How Are You, Really? (Drarry)

Chapter Eleven: Luna's Charm

            Draco felt the thin arms wrap around him from behind, and looked up to find Luna's smiling, ethereal face. "Hello Luna," both he and Blaise chimed.

"Hello," she smiled wider and sat down next to Draco, grabbing a biscuit off his plate.

"There's an entire tray right there," Draco said, pointing.

"But it tastes better off a friend's plate." She took a big bite and nodded.

Blaise chuckled. "Where have you been, Luna? We haven't seen you all week. I missed my little love," he batted his eyelashes at her. She giggled.

"It's a good thing you've stayed away this week, Luna," Draco said around a bit of toast. "Everyone has been especially hex-y."

"Even more reason for me to be here," Luna murmured. "They seem to say less when I'm around."

"Because you're Luna Lovegood," Blaise pointed out redundantly.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Draco asked.

"She's her own person, a free spirit. And she's friends with the Golden Boy, which means no one wants to get on her bad side, thus getting on his bad side. Really we should be using her as a very beautiful shield."

Draco hit Zabini on the arm, hard. "We are not using her as a shield."

"I can be a shield," Luna volunteered.

"No!"

"But you're my friend, and I hate seeing you get hurt every day. It's not very fair," Luna observed.

"It is fair, Luna. Look at the things I did." Draco's smile was self-deprecating.

"But you really didn't do anything besides letting the Death Eaters into the castle," Blaise pointed out.

"That's not true," Draco mumbled. I cruicioed people last year when I was asked to."

"That doesn't count," Luna said airly, drawing Malfoy's attention. "Your curses felt like tickles. We only screamed because we had to keep appearances up." She went back to her biscuit.

Thunderstruck, Blaise and Draco exchanged looks. "You can't be serious."

"Oh. But I am." She looked up from under her lashes at the two men. "They never really hurt, Draco. I guess I should have told you earlier, but I thought you knew."

Stunned beyond comprehension, Draco dropped his head into his hands. "So all those people, they didn't – they weren't – it was alright." Tears started dripping down his nose, dropping onto his plate. Luna and Blaise each put a comforting arm around him as he tried to compose himself. He felt eyes on him from across the room but didn't dare look up. He knew Harry was watching, but for once, he didn't care.

Wiping his nose with his napkin, he sat back up. "That's wonderful, Luna. Really wonderful."

Blaise rose. "I need to talk to Professor Slughorn before class, Draco. I'll meet you there. Bye, Luna!"

Once it was just the two of them, Luna leaned in close to Draco and asked, "How's your mother?"

All the joy Draco had felt at being told he hadn't hurt all the people he believed he had disappeared, replaced by something bitter. "Nothings changed since I've been gone, according to the nurse. She's still lying in bed all day, unresponsive."

Luna laid a comforting hand on top of his own. "I'm so sorry, Draco. I know you miss her."

"No, I don't. She abandoned me to them." Anger coursed through his blood.

Luna's huge eyes gazed into him. "That doesn't mean you don't love and miss her," she pointed out.

Draco sighed. "I guess. Can we talk about something else?"

"Alright, why don't we talk about your feelings for Harry?"

Draco spat out the mouthful of pumpkin juice he was drinking. "What?"

"You don't need to lie to me, Draco. I see how you look at him. You like him, don't you?" Luna smiled serenely.

"I – I – I, yea, I do."

"That's wonderful, Draco." She seemed to really mean it.

"How is that wonderful? He hates my guts." Draco choked on the last words. They were so painful to say.

"I highly doubt that. He seems to be confused, is all. Maybe you two could try to be friends?" she suggested lightly.

"He doesn't want to be my friend, Luna. I'm a Death Eater."

For the first time during their conversation, her tone turned steely. "Stop hiding behind your mark, you aren't that person anymore, Draco."

Draco was unaffected by the change in Luna; he had seen it many times before while they had been having tea. Luna loved him for some reason and believed he was better than he was. He was forever grateful to her for her faith, even if it was ill-founded. "I don't know what kind of person I am, Luna."

"You're the type of person Harry would love to get to know. I mean, look at me, I am a bit strange, and yet he still wants to know me. We're still friends."

"But you didn't torment him for years," Draco pointed out dryly.

"Harry has a big heart; he's willing to see the best in others," Luna insisted.

"Not me."

"Have you even given him a chance? He stares at you quite a lot."

Draco blushed. He thought of his extremely early mornings and his extremely late nights, both habits adopted in an effort to avoid Harry in their shared room. "Well..." he trailed off.

"Exactly." Luna started humming and went back to eating her biscuit, leaving Draco alone with his thoughts.

When breakfast was over, Luna grabbed his hand and dropped something into it. Draco glanced down and found a delicate charm bracelet resting in his palm. "To keep the rakspurts away. And any other omens."

Draco smiled. Only Luna. "Help me put it on, please." It fit perfectly.