Chapter 7

There is a bit of AU in this chapter to do with timings as I've just realised some of the events in this chapter happen halfway through October. I doubt it will affect the story though!

Luna walked into the Great Hall to a chorus of gasps. Although the cut on her neck was a shallow one, the river of garnet that streamed across her neck stood out discordantly against her pale skin. She waded through the crowd of staring faces, barely noticing their wide eyes, their mouths open gormlessly in shock; she was used to being stared at after all. She saw Dumbledore frown slightly, his face creased like a used bed sheet, and his eyes alight with curiosity and concern. She also noticed Draco looking at her, and she smiled to herself. She liked the idea of him being concerned about her, but she wasn't entirely sure why. When she looked into his once steely grey eyes she felt like she was going to melt sublimely. She inwardly hoped it had been her friendship that had turned those cold eyes, into warm, twinkling ones. But then she remembered him telling her that they weren't friends and that hope was diminished, like an anticipative spark of fire rising up just to be eradicated by water. She seated herself amid the chattering Ravenclaw students and began to pour herself some cereal. Padma leaned across the table, "What on Earth happened Luna? When I went to sleep you still weren't in the common room, and now you've got a massive cut along your neck." She gasped.

"It's not that big." Luna said, picking up a glimmering spoon. Padma seemed to realise she wasn't going to get an answer and went back to her food. Luna looked around and noticed the people staring at her and whispering to their friends. For once she felt uncomfortable with everyone looking at her, because she knew it was with consternation and horror rather than confusion at her eccentricity.

"How are you?" Ginny said as she walked up behind Luna, Arnold the pygmy puff perched blissfully on her shoulder. Luna could again feel a piercing gaze burning into her back and turned around, seeing Harry looking in their direction. But he wasn't looking at her; he was looking straight at Ginny, oblivious to Ron and Hermione arguing on the other side of the table, a fleck of happiness on the hostility around him. Ginny, however, hadn't noticed and Luna remembered the question she was yet to answer.
"I don't like all these people staring at me, it feels like it's all for the wrong reasons." Luna admitted then added, "And I'm tired." She had barely gotten any sleep the night before, not only because they had gotten back late but also she had had nightmares; still hearing Greyback's snarls in her ears, feeling hot blood dripping down her throat. In the morning she had barely been able to open her eyes, feeling as if her eyelids had been sewn together.

"Me too, I could barely sleep. Do you want to go to charms?"

Luna nodded, and as they walked from the capacious Great Hall together, she could still feel hundreds of staring eyes like lasers piercing her back.

"You seem different somehow." Ginny mused as they made their way through the quiescent corridors.
"Really?" Luna pondered. Admittedly she felt different, she was beginning to think less of the selcouth ideas her father had told her, and was thinking more about what was going on around her.

"Yeah, it just seems like you're more attentive to everything that's going on around you. Maybe it's just me."
So Ginny had noticed exactly what Luna had been thinking.

"Is it a good thing?"
"Yes, I think it is."

"Do you think maybe it's because I'm," Luna had been about to say friends but she wasn't sure how to describe her relationship with Draco. "around Draco a lot more?" She looked curiously at Ginny, her eyes wide. She figured Ginny knew a lot about boys. "He seems to pull me back into the real world when I'm lost in my head." She added.

"Perhaps. I think you enjoy being around each other." Ginny said, her eyes twinkling.
"Oh, I don't think so. He said we're not friends."

"Is that so?" Ginny smiled slyly and looked Luna straight in the eyes, Luna felt that Ginny's gaze created an entrance into her own mind, and that she was reading all her thoughts. The redhead shrugged, some of her bright hair falling gracefully off of her shoulder as if fire had been made into elegant, soft strands. "Maybe I was wrong." She said, although the expression on her face suggested she didn't believe in her being erracious one bit.

As soon as Luna had taken her seat next to Ginny in the familiar Charms classroom, Professor Flitwick tottered towards them. "My goodness Miss Lovegood! Where did you get that cut?" He squeaked.

"Please not you too, Professor, everyone's been staring at me and it's really making me uncomfortable." Luna said.

"I wouldn't think that from you, Miss Lovegood. I always thought you weren't aware of such attention. You must expect me to worry, I am your Head of House, after all."
"I suppose. Well, I was trying out a spell I'd read about, but it backfired. It really isn't as bad as it looks, though."
"I understand what it is like to be curious, being a Ravenclaw myself of course, but you mustn't try out such dangerous spells on your own! Next time it could be much worse, make sure to ask a teacher to help you so you don't get seriously injured. I expect you may be too old for it now, but would you like me to get out the cupcakes, to cheer you up?"
"Oh, I'll never be too old for the cupcakes, professor!" Luna grinned.

"The cupcakes?" Ginny whispered, an eyebrow raised, as Flitwick walked towards his desk.

"You'll see." Luna replied. Flitwick came back over, clutching a tin in his fingers. He wove his way through the students that were rapidly filling up the classroom towards their desk. He opened the tin and with a flick of his wand, the cupcakes within jumped out, as if scolded by fire and trying to get away. With another swish, they sprouted arms and legs and began to dance rhythmically. Soon they were jigging rapidly and capturing the attention of the other students in the room, who had begun to crane their necks to get a look at the effulgently coloured cakes dancing on the table. Luna and Ginny started laughing, and soon enough they couldn't stop; the sight was just so bizarre. The Ravenclaws nodded knowingly but the Gryffindors were laughing and trying desperately to get a good look. "I wish McGonagall would do stuff like this for us!" Ginny grinned.
"Perhaps I should begin with the lesson." Flitwick smiled, looking around at the full classroom. Ginny and Luna groaned with disappointment as the arms and legs of the cupcakes disappeared and they became lifeless once again. "By the way, what spell was it you used, Luna? I wouldn't call myself an expert in spells of that sort."
Luna's heart momentarily stopped. What could she say to that?!
"Could I eat one of the cupcakes, Professor?" Ginny interrupted. Flitwick nodded, much to the annoyance of the rest of the class.
"Simmer down, students! Maybe if you came to the lesson early you'd get some cupcakes! Although I'm not making any promises." He squeaked. "Now let's begin with the lesson."

Luna looked at Ginny gratefully, who mouthed; 'You're welcome.'

Draco sat wearily at the Slytherin table for breakfast and his eyelids were indignantly refusing to part. Fatigue was running through his blood, and also worry that some of his dorm mates had noticed his absence the previous night. A yawn forced open his mouth in a languid imitation of a beast's ferocious roar. "Feeling tired?" Crabbe grinned, signalling with his head towards Pansy suggestively. Draco almost vomited all over him right there. "Yes, although not for the nauseating reasons you're probably imagining."

Goyle sniggered.

Suddenly a breeze of quietude swept through the hall, gathering up words carelessly like crinkled leaves in the wind. Draco looked up and saw Luna wander into the room, the heart-wrenching cut clearly visible along her neck. He remembered the shudder of fear and anger that had gone through him as he saw her still figure on the ground, seconds from death. He knew that only complete longing to hurt someone could enable someone of his age and ability to perform and unforgivable curse so powerful, and he knew that the idea of Luna getting hurt because of him made him feel that. All through the previous night he had been haunted with ideas of what he would do if Fenrir's objective had been fulfilled, and it made him feel sick. He had been surprised by her strength, the fact that she hadn't cried out, or sobbed uncontrollably, or screamed. She had simply lay there and waited, probably thinking of a move she could take to impede the abhorrent fate that was about to befall her. Draco wanted to get up and talk to her right then but he knew he couldn't. He wanted to just hug her tightly like he had when they had landed in the Room of Hidden Things. But he couldn't, and that made him feel like his internal organs had ceased to work.

The next day was Saturday, and it held in its frosty fist a well anticipated trip to Hogsmeade. Just as Draco was about to set off with Blaise, Crabbe, Goyle and Pansy, he saw Luna ambling towards him. He detached himself from the emerald-clad group and made his way over to her, his heart racing. "Won't your companions mind that you're talking to one of Harry's friends?" She murmured. Draco thought that they probably would, but for the first time didn't care. He wondered what this blonde haired Ravenclaw was doing to him.

"They'll listen to whatever I say, don't worry." He replied grinning.

"That's useful. I was just wondering if you wanted to come into Hogsmeade with Harry, Hermione, Ron, Neville and myself?"
"Ok." Draco said immediately, not thinking of the consequences.
"Good, perhaps you should inform your friends and then join us." Luna said, and skipped away.

Luna found herself beaming as she joined the other four. "You seem very happy about something." Neville commented. She just nodded, hardly believing Draco had agreed to come with them! She still didn't understand why she was so excited about this but she liked the feeling.

"I'm going into Hogsmeade with Potter and his friends." Draco stated, hoping his own companions would just accept this, even though he knew they wouldn't.

"What?" Pansy spat. "Is this a joke?" Draco shook his head, wincing slightly at the harsh timbre resonating in her voice.
"Since when have you been friends with Potter, his ginger blood traitor best mate and mudblood girlfriend? Not to mention Longbottom whose brain is probably made of hippogriff droppings and Loony Lovegood who should be locked in St Mungo's for the rest of her life." Blaise snarled sadistically. Draco had a sudden urge to hit him in the face, longing for the noise like a ferocious drum emanating from the blow. Then he thought of the perfect explanation.

"You know I'm a death eater. You know Voldemort hates Harry Potter, add it up Zabini." Draco muttered back.

"You dare to use The Dark Lord's name?" He growled.

"Yes I do. I don't know why I hang around with idiots like you anyway. Piss off." Draco felt intense rancour surging through him hotly. Blaise seemed to have had the same thought as Draco and elected violence as his next weapon rather than speech. He kicked him hard in the stomach and Draco doubled over in pain, feeling a gasp flee from his mouth.

"Using muggle violence are we?" Draco spat, ignoring the fact that he had had the same urge to use it earlier. He gave Blaise a look that could burn through flesh and stalked off towards Luna and the others. Pansy scuttled over to him. "I'm sorry about Blaise, those are only his views you know." She whispered, and kissed him on the mouth. He instinctively pushed her away. "What was that for?" She whispered, a hurt look embellishing her face.
"Not now." Was all he said and she stormed away, frustrated.

Luna felt her happiness fall away as she watched the nauseating scene between Pansy and Draco. She looked towards Neville and suggested that they begin walking. The group agreed and they trekked of the Hogwarts gates to the village of Hogsmeade. Draco ran up beside her. "Sorry about that." He said.

"Oh, it's no problem." Luna said, and even though Draco hated the idea of her being upset, he involuntarily wished she cared just a little. He hated the fact that he had to lie to the other Slytherins about who he was friends with just so that he wouldn't be attacked by them. He wished everything would just stop and he could just be with Luna and laugh with her and talk to her, she was the only remedy to the misery and hopelessness oppressing him. She somehow managed to make him smile and laugh and she gave him hope that maybe the world wasn't all that bad. And the thing was, he knew he could never tell anyone, including her because he was a danger to everyone he cared about. He wished he could be in a situation where the only person he was putting in danger was himself.

As they approached the tangle of streets that was Hogsmeade, they decided to go immediately to The Three Broomsticks, many of the shops had been boarded up and all six of the students, huddled together for warmth, had a sickening feeling they knew why. On the way Harry spotted a squat man with straggly ginger hair struggling with a suitcase. The suitcase exploded and valuable looking objects flew out, expensive debris from a shady source. Harry proceeded to shout at the man and as Luna, Draco and Neville made their way into The Three Broomsticks to get a table, they saw Harry pounce on the quivering man. Once inside they saw Ginny and Dean together at one of the corner tables. Luna waved enthusiastically and Draco whispered in her ear, "Probably not the best time." She quickly lowered her hand, Ginny smiled quickly before turning away again. "What is with them? Merlin's beard, can Ginny not find anyone her own age? Does she have to go for all my friends?" Ron muttered as he came up behind them, his face contorted in disgust.

"He was nicking Sirius' stuff!" Harry suddenly shouted as he burst through the door, but was quickly subdued by Hermione.

The six sat down at an extensive, curvilinear table and ordered warm butterbeer, which swamped over their taste buds in a sweet river of palatability, and warmed their insides considerably after the biting wind outside. They spoke of the success of the previous night and shivered as they remembered being inches from death.

"Isn't Greyback going to know it was you who used the cruciatus curse on him, and that you were helping me?" Harry asked Draco the question which had been gnawing at his mind.

"Don't worry, I modified his memory before I came back through the portal." Draco replied.

Luna noticed that a few times Ron and Hermione refused to talk to eachother, apart from engaging in rather vicious arguments, especially after Lavender approached the table and somehow got entwined in Ron's arms. After a while Draco excused himself from the table, looking nervous. Luna felt a little suspicious but didn't take much notice of it. When Draco returned he looked a little shaken. "You alright, Malfoy? If you're having problems on the loo you might want to try U-No-Poo, I'll get my brothers to give you a discount." Ron smirked waspishly.

"You'll probably get a deal after buying so much of it I expect." Draco bit back, and his annoyance urged him to use a harmless spell that caused an electric shock to weave its way through Ron's body. He shuddered and then glowered at Draco, knowing it was him who had caused the spell. "Shall we call it a day and go back to school then?" Harry suggested, his eyes straying to Ginny and Dean who were leaving the shop, undoubtedly making their way to Madame Puddifoots, the haunt of happy couples. The rest of them nodded, looking apprehensively at the worsening weather before tightening their coats around themselves and braving the outside. Luna shivered violently, feeling the chill attack her bones. She felt something woolly encase the top of her skull, a hat, she realised. She looked up to see Draco smiling down at her, and noted how tall he was. "You looked cold!" He grinned.

"Is this your hat?" Luna said airily.

"Yes, is that a problem?"
"No, it just may look a bit weird me wearing a Slytherin hat. Luckily, Ravenclaws aren't mental about house pride."

"I expect you haven't noticed the excitement of the Ravenclaw stand at Quidditch matches then." Draco laughed. Luna loved hearing him laugh, he seemed sad so much of the time that it was good to see some elation coming from him. Suddenly his laugh was cut off by shouting voices. His eyes widened into pools of utter horror. He looked like he was about to faint.

"It's nothing to do with you Leanne!" Katie Bell, a Gryffindor chaser, shouted. Her friend, Leanne, tried to grab a package from her hands. Katie tugged it back and it fell to the ground; immediately she rose into the air. It was eerily graceful, like a possessed angel taking flight. Her eyes were closed and empty of expression, when suddenly she let out a terrible scream and her eyes flew wide open. It wasn't just a scream though; it was a scream so full of anguish that Luna felt like she was going to scream herself. She screamed and screamed, writhing in the air, before Harry, Ron, Hermione and Leanne pulled her to the ground. Once on the floor she carried on thrashing around, unable to recognize anyone, or anything that was going on. Hagrid turned around the corner and began talking to Harry cheerily, before he saw Katie's figure, contorted on the ground. "Get back! Lemme see her!" he shouted.

"Something's happened to her! I don't know what-" Leanne sobbed uncontrollably. Hagrid took control of the situation, and Luna turned around to see Draco's reaction. He wasn't there. She swivelled back to see him running towards the school as fast as he possibly could have. Luna took Neville's arm and they walked quickly to the school together, Luna didn't know if she was shaking from the cold or the day's events.

Luna searched for Draco in the two places he usually was; Moaning Myrtle's bathroom, and The Room of Hidden Things, but he was located in neither. She was getting worried, the feeling thundering through her as she frantically searched the castle. She was beginning to feel hot and flustered so she flitted outside into the cool winter air. She took a deep breath and looked over the frozen Great Lake, the ice a glacial duvet cover over the halyconly dreaming water. Out of the corner of the eye she spotted a blonde haired figure, knees up to his chest. She made her way over to him, and sat down on the slowly melting snow beside him. A chill ran through her but she didn't care. "Why do you always come and find me?" Draco said suddenly, still looking out across the lake.
"The loneliest people can do the craziest things. It's nice to know someone really cares about you. It can be crucial to stay living." Luna replied, looking carefully at his face. Now he turned to look at her, his eyes full of sadness and fear.

"Is this speaking from experience?"
"Kind of. I know what it's like to be lonely, and although it was not very nice compared to my life now, I was never really all that hurt by it. But I've seen people who have been. " Luna whispered. When her mother had died, she had seen the change in her father's attitude towards life. It had only been in the past few years that he had begun to become his normal self again.

"So Potter changed your life?" Draco said, jealousy coursing through him.
"I suppose, not completely, but there was a change for the better. Having friends does make a difference." Luna decided to change the subject. "Why did you do it?"
Draco didn't have to ask what she was talking about. A new question hit him. Should he tell her? He knew she would never judge him; she wasn't that type of person. She would listen and help him, and that's what he loved about her. But he also knew that telling her about his task to kill the headmaster would put her in danger, and shock her. He made his decision and began to speak, the words flowing out of his mouth easily in a waterfall of complete truth, it was like the flow was taking a great weight from him; knowing he was able to tell the truth to someone who cared.

He told her all about the assignment Voldemort had given him, about how his family would all be murdered if he didn't do it. Finally he took a deep breath and said; "I never wanted Katie to get hurt; I knew Professor Dumbledore would be able to identify a cursed necklace. I needed to do something so that Voldemort thought I was trying. I couldn't just do nothing or my parents would be dead before I could help them, before I could think of an excuse." He inhaled another vast amount of frosty winter air, and pulled up his sleeve to show the ugly mark that danced grotesquely upon it. "I'm a death eater, his slave. I didn't want to show anyone because I thought you would all hate me. With the Slytherins it has another effect, but it makes me feel sick to look at it." He turned away, his stomach churning. He expected Luna to turn away in disgust at any moment, he expected her to scream and scramble away from him but she did something completely unexpected. She kissed her forefinger lightly and then pressed it to the mark.
"There's nothing to be ashamed of, that symbol may be a part of you, but it isn't you. That mark doesn't define you any more than this mark defines me." She pointed to the cut on her neck.
"How could you do that! This mark is symbol for Voldemort!" Draco said, horrified.

"I'm showing you that I don't care about the mark, I care about what's beneath it."
Draco felt his heart racing faster than the hands of a normal clock trying to measure the speed of light. Luna gave him a shy smile, a beatific smile. He leaned in towards her, suddenly feeling a controlling urge to kiss her.

Without warning Draco heard a sound like an explosion. The two both swivelled round in shock. Shards of ice were soaring through the air and freezing water splashed down on them like diamonds from a snapped necklace flying from the neck of the lake. The looming figure of the Giant Squid appeared from the water and scooped Luna and Draco up from the ground in different snaking tentacles. Draco viscerally cried out, he turned to see if Luna was alright but she was laughing; a tinkling laugh completely full of elation. Water soaked their whole bodies but Draco found soon enough that he was laughing aswell. He didn't know what was so funny about being waved ferociously around in the air by an oversized Mollusca but he was filled with the feeling that it was absolutely hilarious. Finally they were flung back down onto the grassy floor and he felt the cold setting in; the chill sinking into his skin and caressing his bones. He saw Luna shivering, the ridiculous grin still plastered on her face. He wrapped his arms around her to keep her warm and they trekked back towards the castle.