Chapter 6 �“ Family and Reputation
Luna bit her lip as she stared at the notes on her parchment. She tried to focus on the conversation she’d just had with Malfoy. Vaguely, she recalled something about Death Eaters. Family. Reputation.
Her mind wandered toward the Minister of Magic. She’d always wanted to write a story about him. She’d been so sure Percy Weasley’s mind had been invaded by an ancient and dark force, thirsty for revenge on the remaining Death Eaters who were, in actuality, visitors from another world trying to track the elusive Wrackspurt.
She remembered reading the article about Percy’s proposed declaration and had been so excited to have actual proof that her theory was indeed correct that she had hurried to wake Ron and �“
Ron.
Luna smiled bitterly at the memory. Ron, still groggy and annoyed at being awoken so early, had looked at Luna as if she were crazy. Luna had always gotten those looks and never minded them, but she always felt a stab of hurt when Ron looked at her like that.
He shouted and shouted, Luna remembered. Something family. Reputation.
“You’re sometimes so loony, Luna.”
That stung, Luna was so naïve, so in love, that she had dismissed it, attributing it to Ron’s inability to think in the mornings.
So that day, Luna had resolved to figure it all out. Do an article on Percy. Show Ron everything about his brother and his life. Ron would love me once this story is published, she recalled herself thinking.
She had headed down to the Ministry of Magic as soon as she left their flat. Her brother-in-law had received her in the lobby even without an appointment. Family. Reputation.
Luna had immediately set to work, questioning Percy about policies, his personal life, and his opinion on Wrackspurts. She hadn’t noticed his discomfort, nor his habit of looking over Luna’s shoulder at the door. Before she had finished her interview, she remembered, Percy had apologized, saying he had an important meeting to get to.
Luna had understood, nodded, and waved at her father-in-law and Dolores Umbridge who were on their way into the office. She had noted Arthur Weasley’s distracted expression, the poor dear; losing five children could do that to a person. So she Apparated home, happy that she’d gotten all that she needed.
She had been in the dining room, inspecting her half-finished article with pride when Ron had stormed in. She noticed the infamous deep shade of red her husband had turned when he had seen the article on the table. When Luna had opened her mouth to greet him, Ron had cut her off. Enraged, he had rampaged on about family and reputation. He had said the most horrible things to her, things she still remembered �“ word for word.
”Umbridge just told me you were in his office, interviewing him for an article! Are you deaf, Luna? I told you how much nonsense this theory was just this morning! Does my opinion not count in this marriage? I expect to be heard and respected!”
Ron strode over to the table and snatched up Luna’s story before she had the chance to object. Before her very eyes, he savagely tore apart the parchment. She watched with wide eyes as he threw the pieces down.
“This story could’ve ruined my family, our reputation,” he continued as he paced around the room. “Percy may have been a git a few years ago, but this decree really is for the best! Are you blind, too, Luna, to not see that? Thousands of Death Eaters gone! Just because you never lost anyone to them, just because your mother died from her own stupidity, doesn’t mean this doesn’t affect you as much as the rest of us.
“This story isn’t something to be trifled with. This isn’t some insignificant fancy that can be warped and published by you, Luna. You and father could be imprisoned for this.” Ron took a deep breath and shook his head in disgust. “To turn against my family is to turn against me. And I, above all others, will not tolerate a traitor in the family.”
Large tears rolled down Luna’s cheeks. “Ron, please.” Ron suddenly looked worn-down. “Luna,” he sighed, massaging the spot between his eyes. “Just get out.”
Luna nodded and, blinded by her tears, collected as many pieces of the parchment she could before making her way to their shared bedroom to collect her belongings. After she packed, she took out a roll of Spellotape and began putting the pieces of parchment together as best she could. When she was done, she placed it carefully on the bed before heading out the apartment. Even as she passed Ron in the hallway, she didn’t bother to say goodbye.
Luna now wondered when Ron had found the pathetically repaired article titled The Great Percival Weasely: Son, Brother, and Minister of Magic.
“Luna?” A smart rap on the door brought Luna back to the present. Hastily she wiped away the traces of tears on her cheeks and cursed at her own stupidity. What had happened ages ago shouldn’t have made her feel this way.
“Luna?” The voice at the door was more urgent now.
“Malfoy, this is your own room,” Luna called back. “I hardly think you need to ask for permission to enter.”
“Ah,” Draco said, sounding amused, “but I never had a woman in my room before. Who knows what foul things you beastly creatures do alone?” There was a pause. “May I come in?”
Luna sighed. “Come in, Malfoy.” She picked up her parchment and began scanning it nonchalantly as if she’d been going over her notes the entire time.
“Dear writer,” Draco smirked as he entered the room, “whatever shall you do without your instruments?” He set his stationary set on Luna’s table. When Luna looked up to acknowledge him, his smile disappeared. “Luna, what’s wrong?”
Startled, Luna quickly turned to her parchment again. “What do you mean ‘what’s wrong’?” she asked, slightly defensively.
“Your nose is red.”
Damn.
Luna let out a short laugh. “I hardly think, Malfoy, that having a red nose should indicate that something is wrong.” She turned back to him as if challenging him to say anything more.
To her surprise, Draco only smiled. “You’re right. My mistake.” He straightened and stared at the parchment before Luna. He gazed at Luna as if he wanted to say something but thought better of it. “Well,” he finally said after a long awkward pause, “I’ll let you be then. You have work to do.”
After Draco left, Luna went back to her notes and groaned. Large teardrops had blotted out huge portions of her notes. She glared at the illegible writing and wondered if that was why Draco had seemed so uncomfortable �“ he knew she’d been crying.
Luna sighed and shook her head. She had work to do and resolved to finish this article as quickly as she could.
By the evening, however, Luna sat frowning at five different sheets of parchment with five different titles for her article.
The Curse of a Death Eater
An Interview with a Death Eater
My Father Ruined My Life: The Story of the Death Eater Who Kidnapped Me
My Breakfast with a Death Eater’s Son Who Is Also a Death Eater
The Death Eater World is a Dog-Eat-Dog World Too
Luna groaned as she noticed the titles had gotten steadily worse. At this rate, she would never be able to leave.
Luna sighed, sitting back in her chair, as she picked up her notes again. She skimmed for the umpteenth time, ignoring the blotches of tears, looking for anything that might lead to a good title.
Suddenly, she got it.
Frantically, she opened the box and pulled out another sheet of parchment and wrote furiously across the top of the page:
Former Death Eater Pleads for Understanding
Should the World Heed Him?
Luna smirked; Draco never said she had to write a sympathetic story, did he?
Someone �“ Malfoy, she corrected herself �“ knocked on the door. Luna quickly picked up her last sheet of parchment and ran to her bed. Hastily, she lifted a pillow and stuffed the parchment underneath. Draco knocked again. “Luna, you all right?”
“Hang on, Malfoy.” Luna ran back to her chair and picked up a quill. “Come in!”
Draco stepped in the room with an amused expression. “May I see what Madam Writer has so far?”
Luna bit her lip as Draco strode over to see the parchments she had on her table. Luna faked a sigh as Draco frowned.
“These titles. Luna, you can’t be serious.”
“Do you have any better ideas?” she retorted.
Draco gave her a calculating look. “I think it’s time to continue the interview. Perhaps then, you’d get a better idea of where I’m trying to go with the story.”
“No,” Luna blurted out. “I can’t.”
Startled, Draco asked exasperatingly, “What do you mean you can’t?”
Luna shook her head. “I’m not ready, Malfoy.”
Draco’s eyes softened. After a pregnant pause, he conceded. “All right, Luna. Let’s put this on hold, shall we? But you still need to come down to eat.” When Luna hesitated, Draco sighed impatiently. “I promise I won’t say anything related to the story, Luna. Death Eater’s word.”
Luna couldn’t hold back her laugh. She was surprised at how good it felt. “All right, Malfoy. Lead the way.”
End notes: This chapter follows as closely to canon as my knowledge of the Harry Potter universe as of July 20, 2006 allows. Any information revealed to be false by Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows will not be changed.
Reviews are graciously accepted and appreciated.