A/N - A million thanks to my wonderful BETA ohlookamockingjay for helping me with to improve this story.
Chapter 4
Luna sat on the sofa in her room. It was a pleasant room, with a soft bed and plush blankets. She'd been able to snuggle up and sleep better since moving in. The walls, she found, were a bit bland though, dark and brocade, reflecting the Malfoys' elegant taste.
She sat on the sofa, confused. Draco was here. He had been sitting with her for almost ten minutes. Draco sat beside her, swinging his leg. Impatient or anxious, she couldn't tell. He'd come in and simply said "I need to talk to you". and after that he didn't say anything; he just sighed and cursed under his breath. She cocked her head as he wiped sweat from his forehead.
"What's the matter?" she had asked nearly five times, but each time she asked him, he just shook his head. She had a horrible feeling that Draco would give her a bad news, news that she couldn't handle.
"Um..." He cleared his throat uncomfortably. He didn't know where to start. The girl sitting next to him was as confused as he was. She did look better though, Narcissa and the healer had done wonders nursing her back to health.
He glanced at her from the corner of his eye. She looked very pretty, she wore a peach-colored dress. Her hair was smooth and loosened beautifully. She was still pale. His mother did a great job in dressing her. She looked like how every pure-blood woman should look like, according to his father, and fit the bill to become a Malfoy.
If she wanted to be. Not that she had a choice.
Not at the moment, no.
She was to be his wife in two weeks. It was daunting, having to tell her that.
Suddenly, the door opened with a loud bang, making him and Luna jump in surprise. Bellatrix Lestrange sauntered in, looking excited. She must have heard the news.
"Aunt Bella," Draco said in clipped voice, trying not to be rude, though he was annoyed.
Bellatrix laughed. Her laugh was shrill and filled the room. Draco glanced at Luna and grimaced. She was shaking slightly, understandable considering she tortured her for weeks. Bellatrix's presence would only make things difficult.
Without registering what he was doing, he shifted closer to her, letting her know that he was there and Bellatrix wouldn't touch her.
"My apologies, my lovely nephew," she said as she bowing, her wild hair nearly touching the floor. Then, her eyes turned to Luna and her smile grew even wider. Her Lord just chosen the girl to become Draco's bride, and she couldn't be more pleased that her nephew's wife was a powerful witch.
"You look lovely, my dear Luna," she said sweetly, her dark eyes scanning her from head to toe.
Luna grabbed Draco's arm, afraid that he would leave her here with Bellatrix. "Thank you," she muttered quietly and looked down at her shoes.
"My pleasure," she said politely. "So, you've told her, Draco?" she asked sweetly.
"Not yet," he said irritably. He was aware of Luna's tight grip on his arm. He had to get his aunt to leave.
"So I messed up the moment?" she asked innocently, but Draco knew she was taunting him.
He rolled his eyes, "Yes," he said briefly, "Please leave."
Bellatrix pouted; though Draco knew she wasn't really sad.
"But I want to spend time with my nephew before-"
"Don't say it." he said out loud. His father would kill him if Luna heard the news of their marriage from others people mouths and not his. He looked at her with pleading eyes. "Please, Aunt Bella."
Bellatrix shook her head. "Alright, then," she said. "Get some rest, lovely, we have a lot to do tomorrow," she said sweetly at her. Then she spun on her heels and left, shutting the door behind her.
Luna was dazed. She stared at the door and didn't say a word. What just happened?
He cleared his throat and removing her hands from his arm. He heard her mutter an apology for gripping his arm so tight. He turned his whole body to her. "Well..." he began, "I have to tell you something,"
"I guessed as much," she said, staring at the floor, "why else would you be here?"
He took a deep breath sighed. It was now or never.
"We're engaged." He looked down, refusing to make eye contact with her. His heart was pounding, and sweat poured from his forehead. He braced himself for her reaction. She was going to scream, or cry, or...
"Oh."
She looked at the ground, fiddling with her hands. Did she not hear him? He cleared his throat.
"I said we're engaged. We're getting married," he repeated. He looked up and looked at her right in the eye. They made eye contact a few seconds before he looked down again.
"The Dark Lord wants us to get married. He chose you and I couldn't refuse," Draco said when she didn't respond at all, "I mean, I could have, but…"
She sat there unmoving, as though she was a statue.
"Why me?" she asked quietly. Deep down, she was terrified. It had taken a few seconds to process what he had said. She couldn't think straight. Her brain refused to work. She tried to find a way out, but the more she tried to think the more she felt dizzy.
"Because you're powerful," he replied.
She looked up at him and eyed him carefully. She mused for a moment. She had been able to cast wandless magic in front of Voldemort. That was pretty powerful.
Powerful. Huh. She never thought anyone would use that word to describe her.
Why marriage though… She pondered on it. Maybe Voldemort wanted to use her as a weapon, of course he would, and then he wanted Harry to feel betrayed.
"And what happens if I refuse?" She asked, though she already knew the answer.
"He would kill my parents and your father," he said quietly.
For a moment, time stopped. Xenophilius Lovegood was the only family she had, and the Quibbler, she had grown up her whole life with it, and her home in Ottery St. Catchpole, and the round house, the odd round house and her colorful decorated room. She couldn't lose it.
And suddenly, she started crying. She had held in all her emotions for so long that now that she started crying she couldn't stop, her tears flowing uncontrollably. Luna always had a way of making things positive, of making people smile and finding a way.
Draco had handed her a box of tissues and was awkwardly patting her back. It was embarrassing, how she kept sobbing. She tried to make her brain work, come up with a solution, but this time she couldn't. She could help everyone but now she couldn't help herself. The only thing she could do right now was let Voldemort have his way. If she married Draco, her father will be safe. It was a sacrifice she was willing to make.
"Alright," she said in a shaky voice, she swallowed the lump in her throat.
Draco turned his head to her in surprise; he didn't expect this reaction. Well, he was expecting more of a fight.
She gave a sort of half laugh, though her face was grim, "I don't have much choice, do I?"
"Not really," he replied. He wished she did have a choice, and he wished he did too.
"Then he gets what he wants," she muttered quietly as she wiping her tears.
Draco sighed, he reached into his pocket and pulled out a black velvet box, and opened it to reveal a ring. "Wear this," he said.
He looked at her face, her eyes were still puffy but she was no longer crying. "It's an engagement ring, my grandmother commissioned it for the next Malfoy lady before she died, it's yours now," he told her.
She took a jewelry box without touching him. She looked at the ring with wide eyes. It looked very expensive but not hugely extravagant. She had expected a giant diamond, or three on the ring, but it was a simple band with line of small but delicate jewels. It was more subtle.
"Thank you," she said quietly as she pulled out the ring from the box and placed it on her finger. It fit perfectly, she frowned.
As he could read her mind, he responds, "I've shrunk it... the actual size would have slipped off your finger."
"It's lovely." It really was, and she would have been more excited to wear it under happier circumstances.
She heard him sigh as he stood up, "I'll leave you be. We won't see each other again for another two weeks… the wedding day. It's a pureblood family tradition."
"I know," she nodded. Her family may have been categorized as blood traitors. But she knows her traditions and also the rules.
"See you on the wedding, then," he gave a half laugh.
"I'll see you too, Draco," she responded, smiling weakly.
And with that he took his leave.
Luna leaned back on the couch and sighed heavily after hearing the soft click fn the door, a sign that he had left.
She looked down at her finger, the ring on her finger shined beautifully. And then she replayed the events from the last couple weeks. SHe had been kidnapped, tortured, and she duelled the Dark Lord, Voldemort, now she was betrothed to a school bully. Her vision began to blur, her shoulders began to shake, and the tears started flowing again.
The ring, as beautiful as it was, marked her not just as Draco Malfoy's fiancée, but as his property, the Malfoy property, and by extension also the property of the Dark Lord. It's just like the Dark Mark, only difference is it's shiny and glittery and designed by a dead woman.
"Oh, Harry," she called to him quietly hoping he would come to save her. Did he even know she had been kidnapped? Was he aware?
She jerked her head when she heard the door open slowly.
"Luna," it was Narcissa, she smiled gently at her as she walked toward her.
"Hello, Mrs. Malfoy," she greeted and wiped her eyes with her hand.
"I presume Draco has told you," Narcissa said as she spotted a tear on her chin. She knew this would be hard for her, marrying a man she barely knew. She felt sorry for her, but there was nothing she could do. It was a blessing that she had fallen in love with Lucius and it wasn't simply a marriage for power.
"Yes, he did" Luna said. She didn't know what else to say. She had so many mixed feelings. Angry, sad, upset, annoyed, disgusted, confused, all mixed. It made her want to vomit.
Narcissa sat down next to her and stroked her hand gently. It had become a habit lately. "Whatever happens, or however you feel… please, don't be angry at Draco. Just be angry at me and Lucius, we both couldn't do anything to avoid the wedding."
Luna's heart was beating loudly again, her chest tightened. "I'm not... angry at any of you. But I just don't know if Draco and I could get along, we are too different."
She always hoped to marry a man who had the same passion with her, passion in magical creatures. They could travel around the world and find crumple-horned snorkacks. But here she was, engaged to Draco Malfoy, and no way in hell would he go travelling with her to find any of those creatures.
Narcissa smiled weakly and kept stroking her hair to calm her down. She tried to comfort Luna. "It will take time, to trust him, but I promise, he isn't as bad as he seems. And I know how terrible he can be, but I also know he does have a soft side," she assured her.
Luna forced a smile.
"Thank you," she said, and it wasn't just for comforting her now, but for nursing her back to health and letting her know that she was cared about.
Narcissa sat up straight, and dusted off her skirt. She pulled out a pile of Witch Weekly magazines from seemingly nowhere. "Alright now, stop crying, we have to choose a wedding dress," she said and plopped some on Luna's lap. Luna couldn't help but laugh slightly at the sudden mood change.
"The circumstances may be terrible, but I'm making sure you're the most beautiful bride the Wizarding World has seen in a century."
