Sooo I tried writing more from Luna's perspective for this chapter, at least for some parts, but not sure how successful it was ^^
I'll definitely keep working on that. Let me know what you thought!
"... And remember your essays are due in on Monday!" Professor McGonagall called after her class, which had already stopped listening and packing up their things. Luna was still calmly putting away her books and quill by the time the classroom had been deserted. Once all her belongings had been carefully placed into her bag, she scanned her table, the floor and chair she'd been sat on, before peeking at the underneath of the table. "Have you lost something, Miss Lovegood?" Her professor peered over the rims of her glasses at her rather lost looking pupil expectantly.
"No, no I don't think so." Luna perked up, her head still underneath the table. McGonagall raised her eyebrows, waiting for an elaboration, but Luna simply stood upright, glanced into her bag once more before slinging it onto her shoulder and casually skipped out of the classroom, causing the old woman to shake her head before returning her attention to the stack of unmarked homework before her.
"Luna!" At the call of her name she turned around, to find Ginny weaving her way through the overcrowded corridor. She smiled at her red-haired friend, picking a small, burgundy leaf out of her hair and inspecting it. "Hello Ginny, did you just have Herbology? Or was it a rather exciting Potions class?" She paused. "Would you still be needing this?" She indicated the leaf. "I'd quite like to make something from it, if you don't mind of course." She asked, finally looking up at her request.
"Umm, hi to you too Luna" Ginny laughed. "It was Herbology, but some of the boys decided it would be dead funny to make the storage cupboard explode its contents across the entire greenhouse." She rolled her eyes and huffed. "So anyway, I have to meet Harry before dinner; he says he's got something for me, a present." The pitch of her voice slightly increasing with contained excitement. She gave her friend a quick squeeze. "Oh, so I'll see you at dinner?"
"No I'm afraid not; I've heard its cauldron cakes for pudding today." Luna replied.
Ginny stared at her quizzically. "But I thought you love Cauldron Cakes?"
"Well on an ordinary day I would, but I promised I'd help -"
"Look Luna, I'm really sorry but I have to go or I'll be late. Talk to you later!" Ginny waved over her shoulder as she headed back up the direction she came from, to which Luna raised her dainty hand a wiggled the tips of her fingers, paused for a minute and skipped off in the opposite direction.
Arriving at the tall, slim door opening into the Trophy room, Draco picked up his bag that he'd, been dragging across the grubby stone floor and dropped in onto his shoulder, before reluctantly raising his arm to knock on the hollow sounding wood. When the door creaked slightly as it edged a few inches into the room, he peered past the small gap and laid his flat palm against the door to open it. He stepped into the room, suddenly overwhelmed by the glimmer and shine in the room, caused by the reflections of the candles flames on the trophies.
He couldn't remember the last time he'd been in here. Then he recalled: Second year, just as he'd made the Slytherin Quidditch team.
"Mark my words Flint; I'm going to get the most profound trophy placed into this room for being the best Seeker Hogwarts has ever seen!" He'd sneered at his captain.
Now he could only shake his head at his arrogance. What a naïve, sheltered and pampered brat he'd been.
Suddenly there was a shadow of movement out of the corner of his eye, provoking Draco to instinctively pull out his wand and point it in the direction of what had started him.
"Luna? What are you doing here?" He released the breath he'd held and lowered his wand, before furrowing his brow into a frown.
"Hello Draco. I'm actua-"
At that moment Madam Hooch swooped in, her robe floating behind her until she came to an abrupt halt.
"Good to see you're punctual Mr. Malfoy. I also see you've already met your assistant and supervisor?" She nodded in Luna's direction.
"My wh-"
"Is there a problem, Mr. Malfoy?" Her stare pierced his argument until the air left his lungs. There was a short but very tense pause between the two.
"Not at all, professor." He finally replied.
"Good. Miss Lovegood will supply you with polish and cloth, and she will report to me whether your work was efficient." Draco almost protested again, but shut his mouth again. Well duh, like I'm going to be allowed to use magic in detention.
"If it is not, another night will be added to your detention. Understood?" As he silently nodded, she signalled to Luna once more before swooping out of the dim room the same way she had swept in, the door shutting loudly behind her as she waved her wand.
Draco let out an agitated groan as he piled his bag into a corner of the room that wasn't occupied by extravagant crystal and glass display shelves and let his robe slide off his shoulders.
"Go on then, bring them over then." He glanced over his shoulder at Luna as he rolled up his shirt sleeves and loosened his tie. This was going to be a painfully tedious night.
He flinched back as Luna was suddenly standing in front of him, frighteningly close when he considered she was on the other side of the room just seconds ago. Her arms were outstretched, a bottle of foul smelling polish in one hand, a stained rag in the other.
"Here you are Draco. Would you like some gloves with that? The smell of the polish can linger awfully long under your fingernails. Personally I don't mind all that much, but others find it rather unpleasant. It reminds me of my great aunt's perfume. She was a lovely woman." Luna blinked as she looked back at Draco, who returned her stare nonplussed.
"No thanks." He muttered. The thought of reeking hands wasn't something that particularly struck his interest, however he wasn't about to be seen wearing some dainty - if covered in smears - pair of gloves, by anyone. He took the objects out of Luna's hands and turned on the spot, indecisive about where to begin.
"How about we start ... there." She pointed to the bottom of a shelf in the left hand corner, holding a variety of fairly small, aged looking trophies. Draco shrugged as she flourished her wand to unlock the seals and lowered herself to the ground, kneeling before the self and delicately taking out the first trophy. Hesitantly, he followed suit, crossing his legs and poured an ample amount of the clear but poignant odoured liquid onto the cloth. He put the bottle down and also up a brass trophy; at first observing Luna dowsing her rag and then beginning to polish, then slowly with constant sideward's glances, mimicking her actions.
Several minutes passed in silence, the two of them engrossed in their duty.
"I hope you don't mind my asking," The sudden sound of Luna's voice in the quiet made Draco jump.
"But why are you here?" She looked at him, continuing the circular motions on the silver in her hand. "I'm simply curious as to what you've done to be here in detention with Madam Hooch. Was it something to do with Quidditch, perhaps?" Her always surprised gaze rested on his face. Draco didn't look up from his rag, concentrating on only polishing the metal as opposed to his hands; he considered how to respond, sighed.
"Nothing much, I was out of bed after hours and crossed her on my way back to the common room." He finally confessed as he placed the trophy back into the shelf and picking up another one.
"Hmm. A week's detention seems a little extreme just for that, don't you think?" Luna said after a short pause. Draco snorted with contempt.
As if I don't know that. I wouldn't be here at all if it was up to me, funny enough.
She shrugged.
"May I ask what you were doing out of bed? ... Never mind, that was intrusive of me." Luna looked away, realising her tongue had been quicker than her thoughts once again.
Draco took her word for it and didn't answer, yet again plunging them into a long round of silence.
After at least an hour, he began getting restless, his feet tingling with lack of movement. He shifted uncomfortably on the cold hard floor, his mouth opening and closing, unsure whether to break the silence.
"What about you?" He dared. Luna looked up at him, waiting. "What are you doing here? I mean ... I doubt you've also got yourself into detention as well, being my ..." He frowned, waving his rag. "... supervisor, and all?"
She giggled; a quiet, melodic chime.
"No, I don't have detention. I asked if I could do this." She smiled at him, as if it were obvious. "You see the polish we're using?" She said as he didn't respond. "I brewed it myself. It's made with Unicorn urine. It has incredible qualities to create shine on metallic objects." She glowed with pride.
"I'm sorry it's made from ... what?" He screwed up his nose in disgust. It all makes sense now, he thought as he held the rag between his thumb and forefinger. No wonder this reeks.
"I don't mean to offend you, Luna, but what the hell possessed you to try and brew a metal polish, with urine; of any kind? That's just vile!" Draco said puzzled.
"Well it was Professor Slughorn's idea; he knows all these fascinating little things we never get taught during potions. He mentioned it when I noticed how my cauldron began to shine beautifully after some experimenting with it. So I thought I could put my discovery to good use, doing this. Have you not noticed how the trophies we've polished are gleaming so much more than before?" She held out a dented bronze goblet, and Draco confessed he could see his distorted reflection impeccably, raising his eyebrows and nodding in approval.
Luna's face lit up even more as she saw his approval, grateful an outsider -almost- understood the method behind some of her madness. As Draco put the dented bronze back into the back row of the shelf, he reached for another rather dull looking one. Luna did the same, neither of them paying attention that they were both reaching for the same object, and their fingertips grazed slightly.
The moment lasted less than a split second; Draco drew back his hand instantly, the invisible spark between them charging furiously through his body, re-awakening pain he'd long fought to bury.
"Draco, are you alright? You're looking a little peaky to me." Luna's hand hovered where it had stopped, her gaze fixed with a worried expression on his face. It wore a shell-shocked expression, tiny pearls of sweat forming on his brow. She reached out her hand and laid it over his, but he drew it back even more frantically than before, stumbling to his feet. He froze for a moment, before charging out of the door on unsteady feet, leaving a perplexed Luna staring dumbfounded at the shrinking figure running down the empty corridor.
Wonder what freaked Malfoy out so much? ;)
Keep reading Potterheads! xx