The snow fell down in a gentle curtain across the land. All of the evergreen trees had a liberal dusting on them, their branches bent with their burden. Off in the distance a frozen lake sits nestled between two snow capped hills.



Luna walked through this near perfect winter scene. The only thing that was missing was for her father to be walking with her. But with the state of the wizarding world after the fall of Voldemort, it was unlikely that he would ever walk with her again.



Luna sighed. In addition to her worries about her father, she was lamenting the fact that Professor Sprout had not taught them more about non-Magical plants in herbology. How was she supposed to find a Nargle if she couldn't find any mistletoe? If only Neville wasn't in Azkaban. He would probably know where to find mistletoe.



These were sad thoughts for Luna. After the war against Voldemort had been won, the Ministry had tried to make a show of usefulness. The wizarding world was not happy with them at all. There were cries for all of the top staff and officials to be removed from office. In a panic, they spun Harry's death into a boon for themselves, saying that he had been working for them in secret. They had put pressure on Hogwarts and the Prophet to confirm their story. And if anybody disagreed, like poor Neville, they were put into Azkaban.



She wondered what they were doing to keep Hermione Granger quiet. It was probably the same trick that they used on her. She remembered a very grim-looking wizard coming to her home a year-and-a-half ago.



“Hello, Ms. Lovegood. Is your father at home?” he said. He then walked into the house.



“You know, it's quite rude to come in without being invited,” Luna told the man. “Furthermore, you have not even introduced yourself.”



“I work for the Ministry and I need to see your father and you right away. I do not have time for manners at the moment. Now if he is at home, go and get him.”



Luna didn't move. Instead she just stood there looking at him as if he were an extremely interesting type of plant.



Luna's stare had unnerved quite a few people at school. It seemed that it had the same effect on the Ministry official. “Err.. Will you please go get your father?”



Luna turned and went upstairs to her father's study. He was looking over a few articles that had been sent in.



“Look at this one Luna. A witch in Northumberland says that she has a Nargle infestation in the forest just outside her village. We'll have to take a trip up there soon.”



“Sounds like fun, dad. There is a man from the Ministry here who wants to talk to us. He was very rude.”



“He said that he wants to talk to both of us?”



“Yes.”



“Well, let's go see what he wants.”



When they got downstairs they discovered that the Ministry official had decided to have a look around their home. He was perusing a stack of old articles that had not made it into The Quibbler, as well a several drawings of Nargles and Heliopaths that had been sent in for publication from eye-witnesses.



“Excuse me Mr...” said Luna's father.



“Ah, Mr. Lovegood. It has come to the Ministry's attention that you intend to print a false and slanderous story about Harry Potter and his deep association with the Ministry in the recent war against He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. That you intend to spread the lies and rumors of Neville Longbottom, the murderer.”



“They are not lies. I was there with Harry when the Ministry tried to suppress the truth that Voldemort had returned. And I fought by his side to help uncover the truth and bring down the Death Eaters and their evil Master.” said Luna with fire in her eyes.



“They are. Ms. Delores Umbridge has said that these lies must not be spread. In her efforts to stop the undermining of the leadership that is so desperately needed during this stressful time of rebuilding, she has decreed that all articles must be approved by the Ministry prior to publication. She has also told me to give each of you a letter detailing the punishments for not following the Decree.”



“And just who is Delores Umbridge to give such a decree?” asked Mr. Lovegood. “Did she somehow become Minister of Magic while I was asleep?”



“Ms. Umbridge is the Chairwitch of the Department of Information. It's all in your letters. Have a pleasant day.”



And with that the Ministry wizard left their home.



Luna's father had burned his letter after reading it. But Luna still had hers. It threatened both of them with a life sentence in Azkaban if either one of them told the truth about what had happened. If it had just been her, she would have proclaimed it from the rooftops and let them lead her away. But if she did it, her father would be in irons right beside her. And that she just couldn't bear.



She shook herself. She had gone on this hunt for Nargles to take her mind off things. But it wasn't helping. She was still preoccupied by the state of affairs in the wizarding world and her inability to do anything about them. She decided to go back to the inn and pack when movement in the trees in front of her caught her eye. Her curiosity aroused, she went to the trees to get a better look.



As she stepped into the darkness of the trees, she drew her wand. Though it seemed unlikely, the few Death Eaters that were still at large could be anywhere. Though she definitely wasn't high on their list of potential targets, she had fought against them in the war. Best to be careful.



Luna wandered through the trees in search of whatever had been moving in here. Although it probably wasn't a Nargle, it just might be the elusive Blibbering Humdinger. She began to smile as she thought of what her father might say if she actually managed to get a picture of one.



The smile froze on her lips as a man stepped from behind the tree in front of her. He was a little thin, but in fairly good shape. But his face was still in shadow. As she raised her wand, he stepped from the shadows completely. Shocked, Luna nearly dropped the wand that she was pointing at him.



“Hello, Luna,” he said.



“Draco! What are you doing here?”



***



In the winter of Luna's seventh year at Hogwarts, she did what no one else in the magical community had been able to do. She captured the Death Eater, Draco Malfoy.



She had been on her way to the Shrieking Shack when it happened. She had been to the village in hopes that the Christmas decoration might cheer her up. She was still angry that the Ministry had prevented her and her father from telling the world the truth about Harry's relationship with the Ministry. Her father, on the other hand, was severely depressed about it. In his entire career as a journalist, he had never once held back a story that he believed in.



Coming out of her thoughts, she looked up just in time to stop herself from walking right into a duel. She spotted the two wizards pointing their wands at each other. Each was intent upon the other, waiting for the slightest drop in their opponents guard.



Luna stood, transfixed by the sight in front of her. She recognized both of the wizards. One was Draco Malfoy, the other was his uncle, Rodolphus. She was wondering what would have caused such a rift between the few remaining Death Eaters, especially between two family members, when all of a sudden the duel was over. In the blink of an eye, Draco had been disarmed and lay screaming.



Though she had heard no incantation, Luna realized that it must be the Cruciatus curse. Nothing else caused so much pain. Rodolphus slowly advanced on his victim. For one terrible moment, Luna feared that he would continue the curse, driving Draco insane as he had Neville's parents. But when he reached Draco's wand, he lifted the curse.



“And now your race is run, boy. For betraying the Dark Lord, I am going to kill you.”



Hearing these words, Luna finally shook herself out of her thoughts. Neither wizard had seen her yet. So she drew her wand and stunned Rodolphus.



Draco had been in a sitting position as his uncle delivered his death sentence to him. Now that Luna had granted a reprieve, he fell back to the ground again, unconscious.



Though she had Rodolphus down and Draco seemed as if he couldn't walk, Luna was taking no chances. “Accio wands!”



With both wands in her hands, she walked over to the two wizards. She quickly used a binding spell to tie up Rodolphus and Draco. She was just about to fire red sparks into the air to summon help, when Draco spoke.



“Please, help me.”



His voice was so faint that Luna could barely hear him. Yet it was loud enough to stop her from summoning help. Luna had always been a good judge of character. As she looked at Draco, she thought about what she was going to do. Though he had joined the Death Eaters, he had never done any evil that she knew of. He had talked big and been the worst bully at Hogwarts. Yet he had committed no crime.



Her mind made up, Luna unbound Draco. She helped him to stand and hid him in one of the overgrown gardens around the Shrieking Shack. She then cast a Disillusionment Charm on him.



“Wait for me here. I'm going to turn your uncle in.”



And with that she left him. But she would see much of him over the next few weeks.



***



“I came to find you. I needed to repay you for the kindness you showed me. You risked much to nurse me back to health. I didn't understand why you did it really. And I had to leave before I was strong enough to tell you the story of how I came to be there in the first place.”



“I figured you just didn't care. You were never nice at school, after all.”



“At school I was wrapped up in the Pureblood mania of my father. All I wanted was to please him. Talking to anybody in a friendly way that wasn't a part of Pureblood society wouldn't have made him happy. After I failed as a Death Eater, I had a change of heart.”



“What happened to change your mind?”



“When I failed in my first mission, Snape came along and did it for me. Everyone thought that his loyalties were with Voldemort. But he had merely been carrying out Dumbledore's final order to him. He was to kill Dumbledore if I couldn't.



“When we escaped from Hogwarts, he separated us from the other Death Eaters. It was there that he told me of Dumbledore's plans for the two of us. He wanted Snape to continue his role as spy and for me to go into hiding with my mother.



“I wanted no part of it at the time. I raged against Snape for being a traitor. I swore that I would turn him in. I knew that I was in big trouble with Voldemort. But I also knew that turning in a traitor would save my life.



“After arguing with Snape, I realized that he was not going to let me go. So I did the only thing that I could. I stunned him and ran for it. The only thought that I had was to get back to my Master. I needed to redeem myself in his eyes or I would die. However, I couldn't just Apparate to him. I hadn't been summoned. So I went to my family. My aunt Bellatrix.”



***



“Aunt Bellatrix?”



“Draco, is that you?”



“Yes.”



“Did you accomplish your mission?”



“No. I failed. Snape killed him for me.”



“Well everybody knew that you were not a match for Dumbledore. He is an old fool, but a very gifted duelist.”



“Oh, I disarmed him. I had him at my mercy. But in the end, I couldn't go through with it. He was defenseless. If I had killed him in a duel, that would have been all right. But this was murder.”



Bellatrix was stunned. Her nephew had disarmed Dumbledore. It was amazing enough that he had found a way to break into Hogwarts. But to actually have bested Dumbledore! Yet Draco had not killed him. He had lost his nerve at the crucial moment. As much as it pained her, there was only one punishment for such cowardice.



“I see. You think that there is honor in letting a Blood Traitor and an enemy to our cause live, do you? You feel that such a man is worthy of life? He would happily see our Master destroyed and you let him live! You are not worthy of the name Malfoy!”



“I-I, I just couldn't do it! It was horrible!”



“Crucio!”



Draco fell to the ground, screaming. He had never before felt the effects of the Cruciatus Curse. Every nerve in his body was on fire. The pain coursed through his body in waves, impossibly getting worse every second.



Bellatrix released her nephew. As he lay gasping for air, she watched him.



“I am sorry, Draco, but there is only one thing for such a failure. And that is death. If not for Severus, a very powerful enemy would still be-”



“Crucio!”



This time it was Bellatrix whose screams tore the quite of the night into shreds. Draco knew that his aunt had meant what she said about killing him. His family had always been ambitious. And they had never let family ties stand in the way of advancement. If she thought that his corpse would help redeem her, she would present it to the Dark Lord with a bow on it.



Draco held the curse much longer than his aunt had. He needed her to be very weak if he was to defeat her. Just as her mind was about to snap from the curse, he released her.



“Accio Bellatrix's wand!”



The wand firmly in his hand, Draco sat on a nearby chair and watched his aunt. As she struggled to a sitting position, he thought about her fate. He should just kill her and be done with it. But he didn't think he had it in him to kill her.



“Stupefy!”



***



“When I realized that the other Death Eaters would merely take the info on Snape being a traitor and then kill me, I ran away to wait to be summoned. For weeks I waited. But the summons never came. But the Death Eaters did. It appeared that I wasn't to have the chance to explain myself after all. I was merely marked for death. I later found out that Snape had told Voldemort that I was weak and unworthy of the Mark. This kept me from blowing his cover and from getting killed by the Dark Lord as well.”



Luna's journalistic instincts had crept back in. She no longer thought of this as two people talking, but as an interview.



“But that still doesn't explain the change of heart. You may have given up on the Death Eaters, but you seem to have rejoined the rest of us as well. Your contempt for us “Blood Traitors” is gone, isn't it?”



“It left me when I was saved by a Blood Traitor. You have to remember that I felt that I was a coward. I felt that my aunt Bella was right. I was not worthy of my name. All that changed when I was finally caught by one of my fellow Death Eaters.



“I had run all over England and Europe, trying to stay one step ahead of those that pursued me. Of course the only ones who did were those that were out of favor at the time. My head would have been a wonderful present to get them back in the Dark Lords graces again.



“In the end, it was Amycus who found me. I never found out what he did to anger the Dark Lord. It doesn't really matter anyway. He found me weak and starving somewhere in Britain. I was easy prey. In no time at all he had me disarmed. But just as he had me down, Aurthur Weasley came to my rescue.



“I grew up listening to my father talk about what a poor wizard Mr. Weasley was. After seeing him fight Amycus, I realize that my father was jealous. I have seen many people duel. But few could have matched Mr. Weasley.



“I stayed just long enough to be sure that Mr. Weasley won. I knew that he recognized me and that he would probably send me to Azkaban. But I had so few friends that I couldn't leave the people who would help me. But as soon as the duel was over, I got my wand and Apparated out of there.



“That was the first of several times that people helped me. I had never needed anybody else to help me before, and now I could not do without the kindness of strangers. Yet they helped. Times were dark, but people still helped me. I think that was the reason why I changed. As long as I kept the Dark Mark covered, people accepted me as one of them. They shared what little they had to help someone that they felt was a comrade in arms.



“Anyway, a few months later, you found me on the losing end of a duel with my dear Uncle. You took me in and helped me.”



Luna took all of this in. It seemed a little too convenient. Too contrived. Yet she still felt that he was not the same bully that he had been. He was telling the truth about having changed for the better, but his story was almost certainly false. Or at least most of it. His story about Arthur rang partly true as well.



“You seem to have had a great deal of luck.



“I have had a great deal of luck. Those that should have hated me for what I had done took pity on me. And my enemies either underestimated me or overestimated their abilities.”



“I meant a little too much luck. You're not telling me the truth.”



Draco looked shocked for a few seconds, then roared with laughter.



“I have told you the complete truth. I just lied to do it.”



“Why?”



“If I could tell you why, I could have told you the truth. Let's just say that when the truth comes out, I'll make sure you get the first interview.”



After considering it for a moment, Luna nodded her head. “All right. But if you just came to lie to me, you're stranger than people say I am.”



Draco laughed long and loud at this. Several times he tried to speak, but lost control of his laughter again. Finally he got it under control enough to speak.



“I came to repay your kindness. I need your story. The one that the Ministry threatened you and your father with Azkaban about.”



“How did you know about that story?”



“I have my sources. Do you still have that story?”



“Yes. It's in my room at the inn.”



“You carry it with you?”



Luna turned red at this. She obsessed over that story. It was to have been her first article published in The Quibbler. But that evil Umbridge woman had stopped her.



“Never mind. Just go get it for me.”



“Why?”



“I intend for it to be the first true story published in a long time.”



“But the Department of Information won't-”



“Won't know what hit them. I can get it validated. The Daily Prophet and The Quibbler are going to have unapproved headlines tomorrow. But Umbridge's signature will be at the top of them.”



Luna couldn't believe it. She was so happy that she ran up to Draco and kissed him.



“Hey, just because I'm under the mistletoe.”



“Mistletoe!” Luna looked up. Sure enough, she was standing under a large clump of mistletoe. She quickly pulled Draco out from under it.



“You shouldn't be standing under that! There could be Nargles!”