Author's Note: Thankyou to all my reviewers. Hope you enjoy this chappie :D
Chapter 12: Draco's World
Draco Malfoy was shocked to hear those words from her lips to say the very least. She said those words so freely, so genuinely. It touched his core and his heart ached at what he had to do, but he knew what it would lead to. Had she seriously lost her mind? Did she forget the consequence of being with him? He was standing now, penetrating her with his grey eyes.
Luna looked into his eyes when he asked those words. She wasn't a Gryffindor, but she couldn't deny what she felt. "I said I appreciate what you have done for me, and I am falling for you," she whispered softly, again.
There were a million emotions that went through his mind when he heard the words again. There was no hesitation in her words. Her eyes held something so pure that he had to turn away. He wanted to shake her at the freeness she showed in her words, wanted to hug her close for not being afraid of him knowing the truth about him, but most of all he wanted to save her from his fate.
He put on the Malfoy mask back on and glared at her icily. "You have no idea what you are talking about Lovegood. You think you know me? Do you really think you know who I am?" he asked coldly.
He felt irritated when she didn't answer but kept looking at him with the same expression in her eyes. "Didn't you hear me Lovegood?"
"I did. But I think it's not fair to ask me a question that you don't yet know the answer to yourself, do you?" she asked, looking at him with the calm expression that made him feel conscious.
But he wasn't brought up a Malfoy for nothing. He wanted to insert fear in her. Fear of his true character. He wanted her to know he was not safe, that he didn't trust himself.
"This is not the time for RIDDLES Lovegood. Let me answer my question for you then. You do not know me. The person you have met is not who I am. I thought you were clever. How can you fall for a person you do not know?" he asked harshly.
She was standing as well by now, though her small figure only reached a little below his chin. She crossed her arms while she studied him thoroughly. He didn't like when she did that, it tended to break every wall he had built. "Show me then, I want to know," she said quietly.
He barked a laugh at her words. So she thought it was easy did she? Well he would show her his world. "Fine," he said, and then grabbed her hand and apparated to his apartment.
She grabbed his hand tightly to balance herself when they got there.
"Don't ever do that without warning me again Draco, tickly chucks could have separated my limbs. I always make a request to them before I apparate," she said with a serious face.
Draco looked at her with an incredulous look on his face. How could she think of stuff like that in a time like this? He thought. He couldn't help it, he chuckled softly at her words.
" I will do that next time," he said softly, his amusement coming back to his eyes for a second. She smiled at him, giggling softly.
"I am really not that bad Draco, but I really don't want to get splinched."
"I would never let that happen," Draco said, then looked down as though he had said too much with those words. "Stay right here, I will be right back," he said, walking down the hallway inside what she expected to be the kitchen, from the cupboards that she could see from where she was standing in the front of the living room.
She simply looked at him nodded her thanks. Her eyes wondered around. It was meticulously clean for a guy's apartment, she thought, following by mentally berating herself for distinguishing cleanliness with gender. If girl's were truely associated with keeping things tidy she didn't know where she fit in. She smiled to herself.
It was decorated quite tastefully. There was rich hardwood floor, with pale beige walls. He didn't have too many furniture, but it was enough for a guy living alone. She leaned in to feel the softness of the velvety looking black couch in front of her. She smiled. It was as soft as she expected it. She felt his eyes on her from her back, before she heard him clear his throat to get her attention.
He was still wearing his work attire, but he had opened his tie. His eyes had a brighter tinge to it, it was more blue than grey at the moment. "Do have a seat this will take some time," he finally said, gesturing her to sit on the couch she had just felt. She knew he wouldn't ask her of the opinion of what she thought of his place now.
"You have a very nice home Draco," she complimented anyway.
"Thanks," he said sitting on another couch in front of her. "Look Luna, I am sorry to have lost my temper back there, but you don't know the serious consequences of the words you have told me and have decided to believe," he started.
Luna nodded giving him a small smile in acceptance of his apology before asking him to continue.
"Do you know how I usually satisfy my hunger Luna?" he continued.
"I am guessing it's not with the peanut and jelly sandwiches you made," she replied, trying to lighten the atmosphere.
He glared at her before answering. " I get blood supplied from donors. I need to drink it every fortnight, so I can avoid killing an innocent and then killing myself in the process," he said in an emotionless tone.
Luna looked at him, she wanted to hug him, but she knew he had plenty more to say so she kept quiet. He continued after, a quiet reflection.
" I get up at four in the morning every day to cast glamour charms on me. My body, my face, my hands my feet, everything is covered with blood. It's always bleeding, especially my eyes. I am sure you researched that. It's true you know," he said without looking at her continuing in a monotonous tone.
"I have to reapply the charms on my face every hour. My first year a person died just looking at me by accident. It was just after I had buried my mother. I was standing there by her grave and had forgotten to put my hood up, when the man had passed. It was worse than the killing curse. I still remember how his lips curled in horror after noticing my face, and fear replaced disgust, he was dead within three seconds. I stood there for ten hours that day, just looking at my mother's grave, trying to understand the fate she left for me. I had no one," he said pausing, he remembered it like yesterday. He sighed and continued again,
" But Severus Snape found me after a few days, and he told me to hide in the muggle world till the war ends. He told me of potions and glamour charms that would help me survive. He was the only one I know till today, who wasn't afraid of looking at me. Of touching me without fear. He wasn't an innocent you know, I could have killed him without any consequences. He was and still is the bravest person I knew," he said, his voice cracking at the last word, looking up expecting to see Luna, but she wasn't sitting in front of him anymore.
He felt her kneeling her head on his knees, sitting on the floor. " You can cry Draco," she said softly looking up at his face, and cupping his cheeks with her hands.
Draco Malfoy was no virgin. He had his fair share of girls in his time at Hogwarts, but this gesture was somehow more intimate than any he ever encountered. Those words broke everything that he had held inside him for the past seven years. He pulled her up to him, and she gathered him in her arms rocking him gently as all broke loose and tears began to fall.
His glamour charm had begun to fade, as he buried his face in the crook of her neck. Tears of blood began to fall on her shoulders, he howled loudly, almost in an animalist way as he began to undergo a full transformation in her arms.
She held on tightly not letting him go. His clothes ripped apart, and soon it was just him with his disfigured body in her arms. Her soft words of comfort slowly calmed him down, but as though suddenly realizing what had gone through he jerked away. Turning his face away from her.
He felt her grab his arm and tugging it. "Draco, Please Look at me," she said softly.
He turned slowly. He gasped to see her sweater filled with his own blood, how could he do that to her? His eyes slowly travelled up to her face. There were tears rolling down her eyes as well. She was crying with him.
"I love you Draco Malfoy, and I could never be ashamed or fearful of a man who is so wonderful," she said looking straight into his bleeding eyes.
Those were the words he needed to hear in his vemon state. He couldn't stop it anymore. Now she would be his.
K Please Review- Next Chap Together