Luna was sat leaning against a tree, the events of the last evening playing over in her mind. Draco hadn't been at breakfast and she had seen no sign of him all morning. She had even walked past the room of requirement. Either he wasn't in there or he specifically didn't want to see her because the door didn't even appear.

It was the last taste of freedom before everyone returned to Hogwarts that evening and she was feeling deflated. She had failed her mission. She had tried every idea she could think of and still the corners of Draco's mouth had remained firmly in their usual place.

Her eyes strayed down from the cloud she had been studying to the banks of the lake. Standing there, black suit sleeves rolled up around his elbows, was Draco. Luna blinked twice, wondered how she hadn't spotted him before now and concluded that she must have been too far inside her own head to see him.

Draco didn't notice her as she sipped down to join him, or if he did he didn't show it. He was skimming stones across the lake and Luna, taking the opportunity to express her knowledge on the subject, picked up a pebble, brushed the sand from it and handed it to Draco.

'They have to be flat, don't they? And smooth?'

Draco took the stone without a word and threw it across the lake. Luna's head nodded as it bounced.

'Six, impressive.'

When Draco only shrugged and went to pick up another stone, Luna continued to fill the silence.

'I didn't think you'd be down here today, what with it being the last day before everyone gets back.'

Again Draco only shrugged and Luna tried again, a suspicious look in her eyes.

'What's changed?'

Luna's eyes followed his every move as he picked up another round pebble and launched it expertly into the middle of the lake.

'Something's different. It's as though you're not carrying the weight of the world on your shoulders any more. Is that why you're not working? Is it fixed?'

Draco stopped his arm mid throw to look at her.

'You were right.' He finished his throw, watching pebble fly high into the air and silently fall into the lake before turning on his heel and walking back up the bank back to Hogwarts, Luna scuttling beside him.

At Luna's raised eyebrows he continued.

'About the most broken things needing time. Luckily I know spells that can speed up the process but now it's just a waiting game.'

Luna nodded. 'I'm glad. Not about the cabinet being fixed because that would be betraying Harry but I'm glad you're more content. It makes me feel better about failing.'

'Failing?'

They were talking so casually that it never crossed Draco's mind to be condescending or cruel. It was as though sheer relief had made him forget his place and now he was making polite conversation with a girl who should naturally be his enemy.

Luna nodded guiltily in reply to his question.

'I never made you smile like I said I would. Come to think of it, I can only think of one time I've actually seen you genuinely smile.'

They were walking back towards Hogwarts at such a slow pace that they might as well have just been stood still.

'And when was that?' Again the polite questions were out of his mouth without thinking. It was as though he was back to being the Draco of last year, when his primary concern was charming as many Slytherin girls as he could manage.

Luna stopped as though she was trying to place the image she had in her mind. One corner of her mouth was pulled up at such an angle it distorted her entire face and made her look quite comical.

'During the triwizard tournament. That quidditch player from Durmstrang sat on your table. You smiled then. I remember thinking about how much it changed your face. You looked like a completely different person.'

'He was my idol, I was hardly going to be miserable.' The defences were back up, something about Luna's tone had made him remember who he was and who he was speaking to and the sharpness had returned to his voice, not that Luna noticed the difference.

'But you were happy and it made me think, why had I never seen you happy before? You seemed to show all other emotions, but never happiness.'

'You were quite the stalker, weren't you, Loony?'

Luna shrugged. 'I like to watch people. They're interesting. Do you want to have a picnic?'

She spoke all three sentences in the exact same tone, her voice not even rising at the end of the last one to show it was a question so Draco's look of complete bafflement and confusion at the sudden request was completely understandable.

He didn't even have chance to ask her to repeat the question before she had skipped off towards Hogwarts, shouting at him to stay where he was standing.

She reappeared a few minutes later, a basket balanced over one arm and a grin the size of Africa spread across her face.

'The house elves can be so kind! Look at all the food they gave us!'

It was with that single 'us' that Draco realised he had lost his chance to escape and, accepting his fate of having to spend the rest of his free time pretending to listen to Loony Lovegood, he followed her and sat down where she told him to.

It was like a scene from a book. In fact, until that moment, Draco had been convinced that situations like this only happened in stories. It all felt too perfect and right to be real. After all the disaster and panic, things seemed to be going as planned for once. The vanishing cabinet would be ready in time, his school work was completed, the sun was shining and he could, if only for one afternoon, relax. Bringing a drink to his lips, he sighed and began to tune in to what Luna was saying.

'So.. if a turtle didn't have a shell, would it be homeless or naked?'

His mouth still full of pumpkin juice, Draco sniggered and immediately started to choke. Luna barely noticed the light that seemed to appear in his eyes or the smile that had crept across his face as she half-heartedly continued her train of thought and asked him to pass her an apple.

The smirk still plain on his face, Draco handed Luna the apple.

'You've succeeded, I've smiled, now cheer up.'

As Luna took the apple, their eyes met and the same thought struck them. Luna's eyes grew wide and the smile slowly faded from Draco's face.

Because suddenly the roles had reversed and it was Draco trying to make Luna smile. And when had Draco Malfoy ever cared about the happiness of anyone but himself? The change was too sudden and it took them both by surprise.

Luna broke first, a smile creeping across her face as she bit into the apple, her beady eyes still fixed on Draco who started to feel self conscious.

'What are you staring at, Loony?'

'I was just thinking this is what it must feel like when Harry puts his glasses on. Like your seeing the person as they really are rather than what your eyes tell you they look like. I like it.'

At the back of his mind voices were screaming warnings at Draco. He had let his walls down all too easily and in front of one of Potter's friends of all people. He had forgotten his worries for a moment and felt almost human again and he was going to enjoy the feeling for as long as he could.

'People say laughter is the best medicine but I think you only need to smile. Sometimes, if you smile, you can convince yourself that everything is fine even when it isn't and it makes you feel better.'

Luna broke through the silence with her dreamy opinions and though outwardly Draco rolled his eyes, inwardly he agreed. He did feel better and even if this evening everything returned to the way it was, he had enjoyed his last few moments as a schoolboy.

His last free moments before the prison doors locked.

But as everyone knows, time flies when your having fun and although their conversations could not be described as fun, midday soon turned to afternoon and evening was creeping ever closer. It seemed no time at all before the picnic was packed up and returned to the kitchen and Luna and Draco were making their way back along the corridors to their common rooms.

Luna ran her fingers along the brick of the walls, stopping to look out of the window at the darkening sky.

'These walls hold a lot of secrets. Not all of them good ones.'

As Draco came up behind her to look out of the window, she smiled.

'And now they hold our secrets!'

Draco scowled. His good mood was slowly disappearing as each minute brought him closer to his reunion with his followers.

'As long as they don't talk, I don't care.'

He should have walked away but he didn't. Something kept him glued to the ground beside Luna, watching as rain began to fall.

'It's strange. Everything's so peaceful.'

'Your point is?'

'Tomorrow, everything will go back to how it was before, Won't it? Back to the war and playing enemies and completing impossible tasks.'

Gently Luna squeezed Draco's hand.

'I'm glad I stayed.'

Then with a final smile and a skip she was on her way to Ravenclaw tower.

So close to 100 reviews! It's so exciting!
And I know.. it's been like several weeks and I'm a horrible person for making you all wait so I'm sorry. I've been rather ill and as I've been trying to plod my way through college I've literally been getting home and going straight to bed so there's been no time for creativity but there you go.
The next chapter may be a while since I have literally no idea what's going to happen. Any requests for situations would be welcome since they're not at Hogwarts for much longer! Ooo errr!