A/N: I hope you enjoy this chapter and please follow/review if you do. I know it's annoying always asking to review but it's the only way that I know people like it and how to improve. :) Thank you to anyone who has so far and I love you to pieces!

Chapter 4

"There you are Harry!" Luna smiled, approaching Harry, Ron and Hermione across the bustling courtyard at the entrance to Hogwarts. It was a warm Sunday autumn morning and fiery orange leaves were beginning to wrench themselves from the gnarled tree branches that had held them captive for so long, and twirl leisurely towards the ground like emancipated ballerinas. "Do you mind if I speak to you in private?"

Harry looked at Hermione and Ron, who nodded before looking rather embarrassed they were to stand alone together whilst he was talking to Luna. Of course they had a deluge of things to talk about after being best friends for 5 years, but this year things seemed a little awkward between them; and Luna had a strong feeling she knew why.

Harry and Luna paced a little away from the pair and Luna immediately launched into the proposition that had sparked into her mind the evening before. "I assume you know the Malfoy family are rather close to You-Know-Who." She began, and Harry nodded slowly, a look of bewilderment brushing over his face. "Well, Draco has told me he was given a task by Voldemort, and he wants to help you stop him. He seems really distraught over the whole situation and…"

"You're saying Malfoy wants to help me, but he's working for Voldemort. That's likely isn't it Luna?" Harry spoke, more harshly than he had intended, his expression souring as if he'd just sucked on a lemon. "I can believe he's a death eater, but him wanting to stop Voldemort is ridiculous. I'm sorry Luna."
"What about Snape? He was a death eater, but he turned things around." Luna carried on, oblivious to Harry's disbelief.
"I've never really trusted Snape anyway. You can tell he's elated about being made Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher, so he can have fun with all his dark spells."
"Do you not trust me Harry? Just talk to Draco." She said. Harry's expression softened at that.

"Of course I trust you Luna. It's just I think Malfoy's been feeding you a pack of lies. Why were you talking to him anyway?" He sighed.

"Oh, he seemed rather upset and I wanted to help him." Luna said.

"Of course, Luna Lovegood, helping everyone including Draco bloody Malfoy!" Harry laughed and shook his head, he paused for a moment, his mind a tornado of ideas and thoughts. "Okay; how about me, Ron and Hermione will meet him at midnight on Halloween in the house elves' kitchen. Everyone will be exhausted after the Halloween feast."
"Thankyou Harry!" Luna grinned, hugging him tightly. She skipped towards the Great Hall where lunch was almost ready.

Much the same as the past month, Draco could barely eat. Today's meal was steaming tomato soup; it just reminded him of blood, which was certainly not the best thought whilst eating. He thought about how psychotic he must be to think of blood at the sight of anything red as he took a wary sip of the hot liquid and burnt his tongue. "Shit!" He yelped, gathering some shocked looks from some first years and a disapproving glare from a Gryffindor prefect a couple of tables away.

"Draco I have some great news!" He heard Luna calling as she skipped towards him, but he barely registered it. It felt like someone had just started a bonfire on the tip of his tongue. He lunged towards his glass of water, spilling it all down the front of his robes it in his haste to drink it down. He heard some childish giggling nearby and turned to face the girl. It was a Ravenclaw first year. "What do you want, hobbit?" He muttered before inwardly castigating himself. "I love you, Madeline the hobbit." He murmured, reaching towards the girl.
"Woah, Draco. You may not have my stunning good looks but you don't have to stoop to the level of Crabbe, flirting with first years." Blaise called over his shoulder, grabbing his arm.

"Get off me pumpkin! I love her!" Draco shouted.

"Did you just call me pumpkin?" Blaise said, amused but slightly worried. Draco meanwhile, looked as if he were about to fall over. Luna, forgetting her news, ran to his aid and grabbed his arm. "Blaise, he's been put under a powerful love potion, grab his other arm. We'd better take him to Professor Slughorn."

"Are you Madeline? I love her; love is a beautiful thing isn't it!" Draco beamed serenely.
"Madeline?!" Luna exclaimed, swivelling round and glaring at a grinning Madeline. Perhaps it was more of a wary look; Luna wasn't the type of person to glare. "Excuse me for a second." She said, detaching herself from Draco.

"Madeline, what is wrong with you! Are you out of your mind?" She said sonorously. Tears immediately sprung to Madeline's eyes, and her lip began to quiver. Luna didn't want to be annoyed; she hated the feeling of anger coursing through her veins. She didn't even understand why it was affecting her so much; she supposed that after seeing Draco's vulnerability she didn't want things like this happening to him.
"I was just trying to have a joke." Madeline murmured.

"Look, I don't usually get angry, but it is very inappropriate to play jokes like that on an older student. Now kindly pass me the potion you used on him." Madeline passed her a fuchsia, heart shaped bottle, not looking her in the eye. Luna held it in her slender fingers and smiled.

"Weasley's Wizard Wheezes eh?" She grinned, remembering the twin's hilarious escapades and their mirthful revenge on Dolores Umbridge in the form of iridescent fireworks that exploded into the sky and around the school like millions of bright fireflies. She didn't want Madeline to feel too bad, she knew what it was like to be alone and she didn't want the same to happen to the little first year. Rushing over to Draco and Blaise, she waved to Madeline, who smiled but kept her head down as she made her way back to her lunch.

As the trio traipsed through the corridors towards Slughorn's office Draco attempted to stroke some disturbed seventh years who looked ready to hex him, and constantly put his hand through Nearly-Headless Nick's head for about two minutes before Blaise and Luna could pull him away. He also hugged a glistening metallic suit of armour, which shined as if it has hundreds of tiny diamonds sleeping on its surface, that ambled away fleetingly; leaving Draco looking wistfully back it whispering "Daddy come back."

"Love potions fuck you up, don't they?" Said Blaise, shaking his head.

"I agree, it's worse than Wrackspurts." Luna said. Blaise rolled his eyes, thinking that he should have expected this behaviour from the erratic girl, who often had an expression as remote as a distant galaxy, with all the twinkling of the stars.

"What are you even doing here Loony?"

"Do you want me to leave you to handle this on your own?"

At one point Draco almost burst into tears in his whining for Madeline, almost.

"A love potion is it? I expect one of the Weasley's nonsensical products. My goodness, a month and a half into the school year and I've already had a myriad of drugged up students proclaiming their undying love for various girls." Professor Slughorn chuckled jovially, his colossal stomach bouncing up and down as if there were a melee of children inside it using it is a bouncy castle. Luna wouldn't put it past him to mistake a small child for a large cake.

Draco was placidly stroking Blaise's arm and muttering obliviously about how he loved the colour green, and how it reminded him of turtles.

"Zabini, would you mind getting the antidote to this love potion out of the cupboard for me? It's quite clearly labelled, I've had to stock up, can you believe it! Looking forward to the next Slug Club meeting are we?" Slughorn chortled, launching into a mass of questions that Blaise didn't have time to answer.

"You know what I like about you Luna?" Draco said softly, clutching her arm still in his dreamlike state. Luna shook her head and a smile twitched at the corner of her mouth, at the sight of the usually mysterious and taciturn Draco Malfoy looking around him dreamily. She recognized the calm expression on his face from her own usual serene appearance, it were as if he were a puppet being controlled by the same puppeteer that she was. "I like that you never care what anyone thinks about you. I like that even through the terrifying situation that has taken hold of the Wizarding world, you make time for the things that interest you. I like that appear a little loony but you still have a strong personality and interesting thoughts. And the thing I like the best is that you care about people when no-one else does." He spouted the words from his mouth without realising, and then acted like he'd never said anything and began licking the back of his hand like a cat. "Where's Madeline?" He asked.

Slughorn lumbered towards them with the antidote in his hand, next to a bemused looking Blaise who wasn't very fond of being perpetually talked at. "Why thankyou! I am thirsty!" Said Draco, taking the glass from Slughorn's outstretched hand. He gulped down the mixture and his glassy-eyed expression immediately moulded into one of shock.

"What am I doing in here?"
"You were given a powerful love potion by an overexcited first year. You tried to grab hold of her but me and Lovegood dragged you away from pouncing on her!" Blaise tried not to laugh, but failed. Draco scowled but muttered, "Well thanks, I guess."
"Are you coming back to the Slytherin common room? I need a rest after Slughorn questioning me about my mother!" Blaise asked as the three left Slughorn's office.

"In a second, I just need to ask about my potions homework." Draco said.
"Ok, I'll see you later." Blaise sauntered off and as soon as he turned the corner, Draco turned to Luna.

"Have you talked to Harry yet?" He said nervously.
"Yes, he said he'll talk to you at Midnight on Halloween in the house elves' kitchen." Luna said calmly.
"I don't know where the house elves' kitchen is!" Draco exclaimed, looking more anxious by the second.
"Don't worry, I can show you." She said. An adorable house elf named Winky had taken her down to the kitchens once when she was thirsty in the middle of night, so she knew what to do.

"I didn't realise you'd be coming."

"Do you not want me to?"
"You can if you want. I don't really care." Draco lied, although admittedly he would feel a lot more comfortable if she was beside him.
"I think I'll come anyway." Luna said and began to walk away.

As she strode away, Draco noticed she was only wearing one shoe, and couldn't help but laugh.

It was the night of Halloween and the feast had just ended. Slytherins were lounged on the leather couches that were strewn around the common room, and some of the students who had gotten hold of Firewhisky were rolling around on the frayed green rug that had supposedly adorned the stone floors for centuries. Draco anxiously anticipated his meeting with Potter, Weasley and Granger; he knew how hard it would be for them to believe him, let alone help him. He knew he shouldn't be worried because everything he was to say was going to be the truth, but his heart was beating so violently that it felt like someone was repeatedly banging it with a hammer. It was bad enough that Pansy kept attempting to pounce on him when he really was not in the mood. He sensed she wasn't satisfied with him just kissing her because she'd been pestering him for forty five minutes.

At half past eleven he crept out the Slytherin dungeon to meet Luna outside the door of the Great Hall; she was stood there looking a little drowsy, tracing the carved curlicues in the capacious oak doors with her forefinger. When she saw him she smiled and greeted him, her cloud of flaxen blonde hair flowing behind her as she bounded towards him. She grabbed his wrist gently and they strolled through the dimly lit corridors, blazing pumpkins leering down at them. Luna stopped at a painting of some fruit, down the corridor leading to the Hufflepuff basement, and Draco raised an eyebrow uncertainly. "Do you want to tickle the pear or shall I?" Luna queried, a smile playing on her lips.

"You can." Draco answered, curious as to what would happen. Luna stood on her tiptoes and tickled the pear, and it transformed into a viridian coloured doorknob. The duo stepped through the door, Draco more trepidly than Luna, and were greeted by a mass of hyperactive house elves. "So many visitors tonight!" One of them squeaked, shoving a meringue pie into Draco's face. Another thrust an éclair into Luna's hand, squirting thick cream into his own face. "Hey!" A familiar voice called, and all the house elves immediately froze. "Sorry about that." Harry said, offering them a smile.

"Do you want a drink, Draco?" Ron asked a little suspiciously, pulling up a couple of chairs for Luna and Draco.

"Ask Luna if she'd like one as well!" Hermione muttered.
"Don't worry, I wouldn't like one." Luna said.

"Erm, okay." Draco nodded. Ron quickly thrust a glass of water towards him, as well as about ten house elves.
"Shoo!" Ron growled, flinging half of them across the room.

"Ron!" Hermione exclaimed. Ron muttered an apology and Harry began to talk.

"So you want to help us?" Harry asked, raising an eyebrow, scepticism palpable on his face.
"Luna's told us, but she's pretty gullible. We want to hear from you, and decide for ourselves." Ron said, and Draco was sure he heard him mutter something about him that involved some words that he most certainly wouldn't want to say in front of Professor McGonagall.
"Ron you are so rude!" Hermione said, taking Ron's arm and dragging him from the room.

"Why is that you want to help us then?" Harry asked.

"Voldemort has given me a seemingly impossible task that I really don't want to fulfil, but he'll kill me and my family if I don't. So I thought, rather than rejecting his proposition, I would attempt to work against him instead. As a spy almost; for you. And I also figured; if you are the chosen one who is to defeat the dark lord, you'd be the best person to come to." Between each sentence, Draco paused for a long time.

"Fine." Harry said simply.

"That's it? You're just going to believe me?" Draco said, taken aback.

"One question. Why did you hate me so much?"

"I was jealous. I was told I was going to be popular and everyone would want to be my friend, but Harry Potter, the boy who lived, rejected my friendship and from that moment everyone but my fellow Slytherins liked me. I'd grown up being told my blood purity would get me anything, but it lost me the thing I really wanted. True friendship." Draco said, and once he'd finished he clamped his hand over his mouth, his cheeks turning crimson. "I didn't mean…"
"Yes you did. Hermione put veritaserum in your pumpkin juice. We thought it would be easier that working out if you were lying or not." Harry said. Draco reached for his wand, tiny sparks of rage exploding in his mind, but instantly thought better of it. He needed Potter's trust.

"People seem to have found slipping potions into my water very enjoyable this term." Draco joked. To his surprise, Harry chuckled; Luna must have told him what had happened with Madeline.

"I have an idea!" Luna exclaimed. "You could set up Dumbledore's army again and Draco could teach people about the Dark Arts we'll be facing and how to defend ourselves from it! Snape will only be teaching us what is required for our exams but Draco could seriously prepare us for what's out there."
"I'm not a teacher." Draco muttered.

"Perhaps you could teach me or Luna then, and we could pass on the information to the rest of the DA?" Harry suggested.
"I guess that could work, I'll try it I suppose." Draco said, attempting to sound indifferent even though he was smiling inwardly. Although it hadn't been his intention, Draco couldn't help but be pleased that he could be on the path to a real friendship, he just wasn't sure who with.