Happenstance

Chapter 13: Reunion

Though she hated using the breast pump, Luna had to admit that it was a pretty ingenious invention, and since it meant that she would be able to be a bit more mobile, she agreed to use it. Personally, she couldn't believe that Draco had even brought the contraption home, it being a muggle device and all. But it seemed that the impossible had occurred; Draco Malfoy, the non-pureblood hating wizard, had changed. The more she thought about it, the more she started to regret her hasty dismissal of their relationship earlier that morning. The old Draco would never have forgiven her for using him the way that she had the night before. He'd have never stood a chance at controlling his anger, but for some reason, Draco had managed to stay calm and rational throughout the entire ordeal, never once raising his voice, and that made Luna want him all the more, though she'd never let him know it.

Since she needed to get ready to head to Diagon Alley to pick up the necessary supplies for that evenings gathering, Draco handled bathing Landon and keeping him occupied. While Luna showered, Draco and Landon hung out in her bedchamber, playing with the various toys that she kept in there. As she stepped out of her lavatory Luna nearly had a heart attack, not having expected to find Draco lying across her freshly made bed, haphazardly, with Landon at his side.

"Geesh, Draco," she said, breathlessly, pulling her floral silk dressing robe tightly around her body. "I didn't think you'd be in here."

"Oh, I'm just playing with Lanny," he replied, as he lifted up the baby's shirt and pressed his lips against his rounded tummy before blowing against Landon's soft skin, loud noises resonating through the room. Landon loved it when his father did that, his legs and arms flailing about happily. "I was thinking that instead of taking Lanny over to see Blaise and Goyle, I'd have them come by here. That alright with you?"

"It's your house Draco," she replied, entering her massive walk-in closet. "You don't need to ask for permission."

"First of all, this is our house, and secondly, I don't plan on doing anything in our home that you don't want done," Draco said, politely, as he gathered Landon into his arms and entered her closet. Just as Draco walked inside of her closet, Luna untied her robe, letting it fall to the floor. Luna hadn't heard him enter, so she continued gathering her clothes from their hangers and drawers, not caring that she wasn't dressed. "Uh, Luna," Draco said, clearing his throat so that she'd know that he was there. At the sound of his voice, Luna nearly fell on her bum as she stumbled into her knickers.

"What!" she exclaimed, pulling her robe back around her body tightly.

"Don't be so shy," Draco replied, laughing at her as she blushed at him. "It's not like I haven't seen it before, cause I have... and I've touched it, and..."

"Shut up," she ordered, her cheeks turning even more red than they had been. "What do you want?" Turning her back to him, Luna removed her robe again and pulled on a black cropped tube top before slipping into a white pointelle circle skirt that flared out, due to its fullness, and fell just below her knees.

"Where's the rest of your shirt?" he snapped, staring at her black tube top. Luna reached up and removed a fitted black jacket from its hanger and slipped it on, silently awaiting his approval. "That's a bit better, but don't you want to wear a whole shirt instead?"

"No, I'm quite happy with what I've chosen," she replied, secretly satisfied that he didn't like the idea of her showing much skin. "So, Blaise and Goyle are coming by here?" Luna asked, as she balanced herself against the wall so she could put her black stiletto slides on.

"Yes, I owled them not too long ago and told them to come by," he replied. "But if you don't want them here, I can tell them to wait for me and Lanny at Blaise's."

"As I said, it's your house," Luna replied, as she put on a multitude of necklaces and bangles. "It doesn't matter if I want them here or not. Just make sure that they watch their mouth's around Landon. I don't want his first word to be Mudblood."

"Will do," he replied, giving her a mock salute. "Father would love it if that was his first word though."

"I don't doubt that," she replied, grabbing her purse and putting on a pair of sunglasses. "I should be back in a couple of hours. I don't know what your parents like to eat, so do you have a minute to go over the menu?"

"Sure," he replied, following Luna as she left the closet and headed downstairs.

Deciding on what to make for their house warming supper proved easier said than done. On one hand, Luna was quite well versed in the culinary arts, and on the other hand, Draco had already demonstrated his inability to fry an egg. So, needless to say, it took Luna and Draco a bit longer than expected to actually piece together the menu. After about half an hour, they were finally set on their selections. The pair had decided on Crispy Zucchini sticks with Olive Dip, and Tomato Basil Bruschetta topped with Asiago cheese as appetizers. Cream of Broccoli Soup would then be served. The main course would consist of Fillet Mignon and Broiled Lobster tails with lime butter sauce, and roasted herb potatoes and roasted squash as the sides. Luna planned on preparing Raspberry Lemon Layer Cake as their desert and would serve it with tea and coffee. Since Luna didn't eat meat, she made sure to add her favorite vegetarian dish of Rigatoni with Eggplant and Dried Tomato Pesto to the menu, as well.

Shortly after discussing the menu, Luna was ready to head to Diagon Alley. Just as she was leaving, there was a knock at the door and she went to open it. She was greeted by the stunned faces of her former school mates, Blaise Zabini and Gregory Goyle. Once they had collected themselves, Blaise and Greg were finally able to speak.

"Loony," Blaise greeted her, breathlessly, as he stared at her. "Nice to see you again."

"It's Luna," Draco corrected, as he entered the room with a freshly changed Landon resting against his chest. "Don't call her that again."

"Right-o," Blaise said, his eyes never leaving Luna. "Motherhood has done your body good."

"Clever," she replied, side stepping the two boys, so she could leave. Just before she was out of the door, Draco called out to her.

"You're not wearing that to supper tonight, are you?" he asked, hopefully. The last thing he wanted was for his father to have an opportunity to upset Luna tonight and if she showed up wearing that, even though she looked unbelievable, Lucius would be sure to make her feel like a strumpet for it. "You look fantastic b..."

"I'll say," Goyle snickered, giving Blaise a high-five behind Draco's back and winking at Luna playfully.

"...but you don't want to dress so casually around my parents. You know how Father is, and I don't think Mother would approve much either."

"No, I'm not wearing this tonight," she assured him, rolling her eyes. Luna knew full well that she would be under a great deal of scrutiny that evening, since she would be in the presence of Draco's parents. Because of this, Luna had decided to go to one of her favorite boutiques and look for a new outfit to wear, even though she had a huge closet full of things that were more than suitable for the occasion. It was no secret that the Malfoy family concerned themselves a great deal with keeping up with appearances, and Luna didn't plan on giving them yet another reason to insult her, so she planned on looking absolutely fabulous that evening. "Can I go now? It's already one-thirty and I need to be back here before four in order to have enough time to cook and get ready."

"Yes, I'll see you in a bit, Love," Draco replied, leaning down and kissing her goodbye on the lips. Luna and Draco froze as their lips parted, both with startled looks on their faces.

"Shit," he said, laughingly. "Didn't mean to do that."

"That's fine," Luna assured him, walking out of the door.

"Ohhh, kissy, kissy," Blaise and Goyle laughed, making loud kissing noises at Draco, who stood before them with his cheeks blushing bright red. Taking Landon out of Draco's arms, Blaise began to sing, "Mommy and Daddy sitting in a tree, K I S S I N G. First comes love, then comes marriage, than comes a baby in the baby carriage... Well, you ruined that little plan, did you?"

"Funny," Draco grumbled, smacking Blaise on the back of the head after taking Landon away from him. "You want to hold him, Goyle?"

"Yep," Goyle replied, letting Draco put the tiny infant into his arms. "Geesh, he looks just like you. Your Father must be thrilled to have another clone of himself."

"I don't know how he feels about all of this," Draco replied, settling himself down on the couch while he watched Goyle pace the length of the room, Landon tucked away in his arms. "We haven't actually spoken since all of this happened. I've been so busy with Lanny and Luna that I haven't even bothered to owl them, which I'm sure I'll hear about from Mother tonight."

"You're meeting them tonight?" Blaise asked, as he stared over Goyle's shoulder at the baby, making faces at him.

"Yes. Father decided to invite himself over for a house warming dinner that Luna and I didn't know we were having," Draco said, laughing at his father's behavior. "Luna's trying to be all calm about it but I know she's freaking out. And with what happened last night, I'm sure she's just bloody well thrilled to have this on her plate."

"What happened last night?" Blaise and Goyle asked in unison, not missing a beat.

"She found that journal I had made for her and she got all emotional," Draco informed them. "And we shagged. It was unbelievable!"

"So, you're an item now?" Goyle asked, bouncing Landon around in his arms. "It's about time, don't you think?"

"No, we're not," Draco said, sadly. "The first thing she said this morning was, 'this shouldn't have happened'"

"That must have been a shocker for the Slytherin Sex God!" Blaise laughed. It was about time someone burst the young playboy's bubble, he just hadn't expected it to be Loony Lovegood. "No one tells His Highness, no."

"I just don't get it," Draco said, slumping against the backrest of the couch. "When we're together, things are perfect. I mean they couldn't be any better. Everything feels just like you'd expect it to feel when you hear people talking about being in love and being made for each other. But then she opens her mouth and completely fucks it all up."

"Then it looks like you're going to have to either try harder or stop whining about not getting your way," Goyle advised his friend. "Doesn't look like this one's going to be easy."

"It would have been easier to stick with Pansy," Blaise replied, laughingly. "She wasn't as hot but she was definitely easy."

"It doesn't matter anyway," Draco said, sounding defeated. "This morning when she told me that last night shouldn't have happened, I told her I was done playing her games and that things between us would be platonic from here on out."

"Then why did you kiss her before she left," Goyle asked, smiling down at Landon before saying in a mock baby voice, "He's so freakin' cute! Your Daddy's an ugly fuck, so I guess you're a looker cause of your Mum." Goyle couldn't stop himself from laughing at the offended look on Draco's face. Greg knew that Draco was well aware of how attractive he was, but that didn't mean he couldn't rag on him anyway.

"Gee, Thanks," Draco said, throwing one of Landon's stuffed animals at Goyle's head. "I don't know why I kissed her, to be honest with you. I can't say it's out of habit, because it's not. It just feels like the right thing to do."

"I don't know what to tell you, Mate," Blaise said, just as perplexed as Draco was. He'd never seen his best friend act so forlorn over a girl before. Needless to say, Draco's being at such a loss, over Luna Lovegood nonetheless, was more than just a bit confusing.

"I don't know either," Draco whispered, shaking his head. "I want her. There's no doubting that. I want her and I want Landon. Hell, I even want more babies with her. But she doesn't want that and she's made it quite clear that she never will."

"I don't think that's it," Blaise replied, skeptically. "I don't think she knows what she wants. She's torn between wanting you and not wanting you. "

"What makes you so sure?" Draco asked, hopefully.

"She doesn't seem the sort to be malicious enough to toy with you, so her flip-flopping back and forth is because she's confused. Maybe her minds saying one thing and her hearts saying another. You've got one hell of a reputation, Draco. Her minds got to be sending up red flags, but her heart must be telling her something different. I imagine that every time she looks at that baby her heart starts racing and all the while her brains saying, 'runaway, runaway, he's a bad bad man',"

"Either way, the only thing left for me to do is move on," Draco said, solemnly. "If I keep wasting my time waiting for her to make up her mind, I'll end up wasting my life away and that's something I'm not willing to do."

"You could always do what I told you to do last time we spoke about this," Blaise said, cockily. Draco gave him an unsure look, so he elaborated. "Make her jealous. I guarantee that if you brought another witch home, Luna would be so beside herself with jealousy that you'd only have to sneeze in her direction before she'd agree to marry you, have twenty of your babies and play whatever kinky little game it is that gets you off."

"I'm not going to play mind games with her," Draco said, shaking his head, wearily. "I'm just moving on. I'm going to have to find someone else who actually wants to be with me. It's not like it'll be hard."

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It had been nearly an hour and Luna had managed to gather all of the supplies she would need to prepare their supper. The only trouble she'd had was when she stopped by 'Josephine's Luxury Apparel'. Luna had planned on finding a new outfit to wear that night in order to impress Draco's parents. Why she was going to so much trouble, she didn't know. After all, she hated everything the Malfoy family stood for. No matter how much she tried to convince herself that she didn't care what Lucius and Narcissa thought of her, Luna couldn't squelch the desire to make a good impression. So, instead of heading home and picking out something to wear from her closet, Luna tirelessly searched 'Josephine's', hoping to find the perfect outfit.

Once she had found a few selections, Luna headed towards the dressing room. After trying all twenty of her picks on, Luna decided that, though she wanted and planned on buying all of them, none of them were quite right for that evenings event. Not one to give up, Luna gave her beautiful dresses to the boutique owner so that she could write up an invoice, and then continued perusing the store for her perfect dress. As she was looking through the gowns that were positioned right next to the menswear section of the store, a beautiful tangerine colored dress caught her eye. The dress was made of a stretchy fabric that had a matching sheer mesh overlay that moved with the gown. Finding her size, Luna headed towards the dressing room to make sure that it looked good on her. Stepping out of the stall, Luna called for one of the attendants so that she could get their opinion of the gown.

"So, do you like it?" Luna asked, standing on the podium and staring at her reflection. The dress fit Luna perfectly, it seemed like a second skin... a bright orange second skin. Luna's gown featured cap sleeves and a low scooped neckline that led into a tightly fitted bodice. The skirt of the dress was very fitted through the hips and thighs but it flared out at the knees into a fishtail hemline, complete with a short train.

"My dear, I have seen that gown on many witches and I must say that when I designed it, this was exactly how I pictured it. It looks like it was made for you," the owner replied, smoothing the gown over Luna's hips as she gazed at her creation. "Not many people can pull this color off, but with your fair hair and skin tone, it looks fabulous."

"I'm having a house warming supper this evening with my husbands family," Luna said, turning and checking her reflection from several different angles. "Do you think this is appropriate?"

"I wasn't aware that you and Mr. Malfoy were married already," Josephine said, a knowing smirk on her face. "In fact, I don't recall reading about an engagement either."

"We're not married or engaged," Luna said, waving off what the boutique owner had insinuated. "Draco and I are just friends, who happen to live together and have a child together." Even as she said it, Luna knew how strange it sounded. No matter how simple she tried to make it sound, her and Draco's relationship and living situation was anything but.

"Than why did you call him your husband?"

"I didn't," Luna argued, annoyed by the accusation.

"Yes, you did," Josephine argued. She'd heard the young witch say it and she wasn't about to say otherwise, even if it did cost her the sale.

"No, I didn't," Luna said, stamping her foot like a petulant child.

"Yes, you did, Luna," a familiar voice said, playfully.

"Neville!" Luna exclaimed, climbing down from the podium and wrapping her arms around her friends neck. It had been ages since she'd seen him. Neville Longbottom had been the only person Luna could think of who'd never once insulted or made fun of her. When he'd heard that she hadn't returned to Hogwarts, via Ginny Weasley, he'd written her a long letter and offered her his support in her decision. He told her that he knew what it was like to be different from everyone else and to be the butt of their peers jokes; to be laughed at by those who claimed to be your friends. Neville told Luna that no matter what happened, if she ever needed a friend, he'd be there, all she needed to do was let him know. He'd even offered to help her start her research over again. When Luna gave birth to Landon, Neville happened to be at St. Mungo's visiting his parents. Neville loved babies, so whenever he was at the hospital he always made sure stop by the baby viewing area for a few minutes. That day when he went to visit the newborns, he found his old friend staring through the viewing window, dressed in hospital robes. Neville assumed that she was in the hospital for something other than having given birth and, much like himself, she just couldn't resist taking a peek at the babies. When Luna pointed out her son to him, his jaw nearly hit the floor. Having noticed that there wasn't a ring on her finger, he decided against questioning her about the child's father, not wanting to upset her. Upon returning home, Luna was greeted by a huge teddy bear and a basket filled with clothes and various other products for a baby boy, including Landon's favorite blankey; a bit of information that Luna didn't plan on sharing with Draco anytime soon.

"How have you been?" Neville asked, returning her embrace enthusiastically. "You look wonderful."

"Thanks, so do you," Luna replied, pulling away from him but still holding both of his hands tightly in her own. Luna wasn't lying when she said that Neville looked good. It would seem that this was yet another thing the pair had in common; both were late bloomers. Neville's once gapped and awkward teeth had been tended to and were now straight and pearly white. He'd also grown several inches taller and put on some muscle, so he was no longer that awkward scrawny teen he'd always been. All in all, Luna had to admit, she was actually attracted to him. "So, I read in the Prophet that you're one of the Wizarding World's up and coming herbologists. I believe congratulations are in order."

"Thanks," Neville said, blushing furiously. "I've been working pretty hard trying to gain some notoriety in the field and it's starting to take hold. I hear your father is going to hand over editorial duties and, eventually, ownership of the Quibbler to you soon. Are you excited?"

"Yes," Luna said, excitedly, still holding his hands tightly in her own. "All I've ever really wanted was to be a writer and now I'll finally get my chance. I'm pretty sure I'm going to take the paper in another direction, though. I plan on giving the Prophet a run for its money. There won't be any of those ridiculous column's like Rita Skeeter's or articles like ,'The Top Ten Hottest Wizards and Witches', in my paper. No, I'm going to focus on the stories that really matter, the stories that actually hold some merit."

"What about Crumple-Horned Snorkacks?" Neville asked. He didn't understand why Luna had plans to change the Quibbler so much. She'd always loved to read the article's in her father's paper, so why she'd make so many modifications, he didn't know. "Don't you still care about proving that they're real?"

"Of course, but at some point you've got to stop wasting so much time and move on," Luna replied, sounding a bit sad. "I know they're real and when they're ready for everyone else to know, I'm sure they'll make an appearance. Until then, I've got to start focusing my attention on the issues that really matter. There are things going on in our world that need to be stopped, and people who are still running around free of punishment for their involvement with the Dark Lord and I plan on seeing to it that they get what they deserve. I'll not have my son growing up in a world where the criminals are allowed to roam freely." Neville had to admit, Luna was a changed witch. Not only did she look different, but she acted different, sounded different. Luna was no longer a young girl with childish ideas and concerns, but a woman, a mother, who had people she needed to look out for. And all of this was made obvious by her convictions.

"Speaking of Landon, how is he?" Neville asked, disentangling his fingers from hers and cupping her face in his hands, sweetly.

"He's wonderful," she replied, happily, glad that he'd changed the subject. "He's grown so much in the last three months, you'd hardly recognize him."

"You seem happy," Neville said, suddenly. The last time he'd seen her, Neville could see that something was weighing heavily on her and he was glad to know that, whatever it was, she'd been relieved of it.

"I am," Luna assured him. "I didn't think that being a mother would be so fulfilling, but Lanny just makes me so happy. No matter how upset I am, all I have to do is look at him and I'm just so... elated."

"Draco Malfoy?" he asked, sounding completely at a loss. Not once had Luna ever even hinted at wanting anything to do with that boy, so when he read the article that revealed Draco Malfoy was the father of Luna's son, he was floored. "Didn't see that one coming."

"Neither did I," she replied, staring at a random spot on the wall behind Neville. "He's not the same person he was before. Don't get me wrong, I certainly haven't forgiven him for the way he treated me all those years. But after what Snape did, he was so sweet and kind to me. And Landon adores him. Every time he sees his Daddy his pudgy little arms and leg's just start flailing. You should see it, it's so cute."

"I'd like to," Neville replied, genuinely wanting to see the baby again. "So, are you and Malfoy a thing? You did call him your husband a few minutes ago."

"No, we're not," Luna assured Neville, moving to peruse the many expensive hair combs in hopes of finding the perfect pair to wear with her new gown. "Things have been pretty complicated between us lately. He wants more, or at least he did, and I haven't been willing to go there." Luna intentionally omitted the part about her having slept with him; lying and telling herself that it wasn't an important detail. "But I'm pretty sure that he's gotten the message. If you want to see Landon, you're more than welcome to."

"How about his mother?" Neville asked, shyly. "Is it alright if I see his mother?"

"Of course, it's alright..." after processing it, Luna understood what he meant. "Neville Longbottom, are you asking me out?"

"Are you accepting?"

"If you're asking, than yes," Luna said, looking up at the much taller boy, a coy smile on her lips.

"Than I'm definitely asking."

"And I'm definitely accepting."

"Tuesday night, the Ministry is having some ball in recognition of His Holiness, Harry Potter's, bravery in facing the Dark Lord..."

"Again?"

"Again," he said, nodding. "Unfortunately, I can't get out of attending and I imagine that your company would only prove to make it much more enjoyable. Do you mind going with me?"

"I'd love to." Luna wrapped her arms around Neville's neck, excitedly. "I'll get Draco to watch Lanny."

"He won't mind?"

"No, Draco love's spending time with Landon. He'll probably be thrilled to have some alone time with his son."

"Alright then," Neville said, sounding excited. "I'll owl you your invitation so you know the details of the ball, but I'll pick you up at seven, okay?"

"Sound's wonderful," Luna agreed, kissing Neville on the cheek before he turned and gathered his purchases from the counter. "I'll see you Tuesday."

"See you Tuesday."

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Unfortunately, just as this one was, this weeks updates will be few and far between. I'm training a new employee at work and, being the sorry office manager that I am (what can I say, I'm twenty and have the attention span of a goldfish), that's where I tend to write most of this story. But I'm on vacation all next week so I'll be able to do a lot of writing then. Hope you like this chapters little twist.

Don't worry, Draco will have his retribution : )

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