Chapter 19

Chapter 19

"I know you're used to more luxurious surroundings," said Luna, "and my father always has papers scattered around."

"I like this," said Draco, settling into a sofa facing the fireplace. "It's comfortable."

"Should I get a tea, fetch a biscuit, peel a grape?" asked Luna.

All that could wait. Draco wanted to hear about her trip to London. She told him his mother had been a life saver. She and Padma had been nervous enough about the job interviews that they could barely function, and they had been continuously apologizing for their ineptness, but Mrs. Malfoy had shrugged it off and said she had put up with Draco for eighteen years and she could survive two girls for one week.

"I think mum needs a daughter," said Draco.

As she related the trip, Luna moved closer and closer. She had her left arm on his shoulder when he made the remark about his mother needing a daughter. She said that nothing seemed to bother him these days and moved closer. He replied that he was scared to death of that thing they were luring down to the bog. He knew Luna didn't approve, but he wanted to poison it. It was a menace. Luna said she agreed with him, that thing wasn't safe, and snuggled closer.

She had planned to lead Draco into a rational discussion of the future, their future. Did they have one? She had planned to approach the subject by talking about other couples. Did he think Theo and Padma had a chance? What about Professor Roeder and the older women? Had he noticed the way Pansy and Hermione looked at Professor Galland? She had to make a level-headed choice. Even now, losing him would devastate her.

The plan never came to fruition. She told him she had missed him, and when he said he had missed her too, she was all over him.

Draco hadn't been thinking of a rational discussion so much, but rather how to get out of an emotional pit he had dug himself into. He had let his fondness and admiration for Luna sway him into thinking he could have some kind of relationship with her, but he had taken a hard-headed look at his past behavior and a clear-headed look at Luna's behavior – perhaps a bit kooky, but still beyond reproach. He couldn't imagine Luna or her friends or her family accepting him.

That, too, went out the window.

Suddenly aware of what she was doing, Luna jumped up, announced they needed a tea, and dashed to the kitchen. When she returned, however, Draco took the teacup she offered him and coaxed her into his lap. She was telling herself that she should both act normal and behave properly, but being in his lap was eroding her defenses.

"When I was just a little girl, I believed in Whispering Whiffles," she said. "They confide what people are thinking in the ear of innocent girls. Of course, sometimes they just whisper what the girl wants to hear."

"Tricky little devils, aren't they? When was the last time they whispered to you?"

"New Year's Eve."

"That was five months ago," said Draco as something whispered in his ear that he would learn more about this girl if he just listened instead of asking. Besides, he was content with her sitting quietly in his lap.

Her fingers were curling his hair. "They whispered that you would be sitting on this sofa beside me as we watched the fire," she said.

He gave her shoulder a small squeeze.

"They whispered you would be paying more attention to me than the fire."

He nodded yes.

"I'm not certain I should tell you anything more. They do whisper all kinds of things."

He let his hand massage her shoulders and watched her become even more dreamy-eyed. She was sighing as his hand worked its way down her spine. Her spine arched, and he regarded her breasts. A refined lady, he thought. "You're lovely," he said.

She was embracing him. Omigod, he thought as her breasts, firm and soft, pressed against him. He heard her whisper, "They told me you wanted to get your hands on me." He could hear her breathing. "It made me tingle," she said.

Tingle, thought Draco. Tingle. That's a good idea. Let's tingle.

"I do want to hold you," he said. "Did they whisper that I think you're intelligent and attractive?"

He accepted a tender embrace. I love the feel of this girl. I love the looks of this girl. By the gods, I hope I'm not falling in love with this girl. What am I going to do?

"And you're very sweet," he added.

Her embrace became more than tender as she said, "You wouldn't think that if you knew what I let them whisper to me, if you knew how much I enjoyed listening to them."

"They said 'Do this,'" she said as her lips found his with the gentleness of a young girl finding romance.

Luna sat up straight. "But I should grow up. I should listen to myself, not anything else."

Draco wanted to tell her, really wanted to tell her, that she should pay attention to the Whispering Whiffles, that they were making wonderful suggestions, but his core of pride prevailed. If she didn't want him of her own accord, then he was better off without her. No, you're not, an inner voice raged. Tell her to heed those Whispering Whatevers.

Draco's innards were in turmoil. What should he do? What could he say? He wanted Luna to stay where she was. Would she leave if he said the wrong thing? Would she leave if he said nothing? If he acted too slowly, would she decide he didn't really care for her? If he acted too fast, would she be offended?

"I like your company," he said. Omigod, how lame could one get?

"Do you have any plans?" he asked. He groaned inwardly – lameness doubled, tripled. She was doing so well a little while ago, and now, he was blowing it.

Her finger twirled his hair. "Do you mean for the rest of today, Draco, or for the rest of the year?" she asked.

She noticed his dismay and regretted teasing him. Almost. He had been doing and saying lovely things a minute ago. Why had he become distant? Had he suddenly decided he didn't like her that much?

"Let me get you more tea," she said.

She wants to get away from me, he thought.

While she was in the kitchen, he idly picked up a copy of her father's magazine and started reading. He cursed himself. He should be making his excuses and leaving, not waiting around to get kicked out of the house. He became engrossed in one of the articles. It was the weirdest thing he had ever read, but fascinating.

When Luna returned and saw him reading the magazine, she almost dropped the teacups. She was mortified. He would be thinking all the terrible things people thought about her and her father. She could leave quietly by the back door and never have to face him again.

He looked up and said, "Your father makes connections. He constructs a coherent story. I have my doubts about his conclusions, but I see where you get your ability, although you're more cautious and more empirical than he is."

What!? thought Luna. She did drop the teacups.

Having missed the best moment to make his escape, Draco, deciding to act like a true gentleman regardless, rose from the sofa to wave his wand and clean up the spilled tea and broken china. Luna was looking at him strangely. As he passed her, heading for the trash bin, she took him by the upper arms.

"Draco?" she said intently enough that it caught his full attention and the tea and broken cups fell to the floor again.

"I'm starting to think you like me," she said, "as a person."

"Yes," he admitted, "but that's not entirely good. It makes me nervous and anxious around you."

Why am I admitting this to her? he wondered.

Luna, taking his confession in stride, said that his brewing tea while she helped was the very thing to calm him. A wave of her wand disposed of the previous disaster, and she led him into the kitchen. She hovered close as he filled the kettle, brushed against him as he located the tea leaves, and generally got in his way. He smooched her up. That would teach her not to get between a Malfoy and his cuppa – really teach her: her breasts were getting perky.

"One lump or two?" asked the maiden.

"I'm getting a sweet tooth," he said.

The way he looked at her when he said that cracked the last barrier that Luna had. Long suppressed urges came to life, and her lips were crushing his. Her inner core was braced for rejection, but his arms went around her and pulled her close. She went delirious with the thought that he wanted her. All the affection and need that she thought she would never get to express welled up and she was all over Draco and Draco was returning all of it. She was aware of his hardness against her softness. She wanted that, too.

She caught her breath and said, "Let's go sit on the sofa."

Once there, she was in is lap. Her kisses were warm and soft. Her thoughts spiraled out of control. She would offer him soft Luna, hard Luna. She would care for him, support him. She would fight with him and struggle with him.

But now, she wanted him. Her breasts ached with their loneliness. She was fumbling with her buttons. He was telling her she was beautiful. He was tending her breasts with his lips, his tongue. He was the one she wanted between them.

Her secret place ached with loneliness, and she guided Draco's hand under her skirt. His hand caressed the smooth skin and firm muscles. She liked it, but a final remnant of primness had her knees together. Draco was giving her a loving look while his fingers gently pushed at them. A delicious feeling of surrendering went through Luna as her knees separated for Draco. He was the one she wanted between them.

She was giving him an adoring look as he parted her thighs. Her skirt slid up, and he could view the whole scene. The image would never leave him, and he knew he would never get tired of Luna spreading her legs for him.

She wiggled a little when his finger slipped under her knickers. It had tickled. When his finger slid into her, the hot slickness gave him a start, but he reminded himself that Luna was a girl. Even imperturbable, ethereal, loony Luna had a furry quim between her legs, and she would get wet for someone. It was still a bit of a shock that he was the one.

"Tell me what you like," he said.

She liked it all: his gentle exploring, his adoration, his astonishment at what he was doing. She was murmuring he was her darling, caressing him with soft lips, showering him with affection. She was moaning and telling him not to stop. His lovely, ethereal Luna was gasping and squirming. She was giving him a helpless smile. Her ethereal quim was drenching his fingers. Her thighs were crushing his hand. He held the flushed and panting girl, thinking she was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen.

"Oh Draco, let's go to my room."

She was pulling him up the stairs, pulling him into her bedroom, pulling him close. He let her undress him; he let her tear her own clothes off; he let her pull him inside her.

Being in Luna was like nothing else in the world.

Draco was going wild. He couldn't last. He had to last. He mumbled the numbing spell that was part of the Malfoy tradition: One took care of one's witch. He wished he hadn't. He wanted the whole thing back. But Luna gave him a knowing look. She knew what he had done. What little rationality he had left was thinking this woman was incredible.

The rest of his consciousness was worrying about what an animal he was. Her gasps filled the room as he pounded into her, into sloppy wet Luna. It was too good. He wanted her too much. All attempts at control failed when Luna wrapped her legs around him. Torrents of words were gushing from the lady: sweet things, lewd things, demanding things. She was demanding that he do her. Draco was riding the lushness and wildness of Luna. He was reveling in his discovery of an exotic beast.

Plunging into the jungle. He would go on safari forever.

"Draco."

Even through the spell, he could tell something had happened. He stopped. Luna was floating as her tight muscles went limp.

No one had warned Draco that his special lady's ecstasy would neutralize the numbness spell. All the things that Luna was and meant to him flooded in upon him, and she took the last thing he had left inside him.

He collapsed on her, totally spent.

He regained awareness to find that he was lying on top of her and she was running her fingers through his hair and looking at him adoringly. He embraced her and held her.

Luna finally said, "We need to rinse off."

They were drying after their shower when Luna said she wanted to go out for a coffee. He watched her dress. She was, once again, the imperturbable, ethereal Luna. A person might think she was untouchable. After she was dressed, however, she paused and declared something was missing. She dropped her knickers, placed them on the night table, and waved her wand. Into the top band of lace was woven

I "heart" Draco

She stepped back into her undies and said, "I'm ready. Let's go."

At the coffee shop, she wanted to share a strudel. She brought it back to the table and said it would be best if both got equal shares whereupon she cut it precisely in half. Then Draco watched her carefully divide the crumbs that had flaked off from the division. He was thinking he hadn't seen this side of Luna when she glanced sideways at him and chuckled at his concerned expression. Ravenclaw witches. He wondered what Theo had to put up with from Padma. But he couldn't muse about it too long, because Luna was feeding him strudel from her half.

He was telling her that he wanted to spend more time with her, lots more time with her, and if she liked, there was a place with lots of rooms and lots of space, and they could be together and have lots of privacy.

"Are you asking me to stay at the Malfoy Manor, Draco?"

"Yes."

"Really?" she asked.

"Yes," he said.

Her affirmative kiss was worthy of a true couple.