rolled it up, revealing a black tattoo picturing a skull with a snake slithering out of its mouth. Luna stared at it with her mouth open. She knew it!

"This is what's going on with me," he confessed. "I was made a Death Eater at the beginning of this school year. My father was punished for what happened at The Ministry last year, and as punishment, I had the Dark Mark branded on me. I think I need to prove myself."

"Are you speaking of when my friends and I were trying to get The Prophesy last year?"

He nodded. "Yes. The Prophesy broke, and The Dark Lord was not at all happy with that. He saw it as my father's fault since it was his task to obtain it."

"I'm terribly sorry, Draco. It seems like it's our fault that you became a Death Eater."

He smiled. "No, I wouldn't think of it like that." He met her eyes and studied them. "You don't seem all that surprised at all this."

She shrugged. "Well… I suspected, because of things Harry has told me, and what my father has told me about your father."

He nodded. "Makes sense." He became silent for a moment, then confessed, "I was commanded by The Dark Lord to do something. Something terrible. If I wasn't so bloody happy right now, I would be in tears telling you this."

"You don't have to tell me if you don't want to. It's your business."

"Well, I… I feel like I have to tell at least someone." Luna remained silent, looking at his handsome face. Wait, handsome? Yes, dreadfully handsome. Draco revealed as everything stilled around them, "I was commanded… to kill Dumbledore."

Despite herself, Luna's eyes began to sting, and her chest tightened.

"Shocking, isn't it? Yes, that was what I was commanded to do. When you slipped me the potion, I was literally about to burst with the pressure of it all—performing my duty and giving my family a good name… kicking off a horrible war… But now, none of that seems to matter since I'm incredibly happy all the time."

"I'm terribly sorry that you had all that on your shoulders."

She looked back at him, and their blue eyes met. He said in a gentle tone. "Thank you, Luna. You chose the right person to give the potion to. Um… don't tell what I told you to anyone—please."

"I won't. It's not for me to tell."

He smiled, and they both looked out over the lake. It reflected the grey-blue sky.

"Thanks for listening," Draco said after a minute.

All she did was smile.

"Can we be friends?" he asked.

"That would be lovely."

He nodded and they started talking about themselves, school, family, and a number of other things. It started to get dark by the time they reached the castle again, and dark by the time they went back to their respective common rooms. They missed dinner.

Luna pranced down the corridor, and people were staring at her as they usually did. She noticed the first year blonde boy who Draco helped up the day before. She walked up to him as he stood near the corridor wall, looking down at his feet, and clutching three books to his chest.

"Hello," she greeted him, and the boy looked up.

"Hello…" he responded, his hazel eyes wide.

"It's alright. You don't need to be afraid."

"I'm not."

"I'm talking about yesterday. You don't need to be afraid of Draco Malfoy. He's on a euphoria potion."

Daniel blinked several times. "Euphoria? Like… a happy potion?"

"That's right."

He nodded. "Are… you his friend?"

"I think I am. I mean, we agreed to it yesterday, so I guess we are. Before the potion, he wouldn't think of being friends with me. Not many people do."

"What's your name?"

"Luna Lovegood."

Daniel cocked his head. "The girl who people call 'Loony'?"

"Yes. I have been called that."

Daniel's face started to flush. "Oh, I didn't mean to insult you or anything…"

"You didn't. It's just a nickname."

"Hello," came a deeper male voice.

Both turned to see Draco standing next to them. Daniel's eyes went wide, and at that same moment, a few first year Slytherin students walked by and shouted, "Hey, Daniel troll head! Where's your muggle mummy?"

Daniel lowered his head and scowled. Draco gave those students in his house a sour look, and they gasped and scurried off.

"Don't listen to them, Daniel," Draco said, putting a hand on the boy's shoulder. "I'll have a talk with them when I get back to the common room."

Daniel looked up at Draco with his big hazel eyes. "They won't stop. They bully me every day because I'm a half-blood, and a Hufflepuff."

"A lot of wizards are half-bloods," Draco said. "It's alright. Now c'mon. Let's head to your first class."

Luna watched as Draco talked with Daniel on the way to Daniel's charms class. She smiled. Daniel looked like Draco's younger brother, coming up to his chin.

"Are you really going to teach me that new charm?" Daniel asked Draco at the classroom door.

"Sure are. Meet me in the courtyard during lunch."

Daniel smiled. "Thank you. And… are you really going to talk to those boys who bully me?"

"Sure will. They'll listen to me."

"Okay." He looked at Luna, then at Draco. "See you."

"Bye," Luna said, as did Draco. He looked at her.

"Shall I walk you to your class?"

"Thank you."

They walked on, and people stared at them as they went. "You can join us if you want," Draco said. "In the courtyard this afternoon."

"I would love to. I like trying out new charms."

He smiled and they walked on. Being friends with Draco Malfoy was different, but refreshing. Maybe she'll invite Harry, Ron, and Hermione, and maybe more, to this charms lesson in the courtyard.

More people than anticipated showed up in the courtyard. Luna told one person, and so on and so on down the tables, and now the whole of Ravenclaw and Gryffindor house were out in the courtyard watching Draco Malfoy perform various charms with Daniel repeating. Luna would perform charms as well, and Daniel and other students would follow. In no time, Draco and Luna were teaching both these houses, plus some of the Slytherin and Hufflepuff houses, charms. Teachers stood to watch.

"We should join them," Hermione said as she, Ron, and Harry watched with a few teachers. "It looks like fun."

"It looks mental, that's what it looks like," said Ron.

"C'mon," Harry said, nudging him. "When else is Draco ever going to be like this, and with Luna?"

"He's about as loony as she is," Ron muttered.

"Oh, c'mon, Ron." Hermione pulled his arm, but he didn't budge. "Okay, fine. C'mon Harry."

Harry and Hermione ran through the students and started casting charms with Luna, Draco, Daniel, and everyone else. Sparkles of every color from wands flew in every direction, and people cheered on the sidelines. The gong signaling the end of lunch sounded, and the crowd dispersed. At dinner that evening, the Great Hall became alive with what went on in the courtyard. Luna looked over everyone at Draco, and he smiled at her. She looked back at Daniel, and he did the same.

Daniel became attached to Draco's side the remainder of the day, and the whole of the next day. Luna suspected as much. She would tag along with them, and since they were popular because of the charms class in the courtyard, they became known as "The Three Charmers."