Happenstance

Chapter 4: Baby's Day Out

For seven long months, Luna remained at her families estate, only leaving the grounds for her appointments at St. Mungo's with the Medi-witch. Being cooped up at home didn't really bother Luna much as she had always been a loner and a home body. Being cooped up and pregnant was a whole other matter. She had never been a vain girl and thoughts of being overweight had never even crossed her mind, as she was often referred to as lanky, but after gaining thirty pounds over the course of seven months, Luna was miserable and more than eager to give birth. Luckily, she wouldn't have to wait long.

Right on schedule, February twentieth to be exact, Landon Cooper Lovegood was born, weighing in at six pounds and seven ounces. The moment Luna laid eyes on her son, she fell in love. From his white blonde hair to his icy blue eyes, she was sure that he was the single most perfect baby to ever be born. The only problem was, little Landon looked entirely too much like his unsuspecting father. She could easily explain away his fair hair and light eyes, as she too had blonde hair and blue eyes. However, she couldn't figure out a way to explain why he, overall, looked just like a Malfoy; and there was no denying that Landon looked like a Malfoy.

Not wanting to face a million questions, Luna and her new bundle of joy spent their first three months together holed up at the manor. Not that she really noticed, as Landon more than kept her busy. But after realizing that she couldn't keep him locked away forever, Luna decided that in celebration of Landon being three months old, she would take him into Diagon Alley for the afternoon. Her father had thought it was an excellent idea and agreed to meet them for supper after work that evening. So after dressing the tiny infant in his equally tiny onesie and strapping him into his stroller, Luna and Landon departed for the train station, as she did not wish to apparate with the infant and instead planned on taking the train to Diagon Alley.

With a hankering for a good book, Luna and Landon's first stop after arriving in Diagon Alley was Flourish and Blotts, where the mother and son tirelessly searched the shelves for something good to read. Once Luna had paid for her numerous purchases and shrunk them to a more manageable size, she and Landon headed towards the nearby baby store. Betty's Baby Boutique was the premiere wizarding baby store in all of Europe. The boutique was known for its exquisite custom linens, creative toys and fashionable baby apparel. Luna was in heaven as soon as she stepped inside. Granted she had already completely furnished Landon's nursery several months before he was born, she couldn't help but fall in love with quite a few of the fantastic outfits and toys that the boutique had to offer. She had even found some of the softest linens for his crib and had them monogrammed with his initials, LCL. Just as she was paying for her purchases, Landon began to wail. Quickly, Luna picked her upset son up, before shrinking her new items along with the stroller, and placing them inside of her purse.

It only took a few moments to quiet his screams, as all Landon wanted was to be close to his mother. Once he was calm, Luna exited Betty's Baby Boutique with her son contentedly dozing against her chest. As she cleared the door way, someone bumped into the young mother nearly causing her to fall to the ground. The only thing that stopped her from toppling over were two strong arms grasping her around the waist.

"Sorry about that," a familiar voice apologized, making sure that she was able to stand before letting go of her waist. "Are you alright?"

"Yes," she replied, looking down to make sure that Landon was unharmed. Once assured that he was, Luna looked up to see who it was that she had collided with. Her breath caught in her throat at the sight of him. Of all of the people for her to run into, literally and figuratively, it had to be him... and his parents. As they stared at one another, eyes wide in shock, neither was able to speak. "Well, thanks for not letting us fall. Bye." she blurted out suddenly, trying to make a quick escape.

"Wait!" he called out. Luna turned back to face him. "You look different... how have you been?"

"Good... great, actually," she corrected, honestly meaning it.

"I heard you didn't go back to Hogwarts," he said. "How come?"

"It wasn't the right place for me," she replied, softly.

"How do you two know each other?" Lucius Malfoy asked, staring down at Luna suspiciously. "Were you in the same house? I'm pretty sure I know the family of every student placed in Slytherin and you don't look at all familiar."

"I should," Luna replied, angrily. "You did try to kill me during my fourth year."

"Father," Draco interjected. "This is Luna Lovegood, she was a year behind me. She was in Gryffindor."

"Ravenclaw," she corrected, her jaw clenched tightly due to her agitation. Draco nodded in response having realized his mistake.

"And who is this little guy?" Narcissa Malfoy asked, walking up to Luna and bending down to look at the baby. "Oh," she gushed. "He's so cute. Lucius come look!" Rolling his eyes, Lucius obeyed. As he gazed at the baby boy, the elder Malfoy's eyebrows shot up, nearly disappearing in his hairline. "Can I hold him?" Narcissa asked, very politely. "Please? It's been ages since I've held a baby." Luna gently handed the blonde haired beauty her baby, stepping aside so that Narcissa could give Lucius a better look at the boy. While his parents were distracted, Draco pulled Luna aside so that they could talk.

"So, how are?" he asked, looking her over appraisingly. When he said that she looked different, he hadn't been lying. Motherhood certainly suited the young witch and her once lanky, curve-less frame, though still quite thin, now had the hips and breast that puberty had not afforded her. And Luna's form fitting white knit pencil dress did little to hide those new curves that looked even better now that she had lost most of the baby weight.

"I'm good... you?" she asked, looking back to make sure that Narcissa hadn't run off with her son.

"I've been good. I'm working at my father's company right now. He's trying to get me ready to take it over."

"That's great," she replied, distracted by her inability to understand what Lucius and Narcissa were saying to each other.

"Draco!" Narcissa called, playfully. "When are you going to give me a grand baby?" The irony of the woman's statement was not lost on Luna.

"I really should be going," Luna said to Draco, waving as she went to fetch her son.

"He looks just like Draco did when he was a baby," Narcissa said, as the young mother approached. "Draco, come look at him." Draco quickly caught up with Luna just before she reached his parents. Looking at the tiny bundle in his mother's arms, Draco couldn't help but notice that the boy did have hair and eyes a lot like his own, but then ago, so did Luna.

"What's his name?" Draco asked, tickling the tiny infants chubby cheek.

"Landon Cooper Lovegood," Luna replied, nervously.

"He's small... how old is he?" the young blond wizard asked, taking the boy from Narcissa's arms. This worried Luna greatly. The last thing she needed is for Lucius and Narcissa to see their son holding Landon. Luna was sure that they'd realize just how much Draco and Landon looked alike.

"Three months today," Luna replied, as she watched Draco bounce the baby in the cradle of his arms. "We've really got to get going. My father's expecting us." Luna held out her arms, waiting for Draco to give her the baby.

"Your brother is an absolute doll, Luna," Narcissa interjected, as Draco lay the baby in his mother's waiting arms.

"Landon isn't my brother," Luna replied, realizing that they all thought that he was her little brother. "He's my son."

"Son?" Lucius asked, suspiciously. "So, that's why you didn't return to Hogwarts."

"No, I didn't return to Hogwarts because it wasn't the right place for me. My being pregnant is what ultimately finalized that decision. Now, if you'll excuse me." Luna turned and walked away, leaving three stunned Malfoy's in her wake.

Luna rushed to the restaurant her father was meeting her at, hoping that Draco and his parents would forget that they had ever seen Landon. Running into her son's father was the worst thing that could have possibly happened. That alone was reason enough for her to refuse ever going back out again. As she neared the eatery, Luna couldn't help but notice how many people around her seemed to recognize her. Several people had even went to stop her but then rethought it because they weren't one hundred percent sure that it was her or not. Deciding that she didn't want to deal with the stares any longer, Luna planned on just popping into the restaurant and telling her father that she was too tired and would see him at home.

As she navigated the crowded entry hall of the bistro, her son clutched tightly against her breast, Luna searched for her father. It wasn't until she reached the back of the restaurant that she was finally able to spot him. As she neared the table, Luna noticed that there were quite a few extra people sitting there with him. When Mr. Lovegood saw Luna, he stood with his arms open to greet her and his grandson.

"There you are," he said, smiling as he kissed her on her cheek.

"Dad, I'm really tired. I think I'm just going to go home," she replied, switching Landon to her other shoulder. "And I think Landon's hungry."

"Are you sure?" he asked, sounding a bit let down. "I ran into some old friends on the way in and I've asked them to join us for supper." Looking around at the stunned faces of her father's guests, Luna was less than pleased to find that it was the Weasley family along with Harry Potter and Hermione Granger. To Luna, her day officially couldn't get any worse. Not only did she run into Draco but now she had to put up with the Golden Trio.

"I'm sure," Luna snapped, glaring at her father for second guessing her.

"What's the matter?" he asked, knowing that she wouldn't be so agitated unless she had a reason to be. "Is everything okay?"

"Yes... no, I ran into quite possibly the last person I wanted to see today," she replied, gently patting Landon's back. " parent's in tow."

"Really," her father gasped, knowing that she meant her son's father. "Did they say anything?"

"Lot's of stuff, but nothing bad. They all held Landon for a while, told me how cute he was and then I left," Luna informed her father, who merely nodded.

"Hello, Luna," Hermione piped in, smiling weakly at her former friend. "How's your research going?"

"You know damn well what happened to my research," Luna hissed, her deep breaths making her chest heave which woke up the baby. "Shh, quiet now, Love." Hermione looked away, feeling slightly guilty for bringing up what was obviously a touchy subject. She had assumed that after Snape had ruined all of her research, Luna would have started over again but apparently she didn't.

"You look good, Luna," Harry said, staring at her chest while he spoke. Luna had never been very busty but thanks to the added estrogen from her pregnancy and the fact that she was still nursing, her bust had increased greatly, and her dress definitely showed them off. "You've changed."

"You're a pig," Luna snapped, causing Harry took look her in the eyes. The fact that his girlfriend, Ginny, was elbowing him in the ribs certainly helped him to keep his focus upwards of her chest. "Dad, I'm going to head home."

"Alright," he said, leaning over and kissing her on her forehead before doing the same to his grandson. "I'll see you in a bit." As Luna turned to leave, Mrs. Weasley stood to look at Landon.

"Your brother is darling," Mrs. Weasley said, pinching at the boy's cheek. Luna pulled away from the woman.

"He's my son," she said, through gritted teeth. Everyone at the table looked over to her, completely stunned by the revelation.

"Who's the father?" a familiar voice asked, from behind Luna. Turning, she came face to face with Draco Malfoy. "Who's his father?"

"I don't think that's any of your concern," Luna replied, after recovering from the shock of his surprise arrival. "How did you find us here?"

"I followed you after you left. I've been listening the entire time," he replied. "Who's his father?"

"I've got to go..."

"Who's his father!" Draco shouted, everyone in the restaurant turned around to see what all of the racket was about. "Who, damn it?" All of the yelling bothered little Landon so much that he started to scream loudly. Draco rushed over to check on the boy but Luna slapped his hand away. Draco couldn't help but look hurt by her actions; all he was trying to do was help. "You said that he was three months old today, which means that if you carried him to term than you had to have gotten pregnant towards the end of June. We slept together the night before we left Hogwarts and we both know that you were a virgin, so there's no way you were pregnant beforehand. Now, unless you came home and started whoring around, which I highly doubt, than that baby is mine."

"Let's get one thing straight, right now," Luna hissed, stepping forward so that she was nose to nose with Draco. "Landon is my son, not yours and nothing you say or do will ever change that."

"Luna..." he said, softly. "Am I his father? Is that my son?"

"Yes," she whispered, her eyes filling with tears as she clutched Landon against her chest. "Now will you please leave us alone?"

"No, I won't," Draco said, angrily. "Why didn't you tell me you were pregnant?"

"Because I didn't want you to know. It had nothing to do with you."

"He's my son!" Draco shouted. "How in the hell did your being pregnant with my son, not have anything to do with me? You should have told me. I could have been there."

"I didn't want you there. We don't need you. We're fine with it being just the two of us. So, forget you ever met either of us," she replied, coldly, as she turned to leave the restaurant with her son.

"Wait a minute!" Draco said, gently grabbing her arm and turning her around. "I understand that you don't want anything to do with me but my son deserve's to know his father... I deserve to know my son. We need to decide how we're going to work out custody."

"There's nothing to work out," she said.. "Just leave us alone."

"You can't keep him from me," Draco hissed, just as his father and mother were entering the main eating area. "If you're not willing to work this out with me, than I'll find someone who will and I can assure you that it won't work out in your favor."

"Are you threatening me?"

"You're damn right, I am." Draco warned, his typical Malfoy smirk back in place. "I'll have every member of the Wizengamot on your ass by tomorrow morning and I'll make sure that you never see my son again. Two can play at your game, Luna." Worriedly, she stared back at him, unsure if what he was saying was true. Luna didn't know if he could take full custody of Landon or not, but with him being a Malfoy and having a seemingly endless supply of wealth and power, she wasn't sure if she wanted to find out. Sensing her apprehension, Draco decided to take advantage of her moment of weakness. "Look, I don't want to take him from you, I just want a chance to know my own child, that's all. I've got just as much right to know him as you do. What did I do that was so awful? It's not like I robbed you of your innocence or something. I asked you several times if you were sure you wanted to be with me, and I don't recall hurting you, so why are you punishing me?" He could see that she was getting ready to crack, all he needed to do was push her a little bit further.

"Draco..."

"Please?" As he stood in front of her, Luna couldn't help but notice the cocky grin on Lucius' face. That smirk alone was enough to strengthen her resolve. She simply wouldn't allow her son to be contaminated by the Malfoy family 'values'.

"No." With that said, Luna turned and stalked out of the restaurant leaving a very upset Malfoy family in her wake. While Lucius was upset because he didn't get his way, Narcissa was hurt by the loss of a grandchild and Draco was absolutely crushed by the loss of his son. It was as if she had dangled the prospect of fatherhood in front of him and then snatched it away.

"I'll owl the lawyers," Lucius said, resting his hand on his sons shoulder.

"No..." Draco whispered, staring at the door the mother of his child had just walked out of. "I don't want to take him from her. I just want to be able to see him. I'm going to try again on my own, if that doesn't work then I'll get the lawyers involved.

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