Chapter 8 – Smiles
Luna lay in bed, thinking back on all that Draco had said the night before.
Occultusum Malfoy.
Luna pulled the covers further up her chest. She wasn’t sure if she could face Draco, not this early in the morning. She’d told him everything, things she’d never told her father even. She didn’t want to know Draco’s reaction to her tales.
She closed her eyes and thought dreamily, I don’t want to leave here. Whether she meant the bed or the house, Luna wasn’t sure.
“Ah you’re finally up.” Draco set down his teacup. “It’s nearly noon, Luna.”
Luna shrugged. “I was up late,” she mumbled as she plopped in the chair beside Draco. She ignored Draco’s intense stare as she drank from her cup casually. “I think we can continue the article now, don’t you think?” Her insides twisted when she uttered these words, but she knew there wasn’t any use stalling anymore.
“Luna? You all right?” Draco looked concerned and awkward, as if unsure whether to express his emotions so openly.
Luna waved him off. “I’m fine, Dr- Malfoy. Last night, after I’d…told you everything, I realized I’m ready for anything you throw at me.” Luna took in a deep breath. “I’m ready to know the rest of your story.” Even though she knew she was so much closer to gaining back her freedom, she felt her spirits sink.
Draco nodded, his lips forming a thin line. He, too, didn’t seem pleased to move on. “Very well. After brunch, then, we’ll take a stroll in the garden.”
Over the course of two weeks, Luna and Draco took the morning walk together as Draco told his story. He was never able to finish the story in one morning’s walk, as Luna would stop him after a few times round the modest garden. Then, the two would settle down on the garden bench, and Luna would lighten the dark mood with her experiences, thoughts, and dreams. She found that over time, strangely enough, she began to count how many times she could unknowingly make him laugh in an hour’s time.
“So Luna, how would you suggest I go about removing that wine stain on my carpet?”
Luna thought back to the number of times she’d sloshed wine on the floor of Ron’s apartment. “Well, when I spilled wine, Ron would take those Muggle spraying bottles (he never was adept with spells), spray some on his hand, and work his way from the outside of the stain to the inside. It took him three bottles every time, so he was always frustrated afterward. When he got angry, he usually rubbed his face with his hand. So at the end of the day, he’d have a face full of stain removals!”
Draco laughed his deep-throated chuckle for the fourth time since they’d started their walk. He wrapped an arm around his stomach, an action, Luna learned, that was not unlike her habit of clutching her midsection when she laughed raucously. She giggled along with Draco; the loss of Ron always was easier to tolerate after she had a good laugh about her ex-husband.
Luna watched pleased as blood flowed into Draco’s cheeks as his laugh slowly became less restrained. “That Weasel was always the brunt of all the professor’s jokes,” Draco grinned at the memory. Luna gazed fascinated at the laugh lines that formed around Draco’s steel-grey eyes and on his forehead. His smile faded somewhat as he crinkled his brows in thought. “Luna?”
“Hmm?” Luna averted her eyes quickly, suddenly taking more interest in smoothing the wrinkles of her robes.
“What are you going to do when you leave?”
Luna’s head snapped up as her blue eyes met Draco’s colorless ones. The question caught her off-guard. “What do you mean?”
This time, it was Draco who looked away. “Luna, you’re not staying here forever.” She could hear the fierce determination in his voice, but was that also remorse she heard? “You and I both know that. When you leave,” Draco hesitated as if searching for the right words, “I’d like to know what….well, I’d like to know what you’re doing. You know, with life and all,” he mumbled.
“I’m not all that sure yet, Draco,” Luna admitted. This was something Luna had avoided thinking about. “Perhaps carry on with journalism. I do like writing, after all.”
“Ah.”
There was an awkward pause. Draco bent to pick at an overgrown weed, carefully focusing his attention on pulling out the offending plant.
“Draco,” Luna found herself blurting out before she could stop, “What if I want to stay?”
“Luna.” Draco’s voice was firm but pleading. “Your father went to Percy three days after you came here. You’ve been the target of a massive manhunt, larger in fact, than the squad after me, simply because you’re the ex-wife of the Minister’s only brother. You have to go back soon, if not for yourself then for me.” He reached for Luna’s hand. “Percy’s too powerful a person for us to cross – even together,” he whispered.
Luna stiffened. “They’ll never find us here, Draco! It’s hidden, isn’t it? No one can find it, save the Secret-Keeper!”
Draco shook his head. “I don’t now how long he can keep it his own secret. Someone’s bound to point him out, and he’d talk.” He hesitated. “When I came here, I told him to offer no resistance in my capture. After he protested, I explained that I don’t want him to get hurt on my accord. He’s a loyal servant to my family, and loyalty shouldn’t be rewarded with death, as I’ve learned after all these years. I’ve instructed him to tell them my location should he be asked directly.”
Draco watched uneasily as Luna swayed on her feet. “I think we’re done, Luna. There’s nothing more to say. I’ve said all I needed to, and you’ve listened. After the article’s done, you’ll leave and continue your life as if I never intruded.” Numb, Luna barely felt Draco lead her back into the house.
Luna put down the quill and sighed. She stared at the finished article before her and frowned. An entire day of writing and this is the shit I come up with?
She skimmed the article again, reading the account she’d transcribed based on what Draco had told her. Everything was there before her, everything! How he had faltered that night in the tower. How Snape had killed the man Luna admired most. How they both Apparated to Spinner’s End. How Draco and Snape had argued, forcing Draco to come here and Snape to walk right into the trap at Grimmwauld’s Place.
Everything was here, every piece of information Draco had told her, all written matter-of-factly right in front of her. Yet, she felt something was missing.
Luna read on as the author of the article hinted pathetically at Draco’s innocence, his minor mistakes. She frowned, disgusted. The article wasn’t even worth finishing. Using the wand Draco had given back, she set the parchment ablaze, rubbed her face, and walked dejectedly downstairs.
When she reached the den, Draco bowed his head in greeting. “Luna.” Lately, Luna noticed, he’d gotten more distant, acting as he had when Luna first arrived. “How is the article coming along?”
“Good,” Luna replied nonchalantly as she settled down next to Draco on the couch.
“Truly?” Draco’s eyebrows rose in amusement. “So I suppose those ashes across your forehead is in preparation for some ritual you’re performing tonight?”
Luna scowled as she wiped it off with the back of her sleeve. Secretly, however, she was glad to see a hint of the Draco she’d gotten to know come out bit by bit. “It’s ghastly, as a matter of fact.” Luna made a face. “It’s missing something. It needs…power.”
Draco gestured for Luna’s wand she’d tucked behind her ears. After Luna handed it to him, he conjured two glasses of wine, plopped Luna’s wand in one, and gave it to her. “Well, that’s good since you’re the most powerful person I’ve ever met.”
“Even more powerful than Percy?” Luna watched Draco wince at the mention of Percy, a subject Luna and he had avoided over the past few days.
Draco mumbled something unintelligible as he swirled his wine in his glass. After a pregnant silence, he looked back at Luna. “I want to give you something, Luna. For your help. For all you’ve done. Tell me, what do you want more than ever?”
Luna hesitated and shook her head. “You don’t need to, Draco. This,” she waved a hand at her surroundings, “was enough.” You were enough.
Draco stared at Luna, his mouth open in surprise. “Luna, you’ve been here for three months, and that’s all you can say to me?”
Luna couldn’t help but giggle at his expression. “No, really, Draco. You’ve given me everything.” She closed her eyes and lay back on the couch.
She heard Draco’s low chuckle. “You’re silly, Luna. Absolutely silly.”
For the rest of the evening, they carried on in low tones about things Luna could hardly remember. Both of the downed a couple more glasses of wine. She felt herself drift into her dreams many times, but every time she heard Draco’s low voice, she forced herself awake. She continued this battle for consciousness until she felt Draco’s arms lift her off the couch.
“Draco?” She struggled to open her eyes as Draco carried her out the room.
“Hmm?” She could hear his heart thud against his chest.
“Ask me what I want more than anything.” She barely felt her lips move.
“All right.” Luna could hear the underlying laughter in his voice. “What do you want more than anything in the world?”
“I want to smile, Draco,” Luna sighed, half-asleep. “I want to smile, and I want the world to smile with me.”
“Oh really?”
“Mm-hmm.” Luna smiled dreamily. “These days, I feel like we’re the only happy people left on this planet. I want to spread joy all around.” She waved her arms around as she talked. Luna knew how silly she was acting, yet she was too tired to care.
She felt more than heard Draco’s chuckle. “Well, you give very good advice, I must say. That always brought a smile to my face. Why not write an advice column after you leave? Put all that good knowledge to use.”
“Yes, yes. I’ll do that Draco.” She let out a loud yawn before sluggishly opening one eye. “What about you? What do you want?” The long sentence immediately tired her, and she shut her eye again, letting out another huge yawn.
She felt Draco pause and his muscles tense. Suddenly, her backside met a soft, cozy surface; they had reached her bed. Immediately comforted by the warmth of the bed, Luna turned over and smacked her lips. She could faintly feel a hand stroke her hair and face slowly. A pair of taut, thin lips gently pressed themselves against hers. She could’ve sworn she heard a man’s voice whisper, “Love.”
End notes: This chapter follows as closely to canon as my knowledge of the Harry Potter universe as of July 22, 2006 allows. Any information revealed to be false by Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows will not be changed.
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