Harry Potter 1. Allurement

Since I've been having such a hard time writing, I decided to try writing some short pieces based on some prompts from a livejournal community called alphabetasoup, where each prompt starts with a letter of the alphabet. I'm not affiliated with the group in any way, just doing this for fun. I decided to try my hand at some Harry Potter fiction after I saw the sixth movie(!).

And I like Draco and Luna. I just take my favorite characters and smash them together.

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**Allurement : fascination, charm; the means of alluring

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**It starts with the hair.

He knows that she can sense him. That's why she does it at that moment, because it's so un-Luna-like that it still sends a shiver up his spine. She tosses her head in a slow, deliberate fashion, and her hair scatters like pale sunbeams through the corridor. Others walk around her, because that in itself isn't unusual - Looney Lovegood doing something odd in public. But when she looks back at him with that look in her eyes (not spacey, absent, or bemused) that makes him want to drop his books and follow her to her room and barricade the door and keep her there for hours on end, it is so out of her normal self that sometimes he wonders if someone is using polyjuice potion to mess with his head.

But who in their right mind would transform into Luna Lovegood if that was their objective? No one, because no one would think they had anything in common.

Well, they actually had a lot in common. Especially each other.

So after a gruelingly long transfiguration class (it's not like he's going to need his education much, considering that the mark searing the inside of his forearm has sealed his fate irregardless), he ditches his lackeys (because Draco Malfoy has no true friends) and makes his way to the roof of the astronomy tower - _their_ roof, as he refers to it in his mind.

And of course she's waiting there, with that crazy hair swirling in the breeze. He's tried to take a brush to it many times, but in the end his efforts would always prove futile. Luna Lovegood's hair was meant for tangles, and however much that drove him crazy, he had decided months ago that crazy wasn't that bad.

Her kind of insanity is incredibly appealing, considering it makes more sense than anything in his life as of late.

She turns slowly, deliberately, because they both know this game and they both play it well. "Why, hello Draco. It's a beautiful day, don't you agree?"

And he notices that she's missing her leggings, but decides to ask about it later. "I suppose." He approaches and she turns her eyes back to the grounds. Silently she removes her shoes and pulls herself into the crenel and hangs her legs off of the battlement, wiggling her toes in the late afternoon breeze. They're painted a neon orange tint today. It makes him smile.

It's well rehearsed, but it makes his heart beat (because when she isn't around, he's not really alive, is he?) when she leans back against his chest and his arms wrap around her waist. Her head rests perfectly in the crook of his neck, and she tells him fantastic stories of nargles and moon frogs and conspiracy theories about the ministry of magic-

And then he tilts her head back and kisses her, interrupting her reasoning of why wrackspurts like to hide in people's ears. But she just cradles his cheek with her hand and returns his affection, because they both know this is all that either of them can handle.

Words are too weak for Draco and too strong for Luna, so they find their happy medium.

As he watches her skip away thirty minutes later, he takes a deep breath, holding the scent of her hair and the touch of her fingers and the calming affect of her words until they see one another again.

Because with her, he can live, if only for a moment.


	2. Baroque

**Baroque : anything extravagantly ornamented, especially something so ornate as to be in bad taste

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**

They were hideous.

Those things hanging from her ears. Radishes. He couldn't contain his laughter as he passed her with Crabbe and Goyle.

"Looney Lovegood!" he roared, holding his stomach as he tried to stop the tears from rolling down his face. "Are… are those… radishes?"

She tilted her head to the side, fingering the offending vegetable gently. "Why… yes. Yes they are!" she said excitedly, as if she just realized what they were and she was particularly happy about the revelation.

This made him laugh even more. "Where… did you get such atrocities?"

"I made them, of course. You can't find this kind of craftsmanship in shops, you know."

He was finally starting to catch his breath, his friends (lackeys/bodyguards/tools) flanking either side. "Why use them as… earrings?"

"Why not?"

He just blinked. "Because radishes are meant for eating."

"Who says?"

"Everyone!"

"Really?" she said in a thoughtful tone. Suddenly she reached out and pulled someone closer. Red hair. Freckles. Hand-me-down robes. Weasly.

"Ginny, do you eat radishes?" Luna asked.

Seemingly unfazed, Ginny replied. "No, not really. Why?"

"You see Draco, not everyone says that you should eat radishes. You really should be more open minded, because if you don't, the Willymort Flandenhopper will burrow into the collar of your robes and start eating your hair when you're not looking!"

Seemingly able to sense Draco's frustration (it wasn't funny anymore, but damn it, it really was), Ginny pulled Luna forward. "Come on Luna, we have double potions together."

"Ah, yes, we should be going." Luna turned those pearlescent eyes to Draco for the briefest moment (he swore he didn't shiver) and gave him a small smile. "Watch out for the Willymort Flandenhoppers Draco! And if you happen to get infected, I can make you a thimble charm, they hate thimbles!"

At that point Ginny was dragging Luna down the stairs and Draco was relieved to be out of her presence. She was the only student in the school that he had a hard time teasing, because she never seemed to really care what he said. At least her fashion sense indicated as such.

She was so hideously out of style. Perhaps if someone were to brush her hair and get rid of some of those ridiculous pieces of jewelry…

But he didn't know why he was thinking of Looney Lovegood when he had a class of his own to attend. "Crabbe, Goyle. Lets go." And like good friends (lackeys) they followed.

Despite his best efforts, during care of magical creatures he could only think of Willymort Flanderhoppers in the collar of his robes and how radishes weren't necessarily meant for eating.


	3. Casuistry

**Casuistry : specious, deceptive, or oversubtle reasoning, especially in questions of morality; fallacious or dishonest application of general principles

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**

It was dark, but she figured he couldn't bear to see her in a cage. That just happened to be in his basement.

"Lovegood."

"Yes, Draco?"

"What of the old man? He… still alive?"

She looked to Mr. Ollivander, who was curled up in the corner. The compassion she felt for the old man was palpable. Even her young eyes could tell that he was far too fragile to be in this environment for so long.

(Because how long had they been here, really? Day, weeks, months… Time doesn't exist where there is no sunlight.)

"I believe that he is sleeping."

"How can you tell?"

She sighed. "Draco, my eyes are very adjusted to this darkness."

This seemed to sadden him, or anger him, or something him. His mind was such a jumble these days that all his emotions rolled into something that she couldn't identify. "Ah," he replied.

(And it was appropriate. What could he say to that?)

"Do you know anything of my father?"

"Why would I know of such things, Lovegood?"

"You're right, I suppose. Why would they tell you anything?"

His eyes narrowed and he looked in her general direction. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"You're not really important to Voldemort's plan, are you Draco?"

All the color drained from his face and his shoulders began to shake. (Would he cry or scream? It was all the same.) "I… My family… We're important."

"I don't talk of your family."

"I am my family."

"Bollocks."

Suddenly his hands were gripping the bars of her cell. His face was so close that she could feel his hot, ragged breath against her cheek. "Don't… don't disregard my family! We _are_ important, more important that you or your insane father will ever be!"

(His jabs didn't bother her. The poor lad was just confused and tired and very something.)

"Have you been sleeping well, Draco?"

Seemingly startled, he backed away from the bars to his former position. It was like they were sitting next to each other. (Except for the bars, of course. Always bars.)

"Why do you care, Lovegood?"

"Why indeed?"

Quiet permeated the room like a knife, and she relaxed into the familiar feeling. His silence was far less frightening than his tears or his screams. (Because maybe he didn't know, but she heard him cry and yell and curse and talk of fighting back. But that's all it was. Talk.)

"What do you see when you look at me?" he asked, and she ignored the slight shake in his voice.

Her eyes found his face, and looked at him again. Thinner, paler, ill. He looked like someone who was dying of a vicious disease. "I see Draco."

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"I see you." Getting on her knees, she faced him and reached through the bars. His hand was long and thin and boney, but her own fit rather nicely.

(Holding hands with the boy would be much easier without the bars, but Luna wasn't one to complain.)

"I see a person. Not a family name."

His eyes widened and he looked at her. (And for a moment she could see into his dreams(nightmares) - being an individual. It's frightening, isn't it Draco? No constant fallback argument, no excuses -)

He pulled his hand away. "I don't even know why I come down here." Standing quickly, Draco brushed off his robes and began walking to the door.

"See you tomorrow Draco!" she chirped happily.

(Because his visits made her happy, and she wasn't one to really think too deeply as to why.)

"Whatever, Lovegood."

(And she translated that as "See you then", because he would come tomorrow and she would try to get through to him, and he would walk away and the cycle would continue.)

(Because his arguments - family, pride, honor, glory, power - were nothing against her flawless logic.)

("You are you.")


	4. Dragon

**Dragon : a mythical monster generally represented as a huge, winged reptile with a crested head and enormous claws and teeth, and often spouting fire; a fierce, violent person

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**

Luna loved magical creatures.

It was something in her blood, she thought. Her father was completely fascinated with them (the matter of their existence was irrelevant, because imagination is comparable to faith) and she grew up learning about them and looking for them and waiting for them and wishing for them. Care of magical creatures was one of Luna's best subjects, with good reason. It was something she never thought twice about - if there was a creature that she could study, Luna would drop everything.

So when she heard the faint growl of a dragon while in the forbidden forest, she had to explore it immediately.

The thestrals looked at her longingly as she began to walk away. The youngest cantered up behind her and nudged her arm with his head, and she turned to pet him for a moment. "I'll be back in a few days with more scraps," she assured them. Darting swiftly through the familiar foliage of the forbidden forest, she eventually found herself near the back edge of the area.

When she heard voices coming from behind her, she quickly hid behind a tree. Professor Hagrid and Madame Maxime walked by, talking in hushed tones. Curiosity got the better of her (as it usually did), and she followed them until she heard a loud roar and her vision exploded with flame.

Instincts caused her to scamper up a nearby tree. But she found something odd at the top.

"Lovegood?"

"Oh, hello Draco. What are you doing up in this tree?"

He glared at her with full venom (didn't he know that she had anti-venom running through her veins?) and spat, "I'm watching the dragons, of course."

"Oh, me too!" Using the trunk to steady herself, Luna turned her eyes to the ground, only to find four glorious dragons. They were sitting on their haunches and they seemed to be irritated, spouting smoke and fire into the air as dragon keepers expertly maneuvered around the raging creatures. "Wow, they're beautiful…"

"Bloody beasts," Draco muttered (and it seemed to Luna as though they had a slight truce, considering they were the only ones in the tree at the moment) as he kept a firm grip on the sturdy branch under their feet. "Could kill you in one swipe."

She looked over at him, a small smile tugging on her lips. The frequent bursts of flame coming from the dragons lit his face into an odd shade of pale orange. "You look like a pumpkin."

Draco continued to stare at the raging creatures. "You look like an owl that had one too many butterbeers."

"Why, thank you! Owls are quite lovely!"

"Whatever, Lovegood! Why are you in this tree?" he fumed, turning his pointed face toward her (and she had to admit that he had a beautiful bone structure - what cheekbones!) with a frown.

"I also wanted to see the dragons."

"You like them? I thought you only dealt in imaginary creatures," he snickered.

"Oh, I love all creatures, Draco," she replied, watching as the Chinese Fireball nearly scorched the hair off of one of the keepers. "Rare creatures are just incredibly fascinating. Like dragons, for example."

"They're bloody monstrous," he said, and she heard hints of awe and fear in his voice (and she wasn't shocked, because he was just a little boy with a huge ego).

Tilting her head slightly, she knelt on the branch next to him, her side pushed against the trunk of the tree. "I think they're misunderstood."

"You can relate to that, can't you Looney?"

"Oh yes, most definitely," she nodded in agreement, and he just rolled his eyes. "Except that I don't think people are afraid of me."

With a sneer, he replied, "As long as your crazy doesn't become contagious."

"Dragons have been poached into near extinction," she continued. "Nearly every part of their body has a price. It's incredibly sad. I wonder where they got these dragons for the tournament?"

"They're for the tournament?"

"I don't know whatever else they would be for."

And he pursed his lips together in response (because she didn't expect him to acknowledge that she had made a good point). After a moment, he cleared his throat quietly. "They're probably from reserves."

"Those are such sad places."

He scoffed. "I don't get you, Lovegood. You said it's sad that the dragons are poached. And then you say it's sad that they have a place where they can't be poached."

"It's sad that such a place needs to exist."

They fell into a silence (Luna found it quite comfortable, but from the way Draco was fidgeting she assumed that he felt differently) and watched the keepers slowly clam the dragons into a heavily induced sleep. Finally, the keepers retreated into their tents, with two standing guard in the middle of the padlocks.

"I'm leaving, Lovegood," Draco muttered, easily swinging himself on to a lower branch and hopping to the ground. She followed suit and landed next to him as he dusted off his robes.

"It was a pleasure sharing a tree with you, Draco!"

"Oh, trust me, the pleasure was all yours."

She nodded and smiled. "Indeed! Next time you decide to climb trees, do tell me!"

Luna watched him march off in the wrong direction. Deciding that it was better to leave him be, she set off toward the castle, humming a soft tune under her breath.

The next day she discovered that he had received detention for wandering around in the forbidden forest after dark. And he didn't try to snitch on her.

He was a dragon, she thought. Fierce, proud, and very misunderstood. A mental image of a fire breathing Draco entered her mind. Luna imagined herself as the tamer.

She wore a secret smile for the rest of the day.


	5. Envenom

**Envenom : to impregnate with venom, make poisonous; to embitter

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**

During his fourth year, Luna Lovegood tells him that hate is like poison.

"It will wither you slowly away until you're just a large blot of anger, like the dillypepper blanbert. They just sit at the very bottom of the ocean in the darkest possible place and wallow in self-pity about how they live at the bottom of the ocean in the dark."

He glares and keeps walking. "Whatever, Looney Lovegood. Why don't you go read that kindling you call a magazine and get out of my face?"

"Oh, that's a great idea! Daddy just printed the new copy this morning!" she exclaims to his retreating figure. "If you want one later, just come and find me!"

He never seeks her out later.

Draco remembers her words as he lay in the corridor during the Battle of Hogwarts, his body aching. Blood is pooling under his face, his mouth busted up from an invisible punch (but he knows it has to do with Potter, and he can't seem to care considering he and Weasly and Granger saved his life at least twice today).

He pulls himself into a seated position, trying to hide from the action. At this point, he's not above being a coward (and he doesn't know what has happened to him, because a year ago he would have _never_ admitted to being anything but magnificent). Dust fills his lungs as he inhales deeply and the scent of blood permeates his nose (and it's not all from his mouth), choking him slightly.

Draco closes his eyes and wonders what will happen. Voldemort will win, he knows (though a rebellious part of his mind is rooting for Potter and it disgusts him) and he will be considered a traitor for not bidding the Dark Lord's call in the first place. No, he had to be a _hero_(villain) and he's so confused about the definition of bravery and evil and correct.

"My, my. Looks like you could use some help."

His whole body twitches in shock as his eyes pop open. Luna Lovegood leans over him, her wand mere inches from his face. "Don't! Don't hurt me Lovegood!" he cries (and he's cowering to her, of all people, and he almost wishes that she would finish him).

But instead she laughs, and the sound seems far too light for this kind of atmosphere as she slides down the wall to his right. "I wouldn't hurt you, Draco."

Immediately he straightens and crosses his arms. "Whatever," he mumbles, and he won't tell he that he's glad that she is sitting next to him (it's not like he was actually _lonely_ or anything).

"Do you want me to fix your mouth?"

"No!" he spits, blood dripping from his bottom lip. "I'm fine!"

"Alright," she agrees, reaching into her robes. She pulls out a small glass and taps the edge with her wand. Water fills the cup and she pushes it toward him, and his hands are grabbing it and he's gulping it down before he can remember to be proud and aloof.

They're silent for a moment before he returns her glass with shaking hands, muttering a hasty "thank you" under his breath.

She just smiles like she's won the lottery, and he knows he'll never be able to figure out the crazy girl(woman) as she stares at him with her opalescent eyes. "You should get out of the way."

"What?"

Suddenly her eyes fill with a soft sadness, and he can feel it too, because he has really felt that way all along. "There is a battle going on, Draco. Though I would like to sit here and protect you, but there just isn't time." She stands and he sees something in her expression that doesn't seem to fit (is it resolve?) but fits perfectly (or perhaps determination?) at the same time.

Her hands wrap around his and she pulls him up with slight difficulty, considering he is quite a bit taller. With one last smile, she caresses his cheek (and he suddenly misses his mother immensely) and stands on her tiptoes, and she's kissing him so softly it feels like her lips are made of feathers.

"As long as you're alive, it's not too late to flush out the poison."

And he remembers that she warned him, and he ignored her (because he is good at ignoring the objective truth) and now he is infected down to his very bones. "Luna," he mutters as his hands find their way to her face by themselves, and he pulls her closer into something more harsh and rough, but her lips are better than any healing balm.

She finally ends the kiss and pulls her wand out from behind her ear. His blood is on her mouth and it makes him cringe, but she wipes it away with the back of her hand carelessly. With one last smile, she retreats, leaving him with the memory of her lips and her words ringing in his ears.

("We will win, Draco.")

An hour later Voldemort is defeated, and he finds his parents and holds them both close (because despite the hate and anger in him, he realizes that does love them very much) while his mother weeps and his father has them both in his arms and Draco feels as though he will never let them go again.

Luna passes their position and he can see the smile on her face out of the corner of his eye.

And suddenly he feels like there is hope, and that maybe this is the first step. He vows to find Luna later and ask about a permanent antidote.


	6. Fugacious

I tried something outside of my normal style for this piece. First part is Luna PoV, second part is Draco PoV.

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**Fugacious : fleeting, transitory

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**

There are little moments where he shows that he loves me, even if he isn't ready to say it aloud.

Sometimes I will pass the Slytherin table ("Whatever you do Luna, don't approach me when I'm with the other Slytherins. Not that I'm ashamed, I just don't want them to pick on you, you see.") and out of the corner of my eye I can see him. And for a moment he isn't the pure-blood tyrant called Draco Malfoy. He's just Draco, the boy that I sit with for hours and count stars. Just a little look, a little crack in the mask that no one else can see. But then he's got that wicked smirk and the touch of the devil in his eyes and I'm just another girl.

But that suits me fine. I don't mind just keeping this to ourselves.

On Thursdays I'll walk through the fourth floor corridor after Transfiguration, and when an arm snakes out from the shadows and pulls me into a dark niche in the wall I don't scream. He pulls me close and kisses me with such intensity that I feel like a million Wrackspurts are buzzing in my ears and my heart is flying faster than a snitch. My legs go numb as he buries his fingers in my hair and kisses my jaw and whispers 'Luna, Luna, Luna' fervently against my skin. With a quick wink he turns and walks away as though nothing has just happened that was out of the usual (though this sort of thing did happen at least one a day in some part of the castle), and I slide down the wall and try to catch my breath. After a moment my pulse slows and the Wrackspurts clear out of my ears and I can get up, but for the rest of the day I'm glowing and I know he can tell.

Then we'll meet by the far edge of the lake right after dinner and sit together until the moon is up and the stars are reflected in the lake. He'll lay his head in my lap and I'll stroke his face because I know that he's in pain and there isn't anything I can do besides be there for him. And I'll ask him something to take his mind off of his family and Voldemort (because I can read him like a book and we both know it) for a moment. He'll scoff at first and then seriously answer ("Although I have no idea why you ask, I think that rainbows probably don't reach the ground, and I definitely don't think that any sort of creature can walk up one.") because he knows that I'm seriously asking.

And when he says goodnight and kisses me slowly and softly (which is so unlike him that it boggled my mind the first time it happened) it says 'I love you' better than any flowers or candies or words ever could.

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There are times that I think Luna is the only thing keeping me sane.

At least once a week, Luna manages to accidentally(purposefully) wander into one of my classes. The professor will admonish her ("Lovegood, get out of my dungeon until your own class period or you'll have detention.") and she'll give a lingering apology about some sort of creature playing a trick on her or getting confused on the date and time and part of the castle (which is acceptable coming from someone that spacey) and slowly wander out of the room. As she passes my table on her way out, a hand will snake out of her robes and brush my hand gently or slide a little note into my book ('Draco - Daddy has told me that Western Gringles are on the loose, do be careful the next time you put on your left shoe. -Luna') that would make the corners of my mouth tug upward slightly for the rest of the class.

During meals, occasionally a strawberry will hit me in the back of the head (and it's always a strawberry, because she knows they're my favorite) and bounce to the floor. As my friends (if you could call them such things) start demanding who would have the nerve to 'throw a vegetable at a Slytherin?!' (Goyle doesn't know the difference between fruits and vegetables and I try not to snicker at the idiocy), I bend down and retrieve the fruit. It always has some interesting design or drawing carved intricately into the skin, like a knut or a goblin or a broomstick. After I enjoy it for a moment, I sit up and make eye contact with her pearly gaze and pop the fruit into my mouth (and it's sweet and a bit tart, just like her) and wink. When I see her smile back, I turn around and demand that Crabbe and Goyle sit down and stop making a spectacle of themselves. They say they'll track down the one who threw the strawberry and I just roll my eyes in exasperation (considering that I know who threw the thing, and if they ever laid a finger on her I would deal with them myself) and continue on with the meal, feeling slightly light-hearted.

When reality comes crashing back and I feel the burn of the Dark Mark on my forearm, she's in my vision before I can even think about finding her. "Draco," she'll say, "Professor Snape needs you in the dungeons immediately." I tell my friends(followers) to go on without me, saying that I'll catch up with them later, and follow her. But we don't go to the dungeons. Instead we go to the Forbidden Forest and I watch her feed the thestrals (because I can see them now) and the youngest ones nudge her arms and nibble at the hem of her robes and she smiles that lighter-than-air smile that makes my heart float. And she'll tell me about the house elves ("Brilland's spice garden is doing quite well, and Mornina says that she is making a new quilt out of scraps of student's discarded clothing. Isn't that so resourceful?") because she gets her meat scraps from the little creatures, and of course she has befriended them. When her bag is empty she'll say a farewell to the thestrals and then round on me, her eyes containing a spark of mischief as she kisses me with everything she has and I wrap my arms around her waist. And then she backs away and flicks the tip of my nose with her pointer finger and says 'Good night Draco, have dreams' (because she knows my sleep is filled with nightmares) and skips away while humming an unfamiliar tune under her breath.

Sometimes I think that Luna exists in a different dimension, where only she can see the strange creatures she speaks of and they all actually exist. For a moment when I'm with her (and I can touch her and listen to her and kiss her) I can pretend that I exist there too, and nothing matters except for the two of us.


	7. Gnome

**gnome : one of a species of diminutive beings, usually described as shriveled little old men**  
**

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**

"Why are you doing this again?"

The woman plucked a note off of the bustling crate and read it with a soft smile. Handing the paper to Draco, she began examining the box with critical eyes.

He looked down at the paper and read it quickly ('Luna - I have no idea why you wanted these blasted things, but Mum was more than happy to help you out. See you for dinner on Friday. - Ron Weasley') before crumpling it up and approaching the wispy witch. "Luna. Why are you doing this?"

Seemingly startled, she looked up and gave him her brightest smile. "Oh Draco! How pleasant it is to see you! Lovely day, isn't it?"

Holding back his temper, the young man crossed his arms and tried to keep his tone as neutral as possible. "I've been here for three hours."

Luna scrunched her eyebrows together and tapped her wand against her forehead in a motion that said 'I'm-trying-to-recall-what-you're-talking-about' and he waited patiently. "Ah! Yes, you have!" she exclaimed happily as she leaned up and gave him a small peck on the cheek.

He blushed and coughed uncomfortably. Draco still wasn't used to Luna's open displays of affection, even if it was just the two of them standing in the Lovegood's back garden. "Now, tell me why you requested that Weasley bring you these… things," he requested with more than a hint of disgust in his tone.

"Gnomes are incredibly clever creatures, Draco. Daddy wants to study them a bit more, and I remember Ronald complaining about them last time we all had dinner."

Draco thought back to the dinners that Luna forced him to attend once a week. Though he really didn't have a problem with Potter and his crew anymore, it was still awkward to say the least. Last week when Potter announced that he and his girlfriend were engaged, he wasn't really sure how to react. But Harry just shook his hand with a big grin and Ginny actually _hugged_ him (which caused him to turn a deeper shade of red that the woman's hair), so he really wasn't sure what to make of the whole situation.

"But still. Don't some live here already?"

With a flick of her wand the box levitated toward the garden, flipping and struggling in mid-air. "Well of course, but as Daddy says, you can never have enough of a good thing."

"But… _Gnomes_?"

"_Gernumbli gardensi_ are incredibly stubborn creatures with as of yet untapped magical prowess," she said confidently, and he thought that if she were in any way sane she would make an amazing professor at Hogwarts.

"Oh really? They just look like potatoes on legs to me..."

Luna didn't reply. Instead, she tapped the edge of the box with her wand and at least forty Gnomes piled out and scrambled into the cover of the garden. He was amazed that such a dense mass of plant life could survive. Multi-colored neon flowers the size of umbrellas popped up through the thickets of vines and leaves and other plant forms with which he was entirely unfamiliar. There were large pods hanging from twisted tree branches, casting a canopy of shadows over the whole yard. He tried imagining the abomination of a garden in the courtyard of the Malfoy manor, but he couldn't place the tangle of greenery in his neat home.

That was what he liked most about the Lovegood home - the fact that it wasn't like his own.

"Oh, look at them go! Now, be a dear and catch one for me, Draco!"

He just starred at her for a moment. "Why didn't you just take one out of the box before releasing them?"

Luna turned and her expression was so serious that it caused his heart to skip a beat. "What fun would that be?"

So for the next hour, Draco Malfoy found himself running through the Lovegood's garden, getting tangled in vines, bitten by Gnomes and listening to Luna's laugh as they both dove after the little creatures.

And when he finally caught one, she gave him a smile filled with so much joy that his eyes were actually stinging with tears. Happiness was an odd feeling, he thought. But as Luna helped him up and kissed his cheek, he figured that odd was perfectly alright.


	8. Horology

**Horology : the art or science of measuring time

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**

Time was something she didn't understand.

How was it measured? By daylight, or manmade systems, or one's own perception? Luna wasn't sure, but she knew one thing - that time couldn't be stopped.

And as she watched it pass, she knew that being stagnant and waiting wasn't a solution that was acceptable when the hands of the clock kept tick, tick, ticking around in a never-ending path. So she decided one day that it was time to move.

She was thirty-three and all alone. Now, Luna wasn't one to dwell. With her rapidly expanding mind and the publishing of The Quibbler, she had a very busy life. But was she going anywhere, really? Where did this lead, besides toward more of the same?

So she published one more issue of The Quibbler and on the last page announced that she would be taking a brief sabbatical from her work. Without a backwards glance at her odd little childhood home, she took off in no direction in particular with one large magenta bag gripped tightly in her slender hand and her wand propped up behind her ear.

Traveling in the wizard world without a destination was slightly problematic. One had to have a goal in mind when apparating or using floo powder, so she summoned the Knight Bus and made herself comfortable.

"Where ya headed?" asked an older man with large ears and acne scars all over his face.

"Nowhere in particular," she replied, keeping her eyes glued to the rapidly passing landscape.

The man chuckled and shrugged. "Whatever floats yer boat, lady. Hot chocolate?"

Luna rode the Knight Bus for three days. She knew this by the amount of times beds replaced the rickety seats, because otherwise she really wasn't paying attention. As the world sped by outside the window, she thought of her friends. Harry and Ginny had their children, as did Ron and Hermione. Neville had his wife and his dream job. Sure, she enjoyed her job and her life, but she could never muster up the happiness she felt radiating from her friends.

It all went down hill after her father passed, she supposed. Facing the world all alone was more daunting that she had first thought. Her friends were there for her, of course, but they were busy with their own lives. Burying herself in her work was a natural choice.

But she was empty, and while her imagination was as grand as ever, it didn't bring her joy anymore. Where was the point when she became something that wasn't herself? Was there a certain day when she just unconsciously decided that life wasn't fun anymore?

Since when did she consider her beliefs imaginary?

Finally the bus stopped at a little town in the middle of nowhere and Luna stood. Without a word she exited the bus and took a deep breath of fresh air. Mountains were everywhere and the village only held about thirty buildings. She immediately sought the inn and booked a room for a week. The bed was soft and the management was kind, so she settled in and slept for quite some time. Well, she assumed it was quite some time, considering the manager woke her and asked if she was alright.

After changing into a fresh pair of plum colored robes, she started exploring the town. It was mostly full of small shops and even smaller homes. She poked around and found a small candy shop hidden at the end of an alley and decided that candy was something that sounded almost delicious.

But when she entered, the thought of candy immediately fled her mind. "The irony of you working in a candy shop isn't lost on me."

Draco Malfoy flinched and his elbow nearly slipped from its previous position on the counter of the empty shop. "L… Lovegood?" he mumbled, dusting imaginary dirt off of his robes.

She just smiled and began looking through his inventory without another glance. Of course she was incredibly shocked to see him after so many years. Perhaps she was letting him gather his composure for a moment. Or she was gathering her own composure. Keeping her emotions hidden behind her eyes was getting more difficult as the years passed.

Picking up an oddly colored lollipop, she made her way back to the counter. "I'd like to purchase this."

He still seemed a bit shaken, but wrung up her order. "Three sickles," Draco mumbled, and she didn't remember him mumbling this much in school. She handed him the proper amount and took her candy, unwrapping it right in front of him and sticking it in her mouth.

"Why?" she asked, because every other question seemed too narrow to ask what she wanted to know.

Giving an exasperated sigh, he tore a corner off of a nearby napkin and scribbled down an address. "Here," he said, shoving it into her hand. "Come to my house around nine tonight."

Taking her dismissal with grace, she nodded and exited the store. She had to admit, the years were both good and bad to Draco Malfoy. His elegant beauty was still quite intact, but his eyes were hollow and slightly scattered. As she wandered among the town for the rest of the day, her fingers kept brushing against the scrap in her pocket.

The afternoon passed fairly slowly. She ventured into the country side for a while, but it was lost to her. Nothing looked spectacular or amazing. It was just there.

As was she.

After wasting her evening doing nothing in particular, she found herself at the door of a tiny house at nine o'clock sharp. There were no indications of who live inside on the exterior. The thought crossed her mind that he was trying to hide in this little village. It was true that she hadn't heard anything about him for at least twelve years, but his absence had really never seemed odd. He always appeared to be the type to disappear.

"Are you just going to stare at my door all evening, Lovegood?"

She almost jumped. The voice came from behind her, and she turned to see a grim almost-smile on his pale face. He carried a paper bag full of groceries from the local market and a small rucksack over his shoulder. Sidestepping her carefully, he opened his door and entered, leaving it open for her to follow.

Luna didn't know what she was expecting from Draco Malfoy's home. She would have thought something grand from the Draco she knew at school. But as she looked around his home, she realized that he wasn't that Draco.

But who was she to talk? She really wasn't that Luna anymore, either.

"Coffee?" he asked gruffly from his tiny kitchen.

"Yes, please."

She heard him conjure up a water heating spell and waited. After a moment he approached her with two steaming cups of coffee. "I assume you drink it black."

"Why would you assume that?"

He just shrugged and took a sip from his cup. Luna smiled in response and took a sip as well.

"I see life has been treating you fairly well, Lovegood," he said after a moment to silence.

"Alright, I suppose. I couldn't ask for much more. I publish The Quibbler and try to keep busy." She watched his movements - jerky, anxious. "And you? Your candy shop is lovely."

"Ha," he breathed. "I suppose I should thank you. Candy isn't really my calling, you know. I just kind of fell into the job." His eyes were starring into nothing, and she waited patiently for him to continue. "I worked there after the war. No one near London would hire me for even the most menial of work. Even though my family was cleared of all charges, the memories of what we had done were still there," he said bitterly. "My family fortune was gone, and my parents were both a bit off of their rocker after a while. So, I ran."

"And you found this place?"

He smirked, and it was more sad than anything. "I just got on the Knight Bus and rode it for a while, to be honest. It's hard to get lost sometimes." She nodded slightly in agreement, and he continued. "No one knew me in this town. I got a job at that candy shop working for an old man. He had ran that place all his life. I could tell it was his passion, though I don't know why he chose a sleepy place like this for his business. Four years ago he passed away, and the old coot left me his shop." Draco sighed and sipped on his coffee. "I couldn't just leave. He helped me when no one else would."

"I understand."

His eyes became venomous for a moment. "Do you, Luna? You weren't persecuted after the war. How can you understand anything about me?"

Setting her mug down, she folded her hands on the table and looked at him. "I may not have experienced the exact same things that you have, but I'm perfectly understanding of having an obligation to someone that you don't have a passion to fulfill."

Their eyes locked in understanding. "You don't want to publish The Quibbler," he stated.

She sighed and leaned back in her chair. "It's not that I don't want to. I… I'm not happy."

"Welcome to life, Lovegood."

"I don't believe life should be unhappy."

He stood quietly and took their empty mugs to the kitchen, returning with an angry frown on his face. "I always knew you were a loon."

And then she laughed.

Luna laughed and laughed and laughed and Draco watched until he couldn't help but grin. "You know," she said, still giggling slightly, "we're not old."

"Doesn't feel that way sometimes."

"But we're not."

And he seemed to understand her intention. Suddenly Draco stood and grabbed her arm, pulling her out of the house. He grabbed two old broomsticks from his tiny shed, pushed one into her waiting hands and they flew together into the night sky.

"Didn't know you could fly this well, Lovegood!"

"We have more in common than you might think," she replied with a smile.

An hour later they found themselves in an apple orchard, laughing like they were teenagers high on butterbeer and adrenaline. Collapsing under a large tree, Draco stretched out and Luna leaned against his shoulder. "That was the most fun I've had in… far too long," he sighed, pulling out his wand and flicking it toward to canopy of leaves over their heads. Two apples fell into his hand and he offered her one deftly.

She smiled and took it, running her fingers over the smooth ruby skin. "What is the time, Draco?"

"Probably about eleven or so."

Luna laughed again. "Really, though."

For a moment he was silent. "Time isn't kind," he said slowly. "It moves without telling you, until you're in your thirties and you think your best days are gone." Draco starred at his apple. "But as to what time actually is? I think that it's different for each person."

"What is time to you?" she asked, leaning a bit more heavily on his shoulder. Partially expecting him to shrug her off, she was a bit more than shocked when his arm wrapped around her shoulders.

"Nothing." Luna remained silent and he laughed, taking a large bite out of the fruit. "It means nothing. What do I care anymore?"

"You know, you might be right." He looked down at her and lifted his eyebrow. "Time… what a silly thing to try and measure."

And then she pushed her face forward and kissed him.

Luna could practically feel the world moving beneath her as he pulled her closer, and she thought that maybe it wasn't about what one did in life. Perhaps it was about the company one kept. It most definitely wasn't worrying about the passage of time.

Two days later, Luna relocated The Quibbler offices to the building next to Draco's candy shop.

It was never too late to live.


	9. Ineluctable

**Ineluctable : incapable of being evaded; inescapable

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He thinks back and decides that none of this was an accident.

Even when they were young, something about her drew him closer. Was it her odd sense of style? Her crazed ravings about creatures that for all intents and purposes didn't exist? He figures that it was probably her eyes at first.

They just seemed too big for her face and too knowing for someone her age. He thought that all the secrets of the world could be hidden behind those opalescent orbs, kept locked away with that faint smile that never seemed to leave her face.

Draco took it upon himself to study Luna over the years. Teasing people was simple, but she was in a whole different category. Nothing he said penetrated that perpetually curious expression. He would say things, horrible things that even made him feel bad later (and Draco Malfoy never felt bad about anything), but she would just smile and make some light comment about the weather or quidditch or Nargles and just walk away.

She was so many things and nothing at all. He didn't understand his slight obsession with getting into her head, and he put it to the back of his mind when Voldemort made his comeback.

But now he was gone for good and Draco found himself at Hogwarts once more. His parents insisted that he receive his seventh year of education, but he didn't really see the point. What would he do with his life, anyway? He was marked (literally and figuratively) and being a high society wizard was out of the question.

Even more annoying, he shared most of his classes with seventh year Ravenclaws. Including Luna Lovegood.

They seemed to get paired up in every class. Every project. Every single thing.

"Draco, we should meet in the library after dinner to finish our potions research, yes?"

"Draco, do you happen to have my copy of Standard Book of Spells, Grade 7? I seem to have yours, the Wrackspurts must have been messing with our minds at the time…"

"Draco, I believe the meteor shower is tonight. Care to meet in the western Astronomy Tower at eleven?"

"Draco…"

"Draco…"

She seemed to be around him constantly. Not that he really had anyone else to be around. None of his former 'friends' had returned to Hogwarts, and he couldn't really blame them. He hadn't wanted to come either, after all.

"Draco-"

"What!?" he exclaimed, turning on the younger girl as she approached.

Seemingly unfazed by his temper, she came to a stop in front of him and handed him three scrolls. "Here is what I've figured out for our Arithmency project. If you could compare it with what you have, then we can work together on the second part. The directions seem a bit odd, when it says-"

"Odd? You, talking about things seeming odd?" he asked, flicking her radish earring lightly with his pointer finger.

"Perhaps a better word would be unclear," she amended, sending him another smile that made him angry and something else that didn't make any sense.

"Lovegood," he said softly, burrowing his eyes into her head. "Why is it that you're my partner in every class?"

She tilted her head to the side, seemingly thinking. "Oh, you're right! I didn't even notice!"

He just starred at her for a moment. "You didn't notice?" he repeated faintly. Nodding his head in grim acceptance, he look at her a bit more critically. "You really are loony, aren't you?"

"Occasionally," she responded immediately. "About the Arithmency project…"

Deciding that it was just too idiotic to think about, he continued putting up with Luna at every turn. When the Hogsmeade weekend rolled around, Draco thought that maybe he would finally get a moment of peace and quiet. He managed to get out of the castle and into the Three Broomsticks without being seen, settling himself into a booth near the back of the shop.

"What'll it be for ya, sugar?" Madam Rosmerta asked as she stopped at his table. He used to think she was quite pretty, but nothing really seemed to glow in his world anymore. He opened his mouth to reply, but found himself cut short.

"Two butterbeers, please!"

Rosmerta turned and smiled as Luna Lovegood settled herself on the other side of the booth. "Right away, darlin'," the older woman said as she moved toward the bar.

Draco could only stare as Luna began pulling things out of the multitudes of bags clutched in her hand. "Would you like some chocolate frogs, Draco? There was a buy one, get one free sale at Honeydukes," she said as she pushed the candy box into his hand. "Have some toffees too, I think I bought far too much candy… Look at these wonderful socks I found at Gladrags! They have hen feathers sewn right into the lining, they're the perfect protection against Gabbling Glordons. They like to get into your socks and tickle your ankles in the middle of classes, but they positively abhor hen feathers. They should really advertise these as Gabbling Glordon repellents, I bet they would sell quite a bit better… Look at this quill!" she said as she held up a bright blue feather. "Isn't it magnificent? It turns the ink different scents as you write, I think it's quite-"

Suddenly Draco slammed his hands down on the table, causing the whole pub to go quiet. "Lovegood! Why do you keep following me around!?"

"Well, I-"

"No!" he yelled, shoving her things off the table. "You're just annoying! Just because you don't have any friends doesn't mean you can bother me all the time! Go play with your imaginary creatures and read your father's crackpot magazine! In fact, you can go play in the lake with the giant squid for all I care! Just leave me ALONE!"

Out of everyone in the Three Broomsticks, Luna seemed the least fazed by his outburst. Instead of crying or running or smacking him like he would have expected any normal girl to do, she simply gathered her things. "See you in class, then," she said in her usual tone with her undisturbed half-smile. She turned and walked out, causing everyone in the pub to give him nasty looks.

He just huffed and sat back in his booth, crossing his arms moodily. "Here ya are, sugar," Madam Rosmerta muttered, setting two mugs of butterbeer onto the table. Draco starred at the caramel-colored liquid silently for quite a while. Finally he left the two full mugs on the table along with four sickles and stomped all the way back to Hogwarts.

Instead of finding Luna everywhere, he seemed to only be able to find her in classes and when they absolutely had to be together to finish a project. During those times she was seemingly her usual self, but something was missing. She only spoke when necessary, and Draco convinced himself that he preferred this Luna over the one who spoke nonsense constantly.

Christmas rolled around and he found himself staying at Hogwarts for the holiday. His parents had wanted him to come home, but he had no spirit for the season whatsoever and didn't feel like being around his overly-cheerful parents. Though most of the wizarding community held a grudge against the cleared Malfoy family, his parents seemed to be happy just being together. His mother had pleaded with him, but he just wanted to drop off of the edge of the earth for a while. Hogwarts during the holidays seemed like the perfect opportunity.

But as he roamed the corridors on Christmas Eve, the repercussion of his actions began to hit him violently. He had barely seen a single person in the past week and a half, choosing to eat his meals late and rise early. Loneliness was starting to make itself apparent, and he cursed himself. He could've been at home with his mother and father, sitting around their impeccable tree and sipping on his father's favorite cocoa recipe while listening to his mother try to bake cookies in the kitchen.

With a sigh he made his way out of the castle. Smoke was billowing merrily from Hagrid's hut, his huge boarhound bounding around through the thick layer of snow on the ground. Draco kept walking until he found something very odd at the edge of the lake.

"Lovegood?" he asked quietly. He had no idea that she had stayed for the holidays, but he really hadn't paid much attention to anyone in quite a while. She didn't move, a serene bundle of black cloak and blonde hair shifting lightly in the breeze. "Lovegood?" he called again and she turned to him after another moment.

"Oh, good evening Draco," she said softly.

Not really sure how to handle to situation, he approached and sat next to her. The snow was cold beneath him, but he set his jaw and starred out over the lake. "I didn't know you stayed at Hogwarts for the holidays."

"The Weasleys offered very kindly to let me stay with them, but I felt that I'd rather spend this holiday alone."

His eyebrows crinkled together, but he kept his gaze firmly on anything but her. "What of your father? Didn't he want to see you?"

"Daddy is traveling the world. Currently he's in China, studying panda bears."

"Aren't those non-magical creatures?"

She smiled that knowing smile and her eyes seemed to twinkle. "That's what Daddy is trying to disprove."

They fell into a comfortable silence and watched the giant squid bust through the thin sheets of ice forming over the surface of the water, and for a moment he contemplated apologizing about his explosion in the Three Broomsticks. But before he could start forming the words, Luna stood. "Have a nice evening, Draco. Let all your dreams be full of faeries and sugarplums."

Draco watched her practically float away and sighed, returning his gaze to the lake and wondered if the squid ever got lonely as it floated lazily around the lake.

The next morning he awoke to piles of presents from his parents and a few relatives, but one box struck him as strange. It was lime green with glowing orange spots, and he unwrapped it quickly. Inside was a silver chain with a beautifully carved dragon charm. He scanned the note in the box ('This charm is handmade from an infusion of rosewood and peppermint. It will protect you from magical frostbite.') and he felt like his heart had stopped for a moment. Underneath the note was a pair of hideous socks with hen feathers sewn into the lining. Another note fell from them as he lifted them from the box ('For the Gabbling Glordons. Happy Christmas.') and he wished that someone would just punch him in the face.

Abandoning the rest of his presents and pulling the necklace around his head, he ran all the way to the great hall. Finding it fairly empty (it was still quite early), he ran to the staircase that lead to the Ravenclaw common room. When he reached the top of the spiraling staircase, he met a door with a brass eagle knocker. "Let me in!" he gasped, though he knew that nothing in Hogwarts was that simple.

"You must answer my riddle first!" the knocker proclaimed, and he sighed in misery. "Forward I am heavy, backwards I am not. What am I?"

Draco starred at the knocker blankly. It was far too early to be thinking about idiotic riddles, and he found himself thankful that his dorm only required a password for entrance.

"A ton," a voice called from behind him. He turned so quickly that he almost fell down the stairs, the knocker giving a cluck of approval at the correct answer. Luna stood behind him, her face the perfect mask of contentment. "Happy Christmas, Draco."

"Luna," he muttered, feeling an odd flush come to his face. For a moment they were both silent, the door to the Ravenclaw common room propped open behind him. Mustering up his courage, he sighed. "I'm sorry."

She blinked but didn't seem surprised in the least.

"I shouldn't have been so cruel to you."

Luna kept looking at him almost expectantly.

"And thank you for the gifts."

He was getting incredibly antsy now. The silence stretched between them for at least a full minute, and Draco wasn't sure what to say.

"Happy Christmas," he muttered, looking at his feet. Did he expect her to forgive him for being a complete ass? He wouldn't forgive himself. Plus he didn't even have a gift to give her in return for her thoughtful presents.

But suddenly his vision was filled with nothing but Luna and her lips brushed against his softly. Draco was so shocked that he couldn't even move. His whole body felt like it was on fire, and although he had kissed other girls (mainly Pansy, but just thinking of her made him cringe), her kiss was entirely different.

"Mistletoe," she said, pointing above his head. When he look, there was indeed a sprig of mistletoe hung above the common room door. Probably to catch people that couldn't solve the riddle, he mused. "It doesn't look like Nargles are living in this particular bunch, but one can never be too careful," she said seriously, and he chuckled.

"Loony Lovegood," he murmured, a smile crossing his face for the first time in months.

A year later when he sits in his family's living room on Christmas Day, sipping his father's cocoa and eating his mother's burned cookies with Luna leaning against his side, he thinks back through the years and knows that it can't be a coincidence that they were brought together. He watches Luna tell his father about how to spot Nargle-infested mistletoe, and he wonders if it was her plan all along.

When she turns and smiles at him, he can't seem to care either way.


	10. Jubilee

Ignore the fact that there are two chapters in a row about gift giving. This prompt had me quite stumped for a while. Nine drafts later, you have this.  


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**Jubilee : any season or occasion of rejoicing or festivity**

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He really just wanted to be left alone.

When the box full of cupcakes landed near his breakfast that morning, he had hastily took them and escaped the prying eyes of the other Slytherins. There was a reason he had told no one that it was his birthday, after all. Solitude was something he was coming to cherish, considering his usual company. Crabbe and Goyle were great thugs, but definitely not the most stimulating conversationalists. All Pansy wanted to do was gossip, and Blaise saw himself above talking most of the time.

Making his way to the usually empty astronomy tower, Draco was slightly surprised to find another figure among the battlements. "Oh, good morning Draco."

"Morning, Lovegood," he said sharply. Over the past year, Luna Lovegood had managed to find most of his hiding spots and decided to make them her own. At first she just annoyed the hell out of him ("Oh Draco, would you like to read the latest findings about Crumple-Horned Snorkacks? My father says he's getting closer to finding one everyday…") but he had come to find her company bearable, and if he was completely honest with himself (which he never was), he enjoyed her odd comments and easy companionship.

"Happy birthday."

That stopped him again. He had made sure to never mention his birthday to anyone, which was made easier by the fact that the day fell during exam week. Narrowing his eyes, he planted himself on the battlement and starred at her. "How did you know?"

She blinked and began turning in place, starring at the flawlessly blue sky. "I know a lot of things."

"That explains nothing."

"Can I have a cupcake?"

He gripped the box more tightly to his chest. "No way!"

She nodded, appearing to think about his response. "Yes, I suppose that's reasonable."

A frown crossed his face as he tried to understand just what the hell she was talking about, but he had a feeling that not even she knew most of the time. Either she was very smart or very stupid. "What are you doing up here, anyway?"

Luna stopped spinning and looked at him with a vacant gaze. "My shoes seem to have misplaced themselves," she muttered, sticking out one of her bare feet and wiggling her toes at him. "I was searching for them."

"Up here?"

"I've found my missing things in stranger places."

He huffed and opened his box, taking a deliberate bite out of one of his birthday cupcakes. His mother was an atrocious cook, and he knew the house elf had made them, but the fact that she was thinking of him wasn't lost to Draco. It made him slightly glad that the term was ending soon and he could go home. "Why do your things disappear?" he asked, considering he had absolutely nothing better to do and she was still starring at the sky.

"I believe the Nargles hide them," she said confidently. "Or the girls in my dorm are pretending to be Nargles, but I'm pretty sure it's the Nargles."

In his mind he could hear what she was really saying - 'The girls in my dorm hide my things, but I'd much rather believe that it was an imaginary creature than think about it' - and his brows creased. "Can't you do some sort of anti-theft spell?"

"Oh, those don't work on Nargles. They're very clever and know how to break most of the ones I've tried. Besides, it's quite difficult to keep those sorts of spell on all of ones possessions."

His Luna translation gave him the truth - 'It doesn't matter what I do, they still find some way to take something, so I've given up' - and he frowned into his second cupcake. "But-"

"I'm afraid I must be off," she said lightly. "I need to figure out where the Nargles hid my shoes before my Transfiguration exam." She practically floated over to his spot on the battlements and handed him a small box. "Many happy returns," she said, her normal half-smile just a bit brighter than normal, and she skipped to the stairs and disappeared.

The box was plain, wrapped in a ribbon that started singing 'For He's A Jolly Good Fellow' as he untied the bow. Inside laid a pair of beautiful silver cuff links with the Slytherin snake engraved into the side. A plain corner of parchment laid under the cloth and read 'Happy Birthday Draco', and a knot formed in his stomach.

Though he thought Lovegood was a total loon, he was taught to be indebted to no one. He ignored the part of him that wanted to chuck the box off of the castle and tucked it into his bag, demolishing another cupcake as he thought through how he would get back at her for this forced kindness (because he knew that she had no ulterior motive and it drove him crazy to think that she was just _being nice_) in a way that would make them completely even.

-----

It had taken a full day to track down her shoes. Professor McGonagall had given her a disapproving look during the final, but at least she didn't take points away from her score for performing the spells in her bare feet. Luna was sure that Snape would have, but she had finished his exam the day after, shoes on her feet and a beautiful Amori-Inducing Philter in her cauldron. Overall it had been a good exam week, and she made her way to her dorm to study for her Charms final the next day.

She thought back to two days earlier and wondered if she should have stayed to watch Draco open her gift. Despite what most people thought, Luna was still quite human and she knew she would have blushed furiously if she had stayed. It was for the better, she supposed. If he had gotten angry or upset at the gift, she would have been quite distraught. Luna had just wanted to show him a bit of kindness. She could tell that he needed it more than most.

When she pulled the drapes back from her bed, she found a small box with a beautiful chocolate cupcake sitting on the lid. A smile flickered across her face as she picked up the sweet and took a large bite off of the top, licking the frosting off of her face like a child. She carefully removed the lid to the box and found a bronze necklace with a shimmering sapphire pendant.

Enchanted, she sat the cupcake on her bedside table and examined the necklace carefully. She found strange symbols set into the clasp and immediately smiled. The necklace was charmed with an anti-theft spell, made permanent by the addition of the delicately etched runes. A note in the box read 'Happy Birthday Lovegood. The Nargles won't pilfer this, I guarantee'.

Luna tilted her head back and laughed, laying on her bed as she polished off her cupcake and gently played with the sapphire stone that gave off various shades of blue in the sunlight, a smile plastered across her lips.

-----

The next day Draco spotted Luna in the Great Hall. He felt a strange jolt of pleasure when he saw that she was wearing the necklace he had labored over for hours the previous night (it was just to make them even, really, that was all). For a moment she caught his eye and her smile shifted slightly from the normal content wisp to a full grin, but as soon as it had formed it was gone and her face was a mask of serenity once again.

He thought that perhaps things would be a bit different the next time they met on the Astronomy Tower, and he wasn't so sure that it would be a bad thing.


	11. Kaboom

Been a bit busy with college starting up again. I'll try to start updating this a bit more frequently.

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**kaboom: used to represent a sudden and loud sound, as of an explosion**

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Luna had spent the last ten years of her life going through her mother's old notes.

"So many incomplete potions and spells…" she muttered to herself, just as she did almost every day. It had become a sort of obsession. Her husband constantly says she might as well have married her cauldron, but she just laughs in response.

They both know that this is important to her.

That particular day, Luna thought she was actually making progress on a potion that, ideally, when frozen would become a diamond. It was incredibly intricate and she pondered leaving this one for another day and moving on in the half completed notebook. There were many other ideas much less complex, but Luna wasn't one to quit.

Adding two sprigs of holly berries and stirring slowly, she turned back to her mother's notes. Scrawled at the bottom in loopy cursive writing was a postscript: 'Xenophilius says that these potions will be the death of me. Sometimes I think he's right! Tried adding plumpert root, didn't work. Need to increase boiling time by approximately 5 minutes after adding holly.'

Her breath caught in her throat and tears threatened to spill over her lower lashes. The fatalistic words were slightly ironic and incredibly saddening, but Luna took a deep breath and consulted her other texts. She lowered the heat beneath the cauldron, allowing it to simmer the extra amount of time indicated in her mother's note.

The silence of the house was destroyed as crashing footsteps echoed through the level above her basement lab. She knew what was coming, but she couldn't brace herself in time.

"Momma!" two voices cried at they thundered down the stairs. Her smile nearly made her cheeks hurt as they barreled into her, each one wrapping themselves around one of her legs.

"Momma! Tomorrow is my birthday!" the little boy announced.

"I know," she replied, gently straightening his honey blonde hair. "How old will you be?"

"Eight!" he announced proudly, puffing out his chest with a superior gleam in his smoky eyes.

"Did you and your sister have fun at the park, Scorpius?"

"Yeah!" The little boy started bouncing slightly, and she had to grab the edge of the table to keep from falling over. "Didn't we, Maia?"

"We did, Momma!" the little girl squeaked. Luna was sometimes worried that she was a bit timid, but she was a radiant child with a keen intelligence and just preferred to observe most of the time. "The Potters and the Weasleys were there!"

"We're they?" she asked with amusement.

"Yeah, that was a load of fun," a voice grumbled from the stair well.

She turned as Draco Malfoy huffed down the steps, obviously out of breath. "Are you getting too old to chase them down, dear?"

He sneered at her, but the smile pulling at the corner of his mouth was evident. "Let's see you keep up when they run the whole way home."

After straightening himself up, he approached her and grinned. Suddenly he swooped down and gave her a heart-stopping kiss, both of his hands cupping her cheeks. She sighed slightly, allowing her eyes to drift shut.

"Ewwww!" two voices squealed from below them.

"Stop snogging in front of us!" Scorpius demanded. "We're only kids, you know!"

Draco looked down and Luna could see the love in his eyes. She clearly remembered when those eyes had been stormy and cold. It had been such a harrowing road that sometimes she had to stop and assure herself that this was all real, and that they were both really this happy. "You're right," he replied, scooping Maia into his arms. Her long pale locks went flying around as he pulled her into a fireman's hold. "Two kids that need a bath after rolling around in the dirt!"

Luna laughed, but suddenly she felt an unnecessary amount of heat radiating from the cauldron behind her. "Quickly!" she cried, pushing her husband and children to the far end of the lab. Just as she got them behind a corner and muttered a quick "_Protego"_, her cauldron exploded with a resounding boom. Flecks of clear, sparkling liquid splattered against the walls and the ceiling, the iron cauldron looking like a flower in bloom where it had welded itself to the floor.

She sighed. "Well, it looks like I'll be making another trip to Diagon Alley this week."

Draco let out a booming laugh as he sat Maia back onto the floor. "That's your seventh cauldron this month! You might as well have one delivered every Saturday!"

The kids were standing as close to the shield spell as they could, pointing to the shimmering liquid dripping from the ceiling.

"Do you suppose if I froze the room, it would all turn into diamond?" Luna asked dreamily, leaning back against Draco's chest.

He wrapped his arms around her waist and pressed his lips to her neck, causing her to shiver. "Every day with you is an adventure, you know that?"

Luna smiled and counted her good fortune once again.


End file.
