Redemption [ever&chompings]

[EverUndine]

She liked to believe the best in people. When Draco Malfoy came in to the Order, Luna couldn’t help but look, her grey eyes wide and fixated on the blonde haired boy that seemed so out of place. She hadn’t had a chance to speak to him when he arrived; too many adults were busy swarming over him, making him uncomfortable. Harry and Hermione kept their distance, watching from afar as Molly, Arthur, and Lupin more or less interrogated him.

Luna joined Harry and Hermione (who knew where Ron had gotten off to. Probably trying to keep Kreacher out of his things), head tilted to the side as she silently observed Malfoy. The two next to her did not seem too pleased to see him.

“Why is he even here?” Harry wondered, a hint of distaste and loathing in his voice.

“Who knows? Probably wants to spy for You-Know-Who,” Ron spat, walking down from the stairs to stand behind Hermione. There was a slight sense of protectiveness between the two that Luna had picked up on. “I can’t believe he has the nerve to come here. How did he find this place, anyways?”

“I don’t know,” Luna said wistfully, a small smile forming on her lips as she watched him being ushered into a separate room. “He may have changed his mind, Ron. People change, you know,”

Her comment earned her bizarre stares from the trio, and she happily tucked her wand in behind her left ear for safekeeping, her fingers playing with a charm dangling from her necklace. Upon seeing Ron’s strange look, she just smiled. “Nargles,” was all she said before slipping away down the hallway to follow the adults, humming a tune as she meandered away.


“Bit odd, that one, but she’s grown on me,” Ron mumbled, leading the other back up the stairs to get as far away from Malfoy as possible.

Luna followed a set of winding hallways just in time to see Arthur shut the door rather aggressively, blocking Malfoy from the rest of the house, and out of Luna’s sight. It was rather peculiar, even by her standards, for him to come traversing into the Order asking to be accepted, to be trusted. But who was she to judge? If Draco had a sudden change of heart, she would befriend him. It was probably going to be lonely for him in this place if the others decided to let him through, to receive him. Many years on the outside had taught her that everyone needed a friend, even if they did think she was a little crazy.

Sitting on the floor, Luna played with her charm as she waited outside for everyone inside the room to reemerge. Who knew what they were doing to him in there? Veritaserum would probably be amongst the nicer things he would be subjected to. As she listened, Luna didn’t hear any screams or shouts of pain. At least they weren’t being cruel.

Kingsley Shacklebolt walked by her, shooting a bizarre glance her way. “Good morning,” Luna smiled widely, giving him a friendly wave before she pushed her blonde hair out of her face. “Please tell Draco to beware of the nargles for me. I think there are some in that room they have him in.” she requested.

With a very confused nod, Kinglsey waved his wand at the door and watched it swing open. Luna had enough time to wave at Draco before Kingsley slipped in, shutting the door again.

“Draco,” Shacklebolt’s deep voice rang through the room, “How did you find us?”

------

"Draco, how did you find us?"

Silence.

"Why are you here, Mr. Malfoy?"

The blond wizard was silent, shock still coursing through every molecule. He couldn't speak, not yet, everything was still so fresh in his mind. So when he was assaulted with a skilled legilimens spell, he closed his icy blue eyes and let them in willingly. They saw what he saw, what played over and over in his mind.

"Father, please. There has to be somewhere we can send her! I can't stand her being here, we can't let him have her!"

Lucius Malfoy looked bedraggled, defeated, "There is no place she can go, my son. The Darklord wants her to remain here! She is to be punished for her crimes against the Darklord."

Draco's hair fell into his eyes and he pushed it away only to have it fall back into the same place. His mother had protected Potter, lied to the Darklord. He couldn't even imagine what lay in store for her. In that moment both fatherland son felt a searing pain in their left forearm.

"Come, Draco. We mustn't keep our lord waiting."

Draco followed his Father into the Malfoy dining room and froze when he saw who was there. Voldemort was sitting in his father's chair, Aunt Bella standing behind him with a maniacal smile on her face, and floating just a few inches above the ground was his mother. She looked nearly dead and was unconsious.

"Come, Lucius."

Draco watched as his father cowered at the feet of the man who had hurt his mother, stolen the Malfoy Manor. It made him sick to his stomach.

"You know what to do, Lucius," Voldemort hissed.

"But- M-my Lord, she's my w-"

"Do you think I don't know that. Do it."

Draco watched his father point his broken wand at his mother, the boy ran toward her, but it was too late. The room flashed green and as he reached his mother he felt her skin grow cold. This wasn't real, it couldn't be! His father would never...

A rage built up inside the wizard, his fingers tightened around his mother's wand (he supposed it was his now) and he pointed it at his father. He didnt even realize he had said the words until he saw the green flash, curses were flying past him and he was running. Fiendfyre chased him through the Malfoy gardens and barely deflected a Crucis curse from Aunt Bella's wand. Once he was outside the gates he apparated to the first place he could think of.

"Oh my, you poor dear," it had been Mrs. Weasley viewing his memories and she quickly passed them on to the others present and said something about tea, leaving for the kitchen.

Shacklebolt added a drop of Veritaserum to the tea Mrs. Weasley came back with, Draco drank it even so.

"I will ask you a few questions and that will be it. No one else in the order will know your reason for being here unless you choose to tell them. No one will doubt you if I vouch for you, do you understand?"

Draco nodded.

"Are you a spy?"

"No."

"Have you defected from Death Eater ranks?"

"Yes."

"Are you willing to work with and for the Order?"

Draco lifted his eyes to look at the Order members present, "Yes."

"Will you divulge all you know about The DarkLord's plans and everything you learned being among Death Eaters?"

"Yes."

After a few moments speaking with the order members Kingsley Shacklebolt turned to Draco.

"We will accept you into the Order of the Phoenix. However, you will be on a sort of probation and you won't be an official member until the completion of your first assignment. You will do what you're told and you will be allowed to stay in the order's many safe houses. Do we have an agreement, Mr. Malfoy?"

Shacklebolt extended his hand to the former Death Eater and Draco took it.

"Welcome to the good side, Draco. Oh, and Ms. Lovegood wanted me to warn you about nargles?"

Shacklebolt walked through the door and Draco caught a glimpse of Luna Lovegood's silvery eyes as the door swung closed.

----------

The interrogation seemed to be taking a while, but Luna remained on the floor, her eyes glued to the door, even though they were slightly glazed over. Mrs. Weasley exited the room, earning her a friendly smile from Luna before she was too out of sight. Luna had always been fond of the Weasley's. They had always treated her kindly, something that she had really appreciated. She also cared for the twins quite a lot and their Wizard Wheezes. Mrs. Weasley returned with the tea, allowing Luna a quick glimpse into the room before the door slid shut again.

A few moments later, Shacklebolt exited the small room and Luna stood up, meeting Draco's eyes for a moment before the door swung shut. She had enough time to give him a slight smile before it clicked closed. She decided to wait for the other adults to exit as well. They didn't need her in there creating a crowd. She couldn't imagine Draco appreciating too many people hovering around him, either. Luna knew that people surrounding her was slightly uncomfortable, even though she tried to tune it out most of the time.

It seemed like ages before Mr. and Mrs. Weasley emerged from the room. Giving them a wave, Luna let them pass before she walked forward, cautiously opening the door to see Draco. The boy sitting in the chair was not the same one that had galavanted through the hallways at school. Something about him seemed broken, something in his eyes. Luna shut the door quietly behind her, sitting in a chair opposite him. "Hello, Draco," she told him, her voice slightly airy and her head tilted to the side, some of her hair falling across her face.

--------
The sound of her voice was oddly soothing. Of course, he imagined anything would sound soothing after you had just murdered your own father. He looked up at her, not bothering to push his silvery blond hair out of his eyes. He stared at the radishes on her ears, then found her stormy grey eyes.

"Hello. Lovegood."

The greeting was odd feeling, unnatural sounding. Draco leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees and clasped his hands together. He was quiet for a long time and was surprised that Luna sat silently with him. It was... Nice. To have company that wasn't demanding anything of him. He was thinking. Thinking about his mother. How she used to be.

"Lovegood- Luna, do you think... My mother is proud of me right now?"

The wizard lifted his eyes to see her and she had that dreamy look on her face, like when he had seen her sitting alone at the Ravenclaw table at Hogwarts. She was thinking too, he could see.

"I think your mother will always be proud of you, Draco. She is your mother."

Draco nodded and stood up, straightening his black pants and taking off his shredded jacket. He reached the door in just three long strides and stopped, his hand on the door knob.

"Goodnight, Lovegood."

And with that, he left her alone in the kitchen. He saw Mr. Weasley in the hall and asked him which room he would be sleeping in, Arthur pointed up the stairs. The Malfoy dragged himself up the stairs, keeping his eyes on them. When he got halfway up he saw a girl's feet and came to an abrupt halt. They were Hermione Granger's feet. He would have to learn how to be civil now, which was difficult considering his upbringing.

"Granger," he drawled in greeting, "could you direct me to a bed to sleep on? Please."

He figured practicing p's and q's would get him farther than not doing so. In fact he almost laughed at the shock on Granger's face as she pointed him to the door at the top of the stairs. There was a sign on the doorway saying the room belonged to a Regulus A. Black, but barely got through the door and on the bed before he passed out from sheer exhaustion.

That night Draco dreamt of his mother, she was in her rose garden speaking to a girl with silvery eyes.

---------

Draco's greeting wasn't necessarily hollow, but it was devoid of emotion. Something had obviously happened to him, and it was serious enough to drive him here to the Order for protection. As much as she would like to ask, Luna could see by his posture, the look in his eyes, that he wasn't in any place to be talking about his issues right now. At least, not with her. The adults that interrogated him had probably done a good enough job of that to last a long while.

Luna tilted her head to the opposite side as he hunched over, her radish earrings making a light jingling noise as she did so. She was interested in him. Not in the romantic way, but in the way that she wanted to know more. For a split moment they met eyes before he spoke, as she could see the pain. Was it loss? Humiliation? What caught her off guard more than his presence here was his question.

"Do you think my mother is proud of me right now?"

It was an interesting question. She straightened up and looked to the ceiling, obviously lost in thought. It took her a good few moments before she answered. There was much to consider, but at the same time, not much at all. A mother would almost always be proud of their son, no matter what the circumstances. If the son behaved admirably, why shouldn't the mother be proud?

"I think your mother will always be proud of you, Draco. She's your mother." Luna gave him a light smile after she finished speaking, nothing but kindness on her face.

Draco stood and made his way to the door. "Draco," she said airily. "I hope you have a good night's rest," Luna finished with another smile, sending him off with a light wave before he exited the kitchen. Even the way Draco carried himself seemed foreign now. His shoulders were hunched, and he didn't move with as much fluidity as he had in the hallways back at school. Something was definitely broken.

Now alone in the rather cramped space, she sat in silence, her eyes flitting around the ceiling in search for nargles. What an interesting boy, she thought. The sound of footsteps faded upstairs, and Luna registered that she was the only one still awake. Had she been sitting there for that long lost in her own thoughts?

Luna retreated upstairs to her own room, only taking off her shoes and removing her wand from behind her left ear before crawling into bed.

------

Draco awoke in Regulus' room. It felt good to wake up to Slytherin colors, even dusty as everything was. The Malfoy had fallen asleep wand in hand, so he got up and cast a few charms on himself and his clothes in order to make himself a bit more presentable. Opening the door, he realized that this was the Black family home, his family. He ran his hands over the door frame, rubbed his fingers along the bannister trying to come to grips with the fact that he was the last Malfoy alive.

"Good morning, Draco," Luna emerged from the room to his right, she was wearing the same clothes she wore yesterday and the were rumpled from sleep. He waved Narcissa's wand over her, casting the same charm on The Ravenclaw's clothes. She rewarded his with one of those smiles that he was really beginning to like.

"Where is everyone?"

The house was quiet, his voice seemed to disturb the stillness of the Order's hideout.

"Harry, Hermione and Ron left early this morning. They usually stop by every few weeks. And Mrs. Weasley and Mr. Weasley went to check on their home, so for now it is just you and me."

He was glad that he didn't have to talk to anyone this morning, he wasn't exactly fancying a group hug with the Golden Trio.

"Are you hungry?" Draco was actually a pretty decent cook, he spent a lot of time in the kitchen with his mother and that was also why he had a knack for potions.

"Yes, very," and he heard a little laugh from her, it was small but so pretty and it reminded him of a better time. It made him smile, an action he hadn't done since his fifth year at Hogwarts, and he thought that maybe this Luna girl wasn't as crazy as she seemed. Or maybe she was and he was slowly going crazy too. Oh well, he supposed it didn't really matter about status and appearances anymore.

"You'll have to show me where they keep everything in the kitchen," he followed the wavy trail of blond that led him down the stairs and into the kitchen.

[chompings]

Luna had been awake for quite a while. She had moved in front of a window, staring dreamily outside to watch the clouds shift and take on different forms. One she swore looked like a crumplehorned snorkack, and one after that looked like a moon frog. Were there books in this house for her to read and look into? Maybe she could find something on the creatures she loved. Maybe there was even information on nargles!

She happily bounced down the stairs, her wand finding its home behind her left ear, radish earrings making a light jingling noise. Now, where was the library? She opened one door, and it looked to have a family tree with... burn marks over certain faces? She exited that room and had to try a few more before finding the library, which just so happened to be near to the kitchen. It took her a half hour to grab a few books, and she exited the room, nearly running into Draco. She really needed to work on walking places with her nose inside of a book.

"Good morning, Draco!" Luna chimed happily, shooting him a wide smile as she balanced three books in her arms. She shut the one she had been reading and looked him over, noticing that he hadn't changed from the previous night. His clothes flattened out with a wave of his wand, and he soon did the same to her clothing. "Ooh, thank you!" she told him graciously, looking at the sleeves of her sweater that were now perfectly ironed.

Draco asked her a few questions, making her tilt her head as she listened. It was a habit of hers, she guessed, and often made her look like she was off in her own little world, or even too intrigued. "Oh, they're gone. They'll probably be back at the end of the month. The Weasleys are off at the Burrow." she answered, her tone slightly dreamy. She lived close to the Weasleys, yet had never managed to visit. She had heard stories of the Burrow, and it sounded incredibly interesting. At least to her.

"Yes, I'm really hungry. I don't really remember the last thing I ate. I've been too busy reading," Luna told him with a light laugh, leading Draco into the small kitchen that he had been in the previous night. She noticed a small smile on his face, and her own grew. Had she ever seen him smile before? Luna shuffled through the few memories she had of Malfoy, and none of them had a smiling Draco.

"You know, Draco, it's nice when you smile," Luna commented, her silver eyes sparkling as she moved through the cupboards. "What do you need?" she asked him, getting up on her tip toes to look at the top shelves.

[EverUndine]

Just a hint of pink reached his cheeks, and he thanked Luna awkwardly. Draco was just not used to this kind of treatment at all, everything and everyone was so foreign to the blond wizard. His eyes wandered over Luna's figure and he realized that he was thinking about a girl for the first time since the Triwizard Tournament Ball. Merlin, Voldemort had literally taken over his life after that. Thinking about Voldemort had him a little lost in his thoughts and he hadn't even realized Luna had asked him a question.

"Sorry, Lovegood. Guess I didn't get as much sleep as I thought. Uh I need bacon, eggs, heavy cream, flour and a few other things," Draco opened the fridge and noticed there were only eggs milk and mushrooms, "Nevermind, I'll just make omelettes."

He pointed over to a chair, silently telling her to take a seat and started cracking eggs over the skillet and chopping vegetables and adding a random spice from the cupboards every now and again. When he was done he got out two plate and looked everywhere for a second fork so he ended up muttering a little 'geminio' spell, creating a copy. The wizard sat directly across from the witch and pushed her omelette across the table.

"It's quite delicious, Draco," Luna's sing-song voice declared.

He just smiled a small smile and nodded his head in thanks, it was in that moment that Arthur Weasley returned to 12 Grimmauld place.

( will add more tomorrow, too drunk to do so now)(Nevermind lol)

[chompings]

Luna took a moment to look over her shoulder as Draco uttered a soft thank you. She noticed the red in his cheeks, she noticed his eyes moving over her slim figure. A light pink overcame her cheeks, too, before she turned around to keep rifling through the cabinets of the old house. For some reason, her mind started reeling, thinking of the two of them. Of course she realized she was fantasizing about something that could never happen. Draco didn't seem like the kind of man who would take interest in her of all people. And it was Draco Malfoy, of all people. Even though she wanted to trust him, she wasn't quite sure yet.

Luna came down from her tip toes when he changed his mind about what he wanted to prepare for the two of them. Oftentimes Luna would help with the cooking, but the blonde haired boy seemed determined to make breakfast. She settled into a chair that he had pointed to, watching the wizard with interest. "You know, you can just call me Luna," she told him as the plate was set in front of her, smiling as as a thank you.

"This is just fantastic. I didn't know you could cook," she added after a few moments, savoring the flavors of the omelette that he had made. It was almost shocking how delicious it was. After staring at the mix on her plate for a few moments, Luna's large eyes had flickered up to meet Draco's. They seemed sad, like he was missing a piece of him. She desperately wanted to know what was wrong, but it wouldn't have been prudent of her to ask, to pry.

Mr. Weasley entered the kitchen, breaking the comfortable silence that had lingered between the two. "Good morning, Mr. Weasley!" Luna chimed happily, placing another bite of omelette as he walked around to the refrigerator.

[EverUndine]

Arthur retrieved a glass of water from the fridge, keeping a Manila folder tightly under his arm. Draco examined the look on Arthur Weasley's face and then his eyes darted down to the folder he was grasping. His blue eyes met Arthur's brown ones and in an instant he knew what was in that folder.

"Mister Malfoy, you are a very astute young man. And Luna, dear, you...you have a different way of seeing things, a creative mind. Kingsley believes that the two of you will complement each other well. He's decided to send you into the field. Together."

Draco's eyes darted over to the slim girl across from him.

"I work best alone, Mister Weasley," Draco stuffed another bite of omelette into his mouth, forcing it past the lump in his throat.

"Well, Luna wouldn't just be your partner. She would be..."

"Keeping an eye on me?"

Arthur set the folder on the table between the witch and wizard, "In a manner of speaking, yes."

Draco looked over at the blond girl and found her staring very hard at her omelette. He opened the folder and listened as Arthur Weasley left the kitchen, his footsteps growing fainter. He read quickly over the papers, flipping through them and memorizing the information.

"It says we're to go after Potter. Thorfinn Rowle and Antonin Dolohov have been tracking him, we're to find them first and stop them. 'By any means necessary' it says."

He pushed the papers across the table for her to examine, her eyes were glued to the folder and his eyes glued on her. Draco felt a strange feeling bubble up in his chest, how could he be expected to work with this... This girl? She was too innocent to send into the field, far too pretty for her own good. She would be used and abused as some DeathEater plaything if she were ever captured. How could he focus when he now had to look out for someone? When it was him alone he had nothing to worry about. Besides the fact that he had no family left to care whether he lived or died he was also hated by both sides now, he was sure he would die by the end of the war. Her on the other hand, she had a father still, she had friends who loved her.

Draco's hand slipped into his pocket, pulling out a ring. It was a small band of silver ornamented with a delicate swirling pattern, it was his mother's. He had managed to get it off her hand in his escape and it was the only possession he now owned besides his wand and the clothes on his back. It was a Malfoy heirloom that his father had given to his mother and he remembered what he had told her when he had given it to her. He had said that it was enchanted, that once she put it on he would always know where she was and that he would always be able to find her as long as she was wearing it.

Draco looked straight into Luna's silvery eyes, "We're partners now," he said, "Partners trust each other. I'm not. Asking you to trust me completely but if you can trust me just a little..."

The Wizard pushed the ring into Luna's hand, "I want you to have this. I want you to put this on and never take it off. If anyone asks you about it, I want you to lie. Tell them you found it, or that you bought it at an antique shop, anything but the truth. No one can know I gave it to you or that it belonged to me at any point."

And with that, Draco left Luna to shower and find a change of clothes he could borrow, he needed to look less conspicuous if they were being deployed.

[chompings]

It was clear to Luna that Mr. Weasley was addressing the boy across from her, so she focused on cleaning her plate and enjoying the food that Draco had made. Her ears listened to the conversation, even though her eyes were trained downwards. What caught her attention, what made her look up, was when Arthur announced what the two of them were to become a pair. They were going to work together? Luna's eyes shot straight up, meeting Draco's blue eyes, slightly confused. Why would they pair the two of them off? Surely Draco was capable of handling himself? Even though that would be lonely...

Oh, she was supposed to keep an eye on him. That would explain a whole lot. Between Draco's and Mr. Weasley's exchange, her eyes had moved back downwards at her omelette, which she hadn't finished. Luna's appetite had suddenly disappeared. Even though she wanted to continue eating, she couldn't manage to make herself do it. It wasn't that she didn't like the thought of working with Draco, she liked that thought probably more than she should. It was Dolohov. Sure, she had found alongside Harry in the Department of Mysteries, but this was something different. This was going into the field and actively tracking two known DeathEaters.

Reaching forward for the file, Luna pushed her plate to the side and opened it up, looking over the information intently. The things written inside the folder were basic enough: last known whereabouts, descriptions, strengths and weaknesses. Luna's eyebrows knit together as she looked at the moving photos that were included in the folder. Coughing lightly, she shut the file and pursed her lips before her eyes looked up again. It was almost like he was a magnet for her. It was a relief to see that he, too, seemed slightly worried about this venture. She was worried because she didn't know how she was going to perform. He was worried for a whole other set of reasons, she could just tell.

Draco's hand disappeared into a pocket and she tilted her head curiously. The ring he pulled out caught the light in the kitchen just right, causing it to shine brilliantly. Luna's eyes took in the intricate details just before Draco placed it in her hand. Her eyebrows shot up before she looked up again, his eyes meeting hers. "Draco," she began, her eyes moving between the ring and the boy who's hand was around hers as he transfered the jewelry to her. This was all too strange, even for her. But if it was what he wanted, she would oblige.

Without waiting, she slid the ring onto the middle finger of her left hand, looking at the swirls that wound its way around the metal as her skin tingled a little bit. Before Malfoy had time to slip out, she stood and moved after him, her hand resting gently on his arm to prevent him from going anywhere. "I do trust you," she told him lightly, a small smile on her lips as she let her hand drop from his arm. Draco had defected to the Order, that said something to her. If he was willing to come here and run from everything he had ever known, she would beliefe him. Perhaps he had belonged in Gryffindor instead. What he had done required a tremendous amount of courage.

She let him leave her in the kitchen, thinking. If they were going to be traveling, they were going to need something to carry their belongings in. What was that charm Hermione had used on her purse? Luna beelined for the library for the second time that day, looking through books until she found what she had been searching for. By the time she had found it, Draco had probably managed to shower and get new clothes. The undetectable extension charm. After looking through and memorizing the instructions, Luna walked up the stairs, looking through every bag she owned to find one that was small enough, but would work well with the charm. Every so often, light would catch the delicate ring on her finger. She looked down at it, wiggling her fingers to get used to the weight on her hand. Why would he give this to her?

[EverUndine]

Draco's arm tingled lightly from where Luna had rested her hand. Her hand was small and he felt a surprising urge to take hold of it. Ignoring that urge, the blonde went to the room he slept in last night. He was surprised to find that Regulus Black had been pretty much the same size as him. He used a charm to clean up the clothes and a charm to add length to the pants, Draco was 6'1" and the pants were all a tad short. Everything was pretty generic as far as style so he slipped on a pair of black pants and a dark green sweater, stuffing a few changes of clothing into the black messenger bag he had found in the closet. The wizard made his way downstairs, and rifled through the stock of pre-made potions. Grabbing a blood-replenishing potion, a draught of living death, a wiggenweld potion, essence of dittany, and two polyjuice potions, the Slytherin placed them in the bag and went to check on his new partner.

"Luna?"

The Malfoy cautiously pushed the door to Luna's room to find the girl sitting in the middle of the floor with a bunch of bags around her. She tapped her wand against a small purse and proceeded to pack it with things, a lot of things. Draco was actually pretty impressed with the witch but she was a Ravenclaw for a reason, he supposed.

"An extension charm? Impressive. Would you mind?"

He held his bag towards her and she smiled, performing the spell.

"Thank you," he said, earning a wide eyed stare.

He couldn't help it when a small smile graced his lips. He, instead, began listing the things he had in his bag, mentioning that they should bring water and a little money.

"If we can get into Gringotts I can make a withdrawal from the Malfoy vault. I'm not sure if we'll be able to getting or not, If the Dark Lord has people at the bank we'll have to use the polyjuice but I'd like to save those if we can."

He looked over at Luna, she had a look on her face that he couldn't quite place, but being this close to the Ravenclaw gave him a chance to appreciate her features. She was a pretty girl with her stormy eyes and wavy blond hair, that dreamy expression she always seemed to have was sort of endearing. He saw the glint of silver on her fingers and it made him feel good.

"It looks good on you."

He realized that the only kind things he had ever done had been for his now ex-best friend Blaise Zabini and his own mother. It made him feel shame, which was not a normal Malfoy emotion.

[chompings]

In the time Luna had sat in the middle of her floor to pick out a bag and perform the charm successfully, Draco had managed to take a shower, change, and gather some belongings for their journey. The charm wasn't difficult, per say, it just took a certain level of concentration and it was very finicky. One wrong move of her hand or a mispronounced word and it would be all for naught. How had Hermione managed it on the first go? Granted, it only took Luna two attempts to get it to work, but she had been a bit... distracted.

When Draco entered, she looked slightly frazzled, but she smiled at him all the same. She happily performed the charm on his messenger bag, tucking her wand behind her left ear again before she stood, brushing the tops of her pants with the palms of her hands. As Luna flitted about the room, she listened intently to Malfoy. A few books, several changes of clothes, a few of her odd charms and other knick-knacks made their way into the small blue bag. Luna tossed it on the bed and stood there staring at it, her hands on her hips. Was she forgetting something?

"I don't believe getting into Gringotts will be a problem," she smiled, looking up at the boy who rested against the wall. Even if the Dark Lord had people posted, she would be able to get in without a problem. If Malfoy needed something, though, that may pose an issue. The Death Eaters probably knew about his resignation from their ranks, and would be looking for him. Despite this, though, something about him now seemed relaxed. The dark green sweater Draco wore looked nice against his skin, and the smile he shot her way made a light pink color appear on Luna's cheeks. Malfoy's eyes looked down to her hand, and she followed his gaze, wiggling her fingers again. The new weight on her hand was different, but not uncomfortable. In a way it was comforting, made her feel safe.

Another smile appeared on her face as he complimented her, and she managed to pull her own gaze up to meet his. "Thank you," Luna told him, her voice just above a whisper. "It's very beautiful. I-I don't know why you gave it to me, though," Luna pointed out, her eyes slightly wide and concerned. Surely it belonged to someone?

[EverUndine]

Draco stared directly into Luna's silver eyes, "Its best if you don't know that, Luna. Not yet."

He saw, perhaps for the first time, Luna set her lips into a little frown. He slung his bag over his shoulder and stood.

"Are you ready?"

Luna looked at him with trepidation in her eyes and it was then that Draco realized that this would be her first real mission. Damn, what was the Order trying to do? Were they trying to get him killed? Were they testing him? Seeing if he could complete a mission whilst protecting someone? Of course that's what they were doing. In their minds he was still the enemy. He was still a Slytherin, a Malfoy, a DeathEater to them. A look of determination and indignation crossed his face, he knew he wouldn't be accepted even if he did complete the mission.

"I just have to clean up and I'll be ready," Luna's sing-song voice broke through the Wizard's thoughts.

He nodded and watched her as she left the room, he caught the smell of lavender as she passed. The bond wizard picked up the folder and stared at Dolohov and Rowle's mugshots. It had been about twenty minutes when he began to hear singing. Draco followed the noise up the stairs and stopped outside the bathroom door, steam was drifting out from under the door. Luna's voice was soft and soothing as she sang a wizard lullaby his mother used to sing to him. His blue eyes closed and he sat on the floor, leaning against the wall next to the door. The steam drifting into his face smelled of lavender and it made him feel so relaxed.

What the hell was he doing? Why was this silly Ravenclaw making him act like this? He thought about those silver eyes and that smile. He pushed his hand through his hair, this was a strictly business partnership. She was like the others, she would never fully accept, like or trust him and that was that.

He came out of his thoughts after realizing that the door knob was turning, he scrambled to his feet and that blush crept into his cheeks once again as Luna emerged from the bathroom in a just a towel.

[chompings]

Luna had been hoping that her mere asking would have been enough to get an answer, but she was proven wrong. Perhaps it was something special? With a slight frown, she looked back down to her hand, turning it palm up to look at the design wrapped around the piece of silver. It was obviously important if Draco had asked her to never take it off and to never tell anyone where she had gotten it.

"Will you tell me eventually?" she asked, looking up to Draco with a slight smile.

At his question, she immediately shook her head. She still had some stuff to pack, along with bathing and getting dressed. Thankfully Luna wasn't a typical girl, and it would take less than an hour for them to be on their way after Dolohov and his partner. Running a hand through her hair, she met Draco's eyes. Even though they had spent less than a few hours together at this point, she realized that he was hiding something, but at the same time, that he was determined. If she was in his situation, she would be pretty determined to prove herself as well. This couldn't have been easy for him, she imagined.

"I just have to shower. I won't be long," Luna promised, smiling at him and then turning on her heel to walk up the stairs and into the lavatory.

She closed the door behind her and immediately turned on the shower, stripping of her clothes and getting in. Before too long, she began to sing. It had always been a thing of hers, she supposed. Her favorite songs to sing were old lullabies that she remembered her own mother singing to her. They made her feel less alone, less afraid, like her mother was always there with her. About a half hour later, once she was all clean and shaven, Luna hopped out, wringing out her hair in the shower before grabbing her clothes and wrapping a towel around herself. She combed out her hair and brushed her teeth before opening the door, unaware that Draco was sitting in the hallway.

Her silvery eyes landed on him and her face flushed with pink. Oh, dear. Well this was embarrassing. Normally, if it was anyone else in the Order, she wouldn't have cared. It wasn't like each person had their own bathroom, so they all had to share about four while they stayed at the Black house. Dropping her gaze to her hand again, she focused on the ring, an embarrassed smile settling on her lips.

"I-I just have to get dressed," Luna told him with a small laugh before slipping past him and into her own room.

About twenty minutes later Luna reemerged, hair tossed up in a messy bun and in muggle-approved clothing. Bag slung across her body, she yanked her feet into her shoes and walked out, looking at the boy who was still leaning against the wall. The smile that crossed her face was instantaneous, but she toned it down, realizing what was happening. This wasn't anything special, he was just being nice to her because she was the only one that would talk to him. Right?