In the days that followed, Draco made a habit of visiting Luna regularly, engaging her in conversation. Most of the time, Luna couldn't tell whether he was laughing with her or at her as she explained wrackspurts, nargles, and crumple-horned snorkacks in detail. Whenever she described how these creatures operated, Draco's eyes would gleam with amusement, and a smirk would tug at the corner of his lips. But the moment the name of Harry Potter came up, the light-hearted amusement drained from his face.

"I don't understand how you, or anyone, could be friends with a git like Potter," Draco spat, the name slipping from his lips like a curse. "Except for Hermione, I suppose. What else could you expect from a Mudblood?"

Luna frowned, her voice soft but firm. "I would appreciate it if you didn't use that word. And the reason you see Harry as a git is because you didn't respect his friends."

Draco's brows furrowed in irritation. "Oh yeah? I guess you'd love to tell me more about how I didn't respect his friends."

Luna tilted her head slightly, her eyes thoughtful. "Well, do you deny it? From what Harry told me, you were the first one to insult his friends when you all entered the castle for the first time, right before your Sorting. I can't imagine he would have respected you after that. Unless, of course, you have another side of the story."

Draco's expression darkened. "I was trying to point out that he could've done much better than the Weasley kid and the Mudblood—and yes, I'll say Mudblood if I please! If anything, I was trying to do him a favor. The ungrateful idiot could've saved himself loads of trouble if he'd just listened to me from the start!"

Luna's voice remained calm, but there was a hint of curiosity in her tone. "Well, they do say there are two sides to every story, and then there's the truth, which is somewhere in between. But are you saying you could've spared him all the trouble he's going through right now if he'd chosen to be your friend?"

Draco's face flushed with frustration. "I'm saying he had it coming to him! That arrogant idiot got everything he deserved—what with all the attention, the praise, this whole 'Chosen One' nonsense. All the favoritism he got from Dumbledore—"

"Are you sure you're not saying all this out of envy?" Luna interrupted gently, her voice unwavering.

Draco froze. His face twisted into a scowl as he suddenly swung open the cellar door, his hand moving in a blur. A sharp slap echoed in the room as he punched her squarely in the mouth.

Luna stumbled backward, tasting blood and feeling the sting of a few loose teeth. She fell silent, her eyes wide in shock, and Draco stormed out, slamming the door behind him with a final, resounding bang.

Ollivander's voice was soft but filled with sympathy. "Come here, dear, let me see if I can slow the bleeding." He gestured for Luna to sit, offering her a torn piece of his sleeve to bite down on. "Although, I think you should've kept those thoughts to yourself—how much I agree with you... what he did was uncalled for."

Luna nodded, unable to speak clearly with the rag in her mouth. Was she truly out of line for saying what she did? Though her words had clearly upset Draco, she couldn't bring herself to regret them. They needed to be said. She wouldn't apologize for speaking her mind.