Time to Work, Lovegood!
Grabbing her uniform, she slipped into the bathroom just as one of her dormmates exited. She took a quick shower and tidied up her untamed hair. On her way down to the Great Hall, she encountered Neville.
"G-Good morning, Luna," the Gryffindor stammered.
"Hello, Neville. As shy as always," thought the girl. "It's strange; he always seems this way when we talk... Do I scare him?"
"How, uh, how are you?" Neville asked, attempting to strike up a conversation.
"Fine, I slept through the night," she lied; in truth, she'd struggled to fall asleep, her thoughts consumed by the events surrounding her diary. "Did you have fun yesterday?"
"Yes, it wasn't bad, though it's a shame Umbridge is coming back this afternoon."
"Oh, that's right... I won't be able to visit the Thestrals today," she said, disappointed at the thought that the strange surprise from the day before had kept her from going to the forest.
"The what?"
Luna was about to explain to her new companion what Thestrals were, where they came from, and a myriad of other fascinating details—she loved it when others took an interest in lesser-known magical creatures—but just then, Hermione, Ron, Ginny, and Harry arrived.
"Hello, guys," greeted the redhead.
"Listen," Harry whispered, "this afternoon will be our last meeting until after the exams, same time as usual."
"Got it," Ron replied, "but can we go inside now? I'm starving."
"Oh, Ronald, as always," chided Hermione. "Don't you see we're discussing something important?"
"Don't you think it's easier to plan and organize on a full stomach?"
"Glutton!"
"Bossy!"
"Hey, Harry, are they always like this?" Luna asked with a laugh as she watched the exchange while the group entered the hall.
"Sometimes it's even worse," Harry replied with a resigned look. "So, any luck with your diary?"
"Um... yes. I know where it is now."
"That's good to hear. What a relief, huh?" Luna nodded. "See you this afternoon."
"Later," she said, heading toward her table.
From a distance, she spotted the blond Slytherin, laughing with his friends—or rather, his entourage—and wondered what sort of tasks he would assign her. While she was clever, the boy had to realize that she was a year below him and wouldn't be able to help with everything. But the pact was to do whatever he asked, not limited to academics, and that was what exhausted her. Anything could be expected from Draco Malfoy. He would likely treat her as poorly as the house-elves, but it was a small price to pay for reclaiming her cherished treasure.
The first classes passed uneventfully. During the break, Luna headed to the library to find a Herbology book for a class assignment. The library was relatively empty, and she was searching in a corner of the shelves when a voice interrupted her task.
"I hope you haven't forgotten that your first task is after lunch," said the blond Slytherin, leaning casually against a nearby wall.
"No, I haven't forgotten," she replied, turning briefly toward him before continuing her search for the book.
"Good. You won't just be helping me with homework—you'll also handle my cleaning."
"What? You don't know how to bathe yourself?" asked Luna, turning around with a genuinely puzzled expression.
"No, for Merlin's sake! That's not what I meant!" he exclaimed, a hint of redness creeping up his face as he pictured the absurd scenario. "What I meant is that you'll clean my Quidditch gear, my clothes, my bag... that sort of thing."
"Oh, I see," she replied with a slight grimace.
"Of course, silly. Don't be so perverted!"
"You're the perverted one," she replied calmly, shifting her attention back to the shelf.
She got me there,Draco thought to himself, flustered. "Goodbye!" he snapped before striding away, leaving the Ravenclaw alone.
Later, after lunch, Luna headed to the hallway where they had made their pact. Seeing that the boy was late, she sat down to review some notes she had in her satchel. Waiting didn't usually bother her, but she thought that, after all the fuss Draco had made about being punctual, he should practice what he preached. Especially since both of them had more classes to attend, and time was running short.
Suddenly, she saw him appear around a corner, carrying a stack of papers and a rather large book.
"Here, Lovegood, these are all my notes," he said, setting them down on one of the hallway benches. He also handed her several assignments for different subjects and a copy ofA History of Magic.
"What a coincidence. I have a History of Magic exam tomorrow," she remarked.
"Exactly. After you finish the homework, make this summary for me and bring it tomorrow. Oh, and try to mimic my handwriting."
"All right. But, you know," she said as she stood up, placing the notes in her small satchel, "you won't learn anything this way." Her tone was gentle, as if she were speaking to a child.
"You just do it, and I'll look it over later. Besides, what do you care?"
"I'm just saying," she replied with a shrug. "If you keep this up, you might not do very well on exams."
"What do you think I am, stupid?"
"Should I answer?"
"Don't push me, Loony!" Draco said, stepping closer and pinning her against the wall, staring her down.
"Is that all?" Luna's voice lacked the nerves or fear Draco had expected.
"You also have to come with me to the Quidditch field," he replied, slowly stepping back.
"For cleaning?" she quipped, breaking into laughter.
"Very funny. You wish," he shot back, crossing his arms with an air of superiority.
"You're so egocentric, Malfoy," she said, tilting her head.
"Shut it, Loony, and follow me."
They took a long walk, keeping their distance to avoid the appearance of heading to the same place together. When they reached the Slytherin locker room, it looked like a tornado had swept through.
"By Merlin!" Luna exclaimed, looking around in disbelief. "What happened here?"
"I know, it's a bit messy," Draco said, smirking mischievously.
"A bit?" she repeated, still incredulous. "If this room entered a mess contest, it'd win first prize."
"You see," Draco began, "after one of Umbridge's surprise inspections, she decided we all need to 'contribute to keeping Hogwarts clean and orderly.' She made a list assigning each team member their turn to clean up their locker room after matches or practices." He spoke with indignation, clearly displeased with the notion of lowering himself to such a task. "It's my turn today, but I have… other things to do, so you'll have to do it for me. Oh, and Umbridge has blocked magic in here, so you'll have plenty to keep you busy."
"But, Draco..."
"Malfoy, to you," he corrected her with an authoritative tone.
"Fine, Malfoy. There's no way I can clean all this. I still have two classes to attend, your homework to do, my own assignments, and studying for tomorrow."
"Then figure out how to manage your time. If the team finds this a mess when practice starts, Slytherin loses ten points, and supposedly it'll be my fault."
"All right," she said thoughtfully. "What time is practice scheduled?"
"Seven-thirty."
"You'll see it clean by then."
"You'd better."
They both left the locker room to attend their remaining classes for the day, which passed without incident. By three-thirty, Luna was in the Great Hall having a snack, reviewing her notes, and brainstorming how to tackle Draco's homework.
He has such neat handwriting... I think I've figured out how to get his work done. Now all that's left is 'Operation Clean-up,'she thought, lost in her musings, letting out a small sigh until someone interrupted her.
"Hi, Luna."
Looking up, she saw Ginny and greeted her sweetly.
"Here are the History of Magic notes you lent me. They were super helpful. Thanks so much!" Ginny said as she sat down beside her.
"No problem."
"Did you find your diary?"
"Yes, I got it back."
"That's a relief. Diaries are so personal."
"Yes, I shouldn't have taken it out of my room. Look where it's gotten me now... Though I guess I chose this, in a way."
"Where was it? Let me guess—someplace unexpected? That always happens to me."
"Oh... you wouldn't believe it," Luna said, her eyes wide. "It was the Nargles. They're so mischievous—they love playing nasty pranks, which is why I always search for them in the corners," she explained in her characteristic soft tone.
"Ah... right," Ginny said, smiling faintly.
Seeing how Luna was often alone, Ginny decided to invite her to spend time with their group.
"Hey, Luna, a few of us are heading to Hagrid's. He's got a phoenix he's caring for from a friend. Want to come?"
"A phoenix? That sounds amazing, but I've got things to do. I'm already running late," she said apologetically. "See you later."
"All right, if you're sure. See you," Ginny replied with a mix of friendliness and resignation.
Though Luna would have loved to go, she had to head straight to the Slytherin locker room.
Once there, after confirming it was empty, she set to work: organizing clean towels, sending dirty ones to the laundry, arranging brooms and other equipment, scrubbing the showers, tidying up benches and a blackboard in one corner, and airing out the room—all rather quickly.
"Done," she said with a sigh. "By Merlin, the showers were the worst. The smell in here earlier was awful. How can they be so filthy?"
By six-fifteen, she was packing up her things when, just outside the Slytherin locker room door, she bumped into Harry Potter.
"Hi, Luna. What are you doing here?"
"Me? Oh, nothing. You?"
"I came to grab my broom. I left it in the locker room yesterday," he replied, puzzled.
"Ah, well, I'm off," she said cheerfully, waving and giving him one of her trademark smiles. "See you later."
"Goodbye..."
After that, she headed to the library to tackle all the homework. Meanwhile, on the opposite side of Hogwarts, a group of Slytherins was lounging by the lake, enjoying the afternoon sun.
"This is the life!" exclaimed Nott. "I could stay lying here for eternity…"
"That was a great idea, Draco," Zabini said with a laugh, "but I doubt they'll let us go to Hogsmeade on a Monday again. Flying on brooms just for this!"
"Bah, I'm in the Inquisitorial Squad—I have connections," Draco replied nonchalantly.
The three had spent the afternoon sneaking out to Hogsmeade to meet up with three girls they'd met two weeks ago. The girls, visiting from Italy, were on vacation for a short time. Since they would soon return to their magic school, Draco suggested this farewell outing with their "new friends."
"So, the party is this weekend, right?" Nott asked for confirmation.
"Yes."
"Ah… I'm going to miss Camila…" Blaise said wistfully.
"And I'll miss Giovanna," Draco added, though his tone carried less regret and more lust.
"And I'll miss all three!" Nott blurted out.
"Hey!" the other two said in unison.
"What? It's not like they're your girlfriends… All three are amazing."
"They're not our girlfriends," Blaise shot back, "but there's one for each of us! So, don't push it."
"Let it go, Blaise," Draco said with a sneer. "None of them pay him any attention." His tone was malicious, prompting a laugh from Zabini as well.
"Yeah, right," Theodore retorted. "Like they were all only interested in you, huh? And Dianadoesnotice me…"
"Hey, did you sort out that cleaning issue you had?"
"Yes, it's all under control," Draco answered in his ever-triumphant tone. "Well, I'm off. And not a single 'thank you' for getting you dates with those beauties."
"Hey, we kind of did that together," Nott protested.
"Yeah, exactly!" Blaise chimed in.
"Sure, sure… See you, snakes."
"Later."
When Draco arrived at the locker room, he saw that Luna had done an excellent job. He thought the team might even compliment him on how spotless it was. He changed and prepared for practice.
Later, Luna left her homework unfinished to attend the final D.A. meeting until further notice. She arrived halfway through the session, where Harry wished everyone good luck on their exams. Luna felt her skills improving and thought Harry could make an excellent teacher someday, given how well he explained things.
Feeling exhausted—as she expected she would—she ate a light dinner and returned to her dorm. Slipping into her pajamas, she settled in bed to finish her assignments and study until nearly 12:15 AM. Eventually, fatigue overcame her, and she drifted off to sleep.
To be continued.