Detention

Pansy offered Luna up to the students of Slytherin. Luna was the center of a whirlwind of attention, with students she had never spoken to wishing her well and welcoming her to her new House. She barely registered how monumental it was that she was moving. She had been a Ravenclaw for all the time she had been at Hogwarts since she was a child. She didn’t know a thing about how the Slytherin House worked, and she was most certainly not on the good side of Professor Snape.

Pansy suggested they head back to the common room so she could give Luna a tour, but Luna was determined to be on time to serve detention. She didn’t want to anger Snape even more that evening. After she explained that to Pansy, the girls headed towards the dungeons together. Pansy insisted on walking Luna to Snape’s classroom and promised to meet her back there after her detention was served and to guide her to her new dorm.

It was a thoughtful gesture, and Luna was touched, but also a little disappointed. She would have no chance to walk with Draco after detention. They wouldn’t be able to talk in front of Pansy. She hoped they’d have a chance soon so that she could explain what had happened. Draco had looked out of sorts at the announcement of her move; she wanted to assure him that it had not been an intentional subterfuge.

Luna walked into Snape’s Potions lab to find Draco and the Professor huddled in conversation at the back of the room. She cleared her throat in an effort to be courteous lest they think she was trying to spy on them. It struck her oddly that she was worried they might think she was spying because that implied they were up to something secretive. But something about their posture and hushed tones told Luna that they were engrossed in a discussion of a very serious nature. Professor Snape snapped his head up to glare at her, and Draco turned his gaze to follow Snape’s. The dreaded Potions Professor started towards her, and she saw Draco gather up a scroll and tie it, slipping it into his robes.

“Miss Lovegood, it seems there is more to you than meets the eye,” Snape growled.

“Thank you, sir,” she responded uncertainly. She looked to Draco for guidance, but his face was blank. His eyes fell to the floor. When he raised his head, he was looking at Snape and not Luna. That was odd.

Draco? she thought. What should I do? She let her gaze drift from Draco, who was studiously ignoring her, back to the waiting Professor Snape.

“Now that you have insinuated yourself into my House, I feel it is only fitting that I take a more thorough interest in your studies. Your habits,” he said, drawing the last word out to emphasize his distaste, “will now reflect upon my House, and the points that you squander with your insufferable nonsense will now be subtracted from my House. You must know, Miss Lovegood, that I will not appreciate losing hard-earned Slytherin points on account of your poor behavior.”

“Yes, sir,” Luna said, trying to assuage the torrent of Snape’s unpleasant words. She was not afraid of the “dungeon bat.” In fact, she rather admired the strength of character it took to exist apart. It came at a cost, she well knew, the ability to stand alone and openly be different. He wore his differentness much like he wore his severe robes: for effect. His imposing persona billowed around him, but just like a Boggart, it only had power if you let it. Respect, yes, professors should be treated with respect, but she did not fear him.

“While Slytherins all enjoy their privacy, myself especially,” he said pointedly. “It is a point of pride for the members of this House to work together for the benefit of their Housemates. There will be no petty foolishness or arguing among Housemates. Issues within the House remain just that: in the House. You would do well not to allow your selfishness—your defiance—to be a detriment to my House. Do not cost House points because you could not be bothered to meet the expectations that apply to every student in this school. And do not toy with me, or I will make this the most excruciating year of your school career.”

Luna nodded bemusedly. “Yes, sir.” She had not expected that she would ever end up in Professor Snape’s House, much less having it occur just after having provoked him more than she had ever dared before. He thought she was going to be a troublemaker. Luna waited patiently for him to continue his barrage but met with nothing more than his appraising gaze for what seemed an awkward amount of time. Draco still hadn’t faced her, but her eyes widened as she heard his voice saying, Relax, you’re doing fine.

The pallid face of the Potions master remained unmoved. He hadn’t heard it. Draco had spoken just to her from his mind. Luna was startled enough to choke on the breath she was taking in, starting a momentary fit of coughing. Her peripheral vision showed her that Draco had cracked a smile. Try that with a mouthful of pumpkin juice! She heard the smile in his tone and remembered the way he had choked at the dinner table earlier. That sent her into a fit of giggles that she covered with another round of coughing.

“Forget how to breathe, Lovegood?” Draco asked, out loud now, with a nasty smirk that fit his reputation but that belied his gentle tone.

“Enough,” Snape barked. “The less of my time you waste, the better. You are here because of your poor behavior in Legilimency, so let me see just how useless you are at it.”

Startled, Luna looked at Draco who only shrugged and then nodded. Luna raised her eyebrows at Draco as if to say, “If you’re sure,” and then turned to face Snape, who was standing over her. She took a breath, and as she let it out Draco could actually see her pupils dilate as she stared into Snape’s eyes.

Luna shook her head as if to focus her vision. “Sir, I cannot seem to find any thoughts in your mind.” It took only a split second before Luna realized what she had said. Unfortunately, she couldn’t think of a way to salvage the situation, so she just held her tongue and looked inquiringly towards Draco.

“Miss Lovegood, is Mr. Malfoy conducting this detention, or am I?”

“You are, sir.”

“Then please enlighten me as to why you continue to look at Mr. Malfoy before responding to me.”

“I do not want to displease you unnecessarily. Draco is from Slytherin House; he is far more familiar with you... temperament than I am.”

“Miss Lovegood, your detention will be spent scrubbing cauldrons by hand. Mr. Malfoy is being assigned to a different task. When I return, all the copper cauldrons will be spotless, or you will become far more familiar with my temperament.” The last word he breathed out so that it lasted longer than the entire sentence that had preceded it.

“Yes, sir.” Well, that would be easy enough. Luna immediately started rolling up her sleeves Good luck, she thought towards Draco as she passed him on her way to a pile of sticky-looking cauldrons. He wore a particularly pained expression. What? Afraid you’ll get something worse than scrubbing cauldrons?

Yes. Much worse. At that moment Snape breezed out of the room, and with one last glance at Luna, Draco followed.