Happenstance

Chapter 8: All Dolled Up With Somewhere to Go

It was official, Draco Malfoy was hands down the single most obnoxious human being on the face of the Earth. Or at least that was Luna's newfound opinion of her son's father. It wasn't like he was doing any one thing that was driving her crazy, it was more a combination of everything he did that made Luna want to string him up by his feet and beat him like a pinata. As she lay in her bedchambers contemplating whether or not there was a way to get rid of him without getting caught, Luna's eyes kept wandering over to the bare walls and empty wardrobe of her childhood room. She couldn't help but be saddened at the thought of leaving the only home she'd ever known, which was exactly what she would be doing in less than twenty-four hours. Just as she was getting ready to get up off of her bed and flip through some of her old things that lay piled up against the wall, she heard a light knocking at her door. Changing her direction, Luna went to open it.

"Draco," Luna grumbled, less than thrilled to see the current bane of her existence standing outside of her bedroom door. "It's not time to wake Landon up from his nap, yet."

"I know that," he replied, rolling his eyes and walking into her room without invitation.

"Gee, come on in. Make yourself at home," she griped.

"I would but I haven't the time right now," he said, sarcastically, shooting her his trademark smirk as he flopped down onto her bed. "Before you throw a fit over my being in your sanctuary, I wanted to let you know that you need to be dressed and ready by six-thirty."

"Ready for what?" she asked, not having the slightest idea what he was talking about.

"Can't tell," he replied, lying down flat and tucking his hands underneath his head so that he could better see her. "It's a surprise."

"How am I supposed to know what to wear if you won't tell me why I'm getting dressed in the first place?" she asked, her hands at her hips; she'd been spending a lot of time in that position as of late.

"I've taken the liberty of picking out your dress for you," Draco said, reaching into his pocket and retrieving a tiny parcel, along with his wand. After whispering an incantation, the package enlarged, and he handed it to Luna. Not waiting for her to open it, Draco left her room, reminding her to be ready by six-thirty as he did so.

Warily, Luna untied the dark green ribbon that held the package closed and opened the shiny black box. The slightly cynical part of her personality half expected a poisonous snake to jump out and bite her, figuring Draco would do just about anything to have Landon all to himself. Rolling her eyes at her own absurdity, Luna pulled back the numerous layers of green tissue paper back to reveal the most beautiful gown she'd ever seen. Excitedly, Luna removed the dress from the box and brought the delicate lace gown up against her body as she rushed towards her full length mirror. Draco certainly had impeccable taste, she admitted as she gazed at her reflection. Just by looking at the dress, Luna knew that it had to have cost a small fortune. As she was admiring the gorgeous creation, her timer went off signaling her that it was time to wake Landon for supper. As she went to silence the timer, it was then that she realized that it was already five-o'clock, which meant she only had an hour and a half to get Landon situated and get herself ready. Kicking it into high gear, Luna rushed to the nursery faster than she could ever recall having done so.

After feeding Landon, giving him a bath and getting him dressed again, Luna wasn't left with all that much time to get ready for whatever Draco had planned, but she somehow managed to ready herself by quarter to seven. Luna had never really been a big fan of makeup but since Draco had given her so beautiful dress, she decided to actually wear some; even it wasn't much.

Walking down the stairs to meet up with Draco, Luna couldn't help but feel like a million galleons. The gown Draco had chosen for her was perfect. She was sure that some sort of spell had to have been used to make it fit so well. The vintage black lace hugged her curves like a second skin. Luckily, Draco had taken into consideration that Luna was fairly modest and wouldn't have been comfortable showing too much skin. Instead of going with the theory that less is more, Draco selected a fitted, floor-length, black lace gown that had a short sweeping train and three-quarter length sleeves that flared out to a ruffle hem at the elbow. Though the lace was transparent, the bodice and skirt of the gown were lined with black fabric to help ensure that she wasn't overexposed. The sleeves and shoulders were still see through, adding a bit of sex appeal to the dress. The only immodest aspect of the design was the back of the gown, which was completely bare and dipped down to Luna's lower back. Draco had even chosen the perfect stilettoes and clutch to go with the dress.

"I knew it would be perfect on you," Draco said, as he climbed the few stairs remaining between them to meet her. Taking her hand, Draco leaned down and gently kissed her hand. "You look gorgeous."

"Thanks," she whispered, an easily noticeable blush creeping across her cheeks. "What's all of this about anyway?"

"Maybe I'm wrong, but I just thought that you could use some Luna time since you've been in Mum-mode without a reprieve, for so long. Seeing as how we're leaving here tomorrow, I figured this would be your last chance for a while and your Dad was more than willing to watch Landon for us. So, I decided to get you all dolled up and take you out for a night on the town." For a few moments, Luna was speechless. She'd assumed that he'd been invited to some work or Ministry party and hadn't had time to get a date, so he decided to have her tag along. To know that he had done all of this for her and her alone, was quite touching and the more she thought about it, the more emotional she became. Unable to hold it back, tears started trickling down Luna's cheeks.

"Thank you," she whispered, removing a handkerchief from her clutch and dabbing at her eyes. The proud look on Draco's face instantly faded when he noticed that she was crying.

"Well shit," he said, sounding confused. "What did I do?"

"Nothing. It's not you... well, it is," she stammered, feeling ridiculous for crying. "It was just really sweet of you to care, that's all. The tears are just because my hormones are still a bit out of whack."

"For a second there, I started to think I screwed up again," he replied, sounding relieved. "I know I've been a pain this week and, believe it or not, I'm trying to cool it some but its just not working. I'm really not trying to drive you nutters, I like you too much to do that, it's just a really exciting time for me right now." As Draco apologized for his overzealous behavior, Luna began to cry even harder causing her mascara to streak down her cheeks. Trying to calm the openly sobbing witch, Draco wrapped his arms around her. Just then, her father passed through the foyer with a pajama clad Landon cradled in his arms.

"Things not quite going as planned?" he asked, staring at the couple oddly, a soft smile pulling at his lips. He was well aware of just how emotional Luna had been since even before she had given birth to Landon, and when Draco had told him what he had planned, her father had fully expected it to hit Luna hard.

"She's not mad, she's emotional," Draco corrected, turning his head so that he could see Mr. Lovegood.

"And now we're even later than before," she informed, wiping at her streaked face with the handkerchief. Removing his wand, Luna's father approached her and whispered an incantation. The slight tingling sensation that buzzed across her skin explained what he had done. Checking a nearby mirror, Luna found that her makeup was once again as it should be.

"We're not late anyway," Draco said, leaning over and kissing Landon goodbye as he lay in his grandfathers arms.

"It's almost seven," Luna said, pointing at the large grandfather clock that was situated towards the back of the foyer. "You said to be ready by six-thirty."

"Yes, but that's because I knew that you'd probably be running a few minutes late. Our reservations aren't until seven-fifteen."

"You prat," she said, laughing, as she smacked him on the arm with her clutch. "I was rushing around up there like a fool."

"Well, if I hadn't lied than we really would be late," he argued, playfully. "I spent seventeen years picking up on these things from my Mum."

"True, but still," Luna pouted. "Where are we going for supper?"

"I figured we'd expand our horizons this evening," Draco said, offering Luna his arm as they headed towards the door. "Bye Mr. Lovegood, thanks again."

"No problem," he replied, taking Landon's tiny hand and waving it at his parents playfully.

"Bye-bye Daddy," Luna said, turning back to her father and son. "Bye Lanny."

"Have fun!" Mr. Lovegood shouted, as the door was closing.

"So what did you mean when you said we were expanding our horizons?" Luna asked, as they walked down the front steps. Without answering, Draco wrapped his arms around her and the two sidelong apparated to an empty park that was unfamiliar to Luna.

"Tonight, we will enjoy our evening as the Muggles do," he informed her, once they had reached their destination. Leading Luna down the drive, towards what looked like a Muggle automobile, Draco further explained their plans. "Herald here," he said, gesturing towards the man who was exiting the car to open the door for them. "Will be taking us to a lovely little Muggle restaurant that is supposed to be absolutely fantastic, and then he'll usher us to the opera... that was your Dad's idea. He's said you'd gone a couple of times with him and that you'd liked it, so I figured I stick with what I know you like."

"That's sounds wonderful," Luna whispered, smiling at Draco gratefully.

"You're not going to start crying again are you?" he asked. Truth be told, crying girls made Draco horribly nervous and the last thing he wanted was to make her cry twice in one night; even if they were happy tears.

"No," she said. "Well, if you keep this up I might." Taking her hand from the crook of his arm, Draco helped her into the car before seating himself next to her, his arm resting behind her head on the back of the seat. The first few minutes of their ride was made in silence, the two simply enjoying each others quiet company but as Draco stared at her, Luna felt compelled to speak.

"You look nice, Draco."

"So do you," he replied, grinning at her. The way he was looking at her was beginning to unsettle Luna a bit.

"Stop that," she said, laughing, playfully covering his eyes. "Why are you doing that?"

"What?"

"Looking at me like that?"

"You look really pretty," he explained, simply. "I knew you were pretty but you completely topped yourself tonight."

"Well in that case keep looking," she joked. Luna had to admit it was really nice to feel pretty again. After gaining and losing so much weight and spending her time around baby poop and vomit, Draco's attention was quite reaffirming. "I really needed this, Draco. I don't know how I'll be able to thank you."

"I can think of a few things that might work," he replied, knowing that Luna would catch his drift. "But I'd settle for a kiss goodnight, if all goes well." Luna's eyes grew wide, as she felt a distinct tightening in her lower abdomen at the thought of actually kissing Draco; and it certainly wasn't an undesirable feeling for one to have either . 'Well that certainly complicates matters,' Luna thought, as Draco stepped out of the car and offered her his hand so that she could exit as well. Suddenly, Luna realized that her relaxing night out might not be as relaxing as she had originally thought it would be.

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Luna was correct when she said that her relaxing evening out was taking a turn in the opposite direction. All night long, all she could focus on was Draco's mouth. At no point in her life had she ever considered someone eating steak to be sexy, especially since she was a vegetarian, but she had to admit that Draco made it look quite appealing. Several times during the course of their supper, Draco had to interrupt her admittedly inappropriate thoughts because she didn't seem like she was paying attention to anything. Which was true, seeing as how she hadn't even touched her own dinner.

Thanks to Luna's distracted thoughts, their entire meal lacked any real conversation. Even though Draco tried desperately to get her to talk to him, Luna wasn't really able to reciprocate. Finally, he'd just given up and decided to enjoy his supper. Since the show didn't start until quarter after nine, and they had finished their supper well before eight-thirty due to the lack of interruptions, Draco decided that they might as well enjoy some tea and dessert now, rather than after the show, as he had planned. While they waited for their dessert to be made, Draco and Luna continued their quiet stare down; that is, until Draco couldn't take it anymore.

"What has gotten into you?" he asked, suddenly, snapping his fingers in front of her eyes in an attempt at getting her attention.

"What?" she asked, feigning innocence. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"You've been out of it since we got here," he explained, as he stirred his tea. "Did I say something to upset you?"

"No," she assured him. "I just... I don't... I guess I'm not used to being out of the house or something." That was a blatant lie and she knew it. Luna's only real problem at the moment was refraining from ripping Draco's clothes off of his body and having her way with him, which was an uncharacteristic desire for her to have. Luna had never felt like this before and she wasn't quite sure what to make of it. Part of her couldn't help but think that maybe he put something in one of her drinks earlier that day, and her current behavior was his fault. Luna knew it wasn't true but it gave her a scapegoat, so she wasn't about to question it.

"Well, do you think that we might be able to actually talk?" he asked, pleadingly.

"What about?"

"Anything, so long as there are words coming out of your mouth." Draco laughed, reaching across the table and taking her hand in his. "I'm not quite sure what to make of you when your silent." Thankfully, the waiter returned with their dessert and Draco let go of her hand, which saved her from having to try and focus on what he was saying while he touched her. "I've heard that this is supposed to be the best molten chocolate cake in Europe." Draco said, gesturing towards the chocolate confection in front of him.

"It looks delicious," Luna replied, genuinely eager to try it. Needless to say, whoever told Draco that this dessert was the best, was definitely right. "It is wonderful."

"Yep," Draco agreed. "I've been meaning to ask you about the research you had been working on. Do you think you'll start it again?"

"I really don't think I've ever tasted anything this fantastic before," Luna said, ignoring his question.

"Luna," Draco said, softly. "Why won't you even talk about it?"

"Because I don't want to," she replied, curtly. "Can we talk about something else, please?"

"Your Dad said that he thought you were really close to a cure," Draco continued, ignoring her pleading with him to change the subject. "Why would you want to give up on something like that? That's very unlike you."

"How would you know?" she snapped. "You don't really know anything about me, Draco. For all you know, I could very well have a track record of starting things and not finishing them."

"But you don't," he assured her, unflustered by her sudden change in mood. "I understand that you were really hurt by what Professor Snape did but is that really reason enough to turn your back on all of those people who are waiting for a cure? What about their families. They've got children they don't know of, and without a cure, they'll never remember them. Don't you think that's a bit more important than nursing your wounds?"

"What time does the show start?" she asked, tightly, her eyes focused on a random spot on the silk tablecloth.

"Stop trying to change the subject," Draco said, laughing. "Why would you start something so important and just abandon it like this?"

"Why should I give a damn about them!" she asked, cruelly. "Not one person, outside of my family, had the decency to genuinely care about me. They spent all of their time taunting me and making fun of me behind my back. My so called friends were even doing it. Why should I bust my ass trying to find a cure for those ungrateful bastard's." Draco was floored. Not only had he never seen Luna so angry before, but the last time he'd ever seen so much hate in one person's eyes was the last time he heard his father speaking about Muggleborns and blood-traitors. It was horribly unexpected to find that Luna harbored so much anger just under the surface. He'd known that Snape's actions had affected her greatly but he'd never known that she was still so angry about it.

"Luna," Draco began.

"Save it, Malfoy. You were just as bad as the rest of them," she warned. "You may have changed, but it doesn't change how you treated me."

"I know that. I just hope you can move past it."

"I gave birth to your child, didn't I?" A deep frown creased Draco's flawless skin and regret filled his eyes, as he gazed at the bitter shell of the girl he'd attended Hogwarts with; her once dazed and content eyes now tightly focused and welled with unshed tears. "Look, Draco, I tried to change the subject, you just wouldn't listen."

"I know. I just thought that if you got it out, you'd feel better," he replied, shrugging his shoulders. "Do you?"

"No."

"Didn't think so." He said, winching slightly at her affirmation. "So, your Dad was right when he said that Snape's chucking your research triggered a change in your opinion of everyone?"

"Draco, my entire life, I've been different. I was always that girl, the one that everyone loved to make fun of," she explained, her words coming out strained thanks to her trying to control her anger and hurt. "And you know what? It never really bothered me too much. I was me and they were them, and even though they had their flaws I always thought that, on the whole, people were good and decent. Well, good and decent people don't burn five years of another persons life with absolutely no regard for how the other person would feel. Good and decent people don't taunt a girl for believing that Crumple-Horned Snorkacks are real. They don't hide her clothes and her books, forcing her to put notices on the bulletin boards requesting that they be returned to her. They don't laugh when that girls world comes crashing down around her. I've learned that no matter how optimistic I am, or how many times my Mum told me to just be me and they'll respect me for it in the end, the vast majority of people are not good and decent. They're cruel, and they're petty and they'll do whatever they can to make you feel like less than dirt just because you're different from them."

"Oh," he replied, lamely. Draco hated to admit it but Luna was mostly right. Granted he didn't agree that the world was full of cruel and indecent people, he did agree that they'd do all that they could to make others feel like shit just so they could feel better about themselves. Hell, he'd made a career of it while at Hogwarts. "I can't say that I know how you feel, because I don't. The truth is, I know that you're at least partly right about people. But I also know that deep down, even though you're bitter, you're still Luna. And I honestly believe that someday you'll be able to put your anger aside and you'll end up regretting having turned your back on all of those victims out there."

"Be that as it may, I've got a son I have to take care of," she replied, softly.

"What has Landon got to do with finding a cure for Obliviate?"

"If something happens to me, who'll care for Landon?" she asked. "My father shouldn't have to raise my child."

"I would," Draco said, slightly offended by her completely leaving him out of the equation. "Why would something happen to you?" It wasn't like she was battling dragons, so Draco couldn't understand why she was so worried.

"My mother devoted the better part of her adolescence and adult life trying to find a cure for Obliviate. When her brother fell victim to Gilderoy Lockhart and his obliviate charm, my Mum became fanatical about trying to find a cure. That's what she was working on when she died. I won't risk leaving my son without a mother. My Dad did a wonderful job raising me but there are times when I want my Mum. I can't do that to Landon. I just can't. When I found out I was pregnant, that was the proverbial nail in the coffin. I swore I'd never start my research again because I knew that eventually I'd have to test my theories and that's when I'd be putting myself in the most danger."

"I'm sorry, Luna," Draco said, softly. "I didn't know. If I had know about your Mum dying while working on a cure, I wouldn't have pushed."

"It's fine," she muttered. Luna stared at him detached. "I hope you're right, though. I hope that I do regret it, because right now, I don't and that's terrifies me. I used to believe in things, in people, but now... I just want to go back to believing in everything, the way I used to, but I can't."

"You're not ready yet," Draco said, standing and offering her his arm. "But when you are, you'll know. What do you say we get to the Opera?"

"Okay," she said, offering him a weak smile. Luna hoped, more than anything, that Draco was right. She hoped that someday, someday soon, she'd be able to leave behind the bitterness and hatred that had taken up residence in her heart and in her mind.

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Three hours later, Draco and a much happier Luna, exited the theater having thoroughly enjoyed the spectacular presentation of Giacomo Puccini's opera, Turandot featuring the incomparable Luciano Pavarotti. Draco had never before seen an Opera and he had to admit it was quite a show. He'd expected to be bored senseless and only intended on enduring it because he thought it would make Luna feel better. Now that he'd experienced it, Draco was officially a fan.

"Nessun dorma, Nessun dorma!" Draco sang loudly, pretending to serenade Luna as they walked down the stone steps of the theater. "Blah, blah, blah, blah, blahhh, blah, blah, blah, blah, blahhh!" Draco had apparently forgotten that the other guests were also leaving the show, and they were now staring at them with smiles on their faces.

"You haven't the slightest idea what the words are, do you?" Luna asked, blushing as Draco continued to hum the song to her.

"Not a clue, love," he replied, happily. "Do you?"

"Yes, I do," she replied.

"Well, what does it mean?" he asked, impatiently.

"Nessun dorma, mean's no-one sleeps," she replied, as they reached their car; Herald was already waiting to open the door for them.

"That's pretty," Draco said, in an uncharacteristically chipper tone, as he helped Luna into the car before seating himself next to her. "I really liked that. We should see another one soon."

"I'm going to hold you to that," she warned, playfully poking at his chest before leaning back against the supple leather seat and closing her eyes. Luna was exhausted. Landon had been a bundle of energy all day and it was already after midnight. She'd be lucky to stay awake for the entire ride back to their apparation point.

"Do you want to walk back to the house from where we apparated?" Luna heard Draco say what seemed a few moments later but was actually twenty minutes later. Turns out she was right, she hadn't been able to stay awake for the entire ride.

"Sure," she replied, groggily. "That would be great." Luna settled back against Draco's chest and closed her eyes.

"Um, Luna, we're here," Draco said, wondering why she was trying to go back asleep.

"Oh," she said, laughing as she rose and stumbled out of the car door. After Draco had tipped the driver and said goodbye, the pair headed off towards Luna's house.

It only took them about twenty minutes to make it to the house from the park but Luna was more than glad to see the familiar structure. When Draco had mentioned walking back home, he hadn't taken into consideration that she was wearing four inch heels. Five minutes into their journey, Luna had to abandon her new shoes and instead walk home barefooted. Draco had mentioned just apparating the rest of the way home but Luna had decided against it since it was such a beautiful night.

"I had a fantastic time, Draco," Luna said, as she and Draco climbed the stairs that led to the front door. "I can't thank you enough."

"I believe we established that earlier today," Draco said, following closely behind her. "But I do recall mentioning that a kiss would be thanks enough." Just his mentioning it brought back that tingling feeling in the pit of Luna's stomach.

"Do you really think that's such a good idea?" she asked, thankful that it was dark out, otherwise Draco would have been able to see the deep pink blush that had taken over her cheeks.

"Did you have a good time?"

"Yes, I already said I did," she replied.

"Than I think it's a bloody brilliant idea." Draco didn't wait for her response before slowly lowering his mouth to hers. It only took seconds for what started out as a sweet kiss to become much more. The next thing the pair knew they were stumbling into the pitch black sitting room and falling down onto the nearest couch, their lips never parting.

"I wish you wouldn't do that while I was here." The voice of Luna's father jolted the pair back to reality and they finally broke their kiss.

"Daddy?" Luna asked for clarification, still unable to see anything. Thankfully her father flicked on a nearby lamp, revealing himself to the entangled couple.

"Luna... Draco," he said, awkwardly. "I take it things went well this evening."

"Pretty good," Draco said, as Luna was trying to push him off of her so that she could get up. "How was your evening?"

"Not nearly as good as yours, it would seem," Mr. Lovegood said, laughing as he stood to leave.

"Why were you sitting in the dark?" Luna asked, finally able to extricate herself from Draco's grasp.

"I just like to sit here and clear my head sometimes," he replied, bidding the pair goodnight. "Enjoy your evening."

Luna was officially mortified. Not only had she let her hormones get the best of her, but she'd been caught by her father. It officially couldn't get any worse. Not only did she have her embarrassment to contend with but Draco didn't seem to think that her father witnessing their gropefest was reason enough to call it a night. He was actually trying to get her to pick up where they'd left off. After slapping his roaming hands away several times, Draco finally got the picture and allowed Luna to sidestep him so she could get to her room. A few minutes later, a very frustrated Draco, followed suit, mumbling unhappily to himself as he headed to bed.

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THANK YOU ALL FOR YOUR REVIEWS OF THE LAST CHAPTER. I HATED TO RESORT TO SUCH BLATANT MEASURES BUT I USE YOUR REVIEWS TO GAUGE HOW THE STORY SHOULD CONTINUE. I HAVE MOST OF IT ALREADY HANDWRITTEN AND WHEN I TYPE IT, I'M GIVEN THE CHANCE TO ADD AND OMIT BASED ON HOW ITS BEING RECEIVED. SO ANY INPUT YOU HAVE ON HOW THE CHARACTERS ARE DEVELOPING AND THE PLOT, ETC ARE TREMENDOUSLY USEFUL AND GREATLY APPRECIATED.

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