And Tumbled Overboard

Disclaimer: JKR owns it all. I'm just having fun.

Chapter Four

And Tumbled Overboard

It was lunch time, and the small café was teeming with people, both inside and out. Luna had run nearly the entire way from her office, hoping that she would not be late for her lunch with Hermione. She hadn't seen her friend in nearly two days, and with so much to share, she didn't want to waste a single minute.

She edged her way through the café's front door. "Pardon me," she said repeatedly as she squeezed her way further into the building. Standing on her toes, she looked around, smiling when she finally saw a familiar bushy head in the far corner of the café.

"Hermione!" Luna called, waving a hand to catch her friend's attention as she manoeuvred her way through the throng of people and tables. Hermione had already been seated, and her head was bowed over a pile of parchments, her quill rapidly moving to and fro. Luna grinned at the familiar sight, her large eyes sparkling with unconcealed delight, and quickly made her way to where Hermione was waiting. She slipped into the chair, carelessly dropped her bag under the table, and immediately launched into all of the exciting things that had occurred that morning.

"Oh, Hermione! You won't believe what's happened. I..."

Hermione looked up, and Luna's mouth shut with a snap, her brow furrowing with concern at her friend's careworn appearance. There were dark circles under her tired eyes, and her usual open expression was pinched. Something was most definitely wrong.

Luna immediately forgot about her news and asked worriedly, "Are you all right?"

Hermione gave a wan smile as she laid her quill on the table. "Just tired. Work is keeping me busy."

"You hate working for the Ministry," Luna said, keeping her voice serene and calming in an effort to soothe her friend's obviously frazzled nerves. "You should quit."

Hermione grimaced and rubbed a weary hand across her face. "That's what Severus says, too."

Luna glanced up as a black-clad waitress arrived to take their order...sandwiches, crisps, and fizzy drinks.

Once the waitress had left to fetch their lunch, Luna returned her attention to Hermione, who was like a sister to her; she did not like seeing her so overwrought. The brightest witch of her age...how many times had Luna heard Hermione referred to in such a fashion? And yet, for some reason, the Ministry had seen fit to remove her from her research projects and instead had inundated her with meaningless grant applications and administrative tasks. It was a travesty. Luna found it intolerable, but Hermione had stuck with the job despite the less than ideal circumstances.

"Severus is right, you know," Luna said. "You've hated your job for quite some time. They promised you research, and instead, your talents in the lab are being wasted doing all that silly paperwork that anyone who knows how to read and write could do."

Hermione attempted another smile. "It's just that ... I hate feeling like I've failed at something."

Oh, so that's what this is really about. "You haven't failed, Hermione," Luna said sincerely. "The Ministry has failed you."

Hermione was pensive for a moment, her lower lip caught between her teeth as she considered Luna's words. "You know, I hadn't thought of it like that." She sighed. "Well, that certainly gives me something to think about." Then she smiled and reached out to take Luna's hand. "Thank you. You are the best friend a witch could hope for, you know."

Luna smiled. "Oh, yes, I know."

Hermione laughed, causing Luna's smile to widen, pleased that she had helped to alleviate her friend's melancholy.

The waitress arrived with their lunches, and Hermione moved her papers to her bag in order to make room for their plates. They tucked in, chatting in between bites about various goings-on and generally catching up.

"So," Hermione said after swallowing the last bit of her sandwich. She wiped her mouth with a napkin and then picked up one of the cups of tea the waitress had just brought to their table. "When you arrived you were almost giddy with excitement. What was that all about?"

Luna smiled and attempted to feign an innocent look, even though she knew her pink cheeks would give her away.

Hermione's eyes widened and her mouth curved into a surprised smile. "Oh, my. You finally told him, didn't you?"

Luna knew full well just who Hermione meant by "he." After all, Hermione was her best friend, and while Luna did have a secret or two she kept to herself...the truth of her involvement in prophecies being the biggest...for the most part, Hermione knew everything about her ... including her desperate crush on Draco Malfoy.

Luna shook her head, and Hermione's expression fell. "No, I didn't say a thing. But he did kiss me," Luna added nonchalantly and then took a sip of her tea as though they were merely discussing the weather.

"Oh," Hermione said, then realised what Luna had just told her. "Oh! Well ... that's ... that's ...."

"Wonderful? Amazing? Lovely?" Luna offered. She smiled dreamily, the cup of tea she held in her hands forgotten. "Yes, it is." She startled when warm liquid spilled over hand as she absentmindedly tipped her cup.

She looked up to find Hermione staring at her, her expression one of complete and utter surprise. "It just seems so sudden. I thought he saw you as a friend...that's what you thought, anyway. When did this happen?"

"This morning ... right after he taught me to play the piano." Luna set her cup on the table, so as not to spill again, and sighed wistfully as she remembered the feel of Draco's arms around her and his warm, soft lips pressing against hers. Oh, she dearly hoped he would kiss her again ... preferably as soon as possible.

Hermione leaned forward conspiratorially, her tired eyes now bright with excitement and curiosity. "Tell me everything."

Draco burst through the door of the apothecary, only to come skidding to an abrupt halt as he almost hit the back of the person in front of him. The shop was crowded with customers doing a bit of shopping in their lunch break. Exasperated, he used his height to his advantage and scanned the area for the person with whom he needed to speak.

He wasn't there. Damn.

Undaunted, Draco charmed, squeezed, and elbowed his way to the counter. "Pardon me, miss," he said to the very busy shop assistant as he flashed his most disarming smile.

"... your change, sir. Thank you for shopping at Renevatio," the young witch said to the customer she had been helping. She gave Draco a brief glance, and he watched as her entire countenance changed. Her tense posture relaxed, and she turned to rest a hip against the edge of the counter, her eyes softening as she gave him a coquettish look. One would believe she had all the time in the world.

The Malfoy charm ... works every time, he thought smugly.

"May I help you?" she asked with a coy smile, ignoring the other customers who had clearly been waiting much longer.

Draco leant against the counter, angling his body toward the woman. "I certainly hope so," he drawled lazily. "I'm looking for Mr Snape. Is he here?"

"He is," a familiar voice said. "And he is quite busy, as is Miss Foster."

The shop assistant immediately returned to her job without giving Draco a second glance.

Draco sighed and glanced up to see his former Head of House enter from the back of the store as he pulled a black work apron over his head, tying the strings about his waist.

"Severus," Draco said, pushing off the counter and extending a hand. "Just the wizard I need to see."

Severus clasped his hand briefly, his mind obviously occupied with work. "What is it you want, Draco? I am terribly busy, as you can see," the wizard said as he rung up a customer's purchases.

"Well, you see," Draco began, dropping his voice to a whisper, "I need some advice about a witch..."

Severus groaned. "Come back later, and we'll talk." He passed the small bag of potions to the waiting customer. "Thank you."

"But Severus, it's import..."

"Later, Draco! Can't you see we're swamped? Either put on an apron and get to work, or get out and come back in a few hours." He turned to help the next customer.

At the prospect of being forced into menial labour, Draco fled the apothecary. There was, after all, someone else from whom he could seek advice.

Hermione smiled wistfully as Luna completed her retelling of the morning's event. "Your first kiss. Was it everything you ever dreamt of?"

Luna's eyes glazed over even more than was usual as she relived the moment for the thousandth time that day. "Oh, it was much more. It was quite soft and gentle ...." She stopped to think for a moment. "And rather wet, actually."

Hermione shook with laughter.

Luna was puzzled. What was funny about that? Her brow furrowed, and she tilted her said to the side. "Aren't they supposed to be? Wet, I mean. I'm quite certain Draco is excellent at kissing...he's had loads of practice," she said earnestly. Then her eyes widened. "He's not doing it wrong, is he? Aren't Severus' kisses wet?"

Hermione sucked in a deep breath through her nose and then actually snorted before her eyes filled with mirthful tears as she desperately attempted to hold back her laughter.

Luna became quite concerned. With no mother to tell her about boys and a father who was too embarrassed to discuss specifics with her, Luna had learnt about such things from half-heard conversations between girls at Hogwarts. She supposed she could have discussed kissing and the like with Hermione, but her friend had always been the private sort, and as boys had never shown much of an interest in her, Luna had not been all that concerned, probably because she had known that Draco would one day teach her those things personally. She had been certain that Draco would know exactly what he was doing, and his kisses had felt ever so divine. Perhaps it didn't matter if he was kissing in the correct manner, as long as it made her feel weak in the knees.

Still, her curiosity got the better of her, and she said, "He put his tongue in my mouth ... is that normal?"

Hermione turned red in the face, a strangled sound escaping her throat and tears flowing down her cheeks.

"Are you choking?" Luna asked in alarm. "Oh, Merlin, you are!" She pulled her wand from behind her ear and was about to cast the Heimlich Charm when Hermione burst into riotous laughter, drawing the attention and ire of the other patrons.

"Oh, Luna," Hermione choked out as she gasped for breath, her fingers gripping the table for dear life. "I do love you, you know."

Luna's expression cleared and she nodded enthusiastically. "Yes. And I love you, as well."

Hermione wiped her cheeks, then reached into her bag and pulled out a few Galleons, waving away Luna's insistence to pay her share. "My treat," she said. "After all, it's not every day a witch gets her first kiss. Now then, you said he's taking you to dinner tonight, correct?"

Luna nodded.

Hermione's face filled with excitement. "I've got an idea. Let's take the rest of the day off and have a girl's afternoon. You can tell me more about what's been going on with Draco, and we can get you ready for your date."

"Oh, yes!" Luna exclaimed. "That sounds wonderful. Let's go."

The two witches stood and left the café arm in arm. As they walked out into the warm sunshine, Hermione patted Luna's arm and said, "Oh, and sweetie? It sounds to me as though Draco's kisses are just fine."

Luna smiled in relief; she really wanted him to put his tongue in her mouth again.

Draco knocked on the door to the flat and waited. He was starting to become discouraged, but he wasn't giving up. He knocked again.

He had rushed from the apothecary in Diagon Alley all the way back to the Ministry, simultaneously irritated and pleased that the lunch hour had just ended; irritated because he had not managed to actually eat lunch, and pleased because the end of the lunch hour meant his next target would have returned to her post. He had walked into the Potions Department, wondering why he hadn't thought of going to her first; she was Luna's best friend, after all.

He had been sorely disappointed when he had been tersely informed by a co-worker that Hermione was not returning for the day. He hadn't cared much for the man's tone, but then he had heard the rumours of Hermione's mistreatment by the Ministry. While her husband's general reputation had improved greatly over the past several years, in Ministry circles his name was still mud ... and Hermione, as the convenient scapegoat, was paying the price. Draco doubted that Severus was aware of the full extent of his wife's daily ordeal; if he were, the Ministry would have been a pile of rubble by now.

But that was not Draco's most pressing concern. Right now, he had to figure out where to take Luna on their first date. With the Snapes both crossed off the list of potential people who could help, Draco had wracked his brain for someone who could come up with a good idea ... and fast. One person had come to mind, and while he was not certain of just how big a help she might be, he had no choice but to try.

Now if only she would open the bloody door.

Pansy Parkinson had been his friend since they had been in nappies and running around Malfoy Manor with toy brooms and wands. They had attempted to date for a brief period of time, but it had felt almost incestuous. Their friendship had been through a few rocky patches, especially after the war, when Pansy...who had remained neutral in the conflict...had been livid that he had not only turned to the Order for help but that he considered them to be his friends. He would never forget the hurt and anger he had seen on her face. "You told them everything but not me?" she had said in a voice so low he had needed to strain to hear her. The knowledge that he had inadvertently hurt her had pained him until it was almost a physical ache. It had taken a lot of work...and jewellery...to convince Pansy to give their friendship another chance, and Draco was determined to never give her cause to doubt him again.

Now, he needed her help. He had stopped by his office to inform them he would not be returning for rest of the day, and then set off back to Diagon Alley to her place of employment. Once there, he had been informed that Pansy had taken the day off.

Was no one working? It seemed like everyone but Severus had gone home early.

He raised his hand to knock again when finally the door was thrown open, and she appeared.

"Draco?" Pansy said, drawing his attention back to the matter at hand.

His eyes widened at the sight of her, hair dishevelled, no make-up, and clad only in a green silk dressing gown. He had never seen her in such a state of dishabille. He felt a twinge of concern...perhaps she was ill?...but her cheeks were flushed, and she seemed normal. Satisfied that she was well despite her unusual appearance, he admitted himself into her flat, walking past her without a word.

She sighed audibly and shut the door. Draco turned around and barely caught the fleeting panic on Pansy's face. What was that about?

"Honestly," she said, rolling her eyes, "one would think you had been raised in a hovel. I know that your mother taught you much better manners than to just enter a witch's home without her express permission."

Draco arched an eyebrow. "Pardon me, your highness. I thought I was welcome in your home. Apparently, that is not that case. I'll not stay where I'm not wanted ...."

Pansy huffed and crossed her arms over her chest. "Don't be ridiculous, Draco." Her eyes shifted to some place behind him.

Draco glanced over his shoulder but saw only a closed door. He looked back to Pansy with narrowed eyes. "What's going on, Pansy? And why are you home in your dressing gown in the middle of the day? Why aren't you at work?"

"Why aren't you?" she shot back, tossing her head so that her hair would fall back across her shoulder.

Now Draco knew something was up. That little head toss was a telltale sign that he was quite familiar with...she was nervous and desperate to appear not to be. Unable to resist teasing his friend a bit, Draco looked at the situation more carefully. She was at home during the middle of the day, still in her dressing gown, and her typically meticulous appearance was conspicuously absent. He wondered ....

"What's behind the door?" he asked pointedly.

Pansy visibly swallowed, her eyes widening comically. "I don't know what you're talking about." She laughed nervously.

Draco could have fun with this...if he had the time. But he was a wizard on a mission; he had no patience for games. "Have it your way, then. That's not why I'm here. I need your help with something ... something very important."

"Is everything all right?" Pansy asked as she led him to the sofa, casting a brief glance once more to the closed door behind him.

"Yes, yes. It's not life or death, but it is urgent. You see, there's this witch..."

Draco was interrupted by the closed door opening and Pansy's strangled gasp. She leapt to her feet, her expression one of such pure, unadulterated terror that Draco stood and pulled his wand, ready to defend his friend from whatever horrible thing was about to appear from behind the door.

"Hey, Pans? I can't find my shirt. Any idea where you threw it after you ripped it off my back?"

Draco stared in horror. Merlin's hairy armpits...it was Ron Weasley ... in nothing but a towel.

"Oh, shite," Pansy breathed.

Draco turned, his eyes wide with shock. "Pansy?"

"It's not what you think. All right, it is what you think, but I can explain!"

Weasley seemed to finally realise that there was someone else in the room, turned a deep shade of scarlet, and then all but ran back through the doorway, the towel flapping behind him.

"Oh gods," Draco whispered, his eyes staring blindly at the spot Weasley had just vacated. "I'll be scarred for life after seeing that."

Pansy scowled and slapped his arm.

"Hey!"

"Don't you 'hey' me, Draco!" Pansy glared at him, her chin tilting defiantly. "I won't hear one bad word about Ron. I like him, and that's all you need to know."

Draco shuddered. "Quite right, that."

Pansy hit him again and glowered fiercely. "Be nice or leave."

His brow furrowed. He knew Pansy better than anyone, and her reaction to him discovering her with Weasley was quite telling. "You really like him," he said sceptically.

"Yes, I really do." She dropped the cool façade and gazed at him pleadingly. "You're all right with this, aren't you?"

Draco's first inclination was to remind her of her reaction when he had become even remotely friendly with the Gryffindor, but he couldn't do it. She was obviously smitten with the ginger-haired wizard, and Draco knew that making a fuss about her relationship with Weasley would only harm his own friendship with the witch.

"As long as you're happy, I'm happy."

He laughed as she threw herself into his arms.

"Thank you!"

He smiled into her hair. "He does make you happy, though, right?"

She nodded enthusiastically and then released him, taking his hand as they sat back down on the sofa.

"He's so lovely to me, Draco. He treats me like a queen! Why, just last week, he took me to that lovely little bistro you told me about, and we had a delightful time. And then yesterday he brought me ...."

Pansy kept up a steady stream of praises for Weasley's treatment of her, and Draco suddenly realised that he had come to the wrong place. Pansy would have no clue how to help him decide on the perfect date for a witch like Luna Lovegood. Pansy was too materialistic, too jaded, too worldly ... too much like the sort of witch who would be a suitable Malfoy wife.

Gods. That sounded as appealing as snogging a Blast-Ended Skrewt.

Shaking off his unease, but now admitting that Pansy would be of little help, he quickly brought the conversation to a close.

"I'm glad you're happy. I ... I have to go now." He stood and walked to the door, a confused Pansy following in his wake.

"But I thought you wanted to ask me something urgent about a witch ...?"

Draco shook his head. "Oh, that was nothing. I'll explain later. I really have to go." He pressed a quick kiss to her cheek. "I'll owl you the next time I decide to just drop by," he said with a wink, and then he exited the flat, leaving a bewildered Pansy behind him.

"... and then he fell flat on his arse in front of the entire department!"

Luna let out a peal of laughter and gripped her aching sides. They were having so much fun! She and Hermione had giggled and laughed their way through the afternoon, simply relaxing and enjoying each other's company. Now, they were ensconced on Luna's bed, varnishing their toenails the Muggle way. There were charms they could have used, of course, but Hermione had insisted that it would much more fun this way, and she had been right. Luna was having a grand time slathering the foul-smelling substance onto her toenails, turning them a shade of glittering royal blue that Hermione had raised her eyebrows at, but Luna adored. Bits of tissue had been wedged between her toes to keep them separated, and the novelty of it made her smile. How lovely!

Once done, Hermione insisted that they allow them to air dry...no drying charms. Luna eyed her toes, wiggling them a bit.

"Be careful," Hermione warned. "You don't want to smear the varnish."

"Oh, yes. You're right, of course," Luna agreed as she stared at her toes, willing them to remain still. It was difficult; watching her blue toenails sparkle had been quite entertaining.

"So," Hermione said, her tone serious for the first time that afternoon.

That caught Luna's attention.

"I know that you fancy Draco," Hermione began, bringing her hands together and clasping them in her lap. "And from what you've said, it appears that he's now quite taken with you, as well."

Luna smiled.

"However ..."

The smile faltered.

With an earnest expression, Hermione shifted to face her and said, "It's just that you've fancied him for so long, and Draco is ... well, he's Draco. His reputation with women isn't exactly stellar. I would hate for you to end up with a broken heart because you fell in love with him. Promise me, Luna, that you will guard your affections until you are certain that he adores you as much as you adore him. Please, try not to fall in love with him until he loves you."

Luna was touched by her friend's concern, but her advice really wasn't applicable. "Oh, it's too late for that," she said as she surreptitiously moved her big toe, unable to resist watching it sparkle. "I've been in love with him for ages."

"What? I thought you merely fancied him! Luna!"

"Oh, it started out as merely a crush," Luna rushed to explain. "But the more I watched him, the more I saw who he really is ... underneath all the icy coldness." She began to remove the bits of tissue from between her toes. "He can seem aloof, but I've found him to be quite warm, actually."

She stopped when she felt Hermione's hand on her foot. She looked up into Hermione's thoughtful gaze.

"What else have you seen in Draco Malfoy?"

Draco slammed the front door to Grimmauld Place behind him with a loud bang. The entire afternoon had been a waste of time and energy. He had been to see Severus, Hermione, Pansy, Molly Weasley, Tonks, Remus .... No one had been available. Some were working, several had taken the day off, one was off on a trip to Romania, and one was in the midst of an afternoon tryst. Just when he needed advice, everyone disappeared. It was maddening.

He stormed down the hallway to the stairs, and then marched up the steps and straight to the drawing room. He would take out some of his frustration on the piano. Maybe if he played for a while, an idea would come to him.

Draco was so caught up in his thoughts that he was startled to see Neville sitting at the piano. He hadn't even heard the jaunty melody the wizard was playing. Disgruntled to find his plans foiled yet again, Draco threw himself into a chair to brood.

What was he going to do now? He supposed he could use the reservations in Paris, but his instincts were now telling him that Luna would not be suitably impressed by fine dining. He wanted to do something special, something as unique as the witch herself ... but what?

He racked his brain, trying to think of something...anything...but with such short notice, nothing was coming to mind. Paris it is, then, he thought gloomily.

"Erm ... Draco?"

Broken from his reverie, he glanced up to see Neville staring at him in a most peculiar fashion.

"Are you all right? I had to say your name several times."

Draco cleared his throat and ran a hand through his hair. "My apologies," he said. "My mind is elsewhere."

The corner of Neville's mouth curved upward in a small smile. "Not a problem. Anything I can help with?"

Draco would have laughed out loud, but he genuinely liked Neville; he didn't want to hurt his feelings, but there was no way on earth that the shy wizard who had dated the same girl since Hogwarts would know where to take an eccentric witch on a first date. On the other hand, Neville had lived with Luna as long as he had...perhaps he could be of some help.

"How well do you know Luna?" he asked, attempting to sound casual.

Neville's eyebrows shot up in surprise, and then he turned contemplative for a moment. "I don't know. About as well as any of us in the Order, I suppose, except Hermione, of course."

Draco nodded pensively. "Of course." He crossed his legs at the ankle and linked his hands behind his head. "But say a friend of hers wanted to do something nice for her ... you know, something special. Take her to dinner or out for the night ... something like that. What might Luna enjoy?"

"Merlin, I don't know, Draco," Neville said, his forehead crinkling as he considered the question. "Maybe go Nargle hunting or something?"

So much for that idea. Draco sighed. Only Neville would think of Nargle hunting ....

And then it hit him. Of course! Why hadn't thought of it before? It was perfect, and Luna would love it. There was even the added benefit that she would never expect such a thing from him...it would be just the sort of thing that would show her that he was looking for more than a quick shag. He quickly mulled it over. Yes, it could work ... it would work.

He stood to his feet with a broad grin. "Thank you, Neville. That was brilliant!"

Neville was visibly confused, but then he shrugged. "You're welcome," he called as Draco strode from the drawing room and headed toward the library.

One Floo call later, Draco had everything in hand. He bounded up the stairs, laughing at having taken dating advice from Neville Longbottom, of all people. Oh, the irony!

He strode into his room and opened the wardrobe. He pulled out a few well-worn items and his dragon hide boots with a smug smile.

The night would be perfect.

"Well," Luna said in response to Hermione's query, "I suppose it started back in my fifth year. I could tell he wasn't happy, even though no one else could. And then when he came to us after the headmaster died, I could clearly see he was in pain. He didn't want to kill the headmaster, but he didn't want to disappoint his parents either, especially his father, and he was quite upset that his decision to follow Severus' advice was a step away from them."

Luna stopped and tested the varnish to see if it was dry, then bought her knees up, tucking them under her chin and wrapping her arms about her legs. She stared at her glittering blue toenails. "He'll never know what his mum thought of what he had done...she died before he could speak with her again...but Lucius was livid with how Draco was 'tainting the family name.'"

She sighed and wriggled her toes. "Draco loves his father, but at the same time, he dislikes him a great deal. Lucius still has expectations of him that Draco finds distasteful, and yet he wants his father to love and approve of him. He's afraid if he distances himself even more from his upbringing, he'll lose all sense of his identity, what it is that makes him a Malfoy, not to mention what little relationship he and Lucius have left. Lucius has already cut him off financially and refuses to allow him to visit him in Azkaban. It's quite sad, really."

Hermione hummed her agreement, and Luna continued. "Did you know Draco volunteers at St Mungo's on Saturdays? He doesn't know that I know, but I saw him there once. One of the Healers told me he comes every Saturday morning. He wants to keep it a secret. He does all sorts of things like that...he's very generous and kind, but no one notices. That's how he likes it."

"You notice," Hermione said softly.

Luna nodded. "I notice everything about Draco."

It was true. She did. And currently, Draco's behaviour was changing, altering from its usual pattern. He hadn't brought a witch home in months. He still went out, but there had been no one-offs in quite some time. That was an oddity in itself, but he also seemed to enjoy things he never had before. She was reminded of how the Lupins' little girl, Andie, had seemed to terrify him, and it had been somewhat of an on-going joke that if she were to be present at an Order function, Draco would find some way to miss it. Then, one day, he had seemed to take a liking to the little pink-haired girl, and now, he was completely enamoured with baby Lillian, Ginny and Harry's daughter. He often held her, cooing and tickling until she would flash him a toothless grin.

Something was attempting to take root in Luna's mind but was just out of reach. She stretched for it, attempting to grasp the idea. No one-offs, playing with babies, kissing her, asking her out for dinner, sending her notes at work ....

Luna sat up suddenly, her spine as stiff as a board.

"Luna?" Hermione said. "Are you all right?"

But Luna's mind was whirling. She had known he was up to something.

Draco Malfoy was looking for a wife.

Her heart leapt within her chest...he was looking for a wife!...but then her mind continued its train of thought. Whilst Draco had changed in many ways, as she had just told Hermione, he had not yet been able to completely walk away from his upbringing. Therefore, Luna knew with absolute certainty that he would be looking for the perfect high society wife, one worthy of the name Malfoy ... a designation that certainly did not apply to her. Luna was well aware that she was not the type of witch that Draco would be considering for a wife at this point in time...after all, he didn't love her yet...and her eccentric nature would keep him from even looking at her as a possibility. High society wives were refined and elegant, not dotty and unconventional.

Which meant that he must be using her somehow.

She waited for a moment, for the anger she fully expected to come, but nothing happened.

"Luna?"

Well, that was interesting. She pondered the possible explanations for her lack of ire. Perhaps her mind had yet fully processed her newfound revelation. She just needed to think a bit longer. So she did.

She considered all she knew of Draco Malfoy...which was quite a bit, given how many years she had been observing him...and if her suspicions were correct, he was probably trying to improve his reputation as a womaniser by having a steady girlfriend. She suspected he would play the part of dutiful boyfriend for the next few months, then break things off gently.

Yes, that seemed exactly the sort of thing he would do.

Of course, Luna knew something that Draco did not: the prophecy had said he would fall in love with her, just as she had with him. Spending time together as a couple...even if it began as a ruse...would give him plenty of time to fall in love with her. This was it! Her dreams were coming true ... in a very peculiar way, but then she was a peculiar witch. It seemed to suit.

She relaxed her posture and smiled brightly at Hermione. "It's all right, Hermione. Everything is going to be just perfect." She bounded off the bed and rocked on the balls of her feet excitedly. "What do you think I should wear?"

A/N: I apologize profusely for having taken so long to update this story! Hopefully, we are back on track, now. Thank you so much to everyone who voted for this fic in the OWL Awards. It tied for first place in Draconian Measures, and took third for best snog. Thank you!

My profound gratitude to my beta readers, Subversa and DeeMichelle, and to my Brit picker, LettyBird. I'd also like to thank machshefa for all of her help and advice.